Raphael (TMNT)

Raphael
Artwork for the cover of TMNT Micro-Series vol. 1, 1 (December, 2011). 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	Raphael
Team affiliations	Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Notable aliases	Nightwatcher, The Shredder
Abilities	Highly skilled in ninjutsu Olympic-level agility, speed, and strength Mastery of kobudo Master of stealth Chi Gong Master of twin offensive/defensive sai High Temper

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

In the Mirage/Image Comics, all four turtles wear red bandanas over their eyes; in other versions, Raphael is the only one who retains a red bandana. Raphael wields twin sai as his primary weapon. (In the Next Mutation series, his sai stick together to make a staff-like weapon.) He is generally the most likely to experience extremes of anger or rage, and is usually depicted as being aggressive, sullen, maddened, and rebellious. He broke his shell while fighting The Shredder 1 on 1, in the 2014 film. The origin of Raphael's anger is not always fully explored, but in some incarnations appears to stem partly from the realization that they are the only creatures of their kind and ultimately alone. He also has a somewhat turbulent relationship with his older brother Leonardo because Leonardo is seen as the group's leader. Raphael is named after the 16th-century Italian painter Raphael. In 2011 Raphael placed 23rd on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes, a list that did not feature any of his brothers.

In the earliest black-and-white Mirage Comics, Raphael was the most violent turtle and had a tendency for going berserk either in battle or when his temper flared up. He has a somewhat cynical and sarcastic sense of humor. In later issues, it's shown that he is not particularly fond of the supernatural, stating so explicitly in Tales of Raphael: Bad Moon Rising.

Raphael mellowed somewhat as the series went on, possibly a key moment for his character development was when he allowed Leonardo to go in alone to defeat The Shredder after nearly being killed by the Foot Elite. Since then, he has been less likely to challenge Leonardo's leadership, and on the whole is more friendly towards his family and allies.