Formlings

“We lived and worked in the forest, together, happily. We were Formlings, and we lived in peace. And at the end of the day, we returned to our village. It was a beautiful place, built deep in the forest. It was my home.”

Formlings are human-like beings from the Never-Realm who can shapeshift into various animals. The Ice Emperor had his dragon Boreal freeze all of the Formlings except for Akita and Kataru during the former's reign.

Once the Ice Emperor was gone and the realm freed from its eternal winter, the Formlings were unfrozen and rebuilt their civilization.

History

History[]

Background[]

The Formlings resided in a village in the Never-Realm. Each Formling had an animal form, which they could discover through a ceremony called the Choosing. 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.[1]

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.[1]

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.[1]

Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu[]

Shortly after their arrival in the Never-Realm, the ninja come across multiple of the frozen Formlings. They find out the Formlings are alive, albeit in a state of frozen sleep.[2]

As Lloyd embarked on his mission to confront the Ice Emperor and rescue, he was rescued by Akita in her wolf form during an attack by Frost Wolves.[3] 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.[4] 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 recover 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.[5] 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.[1]

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 Nina frees his mech to rescue Akita. During the struggle, Boreal seized Lloyd. Sensing Lloyd's peril, Akita lunges to block Boreal’s snout, sustaining injuries in the process.[6]

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.[7]


Dragons Rising, Season 1[]

As Nya and Sora landed in the Land of Lost Things, they noticed Fritz watching them. Fritz ran to Cole to protect them. 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.

Dragons Rising, Season 2[]

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Known Formlings

Known Formlings[]

Culture

Culture[]

The Formlings live in a village in the Never-Realm 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 after they do find their forms, they get a hat resembling the animal they turned into. They also have great peace with the Ice Fishers and the King of their realm.

Abilities

Abilities[]

  • Shapeshifting - Formlings can only change their form to one specific animal, which chooses them during a process called The Choosing, which takes place sometimes during the childhood of each Formling.
  • Longevity - Formlings age much slower than humans, as Akita and Kataru still had the same youthful appearance, despite many decades having passed.
Appearances

Appearances[]

Sets[]

Ninjago[]

Season 11: Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu[]

Ninjago: Dragons Rising[]

Season 1[]

Season 2[]

Season 3[]

Books[]

Trivia

Trivia[]

  • Similar to the Oni, the Formlings have the ability to shapeshift despite not having the actual Elemental Power 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.
  • Formlings age differently than humans.[8]
    • 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.
  • 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.
  • According to Chris "Doc" Wyatt, Formlings can be Elemental Masters.[9]
  • The European Portuguese dub translation for formlings is "sem-forma", which roughly translates to "formless", which is Vex's nickname.
Gallery

Gallery[]

Members[]

Minifigures[]

Promotional media[]

Concept art[]

In Ninjago[]

In Ninjago: Dragons Rising[]

In other media[]

Translations

Translations[]

Language Name
French Métamorphes
German Wandler
Japanese コヤカラムンヌの民
Portuguese (Brazil) Tormentosos ("Fire Maker"-"Secret of the Wolf")
Transmorfos ("Secret of the Wolf" onward)
Portuguese (Portugal) Sem-Formas
Turkish Dönüşenler
References

References[]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "The Last of the Formlings"
  2. ↑ "The Never-Realm"
  3. ↑ "An Unlikely Ally"
  4. ↑ "The Message"
  5. ↑ "Secret of the Wolf"
  6. ↑ "My Enemy, My Friend"
  7. ↑ "A Fragile Hope"
  8. ↑ https://x.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1189439513145294848
  9. ↑ https://bsky.app/profile/docwyattbeyond.bsky.social/post/3lin6fx5a7k25