Tournament of Elements

*“He made me who I am today. He was my father. He was my adversary. But in the end, he was my friend.”*

— Lloyd mourning the loss of his father, "The Corridor of Elders"

## Tournament of Elements

* Poster 1
* Poster 2

## Title Card

***Tournament of Elements*** is the fourth season and fifth installment of the *Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu* series. It was originally released on February 25th, 2015. Kai is the focus character for this season and Master Chen is the main antagonist. The Anacondrai Cultists serve as the villainous faction.

It is the second installment in the Master Trials arc. It focuses on Kai and his journey to learn that power isn't what makes someone special, and to accept himself. This season features a special minifigure variant of Kai featured in the TV show, that being Powered Kai. This version of Kai does not appear as a physical minifigure. The collectible weapons this season are the Jade Blades.

In March 2015, a non-canon prequel of Season 4 was released titled *Shadow of Ronin*. While it is non-canon, it provides the context that the Ninja knew the character Ronin before the events of Season 5 and establish that Ronin was the one that kidnapped Zane and P.I.X.A.L. and delivered them to Chen.

In July 2015, a series of five shorts were released as a prequel to Season 4 showing Chen's life on his island before the tournament.

It is preceded by *Rebooted* and followed by *Possession*.

## Plot Summary

After the loss of Zane, the team is split apart, and Lloyd seeks to rebuild it. But everything changes when they find out that Zane is alive, and that crime lord, Master Chen, invites the ninja and the other Elemental Masters to a Tournament, so that he can steal their powers in order to complete a spell that will turn him and his worshippers into Anacondrai.

## Characters

* Arcturus - Scott McNeil
* Ash - Brent Miller
* Bolobo - Michael Adamthwaite
* Chamille - Marÿke Hendrikse
* Chen - Ian James Corlett
* Chope - Ian Hanlin
* Clouse - Scott McNeil
* Cole - Kirby Morrow
* Cyrus Borg - Lee Tockar
* Dareth - Alan Marriott
* Eyezor - Michael Donovan
* Garmadon - Mark Oliver
* Gravis - Mark Oliver
* Griffin Turner - Doron Bell Jr.
* Jacob Pevsner - Paul Dobson
* Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
* Kai - Vincent Tong
* Kapau - Alessandro Juliani
* Karlof - Scott McNeil
* Krait - Brent Miller
* Kruncha - Brian Drummond
* Lloyd Garmadon - Jillian Michaels
* Misako - Kathleen Barr
* Mystake - Mark Oliver
* Morro - Michael Donovan
* Mr. Pale - Kirby Morrow
* Neuro - Paul Dobson
* Noble - Paul Dobson
* Nuckal - Brian Drummond
* Nya - Kelly Metzger
* P.I.X.A.L. - Jennifer Hayward
* Pythor- Michael Dobson
* Restaurant Owner - Vincent Tong
* Rufus McCallister - Paul Dobson
* Shade - Andrew Francis
* Skales - Ian James Corlett
* Skylor - Heather Doerksen
* Tox - Ian James Corlett
* Wu - Paul Dobson
* Zane - Brent Miller

## Battles

* Kai vs. Karlof
* Kai vs. Karlof (round 2)
* Jay vs. Bolobo
* Cole vs. Paleman, Shade, & Griffin Turner
* Kai vs. Skylor
* Skylor vs. Jacob Pevsner
* Kai vs. Ash
* Jay vs. Cole
* Neuro vs. Bolobo
* Griffin Turner vs. Gravis
* Team Lloyd vs. Team Cammille
* Shade vs. Tox (offscreen)
* Jay vs. Clouse
* Garmadon vs. Clouse
* Elemental Masters vs. Anacondrai Cultists
* Pythor & Lloyd vs. Prisoners
* Elemental Masters vs. Chen & his army

## Locations

* Ninjago Island
	+ Ninjago City
		- Borg Tower
		- Mr. Chen's Noodle House
	+ Garmadon's Monastery
	+ Birchwood Forest
	+ Mega Monster Amusement Park
	+ Sea of Sand
		- Samurai X Cave
		- Anacondrai Tomb
		- Corridor of Elders
		- Kryptarium Prison
		- Ed & Edna's Scrap N Junk
	+ Jamanikai Village
* Endless Sea
* Chen's Island
	+ Chen's Palace
	+ Noodle House

## Ninjago: Shadow of Ronin

A non-canon video game prequel to Season 4 featuring the Ninja's first encounter with the mercenary known as Ronin. The events of this game are made to explain what happened to Zane before Season 4.

## Chen mini movies

A collection of non-canon shorts that show what Chen was up to before the events of this season. All of the episodes bog down to him just futzing around with his chair.

## Sets

Kai was the mascot character of the season. The collectible items were the Jadeblade Weapons, though only ordinary Jadeblades appeared in the season. Bolded are the sets I owned.

* **70745 Anacondrai Crusher**
* **70746 Condrai Copter Attack**
* **70747 Cole's Boulder Blaster**
* **70748 Titanium Dragon**
* **70749 Enter the Serpent**
* 70750 Ninja DB X
* **70752 Jungle Trap**
* **70753 Lava Falls**
* **70754 Jay's ElectroMech**
* **70755 Jungle Raider**
* **70756 Dojo Showdown**

## Notes

* According to Tommy Andreason.
	+ Various other Elemental Masters set to appear in this season were ultimately scrapped. These include the Masters of Magnetism (Magno), Crystal (Gazor), and Sight.
	+ When asked which season would work best as a movie, Tommy Andreasen said, "ToE is based off Enter the Dragon, so narratively that would lend itself well."
	+ Even though Zane was and found the ninja had started wearing their new suits according to Tommy Andreasen, there was "No need to waste production money doing that any more then," referring to how the intro in *Rise of the Snakes* had been updated when the ninja gained new suits.
* According to the Hageman Brothers.
	+ The Hageman Brothers stated that they liked the mysterious island and tournament aspect of the season but they did not like the ending as much.
* Masters of Water and Time would have also appeared in this season, with the Master of Water being named "Rayne."
	+ These concepts were later used for Nya and the Time Twins in Seasons 5 and 7, respectively.

* This season starts the trend of each season having 10 episodes which lasted until *March of the Oni*, which only had 4.
* Inspirations for the season:
	+ This season was inspired by the 1973 film, *Enter the Dragon*.
	+ Clouse was named after the film's director, Robert Clouse.
	+ When Chen's ferry arrives at the island in "Only One Can Remain," Garmadon says, "Chen lives like a king. Here, he's totally self-sufficient." This is a reference to an early scene in *Enter the Dragon*, in which Braithwaite tells Lee about the villainous Han and his island, saying, "He lives like a king on that island. Totally self-sufficient."
	+ The name for one of the sets, 70749 Enter the Serpent, is a reference to the film title.
* This is the first season to begin the trend of having the title card of the pilot episode be different than the others.
* This season has a total of 6 spin-offs dedicated to it.

## Continuity

* The season begins with Lloyd running through a simulated gauntlet trying to retrieve the armor of the Golden Master, previously worn by the Overlord in *Rebooted*, forged from the gold of the Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu.
	+ The Golden Armor is presumably locked away in the vaults of Hiroshi's Labyrinth.
* This is the first time we are shown other Elemental Masters besides the Ninja.
	+ Ash, the Elemental Master of Smoke is introduced.
	+ Bolobo, the Elemental Master of Nature is introduced.
	+ Chamille, the Elemental Master of Form is introduced.
	+ Gravis, the Elemental Master of Gravity is introduced.
		- One of Gravis' ancestors, perhaps the previous Master of Gravity, is depicted in flashbacks of the Serpentine War.
	+ Griffin Turner, the Elemental Master of Speed is introduced.
		- It is noted that he inherited his Elemental Power from his grandfather.
	+ Jacob Pevsner, the Elemental Master of Sound is introduced.
		- One of Jacob's ancestors, perhaps the previous Master of Sound, is depicted in flashbacks of the Serpentine War.
	+ Karlof, the Elemental Master of Metal is introduced.
	+ Neuro, the Elemental Master of Mind is introduced.
	+ Mr. Pale, the Elemental Master of Light is introduced.
	+ Shade, the Elemental Master of Shadow is introduced.
		- One of Shade's ancestors, perhaps the previous Master of Shadow, is depicted in flashbacks of the Serpentine War.
	+ Skylor, the Elemental Master of Amber is introduced.
		- It is noted that she inherited her Elemental Power from her mother.
	+ Tox, the Elemental Master of Poison is introduced.
	+ In the Serpentine War flashbacks, there is one unidentified Elemental Master that rides a gray and yellow Dragon.
* The origins of the Ninja's Elemental Powers are also gone into detail about.
	+ Kai & Nya's parents, Ray & Maya the Elemental Masters of Fire and Water are introduced.
		- They are not named until *The Hands of Time*, and it is not made explicit that Nya inherited her mother's power until *Possession*.
	+ Cole's grandfather is introduced.
		- In *Master of the Mountain,* it will be revealed that Cole's mother, Lilly, inherited the Element of Earth from him and passed it onto Cole.
	+ The previous Master of Ice is revealed, but it is not shown how his powers were passed onto Zane until *Sons of Garmadon*.
* Chen mentions that he knows the truth of what happened to Kai and Nya's parents. It's implied that he was just lying to Kai in order to gain his trust, but this does foreshadow the sinister truth behind their disappearances when Kai and Nya were young.
* Morro appears at the very end of the season, having escaped through the portal that Garmadon opened up to banish Chen and his army.
* Pythor returns again in this season, having been shrunk by the Nano Pill Cyrus Borg developed during *Rebooted*. He is grown up again by the end of this season and plots his return.
* The Stone Samurai Warrior that the Ninja defeated in *The Stone* is seen incarcerated at Kryptarium Prison.
* In flashbacks of the Serpentine War, Kai and Nya's parents Ray and Maya are shown using their respective Elemental Powers, Fire and Water. This was meant to foreshadow Nya inheriting her mother's Elemental Power in the following season.
* The beginning of the season shows Lloyd running through a simulated gauntlet trying to retrieve the Golden Armor. This establishes that the Golden Armor was retrieved after the Golden Master was defeated and has been secured at an unknown location.
* In Chen's vault of items, multiple things are shown encased in glass that have been seen in previous seasons.
	+ Lloyd's snake radio is shown.
	+ A painting depicting Anacondrai Warriors in battle is on display.
		- This is the more historically accurate version of a painting that is on display at the Ninjago Museum, featured in Season 2, which Skales remarks as totally innacurate.
	+ The Blade Cup, that was previously in Lou's possession, is displayed.
	+ Zane's pink gi is on display, even though it is supposed to just be Zane's white gi changed color, which was eventually washed out.
		- It is entirely possible that this is a fake that Chen uses to gloat.
			* The same goes for all of the items he has on display.
* When Cole sees Zane for the first time, he says "What's the matter? It's like you've seen a ghost!" foreshadowing the fact that Cole becomes a Ghost in the next season.
* Similarly, when the Anacondrai Warriors are invading Kyrptarium Prison, one of them pranks a guard by turning invisible, and when the guard is spooked he says "come on, everyone knows there's no such thing as ghosts."

## Gallery

Tournament of Elements announcement posterTournament of Elements END