Hypnobrai

History

History[]

Background[]

The First Spinjitzu Master created the Serpentine in the Wyldness and they formed multiple tribes. Eventually took them to Ninjago. Many of them were among a Serpentine kingdom ruled by King Mambo V before being shortly ruled by Aspheera. As time passed, their tribe would come to have arguments and conflicts with the other four tribes of the Serpentine which fought amongst themselves for centuries. At some point the Fangpyre tribe allied with them. Skales and Fangtom became friends, but they split up and went to war against humans as well. They were involved in the Serpentine War, and were locked underground for 40 years for their crimes.

Rise of the Snakes[]

Years after, Lloyd had released them, and they served under his command until Skales took control and became their general. They would soon work under Pythor, who became their King, they helped Pythor in acquiring the four Fangblades of the Great Devourer, only to retreat after the beast is released.

Legacy of the Green Ninja[]

They would again switch command with Garmadon then Skales becoming their King, until they were trapped again when trying to bury Ninjago City. After their second imprisonment, they would eventually come to peace with the humans and stop their acts of vengeance, refusing to be included in any affairs of the surface world.

Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu[]

The ninja inadvertently freed Aspheera from her tomb, leading her to steal Kai's Elemental Powers and imprison the ninja within the Pyramid of Mambo V. Mounting Fire Fang, she made her escape to attack Ninjago City.^[3] As the ninja sought a way out of the pyramid, the lava revived the ancient Hypnobrai, transforming them into Pyro Vipers, but the ninja managed to overcome the threat and escape the Desert of Doom.^[4]

Meanwhile, Aspheera, accompanied by the Elemental Cobras, headed to the Ninjago Museum of History. There, she discovered a Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu and revived Char and the ancient Hypnobrai.^[5] In a bid to gather information on Aspheera, Jay, Cole, and Kai ventured into the sewers to consult Skales. Initially reluctant, Skales eventually agreed to assist them and led them to Acidicus, who recounted the tale of Aspheera and the Treacherous Deceiver, who turned out to be Wu.^[6]

Upon reaching the Monastery of Spinjitzu, the ninja faced an onslaught from the Pyro Vipers, who were intent on reaching Master Wu. Despite their efforts, the Pyro Vipers breached the monastery and confronted the ninja in the hangar bay. Just in time, Nya, Lloyd, and Zane arrived with the second Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu, which they had obtained from the Explorer's Clubhouse. Armed with the scroll, the ninja battled Aspheera, but she was too powerful, defeating them all. Zane seized the second scroll and froze the Pyro Vipers, extinguishing their flames and reverting them to their mummified corpses,^[7] with the exception of Aspheera. However, Aspheera had managed to free her arm and aimed her staff at Wu to banish him to the Never-Realm. Zane pushed Wu out of the way, taking the blast himself and vanishing to the Never-Realm in the process. Following the battle, Wu visited Aspheera in Kryptarium Prison, where she revealed Zane's banishment.^[8]

Crystalized[]

To restore Nya to her original form, the ninja released Aspheera from her cell without the mayor's consent. However, Aspheera claimed she needed her staff to use her magic, so the ninja set off to retrieve it. During this time, Aspheera challenged Wu to several contests, winning each one. Once the ninja returned with the staff, Aspheera feigned an intention to assist Nya but instead turned on the ninja. When the New Ninja arrived to apprehend them, Aspheera reluctantly used her staff to drain Nya's powers, triggering a shockwave that knocked everyone off their feet. Fortunately, Lloyd aided Aspheera, allowing her to escape to the Pyramid of Mambo V, where she received an invitation to join the Council of the Crystal King along with a new staff. Later, while attending a council meeting in the Crystal Temple, Aspheera argued with Pythor, unaware that Lloyd, disguised as the Mechanic, was present. The situation escalated when the Kabuki Mask arrived and exposed Lloyd as an imposter, leading to a confrontation that resulted in Lloyd's capture.

Aspheera, accompanied by Vangelis, the Mechanic, and Pythor, attacked the Monastery of Spinjitzu by breaking into the hangar bay. They faced off against Wu, Nya, P.I.X.A.L., and Skylor, along with an army of MiniPix. After their victory, Aspheera seized the Sword of Fire, while the others took possession of the remaining Golden Weapons. Upon returning to the Crystal Temple, she cast a spell to summon the Crystal King, transforming the Golden Weapons into Weapons of Destruction. The Crystal King, revealed to be the Overlord, returned and empowered the council, giving them crystallized forms. As Lloyd attempted to escape, Aspheera tried to intercept him but was unsuccessful. Later, while searching for Lloyd and Harumi in Primeval's Eye, Aspheera spotted them, though her allies believed that she was bluffing. When Lloyd made another escape attempt with Wu and Nya, Aspheera prepared to attack, but Zane intervened, defeating her and the Crystal Council with his Golden Dragon Jet.

During the crystal infection, many Hypnobrai were transformed into crystal zombies, prompting Skales and others to evacuate their village. Hounddog McBrag attempted to arrest Lloyd but was saved by him when he encountered the crystalized Hypnobrai. As Lloyd and Garmadon searched for the Serpentine in the Ninjago Sewers, they faced more crystal zombies and defeated them.

After discovering that the ninja were hiding in the newspaper warehouse, Aspheera and the council launched an attack, but they were met with resistance from the ninja's allies, including Skales and the remaining Hypnobrai. In the ensuing battle, the ninja achieved their Dragon Form, enabling them to defeat Aspheera and reclaim their Golden Weapons. As the Resistance celebrated their victory, Aspheera threatened revenge, warning them of the Overlord's plans to corrupt the Elements of Creation, but Zane quickly froze her.

After the battle, Aspheera was arrested and sent back to Kryptarium Prison once again.^[9]

Appearance

Appearance[]

Hypnobrai have usually blood red eyes with concentric circle patterns resembling a large spiral surrounding their pupils, which multiply and expand outwardly at a rapid pace when they use their hypnosis. They also have a cobra-like hood, with the Soldiers, Warriors, and Generals having a full cobra head. Their colors are generally blue with medium/dark gray bodies and yellow accents. Some female Hypnobrai, such as Selma, SsssSsss Underwood, Hantro and Delphee's mother, however, are pink or purple.

Ordinary Hypnobrai don't have long tails and instead have legs as opposed to the General, who gains a long tail from their staff. Hypno Vipers are relatively small and look like actual snakes.

Abilities

Abilities[]

Hypnobrai hypnosis: The Hypnobrai have the power to mentally enslave anybody with their eyes. They rattle their tails and stare at the victim, and if the victim happens to look their way, they are placed under their control. The Hypnobrai Staff has an anti-venom that will undo the hypnotic spell.
- Secretive hypnosis: The Hypnobrai can also plant post-hypnotic commands, turning the victim into a sleeper agent as Skales did with Cole. In this state, the Hypnobrai can see through their victim's eyes, and enforce their hypnotic control at any time.
Protective eyelids: The Hypnobrai have a protective second eyelid over their eyes, for when they are not hypnotizing someone.

Weaknesses

Weaknesses[]

Eye contact: The Hypnobrai's hypnotic stare only works if they can make eye contact with a victim for a certain time. As such, avoiding eye contact will prevent one from becoming hypnotized, but the difficulty of fighting blind can be a hindrance. In "All of Nothing," Kai trained himself to fight with his eyes closed to avoid losing his advantage over the Hypnobrai, while in "Ninjaball Run," Zane simply turned his head around to avoid being hypnotized by Rattla.
Concentration: Another way to avoid the Hypnobrai's gaze is to attack them or otherwise break their concentration, as Skales did during his battle against Slithraa in the Slither Pit.^[10] However, the Hypnobrai can still induce partial hypnosis in their victims if interrupted, as seen when Skales attempted to hypnotize Cole; although the hypnosis was interrupted, Skales was still able to see through Cole's eyes at will and actively command him to attack the other ninja when they attacked Lloyd's treehouse fortress.^[11]
Reflective surfacing: The most beneficial means of circumventing Hypnobrai hypnotism is to use a reflective surface to bounce their gaze back at them—not only does this negate their attempt to hypnotize their victim, but it also leaves them suggestible to commands. Lloyd inadvertently discovered this weakness when Slithraa accidentally reflected his hypnotic gaze onto himself with the surface of an icicle, allowing Lloyd to gain control of the Hypnobrai through their brainwashed general.

Tomb

Tomb[]

The Hypnobrai Tomb is located in the Glacier Barrens, and the inside of the tomb is entirely made of ice.

Symbol

Symbol[]

The symbol for the Hypnobrai is a blue circle with a yellow outer ring and a swirl inside, referencing their hypnotic abilities.

Official description

Official description[]

Character Encyclopedia New Edition[]

The Hypnobrai tribe were sealed away in the snowy mountains until Lloyd Garmadon accidentally released them. This cobralike tribe have hypnotic powers. With one look of their swirling red eyes, Hypnobrai warriors can force their enemies into doing whatever they want.

Appearances

Appearances[]

Sets

Boxed Sets

Season 12: Prime Empire

131. "Level Thirteen" (TV screen)
140. "Stop, Drop and Side Scroll" (pictured; pixelated)

Season 14: Seabound

165. "A Big Splash" (painting)
180. "The Turn of the Tide" (no lines)

22. "Shattered Dreams"
24. "Force From the East"
25. "The Spell at the Waterfall"
26. "To Mysterium"
27. "Fugitives From Madness"
28. "Secrets of the Wyldness"
31. "The Shape of Motion"
33. "They Gather for the Feast" (pictured)

Season 3

48. "Crashing Together" (flashback)
50. "The Shatter Dragon"
52. "Human Resources
54. "Casket of Bones"
55. "The Screaming Earth" (drawing)
56. "Under the Light of a Mechanical Moon"
57. "The Vault of Focus"
58. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
60. "Chaos Reigns"

Season 4

Graphic novels

Ninjago: Strike of the Serpentine

Ninjago Magazine

20. "The Oncoming Storm" (non-canon)
30. "Raiders of the lost trophy!"
51. "Save a Saviour" (visualized)
52. "In Search of Adventures" (vision; non-canon)
53. "When Two Quests Meet" (non-canon)
54. "Who's Hiding in the Dark?" (mummy)
55. "Hot in the City" (non-canon)
56. "Fire at Will" (non-canon)
57. "The Serpent Coming!"
94. "Fury in the Forest!" (non-canon)
98. "The Arrest!" (flashback; non-canon)
101. "Pyramid Payback" (non-canon)
117. "Agents All Around!"
124. "The Recruit" (non-canon)
139. "Tendril Terror"

Ninjago: Legacy Magazine

Trivia

Trivia[]

The Hypnobrai was the first snake tribe to appear in the TV series. It is also the first and, so far, only tribe to have seen a revolt, or a Slither Pit duel to determine a new general.
Their name is derived from the word "Hypnosis," due to it being their main trait. It also comes from cobra, which they resemble, such that the name comes from Hypnobra plus the suffix -ai.
The Hypnobrai have the lowest number of Warriors seen in the series—they never appear to have more than one at any given time, and Slithraa mostly disappears from the series after "The Snake King," leaving the Hypnobrai ranks to be filled by Soldiers and Scouts.
When they rattle their tail and tilt their head, that warns people that they will be put in a hypnotic trance, thus they will be able to avoid their glare.
The Staff of Elements appears to have a Hypnobrai tail.
In the Korean dub , Hypnobrai is pronounced as "HYPE-no-brye".
The Character Trailer for the Hypnobrai misspells them as the "Hybnobrai."
It appears that the higher the rank within the Hypnobrai tribe, the more blue coloring a Serpentine has.
- In Ninjago: Dragons Rising, this system seems to stop working because Spitz is not affiliated with his tribe in any matter, but his body is almost entirely blue, and several non-blue Hypnobrai were introduced.
Though their minifigures use the navy blue LEGO color, the Hypnobrai in the TV series often appears as a lighter shade, being more of a cross between that color and the recently-revived teal.
A Hypnobrai general is seen in the flashback to the Serpentine War in "Spellbound," but it's unknown whether this was Slithraa or a previous general who was replaced during entombment.^[12]
- According to Will Morris, that general is not Slithraa and actually someone who predates him.^[13]
A bronze statue of a Hypnobrai general is seen in the Ninjago Museum of History in "Winds of Change" and "Day of the Departed." It's unknown if this was created to resemble Skales, Slithraa, or an earlier general.
They are the tribe with the most named members with twelve individuals, thirteen if Clancee is counted.
It seems that only the males of the Hypnobrai of the current era are dark blue in color as all known females are another color except Mikloshe (who was supposed to have a light blue skin according to concept art, before finally receiving the same design as Mezmo). The females skin color varies between pink, purple and reddish.
Their power of hypnosis is based on a myth of snakes being able to hypnotize their prey.
All of the modern day Hypnobrai have snake hoods, whereas the ancient Hypnobrai have some members with hoods and some without. This could indicate that some of the Serpentine tribes without hoods could have also descended from them.