Character Analysis: The Astrology of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

8/8/2014

Okay, so I have a confession to make. I loved the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as a kid. LOVED them. Raphael was my very first celebrity crush. A mutant turtle. I know it makes no sense. I'm not even sure why him exactly, maybe just the red, I don't know.

And randomly a few months ago, the first movie was on one of the Spanish-language stations here, and it was quite amusing to watch all these years later in dubbed Spanish.

Anyways, a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie comes out today, and this year is the 30th anniversary of the most badass turtles in the history of the world. So I thought it would be funny to speculate on the astrology of these turtles.

It's debated whether the TMNT are quadruplets, or simply brothers. If they're quadruplets, they'll have the same signs for everything, though their houses could be different. They're personalities are radically different, so simply brothers would make sense, but if they're hours apart in birth, then the houses could be different enough to show the major differences in personality.

Btw, the teenagemutantninjaturtles.com fan site has a quiz you can take to see which turtle you are, and guess who I got? Raphael. Maybe I wasn't so crazy to be crushing on him? No, I was so crazy.

Astrology of Leonardo

Leo is the turtle with the blue bandana, and is the eldest brother. He's known for being the leader of the group, dependable and strategic. Leo seems most like a Capricorn to me.

Capricorn and Aries are usually the signs associated with leaders, and dependable and strategic is Capricorn. If the turtles were quadruplets, I'd put his Sun in the 10th house, which is naturally ruled by Capricorn and would give him the Capricorn energy.

Astrology of Donatello

Don is the turtle with the purple bandana, and is the second-eldest brother. He's known for his intelligence, prefers to think things through, and likes gadgets. Don seems like an Aquarius, an intelligent air sign who would rather learn than do anything else, and has a thing for technology and science.

If the turtles were quadruplets, I'd put his Sun in the 11th house, which is naturally ruled by Aquarius and would give him the Aquarius energy.

Astrology of Raphael

Raphael is the turtle with the red bandana, and is the third born brother. He's known for being a bit of a hothead, and a great fighter. Raphael seems like an Aries with his temper, his aggression, and fearlessness. He also fights against Leo, wanting to be leader at times, which is very Aries.

If the turtles were quadruplets, I'd put his Sun in the 1st house, which is naturally ruled by Aries and would give him the Aries energy.

Astrology of Michelangelo

Mikey is the turtle with the orange bandana, and is the baby brother. He's known for being the silly, goofy turtle, and is definitely the baby of the bunch. I struggled with this one a bit, thinking of perhaps Libra since he was known to cool down Leo and Raphael when they'd butt heads, or perhaps Sagittarius for his playfulness.

If the turtles were quadruplets, his Sun would be in the 7th house (Libra) or 9th house (Sagittarius).

Astrology of Splinter

Splinter is a wise rat who adopts the four turtles and is their father-figure and mentor. Given how he adopts the turtles, and seems so all-knowing, I wonder if Splinter makes sense as a Pisces. You tend to see Pisces energy with adoptive parents.

Perhaps in the 11th house as well, showing his knowledge and expertise. That would make him a Taurus Rising, which would show his calm demeanor.

I'd guess his Moon is in Cancer or his 4th house, showing him being fiercely protective of his turtle sons. I like Mars in Scorpio or the 8th house, bringing in a little mystery, discipline and strong will, but also the wrath you'll face if you mess with him.

About their mutation -

The TMNT are mutants turtles, so they should have something in their charts related to that. I go right to Uranus/Aquarius which rules science, and Neptune/Pisces which rules toxins.

If they're quadruplets, perhaps their Sun is harshly aspected by Uranus and Neptune, opposite them, square them, quindecile them, involved in a t-square or, better yet, as a yod with Uranus and Neptune sextile and the Sun quincunx them both (yods are the finger of God, related to fate).

So that's my thoughts on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Are you still laughing at my crush on Raphael?

Suggested Reading: Character Analysis: The Astrology of Ghostbusters

John Henry Bourke

8/8/2014 05:53:07 am

This is an Article that I would never dream of, you've an extraordinary mind, God Bless it! You ahem have a crush on Raphael?!

Nic

8/8/2014 06:02:11 am

I know I shouldn't have admitted to the crush on Raphael, but I have very little problem coming across crazy (especially when I can't really hide it anyway).

Rush

8/11/2014 01:35:36 pm

Whoa good stuff. I'm a turtle fan myself since the 80s cartoon, I also look into astrology a bit for fun. Thinking about this for fun on my own, I got pretty much the exact same signs as you did for each turtle - except Raph I could have also guessed Scorpio as another option to Aries. Scorpios and Aries are as you know similar in a lot of ways, as they both have mars as a ruler, except Aries is more open with that expression of energy and Scorpio is deeper, subtle, and some ways more intense. Raph's incarnations vary, from being mildly sarcastic in the 80s cartoon, to being cocky and assertive in the 2003 cartoon (Aries), to being deep, brooding, and emotionally turmoiled (Scorpio) in the original comic book and movies.

Dunno if I'd pick Libra for Mikey, since Libras tend to be very refined and diplomatic (my dad's a Libra), not quite the get-up-and-go/rush-into-things type like you'd see an Aries or Sagittarius; I see Mikey as more a 'unrefined' in-the-moment and joyously reckless, exactly the Sagittarius stereotype.

Def yes Capricorn for Leo - I think he fits that bill perfectly; leader, ambitious, disciplined, stern/serious. I heard some people say he should be a Leo (his 'namesake' sign), I can understand that since both Caps and Leos like to be bosses/leaders, but Leos are also very dramatic and expressive, show-offish and are a very 'me' sign. Caps tend to be responsible and a more 'us'/responsible sign. Leo is pretty selfless and always thinking of the team (unlike loner Raph), and is big on honor/respect, so I'd give him Cap for sure.

Donnie also seems a cookie-cutter Aquarius (ironic, since almost by definition there is no such thing as a cookie-cutter Aquarius!)- like you said, he's inventive, loves technology and gadgetry. I'd also give Virgo as an option too, since Donnie sometimes seems more introspective/loner than he is outgoing, and prefers working alone to socializing with the others. Aside from the Uranus influence, Donnie has that Mercurial influence as well, seen in his depiction as a tall/lanky figure with a thin neck and oval-shaped head, like a typical 'nerd.'

I think you did a good job with Splinter; Taurus gives him that Zen quality, Cancer the paternal caring and Pisces that 'all-knowing' feel. I'd say he has a strong Saturn influence, being a disciplinarian and traditionalist. In that way he and Leonardo are most similar to each other. He likely has a strong mars, too, but it seems understated and just below the surface, like the Mars in Scorpio as you said - just from his energy he kind of commands respect and you get the feel that you don't want to mess with him.

April I'd assign one of the fire/air signs, since she's a reporter (communication) and she's known to be strong-willed in uncovering her assignments. Maybe an Aries/Gemini combo or something similar.

Whoa I wrote a lot.. Didn't even realize. You can tell I like this stuff I guess!

Nic

8/12/2014 05:17:33 am

Are you an air sign, Rush? LOL I thought about the Libra perhaps being too refined for Mikey, but when male Libras are young (especially as teenagers), they're not all that refined, so I kept it as an option. I thought about Scorpio for Raphael, and you're right, the earlier versions of him are a little more Scorpio than Aries with the darker personality, so I'd guess it depends on which version you want to base him on. Agree with some sort of Saturn/Capricorn energy with Splinter, maybe on the Midheaven since that's naturally ruled by Saturn, and would allow him to express the energy in a more natural way, and make him come across more Saturnian.

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