i've probably already talked about this before but it's so crazy to me how in 2012, splinter, who has some idea that he's about to die at the hands of the shredder, decides to split his sons up in the final boss fight and has raph on the roof with him instead of leo.
like in a writing stand point, you'd think they have leo there instead, the one he has the most personal moments with. the one that he's most connected to, due to the fact that in the beginning of that very episode he's like: yeah so when i die and you become their sensei/parental figure yada yada yada...
but they have RAPH there instead. and it's like. devastating to think that splinter thought that maybe he'd survive... but then if he didn't, he'd have to have at least one of his kids up there with him... and he'd have to pick who it was that had to see that :/
and part of me thinks that it was probably always between leo and raph. maybe because they're the oldest/strongest and having mikey or donnie up there was maybe never an option... of course he'd want to protect them all from it but it was a choice he had to make and maybe one he'd mulled over before the fight even started.
and yeah maybe they put raph there instead of leo because they needed a reason why leo wouldn't just.. go ham and kill the shredder up right and so they kinda nerfed raph by having him injured but yeah. i think about it a LOT that raph was the one that was with their dad when he was killed, up on that roof without his brothers watching his dad go over the edge :(
