| Donatello |
| (Some information is taken from the official TMNT website: www.ninjaturtles.com) Height: 5'2" Weight: 180lbs. Eyes: Dark brown. Weapon: Bo (staff). Favourite Colour: Purple. Hobbies: Inventing, Computers, Engineering, Piloting, Mathematics, Science. Favourite Music: Classical and "Classic" Rock, the Roches. Nicknames: Don, Donny, Don-San. Favourite Foods: Pizza, Sushi. Favourite Book: "A Brief History of Time" by Stephen Hawking. My Thoughts: Donatello is a hard working pacifist ninja whose dedication in improving his knowledge has advanced and helped the whole turtle team. Unlike the others, Donatello is the one who doesn't listen to Splinter's advice the most; somewhat being rebellious by having a pacifist view while also searching for the answers to his questions by himself. Contrary to popular belief, I actually believe that Donatello is the turtle who is seeking spirituality the most. He is very perceptive to the world around him; wanting to find an answer to their whole existence. I feel that when religion didn't satisfy Donatello's quest in the meaning of his unusual life, he did the opposite to Leonardo, who instead sought the comfort of meditation, and turned to science as a base of understanding. To Donny, science provided him the only reasonable explanation to their lives and thus this is what I believe started his whole fascination with it; sparking from the interest within himself. This is seen in the second TMNT movie, where when the Professor tells Donatello that their creation was an accident, Don's world emotionally collapses and he immediately becomes depressed; finally realising that the all-mighty world of science didn't hold the answer to everything and certainly didn't fulfill his spiritual needs. Ironically, Donatello's continual personal quest is slowly making him more and more alone in the world. Becoming rather obsessive with engineering and self teaching, he distances himself from his family, when it is possibly his family which is the answer as to why he feels so isolated and without meaning in his life. Donatello, like Raphael, enjoys being alone so he can work on his experiments, and sometimes becomes irritated when he is disturbed. If Donatello continues on his path of self indulgence with his own projects, he may forget living entirely and I feel as though one day it may be his downfall; whether it be being too dependent with his technology on the battlefield or whether he realises that he never really got to appreciate his family to his full capacity. Being so enwrapped with the mysteries of technolgy, mathematics and chemistry, Donatello has learnt that there are other answers and alternative paths to take during battle, possibly leading to his pasive stance. Donatello prefers to either outsmart or out-equip his enemies rather than being reduced to the seemingly barbaric way of bashing the enemy's heads in. Leonardo probably sees this as a nice break from dealing with Raphael all the time and therefore the two turtles have a strong, peaceful and intellectual brotherly bond. Donatello's quiet attitude makes him a good follower, causing Leo to like him because he is so easy to command, unlike the defying Raphael and the prank-playing Michelangelo. It's because of this loyalty why Leo frequently asks Donatello for his personal opinion on certain situations in battle even though he is considered by some fans to be the weakest fighter on the team. Donatello also shares a strong bond with the other young brother of the clan, Michelangelo. This deep-rooted friendship could have arisen from necessity; when Leo and Raph were at each other's throats when they were young, Don and Mike looked to each other for civility during the troubled times. Mike's also Don's tester. Most of Donatello's inventions are made specifically to improve their life in the sewers, and no one enjoys and appreciates them more than Mike. Without Donatello, Mike's personality wouldn't be the same, since it was Don who introduced Mike to the media/entertainment through television and computers. Michelangelo owes Donatello a lot, though it is difficult to say out of Leo and Mike, who is the better friend to Donatello, since both of them, in a sense, abuse his intellect to get what they want; technology for battle and for entertainment. Raphael and Donatello however are probably the furthest away regarding friendship out of the whole turtle team. Both of these turtles understand the importance of solitude, and thus I believe that both of them have a hidden understanding of each other. It is because of this reason why Don doesn't bother Raph and vice-versa. They are completely different in personality, yet they are both the same spiritually; both through their own means are trying to find a reason for their existence. Donatello knows what Raphael is capable of and therefore tries his best to stay on the turtle's good side; avoiding conflict unless absolutely it's necessary, and giving Raphael the freedom he needs by providing transport. On TMNT:TNM In the live action show, Donatello has a metal bo staff which is technologically advanced and has a number of functions, such as shooting out darts and electricity, though he rarely ever uses those functions. As usual, he spends most of the series in front of his computer (he even sleeps there!) working on his 'Eye-in-the-Sky' security program. Donatello is the turtle who resents Venus the most. Venus and her Shinobi ways challenge Donatello's scientific beliefs and understandings of the outside world, which cause him to be quite defensive with what he feels so strongly about. Yet although they argue over many things, they still manage to work together in the end and combine their skills. Throughout the series, Don starts to accept Venus' beliefs in the paranormal (probably because he gives up trying to scientically explain everything wierd that happens) and slowly begins to see Venus as an intellectual equal and work partner; someone who is interested in experimenting as much as he is. Though Donatello will never be able to fully accept everything Venus has to mentally offer, and there will always be a tension and petty argumenting between the two; science vs. the supernatural. When it comes to enemies, Donatello foolishly likes Dr Quease the most because he is able to finally talk to someone about the biology behind their existence. Dr Quease, naturally, always uses this false trust to his advantage, causing Donatello to be back-stabbed numerous times throughout the series. Dr Quease, being the only scientist in the world to be interested in mutations, has been Donny's idol before he even met him, yet when the turtle finally realised that the scientist was really his enemy, Donatello quickly learned the evils behind science and its misuse. Donatello's intelligence was also abused by Silver, who managed to hypnotise him in order to fulfill his dirty work, such as robbing museums and banks. |
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