Season 13: Master of the Mountain

The thirteenth season of Ninjago, subtitled Master of the Mountain, is preceded by Season 12 and succeeded by The Island and Season 14. Cole is the focus ninja and mascot character, Vangelis serves as the main antagonist, and the Re-Awakened serve as the villainous faction.
The first teaser was released on June 17, 2020, on YouTube while the official trailer was released on June 22, 2020.
The first English release for the first episode was July 6, 2020, in Australia. The rest of the episodes for this season were released On-Demand in New Zealand on July 11, 2020. This season was also released On-Demand in the U.K. on August 1, 2020. Episodes 1-6 were made available On Demand and on the Cartoon Network US App/Website on September 11, 2020.https://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/ninjago/shintaro-episode.html The season premiered in the US on September 13, 2020.http://www.thefutoncritic.com/showatch/ninjago-masters-of-spinjitzu/listings/
On November 9, 2020 SIC K confirmed that Season 13: Master of the Mountain was going to be released on November 9, 2020 in Portugal.https://www.instagram.com/p/CHXeoz8Fu69/
The season, along with Seasons 10, 11, and 12 became available on Netflix in the US starting November 1, 2020, and in Canada starting June 8, 2021.
==Official descriptions==
Teaser: Get a sneak peek at the all-new season of the NINJAGO TV series! The ninja travel to the fabled Kingdom of Shintaro - a mesmerizing, gleaming place where they soon uncover an obscure underworld: the Dungeons of Shintaro. A world that is under the whip of the merciless Skull Sorcerer… Watch out for the new trailer and find more LEGO® NINJAGO adventures on LEGO.com/NINJAGO or LEGO Life. Ask your parents before you download the app.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32MInR-AU-Q
Trailer: This season on NINJAGO: Master of the Mountain: The ninja are invited to the beautiful Shintaro Kingdom to celebrate the young Princess Vania’s birthday. At first glance, the Ivory City looks like a pristine place, but the ninja soon uncover a dark, obscure, long-forgotten underworld: The Dungeons of Shintaro. Once inside, they must fight their way to freedom through a maze of tunnels paved with dangers and strange creatures ruled by the merciless Skull Sorcerer. The ninja must choose their path wisely…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vsj0IkKYjJo
In the Skull Dungeons: ‘The Queen’: Deep inside the Skull Dungeons, Nya, Jay and Lloyd come to a crossroads. The Queen of the Munce challenges Nya to combat as part of her sinister plan. And this queen fights dirty…https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVPbSr_nh6Y
In the Skull Dungeons: ‘The Lava Monster’: Cole, the Lowly, Princess Vania and Wu are feeling the heat on their path through the Skull Dungeons! Just when they think there may be a way out of Rock Bottom, a monster battle awaits.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4k1y0E9W7fI
In the Skull Dungeons: ‘Trial By Mino’: Separated from the other ninja, deep in the Skull Dungeons, Kai and Zane are caught between a giant rock creature and a hard place… Can they win a battle against a Mino?https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HQ1SuCq6RDc
==Cast==
*Cole - Kirby Morrow
*Engelbert - Brian Drummond
*Fungus - Ian James Corlett
*Garpo - Sabrina Pitre
*Ginkle - Tabitha St. Germain
*Gleck - Brian Drummond
*Gliff - Bill Newton
*Groko - Peter New
*Gulch - Andrew McNee
*Hailmar - Brian Drummond
*Hazza D'ur - Michael Adamthwaite
*Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
*Kai - Vincent Tong
*Korgran - Paul Dobson
*Korgran's axe - Deven Mack
*Korgran's father - Mark Oliver
*Lilly - Erin Mathews
*Lloyd Garmadon - Sam Vincent
*Minos - Brian Drummond
*Misako - Kathleen Barr
*Murt - Michael Adamthwaite
*Murtessa - Tabitha St. Germain
*Nya - Kelly Metzger
*P.I.X.A.L. - Jennifer Hayward
*Plundar - Adam Trask
*Re-Awakened - Deven Mack
*Vangelis/Skull Sorcerer - Deven Mack
*Vania - Sabrina Pitre
*Wu - Paul Dobson
*Zane - Brent Miller
==Episodes==
Season Ep #	Series Ep #	Image	Episode name 	Airdate
1 	145 	 	"Shintaro" 	July 6, 2020 (Australia)
2 	146 	 	"Into the Dark" 	July 6, 2020 (Australia)
3 	147 	 	"The Worst Rescue Ever" 	July 7, 2020 (Australia)
4 	148 	 	"The Two Blades" 	July 8, 2020 (Australia)
5 	149 	 	"Queen of the Munce" 	July 9, 2020 (Australia)
6 	150 	 	"Trial By Mino" 	July 10, 2020 (Australia)
7 	151 	 	"The Skull Sorcerer" 	July 13, 2020 (Australia)
8 	152 	 	"The Real Fall" 	July 14, 2020 (Australia)
9 	153 	 	"Dungeon Party!" 	July 15, 2020 (Australia)
10 	154 	 	"Dungeon Crawl!" 	July 16, 2020 (Australia)
11 	155 	 	"Grief-Bringer" 	July 17, 2020 (Australia)
12 	156 	 	"Masters Never Quit" 	July 20, 2020 (Australia)
13 	157 	 	"The Darkest Hour" 	July 21, 2020 (Australia)
14 	158 	 	"The Ascent" 	July 22, 2020 (Australia)
15 	159 	 	"The Upply Strike Back!"	July 23, 2020 (Australia)
16 	160 	 	"The Son of Lilly" 	July 24, 2020 (Australia)
==Sets==
The sets background was based on the Dungeons of Shintaro. Cole was the mascot character and the Blades of Deliverance are the collectible items. Most of the sets were based on new creatures from this season or part of the Dungeons of Shintaro.
This was the first set wave to feature Spinjitzu Burst spinners.
*71717 Journey to the Skull Dungeons
*71718 Wu's Battle Dragon
*71719 Zane's Mino Creature
*71720 Fire Stone Mech
*71721 Skull Sorcerer's Dragon
*71722 Skull Sorcerer's Dungeons
===Spinners===
*70685 Spinjitzu Burst Cole
*70686 Spinjitzu Burst Kai
*70687 Spinjitzu Burst Lloyd
==Videos==
NINJAGO Master of the Mountain – TEASER – LEGO® NINJAGO®
NINJAGO Master of the Mountain – Official Trailer – LEGO® NINJAGO®
In the Skull Dungeons ‘The Queen’ – LEGO® NINJAGO® Master of the Mountain
In the Skull Dungeons ‘The Lava Monster’ – LEGO® NINJAGO® Master of the Mountain
In the Skull Dungeons ‘Trial By Mino’ – LEGO® NINJAGO® Master of the Mountain
LEGO Ninjago Season 13 Intro
Brand new epsiodes of Ninjago - The Ninjas must save Jay - Cartoon Network (ch. 301) - DStv
Ninjago Season 2 Recap Trailer - LEGO Family Entertainment
==Songs==
*Ninjago Victory (Korean version)
*The Shintaro Dungeon Whip
==Trivia==
*According to Tommy Andreasen, this season can be referred to as the Earth Chapter as the season focuses on Cole’s elemental powers respectively.
*Bragi Schut said that he has a "particular soft spot" for writing this season.https://twitter.com/bragischutjr/status/1254455497719115777
*Some sources, such as the Cartoon Network Asia websitehttps://www.cartoonnetworkasia.com/show/ninjago and LEGO's YouTube channel,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnsiTrcDQ0M claim that Master of the Mountain and Prime Empire are the same season, that being Season 2 of the WildBrain-animated Ninjago series. However, the seasons are two separate "chapters" and are simply combined this way on platforms due to cable networks buying both seasons as one instead of making two separate purchases.https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1275005795973959681
*The Shintaro Dungeon Whip took 21 days to get released after first being heard in "Into the Dark."
*The ninja and Wu are referred to as heroes on the set boxes (ex: Wu), indicating the name of this season's suits.
*Four of the sets from this season can be built together to create a board game. 
*The ninja have armor similar to medieval knights over their suits, aside from Lloyd who has a completely new gi underneath the armor.
**This is the third season in a row where the ninja use their Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu suits at one point in the season.
*This is the first season where no wheeled vehicles appear in sets.
**This is the second season where no flying vehicles appear in sets, the first is Sons of Garmadon.
*Lloyd mentions the Teapot of Tyrahn in the season premiere. However, the events of Skybound were undone, and only Jay and Nya (and eventually Zane after Ninjago: Decoded) should remember the events of Skybound.
*This season takes many influences and inspirations from other forms of media.
**The season is heavily influenced by the roleplaying game Dungeons & Dragons.
***Plundar uses a D20 and D6 to make decisions, The Upply are also all based on various classes in Dungeons & Dragons (Rogue, Wizard, Barbarian).
**The animation for the episode "Dungeon Party!" was confirmed by Tommy Andreasen to be inspired by 80's style animation, similar to that of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1281249725690281984
***This also features the return of 2D animation last seen in "The Last of the Formlings."
**The season bears a strong resemblance to that of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, as it was inspired by the film.https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1280067291271573505
***Both the ninja and Indiana Jones are invited to a seemingly pristine and royal palace, only to discover a series of mines, caves, and dungeons beneath the palace.
***The Munce and Geckles being held as slaves to mine for Vengestone bears resemblance to the children of Mayapore being enslaved, who were mining for the remaining 2 Sankara Stones.
***"The Ascent" features a mine cart chase scene, near-identical to the mine cart scene from near the end of the movie.
***The season ends with the main antagonist being defeated/destroyed and the ninja freeing the Munce and Geckles. The movie ends with Indiana Jones freeing the children and defeating Mola Ram.
**Within the show itself, the season shares similarities with Tournament of Elements:
***The ninja and one of their masters are invited to a mysterious and isolated location that is well-regarded in some way (Shintaro is a highly regarded kingdom, while the the Tournament of Elements on Chen's Island promises glory for the winner and Chen is famous for his Noodle House).
***The ninja make friends with the daughter (Skylor and Vania) of the leader of the place (Chen and Vangelis), who is also the main villain.
***The ninja learn there is something dark going on under the surface (Chen is stealing everyone's Elemental Powers and forcing them to work in the noodle factory; Vangelis is enslaving the Munce and Geckles in the Mines of Shintaro). Cole is the first ninja to discover this and is forced to work in this location.
***There is also a large reptilian beast (Anacondrai serpent and Grief-Bringer) that lives in the underground tunnels (the underground caverns on Chen's Island and the Dungeons of Shintaro) and is the "pet" of a sorcerer villain (Clouse and Vangelis).
***The main villain has personal history with a ninja's parent (Garmadon and Lilly).
***A new elemental ability is discovered (Elemental Dragons and the Spinjitzu Burst).
***After the main villain is defeated, his daughter takes over the family business but for noble purposes (Skylor decides to take ownership of the Noodle House while Vania becomes the rightful queen of Shintaro).
**Some elements of this season and characters are derived from the LEGO Castle theme:
***The main villain is a wizard who is affiliated with skulls, and also owns a dragon.
***The wizard's castle or cave has a large skull on the front and a cage on the side.
***The main villain faction consists of reawakened skeletons (including black ones).
***Both include green trolls.
***Both include mines.
***Certain types of swords play a role in the story.
*This is the first season whose sets introduce two new types of spinners.
*In most countries, this is the last season to air before Kirby Morrow's death on November 18, 2020.
*This season takes place over less than a month, seeing as in The Island, only one month had past between Season 12 and "Uncharted."
*It is the second season in a row to have sixteen episodes, with the previous season beginning the trend.
**Therefore, it is as long as Rebooted, and Prime Empire, and Seabound. 
***These are also tied as the three shortest seasons after March of the Oni.
*This season marks:
**The first time Cole is the only focus ninja of a season.
**The first time to not feature Ninjago City since its introduction in "The Golden Weapon."
**P.I.X.A.L.'s smallest role in a season since her debut in Rebooted, only appearing in the season premiere.
**The first appearance of Misako and the Postman since "Endings," forty-six episodes ago by the time they appear in "Shintaro."
**Lou's first appearance in person since "Pause and Effect," eighty-two episodes ago by the time he appears in "Dungeon Crawl!"
**The revelation of the previous Elemental Master of Earth's name; Lilly, Cole's mother.
**The first season Dareth does not appear at all since his debut in "Pirates vs. Ninja."
**The first season in which Gayle Gossip and the Police Commissioner do not appear in after their respective debut seasons, since Possession and The Hands of Time respectively.
**Wu's first major role in a season since Hunted.
**The first season since Skybound where Nya has been captured by the main villain twice.
*The new rendition of The Weekend Whip, titled "The Shintaro Dungeon Whip," was released on July 26, 2020.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AvUuYOOgkM
*Since this season, the title card of the first episode of the season always appears above or below the Monastery of Spinjitzu.
*Amount of times a different character reads a title card:
**Cole: 6
**Gulch: 2
**Wu: 2
**Zane: 1
**Jay: 1
**Korgran: 1
**Nya: 1
**Murtessa: 1
**Fungus: 1
**Vania: 1
***This makes Cole announcing the most amount of title cards while multiple characters are tied for the least with one.
***Kai and Lloyd are the only ninja to not announce a title card.
***Gulch and Murtessa said one of the title cards together.
*The blooper reel for this season was the first Ninjago blooper reel since 2017 and the first TV show blooper reel since 2014.
*Misako's silver streak in her hair appears longer and lighter in this season. In addition, a green tie was added to her french braid.
*The Postman has a slightly different face print in this season.
*The season was added onto Netflix in the US and the UK on November 1, 2020, a week after the season finished airing on Cartoon Network.
*At one point, there were ideas to explore the reason for Lilly's illness.https://youtu.be/iqK6VLLqqSk?t=5851
==Focus characters==
===Protagonists===
*Cole serves as the focus ninja and mascot of this season. His friendship with Vania can be seen throughout it. Furthermore, his promise to his mother is very vital because it gives him encouragement to persist in tough situations.
**He was focused on in Episodes 146, 147, 151, 152, 154, 156, and 158-160.
***He develops a relationship with Vania, and was the first ninja to discover the Dungeons of Shintaro in Episode 146, but got captured by the Skull Sorcerer.
***In Episode 147, he builds a relationship with Murt and notices the hatred between the Munce and the Geckles.
***For most of Episode 151, he fights to stay alive from the Dire Bats and giant spiders. He is able to reunite with Vania and Wu, but they all discover Vangelis is the Skull Sorcerer. 
***In Episode 152, Cole's intuition as well as his ability to persevere allowed for himself, Wu, and Vania to stay alive in messy situations.
***Cole's leadership of the Upply as well as tapping into his Elemental Energy in Episode 154 allows the group to escape Rock-Bottom and defeat the Lava Monster. In addition, his promise to his mother was shown.
***Cole's frustration of not unlocking the Spinjitzu Burst in Episode 156 causes him to doubt his abilities and is the first real obstacle he has to face during the season.
***Cole successfully activates the Stone Mech in Episode 158, defeats the Lava Monster, and helps the Upply reach the Kingdom of Shintaro.
***In Episode 159, he and the Upply save everyone in the Dungeons of Shintaro. Moreover, he finds and uses the Blades of Deliverance against the Skull Sorcerer, where they have an epic battle.
***Cole continues his battle in Episode 160 where the Skull Sorcerer destroys the Blades of Deliverance. This causes Cole to lose hope but he is ultimately victorious by unlocking the power of the Spinjitzu Burst, thus defeating the Skull Sorcerer and his entire army. Peace is then brought to Shintaro Mountain after Cole's victory.
*Master Wu is another prominent character in this season.
**He was focused on in Episodes 145, 152, 153, and 156.
***In Episode 145, Wu was depressed and thought he was no longer needed since the ninja went on missions without him. He was forced on a trip with the ninja after Misako scolded him.
***In Episode 152, Wu's teaching to Cole allows the Earth Ninja to use his Elemental Powers to save them from disaster.
***In Episode 153, he talks about Lilly and having greater powers when near the Earth which allows Cole to find his Elemental Energy and escape Rock-Bottom.
***Wu admits forgoing his role as Master and promises to never quit on his students in Episode 156.
*Vania is a major character who also has a prominent role in this season.
**She was focused on in Episodes 146, 152-158, and 160.
***In Episode 146, she develops a relationship with Cole and they both discover the Dungeons of Shintaro.
***From Episode 152 to 158, she assists Cole in their quest to escape Rock-Bottom and convinces Hailmar about the truth of Vangelis.
***At the end of Episode 160, she is declared the Queen of Shintaro and promises to bring peace to everyone.
*Kai, Nya, and Zane play somewhat prominent roles in this season.
**Nya was focused on in Episodes 149 and 155.
***She fights Murtessa to prevent her from marrying Jay and keeping him betrothed underground in Episode 149. Nya ends up winning but is also declared the Queen of the Munce.
***In Episode 155, her display of power convinces the Munce to participate in a truce meeting with the Geckles.
**Kai and Zane were focused on in Episodes 150 and 155.
***Kai and Zane fight a Mino in Episode 150, which gave Kai the title of Chancellor.
***In Episode 155, they learn that Lilly, Cole’s mother, was the one who defeated Grief-Bringer.
***With the help of Zane, who helped him by rigging the slug race, Kai is able to lead the truce meeting in Episode 155, where he and Nya were reunited.
*Lloyd and Jay have minor roles in this season but do play important parts in certain episodes.
**Lloyd was focused on in Episodes 145 and 146.
***He realizes that Master Wu felt depressed that he is not needed anymore and tries to cheer him up in Episode 145.
***In Episode 146, Lloyd also seems to distrust Vania because of what happened with Harumi.
**Jay was heavily focused on in Episode 149.
***He gets caught in a rivalry between Nya and Murtessa for his affection.
*P.I.X.A.L. and Misako also play very minor roles in this season.
**Both characters appear in only one episode. However, Misako is able to convince Wu into going on the trip with the ninja.
===Antagonists===
*Vangelis served as the main antagonist of this season.
**In order to keep the Kingdom of Shintaro, Vangelis used the magic from the Skull of Hazza D'ur to take control of the Dungeons of Shintaro and become the Skull Sorcerer. During his tyranny in the dungeons, he took the Blades of Deliverance from the Geckles and Munce, and force them to mine Vengestone for his customer, who would pay him to keep his kingdom.
*Hazza D'ur served as the secondary antagonist of this season. After the Upply brought the Skull of Hazza D'ur to Vangelis, Hazza D'ur used the skull as a vessel for his spirit while Vangelis used it as his source of power to take control of the Dungeons of Shintaro.
*The Re-Awakened served as the villainous faction of this season.
**With the power of the Skull of Hazza D'ur, Vangelis brought back the Re-Awakened so they capture the Geckles and Munce and become his army in the Dungeons of Shintaro.
*Other important antagonists were Grief-Bringer and the Lava Monster.
**Before the ninja first arrived at Shintaro, Grief-Bringer terrorized the Geckles and Munce in the Dungeons of Shintaro years ago until it was killed by Lilly. However, Grief-Bringer was later resurrected by Vangelis after he heard that the ninja were convincing the Munce and Geckles to have a truce.
***Once he was resurrected, Grief-Bringer helped Vangelis by fighting off the ninja in Episodes 155, 157, and 160.
**While Cole, Wu, Vania, and the Upply were traveling to the Heart of the Mountain, they came across the Lava Monster and battled it in Episodes 154, 156, and 158.
*Additionally, Geckles and Munce are presented as villains in the sets. However, the show depicts them as tribes warring against each other, yet mutually opposed to the Skull Sorcerer.
==Gallery==
===Promotional media===
MotM-Trailer-0’29”.jpg|Season logo (intro)
S13LEGOdotcom.jpeg|Logo on LEGO's website.
3-Iy ByV.jpg small.jpg
EXMP dpU4AAnSNd.jpg
Cole S13.jpg|Drawing by Tommy Andreasen.
Choose The Way Of Destiny!.jpeg
Season13ColeIvoryBlades.png
Season13blur.png
Ninjago Master of the Mountain Banner.jpeg
MotM Script-1.png|Script which was not included in season finale
MotM Script-2.png
560.jpg|The Shintaro Dungeon Whip cover
The Shintaro Dungeon Whip Poster.jpg|The Shintaro Dungeon Whip cover (poster size)
Choose the Path poster.jpg|Choose the Path poster
Ninjago Master of the Mountain Poster 2.jpeg|Poster
Ninjago Master of the Mountain - Upply Poster.jpeg
Season13poster.jpeg|Poster
Startseite-shintaro-bg-v3-94549-10110.jpg|Poster without characters
Ninja hell 800.jpg
LegoMagazineMotMPoster.png|Poster in The LEGO Life Magazine
Screenshot 20210706-225844.jpg|Poster from a magazine
D8445071-FACA-40BB-858D-38CF2CF850CC.jpeg
Wu SotFS.jpg
Season 13 Lego Website Thumbnail.png
Master the mountain scroll masteryninjago.png|From Journey to Mastery
File:Master of the Mountain Sticker1 .png|Lloyd Vs Lava Monsters Sticker
File:Master of the Mountain Sticker2.png|Cole vs Grief-Bringer Sticker
File:Master of the Mountain Sticker3.png|Kai Vs Dire Bats Sticker
File:Army of Shintaro Sticker.png|Army of Shintaro Sticker
File:Upply Sticker.png|Upply Sticker
===Character posters===
Hero Cole promo.jpg| Cole
Hero Zane promo.jpg|Hero Zane
Hero Wu promo.jpg|Hero Wu
Vania promo.jpg|Vania
Skull Sorcerer promo.jpg|The Skull Sorcerer and the Skull of Hazza D'ur
Griefbringer promo.jpg|Grief-Bringer, the Skull Sorcerer, and the Skull of Hazza D'ur
Cole S13 render.jpg|Cole
ColeMotM2D.png
KaiMotM2D.png|Kai
JayMotM2D.png|Jay
NyaMotM2D.png|Nya
LloydMotM2D.png|Lloyd
ZaneMotM2D.png|Zane
===Gifs===
ColeWithDeliveranceBlades.gif|Cole fighting Hazza D'ur's magic with the Blades of Deliverance
Murtessa hugging Jay.gif|Murtessa hugging Jay
VaniaAndChompy.gif|Vania and Chompy
ZaneAndMino.gif|Zane with his Mino
KaiLookinSharp.gif|Kai looking in the mirror
Nya gif S13.gif|Nya performing Spinjitzu among the weapons
Reawakened S13 gif.gif|The Re-Awakened and Adam
Skull Sorcerer gif.gif|The Skull Sorcerer with the Skull of Hazza D'ur
Lloyd_S13.gif|Lloyd preventing the Geckle and Munce's quarrel
GriefBringer.gif|Re-awakened Grief-Bringer
==Translations==
==References==
Category:2020
Category:Seasons
Category:Master of the Mountain
de:Staffel 13: Abenteuer in neuen Welten
es:Temporada 2 (2019)
fi:Kausi 13: Vuoren mestari
pl:Sezon 13: Mistrz Gór
pt-br:13 Temporada
ru:Сезон 13: Мастер горы
uk:Сезон 13: Господар гори