Ninjago: Tournament of Elements

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Ninjago: Tournament of Elements
Season 4
Tournament of Elements poster
Starring
No. of episodes10
Release
Original networkCartoon Network
Original releaseFebruary 23 (2015-02-23) –
April 3, 2015 (2015-04-03)
Season chronology
← Previous
Rebooted
Next →
Possession
List of episodes

Tournament of Elements is the fourth season of the animated television series Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu (titled Ninjago from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The season aired from 23 February to 3 April 2015, following the third season titled Rebooted. It is succeeded by the fifth season, titled Possession.

The fourth season follows the storyline of the ninja searching for Zane by competing in Master Chen's Tournament of Elements. The season introduces Master Chen as the main antagonist and also several Elemental Masters into the series, who each have individual elemental powers, such as amber, shadow and smoke.[1] The season marked the first time that two seasons were released in one year, replacing the previous schedule of one season released per year.[2]

Voice cast[edit]

See also: List of Ninjago characters

Main[edit]

Supporting[edit]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

Writers Dan and Kevin Hageman have stated that the season was inspired by the 1973 martial arts film Enter the Dragon.[33] The director of the film Robert Clouse was also the inspiration for the character Clouse, an antagonist in the season.[34]

Animation[edit]

The animation for the fourth season was produced at Wil Film ApS in Denmark.[35]

Direction[edit]

The Tournament of Elements episodes were directed by Jens Møller, Michael Helmuth Hansen, Peter Hausner, Per Düring Risager and Trylle Vilstrup.[35]

Release[edit]

The season premiered on Cartoon Network on 23 February 2015 with the release of The Invitation. The subsequent episodes were released across March and April 2015 until the release of the season finale titled The Corridor of Elders on 3 April of the same year.[36]

Synopsis[edit]

The ninja heard that Zane is alive with being rebuilt with titanium and they can get him back by entering Master Chen's Tournament of Elements. However, Chen brought the elemental masters into the tournament just to steal their powers. Kai, Chen's daughter Skylor, the ninja and Garmadon goes against Chen, before he releases any Anocondrai Warriors from attacking Ninjago City.

Episodes[edit]

Main article: List of Ninjago episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateU.S. viewers
(millions)
351"The Invitation"Trylle VilstrupDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanFebruary 23, 2015 (2015-02-23)N/A
After losing Zane, the Ninja have gone their separate ways, with only Lloyd seeking to reunite them. Shortly after coming together at Lloyd's behest, they receive a message that Zane is alive and the Ninja must compete in Master Chen's Tournament of Elements if they wish to see him again. Sensei Garmadon, who knows Chen personally, is suspicious and accompanies the Ninja on their journey to Chen's island. while on the ship, the ninja discover that they aren't the only ones with elemental powers, as there are other descendants of elemental masters such as speed, metal, smoke, nature, gravity, mind, light, etc.
362"Only One Can Remain"Michael Helmuth HansenDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanMarch 2, 2015 (2015-03-02)1.43[37]
Garmadon reveals that he used to train under Chen. Chen greets the Elemental Masters personally, and explains the rules of the Tournament of Elements: In each round, the competitors must obtain a Jade Blade. Those who fail are eliminated. In the preliminary round, there are just enough Jade Blades for all but one elemental master to move on, and Karlof, the master of metal becomes the first to be eliminated. The ninja search for Zane in secret and accidentally witness Chen and his cultists taking Karlof's powers, and learn that he intends to do the same to the other elemental masters.
373"Versus"Jens MøllerDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanMarch 9, 2015 (2015-03-09)N/A
Since last seen, Zane has rebuilt himself out of titanium, but has lost his memory. He finds P.I.X.A.L. in another room, her body scrapped and her consciousness trapped in a computer. The meeting with P.I.X.A.L. triggers his memories, and he uploads her on his own hard-drive, before Chen's advisor, Clouse catches and tasers him. As the tournament continues, Griffin defeats Gravis, Neuro defeats Bolobo, and Kai defeats Ash, each obtaining a Jade Blade and moving on. The Ninja try to get help from Neuro, who fails to break into Chen's quarters but nevertheless learns that Chen is planning to steal everyone's powers for a spell. When Cole and Jay are pitted against each other, Cole forfeits and gives up the Jade Blade to Jay.
384"Ninja Roll"Peter HausnerDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanMarch 16, 2015 (2015-03-16)N/A
After Jacob, the Master of Sound, loses to Skylor, he is brought to Chen's underground factory, where he attempts to escape. Clouse catches Jacob and makes an example of him, by dragging him off to "feed" the second-largest snake in Ninjago. Cole, now powerless, finds Zane locked up and promises to get them both out. In the meantime, Nya uses her new vehicle to locate Chen's island to find the ninja, but Dareth ends up coming along. The elemental masters are given roller skates in an event called Thunderblade, where Lloyd and Camille, Master of Form, must complete as many laps as possible while carrying a Jade Blade, with the remaining elemental masters racing along to help them or slow them down. The ninja spread the news about Chen's plans among the other elemental masters, who choose to help Lloyd and overwhelm Camille. Camille crosses the finish line before Lloyd, but ends up dropping her Jade Blade, leading to Lloyd's victory. The ninja earn the trust of several other contestants.
395"Spy for a Spy"Trylle VilstrupDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanMarch 23, 2015 (2015-03-23)N/A
The Ninja form an alliance with the Elemental Masters after convincing them of Chen's plan. Chen insists that the collected elemental powers will be bestowed on the winner of the tournament. He also reveals that he has a spy among the Elemental Masters, who begin to distrust each other, weakening the alliance. Nya enters Chen's palace, disguised as one of his attendants, and steals page 149 from Clouse's spell book, which is revealed to turn Chen's followers into Anacondrai.
406"Spellbound"Michael Helmuth HansenDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanMarch 30, 2015 (2015-03-30)N/A
Chen discovers that Nya is on the island, and in the possession of the stolen spell. He tells the fighters that whoever finds her, wins the tournament altogether. Lloyd learns how to create a dragon without his Golden Power and, along with his father, stumbles upon the place where a great battle between the Elemental Masters and the Anacondrai took place. Garmadon reveals that it was Master Chen, who convinced both sides to declare war. In the war's aftermath, the Anacondrai Generals were banished to the Cursed Realm while the remaining Serpentine were locked in tombs. While the Elemental Masters are out in the jungle, Chen captures all of them, save for Lloyd, who did not take any of the "gifts" that would allow Chen to track him. Skylor is revealed to be Chen's spy and daughter.
417"The Forgotten Element"Jens MøllerDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanMarch 31, 2015 (2015-03-31)N/A
Chen steals the powers of all Elemental Masters and only needs Lloyd's power to complete the spell. Meanwhile, Cole, Zane, and Karlof lead the imprisoned Elemental Masters in escaping the factory, using a makeshift Roto Jet. Chen has Kai betray Lloyd and trick him into battling Chen, who uses all the other Elemental Powers against Lloyd, defeating the Green Ninja and stealing his powers. However, Kai and Skylor take Chen's staff and destroy it, restoring the powers of all Elemental Masters.
428"The Day of the Dragon"Peter HausnerDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanApril 1, 2015 (2015-04-01)N/A
Clouse believes that Skylor's power of Amber, which can absorb and copy elemental powers, can still be used for the spell. Kai manages to find Skylor and tries to help her escape, but they get captured. Clouse battles Garmadon and tries to banish him to the Cursed Realm, but Garmadon escapes and Clouse gets banished instead. Chen manages to complete Clouse's spell without him, turning himself, his followers, and everyone who has the Anacondrai symbol on their back (including Skylor and Garmadon) into Anacondrai. While he and his army fly back to Ninjago, Kai and Skylor escape. The Elemental Masters learn from Zane that they have the power to create their own dragon and follow Chen and his army. Jacob is revealed to be alive, having been tasked with feeding the serpent, rather than being fed to it.
439"The Greatest Fear of All"Per During RisagerDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanApril 2, 2015 (2015-04-02)N/A
The spell that turned Chen and his followers into Anacondrai begins to wear off, and Chen requires the essence of a true Anacondrai to make it permanent. His forces break into Cryptarium prison, where the Ninja are visiting the shrunken Pythor. Chen extracts Pythor's essence, completing the transformation, and seemingly loads his army on noodle trucks to dispatch them to various locations. The Elemental Masters intercept them, realizing too late that they have fallen for a diversion as the bulk of Chen's anacondrai warriors are attacking Ninjago City.
4410"The Corridor of Elders"Trylle VilstrupDan Hageman & Kevin HagemanApril 3, 2015 (2015-04-03)N/A
The combined forces of the Elemental Masters and the Serpentine make their final stand at the Corridor of Elders against Chen's Anacondrai army. Pythor escapes and convinces Garmadon to release the Anacondrai generals, Hoping they would help defeat Chen since he made a mockery of their tribe. The spell however requires somebody else to be banished as well. Garmadon sacrifices himself, feeling he must make amends for wronging his own family back when he was under Chen's tutelage, and releases the Anacondrai spirits. Chen and his army are spirited away into the cursed realm, and Garmadon is banished along with them. The Ninja burn the Spellbook and build a memorial to Garmadon in the Corridor of Elders. A ghost is shown having escaped the Cursed Realm, foreshadowing the following season.

Reception[edit]

Ratings[edit]

Tournament of Elements continued the popularity of the preceding seasons of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu. Its Monday 6.30pm time slot was the top telecast of the day among boys aged 2–11 and 6–11, and it was the top telecast in its time period among children aged 2–11, 6–11 and all boys.[38]

Critical reception[edit]

Reviewer Melissa Camacho for Common Sense Media gave Tournament of Elements a 3 out of 5 star rating and noted that the season contains "lots of action-packed fantasy violence". The reviewer opined, "This colorful, fast-paced action series features the teen Ninja making sense of loss as they continue to learn lessons about loyalty and teamwork. It also highlights the importance of fighting with a sense of morality behind it, which is an interesting angle for an animated show based on toys."[39]

Other media[edit]

Main article: Lego Ninjago (video game franchise) § Lego Ninjago: Tournament

An associated action game titled Lego Ninjago: Tournament was released on 23 January 2015 for IOS, which was developed by The Lego Group.[40]

Five mini-movies were released in June and July 2015 on the Lego YouTube channel to accompany the season, which focus on the main antagonist, Master Chen. The mini-movies were produced by Wil Film ApS and were titled Chairful What You Wish For, Chen's New Chair, Chair Play Chen, Chair Up Chen and Bad Chair Day.[41][42][43][44][45][46]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Yates, Jack (2020-12-28). "The complete history of LEGO NINJAGO Elemental Master minifigures". Brick Fanatics. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  2. ^ Yates, Jack (2021-01-24). "LEGO NINJAGO from thought to theme: elements and apparitions". Brick Fanatics. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  3. ^ "Lloyd". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  4. ^ "Kai". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  5. ^ "Jay". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  6. ^ "Zane". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  7. ^ "Cole". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  8. ^ "Nya". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  9. ^ "Sensei Wu". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  10. ^ "Lord Garmadon". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  11. ^ "P.I.X.A.L." Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-22.
  12. ^ "Master Chen". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  13. ^ "Skylor". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  14. ^ "Karloff". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  15. ^ "Turner". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  16. ^ "Paleman". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  17. ^ "Shadow". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  18. ^ "Clouse Voices (LEGO Ninjago)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  19. ^ "Misako Voices (LEGO Ninjago)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  20. ^ "Mystake". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  21. ^ "Pythor". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-26.
  22. ^ "Bolobo". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  23. ^ "Ash". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  24. ^ "Jacob". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  25. ^ "Cyrus Borg". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  26. ^ "Brian Drummond (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  27. ^ "Darreth". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  28. ^ "Maryke Hendrikse (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  29. ^ "Kapow". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  30. ^ "Chope". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-27.
  31. ^ "Eyezor". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  32. ^ "Sumo Zumo". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  33. ^ Hageman, Dan & Kevin (22 January 2018). "That season was inspired by Enter the Dragon". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  34. ^ Hageman, Dan & Kevin (16 January 2017). "Clouse is one of our favorite characters". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  35. ^ a b "TV series". Wil Film - Production company and animation studio. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  36. ^ "Shows A-Z - ninjago: masters of spinjitzu on cartoon". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2021-05-25.
  37. ^ Pucci, Douglas (March 6, 2015). "Monday Final Nationals: Fox's 'The Following' Returns with Mixed Results". TV Media Insights. Cross MediaWorks. Archived from the original on March 7, 2015. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
  38. ^ "Ratings - Turner Broadcasting's TBS and Adult Swim Score Top 5 Primetime Rankings Among Adults 18-34 and Adults 18-49 in Primetime". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 2021-04-29.
  39. ^ "Lego Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu: The Tournament of Elements - TV Review". www.commonsensemedia.org. 2018-05-27. Retrieved 2021-04-20.
  40. ^ "LEGO Ninjago Tournament". Metacritic. Retrieved 2021-05-14.
  41. ^ Chairful What You Wish For - LEGO Ninjago - (filler), retrieved 2021-05-18
  42. ^ Chen's New Chair - LEGO Ninjago - (filler), retrieved 2021-05-18
  43. ^ Chair Play Chen - LEGO Ninjago - (filler), retrieved 2021-05-18
  44. ^ Chair Up Chen - LEGO Ninjago - (filler), retrieved 2021-05-18
  45. ^ Bad Chair Day - LEGO Ninjago - (filler), retrieved 2021-05-18
  46. ^ Andreasen, Tommy (4 Jun 2020). "Master Chen appreciation tweet!". Twitter. Retrieved 2021-05-18.
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