There are dozens of characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and each one of them has left his, and hers, mark on the entire franchise. It does not matter if we are discussing the comics, animated movies or featured movies, Leonardo is surely one of the most important, main and leading characters in the series. It should be noted that his character is the leading one responsible for the condition of the entire group. He is the one who leads to various victories.
Leonardo
Leonardo is usually called Leo by his brothers and his friends. He is most known for wearing a blue mask and for using katanas as his weapons. It should be also noted that he is considered to be as the most skilled warrior in the group. Apart from this, he is the one who strictly follows Splinter and who is solely defined in terms of discipline and spirituality.
The Leader
Even though it is usually defined as the leader of the group, he never refers to himself in this way and he tries not to act as one unless needed. There are rare instances when he takes the matter into his hands and asks others to follow him. However, there is not any doubt that he is the one who leads the rest of the crew when their master is not around or when he is injured or captured. He is also known for being the one who goes onto the rooftops of the NYC to see if everything is alright and he is sometimes attacked by the members of the Foot Clan.
Karai
All those who are fans of the franchise know that Karai is a female character who is actually a daughter that Shredder has adopted. It is well known that Shredder is the main villain and the archenemy of the turtles. However, it has been noticed that Krai and Leonardo have a somewhat friendly relationship. Many people consider the two being in love. The first time the two meets is when she comes to NYC from Japan in an attempt to unite the entire Foot Clan. She is the one who has offered truce among them if the turtles help her in destroying the Elite Guards.
O’Neil and Casey Jones
Even though the turtles were fighting crime and Shredder by themselves, Leonardo was the one who recognized that they would actually need help in this. He is actually the one who recognized and accepted April O’Neil, a reporter from Channel 6, and he is the one who saw the potential and helps she should bring. It should be also added that he is the one who accepted Casey Jones first. Leonardo recognized his spirit and his will to fight crime and evil and he realized that Casey may be of help to the entire crew. So, Leonardo is not just the unofficial leader of the group, he may be considered as the most open-minded turtle of them all.