#but kai is special

[ravenrambles6229]

kai_ninjago appreciation hours

k gamer we need to talk about kai and how he is consistently the family man of the ninja and arguably the most emotionally mature of them all when it comes to family

i love kai so much. hes not the brightest, but he is the most loving out of all the ninja, even if it’s in his own way.

first up, presumably taking care of nya for years on his own. like, im sure the neighbors helped out, but he has gone on record saying that they mostly grew up on their own. this kid got “abandoned” by his parents. but even then, he lit lanterns with nya on day of the departed. even though he didn’t know what happened to them, he chooses to believe that they wouldn’t leave them willingly. that they’re still worth remembering and loving.

when it’s revealed that zane is a robot, kai is the first one there. “you may be a robot, but you’re still our brother.” being a robot doesnt change anything, and kai is the first one to make sure zane knows it, but is also the one to later tell the others “we just have to give him time. i don’t know how i’d feel if somebody told me i was a robot.” Like, he empathizes with zane! he tells zane he still loves him, respects zane’s wish to be given space, and expresses empathy with him. in ninjago decoded, kai even reveals that he often forgets zane isn’t human. zane is, at this point, made of titanium. and yet all kai sees is zane

ok and then there’s his true potential. what even is there to say about that one? how he realizes his purpose is to protect his family. he’s there to protect lloyd. the one that once left lloyd, flaked out on him. he realizes that no, this kid is everything to him.

when lloyd was climbing the tower to fight the overlord, kai was right there, ready to protect him. “there’s only one green ninja.” this is no longer about him, it’s about lloyd’s destiny to save the world. and he would do everything to make sure lloyd makes it through that

now. kai gets a lot of flack for being not that smart. and dude really aint. his mouth is a pistol with which to shoot himself in the foot. but when it comes to family? He’s one of the most eloquent there. In titanium ninja, he’s the one to first coin “this isn’t about numbers, it’s about family.” something that resonated with zane strongly enough that he would fight the overlord despite all odds.

And then the funeral. it wasnt wu to speak. or cole or jay or even lloyd, but kai. his speech is genuinely like... really good?

“Everybody wondered what powered Zane, and I don’t think we’ll ever know, but I’d like to think it was brotherhood. Because he powered me. And he still powers me. Wherever you are Zane, you’ll always be one of us.”

this is coming from a dude that probably can’t do long division or tell you what a prepositional phrase is. what kai lacks in book smarts, and even in typical maturity (he’s still very much so a teenager) he makes up for with this insane emotional intelligence specifically regarding family.

in season 4, he’s the one we see visiting zane’s statue. he’s the one that supports lloyd in spite of his crush on skylor (even cole and jay got distracted by their own squabbling, even if they did the right thing in the end) he’s the one that took NONE of skylor’s bullshit once she revealed having ice powers.

and he was so deeply hurt by her betrayal! he felt genuinely betrayed! he really trusted her, even though he probably shouldnt have, seeing as she tried to turn him against lloyd. but just like lloyd with harumi, kai saw the good in her. and his loyalty changed skylor.

then season 5. lloyd just had to banish his father. so kai does what he did once already: steps up to be there. telling lloyd that he’ll be there for him. and he is. he’s the one to get through to lloyd on multiple occasions when he’s possessed by morro after all.

season 7. kai is so genuinely hurt when he thinks his dad betrayed them. but once he knows they’re on his side, he’s so, so, SO genuinely relieved, and later doesn’t hold it against them that he and nya grew up alone, even though he does have plenty of right to do so, or to at least still feel hurt by it. no. he’s just glad to have them back.

i don’t remember season 8 very clearly, but kai being the one to answer cole’s questions about babies is pretty fun.

season 9 puts them through the wringer. at first, kai is actually the one freaking out the most, he wants to go home so badly, they don’t know what happened to lloyd. but when wu and hope are lamenting being tied to fucking stakes and left to die, kai is the first one to comfort wu. to start joking around to lighten the mood, which the others then piggyback off of. it’s kai that’s there to try and comfort him first.

season 10, cole’s fall. you can tell how badly kai wants to go back for cole, even when all logic dictates that they’d die. personally, i like to imagine that he told zane that “this isn’t about logic, it’s about family” to which zane might say “this is about the innocent lives on our ship” to which kai just. looks down in sorrow.

but when lloyd returns, they’re all silent. none of them want to tell lloyd what happened. it’s kai that breaks the news. it’s kai (and jay of course) that comforts nya when she blames herself. it’s kai that later goes to nya when she’s alone to tell her that it’s not her fault, and to push her towards moving past what happened, at least long enough that they can make it through this to grieve cole later. the one to reinforce to nya that cole wouldnt hold what happened against her (by offering her the scythe)

it’s just... it’s so consistently a part of kai’s character. i don’t know the second series enough off the top of my head to really point to specific examples. which is like, on me of course.

but when he lost nya, he channeled that into becoming a DOJO INSTRUCTOR for YOUNG CHILDREN. He saw his sister disappear, and decided to protect the rest of the children of ninjago, in whatever way he could: by making sure they could defend themselves, even if he’s not able to do it for them. it’s... honestly remarkably touching and poignant.

but like, shit, man. dragons rising NAILED big brother kai. the way he picks up lloyd and spins him around. he’s overflowing with so much love for his family. there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that he’d go through hell and high water for any of them. which is true of all the ninja, of course, but kai... he’s special

he’s the one that knows what to say. how to comfort someone. how to make someone feel loved. how to help someone grieve. even if he doesn’t always know how to handle that grief himself (see his time as the burning shogun)

the fact that he learned these skills from such a young age is tragic in its own right, but that he managed to turn his loss and strife into such a positive character trait is nothing short of amazing, and is such a sorely overlooked aspect to his character.

tl;dr - Kai is not only loyal to a fault, but also capable of comforting people and being there for them. He loves his family so much, and he’s one of the best at expressing that in the little ways and big ones.

(sidebar but shoutout to his VA. he’s the one that really makes kai come to life)

[l1-b1]

13 years of Ninjago! Can you believe that??

AND ITS STILL GOING???

[kathrahender]

Me with every pair of two rivals: They're married your honor.

[zu-is-here]

✧ Dreamtale x The Snow Queen ✧

[3/5] Happy anniversary ♡

Dream & Nightmare by jokublog

[calirph]

𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐏𝐇 𝐌𝐀𝐂𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐎 𝐀𝐒 𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐈𝐄𝐋 𝐋𝐀𝐑𝐔𝐒𝐒𝐎 and 𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐌 𝐙𝐀𝐁𝐊𝐀 𝐀𝐒 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍𝐍𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐖𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

different but same. The Karete Kid (1984) / Cobra Kai 2.05

[holdingforexo]

holding for jongin: day 634 of 641 ↳ EXO KAI backstage during KAI Japan Special Live 2023

[kindaasrikal]

Do you think Cole used to help Nya with feeling comfortable in her own skin again and feeling flesh and bones, as well as acting alive again, whilst also helping her keep her form and be more conscious and sure of it after merging with the sea, simply because he gets it?

Ghost Cole you will not be forgotten.

[tainebot01]

This pokespe meme has permanently resided in the back of my mind ever since I saw it back in middle school.

(Original image below for reference)

[olisgifs]

— sue zhao

[sematarygirls]

ada sonny with an age gap relationship?

i wasn't 100% sure what exactly to do, so i'm just gonna do some headcanons; i hope that's okay !!

                   ౨ৎ

is definitely very, very insecure about the age gap. he worries that he's too old for you, and one day, you're going to realize you want someone closer to your age. it does make him feel better when you reassure him (his love language) that you love him in spite of his age and aren't going anywhere.

he's also always the butt of the joke because of his age. you'll lightly poke fun and call him old when he references something that's before your time, and your friends all refer to him as "grandpa."

you two do not share the same humor. he'll make a joke and die laughing while you're sitting there completely lost (and vice versa).

he claims he's always right because he's "older and wiser" which makes you roll your eyes. he usually is always right, but that's besides the point!

date night is hard to plan because you want to do fun and exciting stuff like party, but he wants to do relaxing and romantic stuff.

you tried to do a cute cooking date once, but he got frustrated because he's such a control freak in the kitchen.

you two argue like an old married couple. looooooots of bickering because he's too mature, and you're very immature.

talks about stuff and asks you to do things that he expects you to know and gets very bitchy when you don't (he's got the sass of a teenage girl)

tries to get you to come to court to see him win at least once, but you find it boring. all the legal jargon and having to sit quietly the whole time makes you want to fall asleep.

finding a show or movie to watch is sooooo difficult because your tastes are so wildly different.

same thing with music. you'll put on a new song you like, and he'll roll his eyes and tell you to put on something actually good (even though half the time he ends up actually liking the song)

he's very worried about what other people will think of your relationship. he loves you and wants to show you off, but he worries that the age gap (completely 100% legal, of course) will rub some people the wrong way.

sometimes, he gets insecure about his grey hairs and wrinkles, but when you tell him how much you love them and how sexy they are, he immediately feels a million times better.

constantly tells you how lucky he is that someone as attractive as you loves an old man like him. he's seriously bewildered why, but he feels so grateful for you. you're everything to him

you make him feel young again, and he loves it.

[accirax]

💙❤️Blind Date or Die Episode 2, Starring Eden, Kai, David, Ingrid, Hu, Wenona, Arei, and Desmond!💙❤️

[starlingstalk]

Always feels like a tragedy when I spent a long time fighting with the colors and then just end up liking the greyscale better. D:

More vampire au stuff. Kai hates their guts. His hatred feels indulgent and he hates that too.

[uselesstimetraveler]

ncis hawaii -> s01e01 "pilot" -> the gang

[theaceofarrows]

Ninjago headcanon

Kai's first Christmas after becoming a ninja, he got Cole a sack of grilling charcoal as a gag gift since he's the earth ninja.

It was unironically Cole's favorite present that year.

[blusandbirds]

demetri on the kenny devon thing is so funny “so he just forgave her all of the sudden? after what she did? i don’t buy it” brother you were hugging the mohawked menace before you like two minutes after he last kicked one of your teammates in the face. you were standing in the shards of property damage he inflicted when he gave you the im sorry eyes and you folded immediately, broken window and arm be damned. you are possibly the only person in this room who gets it.

[deviousdevilx]

Y'all...

Cobra Kai Season 6 Episode 9