Raphael, the Renaissance painter and architect, inspired the name of Raphael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The turtle Raphael is one of the four brothers created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Like his teammates, he was named after a major Italian Renaissance artist. The name links the character to the historical Raphael, whose celebrated works include The School of Athens and numerous Madonnas.
In the franchise, Raphael is generally portrayed as the most hot-tempered and confrontational turtle. His signature weapons are sai, and many adaptations emphasize his rivalry or tension with Leonardo. Those personality traits belong to the fictional mutant turtle, not to the historical artist.
The turtles’ names are often treated as a group: Leonardo corresponds to Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo to Michelangelo Buonarroti, Donatello to Donatello, and Raphael to Raphael. Raphael therefore differs from the similarly named sculptor Donatello, another Renaissance figure in the team’s naming scheme.