I like to call LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu the little show that could. It started off with (depending on where you live and how you saw it) a 45 minute special, two 22 minute episodes, or four 11 minute episodes, designed to help launch the Ninjago toy line. When the pilot episodes proved to be a hit, a tv show was greenlit, consisting of two seasons with 13 episodes apiece. When the two seasons came to an end, the fans demanded more, so they rebooted it a couple years later. Now, season 8 has not fully aired on TV in the U.S., so I will not be discussing it in this review. Instead, I will make it its own review later. Also, because Ninjago has been airing for such a long time, I will be splitting this review up so you don’t have to read something that’s 20+ pages long all at once.
Before I get into a quick overview of each season, I want to first talk about the theme song. Anyone who knows me knows well that theme songs can really get on my nerves. The “Weekend Whip” is not one of those theme songs. Starting with season 3, the song has been updated slightly so match the tone of each season. My favorite rendition is the “Ghost Whip” from season 5. The visuals are very interesting, and even show a 2D drawing of all the characters for a brief moment. That, combined with the creepy overtones of the music just makes you excited to see what’s in store. Also, it’s the only season to feature part of a verse from the song in the intro. If I had to rank the intros, they would be in order of favorite to least favorite: season 5, season 4, season 7, season 6, season 3, and seasons 1 and 2 are at the bottom of the list.
The Pilot Season consists of two 22 minute episodes. They focus on Kai and his journey into becoming a ninja. After Nya, Kai’s sister, is kidnapped by the Skulkin Army, Sensei Wu convinces Kai to become a ninja and introduces him to his team consisting of Cole, Jay, and Zane. The four learn to work together in their quest to learn spinjitzu and find the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu: the Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, and the Sword of Fire. The weapons are so powerful that no one can possess them at the same time, and if they try they will be destroyed. Each weapon gives the ninja an elemental power, since they were forged by the First Spinjitzu Master, who is the father of Lord Garmadon and Wu. Garmadon wants the weapons, and he orders the Skulkin Army to go after them. Together, they save Nya from Garmadon and the Skulkin Army, but Garmadon escapes through a portal to another realm. The ninja say that if he ever returns to Ninjago, they will be ready.
Season 1: Rise of the Snakes picks up a couple of months after the pilot episodes left off. Enough time has passed that the ninja have become complacent in their training, and start to goof off a lot more. Only a threat that Lord Garmadon has returned snaps them back into reality. They race to a village, and find that it was really Lloyd Garmadon, Lord Garmadon’s son. Lloyd is a troublemaking kid who longs to be like his dad, but no one takes him seriously, not even the ninja, so why they were called in to deal with him is unknown. It’s not until he releases the Serpentine from their tombs do they realize that Lloyd can be a serious threat to Ninjago. One Serpentine, Pythor, takes advantage of his freedom to plot revenge on the humans for locking his kind underground. Pythor quickly rises to the top and unites the warring tribes. He commands the Serpentine to look for the four fangblades, which can resurrect the Great Devourer, a giant snake that turned Garmadon evil when he was a little kid. The ninja are close behind every step of the way, determined to stop Pythor. Along the way, they learn of a legend that says one of them will rise above the others and become the Green Ninja. Though they each want this to be their destiny, Kai is the most determined to become the Green Ninja. They each must discover things about themselves that are holding them back, face it, and unlock their True Potential; Zane needed to remember that he was built by and loved by his father, Jay needed to learn to be himself to impress Nya, Cole needed to accept his past and mend things with his father, and Kai needed to learn that he was not the Green Ninja. Nya, determined to help and tired of being shot down by the guys, becomes Samurai X. Lloyd eventually moves in with the ninja, since Wu is his uncle and his parents aren’t around, but he gets captured by Pythor halfway through the season. Wu goes and finds Garmadon in another realm to help them in their quest to rescue him. Garmadon returns to Ninjago, but he now has four arms and the power to possess all four of the Golden Weapons at once. When they eventually rescue Lloyd, it’s revealed that he is the Green Ninja. The ninja fail to secure the fangblades, and Pythor awakens the Devourer. The Devourer grows the more it consumes, and it eats Wu and Pythor. Try as they might, the ninja are unable to stop the giant snake. Since Garmadon is the only one who can possess the power of all four Golden Weapons at the same time, they ninja hand them over, and he manages to defeat the snake by landing on the video game weak spot on its head. However, he steals the Weapons immediately after, leaving the ninja powerless. Wu, who survived being eaten, gives the ninja hope for the future.
Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja starts with the ninja helping to rebuild Ninjago City a few weeks to a couple months after the Great Devourer attack. They move into a tiny apartment and borrow a dojo from a guy named Dareth so they can train Lloyd. Garmadon allies himself with the Serpentine, now led by Skales. He turns the Golden Weapons into the Megaweapon and uses it to thwart the ninja in their efforts to train Lloyd. The ninja always defeat him, and even manage to take back their flying pirate ship, the Destiny’s Bounty, which had been destroyed by the Devourer, but magically repaired by Garmadon. The Serpentine grow tired of Garmadon and his constantly failing plots, and throw him into the ocean from their helicopter. Skales, now in charge, decides to drill underneath Ninjago City to bury it as revenge on the people for locking him underground. Meanwhile, Garmadon comes across the Dark Island, inhabited only by a disembodied voice known as the Overlord. The Overlord uses Garmadon to awaken his Stone Army that’s buried under Ninjago City, and unknowingly (or perhaps knowingly, given the Overlord’s planning skills) locks the Serpentine underground again. The ninja come across Lloyd’s mother, Misako, and she joins the group as their historian. She tells them how the First Spinjitzu Master fought the Overlord for a long time, and the battle only ceased when he split Ninjago into two and created the Dark Island. When the Stone Army attacks, the ninja are quickly overwhelmed, since the stone army is indestructible. They decide to sail to the Dark Island and find the Temple of Light, which will restore the ninja’s powers. Along the way, they meet up with Zane’s creator, Dr. Julien. While on the Dark Island, they try to stop Garmadon and the Overlord, but fail. The Overlord takes control of Garmadon’s body and turns him into a dragon. The Overlord battles Lloyd, injuring the latter, and escapes to Ninjago City. The Final Battle has now begun. The ninja follow the Overlord up a tower, where one by one they are turned evil by dark matter. Lloyd unlocks his True Potential and becomes the Golden Ninja, possessing all of his grandfather’s powers. He defeats the Overlord, purging Ninjago of evil, and turning Garmadon good. The season (and at the time, series) ends on a high note, with the ninja ready for whatever comes their way.
Two whole years after the Final Battle, fans were given the treat of a lifetime when it was announced that Ninjago was coming back. Season 3: Rebooted takes place about a year to a year and a half after season 2. With only eight episodes, this is the shortest season, yet it leaves a huge impact. Ninjago City has been rebuilt into New Ninjago City. With the Overlord destroyed, the ninja have no enemies to fight, so they open up a school. While on a field trip to the City, they discover that the Overlord is in fact still alive and a computer virus. They are given techno blades to combat him, and he wants Lloyd’s golden power for himself. Though Wu is captured and turned evil, the ninja manage to escape and head to Garmadon and Misako’s monastery for help. They decide to split up with the ninja using the techno blades to shut down the power, and Lloyd and Garmadon hide somewhere the Overlord can’t find them. Along the way, they battle nindroids and an evil Wu. Pythor returns and captures Lloyd for the Overlord. They drain Lloyd of his golden power, which the Overlord uses to make a body for himself. Cyrus Borg turns the ninja into code and puts them in the digiverse where they reboot the system and erase the Overlord virus. However, enough golden power was stolen from Lloyd that the Overlord can escape his digital prison. Lloyd gives his remaining golden power to the ninja, restoring their powers in the process. The Overlord decides he needs more golden power, so he builds a rocket ship and sends his army into space to retrieve the Golden Weapons from a comet. The ninja stow away, but fail to stop the nindroid army, so they go back to Ninjago where the Overlord has turned the Golden Weapons into Golden Armor and turned himself into the Golden Master, an all-powerful being that can’t be stopped because of the power of the Golden Weapons. After a long battle, which includes Pythor being shrunk down, Zane defeats him in what is probably the saddest way to end a season ever. Zane sacrifices himself and defeats the Overlord once and for all, while flashbacks of Zane highlights are shown while sad music plays. The ninja hold a funeral for him, Cyrus Borg builds a statue of Zane which the falcon lands on, and it starts to snow. It’s a moving scene that can bring even the hardest of hearts to tears. The season ends with P.I.X.A.L. looking at a computer, only to find Zane’s memories showing up, then Zane asks her “Are we compatible now?” Also, during the entire season, there is an entirely pointless subplot of a love triangle between Nya, Jay, and Cole. I don’t know why the writers felt the need to include this, especially considering that it started off with Jay and Nya together and Cole was fine with it, and it ends with Jay and Nya together and Cole is fine with it. Cole wasn’t even interested in Nya at first, and just randomly developed feelings for her when P.I.X.A.L. said he and Nya were the “perfect match.” Actually, I’m not sure that Cole ever had feelings for Nya, but he just wanted to beat Jay for whatever reason. Cole started off with no feelings for Nya, and ended up with no feelings for Nya. Jay started off with Nya, and ended up with Nya. Nothing changed, so what was the point? I very much prefer the other semi-pointless but much more tolerable love story this season throws at us: Zane and P.I.X.A.L.
Season 4: Tournament of Elements takes place up to six months after season 3. Jay and Cole are still mad at each other because of the whole pointless love triangle thing, and the whole team has fallen apart with Zane gone. Jay is a game show host, Cole is a lumberjack, and Kai is fighting in underground Slither Pits. Only Lloyd is still training. Lloyd tries desperately to get the team back together, but it is only when they get a message saying that Zane is still alive do they unite to find him. They travel to Chen’s Island to participate in the Tournament of Elements, and Garmadon goes with them to look after them, gaining access by throwing a crew member overboard. (Sorry, no link to Garmadon gaining access to the ship, since apparently other people don’t like this scene as much as I do, even though I think it’s one of the best Garmadon moments ever.) On the boat ride to the island, Kai has a love at first sight moment when he sees Skylor, because this show apparently doesn’t have enough relationship drama already. Clouse is worried about Garmadon’s return, but Chen assures him that nothing will happen so long as they are holding Zane hostage. The four manage to survive the first round, and later that night when they’re sneaking around, they discover that Chen steals the powers from the losers, and that he’s already stolen Zane’s power. Zane is suffering from nightmares and amnesia, but P.I.X.A.L. is locked in the room next to him, and her talking to him helps. Meanwhile, Nya is repairing the Bounty and trying to talk to Wu about Jay and Cole, but even Sensei Wu is fed up with it and refuses to get involved. The tournament continues, and Kai wins his fight. However, Chen changes the brackets and Jay and Cole have to fight each other. Kai and Lloyd manage to get Neuro to help them try to stop the fight, and even though Neuro learns that the powers are for a spell to turn the Anacondrai Cultists into real Anacondrai, they can’t stop the fight. Cole and Jay have at it, but make up during the fight and try to draw it out until it’s called. Chen says they will both lose if they don’t fight, so Cole sacrifices himself so that Jay can move on. Meanwhile, Zane manages to escape and discovers that P.I.X.A.L. has been scraped and her hard drive is on an old computer. Zane puts the hard drive in his head so she too can escape, but he’s discovered and caught. The falcon approaches Nya and shows her where Zane’s signal is coming from, and she decides to head to the island. Kai, Lloyd, and Jay continue in the tournament, and Cole is sent to work in the noodle factory along with the other depowered losers. The Master of Sound tries to escape, but is caught and his punishment is to “feed [Clouse’s] pet serpent.” However, Cole manages to find Zane and vows to get them both out, which he does by causing a ruckus and lifting the keys off of a guard. Nya disguises her vehicle as a Chen’s Noodle House truck and manages to sneak onto the island, but Dareth tags along, thinking she really is a noodle truck, though he does help disguise her as one of Chen’s Kabuki girls. Chen hears about how the ninja are trying to form an alliance with the remaining elemental masters, and quickly puts a stop to it. The ninja try to find out who among them is Chen’s spy, and it turns out to be Skylor, because she is also Chen’s daughter. Nya is discovered and Chen orders everyone after her, forgetting about Cole and Zane’s escape. The two decide to go back and rescue the other losers. Chen announces the last round of the tournament, where everyone has to hunt down Nya. But Clouse and the guards hunt down the elemental masters and captures everyone but Nya, Lloyd, and Garmadon. Everyone learns the truth about Skylor, and Chen takes everyone’s powers. All but Kai are sent to the factory, where the losers are in the middle of plotting their escape. Nya and Garmadon get captured when trying to rescue everyone, and they’re tied up to be fed to Clouse’s pet snake. The losers finish the roto jet they were building and escape, killing the giant snake right before Nya and Garmadon are eaten. Lloyd is also captured, and Chen takes his and Skylor’s powers to complete his collection. Kai and Skylor turn on Chen and get his staff, and everyone else breaks in to help. Kai destroys the staff, returning everyone’s powers, but Chen and Clouse manage to grab Skylor and escape. They want to use Skylor’s power to complete the spell, but she manages an escape. The ninja realize she’s in danger and go to rescue her. Zane figures out how to unlock his elemental dragon and tells everyone else how to unlock theirs. Garmadon and Clouse fight, and Clouse opens a portal to the Cursed Realm, but Garmadon knocks him into the portal. Skylor and Kai are captured, and Chen has his henchmen recite the spell, turning everyone, including Garmadon, into an Anacondrai. The Cultists steal the blade-copters and roto jet, but the elemental masters follow on their elemental dragons (though they did forget about the Master of Sound, since he was forced to care for Clouse’s pet as punishment and didn’t escape when the others broke out of the factory, and also Dareth, because he’s useless). However, the spell isn’t permanent because they need the sweat of a real Anacondrai, even though snakes don’t sweat (but maybe Serpentine can?), so everyone races to the prison where Pythor is being held. The Cultists kidnap Pythor and force the elemental masters to split up by sending trucks to villages, pretending to launch an invasion. The elemental masters fall for it and the Cultists attack the villages once all the elemental masters are far away. The ninja decide to make one last stand in the Corridor of Elders, and they recruit everyone they know to help them out. The Cultists take the upper hand, but Pythor shows up and says that if Garmadon were to take the place of the banished Anacondrai generals, then the war would be over, since real Anacondrai wouldn’t stand for this treachery. They agree and send Garmadon to the Cursed Realm. The spirits of the Anacondrai generals curse the fake Anacondrai, turning them into ghosts, and banish them to the Cursed Realm. Pythor is returned to his normal size as a thank you from the generals. Skylor is offered a spot on the team, but she says she would rather run the noodle company. The ninja lament the loss of Garmadon and they add his statue to the Corridor of Elders, and the season ends with one last spirit escaping from the Cursed Realm.
The red ninja of fire, Kai, voiced by Vincent Tong, is a major hothead. He’s sort of the main character, and sort of the leader of the group, but Lloyd can also be described as both the main character and leader. It’s hard to tell, especially in early seasons when Cole was described as the leader. They just all kind of share the role of leader, passing it to whoever is best fitted for the role in a given situation. He and Nya worked in their parents’ blacksmith shop before Wu found them. They often tease each other like siblings tend to do, but Kai can be slightly overprotective of her at times. He wanted desperately to be the Green Ninja, and deep down he is slightly jealous of Lloyd, but he’s happy for his friend and content with being the Master of Fire. He’s sort of in a relationship with Skylor, even though they hardly ever see each other after season 4. They didn’t even kiss after the battle with the Anacondrai Cultists. Granted, Dareth interrupted them, but Kai didn’t even try to kiss her a second time. This is definitely the weakest relationship in the whole show, and it’s annoying how incredibly forced it feels at times. Kai got his powers from his dad, but didn’t discover them until Wu found him and told him in the pilot season. Kai has some good moments, but he can be annoying at times, especially in battle when he’s cocky, arrogant, and overconfident. But the show is designed for kids, and they like him better than I do, since he and Lloyd are always at the top of most popular/favorite ninja lists. (He’s at the bottom of mine.) While all the ninja have had personal growth, it’s more obvious in Kai than in some of the others. Despite all his flaws (and boy are there a lot), he’s still a good person who will always support his friends and fight for justice as long as he can.
The blue ninja of lightning, Jay Walker, voiced by Michael Adamthwaite, is the slightly annoying comic relief who never stops talking. He was attracted to Nya before he even saw her, when Kai mentioned that she had been taken by the Skulken army. Ever since, they’ve had an on-again, off-again relationship. Supposedly, the two end up together in the future (as told by the fortune telling ice), but given their history, we will have to wait and see. Although they have been together since season six at this point. Jay has a controversial backstory, ever since it was revealed he was adopted by Ed and Edna as a baby and raised in a junkyard, with his real parents being actor Cliff Gordon, who is dead, and the past Master of Lightning, whose whereabouts and living status are unknown. Yeah, it’s dumb, but when they made elemental powers a hereditary trait, the Hageman brothers had to do something about Jay. I think it would’ve been cool if Ed or Edna had been the past Master of Lightning and left that life behind for whatever reason, but we’re stuck with the adoption thing. He is also the only ninja, besides Lloyd, with a last name (though Zane might have the last name of Julien, this hasn’t been confirmed). He and Nya are the only ones who remember season 6, which is really stupid, especially since they haven’t told their teammates about the whole incident. The other ninja know about the Megaweapon timeline, so it’s not like erased timelines are a foreign concept to them. He’s also the only character to appear in every episode of the show. Though Jay is most definitely an optimist, when he gets stressed and freaks out, he really freaks out. In the pilot season, his voice was slightly lower, and I believe he had a slight Brooklyn accent, but this was later changed into the high pitched ear grating voice he has now. He’s a good fighter and his mechanical know-how has come in handy on more than one occasion, but gosh can he be annoying at times.
The white/titanium ninja of ice, Zane, voiced by Brent Miller, is the loyal and lovable nindroid. He is the smartest and most logical of the group, due to his robotic nature. However, it is his humanity that makes him such a great character, and my second-favorite ninja. He sometimes struggles to understand why humans can act the way they do. He was built by Dr. Julian almost 40 years before the series started, around the time of the Serpentine War. For the first three seasons, Zane looked like a normal human being, but when he was rebuilt for season 4, he turned into the titanium ninja. Since he is a robot, he is full of surprises and weapons, which come in handy during battle. However, since he is a robot, he can be hacked or damaged, and he does need repairs frequently. Zane is in a relationship with P.I.X.A.L., and it’s the sweetest thing ever. I’m not a huge fan of relationship drama being shoved in my face, but those two were (quite literally) made for each other. He even put her processor into his head to make sure she wouldn’t die. Is it a necessary relationship, absolutely not, but it gives Zane someone he can better relate to. I am convinced that robot love is the most innocent form of love there is. He has a sort of sixth sense, and P.I.X.A.L. is also able to warn him of impending danger. He has a brother called Echo Zane that Dr. Julien built during his imprisonment, however, Echo Zane was forgotten and has been left there to rust. Fans have often wondered how Zane got his powers, since he was created by Dr. Julien, but I hear this will be explored in season 8. The Falcon was built to be a companion for Zane, and he too often helps the team out with their missions, either by spying on the enemy from above or relaying messages to each other. Not much can stop this nindroid from protecting those who cannot protect themselves.
The black ninja of earth, Cole, voiced by Kirby Morrow, was the leader of the group until Kai showed up. Over time, Kai took over leadership, until Lloyd officially took over the role. Like every other teenage boy in the world, Cole loves to eat and he is extremely food motivated. His favorite food is cake. Flavor doesn’t seem to matter, since he once ate a cake that had tools hidden inside it and claimed he thought it was supposed to be crunchy. I wonder if he wasn’t allowed to eat sweets much growing up, but who knows. He is physically the strongest of all the ninja (except for maybe Lloyd, but he doesn’t really count), and possesses super strength. Even without his super strength, Cole could easily hold his own in battle. Cole always seems to get the short end of the writer’s stick though. Every other ninja has had at least one season focus on them, and he’s only had a 45 minute special, and he’s often forced to be the lead of the B-plot, or he’s just kind of there. He was turned into a ghost at one point, and they could’ve had some real fun with that if they wanted it. They could’ve had him get struck by water and become departed, and the others would’ve had to rescue him. His future is unclear because he didn’t have a reflection in the fortune telling ice, so it could’ve worked. Instead, that was apparently telling him that he would gain the power of invisibility in the next season. Weak. He’s had exactly one episode in seven seasons that explores his backstory whereas everyone else has had at least two episodes. The First Spinjitzu Master has more of a backstory than Cole and he’s dead! He’s also the only ninja not to be in a relationship, but I don’t mind this, especially since he’s okay with being single. After all, you shouldn’t be defined by your relationship status. I think that the whole Nya thing was him wanting to beat Jay rather than about him having feelings for her, since he had no qualms about bowing out later. Still, Cole deserves to end up with someone, and maybe one day he will. He also spent an unknown number of years lying to his dad about his career choice. Lou was mad about this (obviously) but the two eventually reconciled. They seem to have a good relationship now, but Lou is barely shown, and mentioned even less, so I guess we won’t know for sure. Based on how elemental powers work, we can assume that Cole’s mother was the Master of Earth before him, but she’s never been shown or mentioned once. We saw in a flashback Cole’s (presumed) grandfather using his elemental powers, and Nya mentioned once that they can skip a generation, so maybe Cole’s mom didn’t have powers. We may never know the truth. Cole is my favorite ninja, and I really hope he gets his own season someday.
The ninja of water, Nya, voiced by Kelly Metzger, doesn’t really have a color. Dark blue I guess? Maybe maroon? It’s hard to tell. I liked Nya as a character, but I don’t really understand why they felt the need to make her a ninja, but probably so they could sell more toys and bring in more female viewers. (Though considering other shows *cough Young Justice* were cancelled because girls were watching the show and not buying the toys, this seems risky.) She proved she could be very helpful as Samurai X and as the mechanic of the group. It was her mechanical know-how that gave her and Jay something to bond over. Ever since she’s become a ninja, I haven’t liked her as much. Yes, her water powers were useful in defeating the Preeminent, but I don’t think they were necessary. I think the writers just went with the easiest solution available to them, which was making Nya the Master of Water, instead of doing something like having Zane freeze the Preeminent, then have Kai melt the ice, thus creating water and destroying it. She was always looking for a way to help out, even if the guys didn’t always want her around, which is why she created Samurai X. Season 6 Nya left a bad taste in my mouth, and not just because the whole season is all kinds of messed up. She had a real attitude problem that lasted pretty much the entire season and Jay ended up wishing it away, but she somehow remembered what happened and learned her lesson. Her attitude was toned down in season 7, but she was co-lead of the season with Kai, who was a weak lead this time around. Nya was better as a samurai than a ninja, but I don’t think they’re going to ever change her back. She was involved in a pointless love triangle, but it was only AFTER she was told that Cole was her “perfect match” that she started to develop feelings for him. The only explanation I can think of is she’s fourteen at the time and didn’t know what she was doing.
Lloyd Garmadon, the green ninja, and later the golden ninja, voiced by Jillian Michaels, might be the main character. It’s hard to tell sometimes, but he and Kai seem to share the title of main character. Lloyd’s power is energy, which- similar to creation- is a combination of the four main elements (earth, fire, ice, lightning). However, Lloyd can technically use each element individually if he wants to. During season 3, he was mostly called the Golden Ninja, since he had unlocked his golden power during the Final Battle, but he gave it up to keep himself and his friends safe from people who would try and steal it. Still, he is far more powerful than the other ninja combined. During the first season, he was a little kid who tried to get rid of the ninja, but ended up following them around. In the middle of season 2, he was aged up to be closer in age to the others. This does give his character more growth and potential, but it was really stupid and (given what happened) he should still be a kid! He’s sort of the leader of the group, but he also needs rescuing a lot. He’s been captured in one form or another in every season except for season 7. I get he’s the most powerful ninja and therefore has the biggest target on his back, but that’s not a good track record. They even joke about it in season 2, with Lloyd saying he ought to be good with knots. But he tries. I can see why the ninja are reluctant to make him their new sensei when Wu is out of commission. Even when he knew how evil his dad was, Lloyd wanted nothing more than to have a close bond with the man. Even in the moments right before the Final Battle, Lloyd never gave up hope that his dad could do the right thing in the end. However, Lloyd will always do the right thing because even though it may not be the easy thing to do, it is the right thing to do.
Sensei Wu, voiced by Paul Dobson, is a very old and very wise man. He is the younger son of the First Spinjitzu Master, and Garmadon’s younger brother. His element is creation. While we don't know his exact age, he has been alive for a few hundred years at this point with no signs of slowing down. He and Garmadon both had a crush on Misako when they were younger, but when she chose Garmadon, Wu stepped aside and was happy for them. He even helped raise their son when they both went AWOL. (Though to be fair, Garmadon was banished to the underworld at the time for trying to steal the Golden Weapons.) The two brothers may not have always agreed on who to fight, but when the two did fight on the same side, they were practically unstoppable. Wu has many different roles he plays when he’s with the ninja, and he knows when to play each role. He knows when he has to be strict with them, but he knows when it’s okay to joke around with the guys. He can play the part of teacher, father figure, mentor, and friend, all while fighting alongside his students. He does his best to impart his wisdom on the ninja, but sometimes his wisdom takes a while to fully comprehend. He also loves tea. I don’t think he knows how to drink anything else, since he can often be seen near a teapot. He loves tea so much that when he tried to retire, he bought a tea farm and opened up a tea shop. However, Sensei Wu can never retire so long as there is a threat to Ninjago.
Lord Garmadon, later Sensei Garmadon, voiced by Mark Oliver, is the once evil son of the First Spinjitzu Master, Wu’s older brother, Misako’s husband, and Lloyd’s father. His element is destruction. He was turned evil by the bite of the Great Devourer as a child, but it took years for him to turn to the dark side. He wanted to turn Ninjago into his own evil image, but his methodology was questionable at times. At first, he just wanted to interfere with Lloyd’s training, and he would go to interesting lengths to do this. He once entered a race so the ninja wouldn’t win and have the money to save Dareth’s dojo. Like Wu, he fell in love with Misako and managed to woo her by marking his name on Wu’s letter to her, and the two married. His love for Misako and Lloyd was the only good left in him for the longest time, and he was just as reluctant as Lloyd was to fight each other. At the end of season 2, Garmadon was purged of all the evil and became a sensei. He took an oath of peace, but thankfully it didn’t last long because pacifistic Garmadon was quite boring. Personally, my favorite version of Garmadon is season 4 Garmadon. He’s good, but he’s willing to fight, and he tries to make amends for things he did in his past. One of my favorite scenes in the whole show is when he is boarding the boat to Chen’s Island. He’s very wise, but he knows how to fight, and fight to win. His sacrifice at the end of season 4 was very emotional, and unlike many other characters who have died, he has yet to be brought back to life. However, season 8 is called the Sons of Garmadon, and it’s a safe bet that he will return, but will he be good or evil? Only time will tell.
The Serpentine are former villains, but now they’re pretty neutral characters. The snake-like creatures are always ready to fight. They’re favorite pastime is the Slither Pit, where they fight one another. They also use the Slither Pit to fight for advancement in their tribe. All the generals have long tails instead of legs. The five warring tribes (Hypnobrai, Fangpyre, Venomari, Constrictai, and Anacondrai) were separated and locked underground long before the pilot episodes, because of what happened during the Serpentine War. Each tribe has its own unique power: the Hypnobrai hypnotize their victims, the Fangpyre can turn anything into a snake, the Venomari can make you see things when they spit their venom in your eyes, the Constrictai can crush you to death, and the Anacondrai can swallow you whole. When Lloyd unleashed them, they were united by the last of the Anacondrai, Pythor, voiced by Michael Dobson, who wanted to get revenge on the humans for locking him underground. After his supposed death, Skales, voiced by Ian James Corlett, took over as leader of the Serpentine until Garmadon used his Megaweapon to persuade the Serpentine to join his side. When Skales had had enough, he got rid of Garmadon and again assumed control. His first order got them locked underground again. While in the tomb of the Stone Army, they changed their ways and became more pacifistic and useless. Skales is still in charge of all the Serpentine, and he will occasionally decide to help the ninja, but mostly they just keep to themselves. Pythor does not have any connection with the rest of the Serpentine anymore. He was in prison for a while, but was taken by Chen, since he was the last true Anacondrai. After Garmadon’s sacrifice, Pythor allied with the ninja because he hated the Anacondrai Cultists more for disgracing his kind. After the battle, he went on his way, but returned in Day of the Departed because he was still mad at Lloyd. They fought, but he was defeated and he hasn’t been seen since. Presumably, he still wants to conquer Ninjago. Maybe one day he will return.
The Overlord, voiced by Scott McNeil, is an ancient evil. He and the First Spinjitzu Master fought for many years, but after he created the Stone Army from an indestructible material, they were banished to the Dark Island. He’s gone through several design changes in the two seasons he was in. He was a floating orb, then he took control of Garmadon’s body and turned it into a dragon, then he was a computer virus, then he gave himself a body and became the Golden Master. We don’t know where he came from, but his power and strength seemed to equal that of the First Spinjitzu Master. Perhaps they came from the same place. Wherever he came from, he’s had it out for Ninjago since day one. He has spent thousands of years plotting his revenge, carefully calculating every single move, biding his time until Garmadon washed up on the beach of the Dark Island. He let Garmadon think that he was in control, but really he was nothing more than a pawn in the Overlord’s grand scheme. After Lloyd defeated him in the Final Battle, he refused to be beaten and quickly turned himself into computer code when Cyrus Borg started building where he had been defeated. Ever since the ninja (Zane) beat him a second time, he hasn’t been seen since. But the question remains, is he truly gone? Could he come back again one day? We may never know the answer.
The voice actors are all amazing. They bring our favorite characters to life. If you enjoy Ninjago as much as I do, then I encourage you to check out Brent Miller’s YouTube channel. He does a lot of behind the scenes stuff, he interviews his fellow castmates, and he gives you a little bit of insight into his personal life. Check him out and tell him SJ sent you. He won’t know who I am, but that’s okay. Scott McNeil is an awesome villain, and I hope they bring him back to voice another character soon. I am convinced that if he would’ve voiced Ares at the very end of Wonder Woman instead of David Thewlis, the ending would’ve been so much better. Ian James Corlett is also awesome at voicing villains, and I’ve heard that he’s set to return in season 9. All of the main voice actors voice other characters in the show, usually a minor character like a random Serpentine or a citizen of Ninjago. Sometimes it’s easy to recognize a voice actor when they do these other roles, but it’s not always obvious. Voicing the minor characters gives each voice actor a chance to really show off their range. They’ve also had all three Dobson brothers on the show at one point or another, and it’s always fun to hear them work off each other.
Let’s be real here, Ninjago isn’t just a cartoon, it’s a LEGO cartoon. This shouldn’t work as well as it is. Yes, it’s a kids show, but it’s a darker kids show. However, it’s not too dark to scare them, especially in the first couple of seasons. And unlike most cartoons, Ninjago does not have a floating timeline. Each episode connects with the episode before it and into the overall story. The story and characters mature with the viewers, starting with the tone shift in season 3, and the Hageman brothers know how to write fun, lighthearted moments to balance out the serious moments. They also know how to balance out the episodes. Some episodes are very simple (one episode was a car chase and that was about it), but other episodes throw so much at you in only 22 minutes. This is a great show that makes you have all the feels. Any show that can make you cry over the death of a robot must be doing something right. Brent Miller said it best in one of his interviews: “We’re in a drama and didn’t even know it!” Between relationship dramas, deaths, resurrections, and constantly having to save the world from various foes, the Hageman brothers certainly know how to keep things interesting and keep you guessing.
As mentioned earlier, this is not my full review. Part 2 will be up shortly. Subscribe for email notifications, and I will tell you when it is online.
I’m SJ, and these are my real thoughts on LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu.