Balance

:Not to be confused with the mystical concept.
Balance is the second The Virtues of Spinjitzu short. It aired on January 18, 2022 on the LEGO YouTube channel.
Cole is the focus ninja of the short, the Lava Monster serves as the main antagonist, and the Pyro Vipers serve as the villainous faction.
==Synopsis==
The ninja fall through a portal and land in an ancient tomb. To rescue Master Wu they need to cross a crypt guarded by a lava monster and quickly filling up with scolding hot lava. Cole must look deep inside himself and demonstrate the virtue of balance if he is to lead his ninja crew safely to the other side.
==Plot==
The portal opens up and the ninja drop out of it. They regain their strength as they see the Legendary Dragon holding Wu. It goes through another portal, leaving a Fire Dragon and a Thunder Dragon to guard it. The ninja attempt to reach the other side of the pyramid with Lloyd going first across one path, followed by Jay going down another, but Pyro Vipers awaken from their tombs and attack the ninja. Kai and Nya try to fight back but their powers don’t affect the Vipers, forcing them to jump in the lava pool as well. Zane jumps in but Jay crashes into him, knocking both their balances off the rock. A Lava Monster soon appears and attacks Lloyd, forcing him into the lava pool as well.
The ninja struggle to find balance as they are being attacked. Pyro Whippers soon surround Cole, who says that too much is happening, and closes his eyes to try to find balance. He then recalls a flashback as a child when he watched his parents dance from behind a closed door, which inspires him to move along the path with a few dance moves. He maneuvers the Vipers about to attack him and avoids the Lava Monster by jumping over it, activating his Earth Punch, and manipulates a stalactite above to drop down on it before landing on the other side. The Fire Dragon soon knocks Cole down, only to lick him, making him realize they are now friends, and, along with the Thunder Dragon, rescue the others before going through the portal.
==Appearances==
===Characters===
====Cast====
*Cole - Andrew Francis
*Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
*Kai - Vincent Tong
*Lloyd Garmadon - Sam Vincent
*Nya - Kelly Metzger
*Zane - Brent Miller
====Non-speaking====
*Lilly (flashback)
*Lou (flashback)
*Pyro Whippers
*Wu
===Creatures===
*Fire Dragon
*Legendary Dragon
*Thunder Dragon
===Locations===
*Ninjago
**Pyramid
**Ninjago City (flashback)
***Dance class
===Species===
*Dragons
*Humans
*Lava Monsters
*Nindroids
*Oni/Dragon hybrids
*Oni/Dragon/Human hybrids
*Serpentine
**Hypnobrai
==Transcript==
For the transcript of the episode, click here.
==Trivia==
*Narrator: Cole
*This is the first time in the series where Andrew Francis provides the voice of Cole.
*In Cole's flashback, Lilly wears the same yukata Nya wears in "Let's Dance."
===Continuity===
*This is Lilly's first in-person appearance since "The Son of Lilly" and Lou's first in-person appearance since "Dungeon Crawl!", where they both appeared only through flashbacks.
*This is also the first appearance of the Lava Monster since "The Ascent," the first appearance of the Pyro Vipers and the pyramid since "Awakenings," and the first appearance of the dance class since "Let's Dance."
*This short marks the first appearance of the Fire Dragon and the Thunder Dragon. It is also revealed that they are not the villains.
*The flashback in which Lilly dances with Lou may be inspired by Way of the Departed, where it is mentioned in Chapter 3 that Lilly and Lou often danced outside on the terrace of their house.
*The flashback in this short is the only scene where Lou and Lilly interact in addition to their meeting in "Dungeon Crawl!."
*This short contains the second flashback where Lilly appears. The first is a flashback from "Dungeon Crawl!" also used in "The Son of Lilly".
*The soundtrack used for Cole's flashback and the scene afterwards is the same soundtrack from "The Son of Lilly" when Cole performs the Spinjitzu Burst.
==Video==
Can the ninja escape the deadly lava? - NINJAGO The Virtues of Spinjitzu - Balance
==Gallery==
For the gallery of the episode, click here.
==References==
Category:2022
Category:Episodes
Category:Mini-movies
de:Balance
ru:Баланс (эпизод)
uk:Рівновага (серія)
es:Equilibrio
Category:Episodes of The Virtues of Spinjitzu