Krang

Krang is a fictional supervillain who appears in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles universe. He appeared in the 1987 TMNT cartoon and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures comic book, as well as most of the classic TMNT video games. In the TV series, Krang was voiced by Pat Fraley.

Biography

Krang is an extremely intelligent warlord from another world known as Dimension X. He somehow took command of an army of Rock Soldiers under the leadership of General Traag, and stole the Technodrome, a powerful battle fortress, from its creator Drakus. One day, an unexplained, bizarre incident occurred that caused Krang to be stripped of his body and reduced to a brain-like form, also resulting in his exile from Dimension X to Earth, along with his army and the Technodrome.

While on Earth, Krang allied himself with the Shredder, who, along with his robotic Foot Soldier army, moved into the Technodrome. In exchange, the Shredder had to design and build a new body for Krang, a human-shaped exo-suit. Shredder lived up to his part of the bargain in the season 1 episode [http://www.ninjaturtles.com/cartoon/guide/cart005.htm The Shredder is Splintered] , in no small part because he was unable to deal with the Turtles and needed Krang's help. Indeed, in the season 3 episode [http://www.ninjaturtles.com/cartoon/guide/cart061.htm Shredderville] , the Turtles have a dream of a parallel world in which they never lived, and Shredder had no problem taking over the world and April and Irma are his friends instead of the Turtles'. In this world, Shredder abandoned Krang after his conquest was complete, leaving him with no body and a heavily-damaged Technodrome.

Krang's ultimate goal is to take over the Earth; it probably only became his objective after he was exiled on the Earth, but this point is never made clear. Every plan Krang conceives is either aimed at that goal, or towards the short-term objective of powering-up the Technodrome. He does not share Shredder's obsession with the Turtles and Splinter; while Shredder sees them as mortal enemies, Krang seems to regard them more like annoyances to be destroyed when they interfere in his plans.

Counting from the first meeting between the Turtles and Shredder and Krang, Krang spent eight seasons in the Technodrome, either somewhere on Earth or in Dimension X, scheming to power up his battle fortress and take over the Earth. In the season 8 episode [http://www.ninjaturtles.com/cartoon/guide/cart178.htm Turtle Trek] , the Turtles destroy the engines of the Technodrome, trapping it and its inhabitants in Dimension X for good and putting an end to Krang's plans.

Krang spent the next two years in Dimension X, until he was contacted by Dregg ( [http://www.ninjaturtles.com/cartoon/guide/cart189.htm The Power of Three] ). Dregg arranged for him and Shredder to come back to Earth, to help him fight the Turtles. However, Dregg betrays them, and drains Krang's intelligence. Shredder escapes and restores Krang ( [http://www.ninjaturtles.com/cartoon/guide/cart190.htm A Turtle in Time] ), but Dregg captures them again. Finally, the Turtles spoil his plan and transport Shredder and Krang back to Dimension X ( [http://www.ninjaturtles.com/cartoon/guide/cart191.htm Turtles to the Second Power] ).

In the series finale, [http://www.ninjaturtles.com/cartoon/guide/cart194.htm Divide and Conquer] , the Turtles return to the Technodrome to take Krang's android body, which they need to fight Dregg. Krang is nowhere to be seen, but it is assumed that he is still somewhere in Dimension X.

In the Archie Comics series, Krang was depicted as far more evil and wicked than in the cartoon. He was said to have the blood of whole races on his hands, like Wingnut and Screwloose's home planet Huanu.

*According to the 1987 series episode "The Ninja Sword of Nowhere", Krang is a fan of Earth's soap operas.

Abilities

Krang used a large, bulky, powerful mechanical body named Chang. Krang rested inside a cockpit within the stomach (much as the Utroms do in their robotic bodies). Originally, the suit had a microchip installed that allowed both Krang and the robot to change his size to near Godzilla proportions. This chip was subsequently destroyed in the first episode the suit debuted.

Even without the microchip, the exosuit was quite powerful. The hands could shapeshift into various weapons (axes, maces, pinchers) and even a communication device. In later episodes, however, Krang could be seen changing his arms from a collection of different types he had in his personal quarters aboard the Technodrome. Krang's suit also could "grow" jet wings in place of his arms, which he used to manage a quick escape with Shredder in its first appearance.

Utroms

Krang's physical appearance was inspired by the Utroms from the original TMNT comic book and in the 2003 animated series there is an Utrom named Krang. However, in the 1987 cartoon, Krang is "not" an Utrom. There are several important differences:

*The Utroms come from another planet in the Milky Way galaxy, while in the 1987 cartoon Krang comes from another dimension or galaxy.
*The Utroms are naturally brain-like aliens, while in the first animated series Krang is an alien who has been stripped of his body and left with only his brain.
*Krang never refers to himself as an Utrom, nor does anyone else, in the 1987 version.

In the 1987 animated series, Krang's natural physical shape is not brain-like, and when he cloned himself in "Invasion of the Krangezoids", his clones, though initially brain-creatures like himself, continued developing until they had complete bodies, leading to the thought that Krang's true form is a large reptilian creature. However, in yet another episode ("Four Musketurtles"), members of Krang's species appeared in a flashback looking just like him without the body, using bubble-walkers like his own to move. This is considered a mistake of the series, and has been contradicted many times on the show.

The Utroms were not in any way part of the 1987 cartoon, in which Krang appeared. Nevertheless, Krang made a comedic cameo appearance in the 2003 TMNT series as an Utrom in the episode, "Secret Origins Part 3". As the Utroms are walking to the transmat to go home one of them complains, "I hate walking on my tentacles". Then, another Utrom replies "Oh, shut up, Krang!"

Video games

Krang frequently appears in the classic TMNT games as one of the later bosses, and sometimes as the final boss of the game.

*In the first arcade game (and the version ported to the NES), he is one of the bosses of the final Technodrome stage. He is the penultimate boss of the game, followed only by Shredder.

*In "", he is the final boss, rather than Shredder.

*In "", he is once again the penultimate boss and precedes Shredder.

*In "", he has two boss battles. The first is at the end of the third level, where he fights the Turtles in a robot. He is also the final boss, and fights the Turtles in his exosuit.

*In "", he has two boss battles. The Turtles face him first at the end of "Neon Night Riders", and destroy his exosuit, but Krang escapes. The Turtles face him again in "Starbase: Where No Turtle Has Gone Before". With his exosuit destroyed, Krang now flies an archetypal flying saucer.

*In "", he is the mid-level boss of the final stage.

External links

* [http://www.ninjaturtles.com/html/profil11.htm Krang's profile] on the Official TMNT website.
* [http://www.x-entertainment.com/articles/0886/ Krang's Android Body] on X-Entertainment.
* [http://www.thatchickensite.com/letters/krangtribute/ Krang - A Tribute] on The Rubber Chicken.