Casey Jones (TMNT)

Arnold "Casey" Jones is a character from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. Like the turtles, Casey Jones is a self-appointed vigilante. Casey wears a hockey mask and cut-off biking gloves, and carries various weapons in a golf bag over his shoulder, including dual baseball bats, golf clubs, cricket bats, and hockey sticks.

Beginnings

As a boy growing up in New York, Casey Jones' neighborhood was overrun with criminals. Casey became tired of the "hoods running his 'hood'", started an intense weight training regimen, and purchased a few books on martial arts to help combat the "bad guys." He started his career with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when he ran into a gang of youths attempting to beat up Raphael. The two clashed but eventually helped each other take down a group of Purple Dragon gang members. Ever since, Casey has been a close friend to Raphael and the Turtles.

Casey Jones does not appear in the Archie Comics Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures.

Mirage

Casey first appeared in the Raphael solo issue "Me, Myself and I". Raphael runs into Casey beating some muggers and proceeds to stop him before the crooks are murdered. Jones and Raphael fight several times before making peace with each other. In the Mirage series, Casey is extremely violent, even more so than Raphael, but mellows throughout the course of the series. In "Shades of Gray," he accidentally kills a teenager who tried to mug him. The incident sent him into a drunken spiral, damaging his relationship with April O'Neil.

During City at War, Casey leaves town and eventually meets a pregnant woman named Gabrielle with whom he falls in love and marries. Gabrielle dies during childbirth and Casey is left to take care of her daughter, whom he names Shadow. After spreading Gabrielle's ashes, Casey returns to New York with Shadow and repairs his relationship with April. Often Casey has been known to shout the term, "Goongala," as a sort of battle cry.

In volume four he and April are shown married. They raise Shadow as their daughter and try to have a child of their own.

1987 TMNT animated series

In the original TMNT cartoon, Casey Jones is a crazed vigilante who fights crime as horrific as murder, to as petty as littering. He never takes off his mask in the series. This version of Casey does not play as central a role as his comic book counterpart (possibly because he was seen as too dark and too violent a character for the series young audience), nor does he have a relationship with April. His most notable line was “When do I get to break something?”, he also tended to call many villains "scuzzbuckets" and "lawbreaker". Casey was voiced by Pat Fraley. In the Japanese Version, he was voiced by Issei Futamata and Akio Ohtsuka (NHK-BS2 Version).

He appeared in five episodes, #41, Casey Jones: Outlaw Hero; #43, Corporate Raiders From Dimension X; #119, Leonardo Cuts Loose; #162, Night of the Rogues; and #177, Cyber-Turtles.

2003 TMNT animated series

In the newest TMNT cartoon, Jones has a much more important role than in the original show. His father’s shop was burned down by Hun and the Purple Dragons. This gave Casey his hatred for crime. It is revealed in one episode that he and the Turtles had met before when they were kids. The Turtles tried to teach him self-defense to fight some bullies, but it ended badly. In the show, Casey has a good heart, but is easily enraged and often "thick-headed". He loves motorcycles, is good friends with Raphael, and is romantically involved with April. In the Back to the Sewers he decided to get married with April. His main catchphrase is his battle cry “Goongala!”. He speaks in a Brooklyn accent. He is voiced by Marc Thompson in English and Tokuyoshi Kawashima in Japanese.

Feature Films

Casey Jones, played by Elias Koteas, has lead roles in two of the TMNT films. In the first film, he is a former professional ice hockey player who had turned vigilante. He encounters Raphael while attacking some purse-snatchers. Raphael stops Casey from harming the thieves, whereupon Casey turns his aggression on Raphael. They fight. Casey later sees Raphael alone on a rooftop surrounded by Foot soldiers and comes to the Turtles' aid in the subsequent attack. He is referred to by Michelangelo as "Wayne Gretzky on steroids". Casey Jones joins the Turtles to assist them against the Shredder and the Foot, mentions to April that he was a professional ice hockey player until he got injured, and ultimately rescues Splinter from the Foot's headquarters and crushes the Shredder in a garbage truck. In the third film Casey returns at the Turtles request to assist Splinter in watching over the four honor guards that were transported to the present when the Turtles would take their place in feudal Japan the past.

In the Japanese Version, his voice actors are Hiroya Ishimaru (1st Movie in VHS Version), Taro Arakawa (1st Movie in TV Version) and Issei Futamata (3rd Movie).

Casey appears in the 2007 TMNT film, and is voiced by Chris Evans. By the time the film takes place, Casey is working with April in a shipping company as a delivery man, spending his nights continuing his vigilante activities. Through this, he meets Raphael as the Nightwatcher, becoming his sidekick - though he claims Raphael is the sidekick.

Video games

Casey Jones is a playable character in the NES and Sega Genesis versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters and he appears in the background in one of the stages in the SNES version.

In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Manhattan Missions he rescues the Turtles when they lose all their health.

Casey Jones is also in the 2003 game Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Game Boy Advance) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He is a boss in Raph's story mode and if the player inserts a cheat code or beats stage 1 as Raphael, he will become a playable character in story mode.

Casey is also an unlockable alternate for Raph in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2: Battle Nexus.

Casey Jones is also a playable character in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Melee.

External links

• Official 2003 Animated Series Profile
• Unofficial Character profile
• Read the comic that introduced Casey Jones at the Official Ninja Turtles site