Ninjago: Dragons Rising is a computer-animated epic-fantasy superhero television series produced by The Lego Group. It is based on the Lego Ninjago brand of construction toys and a sequel to Ninjago, which ran for 15 seasons from 2011 until 2022. Part 1 of the first season of the show premiered on Netflix on 1 June 2023. Part 2 of the first season is set to be released on 12 October 2023, with a second season set for release in 2024.

Synopsis
Sometime after Crystalized, a phenomenon known as "The Merge" combines Ninjago with the rest of the sixteen realms of creation, introducing new threats, and causing chaotic aftershocks called Mergequakes. Years later, Lloyd befriends two civilians: Arin and Sora, the former a fan of the Ninja, and the latter a technopath from the totalitarian kingdom of Imperium. The three are tasked with finding the rest of the scattered ninja and combating the Claws of Imperium, who covet Source Dragons in order to drain their elemental energy as a resource.

Voice cast
 Deven Mack as Arin, a civilian who idolized the Ninja in his youth. He lost his parents after The Merge and somehow managed to teach himself Spinjitzu, an ability thought impossible.
 Sabrina Pitre as Sora, known in her past as Ana, a technopathic engineer originally from Imperium who gained recognition for creating a hard light hologram projection device called Photac. She defected from Imperium when she found out how cruelly they treated dragons, leading to her parents and classmates shunning her. After The Merge, she befriended Arin and lived in the Crossroads, becoming a mech racer. She discovers that she has technopathy that gets boosted in the presence of Riyu.
 Sam Vincent as Lloyd Garmadon, the legendary Green Ninja and chosen guardian of Ninjago, and the son of Misako and the former supervillainous Garmadon. He wields elemental energy and remains in Ninjago City to prevent Mergequakes and train Arin and Sora.
 Brian Drummond as:
 Riyu, a baby dragon said to have great power, and like his kin he's capable of boosting an individual's powers in close proximity.
 Ras, a black and purple colored tiger warrior who served on Imperium's military, aiding the Claws in capturing Source Dragons until he was stripped of his position. He's physically strong and wields a hammer.
 Nicole Oliver as Beatrix, the power hungry empress of Imperium who orders the capture of as many Source Dragons as possible in an effort to colonize the Merged Realms.
 Vincent Tong as Kai, Nya's brother and the hot headed Master of Fire whom Lloyd tasks with surveying the Merged Realms to look for the rest of their teammates.
 Kelly Metzger as Nya, Kai's sister and the Master of Water who lived with the Craglings of the Realm of Madness following the Merge, helping them prevent Dragons from stealing the Cragling's species' life energy.
 Brent Miller as Zane, the Ice Ninja who was kept in suspension for years after The Merge.
 Kazumi Evans as Wyldfyre, a feral pyrokinetic human who was raised with a dragon Heatwave as well as an Imperium robot. After Heatwave was captured by the Claws she sought to rescue him.
 Giles Panton as Rapton, the field leader of the Claws of Imperium who traps many dragons.
 Paul Dobson as Master Wu, the Ninja's mentor who has lived for thousands of years. He goes missing following The Merge but his teachings live on in Lloyd.

Episodes

Season 1 (2023)
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Production

Development
The new series was produced following the final season of the Ninjago television series, which had been on air since 2011 and concluded in 2022. For the new series, animation company WildBrain Studios moved to Unreal Engine 5 to improve on the animation quality of its predecessor.

Writing
The lead writers for the series are Chris "Doc" Wyatt and Kevin Burke. Wyatt confirmed on Twitter that Ninjago: Dragons Rising is a new show, rather than a continuation of the previous Ninjago series, which had been on air for 11 years.

Release
The series was initially revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. It was released on Netflix on 1 June 2023 in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Latin America, and in other territories later in the same month or the next except for the UK, where it was released on ITVX on 5 June 2023.

Reception 
The Hollywood Reporter gave the first season a positive review, saying that it looked just as good as the previous Ninjago series.

Other media 
Several playable characters and a new level based on the series were launched in Lego Brawls in June 2023.

References

External links

2020s Canadian animated television series
2020s Canadian children's television series
2023 Canadian television series debuts
Canadian children's animated action television series
Canadian children's animated adventure television series
Canadian children's animated science fantasy television series
Canadian children's animated superhero television series
Animated television series about dragons
Canadian computer-animated television series
English-language Netflix original programming
Lego Ninjago
Lego television series
Martial arts television series