Ninjago S14 E16

## Plot

We start the episode with a brief fight between Nya, Kalmaar, and Wojira. Meanwhile, Jay is in his damaged sub car, which starts filling with water. He can't contact the others or eject. Wu tells everyone that Nya isn't going to hold off Wojira for much longer. They need to regroup. Lloyd, Zane, and Kai run into a bunch of Merlopians. Kai says that ninja never quit, but Wu tells him that a wise ninja knows when to retreat, and now is that time. He tells Pixal to get to the NGTV building and turn on the autopilot. Nya tells Kalmaar that this isn't over and she'll be back. He orders Wojira to go after her. Bentho and Cole come across Jay. Kalmaar sees the Bounty, but no one is there, and the autopilot was turned on. Everyone gets to the NGTV building. Cole tells Nya that Jay is hurt. He swallowed a bunch of water. Zane says that he has a significant amount of seawater in his lungs. Unless it's removed, his condition will worsen. Kai says that maybe Nya can draw out the water, but Wu says that she's already tried, and it didn't respond to her. They can't move him to a hospital with Wojira out there. I wish they had actually *shown* us Nya trying and failing to remove the water instead of just telling us that she already tried offscreen. Cole suggests getting help from Vania or someone else, but Zane says their communicators don't have that range. Also, Cole, just like with Lloyd at the end of season 13, Vania is a queen now, not a princess. Please use her proper title. Then again, even the credits themselves still call her a princess. Nya asks Bentho how Nyad became one with the sea. She opened herself up to the full power of the ocean and merged with it. Bentho tells her that she can't do that. Nyad did defeat Wojira, but she lost herself and vanished. Gripe tells Kalmaar that they still haven't found the ninja, but they did find someone who claims to know them. However, he's refusing to talk. It's the commissioner. Kalmaar decides to speak with him. As the ninja, Wu, Pixal, and Bentho are sleeping the next day, Nya tells Jay that she wishes they had more time. They never seem to get a break. She kisses him on the cheek, and his vision is blurry as he watches her leave the room. She goes to the roof of the building. She sheds a tear, and although we don't hear what she's saying, it's clearly "I love you." She jumps into the water and starts doing spinjitzu. As she merges with it, she draws the water out of Jay's lungs. The others realize what she's doing and try to stop her, but they're too late. She and Jay put their hands to each other through the glass, before she rushes off to face Kalmaar and Wojira again. Jay tells the others that he's going to help her. It doesn't matter if he can barely stand. He's going. Wu says they'll all go. Kalmaar questions the commissioner, but he doesn't know where the ninja are, and even if he did, he'd never tell him. Kalmaar, Wojira, Gripe, and the other Merlopians see Nya. She tells Kalmaar that her name isn't girl. It's Nya. And he's going to wish he had never crossed her. I feel like this would have been more impactful if Kalmaar had refused to call her, or anyone by their name, except Wojira, because that would mean acknowledging them as an equal. Except he already called Nya by her name earlier in the episode, so I feel like that makes it lose a lot of weight. Nya is far more powerful in this new form. Kalmaar's blasts just go through her. The others get to the top of a nearby building and see her. She turns around when Jay calls her name. She still remembers him. She disappears when Kalmaar blasts her though. Wojira fires a blast that sends Jay and Wu back. Jay loses his kusarigama, but he just picks up Wu's staff and attacks Kalmaar head on. He tells him that his emotions blind him. The others fight Gripe and the other Merlopians in a glorious tracking shot. Seriously, cinematography and fight choreography animation people, when do you get your raises? They use spinjitzu, martial arts, and weapons. The only thing missing was elemental powers from the ninja. Jay avoids Kalmaar's blast and jumps back onto the building when Bentho attacks his former brother. He won't allow him to hurt his friends. Kalmaar isn't his brother, and he'll never be his king. He'll pay for what he did to their father. That was an amazing line delivery from Cole Howard, Benthomaar's voice actor. I hope we get to see him again after this season. He was a great addition to the cast. Kalmaar breaks Bentho's spear and orders him to bow down to his new king. He pushes him off Wojira. Bentho once again yells that he's not his king, and throws a weapon at him as he's falling, which breaks his trident. This makes Wojira return to normal, and she swallows Kalmaar whole. Oh yeah, just like Pythor. Unlike him though, there is no way that Kalmaar survived, given what happens next. The Merlopians run away from Wojira. Before she can blast our heroes, Nya returns and blasts her with water. She takes on the same shape, but as water. When Wojira "destroys" that form, she simply makes it rain and creates a new one. She's able to destroy the Wave Amulet, and this is enough to destroy Wojira as well. I kind of wish that at some point after he recovered, either before or after Kalmaar's death, that Jay used Wojira's own purple lightning. That would've been so cool! When Jay tries to hug Nya, he goes through her. Kai says that's going to take some getting used to, but they'll figure out a way to change her back to normal. Jay asks her if she's okay. She asks him if he can hear the sea like she can. It's so loud and powerful. It's calling to her. She sort of "glitches out" for a second. She apologizes. Maintaining this shape is difficult. Jay tells her that's what she is, but she says that's what she was. She has to go now. She'll remember them. Kai says she's not going anywhere. Jay tells her that something is wrong with her. She has to turn back. She ignores him and passes through him. She stops when he asks her not to leave him. She holds his hands again and caresses his face. Wu asks her to fight whatever she's hearing and remember who she is. She is Nya. She is the sea. They are one. But you're Jay's Yang! You two are supposed to be one! You belong together! Jay tells her that he loves her. My heart! She asks him to tell her mother that she understands now. Sometimes there are no good choices. She jumps into the ocean and lowers the sea level. Before she leaves, she tells them that they're all her friends. They return to the monastery and prepare a memorial service for her. Maya sees Jay looking at a picture of them. It's actually a shot of the two of them from the season 9 finale. He and Maya didn't even get to say goodbye to her. He tells her what she said. It's just something between them. Kai and Cole join them. Jay wonders if Skylor and Dareth will come, and Cole says he thinks so, which is the character's last line with Kirby Morrow as his voice actor. We miss you Kirby! Jay hopes that everyone knows what Nya did for them. There's a line of people outside, leading all the way down the steps. Not only are Skylor and Dareth there, but so are Bentho, Misako, Ed, Edna, Skales, Acidicus, Unagami, Milton Dyer, Queen Vania, Captain Hailmar, the Upply, Queen Murtessa, Murt, Chancellor Gulch, Racer Seven, Okino, the Explorers' Club members, Clutch Powers, Dwayne, the commissioner, Twitchy Tim, Antonia, Nelson, Gayle Gossip, Ronin, etc. The ninja and Pixal pour water into a vase as Wu gives a eulogy. They're here today to honor the memory of Nya: Inventor, Samurai X, ninja, master of water, and their dearest friend. Her courage and strength have saved them time and time again. And although they were unable to save her, they will always remember her, wherever she is now. She is in their hearts. Cole puts his hand on Jay's shoulder. We see that Nya is at least happy in the sea. The episode ends with a dedication to Kirby Morrow. Love you Kirby, always. Nya's sacrifice was sad, and while I was teary eyed, it wasn't as sad to me as Zane's death, although I can definitely see the parallels to the two memorials/eulogies. Maybe it's just because I was only a young teenager when Zane died, but now I'm a young adult who has experienced actual grief and the death of a loved one firsthand. This time both the audience *and* the characters know that the person they're holding a memorial for is still alive, in a way. If anything, this just gives me more questions going forward. Is this it for Nya? Is her new state truly permanent? They were originally going to have Cole stay a ghost, but that clearly changed. And don't even get me started on the original ending for season 7. Or that they were originally going to end the show after season 3, then 7, and have that lead into the movie, but clearly neither happened. So, is Bentho going to become king of Merlopia now, like how Vania became queen of Shintaro? Season 15 quickly answered that question, along with many others.