Lego Ninjago
 | |
| Subject | Ninja, Dragons |
|---|---|
| Availability | 2011–Present |
| Total sets | 106 (including promotional sets) |
| Characters | Lloyd, Jay, Cole, Kai, Zane, Sensei Wu, Nya |
| Official website | |
Lego Ninjago is a line of sets produced by Lego. It uses elements from the previous Ninja series, however, there are many changes, with a brand new plot, characters and TV show. Also noticeable is the inclusion of advanced vehicles and technology which imply a more modern setting than the feudal Japan setting of the previous incarnation.
Dragons have always been a significant part of Ninjago. An Elemental Dragon was introduced for every Ninja. However, they soon migrated to the Spirit Coves and combined into one four-headed Ultra Dragon. This dragon was soon used by the Green Ninja. Ninjago later introduced into the sets the Golden Dragon, an ancient fighting animal given to Lloyd, passed down by the First Spinjitzu Master; the MechDragon, a cybernetic creature built by the Digital Overlord to capture the Golden Ninja, Lloyd; the Titanium Dragon, an elemental dragon belonging to the Titanium Ninja, Zane; the Morro Dragon, a dragon belonging to Morro, and Jay's Elemental Dragon, a model of the dragon belonging to Jay, ninja of lightning. Every Dragon's head (except for the MechDragon, the Titanium Dragon, the Master Wu Dragon and the Morro Dragon) launches a sphere shaped projectile.
Ninjago started in late 2010/early 2011 with two pilot episodes (later split into four) and a wave of Lego sets, focusing on the ninja's battles with the Skulkin army. The pilot episodes' plot was about the four ninja, Kai, Master of Fire, Jay, Master of Lightning, Cole, Master of Earth, and Zane, Master of Ice. They are brought together by Sensei Wu to form a team to stop the evil Lord Garmadon and his skeleton army.
After its success, a TV series was ordered in 2012 starting with the first season titled "Rise of the Snakes", with another wave of sets and a more modern twist; featuring cities, mechs, and vehicles. Season 2: Rise of the Spinjitzu Master was released and more sets were made featuring the final battle between Lloyd and the Overlord. Although, this was intended to be the end of Ninjago, it continued in 2014 with a third season titled "Rebooted", as well as new sets, featuring a futuristic plot with advanced technology and the ninja's battle with the Digital Overlord and his robotic Nindroid Army. Season 4: Tournament of Elements aired in early 2015, and featured Master Chen, who invited the ninja and all the other "Elemental Masters" to compete in his "Tournament of Elements". Season 5, "Possession" focused on the rise of Morro, the master of wind, a ghost, and Sensei Wu's first student, who possesses Lloyd and battles the ninja with his army of ghosts. Season 6, "Skybound", had the evil djinn Nadakhan and his band of sky pirates fight the ninja, with Nadakhan trying to become all powerful and gain infinite wishes.
In 2015, Ninjago was announced to have a movie the following year, which was delayed until September 23rd, 2017, which is the current release date.[1]
Premise
Pilot (2011)
The theme centers on the world of Ninjago, home to both modern cities and ancient villages. Ninjago was created by the First Master of Spinjitzu using the Four Golden Weapons: the Sword of Fire, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Scythe of Quakes, and the Shurikens of Ice. The four had so much power that no one could wield all four except for the master himself. He had two sons, Garmadon and Wu, who guarded the weapons and banished enemies into the Underworld, including the four-armed skeleton general Samukai. After the First Spinjitzu Master died, his son Garmadon was corrupted by the venom of the Great Devourer and wanted to use the Golden Weapons to recreate Ninjago in his own evil image. However, younger brother Wu fought Garmadon, and Garmadon was banished to the Underworld, vowing to return one day. Wu then hid the weapons in different parts of Ninjago and gave the map to his friend, Kai's father, to hide. However, peace didn't last for long, as Lord Garmadon defeated Samukai, the former general, and took control over the Skulkin Army. Wu brings together four young ninja, Kai, Master of Fire, Jay, Master of Lightning, Cole, Master of Earth, and Zane, Master of Ice to combat the evil Lord Garmadon and his skeleton army and bring peace to Ninjago once again.
Adaptions
Lego Games
On the same day as the release of the original 17 sets, a board game from the Lego Games theme was released in the United Kingdom using elements from the Ninjago theme.[2]
Spinners (Spinjitzu)
In 2011 and 2012, Ninjago featured a two player spinner game, where you spin give your character a spinner, and a one of its three weapons. You spin your characters at each other while saying "NINJAGO!". The first character to fall be knocked of its spinner and/or lose its weapon loses. If you lose, you have to give up your weapon to your opponent. Cards, spinners, and golden weapons give you advantages. The first to obtain all of his/her opponents weapons wins.
Flyers (Airjitzu)
In 2015, a new line of battle games was introduced. There are six sets total that have been released. These include Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, Morro, and Wrayth. The sets include many weapons, a character, a ripcord, a buildable handle, and a flying disc to put the character into. The "Flyers" are used to launch in the air, advertised to do tricks. The Airjitzu ninjas all have their Japanese Symbol at the front and their "face" logo on the back. Morro has his Japanese symbol at the back and Wrayth has none.
Video games
A video game, entitled Lego Battles: Ninjago, was released on April 12, 2011, on the Nintendo DS. It is the sequel to the 2009 game Lego Battles and was developed by Hellbent Games and published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and TT Games Publishing. A Ninjago themed world was added to the now shut-down massively multiplayer online game Lego Universe.[3] 3 iPad and iPhone apps have also been released.[4] In summer 2014, the game Lego Ninjago: Nindroids was released for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. The Ninjago game LEGO Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin was released in March 2015. The 2015 video game Lego Dimensions includes Ninjago characters.
Graphic novels
Ninjago also features comic books written by Greg Farshtey. Jolyon Yates illustrates the books last 8 books of the series. There are currently a total of 11 comic books.
Readers
Ninjago Readers are short novels of Ninjago that mainly follow the plot of the TV series.
Activity books
Ninjago Activity Books are books that feature activities, comics, and stories as well as a minifigure.
Brickmaster
Ninjago Brickmaster books feature a story as well as bricks to build different adventures for the Ninja.
TV series
Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, an animated television series based on the line, premiered on January 14, 2011 in the U.S.[5] The toy lines are the same characters as the series and hold the same plot accordingly, though several characters in the series do not appear in set form.
The series features a theme song by The Fold called "The Weekend Whip". An entire album of ninja-themed music from The Fold was released in March 2013, in the form of an official LEGO Ninjago USB Bracelet, featuring original video, music and printable content for Spinners. The third season aired as four one-hour specials, aired at selected times throughout 2014. The fourth and fifth seasons aired in 2015. In 2016 the sixth season aired. In June 20th 2016 The seventh Season Of ninjago will air
Film
The Hageman brothers, Dan and Kevin Hageman, who wrote Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu and co-wrote the story of The Lego Movie, will be penning the film adaptation, which will feature a new take that diverges from the TV series. Charlie Bean, who produced Disney's Tron: Uprising, will direct the film, produced by the The Lego Movie team of Dan Lin, Roy Lee, and both Phil Lord and Chris Miller.[6] The spin-off movie will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures on September 22, 2017.[7]
Products
| Reference | Name | Released | Minifigures | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2254 | Mountain Shrine | 2011 | Kai DX and Skeleton dummy | 169 pieces |
| 2258 | Ninja Ambush | 2011 | Kai, Bonezai | 71 pieces |
| 2259 | Skull Motorbike | 2011 | Jay, Chopov | 157 pieces |
| 2260 | Ice Dragon Attack | 2011 | Zane DX, Krazi | 158 pieces |
| 2263 | Turbo Shredder | 2011 | Cole, Jay, Frakjaw | 223 pieces |
| 2504 | Spinjitzu Dojo | 2011 | Zane, Nuckal, Sensei Wu | 373 pieces |
| 2505 | Garmadon's Dark Fortress | 2011 | Kai, Nya, Bonezai, Chopov, Lord Garmadon, Samukai | 518 pieces |
| 2506 | Skull Truck | 2011 | Jay, Zane, Lord Garmadon, Wyplash | 515 pieces |
| 9570 | NRG Jay | 2012 | NRG Jay | 20 pieces |
| 9571 | Fangdam | 2012 | Fangdam | 20 pieces |
| 9572 | NRG Cole | 2012 | NRG Cole | 19 pieces |
| 9573 | Slithraa | 2012 | Slithraa | 20 pieces |
| 9574 | Lloyd ZX | 2012 | Lloyd ZX | 23 pieces |
| 9579 | Starter Set | 2012 | Cole ZX, Rattla | 62 pieces |
| 9590 | NRG Zane | 2012 | NRG Zane | 19 pieces |
| 9591 | Weapon Pack | 2012 | NRG Kai, Chokun | 73 pieces |
| 70500 | Kai's Fire Mech | 2012 | Kimono Kai, Stone Scout | 102 pieces |
| 70501 | Warrior Bike | 2012 | Kimono Jay, Stone Warrior | 210 pieces |
| 70502 | Cole's Earth Driller | 2012 | Kimono Cole, Stone Swordsman | 171 pieces |
| 70503 | The Golden Dragon | 2012 | The Golden Ninja (with armor), Stone Warrior, Stone Scout | 252 pieces |
| 70504 | Garmatron | 2012 | General Kozu, Stone Swordsman, Kimono Zane | 328 pieces |
| 70505 | Temple of Light | 2012 | The Golden Ninja (with armor), Sensei Wu, Overlord (in Garmadon's body), Stone Swordsman, Stone Scout | 565 pieces |
| 70720 | Hover Hunter | December 2, 2014 | Cole and Nindroid Drone | 79 pieces |
| 70721 | Kai Fighter | December 2, 2014 | Kai and General Cryptor | 196 pieces |
| 70722 | OverBorg Attack | December 1, 2014 | OverBorg (Cyrus Borg) and Lloyd (with armor) | 207 pieces |
| 70723 | Thunder Raider | December 1, 2014 | Cole, Jay and a Nindroid Warrior | 334 pieces |
| 70724 | NinjaCopter | December 1, 2014 | Zane (Battle-scarred), Pixal, Nindroid Warrior, Nindroid Drone | 516 pieces |
| 70725 | Nindroid MechDragon | December 1, 2014 | Sensei Garmadon, Lloyd (without armor), Evil Wu, General Cryptor, Nindroid Warrior | 691 pieces |
| 70726 | Destructoid | January 1, 2014 | Zane, General Cryptor, Min-Droid | 253 pieces |
| 70727 | X1 Ninja Charger | 2014 | Kai, 2 Nindroids | 426 pieces |
| 70728 | Battle for Ninjago City | 2014 | Zane, Jay, Lloyd, Nya, Overlord, 3 Nindroids | 1223 pieces |
| 70745 | Anacondrai Crusher | March 2015 | Kai, Krait | 219 pieces |
| 70746 | Condrai Copter Attack | March 2015 | Master Chen, Eyezor, Skylor | 311 pieces |
| 70747 | Boulder Blaster | March 2015 | Cole, Zugu, Sleven | 236 pieces |
| 70748 | Titanium Dragon | March 2015 | Clouse, Chop'rai, Titanium Zane | 360 pieces |
| 70749 | Enter the Serpent | March 2015 | Lloyd, Jay, Kapau'rai, Zugu, Master Chen | 529 pieces |
| 70750 | Ninja DB X | March 2015 | Kai, Nya, Sensei Garmadon, Pythor, Kapau, Chop'rai | 756 pieces |
| 70752 | Jungle Trap | March 2015 | Kai, Krait | 58 pieces |
| 70753 | Lava Falls | March 2015 | Cole, Sleven | 94 pieces |
| 70754 | ElectroMech | March 2015 | Jay, Chope | 201 pieces |
| 70755 | Jungle Raider | March 2015 | Lloyd, Kapau | 188 pieces |
| 70756 | Dojo Showdown | March 2015 | Kai, Sleven, Karlof, Griffin Turner | 215 pieces |
| 70730 | Chain Cycle Ambush | August, 2015 | Zane, Chain Master Wrayth and Ghost Warrior Pyrrhus | 298 pieces |
| 70731 | Jay Walker One | August, 2015 | Jay, Blade Master Bansha, Ghost Warrior Ghurka and Ghost Warrior Wail | 386 pieces |
| 70732 | City of Stiix | August, 2015 | Kai, Jay, Nya, Evil Green Ninja, Chain Master Wrayth, Scythe Master Ghoultar, Ghost Warrior Cyrus and Ghost Ninja Ming. | 1069 pieces |
| 70733 | Blaster Bike | August, 2015 | Cole (Deepstone armor) and Ghost Warrior Cowler | 212 pieces |
| 70734 | Master Wu Dragon | August, 2015 | Master Wu, Cole, Bow Master Soul Archer, Ghost warrior Pitch and Ghost Ninja Hackler + EXCLUSIVE WU DOG WITH CROSSBOW | 575 pieces |
| 70735 | Ronin R.E.X. | August, 2015 | Kai, Ronin, Scythe Master Ghoultar and Ghost Ninja Attila figures and weapons | 547 pieces |
| 70736 | Attack of the Morro Dragon | August, 2015 | Kai, Jay, Evil Green Ninja, Chain Master Wrayth, Ghost Warrior Cowler and Ghost Warrior | 658 pieces |
| 70737 | Titan Mech Battle | August, 2015 | Zane, Jay, Nya Samurai X, Scythe Master Ghoultar and Blade Master Bansha figures | 754 pieces |
| 70738 | Final Flight of Destiny's Bounty | August, 2015 | Lloyd, Nya, Cole, Battle Wu, Morro, Blade Master Bansha, Bow Master Soul Archer, Scythe Master Ghoultar and Ghost Ninja Spyder | 1253 pieces |
| 70739 | Airjitzu Kai Flyer | July, 2015 | Airjitzu Kai | 46 pieces |
| 70740 | Airjitzu Jay Flyer | July, 2015 | Airjitzu Jay | 45 pieces |
| 70741 | Airjitzu Cole Flyer | July, 2015 | Airjitzu Cole | 47 pieces |
| 70742 | Airjitzu Zane Flyer | July, 2015 | Airjitzu Zane | 42 pieces |
| 70744 | Airjitzu Morro Flyer | July, 2015 | Airjitzu Morro | 46 pieces |
| 70744 | Airjitzu Wrayth Flyer | July, 2015 | Airjitzu Wrayth | 43 pieces |
| 70751 | Temple of Airjitzu | September, 2015 | Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd, Nya, Wu, Misako, the Mailman, Dareth, Claire and Jesper | 2028 pieces |
| 70599 | Cole's Dragon | March, 2016 | Cole, Bucko | 98 pieces |
| 70600 | Ninja Bike Chase | March, 2016 | Kai, Nya, Sqiffy | 231 pieces |
| 70601 | Sky Shark | March, 2016 | Lloyd, Flintlocke | 221 pieces |
| 70602 | Jay's Elemental Dragon | March, 2016 | Jay, Cyren, plus Monkey Wretch | 350 pieces |
| 70603 | Raid Zeppelin | March, 2016 | Zane, Doubloon, Clancee | 294 pieces |
| 70604 | Tiger Widow Island | March, 2016 | Nya, Cole, Sensei Wu, Sqiffy, plus a Dogshank big figure | 450 pieces |
| 70605 | Misfortune's Keep | March, 2016 | Jay, Lloyd, Kai, Bucko, Nadakhan and Flintlocke, plus Monkey Wretch | 754 pieces |
Awards
In 2012, the LEGO Ninjago Fire Temple (2507) was awarded "Activity Toy of the Year" title at the 12th Annual Toy of the Year Awards,[8] which is held at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.
References
- ↑ http://www.thewrap.com/lego-batman-lego-movie-sequel-arriving-ahead-of-schedule-ninjago-delayed/
- ↑ "3856-1: NinjaGo". Brickset. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ↑ Fletcher, J.C. "Lego Battles to go ninja, go Ninjago this spring". Joystiq. Archived from the original on 2011-01-12. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ↑ Lego Coupons. "Lego Coupons". Archived from the original on August 27, 2014.
- ↑ "Premiering exclusively on Cartoon Network - LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu". Lego.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-12. Retrieved 2011-01-12.
- ↑ Kit, Borys (September 17, 2013). "'Tron: Uprising' Director to Helm 'Ninjago' for Warner Bros. (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
- ↑ The Deadline Team (April 20, 2014). "The Lego Batman Movie' Gets Release Date.". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
- ↑ "Toy Of The Year Award Winners – TOTY 2012". TheHotToys. TheHotToys.com. Retrieved 26 August 2013.
External links
- Website Ninjago Games
- Ninjago at Lego.com
- Ninjago list on Brickset.com
