The Last Ronin
The Last Ronin is the final Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Comic Book miniseries, and it’s like coming home. While the Turtles have been in several comic books since their debut in 1984, the IDW comics remain the most faithful to the original comics’ tone and action. The Last Ronin maintains that while bringing in familiar faces from the Turtles’ history.
Based on the IDW comics’ chronology, The Last Ronin presents important events that occurred before the first issue. We see April O’Neil and Casey Jones announce their engagement and plan a dinner. Splinter and the Turtles are ambushed by a large force of Foot Clan ninjas, leaving Splinter severely wounded. The Turtles bring Splinter to April’s place, where the story continues in issue #1 of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic.
Splinter is severely wounded, and the Turtles have to decide whether to bring him to the hospital. The Turtles decide to risk it, and Raphael confronts Shredder’s daughter, Karai, in a single combat that ends in his mortal injury.
Ten years later, Karai’s son, Hiroto, becomes the leader of the Oroku Clan and invites Splinter to Japan to end the feud between the clans. Splinter travels to Japan with Donatello, and Stockman attacks the Turtles’ lair. Leonardo and Casey die in battle, and April is severely injured. Michelangelo, the only survivor, goes to Japan to warn Splinter and Donatello about Hiroto’s treachery, but they died in battle.
All seems lost for the Turtles until Michelangelo remains in seclusion for 16 years until he returns to New York, determined to avenge his family’s death. Hiroto rules over a dystopian New York City with the Foot Clan, while April raises her daughter Casey in the resistance. April realizes that Casey possesses mutant abilities due to her exposure to the Mutagen.
The resistance plans an assault on Stockman’s laboratory to disable Hiroto’s cyborg network and automated defenses. April activates the Fugitoid, who shuts down Stockman and the city’s power grid. Michelangelo faces Hiroto alone and dies in battle. Casey and April arrive moments later.
The Last Ronin ends with April continuing her research on the Mutagen, while Casey trains using Splinter’s journal. Casey raises four pet turtles, planning to expose them to the Mutagen and train them as ninjas.
You can read the entire The Last Ronin comic book series here.
And that’s the end of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ story.
