Grundles (short for Dromaeosaurid Theropod Grundalicus) were reptilian predators that once roamed Ninjago. By the time Lloyd was being trained for the Final Battle, the species was long extinct, with a skeleton on display in the Ninjago Museum of History. Using the Mega Weapon, Lord Garmadon revived the beast's skeleton and it attacked the ninja before it was eventually destroyed by Lloyd, who turned older in the process.
History[]
Prior to the series[]
Soon after discovering that he was not the Green Ninja, Morro threw a stick into a Grundle's cave, angering the beast. It pursued him until Wu intervened and saved him.[1]
At some point, Plundar supposedly encountered a Grundle and stole its teeth.[2]
The Grundle species would eventually go extinct under unknown circumstances.[3]
Child's Play[]
Lord Garmadon attempted to resurrect the Grundle with the power of the Mega Weapon, seeking to use it as the ultimate anti-ninja weapon. The ninja interfered with the ritual, causing them to be reverted to children—unfortunately for them, the Grundle was still revived and began stalking the city in search of its prey.
With their fighting skills reduced with their age, the ninja were helpless against the Grundle, but Lloyd took them to Rufus McCallister's comic book store, where he felt that they could find some defense against the beast. Using light-up illuma-swords, the ninja were able to keep the Grundle at bay for a time, but the prehistoric monster eventually knocked the weapons from their hands.
The ninja were only saved by the arrival of Nya and Master Wu, who had brought age-increasing Tomorrow's Tea with them. Despite being in range of the tea's effect, Lloyd threw the tea at the Grundle, undoing the time-reversal spell that had revived it and de-aged the ninja. The Grundle collapsed into a pile of bones once again, and the ninja were restored to their former selves - along with Lloyd, who was now a teenager.
The Quiet One[]
Lloyd and Harumi were chased by a green Grundle. While the Grundle chased both of them, they fell into a crack in the ground. The Grundle then could not get to them and it walked away.
Other appearances[]
The Invitation[]
A comic about the Grundle is seen on the floor of Lloyd's room.
The Forgotten Element[]
A miniature Grundle skeleton is seen as part of Chen's trophy collection.
Winds of Change[]
A statue of the Grundle was part of the ninja exhibit at the Ninjago Museum of History.
Day of the Departed[]
A painting of the Grundle was present in the Temple of Airjitzu.
Abilities and attributes[]
The Grundle is fast, powerful, and resilient, having a hide immune to ordinary weapons. However, it is a nocturnal creature, and thus very vulnerable to light - even the relatively meager light projected by toy illuma-swords is enough to make it flinch.
Its claws can tear through metal and its senses are keen enough to track even a ninja. It constantly secretes large amounts of viscous green ooze from its mouth—presumably some type of poison—but its effects are unknown.
Relationships[]
Allies[]
- Garmadon (formerly)
- Serpentine (formerly)
Enemies[]
Appearances[]
Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu[]
Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja[]
- 18. "Child's Play"
Season 4: Tournament of Elements[]
- 35. "The Invitation" (pictured)
- 41. "The Forgotten Element" (miniature skeleton)
Season 5: Possession[]
- 45. "Winds of Change" (statue)
- 46. "Ghost Story" (flashback)
Day of the Departed[]
Ninjago: Decoded[]
- 7. "Beasts and Dragons" (video)
Season 8: Sons of Garmadon[]
- 80. "The Quiet One"
Ninjago Magazine[]
- 69. Yikes! (flashback)
Trivia[]
- Despite the scientific name, it resembles more of a large theropod dinosaur such as Giganotosaurus or Tyrannosaurus than a dromaeosaurid.
- As seen in "Ghost Story," Grundles were still alive during the era of the Serpentine War (as Wu's flashback took place around the same time as Garmadon's flashbacks in "Spellbound") but went extinct sometime afterwards. They were presumably driven extinct during or not long after the war, either killed in the crossfire between the Serpentine and the humans or by some unknown means.
- The appearance in "The Quiet One" could mean that some sort of Grundle species is still alive in Primeval's Eye. The name of the jungle also refers to this fact.
- The Grundle appeared in this episode because it cost less money than creating a new creature model from scratch.[4]
- Though the name "Grundalicus" would presumably be shortened to "Grundal," the name is generally spelled as "Grundle." While Tommy Andreasen[5] and captions for "Child's Play" spell it as "Grundal," subtitles are not an official source and often have errors, while Andreasen has said to trust official publications over his names for things.[6] Meanwhile, the word is spelled as "Grundle" on a sticker in the 70657 Ninjago City Docks set (translated in Ninjargon), the LEGO.com description for the Mega Weapon,[7] and the Dark Island Trilogy, Part 1 Episode Guide.
- Grundles can have different colors, of which red, brown-green and green are known so far.
- The term "Grundle" can also be used as a vulgar slang word to refer to the perineum.
- The name “Grundle” might be a nod to one of the antagonists in the Old English epic, Beowulf, that is a monster named Grendel.
- Many of the Grundle’s attributes would also point to this, as Grendel was also nocturnal, powerful, and a good tracker.
Gallery[]
Promotional media[]
Concept art[]
In Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu[]
Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja[]
Season 5: Possession[]
Season 8: Sons of Garmadon[]
In other media[]
References[]
- ↑ "Ghost Story"
- ↑ Fighting Techniques
- ↑ "Child's Play"
- ↑ https://x.com/brothershageman/status/967218067007680512
- ↑ https://x.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1284420987048603648
- ↑ https://x.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1297566329675878402
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20161008105621/http://www.lego.com/en-us/ninjago/accessories/weapons/the-mega-weapon-season-2-3aff9113fcbf4cebbb949419675d856d