Name: Master Splinter
Birth Name: Hamato Yoshi
Age: 48
Affiliation: The Hamato Clan
Physical Appearance: Before Hamato Yoshi mutated into a rat, he was a physically fit young man. Having grown up with the Yoshi clan kept him in top shape. Flexible, broad shouldered, and slender, with archetypal oriental features. Almond shaped black eyes, black hair, he was quite striking. No doubt he attracted quite a lot of ladies in his youth, but there was one particular woman he had his eye on. After being banished to New York City, he came in contact with the rats, which caused him to develop a mutation where his features are rat like, but still, human. Small, thin arms and beady, watery red eyes, his appearance might startle a normal person which is why he is determined to stay within the shadows.
Age had caused him to weaken slightly, both physically and internally. He is usually seen bent over and walks with a cane. His movements have become stiff. It is quite shocking that despite his feeble appearance, can still be devastating in battle.
Personality: Splinter appears like the archetypal martial arts masters from the movies. You can sense an aura of wisdom about him. It is this wisdom he tries to pass onto his sons. Some lessons need to be learned the hard way. To him, making mistakes is all the part of growing up. It took Hamato Yoshi years to achieve such wisdom. He would gladly share his wisdom with those who would be open enough to listen. Sadly, seldom do. Since the mutation, he developed a disdain towards the human race, finding them greedy and violent who will not listen to those who try to give them wisdom.
Splinter is authoritative, firm, strict and overbearing. He has to be harsh towards his sons. They are still young and naive to the ways of the outside world. Of course he is going to be over protective of them. Humanity is cruel towards those who don't understand things that are different, which is why he taught them Ninjitsu, to defend themselves. But even that doesn't ease his worries. There are some things in modern society that he doesn't want his sons exposed too. He is aware that they are at that moment where they want to be involved in relationships, something that he is not quite ready for.
Some may say Splinter is humorless, but that is by far from the truth. He does have a playful, mischevious side to his personality, which reveals itself on several occasions, usually at his son's expense. It is surprising to see that despite his strict nature that no one could imagine that he had a fun-loving side.
History:
Splinter barely remembers his previous life prior to his mutation. Usually he recieves fragments. He knows that he had a previous life in Japan under the name Hamato Yoshi and a respectable member of the Foot Clan. During his youth Hamato Yoshi had been arrogant, brash and slightly vain, but somehow he struck a friendship with Oroku Nagi, if you called it a friendship. They competed with each other over everything. Whether it is in sports, or games of chance, or trying to impress the elders, Hamato Yoshi would always win. The rivalry grew bitter when Tang Shen entered their lives. Of course, Hamato Yoshi fell hard for Tang Shen. Somewhere along the line Tang Shen developed feelings for Hamato Yoshi. Oroku Nagi watched as the relationship between the two grew. Deep in his heart, he yearned for Tang Shen's love, too. Seeing his rival in the arms of the woman he loved drove him mad. If he couldn't have her, no one would.
One day, Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen were to wed. The couple couldn't be happier. Hamato Yoshi finally managed to find a secure position in the Foot Clan after rigorous and difficult training. It was through their bond one night that Tang Shen gave birth to their daughter, Hamato Miwa. Then, one night, their happiness was short lived as Oroku Nagi snuck into their house and poured his heart to the woman he so longed for. Tang Shen refused to reciprocate those feelings. A part of her had always been terrified of Oroku Nagi. Oroku Nagi would've beaten her to death if Hamato Yoshi didn't walk in and deliver that fatal blow. The friendship that once existed between the two vanished and instead, was replaced with hatred and bitterness. Fed up with living under Hamato's shadow, Nagi struck the first punch. The fight to the death begin.
Oroku Nagi lost his life that night. Hamato Yoshi had no clue how it happen. The blows they exchanged were viscious and brutal. All he could remember is hearing Nagi's neck snap. Although Tang Shen was grateful, the Elders were not pleased. They gave Yoshi an ultimatum: Leave and don't ever come back to the clan, or stay, be punished and disgraced for the rest of his life. Yoshi accepts the banishment and flees to New York City, along with his wife, Tang Shen.
Little does Hamato Yoshi and Tang Shen know a young boy just discovered that his beloved older brother is dead, slaughtered by a dishonrable member of his clan. Fueled by anger and rage, Oroku Saki trained for years, waiting for the day when he can exact his revenge on the one who murdered his brother. That day finally came. He arrived in New York City, tracked down Hamato Yoshi, then slaughtered his beloved Tang Shen. Hamato Yoshi discovered Tang Shen, dead. The last thing he saw was the monster who killed his beloved, Oroku Saki, who now calls himself the Shredder. The Shredder jumped on Hamato Yoshi, leaving him a mess on the ground, but somehow he
managed to survive that night. He crawled out of the building, his body wracked with pain. It was at that moment he discovered four baby turtles that had been abandoned by its owner. They were crawling around this green goop.
Taking pity on them, he gathered them up in a coffee can, adopting them as his 'pets'. Somewhere along the line he came into contact with this green goo. A rat brushed past him. The moment he made contact with the rat, his body started to change into a rat. This exact same mysterious goo made changes to the turtles' bodies, making them look more human. Hamato Yoshi became the Turtles' surrogate father. As he watched them grow, he noticed that they were very intelligent and developed their own unique personalities. He knew that the outside world would dismiss them as freaks, so he taught them ninjitsu to help defend themselves from the outside world.
Hamato Yoshi had no clue what happened to his baby girl, but assumed the monster known as the Shredder slaughtered her in the same way he murdered Tang Shen. Saddened by the loss of his only daughter, he found happiness again with his new family. He couldn't have been more wrong. Hamato Miwa survived that night, except she was stolen by Oroku Saki and used as a weapon against the Hamato clan. He named her Karai. Only time would tell when he would be reunited with his long lost daughter. It would be a shock to them both.
It was through the friendship with Casey Jones and April O'Neil he learned to embrace the human race once more. It doesn't assuage his fears that someday, he would face his mortal enemy once again. And that time would come sooner then he least expected.
Skills/Abilities/Weapons:
Tail--One of the benefits of being a mutant rat is that he could use his tail like a whip and a grappling hook.
Sharp Teeth--Although he rarely uses them, Splinter's teeth are like small needles, yet strong as steel. They can cut through wires, and even break the skin of his enemies, which can cause alot of pain.
Heightened Senses--His hearing and sense of smell is sharp then its ever been. Another benefit to being a mutant rat. He can sense when a person's is wracked by emotion.
Walking Cane-The cane does more then help his balance. He uses the cane to help shield him from oncoming attacks.
Ninjitsu-Splinter had been trained in Ninjitsu his whole life, although age had caused him to grow quite stiff. It still hasn't stopped him from fighting back. Unlike Shredder, his style is not brutal, its more strategic, graceful and flexible. He can use any weapons with skilled mastery. He is the perfect rival for Oroku Saki.
Likes:
Soap Operas
Comedy Sitcoms
Cheese (don't laugh)
Sushi
His small family and friends
Traditional music
Most Modern Music
Dislikes:
The Shredder
Seeing his loved ones get hurt
Those who refuse to respect his wisdom
Seeing innocents get hurt
Losing his temper
His Boys Disrespecting Him
Sample Post:
Splinter snorted as Oroku Saki appeared on the television, giving a big speech about the changes of humanity and technology. The crowd listened intently. Flanked by his side is a young woman who greatly reminded him of his beloved Tang Shen. He imagined she would've been around the same age as Miwa if she had survived. The teenager stood proudly by her father's side. Foolish young woman. Does she even know what kind of person he truly is?
He is trying his best to ignore the chaos that was going inside the Lair. Raphael and Leo have been arguing over who is in charge again, Michelangelo is obviously hiding, Donatello is trying to play the refree. Sooner or later he is going to have to step in and reprimand them both. If Leo and Raph start bullying each other again, its the Haashi for those two. It is not as though he is neglecting his duties as a parent, he's just hoping that Leo and Raphael would work things out on their own. So far, they hadn't made any progress. Raphael still taunts his brother and Leonardo is giving in, like always.
In Japanese he yelled, "Thats enough!" It looked like he had to interfere after all. His tail whipped out, stopping them from letting their arguments escalate furthur. It looked like it was a trip to the Haashi after all.
