So after rewatching the Oni Trilogy again, I saw Raya and the Last Dragon on TV by coincidence, and I couldn’t help but notice some very similar coincidences. First of all, there were Dragons and Beings called Druun, which is very similar to the Realm of Oni and Dragons. The Druun are black and purple shadow beings that turn people into stone. Sound Similar? The Oni are the exact same thing. The Oni are also purple and black and turn people into stone when they come in contact with it, but Ninjago did it 2 years before Disney, so it begs the question. did Disney copy Ninjago or at least take inspiration? The Fang in Raya and The Last Dragon are very similar to the Dragon Hunters because they hunt for Raya and the dragon gem, just like the Dragon Hunters, who hunted for the ninja and Firstbourne. Well that is some of the references I could find, but what are your thoughts? I’ll have some of the comparisons linked here.
What Ghid said. Both pieces of media ‘borrowed’ from East Asian legend/mythology and established tropes. Neither copied each other, they copied from the same source instead.
I thought so too at first, but it’s just what Ghid and Axelford said
And also if by any chance they did - it wouldn’t be the first time Disney ripped something off of Lego
Example: Bionicle for Moana (although it’s the same thing just with Maori culture here)
I think there’s a chance that the Druun were inspired by the Ninjago Oni. As far as I can tell, Oni have never had petrification powers, or a black/purple color scheme in Japanese folklore or any other media.
Additionally, early Raya concept art shows that the Druun were not originally purple mist creatures, so it’s possible that a Disney employee was inspired by March of the Oni midway through development.
