Casey Jones/April O'Neil (1987)

Picture
Moments before the scene: With Shredder no longer in possession of the Hyper stones, the Turtles were able to bring back the city of Manhattan and the statue of Library. April began reporting on the event as everything unfolded right in front of everyone, however she didn't notice Casey Jones walking up behind her.

April: "The evil villain, Shredder, has been defeated. And our city has been returned to its normal size. Who is really responsible for saving this city? The true answer is shrouded in mystery. This has been April O'Neil, reporting for Channel 6 Happy Hour Ne--"

But before she could even finish, Casey Jones pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Irma Langinstein, who was not only April's best friend and colleague, but was holding the channel 6 news camera and made sure to distort Casey's face when he took off his mask. She knew how important it was for Casey not to be identified.

April: "I hate it when he does this!"

The hockey mask vigilante Casey Jones with the Channel 6 News reporter April O'Neil from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles… making out of course. Nothing at all happen between them in the 80s cartoon, it would have been very difficult to pull off due to the fact that the 87 Casey Jones just wanted to fight crime and April was focused on her career. In the cartoon, we never saw Casey's face, he never took off the mask. In the comics his face looked pretty normal so I can't imagine the 87-version looking any different.
http://comiconlinefree.net/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-color-classics-raphael-micro-series-one-shot/issue-Full/10

His golf bag full of weapons should be a little more to the left, but I wanted to have a clearer view of it. The short story in Bold dialog above that I used is the ending from TMNT: The Hyperstone Heist on the Sega Genesis, except for the Casey Jones part. I based their looks off from the 1987 cartoon since that was the series, I grew up watching, but I didn't copy Fred Wolf's artwork style exactly, but I did base Casey's hair style from season 8. It was more under control, less spiky and it didn't look like Wolverine's hairstyle.
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/6/67602/2071145-4.png


TMNT episodes
In the 87 series, they didn't really come face to face with each other (for only a few seconds on screen) until
Season 5, episode 118, "Leonardo Cuts Loose" in 1991.
http://oi247.photobucket.com/albums/gg144/VulcanJediConsular/Casey%20April/ACLCL.jpg
https://kimcartoon.to/Cartoon/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-1987/Season-05-Episode-013-Leonardo-Cuts-Loose?id=16982

They team up with others in
Season 7, episode 161, "Night of the Rogues" in 1993
The Shredder recruits several enemies of the Turtles from past seasons and Master Splinter must get their allies (just two for some reason) to help them.
Splinter: "You have any way of reaching Casey Jones?"
April: "Yeah, I've got his phone number but-"
Master Splinter: "Call him at once."
https://kimcartoon.to/Cartoon/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-1987/Season-07-Episode-019-Night-of-the-Rogues?id=17022

I don't think we were told anywhere in the series when and how April got Casey's phone number... but whatever, it makes sense that she has it. We don't need to know all the details.
 
The two didn't really have a team-up of just the two of them until
Season 8, episode 176, "Cyber-Turtles" (Red Sky Season) in 1994.
Aliens have captured the Turtles and April has to get help. I love the fact that the first person she thinks of is Casey Jones. The two really have some funny moments together and I wish they had more team-ups.
He comes up behind April and startles her.
April: "Gasps!"
Casey: "You called for help April?"
April: "Oh, I wish you didn't do that Casey Jones!"
Casey: "What's happen to the Turtles?"
April: "They're being held captive aboard that alien ship."
Casey: "Alright, let's bash our way in there and get'em out!"
He's about to get up and fight, but April puts a hand on his shoulder to stop him.
April: "No Casey! Something was stolen from the aliens called the Fire Star. We gotta find it and trade it to them for the Turtles."
Casey: "Sounds like kind of a wimpy plan."
April: "And we'll find it by following those tracks."
Casey: "Ok, but if I don't see some action soon, I'm gonna bust a gut."
 
The tracks lead them to a building with a giant green ray shooting into the sky.
April: "I knew Shredder and Krang were behind this!"
Casey: "Yeah, but what's that?"
April: "I don't know, but the other side of that hole looks like… Dimension X! I better tell the guys."

April: "We've got to get in there and shut down that ray somehow!"
Casey: "So let's just bash our way in."
April: "Casey no, that place is loaded with all sorts of automatic defenses."
Casey: "Then we'll have to find another way in."
They go up a latter on an abandon water tower in order to get to the rooftop where the ray is.
April: "Ah, Casey, what are we doing?"
Casey: "Getting the jump on those geeks."
From his golf bag Casey uses a harpoon spear with a rope to get to the roof.
Casey: "Ok, I've got us here, now what?"
April: "We head inside, and we get that fire star somehow."
But right at that moment, they encounter the Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady.
Shredder: "You'll have to get past us first!"
Casey: "Now that's my idea of fun."
Rocksteady shoots one of his wooden hockey sticks to pieces, so he grabs a sword.
Casey: "Sinking Rhino!"
After cutting his laser gun in half, he easily knocks him down. Then for the first and only time ever, Casey fights the Shredder and there just about evenly matched.
Shredder: "So, you match steal with me, you pathetic excuse for a vigilante!"
https://kimcartoon.to/Cartoon/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-1987/Season-08-Episode-007-Cyber-Turtles?id=17037

The fight doesn't last that long because the Shredder forces both of them to the edge of the rooftop. But their rescued by two of the Turtles who are in these big machines that makes them Cyber-Turtles. So, taking out the Shredder, Bebop and Rocksteady becomes pretty easy. It somewhat comes close to his Mirage comic book counterpart who manage to kick the Shredder in the stomach.
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/10/105264/3753274-29.jpg
http://www.writeups.org/wp-content/uploads/Casey-Jones-TMNT-h1.jpg

That was his last appearance, but this is just how I picture these two interacting with each other in this series. They make a pretty good team, they were able to get along and April is capable of calming Casey Jones down or holding him back… well, somewhat. Unlike the 03 series, they were not bickering with each other as if they were brother and sister, nor was either of them always having to pick up the slack for the other just to show how better the other one is. Once again, Casey really shows his stuff and takes down Rocksteady, he was able to hold his own against the Shredder in a sword battle and knocks down Krang before he can do anything to them. Although by then, Krang wasn't in his famous robotic human suit anymore, he's in what was called a bubble walker.


TMNT 1987 and 1990
I of course love the 87 series and the first film... but I'm not a fan of the sequels, the 2003, the CGI film, the 2012 or the reboot films whatsoever. I tried to give the 03 series a chance... but the show took itself way too seriously, with such a weak retarded Casey Jones who ended up as a useless love interest, an over-the-top April, the 03 Turtles were ok but I didn't find them very funny when they were trying to be, "What the shell" makes no sense and after that whole mess with TMNT Forever that inaccurately portaged the 80s character... I gave-up on that series.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "H.A.T.E" Review - Saturday Morning Glory
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEtMSNklDYA

TMNT Forever makes the developers of the 03 series really come across as immature egotistical assholes.
Turtles Forever - Phelous
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4soeXHbSfGs
TMNT: Trans-Dimensional Turtles – Phelous
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oskieJ4IclU

You won't find a single episode in which they act like that at all.
https://kimcartoon.to/Cartoon/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-1987


Casey/April
They got together in the Mirage comics, but I hated how they handled his character and his relationship with April. Casey accidentally kills a teenager who tried to mug him, the incident sent him into a drunken spiral, damaging his relationship with April. During City at War, Casey leaves the farmhouse and begins to drive to Los Angeles, planning to find April, but instead meets a pregnant woman named Gabrielle with whom he falls in love and marries......... it's like, I want to find April... but frack it, I'll just be with this chick instead... and who the frack names their kid Shadow??? Well, that woman is killed off and he gets back together with April, as if she's the "second choice/sloppy seconds"... a door mate just waiting for him to come back.
http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kjJNjUhYVig/USEI68nLKNI/AAAAAAAAKK0/HbmfMeMxNAw/s1600/61-3.jpg
They get married but April ends up leaving them because of his bad habits with drinking.

By the end of the first film, they became a couple, but it's never brought up in the next two sequels.
http://www.coke-babies.com/writing/tmnt/cap047.jpg

They were a couple in the Image Comics version, which was the third chapter to the Mirage comics, but the whole storyline became non-canon and for good reason.

The CGI film from 2007, which is a sequel to the third live action film, has them still together and April wants to get married.

In the 2011 fan film, Casey Jones The Movie, the actress who played April (Savannah Welch) said
"You heard it here first folks, these streets have a new protector, who is this masked vigilante? Well, this reporter for one is determine to find out."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LWrEDkzaF4

In the 2011 comic book version by IDW Publishing, they become a couple.
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/6/67602/3109957-tmnt_20_thegroup-023.jpg
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e0hPf9qafYU/Uh6JVYqSiGI/AAAAAAAALDc/4I7XoZQKaWU/s1600/25-2.jpg
http://66.media.tumblr.com/baced5bdc59c3fa97ff0a23c6f393a2f/tumblr_noel40nU501tkhqn1o4_r1_500.jpg

The 2016 film ends with them arranging to go on a date.


Casey Jones
My thoughts on Casey Jones and the other versions
http://www.fanart-central.net/pictures/user/VampireWarith/852269/Casey-Jones-1984-1987


April O'Neil
The 87 version of April is the reporter who's pretty fearless in her line of work, she was sarcastic and spunky but not over the top, she wasn't dumb, but she was a bit of a nosey reporter who could be a little greedy and reckless at times, but that at least made her a little more normal and flawed but it didn't make her unlikable. The 80s April wasn't the center of attention, she didn't have some lovesick puppy become obsessed with her, as if she's the only thing in that person's life. The 87 and the 90s film version actually had a reason for being around the Turtles... their job of course, they didn't need to have some kind of convenient connection to them and everything else.

Voice actress Renae Jacobs sounds like a really fun person, I wish the interview had better recording, there's quite a bit of static.
http://www.teenagemutantninjaturtles.com/blog/chatting-with-april-oneil-an-interview-with-renae-jacobs/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9LR_dewQtA

When it comes to her abilities besides being a news reporter and getting information, she was seen riding on what you could call a news-cycle, which was one of her favorite or main vehicles she used as transportation besides the news van. In fact, she was pretty skilled at operating and maintaining quite a number of vehicles including the Turtle van, a helicopter (files and repairs it), and a forklift. She actually had normal skills.
https://i.imgur.com/CGFYLuX.jpg (news-cycle)
https://i.imgur.com/0NVWFUk.jpg (Turtle van)
https://i.imgur.com/CwhXnMC.jpg (Turtle van)
https://i.imgur.com/7yU7ezq.png (helicopter)
https://i.imgur.com/gtzLJkjg.png (helicopter)
https://i.imgur.com/XSHFQzX.jpg (forklift)

She didn't need to have so many skills like the other animated versions which pretty much made them into the definition of a Mary Sue. They didn't have any flaws as characters, there's nothing they can't do. I'm not saying that a character can't have several skills and I'm not trying to make it sound like the 87 April is thy best version, or that she's a very deep complex character, but she takes too much crap from people who seem to think that the only way to be a useful character is to be the Messiah.


Mary Sues / Gary Stus are the Norm
To name a few
Legolas (LOTR films)
Alice (Resident Evil films)
Kratos (God of War)
Balian de Ibelin (Kingdom of Heaven)
Ben (Ben 10)
Naruto (Naruto)
Shepard (Mass Effect)
Galen Marek (Star Wars)
Bella (Twilight)
Edward (Twilight)
Sam Fylnn (Tron)
Korra (The Legend of Korra)
Elizabeth (BioShock Infinite)
Tauriel (The Hobbit films)
Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games)
Riri Williams (Iron Man)
Rey (Star Wars)
Jaylah (Star Trek)
Jyn Erso (Star Wars)
Michael Burnham (Star Trek)
Mera (Aquaman 2018 film)
Carol (Captain Marvel 2019 film)
Alita (Alita: Battle Angel 2019 film)
Molly (Men In Black International)
Dolores Abernathy (Westworld 2016 TV series)
Maeve Millay (Westworld 2016 TV series)
Mulan (Mulan 2020 film)
Carol Freeman (Star Trek)
Valkyrie (Thor Ragnarok)
Teela (Masters of the Universe: Revelation)
La'an Noonien-Singh (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds)
Naru (Prey 2022 film)
She-Hulk (She-Hulk: Attorney at Law)
Riri Willams (Wakanda Forever)
Cassie (Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania)
Janus (Ant-Man and The Wasp: Quantumania)
Helena Shaw (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny)

It seems that so many characters in animation, video games, and live action these days will pretty much have one or more of the following traits:
1.They're loved and praised by all
2.No flaws
3.Have dozens of skills they pick up instantly with hardly any training or none at all
4.They can do anything better
5.Beat anyone
6.They're smarter than everyone
7.Have knowledge of everything
8.Achievements before there 30 or even 20 years old and by not earning any of it
9.Face no real consequences for their actions
https://www.quora.com/Who-are-the-most-notable-Mary-Sue-characters-in-books-and-literature
http://sickslickman.tumblr.com/post/49310481611/bioshock-infinite

Top 10 Most Confusing Plot Points Games Just Glossed Over (Number #5)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOtWsiDzP_s

Welcome to Fanfiction.Net! (and Wattpad)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MR7uaIFVFiM

During the last few seasons, April began spending less and less time with the Turtles, she wanted to get her life back on track (good for her). Like I said with TMNT Forever, it was inaccurate to the 80s turtle, for one thing they made it seem that the only thing the turtles ever do is save April... she's not Princess Peach or Lois Lane, the running gag was that April never knew what was going on, not that they had to save her in every single episode.


Other Versions
The 1990 film version... there's really nothing bad I can say about her, she was normal, but she was a well written interesting and likable character.

The 2003 series version was little miss perfect, bland, had a weak and awkward personality. She pretty much ended up replacing Casey Jones to the point where he wasn't even needed. She ended up looking gangly and way too thin, they look like dumb Disney characters, the lighting or the coloring on her sometimes made her look like an albino.
https://turtlepedia.fandom.com/wiki/April_O%27Neil_(2003_TV_series)/Gallery
Baggy pants... really???

The 2007 CGI film version looks like one of those anorexia aliens and her 90s film personality is turned into the 03 version.
https://www.giantbomb.com/a/uploads/original/7/70497/2264810-april_o_neil.jpeg

The 2012 series version turned her into a CGI anime child where nearly every plot revolves around her, she picks up skills instantly, she became the surrogate daughter to Splinter and gets his special fan that he was going to give his daughter. She had 3 guys instantly falling for her and 2 were fighting over her. She's the key to destroying Earth, global domination, the cure to mutagen and Deus ex machina abilities... another empty vessel for the average shallow teenage fan girls to imagine themselves as while dating a turtle... the only flaws she had just made her unbearable.

The 2014 film version is connected to everything and yet she's the most unintelligent, boring, bland and unlikable version of April there has ever been. It doesn't help that she's played by someone who clearly can't act for shoot! Fox was given a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress for her portrayal of O'Neil.
http://metro.co.uk/2015/02/22/golden-raspberry-awards-2015-megan-fox-and-cameron-diaz-take-worst-acting-prizes-at-razzies-5073626/

The 2018 series version is bland and another character to be brown washed for the PC SJW woke audience who will never watch or buy anything they complain about.

The 2023 series version is truly thy ugliest April there has ever been at this point…


Profession and relationship
Throughout the years she's gone from
Mirage Comics: Injection crisis - Drawing twist: A genius with computers, technology, and a crime fighter who might possible be non-human since her father made her from a magic pen.
Archie Comics: A Ninja who is the descendant of a sorceress.
2003 series: A scientist, hacker, jungle girl and martial artist with a psionically link.
2007 CGI film: An archaeologist and a Kung-Fu warrior.
2012 series: A Ninja half-human half-Kraang hybrid with telepathic powers and a Ninja.
IDW Publishing/Parallel Universe: A superhero mutagen bug.
Boom! Studios/IDW Publishing: A reporter who instantly becomes a Pink Ranger, despite having no pervious fighting skills or experience.

Are these writers so lazy, so talentless, that they have no idea how to make a character interesting, smart and strong without giving that person conveniently magical powers and having every set of skills?? Whatever happen to just being a normal character that has limits to what you can do??? Does April really need to have so many abilities, have special DNA from a super race or a power suit???? Is that the only way she can be of any use to the turtles?????

"Ugh! Where do they come up with this stuff?"
--Raphael

The 1980s cartoon and the 1990s film version seemed far more realistic in terms of her character and profession, they didn't need to throw all this crap on her to make them interesting, they were just normal characters. Also, in the 90s film, she and Casey weren't so obsessed with one another like what the writers did with them in the original comics and in the 2003 cartoon. There wasn't a love at first sight (which is bullshoot!) or an attraction, at least not from April at first. I'm not against Casey and April being together, but it was just done somewhat better in the first movie. I say somewhat because it does fall under that whole thing where at first, they hate each other, they calm down a bit, and then they fall in love each other... it happens a little too fast.

Starting a love triangle in the 2012 series didn't do Donatello or Casey Jones's character any favors. This series was aimed towards 5-year-olds because the audience for it sure acted as if they were. In the end I didn't find any of them interesting or entertaining at all, they were irritating and unlikable. Who ends up with who in that version became a distraction, at least the 87 series didn't waste our time with that type of crap, to think there a time when kids didn't want to watch other kids in cartoons.
(5:46)
"No, when I was a kid, I loved reading about Batman. Robin was a pain in the butt."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSZBoyY_tCQ

(3:47)
"They're the kid repeatable element that they wanted to do. If you're a kid watching this, you're supposed to be able to fantasize that this is you with the Ghostbusters."

"Which is flawed thinking because if you can remember back to when you were a kid, were you interested in being like the kid who talked to the Lone Ranger or were you interested in being the Long Ranger?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c_PpOP5h7n0

The April and... Donnie (troll) fans would have you believe that they've always had a thing for each other in every version of TMNT (comics / animations / films) and that Casey Jones always comes in-between them and ruins it... and that's not true at all. In the 03 series, Don has a crush on her, even when she was already dating Casey. The writers and the producers of the 2012 version idiotically thought that this was a good idea to continue, to the point where they made Donny look like a pathetic obsessive creep... the turtles always end up having a crush on her, but it never went beyond that and over time, she became more of a sister figure to them and not someone they imagine fracking in the sewers. Anyone saying that Don or any of the turtles had a thing or that there were hints of a relationship with April, even in the 87 series, don't be surprised if they don't list any episodes, don't describe any scenes or state any dialog to explain any of that. It's just fans who are bias against Casey and taking things completely out of context, they desperately want April to be with one of the turtles, so they'll just exaggerate and lie whatever they can.


Jumpsuit
Her yellow jumpsuit isn't too fondly remembered by most fans, they changed it in the Red Sky season to a brown jacket and pants. But I never had a problem with it, looking back on it years later as an adult, I still don't, considering the fact that she has to go into the sewers all the time, it seems like the perfect outfit to wear. But really, her 80s clothing wasn't any better or worse than half the costumes you'll see in comic books (then and now) from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Malibu, Valiant, Image, Top Cow, WildStorm, Crossgen, Dynamite Entertainment and so on. Peter Laird doesn't like it... but in the original TMNT comic book she wore a blue jumpsuit in her very first appearance (issue #2, TMNT vs. the Mousers), they even made an action figure based on it in 2009, she didn't wear it throughout the whole series, but Laird just comes across as a hypocrite.
http://comiconlinefree.org/teenage-mutant-ninja-turtles-1984/issue-2/9
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/0/9245/273429-20281-121062-2-teenage-mutant-ninja.jpg
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/6/67602/2801533-mirage_april.jpg
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20101106220207/tmnt/images/6/6c/April-2009.jpg
https://comicvine.gamespot.com/a/uploads/original/6/67602/2372969-mirage_april_6.jpg

Later in the Mirage series, she ends up in a tight black outfit called (sigh)... Nobody.
https://turtlepedia.fandom.com/wiki/File:April_nobody.png

The 2003 and 2007 versions ended up in a tight yellow jumpsuit, but I guess since the 03 series and the 07 film did it, that makes it OK...
https://turtlepedia.fandom.com/wiki/File:2678584850_1bf1f71a07_o.PNG

They had the 2012 April wearing the yellow jumpsuit in an episode, but I'm sorry, when you lack an adult female body like breasts, thighs and an @$$... it doesn't work on a skinny little underage kid or teen, it doesn't make her look attractive at all. It doesn't help given the fact that the CGI character body designs were not made to look realistic. Also, most 2012 fans hate the 87 series, so it's pretty pointless, why give nods to a series that your audience doesn't like??? I've seen enough Youtube, fan art, fan fic, message board, voting polls, and meme comments to know that both the 03 and 2012 fans pretty much despise TMNT from 1987. There are some who don't, but they're few and far between.


Character Design
Animation style for TV has of course changed since the 80s and 90s and not for the better. Characters look so badly drawn and distorted that it just comes across as cheap and lazy. At one point during the late 90s or early 2000s, women in animation who had a good-looking body, being hot and sexy, became a bad thing. But somehow looking skinny as hell, as if you're starving yourself to death, or being overweight, as if you have an eating disorder, became acceptable. There are a few acceptations or at least where the animation style is better, where the characters actually look human and fit like the DC and Marvel animated films from the late 2000s and 2010s, who don't look as if they suffer from anorexia or bulimia.

A lot of female news reporters for the past several decades have a body like April from the 80s. Now I'm not saying that all women in fiction need to look like super models, but there's nothing wrong with having a good-looking body. With Marvel and DC comics, video games like Mass Effect Andromeda and other things, the woke SJWs/feminist are having their way, thankfully people are not buying them but not just because of character design.

Taliban-approved female superhero costume re-designs as requested by...no one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6M38ciJIQG4

More Taliban-approved superhero costume re-designs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IhHNC2ENQs

Mass Effect Andromeda Ugly Character Redesigns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x2j5alJorxc

Martina Markota: Netflix "She-Ra" Reboot Strips Princess of Beauty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrkAQmHK4LY

#ComicsGate: Politically correct "She-Ra" reboot wins award | Martina Markota
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoManF7QPbY

Martina Markota: Fat superheroes are a thing now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FUXubDQz3Q

Sports Illustrated Burkini Model
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3sdzqIy--0

And as for the whole thing as to whether not she was supposed to be black or not, just go to these links.
No, April O'Neil was NOT originally black
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxH8M9TQEXc
http://tmntentity.blogspot.com/2018/02/was-april-oneil-originally-black-in.htm


Self-defense
In the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic produced by Archie Comics, April began as a carbon copy of her animated counterpart, but the writers developed her into a warrior after training with Splinter. Because of her frequent adventures with the Turtles, she lost her job at Channel 6 and became a freelance reporter. April received Ninja and katana training from Splinter, and gradually became highly proficient at fighting skills. But they ruined the storyline when... her remarkably quick progress was explained as being a result of her unique genetic lineage, having been a descendant of the malevolent sorceress, May East... I'm going to stop right there... there's more to that but it's too idiotic... it's a fictional comic book world, but this is just way too convenient that she's related to a great powerful being from centuries ago.

This generation of SJWs, feminist and leftist liberal woke writers and developers have made the very idea of rescuing a female out to be such a terrible thing to do to women in fiction. But there's nothing wrong with that type of story. Looking back, I actually like and appreciate the fact that the 1987 version of April wasn't turned into a super tough chick, she acted like a woman, she wasn't turned into acting like a guy, never acted like she didn't need help from anyone and wasn't taught martial arts because she's only
5' 8'' and 115 lbs. (Konami video games)
5' 5'' and 115 lbs. or 105 lbs. (1988 action figures)

Ninjutsu is not somehow going to make her be able to take on multiple people, mutants, aliens or whatever that are 2 or 3 or 4 times her size since women are biologically weaker. Again, I know the world of TMNT is pretty much a mix of Science Fiction and Fantasy, but there has to be some limits to that, otherwise it gets ridiculous. Although in most versions, the turtles themselves are pretty short (shorter than April), don't weigh that much, but from what most versions show the mutation gave them enhanced abilities from speed, strength, endurance, and so on.

Martina Markota: Feminism and the Female Archetype
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkLwu8pSK-M

Tough Action Chicks and Suspension of Disbelief
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7ouzzj

Even if April was given super abilities (which would be lazy writing), I would hope that she would have limits, flaws, that her fighting ability wouldn't be her main focus, she wouldn't just be the "human female warrior of the group" that's unbeatable (the turtles were not invincible, they had to find different ways of defeating certain enemies at times), that she would be stronger in other areas of her character. Or perhaps she would use some type of gun, since that's pretty much the only thing that gives women any sort of advantage.

Women Warriors? Why Warriors Were Mostly Men
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMZsT9e17XU

"Refugee" vs. Swedish Female Cops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xRWAsxG4De0

Trans athletes vs. females: It's "violence against women"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp9xzVqxPiI

But Star Wars Taught Me Women Are Just As Strong As Men?!?!?!?!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VaKQ4_KM52Q

Gavin McInnes: Feminism Kills Women
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BZ_iPmCzgM

The DL | S1 E4: "Why Women Own Guns"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cJ-pQIkrcM

ATOMIC BLONDE: Why Female Action Heroes Suck! | Louder With Crowder
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AD3TSrfwJgE

1st female Navy SEAL candidate quits after week of training (28:00)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QptlJDDodSg

#RegressiveNews: 15th of August 2017
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5x2p9f

The Science: Male Brain vs Female Brain
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTEi2-FAEZE

Trans Athletes Win 1st & 2nd in Girls Track Champs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiLyQqxSo30

Barbara Kay: Trans athletes have "erased" REAL women from sports
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJFyJh2RWco

https://caldronpool.com/two-biological-males-now-hold-15-womens-state-championship-titles-in-connecticut-female-athletes-fight-back/

First TRANS Athlete Set to DOMINATE in The Olympics
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdTvl4AvrIY

Problems With Female Police Officers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gphzZqXL4-o

Men Vs Women In Sports.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUIu86y68kA

Men VS Women In Military & Sports
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MM-bHxiO8qI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGzmFl8zEuM

MEN VS WOMEN IN COMBAT ROLES
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwOxoEbkvRE

Trans swimmer obliterates competition, teammates afraid to speak out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyTZFhCKzOw

When Men Actually Fight Back| Men vs Women in Fights
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jeD8xQULX0s

When Men Fight Back | 6v1 Cocky Women Get Owned
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTBxPiwxQCw

Female Karate Blackbelt Gets EXPOSED By Untrained Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kf17ZRI942s

'Trailblazing' ALL Women's SWAT Team EMBARRASSED IN WORST WAY POSSIBLE At International Competition!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bocQ5vDoLpU


Final thoughts
One of the reasons why I say all this is because ever since the 2003 and 2012 TMNT series, anything that has to do with the Turtles from 1987, 1990, or about Casey/April... I always see the 03 and 2012 fans acting like pathetic little trolls, always having to tell the 80s fans that they suck and that there better in every single way and hardly anyone defends it from these dumbass little brats who don't have anything better to do. Now this is nothing new, this pretty much happens to every fan base that has different versions of a series. I don't expect the 03 and 2012 fans to know or understand what I'm talking about or that they even care... they don't. But I can only hope that those people grow up and mature, they'll learn to appreciate it for what it was and the decade it came from.