Lou is Cole's father, Lilly's husband, and a notable member of The Royal Blacksmiths, a famous song and dance troupe. He won the Blade Cup several times with his group and wished for Cole to follow in his footsteps.
On the Day of the Departed, Lou and the other Royal Blacksmiths performed in front of a large crowd in Ninjago City.
History[]
Prior to the series[]
At some point, Lou and Lilly married and had a son named Cole, who inherited his mother's powers.
When Cole was young, Lou and Lilly often danced outside on the terrace of their house.[1]
When Cole was a child, Lou danced in the dance class with his wife Lilly while Cole watched them from behind the door.[2]
At some point after Lilly became ill, Lou took young Cole to the room where Lilly was and stood in the doorway as Cole talked to Lilly.[3]
At some point, Lou won multiple talent competitions against Dareth, who performed in a band called "Brown Suede Shoes."[4]
After Lilly's death, a rift formed between Lou and his son. Lou processed his grief through singing and dancing with his band.[5]
After Cole ran away from the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts, he kept in touch with his father through letters but lied that he was still attending the school.[6] Lou and Cole corresponded in letters up to the point where Cole was training with Wu in the Monastery of Spinjitzu.[7]
Rise of the Snakes[]
The Royal Blacksmiths[]
When the ninja discovered that the Constrictai Fangblade was now the Blade Cup, Cole decided to visit his father for the first time in years. Lou welcomed the ninja, being under the impression that Cole had formed a quartet to replace the Royal Blacksmiths in the annual Ninjago Talent, as he had suffered a sprained ankle that prevented him from performing. When the ninja were asked to display their dancing skills, Lou was less than impressed, correcting several flaws in their routine and warning them that the competition would be extremely stiff.
Later, Lou overheard Cole and his friends backstage, talking about stealing the Blade Cup. He angrily confronted his son about the deception, learning that Cole had run away from the Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts at the age of seven, before storming off in a fury. The argument had a profound impact on Cole, who decided that his team would win the prize fairly, but with their own act.
Unbeknownst to Cole, Lou remained in the audience, hidden from the view of the stage. He watched the ninja perform their Spinjitzu and fend off the Serpentine's attempts to thwart their act, even witnessing Cole performing the Triple Tiger Sashay against a trio of Fangpyre. Amazed and impressed, Lou snuck backstage to meet Cole and the others after they won the Blade Cup, informing his son that he now realized the destiny laid out for them was not the destiny he had tried to force on him. In turn, Cole apologized for deceiving his father for so long, and the two reconciled.
Unfortunately, the happy moment was broken by Pythor, who ordered Bytar to drop stage supplies on Lou as a distraction to steal the Fangblade. Cole jumped over his father to shield him from the falling debris, unlocking his True Potential in the process. With his new powers, the Black Ninja lifted the fallen equipment off of himself and his father, although the Serpentine escaped with the Blade Cup.
Back at his house, Lou thanked Cole and his friends for their hard work, showing them a photo he took of them with the Blade Cup. He declared that all of them could consider themselves part of his family, and joined the ninja in a group hug.
Day of the Great Devourer[]
Lou attended the "Take Back Ninjago!" rally, singing on stage with his fellow Royal Blacksmiths. He fled when the Great Devourer arrived in the city.
Legacy of the Green Ninja[]
Ninjaball Run[]
Lou and his quartet entered the Ninjaball Run competition on their stage bus, singing show tunes throughout the race. However, they crashed into a fallen tree shortly after entering Birchwood Forest, causing their truck to flip over and drop them into a snowbank.
The Last Voyage[]
While the ninja were saying their farewells at the harbor before setting off in search of the Island of Darkness, Cole spoke with Lou, who tried to express his pride in his son. Unable to find the right words, Lou decided to sing a song with his quartet instead—upon hearing it, Cole hugged his father and said that it was the sweetest thing he had ever heard. Lou joined the rest of the citizens in waving goodbye to the ninja as they left the harbor in the Destiny's Bounty.
Rise of the Spinjitzu Master[]
Lou came by Dareth's dojo while the "Brown Ninja" and his students were beating up General Kozu. After the Stone General was hurled into the street, Lou noticed a gathering mass of dark clouds and wondered if it meant that the ninja had won. Unfortunately, it was just the opposite; the Overlord appeared in the middle of Ninjago City, behind the controls of the Garmatron and with the entire Stone Army behind him. Lou was caught in the barrage of Dark Matter fired from the Garmatron, corrupting him along with the rest of Ninjago City (save Dareth).
He was wandering the streets in a gloomy daze when the ninja returned to Ninjago City. After Lloyd defeated the Overlord once and for all, Lou was purified with the rest of the darkness-infected citizens.
Tournament of Elements[]
The Corridor of Elders[]
Lou was asked by the ninja to aid in the battle against Chen and his forces. He helps in fighting off the fake Anacondrai long enough for Garmadon to banish himself to the Cursed Realm which releases the deceased Anacondrai generals who curse Chen and his army defeating them and sending to the realm.
Day of the Departed[]
On the Day of the Departed, Lou planned to meet with Cole to light a lantern together prior to the Royal Blacksmith's performance. However, Cole never showed up, prompting Lou to lead the Blacksmiths in a song expressing his sorrow. Yet before they could finish Lou and the others were quickly ushered onto the stage by Dareth, their new manager.
Later, Lou joined his son, the other ninja, and their families at the Temple of Airjitzu to tell stories before lighting a floating lantern to celebrate the holiday.
The Hands of Time[]
Pause and Effect[]
At an unknown point, Lou and his troupe were captured by the Vermillion warriors due to them mistaking their name "The Royal Blacksmiths" for actual blacksmiths. While held hostage, he met up with his son, who had snuck in to save the captives. Cole inquired as to why his father was captured before realizing the Vermillion needed armor and clothing forged with his father's troupe's name being mistaken as actual blacksmiths. With the efforts of Jay and Cole, Lou and the other prisoners manage to sneak out of their imprisonment.
After The Hands of Time[]
At some point, Lou gifted Cole a hammer.[8]
Crystalized[]
Dragon Form[]
Lou arrived to help fight the Crystal army.
Quest for the Lost Powers[]
Lou received a letter from Wu that his son Cole had written explaining his whereabouts.
Journeying to Sally-Bob's farm, Lou found his son farming, where Cole explained that more than anywhere else since leaving the Monastery, he felt anchored there. He continued and mentioned how he likes all the farmers treating each other like family. After Lou mentioned Cole's numerous bruises, his son admitted he was defending the farm against Takanagi's henchmen.
Cole then invited his father to stay at the farm, to which Lou agreed. Later that night, Lou and Cole were awoken by Henry, who had been imitating a rooster to warn of an impending attack by Takanagi's forces. Lou was then ordered by his son to stand back while he dealt with the situation, to which Lou reluctantly complied with. However, after he noticed that none of the other farmers were helping Cole, and even worse, were just watching his son take on Takanagi's goons alone, Lou hurried off to help his son. Although he was not a fighter in any sense of the word, Lou managed to use his dance moves to distract one of the goons who then drove his modified tractor into a ditch because he was too busy staring at Lou in confusion than watching the road! After the goons left, Lou helped his son to his feet and checked up on his well being.
After Cole expressed a feeling of powerlessness, and how he doubted his mother ever had such feelings before, Lou decided to share a story with his son about Lilly. The story took place shortly after Cole was born, during which Lilly had to resume her duties as a protector of Ninjago and as such was rarely at home to look after her newborn son. Her lack of presence placed a bit of a strain on her marriage, and on herself as well. During these times, Lou wondered to himself why Lilly even needed a powerless guy like himself, but he chose to focus his attention instead towards their son, spending time with him and teaching him dancing when Lilly was out saving the world. One day, after a long and grueling campaign, Lilly returned home in tears. She was saddened that her son was growing up before her eyes and she hadn't been as much of a part of his life as she would have liked, feeling powerless to do anything to change her circumstances. Lou and Cole however took her hands and had her join in on their dancing, bringing a smile to her face as she realized that in spite of her devotion to protecting Ninjago, her family always kept her in their thoughts. It was then that Lou realized why Lilly needed him: she needed him to feel a sense of normalcy, that she had a life to return to outside of protecting Ninjago, and also that she drew her strength from her love for her family.
The next day, Lou tried to participate in his son's defense trainings, though he did not get very far in them. When night fell and Takanagi himself led a new attack on Sally-Bob's farm, Lou participated in dancing to distract Takanagi, managing to buy a few minutes before infuriating the corrupt businessman who realized he was being distracted. When Cole regained his elemental power, Lou cheered his son on as the latter used his powers to crush Takanagi's assault, ending his threat. Lou and Cole would then spend the next few days helping to repair the damages inflicted upon the farm before going their separate ways, with Lou returning to tour with the Royal Blacksmiths. Before they departed, Lou promised to give Sally-Bob and her farmers tickets to his upcoming shows and said goodbye to Henry, with the yak giving him another slobbery lick across the face as his goodbye.
Other appearances and mentions[]
Rise of the Snakes[]
Snakebit[]
To tease Jay for not visiting his parents, Cole pretended to call his own parents, saying that he'd love to visit.
Rebooted[]
The Surge[]
Lou and his band performing at the Take Back Ninjago rally could be seen on one of the TV screens in Borg Tower.
Possession[]
Stiix and Stones[]
When the ninja were exploring Ronin's pawn shop, Cole noticed his dad's Blade Cup trophy among Ronin's stolen items.
Sons of Garmadon[]
Snake Jaguar[]
After escaping his cage in the S.O.G. Headquarters by singing "Glow-Worm" as a distraction to knock a guard out and grab the key, Cole noted that his dad would be proud.
Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu[]
The Absolute Worst[]
Ultra Violet had a poster of Lou in her cell in Kryptarium Prison, indicating she is his fan.
Master of the Mountain[]
Into the Dark[]
When Cole tackled Gleck, Lilly's necklace popped out, revealing a photos of Lou and Lilly.
Grief-Bringer[]
When Gleck showed Kai and Zane the necklace, Lou and Lilly's photos were shown again, and Kai recognized Lou.
Appearance[]
Lou in Season 1
Lou is a dark gray-haired man still in the prime of his life, with well-defined cheeks and small wrinkles near his eyes. He has bushy eyebrows like Cole, and also boasts a small mustache. He is usually seen wearing a brown suit, a white shirt, and a red bowtie, but he also owns a Royal Blacksmiths uniform, consisting of a tuxedo and a red bow.
In "Day of the Departed" and the Master of the Mountain and The Virtues of Spinjitzu flashbacks, he has a slightly different hairstyle.
In his appearance on Lilly's necklace, the wrinkles on his eyes are gone, his mustache is slightly smaller, and he has his original style.
Relationships[]
Family[]Allies[]
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Enemies[]
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Appearances[]
Trivia[]
- Before the ninja's designs were changed in Sons of Garmadon, Cole's eyebrows resembled Lou's
- As of Sons of Garmadon, Cole's eyebrows more closely resemble his mother's.
- He has the same mustache as Fred Finely.
- He is played by the same actor as Cole, just like Ray is played by the same actor as Kai.
- Lou uses several different hair pieces over the course of the series:
- In most of his appearances before "Day of the Departed", he uses a hair piece originally designed for Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
- He also uses this hair piece in pictured appearances, these being Ultra Violet's poster in Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu, Lilly's necklace in Master of the Mountain, and Quest for the Lost Powers.
- In "Day of the Great Devourer" and "Ninjaball Run," he has the same hair piece as Neuro.
- In Day of the Departed and Master of the Mountain, he has the same hair piece as Shade.
- In The Hands of Time, he has the same hair as Cyrus Borg, which is an altered version of the Obi-Wan hair.
- In most of his appearances before "Day of the Departed", he uses a hair piece originally designed for Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars: The Clone Wars.
- It's possible he was initially harsh on Cole as the Master of Earth because he reminded him of Lilly[9] or that Lou pushed Cole to become a dancer because he did not want him to end up like his mother.[10]
- Despite being introduced as early as "The Royal Blacksmiths," his name was not mentioned in the show until "Grief-Bringer." This is similar to Acidicus, whose name was not said until "Ancient History."
- In "Day of the Departed," his voice was deeper than usual, while in "The Royal Blacksmiths," his voice was higher-pitched.
- When asked how Lou felt about Cole's becoming a ghost, Tommy Andreasen said, "I think he is happy enough but want's to connect more with his son."[11]
- Apart from Garmadon and Misako, who are major characters, Lou was the first ninja parent to make an appearance in the WildBrain animation style.
- According to Tommy Andreasen, Lou didn't attend Nya's eulogy in "The Turn of the Tide" because he "doesn’t react well to loss."[12][13]
Gallery[]
The images on Lou need to be organized.
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Promotional media[]
Concept art[]
In Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu[]
Design variants[]
Season 1: Rise of the Snakes[]
Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja[]
Season 4: Tournament of Elements[]
Day of the Departed[]
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Season 7: The Hands of Time[]
Season 11: Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu[]
Season 13: Master of the Mountain[]
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The Virtues of Spinjitzu[]
Season 15: Crystalized[]
Quest for the Lost Powers[]
References[]
- ↑ Way of the Departed, Chapter 3
- ↑ "Balance"
- ↑ "Dungeon Crawl!"
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20151204055247/http://www.lego.com/en-us/ninjago/explore/story-3/chapter2
- ↑ "The Jade Princess"
- ↑ "The Royal Blacksmiths"
- ↑ "Home"
- ↑ Way of the Departed, Chapter 2
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20201003032546/https://x.com/TommyAndreasen/status/861458060316995584
- ↑ https://x.com/TommyAndreasen/status/975114290029121537
- ↑ https://x.com/TommyAndreasen/status/770698367085207552
- ↑ https://x.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1497577810927497219
- ↑ https://x.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1569666245699715073