Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III

Did You Know?

• Early plans for a fourth film, titled TMNT IV: The Foot Walks Again, were written but never produced.
• The British PG version was censored due to Michelangelo's nunchaku; alternate material was used for those scenes.
• Arrow Video released the film on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray and Blu-ray in December 2025.

Plot

In 1603 feudal Japan, four samurai capture a young prince named Kenshin. In the present, a year after defeating the Shredder, April O'Neil buys gifts for the Turtles and Splinter receives an ancient Japanese scepter. Lord Norinaga berates his son Kenshin for disgracing the family; Kenshin finds the scepter and reads its inscription. The scepter lights up, swapping April and Kenshin across time.

Walker, an English trader, imprisons April. The Turtles decide to rescue her, with Casey Jones watching over Kenshin. Donatello calculates they have 60 hours before the scepter's power fades. The Turtles warp to the past, replaced by four of Norinaga's honor guards.

In feudal Japan, Michelangelo is ambushed by Mitsu, who takes the scepter. The Turtles rescue April and free Whit, a prisoner resembling Casey. Villagers attack them, mistaking them for Norinaga's forces. Mitsu, the rebel leader, unmasks Raphael and realizes Michelangelo is her captive.

The Turtles accompany Mitsu to her village, which Walker's men are burning. Michelangelo saves Mitsu's brother Yoshi from a burning house, and Leonardo performs CPR, earning the villagers' gratitude.

Cast

Paige Turco plays April O'Neil, a reporter for Channel 3 News. Elias Koteas portrays both Casey Jones, an ex-hockey player turned vigilante, and Whit, an English sellsword imprisoned by Lord Norinaga. Stuart Wilson plays Walker, a mercenary and weapons marketeer. John Aylward appears as Niles, Walker's right-hand man.

Sab Shimono plays Lord Norinaga, a tyrannical warlord. Vivian Wu plays Mitsu, a rebel leader who stole the scepter. Mak Takano plays Benkei. Henry Hayashi plays Kenshin, Norinaga's son who swaps places with April.

Travis A. Moon plays Yoshi, Mitsu's young brother. Brian Tochi voices Leonardo, Corey Feldman voices Donatello, Tim Kelleher voices Raphael, and Robbie Rist voices Michelangelo. James Murray voices Splinter. Rist and Tochi are the only actors to voice the same characters in all three live-action TMNT movies.

Feldman returned after being absent for the second movie. Multiple performers handled in-suit roles and facial controls for each Turtle.

Production

Principal photography ran from June 15 to August 5, 1992. Director Stuart Gillard stated in 2024 that Golden Harvest approached him based on his television experience. He flew to Massachusetts to discuss the script with co-creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, who held film rights. After several revisions, Gillard pitched a time-travel idea, which was immediately greenlit. Eastman and Laird insisted Shredder not return, as he was killed in the previous film, and wanted the sequel to be edgier. The time scepter was loosely based on the Mirage comics character Renet, but it was agreed not to feature her. Gillard's favorite scene is Yoshi befriending Raphael.

Reception

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III opened at number one in the U.S., earning $12.4 million across 2,087 theaters. Its domestic total reached $42.2 million, with an additional $12.2 million internationally, for a worldwide gross of $54.4 million. Critics were not kind: Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 19% approval rating and an average score of 4.10 out of 10 from 32 reviews, with the consensus calling it one sequel too many and criticizing a tired time-travel plot.

Metacritic assigns a 40 out of 100 from 12 critics, indicating mixed or average reviews. Michael Wilmington of the Los Angeles Times noted that distributors kept the film from critics and labeled it "sequel hell." James Berardinelli gave it one out of four stars, remarking that the script could have been written by children. TV Guide awarded two out of four stars, suggesting the characters be sent to a retirement sewer if time travel were used again.

Co-creator Peter Laird stated in the 2014 documentary Turtle Power that he disliked the film, while Kevin Eastman noted the efforts behind its production.