A Team Divided is a Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu book released on December 30, 2014. It is the sixth installment of the Ninjago chapter book series. The book covers the events taking place between "The Titanium Ninja" and "The Invitation."
Synopsis[]
Ninjago: Rebooted! The wise-cracking ninja are back with all-new adventures on Cartoon Network and all-new toys on sale everywhere.
The Masters of Spinjitzu and the wise Sensei Wu are back in this brand new chapter book based on the latest season of the hit LEGO® Ninjago television series on Cartoon Network!
Join the ninja warriors as they fight enemies old and new and encounter challenges that will test their strength. Will they be victorious in the battles ahead? Only time will tell!
Summary[]
Following Kai's speech in front of the Titanium Ninja statue, built out of Zane's honor, the Ninja decide to have dinner at Chen's Noodle House. However, tension arises between Jay and Cole over Nya, and in their ensuing skirmish, the Ninja are kicked out. In their anger, the ninja split up, leaving Lloyd and Nya together to recuperate.
Wandering off to the rebuilding New Ninjago City, Lloyd decides to pay Cyrus Borg a visit, helping him deal with a malfunctioning hologram training system. To his dismay, Cyrus suggests inviting the rest of the ninja to try it out, leading Lloyd to realize he no longer knew where his friends were at. Meanwhile, Jay, walking across the Sea of Sand, arrives home at Ed & Edna's Scrap N Junk, where he decides to participate in a competition, where competitors build robots in the junkyard and pit them together. To his dismay, his mechanical T-rex, Ninjasaur, is easily destroyed by Suzie Wheeler and her robot Mr. Peepers, who uses its speed and agility to its advantage.
Kai decides to find work at the Heart of Steel Foundry, only to be nearly knocked into a vat of molten metal by a careless worker. In response, the worker, dubbed the 'Big Guy' by Kai, challenges him to a hot sauce drinking competition. Kai narrowly wins, and in the process unleashes a blast of fire from his mouth, scorching the 'Big Guy' bald. Before the 'Big Guy' can start a fight, Kai leaves, wanting to keep a sense of honor.
Elsewhere, Cole decides to have a picnic to himself with his peanut-butter and broccoli sandwich, only to have it stolen by a squirrel and be harassed by several of the forest animals. To add insult to injury, the squirrel promptly rejects his sandwich after tasting it, throwing it back at him.
Jay, depressed, stays home to watch TV, where Ed introduces him to his favorite show, Most Ultimate Extreme Ninja Challenge Ever, hosted by Fred Finely and the producer, Rachel Sparrow. Intrigued, Jay decides to participate, easily winning the crowd over; however, due to his status as a ninja, he's forced to face a more advanced version of the Gauntlet of Humility. Meanwhile, Kai heads back to Wu's Academy and taking his sister's advice to cool down literally, heads to the ice rink to become a worker.
Landing a job as a Rambooni driver, Kai initially enjoys his job, only to encounter a group of children celebrating a boy's birthday, his father included. Although the children obey the rules and leave the ice rink for Kai to clean, the father fails to comply, prompting Kai to exit the Rambooni and confront the man, who, to his horror, is the 'Big Guy'. Even as the 'Big Guy' angrily confronts Kai, the Rambooni, its brakes not turned on, drives forward and smashes the child's birthday presents and cake. Furious, the 'Big Guy' challenges Kai to a fight at Yang Tavern.
Cole, finishing his lunch, decides to venture into the woods, named Blackwood Forest, and discovers several lumberjacks working. Deciding to take work, Cole also substitutes for the chef, though he discovers that, to his dismay, the workers are only interested in finishing their jobs and care little for interaction.
At the Gauntlet of Humility, Jay initially succeeds, only to fall into a vat of chocolate pudding, drenching Fred Finely. Jay, taking his loss with grace, once more wins the adoration of the crowd. Finely, angered by being covered in the mess, promptly quits, and Rachel offers Jay a position as a host due to his charisma, which he readily agrees to.
Arriving at Yang Tavern, Kai discovers the Slither Pit matches ensuing, often participated by Skulkin, Serpentine, and various other lowlifes. The Big Guy, revealing his name as Big Dan, fights Kai, who uses the Art of the Silent Fist to subdue his opponent. Before Kai can leave, he is quickly challenged by Zoltar and intrigued by the fights, ultimately decides to continue participating under the name of the Red Shogun.
Sometime later, a depressed Lloyd, watching TV, is scolded by Garmadon for his lackluster lifestyle. However, upon seeing Jay hosting Most Ultimate Extreme Ninja Challenge Ever, Lloyd becomes motivated to find the rest of the ninja. With Nya's help, he learns of rumors of a fire-wielding "Red Shogun" fighting in Yang Tavern, and with the help of a hound tracks Cole's scent to Blackwood Forest. Ecstatic, Lloyd makes plans to reunite the team the next day once he helps Cyrus Borg with his hologram inventions.
Appearances[]
Characters[]
- Big Dan
- Cole
- Cyrus Borg
- Ed
- Edna
- Fred Finely
- Garmadon
- Jay
- Kai
- Lloyd
- Nya
- Rachel Sparrow
- Suzie Wheeler
- The Overlord (mentioned)
- Wu (mentioned)
- Zane (mentioned)
- Zoltar
Creatures[]
- Great Devourer (mentioned)
Items[]
Locations[]
Species[]
- Dogs
- Humans
- Humming Birds
- Oni/Dragon/Human hybrids
- Serpentine
- Skulkin
- Squirrels
Trivia[]
- Nothing in the book directly contradicts the canon of the series, though it does contain a few minor errors.
- Like The New Ninja, this book takes place between seasons, in contrast to some other books which take place within the events of an episode.
- This book can be found on Apple Books.
Errors[]
- It's stated that the crowd "solemnly applauded" as Kai finished his speech from "The Titanium Ninja," but this was not present in the episode. Additionally, it's stated in the book that Nya walked up to the statue after the others, even though in the episode, she walked up at the same time as the others.
- It's stated that Nya and Jay never went on a date back in the day, but they went on a date (albeit an interrupted one) in "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and were pictured on another in "Return of the Overlord."
- Ed tells Jay he is sorry to hear about Zane, implying he hasn't seen Jay since or further acknowledged Zane's death even though Ed and Edna attended Zane's funeral in "The Titanium Ninja."
- Kai remembers the Art of the Silent Fist as Wu's lesson, not Garmadon's.
- Referencing Kai's dose of Venomari venom in "Can of Worms," it's stated that "everyone he saw looked like a gingerbread man or woman," even though elves were present in his hallucination as well.