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I think Matoro dying is a bit different. Cole has been one of the main characters for what, 10 years? Matoro was a main character for 2 years, and a side character for 3 years. Plus Bionicle had had multiple teams up that point, whereas with Ninjago its always been those same ninja
But like TheJerminator, I can see can see both sides of the argument.
Tommy Andreasen’s statement on the subject included the reason why they decided not to retire the character.
(Full article here)
Not to mention Bionicle had another set of main characters that they switched the story focus back to after matoro’s death. Ninjago doesn’t really have that.