“A strange tea lady just marooned us in the Realm of Oni and Dragons. A realm, mind you, we know nothing about with no hope of getting home, and no clue as to what else is out there!”
Emperor Garmadon has taken control of Ninjago City where Lloyd retreats to the shadows. Meanwhile, the other Ninja and Young Wu are shipwrecked in the Realm of Oni & Dragon and find they are not alone.
Plot
Ninjago City under the control of the Sons of Garmadon.
On the streets of Ninjago, a figure wearing a green cloak walks through the streets which are now terrorized by the Sons of Garmadon. A clip appears on the monitor, Ultra Violet is hosting her show and it's revealed anyone affiliated with the Ninja or opposed to Garmadon who has become Emperor is rounded up. Violet reveals that Ronin is the latest catch and the Police Commissioner is next on the list.
As the figure continues walking, he is accosted by two members of the Sons of Garmadon, both wearing vandalized police uniforms, who remind him it was illegal to wear green. The person is revealed to be Dareth who tries to intimidate them by calling himself the Brown Ninja but the two see through his bravado and let him go, but steal his food.
Dareth immediately came up to an alleyway, moving a dumpster aside and heads into what appears to be a cold storage unit where he sees Nya and Lloyd, training to try an regain the latter's powers, which are still inactive. He tells the bad news about his supply run to Misako and P.I.X.A.L. before getting out an old and moldy Puffy Potsticker he had been meaning to save, but chooses to give it to Lloyd to keep his strength up. The Green Ninja reluctantly eats it before resuming training.
In the Realm of Oni and Dragons, Kai manages to find some foil, making everyone excited as they try to use a radio, made from around the remains of the Destiny's Bounty to contact home. As they talk about their situation, someone complain that they're hungry. The person is Wu, who is now a child as Cole lectures him on rationing before the impatient Kai tells him to go hunt for some and Cole decided to accompany him.
As Kai and Zane listen on the makeshift radio, Jay (who has lost his grip on reality) plays on his homemade game, which is really a piece of wood. Zane soon tells them he has gotten a transmission and they believe its from Ninjago. However, the people on the other side state they are preparing something and Zane translates some phrases to Kai that they are talking about an ambush. Hearing this, Kai realizes they are talking about them and tells the others to run away. As the trio run, figures are seen in the fog and quickly grab each of the Ninja in chains and drag them off.
In Ninjago, Lloyd's group try to evade Killow, Mr. E, and their grunts before they discover they are boxed in. The five soon find the wreckage of the Bounty and are sad at its destroyed state. Lloyd finds the picture of him and his friends before finding a leaf for Traveler's Tea and alerts the others of this. The group investigate the ship more and see half of it has disappeared, realizing that their friends were not killed but teleported elsewhere. This gives them hope before their enemies show up and prepare to attack but Karlof punches Mr. E away as Griffin Turner and Shade appear. The three take down their foes as a garbage truck driven by Skylor picks them up and everyone retreats.
Cole and Wu managed to find food, but when they return, the two discover their campsite gone and tire tracks left behind. Wu decides to follow them as that might lead them to their friends and Cole follows him. Meanwhile, their friends are brought in shackles, blindfolded, into the lair of the Dragon Hunters, who take off the blindfolds for them to meet the Iron Baron, who taunts them on their situation.
This is the second season premiere to recount the previous episode, the others are those of Season 2 and Season 10.
It's also the first season premiere to recount an entire season so far.
Garmadon is the announcer of the episode titles now, replacing Lloyd since "Big Trouble, Little Ninjago." Interestingly, his voice when announcing the titles sounds like his evil form now as opposed to the previous episode, when it sounded like his Master form.
Likewise, he is the first non-Ninja character to be in the introductory eye-graphics.
Ronin briefly reappears in this episode, thus making this his first appearance since "Scavengers," but he is caught and taken away to Kryptarium Prison by the Sons of Garmadon.
Ultra Violet has a new TV show called Ultra Hunt in which anyone resisting the Sons of Garmadon is arrested. The person or people that help in arresting the hunted are awarded cash prizes. So far, the Commissioner, Ronin, and some citizens have been caught and arrested.
Wu has now aged into a child like he was around the time his brother was bitten. He appears to have lost his memories of his old life, as he questions Cole calling him "master" and denies being a Ninja.
But previously as a toddler, he seemed quite aware of his older self's memories, despite having a younger mind. The reason is unknown.
Nya confirms Jay is her boyfriend. They have been together since the finale of Skybound, but this is the first time their relationship has been directly stated.
Cole brings up the question of where the Oni are. No answer has yet been given.
When Cole and Wu are running from the Dragons, they hid inside a cave. Inside the cave, there are a series of paintings on the walls, most likely drawn by Dragon Hunters.
Lloyd and the others have realized that their friends are alive somewhere after finding Traveler's Tea leaf on the back of a picture of the Ninja team around the rubble of the Destiny's Bounty, and only half of the ship left, implying that it, Wu and the original Ninja are somewhere else.
Despite being the episode being called "Firstbourne" it did not feature the Firstbourne in any way.
Whenever the scene switches to Ninjago, it switches with a short blast of Destruction and whenever it switches to the First Realm, it switches with a short blast of Creation.
Jay has temporarily lost his sanity.
The picture Lloyd and the others found is a group shot of the Ninja in their original appearances, from the second Season 2 intro.
The opening scene is supposed to replicate the season 8 intro but in the post apocalyptic Ninjago City after Garmadon took over.
Errors
Andrew Francis is not credited for voicing Shade in this episode.
