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“In case something goes wrong, this is the last recording of Zane, Master of Ice. Son of Dr. Julien. Student of Master Wu. I was built to protect those who cannot protect themselves. I have tried to fulfill this purpose. Goodbye to my friends... and... to P.I.X.A.L., I love you.”
Zane is the current Elemental Master and Ninja of Ice, as well as the first Nindroid. Zane was recruited by Master Wu, and learned Spinjitzu and discovered his other teammates, with whom he embarked on many adventures; battling the likes of the Serpentine and the Stone Army. During this time, Zane was reunited with his inventor/father figure, Dr. Julien, but sometime after the Final Battle, he passed away once again.
After Lloyd won the Final Battle, Pythor aided the Overlord in becoming the Golden Master and commanding an army Nindroids that were made from Zane's blueprints. During this time, Zane grew closer to another droid, P.I.X.A.L., and battled a Nindroid named Cryptor. The ninja clashed with the Nindroids until Zane sacrificed himself to destroy the Golden Master.
After building himself a new body, Zane was captured by Chen, and sent to a mysterious island. The ninja eventually found Zane in his new titanium body, (with Cole being the first) and rescued him. They then allied with the Elemental Masters to defeat the Anacondrai warriors. With Zane back in the action, the ninja went on to battle Morro and an army of ghosts. After Nyadestroyed the Cursed Realm, the ninja fought Nadakhan, who rebuilt his home realm in Ninjago, though this was undone by Jay's final wish. On the Day of the Departed, Cole accidentally revived Cryptor (and many other deceased villains), who Zane fought and destroyed once more. When the Time Twins and Vermillion warriors fought the ninja, Zane helped the ninja defeat their adversaries, but lost contact with P.I.X.A.L. in the chaos.
Zane later helped the ninja battle the Sons of Garmadon and started a rivalry with the elusive Nindroid, Mr. E. During the conflict, Zane discovered that P.I.X.A.L. is the new Samurai X. Together, they attempt to stop the resurrection of Lord Garmadon but ultimately fail to do so. After Garmadon conquers Ninjago, Zane ends up marooned in the Realm of Oni and Dragons with the original ninja and a growing Wu. They are also forced to deal with the threat of the Dragon Hunters as he, Jay, and Kai are captured and exploited for their Elemental Powers. The trio escapes with Cole and Wu, and he helps the aging Wu regain his confidence and memories. Eventually, Wu claims the Dragon Armor and the team returns to Ninjago, where Zane reunites with his other friends in an invaded Ninjago City and defeats Garmadon's Colossus, restoring peace to Ninjago.
When the Oni finally invaded, Zane and the rest of the ninja fought to defend their home. Zane, the rest of the ninja, Wu, and Garmadon used the Tornado of Creation to defeat the Oni.
Several months later, Zane began having dreams foreshadowing an invasion of Pyro Vipers and Blizzard Samurai. The ninja accidentally released Aspheera and the Pyro Vipers shortly afterward. Zane helped the ninja fight the Pyro Vipers siege at the Monastery where he used Forbidden Spinjitzu to defeat Aspheera, only to be banished to the distant past of the Never-Realm alongside the second Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu. He was stranded in the unfamiliar realm, where he fell under the sway of the manipulative Vex, after having his memories erased by him. Due to Vex's manipulation, Zane overthrew Grimfax's throne and became the Ice Emperor, with Vex as his right-hand man, Grimfax joining them, and the Scroll corrupting his ice powers. Due to Zane being sent around 60 years into the past, he and his Blizzard Samurai ruled over the Never-Realm for long decades. His identity would finally be uncovered by Lloyd when the ninja arrived to rescue him, and Zane was able to regain his memories and return the Never-Realm to normal. After the Never-Realm was restored to its original state, Zane returned to Ninjago with his friends.
When citizens started vanishing in large numbers and entering Prime Empire, Zane stayed behind to prevent his memory and code from being overwritten. While in Ninjago, he began a search for Milton Dyer and eventually helped discover the secret behind Prime Empire and Unagami. Zane was used as a power source by the Mechanic to fuel the Manifestation Gate. Zane eventually escaped and fought off Unagami's invasion. Zane and P.I.X.A.L. reunited with the rest of the ninja after Jay and Dyer successfully convinced Unagami to release the formerly trapped gamers and ninja.
Zane later traveled to the Kingdom of Shintaro on top of Shintaro. When he discovers Cole was captured by the evil Skull Sorcerer, he travels underground and helps save him. Zane and Kai later get captured by the Geckles and tames a creature known as a Mino. Zane and Kai try to unite the Geckles and the Munce but end up being captured along with Jay, Nya, Lloyd, and Kai. The Skull Sorcerer sentences them to death, but they are saved by Plundar, a member of the Upply, under Cole's command. Zane helps the other ninja fight against the Awakened Warriors and they eventually succeed. Zane, Wu, and the other ninja leave Shintaro, but prepare to go on another adventure.
Usually seen in white clothing, Zane's Titanium form has silver hair in a tall flat-top/crew cut hairstyle with no sideburns, and sharp eyebrows. He has glowing blue eyes and is usually seen with straight-faced expression, reflective of his robotic nature. His cloaked form has white hair, the normal yellow skin of a LEGO character, and bright blue eyes. He has not used his cloaked form since March of the Oni, so he either removed it from his database or forgot he had this function.
While as the Ice Emperor, Zane's metallic skin is mostly ice blue, with a pale face-plate. This change was due to his prolonged usage of the staff containing the Forbidden Scroll that was frozen to his hand. His eyebrows were covered in frost, and he wore white samurai armor covered in ice. After regaining his memories, he discards the mask and armor, returning him to his previous appearance.
In "Ninjago Confidential," Zane wears a grey fedora and a light grey trench coat over his gi, dressed as a detective.
Having been rebuilt with titanium, Zane's skin is a shining metallic substance with lines running through his jawline and cheeks. He had a scratch on the right of his forehead, though it is gone from Tales from the Monastery of Spinjitzu onward. His eyebrows and the lines on his face somewhat changed for Tales from the Monastery, resembling his minifigure face print more (though he still lacked his minifigure's zigzagged eyebrow edges), but as of Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu, his eyebrows reverted to their previous design and the lines on his face changed once again. Using some kind of cloak feature, he often switches into a more human-like form, with white hair, usually while on active ninja duty.
For his digital avatar image in Ninjago: Decoded and his appearance in Master of the 4th Dimension, his face has no lines on the sides and he appears to be more reflective again.
Prior to Sons of Garmadon, he had a flat-top hairstyle with sideburns and no forehead scratch, as well as a light blue visor that appeared over his eyes when he wore his mask (and his parka hood in "Peak-a-Boo"). His skin became less reflective starting with The Hands of Time, possibly indicating he has worn over time.[1] However, as of Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu, his skin is more reflective again, indicating this may have also been due to the animation change in The Hands of Time. Before being destroyed in his encounter with the Golden Master at the end of Rebooted, he had blonde hair, normal LEGO human skin, and black eyes. At various points, half of his face would come off, revealing a more robotic look underneath. In "Darkness Shall Rise," his "skin" was portrayed as a cloth-like material, but in Rebooted, it appeared as a hard shell.
He had a control panel in his chest which he could open up, containing switches for vision, audio, voice, power, memory, and humor—he also had a set of switches in his arm. In Season 3 ("The Art of the Silent Fist"), his power source is found in his chest. Between seasons 2 and 3 his interior was upgraded.[2] It appears differently from its original design, with his power source visible and located where his heart would be and the old-fashioned switches and gears have been replaced with a more modern, wired look. The updated design was continued over to his titanium form, albeit now two-dimensional, and the power source design also appeared on his back in his first titanium design. In Season 8 ("Dead Man's Squall"), a computer scan of his body shows him having lungs.
For more images on Zane's appearance in his different ninja suits, click here.
Age
From the perspective of the realm of Ninjago, Zane was created by Dr. Julien over 40 years ago, and thus, is by far the oldest of his fellow ninja by around 30 years.[3] With the addition of around 60 years during his time in the Never-Realm's past, he is much, much older than his friends, being around a century old already.[4] Due to his robotic nature, he does not physically age, and looks good and new however old he is. He is designed to have the appearance of a young man in his late teens, but his gaining knowledge and experience can be considered the equivalent of him aging.[5]
Possible Estimations: At the time of Skybound, his new Titanium body was said to be at most 2 years old.[6] As of the Sons of Garmadon's year time-skip, it was maybe around 3 years at most. With his additional time in the Never-Realm, his body has aged even further, due to being sent into the past and living out several decades until Vex unintentionally regained his memories and returned to Ninjago in the present day. As a result of the decades in the Never-Realm, Zane is over 100 years chronologically, his old body was around 40, and his new titanium body is around 60.
When he is introduced, Zane is undoubtedly the most serious and reserved of the ninja, as he had no sense of humor and didn't understand the way his fellow ninja socialize. He has little understanding of humor or even basic social conventions (as seen when he walked into the bathroom, despite Cole being on the toilet). It's inferred from the pilot episodes that Jay was teaching/informing Zane about humor. He also has a strong bond with Master Wu, being the most polite and respectful towards him and finding a sort of paternal presence in him; the two share moments of quiet while the other ninja goof off in a way he can't connect with, or when the ninja are with family and he has none. The other ninja are occasionally wary of his strange habits, but they quickly learn to accept him for it, even relying on it, like with the robotic Falcon in Season 1.
Initially, Zane was melancholy over his inability to remember his parentage or where he came from. He eventually accepted the ninja as his family and that their home was his home, but he never truly gave up on finding details of his past. Upon learning his origins, he was briefly struck by shock and depression, only to overcome his feelings and accept his robotic nature when he restored his memories. When he eventually reunited with his father/creator, Dr. Julien, in Season 2, he readily accepted him as his father figure.
Zane is quick to form strong attachments, the most attached to the idea of his fellow ninja as his "brothers" and finding a deep kinship with the Falcon and companionship with P.I.X.A.L. minutes after meeting them. He has been known to take heavy risks on impulse for the people he loves, even if, in the case of P.I.X.A.L., there is no evidence he should trust them yet. On many matters, Zane's unusualness and people's tendency to ridicule him are a result of his tendency to care deeply in a way others wouldn't—a food fight and a mockery of his pink apron drove him to run off, meeting a fellow android had him falling for her hard and refusing, even before he knew her, to reconcile with her being evil or to leave her behind as an enemy. Zane is often inclined to speak more honestly about emotions that others would tend to mask, like grief or confusion.
After rebuilding himself as the Titanium Ninja, Zane has become even more accepting of his own robotic traits. He considers himself in some ways a new person—which allowed him to unlock his Elemental Dragon. After this change, Zane is more willing to joke at others' expense, cockier, and his sense of humor has been known to be bitingly sarcastic, though his core values and programming remain intact. However, since the beginning he has struggled to understand figures of speech, relying on his friends to explain every so often. Sometimes, he will still interpret the phrases incorrectly.
Zane is a very intelligent Nindroid, with a vast array of knowledge at his disposal, a gift for cooking, and a knack for statistics. It can be inferred from the Season 8 and the Tales from the Monastery of Spinjitzu that Zane continues to upgrade parts of himself. His companion P.I.X.A.L. was a part of his artificial intelligence from Seasons 4 to 7, in which he had her company everywhere he goes. However, he ended up being too dependent on her for analysis. His pattern of speech also displays his intelligence. He is formal and has a larger vocabulary than the others.
Zane learns more quickly than the other ninja, as shown to be the first to find his True Potential, getting the only compliment from Cole's father on his dancing, and learning to use the chain gun easily in the Realm of Oni and Dragons. It is also shown in Season 1 and 2 that he has the most endurance and can breathe underwater and in space, which makes sense for a robot.
Being stranded in the Never-Realm caused Zane to become despondent, as he had no way to escape and was alone. During his message in the Titan Mech, he identifies himself as Dr. Julien's son, voiced his happiness in his time with his friends who he saw as family. He also voiced his love for his robotic companion P.I.X.A.L., should he not return to Ninjago.
His values comes from the phrase, "You were built to protect those who cannot protect themselves," which was first stated by Dr. Julien. He has stayed true to this in a variety of situations, like against the Digital Overlord, and on Chen's Island. He is also typically very supportive of his friends. It was this phrase that allowed him to regain his memories after he became the Ice Emperor.
Abilities & Weapons
Zane's affinity for Ice allows him to freeze objects to varying degrees and perform a chilly Spinjitzu attack. He generally prefers Shurikens in battle, especially the Shurikens of Ice. He has also wielded a katana, a spear, and a flail at times, and eventually gains an Elemental Blade that channels his Ice powers. Zane also gets access to the Titanium Dragon, an ability that can only be conquered when he faces his fears and doubts.
As a Nindroid, Zane has increased stamina and durability compared to his organic comrades. He can store data and calculate courses of action through a panel on his wrist. He has a strong bond with the Falcon, and eventually learned how to see through its eyes for scouting areas or compensating for when his own eyes are unusable. He can survive without oxygen, allowing him to be in outer space without a space suit.
Zane was powerful but was weaker in comparison to the stronger new Nindroids like Cryptor. Zane was often called an "outdated relic" because he is relatively older than them.
However, his new upgraded body is stronger and allows him to overpower the Nindroids, something he made clear in a brawl with one.[7] This was seen again when he fought against the undead Cryptor, easily holding his own.[8] He has a new ability that he gains with his new upgraded body in between the seventh and eighth seasons, using a holographic cloak to simulate a human form and disguise himself as others. Zane confirms that he can visualize any event that has happened, while he also owns a "Selective Memory" upgrade making everyone resemble their current appearances.[9] See here for his numerous other Nindroid abilities.
Because of his training with Wu, Zane is a skilled fighter and is able to take on multiple opponents with his Spinjitzu.
Zane is also skilled in Airjitzu.
Zane appears to have a premonition ability, as he has visions that later come true. The best examples are when he saw the Titanium Dragon, Aspheera, Boreal, and future glimpses of himself as the Ice Emperor in his dreams.
Along with his fighting skills, Zane is very intelligent and skilled in the art of tactics. This is best seen as when he was confronted by Nadakhan, he deduced the latter met Jay and was careful in his wishes until the Djinn found a loophole. Nadakhan voiced that Zane put up a better challenge than most of the ninja. When faced with Cryptor, he feigned surrender and his act allowed his clone to fall victim to his own weapon.
Zane's abilities are further enhanced with the staff holding one of the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu. With the staff, he was able to freeze Aspheera in a large block of ice. He also used it to corrupt or create Blizzard Samurai and a dragon called Boreal. For decades, he used the staff to subjugate the entire Never-Realm into an eternal winter. Using its power, he was able to defeat an Ice bird. He has great mastery with the weapon, as he stopped midway in freezing Grimfax. He easily blasted Lloyd into an unconscious state with no effort whatsoever. In their final battle, Zane dominated Lloyd and froze him halfway.
Vehicles
Zane has owned a variety of different vehicles in his ninja history.
He was known in his village for being able to sit at the bottom of a freezing lake for an incredibly long time (something it turns out he was able to do because he is a robot).
Although being a machine has not changed his friendships with his teammates, it does sometimes make him feel different and a little lonely.
Zane’s blueprints end up being used to create the Nindroid army, which inspires him to fight this new foe even harder.
While still very logical and practical, meeting P.I.X.A.L. causes him to feel all new emotions.[10]
Tournament of Elements Version 1
Zane (Frosty) is quiet, very smart, and often sees the future or knows what to do without knowing exactly why. He is very loyal to his friends, even though they like to tease him when he doesn’t get their jokes, or laugh at him when he doesn’t know he’s said something funny.[11]
Tournament of Elements Version 2
Element: Ice
Height: Four and a half bricks
Hobbies: Being logical
Home base: Ninja DB X
Weapon: Elemental blade
Zane is a very intelligent Nindroid, and often sees the future or knows what to do without knowing exactly why. He is very loyal to his friends, even though they like to tease him when he doesn’t get their jokes, or laugh at him when he doesn’t know he’s said something funny.[12]
Possession
Zane is a very intelligent Nindroid. He has been through many changes lately, but is glad to be back with the Ninja team. His close friend, P.I.X.A.L., is now a part of his artificial intelligence, so he has "company" everywhere he goes. He wields the power of ice.[13]
Pilot (2017 Museum gallery)
Once the White Ninja, Zane is an intelligent and powerful nindroid (ninja robot) that fills the role of the computer intelligence in the group. He was created by the Tinkerer, Dr. Julien, to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Dedicated to the qualities of peace, freedom and courage, this rational ninja is brave, caring and has a big heart…even though he doesn’t have one![citation needed]
Before Wu brought the ninja together, Zane lived the life of a loner, thinking himself a flesh and blood orphan. He finds being part of a big group of different personalities tricky, but overcomes it with humour and a little help from his friends.[citation needed]
Season 1 (2017 Museum gallery)
At the start, this stoic intellectual feels different from the others but doesn’t know why. An orphan with a mysterious past, he will go to the ends of NINJAGO to answer the age-old question, “Who am I?” Zane will discover he’s more different than he thought, but learns that being unique only makes you more special.[citation needed]
Season 2 (2017 Museum gallery)
Having discovered that he’s a Nindroid, Zane struggles to accept that he’ll always be different from others. But along the journey, Zane will come to another startling discovery that will make him whole again.[citation needed]
Season 3 (2017 Museum gallery)
The changes in New NINJAGO City and the visit to Borg Tower serve to point out to Zane just how outdated his programming has become. But instead of feeling like a relic, his relationship with Cyrus Borg’s highly advanced android assistant, P.I.X.A.L., leads Zane to make contact with his essential “humanity” and discover that he is more than just the sum of his mechanical parts. In the end, he sacrifices himself in the battle against the Golden Master.[citation needed]
Season 4 (2017 Museum gallery)
When Zane sacrificed himself to stop the Golden Master, the power of the Golden Weapons unlocked new abilities within him, revealing a layer of titanium. The immense energy surge destroyed parts of him and caused Zane to vanish into the Digiverse. Only Pixal was aware of Zane’s digital presence – or so she thought. Before anyone found out, she and Zane were gone. Zane wakes up in chains on Chen’s Island, unaware of how he got there. He has to learn the truth about himself, in that he has become the Titanium Ninja. What new powers does he have? What new fears must he overcome? Though Zane 2.0 is rebuilt stronger, his insecurities have increased tenfold. In order to make the team whole, he’ll need to go on a personal journey of self-discovery to define who he truly is and face his fears.[14]
Season 5 (2017 Museum gallery)
The Titanium Ninja thought that his transformations were over, but a swinging pillar in the City of Stiix damages his communication circuits, leaving Zane with some new voices. Now he sounds loud, annoying and, after Jay tries to fix him, a little bit like a pirate![citation needed]
Season 6 (2017 Museum gallery)
Zane is the ninja least affected by the group’s sudden celebrity, as he’s a Nindroid and they don’t care about fame. But that doesn’t mean he’s without feelings, and these make him vulnerable when Nadakhan threatens P.I.X.A.L. Zane thinks he can trick the Djinn, but he is too cunning, and the Nindroid has to wish “it all to go away” to save his friend, trapping himself in the Djinn Blade.[citation needed]
Season 7 (2017 Museum gallery)
Zane is knocked offline during an early battle against the Vermillion Warriors. He is eventually rebooted, but doesn’t quite function properly. For one thing, he babbles a string of nonsense words and numbers – numbers he will later discover are key to shutting down the time machine. Even worse, the reboot has caused Zane to lose Pixal, so now he must rediscover how to rely only on himself to be an effective ninja. Eventually Zane resigns himself to this fact and helps lead the rescue of Cyrus Borg.[citation needed]
Sons of Garmadon
Once the White Ninja, Zane is an intelligent and powerful Nindroid (ninja robot) that fills the role of the computer intelligence in the group. He was created by the Tinkerer, Dr. Julien, to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Dedicated to the qualities of peace, freedom and courage, this rational ninja is brave, caring and has a big heart … even though he doesn’t have one![15]
2019 (The Legacy of Zane)
Did you know Titanium Ninja and Master of Ice, Zane is an intelligent and powerful nindroid (ninja robot) and computer genius. When he first started his Spinjitzu training with Master Wu and the other ninja, he felt awkward and out of place. As he started to realize his true potential, he discovered who he really was – a brilliant invention by the late, great tinkerer, Dr. Julien, a robot designed to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Dedicated to the qualities of peace, freedom and courage, this rational ninja is brave, caring and has a big heart … even though he doesn’t have one! Favorite NINJAGO® Legacy weapon Shurikens of Ice – throwing stars filled with the biting power of a blizzard! Quote “Are you sure you want to doubt a Nindroid?”
2019
Zane – the Elemental Master of Ice!
Zane is a Nindroid (ninja robot) created by the Dr. Julien in his hidden workshop in Birchwood Forest. Dr. Julien brought Zane up like a son, teaching him lots of useful life skills, and Zane gained his Ice Power after a random visit one night by an old man, the Elemental Master of Ice.
Just before Dr. Julien passed away of old age, he turned off Zane’s ‘memory switch’ so his robot son wouldn’t feel sad. And, happily, Master Wu recruited Zane to train at the Monastery of Spinjitzu and become part of a new ‘family’ – the team of ninja heroes.
Ice Ninja Zane brings a lot of computer intelligence to the group and is always there to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Dedicated to peace and freedom, Zane is courageous, caring and has a big heart (even though he doesn’t actually have one!).
That’s why fans love to role-play as this ice-cool character using the Zane minifigures that feature in lots of LEGO® NINJAGO building kits.
2020
The first Nindroid ninja robot created by Dr Julien, Zane evolved into the ninja of ice and a vital member of the team. A fearless fighter, he is dedicated to helping others and safeguarding peace.
Season 13
Kai and Zane are separated from the other ninja and taken in by the Geckles, who bring them before their leader, the Geckle Chancellor, Gulch, who initially suspects them of being “fleshy skeletons” in service to the Skull Sorcerer. In order to determine their innocence, he orders Zane and Kai cast into a pit to face a terrifying creature called a Mino. But Zane discovers the Mino isn’t actually so terrifying after all, it’s just suffering beneath some painful armor, it grows quickly docile and befriends Zane, who ends up riding the enormous creature into battle against the Skull Sorcerer.[16]
2021
STAY GENEROUS, WITH ZANE
Zane understands better than anyone, that showing kindness is not a sign of weakness. True Masters know that the stronger you are, the more generous you can be. Zane knows that being a ninja is more about self-improvement. It's about helping those around you too.
Zane is the Ice Ninja... and so much more! He's actually a sophisticated nindroid (ninja robot) who has the biggest heart of anyone in the group... even though he doesn't actually have one![17]
Zane's name changed in early concepts of the series. Some of these names were was Ren,[18] Boon,[citation needed] and Whitman.[19]
Additionally, in preliminary concepts of Zane, he was supposed to be a "rad snowboarder" type of character. Voice actor Brent Miller was told to do a chill and laid back voice for him. His performance, in the end, inspired the Hageman Brothers to then change his character to a droid to fit his monotonous voice and straight-cut military hair.[20]
The idea for his holographic cloak feature was inspired by Brent Miller saying he preferred his voice with no robotic effect, so the show creators came up with the idea to have them both.[21]
In the Season 7 set 70624 Vermillion Invader, as well as threepromotionalsets, Zane has a scratch on his head despite the scratch not appearing in the show until Season 8. Strangely, his minifigure in Season 8 and onward does not use this head print and instead uses a new, less accurate print to represent his titanium face design.
This new head print appeared in Tales from the Monastery of Spinjitzu and March of the Oni, with his face being redesigned to be more accurate to the minifigure, though still he did not have his minifigure's zigzagged eyebrow edges. His face was changed again in Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu, with his original eyebrows returning and the lines through his jawline and cheeks changing a bit. See the Appearance section for more details.
When asked about the discrepancy between Zane's minifigure face print and his current face design in the show, Michael Knap explained, "The action toys is rarely following 100% canon. These gives opportunity to do cool unique characters."[22]
However, it's possible he could have a more accurate face print in the future.[23]
In the sets, his Ice Emperor armor and helmet are white, while in the show his armor and helmet are gray.
His Ice Emperor mask in the show closely resembles General Kozu's mask, but Zane's mask is shorter and is printed on to his transparent blue head in the sets.
Zane is the only ninja who has changed his hair color three times. His hair was blonde from the pilot to the end of Season 3. It changed to silver to match his new titanium form in Season 4. In Season 8, his cloaked appearance has white hair.
His hair has also been delayed or unreleased in the sets three times, more than any of the other ninja. First, none of the original ninja came with their hair in the sets until Rebooted; later, he was titanium starting in Season 4 but wasn't released with his titanium hair until the Day of the Departed wave; and finally, his post-movie titanium hair wasn't feature in the sets until 2021.
He and Kai are currently the only ninja to have their Golden Techno Robe variant as a physical minifigure. Zane's was released in the 40374 Golden Zane Minifigure Accessory Set.
Zane's hair pieces are by far the hardest to find out of all the ninja. The first one only appeared inthreesets, the second one in two, the third one in four and the newest titanium one in four.
When asked why Zane had not discovered he was a robot earlier, Tommy Andreasen said, "If we add too much reason to Ninjago, we will end up with a very realistic but boring story."[24]
According to Michael Knap, it is possible that in future sets, Zane's head will be redesigned to be more reminiscent of his opponent from Season 11 onwards.[25]
Trivia
Zane has a sixth sense, which has manifested in clairvoyance and an uncanny ability to sense what others cannot. He also was able to communicate with the Falcon and detect its presence, though this may be related to their similar origins.
His sixth sense could be attributed to his robotic nature.
Conversely, he was the only NRG ninja released in a set at a later date than the rest of the ninja.
He is also the only one of original four ninja who did not unlock his True Potential during the ninja's quest for the Fangblades.
He was the first ninja to unlock his True Potential due to realizing himself as a Nindroid and knowing who he is.
Zane's greatest fear is losing his humanity.[26] He also appears to have a fear of living food.[27]
After his supposed "death", Zane came back as the Titanium Ninja.[28] This is how Cyrus Borg referred to him as at his funeral, and how he was represented in the memorial statue made by the inventor.
At Zane's funeral, Cyrus had said that "he was a perfect balance between [humans] and technology".
After it was revealed in Season 4 that Elemental Powers are passed down through generations, it was unknown how Zane inherited his powers due to his robotic origins. Eventually, Season 8 gave an explanation. It was told through a flashback in "Snake Jaguar" that the previous Master of Ice stayed at Dr. Julien's for a while, and took a great interest in Zane. When the Master of Ice left, Zane acted "stranger than usual", implying that the Master of Ice gave his powers to Zane.
Dan and Kevin Hageman have revealed that this explanation is borrowed from a fan's idea.[29]
This may be the reason why Zane has such a cool, calm, and collected personality. This also indicates that Zane may have had a somewhat different personality before the event occurred, though it's currently unknown what kind of personality Zane had before he met the previous Master of Ice.
This makes Zane the only one of the six ninja to be given their power by someone else, as all of the other ninja inherited their Elemental Powers.
Though rebuilt Zane is called "Zane 2.0" in some sources, this refers to his new body, and he is still the same person.[30] His consciousness was transported to Borg Tower in a similar way to a power surge or computer wi-fi.[31]
Though Zane stated in "The Day of the Dragon" that he was merely a replica of his original self, this is simply because "He was doubting himself and had amnesia."[32]
As of Season 4, both Zane and his father were "resurrected" and imprisoned on an island for a villain's plan. Dr. Julien was imprisoned by Samukai at the lighthouse to build Skulkin Vehicles for Samukai's army, while Zane was imprisoned by Chen (at the hands of Ronin) on Chen's Island to lure the other ninja to the island.
There is another rusted, jerry-built version of him called Echo Zane, first appearing in "The Last Resort". He was created by Dr. Julien to replace Zane after he was left in the lighthouse prison. Echo Zane aided Nya and Jay in defending Dr. Julien's former home tower from Nadakhan.
Echo Zane was originally going to be the true identity of Mr. E.
Since Jay's wish in "The Way Back" brought the ninja back in time to before Zane met Echo Zane, he has presumably no memory of meeting him or knowledge of his existence.
In Ninjago: Decoded, Nya downloaded the events of Skybound onto Zane's memory drive, so it is possible that he remembers the events of Skybound.
Zane and the other original ninja could previously only harness their elemental powers by being dependent on Lloyd. This is due to Lloyd splitting his Golden Power between them to restore their powers.
However, as of Season 8, this connection has most likely faded away, as confirmed by Tommy Andreasen in an interview with Zane's voice actor Brent Miller.[35]
After becoming the Titanium Ninja, Zane is shown to have a few strengths; however, he also has many weaknesses. These include problems with his voice if getting hit too hard on the head, getting hacked, getting knocked unconscious easily, and being able to be shocked due to titanium being a metal, which is a conductor of electricity.
Zane is somehow capable of keeping his shurikens hidden in him.[citation needed]
Referring to how Zane ended up on Chen's Island, Brent Miller jokingly stated, "Being the fact that I'm the voice actor of Zane I may have some insight on this. I actually used my powers to create the best slurpee out there. I just kept drinking that coke/cream soda mix until i passed out. After that I don't really remember anything."[36]
P.I.X.A.L. officially left his head in Season 7 after being rebooted, and she has rejoined the team as Samurai X.
Zane started to use a cloak feature to make himself look like a human again in Sons of Garmadon. However, he stopped using it for this purpose after March of the Oni. The reason for this is unknown.
According to Tommy Andreasen, Zane typically uses his robotic form in private settings and saves his human form when he is on missions.[37]
However, he used his cloaking feature to disguise himself as Clutch Powers in Season 11.
The only time Zane is seen with his "human" face and a Legacy/SOTFS mask at the same time is in one of the gifs released alongside Season 10.
He gained new abilities between seasons 7 and 8.[38]
This makes Zane the third student of Wu to be an antagonist, the first being Morro, and the second being Lloyd.
Zane was also the first ninja to be manipulated into becoming an antagonist.
Aspheera banished Zane into the past of the Never-Realm, where he stayed for around 60 years as the Ice Emperor before he was brought back to normal and taken back to Ninjago.[4] Combined with his age before being sent back, this would technically make Zane around 100 years old.
This is seen in "Corruption," after Zane takes over Grimfax's throne, a blast of ice is sent from his scepter that alters the weather.
He is known to have been responsible for at least one genocide, as the Blizzard Samurai killed all of the Yeti aside from Krag.
His sacrifice in "The Titanium Ninja" also destroyed some of the Overlord's Nindroids.
Because of this, Zane is the second ninja to be responsible for the most deaths after Nya, who destroyed the Cursed Realm (and by extension Djinjago), though in Nya's case she had to do this to save everyone in Ninjago and possibly the rest of the realms.[39]
He is the third character overall to announce the title card at the beginning of an episode, with him reading the Ninjago: Decoded title cards.
Zane in Ice Chapter
He is also the third villain of Season 11 to announce the title card at the beginning of an episode, with him announcing "Once and for All" as the Ice Emperor.
Zane's digital face design in Decoded
Despite rejoining the cast in Season 4: Tournament of Elements, the intro doesn't get updated and still has his poster with a dagger.
In Season 4, he was imprisoned by Chen for the first few episodes and did not have his powers for the majority of the season.
In Season 5, his voice module was damaged in "Stiix and Stones", causing him to speak in different various ways for a few episodes.
In Season 6, he had P.I.X.A.L. deleted from his hard drive before being trapped in the Djinn Blade for a number of episodes.
In Season 7, he was damaged in "The Hatching" which put him out of commission for a bit and messed up his speech again, and when he was back to normal, P.I.X.A.L. was gone once again.
In Season 11, he was banished to the Never-Realm by Aspheera and spent the second half of the season as the Ice Emperor.
In Season 12, he was unable to go into Prime Empire with the rest of the ninja due to the complexity of the game's code.
His Island suit is the first to show what Zane's body looks under clothing that resembles a human chest with a power source where the heart is supposed to be. That means Zane's chest armor on his Armor suit hid his body beneath it.
When asked about Zane's favorite color (besides white), Tommy Andreasen said, "He is very fond of Pixal's green eyes."[40]
According to show co-creator Tommy Andreasen, Zane's surname may be "Julien" like his father, but it is unconfirmed.[41]
The name of Zane's actor in the 2014 blooper reel is "Zane Roberts," a pun on "robot."
Before it was revealed that the Ice Emperor was Zane, there were subtle hints to his true identity.
The bottom linings of the former Ice Emperor's eyebrows are identical to Zane's eyebrows in sets, as of Season 8. His hands are blue and his arms are white, which is also identical to Zane's, as seen in "The Never-Realm." He also has glowing eyes like Zane.
During Vex's meeting with the Formlings, he stated that he discovered the power of Ice was strong. It was worth noting that Zane has power over Ice.
When Vex tells him about the green-outfitted stranger, he pauses for a moment and appears perplexed, almost as if he knew the stranger was actually Lloyd, but just doesn't treat him as a friend.
Michael Knap sees Epic Battle Zane as "a different suit/skin. I imagine he have a variety of different ones he can chose form depending on the situation."[42]
Videos
Meet Zane, Ninja of Ice!
LEGO® Ninjago -- Constrictai
Zane - LEGO Ninjago
Tournament of Elements Character Spot
Zane - LEGO Ninjago - Character Spot
Skybound Character Spot
Zane - LEGO Ninjago - Meet the Ninja - Character Spot
Hands of Time Character Spot
Meet Hutchins, Zane and Mr. E - LEGO NINJAGO - Character Video
Sons of Garmadon Character Spot with Hutchins and Mr. E
