Mikey's Family Role | A Rise of the TMNT Analysis

From the beginning of his mutated life, to the end of his life in the bad future, Mikey is comforting ppl, making them feel better. The pat on Splinter’s hand, the wink to Casey Jr. And the fact that there was no sign of his younger self in his future design, except for a single peace sign where his stickers used to be. He never stop hoping and seeing the good in things. Even as the world burned around them. I love him so much.

“two divorced dads who had a messy breakup taking their kid of shared custody out for the day” that is remarkably accurate

I’m so glad Mikey got to be analyzed. He deserves so much love and it’s disappointing he had to go through so much /just/ inside his family. Thank you so much for this analysis.

I also feel mikey's fighting style is so flashy as a way to protect his brothers and to divert the enemies attention away from them cause he is the fastest and more agile

Also noting that the PowerPoint he made for Donnnie comparing how Splinter treats Donnie to how Donnie treats Shellodon indicates that he doesn’t like how Splinter treats him and knows that it isn’t healthy. You can see his reactions when Donnie goes on about approval form parent aged adults . I think he’s much more introspective than any realizes, both in show in on fandom. I wonder if he bottles up his emotions sometimes, because there’s a reason he has confronted Splinter. Even throughout Tutrle dega, he’s suspicious of him, but doesn’t confront him, instead focusing on Donnie. He never really has serious moments with his dad. Except for in hidden city, which is also the only time his dad says his name I think. And technically, he says Mikey not Michelangelo . I wish we had an episode of Mikey airing his grievances.

The fact that the writers came out and said the reason why we sometimes felt tension between Mikey and Raph was due to the fact that they wanted to make an episode where they showed how close they were when they were young but slowly drifted apart as Mikey got older honestly just further shows the tragedy of what was taken from us. But regardless with that concept in mind I actually really like the fact that they were once close but aren’t anymore. Cuz then we get to see Mikey’s relationship with Leo and Donnie. Which is also enjoy seeing the difference in. Mikey is just a big ol’ ball of affection and he often shows that through physical touch, he shows that to all his brother but with Leo he shows it the most. You can tell that Mikey really looks up and adores Leo. But he’s also not scared of butting heads with him either and being competitive with his big brother, and will do so in hilarious ways. His relationship with Donnie, is also very different, to me Mikey feels more like Donnie’s shadow sometimes seeing how often the two are together, but what I find the most amazing thing about Donnie and Mikey’s relationship and why it’s my favorite one of the bunch is that Mikey is the only one in their family who Donnie is perfectly okay with touching him and even will often be the one to instigate said physical affection, example the dozen of times in the movie and in the smaller moments in the show. Which for Donnie, knowing full well he doesn’t like physical affection is huge for his character as well as Mikey’s cuz he’s still very respectful towards Mikey. I think the reason why he and Donnie are so close is that while Donnie is still a protective big brother to Mikey, he doesn’t baby Mikey like Raph does. Donnie treats Mikey like an equal. And Mikey kinda clings to that and you can tell he’s very much appreciative that Donnie doesn’t treat him like a fragile doll 90% of the time like Raph had.

i think it's very important to note that in the future it's implied that raph and donnie are dead. they're not present or mentioned, and you can see two ribbons, red and purple, tied around leo's sword. the two people who are gone when future mikey opens the portal are the two people who support him when our mikey opens it to save leo.

One of the interesting things I noticed is that Mikey's high empathy and emotional awareness allows him to be logical in situations when even the typically highly logical and low empathy Donnie can't be. In the Durby episode, despite wanting attention from Splinter as well, Mikey is able to spot the red flags that Donnie either can't or purposefully ignores. Yet, latter on, Mikey is able to point out that they really should be focusing on staying alive rather than their family squabble. Similarly, Mikey is the first to be able to break out of the montage spell.

i feel like not enough people talk about how it feels being the youngest child, being compensated for your emotions, then abruptly being told one day that you have to grow up, expected to maturely handle our emotional vulnerability without being told how

When you got your own siblings to watch with you, you know its gonna be phenomenal, and we cried together... 😭

When you said that older Mikey was destroyed by the emotional weight of handling his powers alone “with a smile on his face” I felt that When you said that Mikey sees being the family therapist as “the least he could do” because he “had it the easiest” I FELT THAT Great video, youngest children solidarity my man

You worded this beautifully. The heart and love put into this analysis is evident with every piece and it's long but it's worth it. Mikey deserved a lot more time in the story but what is there isn't devoid of narrative payoff and you emphasize it perfectly. Amazing work and a wonderful dive into a character we all love dearly. 🧡🐢

I really do love how all four turtles are written to represent a different mental health struggle: Leo - Impostor Syndrome Raph - Anxiety Donnie - Autism Mikey - ADHD

Can I just say that even the Mikey of 2012 TMNT was a very caring member of their family? I mean, when Shredder almost killed Splinter and Raph went into a rage, Mikey was the only one who was able to stop him by... hugging him. He's supposed to be the most childish and "unmature" member of their family, yet he was able to keep a cool head while he had to watch his only parent to be defeated and possibly killed. He didn't cry. Didn't tremble. He just comforted his most emotionally constipated brother when he couldn't hold it together. I never forgot that about him. For me, he is the glue what keeps together his family in both versions of the ninja turtles.

How you managed to make a video about Mikey longer than the videos about Donny and Leo COMBINED is beyond me.

As an oldest child and both a raph and Mikey kinnie, this analysis is super interesting. I have had experiences that my younger siblings will never experience but I never noticed that they have to go through things I never will.

Mikey needs family, I think that’s true in all versions. He can’t deal if his family is broken/missing/dead. It’s completely messes up his personality and turns him into an almost unrecognizable version of himself in the most extreme version (last ronin) or harden, becoming ruthless and strategic(same as it never was). He NEEDS family or else he falls apart.

Nothing made me laugh harder in the series than Mikey’s HUGE gasp in Turtle Dega Nights when Splinter actually said Donatello’s name. Yet that huge gasp is so telling about so many aspects of those three’s relationship.

as an oldest child, the very last section had me in tears. he is such a good character and so very relatable, even if i don't resonate with the youngest sibling experience. that's how REAL this family is. i am so so glad he got some love. he deserves it. i love your commentary!!

As a younger sibling myself in a partially dysfunctional family, I feel this. There was never a moment in my life where I wouldn't feel the need to please everyone around me and help them with their emotions. My mother gets angry very easily, so I'm usually the one calming her down and help her get on a normal conversation ground again. If there are communication problems between my family members, I help them talk to each other. This video essay really connected to me, because I feel a lot of Mikey's struggles and emotions, the only thing I don't do is lash out in the style of Dr. Delicate Touch. Thank you so much for writing this, it's beautiful, 10/10, did cry at the end