#Ninjago Analysis

[the-immortal-restless]

FINALLY

it took me far to long to figure out how to post on tulmblr website

@kyri45 I got the courage to post this from the discord stream

Can you find the spicynoodles reference in there?

[nameless-oblivion]

I have some theories about the what this mural means.

It's decently obvious that it's probably showing the past em of fire turning into a giant centipede monster.

However, there's probably more to it than that. An infinity symbol, as it's name suggests, implies that something goes on infinitely, never ending. (Also it means autism, we support our neurodivergent king, the giant, man-eating centipede.)

My theory to this is that the mural depicts what happened to the last fire em (obviously). They fought against the centipede, but they may have actually succeeded. By killing the original centipede they became cursed to become one and take its place. An unending cycle.

But what does this mean? The bug Kai fans may be very right. While it's highly unlikely that he turns into a full man-eating centipede, he may still fight the previous em. However, instead of becoming a monster, he escapes the curse, because of his love of his family. He does the impossible and breaks the cycle.

[penofwildfire]

I think one of the tragic things about the ninja is that they really do LOVE this job. They love fighting, they love saving the world. When there's no bad guy to fight and they have to do something else they get real fuckin bored. Lloyd takes in and trains the kids because he really truly wants more people to BE ninja, he thinks it's just about the coolest thing a person can be. And he's got good reason to feel that way! Before he became a ninja he was a lonely kid on the streets causing trouble for attention! So as much pain and hardship as ninja-ing has put him and the others through, the only thing worse than being a ninja is not being a ninja.

I've seen a handful of works where the Ninja are bitter about their jobs and very clearly only doing it out of obligation, and openly discourage others from doing the same. And unfortunately for us and them, that's just not accurate. As said above, they're EAGER to train the next generation and pass on the skills and life lessons they've gained throughout the years. And they don't even seem to realize just how much this gig as fucked them up. The only thing that seems to get them to quit is the loss of a teammate (ToE, Crystalized), and since so far all their dead have come back to life, I think it's fair to say that even that will have less of an effect on them as time goes on.

It's been said before by smarter people but the mantra of "Ninja Never Quit" is a bit of a double-edged sword. Because sure, it's great that they keep going, it's what's gotten them through so many disasters, but there are times when they really do need to just stop. Lloyd is a prime example of this, with his almost blind willingness to do whatever destiny or higher powers may ask of him, usually while everyone else is literally begging him to stop and think of himself for a minute. He's got no self-preservation to speak of, and I think it's safe to say this job will eventually be the death of him. Unfortunately "Ninja Usually Don't Quit But Sometimes They Do" isn't a very good catchphrase.

[nyaskitten]

This little moment, of Sora looking back at where her parents were, only to see a Mergequake has already taken them while she wasn't looking, the look of anguish and sadness on her face... She didn't know whether her parents even Saw what she was capable of, missing her one last chance to ever possibly, maybe, just Maybe, reconcile with them, or help them get better... the way she just stares, as if her heart to some capacity longs to have her potential recognized... oughghg

[hyakujuuou]

Kai being better at fixing things and Nya being better at making things.

Both of them struggling to keep their blacksmith shop afloat because Kai was forced to make things and Nya was forced to fix things.

Both of them finding their true potential once they’re found by the ninja team and Kai is finally able to start fixing and Nya is finally able to start creating.

Kai’s true potential being his capacity to uplift and support others once he no longer has to put the pressure on himself to provide and Nya’s true potential being her capacity to blaze the trail once she finally gets to answer the question of who she wants herself to be.

[sharksandjays]

This is sort of going off my recent artwork but I really wanted to take a moment to talk about Jay's adaptability. Specifically weapons. With the other ninjas, they seem to stick to one thing. Kai seems to always stick to a sword, Zane a long distance weapon, Cole an impact-based weapon, and Nya a spear-type weapon. (Lloyd still has the same sword he's had since season 11.) And while Jay does stick to chained weapons, he shows a lot of comfort with continously changing weapons in situations of need.

Personally, I think it's to make up for his element. Lightning is an incredibly powerful element that is likely very difficult to control. He probably doesn't WANT to use it much outside of his usual shocks and power outages. Unlike Lloyd, he doesnt need that much power because he's usually not fighting The Big Bad.

So he makes up for it with variety. With hand to hand combat, agility, speed, adaptability of weapons.

I mean, just look at all of them.

(And dont get me STARTED on how insane it is that he reguarly uses kusarigamas. That's RIDICULOUSLY DIFFICULT TO MASTER. I think this guy needs a ton of respect just for using chained weapons.)

But the coolest thing, to me at least, is that it looks like he specifically trained in the other ninjas weapons. (Maybe the others did too? But i dont really see it as much with them.)

This scene in crystallized is what got me.

Cole literally just threw his weapon to Jay, trusting him to know how to use it. And Jay kicks butt.

I wonder if a little 15 yo Jay trained in the training yard for hours, frustratedly hacking at something with a katana, then training with a hammer, switching to a spear, then to a bostaff, then to sai, and just keeps going and going until he's comfortable with all of them. He cant be the weak man on the team. If his power isnt going to cut it, then he needs to master weapons. Master combat. He wont be the weak link. He refuses to.

Anyways sharkanalysis is back

[alien-of-earth]

Lego Ninjago and Race: An Analysis for the Upcoming Live Action

I know there’s been a lot of discourse in the ninjago community since a live action movie has been announced, and there’s sure to be even more after the cast list is released. Many fans are afraid the cast will be all white, while others don’t care what race the ninja will be. Non-fans looking in from the outside might say, “Why does it matter? They’re legos, they’re yellow.” I’ve seen this argument more recently, especially revolving Arin in the soft reboot Dragons Rising.

The point of this longer post is to explain how race still exists in Ninjago despite the plastic, yellow nature of the characters, and why making the cast entirely or mostly white would be a disservice to the fans and the source material as a whole. So let’s ninja-go into this topic.

Part 1: Hair and Black-Coding

When people claim that legos don’t have race, they often claim it’s because they are yellow. However, they forget that legos still have humanoid characteristics, and one of the easiest ways to tell when a lego character is black-coded is to look at their hairpiece.

Here are some examples of hairpieces clearly meant to resemble black hair textures/hairstyles:

When characters have textured hair (i.e. Arin and Euphrasia from Ninjago) or locs/braids (i.e. Mateo and Zoey from Dreamzzz), it’s hard to argue they’re meant to be interpreted as anything other than black. And if that’s not obvious enough, there’s also:

Part 1b: Voice Actors and Black-Coding

People of color voice acting non-human characters doesn’t determine race, but it does add to character coding. This can be seen in characters from other shows, such as Darwin from The Amazing World of Gumball. Even though Darwin is a 2D animated goldfish, he has been voiced exclusively by black voice actors. Because of his voice (and other mannerisms/narrative elements), Darwin is generally accepted to be black-coded.

Being voiced by a person of color does not automatically make a character black-coded, but it can certainly add credence to characters who already have black characteristics, such as Arin and Euphrasia.

Part 2: Names

Another reason it’s hard for ninjago fans to interpret certain characters as white is because of their names. While many have stereotypical “American white boy names” (i.e. Jay, Cole, and Zane), other characters have names that are certainly not strictly American. Examples include Wu (a Chinese surname), Misako (a Japanese name), Chen (a Chinese surname), Okino (a Japanese surname) and Sora (Japanese given name). Ninjago may be set in a fictional world of animated, plastic people, but it’s still based on real-world names, and considering how a lot of the characters’ names come from East Asia, there is merit to declare that characters like Misako and Sora are meant to be interpreted as East Asian.

Part 3: Cultural Influences

Now, to the most obvious reason why it would be absurd to put an all-white cast on screen: the cultural influences. I am not Asian myself, but other ninjago fans have expressed frustration about the cultural melting pot that is Ninjago. It takes influence from both Eastern and Western cultures for its setting, worldbuilding, lore, and fantastical elements. Ninjago puts ninja, samurai, Kabuki, and Oni from Japanese history and culture, Djinn from Arabic regions, the yin/yang concept from Chinese philosophy, and dragons from various cultures into one narrative. There’s even a character named Ronin (which means a “wandering samurai”).

Additionally, the ninjago language seems to be inspired by Tategaki, an East Asian style of writing.

What this means is that Ninjago is brimming with real-life cultural influences. They rarely come from the same places and are not always faithful or accurate. In fact, they can sometimes seem borderline disrespectful and stereotypical in the earlier seasons- particularly with the portrayal of Chen and pilot Wu. However, it doesn’t take a genius to spot the East Asian cultural influences on ninjago. This is clear in the character designs, attire, and especially in the settings:

Part 4: What does this mean?

In summary, Ninjago is a fictional setting that takes inspiration from East Asian cultures, and has coded certain characters as certain races through more indirect means such as naming and designs. Even though none of the ninjago characters have 100% canon races, there is still evidence that some are meant to be interpreted as black or Asian. Therefore, making all the ninjago characters white would be a disservice to the fans AND the source material because it takes away subtle but essential parts of the characters and world.

Additionally: Representation matters. It could mean a lot for fans new and old to see the ninja becoming humanized and seeing themselves on screen. Not only would an all-white cast be unfaithful to the source material, but it would be disheartening to fans hoping for racial representation, especially in an age where “wokeness” is considered a touchy subject in some areas.

Part 5: Other Thoughts/Clarifications

The beautiful thing about Ninjago is that the Lego nature of the characters allows them to be interpreted in so many ways. The characters don’t have canon skin tones, eye color, body types, ages, heights, etc., so they can be whatever fans want. Whatever the fans interpret them to be or even what they feel like, they can be. And I think that’s beautiful.

TLDR: I don’t want the movie casting to limit the fan’s creativity or headcanons. Even if the cast isn’t entirely white, I hope people continue to make creations with their own interpretations of the characters.

Also: I urge fans to not harass the actors if they are white. I feel like the ninjago fandom is above that but I feel inclined to make this statement in advance regardless.

Finally: I’m leaving this post wide-open to discussion and discourse. I did surface-level research for the ninjago cultural influences, so if anyone wants to add on to or correct anything, feel free to do so. All I ask is that the conversations remain civil.

That is all :)

[kais-testosterone-shot]

oh boy. okay, this will be a long one but here we go

last night i went through both the Golden Legend short and the new Monstrosity trailer to figure out the meaning behind the only three colors we see and their importance in both animations. here are my thoughts.

this post is about the color gold in both animations!

just a disclaimer, i havent had a media analysis class since 2022 and my writing skills are very rusty, so bear with me please LOL. if anything, hopefully this is a good starting point for more people to brainstorm their own theories and make their own connections.

i should mention that these thoughts will influence any theories or analyses i may post in the future, especially when it comes to the figure of master wu and the former master of fire.

okay! now that that's out of the way, let's start talking about the colors.

there are three colors in Golden Legend and Monstrosity that deviate from the overall black and white palette: gold, cyan, and red.

gold traditionally symbolizes wealth, triumph, and divinity. in ninjago, gold typically symbolizes the ninja, or perhaps more accurately, elemental masters. it's also the color of wu's power, the power of creation, which tends to be likened as the driving force of "good" in the world of ninjago. we can see this pretty clearly in the Golden Legend short, when we see the ninja are entirely cast in gold in a dystopian black and white world deprived of any other color. this is the only color that appears all the time and isn't implied or hidden at any point.

this color is also found on the dragon guarding them, in his eyes and tail. i believe this is to establish a visual link between the ninja and the dragon, who is shown to have an unwavering determination to protect the ninja until their return, as he believes they alone can save the world and essentially "cleanse" ninjago from the corruption mentioned earlier in the short, thus restoring time and giving it a name again.

with this in mind, let's take a look at the Monstrosity trailer.

the first time we see the color gold in this trailer is in the visor of the new fire mech.

given the established connection between the ninja and the dragon in Golden Legend, we can infer this mech is connected to an elemental master in some way. this is confirmed later in the trailer when the mech declares it "will not fail a fire wielder again". while declaring this, the mech projects an image of a former master of fire, who appears entirely in gold alongside the ninjargon letter for K in red. more on this later and in my post about the color red.

later in the trailer, we see the mech utilize fire powers against a gigantic monster's tendril, and its fire is colored gold.

interestingly, this is only one of two times in the trailer we see fire being colored. kai's fire is in black and white for most of it.

why? why is the mech's use of fire emphasized? what makes kai's fire different? is he not an elemental master? are kai's flames effective to the creatures in this realm? the only time kai's flames have color to them is during this impact frame, which fades from red to gold over the course of three seconds (three whole seconds for an impact frame good lord. kai really has it out for this guy)

now what's fascinating to me about the use of gold in this trailer is that there isnt a single speck of it to be found on master wu. wu, who's the master of creation. wu, who's the son of the first spinjitzu master, the creator of ninjago. wu, who is constantly associated with the color gold. there isnt a trace of it on the wu we see in the Monstrosity trailer. which means...

that's not wu.

i think that since Monstrosity is going to focus on the mental hardships kai faces, its reasonable to assume there's some monster that will take advantage of kai's desperation to reunite with his family and force him to hallucinate the other ninja, or even his master like im alluding to here. maybe it's even a siren-esque creature that can change its appearance to trick its prey. who knows!

another instance in which the color gold is mysteriously lacking is when we see the former master of fire reflected in a pool of water.

this brings to mind something the new dragon says near the end of the trailer: "it's impossible to survive in a land of monsters without becoming a monster yourself." the former master we saw in gold before is no longer gold. why? the golden projection we saw earlier was from the mech's perspective of the former master. whoever's perspective this is shows them in the same b&w palette as the rest of the world. is it because theyre no longer the master of fire? if thats the case, why is kai not colored gold?

ive reached the image limit for this post, so i'll have to make separate posts for cyan and red. ill link those here when ive posted them! if i missed anything or if you have anything to add, please comment or reblog! i would love to hear any theories :]

read my post about cyan here

read my post about red here

[from-the-wyldness]

Although I adore the RGB siblings there's something just so precious about Kai and Nya.

Also I'm discussing a bit of Nya's agency here lol, this is a bit messy and seems all over the place but it makes sense i swear.

First of all despite Nya being robbed of agency in a lot of times I like to notice those small little times where she had, first think of the pilots.

Kai went out to fight and hell if she was gonna be left behind, she chose to go out and fight alonside her bro, it was a dire situation but she still could've chosen between fleeing, staying inside or fighting, knowing Nya the choice for us is obvious but it was nonetheless something she decided.

And as much as I think both siblings could use each other element water fits her so much, like, she's always been going with the flow.

No parents? That's fine, she'll have her big bro as a support and go wherever that takes her.

And then I think of Wrong place Wrong time, she was excited to be offered to be a Ninja, of being something else, of doing something else.

It was probably a choice she could take for the first time in a long time, especially a more "important choice" than maybe just deciding if she would buy bread today or tomorrow.

It wasn't something that she just had to go with as she usually did with whatever happened on her daily life.

And my mind wanders to both of the siblings because both of them are so funny to me. They're like a package.

Nya wanted to help the guys in s1 so bad she became a hero (and out of spite of course, I love her for that) and while we can argue if she had ever really a choice in to moving with everyone else or not the thing is that Kai was the one that was Ninja [first] and of course she would follow her brother, it just seems logical even if she might've been able to made a different living for herself.

Maybe because they're used to being together, maybe because one could wonder how could Nya just be left behind, especially as the younger sister, ESPECIALLY as she was the driving force behind Kai's pick to be a ninja in the first place.

And then I go back to Wrong place Wrong Time.

In this Nya wanted to go and while Kai was the doubtful one, they're not having this big stake of one of them being kidnapped, in a sense this is the safer timeline.

Argueably in this case it might've been easier for them to separate as Nya would've been safe and she would've have support, a roof, food, etc whether Kai would've gone or not, Kai could've continue living as a blacksmith.

But Kai also went with her, she was going and hell if he would leave her alone even if he clearly wasn't thrilled on doing the course to being with.

And they just... they keep pulling each other around, I don't mean they're always together but they just keep following the same path.

Kai moved to the Monastery so Nya did too, (In the WPWT timeline Nya moved in and Kai went with her), Kai joined the Craglings to fight the Dragons on DR 1 and Nya joined too, Nya's on her way to search for Jay in DR and Kai's going with her.

It's just something they keep doing, maybe because they didnt really know life without each other so they just keep following each other around even if they're not completely happy with their circumstances.

Like clearly Nya wasn't too happy being left to babysit the bounty but she also wouldn't have left her brother to pursue a very different life. Kai might've left between s3-s4 but well, he wasn't coping well and I'm sure he didn't want Nya following him into that hole. (And depending how you take the books he did visit her at least once and she was happy to see him)

They hug when they reunite in MoTM, they hug when they reunite in DR (both times), Nya remembers Kai first of all people when on water dragon form (damn you cristallized, where my siblings hug).

Do I need to mention the two flashback we've had of them on HoT and DR2?

They just... keep seeking and finding and following each other no matter the circumstances or the time that passes.

[littlespirit-199]

My favorite shot in Monstrosity and why

Spoilers below

This shot is just so gorgeous! The glowing lake representing Kai's hope that he might see his family again... The fog closing in on him showing how close he is to anguish, not to mention that seeing Wu is what made him leave the fog in the first place. The stark divide between the two sides, but just a few puddles of water left on land, showing that hope can be found in even the grimmest of situations... How SMALL Kai looks compared to Wu... The barest hint of how dark the depths of the water are, as well as the thin fog hovering over it, maybe showing that this water isn't as hopeful as it first appears... It's just too good UGH

[rainofthetwilight]

something something, arin is desperately trying to run back to his past, even if it meant to give up the present..while sora is trying so hard to run away from her past, trying to hold on to the present, but her past still catches up to her no matter what..something something...

arin would give up the present, as he denied that the ninja are his family when his mother asked him so, if it meant for him to run back to her and his father.

this whole season alludes to motion. everyone, everything is moving. but here in arin's fear, he's trying so hard to do that, to move and run back to his parents, to his past, but he couldn't, stuck in the same place as he was. which also fits in his whole arc of not progressing in his spinjitzu, still being in the same place as he was before. he didn't improve, he couldn't move, he's still, and stuck at where he started, he has no motion, and is constantly being reminded of that whether intentionally or unintentionally (unintentionally: lloyd and sora, intentionally: ras)

meanwhile with sora, in her fear, she was able to move. she was able to run back to her past,  despite trying so hard to move on from it, to turn away from it, to stay still and never come back to it. but it still pulls her back, no matter how hard she tries

and of course, this also goes to how she's currently progressing with her powers. she's improving, she's moving forward, she isn't still, she's much more powerful than she was before, she's learning, and most importantly, she has motion, and is reminded of it everytime, whether by herself or someone else, while also being praised for it

and the way these two arcs just very clearly contrast from eachother is so interesting. arin had always wanted to be a ninja, he wants to make his parents proud, but when he got the chance, he fails time and time again. meanwhile sora did not even think she'd be involved in any ninja adventures, yet here we are. she didn't even think she'd have powers, no less improve at controlling them, she didn't think she'd have all of this but still got it

one friend had neverending hope, had a dream so big, that his imagination became reality. yet, it looked like destiny didn't agree with it, making his hope falter and his dream shatter, his self esteem dangerously lowering as he started to doubt if he was ever good enough, and he started to doubt if everyone else believed in him too

the other was never focused on hope, or a dream, she accepted the life she lived as long as it meant she won't return to her past. destiny didn't disappoint her, but it contrasted with her opinions in ways that she didn't really agree with. but in the end, she managed to resolve her past and move on from it, as she started focusing more on the present and being happier than she's ever been, even if her past pulled her back at times. they're both best friends despite all these differences, but after what happened in the s2p1 finale, will they be for long?

[lunar-eclipse-bunnies]

crying once again over cole's symbolism

death being tied to him, the earth ninja, makes so much sense. all that comes from the earth (students, children, mothers) someday return to it in a never-ending cycle. not even cole, a manifestation of the element of earth, is free from it

and the fact that his initial weapon is a scythe, a farming tool,

and is ANOTHER symbol of death and mourning hits me so fucking hard because this was NEVER intended in the beginning of the show but naturally evolved from it

and then transfering his weapon to a hammer, a symbol of revenge and justice, building up to master of the mountain where he truly comes into his own, avenging his mother AGHHHHHHH

and despite the fact that he is the strongest, has the most to be angry and vengeful for, cole chooses to be good and kind. just because his mom asked him to, because he knows the good he can cause:

"I will always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust."

AND DON'T EVEN GET ME STARTED ON DAD COLE. ON THE SYMBOLISM BETWEEN COLE, THE EARTH, NURTURING AND GUIDING YOUNG WU, HES ARGUABLY THE BEST WITH CHILDREN, AND DOMESTIC WORK REGAURDING THEM, UGHHHH

even just between cole and his own mother; keeping her son grounded and whole, despite her passing, the fact that decisions she made as the earth elemental master had ripple effects that long outlived herself, the fact that she lived on not only through her son, but through her reputation among the mountain inhabitants and the good she did for them--

their NAMES, even! Cole -> coal -> victory, or literal charcoal black.

Lilly -> lily (flower) -> passion, rebirth, purity, abundance. literally white flowers.

she was the flower that nurtured a victorious coal.

[legosreallyarekissable]

"All this time I've been trying to protect you, and you've never needed it. You're amazing!" KAI TO NYA. Why is he so older brother.. sob.. but I came here to point out how this hints Kai has taken the responsibilites as much as he could through his whole life to help Nya

[thestoryteller-thedreamer]

Long rant about Dr. Julien and Garmadon as fathers below the cut

In Season 2 of Ninjago, Legacy of the Green Ninja, there is almost an entire episode devoted to a rather random side story that takes place right as the plot picks up.

Now, before I continue, Season 2 is the filler episode season of all filler episode seasons. I enjoy all of them, not for their plot relevance but for the pure nostalgia and fun they offer, from the extreme nascar racing to fighting evil clones, even if it makes no sense whatsoever and is all retconned by the time travel episode where they erase the mega weapon from existence (or so they thought...)

At first glance, Episode 9, The Last Voyage, does seem a bit like filler or fluff. Most of the episode is taken up with Zane and his dad, and while their reunion is one of the sweetest scenes of the season, it isn’t exactly necessary. Dr. Julien doesn’t add anything to the cast that the other characters couldn’t provide. He gives a bit of exposition and encouragement, saves Lloyd by crashing the Bounty (which, again, one of the other characters could have done) and has an endearing dynamic with Zane. But he was so extraneous that the writers removed him off screen in between seasons 2 and 3, and don’t even give us an opportunity to see Zane grieve over his loss. Honestly, the majority of the episode could have probably been removed, with the leftover bits added to some of the others, and the plot of the season really wouldn’t change. 

However, I think this episode is critical for understanding Lloyd and Garmadon’s dynamic during this whole season. They are both very minimal characters in this episode (again, why it can feel like a filler, since they are, or at least should be, the primary characters this whole season), but Zane and Dr. Julien are set up as a direct comparison to their relationship. 

In the middle of a story all about a father and son on opposite sides of the battle, we are given a glimpse of a healthy and beautiful father and son relationship. Zane reunites with the dad he thought he lost, Dr. Julien finds the son he feared would despise him, and they are both given a happy ending.

Meanwhile, Lloyd watches all of this go down believing that he will never have a chance at a happy ending with his dad. He is pretty quiet the whole scene, without a single line from the moment Dr. Julien introduces himself as Zane’s father until the conversation changes to talking about the Leviathan. It’s like he’s mourning his chance at a normal life with his dad, knowing the only way he can save the world is if he dooms his family.

That isn’t the only thing that interests me about this scene, though. 

Dr. Julien’s primary concern is that Zane will believe he’s a monster. Forced to make weapons in order to earn his freedom and reunite with his son, he expresses his guilt over what he did (and his choices directly impacted Kai and Nya, allowing the skeletons to kidnap her in the pilot episodes). But Zane forgives him, and, as it appears, so does the rest of the team.

I wonder if this scene planted a seed for Lloyd, one that he didn’t even realize until the Final Battle arrived. He was faced with another father who, regardless of the terrible crimes he’d committed, was primarily motivated out of love for his son. Lloyd saw another man who had become a monster, but still believed he could make up for what he’d done. 

I wonder if the scene in the lighthouse gave Lloyd hope. I wonder if he realized, deep down, that maybe there was still a chance he could save his dad. 

[sharksandjays]

guys.

guys Built To Protect plays when Jay recharges the ship.

guys.