Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu

Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu is the eleventh season of the LEGO Ninjago series, and the first in what some sources call a "new series." It was originally released on June 22nd, 2019. Kai is the focus character of this season, and Aspheera and General Vex are the main antagonists. The Pyro Vipers and Blizzard Samurai serve as the villainous factions.

It is the first installment in the Book of Elements arc. This season encompasses two Elemental Chapters, the Fire Chapter and the Ice Chapter. Zane and Kai get center focuses, and its villainous factions are retellings of the Serpentine and Stone Samurai Warriors from Seasons 1 and 2. The collectible item for this season are the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu.

It is the first season animated by WildBrain, and the first to cut episode lengths down to 11 minutes. Dan and Kevin Hageman have fully departed from writing the series, having Bragi Schut take over entirely.

It is preceded by March of the Oni and followed by Prime Empire.

Plot Summary
The Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu have been kept a secret for a thousand years. With good reason. The evil Serpentine sorceress, Aspheera, was banished along with the Scrolls – but now she is back, hungry for revenge, and ready to get her fangs on the Scrolls once more and reclaim her powers. The ninja’s powers, friendships, beliefs and loyalties will be put to the test like never before. Zane’s been captured by the evil Ice Emperor. The Ninja have mounted a desperate rescue mission – but if they want to see their friend again, they’ll have to battle hordes of Blizzard Samurai as they make their way through the Never-Realm, from where no Ninja has ever returned. Join the adventures of Nya, Kai, Jay, Zane, Cole, Lloyd, and Master Wu in 15 exciting new episodes. Bundle up, and let’s go!

Characters

 * Acidicus - Paul Dobson
 * Akita - Tabitha St. Germain
 * Antonia - Brynna Drummond
 * Aspheera - Pauline Newstone, Ashleigh Ball
 * Boma - Sam Vincent
 * Cecil Putnam - Paul Dobson
 * Char - Brian Drummond
 * Clutch Powers - Ian James Corlett
 * Cole - Kirby Morrow
 * Dan Vaapit - Ian Hanlin
 * Dareth - Alan Marriott
 * First Spinjitzu Master - Jim Conrad
 * Formling Leader - Brian Drummond
 * Fugi-Dove - Adrian Petriw
 * Garmadon - Dean Petriw
 * Gayle Gossip - Kelly Sheridan
 * Grimfax - Brian Drummond
 * Jake - Nicholas Holmes
 * Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
 * Kai - Vincent Tong
 * Kataru - Cole Howard
 * Killow - Garry Chalk
 * Krag - Brian Drummond
 * Lloyd Garmadon - Sam Vincent
 * Mambo V - Michael Dobson
 * Nelson - David Raynolds
 * Noble - Paul Dobson
 * Nya - Kelly Metzger
 * P.I.X.A.L. - Jennifer Hayward
 * Police Commissioner - Michael Donovan
 * Skales - Ian James Corlett
 * Sorla - Patty Drake
 * The Mechanic - Michael Antonakos
 * Ultra Violet - Sharon Alexander
 * Uthaug - Vincent Tong
 * Vex - Michael Kopsa
 * Wu - Paul Dobson, Madyx Whiteway
 * Zane/Ice Emperor - Brent Miller

Battles

 * Ninja vs. Wu's Chicken
 * Ninja vs. Master Wu
 * Ninja vs. Beohernie
 * Ninja vs. Aspheera
 * Ninja vs. Pyro Vipers
 * Ninja & Master Wu vs. Pyro Vipers
 * Ninja vs. Master Wu (rematch)
 * Ninja & fishermen vs. Blizzard Samurai
 * Lloyd & Akita vs. Blizzard Samurai
 * Lloyd & Akita vs. Ice Bird
 * Cole vs. Krag
 * Jay & Nya vs. Krag
 * Grimfax, Kataru, & Lloyd vs. Blizzard Samurai
 * Akita vs. Ice Emperor
 * Jay, Nya, Kai, & Cole vs. Boreal
 * Lloyd vs. Ice Emperor

Locations Visited

 * Ninjago
 * Mountains of Impossible Height
 * Monastery of Spinjitzu
 * Samurai X Cave
 * Desert of Doom
 * Pyramid of Doom
 * Ninjago City
 * Explorer's Club
 * Ninjago City Hospital
 * Ninjago City Police Station
 * Ninjago Museum of History
 * Sewers
 * Serpentine Village
 * Serpentine Library
 * Sea of Sand
 * Kryptarium Prison
 * Never-Realm
 * Ice Fisherman's Village
 * Ice Emperor's Castle
 * Krag's Home
 * The Traveller's Tree
 * Mala-Wojira
 * Village of the Formlings
 * Ice Fields
 * Departed Realm
 * Cursed Realm

Sets
The marketing of the sets is based around the two respective chapters, with around half having desert-based box art and the other half being based in the Never-Realm. Kai is the mascot character and the Scrolls of Forbidden Spinjitzu are the collectible items. Most of the sets are based on the ninja's new vehicles from this season.


 * 70671 Lloyd's Journey
 * 70672 Cole's Dirt Bike
 * 70673 ShuriCopter
 * 70674 Fire Fang
 * 70675 Katana 4x4
 * 70676 Lloyd's Titan Mech
 * 70677 Land Bounty
 * 70678 Castle of the Forsaken Emperor

Spinners

 * 70681 Spinjitzu Slam - Lloyd
 * 70682 Spinjitzu Slam - Jay
 * 70683 Spinjitzu Slam - Zane
 * 70684 Spinjitzu Slam - Kai vs Samurai

Continuity

 * This season takes place months after the end of March of the Oni.
 * Zane's visions of the Green Ninja and the Titanium Dragon are mentioned by Jay in the first episode.
 * The Ninja play the video game Lava Zombies throughout the season, and mention the name of its creator, Milton Dyer. He would become more important in the next season.
 * The Pyro Vipers are revealed to be an ancient tribe of Hypnobrai that lived in the Serpentine Highlands when Garmadon and Wu were young. It is unknown how they received the ability to absorb Elemental Power, but it is possible that it was done with Aspheera's sorcery skills.
 * Forbidden Spinjitzu is a concept revealed in this season. It is an ancient martial art that the First Spinjitzu Master created in order to reach ones True Potential in an instant. It is a dark power that is able to corrupt those that use it.
 * Clutch Powers makes his first official appearance as a character in this season after having been alluded to in Season 1. It was first said that he discovered the Silver Fangblade that got turned into the Blade Cup, but since then he has lost his mojo for exploring and has been burnt out.
 * Funnily enough, in the episode that Clutch is first mentioned, Lloyd explores an ancient Serpentine Pyramid. In the first episode he is formally introduced, the Ninja explore an ancient Serpentine Pyramid.
 * These pyramids are not the same, however, as one is in the Sea of Sand and the other is in the Desert of Doom.
 * While the Ninja are in the Desert of Doom, Zane discovers the Teapot of Tyrahnn in the belly of Beohernie. It is unknown how it got there, but it presumably went from the scrapyard from Season 6 to some dump where it might have been consumed by the giant beetle. When Zane is spit out of the beast, so too is the teapot.
 * The Ninja visit Acidicus and Skales in the sewers after not seeing them since The Hands of Time. This continues the idea that Acidicus loves history, as he was the one to share the legend of the Golden Master, and now the story of Aspheera and the Treacherous Deceiver.
 * When trying to figure out a quest to go on, the Ninja decide between which old villains that are still around to go after. They mention Garmadon, who disappeared at the end of the previous season, the Sons of Garmadon, who are incarcerated in Kryptarium Prison, Chen, who's soul was returned to the Departed Realm during Day of the Departed, and Pythor, who's current whereabouts are unknown.
 * In the episode Questing for Quests, the Commission is pointed out for always working on that model ship, and never making any progress. This may be a reference to the "floating timeline" nature of the show and many other animated series.
 * The Preeminent is brought back from the Departed Realm in the episode The Kaiju Protocol. This confirms that when the Cursed Realm was destroyed, all of the ghosts inside it, including the Preeminent herself, entered the Departed Realm. She is brought back, briefly, and defeated by P.I.X.A.L., then returned to the Departed Realm.
 * The Never-Realm is introduced this season. Supposedly the furthest realm away from Ninjago, and the hardest to get to. Zane is marooned in this realm by Aspheera's powers, and is found by Vex, who coerces him into becoming the Ice Emperor. There are a few discrepancies in the story presented. Canonically, Zane was blasted 60 years into the past when he arrived in the Never-Realm, which means he reigned as the Ice Emperor for that long, canonically, since before the beginning of the series. However, it is presented in the story as though time goes by much faster in the Never-Realm than it does in Ninjago. This would explain why when the Ninja arrive only a day or so later, 60 years has passed since Zane's arrival.
 * Desipite having his memory totally erased, Zane regains all of his memories and returns to perfect working order just after hearing the words "protect"...