Leonardo Hamato (Origins.ROH Canon)

Name: Leonardo Hamato (or just plain "Leo" for short)


Nicknames: Splinter Junior, Fearless Leader, and several less-desirable names given to him by his brothers


Age: Right around 18 years old


Gender: Male


Species: Mutated Red-eared Slider turtle


Occupation: Student of Ninjutsu, Clan leader, vigilante


Resides: In the sewers of New York City


Languages: English and Japanese






Physical Appearance

Leo stands 6 feet tall and weighs about 280 pounds. He also has piercing blue eyes. Thanks to his mutation, it gave him a more upright appearance and re-evolved teeth. He has three fingers on each hand and two toes on each foot. He has a full shell that contributes to his hefty weight, but he's all muscle under his green skin. The front part of his shell (plastron) is a mustard-yellow and the back part (carapace) is a dark green/brown. Both his plastron and carapace are littered with 'battle scars' from over the years, but even with the cracks, Leo's entire shell is bulletproof due to his mutation.

His markings that once identified him as a red-eared slider turtle have long-since faded since his mutation, but his skin is still textured with various shades of green. Like his brothers, Leo's skin is microscaled so it feels softer and smoother than wild turtles' but is still pebble-ish to the touch. It is also much stronger and thicker than human skin. He has several tribal tattoos on his arms and a faded scar running from the right side of his forehead to his right cheek.

Leo's gear consists of a makeshift samarai outfit with accents of blue to showcase his prominent color. He wears wooden armor on his chest that resembles a yoroi samurai armor chest plates, shoulder pads and a samurai skirt, plus homemade japanese footwear as protection for sewer travelling, even with their stronger skin the fact is it is not safe to travel in the sewers without some form of foot wear. He also wears white hand and foot wrappings. His most distinctive article of 'clothing' is his ninja mask -- a bright blue piece of fabric with holes cut in it for his eyes that ties around his head and drapes down over the top part of his shell.

He looks quite imposing with his size and even moreso with his assorted weaponry he carries on him. His most prominent weapon display has two katanas in twin sheathes (that come to an "X") strapped to his shell and a shoulder strap (that goes over his right shoulder) to hold them in place. He also carries shuriken and small dagger concealed in his belt.








Character Traits


Leonardo is named after the famous Renaissance painter and sculptor, Leonardo da Vinci. He is a skilled warrior and a devoted student, leader, and son to the art of Ninjutsu. He is very loyal, trustworthy honorable, determined, compassionate, hardworking, selfless, tactful, and strong-willed. He will always fight for what he believes in and will give it his all in everything he does.

Leonardo is seen as the eldest brother, but they're all basically the same age. He takes his training and teachings very seriously. His brothers consider him a 'stick-in-the-mud' at times, but he tries not to let it get to him. He is protective over his family and would give his life for them if he had to. As a leader, his life is secondary to his team's.

Leo strives for perfection and isn't satisfied until he does everything to the best of his abilities. And even then it's sometimes not good enough for him. He is his own worst critic and finds faults in many things. Above all, he wants to please Master Splinter, but sometimes doing what's right clashes with what Splinter wants him to do. It's a constant inner struggle for Leo to find that balance within himself.

He trains the longest, hardest and most often of any of his brothers. He uses these sessions to hone his skills in battle. He is very good with both hand-to-hand combat and also with his weapons. As his father has said over and over again: "A ninja's weapon is an extension of himself." Leo takes these words to heart whenever he uses his katanas; either in battle or just sparring matches.

His personality clashes with Raph's constantly whom Leo believes wants the position of leader and is jealous he got it instead. Leo also believes that Raph would be good as a leader from a strength standpoint, but he lacks discipline and tact. And Raph's temper has also gotten Leo and the entire team in some tight spots on numerous occasions. Leo uses meditation to help control his emotions and also to come up with solutions to difficult decisions. As a leader, a level head is required.

Leo doesn't express emotions all that often because he thinks he has to be strong for his team and family. He might look okay on the outside, but on the inside he is constantly dealing with his own inner turmoil. He has the weight of the world on his shoulders when it comes to protecting his loved ones and he feels like he has to carry that burden alone no matter how many times Splinter tries to get him to think otherwise.







Family

~Master Splinter (Yoshi) -- a mutated human-turned-humanoid rat who adopted the turtles as his own family. He has become their father-figure as well as their teacher (sensei) of ninjutsu.


~Hamato Raphael -- Leo's biggest rival as far as brothers go. They're the same age, but Raph is considered younger than him.


~Hamato Donatello -- his brainy younger brother, but he's also a good tactition and Leo's 'second-in-command'.


~Hamato Michelangelo -- his youngest brother and prankster extraordinaire. With Mike being the 'baby' in the family, Leo is very protective of him.







Likes

~Training -- out of all of is brothers, Leo trains the longest, most often, and puts the most effort into it.


~Tea -- Nothing can relax Leo more than a nice warm cup of tea. He's partial to the herbal variety, but he's pretty much willing to try any tea once. Including some questionable ones that Splinter gave them when they were sick as youngsters.


~Meditation -- a really great way to relax and clear his mind. Leo will meditate when the stress becomes too much with family or to help him deal with difficult decisions.


~Pizza -- a great discovery on their first time topside. He and his brothers partake in this food pretty regularly.


~Taking care of his katanas -- they're always shiny and razor sharp due to the extra care Leo takes to keep his blades in tip-top shape. He oils and polishes them on a regular basis.


~Hanging out with his brothers -- even if they annoy him sometimes, it doesn't change the fact that he would be lost without them. He'll play video games with them and just be there for them for whatever they need.


~To be a good leader -- after asking Splinter assigned him that role, Leo does whatever it takes to make sure he keeps his team safe and in line. Appreciation would be nice, but leadership does has its limits, unfortunately.


~Splinter's guidance -- Leo confides in Splinter more than anyone else. If he has questions about his role or just wants to have a heart-to-heart chat to express his feelings and/or concerns, his father is the one he will go to.







Dislikes

~Failing -- one of Leo's greatest fears is letting his team down or losing a tough battle.


~Disappointing his father -- since taking up this role, he has pretty much followed Splinter's orders to a "T", but that doesn't mean he can't make his own choices. He desperately wants his father's approval, but sometimes the best course of action isn't always what his father wants. He constantly has an inner struggle between doing what's right and what he is told to do.


~Fighting with his brothers -- Raph usually comes to mind because he and Leo clash constantly, but he and Don have had their fair share of arguments as well. Most due to differences of opinion on how to deal with certain circumstances. Mikey is more of an annoyance to Leo than anything.


~When plans don't work or have to change -- just when he thinks he has things under control, they take a drastic shift and he has to come up with something else right on the spot. His father has told him that plans don't always go as they should and to "expect the unexpected".


~Disrespect -- his brothers constantly try his patience with them not waiting for his orders when going into battle or just reconaissance missions. There are also times when his orders are ignored completely and his brothers go off to do their own things.


~Being called a freak -- it has been a constant name for all of the brothers, but Leo still hates that term used to describe them. No one likes being called a "freak" after all.


~The Haashi -- a punishment for all of them, but can be seen as a harsh training method, too. Leo's involves doing the splits while being suspended in the air with each foot on a small pillar. Then he has to balance an egg between two chopsticks. It had granted him incredible endurance and balance over the years.


~Giving lectures -- this is more of a love/hate thing. He finds it necessary to give them and usually doesn't mind it too much considering his leadership role, but he still wishes he didn't have to.






History

Leonardo's history goes way back before he can even remember. He and three other baby turtles were purchased from a pet store by a small boy who lost his grip on the bowl and the four baby turtles ended up falling down a storm drain. Upon landing, the babies ended up in some mysterious green ooze. A man who was down in the sewers came upon the four little reptiles, and took them to his home. After cleaning them up, he decided he would keep them but he had no idea what kind of changes would happen overnight to all of them.

When the man awoke the next morning, he noticed some physical changes to himself and the turtles. He had grown thick, dark brown fur all over his body. He had whiskers and a long snout. He had also grown a long, hairless tail! The four turtles had also changed in appearance. They had grown more humanoid and much larger. The man was amazed by these changes that somehow were related between the ooze and their own DNA make ups.

The man, once known as Hamato Yoshi, now had a new name as a mutated rat, Splinter. Yoshi had been a master in the art of Ninjutsu when he lived in Japan and passed his teachings onto the turtles which Splinter had adopted as his sons. The young mutant turtles were all named after famous Renaissance artists. As soon at the turtles could walk, they began their training for this lifelong path with honor and meaning. It wouldn't be an easy path, but Splinter thought it would be the most beneficial for his sons.

Leonardo excelled in his training and always took it the most seriously of any of his brothers. Despite his extensive training, he did have a childhood paralyzing fear of heights -- which Splinter worked him through it. Leo was often teased for being a 'teacher's pet', but he didn't let that stop him from learning everything he needed to. Like all his brothers, Leo was homeschooled, and by the time they were approaching their teenage years, Donatello took over in giving the lessons. Sometimes the brainy brother would spout off on things that went over the others' heads, but Leo still kept up with his studies -- both general and his ninjutsu.

Because of Leo's unwavering devotion to his studies, Splinter appointed him leader. This caused some friction between himself and Raphael because Raph had wanted that position for himself. Despite Leo's new power position, he tried not to let it go to his head. Even though his brothers thought differently and considered him overbearing and way too serious. Leo being a leader also had a major downside because he put so much stress on himself and often times it was unnecessary to keep his team in line.

When the turtles were 15, they were allowed to go up to the streets for the first time. It was there they discovered their love for pizza and they also met two of their very best (human) friends, April O'Neil and Casey Jones. All of the training they had from day 1 would come into play the day they finally meet Splinter's rival and greatest enemy, Oroku Saki.






Sample Post

It was all his fault! Why hadn't he seen this coming? Why didn't he call a retreat when things seemed hopeless? Why wasn't he a better leader?

Leonardo looked at the carnage around him. There were broken bodies everywhere. Most of them were foes his brothers and himself had fought, others were innocents that were caught in the crossfire. Unfortunately, there was a third group of victims in this bloodbath. They were allies that died under his leadership. But, was it really leadership? Yeah, lead to be slaughtered.

Leo sighed in disgust and he continued to look around. Thankfully, his closest friends and brothers were okay. They all had major injuries from a tough battle, but they were still alive. Leo himself had gashes in his arms and legs, blood trickling from the side of his head, soaking his blue mask as his eyes fell on one being in particular. His eyes widened as he rushed over to the body, frantically checking vital signs.

Nothing...

"Splinter..." Leo whispered, his blue-eyed vision blurring with the tears that wanted to fall. He fell to his knees and cradled the crippled body of the rat. Leo began sobbing uncontrollably and he felt so alone, knowing it was too late and this battle had created yet another category - a fourth one in fatalities - his father.

"No!"

Leo sat up suddenly in his bed, panting and his cheeks were wet - obviously from crying. Was it really a dream? It had to be, albeit a horrible one he was glad to wake up from. He wiped his cheeks before shakily getting to his feet from his bed. He just had to know for sure. After making sure he was composed, he exited his bedroom and went to each room to check on his family. He wouldn't be able to go back to sleep until he made sure everyone was fine and it was all just a horrible nightmare.