Master Wu is the wise and ancient mentor of the ninja, and the Master of Creation.[2] He is the First Spinjitzu Master's second-born son, Garmadon's younger brother, Misako's brother-in-law, and Lloyd's paternal uncle. Wu grew up learning the art of the ninja alongside his older brother who was infected with evil. They fought together as a team against evil for countless years, until Garmadon was fully corrupted and he was subsequently banished to the Underworld.
After Garmadon was banished to the Cursed Realm and the close of the Second Serpentine War, Wu's first pupil, Morro, escaped the Cursed Realm. Wu trained Nya to harness her element, allowing her to destroy Morro's master. Shortly after, Nadakhan ravaged Ninjago and trapped Wu in the Sword of Souls, though these events were undone by Jay's final wish. On the Day of the Departed, Wu was met with a revived Morro, who helped Wu reunite the ninja during Sensei Yang's scheming. Wu later confronted Acronix, who struck him with the Forward Time Blade that caused him to rapidly age. Though his health was restored by the Reversal Time Blade, he sacrificed himself in a bid to defeat the Time Twins and was lost in time. The loss of Wu left Lloyd in charge of the ninja, and they made it their goal to find Wu.
A year later, he was found turned into a baby due to his exposure to the Reversal Time Blade, and kidnapped by the Sons of Garmadon until he was rescued by Cole. Little Wu was with the original four ninja aboard the Bounty when they were almost crushed by the Colossus, until they used Traveler's Tea to save themselves, ending up in the Realm of Oni and Dragons. Marooned, he grew up again while helping his students to fight Iron Baron and the Dragon Hunters and find a way to return to Ninjago. After Iron Baron's defeat, Wu proves himself worthy to receive the Dragon Armor from the Firstbourne. He became the Dragon Master and used the Firstbourne to get himself and his four students back to Ninjago in time to help Lloyd, Nya, and those left behind to end Garmadon's rule and take down the Colossus. Sometime after the battle, he returns to his normal age and reclaims his place as the ninja's teacher. Sometime after, he was present in the arrival of the Oni. He aided his brother and students in performing the Tornado of Creation to vanquish the Oni.
Months after battling the Oni, Wu's past comes back to haunt him yet again when the ninja inadvertently released the Serpentine sorceress, Aspheera, who knew Wu as the Treacherous Deceiver, from her thousands-year imprisonment. Once Zane is banished to the Never-Realm after saving Wu from a blast from Aspheera's staff, Wu's attempt to go after him alone is thwarted by the ninja, and he is left behind with P.I.X.A.L. in Ninjago. They attempted to go after them by using Traveler's Tea, but inadvertently release the Preeminent from the Departed Realm. P.I.X.A.L. was able to defeat it in battle and send it back. Soon after, he reunited with them, including Zane.
Wu eventually aided Zane and P.I.X.A.L in finding Milton Dyer while the ninja sought Unagami inside Prime Empire. With Jay and Dyer successfully converting Unagami, Wu was able to reunite with the previously cubed ninja, resurrected along with all the other inhabitants of Prime Empire.
After the ninja freed the trapped gamers, Wu started to feel left out and think that the ninja no longer needed him. He was then forced by Misako to accompany the ninja to the Kingdom of Shintaro. Adventuring with Cole, Vania, and the Upply, Wu rediscovers his role as mentor when he encourages Cole to never give up when things seem hopeless. After Cole defeats the Skull Sorcerer, Wu is reinvigorated and steers the Destiny's Bounty in search of he and the ninja's next adventure.
Later, he would send the ninja down to see the energy pulse that has been disrupting Nya's powers. He asked Kai and Ray to stay to study masters of Fire. He is warned by Cole that the Storm Amulet had been stolen. He, Cole, Kai, Ray and Misako confronted Clutch Powers only to meet Kalmaar and his crew attempt to stop Kalmaar from leaving with the amulet, only to fail as Kalmaar awakens Wojira and Wu witnesses as Nya merged with the sea. He later fights Maaray Guards as Jay battles Kalmaar, he is disappointed by Nya leaving the team and speaks in the memorial.
He then spent an entire year trying to find a way to turn Nya back to normal, but refused to take part in the Ninja's plan to free Aspheera. When they broke her out and were subsequently arrested by the New Ninja as a result once Nya was purified by Aspheera removing her powers, Wu's close relationship with the team became strained and he even went as far as to estrange himself from them. In addition, he refused to accept Nya's insistence that she was to blame for their incarceration before inspiring her to become Samurai X again. However, he later realized that he should have followed his own conscience instead of following the law. Thus, he decided to help the ninja again, even if it means becoming a fugitive as well. Once they rescue Lloyd from a resurrected Harumi, learning the Overlord is back and unsure about fighting back, Wu and Lloyd follow some clues, which led to them reuniting with Garmadon and discovering Lloyd's Oni form can turn the tide of the battle. During which, Wu attempted to battle the Overlord, but was ultimately defeated before being rescued by Nelson and Antonia, whom take him to the newspaper warehouse, where he takes leadership of their resistance and proclaims everyone honorary Ninja. Learning from Misako of Dragon Form, Wu observes Kai, Jay, Cole and Zane achieve it at the cost of their powers, and help Lloyd, Garmadon and a redeemed Harumi defeat the Overlord. Afterwards, Wu oversaw the Ninja and the citizens of Ninjago City rebuild the monastery.
Sometime later, Wu somehow had a share of responsibility in the Merge, and was missing after this cataclysmic event in which all the realms become one. Although he survived the ordeal, he took on a ghost-like appearance, leading the ninja to believe he had died during the Merge. During this time, one of his fragmented forms, nicknamed Sprite, resided with Gandalaria in Mysterium. Years later, Wu secretly guided Kai and Nya to the portal gates that led to the Monastery of Imperium, assisted Cole in his quest to locate the remains of the Source Dragon of Balance, and tried to help Jay recover his lost memories. During the Tournament of the Sources, Wu directed Cole, who initially failed to recognize him in his ghost-like form, and Arin to the Monastery of Gates, where they learned of Wu's identity. It was there that Wu admitted to have been responsible for the Merge before seemingly splitting into four small orbs that each went to four portal gates. After the Forbidden Five, Ras, and Arin left and got separated across the Merged Lands, Wu appeared to Lloyd one last time.
He appeared to Cole, Frak, and Kai after they dug up the Source Dragon of Balance, telling them that what has been lost can now be found, before disappearing. While the ninja were activating the Arc Dragon of Focus, Ras travelled to the Monastery of Spinjitzu and imprisoned Wu in his orb form in a protective container, while scattering the ninja across the Merged Realms.
In his youth, Wu had a full head of blond hair. As a child, he had a bowl cut like his older brother and later his nephew and used to wear a white tunic with the red lotus symbol similar to his most common attire, and sand-brown pants.
As a young teenager, he had longer hair tied in a bun and had a brown headband. He had three freckles on his left cheek and two on his right cheek at the time. He also wore a conical straw hat on his head. His clothes consisted of a white shirt with a red lotus symbol and sand-brown pants with brown belt and sandals.
As an older teenager or a young adult, he had much shorter blond hair. He wore a black and white kimono signifying his status as a Spinjitzu Master, with kanji and hanzi (roughly translates to "spin ninjutsu") emblazoned on it to be used as a protection spell against evil.[3]
His original outfit consisted of simple white robes and pants. Once, he wore the more elaborate white and black kimono from his youth, with Ninjargon characters inscribed in gold along the left side. He is rarely seen without his bamboo bo staff or his tea set. When he retired and opened a tea shop, he used to wear a long, gold sleeveless vest over a white robe. Later he gained an ornate battle suit.
When Wu was assimilated by Pythor, his appearance changed significantly. His tan straw hat became metallic silver, his arms and legs were black, and his face was half metal, with a red eye. More cybernetics were visible on his torso, and both his staff and beard were black instead of gold and white respectively.
When he was struck by the Forward Time Blade, Wu began to rapidly age. A notable change to his appearance was his beard, which grew long enough to touch the ground when he stood up. This was later reversed when Nya cured him with the Reversal Time Blade.
Over time, the effects of the Reversal Time Blade had turned him into a baby, but as the effects wore off, he slowly grew back into his normal age. As of the end of Season 8, he was a toddler with very short legs and wears beige footie pajamas and hoodie.
By the beginning of Hunted, Wu had regrown to his child self, wearing beige clothing, with a tear on the lower right side of the jacket and one on the back. He is also seen wearing a brown pilot's helmet. When he grows into a young teenager, Wu's hair has grown and have been tied into a bun, now with a golden headband. He looked similar to his appearance during his journeys with Garmadon when they were young, albeit with white hair and slightly bushier eyebrows because he has been growing up under different circumstances. He wears a sleeveless version of his Dragon Hunter disguise, with new pants and black gloves. Wu later aged further into an older teenager and had grown a mustache and a goatee. In a fight with a hunter, Wu gained a new conical straw hat and slightly resembles his older self. Once he tamed Firstbourne, he wore golden robes under the Dragon Armor. After some more time, he became his old self again.
Around 6 months after the Oni's invasion, Wu has grown sideburns connected to his beard and a single braid of white hair, similar to his father. He now wears a white kimono with a golden dragon symbol on his back and a large red sash around his waist. He has black pants, reddish-brown boots, and white linen on his knees to strengthen his legs. He also has a slightly darker straw hat on his head and wears a long sand-brown cape. During the battle for Shintaro Mountain, he wore straw armor and wooden shoulder pads.
During the crystal infection, Wu wore a new white kimono with gold trim and a lotus symbol on the back that matched his brother's black kimono. Underneath he had golden armor plates, golden knee pads and golden gloves. He also wore a gray belt. However, the most significant part of his clothing was the golden Dragon Armor, with which he did not have a helmet, but his classic straw hat. After the Overlord's defeat, he started wearing his master robes again.
Some time later, Wu changed his appearance again. He shaved off his braid. He started wearing a white kimono with beige robes on top that had gold trim and a gold belt. It had "Master" written in Ninjargon in black and gold on its back.
Wu is thousands of years old. He and his older brother's long lifespan is a result of them being the sons of the First Spinjitzu Master, who also lived for thousands of years before finally succumbing to his mortality. According to Mystake in "Two Lies, One Truth," this is due to their Oni blood. According to Tommy Andreasen, Wu might be 4,000-5,000 years old, but it's unclear.[9]
After returning from the temporal vortex, he was found to have been reverted to a baby due to his exposure to the Reversal Time Blade. However, as the effects of the blade wore off, he rapidly grew back to his normal age over the course of several weeks. By Season 9's beginning, he had become his child self again, grew to a teenager, and eventually his normal self by the end.
Wu and his brother have a peculiar aging pattern. Ages ago, they were children when Garmadon was bitten and grew to be young men by the time their father passed away.[10] Their aging stagnated at some point, and millennia later, they were still physically in their late teens during the events of the Serpentine War, as Garmadon stated in "Only One Can Remain" that he was Lloyd's age (physically) while training under Chen. Around three decades later, they were physically in their early 30s when Garmadon was banished.[11] Only a mere decade later, by the time of the events of the series, Wu had become an old man, having aged tremendously in a relatively short period of time due to unknown circumstances.
For possible explanations on Wu and Garmadon's seemingly rapid aging, see the Trivia section.
As a young boy, Wu was a bit irresponsible, impulsive, impatient and a little reckless. His curiosity regarding the Serpentine had led him to break his father's rule of never venturing into Serpentine land and even convince his brother to go along with him. He was also very naive and easy to manipulate, which Aspheera took advantage of. Because of all that, Wu nearly started a war between the Serpentine and the humans, as his actions allowed Aspheera to overthrow King Mambo.[12] However, after Wu and Garmadon stole the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu from their father, the former became a more benevolent, satisfied, and generous person, being very reserved and noble and valiantly fighting for good.[13][14]
That moment caused Wu to become more cautious about his actions which, as a result, led him to refuse to retrieve the katana he lost while he was sparring with Garmadon. Instructed by his brother to never put off until tomorrow what can be done today, he would watch, haunted, as the Great Devourer's venom began to corrupt Garmadon as a result of his procrastination, and would likewise remember his brother's words prior to his corruption for the rest of his life.[15] That moment ingrained on Wu, allowing him to be diligent and never take anything for granted, a lesson that he always tries to transmit to his own students.
Wu being kind to Nineko
As a teenager, Wu tried to be responsible and please his father at all costs. For this reason, he was also very well motivated and had no problem getting up on the road with Garmadon in the morning. He was also a little ruthless and had no problem using means like watering to wake his brother. Wu was very careful and always tried to have a plan and think about it in advance, unlike his brother. He also tried to see the best in everyone, and when the warriors attacked them, he greeted them and tried to explain to them that they were not enemies. At the same time, however, he still retained his childhood curiosity, which often overcame him. He was extremely curious about Nineko to tell them her story and constantly annoyed her with his curious questions. The meeting with Aspheera as a child also had a big impact on him and he tried to be much more suspicious, but this caused him to eventually be manipulated by Nineko, although as soon as he appeared, even a hint that he might be the enemy, he walked away from her, as he did not want to repeat his mistakes. Wu also had a sense of humor and often pulled away from his brother, provoked him and teased him, for example by inventing cat puns. He was also quite easily offended and angry when someone wronged him. However, he had a good heart as he tried to help everyone who could.[16]
Wu having nightmares about Garmadon
He tried to shorten the long journeys, for example by talking to his brother or singing all the songs he knew. Even though Garmadon didn't want to do it, he forced him to play "I spy," and he had no problem to cheat a bit when he picked one particular tree in the whole forest, and the only hint for his brother was that he spies something green. He was also quite competitive when he first ran to the village and said that the last one there is a slimy snake. He also loved food and never despised good tea. He was also a little selfish, and instead of sleeping on the ground while Garmadon slept in bed, he pushed with him in one bed because it was more comfortable. However, the Devourer's bite still took its toll on Wu by having nightmares about Garmadon. When the puppets were kidnapping people in the village, unlike Garmadon, he wanted to help the villagers, even though Garmadon forced him to be the bait. However, when he had to pretend to be sleeping in the garden so that the puppets would notice him, he teased Garmadon by shouting very conspicuously at the whole village, how comfortable it is to sleep outside. When Garmadon told him to be silent, he did, but later when he told him to talk, he did not want to do so, as he reminded his brother that he had told him to be quiet before. When Wu was turned into a puppet, his mind was controlled by Tanabrax. However, once he died, Wu regained his consciousness and longed to be able to transform back immediately, even though Garmadon had provoked him to stay that way.[17]
After this experience, Wu suffered an immense trauma of the puppets, which manifested itself even many millennia later, and he can't even hear about the puppets.[17]
Having a kind heart, he brought in a homeless orphan named Morro and took care of him, discovering his fatherly instincts after taking in the Master of Wind to be his pupil. However, he also had little patience for wrongful behavior, readily disapproving Morro's reckless actions,[18] unanimously agreeing with his brother to banish the Anacondrai generals to the Cursed Realm,[19] and being highly protective of his father's name.[20]
Years later, having officially become a master, Wu would develop an incredibly eccentric and mysterious personality, often instructing others with cryptic hints and would often avoid being straightforward, confusing everyone with his strange methods and ways. Wise because of his years of experience, Wu had an enormous amount of forethought and skilled intelligence, triumphing over several enemies as a result. Incredibly graceful, even when losing, Wu would be willing to sacrifice his life under any circumstances to protect others.
Despite this, Master Wu also had a more silly and playful side. He enjoyed less reserved actions such as food fights,[21] dancing,[22][23] and riding on Ferris wheels.[24] However, Wu also had a past haunted by his mistakes, echoing his own brother's wisdom, and secretly reprimanding himself for the corruption of Garmadon and Morro, and for not telling Misako about how he felt about her.[25]
One of Wu's biggest flaws is his tendency to keep secrets for himself, something that normally ends up coming back to haunt him, as seen throughout the series. This was seen in three big occasions: the first when he never told the Ninja about Morro, which resulted on the Ninja not being prepared to face him when he escaped the Cursed Realm; the second when he decided to face Acronix by himself, resulting on him being struck by the Forward Time Blade and start aging rapidly and allowing Acronix to flee with the Time Blade; and the third when he never disclosed to the Ninja his mistake with Aspheera, believing it had been buried with her, which resulted on the Ninja ignorantly release her and have her take Kai's element to empower her army. In Dragons Rising, this was shown again when he caused The Merge, and didn't tell his students which resulted in many civillians and his students to be scattered across the Merged Lands, which by extension caused great consequences, like his students being separated for years, Jay having his memory erased and also planting the seed that led Arin to abandon the Ninja to go with Ras and help him to advance his plans.
When turned into a baby, Wu often cried, but laughed at something funny to him, and he enjoyed being held by Cole.[26][27] Even as a baby, Wu still mantained his love for tea, with that being the only thing he would drink. When he grew into the size of a toddler, Wu starts being helpful, even using the motto that "Ninja never quit," but he is still portrayed at having laughter.[28] After Garmadon was ressurected by Harumi, Wu, feeling his brother's presence, adopted a more serious tone, showing fear and nervousness. He later did a drawing, albeit badly, of Mystake's tea shop sign as advice for the ninja.[29]
Wu deceiving Faith that he knows where the Dragon Armor is
Upon becoming a child again, Wu displayed both his previous attitude as a child and as an adult. Even if childish, he would still show a few hints of wisdom. After turning into a teenager, Wu regained some of his maturity and some of his memories, helping him in using his wisdom.[30] However, he gained an impulsive side as he chose to lie to Faith about the Dragon Armor since he needed a way to keep hope in his friends. When confronted by Faith, he had to admit his lie but he was happy to see it actually contained truth as they discovered a map for the armor.[31] He was also willing to steal Dragon Hunters' clothes if it could help save the ninja.[30] But his teenagehood also left him more vulnerable to his own emotions, which caused him to become easily frustrated. This is seen when he gave up quickly in activities he couldn't do, like when he couldn't use a Chain Rifle. Fortunately, he was able to regain his confidence thanks to Kai.[32] He also didn't understand how the ninja could joke in threatening situations, although after Jay's explanation about how jokes can help relieve the tension, he began joking with them.[33]
Wu and the ninja are happy to have the Dragon Armor
After aging further into adulthood and growing a mustache and a goatee, Wu regained all his memories and his full wisdom returned. Wu was ready to defend his friends as he did in the past and did so by standing defiant towards Baron. Wu also wanted to protect them and did so by agreeing to lead Baron to the Dragon Armor while assuring his protesting pupils.[33] After Baron failed to control the Firstbourne, Wu showed a darker side of himself to Iron Baron, revealing that while his students helped teach him responsibility, Baron taught him the power of lies. Wu revealed that the Dragon Armor could not, in fact, control the Firstbourne, and he watched, near emotionless, as the Firstbourne encased Iron Baron in molten lava.[34]
Wu is angry at the ninja because they are lazy
After returning to his actual age as an old man, Wu appears to have regained his normal personality. Wu also doesn't like when the ninja are lazy and is willing to set insidious traps to teach them a lesson.[35] He can also be quick to anger if his students want help from him before thinking for themselves.[36] After Zane's disappearance in the Never-Realm, he was very sad and blamed himself.[37]
Wu informing Lloyd and Misako about his late-life crisis.
Wu stroking his beard when he is thinking
After the attack by Unagami, he began to feel his old age, and although he admitted that he enjoyed many adventures, he realized that the ninja had become independent and no longer needed him.[38] Later, after talking to Vania, however, he realized his mistake and realized that the ninja still needed him.[39] His desire for adventure returned and he was determined not to return home but to go wherever the wind takes them.[40]
When Nya merged with the Endless Sea, Wu was disappointed in her action, and even became desperate to get her back to normal, until he discovered the only way was to remove her powers entirely, and outright refused to agree with the Ninja's plan to involve Aspheera. Once the Ninja were incarcerated, Wu didn't show much sympathy or regret and insisted the Ninja were to blame for their own actions. However, it was later revealed during an exchange with Houndog McBrag that he was in fact upset over his pupils being arrested and defended them against the strict officer. And upon hearing that the Overlord has returned, Wu realizes that he should’ve just follow his own heart instead of the law and decides to help the Ninja get their vehicles back from the government.
When he thinks, he strokes his long beard.[41] He has a similar habit even though he suspects something bad, but then he only runs his hand over his mustache.[42]
Weapons
Wu using his bo staff
Bo staff: Wu predominantly uses his father's bo staff as a means of a weapon and is shown to be extremely proficient in handling it. After Morro stole the staff, Wu stopped using the staff, but acquired a new one later. A few months after Oni's invasion, Wu acquired a new staff that was not made of bamboo, but of ordinary wood. He had three more such staff in his room in the monastery.
Katana: As a young boy, he learned to fight a katana, which he later used to fight Garmadon in the Realm of Madness.
Shéng biāo: In the Realm of Madness, Wu uses one to defeat some of the Craglings he and Garmadon fought before they were surrounded.
Time Blades: During the Battle for All Time, Wu and Garmadon used the Time Blades to fight the Time Twins. After twins use their element of Time, these blades absorbed this ability, and Wu and Garmadon used Time for a short time.
Chain Rifle: During his stay at the Realm of Oni and Dragons, Faith taught him and the stranded ninja how to use Chain Rifles. Although Wu's shooting from this weapon did not go well at first and he gave up quickly, he later learned to use this weapon so well that he helped the Resistance defeat the Colossus.
Dragon Armor and its weapons: After claiming the Dragon Armor and the Dragonbone Blade, Wu wields the latter with extreme proficiency, along with the Dragon Shield. During a standoff with Garmadon after Lloyd is incapacitated by the former, Wu uses it against Garmadon, and reveals that the blade can hold back his destruction and creation powers. Some years later, he wore the armor Chestplate and used the Dragon Blade again to fight the Crystal army and the The Crystal King itself.
Forbidden Spinjitzu: Using Forbidden Spinjitzu, he becomes much more angry and dangerous, while his strength increases and he uses energy waves much more.
Catjitzu: Using a special form of Spinjitzu, invented by Nineko, Wu can walk on ropes, jump high with the help of Spinjitzu tornado and jump down in the same way.
Wu creating a wave of Creation energy
Elemental essence of Creation: Being the Master of Creation, he can use the power of Creation and create something out of nothing, although he rarely uses his ability, because this power must be used with care and wisely knows not to overuse it.[43]
Energy wave: He can knock opponents into the air by hitting the ground with a wave of Creation energy.[35]
Mirakinesis: He can also generate illusions realistic enough that those who enter them through a portal will believe what they see is real.
Abilities
Wu fishing with his father and his brother
Skilled warrior: Having many years of training from his father, the First Spinjitzu Master, and combat experience alongside his brother, he is an expert warrior, skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and the use of many weapons, preferring his signature bo staff, occasionally the katana and the Dragonbone Blade. He is especially good at stick-fighting. Despite his advanced age, he is proficient enough at combat that he can fight and take on skilled warriors like Morro, the Time Twins, several Dragon Hunters, Aspheera, Kalmaar or even The Overlord. While they were out-of-shape, he could defeat all six of his current students at once with ease through pure skill alone. Wu showed his combat skills in particular when he faced alone The Mechanic, Aspheera, Vangelis and later The Crystal King.
Wu creating a shadow eagle
Fishing: He is very good at fishing and has often been with his father, brother, or both to fish when he was a child.[44]
Swimming: He is good at swimming, as he and Garmadon often went swimming to the lake when they were children.[12] He was also seen swimming when he, Cole, Vania and the Upply tried to get out of Rock-Bottom.[45]
Holding breath: He can hold his breath for a really long time as when he waited for Zane inside the frozen pond.[46]
Long lifetime: Having inherited his father's Oni ancestry, Wu has lived much longer than a pure-blooded human, being thousands of years old, like his older brother.
Visions: With spirit smoke and even while asleep, Wu is able to see visions of dangers to come and unrealistic outcomes of his past haunting him respectively.
Summoning his dragon: Although he rarely uses this ability, he is able to summon his dragon using the power of Creation.
Artistic
Wu drawing
Origami: He is able to make a bird from a paper that really flies and flutters its wings.[48]
Drawing: He seems to be good at drawing with ink.[49]
Hand shadows: He seems to be good at creating various shapes, such as eagles, with his hands as the shadows.[22]
When the stranded ninja learned to use the Chain Rifles, they used it to catch Stormbringer so that Wu could try to ride it, which worked for a short time.
Sensei Wu was a hero for many, many years on Ninjago.
One day, he realized that the threats he was facing were too much for one champion.
He recruited four boys and trained them in Spinjitzu, and they went on to defeat menaces like the skeleton army, the Serpentine, and the Stone Warriors.
What no one knew was that Sensei Wu had seen a vision long ago which warned him of the many threats to come.
Now the Sensei is leading his team into battle again.
But before all is said and done, he may well find himself in the most terrible danger of his long career ...
Wu once trying to braid his beard but it looked ridiculous.
Wu, Garmadon and Kai's father used to go on a ventures together.
The symbol on Wu's clothing is the Ninjago symbol for 'destiny'-
After the sacrifice of his brother, Garmadon, Wu is once again mentoring the young ninja. He continues to prepare them for a day when he might not be there to guide them.[51]
Master Wu, son of the First Spinjitzu Master and little brother to Garmadon, has vowed to uphold his father’s legacy and protect the NINJAGO® world from evil. An expert in the art of Spinjitzu and the ways of the ninja, Wu shares his knowledge with his students and tries hard to impart his wisdom! He is a patient and peaceful man that enjoys a good cup of tea, but don’t let his old age fool you! This Master is still lightning-fast and more powerful than most ninja.
Wu seeks out the son of an old friend and tries to train him as a ninja. Kai, his new recruit, must learn patience … and so does Wu. While he has confidence in all four of his students, it seems they need time to master Spinjitzu. In the end, Wu learns that to protect the NINJAGO world there are sacrifices that only he must bear.[52]
As the ultimate battle between good and evil approaches, Master Wu begins to suspect there might be some good left inside his evil brother, Lord Garmadon. Still, he must be stopped! As he struggles with conflicting emotions, Wu comes to recognize that things aren’t always black and white.[53]
To help guide his students through the seemingly insurmountable obstacles ahead, Master Wu bestows the responsibility for mentoring and training Lloyd to his four ninja. With the final battle imminent, Wu is confronted with his past as he crosses paths with an old flame… Lloyd’s mother, Misako![54]
Master Wu will fall into the hands of the enemy and their technology will transform him into a weapon of evil, called Evil Wu. Knowing all of the ninja’s secrets, as well as their weaknesses, Evil Wu becomes one of their greatest foes. With Wu on the opposite side, the ninja will need to rely on Garmadon, while they’re forced to face the difficult task of confronting their former mentor. And for Wu and Garmadon, the two brothers will find they’ll be forced to fight on opposing sides once again.[55]
Master Wu faces a difficult trial, as he is forced to rely on his brother, Garmadon, to watch out for the ninja team on Chen’s Island. In the meantime, Wu has the opportunity to catch up on lost time with Misako, his great love. To his shock and anger, Wu discovers that his brother had tricked Misako into choosing Garmadon over Wu back when they were young. Garmadon had put his name on a love letter written by Wu to Misako. This threatens to reopen the schism between the brothers once more. But when Garmadon sacrifices himself to save the world, Wu honors his selfless action.[56]
Master Wu was hoping for a quiet retirement when he opened his tea business, but instead, he has to face the ghost of his very first student, Morro. Wu barely has time to come to terms with the news of Morro’s death and his own regrets, before his team has to stop the ghostly Morro from destroying the NINJAGO® world. When the Cursed Realm is destroyed, and Garmadon evidently with it, Wu has even more reason to grieve.[57]
After the sacrifice of his brother, Master Wu is once again the ninja team’s only leader. He has always tried to prepare them for the day when he too might be gone, and that day unexpectedly arrives! He perceives the threat from Clouse and travels to the Ancient Library of Domu to discover what the ghost is seeking. Wu uncovers the tale of Nadakhan but only in time to be trapped by the Djinn in the Teapot of Tyrahn.[58]
Knowing exactly when and where Acronix would exit the Time Vortex, Master Wu waited at the old Monastery for his enemy to return. But choosing to fight alone was a critical error and Acronix hits Wu with the Time Punch and escapes. Now Wu is rapidly aging, and time is literally running out for him to undo his mistake. After Kai uses the Reversal Blade to undo the Punch’s effects, a revitalized Wu sacrifices himself to save his students, his friend Ray and the future of the NINJAGO® world by keeping Krux and Acronix aboard the Iron Doom. With their master lost somewhere in the folds of time-space, the ninja are left to ponder: “Where is Wu…?”[59]
Did you know Master Wu, son of the First Spinjitzu Master and little brother to Garmadon, has vowed to uphold his father’s legacy and protect NINJAGO from evil. At the Monastery of Spinjitzu, he and Garmadon were trained by their father in the art of Spinjitzu. Years later, he became a ninja teacher himself, passing on his father’s teachings. Favorite NINJAGO Legacy weapon His Bo Staff, an ancient heirloom that used to belong to his father. Quote "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today."[citation needed]
2019
Master Wu, son of the First Spinjitzu Master and little brother to Garmadon.[60]
An expert on the way of the ninja, Master Wu is also the teacher to the six teenage ninja who form the main cast of the NINJAGO TV series. Master Wu trains them in the six virtues that unlock the Secret to Mastery…
Master Wu is the ancient mentor to the ninja team. He teaches them about believing in themselfs and being disciplined and strong.[61]
Life is a great adventure. I have devoted mine to studying the secrets of the martial art of Spinjitzu. The essence of Spinjitzu lies in the ability to know and accept oneself. Self-worth and inner balance are what helps each of us weather adversities and gain confidence. Join me, and your child, on the Journey to Mastery![62]
Wu is the other son of the First Spinjitzu Master, and little brother to Garmadon. After many years of mastering the art of Spinjitzu and the ways of the ninja, Wu shares his knowledge with his students – Lloyd, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Nya – to train them as ninja protectors of the world of Ninjago.
The meaning of a Chinese name Wu is military, martial or affairs, business.
Behind the scenes
The comparison between Wu's three-dimensional mouth and two-dimensional mouth.
He has no last name, as his first and only name is "Wu."[64][65]
According to the Hageman Brothers, Wu was based on the general mentor character archetype rather than any one specific character, though he may have been somewhat inspired by Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid franchise.[66]
Paul Dobson's original voice for Wu "was deemed politically incorrect," so his lines were rerecorded.[67] However, the original version of a line in "Weapons of Destiny," "Father would not want you to do this, brother," was left in the final episode by mistake.[68]
Dobson's current voice for Wu was based on the common mentor character archetype from martial arts movies he had seen in the past.[69]
Because "Sensei" has different meanings in different countries that could possibly cause issues in the future,[70][71] since 2016 the usage of the word has ceased, and been replaced by "master." Because of this, Wu is now "Master Wu." Officially, this extends to other characters referred to as "Sensei."
According to Tommy Andreasen, this change was made because of the movie and it is "probably a cultural thing."[72]
Up until "The Jade Princess," Wu had a three-dimensional mouth. Now his mouth is two-dimensional, like every other character.
According to Tommy Andreasen, WILFilm had decided to make Wu's mouth three-dimensional, and Andreasen went along with it.[73]
Wu's three-dimensional eyebrows
The reason why Wu's mouth has been two-dimensional since Season 8 is probably due to the as a result of WilFilm's animation update in some way since the Season 8.
In seasons 1 and 2 he also has three-dimensional eyebrows.
Due to his baby/toddler and child forms in the eighth and ninth seasons, Wu has had the most voice actors of any character in the show, excluding P.I.X.A.L.'s many voices in "Secrets Discovered."
The hood Wu wears as a baby resembles Wyldstyle's from The LEGO Movie, while the unhooded version he wears as a child resembles Wyldstyle's unhooded version as well.
Wu's character follows the Hero's journey's concept of the mentor. This character model helps to guide the hero as he/she face their trials. This connection can first be seen with Kai during the Pilot episodes.
Original young Wu's hair exists in physical form on the Race Car Driver from LEGO Minifigures: Series 3 and original child Wu's hair exist in physical form on child Lloyd from 71741 Ninjago City Gardens.
When Wu fights the ninja on the roof of the monastery in "Wasted True Potential," for a moment his hat flies into the air and shows Wu's head, which is missing his black skullcap seen in previous episodes.[6] This is likely because characters are no longer shown with studs on their heads as of Season 10, so a covering for the top of Wu's head is no longer needed, animation-wise.
This is also seen in one gif[74] and in "The Prodigal Father,"[8] but in "The Real Fall," Wu has this skullcap again. This is presumably because was missing his hat for a longer time in the latter episode, so his skullcap may have been added back in order for him to look more normal.
Wu also didn't have this skullcap in "King of Shadows."[4] This was probably because it was not yet created.
Wu's skullcap is also visible under Wu's hat during the Trial By Sphinx in "Riddle of the Sphinx," although it is the only scene where it is seen that way.[75]
The reason why Baby Wu wears a hood and doesn't have his head exposed like on a physical piece of LEGO is probably so that the stud would not be visible on his head.
As a baby, Wu is one of the few male characters to have a female voice actor, the others being Lloyd (from Seasons 1 to 7), Brad, Gene, Skales Jr., Leroy, Sammy, Ginkle, and Spitz.
There are several differences between the SotFS Wu minifigure and his version of the show. His legs are black instead of dark brown and his boots are only brown. The white fabric is also slightly lower and the red fabric has a gold band in the show.[76]
Hero Wu has unique legs in the show, while his minifigure recycles SotFS legs. The legs are almost the same, but they lack red fabric. There is also no red fabric on the torso on the physical minifigure, and the spines on the shoulder pads are not beige, but brown. While in the set his arms are sand brown, in the show they are white.[77]
In 70643 Temple of Resurrection, Baby Wu is included, but it is not written on the box and he is mentioned only in the description of the set as a mysterious baby.
Unlike all other released babies as LEGO figures, Baby Wu does not have a classic piece of baby's body, but two connected studs. This is probably so that it can be put in the backpack that Cole has on his back.
He is the character with the largest number of theme songs in the whole show, as he has one as an old man, one as a tired master in Season 7, one as a baby and one as a teenager.
Tommy Andreasen likes to draw cape on pictures of Wu, because they look very dynamic. He also thinks that WildBrain animates them well.[78]
In Dragons Rising Season 1, his beard and cheeckbones were erroneously absent, similar to Jay's freckles and Nya's mole in some scenes. His design was fixed in Season 2 the following year.
Trivia
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Wu is the first character to appear in the franchise.
In regards to the original Ninjago series, he is the last character to appear and speak.
When he was a child, he often fell asleep with a lamp because he was afraid of the dark.[46]
Even as a baby, Master Wu loved to drink tea. This was noted by Cole in "Dead Man's Squall" after trying to feed him milk as tea seems to be the only thing that he wants to consume.
The tricks he did in the pilot episodes—changing the ninja's clothes and seemingly conjuring a tea cup out of thin air—were simply tricks, not uses of his power.[84][85]
During his ascent with Cole, Vania, and the Upply, Wu fell off the mine cart that he was on, but was saved by Korgran.
After confronting the Overlord on the Crystal Island, he was blasted off the island, but was able to regain consciousness and take flight.
His first student was Morro, although the Master of Wind eventually left and never came back due to his frustration at not being the Green Ninja.
Even before Morro, Aspheera learned Spinjitzu from Wu. Later Misako and the ninja also learned it from him.
Wu is the second person known to escape the temporal vortex with the first being Krux, who had done it 40 years earlier. However, unlike Krux, Wu escaped the temporal vortex one year after being lost in time, whereas Krux escaped after an indefinite period of time.
The staff also contains clues to the location of the Tomb of the First Spinjitzu Master from three symbols; the Airjitzu symbol, the Sword of Sanctuary symbol, and the third one defines the First Spinjitzu Master's Tomb.
It's also revealed that Wu didn't know about those symbols prior to Possession.
Wu is the second character to be rapidly aged, after Lloyd and the fifth character to be de-aged, after the four original Ninja.
From Season 3 to Season 9, Wu has the most changes in appearance: his old form, techno form, baby/toddler, child, teen/young adult during the Serpentine War and the Battle Between Brothers, young teen, and older teen with a mustache and goatee.
After returning back to his old form in "Green Destiny," Wu wore the same outfit he had in the pilot and first four seasons.
Though he appeared to have his old memories as a toddler, Wu lost them when he grew into a child. After becoming a teenager, he started regaining them.
In "Saving Faith," he regained all of his memories.
Since Garmadon unlocked his True Potential and gained the power of Creation, it is possible that if Wu was to unlock his own, he would gain Destruction, the opposite of his brother.
Wu had blond hair in the past, when he was young, both as a child and as a teenager/young adult. In Season 9, he had blond hair as a child, but white hair as a teenager. According to Tommy Andreasen, the reason for this could have been Wu growing up under different circumstances.[86]
In Harumi's data file on Wu in Garmadon Rulez!, Harumi speculates that he could be potentially as powerful as his brother.
He survived much longer than Ray did after he was hit by a Time Punch, indicating that even though he is already extremely old, he still has a very long amount of time left in his lifespan before he will die from old age. However, Ray may have simply been struck by a harsher Time Punch. This could also be because he is part Oni, and simply lives longer because of this.
From Seasons 1 through 7, Wu is the character who introduced the episodes: both number and title.
In Tommy Andreasen's opinion, Wu and Garmadon are twins while Garmadon was created first.[87]
According to Tommy Andreasen, there are three possible reasons for why Wu and Garmadon aged so quickly between "Battle Between Brothers" and the beginning of the series, despite having been young for so long.[88]
In an interview with Brent Miller, he hinted it had to do with Wu and Garmadon being apart from each other and from the Golden Weapons, as Garmadon was banished to the Underworld and Wu hid the weapons shortly after.[89]
In the live-chat of an episode of the Eljay Johnsen Show, he confirmed that one reason may be that Wu and Garmadon share an intrinsic connection of some sort that was severed by Garmadon being banished, affecting their mortality.[90]
He also said another explanation could be tea.[91]
The reason Garmadon and Wu were designed to look much younger in "Battle Between Brothers" is likely because at that time, the idea of Lloyd's character did not exist, so there was no need for a shorter time gap between Garmadon's banishment and the beginning of the series. A description from a 2011 LEGO Club Magazine supports this, stating that Garmadon had been gone for thousands of years.[92]
Wu trained two students who later became antagonists before they redeem themselves. The first being Morro, who left due to his desire to be the Green Ninja, but redeemed himself by giving Wu the Realm Crystal at the cost of his life and helped tell the ninja about Cole on Day of the Departed. The second being Zane, who was banished to the Never-Realm and became the Ice Emperor due to Vex erasing his memories, but redeemed himself by recovering them, incapacitated Vex, and destroyed his scepter.
He is the fifth villain (in his Techno form) that knows how to do Spinjitzu, the others being Garmadon, The Overlord, Aspheera, Cinder, Forbidden Five, and Doubloon.
He was the official leader of the team before Lloyd became the leader.[93] It was thought that Cole was the leader, but this was never official.[94]
In original concepts for "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master," Wu, after seeing Misako and Garmadon reconcile, would walk away with the Overlord manifesting inside him as the screen faded to black.[95]
Despite wearing the same suit for the first four seasons, Wu's original variant was only available in the sets for the pilot episodes.
His appearance is the opposite of his brother, because Wu has long beard and no hair, while Garmadon has no beard and has hair. Wu's main color is white, while Garmadon's is black.
Wu has several mantras and catchphrases told to the ninja throughout the series or quoted by the ninja and attributed to him.
In 2020, Tommy Andreasen asked fans on X to come up with new "Wu-isms," also writing some examples of things Wu could say:[106]
"Sharpen your mind – it is the most powerful weapon you will every wield."
"Find your balance – only then will you know if the World around you is crooked."
"An able body with no moral compass will fall hard!"
After he disappeared, Lloyd stuck posters to see if anyone had seen him.[107]
In Chapter 6 of Way of the Departed, it stated that Misako pins photos everywhere. This may alternatively be referring to the types of photos seen on the Bounty from Season 8: Sons of Garmadon onward, as the chapter states she put up photos of friends and family in addition to Wu.
During the show, Wu alternated several hat colors, including light sand-brown (most of his performances), silver (Techno Wu), gold (Battle Wu), brown (Teen Wu) and sand-brown (since Season 11).
Since Season 11, his appearance is much more detailed and his clothes are much less white.
Wu's most common outfit is the white kimono he wears in pilot episodes, the first four seasons and Season 9. The second most common is the SotFS outfit he wears in seasons 11, 12, 13, The Island, Seasons 14 and 15.
Despite the fact that Wu has a braid on the cover of The Book of Spinjitzu, he started having it in the show only from of Season 11 to 15, two years after the publication of the book.
Wu appears to remember the events of Skybound even though they were undone and his memories were erased. He wrote about the events in The Book of Spinjitzu and seems to be the one who had the Ninjago history murals painted.[108] According to Tommy Andreasen, Jay and Nya may have told him about the events.[109]
His hat has an interesting ability, because even in a dangerous situation, when the hat would definitely fall, it stays on his head. However, if it falls in some cases, it will return on his head, as shown in "The Real Fall."
In the WildBrain animation, the hat is also more often seen slightly skewed or jumps during combat sequences, as can be seen, for example, during the return of the ninja from the Never-Realm in "Awakenings" or on gifs for Season 11.
During his life he visited many legendary fabled kingdoms and claims that once you've seen one, you've seen them all.[38]
According to Jay, he is like a living fortune cookie because everything he does is a puzzle meant to torture the ninja.[28]
His beard appears differently in the show than in the sets, because it swings when moving and is not bent to the side but falls straight down.
Naturally, the neck attachment section of the beard is not present on Wu in the show, but it can be seen on his silhouette at the beginning of "Rise of the Snakes."
CGI image of Hero Wu used on the poster for seasons 12 and 13[111] or in the image for NINJAGO: A Musical Journey[112] he has a cape, which does not appear in the show or on the physical minifigure.
It is unknown where Baby Wu got his clothes in "The Quiet One" or how it was possible that it suited him even though he was a child.
As shown in The Island, Wu can place his staff under the cape on his back, just as the ninja can place weapons on their backs.
Although in pilot episodes or Season 1 he said he was old, indicated that he was weak, and had a horse carriage or he could ride with Nya the Samurai Mech, in later seasons he did not like being called old, for example, in Season 5, when Nya called him old, he said it didn't mean he is weak. In Season 11, the ninja also call him old, to which he will be told that they are simply afraid of him. His character also changed, as he was a little more eccentric in the first seasons, for example when he danced with the ninja in pilot episodes or he ate cotton candy or was amazed by a ferris wheel at Mega Monster Amusement Park. He also laughed a lot more and had fun with the ninja. He almost always had his hand behind his back when walking and was slightly hunched over.
It's possible that two major turning points for individuals who would ultimately become Wu's enemies were caused by Wu's negligence involving various katanas. These moments would be Garmadon's corruption by the Great Devourer's venom, as seen in "Tick Tock," and Morro's fall to darkness after discovering he was not the Green Ninja, as seen in "Ghost Story."[118]
Nevertheless, he had no problem being pulled by the ninja on his horse carriage in " The Golden Weapon," although since he never used the carriage again, it was probably only part of the training for the ninja at the time.
Cole's original voice actor, Kirby Morrow, once jokingly said "Cole's best friend is Sensei Wu. Nobody knows, but we have this whole secret thing where Sensei Wu and I actually, we go and fish on Sundays, and we talk about all sorts of things, mostly about how Zane is not very good at ninja moves."[121]
In later seasons, Wu and Cole have been grouped together throughout various points in the story, specifically in seasons 8, 9, 13, and 14.
According to Tommy Andreasen, the fact that Wu doesn't say many things from his past to the ninja until it is too late "will probably get them killed some day."[122]
When asked if he could imagine Wu without his beard and his hair grown back, Tommy Andreasen replied: 'Would that be a plot point? But no ... I fail to find that very inspiring."[123]
Despite being part Oni, he never once mentions his Oni side or tries to achieve Oni Form during Crystalized, even though he encourages Lloyd to do so. It's likely that he didn't have the power of Destruction in order to tap into his Oni side.
This may be due to Tommy Andreasen's idea that both Wu and Garmadon were purely dragon, until Garmadon was bitten by the Great Devourer and received his Oni powers from the Overlord, who would have been the First Spinjitzu Master's discarded Oni half. This would mean Wu does not have an Oni side to tap into. However, as he stated, this shouldn't be considered official canon info unless stated in the show.
This would also contradict the many times that Wu is referred to as part-Oni during the events of Sons of Garmadon and Hunted.
When asked about whether his Sprite form is intended to represent Wu in his spectral form or another character entirely, Chris "Doc" Wyatt indicated that this matter will be explored further within the series.[125]
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