After season six the story of Ninjago took a small dip in quality. This was mostly due to the delay of the release of The Lego Ninjago movie. The the production was somewhat chaotic, what can still be seen in season 7’s writing and animation. However, once the movie was released, Ninjago the budget for the show, as its writing and animation was majorly improved. This resulted in the Oni Trilogy, probably the most outlined and well produced overarching storyline since the original Garmadon arc. And with that also came new villains. As Lloyd was the main character in the film that just got released, it seemed natural that he would also have a central role in this storyline. Garmadon’s role in the film also caused his revitalization in the series. However, their relation was totally different in the show where it last took of compared to the film, as Garmadon had overcome his villainous ways way back in 2013. So in order for Garmadon to return as a villain something drastically had to change. So a new major antagonist was introduced in the form of the Quiet One, a mysterious gang leader that intended to revive Garmadon’s corrupted siide. The Quiet One was responsible for the death of the Royal family and its guardian and was searching for items of darkness that could open the door to the departed realm.
It turned out that the Quiet One was none other than the princess of Ninjago, Harumi. Her happy life had turned tragic when the Great Devourer came and destroyed not only her home, but also killed her parents, while the Ninja did nothing effective against it. Only Lord Garmadon was strong enough to destroy the snake. It was at this moment that she realized that protection can only be guaranteed by the powerful. So she cooked up a plan to bring Ninjago under the rule of the most powerful being she knew: Lord Garmadon.
Over the time she got more and more consumed by the hatred for the Ninja, as they were still loved by everyone, and the Emperor, as he burdened her with tasks she never asked for. This hatred made her even more sympathize with the dark powers of Ninjago. Hatred was her source of power. She specifically targeted Lloyd because she believed that it was their bond of love between father and son that made Garmadon weak. The love to his son was the reason why Garmadon failed to bring down the Ninja during season 2 as he was too hesitant to harm him when he was still a child. The new Garmadon should therefor not feel anything but hate, as Harumi did.
Harumi wearing the Mask of Hatred
Lloyd as the embodiment of love should be destroyed to his very core. He should lose the ability to see the good in people. He should be driven to his breaking point. She turned his trust into the opposite. He trusted her, she betrayed him. Not only that, she also stripped any feelings Garmadon had for his son from him, turning Garmadon into a horrific shadow of his former self. One that was willing to walk over dead bodies for his cause. He was willing to kill the Ninja, his brother and even beat his son senseless. With that she succeeded where the Overlord, Chen and Clouse had failed: she destroyed the Garmadon family. As family is probably the most central theme of the show you could make an argumet that she is the worst villain of the entire show.
Once Garmadon was ruler over Ninjago she sometimes was shocked to see how far the hatred has driven her, as she saw the reckless nature of Garmadon, yet she was not willing to stop. This eventually was her downfall. She got trapped inside the building which was eventually destroyed by the fight between Garmadon and the ninja. She realized at this moment, that she had become the very thing she hated. Garmadon could not protect them.
She fell. She died. Eventually Lloyd and Garmadon battled once again, this time, Lloyd used an old technique he was taught by Garmadon some time ago. The Art of the Silent Fist. Garmadon’s hatred did not reach him. And so he returned as the green ninja.
Harumi still had a lasting impact on his mind, his trust in Garmadon was destroyed, as was his ability to open up to others.
And so we end up in Crystalized, the (for now) finale of the Wildbrain era. We learn that after some time the Overlord brought back Harumi from the departed realm. He argued that all the bad things she experienced came from the battle between good and evil and that there will be peace in the dark. Harumi, apparently completely ignorant to her final lesson of her past life recognized these ideas as her own beliefs and joins the Overlord in his conquest. Now comes the weird part. Not only does she recruit Pythor, the herold of the Great Devourer, for the cause, she also apparently has feelings for Lloyd. Love is kind of the opposite what she was about, so… what happened? Apparently nothing, because as she kidnaps Lloyd she once again wants to drag him to the side of hatred, by provoking his Oni powers. Then again she hesitates to kill him because she loves him.
Meanwhile, Wu finds out Garmadon’s whereabouts by accident and Lloyd and Garmadon once again have to figure out how to interact. Garmadon since March of the Oni is somewhat confused about the concept of good, even though he should at least have memories of times where he actually cared for his son, so what is that about? He just forgot how to be good apparently. Lloyd blames the Oni for that, even though Oni are not Makuta, they actually can care for things (Mystake).
And so the finale comes draws near. Lloyd still doesn’t trust Garmadon, is somewhat proven right, rejects Oni form, but not because he prefers love, he just hates Oni and Harumi sees that the Overlord caused her suffering and turns her hatred against him. Together they defeat the Overlord.
Lloyd still has trust issues, Garmadon is still not entirely good and Harumi only channeled her hatred without actual acknowledgment that she had overcome it. The effects of the Quiet One are still lingering in the air, but everything is forgotten. Compare that to Aspheera, whose crimes are pretty much reversed at this point, (unless you count the Ice Emperor) and how she is treated. Harumi left scars that cut deeper than any Ninjago villain, was consumed by hatred, not like Garmadon with magic, but by her own way of coping.
If you want to treat Harumi s a represntation of evil, it would have been important to show how Lloyd, who represents love, could have cured her. But all we know is that he searched for her in the rubble after Hunted.
Harumi did not change, Garmadon got changed to be just movie Garmadon with barely explanation given and Lloyd got “healed” by seeing that he had saved Harumi, even though… reread the paragraph. The Quiet One was never redeemed, nor was anything fixed, but from what it looks like she is just accepted for no particular reason.
The Quiet One is the most destructive villain in Ninjago, but how they rebuild after that completely misses the point. Instead, the Dark Lord is once again destroyed by a dragon, even though it is absolutely meaningless this time, no emotional stakes, no importance of love no fighting to protect a family. Emotions are not important apparently. Things just happen and somehow this dragon unrelated to anything resolves all emotional tension after the battle. In Bionicle that maybe would have been okay, as the story was mostly about the world and less the characters, but in Ninjago it doesn’t feel right.
Did I miss something? Am I too harsh?