Ninjago: Dragons Rising

Ninjago: Dragons Rising is the second series of the Ninjago franchise. It is a CGI comedy-action family television show and the sequel of Ninjago. The show was first announced at San Diego Comic Con 2022 and it began with its first season on June 1, 2023 on Netflix.

Official description

Official description[]

In the series, many legendary realms have suddenly combined into one, but their union is unstable. A Spinjitzu Ninja Master must train a new generation of heroes to help find Elemental Dragons who can save the planet before the forces of evil use the same dragon energy to destroy this new world.[1]

Two teenagers from different worlds use their newly discovered Ninja powers to defend dragons from villains who want to use their life-force for evil.[2]

Premise

Premise[]

The loosely East-Asian inspired, anachronistic, modern-esque setting of Ninjago was once the only populated continent on a mostly empty planet. After the event known as "The Merge" takes place, the fantastical and varied Sixteen Realms have been combined into one world, with new islands and continents surrounding and colliding with Ninjago and the Dark Island. In the Merged Realms, otherworldly beings and locations that were only seen sparingly are commonplace, and no longer separated by alternate dimensions.

In the previous series, the world of Ninjago was protected from the forces of evil by a team of six elemental ninja (Lloyd, Kai, Nya, Jay, Zane, Cole), who were trained in the art of Spinjitzu by the wise and ancient Master Wu, son of the First Spinjitzu Master. After a cataclysmic event combined the Sixteen Realms into a single entity, the Merged Lands, the world was forever changed and the ninja were among the many presumed lost, displaced across the land. Years later, Green Ninja Lloyd Garmadon, and his fellow classic ninja mentor the next generation of teen heroes - Arin, Sora, Wyldfyre, Frak and a young dragon named Riyu - to master their powers and learn the way of the ninja. New friends, legendary ninja, and mystical dragons are united to protect the Merged Realms from villains who want to conquer the new world.

Main plot

Main plot[]

Season 1 (2023)[]

The Merge brought together the Sixteen Realms, resulting in the dispersion of the ninja across the diverse lands. Years later, Lloyd encounters Arin, a self-taught Spinjitzu prodigy who looks up to the ninja, alongside Sora, who's from the oppressive Kingdom of Imperium, and a baby Mountain Dragon named Riyu. Together, they uncover a plot orchestrated by the Claws of Imperium, led by Ras, who are on a relentless quest to hunt dragons throughout the Merged Realms and siphon their life force to empower the Kingdom of Imperium, which is under the tyrannical rule of Beatrix, who ascended to power after Ras eliminated Levo and exiled Zeatrix. Among the dragons targeted are the Source Dragons, beings of immense power that Beatrix and Ras intend to subjugate in their quest for dominion over the realms. As Lloyd, Arin, and Sora reunited with Nya and Kai, they embarked on a journey to Imperium, where Beatrix was utilizing the Photacs—an invention of Sora's childhood—in her campaign to capture dragons. During their mission, the group reunites with Zane and encounters Wyldfyre. Lloyd and Zane would eventually confront the Source Dragon of Energy, who was contained in a prison that destabilized the realms since his capture. The Source Dragon made Lloyd his conduit, granting him his power to facilitate the dragons' escape back to Ninjago, with some choosing to remain with the ninja. Following his failures, Ras was imprisoned, prompting Beatrix to declare her intention to join the battle personally.

To stop the escalating danger posed by MergeQuakes, the ninja learned about the Dragon Cores, ancient relics created by the First Spinjitzu Master to prevent the realms from merging during his era. They divided into teams to locate the cores, racing against Empress Beatrix, who seeks to claim them to destroy the ninja. During their quest, Nya and Sora encounter Cole, who had been living in the Land of Lost Things among the Finders. Despite their efforts, Beatrix ultimately manages to get the Dragon Cores, using them for a weapon against the ninja by deliberately instigating her own MergeQuakes. Lloyd used the cores to stop the MergeQuakes and free the Source Dragon of Energy. With Beatrix's defeat, the Kingdom of Imperium is reformed. However, Lord Ras, who had been using Beatrix for his own gain, escapes and aligns himself with Jordana, who had a vial of Source Energy derived from the Energy Source Dragon.

Season 2 (2024)[]

S2 Regular poster lego

Over a year after the Liberation of Imperium, Lloyd began having visions of the Wolf Clan and the Blood Moon. Meanwhile, Ras and Jordana discovered the Shadow Dojo and reassembled the Wolf Clan, launching an invasion of the Cloud Kingdom for intel on the Blood Moon ritual that could free the Forbidden Five. The ninja struggled against them, especially when Cinder, the new Elemental Master of Smoke, used Shatterspin to defeat them. After another vision from the Source Dragons, the ninja traveled to Egalt and Rontu's domain to learn Rising Dragon technique to counter Shatterspin. As the Wolf Clan attacked the Finders to capture Bonzle, a living spell that could free the Forbidden Five, Cole, Zane, and Bonzle sought safety with her creator, Gandalaria. Just before the Blood Moon petrified Egalt and Rontu, Kai mastered Rising Dragon, and the ninja confronted Ras, who planned to sacrifice the Writers of Destiny in the Nether-Space. Although Ras kidnapped Bonzle and opened a portal, the ninja fought the Wolf Clan at the Shadow Dojo to stop the ritual while Cole, Zane, and Gandalaria worked to save the Cloud Kingdom. They ultimately disrupted the ritual, but Kai and Bonzle were trapped in Nether-Space, and Nokt was freed. After their failure, the Wolf Clan were sent to an unknown location by Ras' master.

Some months later, Arin, Sora, and Riyu go to the Administration to find Arin's parents but discover all records are missing with Agent Walker. They narrowly escape capture and meet the dying Matriarch, who gives Lloyd a map and the Source Dragon of Motions warns that the killer might target her kind by partaking the Tournament of the Sources. Meanwhile, Kai and Bonzle evade the Forbidden Five, who are plotting their escape. In the City of Temples, they encounter Roby, Frak, Bleckt, the Wolf Clan, Zeatrix, and Jay, who has allied with Ras, creating tension. Arin learns from Ras that Sora deceived him about his Object Spinjitzu and that Wu caused the Merge, straining his relationships with them. Cole discovers the Monastery of Gates, and during the tournament, Lloyd was attacked by Zeatrix. Frak rebels against Ras and is expelled from the Wolf Clan after losing to Sora. Injured, Lloyd withdraws, leaving Sora and Nokt to compete in the final. Arin and Cole witness what seems to be Wu's spirit, confirming his role in the Merge. Nokt wins the tournament, which was rigged by Bleckt, and claimed all the Elemental Powers, while Rox takes control of the Wolf Clan and attacks. Nokt frees the Forbidden Five and battles the ninja and Ras, who reluctantly team up while Lloyd uncovers Ras' influence over Arin. Riyu and Nya rescue Kai and Bonzle from the Nether-Space. After a confrontation, Roby retrieves the stolen Elemental Powers from Nokt. The Forbidden Five escape with Ras hostage, while Arin pursues them, leading to the destruction of a portal gate caused by the Five and marooning them all in another realm. Ultimately, Sora was declared Champion of the Sources, Wyldfyre and Roby became a couple, Frak joined the ninja, Nya and Kai embarked on a quest to find Jay, the Source Dragon of Motion honored Lloyd with a Dragon Icon, and Arin helped Ras heal so they could search for his parents.

Season 3 (2025)[]

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Season 4 (2026)[]

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Cast

Cast[]

Main article: List of Ninjago: Dragons Rising cast and characters

Team[]

Allies[]

Elemental Masters[]

Villains[]

Administration Agents[]

Greenbone Warriors[]

Imperians[]

Forbidden Five[]

Wolf Clan[]

Dragonians[]

Other villains[]

Other characters[]

Episodes

Episodes[]

Main article: List of Ninjago: Dragons Rising episodes


Physical releases

Physical releases[]

Main article: Physical releases#Ninjago: Dragons Rising releases
Trivia

Trivia[]

  • This series was originally a Netflix original series in the United States, unlike the previous series. However, at some point in January of 2024, Netflix removed the "Original Series" branding.
  • While the LEGO brand is absent in each episode's on-screen title, the show is usually branded under the title "LEGO Ninjago: Dragons Rising" in the marketing and on streaming platforms.
  • This series also is available in Disney+ Hotstar in India.
  • LEGO Ambassador Network member DuckBricks relayed information he received during a LAN meeting with Asa Tait and Niek van Slagmaat:[4]
    • Overview of premise: "A cataclysmic event combines the sixteen mystic realms of Ninjago, both familiar and new, into one world. Two teenagers from different worlds (literally) set out to become heroic ninja and use their newly discovered powers to defend the secret dragons, who will unite their world forever or destroy it completely."
    • Overview of dragons in the series: "The bond between dragons and ninjas runs deep. Dragons hold the keys to Elemental Powers, and the secret of mysterious new dragons which have the power to save the newly united world or destroy it forever."
    • Overview of the ninja's role in the series: "We have new main characters, but the original heroes of Ninjago are still here fighting the good fight. Lloyd, Arin, and Sora will remain the heart of this team, but the makeup of the team can and will change from year to year. Other slots will be filled with a mix of new and returning ninja each year."
      • In response to follow-up questions he asked:
        • "None of the original six ninja are really going anywhere, but there will be some years where they just simply will not feature that much in the story itself, however that doesn't mean that they will be completely absent from the main story. While they may not feature in the main TV show, we could see some shorts, comics books, all sorts of smaller episodes where you could see each of the ninja on their own adventures, showing that basically since the world has expanded, the different team members are kind of going to be off doing their own thing."
    • From a slide titled The Future of Ninjago: "This is now a show that is serialized from season to season. It's not going to be like something we're used to with Prime Empire and Master of the Mountain, for example, being completely unrelated. You could pick up one season and just pick up another one and they would not really tie into each other. No, this is a serialized show now, which means they are building to a massive conclusion, even more so than Crystalized, and this has been planned out for years to come".
      • "Ninjago is pivoting to 'huge stories' that run across years".
      • There will be new characters to "join competing Spinjitzu dojos".
      • "New lands filled with new dragons".
      • "Builds on the characters and lore that we love".
    • The reason for the focus on dragons is that in 2021, a survey was ran and research was done with kids that showed that they wanted dragons to be front and center of the new story, according to Nigel Kong, the LEGO Group's Head of Product.
    • According to Asa Tait, they wanted the bond between the heroes and their dragons to replicate the feel of the earlier seasons, instead of them only being energy beasts the Ninja can summon at will.
    • There is a 3-4, and possibly up to 6-year planned story.[5]
      • Kevin Burke states they'll make more seasons if the public keeps watching.[6]
      • Chris "Doc" Wyatt confirmed that the ending of the show is planned, but its timing remains confidential.[7]
        • He also stated that the end of Dragons Rising will not be the end of Ninjago or its canon installments.[8]
  • Chris "Doc" Wyatt confirmed all seasons will involve dragons.[9]
  • Unreal Engine 5 is utilized in the development of the show.[10][11][12]
  • It takes roughly 18-24 months to make an episode of the series.[13]
  • It appears each season will focus on a different source and concept embodied by one of the Source Dragons.
    • Season 1 focuses on Energy.
    • Season 2 focuses on Motion
    • Season 3 focuses on Focus (and its opposite Chaos)
    • Season 4 focuses on Life.
  • Like with the original series, the seasons have special weapons or artifacts that are important parts of the main plot.
  • The series' working title was Ninjago: United, referencing to the realms merging.[14]
  • Unlike the seasons of the original series, the seasons of Dragons Rising are split into two parts with a timeskip in between. Each part covers its own 10 episode story arc within the larger plot of the season.
    • This is reflected with how the aesthetics of the season's intro changes when the second part begins, and how there are set waves dedicated to each part, both of which began in Season 2.
Gallery

Gallery[]

Logos[]

Main posters[]

Other[]

Translations

Translations[]

Language Name
Arabic نهوض تنانين نينجاغو
Chinese (Simplified) 幻影忍者: 神龙崛起
Chinese (Traditional) 旋風忍者: 猛龍崛起
Czech Ninjago: Dračí povstání
Danish Ninjago: Dragerne vågner
Dutch Ninjago: De Drakenstrijd
Finnish Ninjago: Lohikäärmeiden nousu
French Ninjago: Le Soulèvement des Dragons
German Ninjago: Aufstieg der Drachen
Greek Ninjago: Η Άνοδος των Δράκων
Hebrew נינג'גו :עליית הדרקונים
Hungarian Ninjago: Sárkányok birodalma
Italian Ninjago: La rivolta dei draghi
Japanese レゴ ニンジャゴー: ドラゴンライジング
Korean 닌자고: 드래곤 라이징
Norwegian Ninjago: Dragene våkner
Polish Ninjago: Powstanie Smoków
Portuguese (Brazil) Ninjago: Ascensão dos Dragões
Portuguese (Portugal) Ninjago: A Ascensão dos Dragões
Romanian Ninjago: Ascensiunea dragonilor
Russian Ниндзяго: восстание драконов
Spanish (Latin America) Ninjago: El Ascenso de los Dragones
Spanish (Spain) Ninjago: El Renacer de los Dragones
Swedish Ninjago: Drakarna vaknar
Thai นินจาโก: มังกรผงาด
Ukrainian Ніндзяґо: Зліт драконів
Vietnamese Ninjago: Rồng thần trỗi dậy
Turkish Ninjago: Ejderhaların Yükselişi
References

References[]

  1. ↑ https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/lego-ninjago-dragons-rising-to-arrive-on-netflix-in-june-2023/
  2. ↑ https://www.netflix.com/title/81519765
  3. ↑ https://x.com/VincentTong007/status/1843653029624766802
  4. ↑ https://youtu.be/qonDvotEuSg?t=64
  5. ↑ https://youtu.be/Vi6UZO8SK6w?t=1161
  6. ↑ https://x.com/kevinburke20/status/1683279606370144256?s=61
  7. ↑ https://bsky.app/profile/docwyattbeyond.bsky.social/post/3lb6offudm22e
  8. ↑ https://bsky.app/profile/docwyattbeyond.bsky.social/post/3lbcr2qexus24
  9. ↑ https://x.com/otherland71/status/1684303196855103488?s=61
  10. ↑ https://bsky.app/profile/docwyattbeyond.bsky.social/post/3lkr2dx2fjk2r
  11. ↑ https://thehdroom.com/tv/ninjago-dragons-rising-trailers-and-june-1st-netflix-release-date-in-us-169873/
  12. ↑ https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news/2023/may/lego-ninjago-2023
  13. ↑ https://bsky.app/profile/docwyattbeyond.bsky.social/post/3lbd45ast3s24
  14. ↑ https://x.com/otherland71/status/1745597142885167104