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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TMNT Mens Costume T-Shirt(Raphael,Medium)
$24.74on amazon.com · Aug 24, 2026
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Raphael
Raphael is the angry one, and in the original black-and-white comics that anger is considerably more serious than the cartoon version suggests — he is genuinely volatile, repeatedly leaves the group, and the first Mirage issues treat him as a real liability rather than a personality quirk. The 1990 live-action film keeps that: he storms out, gets beaten nearly to death alone, and the group's failure to hold him is the emotional centre of the picture.
- First appearance
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (1984), Mirage Studios
- Created by
- Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird
- Also known as
- Raph
- Universe
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Appears in
- comics, animation, film, games
Who is Raphael?
Raphael is the angry one, and in the original black-and-white comics that anger is considerably more serious than the cartoon version suggests — he is genuinely volatile, repeatedly leaves the group, and the first Mirage issues treat him as a real liability rather than a personality quirk. The 1990 live-action film keeps that: he storms out, gets beaten nearly to death alone, and the group's failure to hold him is the emotional centre of the picture. The colour-coding that distinguishes the brothers did not exist at first. All four wore red masks in the original comic, and the individual colours were introduced by the toy line so children could tell the figures apart on a shelf, which is one of the clearest examples of merchandising shaping a property's canon.
Raphael: the details
- First appearance
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, May 1984
- Created by
- Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird
- Genuinely volatile in the comics
- Repeatedly leaves the group and is treated as a real liability rather than a quirk
- The 1990 film keeps it
- He storms out and is beaten nearly to death alone; the group's failure to hold him is the film's emotional centre
- They all wore red first
- The original comic gave every turtle a red mask
- The toy line changed canon
- Individual colours were introduced so children could tell the figures apart on a shelf
- Named after the painter
- As are his brothers — all four take their names from Italian Renaissance artists
Why Raphael endures
The most serious character in a famously silly franchise, and part of the clearest example on this site of a toy line altering a property's canon — the mask colours exist because of shelf display.
What Raphael looks like on a shirt
Signature motif: A red mask and twin sai
The mask colour is the entire identification system for this franchise, which makes single-colour designs viable in a way they rarely are — a red bandana strip plus crossed sai reads as Raphael with no character drawn at all.
Mask colour is the whole identification system, which makes single-colour designs viable — a red bandana strip and crossed sai reads as Raphael with no figure drawn. Works well as a four-character set.
Raphael T-shirts
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Popfunk
Popfunk Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael Unisex T-Shirt, Kelly Green, L
$15.99on amazon.com · Aug 24, 2026
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Popfunk
Popfunk TMNT Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Unisex T-Shirt, Raphael Chest, L
$17.99on amazon.com · Aug 24, 2026
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TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael Ready for Action Sunset T-Shirt
$18.99on amazon.com · Aug 24, 2026
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TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael Sun Tee-Shirt T-Shirt
$19.99on amazon.com · Aug 24, 2026
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LOGOVISION
TMNT Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael Since 1984, Raphael Since 1984, L
$17.99on amazon.com · Aug 24, 2026
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TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Raphael Cool Retro Cartoon T-Shirt
$19.99on amazon.com · Aug 24, 2026
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TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Original TMNT New Raphael T-Shirt
$18.99on amazon.com · Aug 24, 2026
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Buying from outside the United States? Prices shown are amazon.com in US dollars. Links redirect international readers to their local Amazon, where pricing, sizing and availability are shown in local terms.
Price and availability are taken from Amazon at the time shown and can change. The price on Amazon at the time of purchase applies.
Sizes: kids to adult
Raphael shirts are produced across the full US size range. These links run a live Amazon search filtered to each band, so they show what is genuinely in stock rather than a cached list.
| Band | Ages | US sizes | Search |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toddler | 2–4 years | 2T, 3T, 4T | Search toddler sizes |
| Kids | 4–7 years | XS (4/5), S (6/7) | Search kids sizes |
| Youth | 8–14 years | M (8), L (10/12), XL (14/16) | Search youth sizes |
| Adult | 15+ | S–3XL | Search adult sizes |
US sizing shown. Cut and measurement vary between brands — see the size guide before ordering, especially for youth sizes. Base search: Raphael TMNT t-shirt.
Who has played Raphael
| Performer | Production | Year | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Pais | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1990 | Live action |
| Rob Paulsen | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles | 1987 | Voice |
More superheroes
All superheroes →Raphael T-shirts: common questions
Who created Raphael?
Raphael was created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, first appearing in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 in 1984 (Mirage Studios).
What does a Raphael T-shirt usually look like?
A red mask and twin sai. Mask colour is the whole identification system, which makes single-colour designs viable — a red bandana strip and crossed sai reads as Raphael with no figure drawn. Works well as a four-character set.
Are Raphael T-shirts made for children?
Yes — Raphael appears on our kids pages, and shirts are commonly made from US toddler 2T up through youth XL.
Who has played Raphael?
Raphael has been played on screen by Josh Pais (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1990), and voiced by Rob Paulsen (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1987).
How much does a Raphael T-shirt cost?
Raphael shirts we currently track start from around $15.99 on amazon.com. Every price on this page is dated, because they move.
This profile was compiled from published reference material about Raphael — first appearance, creator credits and production history — and is a secondary source rather than a substitute for the original publication. Where a detail could not be corroborated it has been left out. We do not physically test garments; see how we work for what that means and what it does not.
Reference. This profile was compiled from published sources. For the character's full publication history see Wikipedia (Wikidata Q2078291). Our method and limitations are stated in full.
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