Benthomaar

> "*Kalmaar seeks to awaken Wojira and destroy the surface world. I promised my father I would do everything in my power to stop him.*"
> ― Benthomaar to the ninja.
>
>

**Benthomaar** (often called **Bentho** for short) is the current ruler of Merlopia and the Endless Sea, Trimaar's adopted son and Kalmaar's adoptive brother. When little, he was adopted by King Trimaar of Merlopia, becoming the brother of Prince Kalmaar. Through the years, Benthomaar tried to convince Kalmaar to accept him as his brother, but he never succeeded. Years later, when Kalmaar became closer to awaken the sea serpent Wojira, the ninja visited Merlopia and learned Kalmaar's plan to awaken Wojira. Kalmaar kidnapped Nya and Maya to get the location of the Storm Amulet as the other part required to awaken the Serpent. Kalmaar would soon blast their father and turn the ninja into fugitives to Merlopia. Struggling to save him, Benthomaar saw as his father die, telling to him that the ninja are not to blame and that he should stop his brother.

After helping the ninja escape the Merlopian guards and tell his story with Kalmaar, he and them traveled to the Island of the Keepers to get the Storm Amulet before Kalmaar, however they discovered that the one they have is a fake one and the real one is with Clutch Powers. Kalmaar would soon attack their ship, but they managed to return to Ninjago City thanks to Nya bringing in whales. Once there, they confronted Kalmaar again. They got the Storm Amulet before Kalmaar could, and Benthomaar decided to stay with the ninja for a while. However, it turned out that they had the fake amulet again and Kalmaar had the real one. Thus, Kalmaar finally managed to awaken Wojira, who brought destruction and flooded Ninjago City. Confronting his brother one last time, he finally stopped declaring him as his brother and broke his trident, losing control of Wojira, resulting into Wojira eating Kalmaar alive. After Nya sacrificed herself merging with the Endless Sea and defeating Wojira, Benthomaar was present at her memorial.

After returning to Merlopia, he was crowned King of Merlopia and became the ruler of the Endless Sea. One year after Nya's sacrifice, King Benthomaar, the Maaray Guards, and the Keepers, alongside lots of the Ninja's other allies, joined them in the final battle against the Overlord and his army of Crystal Warriors, also helping the Ninja to achieve Dragon Form and succeed in the Overlord’s defeat. After the battle, the allies were called again by Dareth to help the Ninja rebuild the Monastery of Spinjitzu.

## History

### Seabound

#### The Tale of Benthomaar (flashback)

When Benthomaar was little, he somehow got trapped in the coral at the bottom of the Endless Sea, where he was hiding from eels that began to attack him. However, when Trimaar, the King of Merlopia noticed it, he attacked the eels and defeated all of them, saving the boy's life. Then he adopted the child and called him Benthomaar, which means "deep sea."

However, his new brother, Prince Kalmaar took an immediate disliking to him, but Benthomaar tried very hard to get his adoptive brother to like him. Trimaar took him into his care and helped him become an excellent swimmer. Benthomaar also started attending some type of academy in Merlopia, where he was educated.

One day they swam together in one of the fast currents in Merlopia. When Benthomaar looked at his father, he didn't noticed the Merlopians swimming in front of him, and when he avoided the collision, fell out of the current and almost stabbed on the corals, Trimaar saved him from death.

Shortly afterwards, Benthomaar swam to the window of Kalmaar's room and knocked on it, telling his brother to go out and play with him. Kalmaar then explained that he did not want to spend time with him because he was not of the same species and did not have royal blood. Benthomaar, disappointed by his brother's words, then swam away.

Some time later, Benthomaar longed for Kalmaar's favor again, and so he found several sea scrolls about Wojira that he thought might please Kalmaar. As he knocked on his brother's room door, Kalmaar explained that he had read the scrolls years ago and thrown them out of his hands. When he closed the door, Benthomaar collected the scrolls and left. He later made a model of Wojira from an unknown material and knocked on Kalmaar's door again to give him a gift, but Kalmaar slammed the door without taking the model.

Years later, Kalmaar noticed Benthomaar swimming in front of his room's window and realized he would be the perfect pawn in his plan to reawaken Wojira, becuase he could lead him through the Tartarus Trench. While Benthomaar was throwing his arrows at the coral-fastened shells and had fun, Kalmaar swam to him. He praised his last throw and told him that was why he always admired him. Benthomaar wondered why Kalmaar had suddenly changed. His older brother told him that he was good at everything he did and that he owed him an apology for all the years he had treated him badly, lying that he had always competed with him for his father's attention. Benthomaar, blinded by the sudden change, believed Kalmaar's lies and hugged his brother as they shook hands. Kalmaar then told him that he wanted to go exploring with him, so he summoned manta rays for both of them.

As they swam into the Tartarus Trench, Benthomaar was horrified at the sight of the graveyard of ships and asked Kalmaar if it was a good idea. The older brother therefore told him that he thought it would happen and that Benthomaar was too young for it. His deception worked, and Bentho longed to continue exploring. As they crossed the rocky cliffs, Benthomaar accidentally slipped into one of the hydrothermal vents and fell from his manta ray, although he managed to save himself. He then noticed that the vent could be swam from below, so he helped Kalmaar get through.

They then crossed the rest of the Tartarus Trench until they reached the Temple of Wojira. Benthomaar wondered where they were when he noticed the eel ready to attack Kalmaar. He swam quickly to the eel and tried to stop it until he used his arrow and scared it away. He then returned to Kalmaar and asked him what they would do now. Kalmaar explained that he had deceived him and that he would never consider him a brother and sent him home. Benthomaar, disappointed by his older brother's lie, then returned to Merlopia realizing that Kalmaar would never love him.

#### The Wrath of Kalmaar

When Trimaar learned that the *Hydro Bounty* had been sunk, he realized that Kalmaar had done so, although Benthomaar tried to convince him that Kalmaar certainly wouldn't.

When Kalmaar arrived at the throne room in the Merlopian Palace, he greeted his brother. Kalmaar then explained that he had not sunk the *Hydro Bounty*, and Benthomaar supported him, saying that the surface-dwellers' ships would unfortunately sometimes sink themselves.

#### Long Live the King

When Benthomaar heard that his father had been gravely injured by the surface-dwellers, he immediately ran to the throne room to see for himself. He asked Kalmaar to help him and call the physicians, but his older brother refused, saying it was too late. When Kalmaar left, Bentho realized that he could still help his father, so he laid him on his shoulders and went out into the hallway.

While there was a great rush in the palace for the king's murder and the escape of the ninja, Benthomaar carried his father down the hallway to the physicians. But Trimaar told him to listen to him, as it was too late. Benthomaar told him not to talk and to save his energy, but Trimaar asked him to put him down so he could tell him the truth. Benthomaar finally obeyed his father and leaned him against a pillar in the hallway. Trimaar then explained that he was not injured by the surface-dwellers, but by Kalmaar, and asked him to promise to help them stop his brother. He then told him that although he was not born to him, he always loved him as his own son. Bentho told him he loved him too and started crying before his father eventually died.

#### Escape from Merlopia

After the death of his father, Benthomaar took his spear and hurried to find the ninja. When he found them in one of the flooded corridors full of the Ripper Sharks, he opened the door for them and asked them if they were okay. He then explained to them who he was and that he knew who had killed his father and that he would help them get out of the palace. He then led them to the entrance of hangar bay, where the *Hydro Bounty* was stored. However, as the Maaray Guards were guarding the door, Benthomaar ordered the ninja to wait and came to the guards himself to tell them that Kalmaar was calling them. The guards who believed his lie left, and the ninja rejoined the Prince while asking him what he had told them.

When they entered the hangar bay, they found a number of Maaray Guards. Benthomaar greeted them and explained that the ninja were his friends from out of town. Then Jay said he had an idea and approached the guards, even though Benthomaar wanted to stop him. When Jay thought his lie about coming from Bubbletubblepopolis was working and whispered it to Bentho, the guards attacked them. After a brief fight, when Kalmaar arrived in the hangar bay, the ninja and Bentho entered the *Hydro Bounty* and sailed out of the palace.

As Kalmaar chased them in Merlopia, Bentho told the ninja that he knew where the tunnel they could escape was, so P.I.X.A.L. aimed the submarine there. They then managed to shake Kalmaar off in a tunnel by redirecting a group of missiles to cause a cave-in right as the *Bounty* passed through.

Once they were safe, Nya introduced Bentho to her friends, Zane, P.I.X.A.L., Jay, Lloyd, and her mother, Maya. Jay then asked Benthomaar why he was helping them, which he replied that he had promised his father that he would stop his adoptive brother.

#### The Tale of Benthomaar

While they were travelling to the Island of the Keepers, Benthomaar told the ninja his story, concluding that he was alone. However, the ninja consoled him, telling him that they were his friends.

#### The Storm Amulet

As the *Hydro Bounty* entered the storm belt, the ninja were gathered in the kitchen, and Jay asked Bentho if Kalmaar needed two amulets to awaken Wojira, which Benthomaar had agreed to. When they anchored off the island, Nya told Bentho that the Keepers were a little touchy and that he should rather leave the story to them, which Bentho agreed.

They then emerged from the *Bounty* and the Keepers led them into the village. There, the ninja and Bentho learned that the Storm Amulet was fake, so they quickly returned to the *Bounty*, where they contacted Cole and told him that the amulet was in the Explorer's Club.

When Kalmaar broke into the *Bounty*, he greeted Benthomaar and aimed the trident at the ninja. However, Bentho defended them and said they were his friends. Then Benthomaar removed the spear from his back and turned it a few times in his hand to get into a fighting pose. However, Kalmaar knocked the spear out of his hand and threw it on the floor. He then destroyed the devices in the *Hydro Bounty* and swam away as the ninja and Benthomaar stepped out of the submarine and realized they had no way to get away.

#### Riddle of the Sphinx

After Zane failed to fix the *Hydro Bounty*, Benthomaar asked Nya if she could summon the whales using her Elemental Power of Water, which Nya disbelievingly replied no and claimed she only had the power to control water. He replied that her name was Nya, which she didn't understand, so he explained that Nyad was the first Elemental Master of Water and that she rode on the backs of whales. Maya was aware of the story and said they named their daughter after her. Benthomaar then explained to her that Nyad had defeated Wojira many millennia ago. However, when both Nya and Maya claimed that they could not summon whales, Bentho asked them if they had ever tried. Nya therefore agreed, and they moved to the island's beach, where Nya tried to summon whales in shallow water which ultimately succeeded.

#### Master of the Sea

While the ninja traveled with him in the *Hydro Bounty* using the whales, Benthomaar told them about the Battle of Nine Days, a battle that occured before the creation of Ninjago, until Nyad, the first Elemental Master of Water, merged herself with the Endless Sea to defeat the sea serpent, allowing the First Spinjitzu Master to create Ninjago and have the realm live in peace. After telling them about the battle, Benthomaar also told them that his brother now wanted to destroy the balance by planning to reawake Wojira and use her to recreate the Fury of the Storm to destroy all of the islands within the realm, including Ninjago.

When they arrived at the harbor, Benthomaar stood against Kalmaar and fought him. Kalmaar tried to deceive him by requesting to join sides, with which Benthomaar disagreed. He sent a blast from his trident at Benthomaar, which he dodged. However, Gripe hit him from behind. Bentho then fell to the ground and told Nya to pursue him.

When Nya returned without defeating Kalmaar, Benthomaar was sad but pleased when Nya showed them the Amulet she had stolen.

Later, the ninja took Benthomaar to the Monastery of Spinjitzu, where Nya showed him all the rooms and the courtyard. After their tour ended, he praised the Monastery and told her that it was a wonderful place. When she told him that she had talked to the ninja and Wu before, and they all agreed that Bentho could stay with them, he was very happy, though she warned him about Cole's snoring.

Benthomaar and Nya then returned to the relaxation room, where Lloyd, Zane, and Jay taught Bentho how to play billiards. During the game, Bentho asked them where the Storm Amulet was hidden so that his brother would not get it. Lloyd replied that they had "made some friends in high places."

#### The Calm Before the Storm

When the Police Commissioner called the ninja to come to the police station, Benthomaar went with them. He was surprised to find that it was because of Glutinous, who was locked in the interrogation room. When they entered the room and Benthomaar asked why he had come, the scientist told him that Kalmaar had rewoken Wojira, which Bentho and the others could not believe until he explained it to them by Kalmaar exchanging the Amulet for a fake one.

#### Assault on Ninjago City

When Ninjago City was flooded by the sea, Benthomaar went with the ninja to fight the Maaray Guards. He tried to reach an agreement with Gripe and the other Merlopians and told them that Wojira destroyed the balance of Ninjago and that his brother, Kalmaar had killed Trimaar, but the guards did not believe and continued to fight.

#### Nyad

When Jay's sub car was filled with water, Benthomaar and Cole came to his aid. The Merlopian prince helped him get out of the car and carried him to the surface, although Jay inhaled too much seawater.

He and the ninja then transported Jay to the roof of the Ninjago News Center, where they hid. During their hiding, Nya asked Benthomaar how Nyad had defeated Wojira, to which he replied that she had become one with the sea. Noticing that Nya was thinking about it, he told her not to think about such things, as it could not be undone.

He later fell asleep with the ninja and Wu. He woke up when Nya tried to merge with the sea and quickly realized what she was doing. When Wu asked him, he replied that she wanted to merge with the sea, and then everyone ran out of the building to stop her, but to no avail.

#### The Turn of the Tide

While Nya fought Wojira and Kalmaar, Benthomaar, along with the ninja and Wu, climbed to the roof of the Ninjago City Police Station where they started fighting the Maaray Guards. During the fight, he used his arrow to protect himself from Gripe.

When Kalmaar destroyed Nya's water body and defeated Jay, Benthomaar jumped on Wojira's forehead and attacked his brother to seek revenge. When Kalmaar told him that he was unable to face his king, Benthomaar told him that he was not his king or brother, and that he would pay for what he had done to their father. Kalmaar then grabbed his spear and broke it, knocking Benthomaar off Wojira's forehead. During the fall, however, the younger brother threw the arrow from his quiver at his brother and destroyed his trident, thus abolishing his rule over Wojira, who then devoured him. When Kalmaar was dead, Benthomaar looked sad and slightly regretted his brother's death. When Wojira was attacking the ninja, he tried to escape her, but when Nya returned, he watched the fight.

Later, when Nya finally defeated Wojira by destroying the Wave Amulet, everyone was happy, although Benthomaar realized that it was too late for her. As the ninja tried to save her at the roof of the police station, Benthomaar realized that the sea was calling her. When she left, he was saddened by her loss.

Few days after the Great Flood, Benthomaar attended Nya's memorial in the Monastery of Spinjitzu and honored her memory.

### *Back to Merlopia!*

After the memorial, Benthomaar returned to Merlopia and told the citizens of the kingdom the truth that his father had been murdered by Kalmaar. The Merlopians believed him and crowned him King of Merlopia.

Some time later, he heard the word of the Water Dragon and decided to leave Merlopia and went out on a search in the Endless Sea hoping to find his friend, Nya.

However, after several months of searching, he gave up hope and returned to rule Merlopia. When he was home, he sent a message to the ninja about it.

### Crystalized

#### Dragon Form

After learning from the fish sent by Nya that Ninjago City was in danger, Benthomaar immediately summoned an army, teamed up with the Keepers, and set out for the mainland. Once there, he rode into the city on Zippy's back and engaged in battle with the Crystal Warriors.

#### Roots

After the Overlord's defeat, Benthomaar stayed in Ninjago City and some time later he went to help the ninja rebuild the Monastery of Spinjitzu, where he talked to his friends Nya and Jay after a long time.

## Relationships

### Family

* Trimaar † - Adoptive Father
* Kalmaar - Adoptive Brother

### Allies

* Merlopians - Subordinates
	+ Glutinous - Former Enemy
	+ Maaray Guards - Former Enemies
* Ninja
	+ Nya - Close Friend
	+ Jay Walker
	+ Lloyd Garmadon
	+ Zane
	+ Kai
	+ Cole
* Maya
* P.I.X.A.L.
* Ray
* Wu
* Manta rays
* Keepers
	+ Mammatus
	+ PoulErik
* Zippy

### Enemies

* Eels
* Wojira - Attempted Killer
* Crystal army
	+ Crystal warriors †
	+ Dragonides †
* Overlord
* Council of the Crystal King
	+ Aspheera
	+ Vangelis
	+ Pythor
	+ Mechanic
	+ Mr. F

## Personality

Benthomaar is a kind and gentle being who thinks positively of people and tries to please them in the best way he could through his caring and considerate characteristics. However, it is characteristics such as this that leads to his vulnerability where he is easy to manipulate and taken advantaged of due to his friendly and benevolent nature. His kindness manifests itself especially in the fact that he constantly tried to please Kalmaar and gain his favor, as he did not understand that his older brother would never like him.

Kalmaar therefore took advantage of his naivete and manipulated him to help him find the Temple of Wojira. When he finally realized that Kalmaar had just cheated him and would never love him, Benthomaar tried to defy his manipulative side and no longer trusted him, even calling him Kalmaar instead of brother. He still told him that he hoped to find what he was looking for. However, this did not last long, and for a while he felt again that his brother might love him, started calling him brother again and even defended him when Trimaar thought he had sunk the surface-dwellers' ships. He only became fully aware of Kalmaar's hatred after learning that he had killed their father.

Benthomaar also has a sense of obedience, although he broke it several times. For example, he went with Kalmaar to the Tartarus Trench, although he was aware that it was a dangerous and, above all, forbidden place. However, his desire for his brother's love convinced him to break his father's ban. After he and Kalmaar discovered the Temple of Wojira, he did not tell this information to his father.

Even with all that however, Benthomaar has a strong sense of justice and is not afraid to stand up for others in the right of a situation. As soon as he learned that Kalmaar had killed his father, he immediately went to help the ninja and left his home kingdom to help them escape.

During the years that Benthomaar was only with his father and realized Kalmaar's hatred, he felt that Trimaar was the only being who could love him. Therefore, he could not immediately accept his death, realizing that the only one who ever loved him was gone. However, the ninja immediately misled him and offered to be his friends. Benthomaar was very happy about this and was sincerely pleased when they offered him the opportunity to stay in the monastery. During this stay, he developed a relationship with the ninja, and especially with Nya, and finally refused to tell her how Nyad had merged with the sea because he did not want her to suffer the same fate, but Nya eventually convinced him.

Benthomaar is shown to sympathize with those who have faced troubling times, such as when he felt bad when he's reminded of sunken ships in the graveyard of ships and siding with those that feel that they are inferior. He holds a great deal of concern for those he's with despite the terrible things they have done to him. Benthomaar also has a way with words and is not afraid to lie if it is for a good cause as displayed when convincing a group of Maaray Guards that Kalmaar sent for them in which they believed his statement.

After Kalmaar destroyed Nya's physical form and defeated Jay in a duel, Benthomaar insidiously attacked his brother from behind and tried to kill him, completely controlled by emotions from the loss of his father and Nya. He told Kalmaar that he would pay for what he had done to Trimaar, and renounced Kalmaar his king. Although Kalmaar defeated him and threw him from Wojira, Benthomaar managed to destroy Kalmaar's trident with his arrow and thus cause his death. As soon as Wojira swallowed Kalmaar, Benthomaar looked sad, realizing what he had done.

## Official description

### Prince Benthomaar

*Bentho is the nickname of this kind soul! Loved by his adoptive father **King Trimaar** and hated by his adoptive brother **Kalmaar,** he finds true friends in the ninja. He helps the heroes in the **final duel** in Ninjago City.*

## Appearances

### Sets

* 71755 Temple of the Endless Sea
* 892185 Benthomaar

### *Ninjago*

#### Season 14: Seabound

* 169. "The Wrath of Kalmaar"
* 170. "Long Live the King"
* 171. "Escape from Merlopia"
* 172. "The Tale of Benthomaar"
* 173. "The Storm Amulet"
* 174. "Riddle of the Sphinx"
* 176. "Master of the Sea"
* 177. "The Calm Before the Storm"
* 178. "Assault on Ninjago City"
* 179. "Nyad"
* 180. "The Turn of the Tide"

#### Season 15: Crystalized

* 181. "Farewell the Sea" (mentioned)
* 203. "Quittin' Time!" (mentioned)
* 204. "Return of the Ice Emperor" (holographic cloak)
* 209. "Dragon Form" (no lines)
* 210. "Roots" (no lines)

### Ninjago Magazine

* 83. *Ocean Escape!*
* 87. *Spinjitzu!* (flashback)

## Etymology

The name "Benthomaar" may be a play on the Greek word "benthos" and the latin word root "Mar"; meaning "the collection of organisms at the bottom of a body of water" and "ocean or pool" respectively. The name may also be a play on the benthic zone, the aquatic zone for the seafloor.

King Trimaar claims in the flashback in "The Tale of Benthomaar" that the name means "deep sea".

## Behind the scenes

* In the present day, Benthomaar reuses the recolored hair piece that was originally used on The Joker from *The LEGO Batman Movie*.
	+ As a baby, he reused Harry Potter's 2018 hair piece.
	+ As a child, he reused Kai's post-movie hair piece, that being a shortened version of Kai's movie hair piece.
		- He is the first *Ninjago* character besides Kai to use this hair piece.
* On April 30, 2021, Cole Howard, Benthomaar's voice actor, said that it was "incredibly grateful for the opportunity to play Benthomaar."
* Although the synopsis for "The Tale of Benthomaar" says that Benthomaar was a baby when Trimaar found him and his behavior in the episode suggests that, his appearance is not based on the LEGO baby model used for example by Baby Wu, but is a classic minifigure with short legs.
	+ However, the babies appeared in this way in "Never Trust a Snake," but then the reason was that the LEGO baby model was not yet available in 2012.

## Trivia

* He is often corrected by Kalmaar when he calls him "brother", with Kalmaar correcting him with "adopted brother".
* The most heroic thing he had ever seen was when Trimaar saved him from the eels at the bottom of the Endless Sea.
* As a child, the light blue part on Benthomaar's body was circular, but in the present day, it is shaped like a muscular body. This implies that he has become stronger over time.
* He is the third adopted character, the first two being Jay and Harumi.
	+ Out of these characters, he is the second to be royalty after Harumi.
	+ Unlike the first two, Benthomaar's real parents were never shown or even mentioned (although he mentioned them hypothetically in "The Tale of Benthomaar").
* He is the third prince to appear in *Ninjago*, the first being Nadakhan and the second being Kalmaar.
	+ However, his status as a prince was only directly stated in descriptions, such as 71755 Temple of the Endless Sea and the Ninjago Magazine. In the show, it can be inferred from the fact that he is King Trimaar's adoptive son, but is never directly stated.
	+ So far, he is the only non-villainous prince.
* He is the eleventh known king in *Ninjago*, the first ten being Pythor, Skales, Khanjikhan, Nadakhan (in an alternate timeline), Mambo V, Grimfax, Atta the Ratta, Vangelis, Trimaar and Kalmaar.
* He is similar to Loki from the *Marvel Cinematic Universe*.
	+ Both wielded golden polearms with a blue substance glowing at the end (Benthomaar's spear and Loki's scepter).
	+ They were adopted as a child by a king (Trimaar and Odin), came from a species other than their new family (unknown and the Frost Giants), had blue skin, were considered as outcasts in their respective kingdoms (Merlopia and Asgard), though they were princes, and had multiple conflicts with the biological son of his adoptive father (Kalmaar and Thor).
	+ However, in Loki and his adoptive brother Thor's case, Thor tried to understand Loki and befriend him, while Loki pushed him away. In Benthomaar and his adoptive brother Kalmaar's case, Benthomaar wanted to befriend Kalmaar and earn his affection, while Kalmaar kept his distance from him.
* He is also similar to Vania.
	+ They both served as the benevolent and youngest member of their families and aided the ninja.
	+ Both also learn that their evil relative (Kalmaar and Vangelis) have committed immoral actions (using Wojira to destroy Ninjago and enslaving the Munce and Geckles) and at the end, they finally stopped declaring them as their relatives and watched them taken away by their own allies (Wojira and Army of Shintaro). Then, both of them became the rulers of their kingdoms.
	+ They also tried to convince their own guards (Maaray Guards and the Army of Shintaro) to know the truth (Kalmaar was the one who killed Trimaar while Vangelis was lying to them).
		- However, unlike Vania, he didn't succeed in convincing them until after Seabound.
	+ In their debut seasons (Seabound and Master of the Mountain) they have also had more notable interactions with the focus ninja (Nya and Cole).

## References

1. ↑ "Farewell the Sea"
2. ↑ Jump up to:2.0 2.1 2.2 "The Tale of Benthomaar"
3. ↑ *Can Jay Save Nya?*
4. ↑ https://twitter.com/colemfhoward/status/1387832690599022592