#tmnt moon

Moon, our dear fifth brother, the oldest of the four and Draxum’s failed experiment.

His Hamato Ninpo: Crescent Moon.

Blades of pure white mystic energy that wrap around his arms in the shape of a moon, allowing him to slash with them and release long-range cutting waves.

He can also reshape the blades into other phases of the moon, transforming offensive weapons into shields for his defense.

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will put up a vote for redoing this comic or smth soon, trust

After I’d been training and doing those ROTTMNT sketches, I realized it makes no sense for Moon to be skinny or have a narrow build.

He’s a leatherback turtle—the biggest turtle in the world! How the hell did I even think of making him thin?? So I redesigned him.

I’m not sure if he should be even bigger, but I like him more this way; it makes more sense and feels more coherent. I’m still improving him, and he’ll probably change again—I’m not sure yet.

And since it’s been a while, I’ll briefly remind everyone who he is and his story:

Moon is Draxum’s first experiment, but because he couldn’t remain breathing outside of water for very long, he was considered a failure. At the time, Draxum had a very wrong view of the situation and didn’t think twice before discarding the experiment, which could have died within minutes, accidentally throwing him into surface waters—where Moon ended up in the ocean. Only a year after that experiment did Draxum manage to redo his research, leading to the main ROTTMNT story with the brothers.

"Are we having a problem here?"

If Moon were from the TMNT IDW world.

I don’t know if he really looks like he fits that style, because let’s be honest, the style changes depending on the artist of each comic arc.

I don’t know how to do those harsh shadows, so I didn’t want to risk it too much—especially since when I did this, it was very late and I was really sleepy.

Moon in the TMNT 2012 style

I’m not sure how he would fit into that universe. Maybe something simple, like mutagen falling near the ocean and infecting a leatherback turtle or something like that?

There’s more to say about Moon’s version in TMNT 2012. ( •̀ .̫ •́ )✧

Just like in ROTTMNT, he eventually became something like an older brother to the boys — but this time, things didn’t come easy. In Rise, they had a natural connection through Draxum, since Moon was his first experiment. But in the 2012 universe, there was no such bond. It took time, and a lot of effort, for them to see him that way — to truly accept Moon as family. And even then, each of them expressed it differently.

Leo, for one, struggled the most with his feelings. Part of him admired Moon deeply — the way he carried himself, calm yet strong, almost the image of a perfect leader in Leo’s eyes. But another part wasn’t sure how to fit into that. Could he really be the “younger brother” in Moon’s eyes? Moon never saw himself as a leader, or even as part of a “team.” He was simply... there. Protecting. Existing. Still, Leo couldn’t help but look up to him.

Raph didn’t trust him at first. It took time — and a lot of proof — for him to finally accept that Moon wasn’t a threat. Over time, that doubt turned into quiet admiration. He respected Moon’s strength, his confidence, and his ability to face him head-on. Training together became one of Raph’s favorite things. Moon never held back, and Raph loved that.

Donnie started out neutral — cautious, analytical. But soon he realized Moon genuinely listened to him. He didn’t just tolerate Donnie’s endless talks about tech, chemistry, or theories; he wanted to understand them. For Moon, it was all new — the world, the inventions, the chaos of human creation. He didn’t agree with it all, especially humanity’s carelessness with nature, but that didn’t stop Donnie from showing him everything he could. And Moon always accepted his help, even when he didn’t need it.

Mikey, as always, was the first to open his arms. He never hesitated to call Moon part of the family. Whether they were cooking together, joking around, or just hanging out, Mikey loved his company. And maybe what he loved most was how Moon never judged him — not for being too distracted, too unfocused, or “not smart enough.” Moon simply accepted him for who he was, and that meant everything to Mikey.