The Anacondrai were one of the known Serpentine tribes living in Ninjago and were the most powerful, fastest, dangerous, and feared of all Serpentine, acting as the fiercest warriors of their time under the leadership of General Arcturus.
During the Serpentine War, the Anacondrai led their kind in the battle against the people of Ninjago. Master Chen played a part in fueling the conflict and driving both sides against each other. After the Elemental Masters won the war, the Anacondrai were sealed away in a large tomb in the Sea of Sand, while Arcturus and his generals were banished to the Cursed Realm.
Lloyd Garmadon would later open the Anacondrai Tomb, hoping to ally with the ones inside, yet he found the sole survivor to be Pythor, who had eaten his fellow warriors in order to survive. Lloyd allied with Pythor until Pythor betrayed him and reunited the Serpentine. Pythor would go on to unleash the Great Devourer and work with the Overlord to transform him into the Golden Master. While he succeeded in doing both, the Devourer and Overlord would be defeated, and Pythor was locked away in Kryptarium Prison.
Chen's criminal empire had grown over the years, and he succeeded in transforming him and his followers into Fake Anacondrai. The ninja set off to find Pythor and protect him from Chen's cult, as they needed the essence of a true Anacondrai to complete the transformation spell. The cult managed to capture Pythor and make their transformation permanent before setting off to battle the Elemental Masters at the Corridor of Elders. However, Pythor had a change in heart and offered a means of defeating Chen's army. Garmadon thus sacrificed himself to summon the spirits of Arcturus and his fellow Anacondrai generals, who banished Chen's army to the Cursed Realm as punishment for the arrogant mimicry of their race.
History[]
Background[]
The Anacondrai were created by the First Spinjitzu Master alongside the Hypnobrai, Venomari, Fangpyre, and Constrictai as the strongest of the five tribes. They would go on to act as the leaders of the Serpentine, and would later heed the coming of the Golden Master, fearing his arrival greatly. They followed their creed: "Only one can remain."[1]
Serpentine War[]
As a result of their paranoia, the Anacondrai and the rest of the Serpentine began to have conflicts with humans. Eventually, under Chen's influence, they were tricked into believing the humans were planning an attack and promptly struck first, instigating the Serpentine War in the process.[2]
Under the leadership of Arcturus, the Anacondrai would dominate the battlefield, leading the other Serpentine and being assisted by Chen and Clouse. Seeking out Jamanakai Village as one of their targets, they drove off the Elemental Masters, unleashing the Anacondrai serpent to assist in their victory. Later, Chen would manipulate the Master of Earth onto their side, giving them an advantage during the battle of Birchwood Forest.[2]
Due to internal conflicts and possibly Chen's influence, the Anacondrai eventually declared war on the rest of the tribes, sparking a civil war among the Serpentine. During these battles, a considerable number of Anacondrais perished.[3] This infighting, coupled with Garmadon's idea of the Sacred Flutes, led to the Serpentine's defeat at the Corridor of Elders. While Arcturus and his generals were banished to the Cursed Realm, the rest of the tribe was locked inside a tomb within the Sea of Sand.[2]
Decades later, due to a lack of food, the Anacondrai were in danger of starvation. Eventually, they resorted to eating each other alive, leaving no trace of them except for their bare skeletons and the lone survivor, Pythor.[4]
Never Trust a Snake[]
Lloyd, in an attempt to get revenge on the Hypnobrai, opened the Anacondrai's tomb, only to discover Pythor as the last living occupant. Even as Pythor lied about the circumstances of his tribe's death, leaving out their attempts to devour each other, he proceeded to leave the tomb and later return briefly to celebrate over his and Lloyd's stolen candy stash.
Legacy[]
Anacondrai symbol
Although the Anacondrai were last seen as a tribe more than forty years ago during the Serpentine War, their legacy remained in Ninjago. After Arcturus, the main general during the war, the celestial zodiac was named. Meanwhile, Master Chen has created a cult on his island based on the worship of the fallen Anacondrai. He was willing to go so far as to steal their bones from their tombs and create from their skulls headgear for him and the cult and from their bones armor and the Jadeblades. Nevertheless, he did not respect the real Anacondrai, at least after his transformation, as he completely despised Pythor, the last living Anacondrai.
Appearance[]
The Anacondrai had purple skin, with some parts of their bodies being black, with a little gold. Unlike the other tribes, however, Anacondrai all had tails, and there was little to no difference between individuals. At the same time, the Generals (the Anacondrai were the only tribe to have several Generals) had regal body attire (similar to Clouse's) and red armor (similar to Zugu's). The Generals also had black markings on top of their heads, with five of them sporting red eyes, while Arcturus, the main General, had green eyes and golden armor/attire. Each Anacondrai also has a colored gem on their head and chest, with the Generals having green and the ordinary warriors having red.
Pythor, unlike the rest of his tribe, has light blue gems and marking patterns on his tail. He also has a darker color, a unique head shape and longer neck compared to his other Anacondrai brethren.
It is assumed that when an Anacondrai's skin is bleached, it turns white and their markings become purple.
Chen and his Anacondrai followers would later become Fake Anacondrai. These "Anacondrai" are nearly identical to the real counterparts, except they lack their black, and gold markings.
Weapons and abilities[]
Abilities[]
- “Tell me! How do we stop them? What is their weakness?”
- “Don't you get it? There is no weakness! They're Anacondrai!”
| — Garmadon and Pythor, "The Greatest Fear of All" |
- Anacondrai invisibility: Anacondrai's primary ability allows them to turn invisible.
- High strength and reflexes: Unanimously considered to be the strongest Serpentine tribe and even the greatest warriors in all of Ninjago, the Anacondrai were famed for their enormous strength and great speed. One manage to go toe-to-toe with Griffin Turner, the Master of Speed.
- Prolonged lifespan: Like the rest of the tribes, the Anacondrai had prolonged lifespans.
- Hand-to-hand combat capability: Anacondrai have displayed high hand-to-hand combat capability, using punches and tail whips.
- Fire immunity: Anacondrai hides are immune to fire.[5]
- Swallowing larger objects: Anacondrai can increase their jaw width and swallow opponents whole, although swallowed victims can still try to escape their bellies.
Weapons[]
- Anacondrai Blades: Their weapons of choice were Anacondrai Blades, said to be the sharpest weapons in all of existence.
Tomb[]
Their tomb is located in the Sea of Sand, inside a giant fang-shaped stone structure.
Etymology[]
The name "Anacondrai" is derived from "anaconda," one of the largest snakes in the world which is the same trait that the Anacondrai among the Serpentine also have.
Behind the scenes[]
- Pythor has a very different appearance from the rest of his tribe, as he has a much longer neck, marking patterns on his tail and has a slightly more purple scales without a hint of pink, and has pink eyes instead of red ones. According to Tommy Andreasen, there is "no canon explanation" for this and it "just new production."[6]
Trivia[]
- It is implied in "Never Trust a Snake" and stated in the Character Encyclopedia that the Anacondrai grew hungry in their tomb from the lack of food, and in desperation, they ate each other until only Pythor remained. This excludes the generals, as they were banished to the Cursed Realm.
- The cannibalism refers back to their motto, "Only one can remain."
- But according to Tommy Andreasen, only Pythor knows what really happened.[7]
- The Anacondrai are the only Serpentine tribe known to have cultists who worship them.
- All of the Anacondrai members have tails, unlike the other Serpentine tribes.
- The Anacondrai do not exist at all in the supplementary comic books.
- However, Pythor is only mentioned by Lasha in Kingdom of the Snakes.
- An Anacondrai's eyes can glow when they are invisible or in the dark.
- The five Anacondrai generals in the court, when they were about to be exiled into the Cursed Realm, use the same torso as Clouse.
- Pythor has a very different appearance from the rest of his tribe, as he has a much longer neck, marking patterns on his tail and has a slightly more purple scales without a hint of pink, and has pink eyes instead of red ones. According to Tommy Andreasen, there is "no canon explanation" for this and it "just new production."[8]
- In their ghost states, the Generals of the Anacondrai (save for Arcturus) had different regal clothing; it took on a purple and blue scheme similar to that of the Ghost Warriors.
- A close-up of an Anacondrai General can be seen in "The Day of the Dragon" as the Cultists break free, although this was an error.
- Also in said episode, an error in which real Anacondrai are used during the pan towards Eyezor is present.
- Pythor is the only known Anacondrai who is not purple for his entire life.
- The Anacondrai are the first Serpentine tribe not to have a Fangblade, followed by the Vermillion and the Serpentine tribes that made up of the snake warriors.
- The Anacondrai are the only Serpentine tribe to have more than one general, possibly due to greater numbers of warriors compared to other serpentine tribes.
- In addition to Pythor's long neck, Pythor and the Anacondrai serpent have similar features that are different from the rest of the Anacondrai, these being their pink eyes, darker purple color, and shorter snouts.
- Although it is never explicitly pointed out, the Serpentine War has made considerable sacrifices from the Anacondrai tribe. In the scene where Arcturus talks to his army, there are about 60 warriors while the legions of other generals are not counted, however, only 12 Anacondrai enter the Anacondrai Tomb after the war, which means that at least three-quarters of the army has been exterminated.
- Despite not having minifigures, the Anacondrai can be recreated by using Pythor's original/Legacy toros, tails, along with Chop'rai's and Kapau’rai's heads.
Gallery[]
Notable members[]
Minifigures[]
In Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu[]
Season 1: Rise of the Snakes[]
Season 4: Tournament of Elements[]
.png){kind=link}
In Garmadon[]
Translations[]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| French | Tribu Anacondra |
| German | Anakondas (season 1 and 2) Anacondrai (since season 4) |
| Japanese | アナコンドライ種族 |
| Ukrainian | Анакондраї |