Ninjago – What is Lego Ninjago?
Lego Ninjago is an all new theme released by Lego in January 2011. The initial release includes over 20 sets ranging in price from $4.99 to $69.99. There are ninjas, dragons, skeletons and more.
In addition to being a traditional build and play Lego series, Ninjago is also a “Battle Tops” type of game that can be played between 2 individuals and between teams of players. The game utilizes the mini figures and their weapons on a special “Spinner” dueling in an arena in a battle art form they call Spinjitzu. The actual game play can also be altered by special ninjago battle cards that you can collect.
Lego Ninjago Story
The Ninjago story revolves around 4 good ninja. The blue ninja Jay, the red ninja Kai, the black ninja Cole and the white ninja Zane who are all trained by their master, Sensei Wu.
There is also a female character named Nya. These ninja are training in the art of Spinjitzu in order to defeat the evil Lord Garmadon and his skeleton army. To aid in their quest, the Ninjas have enlisted the help of Special Ninjago Dragons.
Lord Garmadon has built a skeleton army to help him in his quest to obtain the golden weapons. Some of the skeleton characters are Chopov, Frakjaw, Krazi, Bonezai and Nuckal. Kruncha and Wyplash are two more Skeleton warriors that will be added soon. To aid in their quest, Garmadon and his skeleton army have enlisted the help of vehicles such as a skull truck and motor bike.
The legend states that who ever controls the four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu will be able to rule the world. How will the epic battle of good vs. evil play out in the world of Ninjago?
Lego Ninjago 2011 Playsets
The initial wave of Ninjago playsets have been released ( January 2011 ) with more coming in the spring/summer of 2011. The first type of sets are the basic character sets that include a character, their weapons, a spinner and battle cards. Ninjago released so far are Kai, Zane, Cole, Bonezai, Krazi and Chopov. There is also a starter set that includes Jay and Frakjaw with their weapons, spinners and cards plus a simple to build arena for playing spinjitzu. In the Ninjago game related products there is also a 3D Battle Arena that includes a Sensei Wu mini figure. Currently this is the only way to obtain a Sensei Wu figure.
The other Ninjago products are the typical build and play Lego sets. These include mini figures and blocks to build playsets. Some even include Ninjago battle cards that can be used in the game of Spinjitzu. Smaller sets include the Ninja Training Outpost and the Ninja Ambush sets. Medium sized sets include the different Dragons and Skeleton Army Vehicles. Some of these include the Skull Motorbike, Ice Dragon Attack, Turbo Shredder and Nuckal’s ATV. The larger playsets revolve around buildings or settings in the world of Ninjago. These include Skeleton Bowling, Garmadon’s Dark Fortress, Ninja Battle Arena and Spinjitzu Dojo.
Later in 2011, Lego will be releasing even more Ninjago playsets. These will include character sets such as Nya, Krunch and Wyplash. Other Ninjago playsets that will be released include the Skull Truck, Fire Temple, Blacksmith Shop, Earth Dragon Defence and the Lightning Dragon Battle.
The Snakes are Coming – Serpentine
The Serpentine were introduced by Lego in late 2011. Back in the days, the Serpentine ruled Ninjago led by The Great Devourer, a very large snake said to devour and consume all of Ninjago. The people of Ninjago used sacred flutes to control and banish the Serpentine from the lands. The five tribes and the Great Devourer were banished to the lost city of Ouroboros where each snake tribe was placed in its own tomb.
Lloyd Garmadon, son to the infamous Lord Garmadon, freed the Hypnobrai snake tribe to get revenge, and in a course of events, all four other snake tribes were freed as well.
The five snake tribes are: Anacondrai, Constrictai, Fangpyre, Hypnobrai and Venomari. Each tribe is made up of four classes: General, Warriors, Soldiers and Scouts, with a Snake king ruling over all the tribes.
New sets have already been released, like Kai’s Blade Cycle, the Venomari Shrine or the Rattlecopter. Additional sets have been announced to be released in 2012, including The Great Devourer as part of the Epic Dragon Battle set.
Ninja Variants
Five ninja variants are currently available or have been announced by Lego.
- Standard Ninjas – These are released as standalone sets and as part of larger sets.
- DX Ninjas – Ninjas with dragon clothing. Each Ninjago has its own dragon suit that reflects the element of their dragon. Cole DX with his rock dragon, Zane DX with the ice breathing dragon, Jay DX’s lighting dragon and Kai DX’s fire breathing dragon. Ninjas get their DX attire when they tame their dragon.
- Kendo Ninjas – Kendo ninjas combine the original robes with Kendo armor. This includes a Kendo helmet and body armor. These are usually used in training, in the movies though you see the Ninjago fight Serpentine in Kendo armor.
- ZX Ninja – These sets feature a different mask and shoulder pads, as well as a round piece to put swords into.
- NRG Ninja – These are pure energy forms of the ninjas that will come out in mid 2012.
Ninjago
The Game – How to play Ninjago
In Ninjago, the warriors battle in the art of Spinjitzu. This Spinjitzu is recreated into a game that can be played using the mini figures and their special spinners. To play the game, you will need 2 players each with a mini figure, 3 weapons, a spinner, their special character card and 4 Ninjago Battle Cards. You do not have to play in an arena but it makes it easier if you do.
The object of the game is to be the first player to win all 3 weapons from your opponent. To play, each play loads his mini figure into the spinner and chooses one of the weapons to equip to his figure. Players then say, “Ninja Go” and spin their Spinners into the arena area towards their opponent. The first person to have their mini figure fall down or out of the spinner loses that round. The winner then takes one weapon held by the losing character. Play then continues with each player selecting a weapon for their character and starting the round again. This continues until one player has won 3 of their opponents weapons.
Battle cards are powerful events that can change the outcome of a battle. During the game, a player may play any of his Ninjago Battle Cards. A Battle Card may only be played/used once. A Battle Card may only be played if your character has enough of the appropriate power and/or weapon equipped to play that card. For example , Jay has a Spinjitzu Power of 300 in the Fire category. The card “Up For Grabs” requires 400 SP in the fire category and thus could not be used by Jay. To play any card, just read and follow its directions at the appropriate time. Currently there are 81 different Battle Cards in Ninjago, so choose yours wisely.
Ninjago Review
Ninjago Reviews is where you can get information on all the Ninjago released so far. Feel free to check out any product page to get pictures and info on that specific playset. If you own any Ninjago sets please leave a review for that set by leaving a comment on that products page. You can also purchase any set by visiting the product page of the item your interested in. Ninjago items for purchase will be listed at the bottom of each product page.
In addition to having the latest Ninjago information available, we also have a community forum and invite everyone to join and become a part of the community. Here we will share tips and strategies for playing Spinjitzu. We also will share information on each playset and the newest releases plus any special deal or sales we find. In addition there is a classified section where you can attempt to buy/sell/trade any Ninjago items.
So there you have it! This is Ninjago in a nutshell. Keep checking back often for updates as we will be updating our website every couple of days until we are up to date with everything released so far in the world of Ninjago.
Buyers Guide
We have published a Ninjago Buyer’s Guide for parents, grandparents and others to purchase the right gift for their loved ones.
