Ninjago S12 E6

## Plot

Yet another episode that doesn't feature the ninja at all until the very end. I see they still need to iron out some of the problems from season 11. Anyway, we're introduced to a samurai named Okino. He's an NPC whose only goal in life is to guide a player through the three deadly challenges of Terra Karana to reach the purple Key-tana, an item needed to win the game. There's the Forest of Discontent, the Cliffs of Hysteria, and the Maze of the Red Dragon. However, his first master doesn't listen to him and quickly loses all four of his lives, which results in him getting turned into an energy cube, which is collected by a drone. How did that idiot even manage to reach level 13 of the game in the real world to be allowed to enter in the first place? The same thing happens to the next player he tries to help. And the next. And the next. And the next. And the next. And on and on it goes, until the ground is full of swords from his fallen masters. He keeps blaming himself when it's actually the fault of the players for never listening to his advice. Although he could be a bit more forceful in my opinion. Then again, I don't play many games. He loses hope that he will ever fulfill his purpose. He meets another player who already has a samurai guide, who is far more successful in protecting his master. He tells Okino that the secret to his success is his positive mental attitude. Now Okino thinks that his own disillusionment has been the reason for his failures. He trains harder than ever before. He finally gets a good player, and they make it all the way to the maze… before they're cubed by the dragon. Okino decides to give up… and then the ninja enter, with everyone minus Jay having new ninja outfits. It's revealed that they need the Key-tanas to unlock the final arcade cabinet and get into Unagami's temple. Okino introduces himself and decides to give being a guide one last shot. Despite seeing that he failed all of his many previous masters, the ninja trust him. They make it through the first obstacle, but Cole loses a life. Nya sinks in quicksand and loses a life. Suddenly, they're attacked by humanoid rats. When they question one, he reveals that Unagami cheated and ordered them to ambush the ninja to make sure they didn't win the game. Okino doesn't know what they're talking about. The ninja tell him the truth about this world, but he doesn't believe them. He's not programmed to understand any of this stuff. He's part of the game. They cut the rat down when he tells them that he knows a glitch that can get them through the forest. Lloyd tells Okino that he doesn't have to follow them through. They can go it alone from here. However, it's a trap, and they're ambushed by Red Visors. Cole, Lloyd, and Jay all lose two lives, and Nya loses one. Okino shows up and holds them off while the ninja follow the rats. The glitch is going to be patched though, and Lloyd convinces Okino to come with them. When they enter the game again, they're out of the forest. Okino realizes that they were telling the truth earlier about everything, including him, being part of a game. Lloyd points out that if he was just a pawn, he wouldn't have helped them. He made the choice to save them, not Unagami. They wouldn't have made it without him. Lloyd tells him to trust in himself and in his friends. They're going to need all the help they can get, because Kai and Cole only have one life left, and Jay, Nya, and Lloyd only have two.