“Sayonara you shell-backed simpletons.” - Shredder
If we look at the early 1987-93 series of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TMNT) we will find ourselves watching a metaphor for societal corruption. The greed of Oroku Saki (Shredder) and the peasant-esque attributes of the turtles are great examples of this.
The 1987 story starts with the framing of Hamato Yoshi (later becoming Splinter) by Oroku. Oroku was manipulative enough to persuade the rest of the clan to banish Hamato to New York. With Hamato gone it was easy for Oroku to become extremely powerful within the clan and rise the ranks. His greed is unstoppable and soon he needs to take over the world. Time and time again we hear stories of how wealthy professionals have thrown everything away in the chase for money and power. People like Oroku, who live for power, are often seen as the monsters in current society, especially when they ruin others lives in the process.
Most societies that have a stark difference between economic classes are seen as corrupt or monstrous and that is why TMNT is such a great example. Splinter and the Turtles are casted to the sewers as low-lifes while Shredder casts his shadow on society. From sewers the protagonists live day to day trying to end corruption even though they live in poor conditions. The Turtles stand for something much more than entertainment. They stand for revolution and the overthrowing of governments and how hard it is to fight against someone something extremely powerful.
I agree that Shredder's greed for power has made him a monster to society but I don't think the Turtles represent revolution against the government. I see that Shredder is creating more power for himself by corrupting other powerful people in society. I see the Turtles as symbols against the rise of corruption so that society doesn't decay further. The Turtles are not removing the government, but rather changing a small part of the social dynamic of the city in order to make life a little easier for everyone living there.
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