splinter's physical appearance remains fairly consistent in all incarnations of the character; he is portrayed as an elderly rat dressed in robes. in the original live-action movies, he is missing part of his right ear, which was cut off by saki. in the 2003 animated series, splinter is depicted as having gray fur instead of the brown fur of his other incarnations. in the 2012 series, splinter is physically taller and younger than he was in past incarnations. he also has a more rat-like design along with distinctive body marks on his fur.