Ranking all the Ninjago season finales from worst to best [SPOILERS]

Even though Rebooted, Skybound, and Tournament of Elements are ranked in order of 1, 2, and 3, honestly their endings are all really beautiful in my book and tied for first place.


17. Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitzu - I’m gonna be honest, how exactly does this season end? I forgot. What happens after Zane regains his memories? [not rated]

16. The Island - Pretty forgettable, nothing of note really happens. The ninja just beat up a couple of inmates and arrest Ronin. [4/10]

15. Hands of Time - I personally found this ending unsatisfying, and the cliffhanger it left off on could have been done better. Although the events that happened immediately after regarding Wu and the Hands of Time were explained in Golden Hour, the ending was still not up to mark. [5/10]

14. Prime Empire - Season 12 is one of my favorite seasons, and is arguably better than most other seasons. However, I feel that the fight between Jay and Unagami was missing some pizzazz, and was somewhat uninteresting to watch. I did like that Unagami was able to redeem himself though, which wrapped up his arc nicely. [6.5/10]

13. Seabound - Please don’t shoot me for this one! Let me explain: the final battle seemed very underwhelming and also anticlimactic, not to mention it barely made any sense at all. In my opinion, excluding the Island, this has to be one of the weakest final battles out of all 15 seasons. I really liked Nya’s departure and memorial, as well as her saying “I love you” to Jay before sacrificing herself, but the sacrifice was built up and then just devolved into a tug of war with a kick here and a punch there between Nya and Wojira. [7/10]

12. Day of the Departed - I personally liked Sensei Yang’s redemption, and I liked how he and Cole finally became allies, with him pushing Cole through the rift despite being offered a chance for him to go through. Morro also making amends with Wu is also really nice, as it concludes one of the best Ninjago villains. [7.5/10]

11. Pilots - Nothing much to say about this one, a nice little ending for a 2 episode series. [7.5/10]

10. Rise of the Snakes - Again, not much to say about this one as well. The final battle was pretty good for a first season, and having Garmadon destroy the Devourer instead of all four ninja jumping on the weak spot at once was an interesting choice, as it becomes a plot point later on, especially in S8. [8/10]

9. Sons of Garmadon - It’s refreshing to see the protagonists lose a major battle once in a while, and I liked the little twist with the ninja escaping via Traveler’s Tea. The ending reminded me of Bionicle’s major plot twist at the end of the 2008 arc, and “Big Trouble, Little Ninjago” is also one of my favorite episodes. [8.5/10]

8. Hunted - Lloyd’s true potential was very nice to see, and “Green Destiny” is my fourth favorite episode in the entire show. The final battle was absolutely epic, and the ending with the ninja singing the Weekend Whip was very memorable and wholesome. [9/10]

7. Legacy of the Green Ninja - I really liked the battle between Lloyd and the Overlord, and also enjoyed the subplot with Dareth. Garmadon being purified and reuniting with Lloyd and Misako is also a really good scene. [9.25/10]

6. Possession - Nya’s true potential was the defining moment of the finale, and I really like that they reuse her song in Seabound, as it also sounds really good. Morro’s death is also a sad scene, as he realizes his fate, ensnared in the grasp of the Preeminent with no way out. [9.5/10]

5. March of the Oni - I really liked how the Tornado of Creation brought the series to a full circle with the pilots, and the ending had the perfect sense of finality to it. Jay’s yin-yang proposal to Nya was also a highlight of the finale, and is a very memorable moment. [9.5/10]

4. Master of the Mountain - The final battle between Cole and the Skull Sorcerer is a really epic and awesome final fight, and the music was just on point. Cole’s Spinjitzu Burst is a really awesome scene, and “The Son of Lilly” holds a firm place among the best episodes of all time in Ninjago. [9.7/10]

3. Tournament of Elements - Garmadon’s sacrifice absolutely stole the show here, and his quote (“I’ve always yearned to make the world in my image, but I’ve never realized I already have, in you”), along with the context in which it was delivered, was really awesome. It’s definitely one of my favorite quotes from Ninjago. Lloyd’s memories of his father and the background score was also a really nice scene. [10/10]

2. Skybound - This ending is by far the most controversial on the list, but for me it was a beautiful conclusion and it made perfect sense because only the three most important people remember the season: Nadakhan because he granted the wish, Nya because the wish was targeted at her, and Jay because he said the wish. “The Way Back” is an episode I absolutely adore, and it’s personally my third favorite in the entire show after “The Titanium Ninja” from Rebooted and “Nyad” from Seabound. For me, it made perfect sense because Jay really had no choice, and Nadakhan was already beginning to regain his strength. Nya and Jay embracing in Airjitzu was a really beautiful scene, and I loved the shot of them hugging on a billboard in Stiix, with the scrap metal barge sailing off into the sunset and the floating temple on the horizon. Not to mention the absolute perfect choice of background score, despite being recycled from previous seasons. [10/10]

1. Rebooted - Honestly, I think it goes without saying why this is one of the absolute best season finales in Ninjago. Unlike Seabound, Zane’s sacrifice felt really natural and as an absolute last resort choice, along with a banger soundtrack playing in the background. [10/10]

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It’s a good ranking. My own list would probably be similar (not sure about my personal number one…), though right off the bat I’d put Prime Empire higher (it has some very well animated scenes) and March of the Oni lower (I find it anticlimactic). But it’s hard for me to put simple and concise number ratings on my opinions because my reviews always read like “This idea was so cool but they didn’t go far enough with it; they should have done this instead…”

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