The story of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Cartoon is really a story of a man named Hamato Yoshi. In Japan there is a Ninja clan know as the Foot. Yoshi was their leader. Yoshi was a quiet man, who loved art, but one student wanted to usurp his leadership of the Foot clan, Oroko Saki. Then one day a master sensei, a teacher visited the school and Oroko Saki made his move. Saki pinned Yoshi�s robe to the wall with a knife, not allowing Yoshi to bow before the master sensei. When Yoshi pulled the knife out it looked as if he were trying to kill the sensei.

Disgraced Yoshi fled to America and lived in the sewers. His only friends were the rats. Then one day a boy was carrying a bowl of turtles, he tripped and fell, the bowl broke and the turtles fell in the sewer.

Back in Japan under Saki�s evil leadership, the foot clan turned into an army of crime.

Back in New York Yoshi lived happily with his turtles and rats. Then one day Yoshi found the turtles covered in a powerful mutagen. It caused whoever touched it to take on the form of whatever animal it had most recently been in contact with. The turtles started becoming human, they had been most recently been with Yoshi, but Yoshi had most recently been with the rats.

The four turtles named Yoshi, Splinter. Yoshi in turn named them after his favorite renaissance painters. He knew the outside world would consider them freaks, so he trained them in the art of Ninjitsu. Donatello who�s simple wooden Bo can disable any enemy. Raphael, no sword on earth can withstand his sais. Leonardo, his swords man ship is unmatched. Michaelangelo, master of the nunchakus.

And that is how they became the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.