Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Leonardo
Artwork for the cover of TMNT Micro-Series vol. 1, 4 (April, 2012). Art by David Petersen.
Publication information
Publisher	Mirage Studios
First appearance	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (May 1984)
Created by	Kevin Eastman Peter Laird
In-story information
Full name	Leonardo Hamato
Abilities	Highly skilled in ninjutsu Olympic-level agility, speed, and strength Keen strategist Master of stealth Mastery of kenjutsu and iaidō Master swordsman Chi Gong Mastery of various forms of hand-to-hand combat Enhanced slashing & slicing (via ninjato) Exceptional leadership skills

Leonardo, often shortened to Leo, is a fictional character and one of the four main characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics and all related media.

In the Mirage/Image Comics, all four turtles wear red bandanas, but in other versions he wears a blue bandana. His signature weapons are two katanas. Leonardo is the most spiritual, the most disciplined, and the most in-line with Splinter's teachings and thoughts. He is named after Leonardo da Vinci.

Leonardo is depicted as the calmest of the four. He never explicitly referred to himself as leader in the early stories, except issue #44 ("The Violent Underground"). He is the one to usually take charge of the turtles when Master Splinter is not present. He is often at odds with his more hot-headed brother, Raphael.

In Leonardo #1, Leonardo goes out for a run on the rooftops of New York City and is ambushed by the Foot Clan. He puts up an admirable fight against an army of Foot Ninja, but is eventually overwhelmed by them. Beaten to near unconsciousness, he is thrown through April O'Neil's apartment window. The remaining Turtles and Splinter are forced to continue the fight, but even with the aid of Casey Jones, the odds are against them. In the end, the building catches fire and the police arrive, but they secretly escape to Northampton. During this time, Leonardo recovers from his physical wounds. However, he has lost a great deal of confidence. He repeatedly attempts, unsuccessfully, to hunt for deer. While out hunting, he sees April fall through ice into a lake, and he rescues her. In subsequent issues, it is implied that Leonardo has regained most of his confidence.

In the Return to New York storyline (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (vol. 1) #19-21), Raphael demands that the Turtles return to New York to confront the Foot Clan and the Shredder. He accuses Leonardo of cowardice, and the arguing brothers soon come to blows. Leonardo is beaten by Raphael, who throws Leonardo through the wall of the barn and leaves alone. Along with Donatello and Michelangelo, Leonardo returns to New York and reunites with his wayward brother in the old sewer lair. The three go along with Raphael's plan to storm the Foot Headquarters, where once again Raphael goes off on his own to fight the Shredder. However, he is ambushed and beaten by the Shredder's Elite guard, but is rescued by Leonardo. This prompts Raphael to finally cede to Leonardo's leadership, leaving him to fight the Shredder. Leonardo engages in a bloody battle with Shredder that spills out onto the rooftop of the building. Leonardo ends the battle by decapitating the Shredder just as the building implodes. The Turtles later burn the Shredder's corpse in a funeral pyre in a nearby Manhattan harbor.