“Father is no longer here! Good and evil, there has always been a balance. Where I go, the balance can be destroyed. Soon I will be strong enough to possess the Four Weapons, so I can recreate the world in my image!”
The Pilot Episodes are the first installment in the LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu series. It was originally released on January 14th, 2011. It is often referred to by fans as Way of the Ninja. Kai is the main protagonist for this installment and Samukai is the main antagonist. The Skulkin serve as the villainous faction.
It is the first installment in the Prophecy of the Green Ninja arc. It introduces all of the main characters of the series, being the original four Ninja, Wu, Nya, and the main antagonist Lord Garmadon. The collectible weapon for this installment is the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu.
In February 2012, the pilots were adapted into a series of three books. The first, titled Way of the Ninja, recorded the events of the episode of the same name.
It is followed by Rise of the Snakes.
Plot Summary[]
"Long before time had a name, Ninjago was created by the First Spinjitzu Master, by using the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu: The Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, and the Sword of Fire. Weapons so powerful, no one can handle all of their power at once. When he passed away, his two sons swore to protect them, but the oldest was consumed by darkness and wanted to possess them. A battle between brothers broke out, and the oldest was struck down and banished to the Underworld. Peace returned, and the younger brother hid the weapons. But knowing his older brother's relentless ambition for power, he placed a guardian to protect them. And for fear of his own demise, a map for an honest man to hide." - Sensei Wu in "Way of the Ninja."
Young blacksmith Kai joins the ninja team in an effort to rescue his younger sister, Nya. Under the tutelage of their wise sensei, the four teenagers band together to face Samukai and the Skulkin army, led by Wu's evil brother, Lord Garmadon.
Characters[]
- Cole - Kirby Morrow
- Garmadon - Mark Oliver
- Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
- Kai - Vincent Tong
- Kruncha - Brian Drummond
- Nuckal - Brian Drummond
- Nya - Kelly Metzger
- Samukai - Michael Kopsa
- Wu - Paul Dobson
- Zane - Brent Miller
Battles[]
- Kai & Wu vs. Skulkin Army
- Kai vs. Cole, Jay, & Zane
- The Ninja vs. Rocky
- Kai vs. Garmadon's shadow
- Wu vs. Garmadon
Locations[]
- Ninjago
- Ignacia
- Four Weapon's Blacksmith
- Mountains of Impossible Height
- Monastery of Spinjitzu
- Caves of Despair
- Ninjago City
- Floating Ruins
- Frozen Wasteland
- Ice Temple
- Forest of Tranquility
- Fire Temple
- Ignacia
- Underworld
- Garmadon's Dark Fortress
Episodes[]
Music[]
Original Soundtrack[]
Songs[]
Media[]
Key Visuals[]
Spin-Offs[]
| Books | |
|---|---|
| Four books released related to the pilot episodes.
Cole: Ninja of Earth and Jay: Ninja of Lightning released on January 1, 2012. |
 Kai: Ninja of Fire  Zane: Ninja of Ice  Cole: Ninja of Earth  Jay: Ninja of Lightning |
| The Challenge of Samukai | |
|---|---|
 |
Under the tutelage of their master Sensei Wu, the "chosen four" ninjas Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane must learn to use their elemental powers of fire, ice, lightning and earth. Their mission: defeat Sensei Wu’s evil brother Garmadon and his army of skeleton warriors before they can take over the world! |
| The Challenge of Samukai | |
|---|---|
| Back in their home village after the battle with Garmadon, the four ninja are hoping for some R&R. Instead, they get drawn into a fight to the finish with the most powerful and unexpected foe they have ever faced: Sensei Wu—their own sensei! Can the students hope to defeat the master? |  |
| LEGO Battles: Ninjago (2011) | |
|---|---|
 |
LEGO Battles: Ninjago, also known as LEGO Ninjago: The Videogame, is the first Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu video game to be released, available on the Nintendo DS system. It takes place within the pilot episodes and is a sequel/spin-off to the original LEGO Battles game. |
| LEGO Ninjago: Spinjitzu Scavenger Hunt (2011) | |
|---|---|
| LEGO Ninjago: Spinjitzu Scavenger Hunt is a game based on LEGO's Ninjago theme. It is a fighting game that focuses on using Spinjitzu. This game is unplayable on Apple devices over iOS 11. |  |
| Spinjitzu Smash (2011) | |
|---|---|
 |
Spinjitzu Smash! is the first in a series of Web Games based on the LEGO Ninjago theme. The player has to defeat waves of enemies to progress through the story of the game. |
| Spinjitzu Smash DX (2011) | |
|---|---|
| Spinjitzu Smash DX was a game on the Cartoon Network website. Cartoon Network's website doesn't currently contain the full version, and though it previously prompted the player to go to the official Ninjago website to play the full version, the game has been removed from there as well, and thus one is not able to play the full version. |  |
| Smash Creations (2011) | |
|---|---|
 |
Smash Creations is an online Ninjago game released in 2011. It Is a special version of the Spinjitzu Smash! series with customizable Cards and ninja. The game focuses on fighting Skulkin and winning. |
| The Four Paths (2011) | |
|---|---|
| The Four Paths is a Web Game that was released on Cartoon Network in 2011. |  |
| Spinjitzu Smash Party (2011) | |
|---|---|
 |
Spinjitzu Smash Party is a Web Game to feature the LEGO Ninjago theme. Gameplay is similar to previous LEGO Ninjago games, Spinjitzu Smash!, Spinjitzu Smash DX, and Smash Creations. The game gives the player the option to create their own character, and choose their own level to play. Players can create their own deck of cards, or use the default decks. |
Sets[]
Kai was the mascot ninja, and the box art depicted a variety of locations. The Golden Weapons were the collectible items.
- 2258 Ninja Ambush
- 2259 Skull Motorbike
- 2260 Ice Dragon Attack
- 2263 Turbo Shredder
- 2504 Spinjitzu Dojo
- 2505 Garmadon's Dark Fortress
- 2506 Skull Truck
- 2507 Fire Temple
- 2508 Blacksmith Shop
- 2509 Earth Dragon Defense
- 2516 Ninja Training Outpost
- 2518 Nuckal's ATV
- 2519 Skeleton Bowling
- 2520 Ninjago Battle Arena
- 2521 Lightning Dragon Battle
Spinners[]
- 2111 Kai
- 2112 Cole
- 2113 Zane
- 2114 Chopov
- 2115 Bonezai
- 2116 Krazi
- 2170 Cole DX
- 2171 Zane DX
- 2172 Nya
- 2173 Nuckal
- 2174 Kruncha
- 2175 Wyplash
- 2254 Mountain Shrine
- 2255 Sensei Wu
- 2256 Lord Garmadon
- 2257 Spinjitzu Starter Set
Notes[]
- Although it was called "Masters of Spinjitzu" on LEGO.com, Tommy Andreasen said that the pilot season does not have a name, but they have referred to it as "Way of the Ninja."
- Depending on the source, the episodes are either two 22-minute parts or four 11-minute parts.
- The Hageman Brothers' original beat sheet for the episode divided the story into four parts, referring to each as a chapter. However, it was written to be either two 22-minute episodes or one 44-minute special, not four 11-minute episodes.
- Though Tommy Andreasen prefers the 22-minute division, the episodes were required to be split into four 11-minute parts to allow for more broadcasting options.
- He himself refers to the episodes as two rather than four.
- These episodes was originally meant to be a standalone story meant to introduce the toy line, but fan enthusiasm allowed it to continue into a full series.
- In a concept for the original ending, the ninja followed Garmadon into a portal to the future.
- The original Character Encyclopedia incorrectly refers to the pilot episodes as Season 1, and the actual Season 1 as Season 2.
- Amazon Prime Video also classifies the season incorrectly. It refers to the pilot episodes as part of Season 1. It also plays the audio for both episodes at a lower pitch, by half a semitone.
- In some other airings, the tune of the audio was a half - a whole full semitone lower.
- Amazon Prime Video also classifies the season incorrectly. It refers to the pilot episodes as part of Season 1. It also plays the audio for both episodes at a lower pitch, by half a semitone.
- In the Japanese version, all 4 episodes are trimmed down into a single 23 minute episode, cutting out various scenes.
- The Pilot Episodes are titled The Ninja Way (忍者の流儀) in Japan.
Continuity[]
- Garmadon's evil form strongly resembles that of an Oni. It is implied in later seasons that the bite of the Great Devourer counteracted the Balance inside of Garmadon, letting his quarter Oni blood become dominant.
- The Dragons introduced in this installment are said to be able to ferry between realms. At the time it is not known that Wu and Garmadon both have a quarter Dragon blood in them.
- Kai & Nya's parents are absent in this installment, and it is implied that they died. Ray is shown in a flashback being given the Map of the Golden Weapons by Wu, but his design is different than how he later appears. At the time it is unknown that the two of them are being held captive by Krux.
Gallery[]
