Season 9 of LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, subtitled Hunted, is preceded by Season 8 and succeeded by Tales from the Monastery of Spinjitzu and Season 10. It takes place a week after the events of Season 8. Master Wu is the mascot character, while there is no focus character.[1] Lord Garmadon is the intro character, and serves as the main antagonist along with Iron Baron. The Dragon Hunters and Sons of Garmadon are the season's villainous factions.
Following the supposed demise of Wu and the original Ninja, Lloyd and Nya resist Lord Garmadon's tyrannical control of Ninjago City. The original Ninja are stranded in the Realm of Oni and Dragons, where they must save the Dragons from the barbaric Dragon Hunters.
The season started airing in Australia and Singapore in late June 2018, with the sets being released on July 2 in Australia and August 1 in the United States. It was released early on the US Cartoon Network app, website, and On Demand on August 10, 2018. It started airing in the United States on August 11, 2018, and completed on August 25, 2018 in Australia and the USA.[2]
Official Description
While Lloyd and Nya resist Emperor Garmadon's oppressive hold on Ninjago City, Young Wu and the rest of the Ninja are stranded in a barbaric realm where fierce dragons are being hunted down by Iron Baron and his gang of Dragon Hunters. Lloyd must endure in NINJAGO City, the others need to find the fabled Dragon Armor if they ever hope to get back home to stop Emperor Garmadon once and for all.[3]
Cast
Marooned Ninja
- Cole - Kirby Morrow
- Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
- Kai - Vincent Tong
- Wu - Madyx Whiteway, Paul Dobson
- Zane - Brent Miller
The Resistance
- Dareth - Alan Marriott
- Griffin Turner - Doron Bell Jr.
- Karlof - Scott McNeil
- Lloyd Garmadon - Sam Vincent
- Misako - Kathleen Barr
- Mistaké - Tabitha St. Germain
- Neuro - Paul Dobson
- Nya - Kelly Metzger
- Paleman - Kirby Morrow
- P.I.X.A.L. - Jennifer Hayward
- Police Commissioner - Michael Donovan
- Shade - Andrew Francis
- Skylor - Heather Doerksen
- Tox - Ian James Corlett
- Ronin - Brian Dobson
Sons of Garmadon
- Chopper Maroon - Sam Vincent
- Garmadon - Mark Oliver, Kai Emmett
- Harumi - Britt McKillip
- Killow - Garry Chalk
- Luke Cunningham - Michael Adamthwaite
- Mohawk - Vincent Tong
- Mr. E - Brent Miller
- Ultra Violet - Maggie Blue O'Hara
Dragon Hunters
- Arkade - Michael Donovan
- Chew Toy - Scott McNeil
- Daddy No Legs - Ian James Corlett
- Faith/Heavy Metal - Kathleen Barr
- Iron Baron - Brian Drummond
- Jet Jack - Rhona Rees
- Muzzle - Brent Miller
- Skullbreaker - Michael Adamthwaite
Colossus, the giant rock titan built by Garmadon at the end of Season 8, returns.
Various unnamed Sons of Garmadon gang members and Dragon Hunters appear throughout the season. Rufus MacAllister and Postman also make cameos in "Radio Free Ninjago" and "Green Destiny."
Episodes
Season Ep # | Series Ep # | Image | Episode name | Air Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 85 | "Firstbourne" | August 11, 2018 (United States) | |
2 | 86 | "Iron & Stone" | August 11, 2018 (United States) | |
3 | 87 | "Radio Free Ninjago" | August 11, 2018 (United States) | |
4 | 88 | "How to Build a Dragon" | August 11, 2018 (United States) | |
5 | 89 | "The Gilded Path" | August 18, 2018 (United States) | |
6 | 90 | "Two Lies, One Truth" | August 18, 2018 (United States) | |
7 | 91 | "The Weakest Link" | August 18, 2018 (United States) | |
8 | 92 | "Saving Faith" | August 25, 2018 (United States) | |
9 | 93 | "Lessons for a Master" | August 25, 2018 (United States) | |
10 | 94 | "Green Destiny" | August 25, 2018 (United States) |
Sets
The banner on the Season 9 sets has the usual Ninjago logo in white next to young Wu wearing the Dragon Armor with a shadow of a Dragon behind him.
Flyers
- 70644 Golden Dragon Master
- 70645 Cole - Dragon Master
- 70646 Jay - Dragon Master
- 70647 Kai - Dragon Master
- 70648 Zane - Dragon Master
Other Sets
- 70650 Destiny's Wing
- 70651 Throne Room Showdown
- 70652 Stormbringer
- 70653 Firstbourne
- 70654 Dieselnaut
- 70655 The Dragon Pit
- 70658 Oni Titan
Antagonists
Ninjago
- Garmadon serves as the main antagonist in Ninjago.
- The Sons of Garmadon are the villainous faction for the season.
Realm of Oni and Dragons
- Iron Baron serves as the main antagonist in the Realm of Oni and Dragons.
- The Dragon Hunters are the villainous faction for the season, until the end, when they redeemed themselves.
Notes
- This is the last season to be written by the Hageman Brothers.
- Tommy Andreasen said that they wrote the ending as well as some episodes completed several times.[4]
- A Japanese trailer was released on May 12, 2018.
- The first English trailer, created by Wilfilm and Tommy Andreasen, was released on May 27, 2018.
- A Southeast Asian trailer (for Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand) was released on June 11, 2018.
- The events of this season take place one week after the events of Season 8 and occur over the course of a few weeks.
- "Hunted" was released in the summer of 2018, making it the second time one year had two seasons. The first time was in 2015 with The Tournament of Elements in the spring and Possession in the summer.
- The Dragon Armor appears as the collectible item in the sets. The First Spinjitzu Master's sword, the Dragonbone Blade, is the only piece of armor that has special abilities, as it attracts Elemental Powers.
- The fate of the Ultra Dragon was finally revealed in this season. It turned out that the Iron Baron somehow captured and killed it, and used its skeletal remains for the base of his throne.
- However, it is revealed that the Ninja did not recognize the throne as the Ultra Dragon's remains, and never discovered this before going back to Ninjago or before Season 9 ended.[5]
- The Marooned Ninjas' suits this season take their suits from the last episode of Season 8 but with added armor and battle damaged elements.
- As of the season finale, the Ninja have returned to wearing their Sons of Garmadon suits.
- Season 9 does not have a specific main character, instead focusing on the team as a whole. This is similar to the Mini-Movies and the first season, where the four original Ninja were the focus. However, this is the first season to focus on the whole team.
- This is the second season to not have Master Wu announce the episode title at the opening.
- 70651 Throne Room Showdown and 70658 Oni Titan are the only sets that take place in Ninjago City.
- This is the third season to air in Australia/New Zealand before the United States, the previous two being Season 3: Rebooted and Season 8: Sons of Garmadon.
- This is the third season to not have Serpentine since their debut, the first being Season 5 and the second being Season 8.
- All of Hunted was released on the Cartoon Network US app, website, and On Demand on August 10, 2018. This is the fourth season to be put online before airing on television.
- When airing in the US, this season was split into "parts," 1 two hour and 2 one and a half hour specials. With episodes 85-88 airing as "Hunted Part 1" on August 11, 2018, episodes 89-91 airing as "Hunted Part 2" on August 18, 2018, and episodes 92-94 airing as "Hunted Part 3" on August 25, 2018.
- Mr. E doesn't appear in the intro alongside Harumi, Ultra Violet, and Killow, foreshadowing his demise early in the season.
- Instead, Ultra Violet appears to be wearing the Oni Mask of Vengeance in the intro, despite that never happening in the show.
- Most of the Elemental Masters from season four return in this season, including Karlof, Griffin Turner, Shade, Neuro, Skylor, Tox, and Paleman. They act on their promise from season four of helping the Ninja by joining the Resistance.
- Several Elemental Masters, including Jacob Pevsner, Gravis, Ash, Chamille, and Bolobo, do not appear in this season. Bolobo is revealed to have been arrested, and Chamille presumably became a villain. The others' whereabouts are unknown.
- This is the second season to not feature "The Weekend Whip" as the intro theme.
- For April Fools day, Tommy Andreasen posted a status on Twitter with three events from Season 9, two of which are real and one of which is fake. The three events stated that the Ninja will speak the language of the dragons, that Dareth will unlock his true power, and that there would be a talking rat. Additionally, The Hagemen brothers hinted that if Dareth didn't get a power, he would get a pet Dragon.
- A post from the Official Ninjago Facebook account included text in the Alphabet of Ninjago that translates to: "Dareth with the power of. . . ." hinting Dareth's powers.
- Dareth temporarily gets an Elemental Power of "brown" from drinking one of Mistaké's teas.
- Mistaké talks to Lloyd as a rat in "The Gilded Path."
- By process of elimination, the Ninja do not learn the language of the dragons.
- Tommy Andreasen had stated in an interview with Brent Miller that someone will die this season.[6] The identity of this character was not stated. Later, in "Iron & Stone" these characters were revealed to be Mr. E and The Ultra Dragon. In "Saving Faith," Harumi died, and Mistaké was killed off-screen by Garmadon.
- According to the Hageman Brothers on Twitter, Season 9's theme is "independence."
- Jay seems to be the calmest Ninja even though he is usually the one who freaks out.
- This was because Jay had a mental breakdown sometime between Season 8 and Season 9.
- This lasted for two episodes, "Firstbourne" and "Iron & Stone." He later went back to normal.
- In "Iron & Stone," Skylor revealed that her powers had come back.
- By the end of the season, Garmadon is still in his evil form and has not been changed back. He is also locked up in Kryptarium Prison.
- Garmadon reveals that the reasons of his evil deeds was to protect Ninjago from the darkness he saw at the Departed Realm. Just before being taken away, he tells Lloyd of this evil and Lloyd believes it was the missing Oni who would be the darkness. This was later confirmed to be true.
- Season 9 has the largest cast out of any other seasons.
- The plot of Season 9 is comparable to Thor: Ragnarok, in which many characters have similar roles and plot devices are used in both.
- Garmadon can be compared to Hela in which they both take over the main characters home world and results in the main characters being transported to another area.
- The Realm of Oni and Dragons is similar to the planet Sakaar in that the main characters are stranded in it for a long time, and the land has a scavenger society.
- Iron Baron can be compared to the Grandmaster, in that they both rule a scavenger society and are vicious tyrants.
- Faith can be compared to Brunnhilde, in that they both are admired by the planets ruler, and go by false identity's and eventually aid the heroes to return to their home-world.
- Another similarity is that the main characters also have to fight in a gladiatorial arena.
Focus Characters
- As stated by the Hageman Brothers, there is no main character throughout and the season is a team season.
- Master Wu had a major role in the season, with many individual moments. His appearance is very frequent. The fate and faith of Master Wu, how Wu has become the Golden Dragon Master are the main focus in the Oni and Dragon storyline. Master Wu has transformed from a child to a young teenager, an older teenager, and finally an old, wise man throughout the season. His focus episodes are Episodes 89, 91, and 93.
- Cole and Wu had a closer relationship in Season 8, and it continues in Season 9. The relationship of Cole and Wu is an additional part of the story. Cole had a large amount of screen time since this season is a team season.
- Jay has a much heavier role in this season than Season 8. He has a larger role compare with other Ninja in this season. His backstory with Master Wu, about how he became a Ninja, is mentioned in the season.
- The relationship of Kai and Firstborne is one of the highlights in the season, especially in Episode 88. Kai also taught Wu in Episode 91, similar to how Wu has taught the Ninja previously. In the Oni and Dragon storyline, Kai had a large amount of screen time since this season is a team season.
- Kai and Jay had heavy roles in Episode 88, with Jay building a fake dragon and Kai freeing the captive dragons from the Dragon Hunters.
- Zane's role is smaller in the season than in Season 8, but he still has large amount of screen time in tackling team problem in the Oni and Dragon realm, along with Kai, Jay, and Cole. His strength of being a nindroid and what his body is made of has been touched upon in Episode 86 and Episode 91.
- Faith has a major role as well. She has a heavy role in the season, especially in Episodes 89 and 91.
- Lloyd has a great role as well, but his role in Season 8 is larger. How he finds the direction in leading the Resistance is one of the focus' in the Ninjago storyline. The season ends his arc with Harumi with a conclusion in Episode 92 as well. His focus episode is Episode 87.
- Nya also had some capacity in this season. How she encouraged Lloyd to lead the Resistance is important as well in Ninjago storyline. Her relationship with Jay is touched upon in Episodes 85 and 94. However, her role was similar to Season 8, with a minor impact.
- Dareth and Mistaké have a great role in the season as well in the Ninjago storyline.
- Dareth has the greatest role in the season since his debut in Season 2. He appears in all episodes of this season.
- Mistaké has an important role in this season as well, unmasking her true identity in Episode 90. She appears in Episodes 86-92.
- Skylor has capacity in the show, like how she creates a new power in Episode 87 and Skylor versus Garmadon in Episode 92. Her relationship with Kai is mentioned in Episode 94 and becomes official in said episode. She appears in all episodes of this season.
- P.I.X.A.L. has something to do as well, as the Samurai X in The Resistance team. Her relationship with Zane has touched upon in Episode 94. She appears in Episodes 85-89 and Episode 94.
- Misako has made some appearances in the show, in Episodes 85-90 and Episode 94.
- Ronin has made cameo appearances in the show as well, in Episode 85, 90, and 94. He is also a member of The Resistance team.
Antagonists
- Iron Baron and Lord Garmadon served as the main antagonists of the First Realm and Ninjago, respectively.
- This is the third season to officially feature two main antagonists. Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja was the first, which featured Lord Garmadon and the Overlord as main antagonists, followed by Season 7: The Hands of Time, which featured twin brothers Acronix and Krux as the main antagonists.
- Heavy Metal and Harumi served as the secondary antagonists of the First Realm and Ninjago. After Heavy Metal's redemption, Harumi became the sole secondary antagonist.
- Other major antagonists include Ultra Violet, Killow, Jet Jack, and Daddy No Legs.
- Mr. E serves as a minor antagonist due to the fact that he was killed by Garmadon for failing to capture Lloyd in Episode 86.
- The Dragon Hunters and the Sons of Garmadon serve as the villainous factions of the First Realm and Ninjago respectfully.
Gallery
Videos
References
- ↑ https://twitter.com/brothershageman/status/997262040300339200
- ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1020874509275025408
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dNOtcJvka0
- ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1141313884046974976
- ↑ https://twitter.com/brothershageman/status/1015501526456913920
- ↑ https://youtu.be/X-9vChYCmBg