Warning: Spoilers for TMNT: The Last Ronin – The Lost Years #5!The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have been replaced by a new set of reptiles ready to carry on the legacy of the original team, with Uno, Moja, Odyn, and Yi just beginning their journey as heroes. And now, in the finale to a miniseries partially chronicling the early exploits of this next generation of turtles, their names are revealed to have a shared significance as deep and meaningful as they are obvious and simple.
Named after four Italian Renaissance artists, the original TMNT team of Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo have instantly recognizable names to anyone inside (and even outside) the brothers’ massive fandom circles.
But after being killed off during the harrowing events seen in the “final” future-set TMNT story titled Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, the burden of protecting New York City falls to the young turtles of Uno, Moja, Odyn, and Yi, with their names decidedly not inspired by famous artists like their predecessors, but instead by the different cultures and languages Mikey experienced before he met his untimely end. Because of this, all four names share the same meaning: “one.”
Uno, Moja,Odyn, and Yi’s Names All Mean “One”
Full meanings revealed in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin — The Lost Years #5, by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, SL Gallant, and Ben Bishop, this series acts as a soft introduction for the new turtle team before their starring roles in the upcoming Last Ronin sequel. But before they can hit the streets, an old and battle-hardened April O’Neil and her daughter, Casey, ruminate on who and what brought them to this moment. Recalling how Mikey traveled across the world before his final fate, April says, “We’ve always told you, each of your names means “one.” Derived from different languages Michelangelo encountered on his journey…and a constant reminder that even though you are four, you are also one. One team. One family,” easily explaining to readers where Uno, Moja, Odyn, and Yi’s names came from and why they’re so perfect for them.
Sharing the translated name of “One,” Uno’s moniker derives from Spanish, Moja from Swahili, Odyn from Russian, and Yi from Chinese, with the above explanation not only a satisfying answer to the mystery of why they share a name but as Casey soon points out, it’s also a way of reminding them they’re “number one” in her heart. And considering the original four turtles don’t have names that necessarily define their existence as individuals or as a group, knowing that Uno, Moja, Odyn, and Yi are one family, not just in practice but in literal name, ensures these heroes have a baked-in sense of love for one another that they’ll take into every battle from here on out.
The New Turtles’ Names Come From Michelangelo’s Last Ronin Journey
So while this turtle team still has a lot to learn and prove in a world without the original four heroes that inspired them, knowing the full meaning of their shared names solidifies them as a unique set of characters that fans should pay attention to. Uno, Moja, Odyn, and Yi will return to comics soon enough, so fans can expect another epic story that further explores what this new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles family is capable of.
TMNT: The Last Ronin – The Lost Years #5 is now available from IDW Publishing.