Lord Ras is an anthropomorphic tiger from the Wyldness, who is determined to assist his master in their plan to conquer all the Source Dragons.
Before the Merge, Ras came to Imperium and assisted Empress Beatrix to gain control of the kingdom by assassinating her father, becoming the leader of the Claws of Imperium afterwards. Despite being a capable commander and a highly professional warrior, he has failed to stop Arin, Sora, and Lloyd from freeing and escaping with the dragons Imperium had captured. Consequently, Ras was stripped of his title as leader of the Claws and imprisoned for his failures by Empress Beatrix, who now decided to do the job herself. During the MergeQuake Storm, Ras managed to escape his cell and, in the aftermath, recruited Jordana for her achievement in extracting energy from a Source Dragon on behalf of his master.
A year after the Liberation of Imperium, Ras traversed the Forest of Spirits with Jordana and used the Source Dragon energy to open the Shadow Dojo. He reassembled the Wolf Clan and attacked the Cloud Kingdom and the Land of Lost Things, seeking to free the Forbidden Five during the Ritual of the Blood Moon, but only succeeded in releasing Nokt after banishing Kai to the Nether-Space and unknowingly Rox's soul who took possession of Jordana's body. After he and his allies escaped, he promises his master that he would not fail him again.
Attending the Tournament of the Sources, Master Ras recruited the amnesiac Jay, deceiving the latter in the process, and Arin's old friend, Frak beforehand to teach them how to win the tournament. After both combatants lost, he casted them aside while also telling Arin about how the ninja were responsible for the Merge before watching Nokt defeat Sora and prepared to take over the Merged Realms. However, Nokt betrays Ras and releases the rest of the Forbidden Five, until his seized powers were taken from him, forcing them to retreat to the Cloud Kingdom portal gate with the tiger dragged along when he attempted to intervene. Ras ends up in a different realm alongside Arin when the gate was destroyed, and the latter helped nurse Ras back to health with intentions of finding his parents.
History
- Main article: Ras/History
Students
- Jordana (formerly; former scientist of the City of Imperium, Theroxian sorceress)
- Cinder (formerly; the Master of Smoke)
- Frak (formerly; the Master of Quake)
- Jay (formerly; the Master of Lightning)
- Arin (creator of Object Spinjitzu)
Appearance
Lord Ras is a humanoid tiger with black fur and pink stripes all over his body. On the face, these stripes are only in the forehead area and under his red eyes, which are surrounded by gray fur that resemble eyebrows. He also has four large white fangs protruding from his mouth. His chin hair is braided into a small black braid akin to a beard and he has three white claws on his feet.
As a child, Ras wore a simple purple kimono with pink trims, his name written in pink in Ninjargon, and a red suit underneath in addition to purple pants. He also didn't have his chin hair braided as it was too short.
As an adult, Ras wore the traditional suit of his tribe until he joined Imperium. His suit is composed of a gray clothe that left his entire right side exposed, had gold ornamental trims, and was tied with a simple tan cloth.
When Ras became part of Imperium, he began to wear sleeveless red robes with gold detailing that is tied by a red belt with golden symbols and a gold and red buckle. He wore a sleeveless gray suit under his robes and gold hexagonal plating that covered his black pants, in addition to black boots with gold detailing. He also wore golden gauntlets and a large golden armor that covers his neck and shoulders.
When Ras became leader of the Wolf Clan, he switched to a black kimono with gray trims under a dark purple sash with silver symbols and light blue edges complete with a new dark purple armor and gloves. His boots have gray and light blue detailing and his new kimono has a plating of the same blue color that bears the Wolf Clan symbol. The back of his kimono has a large light blue crescent symbol with his name written in silver in Ninjargon. When the Blood Moon rose, his stripes and gloves took on a vibrant shade of red.
During the Tournament of the Sources, Ras started wearing gray pants with black markings, including a black belt with light blue crystals and a big brown rope with the same blue crystals on the ends. He also wore crescent-shaped knee pads and two-pronged arm armor of the same blue color, in addition to dark gray shoulder pads joined to two light blue claw-like plating, which have chains connecting a small light gray armor plating and a dark gray circle bearing a silver version of the Wolf Clan symbol on his back. His chest was bare, revealing pink stripes and a six pack. After being infuriated by Nokt and Rox, all of his pink stripes changed color to red along with his hands.
Personality
- “Are you sure you should've told the ninja brat all of that, Lord Ras? Information can be power.”
- “And information can be poison. I ommitted some of my intentions, but everything I told him was true. And that truth will poison his mind.”
- “And that poison will spread to the other ninja. And drive them all apart.”
| — Jordana and Ras, "Truth and Lies" |
Ras crying as a child
Ras is a very manipulative and intimidating tiger humanoid. When he was a child in the Wyldness, Ras was abandoned until he met his master. During the long years they spent together, Ras learned from his master that strength was all that mattered and decided to fulfill his master's plan, even if it took years.
Ras manipulating Princess Beatrix
When he first came to Imperium, he managed to win Princess Beatrix over to his side with lies and then helped her rise to power by ruthlessly murdering her father and later imprisoned the Source Dragon of Energy and started draining its energy. Ras uses intimidation on all his subordinates as a method to get what he wants. Several times, this intimidation even reached physical attacks.
Ras shouting at his underlings
Once he was imprisoned by the Empress, he tried to manipulate her again, telling her that she had no chance of winning without him. When he then managed to escape, he met Jordana, whom he chose as the next person he could manipulate. He revealed to her his true intentions, which is that he serves his true master, to whom he is truly devoted. His devotion is even so great that he considers his mission the only significant thing and sees no possibility of failure.
Ras speaking to his master
A year after leaving Imperium with Jordana, Ras admitted that he hated the culture of the Imperians and their ways of completely ignoring the other realms and thinking they were superior to everyone else. He then opened the Shadow Dojo and welcomed another member of his new army, Cinder. Together with Jordana, he then taught them, Cinder how to properly use Shatterspin and he encouraged Jordana to study the Theroxian scrolls and learn their magic. When they succeeded, Ras was pleased with them, but when they showed signs of displeasure or disappointment, he would become very angry and even physically hurt them.
Ras manipulating Arin
Before the Tournament of the Sources, Ras manipulated Jay into thinking he was his student and that he hated the ninja and also recruited Arin's childhood friend, Frak, to become his champion in the tournament. Although being strict, Frak was amazed by his master's skills and lessons not knowing about all the evil he had done.
Ras smiling after corrupting Arin
During the Tournament, Ras started to manipulate Arin into thinking the ninja, especially Lloyd, weren't good masters for him. He revealed to Arin his true intentions about wanting to reverse the Merge and also that it had been caused by Master Wu. When asked about this by Rox possessing Jordana, he told her that information, albeit true, could work as poison if put into a right mind, Arin's mind. This manipulation later paid off as Arin abandoned the ninja and saved Ras.
Ras punishing Frak after disobeying him
There seems to be a pattern to Ras' manipulation victims as he only chooses vulnerable, insecure, and heavily naïve people to manipulate. Beatrix, Jordana, Bleckt, Arin, Frak, and Jay all share some of these traits. He always poisons their minds with something he has to offer to fulfill their dreams but in reality, he only sees them as devices to help him achieve his goals. If these victims fail him in any way, he is not hesitant to discard them from his alliance and abandon them.
As pointed out by Nokt and Rox, Ras is sometimes too blind to see the truth right in front of him, being blinded by the thought of his own cleverness and the perfection of his master's plan. Ras can also be quite prideful and sometimes pick the wrong battles, as he was prepared to fight Nokt (who had just accumulated all of the Elemental Powers in the Tournament of the Sources), Rox (possessing Jordana), and the entire Wolf Clan corrupted by the latter.
Weapons and abilities
Ras easily defeating Riyu
Abilities
- Tiger Physiology: As an anthropomorphic tiger from the Wyldness, Ras has the following abilities:
- Night vision: Like many felines, Ras possesses exceptional night vision, enabling sight in dimly lit environments or complete darkness.[1]
- Superhuman speed/Stamina: In addition to his feline nature, Ras can move at incredibly fast speed for a long time without tiring out, being able to catch up to Arin when the ninja was driving.
- Superhuman durability/Endurance: Ras has superhuman durability and endurance. He managed to take hits from the corrupted Wolf warriors and even Nokt's stolen Elemental Powers. It took a Shatterspin blow to knock him out.
- Superhuman leaping: Ras can jump at incredibly high distance.
- Superhuman strength: Ras has superhuman strength to overpower his opponents. His strength is evidenced when he managed to bring down several dragons, throw Arin down, blow Lloyd (in his Spinjitzu tornado) back during the Blood Moon ritual, and even smash Nokt out of his Shatterspin.
- Quadrupedalism: Owing to his tiger-like nature, Ras can move on all four limbs like an animal.
- High intelligence: Ras has shown to have a high intelligence and claims to know a great many things, including the truth about this universe. He is highly skilled at manipulating people and very knowledgeable in many things the Ninja are unaware of.
Ras training during the tournament
- Martial arts: Being a martial arts teacher, Ras is a fearsome combatant in martial arts who can efficiently hold against most of the ninja, easily defeat Arin on his own, and even stand up to powerful Elemental Masters like Lloyd and Nokt.
- Magic: Ras has an unspecified degree of magic, allowing him to use magic spells or curses.
- Curse inducement/Mind control: Ras can place curses on his chosen targets. He used this ability to hide information by cursing the Scroll-Worms and turning them hostile. Moreover, he can also control the Scroll-Worms and make them obey his commands.
- Communication with his master: Ras is able to communicate with his master in their void when they call him.
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Ras using his hammer to create a massive shockwave
Weapons
- Golden hammer: Ras possesses a golden war hammer, which he acquired in the Wyldness. This weapon allows him to effortlessly defeat his adversaries with great ease.
- Imperium Sword (formerly): During his time in Imperium, Ras used an Imperium Sword to hunt dragons.
- Machete (briefly): Ras owned a machete which he use to cut through the jungle to get to the Shadow Dojo.
- Mallet and Gong of Shattering (formerly): Ras used the Mallet and Gong of Shattering to grant supernatural abilities and combat skills. When he strikes the gong with the mallet, the powers are bestowed upon those wearing a Wolf Mask. Ras must strike the gong repeatedly every few seconds to keep extending the usage of the abilities.
Vehicles
All-terrain vehicles
- Ras' bike (non-canon)
- It is an all-terrain vehicle with golden rammers used by Ras.
- It only appeared in 71789 Kai and Ras's Car and Bike Battle.
- Off-Road Buggy Car
- It is a buggy used by the Wolf Clan.
- Ras used it after defeating Arin to retrieve Bonzle.
- It first appeared in "The Forest of Spirits."
Aircraft
- Hover chariot
- It is a vehicle used by the Claws of Imperium.
- Ras used it many times during his time in Imperium.
- It first appeared in "The Merge: Part 1."
Relationships
- Main article: Ras' relationships
Family
Allies
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Enemies
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Official descriptions
Ras expects answers...
The ninja have faced some tough adversaries, but not many as fearsome as tiger-humanoid Ras. He demands total focus, competence and loyalty from his minions, so it’s probably best he doesn’t find out you’ve been working on your autobiographical one-man musical instead...[2]
THE STRESSMAKERS
This fearless creep is a real tough cookie in a terrifying tiger mask. He does not tolerate any mistakes. If anyone messes up, he deals with things himself![3]
Boss of the Claw Hunters
No one is as fearless as Ras. He despises mistakes. Then he becomes even scarier than he already is and puts things to rights with full force. This villain is not to be trifled with![4]
His head
On the outside, the head is fearsome and on the inside it is full of nasty plans. On the surface, he serves the Empress and hunts dragons. In the back of his mind, however, he has cunning intentions that will surprise you.[4]
1st appearance
When his right-hand man Rapton once again fails to get his act together, Lord Ras is furious! So he arrives and makes short work of it. Ras imprisons Arin, Sora and Riyu before they can escape.[4]
BREAKING NEWS: RAS BREAKS FREE!
According to reports, Lord Ras broke out of the prison in the confusion of the battle. Rumour has it that the scientist Jordana (pictured right) brought him drained Source Dragon energy. What is behind this? According to villain experts, this energy could help Lord Ras gain unrivalled strength.[5]
Appearances
Etymology
Ras means "head" in Amharic and it is a royal title in Ethiopian Semitic languages being similar to "duke" or "prince."
Behind the scenes
Ras' voiced in Season 1 compared to Season 2
- According to the concept arts, Ras was originally supposed to be a big fig like Dogshank and Killow but this was changed in the process.
- Additionaly, his original head design was based on 70200 CHI Laval[6] and his whole body was similar to Hulk but in gold.
- On the other concept art, he is more similar to real life tigers based on his orange color, black stripes, and his head design. His attire was based on ancient Greece, Persia, and the Mongol Khanate as was the rest of Imperium in early stages of development.[7]
- Similarly to the Crystal King's minifigure, Ras' teeth aren't painted in his minifigure form.
- Based on the box art of 71813 Wolf Mask Shadow Dojo, Ras' Wolf Clan outfit was supposed to be different in some stages of development. The biggest changes are that his shoulders armor was the Imperium armor recolored in purple, his belt was originally made of rope, there was a word "blood" written on his suit in Ninjargon, and he had arm printing similar to his other minifigures.[8]
- For unknown reasons, Ras' voice was changed a bit in Season 1 Part 2, being less deepened.
Trivia
- He is the fourth character in the Ninjago franchise to have the title of Lord. The first three were Garmadon, Belgrave, and Mogra.
- Before he was revealed to be from the Wyldness, Chris "Doc" Wyatt joked about the possibility that Ras is from the world of Fabuland, another LEGO theme.[9]
- He is one of the six main antagonists (or group of main antagonists) to have appeared before the installment where they are the main antagonist, the others being Morro, Yang, Krux, Ronin and the Forbidden Five.
- He is one of the eight main antagonists (or group of main antagonists) to be from another realm, the others being The Preeminent, Nadakhan, Iron Baron, The Omega, Vex, Beatrix and the Forbidden Five.
- He is the only villain of the franchise to appear in five consecutive waves of sets (June 2023, January 2024, March 2024, June 2024 and January 2025) and the only villain of Dragons Rising to appear every year in every set waves and seasons so far.
- Ras shares many similarities with Vex, another antagonist from the franchise. Both were outsiders who sought an alliance with a ruling figure, Grimfax for Vex and Levo for Ras, but were rejected. Both became a second-in-command to a powerful "master" who helped them dispose of the original rulers who rejected them, Zane for Vex and Beatrix for Ras, and then were appointed as tyrants who gained control of an entire nation, the Never-Realm for Zane and the City of Imperium for Beatrix. Both were ultimately stripped of their ill-gained position by the very individuals who elevated them in the first place.
- Unlike Vex, Ras had an actual master that he genuinely served.
- Ras did not exhibit the same level of deceit towards Beatrix as Vex did towards Zane, primarily because he did not resort to such manipulation. Unlike Vex, who continuously deceived Zane by manipulating him into targeting those labeled as traitors and aggressors, Ras only misled Beatrix into helping him locate the Source Dragons for his master, pretending that it was for Imperium.
- Both Ras and Vex manipulated an amnesiac ninja into fighting for them. Zane for Vex, and Jay for Ras.
- Both these individuals used an ancient artifact to corrupt the respective ninja, the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu by Vex and the Wolf Mask by Ras.
- Unlike Vex, Ras had an actual master that he genuinely served.
- For an unknown reason, Ras' eyes are orange in the sets but sometimes red in the show. However, they are more prominently the latter color when cast under a shadow.
- When asked why Ras has black fur and pink stripes, Chris "Doc" Wyatt replied "Interesting that you're asking this. Can a tiger change its stripes? If so, what would cause that?".[10]
- In "The Final Game," it was shown that within Ras' tribe, all tigers possess black fur as a natural trait. However, what sets each tiger apart are the colors of their stripes, with Ras sporting pink stripes, in contrast to one of his ancestors, Zarkar, who had blue-gray stripes. Furthermore, Ras can change the color of his stripes to red when extremely enraged (as shown in "The Final Game".) or during the Blood Moon (as shown in "Fugitives From Madness").
- Ras has several animal traits based on real life tigers.
- He sometimes growls and snarls between sentences when talking.
- He has natural night vision, as explained by Jordana in "The Blood Moon."
- He can run very fast, even managing to overtake a moving vehicle. Additionally, he can jump very high like real tigers—both of these traits can be seen in "The Forest of Spirits."
- When fighting or running, he occasionally uses all four limbs like real animals, such as when fighting Lloyd in "Rising Ninja."
- According to Chris "Doc" Wyatt, it will be revealed soon if Ras is an orphan.[11]
- When asked how long ago Ras was found in the Forest of Spirits by his master, Chris "Doc" Wyatt replied that he is not allowed to answer that question.[12]
- In Chima, which is a place in Ras' original realm the Wyldness, there is a tribe of tigers who lived on the top of Mount Cavora. However, these tigers are different from Ras and his tribe, as they are orange with black stripes, similar to real life tigers instead of being black. It is unknown if there is any connection between those two tribes as except for few members who served the Phoenix Tribe, as there is no information about the tribe in Legends of Chima.
- Ras knows Lloyd's last name, which could hint that he knows or has probably heard about Garmadon in his life, though it has never been confirmed.
Video
Gallery
- Main article: Ras/Gallery
Translations
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Czech | Ras |
| French | Ras |
| German | Ras |
| Hungarian | Ras |
| Korean | 라스 |
| Polish | Ras |
| Russian | Рас |
| Thai | ราส |
| Ukrainian | Рас |
References
- ↑ https://x.com/otherland71/status/1761550780350464036?s=61
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7com2GFHHJk
- ↑ Metal Mayhem!
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Monster Hunt Chaos!
- ↑ Lloyd's Epic Mission!
- ↑ https://x.com/mikerayhawk/status/1706271478252028093
- ↑ https://x.com/mikerayhawk/status/1706042277187965373
- ↑ File:Box art Ras.png
- ↑ https://x.com/otherland71/status/1702814848847860073
- ↑ https://x.com/otherland71/status/1755044708961956060
- ↑ https://x.com/otherland71/status/1816298185272484196
- ↑ https://x.com/otherland71/status/1816287449624265024
