Summary
Warning! Potential spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #3 ahead!One of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtleswill be dumping their favorite toy in the franchise’s new era. All the members of the TMNT have their signature weapon of choice - Michelangelo has his nunchucks, Leonardo his katana, Donatello his staff, and Raphael his twin sai. Theyall originally had different weapons, but their current weapons have become a staple of TMNT lore for decades now.
However,Gameradar’spreview forTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#3 by Jason Aaron and Cliff Chiang suggests that Leonardo will be disposing of his signature katana. Below, readers can find the main cover art by Rafael Albuquerque, while additional variant covers from Chiang, Kevin Eastman, J. Gonzo, Danny Earls, Darick Robertson, Lee Bermejo and Lee Weeks can be found further below. The issue is set to be released on July 28, 2025, with a pre-order deadline for September 9.
Leonardo losing his katana could have significant meaning for the character and the path that he’s embarking on as the Turtles enter a new chapter.
Leonardo is Losing His Signature Sword
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#3
WithJason Aaron leading a new creative team, IDW Publishing is taking the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in an entirely new direction. In fact, one can say the troupe is being taken in an entirely old direction, asAaron promises to take theTurtles back to their gritty roots. Heading into thisSummer of Turtles relaunch, each of the early issues of the main series will put a spotlight on an individual Turtle and why they’ve suddenly separated. The solicitation for the third issue, focused on Leonardo, reads as follows:
Leonardo is traveling the world in search of peace. All the adventures—good and bad—he’s had with his brothers have taken their toll, and he is seeking a new way to exist, leaving the life of New York far behind. On the banks of the Ganges, he has found a turtle colony that shows him a simpler way to be, but even these turtles have their foes. Leo can fend off the poachers easily, protecting his temporary home, but what will he do when a deadlier enemy comes searching for him?
All the Turtles have taken very different, very divergent paths from each other since splitting up. For instance, the first issue will focus on a prison stint for Raphael, while the second issue will reveal thatMichelangelo is a famous TV star.Leonardo’s path seems to be more of a journey of self-discovery, which makes sense. As the de facto leader of the team, his life has centered around the Turtles, essentially, and as such, needs to learn what life without them looks like for him.
What About His Signature Weapon?
What Will Leonardo Carry Now?
The katana, in many ways, was a symbolic gesture for Leonardo,representative of his leadership in TMNT. Now, without a team to lead, he’ll potentially be without his katana.This could open the door for Leo to pick up a new weapon that allows him to express the new version of himself that he hopes to find on this new journey. Maybe with reinvention, he becomes the franchise’s new Conan the Barbarian,as teased in one recentTMNTstory. Wherever it leads, it’s a journey to show how Leonardo is more than just theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Source:Gameradar
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles#3will be released on October 23 by IDW Publishing.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) is a multi-media franchise that began with Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird’s comics in the 1980s. Throughout the years, their comic books expanded to movies, TV shows, video games, and toys. Most notably, the animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ran for nearly a decade and has become a nostalgic staple of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Several other movies have featured the four anthropomorphic turtle brothers (Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael), including the trilogy of live-action films in the ‘90s and the more recent movies Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and its sequel Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows.
