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The Last Ronin is a comic book miniseries that ends the story of theTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.It retains the dark tones and over-the-top action of the original comics, but features characters who are instantly recognizable to anyone who has followed the Heroes On The Half-Shell, in any incarnation, over the last several decades.
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With the announcement of anupcoming video gamebased on this storyline, now is a great time to read the comic if you haven’t already. If that’s not currently an option, or if you just want a refresher, never fear - we’ve got a full synopsis of the plot right here!
This article contains major spoilers for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin
Which Timeline Is The Last Ronin?
While The Last Ronin is best thought of as its own story outside the regular TMNT timelines, it’sprimarily based on the chronology of the IDW comics.This means that the following important events happened before the first issue:
The events of The Last Ronin are presented out of sequence in the comics. For ease of reference, we will relate them here inchronological order.
First To Fall (Circa 2025)
The Turtles' longtime friends and allies, April O’Neil and Casey Jones, plan a dinner toannounce their engagement. The same evening, Shredder’s daughter Oroku Karaibreaks the truce between her clan and the Hamato.A large force of Foot Clan ninjas ambush Splinter and the Turtles on their way to the dinner, grievously wounding Splinter.
The Turtles take Splinter to April’s, where she notes that the sensei has lost a lot of blood and is unlikely to survive. The Turtles decide to risk bringing their father to the hospital, despite the fact that he will be exposed and vulnerable there. Raphael, believing that Splinter has no hope of survival,goes off aloneto face Karai.
Raphael finds Karai at a dockyard, where she accepts his challenge to single combat. During the battle, both of them fall into the water. Raphaeldrags Karai down with him, believing that he can hold his breath longer than her. However, Karai gets a hand free andstabs Raphael in the neck, dealing a mortal blow. Karai’s soldiers rescue her from the water, but she falls into a coma from oxygen deprivation,remaining unresponsive for the rest of her life.
In the end, Splinter survives the ordeal, but the group is forced to reckon with the loss of Raphael.
The Rise Of Hiroto (Circa 2035)
Ten years later, Karai’s son Hiroto becomes an adult and takes his place asleader of the Oroku Clan.Hiroto’s first act is tocall for peace between the Oroku and Hamato families, inviting Splinter to Japan to formally end the generations-long feud.
Despite severe misgivings about Hiroto’s trustworthiness,Splinter travels to Japanfor the meeting, escorted by Donatello while the others remain in New York to continue their ongoing battle against Baxter Stockman. Once the pair have departed, Stockman sends an army of Mousers, supported by the Foot Clan, toassault the Turtles' lair.
Leonardo and Casey stall the attackers to buy time for Michelangelo and April to escape with the Fugitoid and find a way to warn Splinter about Hiroto’s treachery. Stockman’s drones corner the Fugitoid, whichthreatens to self-destruct rather than face capture.Calling the robot’s bluff, Stockman detonates the entire force of Mousers,leveling the city block.
Only Michelangelo escapes the blast;Leonardo and Casey are killed instantly, and April is crushed by rubble. The Fugitoid’s head remains intact, but Stockman is unable to recover it. Michelangelo stows away on a plane to Japan, hoping to intercept Splinter and Donatello before they meet with Hiroto.
Michelangelo makes his way to the Hamato Clan stronghold, where he is greeted by the current leader, Shinichiro. Shinichiro tells Michelangelo that the meeting has already taken place, and thatSplinter and Donatello both died in battleagainst Hiroto when his treachery became clear. Michelangelo declines Shinichiro’s invitation to stay with the clan, and wanders into the mountains where he remains for the next sixteen years.
Interim (2040s)
When emergency crews arrive at the site of the explosion in New York City, they are able to rescue April. Herleft arm and right legare amputated and replaced with cybernetics, and at the hospital she discovers she is pregnant. She names the baby girlCasey Marie Jones, after her late father.
With the Turtles and their allies out of the way, the Foot Clan spends the next decade and a halftaking control of New York City.As the sea level rises,walls are built around Manhattan to prevent flooding, effectively turning the island into a fortress ruled by Hiroto. Deploying an army of cyborg ninjas to maintain power, Hiroto turns New York into a hellish dystopia.
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April retreats with Casey to the sewer lair, intact but unused since the battle. She raises her daughter to help theunderground resistance movement against Hiroto’s rule.As Casey grows up, April notices that the girl has enhanced strength, speed, fortitude, and a rapid healing factor. April theorizes that her and Casey’slifelong secondhand exposure to the Mutagenthrough their time with the Turtles must have beenpassed on to their daughter, giving her mutant capabilities without changing her appearance.
April is also able torecover the Fugitoid’s head, but refuses to reactivate it for fear of alerting Stockman to the robot’s survival.
The Last Ronin (Circa 2051)
During his self-imposed exile, Michelangeloused Splinter’s journal to master the weapon styles of his brothers.After sixteen years, he returns to New York, intent onkilling Hiroto or dying in the attempt.He fights his way to the top of Hiroto’s tower, but is thrown from the highest floor while facing his nemesis.
Michelangelo miraculously survives the fall, likely due to the advanced state of his mutation, and isrescued by Casey Marie.Although Michelangelo had planned on committing seppuku over his failure to avenge his family, discovering that April is alive gives him a reason to continue fighting.
While he recovers, Michelangeloagrees to teach Casey the ninja arts, becoming her sensei. During this time he isplagued by memories of Leonardo, Donatello, and Raphael,and his fear of failing them. Meanwhile,Hiroto places the city under martial lawuntil Michelangelo is found and executed.
As the de facto leader of the resistance, April concocts a long-shot plan to eliminate Hiroto; anall-out assault on Baxter Stockman’s laboratory, from where they can cut the power to the city and disable Hiroto’s cyborg network and automated defenses. After a hard-fought battle, April is able to penetrate the control center andactivate the Fugitoid, who hacks the city’s grid and kills Stockman before shutting down for good.
Once the grid is down, Michelangelo departs to face Hiroto alone,leaving Splinter’s journalfor Casey. Michelangelo and Hiroto duel from the top of the tower to the muck outside the walls, both eventuallysuccumbing to their woundswithin minutes of each other.
Casey and April arrive just as Michelangelo dies. In the aftermath, April continues her research on the Mutagen while Casey trains from Splinter’s journal. Casey also sets aboutraising four pet turtles, planning to expose them to the Mutagen and train them as Hamato Clan ninjas when they reach adolescence.
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