#wu probably didn't WANT kai to be the green ninja because kai had that same ambition and yearning that morro had

[nyaskitten]

wu ninjago... I love you...

[master-jarrus]

Okay so headcanons I had that I kind of assumed they were at least known across the fandom but just learned they were not

A good chunk of these are from fanfics I read back in like 2016-2017 when I first got fanfic and I haven't been able to find those fics to reference them

Misako married Garmadon for career reasons.

Like yes she does genuinely like him but this woman had two GODS fighting over her, she probably had her choice of suitors and went with Garmadon because he would let her have a career and his family being so old and her being an archeologist. She would have to be stupid to pass that up

Lloyd was an oops baby

Also he was a miracle baby

I don't think Misako and Garmadon thought children were a good idea, like they wanted them but with the GD venom and Misako's career they didn't want to bring a child into that

Misako had been pregnant a few times but always miscarried

(This leads into my hc that Garmadon went after the golden weapons because Lloyd was sick as a baby but I didn't assume that was across the fandom so it's not technically included)

While Ray and Wu were closer Garmadon and Ray were actually friends and if Misako hadn't existed Garmadon would've been a weird uncle/3rd parent to Nya and Kai

I remember people shipping Garmadon and Ray and then in the same breath they'd ship Garmadon and Clouse (nothing wrong with multishipping I'm just trying to empathize that I remember it being popular)

Garmadon was actually really popular with the elemental alliance but the friendships started when he was at least tipsy or drunk

He just didn't know how to people and used alcohol to cope but it affected him once in battle and quit drinking that day

Garmadon and Morro either didn't meet

OR

Garmadon met Morro right after he got back from Chen and adored him

It scared him a little to see Morro want the greatness the Garmadon also craved but since Morro wanted to be the Green Ninja Garmadon encouraged him on that path thinking it would've saved him

He regrets that greatly

That's all I can think of for now

Yes they are all about Garmadon because he has always been my favorite character

[star-light-shadows]

I can see a lot of where you're coming from with this but at the same time, I'd have to confirm that I just don't agree with this perspective.

Yes, Nya wanted to be part of the Boys club, but in my mind, the Green Ninja scene showed that she had grown past any desire to be just like everyone else in favor of being as strong as everyone else in her own way.

Sure the way Samurai X was continuously sidelined instead of being properly included in the team is lame, but I still love the idea of a character proving to be just as capable as the super-powered people in the series through sheer ingenuity and grit. And if any character was going to be that character, Nya fits 110 percent.

I can't help but focalize on the fact that Samurai X was introduced as being Overpowered compared to the Ninja.

The Time travel episode in Season 2 especially highlighted this by having Nya not get captured and make the choice to train under Sensei Wu even when Kai was apathetic to the whole scenario. In this timeline she was on the way to becoming a Ninja as a result of her own ambition, consistent with the main timeline where when her brother gains powers and supercedes her, she still ends up becoming a capable warrior on her own through different means. (Side-Note ever since I was a kid I was honestly salty she didn't become the Ninja of Fire in this timeline.)

Sometimes people stop wanting what they once wanted, especially if they find an alternative. It makes perfect sense for Nya to no longer want to be another Ninja when she can and has been more.

(Also, minor gripe, but, honestly Water was the single most unfitting element Nya could have been given. I'm not going to pretend like I thought of this myself, but give the badass headstrong mechanic girl the power of metal, you idiots.)

Even if she was made to be ecstatic and smug about finally getting powers like the others, I could probably forgive it if they had just let her stay a Samurai rather than making her another Ninja.

I'm not even talking about her keeping the hulking Mecha suit, just having an outfit that's more Samurai-like and less Ninja-like, and letting her keep and make frequent use of gadgets she invented herself.

Even just that would go a long-ass way in keeping what made Nya Nya.

And with the role of Ninja not being forced on her like your suggestion, her falling into a groove would be infinitely more digestible. I understand the concept of a character's arc being over and them being allowed to breathe as a result, but when the resolution to their arc was in itself bad that turns into a writing flaw. (And really scenarios like that should try to do new things with the character anyway, rather than letting the character completely stagnate.)

And frankly I just flat out don't see any of what you're saying about Seabound. From what I remember she couldn't/didn't use her powers for anything pretty much the entire season, and to say she exercised agency is being real generous given the entire plot of the season basically forced her into every single situation.

There's also the way the season pushed that Water was Nya's thing so hard that it literally felt like Water was Nya's entire character. Having her constantly be pissy because she can't use her powers, and having her act like "No one understands the element like I do" and crap like that.

(Also there's a difference between losing access to her powers like the other Ninja constantly do and her powers actively backfiring on her, which in the face of all the other narrative disrespect I described just comes off as adding injury to insult.)

A rant all about how Nya's character was ruined.

This summarizes and extends upon a conversation had on this post, by @parachutingkitten

Nya's entire character in Seasons 1-4 was about her being strong on her own merits and independent and being her own person, instead of being what others expect of her or trying to imitate her peers' strengths. She even deliberately turned down the chance to check if she was destined to be the prestigious Green Ninja, because she was happy with being a Samurai instead, cause that was the identity and strength she built for herself.

The uniqueness in her skillset and role on the team was in itself a crucial part of what MADE her character strong and independent. It was a path she chose for herself in contrast to any of the outside influences she had.

Season 5 making Nya a Ninja, especially under Wu's insistence and explicitly against her will, sabotages every part of all of this.

Now She's a shell of her former self with everything that made her character actually interesting either stripped away outright or turned into a bland and weak facsimile. All she has left to give her even a modicum of character depth is some vague sense of independence that is constantly shown-not-told and/or outright undermined.

She rightfully gripes about being forced to be the gray Ninja in seasons 6 and 7, but both seasons then proceed to deliberately undermine her independence, with Season 6 ending with her will being overridden by Jay's and Genie magic, and Season 7 introducing a new Samurai X.(Which I have more to say about later.) Nya's discontent with her situation gets dropped entirely, with Nya effectively resigning to her fate.

From then until all the way in Seabound, there's no pushback against her independent nature to highlight that she IS strong or independent, and nothing else to give her any other character depth. She literally becomes a glorified water fountain that also happens to be married to the electric one.

And then Seabound is somehow even WORSE.

Seabound's ENTIRE plot is literally summarized as "Nya getting screwed over by her powers: The Movie." Powers that she wasn't originally supposed to have, mind you, not just out-of-universe, but as this Season reveals, apparently IN-universe. (I don't even KNOW what that's about.)

The story yet again does an ass job at portraying Nya as independent and then screws her over. Yet even worse than Seasons 6 and 7, because it literally amounts to her being mildly annoyed at her mother's presence and the brain-dead arc-phrase of "I don't like crumbly cookies," culminating in her resigning to her apparent fate yet again and literally sacrificing her sense of self and identity to her elemental powers.

Seabound's ending is frankly one big metaphor for what Season 5 did to her character.

They also, weirdly consistently, screwed Nya's character using Pixal. Prior to Season 8, she was flat as cardboard and yet was undeservedly given the Samurai X mantle. Then the Season 8/Movie redesign traded in Nya's iconic and unique hairstyle for one literally identical to Pixal's. And Pixal even stole Nya's role as the Mechie,(despite already being the techie) a field where she reaches ridiculous heights by the time of Crystalized. (Speaking of which:)

Crystalized puts a cherry on top of this character-assassination sundae by finally separating Nya from that accursed element, and having her even make the choice to take back her Samurai X identity, but then it, despite the main threat of the 2nd chapter literally being the exact situation where Samurai Nya should be MVP, randomly proves pointless and ineffective, forcing Nya to come running back to her elemental powers. (Even worse, for the sake of CRYING FOR HELP.)

It's like she has some kind of toxic relationship with the element of water that fate and the writers are actively pushing and preventing from being severed.

[ninjaslegos]

Hear me out... au where..

Kai bein a bully to a really shy reader bc he's tryna hide a crush from them!

OP, OP, OP, I'm so so sorry if you didn't want angst. It just...made sense to me in my head? Like from Kai's perspective it's probably the typical "oh if he's mean to you he actually likes you" but from reader's perspective...he's just being a jerk :(.

Going Too Far

He doesn't really know why he started bullying you. He thought you were cute, and in order to keep that a secret, he just...began to pick on you. He rationalized it away in his head by telling himself you were small and weak, and you needed this as a push to become stronger.

It was just meant to be teasing words, almost like sibling banter, but the longer he kept his feelings bottled up, the more angry he became about it, and his teasing escalated.

"Students, come meet your new teammate. (Y/N), the element of Sound. They're here because they can replicate the sound of the Sacred Flute." Wu announced.

Kai flushed, you were shorter than most people your age, and you looked rather thin and weak. You held a duffle bag in one hand, and an electric guitar in the other. Your hair was tied back and instead of being dressed in ninja gi, you were in punk rock attire. You looked nervous to be there.

"They're shy, so please be kind to them." Wu then left you to mingle with the other ninja.

Cole looked excited. That probably didn't help the situation between you and Kai at all. "Element of Sound?" He asked, and you nodded. "What kind of music do you like?"

You grinned shyly and looked down to your guitar, "mostly rock, but anything's fine with me." Your voice was amazing; calm and soothing, yet rough and handsome at the same time.

"Yeah?" Kai snorted, "well you better put that music to good use, and toughen up, shorty."

You bonded with Cole instantly over your love of music, and you opened to him easily. "Actually...I wanted to be a famous musician but I'm too nervous onstage." You sigh.

"But I've heard your singing, it's amazing! And the way you can master any instrument? I'm jealous!" You would often hang out with Cole, letting him play drums as you played guitar and sung. It was good practice for you, but it made Kai jealous.

Bit by bit, you adjusted to living with the boys. You trained with them, and even wore a matching gi in a nice shade of teal. But Kai wanted your attention. So he made fun of you. "You must be too small for your gi, look at how baggy it is on you! You should ask Wu for a kids' size." You wore belts to training since then. "Watch your tone! It's making my ears bleed!" You stopped using your voice during training. "You can't even do the full training course by yourself! What makes you think you're worthy of becoming a ninja? Much less the Green Ninja?" You trained three times as hard, and wore yourself out to the point you often skipped dinner just to sleep.

You stopped wearing your punk clothes, you stopped talking as much, you were just as strong as the others, maybe even stronger, and you even had your own spinjitzu; white with sparse black lines and little musical note particles. Kai saw this as a good thing though, you stopped talking to Cole so much, and he felt less jealous of the two of you. You were also much stronger, and that was all because of him. Now you had something to thank him for!

But you hadn't said anything to him. Things kept getting worse; when you lost the battle at Darkley's you secured Lloyd, but Pythor got away. "You moron!" Kai shouted at you, causing you to flinch. "Why did you let him get away? Just use your stupid song to capture him!"

You tensed your body, trying not to cry, "I - I thought that - that getting Lloyd safe was more imp-ort-important -"

He slapped you upside the head. Not hard, but it made you cower under him as he spoke, "that brat was being handled by the rest of us, it was your job to secure Pythor!"

Cole, your knight in shining armor, showed up and put himself between the two of you, "enough, Kai, it's no use fighting over it. What's done is done and all we can do is reflect and figure out what we can do better next time."

He scoffed and left, "whatever," scowling as he listened to Cole console you.

"He didn't hurt you, did he? Are you okay?"

So maybe he slipped up once. That was okay, he just wouldn't hit you again.

After defeating The Great Devourer, you cheered with your team, as they all praised you for putting the beast to sleep before Garmadon hit its weak spot, destroying it once and for all.

"Without you, we probably wouldn't have beaten it."

"Yeah, and imagine the mess it would've made if it had gotten to Ninjago City!"

Kai just scoffed, "yeah, well look around you. Garmadon is gone, and so are our weapons."

You were still so happy after winning the battle, and he loved your smile. "But Kai," his name sounded so pretty from your mouth, "we still won today, and that should be celebrated."

He decided not to argue. "I guess. Good job, (Y/N)."

It was peaceful for a while, and Kai was starting to get on good terms with you. "Gee, Kai, it seems like you're finally starting to warm up to them!" Jay commented, nudging him.

He frowned at that; was he showing interest in you? This was bad; he didn't even know if you liked him back, he couldn't let you know he loved you if you didn't like him, then things would be weird between the two of you.

So once Garmadon came back, he fell into his old ways. Yelling at you, blaming you for failure, pushing you to your limits. Things got worse as you became quiet again. After the Grundle incident, Kai yelled at you, blaming you for Lloyd. "If you weren't some clumsy fuck-up, he wouldn't have had to skip out on his childhood." He glared you down.

"Really, it's not that big of a deal-" Lloyd tried to reason, but you had already left and holed yourself in your room. You didn't come out for dinner, and you didn't come out for breakfast the next day either.

Cole had to talk you out of your room. Of course it was him. Kai confronted him about being a partner thief. "What are you talking about, Kai?"

"I like (Y/N)! How am I supposed to woo them if you're there getting all buddy-buddy with them!"

Cole laughed in his face. Laughed at him. "What a joke!" His laughter slowed as he saw Kai's serious face. "No way, you're not kidding?" He laughed even harder now, "(Y/N) not gonna fall in love with you, dude. Not when you treat them like shit."

Kai fumed. "I'm not! I'm teaching them to get stronger! They'll thank me, and tell me how much they appreciated it! And it's not like I can be super nice to them! They'll know I like them!"

"It won't work. Acting like a jerk to someone you like will only push them away."

"No, it will work! You'll see!" Kai stomped off, fuming.

So now you were ignoring Kai. Either that, or avoiding him. You would be out on the deck, training, but leave the moment Kai showed up. You would come into the dining room during dinner, grab a plate of food, and take it to your room. It frustrated him to no end.

He finally snapped once the Overlord and Lord Garmadon were defeated. Cole was supporting you as you had twisted your ankle on the stairs, and once you hugged him because it was finally over, Kai lost it. Once you got home, he cornered you. You cowered under him yet again. Just like always. "Just stop hiding from me!" He yelled. He grabbed you by your collar and shook you. "You ignore me, you hide from me, just what do you think you're doing?"

You shook your head, trying not to cry as you held your hands up in front of your face in a defensive position. Did you think he was going to hit you? It just made him more angry, he swore not to hit you. "Cole!" You wailed loudly.

The Earth ninja came to your aid immediately. "KAI!!" He bellowed, loud enough to startle him and let you go. You made a dash for your room as Cole blocked his way. "Stop harassing (Y/N)! I tell you to be nice to them and I find you pinning them and yelling at them? What is wrong with you?"

They bickered over you until Zane, Jay, and even Lloyd had to separate them. He didn't see you for two days afterwards.

Today, you asked Kai to accompany you outside; leaving a note under his door. You glowed under the moonlight; everyone else was already asleep, and you sat at the edge of The Bounty, legs between the railing as you leaned against it to look out at the land below. He stands beside you, making no move to sit, and crosses his arms. "Why did you ask me here?" He states bluntly. "I'm tired."

You fidget with your fingers nervously, glancing up at him. Your face was flushed like you had been crying. Otherwise; you looked beautiful. "... Why do you hate me?"

He clenched his jaw; you thought he hated you? What made you think that? "You're stupid, I don't hate you."

You tighten your hands into fists as you made a face. You looked frustrated, tired, maybe even depressed. "I...it's just..." you ran your fingers through your hair and grabbed it into your hands, grunting and trying not to openly sob, "th-tch-gh-"

"Well, spit it out, I don't have all day." He snaps.

"What is wrong with you in your head?!" You yell, breaking the silence of the night. Tears flow down your cheeks like rain, as you sniffle like a lost child. "I try so hard to please you, because you're always complaining about me, but you just brush it all off like I'm nothing. You act like I'm worthless, like I don't do anything. 'You're stupid, (Y/N), you're weak, (Y/N), we'd be better off without you, (Y/N).' And after all that, you tell me you don't actually hate me? What kind of sick game are you trying to play with me?!"

He was at a loss for words. You were mad at him? Why didn't you say anything? What should he say now?

"Nothing, huh? No 'that was wrong of me' or 'I shouldn't have done that'? Not even an apology." You sniffed, rubbing tears off your face, "I guess I expected too much from you."

He glared at you now. "Listen to me! Don't you get it? I do it all so you can get stronger!"

Your body freezes, like something inside you finally snapped. You turn to face him, fists clenched. "I don't need you to get stronger." He'd never ever heard your voice carry this much darkness in it. You snort, "I've been putting up with you so long and...I just wish you would stop. That if you don't like me, you could at least leave me alone. That's all I want from you."

Kai didn't like these words. He just couldn't accept that after all of this, you didn't like him?

He didn't think before he spoke. "You - you're just so selfish!"

And he definitely didn't think before he acted, either.

The anger left his body like wind knocked from someone's lungs. His hands flew to his face first in surprise, as he knelt down beside you, "(Y/N)! Ohhhhh shit - (Y/N)!" He reached out towards you, unsure, as you breathed heavily and cupped your eye. "Hey, hey, I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"What in the world is going on?!" Wu shouted, thumping his staff against the floor. He helped you stand, and scolded Kai with harsh words. "(Y/N) is your sibling as much as Cole, Jay, Zane, and Lloyd are your brothers. And you never hit your family."\

Kai sulked the whole way there as he continued getting chewed out. He snuck a few glances at you, but you were faced away from him, as Wu brought you to your room. Even his teammates woke up and came out of their room to see what was happening.

He went to sleep with a heavy heart full of shame. Maybe he could fix this?

He woke up the next morning to a commotion outside. Turning over to go back to sleep, he put a pillow over his head. "What's going on outside?" He asked, but no one answered him. He perked up, but no one was there. Either they were outside, or doing something else, but now he was curious. As he walked past your room, he saw the door open and your room looked much tidier than usual, almost like it hasn't been lived in.

Wait.

Scurrying to get outside, he didn't even change out of his pajamas, and was met with everyone else looking tearful. "What's...going on?"

"(Y/N)'s leaving." Zane stated.

What? Kai looked between Cole and Nya to find you hugging both of them tightly. You had your duffel bag at your feet, guitar strapped to your back. Things were falling apart. He stared at you; your eye was bruised - his fault. "Hey - hey, why are you leaving?"

You took a deep breath and sighed, finally turning to face him. "You know why. I...can't keep getting hurt like this. It's easier for me to leave than for you to leave and be apart from your sister, and Lloyd as one of the elements of creation. I'm just sound. I'm going to live with Garmadon, to continue training, and to help him build a new dojo."

"But - but you can't just leave, you can't leave me!" He reached out to touch you, but didn't, looking at your eye and remembering what happened last time he did. "I love you too much to let you go."

"Well, Kai, you're going to have to love someone else. I can't love someone who would rather hurt me than tell me their true feelings."

You left without telling him goodbye; you left without giving him a hug. All you left for him were heavy words that weighed down his chest and formed a lump in his throat and blurred his vision.

[kaithemasterof-fear]

I still haven't found a name for this AU

You know my lovely AU, Ninjago everything is the same except Misako is actually a good character (mom)? Well now it's Ninjago everything is messed up by how I think it would've been cool so enjoy!

Original AU:

Lloyd didn't move in at the Ninja's after Pythor betrayed him

It's not that Wu didn't want him to, it's just that he somehow got away, again

Lloyd had no idea that his uncle had good intentions, and it's not exactly like anything in his life ever has given him any reason to trust anyone, not even family

So Lloyd live on the streets

Because of his trust issues he doesn't join any gangs when he gets older, like most kids living on the streets in Ninjago do

Which keeps him off the radar

Which is why Wu and the Ninjas can't find him, but did they look? Heck yeah!

When he gets a little older it starts getting even more dangerous to sleep on the streets and he start working for really sketchy ppl, his payment being a little food and a (poor) place to sleep

He's pretty thankful tho, since it keep him out of unnecessary trouble and he's learned that keeping a low profile is the best way to stay safe

When he's 14 he meets a new dude he starts working for

This dude is way different than the others, he doesn't really seem that dangerous and he's not connected to any serious crime at all

He's a little annoying and weird, but it's kinda refreshing and he's pretty nice

His name is Dareth, but Lloyd is to call him Sensei Dareth which he honestly don't mind, he's been asked to do worse for a job

Dareth is also a little more generous with the "payment" and the work isn't that bad

He just run errands and clean the Dojo

On his day off ("you can have that?") he just relax or use the time to look for his mom

He tries everything, everyone he think can help him find information, even Darkley's, but nothing

Just as Misako he's not allowed the information since she wrote off her rights as his mom

After a little while he come to the conclusion that his best option is to seek out his uncle

Which is pretty awkward taking the past into consideration

But eventually he figured out where him and the Ninjas live and work up the courage to go there

When he knocks on the door he just hope that his uncle will be the one answering

But his luck it's of course Kai

Kai doesn't recognise him tho, but when Lloyd request to talk with Wu he seems suspicious

"Who were you again?" "Lloyd- Lloyd Garmadon. Look I know we've had a not so great encounter in the past, but I just want to speak to my uncle, nothing else, I swear." "Why?"

Lloyd sighed and decided that his best bet was to lay all cards on the table, it seemed to be the best way, with Kai, at least

After he'd explained everything about how he was looking for his mum who'd left him all these years ago and wasn't able to get any information anywhere and now wanted to ask his uncle, his only known relative except for his dad Kai just nodded end went to get Wu

Lloyd thought he saw something change in Kai's eyes when he mentioned not knowing what happened to his mom, but that was probably just his imagination

As soon as Wu saw Lloyd standing there, really small and skinny with clothes not at all suit for him, looking so alone and abandoned something he'd thought long forgotten all came back to him at once

It was crazy how much Lloyd reminded him of Morro as he was standing there

The comparison scared him, but also gave him a hope

He invited Lloyd in for tea and after Lloyd had explained everything and asked if he had any information about his mom, Wu so heartfelt wanted to tell him all he knew, but he figured (he was wrong) that Misako didn't want to be found, otherwise she'd already seeked out Lloyd herself

With these news and his last hope of finding his mom Lloyd just broke down

Wu tried to comfort him the best he could, but of course he was still pretty down afterwards

Wu offered that Lloyd could stay with them, at first he actually thought about declining, but decided that why not

And that's how he ended up living with his uncle and the Ninjas

They got his stuff from Dareth and he got a room

At first the others were kinda vary around him and didn't like him at all, since last time they saw him he was with Pythor at Darkley's school for bad boys, and it wasn't like he trusted them any more than they trusted him

So at first they barely had any contact, but one day when he was extra down over his whole thing with his mom, Cole found and comforted him

They ended up connecting a little on the part with not having a mom and Cole even told Lloyd about his issues with his father

After that Lloyd trusted Cole and since Cole trusted Lloyd the others automatically trusted him a little more and they ended up getting pretty close

Lloyd always thought the Ninjas competitions to become the green ninja were hilarious, and him and Nya would usually be talking about their latest idea and discuss who they thought it would be

One of Lloyd's favourite jokes was to, when the Ninjas were discussing the identity of the green ninja, to suggest himself, just to see the look on their faces

It was priceless

Tho not as priceless as when he was actually revealed as the green ninja

Wu couldn't help but feel a little bit of sadness, but also so much happiness that this was what put Morro and Lloyd apart, because Lloyd made it, the weapons chose him

At first Lloyd was scared they'd be mad that he was the green ninja and not one of them, but they took it pretty well and were pretty supportive, even Kai

But Lloyd actually apologised on more than one occasion for being the green Ninja

When Misako showed up at their doorstep they were all so happy on Lloyd's behalf and were being really supportive

Even tho Lloyd was happy to see his mom it all became too much at one point and when she'd gone home and Lloyd finally had a moment for himself he broke down

He was really happy, it was just really overwhelming

The others got so worried they were all in complete mother hen mode

Which resulted in Lloyd doing a mix between crying and laughing

He really loved his family

Hmmm, that was long lmaooo, longer than I intended but shhhhhhh, I kinda like this au and I sure hope you guys like it as well!!

[riftid-fox]

This just make me realize something...

What if instead of Kai wanting power... Wants acceptation, or being part of something, like a family, perhaps.

What if Kai felt that he needed the power in order to gain acceptation in a society that left him and his sister for granted after theirs parents disappearing, what if Kai wanted the feel of attention, but not by the power that conceive him that, by the social interaction that the power have him?

Like, Kai wants power, power brings popularity (or acceptation in this case), acceptance brings the feeling of belonging, belonging brings the feeling of security, that's mostly common on the feeling of being love and being part of a family, something that he desperately needs, not wants, needs.

He was five (if I'm nots mistaken, since Nya confirm their parent disappeared when she was 3yo, and I think officially Kai it's 2yrs older than her) when both of his parents disappeared, and he had to take the role of a parent figure for Nya, and it's confirmed that mostly he entertain her by juggling hammers for blacksmithing, and she laughed the hardest when he hit himself.

Kai was rather suspicious towards Wu (mostly, like, temperamental? Towards him) because Kai didn't like people to brag about stuff. Also, (if not mistaken) Kai made mostly all weapons they sold, and Nya was in charge of the prices and stuff, but... How could a 5yo thought his 3yo sister to count some huge amounts?

He might have send her to school. Something that he really didn't take, because of, well, money to do so.

What if Kai, didn't want to be the Green Ninja because of the Power per say, but the Power of Acceptance that Popularity brought him!

He doesn't want the Green Powe, he wants the power of acceptance and feeling of belonging. He wants a family, even if it's kinda fake

Other thing, Kai swore to protect Lloyd, because he saw him as a little sibling, and didn't want the same thing that make Kai go suspicious of social interaction to happen to the kiddo. This could also mean that Kai's words

"I Should've The Green Ninja"

Means that he needs to be The Green Ninja to save Lloyd, because he knows that Lloyd doesn't want to fight his father! He doesn't want to lose family, and Kai wants Lloyd to be happy with his family

After that, Kai's the one with the fear of water, and was trying so hard in rescuing Lloyd, even when his fear make him so afraid. Seeing his little brother, dying, was something that Kai might probably never want to feel NEVER again

Kai's logging for the Green Ninja Tittle was cause because of lack of a decent childhood, lack of parental figures for, like, 10-11 years of his life, and searching for acceptance.

That's why he used the Scythe of Quakes in the Pilots and walked off doing his own thing, because he was must probably being rise like that, do what you gotta do, in order of survival, and more if his little sister was the only thing he has left.

Kai's words "What Am I Saying?" It's maybe because he's afraid, but not maybe of the power (or at least not completely) but... Because that was rather personal and close to heart for him. That's why he was so scared, because he was in shock because of his own revelation of his greatest fears coming true?

Kai also had shown to be more temperamental than Nya (on previous seasons) which let you wandering, if Kia raise her, then why she was... More morally trained?

As Nya, instead of shooing Wu, ask Kai to show him around the shop, but Kai was rather against it!

Maybe it's because A) Kai thought her to be better than him in social manners or B) He send her to school to learn that

So, basically

Kai wants to be the Green Ninja in other to gain acceptance and, to protect Lloyd and Nya, his siblings and family, no Mather his own costs.

What did you think of the staff scene in ns4 where Kai is going back and forth between terror and evil-ness?

oh bOY so like. that scene hits on a whole lot of levels, and to this day I can’t decide if I love it or hate it, and the reason I’d hate it is because they neVER give us the aftermath of that. We do get season 5, which at least gives us that Kai and Lloyd must have resolved it, because Kai’s gone Extra-Supreme Big Brother and is ready to die for him, and Lloyd fights hardest against Morro’s control when Kai’s there, and seems perfectly comfortable being around him. So clearly, relationship was fixed, if there had been any fallout.

But the scene itself! For starters, it reveals a lot, because until this point in the show it’s seemed like Kai’s just fine not being the green ninja? After the volcano, for all outward appearances and actions, he’s totally on board with Lloyd being the green ninja instead of him. He’s enthusiastic about training him, and he’s incredibly supportive — I always go back to the Pirates Vs. Ninja episode, how gentle he is with Lloyd in the beginning and how, even after Lloyd almost got himself killed rushing after them onto the ship, he reassures him that he is an important part of the team and hair-ruffles him, as Kai does. All throughout s2 and 3, Kai seems fine with his place on the team. He’s protective and hot-headed but he’s supportive of Lloyd and has his back as long as he possibly can during the final battle.

But then that scene comes along, and “I should’ve been the green ninja” and “you had all the power, now it’s my turn” come out, and it makes you wonder. There are a lot of ways to interpret his reaction to the staff, because (bless you Vincent Tong) there’s heated anger in the delivery of those lines, and the way he turns on Lloyd specifically is hard to overlook. Granted! Lloyd is the only one actively addressing him at the time and trying to pull him out of it, so it could just be that. Maybe he’d have more to say if Jay or Cole or Zane were there, but it’s Lloyd, so his anger turns on him and the whole green ninja deal comes out. From that, it seems like Kai’s been bottling up how much he wants power, wants to be the green ninja, and now that he’s got the staff he’s down to blast some people if he doesn’t get his way.

But then there’s also the terrified reaction to account for. There’s also the “what am I saying” as he switches back and forth, and it’s clear that he’s fighting hard against whatever the staff’s doing to him. Under the staff’s influence he’s raging, sure, but without it he’s confused and frightened by what he’s saying. And once he’s knocked free, the first thing he does is go for it again — but this time he doesn’t hesitate in smashing it. He might desire power, but he’s strong enough in his conviction to save his family and others that he’s easily able to overcome it.

(And a good bit of that could also be the fact that he isn’t particularly fond of being manipulated by something else, but who knows.)

hsjknfgh this is getting long but personally I think — if only because of how hard Kai took Zane’s death — that a lot of it has to do with the fallout of season three. The interesting thing about what we see of Kai post-Zane’s death is that he never blames Lloyd, or anyone else — he blames himself, thinks it should’ve been him. So I think a good chunk of that desire for power stems from Kai wanting to make sure it never happens again. He needs power to ensure that, and the staff is offering it to him, so it’s a struggle. But that’s just my overly-long meta take XD