Shintaro

Not to be confused with the actual place.

“Saving Ninjago is for the young. And your last few adventures, you did just fine. . . on your own.”

— Wu to Lloyd

Shintaro
Information
Air date	July 6, 2020 (Australia) September 13, 2020 (US)
Written by	Kevin Burke Chris Wyatt
Directed by	Daniel Ife
Episode guide
Previous	"Game Over"
Next	"Into the Dark"

Shintaro is the first episode of the thirteenth season, and the 145th episode overall of LEGO Ninjago. It aired first in English on July 6, 2020, in Australia. It aired in the US on September 13, 2020, paired up with with "Into the Dark".

Synopsis

The ninja are invited to attend the birthday party of Princess Vania in the Kingdom of Shintaro. They bring along Master Wu who is feeling his age.

Extended: The ninja are invited to the birthday of Princess Vania of the fabled Kingdom of Shintaro and set sail for Shintaro but are attacked by a pack of Dire Bats, vicious aerial predators who roam the mountains around Shintaro. They are rescued by a regiment of the Winged Guards of Shintaro, led by the brave Hailmar.

Plot

At the monastery, Lloyd brings in some of his laundry into the living room, when he discovers Cole playing video games on the couch and eating junk food while Wu's Chicken observes. Lloyd is at first annoyed that Cole is slacking off when they are all doing chores and preparations, especially when he's playing the game they barely got out alive of, Prime Empire. Though Lloyd is initially annoyed, Cole assures him and that Dyer and Unagami worked out the kinks, and the game is good to play now. Lloyd then shrugs it off and joins in, deciding that one match won't hurt.

Outside, Nya and Jay are raking leaves on the training yard while Zane and P.I.X.A.L. are setting up turrets on the base of the gates. Bored, Jay suggests they do Spinjitzu to make things go quicker. Nya believes that Master Wu wouldn't appreciate them abusing the power of Spinjitzu just to make things go by, but she is ultimately ignored as Jay had already done so and put all the leaves into a pile. Just as they are about to go inside, Wu, who was caught in Jay's Spinjitzu, walks out of the leaves. Instead of being angry, he walks by and ignores their questions on why he's being so calm.

Lloyd finds Wu in the library, asking why he's been so down and absent-minded lately. Misako then wanders in, asking him the same question. Wu shares his thoughts; he's proud of how much his students have grown, yet this makes him feel like he isn't needed anymore, especially since his help was not needed much on their recent adventures and that he is old. Lloyd disapproves of this, reminding Wu that he once defeated the Ninja all at once. While Wu is touched by this, he still feels like he and the others have turned from students to masters.

Outside, the Postman arrived with a letter, which Lloyd assumes that someone found the Teapot of Tyrahn, Pythor, or his father, but the Postman tells him it is an invitation from the Kingdom of Shintaro to attend Princess Vania's birthday. All the ninja get really excited about this and immediately prepare for the trip. Lloyd later tells Wu and Misako about the situation, trying to persuade Wu to come along with them. Wu refuses and states that adventuring is for the young. Accidentally insulting Misako in the process leading to her forcing him to go.

The Ninja and Wu ride the Destiny's Bounty 2.0 to the Kingdom of Shintaro. Along the way, they admire the beauty of the scenery until they hear a loud sound. Zane then reveals to the Ninja that there's a species of bats called the Dire Bats which live in the mountains, which historians have been arguing whether this species actually exists. Jay thinks the entire story is made up but is suddenly grabbed by one. Jay screams in horror as another Dire Bats swipes Nya and attempts to kidnap her, but Lloyd knocks the bat away from Nya. Meanwhile, Kai spots multiple Dire Bats tearing the sails of the Bounty, so he shoots fireballs, attempting to shoo them off. While all of this is going on, Cole jumps onto a Dire Bat and saves Jay who is dropped by the bat that kidnapped him. Jay and Cole are then able to get back to the Bounty when Kai tosses them a rope as they fell. Soon, a Dire Bat attempts to take Wu, but Zane saves him, and the bat instead, hits the pole carrying the sail, which causes the Bounty to tilt to its right and descend rapidly. The Ninja brace for impact and are just about to crash when the ship suddenly shudders and seemingly tilts itself back, floating once again.

The Ninja soon discover the Winged Guards of Shintaro carrying the underside of the Bounty. At the same time, Hailmar greets the Ninja, and explain the Dire Bats to the Ninja. He then introduces them to the Kingdom of Shintaro in the horizon.

Cast

• Cole - Kirby Morrow
• Hailmar - Brian Drummond
• Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
• Kai - Vincent Tong
• Lloyd Garmadon - Sam Vincent
• Misako - Kathleen Barr
• Nya - Kelly Metzger
• P.I.X.A.L. - Jennifer Hayward
• Postman - Michael Adamthwaite
• Wu - Paul Dobson
• Zane - Brent Miller

Transcript

For the transcript of the episode, click here.

Locations Featured

• Ninjago
  • Mountains of Impossible Height
    • Monastery of Spinjitzu
  • Shintaro Mountain
    • Kingdom of Shintaro
      • Shintaro Palace
• Prime Empire (pixelated)
  • Terra Technica
    • Gamer's Market
      • Key-Tana Stall

Trivia

• Narrator: Cole
• This episode marks the first appearance of the Postman and Misako since "Endings."
• Lloyd reveals he is aware of the existence of the Teapot of Tyrahn, suggesting Jay and Nya informed the other Ninja about Nadakhan and the events of Season 6: Skybound.
• Cole plays Prime Empire in this episode.
  • He also mentions Unagami and Milton Dyer while assuring Lloyd that Prime Empire is safe to play.
• Garmadon, Pythor, and Aspheera are mentioned.
  • As well as that, the events of Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu and Prime Empire are mentioned numerous times.

Gallery

For the gallery of the episode, click here.

References

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