“Can you feel it? That fire? His fire. It's rekindled inside us, the hope, the heart, to take the next step forward. He did not fail. And neither will I.”
The ninja found fame after saving Stiix, but when Nadakhan returned with the Sky Pirates, Kai was the first of the ninja trapped in the Sword of Souls. Jay eventually freed him and the rest of the ninja, and reversed these events with his final wish. On the Day of the Departed, Kai and Nya fought a revived Chen, who they defeated once more. When the Time Twins returned to Ninjago, Krux tried to convince Kai that Kai's parents were traitors. Kai and Nya reunited with their parents and stopped Krux and Acronix from changing the future, but at the cost of losing Wu in the Time Vortex.
A year later, Kai and the ninja watch over Princess Harumi after she loses her adoptive parents. They later discover she is secretly the leader of the Sons of Garmadon and wants to resurrect Lord Garmadon. Despite the ninja's efforts, Harumi succeeds, and shortly after Kai is marooned in the First Realm with Cole, Jay, Zane and a de-aged Wu. Kai and the ninja help save the dragons from the Dragon Hunters, and help Wu regain his confidence and memories. After Iron Baron's defeat, Wu reclaims the Dragon Armor, in turn allowing them to return to Ninjago. Kai and his allies take down Garmadon's Colossus, restoring peace to Ninjago once more. Not long after, the malicious Oni invade Ninjago, forcing the ninja to ally with Lord Garmadon. Kai uses his blacksmithing skills to reforge the Golden Armor into the Golden Weapons, and later defeats the Oni by using the Tornado of Creation with the other ninja, Wu, and Garmadon.
Months later, Kai and his friends fight Aspheera and her army, after accidentally releasing them from their tomb, and Aspheera seizes Kai's power with her staff. After Zane is banished by Aspheera's sorcery, Kai and the ninja search for him in the Never-Realm. While Lloyd goes to find Zane, Kai and the others protect the Ice Fishers from the Ice Emperor's Blizzard Samurai, and he regains his element in time to combat Boreal. The ninja learn a memoryless Zane was manipulated into becoming the Ice Emperor. He returns to his senses and frees the realm from its eternal winter, and the ninja return to Ninjago.
Over the next few months, the ninja faced numerous new threats. They entered the virtual world of Prime Empire when hundreds of players were zapped into the game. During their quest to stop Unagami, Kai and Cole sacrifice themselves in a race, but everyone was restored to reality when Jay helped Unagami and his creator make amends. Kai and the ninja later traveled to the Kingdom of Shintaro, where King Vangelis discreetly terrorized the Geckles and Munce as the Skull Sorcerer. The ninja struggled to bring peace to Shintaro, but were eventually captured. After being freed, they fight the Re-Awakened and defeated the Skull Sorcerer. Kai and the ninja later travel to the Island of the Keepers to save Misako and Wu. There, the ninja discovered the Storm Amulet and the existence of Wojira - an ancient serpent that Kalmaar of Merlopia seeks to unleash. The ninja journey to the Endless Sea to investigate, but are unable to stop the beast's awakening, and Ninjago City is flooded. Ultimately, Nya sacrifices herself and becomes one with the sea in a bid to defeat Wojira.
A year after Nya's loss, Kai has opened up his own dojo. Zane and Cole find him in the dojo teaching kids combat skills. While discussing a plan Kai accidentally knocks over a glass of water. This angers Jay and he attacks Kai. Kai fights back with twice the anger. When Nya manifests in a water form, they devise a plan to drain her power and restore her body. The ninja break Aspheera out of Kryptarium and steal her staff; she restores Nya, but the ninja are arrested for their actions. They escape a prison bus and set off to learn of the Crystal King, who assembled a council of the Ninja's worst villains - including a revived Harumi. In the ensuing chaos, the Crystal King - revealed as the Overlord - unleashes an army of Crystal Warriors to ravage and corrupt the people of Ninjago. The final battle commences, with the ninja and all their allies through the years coming together to fight The Overlord, his confidants and his army. The ninja combine the Golden Weapons, releasing their powers in the form of the Golden Ultra Dragon, which helps Lloyd vanquish the Overlord. The ninja and their allies celebrate their greatest victory, and come together to rebuild the monastery.
Several weeks later, Kai went on a journey with Skylor to defeat a tribe worshipping Fire Fang and regains his powers in the process.
When the Merge occurred, where all realms formed into one, Kai woke up on an unfamiliar island, plagued with many terrifying monsters and spent weeks trying to find his way out. As he roamed that strange land, he struggled to keep himself from giving in to despair. During his travels in the Land of Monsters, he encounters a dragon called Daidan, who he stopped from enacting vengeance on a monster by killing its unhatched egg after it killed her own child, and Rusty, a sentient Fire mech that used to belong to a previous Fire Master who turned into a monster. After Rusty sacrificed himself to save Kai and Daidan from a sea monster, Kai was able to regain his hope and continue his journey back to Ninjago.
Weeks later, Kai managed to find the Bounty and use it to finish his journey to Ninjago and the monastery, reuniting with Lloyd. After stopping a MergeQuake that formed above the Monastery by using their Elemental Powers, Kai knew that they needed to find the rest of the team. Taking the Bounty, Kai went on a journey to study the combined realms while keeping Lloyd up to date, until he stopped upon reaching the Realm of Madness, reuniting with Nya and helping to defend the Craglings from invading dragons. Eventually, Lloyd and his new students, Arin and Sora, and a dragon called Riyu find them and help them, allowing Kai and Nya to return with them. While Lloyd and his students went to Imperium to stop their use of Photacs, Kai remained at the monastery, where he was called towards the mysterious Monastery of Imperium, where he and Nya meet up, find Zane, and help Lloyd, his students, Riyu, and Wyldfyreescape. While searching for the Dragon Core in Wyldfyre's old home, Kai came across the Lava-tides, who were miffed by Wyldfyre's pranks, until they manage to get the core. However, Dorama managed to swap it with a fake beforehand. And while waiting for Heatwave to heal, Kai taught Wyldfyre patience, eventually taking her under his wing. After discovering the fake, Kai and Wyldfyre, along with Lloyd, Zane, and Arin return to Imperium, where they're recruited by a resistance to expose Empress Beatrix's lies before she used a weapon to create a MergeQuake storm, which Kai was sent into a rift but was brought back after Lloyd stabilized the merged realms and during one lesson, Kai discovered his and Wyldfyre's powers are different.
A year later, news of Ras in the Cloud Kingdom reached Kai and the other ninja. They went on a mission to stop him, but were defeated by Cinder. To counter Shatterspin, they learned about the Dragon Masters and headed to their dojo to request training to learn Rising Dragon, with Kai being the first to achieve it. They trained until the Blood Moon arrived. To infiltrate the Ritual of the Blood Moon, Kai, Sora, and Wyldfyre disguised themselves as Wolf Mask Warriors. However, Ras trapped Kai in the Nether-Space. Despite the ninja's efforts, Kai remained trapped with Bonzle while Nokt was freed.
For some time, Kai was trapped with Bonzle in the Nether-Space. They had to hide from the other Forbidden Five and saw them talk to an outside ally. Kai saw that he still had Riyu's scales on his outfit, which allowed him to enter into a connection with him. Thanks to the Dragon Ivory stone, and to Riyu who managed to establish a link between Nya and Kai thanks to his dragon power, Nya was able to communicate with the latter. Nya was able to use her connection with Dragon Ivory to blast the dragon horns, opening a breach in the Nether-Space, allowing Kai and Bonzle to escape. Nokt was about to attack Nya when Kai intervened, and fought against the enemy. Nokt, possessing all the powers, took the upper hand and was going to finish him off when Roby and Wyldfyre used the Elemental Cup to deprive him of his powers and return them to their original owners. The Forbidden Five, Arin and Ras end up marooned in a different realm after the portal gate they entered was destroyed. After all this was over, Nya explained to Kai about Jay, and Kai promised to help her find him.
After the Tournament of the Sources, the ninja split up to look after their missing members, with Kai, Nya and Wyldfyre going to look for Jay. Despite Kai managing to find a clue and give hope to Nya, the trio is forced to postpone their search after Kur attacked the City of Temples and decayed Roby, leaving him seriously ill. While there, Kai and Nya learn about the Forbidden Five's objective of freeing Thunderfang by collecting five Prismatic Blades. After reuniting with the others, Kai helps in the fight against Thunderfang. After the latter was defeated, he and the others reunited with Jay, who became a bounty hunter assigned to capture Ras before later revealing that Arin's parents were alive.
While Lloyd and his group search for Arin's parents with Jay's help, Kai and Cole remained behind to train Frak in Spinjitzu. During their training, they move to the Land of Lost Things where the Finders give them the missing Prismatic Blades and, after Frak felt what Cole was feeling when using his Elemental Powers, decided to follow a lead previously given to Cole by Master Wu, discovering the remains of the Source Dragon of Balance, seeing Wu briefly. Upon returning to the Land of Lost Things, they found it under attacked by Nokt and the Spectral Dragonians, who captured the souls of Bonzle, Fritz, and Spitz. As Kai and the others prepared to defend the City of Imperium from the hollowed ghosts, Percival revealed that he could enhance their Prismatic Blades into Reveal Blades, specifically designed to combat the Spectral Dragonians. However, Cole's impulsive actions in trying to save the Finders' souls forced Kai to take charge and lead Frak in their defense. Although they managed to fend off the enemies, they were too late to save Cole, whose soul was taken by Nokt. Returning to the monastery, Kai reunited with Sora and Wyldfyre, where he learned about the ninja's plan to finally defeat Thunderfang, joining Nya at the Caves of Bells in Mysterium to awaken the purple half of the Arc Dragon of Focus. After successful doing it, battling Zarkt and the Spectral Dragonians and reuniting with Jay, the three of them tried to return to Ninjago, only to find themselves in an unknown monastery far away from Ninjago.
Typically preferring red attire, Kai has tall, thick, and spiky brown hair, shaped like a flame, similar to his hair in The LEGO Ninjago Movie, but slightly shortened. He is often seen with a focused expression on his face, with a scar visible on his right eyebrow and a bandage above his left, which has been there for a long time, possibly because he thinks it looks cool.[3]
Before Season 8, his hair was a slightly darker shade of brown, his eyebrows were black, his bangs parted to the right and instead of a scar, and he had a notch on his left eyebrow. However, he has a scar below his eye in the LEGO sets released prior to Season 8, which is now reflected in the sets and in the show after Season 8 onwards. From Season 11 onward, his hair is more textured with color.
Flashbacks from Season 7 show that Kai used to have freckles when he was young, while wearing short tan pants are a red shirt with his lion symbol. In a flashback from "Fugitives From Madness," Kai used his physical set hairpiece (most likely due to WildBrain not having access to the original hair model), and had brown eyebrows and the shirt was slightly redesigned, now using his legacy lion symbol.
In "Way of the Ninja" and "Endings," Kai wore a white shirt and red pants as well as an orange apron. Since "The Royal Blacksmiths," Kai's civilian attire consists of a red half-zipped up sweater over a maroon shirt with his symbol on the chest and brown pants. Throughout Season 6, he wore a red cap over his hair to conceal his identity. In the pilot episodes and "The New Masters of Spinjitzu," it can be observed that Kai has chest hair while wearing pajamas, but in later appearances where his chest is visible, including the appearance of his past self while time traveling to the events of the pilot, the hair is now removed, retconning his original torso.
In an anime inspired scene of "The Absolute Worst," Kai's eyes are shown to be brown.
In Prime Empire, Kai's avatar gave him a different look. His hair was blond and he had red paint over his eyes, similar to Harumi. He also had a red square print that is half-hidden on his chest and wore a sleeveless red gi with gold bolt-like patterns and dark red diamond-shaped marks on the chest.
For more images on Kai's appearance in his different ninja suits, click here.
Ninjago: Like the majority of hisfellowninja, Kai was a teenager at the start of the original series.[5] He is 2 years older than Nya.[6] However, the ninja do not officially have specific ages,[7] as they were meant to be perpetually in their teenage years for the duration of the original series.[8] As of Hunted, he and the other three original ninja were stated to be "grown-up teenagers" by Jay.[9]Misako later referred to Kai as a grown man, implying he was a legal adult as of Seabound.[10]
Dragons Rising:The Merge occurs sometime after Crystalized, and the main events of the series take place an unknown amount of years later. Children before the merge grew into teenagers, which may imply that he and the other original five ninja, excluding Zane, are now young adults in their 20s instead of teens. However, as mentioned above, the creators do not specify ages. In "Gangs of the Sea" when Wyldfyre said Kai should sit behind her on Heatwave's back to go find the Purple Dragon Core, Kai says he's the one who should in the front since he's older and right after states that he's "not that old".
What follows are possible estimations using creator statements on the ninja's ages. Their specific ages are not canonically set in stone, and some older statements may no longer apply if the creator later disagrees with themselves.
Potential Estimations: During the events of the pilot episodes and Season 1, Kai may have been at least 15 or 16 years of age.[11][12]
Fittingly for his elemental affinity, Kai is very hot-headed, prone to taking action before he thinks things through. He is capable of making careful observations when the need arises, but his emotions often override his caution. His single-mindedness made interaction with his teammates difficult at first (especially due to his worry about Nya), but he eventually learned to work with the other ninja. He can be very cocky at times, especially earlier in his career as a ninja, sometimes even to the point of selfishness, insisting that he is better than others, gloating about his victory, or yelling about his failures. He seems to have a large ego as he wanted to be the Green Ninja and lead the team. He eventually grew out of this for the most part, though he occasionally lapses back into a similar mindset. But those emotions are also when his strength is greatest, especially when protecting those he cares about. Kai's personality represents caution, growth, safety, and warmth. He may not say it much, but he deeply cares about his loved ones and will do anything to protect them, even if he must sacrifice himself, which is why he's so overconfident.
Later, following the ninja's fame, Kai would end up getting something of a larger head and bigger ego, constantly flirting with girls and enjoying the merchandise styled after him. He indulged in his fame the most out of all of the ninja.[14] Usually, because he often feels insecure, Kai feels like he's useless or insignificant at times or not as good as the other ninja.
Kai also has something of an overconfident stubborn side, believing that he is in the right until overwhelming evidence to the contrary is presented. This is especially pronounced during Lord Garmadon's stay on the Destiny's Bounty; Kai repeatedly accused the four-armed villain of treachery or plotting despite Garmadon's insistence that saving Lloyd was his primary concern at the time.[15] On the other hand, Kai's stubborn streak lends him incredible determination that allows him to bolster the team's spirit in the face of impossible odds.
Despite having no powers at the time, Kai showed intense loyalty through his determination to protect Lloyd when the latter was possessed by Morro.[16] As time passed, Kai mentally connected his power with his self-worth to a greater degree, at one point hesitating to give up his power to save Lloyd and, at another point, losing hope when his power was taken by Aspheera.[17][18][19] However, his desire to protect his friends was able to overcome all this insecurities and allow Kai to see his self-value besides his power, allowing him to become an even better person and ninja.
Overall, Kai is a tough, brave, confident, passionate and also protective ninja. The most prevalent facet of Kai's personality is his good heart and dedication to the people he cares about—if someone can earn his friendship, he will stop at nothing to protect them. Much of his stubbornness and recklessness is due to his desire to help his loved ones, either directly or by becoming strong enough to defeat anyone who might threaten them with their plans. In turn, his friends and family work to balance out Kai's more extreme traits, causing him to become a level-headed mentor for Lloyd by the time he and his comrades begin training the Green Ninja. According to Zane, Kai's desire to protect his friends is just as powerful as his temper.
Unlike his sister, Kai likes to spend time with his parents and doesn't mind when his mother tends to baby him, which he likes. He also formed a better relationship with Ray while playing video games at the monastery with Cole.[10]
After the Merge and finding himself in the Land of Monsters, alone, Kai struggled to keep himself hopeful as he navigated for weeks fighting for survival and trying not to lose his humanity in the process. However, despite all the adversities he faced, Kai remained firm on his convictions, even inspiring a fire dragon driven by vengeance against a monster that killed her child to not kill its own unhatched egg and giving a sentient Fire Mech called Rusty, whose master had turned into a monster, a new purpose. However, as he grew tired, Kai eventually reached his limit, as he almost drowns due to a Sea Monster after it lured him with visions of his friends, sister, and master. But after Rusty sacrificed himself to save him, Kai was able to regain his hope and continue his journey to return to Ninjago. Even after years since escaping the Land of Monsters, Kai is showed to still struggling with what he experienced there, not even disclosing the details with the other Ninja, with the exception of Wyldfyre and only because she accidently found out about it and he knew she wouldn't stop pestering him until he told her all about it.
A few years after the Merge, he is showed to have matured quite a lot, finding the perfect balance to his cocky and impulsive personality. While still vain and loving to brag about his skills, Kai has showed a lot more modesty than he used to. Also, despite still being hot-headed and rush into battle, he is now able to focus on the mission and to sort out priorities. This is especially showed when Nokt attacks Imperium to take the souls of the inhabitants, where Kai remained focused in finding a way to better fight the ghosts, even advising Cole, who was engulfed in anger and grief due to Nokt taking the souls of Bonzle, Fritz and Spitz, to not let his emotions cloud his judgment. One factor that contributed to this was becoming Wyldfyre's mentor, which not only gave him someone with whom he could relate, but it also gave him someone he could guide. Through Wyldfyre, Kai's teaching skills that he had developed while teaching Lloyd were able to fully blossom, as not only he was able to teach her how to properly use her elemental power, but also taught her how to calm down her own temper.
Weapons and abilities[]
Abilities[]
Fire: Being the Elemental Master of Fire, Kai can manipulate, generate, negate, and control fire. he can create Fire with his own hands and either throw it, use it as boxing gloves, or unleash a burst of flames towards his opponents. He also can withstand high temperatures and walk through fire unharmed. He also has the ability to move fire at will.
Smoke emission : Kai can create small blasts of smoke with his hands, as shown in Back in Action! (possibly non-canon).
Spinjitzu: Kai knows and can perform Spinjitzu, with his version channeling Fire.
Kai using Spinjitzu and Rising Dragon
Rising Dragon: Kai is capable of performing Rising Dragon through his Spinjitzu.
Dragon Spinjitzu: Kai's Spinjitzu can change while being in the First Land after the Merge, seeing a swirling dragon avatar added around his tornado.
Elemental Dragon: Kai unlocked his Fire Dragon after conquering his inner fears and doubts. The dragon allows him to travel quickly through the air and shoot large blasts of Fire that deal devastating damage.
Elemental Powers (briefly): When Kai had the Staff of Elements, he obtain the powers of every Elemental Master that participated in the Tournament of Elements.
Expert Combatant: Even before his ninja training, Kai is a competent fighter, wielding a sword against the Skulkin when they attacked the blacksmith shop. Kai is also capable of performing hand-to-hand combat against Serpentine, Stone Warriors, and Nindroids. Kai managed to fight Karlof and Ash in the Tournament of Elements. Although Kai lost twice against Karlof, he still managed to put up a fight and had the upper hand in the first half of both fights. In his fight with Ash, Kai mostly fought using his ninja training skills. Once Kai started to use his powers, he managed to defeat Ash. Kai also managed to take on Morro while he was in Lloyd's body. Kai also managed to go toe-to-toe with both Time Twins Krux and Acronix alongside his sister. Kai also managed to fight Kalmaar in a moving truck. He also managed to have the upper hand against his fight with Aspheera, before Pythor intervened to restrain him.Years later after the Merge, Kai skills improved to the point where he managed to fight the wolf warriors and the new Master of Smoke, Cinder, and even predict his attacks. Once Kai learned the Rising Dragon technique, he managed to outmatch Cinder again. After escaping the Nether-Space, Kai made a remarkable fight performance, managing to hold Nokt (who had all the stolen powers from the Tournament of the Sources at the time) and temporarily bring him down in the first half of their fight.
Swordsmanship: As Kai's primary weapon is often swords, he is an expert swordsman, easily handling various types of blades. This is best exhibited when he adroitly and swiftly defeated a bunch of Spectral Dragonians alongside Frak with their newly-acquired Reveal Blades.
Teaching: Kai is shown to be a great teacher, something that is soon demonstrated when he, along with the other original Ninja, trained Lloyd and helped him hone his skills. After Nya sacrificed herself to defeat Kaalmar and Wojira, Kai opened a school to teach martial arts to kids and, despite teaching them to be aggressive and show no mercy, he managed to teach them how to fight. When he becomes Wyldfyre's mentor, his teaching skills were able to blossom, as despite a rough start (due to their similar hot-tempered personalities), he is able to help her to improve her use of her elemental power, while also passing to her tools to help her control her temper and become a better person. Under his tutelage, Wyldfyre would become quite a formidable fighter in her own right. Additionally, he later taught Frak alongside Cole and gave the former some crucial fighting tips.
Stealth: Being a ninja, Kai is able to sneak into places without being noticed.
Leadership and Strategy: Before Lloyd became leader, Kai was known to lead the original ninjas to successful battles. And while Kai is often hot-headed or impulsive he is known for his strategic planning, quick thinking and leadership skills, Kai is often second or third in command, taking charge when the leader is unavailable or delegates their role. Kai's leadership skills and strategic planning often save and/or prepare his team for difficult situations as they battle against evil forces. Even without strategy, Kai is capable of quick thinking in times of need. This is seen how he was able to think of a way to battle the Great Devourer by weaponizing the song of the Sacred Flute and being able to find its weak point.
Blacksmith: Kai can work as a blacksmith when needed. As seen in "Endings," he was able to melt down the Golden Armor, and reforge it into the weapons it was previously made from. Although, Nya used to tell him he was a terrible blacksmith, as of "Way of the Ninja." Somehow, he was able to gain these skills with hardly any practice at all. By the time the Merge happened, Kai is showed to have improved his blacksmith even more, as in "Fallen Master" he managed to reforge Rusty's body to what it once was.
Psychic link: As seen in "Inside the Maze," due to some of Riyu's scales being on Kai, Kai can communicate with Riyu. As seen in "The Sword Shatters," due to their sibling bond, Nya managed to hear Kai who was trapped in the Nether-Space, through a Dragon Ivory stone. With Riyu giving her some of his dragon power, Nya can communicate with Kai. She was eventually able to free him due to her connection with the Dragon Ivory from the Crowns of Horns.
Video games: Kai wasn’t very good at playing video games at first, being the first ninja to be cubed in Prime Empire alongside Cole, but he has improved since then. As of "The Spectral Lands", he is proficient in playing video games to the extent where he was able to beat Jay’s Galamorph X-Post high score, although his high score was beaten by Jay soon after.
Weapons[]
Swords & katanas: Kai favors swords and katanas in combat.
Sword of Fire: He used the Sword of Fire as his primary weapon until it was lost, and then switched to wielding regular katanas.
Elemental Blade: He eventually gained an Elemental Blade that allowed him to harness his fire abilities to an even greater degree.
Prismatic Blade/Reveal Blade: In the second half of Dragons Rising Season 3 , Kai wielded a Prismatic Blade against Spectral Dragonians and later had it upgraded to a Reveal Blade, using her to fend off the enemy and free some of the captured souls.
Techno Blade: Months after Lloyd defeated the Overlord, Kai, along with the other three ninja (Cole, Jay, and Zane), receive Techno Blades, a weapon which allows the ninja to hack into any electronics.
Aeroblade: He also has an Aeroblade (along with Cole, Jay and Zane) that can destroy ghosts.
Dragon Blade: In Season 7, Kai used a double-bladed dagger created by his father Ray that is use for combat or to create the Fusion Dragon. It can also be used as the key to unlocking the Ancient Library of Hono Mizu, only when the current Masters of Fire and Water are holding it.
In the Tournament app[]
Kai is a playable character in the Tournament app. His teacher version can be purchased for 50,000 studs, his jungle version can be purchase for 250,000 studs, and his special move is Spinjitzu, much like Jay, Cole, Zane, Master Wu, and Sensei Garmadon.
Vehicles[]
Kai has owned a variety of different vehicles in his ninja history.
Kai rode this dragon when he and the others were at the Crossroads to close a MergeQuake rift. This dragon decided to stay with the Ninja after being liberated.
Kai is the ninja of Fire, and though he is a hero now, he came from humble beginnings.
His father was a trusted ally of Sensei Wu and the two adventured together for many years.
Wu would later hide the map showing the locations of the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu in his friend’s blacksmith shop.
Kai was the last member recruited for the team by Sensei Wu and the last to achieve his full potential (which happened when he saved Lloyd from the belly of an active volcano!) He can be hot-headed and impatient, but is trying to control that.
For the first two months of his life his parents called him Ash.
Kai once by accident forged a weapon called a 'Swingana' … Part yo-yo, part sword. It was not a big success.
When Kai uses his elemental power in a vehicle, it gets powered up and engulfed in flames … which is why flying a hang glider is a bad idea.
Once Kai singed off his eyebrows with the sword of fire, but no one noticed because he painted it back on with a black marker.
When Kai's sister, Nya, was a baby, he used to juggle hammers to entertain her. When he dropped one on his foot, she laughed the hardest.[20]
Kai’s impulsive personality, fierce temper and immense drive mirror the fire within him. His strong sense of justice makes him stubborn and he’ll stop at nothing if he has put his mind to it … but this is also the source of his bravery. As older brother to Nya, he is overprotective of her. While Kai’s self-confidence can be overwhelming to some people, this makes him one of the leaders and big personalities in the group.
Kai is the last young ninja to join Master Wu’s ninja training. His impatience with training is significant, as Lord Garmadon has kidnapped his sister. However, while he quickly becomes a skillful warrior and is the first to tame his dragon, he discovers that impatience is the enemy of a great ninja…[21]
Season 1 (Museum)
When the prophecy of the Green Ninja is revealed, Kai is absolutely convinced that he will be the Chosen One and defeat Lord Garmadon in the final battle. In the end, Kai has to put his ego to one side. He discovers that life has a different plan for him and there are more important things than being the best. [22]
Season 2 (Museum)
Once the self-centered rogue, Kai becomes the ultimate team player. He humbly and proudly accepts his role as Lloyd’s mentor, helping the Green Ninja find his true potential. Finally he becomes the hero he’s always wanted to be, willing to give up his own life for the team.[23]
Season 3 (Museum)
Kai feels a little like the world has passed him by. While everyone else is going high-tech, he can’t even use a toaster without setting off fire alarms. He feels like machinery is out to get him, but as time goes on during this adventure, he learns to find a balance between the past and the future.[24]
Season 4 (Museum)
Kai is competitive by nature and Master Chen plans to use that against him. Kai’s always been second to the Green Ninja, but maybe this tournament is his chance to prove how good he really is. Is Kai willing to leave his team behind, only to get ahead? What could compel him to follow his ego...a potential love interest, perhaps?[25]
Season 5 (Museum)
After the loss of Garmadon, Kai made a solemn promise to look after Lloyd, just as Nya cared for him when their parents passed away. So when Lloyd is possessed, Kai takes it very personally! He feels he has to save him single-handedly, but really he needs the whole team. They all have weaknesses, but their individual strengths come together to win the day.[26]
Season 6 (Museum)
Kai loves being a celebrity. He loves being an action figure, he loves the screams of the fans, and all this crazy ninja stuff is kind of getting in the way. He’s not ready for the threat of Nadakhan or to confront his own past, which endangers the team. Like the other ninja he is given three wishes by the Djinn which don’t go to plan. He ends up trapping himself in Nadakhan’s Djinn Blade and only escapes in time to crash Nya’s wedding.[27]
Season 7 (Museum)
Kai has long wondered what happened to his parents, who disappeared when he was a child. All he knew is that they were Elemental Masters, which is why he is devastated when Krux tells him his parents helped the Hands of Time betray Wu and the Elemental Alliance. Always a fighter for justice, Kai now fears he is destined to follow in his mother and father’s traitorous footsteps, and his quest for the truth ultimately leads to an angry confrontation with his father, Ray. Fortunately, Kai learns that Krux had lied, and Kai (and Nya) save Ray from the effects of a Time Punch.[28]
Season 8
Kai’s impulsive personality, fierce temper and immense drive mirror the fire within him. His strong sense of justice makes him stubborn and he’ll stop at nothing if he has put his mind to it … but this is also the source of his bravery. As older brother to Nya, he is overprotective of her. While Kai’s self-confidence can be overwhelming to some people, this makes him one of the leaders and big personalities in the group.[29]
2019 (The Legacy of Kai)
Did you know Kai is the Fire Ninja through and through. He can be impulsive, has a fierce temper, and his strong sense of justice can make him stubborn at times. But his fire is also the source of his bravery and strong loyalty. He will stop at nothing if he has put his mind to a cause or mission. He can be very overprotective with his younger sister, Nya. Kai’s self-confidence can seem a little overwhelming to some people, but his friends know he has the skills to back it up. They trust him with their lives and will follow him everywhere he goes. Favorite NINJAGO® Legacy weapon The Sword of Fire – one of the four Golden Weapons and Kai’s trusty battle companion through thick and thin. Quote “Crime doesn’t pay muchacho. You can take that to the bank.”
2019
Kai - the fiercely determined Fire Ninja!
Self confident, impulisive, determined and brave - Kai is a strong character among the LEGO® NINJAGO® Ninja heroes. If he puts his mind to something he will not stop until he has achieved his aim. That stubborn streak might get Kai in trouble sometimes, but his strong sense of justice is always to be admired.
Kai and his younger sister Nya worked in their father’s blacksmith shop until Master Wu took them under his wing and trained them up to be part of an awesome ninja team. With Wu’s guidance, Kai learned the art of Spinjitzu and how to harness the fire burning inside him to become an Elemental Master of Fire, following in the footsteps of his father who, unbeknown to Kai, had been the previous Elemental Master of Fire (Nya inherited their mother’s elemental mastery of water).
A massive personality in the ninja team, Kai is a hugely popular character with NINJAGO fans who love to role-play with his red-outfitted minifigure, found in many LEGO NINJAGO construction sets.
2020
Clad in red armor with his trusty sword, Kai is the ninja of fire and one of the leaders of NINJAGO’s team of fighting comrades. He expertly guides them with his sense of justice and inherent bravery.
Season 13
Kai finds himself in a peculiar position when he is "elected" leader of a race of subterranean creatures called the Geckles. And the Geckles are even more hotheaded than Kai! They are embroiled in a war with another subterranean race called the Munce, whom they believe have stolen their most precious cultural relic – a mystical sword called the Ivory Blade of Deliverance. Kai finds himself caught in the middle, forced to be the voice of reason when he must broker a peace between them and unite both sides against their true enemy – the Skull Sorcerer.[30]
2021
BE BRAVE, WITH KAI
To have Courage is to be confident you can win any battle. Even when it looks like you could lose, Kai knows a true Master never allows fear to stop them from achieving their potential.
Kai is the Fire Ninja. His strong sence of justice and unparalleled bravery makes him one of the leaders of the group.[31]
Kai is the Fire Ninja. With his fierce temper, bravery, and strong sense of justice, he'll stop at nothing if he has put his mind to it.
2023
Dragons Rising, Season 1
Kai, an original ninja, joins the quest to unravel The Merge. With a fiery temper and unwavering sense of justice, he stands out as one of the group’s prominent personalities.[32]
The name, Kai, means "strong," "victorious," and "recovery," in three Asian cultures, all of which fit his hotshot attitude in the ninja's battles. His name may also be derived from the Japanese word Akai, meaning "red." In Scottish, Kai's name means "fire"; matching his elemental power. In Japanese, Kai's name also means "ocean," which annotates his mother's and sister's water abilities. In Hawaiian, Kai's name also means "sea," a further link to his mother's and sister's water abilities.
Names Kai originally had were Dante and Ash,[33] with Ash being the name The Hageman Brothers originally suggested.[34] The name was not used because it was already the name of the protagonist of the Pokémon franchise.[35] Ash was later said on LEGO.com to have been a nickname for Kai when he was young,[20] As Tommy Andreasen was the one who wrote this description in 2012,[36][37] it can be considered canon.[38] Another character similar to Kai ended up using the name Ash, a previous Master of Smoke.
Behind the scenes[]
Kai and Nya's surname is unknown, though it was considered to be "Smith" behind the scenes, but this is not necessarily canon to the show.[39][40] They were also called this in the 2012 blooper reel.
Kai kept his original one-sided head-piece for the longest out of all the six ninja lasting until Season 8: Sons of Garmadon. Except for his Stone Armor variant, which was released as an exclusive small set, his Golden Ninja variant, which was released in a Bricktober pack, and his fusion armor variant in 70627 Dragon's Forge, all of his minifigures have featured him with the same scarred face. However, the Stone Armor minifigure includes Kai's show-accurate head without the scar, and in the Dragon's Forge set, Kai has two brand new face prints, one has a confident smirk and the other has an angry facial expression with orange glowing eyes, representing him using one of the Time Blades. In addition, his Golden Ninja variant had a big, toothy smile on it.
Tommy Andreasen explained that Kai's scar was removed for the show because "he looked way too battle-hardened for the story," specifically "for his humble beginnings."[41][42] He also could not receive the scar later because of a broadcasting rule that characters can't receive lasting wounds.[43]
Kai's original mouth design was later used on a two recurringfaces in the LEGO City theme (and another in reverse).
To mirror his movie self's appearance, he now has his scar on the right side of his face as of Season 8.
Kai's elemental symbol is the Chinese character "平," meaning "flat" or "peaceful."
According to Vincent Tong in the "Ten Years of Spinjitzu" documentary, Kai was originally supposed to have red hair and freckles.[44]
Kai's physical minifigure prior to Season 8: Sons of Garmadon had a rubber hairpiece. It was not completely show-accurate, as in the show his hair is thinner and slightly longer in the back.
Simon Lucas explained in an interview with Brent Miller that this is because WilFilm basically made a custom hairpiece for Kai.[45]
In Shadow of Ronin, Kai's hair looks exactly the same as the rubber hairpiece he dons in the sets. It is in a lighter shade of brown.
Like the other ninja, Kai uses his movie counterpart's hairpiece from Season 8 onward, though it was shortened because Tommy Andreasen did not like the size of his hair from the movie,[46] and it is also now a shade of reddish-brown instead of dark brown.
Tommy Andreasen responded to a question about Kai's hair change with "All it takes to change a head of hair is a brisk breeze,"[47] though this does not completely explain it as the texture of his hair also changed.
His hair-headband combo in The Island is the same height as the set version because it is based on a new, slightly different piece.
The rest of Kai's scar below his eye is missing in Season 11. Tommy Andreasen pointed out that they did not notice it until it was too late.[48] He said it would appear again in future seasons.[49]
The rest of the scar is also missing for the first 4 episodes of Season 12, until "I am Okino", this is because Kai's model for Season 11 was still used for those episodes. The model was updated in "Shintaro".
According to Tommy Andreasen, Kai's greatest fear was not being liked or included.[50]
Kai was originally going to appear as a cameo in the Monkie Kid episode, "Benched," but it was scrapped.[51]
Trivia[]
Kai is the first character to speak in the franchise.
Before Lloyd, Kai was the original main character of Ninjago. The turning point for this was "The Green Ninja," when Kai realized his destiny was not to become the Green Ninja, but to protect him.
When asked about this, Tommy Andreasen stated, "We don't work with these check-the-box charts. Not everyone need to blast out of an erupting volcano to save the future green ninja or melt an ice dragon either."[52]
It's unclear if him defeating Aspheera in "Dragon Form" would count as him defeating a main antagonist alone as while the latter was the main antagonist in the first half of Secrets of Forbidden Spinjitzu, she is demoted to a general in Crystalized.
Kai is the fourth ninja to join the team, the last of the original four to claim his Golden Weapon, the fourth ninja to unlock his True Potential, and the third to last to have a love interest. On the other hand, he was the first ninja introduced in the franchise, the first to tame his respective dragon, and the first ninja to perform Airjitzu.
He apparently appears to have a fear of Christmas-related subjects, as shown in "Can of Worms," when the Venomari's venom causes him to see things like Santa Claus, gingerbread men, and elves.
Kai is mentioned to be thalassophobic during "Stiix and Stones" and to have an extreme fear of large bodies of water. It is ironic, then, that his sister turned out to be the Elemental Master of Water. However, this is a direct contradiction to "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master," in which he stated he would swim the whole ocean to reach Ninjago City from the Dark Island.
Ironically, in Hawaiian, Kai's name means "ocean" or "ocean water."
Despite his apparent thalassophobia, Kai showed no signs of his fear during the course of Seabound.
However, it is possible Kai has overcome his thalassophobia at some point between Possession and Seabound.
Nevertheless he dived into the boiling sea and also can swim in Season 7, when he and his sister wanted to get to Hono Mizu.
In the sixth episode of Decoded it is mentioned that he wouldn't be able to swim, which does not make sense, since he could swim in Season 7.
According to Chris "Doc" Wyatt, when asked about Kai's aquaphobia, he stated that Kai "got over it."[53]
He considers Lloyd to be like a younger brother. As of Season 5, Kai also becomes somewhat of a guidance figure to Lloyd. This bond between the Red and Green Ninja can be traced to that of the same colors in Chinese mythology and culture.
Kai appears to holster the Sword of Fire as if he was left-handed, but uses all other weaponry and tools in his right hand; this might mean Kai is ambidextrous.
This may have been confirmed by Season 8 because Kai uses two katanas in this season.
Kai and the other original four ninja can only harness their Elemental Powers by being dependent on Lloyd. This may be because Lloyd shares his Golden Power with them.
At the end of Season 8, Lloyd loses his powers. However, Kai and the other ninja retain theirs.
This could mean that they have become more adept at using their powers without Lloyd and do not need to rely on him anymore to use them.
Kai is kind of a hypocrite towards technology, saying that he hates it, but he can be seen enjoying video games and using his phone to send Chirps. His dislike may be towards the more sophisticated and complex forms of technology, possibly because he was not used to it growing up as a child. He may have learned to adapt.
He is similar to Krux since both have a hatred for technology, and are the oldest sibling.
However, unlike Krux, Kai has shown to grow out of his hatred of technology and learned to enjoy them (such as playing video games and using his smart phone).
The website states that he is often one of the leaders of the group,.[54] Though he was never officially considered the leader in the show, he did often take charge in the earlier seasons before Lloyd took the mantle.
He had freckles when he was younger, as seen in "A Time of Traitors" and "Pause and Effect." However, they were not present when he was temporarily turned into a child along with the other ninja in "Child's Play."
Tommy Andreasen said he did not think Kai uses hair gel to maintain his appearance.[55] This makes sense considering Kai and Nya came from a small, poor village that most likely did not have hair gel and his hairstyle was already spiky before he became a ninja.
However, Tommy Andreasen later answered a question saying the brand of hair gel Kai uses is a real-life brand, "Dapper Dan."[56]
Ian Hanlin, voice actor for the NEXO Knights character Lance Richmond as well as characters in Ninjago, has said that Lance also uses the same hair gel.[57]
He and Zane are currently the only ninja to have their Golden Techno Robe variant as a physical minifigure.
Kai once forged a weapon known as a Swingana, which was a half yo-yo, half sword. It was not a big success.[20]
Kai singed his eyebrows off with the Sword of Fire once, but nobody noticed because he drew them back on with black marker.[20]
Although Kai was not experienced with the Staff of Elements which got him corrupted, he was wise at using the elements against Chen's army.
After Kai and Nya's parents were kidnapped by Krux, a babysitter named Mrs. Grumbmiller was hired to take care of them, but Kai and Nya would call her Madam Revenge because she made them go to bed early.
Kai is the second ninja to solely lose their powers due to someone absorbing them, the first being Lloyd.
He recovers them in "Fire Maker," albeit in a weak state, and overuse of it can weaken Kai.
He fully recovers them in "Awakenings," and kills Boreal with them.
Kai is the only character to appear in all Ninjago: Legacy Wave 3 and 5 sets.
Kai is the only one out of the ninja who has an avatar in Season 12: Prime Empire that does not have triangle markings on his avatar body.
Kai is tied with Cole as the ninja who have worn the most suits in the franchise, with the exceptions of the Scuba gear Zane, Lloyd, Nya, and Jay wore in Seabound and the Tournament of Sources suits that the Ninja wore during the second part of Dragons RisingSeason 2. Nya and Lloyd did not wear various earlier suits, having joined the ninja team later; Zane did not wear the Tournament or Digi robes & did not have an Avatar variant, Cole did not have an Avatar variant and a scuba suit in the show, and Jay did not wear his Merge suit in Dragons RisingSeason 1 as well as not wearing the Mech pilot or Climber suits in Dragons RisingSeason 2 and not wear a Storm suits in Season 3.
In the "Journey to Mastery" video series on LEGO.com, Kai's journey to mastery is primarily courage.[58]
Besides the clip from "Superstar Rockin' Jay," all the clips used are from before Season 8.
Kai is portrayed as the focus character of the sets for Firstbourne, the Destiny's Wing, the Stone Mech, and Heatwave, despite not being specifically connected to any of them in the show.
According to Tommy Andreasen, it is possible that when Ray and Maya disappeared, Kai and Nya were cared for by their friendly neighbors, whom Wu asked for.[59]
He is similar to Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, because they are both teenagers with dark brown hair and a scar over their eye, they can control and create fire, at least one of their parents (Maya and Ray for Kai, and Ursa for Zuko) was lost in their childhood and later found, both have a younger sister (Nya and Azula), and both learn to control their anger over the course of the series and realize their original goal is the wrong path. He also worked at a tea shop, lost his powers and regained them through a dragon somehow, wields twin blades, and is friends with a prophesied legendary hero who has the ability to wield multiple elements (Lloyd and Aang).
According to Tommy Andreasen, if Kai was a YouTuber, his videos would be bad dating tips.[61]
According to Bragi Schut, if Kai had a secret hobby, it would be practicing one-liners in the mirror.[62] Jay was previously seen doing this before his date with Nya in "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" as well.
The reason Kai did not react to Nya's sacrifice like Jay is, according to Tommy Andreasen, because "People respond in unexpected ways to grief and shock. You'll learn [through] life."[63]
