In the 2003 series, Raphael was voiced by Greg Abbey, and speaks with a Brooklyn accent. In this carnation, he has a dark, bright green skin color, much more vivid than those of his brothers. This version of Raphael has a personality which is more akin to his original incarnation - he is angrier and more sardonic, but not quite as violent unless extremely angry - as proven in one incident where he almost smashed Michelangelo's head in with a pipe after Mikey beat him in a sparring match. The theme song for season 1-3 did not have a part that actually described each turtle individually, but from season 4 onwards it was changed, and stated that "count on Raphael to throw the first punch".
He often argues with Leonardo and Michelangelo, although he is depicted as being very close with both at times. He is the first of the turtles to cry (or at least, shed tears) when Leonardo is gravely injured and might not survive. Raphael is generally very protective of his brothers, getting angriest when an enemy harms them or captures them. His relationship with Donatello consists of poking fun at his intellect or annoyance at his long-winded explanations. Raphael considers Donatello as something of a dork, yet still his brother, and he still cares for Donatello just as much as he does Leonardo and Michelangelo. His best friend is generally regarded as Casey Jones - and is the best man as Casey and April's wedding in the final episode of this series. In all incarnations of the turtles except for the 1987 cartoon, Raphael appears to live in the shadow of Leonardo and resents his brother's social position in the group. However, his rivalry with his brother is heavily toned down in comparison to the comic books and rarely shows a deep hatred towards him as the series progresses. He is shown to be a skilled motorcyclist. It has often been hinted that Raphael has entomophobia, the fear of insects. He has shown on many occasions an unrivaled hatred of bugs.
Raphael's relationship with Michelangelo is unique in this series. Michelangelo has a tendency to severely annoy his brother, from playing pranks, to taunting, gloating, and overall rubbing his accomplishments in Raphael's face. Despite his rivalry, Raphael also expressed his pain and fear of losing his youngest brother and leader when Leonardo was nearly killed by the Foot, to the point where he even started crying. As Leonardo recovered, Raphael was also the one who supported Leonardo the most, even helping him to forge Leonardo's two new katana, and paying the greatest attention to the care of his brother. In the episode "Ultimate Ninja" Raph attempted to protect Leo from the Ultimate Ninja when he challenged him and lashed out in anger and fear when Leo was nearly hurt. Raphael continues to challenge Leonardo's decisions in this incarnation as well, as Raphael and Leonardo often argue over what to do in certain situations, Raph usually favoring a direct and confrontational approach. Despite differences, Leo and Raph arguably have the closest relationship of the Turtles emphasized in the series, as their conflicting views and care for one another is a key point in many episodes throughout the entire series. Raphael will often put himself in danger, going as far as disobeying Splinter and Leonardo to protect his family and friends, but he will react immediately (and harshly) if they are in danger. He has an extremely loyal side and is always the first to react when another of his brothers is in trouble. This happens on numerous occasions, like when he stops a blow from hitting Leonardo using only his sai, or kicks the Shredder away from Donatello when the former is about to attack.
Quotes[]
You might ask what we're doing in a spooky old amusement park at night. You might ask what looking for or what's looking for us. You might ask why we're being attacked by what looks like a bunch of freaked out rides and why we're getting our shells kicked. Yeah, you might ask all that, but just don't. I ain't got time for questions right now. - The Return of Nano
You know, lately, Leo's been real a pain in my shell. He's on this whole kick about how we're responsible for the fact that the entire city seems to be at war. The Purple Dragons, the mob, and the Foot Ninjas are all squabbling over the pieces of the Shredder's empire now that he's gone and Leo says it's our fault 'cause we're the ones that knocked out the Shredder in the first place. And for some reason, he thinks we're responsible for a whole lot of innocent people getting caught in the crossfire. And just when the whole deal couldn't get any crazier, this new wild card shows up and actually manages to make things worse. The only good thing I can say about Leo right now is, when he picks a fight, he really picks a fight. - "City at War" Part 3
"There's an old saying that goes something like, 'The more things change, the more they stay the same.' You'd think that after the city had been torn to pieces by warring aliens from outer space, maybe people would be a little more open-minded about Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles living in their own back yard. Think again."
Thug #1: "Over here! That freaky alien! He's over here!"
Thug #2: "Let's tear him to pieces!"
"Ain't it nice to see that some things never change?"- "Touch and Go"
Trivia[]
- When the angry mob loses track of Raphael thinking he is an alien invader one member of the group says "maybe he phoned home or something." which is a reference to E.T. The Extra Terrestrial - "Touch and Go"
- Raphael's line; "it's a shell of a town." Is a line that also appears in the theme song of the series.- "Touch and Go"
- Raphael's greatest fear is to give into his anger and become his very enemy, The Shredder. This is a reference to an Image Comics storyline in which he actually did become the new Shredder for a time. Raphael's face in the Shredder's helmet could also be an allusion to The Empire Strikes Back, in which Luke Skywalker sees his face in an illusion of Darth Vader's helmet. - "The Darkness Within"
Weapons[]
- Sais
- Spoons