April's a determined TV news journalist, always prepared for the late breaking news feature with her camcorder strapped 'round her arm. Her eagerness, however, gets her into trouble and makes her a big pain in the shell for the Turtles, who always end up saving the damsel in distress.
Still, April's no air head and is a valuable member of the Turtle Team. Being a pretty human has its advantages, like getting into places the Turtles can't. When the situation calls for more than a news flash, April's ready with a trusty gun, which is secretly locked in her camcorder.
APRIL O'NEIL- 1987 Cartoon
Role: The Human Buddy, Kidnap Victim
Played By: Renae Jacobs
Group Affiliations: Channel 6
PL 2 (35), PL 4 (35) Defenses
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3
Bodacious Skills:
Athletics 3 (+3)
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (News Reporter) 6 (+8)
Insight 1 (+3)
Investigation 5 (+7)
Perception 1 (+3)
Vehicles 2 (+4)
Gnarly Advantages:
Equipment (Camcorder)
Radical Equipment:
"Camcorder" (1)
Righteous Offense:
Unarmed +2 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +0
Awesome Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +2 (DC 12), Toughness +1, Fortitude +1, Will +6
Bummer Complications:
Motivation ("This is the Story of the CENTURY!")- April is always seeking out the latest "Hot Scoop", and this puts her in endless amounts of trouble.
Responsibility (Frequent Kidnap Victim)- April is pretty commonly kidnapped, tied up, gagged, mutated, strapped to deathtraps, or unshoed and has her feet tickled. You'd think the writers had a COMPLEX or something.
Rivalry (Vernon & Burne)- Vernon is a power-hungry wimp out for April's position, and Burne is her loudmouthed, angry boss.
Relationship (The Ninja Turtles)- April is very close with her Turtle pals, and constantly defends them to her boss and others.
Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 6 (35)
-The '87 Toon's version of April, which informed the Archie & Movie versions, shifted a HUGE amount of stuff about the character- she was again a victim saved by the TMNT, becoming their "Human Buddy" and link to the world outside the sewers, but nearly every aspect of her was changed, and most subsequent versions have scaled back a number of those changes, leaving this one a huge outlier. For startes, she was translated into a chesty redhead for the cartoon. And MAN was that something I glossed over when I was a kid- I was just all "Gee, she's pretttyyyyyy..." when I was seven or whatever, but watching the show as an adult, I was like "!!! -- I never noticed THAT!!" Head writer/creator David Wise based her signature hair and bright yellow jumpsuit off of Fujiko Mine's garb in The Castle of Cagliostro, the famous Lupin III movie. April's also 28 years old (much older than most "Human Buddy" characters, who tend to be teenagers, or sexy early-20s women), and acts ludicrously vain and image-centred. Almost like a parody of how young boys see women (the way Elliot on Scrubs is an exaggeration of how ADULT men see women).
-April is also changed from a lab assistant to a TV reporter for "Channel 6", usually running around with a hand-cam or something as she looks for a "hot scoop" or "The story of the CENTURY!", thus necessitating her getting into even more trouble and having to be saved (this is probably WHY she was given that job, in fact). As she's generally nosy and overly-curious, she gets kidnapped a LOT. Seriously, to a ridiculous, Lampshade-Hanging extent- it's joked about within the series, within the fandom, and gets mentioned on Turtles Forever. "April Being Bound & Gagged" is practically a meme in the series, and it's amazing I didn't come out of my childhood with a Bondage Feti-- hey, wait a second...
-Notably, this is one of the only Aprils not to be paired off romantically with Casey Jones, nor become a badass fighter in her own right. "April Gets Mutated" was used as a plot device numerous times, with her becoming a cat-woman, fish-woman and giant wasp. In the latter-day "Red Sky" seasons, she leaves Channel 6 and works freelance for unknown reasons, and even distances herself from the boys, desiring to stop adventuring and get her life back on track.
-April is a sub-optimal fighter, but a decent reporter & investigator, which kind of pays off when allied with the Turtles.
Other April Toys: April (New Design), April the Ninja Newscaster, April the Ravishing Reporter (looks like an undercover prostitute. No really), Movie III April, Green Repaint w/ Channel 6 News Van, Mutatin' April (... into a CHEETAH?), Cave Woman April & Her Radical Raptor, Bride of Frankenstein April, Shogun April
) was a solid Fighter like you said and as a direct result barely got kidnapped. And in the Future, her (great?) grandson invents TIME-TRAVEL... 
