Master Splinter (Hamato Yoshi)

• Character Name: Hamato Yoshi
• Main Alias: Master Splinter
• Home: New York City, Earth (currently)
• Aliases: Lou Jitsu (former stage name), Splinter, Randall, Rat Jitsu (Battle Nexus stage name), Lou Rat Jitsu
• Nicknames: Dad, Daddy, Daddy-o, Father, Papa, Pop, Pops (by his sons), TGI Parmesan (by Meat Sweats), Splints, Rodel, Splinty (by April O'Neil), Rat man, Snuggle Muffin Beefcake, Fuzzy Cuddlelupagus, Huggypoo,, Prickly Petey (by Big Mama), Poo Jitsu (by Kristoff Van Bradford), Rat, the rat (by Baron Draxum)
• Date of birth: 1961-1966
• age: 63-58
• Abilities: Ninjutsu
• Acting: Weapon of choice, Walking stick, Tail, Remote control
• Affiliation: Hamato Clan, Lou Jitsu School of Ninjutsu, The B-Team
• Family Members: Hamato Atsuko (mother), Raphael (human mutation son), Leonardo (human mutation son), Donatello (human mutation son), Michelangelo (human mutation son), Big Mama's assistant (human mutation daughter), April O'Neil (fellow Hamato Clan member), Piebald (adoptive daughter; formerly pet), S.H.E.L.L.D.O.N. ("grandson" built by Donatello), Hamato Sho (maternal grandfather), Mystic Aura (ancestor through Sho), Hamato Karai (ancestor through Sho), Oroku Saki (ancestor through Karai)
• Species: Human-born mutant rat
• Gender: Male
• Height: 3' 0" (as a mutant)
• Ethnicity: Asian (Japanese)
• Bandana color: Green (briefly)
• Eye color: Black (as a human), Yellow sclerae (as a mutant)
• Hair color: Black (as a human), Gray/White (as a mutant)
• About: Hamato Yoshi, once known professionally as Lou Jitsu and currently known as Splinter, is a member of the Hamato Clan, a former martial arts movie star, and the biological father and (sometimes) sensei of the Turtles who was mutated into a rat.
• Appearance: Splinter is a mutant rat with long straight white hair styled half up in a bun, a white beard, white bushy eyebrows, short grey fur, and a short, plump figure. His legs are light pink and from the elbows down, his arms are also light pink (with his hands having five fingers instead of the usual four). He has yellow sclerae, a dark pink nose and tail, black whiskers on his muzzle, and a nick in his right ear. He wears a brown yukata with yellow trim and the Hamato Clan emblem placed on its heart. He also wears a black hair tie.
• Personality: Splinter, unlike his previous incarnations, is laid-back, abstracted, exhibits slovenly tendencies, and is rather invested in popular culture entertainment. He comes off as an extremely flawed, albeit loved, father figure. He sometimes stirs up mischief and trouble with his sons when bored, including stealing the Turtle Tank in "The Fast and the Furriest". He often treats his sons flippantly and is shown not spend much time in family outings ("Turtle Tots", "Turtle-dega Nights: The Ballad of Rat Man") as he is busy entertaining himself or napping. There are times when Splinter makes an effort to bond with the Turtles, such as auditioning to be their bandmate in "Al Be Back", telling anecdotes as they watch a Lou Jitsu film together in "Jupiter Jim Ahoy!", and helping them with the Lair Olympics each year. Splinter has a deep care for his sons and their safety, deciding to doom all humans to rescue them in "End Game" and is mentally "utterly destroyed"

Splinter has a hedonistic quality retained since his days as Lou Jitsu, prioritizing whatever brings him joy and he enjoys the wilder things in life, like joy rides. He has an immaturity streak, acting younger than he is, like when he tries to avoid his sons when they discover the Turtle Tank’s location instead of facing his transgression, asking for a new motorcycle in "Down with the Sickness" after the Turtles contract Rat Flu, and at least somewhat following current trends as seen in his awareness of "kickies" in "Shadow of Evil". Yet he also has the wisdom of someone who has experienced much, such as when he advises April O'Neil and Foot Recruit on tackling discouragement and how to continue on when they fail in "Always Be Brownies".

Splinter is inclined to sarcasm and can be rude, such as when he overrides the Turtles' time playing Hot Soup: The Game to play it himself in "Hot Soup: The Game" yet is caring, believing in honorable battle instead of cheating. He gently caretakes Piebald before her mutation and extends sympathy to Foot Recruit and Big Mama despite the harm they personally inflict on him. Although he verbally praises and expresses love to others, such as April, with ease, he sometimes struggles to verbalize the same to the Turtles.

Splinter is courageous. He takes action when needed as shown in "Mrs. Cuddles" when he defends the Mad Dogs from Mrs. Cuddles and in "Shadow of Evil" when he immediately initiates an undercover solo mission to stop the Foot Clan upon learning the Shredder exists. Splinter slowly grows more serious as the first season progresses. Despite his previous indolence, he becomes devoted to training the Turtles to perfect their fighting skills as mentioned by Leo in "Man vs. Sewer" and "Snow Day" and other skills like survival in "Cloak and Swaggart" and "Todd Scouts". This apparent contradiction is later explained as Splinter's captivity in the Battle Nexus and his childhood being dominated by martial arts training causes him to discourage his sons from being fighters like he is if it is unnecessary, which he believes it is until "Shadow of Evil".

Splinter states repeatedly how important TV is to him as if it rivals his love for his family ("Turtle Tots", "Mystic Mayhem", "The Longest Fight", "Mrs. Cuddles", "Many Unhappy Returns") but his frequent TV-watching stems not from unadulterated laziness or egotism as it initially seems but rather as his main way to distract himself from his mutation. The misery caused by Splinter's mutation makes him inclined to sleep and engage in things that let him feel closer to his celebrity identity. He is able to finally gain the perspective that was missing for 13 years to begin to reframe his life as a mutant in a less negative light in "Hidden City's Most Wanted".

• History: Yoshi is a descendant of the Hamato ninja clan who defeated the Shredder 500 years ago and trained themselves to fight against the Foot and prevent the Shredder's return. When Yoshi was a young child, he heard the story of how the Shredder was defeated from his grandfather Hamato Sho, but on that same spring day, Yoshi's mother Hamato Atsuko left her father and son so that she could perform her clan duty, which devastated Yoshi.

For many years afterwards, Yoshi trained under Sho in ninjutsu so that he may defeat Shredder should he be resurrected, mastering it. However, Yoshi's grief over his mother leaving him eventually turned into bitterness towards his own clan, leading him to disbelieve the existence of the Shredder. One day, as a teenager, Yoshi entered an argument with his grandfather, which led to him deciding to abandon his family duties so that he could pursue his dream of going to Hollywood to become a movie star.

Using the skills he was taught, Yoshi quickly rose to national fame and fortune in Japan as the action star known as "Lou Jitsu" before leaving for the United States of America and attaining prominence there as well.[3] As an action star, Yoshi "danced through life" and had a "very really good time". He was visited by his grandfather one day while filming in the United States, who demanded that he end his career so that he could return to Japan to follow his true destiny. Yoshi sternly refused once more and dismissed Sho by closing his trailer door in his face. Although his desire to be left alone by Sho was finally fulfilled afterwards, Yoshi was remorseful about his part in how their relationship ended.

While shooting for Crouching Shrimp Hidden Tiger Prawn, Yoshi met Big Mama, the driver of his filming trailer, and the two started a romantic relationship. However, Yoshi was unaware that she wasn't a human, despite some obvious signs displayed during their time together. After proposing to Big Mama while on a nighttime date at Dinner on the Green, Yoshi was abducted by her and brought to the Hidden City. For 10 years[4][5][6], he was forced to be a Battle Nexus competitor, where he triumphed over his opponents and earned the title of the greatest Battle Nexus Champion of all time. Years spent competing in the Battle Nexus almost managed to break Yoshi.[7] He eventually renounced fighting altogether and tried to adopt a pacifistic lifestyle. As a consequence, Big Mama imprisoned him in a Battle Nexus cell.

However, Yoshi's Battle Nexus fame drew the attention of Baron Draxum, who wished to use his DNA to mutate an army that would serve him. Yoshi was approached during his imprisonment by Draxum's henchmen Huginn and Muninn. Seizing the opportunity to escape the Battle Nexus and apathetic to his own welfare, he permitted Huginn and Muninn to secretly take him to their employer's laboratory to be an experimental subject. However, once Yoshi realized Draxum was going to use him to mutate turtles from their natural state, he objected, but was too late. Draxum submerged the turtles in capsules of ooze and infused them with Yoshi's DNA. It was through this process that they were mutated from ordinary reptiles, making Yoshi the biological father of their human genes. Unwilling to allow animals to be turned into monsters for Draxum's army, Yoshi released himself and Draxum's experiments. In the midst of his escape, he tried freeing the rat from his Battle Nexus cell as well. In turn, it bit Yoshi as he was sprayed with ooze from above, resulting in his mutation. Huginn and Muninn destroyed the laboratory and it went up in flames, leading Draxum to assume that the Turtles had been killed in the fire. Yoshi successfully escaped the Hidden City with them and raised his four children in the New York City sewers. Because his film career made him well traveled, Yoshi developed esteem for Renaissance art and thus named the Turtles after Renaissance artists.[8][9]

Splinter debuted in “Mystic Mayhem”. He was snacking while watching a Japanese game show called Soapy Treadmill when he was approached by the Turtles who asked to use the TV room. Splinter refused because he was comfortable and shooed them away. Soon after, he fell asleep in his recliner.