How the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles died in The Last Ronin

Before you dive into The Last Ronin II: Re-Evolution from IDW, here’s how the original The Last Ronin killed off the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. 

The release of The Last Ronin II – Re-Evolution probably has fans asking some pretty big questions. Like, hey, didn’t all the Ninja Turtles die in that one? 

The Last Ronin is indeed a grim tale, set in a near future where the Foot Clan rules with an iron fist and hope seems to be gone. But a lone Ninja Turtle stalks the streets, seeking to put an end to the Foot Clan for good.

Re-Evolution is set even further in the future, with the mutate daughter of April O’Neil and Casey Jones, Casey Marie Jones, raising the next generation of Turtles. Before diving into Re-Evolution, here’s a look at the fate of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in The Last Ronin.

How The Last Ronin killed the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

The identity of the titular Last Ronin is a mystery for much of the book’s first issue, but fans are surprised to learn that it’s actually Michelangelo. 

It’s revealed in flashbacks that years earlier, during a period of peace between the Turtles’ Clan Hamato and the Foot Clan. The Shredder’s daughter, Oroko Karai, broke the truce and attacked the Turtles. Splinter is nearly killed, and a furious Raphael strikes out on his own. He attacks the Foot Clan with mixed results. Karai manages to kill Raphael while she herself is left comatose.

Years later, Karai’s son Oroku Hiroto came into leadership in the Foot Clan and made bold claims of seeking peace with the Turtles’ clan. While Donatello and Splinter left for Japan to negotiate a new peace, the rest of the family remained in New York. They’re attacked by Baxter Stockman, who wants to capture their ally, Fugitoid, and the Foot Clan. Fugitoid’s last stand results in Stockman causing an explosion that kills Leonardo and Casey Jones. It also injures April O’Neil, resulting in her losing an arm and leg. 

Days later and unaware of the events in New York, Donatello and Splinter arrive at a cemetery for peace talks with Hiroto, but it is inevitably revealed to be a trap laid by the Foot Clan. Though Hiroto is wounded, his forces overwhelm the army, and both Donatello and Splinter are killed in the fight. 

Does Michelangelo die in The Last Ronin? 

Michelangelo is among those in New York caught in Stockman’s explosion. He survives but is in a daze and believes he is the sole survivor. He unable to contact his father and brother, he leaves for Japan to warn Splinter and Donatello of the Foot Clan’s betrayal. However, he arrives at the Clan Hamato stronghold too late, learning of their death. 

Michelangelo wanders into the mountains to die, but instead, he spends years healing and meditating. He eventually concludes he survived to fulfill his destiny, to fight and kill Horoto to avenge his family and clan. Gathering his brother’s broken weapons and Splinter’s journal, he spends years mastering every martial art style, becoming a masterless ninja – a ronin. 

Returning to New York, he allies with April and Casey Marie for a final showdown with Hiroto. The two duel throughout New York, and Michelangelo gets the better of him, but Hiroto electrocutes the two of them. Michelangelo dies from his wounds but passes on Splinter’s journal to Casey Marie, who uses the journal’s knowledge to train a new family of Ninja Turtles.