The 2012 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series was one of my favorite TV shows growing up. It had a great story, amazing action, interesting characters all around, and plenty of love for the IP. Like many great shows, they not only entertain, but they can also teach its audience. There are plenty of themes and lessons throughout the show, whether they be underlying messages or told directly through someone like Master Splinter. I’ve learned a lot from this show, so in this article, I’ll be sharing what I think are some of the best lessons TMNT 2012 has taught me.

Control Your Anger

TMNT has plenty of lessons about anger, especially when it comes to Raphael, who is known for being a hot head. As stated by Master Splinter, “Anger is a dangerous ally.” It can give you a boost, but also leaves you vulnerable. In the episode Turtle Temper, the turtles meet this very rude guy, who insults Raph, which causes Raph to jeopardize their mission to the point where the other turtles send Raph home so he doesn’t cause anymore problems. At the lair, Splinter tells the young turtle a story from his past where their archenemy, Shredder, insulted him in front of his wife, which caused Splinter to retaliate violently. Raph tells Splinter that he didn’t have a choice, but Splinter responds that he could have chosen to ignore Shredder; let his words wash over him like a river over stone, but he let Shredder turn his words into weapons. I really like this lesson because I can get mad sometimes, but responding with anger isn’t always the best way to deal with things. I like to look back at the phrase “like a river over stone,” and just let that be a good mantra to calm myself down.

Responsibly Over Recognition

In the episode New Girl In Town, Leo and Raph have another one of their arguments, but this time, Leo lets Raph have his way and makes him leader while also quitting the team. Later, Splinter asks Leo why he isn’t with his brothers. Leo explains and Splinter tells him that that’s not his decision to make. Leo says that he’s tired of the others constantly complaining and second-guessing his orders. This caused his father to get a little frustrated with him, and told him that it doesn’t matter how heavy the burden of being a leader is, it matters that you carry it. Later in the episode, Raph freezes up when Mikey gets hurt in a fight, and admits that he wasn’t ready for that kind of responsibility. This hit me a lot later when rewatching this episode because, while I may not be in the exact same situation as Leo, I can relate to his struggles. So, while it’s nice to be recognized, that’s not what is important. What’s important is to be responsible for your actions, whether people appreciate you for what you do or not.

Never Give Up Hope

There are plenty of instances throughout the show where the situations the turtles are in seem hopeless, like the Kraang invasion, or when the Earth got sucked into a black hole. However, the turtles and their allies don’t give up hope and are able to overcome their obstacles. What our heroes go through are a lot more soul crushing than anything we go through in our daily lives, and if they can overcome those obstacles, then I can overcome the obstacles in my life. All I have to do is not give up hope.

You Don’t Have To Change Who You Are

In the episode Mikey Gets Shellacne, Mikey gets an infection after using some highly unstable mutagen from Donnie’s lab. Why did he do this? Well, Mikey was tired of feeling like the weakest link in the team, so he wanted to make himself better. However, Mikey realizes that he was great the way he was, and he was able to fight off some of Shredder’s minions with the infection, which is pretty impressive. I can relate to Mikey here because sometimes I feel like I don’t fit in, but I’ve come to realize that they are plenty of people who will accept me for who I am.

Don’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover

This is probably the greatest underlying message TMNT has to offer. The show follows four man sized turtles as they save their city and the world from evil threats. However, they do all these things in secret, as if the world knew about their existence, they would be labeled as monsters. Meanwhile, we have the Shredder, a seemingly normal man who would be accepted by society, but who is actually a monster. He’s someone so driven by his hatred for Splinter that he will go to any lengths to exact his revenge. This man literally sacrificed the entire planet just for his vendetta. And that was when he was a human. He actually became a mutant monster and drove out any humanity he had left just to destroy Splinter and the Turtles. This theme helped me realize that it’s not the best to assume something of people just based on appearances alone, and that someone’s true character comes from getting to know them. That’s why I think this might be TMNT’s greatest lesson.