With the second half of Dragons Rising out now and no specific thread for the season here yet, I figured I’d make one. What do you guys think of the season? Like or don’t like? What are you looking forward to happening next?
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It’s been a while since I saw part one.
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this season. It is massive, already the longest season of Ninjago as a whole, yet it’s pacing feels a bit inconsistent. You get long, very long battle segments in Imperium, and then you have all these small side quest stories, which seem all a bit unfocused. It’s already the season with the most giant monster battles. Too many in my opinion
The first half of part two didn’t really resonate with me. It was just too much, too random. The many new settings, the out of nowhere lore dump, the new creatures, the, at some points borderline painful humor, all that makes it my least favorite part of the show. The second half was better. I like Imperium as villains. They are surprisingly grounded, yet Ras and Rapton bring in the vibes of classic Ninjago villains. The wizard guy is too random for my personal taste, but oh well. Beatrix is a fun character thanks to her tantrums. Buuut she’s also the third royal kid that killed their royal parents in this show.
What really surprised me is how quickly they showed us around this world. I expected a slower approach, considering that Ninjago from a lore perspective should hardly be able too expand much further than this. I hope that the writers don’t try to drain this setting as much as possible in the next 2 years if they have to continue past that.
The characters are… alright… It’s strange to see the Ninja taking the mentor role for an entire season. It seems their arcs are more focused around the new characters. For Zane that was quite unfortunate, because he had barely time with the new elemental masters and thus had barely anything to do as a character. Sora is so far my favorite character, but I feel like she will have a hiatus in character growth after this season. She had her entire arc by now and maybe it will mean that the focus won’t be as much on her in the next season. I don’t really understand why they bothered to show us Jay if it isn’t his time yet. I know Wyldfire is currently not popular, she is occasionally very annoying, but I think she’s sometimes actually bearable.
The final battle is enjoyable. I don’t really understand why Beatrix needed the magic portal gun if a grenade launcher had done the job as well without cataclysmic consequences, but she’s insane, so just don’t question it. And Sora’s arc gives this finale the much needed emotional impact that was lacking in Crystalized.
I’m just wondering if we’ll see Beatrix again. It’s almost certain that Ras will return next season, but the former empress seems to be still out there. What makes me wonder is the introduction of another secret mastermind. We just had that plot over the last few seasons. I just hope it’s not the Overlord again, since Ras is wearing his color scheme. Another disappointment: Ras is not from Chima. There is some interesting stuff they are setting up with Wu though. I hope we get some answers next season.
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I haven’t even bothered watching it.
I’ll admit some of the sets are okay, but most of them are just bland, generic “ninja car” or “ninja mech” sets. There’s not even any “theme” to differentiate it from other waves. The reason why I liked MOTM and Seabound’s sets so much was because they introduced new, unique asthetics into Ninjago. The ninja’s knight-like armor in MOTM looked really cool to me, and the whole fantasy, D&D-esque tone just worked really well. The underwater setting for Seabound also felt really fresh, what with the ninja getting a bunch of underwater vehicles and scuba suits. Sure, those waves’ asthetics/concepts could’ve worked well for a new original Lego theme, but that’s a different argument. My point is, this year’s wave of Ninjago sets (and, arguably, last year’s as well) just don’t have anything to make them stand out.
And then there’s just the story part. Last year’s season was promoted as the grand finale for Ninjago, and it…wasn’t as epic as the marketing made it out to be. That said, it was still an ending. They defeated the Overlord again, hopefully for good, peace is restored in Ninjago, and all is well. It really should’ve ended like this, especially since Lego (again) was making this out to be the epic conclusion. But…nope. Ninjago has morphed into a cash cow franchise, so they’ve gotta keep milking it. Now we’ve got a whole nother season where a NEW villain is trying to destroy/take over/what do I even care the world.
Even setting that aside, from the bits and pieces I’m aware of, this new series doesn’t seem particularly interesting to me. There’s two new ninjas. Okay, that’s cool. I guess if you’re gonna do a sequel series, then it makes sense for the OG ninja to take on students of their own. But Sensei (yes, SENSEI, deal with it) Wu is still in the series, apparently serving as the ninja’s teacher. Huh? If the ninja are able to become teachers themselves, then why do they even need Wu? And then we’ve got some new Elements, those being Tech and…Heat? What? I can kind of wrap my mind around Tech, but HEAT? Doesn’t Fire already kind of cover that? And don’t tell me they’ve forgotten all about Skylor and given Kai a new love interest in the form of Wyldfyre or whatever her name is. 
However, my biggest gripe is Harumi’s presence (or lack thereof). Despite the poor execution, I was fine with the idea of her turning good in Crystallized and acting on her feelings for Lloyd. Back in 2014/2015, I thought it was kind of interesting that Garmadon, the main villain of the first three years of Ninjago, was now appearing as a friend to the ninja in the sets. Perhaps we could see that again with Harumi?
[sigh] Nope. Harumi apparently doesn’t exist anymore. Because I guess Lloyd isn’t allowed to have a girlfriend.
So yeah. At this point, Ninjago has next to no appeal for me. They just keep going in circles with the story, and the sets are becoming more and more generic. I could go on a rant about how Lego just doesn’t care anymore, but there’s too many of those on the boards, so I’m not gonna do it.
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I was sceptical about it being a completely new show, but after seeing the first half I quickly shifted gears and got into it. Second half was awesome and I can’t wait for the next season.
I’ll admit that some characters feel unnecessary or just annoying tho
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That may or may not have 1 of two reasons.
- I believe when core was introduced it was said that retailers expect a basic lineup that guarantees customer interest. So there is genuine interest for repetitiveness.
- It’s the first season and they want to go back to basics before going wild.
The season at all times was compared to Avengers Endgame. That was also not the end of the MCU. They made it early on quite clear that this is the end of a chapter and not the IP.
That’s not how I would describe his role in the show at this point. Wu is still missing. The ninja are the teachers in this season. Wu is until now just some ghostly apparition that leads characters too important locations without elaborating. But I agree, it might be returning to status quo at some point.
I see this as an absolute win. Nothing could have saved this butchered pseudo redemption. Getting rid of her is the best thing they could have done. She was supposed to be the worst villain of all when she was introduced, finding only redemption in death. But now? A trace of guilt in her eyes and Lloyd is like “this is fine”. They completely broke her beyond saving. It’s better to ignore that ever happened.
Yes, yes it has. Years ago.
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[scoffs] Isn’t that what Garmadon was made out to be when he was first introduced? I mean, look at this promotional image from 2011:
Just from looking at this guy, you wouldn’t expect him to turn good, but that’s exactly what happened.
It wasn’t just a “trace of guilt.” Lloyd got to know Harumi before she showed her true colors, and he saw that she had a nicer, sweeter side to her personality. In other words, she wasn’t completely evil like the Overlord, or Omega, or even Kalmaar. There was good in her still. This was proven when Harumi realized that her reasons for hating the ninja were somewhat predicated on a misconception; she was mad at Lloyd for not defeating the Great Devourer, when really she should’ve been mad at the Overlord for creating the Devourer in the first place.
Even when it did get pushed beyond its initial 3-year run, Lego did still put effort into it. They tried to create unique asthetics for each wave, and they came up with some good stories, too. But by this point, there’s barely any of that left. It’s just…cool ninja car. Cool ninja jet. Yay. But at least there’s not ANOTHER batch of snake villains.
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His army wasn’t introduced by killing 20+ people in a palace with bombs.
The one thing does not have to exclude the other.
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i personally quite liked this season
a few bits got on my nerves with the imperium civilians feeling kinda immature in the finale, like they just boo their evil dictator, honestly i think the bit with sora’s parents made much more sense and was much more interesting, and i would have liked beatrix to be a bit more serious in her insanity, like just show her go mental have it played more seriously…idk i never felt that much tension in the finale
sora is one of my favourite characters, this was very much her season and she is just a really fun character
i like kai and wildfyre, sure there are bits that annoy me, but i think the last few episodes kinda saved their dynamic, i love the scene of kai teaching her some of the things wu taught him, great scene
sora and nya’s episodes in the second half were the best, no question, the jin episode is super fun and i love the cole episode
also the frog guy…mr frohicky is it? is my new favourite character
i love him
good season, flawed but still very good!
they seem to be setting up a lot of plot threads for future seasons and i look forward to season 2!
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Funny she wasn’t mad at pythor for actually unleashing the devourer.
a lot of that was just manipulation on her part tho.
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Season 3 is coming soon 
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Is anyone following the drama in the fandom? All 20 episodes of the season that was supposed to be split into 2 parts got released on a streaming service Roku (last 2 upcoming on May 3rd) without Lego’s permission
Lego is terminating every single channel on YouTube that uploads a slight clip of them
The story is good and everything but it’s crazy that this happened and now we’ll have to wait another year for the continuation
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Wait, why is Garmadon a figure again? Didn’t he become one with a realm? And…and who are these new faces, talking Dragon Teachers? I thought everyone was still cracking jokes about being unable to drink water? Why did I stop buying the sets again?
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He’s like Palpatine. The IP can’t exist without him being resurrected every 3 stories.
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Chokun fans…
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Happy 15th birthday Ninjago
btw 15th post in the topic 
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Part 1 of Dragons Rising: Season 4 released today, and it was definitely the best of the Dragons Rising seasons, if not the best Ninjago season yet. Without getting into spoilers, the animation is wonderful, the story is consistent, and, for once in Dragons Rising history, they managed to get through a season without significantly sidelining one of the Ninja, despite how large the team is now. For some who complained earlier about the lackluster reactions of the Imperium citizens in Season 1, this season does fix that.
And now, for the specifics.
First off, I’m shocked they actually mentioned the Land of Monsters in-show; I have expected that to remain mostly in the Legends: Monstrosity area.
Second, I’m so glad that Frak actually got development, because he’s my favorite Ninjago character. His father Reginald was horribly bad, like some combination of Sora’s abusive parents with movie Garmadon’s negligence. There is a hint that he is regretful for that, but I don’t think it will ever be enough to excuse his treatment of his own son. I was glad to see a reference to the anti-Serpentine speciesism with Reginald–“Never Trust a Snake” in connection to Frak also made an appearance in my Frak fanfiction, so it was clearly on my mind. In terms of other Frak-related things, I wish the writers hadn’t just thrown away his Reveal Blade like that; they finally give a new Ninja a signature weapon that isn’t a grappling hook and then immediately get rid of it? It’s not as if its gimmick powers are even that useful in most situations! Kai’s I didn’t notice was gone until after, but Frak’s being gone is not a positive for me.
Beatrix was good as a returning villain, and she was sufficiently distinct compared to her first season appearance. I am intrigued as to who will present themselves as the main villain in the next part, because I’m seeing several candidates: Ras, the Weapon of Desolation, Zeatrix, LaRow, someone new… but probably not Beatrix again. She had her shot. Twice.
Lloyd’s plot line was decent, and was definitely the best and most respectful use of his character since Sons of Garmadon and Hunted; I was especially glad to see Jillian Michaels back voicing young Lloyd. Unfortunately, I eventually got tired of constantly seeing dire scenes of the Whispering Woods dying and just wanted Lloyd to get over his Main Character Syndrome so the plot could move on. The Enemy Lloyd fight was good, but, as I alluded to above, it went on a little long for my tastes. Also, the Arc Dragon of Life forgave him way to quickly–you don’t spend half a decade or more hating someone and then just forgive them just like that.
I’m glad that they managed to return Jay’s memories without overriding his more entertaining new personality. I am disappointed that Ed and Edna were not mentioned at all, but maybe Barry and Jenny’s Ninja Parent Support Group will help with that. Meanwhile, Sora’s parents are definitely up to something nefarious, and Reginald is trying and still probably failing to be anything but an inadequate father for the amazing Frak. I honestly thought they were going to kill Rontu, which disappointed me, but made sense plot-wise. However, I was more satisfied with Egalt and Morro making a post-mortem reappearance and the rest of the eventual resolution for that plot line.
Cole definitely got a lot more focus this season than in prior ones. I was disappointed that they continue to avoid committing to his implied romance with Geo, but at least they didn’t kill Cole off like I thought they were going to near the end of the season. I mean, Cole even openly mocks Beatrix for sparing him, so the writers were aware he was only being kept alive for plot armor! Also, as much as I feel bad for saying it, Senator Percival also should have died; the only reason he didn’t is because he is (A) a teenager and (B) the show needs to keep its rating low enough to attract younger kids. But, plotwise, it would absolutely have made sense for Beatrix to kill him in the story, and I was a bit disappointed that he managed to escape so easily.
Euphrasia was good in the season, though her method of reaching the Whispering Woods was a little simple. I really hope that the writers aren’t shipping her and Arin together, which was certainly implied by a few scenes. Luckily, they at least tuned down Sorak a little. While Frak’s my favorite, I don’t think he’s the right person for Sora, and I’m hoping they use his plot to teach kids a lesson on rejection.
There was some great commentary on fascism and the cost of energy. Imperium seems to be a goldmine for the writers making digs at such topics. The definitely-not-Daleks in the Administration were ridiculous, but I was happy to see another Doctor Who reference after the Sevateem Thorn deep cut of S2E13.
There were also a few laugh-out-loud meta-commentary moments, mocking a few of the show’s tropes. I speak in particular of Lloyd’s “That doesn’t narrow it down…” line about a villain long thought defeated returning, and Beatrix mocking Lloyd for blabbing on about vague “spiritual” topics in the middle of a fight.
Overall, I’d rate this part of the season a 10/10 in terms of Ninjago seaons. Not 100% perfect, but as good as it gets as far as Ninjago seasons come.
I hope that Part 2 doesn’t leak half a year early like last time. I hate waiting for Ninjago as much as the next Ninjago fan, but supporting leakers is never the way. Plus, those who don’t ignore season leaks will have to wait a whole year to get another season, which is way too long, and the reason why I will continue to avoid leaks as best as possible. At least, I try–I unfortunately got spoiled that Beatrix would be returning in this part. I’m really hoping that the brief accidental glimpses I got at leaks of potential Season 4: Part 2 episode descriptions were fake leaks, because I would really hate it if they were real and I was spoiled.
Edit: I just wanted to add a quick theory I had watching the episodes.
The realm of Umbrasilvis is never explicitly stated; however, I have reason to believe that it is the Land of Monsters. In S4E8 “Dying to Live”, in the flashback where Beatrix is in the Land of Monsters with Dr. LaRow, the moon of the Land of Monsters is shown in the background, and it is clearly the same strangely-shaped moon that was shown in the Umbrasilvan sky earlier in the season. Add that to the Gothic castles in the background of that shot in the Land of Monsters, which matches with the vaguely-European architecture and Slavic accents of the Umbrasilvians, and I believe it is almost certain what realm Umbrasilvis is in.
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