Getting into watching Ninjago?

[Chmashdehjare]

I’ve never watched a single Ninjago show or movie and don’t really know anything about them except they must be Ninjas that Go (??). 

I’ve largely been a Technic and Creator Expert (modulars) builder. I did pick up Ninjago City, Ninjago Docks, the 2017 Destiny’s Bounty and a few of the dragons because they attracted me as great models even without knowing anything about Ninjago.  Now with City Gardens coming up that also appeals to me, but as a 10th anniversary tribute as it appears to be, I’m thinking it might be nice to know some of the Ninjago history (like who is this Lloyd or Floyd guy?).

What would be your recommendation to get some knowledge in? I doubt I’m going to watch 10 years of shows, although who knows, maybe it will grab me. Would The Ninjago Movie give me a background or does that assume I already know it?  How far back on the show (are there multiple shows - I really know nothing here) should I start, and where can one even watch Ninjago these days?

I just realized maybe there’s even a web site (some wicki or something) that might give me the backstory.

tldr; Where should a Ninjago noob start?

Thanks!

 

[Rotbart]

I would start with the Lego Ninjago movie. It's not canon to the TV show so you don't need any background knowledge. Not a great movie like the Lego Movie but good enough.

 

I do like the tv show a little better though, more character development, interesting villains. If you gave it a try you should start at the beginning I think. The Pilot Episodes where the main characters meet and get trained as ninjas and than fight the Skulkin Army. Only after that start watching season 1 "Rise of the Snakes".

Edited January 17, 2021 by Rotbart

[mrfang2]

set way to watch the show is from the beginning. on netflix this is "ninjago masters of spinjitzu". that went for 10 season with 8-10 episodes per season. after that it transfers to the series labeled just as "ninjago", which shortens the episodes to 11 minutes each but has more per season. there is a special called "day of the departed" that takes place between seasons 6 and 7. the quality varies season to season, given it is a kids show, but improves significantly in seasons 8-10 which are one long arc, and after that in the "ninjago" seasons where it has a much more solid grasp on it's tone and identity with a new team of writers. not to say that the other seasons are bad per say, but they definitely slide a bit on how seriously you should take them, especially as the animation in the early seasons is... noticeably 10 years old cgi. 

the movie is a fully separate canon to the show, but is a fun side adventure. i would recommend watching it after season 5 since it does sorta spoil a status quo change involving one of the main characters of the show, but the sets show that character post-change anyway so it doesn't matter too much and is, taken on its own, a fun movie, and if you dont care about that one change, its a good sort of teaser to the kinds of things the series does.

all in all, i'd say the best way to get into it is just to dive in. grab a few sets, especially from the legacy series, and watch while you build, getting to know the characters and world while you build them. 

[Oky]

3 hours ago, Chmashdehjare said:

I’ve never watched a single Ninjago show or movie and don’t really know anything about them except they must be Ninjas that Go (??).

They sure are!

Welcome, young ninja! I'm glad you decided to learn about the way of the Ninja(Go)!

I can really recommend to start your training by watching the show. It's surprisingly good and the main source material for the sets. There really is only one show/continuity, Lego Ninjago: Master of Spinjitzu, although the series was moved to a different animation studio starting with season 11 and got a bit of a format change to shorter episodes, so technically the recent episodes are considered a separate show simply titled "Lego Ninjago", but it's basically a continuation of Masters of Spinjitzu. Currently, Netflix has all the episodes from both shows, except for the two pilot episodes which can be found on DailyMotion here and here. So my recommended order to watch them in is the following:

1. Ninjago pilot episodes
2. Ninjago: Master of Spinjitzu (Seasons 1-6)
3. Day of the Departed special
4. Ninjago: Master of Spinjitzu (Seasons 7-10)
5. Ninjago (Seasons 11-13 and onward)
6. The Lego Ninjago Movie

The reason why I list TLNM last is because it is a complete reboot that is very different from the show and not as good in my and many other fans' opinion, so if you watch it first, it will give you the wrong first impression of Ninjago. It's still entertaining though, so it's just a fun optional addition.

Of course, just like for everything, there is a Ninjago wiki, although trying to learn about the complex lore of the show, its world and characters by just reading their wiki summaries is not the best way and may just end up confusing you more.

However, if you really don't want to go through 13+ seasons of the show and just want a brief, yet entertaining summary of it, watch this video on Lego's YouTube channel which is basically the Honest Trailer for Ninjago (and contains spoilers obviously):

Now get out there and (ninja)go watch them! Good luck and have fun!

[Dardanel]

8 hours ago, Oky said:

However, if you really don't want to go through 13+ seasons of the show and just want a brief, yet entertaining summary of it, watch this video on Lego's YouTube channel which is basically the Honest Trailer for Ninjago (and contains spoilers obviously):

Now get out there and (ninja)go watch them! Good luck and have fun!

And if you're into a more longer summary, you can always check out: