Season 7: The Hands of Time

*For other uses, see The Hands of Time (disambiguation).*

*“Don't you get it? Things are already changing. For the worse. Besides, Master Wu also says "Never put off until tomorrow what can be done today." And if we don't help today, there won't be a tomorrow.”*

## *Season 7: The Hands of Time*

### Season

7

— Kai to Nya, "Lost in Time"

The **seventh season** of *Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu*, subtitled **The Hands of Time** (usually shortened to **Hands of Time**) was preceded by Season 6 and "Day of the Departed" and succeeded by Season 8. Kai and Nya were the focus ninja and mascot characters, Acronix and Krux served as the main antagonists, and the Vermillion were the villainous faction of the season.

## Official description

*Shortly after the Day of the Departed, Master Wu awaits his old enemy Acronix to complete a battle they began 40 years ago. But Wu never should have faced such a powerful foe alone. Acronix hits Wu with the Time Punch, which causes him to start rapidly aging! Acronix escapes and reunites with his twin brother Krux, who has been living the past 40 years in disguise as the lovable Dr. Sander Saunders. During this time, Krux has been breeding a new slithering enemy: the Vermillion Warriors.*

## Cast

* Acronix - Ian Hanlin
* Blunck - Brian Drummond
* Bytar - Kirby Morrow
* Cole - Kirby Morrow
* Cyrus Borg - Lee Tockar
* Dareth - Alan Marriott
* Dr. Saunders/Krux - Michael Daingerfield
* Ed Walker - Colin Murdock
* Edna Walker - Jillian Michaels
* Garmadon - Mark Oliver
* Gayle Gossip - Kelly Sheridan
* Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
* Jay's mother - Kelly Metzger
* Kai - Vincent Tong
* Karlof - Scott McNeil
* Lloyd Garmadon - Jillian Michaels
* Lou - Kirby Morrow
* Misako - Kathleen Barr
* Machia - Kathleen Barr
* Maya - Jillian Michaels
* Morro - Andrew Francis
* Nya - Kelly Metzger
* P.I.X.A.L./Samurai X - Jennifer Hayward, Michael Donovan
* Raggmunk - Michael Adamthwaite
* Ray - Vincent Tong
* Ronin - Brian Dobson
* Skales - Ian James Corlett
* Skales Jr. - Alyssya Swales
* Skalidor - Michael Dobson
* Skylor - Heather Doerksen
* Wu - Paul Dobson
* Zane - Brent Miller

## Sets

Kai and Nya were the mascot ninjas, and the promotional art was appropriately focused on the Vermillion Swamps. The collectible items were the Time Blades. The sets mostly consisted of locations and Vermillion vehicles.

* 70621 The Vermillion Attack
* 70622 Desert Lightning
* 70623 Destiny's Shadow
* 70624 Vermillion Invader
* 70625 Samurai VXL
* 70626 Dawn of Iron Doom
* 70627 Dragon's Forge

## Songs

* Rise of the Vermillion
* The Temporal Whip
* The Time is Now

## Trivia

* This template can be removed once the section has been organized.

* This season was foreshadowed at the end of *Dark Island Trilogy, Part 3* when Master Wu has a vision of Kai and Nya's parents forging something alongside the "twins lost to time".
* This season has a larger focus on the previous generation of Elemental Masters.
* The fate of Kai and Nya's parents, Ray and Maya, was revealed, after being alluded to since the pilot episodes.
* Jay's birth mother is seen throughout the season and is confirmed to have been his birth mother, having married Cliff Gordon and possessing the elemental power of Lightning.
	+ It was hinted in "Lost in Time" that she was about to go on a honeymoon with the actor when the future Time Twins along with the Vermillion confronted the Elemental Alliance.

* This season picks up almost immediately after "Day of the Departed."
* This season introduces the elemental power of Time.
* This is the first season not to be written by the Hageman Brothers, as they were writing *Trollhunters* at the time.*[citation needed]*
	+ The brothers joked that they originally tried writing the season but had trouble writing time travel so they went back in time and put David Shayne in charge.

* According to Tommy Andreasen, there were never any plans to include the battle from the opening sequence in the season itself.
* The characters of Raggmunk and Blunck resemble Kruncha and Nuckal from the earlier seasons.
* This is the first season to feature Lloyd's soundtrack—Revealing The Green Ninja—since Rebooted.
* Cyrus Borg had a much larger role this season, after a brief cameo in Skybound and a complete absence from "Day of the Departed."
* It is hinted at in "Pause and Effect" that Wu may still be carrying romantic feelings towards Misako.
* The Royal Blacksmiths' song, "Revenge Will Be Mine," is used again in the season, after being introduced in "Day of the Departed."
* Ronin had a much smaller role in the season compared to his role in Possession, Skybound and "Day of the Departed." This was due to him breaking his leg in "Scavengers."
* Skales made his return this season, after being absent since "The Corridor of Elders."
* In "Scavengers" Zane mentions that the treadmill was invented in 1818. Despite this, it has been confirmed that the A.D. calendar does not exist in Ninjago, so it was not meant to be taken seriously.
* It is implied that Jay and Lloyd's birthdays both take place a little after this season, since both of them received an early birthday present.
* Many fans have noticed a change in this season's animation style, where the texture of the characters seems to be shinier and less refined.
	+ It is unknown if this was due to budget or the animation team using a new, unfamiliar software.

* According to Tommy Andreasen, production issues during the season's development caused the vendor to be dismissed and replaced with another, resulting in Sons of Garmadon's "leap in quality" in terms of animation.
* The original end of The Hands of Time was that we would see the ninja 40 years in the future along with their children, in addition to the return of Acronix and Krux.
	+ The original ending was written to be a finale of *Ninjago*. It would end with Acronix and Krux locked up in Kryptarium Prison 2.0, forty years in the future, while Lloyd and Kai reminisced about the adventures they had in the past decades.

* According to Tommy Andreasen, there were shorts during the season; however, "they were never released in their original form."
* The clock tower at the opening and closing credits reuses the design of Darkley's Boarding School, using the coloring seen in its concept art. The clock tower never appears in the season or show itself, but it is not Darkley's.
* This season marks the first appearance of Samurai X since "The Temple on Haunted Hill."
	+ This season marks the second time a major character's identity (Samurai X) remains unrevealed for several episodes. The first instance of this is the identity of the Green Ninja in Rise of the Snakes.

* This is the first season since Rebooted not to introduce a new realm. As stated by Tommy Andreasen, this season "deals more with sins of the past, family and elements."
	+ Andreasen also described the season as "pasts robbed and futures lost."
	+ Andreasen described the season as "the most delicate and intricately woven story we [h]ave ever done" and said "You will know SO much more by the end of it."

* The final two episodes share similarities with the final two pilot episodes:
	+ Kai, by the threat of harm befalling a loved one (Nya, Wu), is forced to travel to a fire-oriented location (Fire Temple, Hono Mizu) to retrieve the final weapon in a set of four (Golden Weapons, Time Blades) that, when combined, will grant a villains (Samukai and Garmadon; Time Twins) extreme power. However, in Season 7, it is both Kai and Nya who are forced to retrieve the weapon.
	+ Master Wu sacrifices himself (traveling to the Underworld through the realm passageway in the Fire Temple; letting himself be lost in the temporal vortex in the Iron Doom) in order keep the fourth weapon separate from the others to prevent the villains from achieving full power.

* The finale also shares similarities with the Season 2 finale, "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master", as the Iron Doom standing atop the Mountains of Impossible Height at the Monastery of Spinjitzu brings to mind the Overlord Dragon perched atop the Garmatron tower in Ninjago City. This is especially prominent in the scene where the Iron Doom grows stronger by absorbing the Vermillion, and even music from the Season 2 finale is played.
	+ Originally, Season 8 was set to be more of a continuation of the story from this season, but the existence of *The LEGO Ninjago Movie* forced the writers to add Garmadon back into the series, changing the plan of the season.

* This is the last season to feature the "Aldo the Apache" font in the title cards, which was replaced with the "Kunoichi" font in the following season.
* According to Tommy Andreasen, Vincent Tong said in regards to this season, "Man, I've never seen Kai so angry." This likely refers to "Pause and Effect," in which Kai attacks Ray in the Dragon's Forge, thinking he is a traitor.
* A few characters have minor design changes this season: Zane's skin is less reflective, Nya's eyebrows are slightly different, and the light gray streak in Misako's hair is absent.

## Focus characters

### Protagonists

* This is the first season to have two ninja as the focus, on the boxes, and in the opening "Previously on Ninjago" shot.
* Kai and Nya were the focus ninja and mascots of this season, though it was slightly more focused on Kai than Nya. Details about Kai and Nya's parents are essential to the main story of it. Despite Kai and Nya being the main characters, they didn't have an equal amount of focus.
* Kai was focused on in Episode 67, where he fought the newly revealed Krux and learned details of his parents.
* Kai and Nya were focused on in Episodes 71, 72, 73 and 74.
	+ In Episode 71, Kai discovered secrets of his parents through the mark on the Vermillion symbol, while Nya fought the new Samurai X.
	+ In Episode 72, they met their long lost parents, Ray and Mya, where Kai fought his father after thinking he was a traitor. They all were later captured by Acronix and Krux.
	+ In Episode 73, Kai and Nya traveled to the Boiling Sea where they unlocked the Fusion Dragon and were forced to retrieve the final Time Blade.
	+ In Episode 74, they followed the Time Twins back in time and later fought them along with the younger Elemental Masters. Kai and Nya luckily escaped, with Wu being kept back.

* This is the second season to focus on Kai (not counting the pilot episodes).
* Master Wu had a major role in the season, with many individual moments. His appearance is very frequent, just behind Kai and Nya, as he was also involved in the final battle of the season.
	+ Wu was focused on in Episode 65, where he battles and ultimately loses to Acronix after being hit by the Time Punch.
	+ In Episode 66, Wu tells the Ninja of his history between the Time Twins.
	+ In Episode 70, Wu is captured by the Time Twins.
	+ In Episode 73, Wu's survival is pivotal to Kai and Nya's journey to find the Reversal Time Blade.
	+ In Episode 74, Wu sacrifices himself to continue battling the Time Twins as Kai and Nya return to the present.

* Lloyd and Jay had greater roles this season than Cole and Zane.
	+ Lloyd was focused on in Episode 68 where he struggled with his leadership skills.
	+ Lloyd takes on the role as Master, after being alluded to in "Curseworld, Part II" and "Infamous".
	+ Following Jay's main role from Skybound, he was focused on in episode 69, about how he rescued his parents, Ed and Edna.

* Cole's struggles with his newfound powers and restored human form was shown in the earlier episodes of this season but his role was minor in the later episodes.
* Zane had a minor role in this season but his own struggles with P.I.X.A.L. being missing after he recovered from Krux's attack were shown in the later episodes.
* P.I.X.A.L. had a few appearances in episodes 65-67. Starting from episode 68, she was lost. Her fate was revealed in Season 8.
* Skylor had a brief appearance in episode 71.
* Misako had returned in some capacity in this season in episodes 65-68 and 70-72.
* Garmadon returned in time travel, flashbacks, and a hallucination, whereas Morro also returned in the latter, in the season.

### Antagonists

* Acronix and Krux served as the main antagonists of the season.
	+ This is the second season to officially have two main antagonists, with the first one being Legacy of the Green Ninja, which featured Lord Garmadon as the main antagonist of the first half and the Overlord as the main antagonist of the second half.

* General/Supreme Commander Machia served as the secondary antagonist of the season.
* Other important antagonists include Commanders Raggmunk and Blunck.
* The Vermilion were the villainous faction of the season.

## Videos

Hands of Time - LEGO NINJAGO - Season 7 Trailer: https://youtu.be/j8jDKn-RrFsHands of Time - LEGO Ninjago - Season 7 Teaser Trailer: https://youtu.be/fS0HM4cSkgMVermillion Warriors Unite - LEGO Ninjago - Season 7 Teaser: https://youtu.be/unFjsK79xD4Ninjago Top 5 Epic Fights Cartoon Network: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FxBe3PRXPl0Ninjago New Villains Cartoon Network: no linkLEGO Ninjago season 7 episodes 6 to 10: https://youtu.be/iYHE9CyV7is
## Gallery

### Promotional media

In the March of the Oni introOn LEGO.comBackground art on LEGO.comDVD coverTommy Andreasen's original draft endingAn unknown cancelled set from the wave.From Journey to Mastery

## Translations

 Hungarian
 Italian
 Korean
 Polish
 Spanish

## References

1. ↑ *Visual Dictionary New Edition*
2. ↑ Trailer 1 (video title), Trailer 2 (video title)
3. ↑ Tommy Andreasen on Twitter
4. ↑ The Fold on SoundCloud
5. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20210617035944/https://www.lego.com/en-us/campaigns/kids/ninjago/season-9
6. ↑ https://twitter.com/brothershageman/status/864280205287858176
7. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1371507076367839240
8. ↑ The Attack#Continuity
9. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/858735173361430529
10. ↑ https://youtu.be/LCUzfH9eHPk?t=5170 (live-chat)
11. ↑ https://youtu.be/iqK6VLLqqSk?t=4171
12. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1140687457521983491
13. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1158409151246213121
14. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1297565806679728128
15. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1351981846490447873
16. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/764391464327667712
17. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/805841337983574016
18. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/767363231283281920
19. ↑ https://youtu.be/oPuPNMlIAWI?t=3614 (live-chat)
20. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/769539962844897280
21. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/769641011740020736
22. ↑ https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/798926166836948992