Ninjago (TV series)

This article is about the 2011 animated TV series. For the line of Lego toys, see Lego Ninjago.

Ninjago
Logo of the series
Genre	Action/Adventure Science fantasy Comedy-Drama Martial arts Superhero
Created by	Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen
Written by	Dan Hageman Kevin Hageman David Shayne Bragi Schut
Directed by	Michael Hegner Justin Murphy
Voices of	Jillian Michaels (2011–2017) Samuel Vincent (2018–present) Vincent Tong Michael Adamthwaite Paul Dobson Brent Miller Kirby Morrow Kelly Metzger Mark Oliver Michael Dobson Kathleen Barr Alan Marriott Scott McNeil Lee Tockar Ian James Corlett Jennifer Hayward Heather Doerksen Brian Dobson Andrew Francis Michael Donovan Michael Daingerfield Ian Hanlin Britt McKillip Brian Drummond Zach LeBlanc
Opening theme	The Weekend Whip by The Fold
Ending theme	The Weekend Whip by The Fold
Composers	Jay Vincent Michael Kramer
Country of origin	Denmark United States Canada
Original language	English
No. of seasons	10
No. of episodes	98 (+2 pilot episodes +1 special + movie) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer	Torsten Jacobsen
Producer	Erik Wilstrup
Cinematography	Serem Ohana
Editor	Fred Georgia
Camera setup	Universal Pictures
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	Wil Film ApS The Lego Group
Original release
Network	Cartoon Network (US) Nickelodeon (Denmark)
Release	January 14, 2011 (2011-01-14) – present

Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu is a Danish-American-Canadian animated television series produced by Wil Film ApS and The Lego Group and distributed by The Lego Group for Cartoon Network. Based on the Lego Construction Toys of the same name, it centers on the fictional world of Ninjago, telling the story of a group of young Ninja and their battles against the forces of evil. As of September 3, 2018, Ninjago replaced Adventure Time as the longest-running show currently airing on Cartoon Network. In the United Kingdom, it airs on Cartoon Network and CITV.

Overview

The show is set in the fictional world of Ninjago, a place inspired by East Asian myths and culture. While featuring several historically designed buildings and traditional clothing, Ninjago is in a modern setting, incorporating large metropolises with skyscrapers, current-age (and futuristic) vehicles, modern electronics and semi-robotic exo-suits, and other futuristic technology.

Synopsis

Pilot season

The two pilot episodes feature Sensei Wu struggling to train four teenage ninja in the ancient battle art called Spinjitzu, which manifests as an elemental spinning tornado faster than any normal fighting style. Wu is looking for four elementally attuned students to guard the four elemental Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu: the Scythe of Quakes, the Shurikens of Ice, the Nunchucks of Lightning, and the Sword of Fire. Together, these four weapons, used by the first Spinjitzu master, created Ninjago.

Wu visits a blacksmith shop in a village. It is owned by Kai and his sister Nya, both in training to follow in their parents' footsteps and become blacksmiths. Kai shoos Wu away when Wu starts insulting his shop, saying that his equipment is useless. Then, the Skulkin Army attacks the village and kidnaps Nya, fueling Kai's desire to become a ninja. Under training at Wu's monastery, he meets the rest of his team: Cole, ninja of Earth, Jay, ninja of Lightning, and Zane, ninja of Ice. Together, they learn Spinjitzu and recover the Golden Weapons, which were hidden away by Wu years ago. When they retrieve the Sword of Fire, Kai is lured into a trap that results in the other ninja losing their weapons. Wu takes the Sword of Fire to the Underworld, where Lord Garmadon and the Skeletons live, and plan to reunite the weapons, with the ninja in hot pursuit. When the ninja realize they have no way to cross over into the Underworld and all hope seems lost, Kai figures out that the protectors of the weapons, elemental Dragons, can cross over. They each tame their own dragon and go to the Underworld to save Wu and the weapons. After battling their way past the skeletons using an ultimate Spinjitzu move known as the Tornado of Creation, they come upon Samukai (leader of the skeletons) in possession of three of the weapons fighting Wu, in possession of the Sword of Fire. Samukai wins and picks up the fourth weapon. However, since no one can handle all of their power at once, he disintegrates, creating a vortex for Lord Garmadon to escape the Underworld through, going to a place in which he can become powerful enough to control all the weapons. The ninja, having saved the day for now, return to Ninjago and prepare for the day Garmadon returns.

Mini-Movies

There were mini-movies released in between the two pilot episodes and the first season in 2011. It follows series about the ninja and different storylines in each and every one.

Season 1: Rise of the Snakes

Season one opens with the Ninja trying to determine which one of them will become the Green Ninja of a prophecy, the warrior destined to face the Dark Lord, determining the fate of Ninjago. The story focuses on Lord Garmadon's young son Lloyd Garmadon, a trouble making little boy who has released an ancient evil: an army of four snake-like tribes known as the Serpentine, who are united under Pythor, the last member of the extinct fifth Anacondrai tribe. Wu manages to convince Lloyd to join their side ("The best way to defeat your enemy... is to make them your friend") while the Ninja are aided by Nya in her Samurai X battle suit. A four-armed Garmadon returns to help them deal with the Serpentine as they attempt to summon a large serpent called the Great Devourer by finding four Fangblades hidden throughout Ninjago. Meanwhile, Lloyd is revealed to be the Green Ninja, and has the power of the weapons of Spinjitzu. Although the Serpentine manage to awaken the Devourer, their plan backfires when Pythor is eaten, and they are driven into hiding. Lord Garmadon uses the Golden Weapons (Him now having the power to wield all the weapons at once, due to his four arms) to destroy the Great Devourer, finally getting revenge on the creature that bit him, turning him evil. However, Garmadon ends up running off with the weapons being the only one who can possess all four at once.

Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja

In Season two, the Ninja prepare to train Lloyd to become the Green Ninja. The Ninja train Lloyd so that he can face his father one day and save Ninjago, something which Lloyd is afraid to do because of his father-son relationship with Garmadon. Meanwhile, Garmadon works to thwart the Ninja's plan by recruiting the Serpentine and forging the Golden Weapons into one powerful Mega Weapon. After Garmadon's last attempt ends with Lloyd aging to a teenager like his four mentors, Garmadon attempts to change the events of the past. The original four ninja follow Garmadon into the past, and use the Golden Weapons of the past to destroy the Mega Weapon, restoring the timeline and sending the Golden Weapons into space. While Garmadon ends up on an island with a disembodied voice called the Overlord, the venom of the late Great Devourer seeps into catacombs beneath Ninjago and awakens the Stone Army, who are indestructible warriors who fought with the Overlord against the First Spinjitzu Master, trapping the Serpentine underground in the process. Along with Misako, Lloyd's mother, the Ninja travel to the Dark Island to stop Garmadon, meeting Zane's father and creator, Dr. Julian, who helped them in their fight against the Overlord and his army. The Ninja then discover the Temple of Light, where they receive elemental powers and help Lloyd unleash his true potential (the Golden Dragon). The Ninja fail to stop the countdown to the final battle, and the Overlord is revealed to be the Dark Lord from the prophecy. He possesses Lord Garmadon and heads to Ninjago, with the Ninja in tow. Lloyd uses his new-found Golden Power to defeat the Overlord, purging his father Garmadon of all evil in the process.

Season 3: Rebooted

In Season three, Ninjago City has been rebuilt into a futuristic metropolis and renamed New Ninjago City. The ninja have turned an old boarding school into "Sensei Wu's Academy", a school where the ninja and Nya are the teachers. The Ninja, striving for action, learn that the Overlord has survived the final battle and entered the Digiverse, an electronic world. The crippled cyborg Cyrus Borg, creator of Borg Industries, realizes this and gives the Ninja four Techno Blades, which could be used to destroy the Overlord by rebooting the Digiverse system. The Overlord uses P.I.X.A.L. (a nindroid who works at Borg Industries) to create a Nindroid army from Zane's blueprints. Zane, being the original Nindroid model himself, fell in love with P.I.X.A.L. and felt betrayed when the Overlord uses her for evil. The Overlord plans to capture Lloyd, as Lloyd's golden power will help the Overlord escape the digital realm. The hard drive containing the Overlord is later stolen by Pythor, who is revealed to have survived being eaten by the Great Devourer. Pythor captures Lloyd, and the Overlord drains Lloyd of 90% of his Golden Power. Though the Ninja defeat the Overlord in the Digiverse, the Overlord escapes the digital realm half-formed. Lloyd then splits his remaining golden power among the four ninja, knowing that the power would be a big responsibility for him to bear alone. the ninja regain their elemental powers; Cole gets earth, Kai gets fire, Jay gets lightning, and Zane gets ice. The Overlord, needing to complete his transformation, sends the Nindroids to space to retrieve the Golden Weapons from the constellation Arcturus, which they do successfully. Using the metal of the weapons as armor, the Overlord becomes the Golden Master, fulfilling an old Serpentine prophecy, and wreaks havoc on New Ninjago City. With no other option, Zane sacrifices himself to destroy the Golden Master.

Season 4: Tournament of Elements

After the events in "Rebooted", the ninja part ways and find their own jobs, not wanting to be known as Ninja after Zane's death. Lloyd gets Kai, Cole, and Jay to listen to him and become a team again. Later the Ninja take part in the "Tournament of Elements" when they learn that Zane is still alive, having rebuilt himself using titanium. The tournament, run by Master Chen (an Anacondrai fanatic and Garmadon's former evil mentor) and his assistant Clouse, who knows dark magic and trained alongside Garmadon, is host to many elemental masters who the Ninja never knew existed. One of the elemental masters, a girl named Skylor, has a soft spot for Kai. The ninja secretly sneak around the island when they find a secret passage. While sneaking around, they find out, much to Kai's disappointment, that Kai and Skylor might be related, since she was able to use the elemental power of fire. They then use the outfits of Chen's worshipers to sneak into the hall to see what happens to those who lose in the tournament. When one is eliminated from the tournament, Chen secretly uses his "Staff of Elements" to steal their powers. Eventually, Nya goes looking for the Ninja, and finds out that Chen intends to use the stolen powers to transform him and his followers into Anacondrai. Though Kai destroys the Staff of Elements, Chen finds that the spell can be completed with his daughter Skylor, due her elemental power of absorption, which means that she can use the power of any elemental master that she touches. Chen manages to complete the spell, and everyone possessing the Mark of the Anacondrai (including him, Skylor, and Sensei Garmadon) turn into Anacondrai. Chen and his followers go to Ninjago to start a second Serpentine War, while the elemental masters pursue on their elemental dragons. Chen uses Pythor to make the spell permanent, and the elemental masters' only hope is to stop him at the Corridor of Elders. When they cross the line of no return, Garmadon sacrifices himself to defeat the Anacondrai-wannabes by releasing the spirits of the Anacondrai generals, who were banished to the Cursed Realm in the original Serpentine War. The Ninja mourn over Garmadon's sacrifice as they burn the spell-book that banished Garmadon.

Season 5: Possession

During Season five, after Garmadon's sacrifice, Morro (the elemental master of Wind and Wu's first-ever student) escapes the Cursed Realm, and possesses Lloyd. Morro does this so that he can find the Realm Crystal, so he can bring his master, the Preeminent, to the physical world to curse, and eventually rule, all sixteen realms. The four ninja, along with Wu, Nya (who is revealed to be the elemental master of Water), and Misako travel to uncharted lands to find the First Spinjitzu Master's tomb and retrieve the Realm Crystal before Morro does. Morro steals the Allied Armor of A'zure, a piece of armor that can summon allies and summons an army of ghosts to help him. After taking the Aeroblades (which can defeat a ghost) from Ronin, learning Airjitzu from the ghost of Master Yang (at the price of Cole becoming a ghost himself), and retrieving the Sword of Sanctuary from the Cloud Kingdom (one of the sixteen realms), the Ninja discover the tomb is underwater. The Ninja find the Realm Crystal, but decide to save Lloyd (who is now free from his possession) rather than take it. Morro and his Ghost Warrior allies bring the Preeminent to Ninjago. While the Ninja are evacuating everyone from the city of Stiix, Nya unlocks her true potential and creates a wave which drowns the Preeminent. Morro, who feels remorseful, gives Wu the Realm Crystal and drowns with his master instead of staying with Sensei Wu. The Ninja use the Realm Crystal to bring back Lloyd, who is ready to begin his training to become a Master, as he received his father's robes while the two were briefly together in the Cursed Realm.

Season 6: Skybound

During Season six, the Ninja are popular, thanks to saving Ninjago from The Preeminent, but trouble rises when Clouse returns after having escaped the Cursed Realm. Clouse frees Nadakhan, a Djinn who can grant three wishes, and captures people by forcing them to 'wishing it all away'. Nadakhan frames the Ninja for crimes they didn't commit while the Ninja are in Stiix. Misako tries to rescue them in the Bounty, but she and the ship are captured by the police, later being captured by Nadakhan along with Wu. The Ninja try to escape the police, but they are caught and arrested by Ronin in exchange for a clean reputation. The Ninja are thrown in Kryptarium Prison, but escape with the help of Captain Soto, who tells them how to find the only thing that can stop Nadakhan: Tiger Widow Venom. Meanwhile, Jay uses his first two wishes and finds out he was adopted. Nadakhan uses the Realm Crystal to free his crew, attack Ninjago City, and capture Kai. The Ninja sail to Tiger Widow Island to obtain the venom, but Zane is captured, Jay is kidnapped by Nadakhan, and Nya, Lloyd and Cole are stranded on the island until Ronin and the Police Commissioner come to rescue them, after finding out what side they were on. After attacking Misfortune's Keep, Jay and Nya are the only two remaining Ninja. They hide in Dr. Julien's lighthouse, where they meet Echo Zane, Zane's counterpart. Jay is forced to escape while Nya is kidnapped. Jay teams up with Echo Zane, Ronin, the Commissioner, Soto, Skylor and Dareth to save the others. Nadakhan gets Infinite Wishes and freezes everyone except Jay, but Nadakhan is poisoned by the venom. Incidentally, the venom hits Nya, and she dies. A disheartened Jay uses his last wish to erase recent events and ensure Clouse didn't find the Teapot of Tyrahn in the first place, thus removing the events of the season from the timeline. As a result, Nadakhan is never released and Jay and Nya, who are the only ones who remember the erased events, renew their relationship.

TV special: Day of the Departed

In a 44-minute TV special, Cole faces his struggles against Sensei Yang, the creator of Airjitzu and the one responsible for Cole's ghostly appearance. He resurrects the past villains from their statues in the hall of villainy and each one goes after a ninja. Samukai fights Jay, Pythor fights Lloyd, General Kozu fights Dareth, General Cryptor fights Zane, Chen fights Kai and Nya and Morro fights Wu. Sensei Yang fights Cole but stop when they realize that they have something in common: Both were forgotten. The lunar eclipse is almost closing and Cole and Sensei Yang. Airjitzu is their way to the rift. Sensei Yang stays behind while only 99% of Cole makes it through the rift, leaving the 1% as a green scar. The Ninja defeat the resurrected villains and celebrate in peace and Cole becomes a human again.

Season 7: The Hands of Time

In Season seven, the Ninja fight Acronix and Krux, the Hands of Time, who have the power to manipulate time. When the Ninja first face Acronix at the old monastery, Acronix teleports away with his time blade after hitting Wu with the 'time punch', accelerating Wu's aging. The Ninja think Acronix was defeated, but when something attacks Zane, they look into his memories and slow it down just enough so they can see that Acronix attacked Zane while he was distracted by Dr. Saunders, AKA Krux. The Time Twins then gather up an army called Vermillion which are samurai snake warriors. They steal all the metal and the most skilled producers in Ninjago to help build the "Iron Doom", which if they collect all four time blades (Fast-Forward, Slow Down, Pause, and Reversal), they could travel wherever they wanted in time. Kai finds out that he and Nya's parents, Ray and Maya, are still alive, having been captured by Krux and forced to work for him. Soon after Kai and Nya retrieve the fourth and final Time Blade, the Reversal Blade, Acronix hits Ray with the time punch. Upon completion of the Iron Doom, the Time Twins go back to during the Serpentine Wars, 40 years in the past, where they first got banished into time. They try to win the battle against the elemental masters, but luckily, Kai, Nya and Wu traveled back with them, and they defeated them. With the Reversal Blade, the two ninja stop Wu's rapid aging. Acronix and Krux decided to go far into the future, but when they discover they have stowaways, (Kai, Nya and Master Wu), a battle breaks out on the Iron Doom, ending with Sensei Wu pulling the Reversal Blade from the Iron Doom and pushing Kai and Nya into the present, while staying on the Iron Doom to finish the battle, and Acronix, Krux, and Wu get lost in time. Kai saves Ray with the Reversal Blade, and Lloyd goes from "Temporary Master Lloyd in Training", to Master Lloyd, who plans to find Wu.

Season 8: Sons of Garmadon

About a year after the events of Master Wu being lost in time, Lloyd Garmadon encounters a group of skilled biker-themed thugs who steal one of the three prized Oni Masks (The Mask of Vengeance) from a vault in Borg Industries. After these events, Lloyd learns that the group who stole the mask was part of a criminal syndicate known as the Sons of Garmadon (S.O.G) and are after the two other Oni Masks (The Mask of Deception and The Mask of Hatred) in order to resurrect Lord Garmadon from the dead. In light of the crime spree committed by the Sons of Garmadon, the Ninja are paid to be temporary guards to the Royal Family, but Sons of Garmadon succeed in stealing the second Oni Mask from the Royal Family's palace in Ninjago, destroying it in the process and leaving only Harumi, the Princess and Lloyd's love interest, the sole survivor. During their attempt to infiltrate the Sons of Garmadon, Cole ends up imprisoned and rescues a baby that the Sons of Garmadon believe is the key to the Mask of Hatred, discovering a map on the baby's blanket. They soon discover the baby is a regressed Master Wu, who is recovering from the excessive use of the Reversal Time-Blade in the previous season. Eventually, the Sons of Garmadon succeed in obtaining all three Oni Masks, but with help from the police, the Ninja stop them, unfortunately, it was too late as Garmadon was resurrected and when Lloyd tries to reason with him, he ends up defeated and powerless. When Garmadon creates Colossi and terrorizes Ninjago, four of the six Ninja attempt to keep Wu safe from his brother, but end up in the Realm of Oni and Dragons after using Traveler's Tea to escape the Colossi's grip. Meanwhile, back in Ninjago, Garmadon takes over the world and declares himself Emperor of Ninjago while the remaining Ninja, Misako and P.I.X.A.L. assume that Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane and Wu are dead. In this season, many things are explained, as the origin of the First Spinjitzu master, which is as follows: in the First Realm, two beings existed: the Oni and the Dragon. The Dragon had the power to create, while the Oni had the power to destroy. A child was born from both of them: the First Spinjitzu Master. When he was pressed on which side to choose, he left the First Realm and created Ninjago. The season also explains:

• How Zane inherited his Ice power, which was given to him by his ill predecessor off-screen
• The identity of the new Samurai X, which is revealed to be P.I.X.A.L. in a new body
• The identity of a new villain, dubbed "The Quiet One", who is the mysterious leader of the S.O.G. It is revealed to be Harumi and has been around since the beginning, believing Garmadon is the real hero as he killed the murderer of her biological parents: The Great Devourer.

Season 9: Hunted

While Lloyd and Nya resist Emperor Garmadon's oppressive hold on Ninjago City, Young Wu and the rest of the Ninja are stranded in the First Realm, the birthplace of the First Spinjitzu Master that was once dominated by Dragons and the sadistic Oni. Wu and the Ninja are hunted by Iron Baron and his barbaric gang of Dragon Hunters, while Lloyd and Nya are assisted by Mistaké, Dareth, Misako, P.I.X.A.L, and the other Elemental Masters, as they oppose the Sons of Garmadon. Wu and the Ninja seek the golden Dragon Armor, which was worn by the First Spinjitzu Master as he rode Firstbourne, the mother of all Dragons. As the Ninja struggle with the Dragon Hunters, Lloyd's Resistance faces off against Garmadon's followers; Garmadon demands his followers find his son, and he executes Mr. E for his failure to do so. The Resistance soon discovers that Mistaké is an Oni in disguise; she sided with Wu's father instead of trying to hunt him like the other Oni. In the First Realm, Wu continues aging back to his normal self, while the Ninja ally with rogue Dragon Hunter Heavy Metal, who is revealed to be a woman named Faith, who tries helping them find the Dragon Armor. In Ninjago City, Mistaké is killed by Garmadon, while a struggle between Skylor and Garmadon for control of the Colossus leads to Harumi dying in a building collapse. Wu regains his memories, and Iron Baron forces him to find the Dragon Armor. Though they succeed, Firstbourne incapacitates Baron, allowing Wu to put on his father's armor and ride his Dragon. Using their newfound Dragons, Wu and the Ninja return to Ninjago, where they begin fighting against the Colossus. Wu and Lloyd face Lord Garmadon atop Borg Tower, with Lloyd facing him alone after Wu falls from the structure. As Wu, the Ninja, and the people of Ninjago bring down the Colossus using Vengestone chains, Lloyd uses his father's old tactic of "fighting without fighting"; by avoiding his father's blows and destructive energy blasts, Garmadon slowly loses his element - allowing Lloyd to regain his. This causes the Colossus to collapse, ending the conflict. Garmadon then warns Lloyd that his element was the only thing that could battle back a coming darkness, which Lloyd realizes is the Oni. Though Garmadon and his followers are arrested, and the Ninja celebrate their victory, Lloyd expresses his concern to a properly aged Wu, regarding whether his father was right about the Oni's return.

Legacy Shorts

Legacy Shorts (Tales of the Monastery of Spinjitzu) are stories about the ninja's adventures in the first season and recreated for 2019.

Season 10: March of the Oni

The season begins with Lloyd visiting Garmadon in his own private cell built for him in Kryptarium prison. Garmadon reminds Lloyd what he said about how the Oni would be coming to Ninjago. Garmadon then tries to convince Lloyd that he is the only way the Ninja could possibly destroy and defeat the Oni, and then tries to convince Lloyd to free him. Lloyd refuses and storms out of the prison. Meanwhile, several of the other Ninja turn up late for a public event in Ninjago city, where as an honor for the Ninja's work in the previous season, it is revealed that the city rebuilt the Destiny's Bounty after finding the blueprints. Later, at the newly rebuilt Monastery of Spinjitzu, Kai is helping Jay practice proposing to Nya, when Dareth rudely arrives and summons Nya but Jay does not propose to her. Lloyd and the other Ninja arrive at the monastery and Lloyd tells the Ninja what Garmadon told him at the prison. Wu teaches the Ninja more about the Oni. Meanwhile, at a vault under the Borg Tower in Ninjago city, The Oni begin to arrive Via the Realm crystal and invade the city, petrifying many people in a cloud of darkness that envelopes the city. The Ninja arrive quickly and save many people and Cole in grabbed by the Oni and is nearly petrified but is freed just in time. The Ninja then go to Kryptarium Prison and reluctantly free Garmadon so he can aid them. Later, on the Destiny's bounty Lloyd shows Garmadon around the ship, and after seeing a picture of his former self in the Ninja's sleeping quarters, Garmadon can't recall himself in the picture and tosses it on the ground. Shortly after, Garmadon meets with Ninja and advises them that the best way to defeat the Oni would be to return to Ninjago city and destroy the realm crystal. Garmadon adds that only he and possibly Lloyd could enter the Oni cloud as they have Oni blood. The Ninja give Garmadon a weapon and he regains his powers, and he and Lloyd enter the cloud and find all the petrified citizens and encounter two Oni who Garmadon and Lloyd fight and defeat. Meanwhile on the bounty the Ninja receive a S.O.S call from the NGTV news tower and go off to rescue the trapped reporters, and have P.I.X.A.L wait on standby to rescue Lloyd and Garmadon. The Ninja rescue the reporters, but as they escape, the ladder Cole is on snaps and he falls into the Oni cloud. Meanwhile, under Borg Tower, Lloyd and Garmadon find the realm crystal and attempt to destroy it, but are stopped by the Oni leader: The Omega who summons more Oni. During a brief fight Lloyd destroys the realm crystal and they find the Golden armor, which the Oni fear and use it to escape the Vaults and return to the surface.

Lloyd communicates with P.I.X.A.L, who is running low on power and she narrowly rescues Lloyd and Garmadon and returns them to the Destiny's Bounty just as her mech loses power. The other Ninja reveal to Lloyd that Cole fell into the Oni cloud. Garmadon apparently unfazed by the loss of Cole, tells the Ninja that they must leave. Lloyd scolds Garmadon for his lack of respect for Cole. Later Nya, who is sitting on the edge of the Destiny's Bounty, and is apparently suicidal as she used the wrong control which made Cole's ladder snap is met with Kai who assures her that it was not her fault. Nya tells Kai that now that the Ninja have the Golden Armor, Kai can use his fire powers to melt the armor back into the Golden Weapons at the monastery of Spinjizu's forge. After returning to the monastery and getting the rescued people settled inside, Kai successfully reforges the Golden Weapons. The Oni arrive and after a hard-fought battle in which Cole returns to the Ninja, the Ninja are forced to retreat inside the monastery's walls. Jay quickly proposes to Nya. Nya accepts, and the Ninja prepare to fight the Oni who are already coming over the monastery's walls. The Ninja decide that they should perform the Tornado of Creation together. Garmadon briefly hesitates but eventually decides to join as well. The Oni are destroyed by the tornado and all the petrified people are unfrozen. Lloyd however, is knocked unconscious by the blow and meets the First Spinjiztu Master who offers Lloyd the chance to die and come with him to the Departed Realm. Lloyd declines his offer and returns to the Ninja. Garmadon leaves the Monastery. Later many of the Ninja's and Ally's friends come to celebrate the Oni's defeat.

Characters

Main article: List of Ninjago characters

Characters by voice actor and season

Character	Pilot	1	2	3	4	5	6	DotD	7	8	9	10
Lloyd Garmadon		Jillian Michaels								Samuel Vincent
Cole	Kirby Morrow
Jay Walker/Gordon	Michael Adamthwaite
Kai	Vincent Tong
Zane	Brent Miller
Nya	Kelly Metzger
Sensei / Master Wu	Paul Dobson									Paul Dobson / Caleb Skeris (as a baby)	Paul Dobson / Madyx Whiteway (as a child)	Paul Dobson
Lord / Sensei / Emperor Garmadon	Mark Oliver								Mark Oliver		Mark Oliver / Kai Emmett (as a child)	Mark Oliver
Samukai	Michael Kopsa							Michael Kopsa
Ed		Colin Murdock					Colin Murdock				Colin Murdock
Edna		Jillian Michaels					Jillian Michaels				Jillian Michaels
Mistaké		Mackenzie Gray								Tabitha St. Germain
Lou		Kirby Morrow			Kirby Morrow			Kirby Morrow
Patty Keys		Cathy Weseluck				Cathy Weseluck
Postman		Michael Adamthwaite				Michael Adamthwaite				Michael Adamthwaite
Pythor		Michael Dobson		Michael Dobson				Michael Dobson
Skales		Ian James Corlett							Ian James Corlett
Misako			Kathleen Barr
Dareth			Alan Marriott
Dr. Julien			Mark Oliver
Gayle Gossip			Kelly Sheridan		Kelly Sheridan		Kelly Sheridan
Noble			Paul Dobson		Paul Dobson		Paul Dobson			Paul Dobson		Paul Dobson
Rufus MacAllister			Paul Dobson		Paul Dobson		Paul Dobson		Paul Dobson		Paul Dobson
Soto			Alan Marriott				Alan Marriott
The Overlord			Scott McNeil
General Kozu			Paul Dobson					Paul Dobson
Cyrus Borg				Lee Tockar					Lee Tockar			Lee Tockar
P.I.X.A.L.				Jennifer Hayward
General Cryptor				Richard Newman				Richard Newman
Skylor					Heather Doerksen				Heather Doerksen		Heather Doerksen
Karlof					Scott McNeil				Scott McNeil		Scott McNeil
Master Chen					Ian James Corlett			Ian James Corlett
Clouse					Scott McNeil
Ronin						Brian Dobson
Morro						Andrew Francis		Andrew Francis
Sensei Yang						Michael Donovan		Michael Donovan
Police Commissioner							Michael Donovan			Michael Donovan
Nadakhan							Scott McNeil
Flintlocke							Paul Dobson
Dogshank							Nicole Oliver
Ray									Vincent Tong
Maya									Jillian Michaels
Krux/Dr. Saunders								Michael Daingerfield
Acronix									Ian Hanlin
Raggmunk									Michael Adamthwaite
Blunck									Brian Dobson
Machia									Kathleen Barr
Emperor of Ninjago										Richard Newman
Empress of Ninjago										Ellen Kennedy
Hutchins										Alan Marriott
Harumi										Britt McKillip
Mr. E										Brent Miller
Ultraviolet										Maggie Blue O'Hara
Killow										Garry Chalk
Iron Baron											Brian Drummond
Faith											Kathleen Barr
The Omega												Zach LeBlanc

Episodes

Main article: List of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu episodes

Season	Subtitle	Episodes		Originally aired
				First aired	Last aired
Pilots	Masters of Spinjitzu or Way of the Ninja	4		January 14, 2011 (2011-01-14)
1	Rise of the Snakes	13		December 2, 2011 (2011-12-02)	April 11, 2012 (2012-04-11)
2	Legacy of the Green Ninja	13		July 18, 2012 (2012-07-18)	November 21, 2012 (2012-11-21)
3	Rebooted	8		January 29, 2014 (2014-01-29)	November 26, 2014 (2014-11-26)
4	Tournament of Elements	10		February 23, 2015 (2015-02-23)	April 3, 2015 (2015-04-03)
5	Possession	10		June 29, 2015 (2015-06-29)	July 10, 2015 (2015-07-10)
6	Skybound	10		March 24, 2016 (2016-03-24)	July 15, 2016 (2016-07-15)
Special	Day of the Departed	1		October 29, 2016 (2016-10-29)
7	Hands of Time	10		May 15, 2017 (2017-05-15)	May 26, 2017 (2017-05-26)
8	Sons of Garmadon	10		April 16, 2018 (2018-04-16)	May 25, 2018 (2018-05-25)
9	Hunted	10		August 11, 2018 (2018-08-11)	August 25, 2018 (2018-08-25)
10	March of the Oni	4		April 19, 2019 (2019-04-19)
11	Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu	30		June 22, 2019 (2019-06-22)	February 1, 2020 (2020-02-01)
12	Prime Empire	16		July 19, 2020 (2020-07-19)	August 30, 2020 (2020-08-30)
13	Master of the Mountain	16		September 13, 2020 (2020-09-13)	October 25, 2020 (2020-10-25)
Miniseries	The Island	4		March 7, 2021 (2021-03-07)	March 14, 2021 (2021-03-14)
14	Seabound	16		April 4, 2021 (2021-04-04)	April 30, 2021 (2021-04-30)
15	Crystalized	30		May 20, 2022 (2022-05-20)	October 1, 2022 (2022-10-01)

Release and reception

Broadcast

In the United States, two pilot episodes, later split into four episodes total, were shown on Cartoon Network on January 14, 2011. They were released in Europe on January 24, 2011. The pilot episodes focused on Kai as he goes from being a blacksmith to a Ninja to save his sister, Nya. Due to the popularity of the pilot episodes, the first season was launched from December 2011 – April 2012 alongside a new line of sets marketed as "Rise of the Snakes". The pilot episodes were released on DVD in March 2011, and the first season became available on DVD in Region 1 on June 26, 2012. The series as a whole has an estimated budget of kr 37 million (approximately £4.6 million or US$6.7 million).

Due to the positive reception of the pilot, a full series was commissioned and began broadcast in December 2011. The first five episodes of season 1 aired in Canada on November 25. The season once again aired in Canada from January 11, 2012, to April 11, 2012. The first two episodes of season 1 aired in the United States on December 2. The season aired again in the United States from January 11, 2012, to April 11, 2012. Season 1 focused on the four original ninjas (Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane) as they try to find out who will be the Green Ninja.

Lego Ninjago was recommissioned for a second season, which premiered on July 18, 2012, to an audience of 2.8 million. Season 2 focused on Lloyd as he trains to become the Green Ninja in order to face his father.

In June 2013, Warner Bros. announced that a movie based on the toyline would be made, though it would take a different approach to the TV series. It was written by the Hageman brothers, who also wrote the story for The Lego Movie. It was released on September 22, 2017.

A third season, "Rebooted", premiered on January 29, 2014. Season 3 focused on Zane as he and the other Ninja help a designer deal with old enemies, ending with Zane's death.

In the United Kingdom, the series premiered on 21 July 2014 on Cartoon Network.

Season 4 premiered on February 23, 2015 in North America and Great Britain on Cartoon Network. Season 4 focused on Kai as he and the other Ninja try to find a new and improved Zane on a secluded island, where they participate in a tournament.

On June 8, Lego released the trailer for the fifth season, titled "Possession." It premiered on June 29 in the United States. Season 5 focused on Nya during her training to be the Water Ninja while the others fight Wu's first student, who's ghost has possessed Lloyd.

Season 6, "Skybound", was released on June 8, 2016. It tells the story of Nadakhan, a djinn, and his pirate crew who are trying to bring Ninjago to the skies. Season 6 focused on Jay as he and the Ninja are framed by a Djinn, who grants each of them three wishes. Jay's last wish erases all the events.

A Halloween special called "Day of the Departed" was released on October 29, 2016. It focused on the villains of the past return - and Sensei Yang as the mastermind. The special focused on Cole, who is fading from existence.

A seventh season, titled "Hands of Time" was released in May 2017. The plot focused on Kai, Nya and their parents, with the main villains being the Elemental Masters of Time (Acronix and Krux) and their army of Vermillion warriors, trying to rewrite history.

The eight season, "Sons of Garmadon" featured redesigns to closely resemble visually The Lego Ninjago Movie, and was released April 16, 2018 in the US. It focused on the Ninja trying to prevent Garmadon's resurrection, albeit with no good in him, by a criminal organization, the Sons of Garmadon (SoG), via three Oni Masks, but failed.

The ninth season, "Hunted", premiered on June 30, 2018 in Australia. It is the first season where they'll be no focus character due to two separate plot lines. The first trailer, released in Japan confirms that the Elemental Masters will return as part of the resistance.

The series has been nominated twice for awards. Peter Hausner was nominated at the 39th Annie Awards for his direction, but lost to Simpsons director Matthew Nastuk. The composers, Michael Kramer and Jay Vincent, were nominated for the BMI TV Music Award, which they won.

All episodes feature a theme song called "The Weekend Whip", performed by The Fold, except for Seasons 8, 9 and 10. In each season, the song is remixed.

Critical reception

Overall, the series has been well received by fans.

Redesigns

Following the release of The Lego Ninjago Movie in 2017, the six main characters of the series were redesigned to match their film counterparts. This was done to make the transition to the television series easier for fans brought in from the film. In July 2017, footage of the eighth season was released at San Diego Comic-Con, showcasing Lloyd's new appearance in the series. Despite the film and television show remaining non-canon from one another, the series' eighth season and onwards saw all the Ninja take on their film designs.

Name	Release Date
	US		UK
Pilot	27 March 2012		2 June 2014
Season 1	26 June 2012	23 June 2015	16 February 2015	2 November 2015
Season 2	5 March 2013		31 August 2015
Season 3	5 August 2014		15 August 2016
Season 4	21 July 2015		7 November 2016
Season 5	16 February 2016		27 March 2017
Season 6	14 March 2017		17 July 2017
Day of the Departed	7 February 2017		22 January 2018
Season 7	3 October 2017		2 October 2017
Season 8	8 January 2019		1 January 2018
Season 9	N/A		N/A
Season 10	N/A		N/A

Video games

The Ninja appear as playable characters in Lego Dimensions. Additionally, a large range of Ninjago mobile games have been released. Three video games have been released.

Lego Battles: Ninjago

A video game named Lego Battles: Ninjago was released in April 2011. It was based on the two pilots of the series, and it features some of the characters who appear in the original episodes (Kai, Jay, Zane, Cole, etc.).

Nindroids

Lego Ninjago: Nindroids is an action-adventure game for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, The game was developed by Hellbent Games and co-published by TT Games Publishing July 29, 2014. Lego Ninjago: Nindroids was announced March 2014 as the second video game based on the Lego Ninjago line of play sets. The game was targeted at a younger audience.

The game has the same plot as the third season of TV series. In the game, the player assumes the role of a Spinjitzu Master tasked with defending the New Ninjago City from The Overlord's evil Nindroid army. The game contains 30 levels consisting of puzzles and battle sequences.

NintendoLife thought this game was beginning to evidence the formulaic nature of the Lego universe of video games, while JeuxVideo thought the game was repetitive. The game was in a top-10 best-selling list of games for PlayStation Vita in New Zealand in May 2017.

Shadow of Ronin

Lego Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin is an action-adventure game developed by TT Fusion and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in March 2015. The game was released initially for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita, and later for iOS and Android. The game further adapts the TV series, and serves as a sequel to Lego Ninjago: Nindroids. Although non-canon to the TV series,it takes place just after the fourth season.

After Garmadon sacrificed himself and was sent into the Cursed Realm, Lloyd left the team to cope with losing his father. The remaining members meet the new threat Ronin, a mercenary, who partially erases the Ninja's memories. The Ninja travel to the Toxic Bogs, after which they have a vision of weapons that can restore their memories. They collect the weapons and go to see Lloyd, who takes them to see his mother for help. Once they find the Primal Fulcrum, the Ninja free Lloyd's mother from Ronin's control. Ronin freezes them and grabs the remaining elemental forges. He plans to use the Fulcrum to bring back Chen from the Cursed Realm. The Ninja chase Ronin into a portal, where the Ninja have a final battle with Ronin; he escapes and knocks the Ninja's weapons into the abyss. The ending reveals the game was a story told by Kai. In an epilogue, Dareth steals the Helmet of Darkness to control the Stone Army.

Warner Brothers announced the game in December 2014. The game is single-player. It has new gameplay items, though the gameplay and characters are familiar. The game was targeted at a younger audience.

Both PocketGamer and Nintendo Life said the game negatively felt the same as the previous games in the Lego series. PocketGamer praised the better graphics but was frustrated with the controls on iOS, especially with time-sensitive actions. Nintendo Life appreciated the humor but thought the graphics had issues on the 3DS. The game was in a top-10 best-selling list of games for PlayStation Vita in New Zealand in May 2017.

External links

• Official website
• Ninjago at Lego.com
• Ninjago at IMDb