Once the Ice Emperor was gone and the realm was freed from its eternal winter, the Formlings were unfrozen and rebuilt their civilization.
History
History[]
Background[]
Formlings originated as ordinary people of an unnamed tribe in the Never-Realm. The nameless tribe held the First Master of Form in high esteem until a cursed thorn pierced her paw, causing her to go on a rampage for generations. Eventually, she was subdued with the help of the First Spinjitzu Master. In gratitude, the Elemental Master of Form bestowed upon the nameless tribe the animal forms she had once taken, leading to their new identity as the Formlings.[1] Since then, the Formlings would earn their animal forms through a ceremony called the Choosing.
Subsequently, a Formling King, accompanied by his army, ventured across the Abyss of Eternal Night, despite warnings from his son. Ignoring this counsel resulted in the tragic fall of half of his army into the Abyss.[2]
One day, Vex eagerly took part in his Choosing, hoping to unlock his animal form. However, he failed, becoming the only Formling in history to do so. Feeling rejected, Vex left the village, venturing into the outskirts of the Never-Realm, where he spent years in solitude.[3]
When Akita and Kataru prepared for their Choosing, Akita feared she would end up like Vex—unable to awaken her animal form and consumed by anger and bitterness. Vex's failure to discover his animal form taught her that even pure‑hearted Formlings could also fail. Afterward, Vex returned to the village and demanded the others join him, boasting that he had discovered an Elemental Power. The elder refused, and Vex left, promising to return in force.[3]
When Akita and Kataru finally received their animal forms, they hurried back to find the village and the other Formlings frozen solid by Boreal. Akita tried to strike at Vex and the Ice Emperor, but Boreal stopped her. Kataru stepped in to protect his sister, engaging Boreal in a fierce fight. Despite Akita’s pleas for him to retreat, Kataru kept fighting. However, Boreal gained the upper hand, striking Kataru down. But instead of delivering the final blow, Boreal captured Kataru, intending to present him as a trophy to the Ice Emperor. Satisfied with their conquest, Vex, the Ice Emperor, and Boreal left the village. Seeing her brother seemingly dead and entire village frozen, Akita was overwhelmed with grief and believed she was the only Formling left. Determined, Akita abandoned the ruined settlement, vowing to hunt down the Ice Emperor and Vex before eventually returning.[3]
Shortly after their arrival in the Never-Realm, the ninja come across multiple frozen Formlings. They find out the Formlings are alive, albeit in a state of frozen sleep.[4]
As Lloyd embarked on his mission to confront the Ice Emperor and rescue Zane, he was rescued by Akita in her wolf form during an attack by Frost Wolves.[5] Mistaking her for a regular wolf, Lloyd allowed her to accompany him, dubbing her "Red" and conversing with her as they track the Titan Mech.[6] After many days, they face the Ice Behemoth. Despite Lloyd's battle with the creature in his Titan Mech, both fall off a cliff. Akita recovered Lloyd, but the Behemoth reawakened and injured her when she intervened. After drowning the Behemoth, Lloyd tended to Akita's wounded leg and slept. The next morning, he awakened to find her transformed into human form. Confused and upset, he accused her of deception and walked away, but Akita followed. Their argument resumed, though he soon returns to apologize when reminded of Akita's injured leg.[7] Akita reveals her backstory and her desire for vengeance against Vex and the Ice Emperor. Lloyd shared his plans for the future and invited Akita to join his team in Ninjago after they defeat the Ice Emperor and rescue Zane.[3]
Before they can act, Akita sensed Boreal's approach and warned Lloyd. Using the Titan Mech, they prepared for a fight. Boreal initially overlooks them but attacks, capturing Lloyd in ice, but the Green Ninja frees his mech to rescue Akita. During the struggle, Boreal seized Lloyd. Sensing Lloyd's peril, Akita lunges to block Boreal’s snout, but sustained several injuries in the process.[8]
While in captivity, Lloyd was surprised to hear Kataru's voice coming from a nearby cell. He had assumed Kataru was dead, as Akita had believed. However, Kataru revealed that he had lost track of time in the dungeons and had given up hope of escape. Lloyd reassured him that Akita and the ninja were on their way and would never give up. After a while, Grimfax intervened, releasing Lloyd and Kataru from their cells. He had overheard Lloyd's conversation in the throne room, and was motivated to help them, particularly after learning that the Ice Emperor, Zane, was once a good person who could be redeemed. Together, they formed an alliance to help Zane recover his memories and thwart Vex's plans.[9] Meanwhile, Akita entered the Castle of Ice as Grimfax and Kataru faced Vex and the other Blizzard Samurai. She then arrived in the throne room and attacked Zane, only for him to overpower her. As Zane was about to freeze her, Lloyd stopped him.[10] Realizing that Lloyd knows the Ice Emperor and believing he deceived her, Akita was enraged and tried to attack Zane as Lloyd tried to stop her from doing it. Meanwhile, the Blizzard Samurai overpowered Kataru and Grimfax and Vex ordered his soldiers to lock them in the dungeon. Eventually, the Ice Emperor froze Akita, trapping her in ice. Thankfully, Zane was able to remember who he was and broke the scepter, freeing everyone who was frozen, including the Formlings, allowing Akita and Kataru to reunite.[11]
Following the Liberation of the Never-Realm, Grimfax and the Formling Leader agreed to punish Vex, banishing him to the outskirts of the Never-Realm. As the ninja were about to return to their home, Kataru and Akita witnessed them leaving, with Akita kissing Lloyd on the check before him leaving, much to his shock. After the ninja left, the two siblings roamed around the realm, with Akita hoping that she can see Lloyd again.[11]
As Nya and Sora landed in the Land of Lost Things, they noticed Fritz watching them. Fritz ran to Cole to protect them.[12] After realizing Nya was a friend of Cole's, Fritz introduced himself. Afterwards, they all hid in a giant noodle container from the Hoarder and returned to the Rookery. Later, when Sora exposed Sweeper, Fritz threw a jar at Spitz, who caught it and captured the creature.[13]
Fritz and the other Finders came under attack by members of the Wolf Clan, who were seeking Bonzle for their Ritual of the Blood Moon. With help from Cole, Fritz was able to escape from the Land of Lost Things now that the spell keeping the Finders there was lifted thanks to Jordana.[14] Fritz then moved to the Monastery of Spinjitzu, where he played video games with Spitz and engaged in mischief in the Monastery's Hangar bay, only for Cole to stop them.[15][16] Later, he witnessed the rise of the Blood Moon with others in the monastery.[17]
During Thunderfang's release, Fritz was caught in the Winds of Chaos, only for Cole to save him and take him to the Rookery, where he and the other Finders waited for storm to calm down.[19]
Fritz stayed in the Monastery of Spinjitzu with the other Finders. To spend time, he played with Spitz while also trying to convince Rontu to join them, only for her to refuse.[24]
The Formlings live in a village in the Never Kingdoms led by the Formling Leader. They have a tradition called the Choosing, where the young ones leave the village to find their animal forms. When they do, they return to show their forms. It also appears that after they find their forms, they get a hat resembling the animal they turn into. They also have great peace with the Ice Fishers and the King of their realm. Another tradition includes "form-bonding," where fiancés get together in engagement when the changing of leaves approaches.
Shapeshifting/Animal Morphing - Formlings can only change their form to one specific animal, which chooses them during the Choosing, a ceremonial process that takes place sometime during the childhood of each Formling.
Longevity - Formlings age much slower than humans, as Akita and Kataru still retained their youthful appearances, despite many decades having passed.
Similar to the Oni, the Formlings have the ability to shapeshift despite not having the actual Elemental Power of Form, the latter being gifted to them by an Elemental Master of Form.
They differ from the Oni in that they can only transform into an individual animal depending on the person, while the Oni can transform into anything.
They are also similar to Animagi from the Harry Potter series.
They are also similar to Shape-Shifters from the Twillight series.
This was seen when Akita and Kataru still had the same youthful appearance, despite many decades having passed.
Vex also looked like he did prior to becoming a Blizzard Samurai when he became normal again, though Grimfax and the other corrupted warriors who were human also still looked the same, so in his case, it may have also been due to the nature of the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu's corruption.
When asked if Formlings age while in animal form or not, Chris "Doc" Wyatt mentioned that they age differently. However, it's unknown if this is meant to be a repeat of the statement that that Formlings differently than humans, or it might indicate that their aging process varies when they are in animal form compared to their usual state.[26]
The Formlings could be based on the 2003 Disney Animated movie, "Brother Bear."
Kataru in "The Last of The Formlings" could shapeshift into a bear, whereas Kenai was turned into a bear.
The Formlings live at a village in the cold with snow and ice, and in Brother Bear, it takes place in Alaska where there is snow and ice as well.
The European Portuguese dub translation for formlings is "sem-forma", which roughly translates to "formless", which is Vex's nickname.
Akita concept art
In concept art, Akita is shown as a human-wolf hybrid form on the left, so it's unknown if Formlings possess the ability to transform into human-animal hybrid forms.
Vex, Akita, and Kataru's 3D models all have bushy features (eyelashes for Akita, eyebrows for Kataru, and facial hair and eyebrows for Vex) and the latter two both have fangs which Vex lacks, implying that they may be developed after finding their form. However, all of these features are absent in Formlings seen in Dragons Rising, as both Fritz and Beniro use the default male face rig and do not have any fangs or bushy features.
After the First Master of Form established the Formlings, the ability to transform into animals was lost form the element.[28]
The origin of the Formlings was originally Glen Lakin's headcanon, which he later made officially canon.[28]
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