Season 8: The Overlord Sons

A new adventure awaits!

The **eighth season** of *LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: Masters of Friendship*, subtitled **The Overlord Sons** and alternatively **Sons of the Overlord**, was preceded by LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: The Movie and succeeded by Hunted. Lloyd and Twilight Sparkle were the focus Ninja and pony and the intro characters, Harumi served as the main antagonist, and the Sons of the Overlord were the villainous faction of the season. The Overlord was the mascot character of the season.

This season is based on LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu Season 8, subtitled *Sons of Garmadon*, and the first half of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic season eight.

## Plot

A year after the loss of Master Wu, the Ninja, led by the newly dubbed Master Lloyd, open two schools that can teach the students beyond Equestria and the Sixteen Realms, with the help of Twilight and her friends, but they must abide the rules from the Equestria Educational Association (E.E.A), lead by Chancellor Neighsay. Aside from opening the School of Friendship and the School of Spinjitzu, they must protect the Royal Family and prevent a group known as the Sons of the Overlord from successfully reviving the Overlord at the Temple of Resurrection using the Oni Masks.

## Designs

All the Ninjas' designs have been changed so the transition for new fans that came from *LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: The Movie* would be easier. Now all the Ninja look similar to their movie counterparts.

* Kai has a shorter version of his movie hairpiece and his movie self's thinner eyebrows. Tommy Andreasen said specifically that he didn't like Kai's movie counterpart's hair, so he shortened it. It is also now reddish-brown.
* Jay has freckles and lost the notch on his eyebrow. The Hageman Brothers said that he always had freckles, but they never knew they were there. He has his movie self's dark-brown hairpiece, but his freckles are lighter and less apparent.
* Cole's scar has now faded and is no longer visible, but it can be seen when he uses his RX powers. He has longer hair and his eyes now have a more relaxed look to them, as his movie counterpart does. He has his movie self's eyebrows. His RX powers are now yellow-ish orange.
* Zane has a new holographic projector that allows him to "transform" into anyone and change from titanium form to human form, without having actual flesh. He now has his hairpiece from the movie, and the same blue eyes in human form. Of the ninja, he looks the most like his pre-Season 8 self, with the same eyebrows and mouth, and his Titanium form having the same face, albeit with a scratch on the upper left side. His face also no longer turns blue when his hood is up.
* Lloyd looks nearly identical to his movie counterpart, with longer hair and green eyes that glow when he uses Spinjitzu. However, while in the movie Lloyd has a mostly black suit with green accents, the opposite is true for the show.
* Nya's hair is wilder and she has a mole on her cheek. According to Tommy Andreasen, Jay refers to it as "a mark of eternal beauty." She has her movie hair and mouth, and looks nearly identical to her movie counterpart, similar to Lloyd.
* All of the Ninja (except for Nya and Jay) now have their weapons from *LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: The Movie*.

## Cast

* Applejack - Ashleigh Ball
* Chopper Maroon - Sam Vincent
* Cole - Kirby Morrow
* Dareth - Alan Marriott
* Dr. Julien - Mark Oliver
* Emperor of Ninjago - Richard Newman
* Empress of Ninjago - Ellen Kennedy
* Fluttershy - Andrea Libman
* Gallus - Gavin Langelo
* Gayle Gossip - Kelly Sheridan
* Harumi - Britt McKillip
* Hutchins - Alan Marriott
* Jay - Michael Adamthwaite
* Kai - Vincent Tong
* Killow - Garry Chalk
* Lloyd Garmadon - Sam Vincent
* Luke Cunningham - Michael Adamthwaite
* Mean Applejack - Ashleigh Ball
* Mean Fluttershy - Andrea Libman
* Mean Pinkie Pie - Andrea Libman
* Mean Rainbow Dash - Ashleigh Ball
* Mean Rarity - Tabitha St. Germain
* Mean Twilight Sparkle - Tara Strong
* Misako - Kathleen Barr
* Mistaké - Tabitha St. Germain
* Mr. E - Brent Miller
* Nya - Kelly Metzger
* Ocellus - Devyn Dalton
* P.I.X.A.L./Samurai X - Jennifer Hayward, Michael Donovan
* Pinkie Pie - Andrea Libman
* Police Commissioner - Michael Donovan
* Princess Cadance - Britt McKillip
* Princess Celestia - Nicole Oliver
* Princess Luna - Tabitha St. Germain
* Rainbow Dash - Ashleigh Ball
* Rarity - Tabitha St. Germain
* Sandbar - Vincent Tong
* Silverstream - Lauren Jackson
* Smolder - Shannon Chan-Kent
* Starlight Glimmer - Kelly Sheridan
* The Overlord - Scott McNeil
* Twilight Sparkle - Tara Strong
* Ultra Violet - Maggie Blue O'Hara
* Wu/Baby - Paul Dobson, Kelly Metzger, Caleb Skeris
* Yona - Katrina Salisbury
* Zane - Brent Miller

## Episodes

1. The Mask of Deception - Part I

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**: The School of Friendship

2. The Mask of Deception - Part II

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**: Friendship Always Wins

3. The Jade Princess

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

4. The Oni and the Dragon

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**: Glow Worm

5. Snake Jaguar

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

6. Surf and/or Turf

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

7. Dead Man's Squall

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

8. The Quiet One

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

9. Game of Masks

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

10. The Break Up, Break Down

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

11. Dread on Arrival

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

12. True Potential

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

13. Big Trouble, Little Ninjago and Equestria

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* **Focus Characters**:
* **Song**:

## Trivia

* The collectible items featured in this season are the Oni Masks.
* This is the first season with the Overlord since Rebooted.
* Echo Zane was originally confirmed to return for this season, but never made an appearance. As confirmed by the Hageman brothers in August 2018, there were originally plans for Echo Zane to be revealed as the true identity of Mr. E, as Harumi would've found him at the Lighthouse Prison and upgraded him. The concept was scrapped and isn't canon, as the Hageman Brothers felt there wasn't time for it.
* Season 9 and Season 10 were developed as companions to Season 8. All of them together form a 51 episode arc.
* Despite Lloyd having a new voice actor, and the Ninja all gaining new suits based on their movie counterparts, all the other Ninja retain their previous voice actors. The Ninja were redesigned to be closer to their movie counterparts in order to make the link between the show and the movie easier for new fans. The eighth season remains canonical to the previous seasons, despite the design changes to all of the Ninja. In Episode 115, Cole and Jay have a short argument where they mention their new looks may be a result of Wu’s trip through time.
* Dan and Kevin Hageman returned to write this season. Previously, they handed over the writing duties to David Shayne for "Day of the Departed" and The Pillars of Time, as the brothers were occupied with writing their Netflix original series, *TrollHunters*.
* Lloyd has a new voice actor, this being Sam Vincent, making this the first season not to feature Jillian Michaels in the role, and the first time one of the Ninja is given a different voice actor in the series.
* In May 2017, Andreasen hosted a contest where *Ninjago & My Little Pony* fans submitted their artwork that would be displayed by a child around the age 9-10 that was a huge fan of *Ninjago & My Little Pony*. The character was revealed to be the young Harumi, before she lost her birth parents.
* Various things were revealed in this season, such as the First Spinjitzu Master's origins, the identity of the new Samurai X, the fate of P.I.X.A.L., and how Zane inherited his Ice element.
* For April Fools day, Tommy Andreasen posted a status on Twitter with three events from Season 8, two of which are real and one of which is fake. The three events stated that Cole would do a lot of singing, that there would be old recurring enemies, and that a new Ninja would join the team. The two confirmed events are that there would be old recurring enemies, as the Overlord was resurrected in this season, and that Cole would sing, as he is seen singing in the fourth, fifth, seventh, ninth, and twelfth episodes and in a teaser trailer. He also performs "the Weekend Whip" with most of the team in the twelfth episode. However, the one about the new Ninja was partly true as P.I.X.A.L. rejoins the team as "Samurai X."
* Tommy Andreasen addressed Season 8 as "Next Level Ninjago," implying the major changes in the series' tone.
* The title of the season and a clip were revealed at San Diego Comic-Con.
* According to Tommy Andreasen, the first episode was made to be ready for release by January 1, 2018.
* A 90-second trailer was released on January 5, 2018.
* The art direction of Sons of the Overlord was based on the 1988 Japanese film, *Akira*.
* Three teasers were released on January 16, 2018: Power of the Oni Masks, about the Oni Masks, Mysterious Biker Gang, about the Sons of the Overlord, and A Royal Encounter, about the relationship between Lloyd and Harumi.
* Ninjago City is now looking more like the city in *LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: The Movie*.
* This is the first season where "The Weekend Whip" is not the theme of the intro, neither are the characters names shown as they appear on screen. However, the "*Jump up, kick back, whip around and....*" portion of the Weekend Whip's melody can be briefly heard in the very beginning. The Ninja sing it in "True Potential."
* This is also the first season to not have Ian James Corlett and Andrew Francis as part of the voice cast.
* This is the second season to air entirely in Australia/New Zealand before the United States, with the first being Rebooted.
* Despite the six Ninja receiving new designs from *LEGO Ninjago & My Little Pony: The Movie*, Misako remains the same design from the previous seasons, although her streak of white hair appears more prominent, after being absent in Hands of Time.
* Cyrus Borg, Ed, Edna, Skylor, Ray, Maya, and Ronin made cameo appearances in photos in the backgrounds of certain episodes aboard the *Destiny's Bounty*.
* All episodes of *The Overlord Sons* were released on the Cartoon Network US app, website, and On Demand on March 30, 2018. The first season to be put online before airing on television was The Princess of Friendship.
* This is the first season to not have Master Wu announce the episode title at the beginning.
* This is the fourth season where the Great Devourer triggered a season's main events. In Season 1, the Serpentine sought to awaken the Devourer, in Season 2 the Stone Army was awakened due to the Devourer's toxic venom seeping under ground, in Season 7, the Devourer's Vermillion eggs were used by Krux and Acronix to maneuver the Iron Doom. In Season 8, Harumi seeks to revive the Overlord ????.
* This was the fourth season where the final battle took place in Ninjago City, following seasons one, two and three.
	+ The final battle of season six took place in New Djinjago, which hovered over Ninjago City - although the battle didn't take place in the city itself.
* This is the second season to have no Serpentine since their debut in Season 1, the first being Marks of Possession.
* Season 8 marks the only season to have the Ninja and their friends separated in the end and end with the villainous faction as the victor.
* Master Wu in his elderly form is seen in the official trailer for the season. He also appears during Cole's flashback in "The Jade Princess" and Zane's in "Snake Jaguar".
* This is the only season to not feature Master Wu in his current form in the present. He would finally return to normal at the end of Season 9: Hunted.
* This is the final season to only have one main antagonist, following Snakes and Galloping Galas and Rebooted.
* This is also the final season in the franchise where the respective seasons of two shows are the same.

### Focus Characters

* Lloyd is the focus Ninja for this season because of the relationship that he has with Harumi.
	+ This is the second season that focuses on Lloyd.
	+ Lloyd had five focus episodes, those being episodes 115, 116, 117, 123 and 126.
* Even though Lloyd was the main character, Cole and Zane played a vital role in this season.
	+ Zane had a vital role this season. Certain episodes focused on how Zane inherited the Ice Element, his rivalry with Mr. E, and his relationship with P.I.X.A.L.
		- He also had his own focus episodes, which were episodes 119 and 121.
	+ As previously stated by Tommy Andreasen, Cole would also have a great role this season. He overcame his fear of singing and became the caretaker of Toddler Wu. His determination to find him and some more of his past being revealed are significant parts to this season as well.
		- Cole had sang in episodes 118, 119, 121, 123, and 126.
		- Cole had his own focus episode, which was episode 118.
* Kai, Jay, and Nya had a relatively minor role this season.
* Kai had a heavier role in the first half of episode 125, but he was not the focus character, and his role was minor.
* Jay had a lot of dialogues, similar to previous seasons, because of his personality. However, his role was minor.
* Nya had a heavier roles in numerous battles in the season (like the season finale), but she was not the focus character, and her role was minor.
* Wu returned, in the form of a baby, and became a sort of "McGuffin" for the Sons of the Overlord, and appeared in episodes 117 and 119-127.
	+ The fate of Master Wu was revealed in episode 122.
* P.I.X.A.L. had a larger role this season. She had appearances in episodes 115-122 and 125-127.
* The identity of Samurai X is revealed in episode 121.
* Misako had some capacity in the show, with some appearances in episodes 125-127.
* Skylor and Ronin made cameo appearances on photos.
	+ As such, this is the first season since their introductions where they don't physically appear.
* Season 8 is the first season to have three characters announce the title cards at the beginning of the episode.
* Season 8 marks the only season to end with the Ninja being separated within different realms and with a Ninja losing his Elemental Power.

### Antagonists

* Harumi serves as the main antagonist of this season, by being the hidden leader of the Sons of the Overlord.
* The Overlord serves as the mascot character of this season, with his resurrection by the Sons of the Overlord being the group's goal in the season. He was successfully revived in episode 125, and would appear in episodes 126-127 as the main antagonist.
* Mr. E, Ultra Violet, and Killow served as the secondary antagonists of this season.
* Other important antagonists were Chancellor Neighsay and the Colossus.
* The Sons of the Overlord serve as the villainous faction of this season.