To know what was the cause of this inspiration, go on YouTube and look up "TMNT 2012 Raph Crying" for the first result by Ramona Shipper. Enjoy!
They had saved the Earth from the Black Hole Generator. And Splinter was alive! The turtles that went to space ran to him, three of them crying out "Sensei!" However, Raphael was the only one to yell "Father". Not even Leonardo said it.
Hamato Yoshi was embraced tightly by his sons. They seemed so scared yet happy. His hotheaded son was last to join the hugging, but he held on with no means of letting go ever. He could feel one of them shaking, and it was from Raphael.
He was crying. Silently, but crying nonetheless. He blinked, confused. Yes, these were his sons who had adventures in space, of course they would feel despair from being so long parted from their loving father, but Raphael? The most pugnacious of the turtles, crying? That was sight that was extremely rare, like a smile plastered onto the turtle's face.
He could tell he was crying. It's just...
Watching his father die that way was horrible enough, but having so much to tell him and watching him die, thinking you'll never get the chance to do so hurt so much, his chest burned. Now, here he was, this time, his father, loving father Splinter, embracing him so tightly that he never wanted to let go. He needed to let Splinter know. He needed to know everything. It all hurt, but it felt good to cry. Never had he thought he would cry like this. His father was alive, for God's sake! Yet, knowing he could have been gone once again, with no chance of ever coming back, shook Raph to the very core.
The last time he cried like this, Master Splinter had told him that if he ever needed to talk, or just simply to sob, he would be his shoulder for that. If he didn't want to talk, he didn't have to. But if he didn't want to cry, he would do so anyway. Crying, as Splinter says, helps express one's pain and release some of it. It was better to cry with a loved one, though.
And Raphael almost took that for granted. He's going to have to do that from now on. It felt so good to cry with his family near. Maybe it's because they can't see him, or maybe it's because his father is with him this time. But, it sure as hell feels good to let it all out.
I quite enjoyed this tiny detail that the animators gave Raphael. Just goes to show that even the toughest, biggest and baddest will always have a soft spot, no matter how well hidden it is.
Thanks for reading!
