Lilly

“Oh Cole, don't you see? I am proud. I want you to promise me, Cole, that you will always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust. Always.”

— Lilly to Cole, "Dungeon Crawl!"

Lilly (referred to as Gilly by the Geckles and Milly by the Munce) was Lou's wife, Cole's mother, and the previous Elemental Master of Earth.

History[]

Wu and Lilly — Meditating with Wu near the Monastery of Spinjitzu

Lilly was the daughter of the Elemental Master of Earth who participated in the Serpentine War.^[1] She inherited his powers.

Lilly trained with Master Wu at the Monastery of Spinjitzu, learning Spinjitzu, shortly after she met Lou, she achieved her True Potential.^[2] In addition to protecting civilians, she at one point traveled to the Underworld and at another point encountered a group of Venomari and prevented them from attacking Jamanakai Village.^[3] At one point, she discovered that her powers were strongest when she was closer to the earth, and she shared this revelation with Wu.^[4]

Lilly baby cole — Lilly with Cole as a baby, Lou and Wu

Lilly eventually visited Shintaro Mountain, where she learned the Spinjitzu Burst,^[5] and she used this power to destroy Grief-Bringer, a dragon that terrorized the residents of the caverns. She left the mountain, but not before leaving the Blades of Deliverance with the Geckles and Munce^[6] and her locket with Gleck.^[7]

At some point, Lilly participated in the Tournament of the Sources and her mech was put on a display outside the Temple City Museum.^[8]

Eventually, Lilly and Lou married and had a son named Cole, who inherited his mother's powers. Wu was also present when Lilly kept her son lying in her bed.^[3] After Cole was born, Lilly still went on missions.^[2]

When Cole was three, Lilly told him the moon was made of green cheese, as she knew that was the explanation that would make the most sense to him at the time.^[9]

TVoS–Balance–2’20” — Dancing with Lou in the dance class

Lilly and Lou often danced outside on the terrace of their house at night.^[10] At one point, they also danced in a dance class together while Cole watched from behind the door.^[11]

Screenshot 20200711-165941 — Hugging her son

Eventually, Lilly became ill. At one point when Cole and Lou came to see her, Cole told his mother that he didn't want her to be sick anymore, but she told him, "we don't always get what we want". Lilly asked Cole about problems at school and he told her that he got into a fight with a child who hurt the weaker ones. Cole said that he would never fight and that he would be good, wanting his mother to be proud of him. Lilly told him that she was already proud and that she wanted him to promise her that he would always fight those who are cruel and unjust. Cole promised her that he would do exactly that.^[4]

At some point in Cole's teenage years, Lilly died, resulting in a division between Cole and Lou in their grief.^[12]

Other appearances and mentions[]

Sons of Garmadon[]

The Mask of Deception[]

When Cole and Jay hit another dead end in their search for Wu, Cole stated that he was tired of losing people in his life, likely in part referring to Lilly.

The Jade Princess[]

During his first encounter with Wu, Cole mentioned Lilly, saying that she was gone and that his father should be sad or angry but instead spent all his time with his group. Wu told Cole that grief takes many shapes and forms, some singing and dancing and some climbing mountains.

Way of the Departed[]

During his journey, Cole had a dream based on his memories of his parents dancing.

Master of the Mountain[]

Ninjago–(MotM)–0’14” — Pictured on Gleck's necklace

Into the Dark[]

When Cole caught Gleck sneaking into his room, he saw that Gleck had a necklace with a portrait of his parents, Lilly and Lou.

The Two Blades[]

Gliff told the ninja how Lilly had defeated the Grief-Bringer with the Blades of Deliverance, which she subsequently left with the Geckles and Munce.

Screenshot 20200622-194619 — Mural of Lilly in the Heart of the Mountain

Queen of the Munce[]

While Lloyd, Jay, and Nya talked in Munce Home-Cave, Lloyd noticed a picture on the wall depicting Lilly fighting Grief-Bringer.

Grief-Bringer[]

After noticing the necklace Gleck was wearing, Kai and Zane asked to look at it. Gleck stated that it was his most prized possession, given to him by "Gilly" herself. After noticing Lilly in the locket, Kai and Zane correctly deduced that Lilly was the same person as Gilly. Gleck, happy to hear that they know her, asked if they could bring her to the Dungeons to help with the peace treaty. Unfortunately for Gleck, Kai sadly told him about Lilly's passing.

Relationships[]

Family[]

Unnamed (father)
Lou (husband)
Cole (son)

Allies[]

Enemies[]

Weapons and abilities[]

Abilities[]

Earth (formerly) -
- Spinjitzu - She learned Spinjitzu from Wu and was therefore able to execute an Earth Spinjitzu.
  - Spinjitzu Burst - As an Elemental Master of Earth, Lilly is able to execute the Spinjitzu Burst when she is surrounded by her element, a technique she used to destroy Grief-Bringer.
Ninja skills/fight skills - She learned martial arts and combat skills from Wu and was therefore a skilled ninja.
Dance skills -

Weapons[]

Bo staff - As a ninja, Lilly used to use ninjas weapons and she learned the use of the bo staff.

Blades of Deliverance - The Blades of Deliverance were the main and personal weapons of Lilly. She handled them with skill and was a formidable warrior by using them.

Vehicles[]

Mech[]

Elemental Earth Mech (formerly)
- This titan mech is an elemental mech of Earth that was once used by Lilly and that was on display next to the Temple City Museum.
- It first appears in "Inside the Maze".

Appearances[]

Sets[]

71721 Skull Sorcerer's Dragon (statue)

Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu[]

Season 1: Rise of the Snakes[]

3. "Snakebit" (mentioned)

Season 8: Sons of Garmadon[]

75. "The Mask of Deception" (indirectly mentioned)
76. "The Jade Princess" (mentioned)

Season 13: Master of the Mountain[]

146. "Into the Dark" (pictured)
148. "The Two Blades" (flashback)
149. "Queen of the Munce" (pictured)
154. "Dungeon Crawl!" (flashback)
155. "Grief-Bringer" (pictured)
156. "Masters Never Quit" (statue)
158. "The Ascent" (statue)
159. "The Upply Strike Back!" (mentioned)
160. "The Son of Lilly" (flashback)

The Virtues of Spinjitzu[]

2. "Balance" (flashback; no lines)

Ninjago: Dragons Rising[]

Season 2[]

34. "Inside the Maze" (mentioned)
38. "Clues and Suspects" (flashback; no lines)

Books[]

Way of the Departed (dream)
Quest for the Lost Powers (silhouette; flashback)

Ninjago Magazine[]

68. Ninja Legend! (flashback)

Behind the scenes[]

Tommy Andreasen previously stated that Cole's mother would not appear in the show.^[13]^[14] This is an example of when creator statements can become false as later seasons are released.^[15]
Though she was mentioned in Way of the Departed and Season 8, her name was not revealed until Season 13. This makes her the second-to-last parent of the ninja to be given a name, the other being Jay's mother.
- It was also meant to be implied that the lantern Cole and Lou were going to light in "Day of the Departed" was for Lilly.^[16]
In the story of the Two Blades, she wears a Legacy hood and Season 11 armor.
- In the 68th issue of the Ninjago Magazine she has a Legacy hood and a suit design similar to Training and Day of the Departed gi.
She has two different hairstyles in the show. This makes her the third parent of a ninja who has two different hairstyles, the first two being Garmadon and Lou and the fourth being Edna.
- In her appearances in Season 13: Master of the Mountain and The Virtues of Spinjitzu, she uses Abby Yates's hair from LEGO Ghostbusters, albeit black in color.
- In her appearance in Season 2 of Dragons Rising, her statue (in set form), and her image in her necklace, she has the Sumo Wrestler's hair from Minifigures Series 3, also seen on other characters such as Edna.
- Edna has the same two hair pieces as Lilly.
While Cole has Lou's eyebrows in his pre-Season 8 design, they more closely resemble Lilly's in his current design.
At one point, there were ideas to further explain Lilly's illness in the series.^[17]
According to Tommy Andreasen, her name in the first draft of the script was Jane, but creators needed a name which sounded more natural with a G and and M as the first letter whereas Geckles and Munce would have to call her 'Mane' and 'Gane' in this case, which would not sound as good.^[18]
- Her ultimate name "Lilly" may have been based on a fan's name.^[19]
In "Balance," she is wearing the same yukata as Nya wore in "Let's Dance."

Trivia[]

She was the fourth parent of a ninja to die. The first was Dr. Julien, the second was Garmadon (who was later resurrected), and the third was Cliff Gordon.
It's implied that she died of some kind of sickness, but it is not known for sure.
She was evidently less than 40 years old at the time of her death, as her father was seen using his Earth abilities at the time of the Serpentine War, which took place 40 years prior to The Hands of Time, and Elemental Masters lose their abilities when they pass them on to their children.
The comic "Mother Earth" in the 68th issue of the Ninjago Magazine reveals that, besides being an Elemental Master, she was also a ninja who trained with Wu and fought the Skulkin and Serpentine. Her ninja suit uses a Legacy ninja hood and a slightly altered version of Cole's Training suit.
- Though it was confirmed canon by Tommy Kalmar,^[20] this comic's timeline does not match with the TV series. In the TV series, Cole is older than Lloyd, who was born before Garmadon was banished to the Underworld. However, in this comic, Cole's birth is placed after Garmadon's banishment, which would make Cole younger than Lloyd. Additionally, this comic shows Wu with his young appearance after the point in time when Dr. Julien was captured, even though Wu appeared as an old man when he was shown in "Snake Jaguar" to have met Dr. Julien before Dr. Julien's imprisonment.
According the 68th issue of the of the Ninjago Magazine, she is the first Elemental Master to perform the Spinjitzu Burst.^[21]
71814 Tournament Temple City includes a statue using Lilly's hairpiece, although it is unknown if the statue is meant to be her, it foreshadows her minor role in Dragons Rising season 2.
Her mech being in the City of Temples could imply that she once participated in the Tournament of the Sources.

Gallery[]

In set form[]

Concept art[]

Design variants[]