Fanfic / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows is a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fan Fic written by Nintendoman01.

The fic is an AU taking cues from all over the TMNT mythos, being an Ultimate Universe of sorts. Not to be confused with the film or video game of the same name.

In 2021, the original story was discontinued, but a reboot by the same authors was uploaded the following year, and cross-posted on Archive of Our Own twice, once as a singular story, and again as a series of arc-centered mini-stories.

Beware of unmarked spoilers.

---

Tropes:

• Accidental Murder: In the prologue, Saki kills Shen by accident when she tries to stop his fight with Yoshi.
• Adaptation Distillation: This fanfic takes cues from nearly every major iteration of the TMNT mythos, including the comics, the animated series, video games, and movies.
  • The turtles and Splinter's origin story is based heavily on the 2012 show, with Splinter having originally been Hamato Yoshi before a chance encounter with General Krang's Utroms led to him and the turtles getting exposed to mutagen.
  • Splinter's backstory is also derived heavily from the version seen in the 2012 show, as it features not only Tang Shen's murder, but also the kidnapping of his daughter by Oroku Saki.
  • General Krang's Utroms take on the role of the Kraang from the 2012 series, but they behave like Utroms seen in iterations like the 2003 animated series, where they are shown as being capable of speaking fluent English both in and out of their exosuits.
  • Mortu and the Utroms' backstory is adapted from the 2003 show, except that both Krang and Ch'rell causing the Utrom ship to crash on Earth. They also work with the Guardians as they fight General Krang, Ch'rell, and their fellow rogue Utroms.
  • Venus de Milo plays a major role in the story, as in The Next Mutation. Unlike in that series, however, Venus, or "Vee", as she's known, was not left behind following her initial mutation. Instead, she was actually taken in and raised by Splinter, with the other four turtles being her brothers. She also takes on some of Raph's character traits, namely his fear of bugs.
  • April runs the "2nd Time Around" antique shop, but she is still around the same age as her 2012 counterpart. And like her 2012 incarnation, she receives training from Master Splinter and has psychic powers due to experimentation by General Krang's Utroms.
  • April's older sister Robyn takes after her sister's 1987 incarnation, being a reporter for Channel 6.
• Adaptational Heroism:
  • Ue-Sama, the Ultimate Ninja, is far more honorable and more of a Nice Guy than his 2003 incarnation, where he was an openly dishonorable, cheating douchebag who conspired to kill his own father.
  • Spyder Bitez goes from an obnoxious jerk to an Expy of Spider-Man.
• Adaptational Jerkass: Drako was no saint by any means in the 2003 show, being a Hate Sink who was Killed Off for Real when the Ultimate Ninja was granted a second chance at life, but the fic actually manages to make him even worse to coincide with Ue-Sama's Adaptational Heroism. Among other things, he shoots Hisako with a poison dart out of petty spite that he had to wait three additional years for his revenge on Splinter and Kasumi because they were taking care of her, whereas in the show, he warned Ue-Sama against performing a similar act of petty revenge on Leonardo, and personally orders the attack on the Daimyo and sets things up for Splinter to take the fall, whereas Ue-Sama ordered the attack himself in the original. On top of it all, it's also established that his Sore Loser-inspired attack on Splinter and Kasumi after losing to them was not the first time he's resorted to such underhanded tactics; it was just The Last Straw that led the Daimyo to ban him from the Battle Nexus for life.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: While still a villain and taking after her 2012 incarnation, Karai nonetheless gets this treatment. She's appalled and disgusted when she discovers what Krang's men did to Hisako for the first ten years of her life, and horrified when Shredder considers an Enemy Mine with them. As in 2012, she undergoes a Heel–Face Turn eventually.
• Aesop Amnesia: On multiple different occasions, Hisako learns to move on from her Dark and Troubled Past and not to keep letting her past trauma weigh her down, only to forget it so she can learn it again. It isn't until she gets a therapy dog in chapter 102 that the lesson finally sticks; of course, to be fair, Hisako is dealing with a decade of physical and psychological trauma at Krang's hands, which all began when she was a baby. Krang even lampshades her tendency to backslide into depression and angst in "The Return"; Hisako even concedes he was right, but makes it clear those days are over.
  Krang: Oh, put those away, Oracle. We both know what's going to happen here. You psych yourself up with false courage and bravado, but within minutes, you cower before me and become the same simpering little toad you were when Ch'rell and I first captured you. And next week, we do the same thing all over again.
• Aliens Are Bastards: Krang and Ch'rell, hands down. Aside from their plans to Take Over the World, they also used Hisako as a lab rat, putting her through horrific experiments for the first ten years of her life.
• Armor-Piercing Question: In "Legend of the Kuro Kabuto," when Kagome sides with Raph over not wanting to rescue Karai, Leo questions why she's doing so, able to understand why Raph wouldn't be willing to, but not why she won't. He's left speechless when Kagome reminds him that Karai had previously broken into her home and attacked Kasumi for the sake of petty revenge, and asks him how he would react had Karai done the same to Splinter.
  Kagome: Oh, I dunno. Maybe because [Karai] broke into my house and attacked my mom for the sake of a pointless petty grudge? If she broke into the lair and attacked Splinter, how would you react, Leo?
  [Leo sputters for several seconds, trying to come up with an answer]
  Kagome: Yeah, exactly.
• Blind Weaponmaster: Hattori Tatsu, taking after his 2012 incarnation.
• Break the Haughty: Bishop has a Heel Realization that he's become the very monster he's fought against for so long.
• Broken Pedestal: Hisako and Leatherhead used to look up to Tiger Claw by their own admission; as he was the first mutant to ever escape Krang's clutches and prove escape was possible, he served as a Hope Bringer to the two. Then Tiger Claw comes to New York to serve as Shredder's Dragon and nearly kills Hisako with a Freeze Ray, after which Hisako declares that she can't believe she ever looked up to him and wouldn't even spit in his direction.
• Bungled Suicide: In "Broken Things", after suffering from constant nightmares and tormented by her memories of her time as Krang's guinea pig, Hisako breaks down and attempts to commit seppuku using one of Leo's katanas. Splinter enters the room Just in Time and distracts her, causing her to miss and non-fatally cut her side.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday:
  • In chapter 13, after their encounter with Pigeon Pete, April comments that her life has gotten really weird, to which Kagome quips that it's "just another Tuesday" for her.
  • Played darkly straight later in the same chapter. When Kagome recalls that Shredder killed her father, Shredder retorts that she'll have to be more specific. It isn't until he gets a good look at her and notices her resemblance to Kasumi that he realizes what she's talking about.
  • Played for Laughs when the Turtles meet with the Newtralizer again during chapter 121; they don't even remember his name and have to be reminded of Leatherhead biting his arm off before they recall. Mikey even quotes the trope name in response:
    Mikey: For you, the day we kicked your ass was the most important day of your life. But for us? It was Tuesday.
• Canon Character All Along: A number of characters who initially appear to be independent OCs are introduced throughout the story, but later chapters reveal that they are new versions of different characters from across TMNT lore. Examples include:
  • Gina, Chris Bradford's girlfriend, is exposed to mutagen during the events of ''The Shredder Strikes!", becoming the fanfic's version of the rogue mutant Tokka.
  • The Krang Conspiracy introduces another of General Krang's victims, Sebastian Grey. Having had Krang's mutagen be directly pumped into his blood as part of Krang's experiments, Sebastian develops a number of superpowers, including Super-Strength and Flight. Once he masters these powers with Hisako's help, Sebastian becomes this universe's version of the Silver Sentry.
• Combat Medic: Erika is The Medic of the Hamato Clan, but is also an active ninja who fights when she has to, her weapon being tonfas with hidden blades.
• Cool Big Sis: Jade's late older sister, Sumiko, is described as such, always being there for her and supporting her when she came out of the closet. Sumiko's death at Tatsu's hands left Jade with long-lasting emotional scars.
• Cut Lex Luthor a Check: Donnie whips up such things as a DNA tracker, submarines, a functional blimp, a cure for mutagen and vampirism, and Surveillance Drones. In chapter 124, Donnie explains why he chooses not to market any of his inventions:
  Donnie: Why would we need to sell any of my inventions when our foster mom is basically swimming in loot like Scrooge McDuck? Plus, I'm not doing this for money or recognition. I'm doing this to make our lives easier, and for the personal satisfaction of building something out of nothing.
• Dad the Veteran: It's briefly mentioned in chapter 10 that Splinter served in the JSDF alongside Shredder.
• Decomposite Character: Ch'rell and the Shredder are two separate entities in this fic.
• Doorstopper: It's a very lengthy read, clocking in at over 780,000 words in total.
• Do Not Call Me "Paul": Hisako hates being referred to as Project Oracle. The only exception appears to be Leatherhead.
• Don't Make Me Destroy You: Saki attempts this in the prologue, trying to convince Kasumi to join his Foot Clan rather than share Yoshi's fate. Kasumi turns him down flat. As revealed in the chapter Extended Family, he extended the same courtesy to Seiko, and she turned him down flat as well.
• The Dragon: Ch'rell serves as Krang's second-in-command, whereas Tiger Claw serves as Shredder's.
• Entitled to Have You: Shredder's attitude towards Tang Shen, as usual. He bitterly resents Splinter for taking her from him, which escalates to attempted murder. Kasumi calls him out on behaving that way, telling Shredder point-blank that he's just being pathetic, and if he truly loved Shen, then he would've accepted the fact that she made her choice, been happy for her, and tried to move on.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Kitsune genuinely loves her daughter Shinigami despite them currently being on different sides, and is implied to been the one who had Burne Thompson assassinated for capturing her nephew Jagwar.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Karai may be Shredder's daughter and enjoy the perks of working for the Foot Clan, but she's nonetheless disgusted by what Krang's men did to Hisako, to the extent that she flies into an Unstoppable Rage and attacks them. In the same chapter, she's also horrified that Shredder is considering a Villain Team-Up with Krang even after finding out all the horrible things he's done, particularly after reading Hisako's file. Later, when she's trying to capture April and finds out that Krang's men captured and traumatized her father, she's left taken aback and allows her to escape. Also, when she creates Bludgeon and sics him on the Turtles and Hamato Clan, she stops him when he's about to harm Airi, stating she's after the Turtles themselves, not civilians or little kids.
• Evil Is Not a Toy: Ue-Sama foolishly makes a deal with Drako to gain the War Staff and power, but is furious and balks when Drako resorts to underhanded means such as trying to kill the Daimyo and poisoning Hisako just to spite and hurt Splinter. When Kasumi finds out and confronts him, she rightfully calls him out on it.
  Ue-Sama: I… I was a fool. He promised me the throne, the position of Daimyo if I helped him. I had no idea how far he would go…
  Kasumi: Did you really think you could call up the Devil and expect him to behave?!
• Evil Is Petty: Everything Shredder does is motivated purely by his Irrational Hatred of Yoshi/Splinter, as well as being pissed that Tang Shen chose Splinter over him. Kasumi openly calls him pathetic on multiple occasions.
• Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: In chapter 27, Hisako finally snaps at the lack of progress the Hamato family has made at stopping Krang, and embarks on a crusade to take him down herself no matter what, leading to her forming an alliance with the Newtralizer and planning to steal a Humongous Mecha to use against Krang. The alliance falls apart when the Newtralizer reveals his plans for the mech:
  Newtralizer: See that? With that mech, we can level this entire stinking city!
  Hisako Yeah... wait, what? What do you mean we can level it?
  Newtralizer: Exactly what I said. New York City is infested with Krang's ilk. The only way to be sure we destroy them all is to burn it all to the ground.
  Hisako: You can't do that! There are thousands, millions of people living in the city! What's the point of stopping Krang if everyone's dead?!
  Newtralizer: What do I care? I'm not people.
  Hisako: This isn't what we agreed on! I signed on with you to take down Krang, not butcher an entire city full of innocents!
  Newtralizer: It is what you agreed on, Oracle. We destroy Krang at any cost.
  Hisako: No! There has to be a line, K'Vathrak! Otherwise, we're no better than... him... [recalls that Leo said exactly that to her, only for Hisako to throw him across the room and blow him off] Ugh... I'm a fucking idiot.
• Flaming Emblem: How "Return to New York" ends. When the Turtles return to the Krang-occupied New York and reunite with the Hamato Clan, Kasumi, and Splinter, they, at Mikey's suggestion, set a turtle shell-shaped fire on top of the Channel 6 building to let everyone know they have returned.
• Flat-Earth Atheist: Due to her past torture at Krang's hands, Hisako, despite accepting the existence of beings like mutants, aliens, vampires, and magic users, adamantly refuses to believe in gods, angels and demons. It reaches a head in chapter 112, where her stubborn refusal to believe that Null is a demon in the face of overwhelming evidence as such borders on willful self-delusion. It isn't until she tries to Mind Rape Gabrielle, an actual angel, that she finally comes around.
• Fiction 500: Kasumi Lee is acknowledged In-Universe as the richest woman in New York, and it shows. She owns a Big Fancy House with its own backyard pool and an onsen, and in the chapter Adventures in Babysitting, she's able to pay off a man's $20,000 debt to Hun. In chapter 125, Donnie even cites this as one of the reasons why he doesn't try to sell any of his inventions.
• Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Bishop was abducted by aliens in the past, experimented on and genetically altered, which led him to become a xenophobic Knight Templar who's determined to protect Earth from alien incursions no matter what. While the Hamato Clan admit that what happened to him was horrible, they make it clear that it does not justify his actions, especially because Hisako suffered just as much at the hands of Krang and didn't fall to villainy herself.
• Girls Love Stuffed Animals: Kagome keeps a small stuffed turtle, and has had it since she was a baby. In chapter 5, she gives it to Hisako in an attempt to comfort her.
• Godzilla Threshold: In Chapter 81, when the turtles learn that the Triceratons are coming to destroy earth, they pull out all the stops to try and save their planet, including some very questionable deals. These include making a deal with the Foot Clan and freeing Bishop from his cell.
• Harmless Freezing: Averted in chapter 42, when Tiger Claw blasts Hisako with a Freeze Ray. She's at serious risk of freezing to death, and Erika warns Donnie to thaw her out slowly with cold water so as not to warm her up too quickly and risk killing her.
• He Who Fights Monsters:
  • In chapter 27, Hisako's rage at Krang and Ch'rell reaches its boiling point, and she comes dangerously close to crossing this line; she furiously condemns Leo for "holding her back" from killing Krang, attacks him when he tries to stop her, personally levels an entire Krang outpost after brutally interrogating one of his men, and after teaming up with the Newtralizer, not-so-subtly threatens to kill Leo if he doesn't stay out of her way. It's only when the Newtralizer states his intent to destroy New York using one of Krang's own Humongous Mecha that Hisako suffers a Heel Realization and snaps out of it.
  • The Newtralizer himself acknowledges that what he's doing makes him no better than Krang, but he doesn't care.
  Newtralizer: If what I'm doing makes me a demon, so be it! Sometimes the only way to fight a monster is to become one yourself! And if you won't do it, I will!
• Heel Realization: Bishop suffers one in chapter 67 when he kidnaps Hisako and finds the barcode brand on her neck from her time under Krang's experimentation, forcing him to realize that he's become the very monster he's fought against for so long.
• Honor Before Reason: Discussed and defied in chapter 11. Kasumi admits to the Turtles, Hisako, and Kagome that while they did raise them to be honorable, some warriors won't fight fair, and in a life-or-death battle, they should do whatever it takes to win and get out alive.
• Hope Bringer: The Turtles become as such during Krang's takeover and occupation of New York. The Hamato Clan, despite being uncertain that they're even still alive after the initial invasion, keep most of the refugees they save in the dark about that because they know the Turtles are their only hope, and when they return, the remaining citizens rejoice.
• Horrible Judge of Character: Ue-Sama's greatest failing during the Battle Nexus arc is making a deal with Drako and expecting him not to commit such acts as leading an attack on the Daimyo and setting Splinter up to take the fall, as well as poisoning Hisako. When they confront one another at the end of the arc, Drako even rubs in Ue-Sama's face how stupid he was to think he wouldn't do any of the above, or trust him in the first place.
  Ue-Sama: You vile bastard... you played me. All this time, pretending to be my advisor, giving me advice, you were tricking me into doing what you wanted.
  Drako: [smirks] Of course. And you complied like the dull-minded sheep you are. If only you'd known of my reputation and what I'm willing to do to get what I want... oh, wait. You did.
• If You Kill Him, You Will Be Just Like Him!: In chapter 8, Hisako is about to kill Ch'rell for the years of torture she suffered under his hands, but Splinter stops her via this argument. After a few moments, Hisako throws him down, telling him to be grateful to Splinter that he's still breathing.
• It's the Only Way to Be Sure: In chapter 27, the Newtralizer declares that New York is infested with Krang and his minions, and the only way to be sure they completely destroy them is to level the entire city. Hisako, who initially sided with him and supported his more active, brutal approach to dealing with Krang, balks at going that far.
• Insistent Terminology: Even after Splinter's mutation into a rat, Kasumi makes it a point to exclusively refer to him by his human name, Hamato Yoshi. It's intended to showcase their status as Platonic Life-Partners.
• Jerkass Realization: Karai repeatedly mocks Hisako and calls her a freak to Leo's face, to which Leo calls her out, telling her she wouldn't be so quick to mock her if she knew what Hisako had been through. Within the same chapter, Karai finds a file that details everything Krang and Ch'rell did to Hisako before her escape, and is disgusted with herself.
• Jumping Off the Slippery Slope: Karai starts doing this from Booyaka-Showdown afterwards. She helps Krang try to sabotage New York Harbor in preparation for his second invasion, mutates both Bludgeon and the Punk Frogs to fight the Turtles, and goes so far as to attack Kasumi in her own home when all else fails; by that point, Raph and Kagome openly declare that Karai is Beyond Redemption.
• Loan Shark: Hun moonlights as one to help fund the Purple Dragons and Shredder's operations. Adventures in Babysitting centers on the Turtles helping a man who was forced to borrow money from him to pay for his diabetic daughter's medical bills.
• Mama Bear: Threatening Kagome and/or the Turtles around Kasumi is not a good idea. She cut down a Krangdroid that menaced her as a baby, flies into a rage when Shredder vows that he'll kill Kagome after he's killed her, and when informed that Tiger Claw and Tatsu are about to kill Kagome and the others, she and Splinter immediately go to personally confront them.
  Kasumi: You put your filthy hands on my daughter... get ready for a world of pain!
• Meaningful Name: Splinter and Kasumi name Hisako as such because her name means "enduring child" in Japanese; she's been through a very Dark and Troubled Past, but is still fighting and continuing to live on.
• Morality Pet: Hisako becomes one for Bishop after the events of "Feel like a Monster"
• Mythology Gag: "Adventures in Babysitting" has Donnie jokingly offer to tell Hun about "reject Conjoined Twins." His quip is a reference to the unmade 2003 series episode "Nightmares Recycled," which would have revealed that Hun and the Garbageman were conjoined who were Separated at Birth.
• Never Hurt an Innocent: Karai has shades of this. She works for the Foot Clan and is Daddy's Little Villain, but in chapter 36, she calls off Bludgeon when he tries to attack Airi, stating that while she wants to take down the Turtles, she is not out to hurt innocent people, especially not children.
• Non-Mammalian Hair: Unlike the other four Turtles, Venus has hair. Word of God confirms that it's to mark her as the only female Turtle.
• Not Distracted by the Sexy: Vee is asexual. This works to her advantage, allowing her to No-Sell an incubus' charms.
• Not What I Signed on For: In chapter 27, this marks the end of Hisako's brief alliance with the Newtralizer. When the Newtralizer makes it clear that he fully intends to level all of New York to the ground, claiming It's the Only Way to Be Sure they get rid of Krang and his men once and for all, Hisako furiously objects, stating she signed on to take out Krang, not slaughter an entire city full of innocents; the Newtralizer retorts that they both agreed to destroy Krang at any cost.
• Original Character: Kagome Lee, Kasumi Lee, and Hamato Hisako, among others.
• Only the Chosen May Wield: Excalibur. Vee gets to use it while King Arthur is recovering, and Leo makes it shift a bit, but none of the other Turtles can use it, and Hisako feels like she's so damaged that she doesn't even try.
• Papa Wolf: Splinter is just as protective of his children as Kasumi is. When he believes Hisako has been killed by Tiger Claw, he flies into a rage and enters the same Primal Stance he used against Shredder during "Booyaka-Showdown," and during "The Invasion", when Shredder brags that he'll enjoy beating Splinter just like he beat Leo, Splinter vows that he'll make Shredder wish he never laid a hand on Leo.
• Paper Tiger: Burne Thompson acts like a big shot at times, trying to bully people and enforce his xenophobic views of the Turtles on others, but he's really not much of a threat. Best displayed in chapter 72: he's about to make disparaging remarks about them in front of Kasumi during her Halloween party, but one Death Glare from her shuts him up and makes him decide to beat it. Karai sums it up best:
  Karai: There you have it. All it takes is a little fear to make a paper man crumble.
• Parental Substitute: Kagome states outright that Splinter is "like a father" to her, while Kasumi is essentially the closest thing the Turtles have to a mother.
• Person of Mass Destruction: Hisako can cause a lot of damage when she goes all out with her powers or is sufficiently angry. Highlights include leveling an entire Krang warehouse to the ground with a Shockwave Stomp in chapter 26, knocking the Technodrome out of orbit in chapter 28, and sending Agent Bishop flying through four walls with a Megaton Punch in chapter 63.
• Platonic Life-Partners: Word of God is that Splinter and Kasumi will never be anything more than this. They've known each other since childhood, openly call one another their best friend, and their closeness is demonstrated by the fact that even after his mutation, Kasumi continues to refer to him by his human name.
• Power Glows: Hisako's Psychic Powers are often manifested as a sort-of green energy, and when she's truly angry, her eyes glow bright green. When April's powers unlock, her glow is yellow.
• Pragmatic Villainy: In direct contrast to his 2012 incarnation, Shredder is perfectly willing to form an Enemy Mine with the Turtles when life-threatening scenarios like the Triceratons show up; he's fully aware that there's no sense in getting his revenge if he's not around to enjoy it.
• Properly Paranoid: In chapter 125, Tai is instantly suspicious of the Toad Baron and his business, citing their past experiences with virtually every company in the city^note Masamune Industries being run by Shredder, the Null Group being run by Null, and Mirage Industries being run by Krang barring Kasumi's company and TCRI being a front for a villain. While the others dismiss him and tell him to relax, pointing out that not everything is a nefarious plot, Tai is right to be suspicious; the Toad Baron is a member of the Pantheon, and his business is in fact a front for plans to force humanity to give in to their vices, like sloth and gluttony. When the truth comes out, Tai wastes no time lightly bragging to the others that he was right all along.
  Tai: "Oh, he's just a guy who wants to have fun. He can't be all bad." I hate to say I told you so, but... oh, who am I kidding? I fucking told you so.
• "The Reason You Suck" Speech: In the prologue, Kasumi gives one to Saki in regards to his continued fixation on Tang Shen.
  Kasumi: I can't believe you, Saki. After all this time, you're still fixated on Shen? Wake up already. It's not going to happen. You had your chance and blew it. She's married to Yoshi, and has a child. If you REALLY love her, you'll accept she made her choice, be happy for her, and move on. The fact that you'd stoop so low as to ask her to dump Yoshi for you... it's just getting pathetic.
• Revenge Before Reason: In chapter 42, Jade encounters Hattori Tatsu, the man who killed her older sister, and despite it being clear she stands no chance against him, keeps trying to attack him to avenge her sister's death. Tai has to knock her out with a Pressure Point attack to get her to quit, and by that point, she's been beaten black and blue and coughing up blood.
• Ruder and Cruder: Even in comparison to the original comics. Numerous characters swear regularly, with Hisako, Raph, and Jade being particularly prone to casually saying "fuck" and "shit." In Fallen Angel, Hisako outright addresses several Purple Dragon goons as "pussies."
• Sadist: In chapter 8, Hisako outright describes Ch'rell as the "most sadistic piece of filth in existence," and it shows. When Raph mouths off to him, Ch'rell grins and declares he'll enjoy breaking his spirit. It's shown to its fullest extent in chapter 68, where he tortures Hisako, declares her begging for mercy is a "bonus," and reminds her to scream as he subjects her to Electric Torture.
• Shadow Archetype: Shredder for Donatello. Both were in a Love Triangle, but whereas Shredder ultimately chose to try and Murder the Hypotenuse, Donnie choses to be the bigger man.
• Shout-Out:
  • "Return to New York" ends with the Turtles setting a Flaming Emblem in the shape of a turtle shell to let everyone in New York know they've returned. The author confirms that it was a reference to Batman doing the same in The Dark Knight Rises.
  • As noted in But for Me, It Was Tuesday above, Mikey quotes the original Trope Namer.
  • During the Hamato clan's second trip to the Y'Lyntian city, when the natives actively ignore the them, a crack is made about the Y'Lyntians being from before manners were invented.
• Taking the Bullet: When Saki tries to cut Kasumi down in the first chapter, Kohaku takes the bullet for her and dies in her arms. Shen does the same for Yoshi later.
• Telescoping Staff: Jade wields a metal staff that doubles in length when she presses a button on the side.
• The Topic of Cancer: Whereas the 2012 show didn't make it clear what Yuta's illness was, the fic states outright that he suffers from terminal cancer.
• This Is Unforgivable!: Raph and Kagome's reaction in "A Chinatown Ghost Story" once they discover that Karai had broken into the Lee household and tried to kill Kasumi while they were dealing with Ho Chan. When Leo once again tries to insist that Karai has to have some good in her, Raph immediately blasts him and all but screams in Leo's face that there is nothing good or redeeming in her whatsoever.
• Token Religious Teammate: The Hamato Clan are largely agnostic or spiritual but not religious, with Hisako being a Flat-Earth Atheist until the events of chapter 112. Lily Hino, however, is a devout Christian, wearing a cross necklace and praying at different points.
• Truly Single Parent: Kitsune, being a powerful sorceress, made her daughter Shinigami from her own rib a la Eve.
• Ultimate Universe: The fic serves as one for the entire TMNT franchise, combining things from the various comic books and cartoons while adding original characters and plot elements.
• You Are Not Alone: Chapter 30 reveals that Splinter, Kasumi, and their children aren't the last of the Hamato Clan after all; several of their other members took the clan's children underground and trained them in secret.
• You Killed My Father: In chapter 13, Kagome flies into a tearful rage at the sight of the Shredder for this reason, and has to be physically restrained by Raph to prevent her from charging him.
• You're Not My Father: Saki tells Yuta as such point-blank in the prologue, having discovered his true heritage as a Foot Clan member.
• You're Insane!: Kasumi tells Saki as such in the first chapter, pointing out that his Murder the Hypotenuse plans for Yoshi will not make Shen love him.

---