Mikey Isn't As Shallow As You Think: A Rottmnt Character Analysis  

This is why I love the Rise Mikey more, he has so much potential. Heck, he has the most raw talent out of his brothers and he's actually pretty smart in his own way. I'm actually glad that the show/series show more of his character other than just being the "Pizza Guy that takes nothing seriously" trope. Don't even get me started in his "personalities" I think it's accurate, if people let alone your own siblings don't take you seriously then make a persona that they would listen to. And I love the fact that he's trying to earn his independence but his brothers just likes to babysit him, intentionally or not, "Big Brother Instincts" just kicks in. And I personally think that the 2012 Mikey version that they baby Mikey so much to the point that "potential" are nothing but a statement of sort and it's FRUSTRATING AND IT'S SUCH A WASTE! But great video btw! Looking forward to more of these videos! I love videos related to Mikey, he is just overshadowed WAY TOO MUCH like Donnie. People tend to forget that in the official comic he became the Last Ronin & literally kicked Shredder Jr. minions and himself. Yes he died in the end but still, he can literally just fight an entire clan and wipe the floor with their faces. I would love to see a comparison and differences on every TMNT Mikey that ever existed and have a documentary of it, would literally not get tired even if it's like 10 hours 😂 I just love Mikey so much 🧡

Great video :D we did not have enough Mikey content in the show (it's a shame a lot of the cut episodes seemed focused on him too) also your drawings are amazing!!

this is why i love mikey, i dont doubt he is naturally cheerful but he's smart enough to use his cheerfullness cleverly to cope, probably picked it up from leo but instead of puns is trying to comparmentalize his feelings with his usual persona and the "doctors". he clearly loves his brothers and is shown to be emotionally mature by helping donnie with communication skills but i dont think he fully understands the concept on emotions. to me it seems he kinda struggles with empathy with anyone other than his brothers, specially , he doesn't seem to be so attuned if he is in a high emotion state, like in the episode where the army of alberto terrorised the amusement park. He is tired of geing undermined by his family, hence why he would get upset why raph calls him little man just after busting into his solo mission or the mystic warrior situation you mentioned. it does reminds me how leo also has a need to prove himself, mikey is just considerably less destructive or self sacrificial (i dont think casey ever mentioned mikey dying from making the time travel portal) i think i just ended up rambling but i love my mikey getting some recognition. nice video!

I've been thinking about obsessively what Mikey's character arc would've looked like if we got to see it in the show at full capacity like we did the others. I've pointed out several times that EVERYONE GOT AN ARC EXCEPT FOR HIM!! Heck, even Cass got and arc, and we barely even saw her that much! Personally, I think that Mikey uses his emotional intelligence to try and get a sense of purpose in the family. He probably doesn't fully grasp the concept, but he understands emotions enough to convey and teach his brothers, who are emotionally inept in a lot of areas. I imagine that Mikey would be the one they'd talk to growing up, just because he was always there and always up to listen, and he took that as his role, being the "Doctor" of the family. He'd say the things that needed to be said or help sort out the feelings he's grown used to hearing and understanding.This is why he feels he's the smartest emotionally out of the family, the most empathetic, and the most capable of breaking bad news, because he's been doing it his whole life. I also think this ties into his adaptation in the family, because he knows how each of his brothers are on an emotional level, and thinks that acting similar to them in a given situation will make him closer to them. Though, this also may be why he's overlooked as much as he is. When you go around, acting like you are the most empathetic and in-touch person in the family, they're not gonna worry about you. He wants to be independent, so of course he's gonna use this advantage as a way to seem more mature. So, his issues are never explored. I'd say he is probably the most well off of the brothers, but he does have problems and it's sad we didn't get to see them fully explored. One last note, there's a cut episode (storyboards are on yt and TT) where Mikey gets a robot pet dinosaur, and has to hide it bc Splinter doesn't allow pets. I think that this episodes would've either been a silly, goofy adventure episode OR (and a better alternative) it would've been an episode exploring Mikey's desire to not be taken care of, to take care of something younger than him for once. He want's to be looked up to, and wants to be a protector. He's tired of being the baby, the one that people look out for, but don't fully acknowledge because, well you're the youngest. You can't have THAT much going on. There was also a thing I read somewhere that Mikey feels ashamed of himself because he's constantly worried his family will be taken away from him, and he knows this thought is irrational and it'll pass. Basically what I'm saying is there's a lot of potential for Mikey's character and I NEED TO HEAR THEM ALL BECAUSE I AM WRITING A FIC AND DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH HIM

As a fan of the 2003 tmnt. This Mikey is so refreshing. They give him much more to do than be the comedy guy. His artistic side, his love for cooking, his empathy, bluntness, and overall playful attitude is nice to see for once.

Not to mention my guy can throw a whole freaking building and it’s canon that he has the potential to wipe out the entire foot clan all by himself. So he’s not just the foundation of the team but he’s arguably the strongest out of them as well.

This is ✨youngest sibling experience✨ to a tea and I really love Mikey as a character. His ADHD is also relatable, it’s the second character I’ve seen ever to canonically have ADHD. So yeah, he means a lot to me🤍

Aw man don't remind me, I was so upset to find when I found out that not only was the show only allowed 2 seasons but that the second season was CUT IN HALF. Mikey is my favourite turtles. Not just cos he's fun. He has amazing naturual skills, can actually think on his feet well, is supportive of his brothers, impulsive, affectionate and usually wants to help but won't hold back on calling ppl out on theif bs. You made alot of interesting points I haven't thought too much abt like he's actually imitates his brothers when he's w them or that dr delicately touch really is his way to express himself "without feelings". I still wonder abt the apathetic unless it involves his brothers tho; I mean not just cos of draxum but we've seen him want to help like with todd or that hotel guy that turned into a bull.

There's this thought that keeps nudging my brain about Mikey. Particularly how he put himself in a situation to "save" Draxum; referring to how he provided shelter and social connections. Other than his excuse of helping a literal criminal (that has harmed people, including his brothers) due to his view of familial connection, I believe he had another motive. That being, I think Mikey wants to understand how he and his brothers came to be, including how Baron gained the ability to use mystic powers alongside being a alchemist-warrior. Him helping his father-like creator from further hardship comes off as having strings attached. Furthermore, I can see Mikey being inspired by Baron Draxum, in which he becomes a powerful mystic warrior who holds the ability to open portals. (Sorry for the poor grammar and incompleteness, I'm trying to figure out how I should word this ^_^' but my mind be failing me lol; hopefully what I said is understandable and adds to Mikey's character speculation)

I think it would have been so interesting to see the narrative flip for a bit like the writers intended. One of the scrapped episodes was one where Raph, Donnie, and Leo all get turned into toddlers again, leaving Mikey as the oldest one. In fact a good amount of the cut episodes were ones centered around Mikey. I really hope that if we get a season 3 Mikey will get the narrative attention he deserves and the writers will finally get to tell the full story they planned for him.

Something in the 2012 Mikey that I haven't seen pointed out much is that 2012 Mikey in dimension X was absolutely badass. But back to this video and it's absolutely amazing!!! I agree with all your pointers here. I would love to see more Mikey from the series, I think we all do

The fandom loves angst , especially with the turtle tots and raph having to " be the dad " , but never think how'd it effect Mikey , his brothers are older and had to take care of Mikey as they learned Mikey did too , but he took the extra step and was allowed to be himself and have their actual dad at some point unlike raph and probably the others. Raph got to be impulsive for once , Donnie only finds value if he gets praise from those older and Leo if lost without a Sense of self. Mikey had support but too much , he now accommodates for whichever brother hes with and forces himself to grow up and allow his brothers to be kids , while he's a kid himself. Dr . Delicate touch and Dr . Feelings can possibly be himself trying not to lose his childhood and instead making parts of him only do so Forcing yourself to grow up is worse thing , and you lose your sense of self in it , Mikey doesn't know who he is anymore without his brothers. And having to figure that out is hard , especially when you're scared to ask for help when those around you think everything's fine ( I hope this made sense , it's hard for me to get thoughts into text , but this is just a thought I had while watching and I wanted to say it :) , wonderful video btw

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH OH MY GOD-- Mikey's always been a character I've been intrigued by in this series. He's so unique and a breath of fresh air compared to other versions of him, fleshing out his more overlooked traits. With his significant lack of straight-forward development in the show, it was a million times harder to find a stable starting point to conduct an analysis as deep as the others'. So, a lot of the time, I simply projected onto him. But you found SUCH an insane detail that I didn't look into hard enough (and I preach about not reading surface-level!) and it has me appreciating Mikey even more than I did before. Listening to this, I began expanding on the little details myself, and realized another really interesting thing. Since Mikey is constantly trying to be like his brothers, knowing that a future version of himself is entirely self-reliant and strong and true to HIM and HIS person, he became obsessed for that very reason to finally take shape into the real Michelangelo. The one he defines. The one Casey looked up to and respected as an individual Sensei. And it adds a whole new level to how he behaves in the movie and how he slowly starts to lose faith in himself until that very last moment. Such a gorgeous analysis. You have my utmost respect. (Also, for not giving up on a character you initially found bland? KUDOS. KUDOS TO YOU AMAZING PERSON.)

I would like to point out that in the movie, Mikey, even if more about Leo, actually get's this hidden story arc within it. (I wrote this when I was around the 7 minute mark) But to summarize my perspective: It's not just him becoming more fleshed out in general along with his mystic powers, it's him accepting himself; accepting his personas as one person with one to blame and pulling himself out of the shadow of his brothers. Accepting that, it's okay not to be the optimistic one. It's okay to feel despair or weak, but that you can't cling to that feeling. Because it'll only go away if you push past. He starts off as ever, using his overwhelming optimism to encourage Leo in beating the record and even after failing to get the key, keeps it up! .... Until they're on their way to save Raph in the Turtle Tank. You see that positive shell crumble. Subtly, at first, starting with his comments on the stories they tell kids in the future. But it crumbles more, he starts clinging to Donnie when they all get separated- he tries to make light of the situation, saying that "We have an imminent amount of time!" in a tone to mask his fright, but you can hear his voice shuddering with doubt. He's just lying to himself and Donnie telling him that imminent means soon, breaks that shell further. By the time we reach the rooftop scene of the movie where they overlook the krang ship, he's terrified, the shell is gone, he's given up. Leo gives him the encouragement through the idea of hope, but he never gets to place input into the plan, only tag along and aid Donnie. Leo getting Raph to his senses later after being taken, gets him back up though. He gets his mystic mojo back and he goes all out. You can see all sides of him. Dr. Feelings, Dr. Delicate Touch, and himself, working as one and throwing the skyscaper. Finally, when he goes to make the portal, when he tries so hard and cries his heart out, he's no longer falling back on his brothers. They say Leo is gone, and he uses his positivity- genuine positivity, to believe they can save Leo, it's now his brothers falling back on him, giving him the strength to make the portal and save him. If his brothers kept convincing him that Leo was gone and to give up, we never would've gotten our Face Man back.

Before even watching I just want to say, he’s so empathetic/emotionally aware and attentive. He’s constantly encouraging his siblings, and helping them with their feelings. Being Leo’s hype man, cheering him on in the movie with the pizza stacking, I can’t remember no was dancing but he was cheering them on in DDR even though he had the high score. Donnie’s “sewer tube full of nothing. I’m so proud of you. I think he gets fufilment from being the the happy one. Or at least, he thinks he does. His personas are a front, a way for him to say what he really feels or to ignore the situation at hand and engage in borderline toxic positivity. He tries his hardest to get what he wants. When he beat Leo at Skate ball, it unleashed so much competitor energy. He genuinely considered hurting senor hueso for the unicorns. He was ready to seriously hurt the band destroying the pizza places. He’s actually very assertive. He fights for what he wants. He didn’t ask for permission to go on the solo mission,he just stated that he was doing it. He tricked his family into coming to April’s apartment for family dinner so they could be with Draxum. He put so much effort into taking care of Draxum, which is commendable, but he clearly did it because he wants Draxum in his life, not just because he cares about his well-being. He didn’t consider anyone else’s feelings, he just said that Draxum is family and they have to accept him. He ignored Todd and his feelings because he wanted to hang out with meat sweats. He’s a flowers because he trusts his brothers, not be he’s incompetent . I think he’d actually be a decent leader, but he doesn’t want to do that. Just like he didn’t want to take missions seriously. He wants to have his cake and eat it too. He wants to let them lead,to call the shots and get him out of his messes. But he wants to be independent and trusted. I started to watch his face more in serious scenes. Watch his face during turtle dega. Or the hidden city Splinter and Draxum episode. He’s feeling sad, he’s feeling hurt, but he never voices it. I wonder how he felt when Splinter called Draxum a monster, said that he ruined his life. How he feels when Donnie calls him dumb. How he feels when Raph doesn’t trust him. He’s so focused on everyone else’s feelings. I want an episode to address how he’s feeling. Splinter never addressed him in the demolition derby episode. He’s only ever called him Mikey once, and he’s never said his name, even though he’s said everyone else’s names. I wonder if he ever feels neglected or ignored. I wish we’d gotten that big brother Mikey episode. I think it would’ve been a great character study. Sidenote: he most definitely looks up to Leo. I fully believe Leo is his favorite (because they said that Donnie is his second favorite which I disagree with but whatever). He’s so much like Leo, his fighting style, his jokes. I think that he also got a little bit of all his brothers’ insecurities . Raph’s desire to protect and worries about not being enough , Donnie’s insecurities about his usefulness on the team, Leo’s desire to prove himself.

His downfall is the “but they’re family” mentality.

I am literally obssessed with your analysis, I adore the other brothers but MIkey will always be my favorite, and finding out more and more episodes that were cut involved a more Mikey centric focus, basially telling us that the creators wanted to do more with his character? yeah, it hits me right in the heart T^T mikey being less sympathetic than he shows himself to be is not the take I was expecting but oh my god am i running with it. I feel like that's another point for his admiration of Donnie (they are SO underrated), because they both struggle with sympathy but are still empathetic , specifically towards their family. This one might be a stretch, but it could also add on to his questioning of identity because Donnie is able to be open about his bluntness and everyone aknowledges and accepts for him for it, while Mikey feels like he might not be allowed the same so he hyperfixates on presenting himself as nice. My brain is basically mush after you mentioned apatheticness beause hmmmmmm you are so right. so many times he pipes up at inopportune moments that shows he sorta doesn't care? he trusts in his family that they'll be alright so his guard isn't as high. i'm specifically thinking about cass v. mikey scene too because of Mikey's "she gets it!" like he wasn't just fighting her a minute ago. i am also obssessed with that scene because of the umbrella segment and I froth at the mouth every time it comes up. i was obssessed when I saw Mulan do it and I'm feral about it now. I love the creativity of his fights and wish he had more moments to shine with it. and his mysticism, when i tell you i had a Moment (tm) when you mentioned Mikey being able to open the mystic door first try i am not lying. the first time I watched through the series i was like "oh?" and then every other time i was vibrating in my seat because this Means something i feel it in my Bones. but god, i'm just honestly both grateful and bitter about Mikey not having that many focused episodes on him TwT. i will appreciate any crumb i happenstance upon but also I want More he could have had a robot dino as a pet this is so Unfair. it also feels like the lack of deep character inspection in the series And the movie (i like what we got but it Really focused hard on raph and leo

I relate to Mikey so much. Every time I see him on screen, I'm able to look at him and see myself. I have three older siblings, I have high-empathy while also being emotionally mature enough to criticize others. So, when I saw a video essay about Mikey being the youngest sibling and struggling with that, obviously I was intrigued. I like this video. I don't agree with everything that's said, but overall, I really enjoyed this!

i cannot express how much i love this

Oh. Oh I like you. I haven’t even finished the video yet but god you’re so right?? Edit: Losing my MIND over your analysis of the scene where Mikey saves Leo from the Prison Dimension oh my god And to add a little bit to your analysis: I find it SO ironic that you’re talking about how Mikey looks up to his brothers, how he feels like a burden, and how he learns that he’s not dependent on them, they’re dependent on *each other,* and it’s just… it’s just *ironic* because that’s just… a completed version of Leo’s arc but with a younger sibling twist instead of looked over middle child. Like, you said that Mikey feels overshadowed by his siblings, and you’re talking about how he looks up to Leo, but it’s so wild because Leo doesn’t even REALIZE Mikey thinks that highly of him. Normally LEO’S the one who looks at his brothers like, “god they’re so much better than I am, I have nothing compared to them,”. I keep saying this but ITS SO IRONIC ITS SO GOOD. And how that final moment with Mikey opening the portal is him just wanting to return the favour, to save Leo, to not be burden, when Leo sacrificing himself in the first place is not only an act of heroism, but a way for him to return the favour to his family and stop being a “burden”. (Spoiler alert, Leo was never a burden either, he just needs therapy.) They just. Resemble each other WAY more than I ever even considered you are blowing my mind. Anyways so Mikey/Leo younger sibling VS middle child heart to heart when

To be honest, I have always been really scared of watching a Mikey character analysis, mostly because I feel like I can relate to him in a way that is just a lot deeper and more uncomfortable than other characters, as the ways in which we relate are the ones I haven't really accepted on my own yet (and because I don't want him to take Leo's place as my top kin), but I decided to go for it and this video hit me like a FREAKING BULLET TRAIN. Leo is still my top kin, but I'm the youngest in a family of amazing but emotionally unavailable people as well, and I could really relate to a lot of his other struggles in a way that thankfully helped me grow my appreciation of him as a character (as I didn't think very much of him before) and my understanding of myself.

So from what I understand, Mikey is a high empathy character who doesn't understand emotions? No wonder I relate to him on some level.

This makes me realize how much i want more scenes with mikey and donnie. Watching the show i related to them both massively. I like how you talked about just because Mikey shows high empathy doesn't mean he fully understands it. Donnie and Mikey are so similar and different at the same time when it comes to empathy in the way you explained it. Sure he might have emotional intelligence but he struggles with conflicting feelings of loving his brothers while being frustrated at the way they treat him. I have always loved mikey since i was a kid watching the 2012 version and this version of him really should've been given the time to grow. I wouldve loved them to use the art thing more, like how donnie has his tech as an escape mikey would have more artistic stuff cause multiple times they mention hes the artist of them but they never show his creativity with art itself. This is honestly just me ranting about how i kin a fucking turtle but i genuinely love this show sm rn.

I haven't even finished this video yet, but HOLY CRAP, YOUR WORDS ARE SO IN DEPTH AND TRUE, THIS IS INSANE ON HOW YOU ANALYSED MIKEY-- He has so much potential, man was a mystic warrior. Great job on the art and the analysis!! 🐢🧡🧡

I'm going to be completely honest, I didn't think too much about Mikey until late season 1, and I didn't fully appreciate him until the movie I think. I was caught up more with the older three, since I relate much more to them than I do Mikey. But honestly? There's a lot more going on with his character than was brought to attention in the show's tragic short run, and I loved what you brought to light here! I yearn daily for a third season, there's so much left for this show to explore, and quite honestly deserves to have the chance to do so!

This hurt as a mikey kinnie😭 it showed me a LOT about Mikey that I didn’t realize was similar to,well,me..

Watched this while drawing Mikey giving a Mother's Day card to Baron Draxum, was great listening to, helped to give more insight of his character. Reason behind doing Mother's Day is because I can imagine Mikey wanting to be included in the celebrations & very obviously, Master Splinter would get the love on Father's Day so in hopes of Baron Draxum also not feeling left out, he gets Mother's Day but after hearing this, definitely would think he would of done it putting his own emotions on it first.

OMG, you were taking the words right out of my mouth! 14:10 I think he already realizes this beforehand, however, it doesn't take a good connotation when he first realizes it. He's the youngest sibling and when you're in that position, where everyone is protecting you, you try to be the happy one, the carefree one. He knows he's the glue in that way, but if he's not happy.... I think he realizes he has to be happy for everyone not to fret, so he becomes more over the top "cinnamon roll" aesthetic (not to say he's not that some of the time genuinely, but he kicks it into overdrive for the sake of others). Until the final, he doesn't realize that being the glue isn't the burdening role he thought it once was. That's my thoughts anyone.

Mikey being the youngest is the reason why i love him ever since i was introduced to tmnt, because i relate to him the most. At first it was unconsciously, but as i got older, i saw his struggles and liked his character more as i grew until rottmnt. Even when people say his character is, like the video said, shallow and forgettable. All the struggles mentioned in the video, as the youngest child myself, i can confirm that some or most ‘youngest child’s feel like this at some point in their lives. A burden.

i love this video, i think we needed more mikey content. im extremely sad that most of the episodes that got cut were mikey centric, i really wanted to see more of his character.

In the Rise universe magic abilities are powered by emotions. Mikey is the most emotional healthy. Also why he acts as therapist for Donnie who has big problems with magic in the first place. Not being able to understand them. Mikey is powerful and easy with magic because of that. (I think also why Leo struggles with his portals as he is so insecure but doesn't want to show.)

Damn, have never found a Mikey video and I am so glad that this is my first one, its so well made (also loved the background music and drawings)

You just explained my hole life I’m in tears I feel really seen rn

As a Mikey kinnie this makes me heart happy haha- I also think that because Mikey feels like such a burden and like he can't do anything himself he assumes a supporting role cus he's not confident in himself. Unlike Leo who does dumb things to prove himself mikey takes a step back and assumes this emotional support role that Raph often can't be cus he's not smart in that way. Mikey couldn't tap into his potential during the series and movie because he holds back, afraid that he'll make a mistake and prove his insecurities right, that he's a burden. (plus obviously we didn't have enough time for him but shush for the sake of the argument it was intentional) He sometimes accomplishes super amazing things like when he throws literal ships and buildings but those impressive things are rare and only when they're fighting together. He doesn't really know who he is because of imitating the ones he sees as more fit, so he isn't confident in himself and his abilities. His skills being much more instinctual and abstract also makes sense in this regard. He isn't confident enough to take charge and make mistakes so he can't really tap into his full potential because his skills NEED him to be more reckless to develop. He simply needs to use his mystic powers more and he has to tell the others his feel of the situation more to actually get better in his skills. Again he sometimes does actually do this but he's usually just emotional support because that's simple enough to do. He's positive and energetic and has pretty high emotional and overall awareness so being an emotional support is easy for him. (even though with dr. delicate touch he's very blunt and mean but he's pretty aware that he's being mean- I mean he said it himself) btw since I compared him to Leo I don't think he's as insecure as Leo because he doesn't have as much responsibility as him. I think maybe if we had more time (AND GOT A SEASON THREE PERHAPS PLEASEEEE) we could've explored the hidden city and mystic powers more and could have gotten more Mikey development. This was just a thing I wanted to add to your analysis cus it makes sense with what you said.. I think.. I hope nothing I said is contradictory uhhh but yeah I say this cus as a Mikey kinnie I also just kind of go into this emotional support role when I'm not confident in myself because it's easier to me. BUT UH YEAH I RAMBLE A LOT I'LL FINISH MY COMMENT HAHA TLDR: I think Mikey is also insecure like Leo but unlike Leo he holds back out of fear of making a mistake. He's insecure cus he doesn't know who he is because he mimics his brothers so much and also because the nature of his skill, magic, requires him to try things again and again to learn, which would mean a higher risk of making a mistake and 'burdening' his brothers.

It was actually said by one of the creators that mikey and raph use to be close as kids, but started to drift when they got older due to raphs overprotectiveness.

This is soo good and yeah I think they would have probably done more with mikey if they had time it sucks, ALSO how do you only have 36 subs I mean fr this is great keep up the good work! will be looking for the videos on the other brothers

No confío en el traductor y mi inglés es una mierda entonces seré breve AME ESTE VIDEO! Hace un mes logré terminar la serie junto con la película y dios santo, algo que enserio nunca superaré es eso! El hecho de que Mikey no haya logrado tener más la atención o sus propios momentos como sus hermanos las tuvieron, algo que le agradezco a la película es que almenos lograron implementar un poco de lo que no pudieron poner ahí. Mikey y toda la serie en general tenía mucho potencial! Sería genial si en un futuro lograrán expandir más ese potencial, pero lo dudo. De todos modos, fue un gran video! Me puso a reflexionar cosas sobre el personaje de Mikey que no había notado antes y es increíble.

Rise Mikey is Bae. My Bae. 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡 Let's hug it out 🥰

So to add to the part where the creator mentions how strong and resourceful Mikey is, is actually accurate and holds true in all iterations of Mikey. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, Mikey is the last ninja turtle to survive. All of his attributes of resourcefulness and his resilience pay off and lead him to be the last (and best) ninja turtle.

"Mirroring is something we do with people we like or are interested in- we copy their body language, speech, facial expression and more. Mirroring body language is a non-verbal way to show empathy. It signals that we are connected to that person in some way." I think that's what Mikey is doing.

He was suppose to have more episodes to him in season 3, but the ideas were scrapped. There's a ton of scrapped storyboards with him, sadly we didn't get those episodes :(

I've commented on this video before with my own analysis of Mikey with what we know, but I want to add for anyone who didn't see it, there was gonna be an episode exploring Mikey and Raph's relationship more, talking about how they used to be really close but drifted apart over time! This ties well into his need to be independent, same with his emotional intelligence being used as an advantage over his brothers and his 'role' in the family

Mikey was always my favorite character. And he still is. Idk. I just love his character.

You spoke kinda slowly and there were too many long pauses but other than that, great analysis

There were *a lot* mikey centric episodes planned out for season 2 and when season two was cut short the mikey episodes were some of the ones that got the axe. (Ima stay mad w never got the big brother mikey episode)

Your actually gonna make me cry, the younger sibling trope always resonates with me but just this explanation had me breaking down Omg-💀

Your voice is really nice to listen to! :D (btw I hope you have a great day/night)

I know a guy with ADHD. Good friend, even if he does shout (half the time he doesn't even realise he's shouting) - and I can actually bring him down faster than Neurotypicals can. I've also known little kids with ADHD. They simply cannot bear to not be doing something. Depends on the severity, but if Mikey sees something he feels the need to do it. Also, I doubt he's on medication (if only because he's a mutant turtle living in the sewers). At just 13 Mikey really is a baby in the family. He is just on the verge of developing his final sense of self. He'll inevitably take a bit of that from each of his brothers (and his big sis) and you can see it in his powers to some extent. And even though he hates it, he takes advantage of it. And as long as he takes advantage of it, he's going to be treated that way. But I've also noticed that Mikey is like, "Raph is my least favourite bro". And that's because Raph isn't his bro any more. He's Mikey's father-figure; the dicipline, the rules, the stability in Mikey's life. At least one of the episodes cut had a Mikey-Raph combo. Raph adores Mikey and you actually feel bad for him whenever Mikey's like that to him. Mikey looks up to Leo, but it's more a... larger than life thing than being his hero. Even though there's just a year, like with Donnie, Leo's got this air of confidence that really appeals to somebody so easily influenced. He wants to be confident, just like Leo! He doesn't really understand that this confidence is all a sham. But sometimes Leo can be kind of mean to Mikey, and if he is, then there's nothing Mikey can do about it, which can throw Mikey off. Now Mikey and Donnie are my favourite bro-pair because that is exactly how Autistic and ADHD people interact. Mikey understands Donnie's problems with empathy perfectly. He knows Donnie isn't being mean on purpose. And Donnie knows that Mikey needs somebody to help him focus. You don't need to shout; just keep nudging them back on track. Two sides of the same coin. Where Raph is his father figure and Leo's larger than life, I would say Mikey still has Donnie as an equal. They have give and take. Donnie won't smother him, or bully him, or patronise him. He understands in a way Leo and Raph cannot, and will never look down on Mikey for being himself. The episode "Repo Mantis" is a great example. Mikey can be quite selfish sometimes. Selfishness is an infantile behaviour based around survival of the self. You focus on survival of the self when you're not strong or mature enough to provide for the others around you. Where low-empathy Donnie lends his time and effort freely, not even sure if it's appreciated, high-empathy Mikey is nice because happy people make him feel happy, and doing good things makes him feel like a good person and being a good person makes him feel good. It's not a bad reason to do good things but it is a childish one. It isn't until the movie when Mikey does something good with true selflessness - Future Mikey gives his life for a better world he will never see. At the end of the movie, our Mikey prepares to rescue Leo, full of determination and hope (Aw...) and realises halfway through that... he's breaking up. And finally he realises the truth - if he wants to see the better future he fought for, he must sacrifice his brother. But even if he gets his brother back, he will die before he sees him. It must feel like lose-lose. And only then his power fully matures - the power to crack open time and space, that will destroy him. His childhood naivete is burnt away. He finally sees the light - that happy endings are for BABIES. His brothers rush to his side, equals in this knowledge, giving him the strength to hold open the gate while they do their all to pull Leo back. And as he closes the gate, Mikey throws one final childish gesture back at the Kraang - sticks out his tongue and winks. He finally knows the world isn't perfect, he finally knows that you can't always be rewarded for the good you do. He's not a baby any more.

…ow This one hit pretty close to home.

MIKEY HAS ALWAYS BEING THE GREATEST HAND TO HAND COMBAT IN ALL VERSIONS, & HERE IS NOT THE EXCEPTION, ALSO ADD HIS MYSTIC POWERS & BUALÁ _THE GREATEST MICHELANGELO IN ACTION_

No, dont. Dont make me feel like Im worth something right at the end. Mikey is too relatable.

Hi Mikey is my biggest kin and I'm crying

I can relate to Mikey

Great video keep up the good work

Woah. 😳

Damn if I didn't think I kinned Mikey before, I sure as hell do now

When I see the first time rise Mikey I thought he is like ever Mikey but then came the dr.dt I thought he is different than the other Mikey’s.I’m the youngest daughter in the family I have 1 older sister I can’t say I know how It is being youngest but I think Mikey and me are the opposite because I wish I could act like him but I can’t..I love how he is but after I heard this I was Soo sad 😞 I never thought about.I’m sorry if I talk sh*t about it I really have stop talking about it I just want to say that..

enjoyed the pain. Also some realiation. this got dark pretty fast. anyway enjoyed the suffering. Sometimes we need to peek into the dark to appriciate the light more when it breaks trough.

MIKEYS SO ME WHATTTTTTT

Everyone is saying that he has ADHD but Mikey actually had ADD.

Jeez, and she was happy with just 500 views XD CRANK THOSE VIEWS BOYS WE PASSED 6K😎

More material so I can project????? Hell yeah

A critique and question of your video, if I may: Why are there so many moments you go where you don't say something? It's pretty jarring and messes with my focus to the point I had to put the video at 1.75 in speed. Recording is a pain in the ass, that, I know, but you can edit those quiet moments out.

i was really trying to listen but the painfully long pauses did not help. great video tho.

Who thought he was shallow? He's one of the best characters, other than Donnie.

2:10 kinda sounds like a symptom of ADHD

I think your reading in to things to mutch (but i aggre with some of the points)