Why Leo was a Jerk in the ROTTMNT Movie | Leo Character Analysis

I saw a couple people talking about how they felt Leo was OOC in the ROTTMNT movie, so I wanted to explain my opinion as to why I think he acted the way he did. Hope yall like the video :)
!! ALL CREDIT TO VIDEOS AND IMAGES USED IN THIS GOES TO NICKELODEON AND THE PPL WHO WORKED ON ROTTMNT!!
Twitch : / jelic06
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is a very cool and awesome show on Netflix and more people should watch it

[@local_cryptid3624]

"Ben Schwartz's turtle sona" is a golden line and I'm tired of pretending it's not.

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you I truly am a comedic genius 💙

[@insertfandomhere12]

Out of all the Ben Schwartz characters, (duck, hedgehog, murderer, banana, turtle, and more) Leo stands at the top of my list

[@uget-uget]

i'm soo confused

[@darcat957]

​@@insertfandomhere12 I'm sorry- Is the "murder" one refering to Yasper from the After party?

[@resteteves2964]

@@chatterbuckyou’ve earned a new sub! also i like your voice its very soothing

[@seiya.power.awesome.inspire]

Even after his near death experience in the dark portal, Leo is still the most cocky, arrogant, and somewhat adorable turtle we know and love, while still caring for his brothers and always comforting them when needed.💙

[@chatterbuck]

We love him 💙

[@seiya.power.awesome.inspire]

@@chatterbuck Yes we do.💙

[@green_shell2213]

Our fruity turtle 💙

[@Punpun2d]

Leo no es ni engreído ni arrogante, solo se la pasa bromeando de esa manera porque es lo que hace cuando está estresado 😭😭‼️‼️

[@screwed_up_screwball]

Everytime someone points out how Leo acted in the movie and call him an a-hole, I always have to mention that he's just a kid. A kid with the weight the world and his brothers life on the line, an inferiority complex and who is WAY too used to things just working out with half baked ideas. In the movie, he's desperate to prove himself worthy as a leader and make up for the mistake he won't admit he caused, which leads to more mistakes when his unfinished ideas take a turn. He's also panicking because, well, his older brother could very well be killed any second and he probably assumes that the more time they spend coming up with a plan, rather than just jumping in and figuring it out, the faster they'll get Raph before it's too late. A trap a lot of people fall into. Lastly, about them never letting Leo be alone again on a mission, I can imagine they're stopping some bad guys and Leo opts to go ahead, kinda like in the beginning of the movie, and immediately everyones like "NO! LEO NO!". That'll be a cool lesson to learn I guess. Leo knows that he's stronger with his family, but he's still failing to grasp that his family needs HIM, hence the sacrifice in the movie. It'd be cool to see him realize how much they care and stuff

[@chatterbuck]

Exactly! He’s just a kid who’s under a lot of stress and hasn’t had to deal with something like this before. I also hope we get to see Leo realizing “hey, my brothers love me and don’t like seeing me get hurt”

[@aris1869]

That’s a really cool concept for an episode. I like the idea of him thinking “leader means sacrificing myself” and his ego is twisted into him jumping head first before his brothers and going solo so they don’t get hurt, and thus forgetting they are a team. Idk, maybe he gets captured and he fails to escape alone, then the bois come and save him. That would be a pretty cute ep

[@justtired6504]

Honestly I didn’t even think Leo was jerk until other characters pointed it out. Then i realized that I act just like him. But Leo definitely was frustrating in the beginning of the rise movie.

[@chatterbuck]

Yep he was kinda frustrating at the start, but we love him anyway 💙

[@hamiltonsonol1103]

he is so relatble i dont think he is a jerk

[@d4-v1d22]

I remember hearing a theory that Leo wasn’t ready to be leader when Splinter kinda sprung it on him. So during the movie, Leo was acting like a little shit hoping Raph would get fed up and take back leadership.

[@Mary_Studios]

If you look at the reaction to Leo he is complty suprised by the fact that Spilnter throws it on him. Despite the fact that when the deal with the sheader thing and he explains the exact thing was happening showing that he's good with strategy.

[@ShinGallon]

Excellent analysis of his character, Rise Leo was such a welcome change of pace from the usual "serious leader" Leo most versions of the TMNT have. Honestly the entire series is a nice change, you can't just keep doing the same things over and over again and I don't understand why fans would want the same show with different art instead of it doing something new (Rise is probably my favorite non-comic incarnation at this point).

[@chatterbuck]

Exactly my thoughts!!! I like their old personality’s as well but sometimes you just need to change the formula, and rise did a great job at that. Also thank you 💙💙

[@captainmartin1219]

Doing something new does not automatically mean doing something better though. I love the traditional Leo and felt they made great strides to expand his role more in the previous two series over what it was in the 1987 show. To answer this some fans do not just see them as characters. They almost see them as living breathing beings who have personalities and behaviors that have been developed over time. When you radically change a characters established behavior that is no longer the same character. If you are going to do something new. Then do a new show with new characters based on a new premise. I honestly hate when people do this because it is trying to have your cake and eat it too. They want to benefit from what came before while not respecting it.

[@grandma9042]

Agreed, I love this interpretation the most in all honesty. The characters felt like genuine teenagers, with waaaaay bigger and more complex personalities in comparison to the other shows of the franchise. Some didn’t change, like Mickey, which is great, and some changed drastically like Donnie and Raph. We can’t always have the same copy paste characters, and honestly…. These are the most interesting.

[@denontown]

@@captainmartin1219 your comment was nearly unintelligible, could you explain your statement again?

[@EeveelutionStorm]

I politely disagree with "same thing over and over" as every Leo goes through different struggles and their personalities definitely differ. I prefer to see the Spider-Verse effect. Rise was poorly advertised and 2012 had left the turtles community pretty divided so going into Rise, with a ton of changes out of the gate, it turned a lot of people off unfortunately. Rise is a great show, but let's not dunk on other versions of Leo, as they're all in some way aspects of him. 03 Leo had a LOT of overly cocky leader moments, while 2012 Leo was a brand new shiny baby leader who had no right to be in his position and Rise Leo was used to his eldest brother handling all of Leo's mistakes until Leo had to step up and be leader suddenly... and it's a great development to see the journey to Leo, but every Leo has his own journey and that's why we love him as a character. :)

[@ZekromAndYugiAndDrago123]

He's very clearly pretending to be a jersey, purposefully putting up walls of sarcasm to hide his feelings. You can tell Raph's speech about the importance of being a leader is definitely getting through to him, as when Raph's turned away/when Leo's turned away, you can see it on his face. And immediately after the speech was over, the walls go back up even stronger, with him antagonizing Raph over it

[@chatterbuck]

Yes exactly!!! Mans needs to express his emotions more. Thanks for the comment!! 💙

[@powerofanime1]

@@chatterbuck Sounds like a job for Dr. Delicate Touch.

[@meltedmarshmellowpeep]

I love how much you dissected Leo's (especially flawed) actions, connecting the movie back to the show with the early examples really helped your impact! We love Leo in this house, thank you for the fantastic video! It made me love his character a bit more than I thought possible.

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you so much!!!! I appreciate the feedback. We truly do love Leo in this household 💙💙💙

[@witchfira35]

To be fair Leo didn't trust big mama so that wasn't really him making a mistake in that particular scenario.

[@chatterbuck]

True, Leo was p smart in that episode that’s why I love it 💙 but going right into saving without planning was a lil reckless lol

[@nox..thecoolone]

no i was with Leo the whole episode- Hes actually Super smart! well, Street smart and emotionally intelligent rather than Donnie’s Book smart. If only he didnt an Inferiority complex 😔

[@Narut0xSasuk3]

@jackvdw If your talking about Raph being taken by the Kranng. Then I'll be reckless myself if my brother was taken because at that point I'm panicking and scared cause if any second I waste could cause my brother his life

[@ElliFeiler]

​@@Narut0xSasuk3 that's True.

[@hyenaholicproductions9033]

I feel like the writers of Rise wanted to write all four turtles as TEENAGERS, but to some degree of course they've forgotten what it's like to be a teenager. Additionally in most other series the boys have basically been home-schooled by Mr Miyaki in rat form. It also tends to be fuzzy on how much time they've spend above ground, and they come off like they're 20 or something. In the Rise series, we meet Leo at just 14 years old and frankly, he does behave like a know-it-all 14 year old boy and he and his bros have been home-schooled by the worst possible version of Danny DeVito who wants to keep them safe by hardly training them at all, kind of like teenage pregnancy statistics among home-schooled kids in the US. Raph initially takes the role of the leader not because dad designated it, but because he literally tells his bros that as the oldest and biggest brother he SHOULD lead, and for the most part they agree because being in charge is a LOT OF WORK.

[@athena9648]

we also have to take into consideration that leo is barely 16 and, while he has assumed the leader role twice before in the show ("Stuck On You" and "Man V. Sewer"), he's never actually been a leader. he accidentally started the end of the world by making a normal teenager mistake. plus, his whole mindset and personality seemingly changes once Casey chews him out over his actions, and, while I love Casey, that conversation could've gone differently and left less of a mentally traumatizing impact on Leo. 1.) Casey didn't take into consideration Leo's mental state throughout the missions. Instead of yelling, they could've hade a calm talk about Leo's actions, why he was acting that way, and what they needed to work on changing. 2.) Casey could've mentioned that everyone dies in the future during his introduction instead of springing it onto Leo and Leo alone while he's in a very mentally vulnerable state. 3.) Because Future Leo had years of trial and error and loss to learn how to effectively lead and cope simultaneously, Casey never truly saw the stress and mental issues Future Leo went through. Based on F!Leo's actions and the context of Casey's existence and Present Leo, we can assume that F!Leo hid any and all signs of stress and his heavy burden of being responsible for every life ever lost throughout the war in one way or another. Casey never knew how stressed and guilty Leo felt throughout the war, and so he automatically idolizes him instead of worrying and trying to help him. 4.) Casey continuously forgets that Leo isn't the same as the Leo who raised him and led him through the apocalypse, and so he constantly compares the two, which puts Leo under the stress of living up to Casey's expectations when, in reality, he can't be who Casey wants him to be. the impact of Casey's lecture combined with Raph's words "Everything's not always about you" pulls Leo out of the "I can do this, I'm supposed to be the greatest ninja" coping mindset and puts him into the "it doesnt matter if I live or die, it's not about me and will never be about me, as long as my family is safe, my death and sacrifice won't matter" its why Leo is so determined to let himself get brutally beaten and die in the Prison dimension the scene where he smiles at the photo, he's thinking, "I'm gonna die, but that's okay. My family is safe. It's worth it, it wasnt about me anyways." I love ROTTMNT movie Casey, but I hate him because of that lecture and his effect on Leo.

[@agustgt9309]

En defensa de Casey, yo amo que hagan notar su forma de pensar tan diferente a la de un niño de su edad. Siempre alerta, espera lo peor, le importa más el que sobrevivan los necesarios porque siempre vivió en una guerra dónde era necesario sacrificarse "por quienes sí valía la pena". Es como las personas en mi pueblo, nunca pensarías en el estado mental de alguien porque quién no soporta los traumas y los resuelve por su cuenta es débil.

[@kor1sh0k53]

​@@agustgt9309Yeah.. Casey is a traumatised child too, who I think wasn't raised to talk his feelings out, and him telling Leo the brutal truth is nessecary for story to go on; I wish he could tell it more considerable of Leo's feelings, but due to worries and frustration + recent loss of his entire family, which hasn't been throughly processed yet +the only reliance he has in this world is his 'leader and greatest ninja who always sorts impossible things out', but that's also not true , and Casey begins to understand that , and respectively feeling even more lost I just cannot imagine that scene being any other way

[@sararatliff7707]

I actually think Casey Jr did exactly what he needed to do to get through to Leo. Splinter has said before (possibly multiple times) that Leo only learns lessons the hard way. It needs to be life-or-death situation for him to get his head out of his ass and think about what he's doing. I think the only way Casey was going to get through to him was pulling a Dr. Delicate Touch. And it worked. Leo started operating from his heart and intellect instead of his pride and ego.

[@blankedeye1451]

Man does his inferiority complex control his actions *so much*. Which unfortunately for him, doesn't exactly end well for the people surrounding him, so his attempts to overcompensate for his lack of confidence usually lessens his brothers' faith in him even more. (that and not wanting to feed into his ego lmao) Honestly, he's the turt who needs the most therapy purely because of his emotional distance, which he really can't have if he wants to be a good leader. I hope if we get a season 3, part of it will be focused on Leo becoming more emotionally vulnerable around his family when there isn't a life threatening situation, i.e the Krang.

[@chatterbuck]

^^^ Agreed I hope that if we get season 3 Leo gets a chance to grow more and actually face his problems

[@callmesummon]

Yesss I totally agree. Really hoping that if season 3 does happen a major part of it will be Leo learning to accept help because the poor boy needs therapy

[@petal601]

The reason for this is a inferiority complex as you mentioned with Donnie Mikey and Raphael's emotional issues they all connect back to splinter Raphael's older siblings syndrome Donnie craving adult recognise and Mikey wanting to fix splinter and drazums relationship all connects back to splinter same with leo splinter was EXTREMELY neglectful witch lead to leo feeling like his brothers or anyone will leave him in Minatare maze he yells "don't leave me" when they all go through the portal the cockiness isn't ment to come off like that he wants to seem cool if he seems cool or is super strong or has something he can bring to the table they won't leave him because they have a reason to keep him around he's not trying to be a jerk he just has issues like everyone else! Also great video I could tell you put alot of time and effort into it analyzing everything down to his facel expressions!

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you!!! And yea I also see the infuriating complex thing, I wish I thought of that! Thanks for the input 💙

[@bringiton4drago371]

7:32 reminds me of two things 1. a tiktok where Leo made a bad joke about betting the other's wished they left him in the prison dimension 2. A tumblr comic where Donnie showed Raph a recording of Leo getting beaten by Kranng in the P.D and Donnie was mad that Leo was basically going to pretend that he wasn't about to get killed. I like Rise!Leo for the fact that no matter how cocky he is it's mainly because he has full faith and love in his family . He didn't know Mikey would be able to make a portal to save him and he was ready to DIED with a smirk on his face, not because he was just ticking off kranng but because he knew Kranng wouldn't be able to hurt his family

[@randomksines9888]

To add on. I don't think Splinter ever told Leo why he was made leader. On my first watch-through of the show, I saw that scene similarly to the turtles; they did some awesome, world saving level stuff, and now this out-of-nowhere bomb is being dropped on them which actively stresses them all out. On second viewing I realized Splinter saw all of Leo's actions, like his extremely well thought out (even if some parts were on the fly) plan, his confidence in his brothers' abilities, and a couple other points I can't remember off the top of my head but know are there 😅, then went "yeah, that's leader material." I don't know if there's any time off screen that he says this, but based off of some moments in the movie, I'm going to guess no. I also like the theory that Leo has an inferiority complex, because his actions do seem to line up with that idea. Which means the sudden switch from face guy and sideline strategist to leader would be stressful enough for his coping mechanisms to come in full force, and also his desire to over conpinsate for his none-existant inferiority. Sorry for the long comment 😅

[@chatterbuck]

Don’t worry I appreciate the long comment!!! Also that’s a really good point, Splinter must’ve felt like this was a long time coming while for Leo it was completely random and sudden and added a lot of stress. I appreciate the comment!! 💙

[@ElliFeiler]

Yea, and when we think about it. In the series season 1 and 2 Leo was never trying to become the leader at once so if everyone who watched the series remember he was only trying to profe that his family can also rely on him too and have fate in him but "not as a New Leader" he was really shocked to be anonced as the new leader and not in a happy way. So that's profe he didn't want to be a leader from the beginning. 

[@heybuwan]

i love this, i like that you bring up that the conflict with him in the movie is actually pretty consistent with the rest of the show, cuz i feel like that's kinda the whole point of the movie that for some reason is being misinterpreted recently?? lmao i feel like the show shows the "best case scenario" of leo's arrogance whereas the movie is just worst case scenario rather than the movie being a completely separate personality. he's insufferable a lot of the time but in the best way, and he does so much growing through the story. good work! 🐢💙

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you so much!! Yea I think the movie was the absolute worst case scenario, I’m glad I’m not the only one who thought this! 💙

[@ElliFeiler]

I like this Show too. Becouse it's in this intier Show, they show US that they are like every normal characters as Teenager who theyer own personaletys and problems also can mistakes and learned from them wath consequences will come from them and keep it in the series by. By the other show version it brothers me ther was no character development between all of them ther some times episodes who was focoused on a character and his problems and chalenges who should make some character development by them but they never really keep them by for the development of the intier series by. And some times I found in the old TV versions Leo character annoyingly perfect with skils and how he deal with problems and "never was a good Explanation" the reason why he was anonced as the leader.

[@sacta]

I am 30+ years old. I watched the original cartoon as a kid through the 90's, and the 2003 one as a teen. I skipped 2012, so I don't know much about it. But I was never a huge fan. I liked the TMNT, but I didn't LOVE them. ROTMNT is the first time I could call myself a fan of the series, easily my favorite incarnation. 80/90's TMNT had no emotional depth. It was fun, sure, but shallow. 2003 had some more emotional depth, but 99% of it was dedicated to Leo and what a cool honorable disciplined awesome leader he is. Might as well have been Teenage Mutant Ninja Leonardo. I started watching ROTMNT almost out of spite (so many people my age were being such whiny boomers about "mUh cHaNgEs!" and because of the AMAZING action scenes, which are also easily the best of any TMNT series until now by far. But on an emotional/character development level, this is the best version of TMNT too (but again, I haven't seen 2012, so take it with a grain of salt). I wanted to say a few more things, but the comment is already too long. Great video, I did feel they leaned WAY too hard on Leo's doucheyness in the first half of the movie, and it still doesn't quite click with me, but I can more or less 'get it' a little more after considering some of the stuff you said.

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you so much! And I’m happy you liked rottmnt, it’s defiantly my favorite iteration 💙 I do feel like the turtles had a lot more emotion growth in rise than in other iterations, and it’s fun to see them expand on their personalities more

[@zachacedragon6417]

You explained Leo's characters in rise very well I like leo in reboot alot so it was nice seeing this video pop up in my feed continue making more videos and doing your best bud!

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you so much I really appreciate it!!!! ❤❤❤

[@Narut0xSasuk3]

Rise is honestly my top teir favorite. There's comedy, action and actual brotherly love. 2012 was okay, but I felt bad for Mikey being mistreated, Raph was set off by most thing's and doesn't try to work on it. Leo was more of I'm a leader I need to act like one. Donnie was head over heels over Apirl. Rise gave them more personality and what they like example, Mikey has stickers so you can guess he must like art, Donnie obviously a tech kind of guy but his relationship with Apirl isnt so cringe. Leo puns and joke maybe to cover up his promblems, Raph more control of his anger then let the anger be him as a person, which adds disattachment issues from his brothers which cause him to panic. Honestly this show/movie got me to emotional level.

[@ElliFeiler]

I agree with that

[@CreativelyCAN101]

Fantastic work YOUR SUOER UNDERRATED OMG this deserves more attention!! I really love how you went into depth about Leo’s character and I agree he wasn’t out of character in the movie he was just facing a found stress that comes with being the leader and having to change his egotistical ways was difficult for him to do!!

[@chatterbuck]

THANK YOU!!! I’m glad I wasn’t the only one thinking this❤️❤️

[@caitlin3810]

You make a lot of interesting (and painstakingly cited lol) points in this video; I hadn’t considered that the increased stakes of the movie might be the reason why Leo’s behaviour feels so dissonant from the way he acts in the show in the early scenes. Thanks for making it!

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you for watching it!!! :)

[@milks-thoughts]

I’d like to say, that personally I don’t think him being so…him?? is his ego, I argue it’s his fear. His fear of not being good enough, fear that he’ll mess up so bad that he can’t save everyone (like what happened with the portal key). This was still a good video though! I love hearing others opinions on Leo

[@ary-kari5632]

This character analysis is fantastic! At first I wasn't sure what to think about him 'cause I was used to the old formula. As watching the episodes I was acepting this version and liking it more and more, in the end with the movie my mind exploded! I really love all version of Leo 🐢💙🥰

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you!! And Leo’s the best 💙

[@kage1573]

This was a great video that did a great job deconstructing his character; when rise was beginning I didn't like Leo because of his egotistical attitude and how different he was from the other versions but I slowly started to appreciate him as a character and was glad to see his character arc concluded from the show to the movie but even though he was a great character, he still wasn't my favorite version of Leo because the one that think is the best is from the 2003 series, he was a leader that felt like he carried a lot if responsibility, had a strong sense of justice, held himself to the ways of Bushido but also had to deal with not being good enough which was expanded on in different arcs but was concluded in a self reflection episode in The Ancient One and this journey throughout the series is why he my favorite version.

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you! ❤ Yea I get that, 2003 Leo is pretty cool, but I liked watching Leo grow in ROTTMNT and relate to him a lot so he’s my fav lol

[@zoinks4551]

Amazing analysis! Leo is my favorite character too and I love when people actually look beyond his confident facade I did want to make note that I know this video came out before the panel was streamed so this isn’t something we could’ve known- but I find the clarification that the movie was only two MONTHS after the finale so interesting!! It makes his behavior much more understandable, as he really hasn’t had any time to fully process and accept his role as leader- while Two YEARS is a significant amount of time for him to be acting like this. Thank you for sharing !! Fantastic video

[@superghostsonic6967]

The fact people asked this question surprised me. But at the end of the day it's great seeing a video like this

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you so much!

[@emilicka05]

this deserves more views fr

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you!! ❤️❤️

[@C0co_577]

EXACTLY. he wasn’t out of character, the writers were literally EXPLORING his character. his character type (arrogant, flamboyant, egotistical) is SO COMMONLY overlooked in media as the comedic relief (sokka from atla, lance from voltron, cat noir from mlb, just to name a few). Their character archs are almost always left on the back burner to prioritize other characters. I felt like this is what happened in the show as you point out. He never had too much growth compared to the others. As I see it, the movie was a long awaited moment for him to address his insecurities and grow up a little.

[@copyrightstrike6949]

It’s crazy how three dimensional these characters are written. This show didn’t need to go this hard, but did and is phenomenal 💙❤️🧡💜

[@Mariemalvine1201]

I can relate to avoiding faceing the problems Why do Leo does that too? He acts like he is the best Why? Cause deep inside he fells like he is nothing, not good enough, useless So he keep playing a fantastic good, he pretend to have so much confidence so he will not be caught that he is not How many times he tries to prove that he can do that amazing things as his brothers did He had a really low selfcounses I really want thay to be true Insted him beign just a jerk like the show showed us You know Im trying to do my best too.. I dont wanna let anybody to think that I am not doing good enough So I try to do more than that I even can't do Something is too hard for me? I will fight to prove that its not hard for me at all Many people looke at me as I am a feliure, a fool And when the things goes bad, when I cant do that or fix that I feel anxious, and bad about myself Hating myself for beign like that With shaking hands I keep going But I am not acting like am better then anyone Sometimes maybe I feel like that,when I see that somebody cant do the easy thing that I can That makes me feel better about myself But something is off in this feeling.. I am scared to not beign perfect in anything for anyone.. I just want my mom or somebody else.. Anybody.. To be proud of me Because they never did

[@lenaahibubs4048]

I know you don't know me, but I do know this: even if you feel like no one is proud of you or you don't appreciate yourself just know that your achievements do not define you, you are beyond them. Jesus sees you, loves you, and your creations are beautiful. You are loved and wanted and someone out there can see your work and achievements. Remember, you are enough, maybe you can't do everything but that's okay even Einstein was bad at math. To finish off, I know it's been a year since this comment but I wanted to at least say something I guess. Have a nice day or night :)

[@tino9117]

Do people seriously think Leo was acting outta character?

[@chatterbuck]

I saw a few posts about how people thought he did a complete 180 into being a total jerk in the movie yea ;-; LIKE THATS JUST HOW HE IS GUYS AND WE LOVE HIM FOR IT

[@kor1sh0k53]

I really had thought so, but after watching this video I understood that I was reacting like that because I knew some real shit is goona happen, but Leo seemed too negligebale of his own responsobilities. Now I realise that they have been beating their enemies with ease for 2 years by now, I guess none of the turtles were ready to be put out of comedy series to the film, where every mistake lead to serious consequences.

[@mars.mp3]

Wonderful analysis!! :D I really love Leo a lot even despite his flaws 😭 AND ALSO HE GIVES ME GENDER ENVY AHHHHHH

[@chatterbuck]

SAME WHY AM I FEELING ENDER ENVY FOR A TURTLE (also thank you :DDD)

[@spinjitzumasterfalcon]

You did such a good job looking into Leo's character. This really made me appreciate him a lot more than I already did. And he's already my favorite character.

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you!! We love Leo in this house 💙

[@torchwebs]

"raph having a serious case of older sister syndrome" SPOT ON. YES.

[@AngryTurtles]

I love Leo, He is my favorite character. But Even I can admit when there are flaws in a character. He was a bit of a jerk; he just didn't see it that way because of his pride and stubbornness. However, if he was only fighting the same baddies over and over again, he would feel extra confident in his abilities and not train. But he did let his Ego blind him way too often. I am a bit similar to Leo, but I don't have a big ego that blinds me. Do I like to goof off? Yes, but even I know when I need to be responsible and listen to my brothers and family. Regardless, Good work on the video. You made a good point about him. Despite his Flaws, I think he is our great blue boy.

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you!!! We do love our blue boy 💙💙

[@whateveryousay8510]

I´ve been doing a character study on 2012 Leo and I got to say, the way you describe the rise version makes them sound a lot more similar than I originally thought. They´re both emotionally closed off and have ego issues that may come from fear of not being good enough (boy is deeply hurt by criticism). They just differ in their coping mechanisms

[@mochijuice8074]

Nice job on analysing this! I love it so much! Hope you get more recognised!

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you so much I appreciate it!!! ❤

[@malanala7371]

I heard people say that Leo in this movie was very exaggerated in his arrogance and not listening attitude. So I was prepared to watch a cringe over the top version of R!Leo, but when I finally watched I thought, isn't this just the same guy from the first two seasons? 😅 I have no idea why people were saying that but R!Leo was being his usual self in the beginning and I absolutely think it's the serious tone of the movie that makes his personality stand out more like you mentioned.

[@CampBlood2023]

People say my jokes are not funny and I just say what Leo said it's how I cope

[@jessiewazhere123]

At the recent TAAFI panel for the Rise Film they revealed that it actually hasn't been 2 years since the S2 finale, but a few months

[@chatterbuck]

Oh I didn’t know that, but I guess it doesn’t alter that much. Leo’s just riding the high of beating shreader then. Thanks for the comment !! 💙

[@jessiewazhere123]

@@chatterbuck Yeah, no prob :)

[@savsol5607]

Great work on the video, I feel as though you didn’t really touch on the fact that his confidence isn’t actually confidence, rather that it’s an inferiority complex. Besides that I literally have no complaints 😊 keep up the great work ❤

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you so much!!! 💙💙

[@roahthecow]

I agree. I was surprised that wasn't brought up, but I loved the video regardless.

[@chatterbuck]

@@roahthecow thank you! Yea I wish I thought of that while writing the script, but I also feel like he does have confidence in himself as well. I’m glad you liked the video!! 💙

[@powerofanime1]

My absolute favorite line in the movie, possible the show too, is Future Casey's "We needed Leonardo. Instead, we got you."

[@that1bunny821]

I feel like if we had gotten a Season 3 we wouldve followed Leo on his ups and downs while being new leader while watching him evolve with it. But since it was cut the movie was a great way to summerize it in... how long was the movie?? i dont remember- but u probably see where im going! Plus fully agree with you! I actually grew up off of 2012 tmnt and watched Rise for fun but didnt have much access to them but the small amount of episodes i did see i loved!! Raph and Leo are my favs!

[@tunafish8281]

ben has both a duck and turtle sona now💀

[@Tapsonaut]

OMG THIS GUY IS SO UNDERRATED Dude, it's so well put together! This is great :DD

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you so much!!!!! 💙💙💙

[@cartuneslover18]

Leo is my least favorite character, but I still liked him more than his previous adaptations (especially 2007). The Rise movie showed that a few months has made him think hero stuff is easy-peasy since they defeated Shredder yet Leo has showed no attempts at either taking the leader position seriously or even considering himself a leader at all. What frustrated me the most was how he turned Raph’s concern about their family during the Kraang invasion into another joke for Leo to crack. I made my own short video about my thoughts on Leo in the movie through a Tik Tok, but it’s clear to say we’re in agreement. The movie does not make everything 100% changed, it’s the next step for Leo and everyone else. Especially Raph. Which is why we need that third season (badly). Besides seeing Leo emotionally open up more with those around him, I’d also like to see the other turtles, especially Raph, come to terms with their own struggles and issues. After all, they are not just a team, but a family (the best family dynamic the TMNT franchise has given us IMO).

[@chatterbuck]

Thanks for the input! Yea while the movie isn’t a fix all, it certainly (hopefully) is a catalyst for the others to work through their emotion issues. And yes they’re the best family we love them 💙

[@cartuneslover18]

@@chatterbuck I changed “2 years” to a few months because the Rise crew said in a recent panel (which they showed the original movie intro) that the movie takes places not too long after the second season. Which drives even further why Leo is still somewhat terrible with his new position but clear he can improve over time.

[@synthdott7954]

I love this breakdown! This video is why I love this show 💜 You did a fantastic job showcasing why the turtles love each other AND their dad!!!

[@keanejacksonii4337]

This is so high quality you need more subscribers

[@alexjewett7455]

All that pride and ego is just a hastily scrawled sticky note on top of his insecurities.

[@area52ron]

Leo really does have insecurities

[@sth5697]

Hopefully, if we get a season 3 and more, Leo can get therapy and learn how to talk to the family about his real feelings, not just his sarcasm and arrogance that are clearly hiding the true feelings.

[@potereregina8330]

This is so well worded

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you sm!!! ❤️

[@miwhitty8316]

Great video! Exactly what i was thinking!💙💙

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you!!! 💙💙💙

[@dontlookatmyprofilepic3084]

I feel like his cockyness and arrogance is just a cover up or a coping mechanism for him Another possibility is that he feels that he's nothing compared to his brothers Think about it up until the movie, donnie was the brains and his hobby was dancing, raph was the brawns and is into wrestling, Mikey was the heart essentially being the glue of the family and is artistic, Leo - in his eyes - only had his jokes and being no.1 He acts so arrogant bc without those 2 attributes and his brothers, he has nothing - in his eyed buy he was shown time and time again that he was a great leader from season 1 and 2 He even relied, depended and had faith his brothers in season 2 ep2 when fighting against shedder So what different from that episode to this movie, pressure I'll admit, Leo was acting like an arrogant ass but with casey telling him how in the future Leo is the best and how everyone is depending on every decision he makes must be stressful and it shows After raph sacrifices himself - which might I add wouldn't have happened if Casey didn't insist on leo getting the key - Leo is now hot headed and overwhelmed by stress and guilt Him not listening to them was a dumb move but with casey going on and on about how he was so great and another layer to his stress cause now he has someone looking up to him that he doesn't want to let down BTW: no hate to Casey He was going through the same thing as Leo was but with a little bit weight on it and a lot of ppl on the line His constant admiration to Leo was both sweet and slightly annoying at times only bc I could see what it was doing to Leo Note: I'm not a professional psychologist nor analysts but just wanted to tell u my perspective on things

[@chatterbuck]

Ooo hood point, I appreciate the comment!! And yea no hate to Casey but he did put a lot of pressure on our boy in the movie, to be fair the world was ending but still. Thanks for the input!!! 💙

[@07JoannaB]

I hope everyone here has watched skulltrot’s video as they take a deep dive into Leo’s personality. :)

[@CherryTreatsArt]

Great analysis dude keep it up

[@Youraveragecartoonfan]

02:33 I could be wrong but I thought the time skip between the show and movie was only 2 months not years? But I think your point abt Leo struggling to adjust as leader still stands, regardless :)

[@christopherbennett5858]

Honestly, yeah. This was pretty good as an analysis. Although maybe replace ego with inferiority complex. And yeah, in those two years, it doesn’t seem like anything really challenged Leo so it’s pretty much the status quo. Plus, with Raph shouldering visibly caring for the team and a Splinter who is getting better but is not there yet, there was really no need for Leo to develop as a leader. My only real big disagreement is that Mikey is trying to fix Splinter and Draxum’s relationship. Especially considering that Draxum and Splinter’s relationship was more like the blind veteran soldier and the woman he had imprisoned in his basement from Don’t Breathe… and yes, the sequel tried to redeem him by having him care for a child who he kidnapped… and no one bought what the writers were selling. Honestly, after the 2010’s obsession with woobifying and redeeming some of the worst villains to come out during the time, Mikey comes off less like the 2012 version who helped victims of abuse like Leatherhead and more like Steven Universe. Good video though.

[@chatterbuck]

Thanks for the input!!! Yea not much changed in the time since the show ended so Leo didn’t really have a chance to grow. Also I probably could have worded the part about Mikey better, their dynamic is more like Mikey trying to bring them together rather than fix the relationship. Glad you liked the video!! 💙💙

[@christopherbennett5858]

@@chatterbuck Thank you so much for replying. Honestly, I get it. And yeah, it is very much Mikey trying to bring everyone together. The problem is that everyone os either disinterested or distanced to avoid recurring trauma at best or negatively impacted at worst.

[@inamillionfandoms]

Leo is just me in a different font, like seriously the creators of rise must have been stalking me because it's scary how relatable he is. Even other people say so, THEY CALL ME LEO IN PERSON. Complete strangers have called me zesty, IT'S NOT FAIR. I EVEN HAVE THE INTERIORITY COMPLEX, I COPE WITH HUMOR AND I'M SEVERELY MENTALLY ILL. 😭🙏

[@wa6488]

I relate to Leo, which sucks sometimes

[@_zodiac_3010]

Not a bad breakdown of Rise Leo.I recommend give TMNT 03 a watch.He's kind of similar to that version of Mikey

[@ShiranuiCS]

Awesome analysis! And also im so glad im not the only one who feels gender envy over a literal turtle (proudly)

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you!! I wear my turtle gender envy with pride 💙💙

[@TheTJVERSECouncil]

I wonder if Leo’s personality has actually changed in rottmnt

[@rb1633]

I know he may little jerk but was frustrating in movie until he wasn't when Kranng got Raph or Casey told him what happen to his brothers in future also, do you know that 2012 Leo was kinda did few times when he do some thing stupid and being alone without his bros

[@Leonardo_01314]

Even though it was a year ago, I would like you to talk about Leo from 2012😭

[@astro_stims]

when i was younger i HATED leo cuz i was such a nark. in all the other itterations. and now i actually quite like leo in rise, i think cuz all his brothers was just goofy guys and he wasnt he was rly annoying so in rise when they changed him a bit i actually liked it alot more and made him a more likeable.

[@ToontownAndCpenguin]

I'm new too so I only have Rise & the 2012 turtles to pick from at the moment but my friend keeps telling me I need to watch 2003 so I will once I finish 2012. As it stands for my favorites list of the turtles I know, keeping in mind I only have 2 seasons of 2012 & a few episodes of season 3 to pull from so my mind can still be changed, this is how my list is somewhat shaping out from most favorite to least, Rise Donnie, 2012 Mikey (not gonna lie, the sub joke he made boosted him up), Rise Leo, 2012 Donnie, Rise Mikey, Rise Raph, 2012 Leo, & 2012 Raph. I actually really like Rise's Raph, I adore all the turtles in Rise, just stinks he ended up so close to the bottom. 2012 Donnie was hurt purely by how he acts around April, if he was a little better about it, he'd probably be my second favorite & I do let it slide considering he is a teenager, they don't know how to handle those emotions, & others do end up showing him he is wrong & he did listen at least, until April kissed him in the big foot episode like I'm harsh on Donnie for being creepy about it but April, she should be aware of how he feels & be more honest than kissing him, she's sending mixed feelings into that confused teenage mind of his. I want to like Donnie more than I do which is why I complain but hey, at least Rise Donnie is so great, there are times when he makes cringe worthy mistakes but again, teenager learning from his actions. It's great that Leo did get focus on the movie, I wanted to like him more & the movie definitely boosted that for me. I am a Splatoon fan, been playing ever since 2015, when Splatoon 2 had their ROTTMNT splatfest years ago, I wasn't a fan so I didn't know which teams to pick, I was on Leo with Leo Vs. Raph, we lost, sorry, Donnie for Donnie Vs. Mikey, we won! Then Donnie again & we won again, more so proving he is the best turtle but part of me wishes Leo won against Raph, not just because I was on his team but I do now genuinely like him, like if I were to go back in time with the knowledge of the series I have now, I would of not picked anything differently, I am happy with my choices but if I had the knowledge of the 2012 series & knew nothing of Rise, there's a chance I might of picked Mikey over Donnie, slim one considering purple is my favorite color but knowing me in like 2018, I would of been conflicted but I do think I would of ended up picking Mikey which like current me would of been alright with but knowing how amazing Donnie is in Rise, I would of been a little ticked at my past self but definitely would pick Donnie over Raph so I guess I would of been on 3 of the teams instead of 2 but happy it worked out the way it did, I got to be on my favorite turtles teams without knowing they were my favorites, between the options given. If there was a Leo Vs. Mikey, I think I would go Leo but I actually have been super conflicted on this because I do really like both of them in Rise. I actually was considering putting Rise Mikey ahead of 2012 Donnie but I couldn't do it. Oh great, now I'm second guessing my list.

[@Digidragon55]

Too bad we aren’t getting a third season of Rise. Of how Leo develop an inferiority complex in the first place!

[@cupcakedoce956]

"He's not ooc", that depends, if you're talking about Leo in rottmnt I understand, BUT if you're talking Leonardo from TMNT in a general yes, HE'S COMPLETLY OUT OF CHARACTER, just try to watch the others versions like 2003, 2007, 2012 or the comics and you will see it. The rottmnt Leo version it's totally a different character, because it's a *fact* that the ROTTMNT changed a lot in their characters

[@spdr_nja9000]

10:36 PREACH IT, GIRL!!!

[@famdomxxxviewer1893]

Aww man I realize how much my personality is like the same as leos,should I be sad?

[@chatterbuck]

Maybe you should invest in some therapy

[@BLOOD_CLAW]

-w- Okey 😶

[@famdomxxxviewer1893]

This is my other acc

[@inkbutterfly6706]

Same. We need therapy

[@4everinthe4d]

Please can someone tell me the proper order of episodes. I started the show last month on Netflix thinking it here was only one season and then I watched the movie not realizing there was season 2. So I looked up the order to watch somewhere else since Netflix only has season 1 and it turns out the order I watched for season 1 on Netflix is wrong ??? So now I’m so confused

[@chatterbuck]

Honestly I don’t think anyone knows the episode order. As long as you watch the finales last you’re probably fine? Or you can check the fan wiki

[@jacquelinesarina8803]

You know what's sad? The movie is actually placed a couple months after season 2, the movie if place two years after the start of the show

[@OwlfaceNightkit]

I’m also new to the TMNT fandom :)

[@Vibrant_Ambers]

Nice video :)

[@samiam7327]

Bloo tordl sadge :( Nice video btw :)

[@GoldenMila02]

5:00 “Leo is a very prideful person” ahjdiehu- GAY!

[@IloveHolyTrinity]

God bless yall

[@bluepeach5010]

More pls

[@chatterbuck]

Thank you!! I’m thinking about doing something similar for the other turtles but I don’t have any solid ideas rn lol, definitely more turtle content tho I love them 💙

[@matthewehrlich4115]

How do u think the other leos from the tmnt shows react if they saw this leo

[@vi__o]

I love this, and where did you watch rottmnt season 2?! I can’t find it anywhere, they made it very difficult to find!!

[@allieplaysroblox850]

try paramount+

[@chatterbuck]

I watched it on paramount plus but you can also watch it on various non legal websites!!

[@vi__o]

@@chatterbuck thanks! I love your pfp by the way, Hunter is my favorite in TOH!!

[@chatterbuck]

@@vi__o thank you :))) he’s my favorite too !!! 💙

[@bugstarfreak]

he's so me

[@jacquelinemoore9769]

Could you please do an analysis on 2012 Raphael or Mikey???

[@tizzzzy2]

Has anyone ever told you, you sound like Stevie from GMM

[@chatterbuck]

I haven’t gotten that before but yknow what? You’re right

[@nerdcuddles7731]

Id say he has an inferiority complex, not an ego

[@chatterbuck]

Yea I kinda wish I thought of that while writing. While I do feel like he has an inferiority complex, I also think he does have genuine confidence in himself and his abilities as well. Thanks for the comment! 💙

[@anna.owo.]

Inferiority and superiority complex are two sides of the same coin, he does have an ego and acts the way he does because his ego is hurt or he is afraid of being hurt.

[@XphantomX948]

i feel like you just described me without the ego which is funny because i kin donnie and mikey lmao i cant tell if i should feel gender-affirmed or called out

[@chatterbuck]

I’m sorry i didn’t mean to attack you like this ;-; might want to reconsider the kin list

[@hybridvenom9]

This show was good i have not rewatched the pilot just because i do not feel like it

[@leticiaparra2992]

If you know how to save it let me know

[@amyelkurdi5378]

Ik that I watch it before

[@vincentsandoval4301]

Jack lost me at the 2:53 marker sorry I got bored

[@Torome86]

I hate how this version of the Turtles swapped the character traits. Leo is the one who always watches out for his brothers and Raph is the arrogant and aggressive one.

[@jrr2480]

I think Rise of TMNT was a ok series, but it's not my favorite because of some the changes to the TMNT lore and it being too jokey for my tastes.

[@captainmartin1219]

I hate how Leos character is entirely different from every version of Leonard in every version of the character. Why make this change to the character. I feel that Raphale is the most popular character, so they felt they had to make him the leader. His personality should be how Raphel in this show and movie.

[@blue889]

Man, give him time to grow up and develop

[@lonelypotato5352]

You know what I DON’T like about ROTTMNT? It’s not 2012 TMNT

[@chatterbuck]

Lol fair enough, everyone has their favorite iteration

[@Mariemalvine1201]

Be careful pretending to be fictional characters, it can turn into something really dangerous. I know this because it destroyed my life for over half of my life. The Lord Jesus Christ saved me from this so that I could develop my character in it as it should have been long ago. It made me hate myself and wanted to be these idealized characters. I preferred to be an abomination than myself, not realizing that I was one. Imagine such a life in addiction to being someone else, a multitude of different characters to avoid myself. Experiencing the dramas of fictional characters as if they were real. As if they were mine... These are demonic influences, I don't know if not something more. It also led me to get lost not only in my own identity, but also in my own sexual orientation. I was everything that was not God's, even though I had a fairly good heart. But it was full of poison, unhealed wounds and large scars. In addition, I was diagnosed with anxiety depression and personality disorders already at the initial diagnosis. I did not treat myself with anything other than the medications that were prescribed to me by the psychiatric hospital. Despite the improvement of my condition through pharmacology, things were still bad. And suicidal thoughts returned like a boomerang when my period was approaching. When I met the Lord Jesus Christ, I experienced something new. He gave birth to me to live in his light. Today I am a Child of God who became him through faith in the holy sacrifice given by the grace of the Lord God through his son Jesus Christ. He pulled me from death to life. The nightmares of the day and night have stopped. I place all my hope and trust in my savior. And every day I learn to remain in this and deepen it more and more. The Word of God gave me light on many things. Like forgiving my tormentors. Apologizing to those I have wronged. And also that I lived as a homosexual person, and a practicing one at that. Which of course is not in God's plan to be in a same-sex relationship. It hurt a lot, but I gave it to the Lord. Today I live in true freedom and light, which is Jesus Christ. I love him deeply for everything he has done for me and that he is always for me, and that he simply is and lives. He lives in me the moment he baptized me with the Holy Spirit through the faith he gave me. Alleluia Glory to the Lord of Hosts Our Heavenly Father. And his divine son Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Alleluia and glory and honor to him forever. To the Triune true God. Amen

[@capnotserp]

you are very gender i gotta say

[@chatterbuck]

This made me smile thank you so much 💙💙💙

[@ElFelocitaptor]

I disagree with this video in almost every sense.

[@plastic-beach-123]

If it weren't for leo being a "jerk" the movie wouldn't have started bc leo was the reason they lost the key and the reason why they went to go get the key and then the foot clan summoned the krang (btw im not trying to be mean)

[@marenmuller9494]

I love this analysis and I really like how you get many aspects of his character. I highly suggest checking out @skulltrot on KZbin on their analysis on Leo. It really gets into the needy greedy of Leo and his actions and his characters and all his insecurities and how it effects them into his personality

[@Punmaster9001]

I grew up on the original cartoon from way back in the 80s/90s run. As goofy as that show was compared to the more serious Original Movie, and 2003 run, they kept Leo consistent as a levelheaded leader, who could and would be funny at times, but it was rare compared to the others, and that added to the humor. But he was always the responsible one, and they ruined him in this version, from the sounds of it. I get this is geared toward kids, but they go too far with the ridiculousness and goofiness. Like Raph, even in the original, when he's making puns, still has this edge to him, and that's also seen in the movies (original run) and following series. He has a temper and is often impatient. Mikey has always been the goof-off, but never as bad as they've made Leo in this version. Mikey still trains like the others, he just enjoys his downtime a whole lot more. The showrunners really didn't understand these characters and mixed and matched different personality traits with them, which is counter to who they've been established to be. There's no reason for this version of Leo to ever be made leader, other than him being the leader in previous iterations. That's just bad writing. The trait of throwing himself into action to save his brothers haphazardly is one of Raph's traits. Leo would run in to save his brothers, but he would do so clear-headed, with some sort of plan, and never with an ego like this. I'm honestly surprised that this show lasted as long as it did. And I can only hope another attempt at TMNT is actually a good one.

[@haihuynh8772]

Sounds to me you're just trying to justify your inability to adapt to change. The core of these characters do not change, the circumstances and how they express those cores did.

[@Punmaster9001]

@@haihuynh8772 Wrong. They did change Leo at his core. He was never the arrogant prick described in this video. They took characteristics from Raph, gave them to Leo, and then made him an asshole with them. They fundamentally changed his character and it's no wonder the show was ended as quickly as it was. It should have been canceled before season 1 ever started. This just is just execs do, they repackage old things, tweek them in the worse ways and sell them to the lowest common denomintor of the population and then wonder why it's a failure in their bank accounts. It would be best if people didn't pretend this version existed, just like the live action version attempted in the 90s, and just like bay's terrible films. And you should get the fu-ck over yourself

[@EeveelutionStorm]

@@haihuynh8772 I think, it's okay to not like how a cartoon handled your favorite characters. My complaints of 2012 mirror this dude's comment almost entirely. It's okay to not like a show and it's not a personal attack on you or your fandom. Come on, grow up.

[@haihuynh8772]

@@EeveelutionStorm This comment is a year old.