The universe of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is home to many iconic villains with diverse powers and threats posed to the terrapin brothers, and now in a new piece of fan art the two sides have been given a redesign in an epic showdown done in the ancient Japanese Ukiyo-e style.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are beloved in pop culture. The original iteration of TMNT was a comic series written by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird and published by their studio, Mirage Comics. The series's potential was quickly realized by Playmates Toys, who developed the kid-friendly Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated television show in 1987 along with the massively popular toy line for the series. The franchise has seen many different television shows, movies, and video games, in addition to their current comics and Last Ronin series from IDW. Their decades-long presence has created an iconic heroes and villains roster that fans adore. Now, some new fan art celebrates these characters in an art style that references their Japanese roots.
On Twitter, artist Chien Chih Kang (Justin) posted jaw-dropping art featuring the Turtles and their villains charging into battle. Justin specializes in the Ukiyo-e style of Japanese painting from the Edo period and frequently posts different types of content in this style, ranging from Dragon Ball to Ultraman. It is not an understatement to say they have perfected bringing traditional Japanese woodblock style art to popular comic book characters. Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo, and Raphael are featured on the right side in an oni-style depiction with the indicative Ukiyo-e clouds swirling around them. On the left, the Shredder, Bebop, Rocksteady, and the Kraang look like kaiju preparing for battle wreathed in flames.
This style of art is fitting for the Turtles, given the influence of Japanese history and culture on the franchise. What is especially interesting about this artwork is the fusion of different TMNT iterations in one scene. The villains are all based in the 1987 animated television show with not much variation from their models. On the other hand, the Turtles' anatomy and black belts are based on the original 1984 Eastman and Laird comics, with influence from the 2003 TMNT series for the coloring of their skin. This style of art is fitting for the Turtles, given the influence of Japanese history and culture on the franchise.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are one of the most instantly recognizable franchises of all time, with an iconic roster of both heroes and villains that thousands of fans have been in love with since 1984. Justin's art pays homage to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' Japanese roots while also creating a jaw-dropping piece of art that reminds fans of the many epic showdowns the brothers will always have with Shredder, Kraang, Bebop, and Rocksteady.
Source: Chien Chih Kang (Justin)
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their villains get a jaw-dropping redesign in new Ukiyo-e inspired art from artist Chien Chih Kang (Justin).Emily Stachelczyk