The Forgotten Element

*“Every Elemental Power, all in my control! Do you feel the power? I do! All of you who bear the mark of the Anacondrai, it is time. We will shed our skins for new ones, and be the most powerful force in all of Ninjago!”*

— Chen to the Anacondrai Cultists

**The Forgotten Element** is the seventh episode of the fourth season of *Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu* and the 41st episode overall. It aired on Cartoon Network on March 31, 2015, in the United States, as part of "Week of the Ninja."

## Synopsis

*After stealing the remaining contestant's powers, Chen only needs Lloyd's power to complete the spell. Knowing his daughter has feelings for Kai, Chen tries to enlist the Fire Ninja by promising to share secrets about his parents. All the while, Lloyd tries to rescue the Ninja, pitting him in a showdown with Chen.*

## Plot

In the Anacondrai Temple, Kai, Jay, Griffin Turner, Neuro, Mr. Pale, and Shade are being led in chains made of Vengestone to have their powers taken away. As most of the Masters' lament on the situation of not heeding the ninja's warning about Chen, Neuro remarks they should've teamed up sooner but that it's already too late. Jay attempts to keep a positive attitude as Kai berates him for that because they're about to be powerless. Jay is still confident that Lloyd will save them. Upon being brought before Clouse and Skylor, Kai questions how she could help her father knowing that he'll need her element for the spell. Saying she had no choice, Kai says whoever planned to have him fall for her, it worked, which surprises Skylor, and causes her to smile to herself. Chen arrives via Gravity-defying throne, happy with the décor, and the fact that he'll soon have more elements in his Staff. Jay states his belief in Lloyd, which Chen doubts, but waits a few seconds to see if Jay's right. Getting bored, Chen raises his Staff and takes the Masters's powers while saying "Only one can remain!" Upon Chen ordering for the Masters to be sent to the factory, Skylor begs for Kai to be spared, saying that he can help them, to which Chen agrees with, noting her feelings for him.

Outside, Lloyd, Nya, and Garmadon are near the entrance to the temple. Nya realizes that they'll have to wait until nightfall due to the number of guards, though Lloyd protests. However, Garmadon comforts his son and says that someone with real power empowers those around him.

Meanwhile, two warriors guarding the temple entrance observe Eyezor as he inspects the perimeter and complain about his General status. Assuming they need cool names, they dub themselves Kapau and Chope. The latter choosing it due to his original choice of Maleficium being too difficult to pronounce. This causes them to be shouted at by Eyezor.

In the factory, Jay is set to work on the line where he is met by Cole and, more importantly, Zane, who he is impressed to see again, due to his new form. Cole has Jay keep quiet as he explains that the guards think he and Zane have escaped. Jay questions what brought them back to the factory and they show him their progress on the Roto Jet. Cole explains that the guards assume Karlof is fixing a noodle machine. Upon Cole asking where Kai is, Jay states that he's receiving special treatment.

Chen shows the Red Ninja his trophy collection (containing parts of the ninja's past adventures), though an irritated Kai responds that if Chen didn’t have his Staff he'd strike the villain down. Amused, Chen replies that Skylor was right, as even without his power the fire still burns bright within Kai. He explains that unlike Kai and Skylor, who got her powers from her mother, he had no abilities and was told that he'd amount to nothing. He then shows Kai a painting known as "The Charge of the Dark Brigade" and announces with Lloyd's power, he'd be unstoppable. He then tells Kai that he knows he's still jealous that Lloyd became the Green Ninja and offers to give him the power that he had wanted to try for so long. However, Kai refuses to betray his friends. Chen counters this by promising dark secrets about his parents that his masters never told him. Clouse comes to tell him of Lloyd initiating his plan soon, and they leave Kai to consider his offer.

The three refugees sneak into the palace unnoticed, though Lloyd sets off a tripwire, and the trio is soon surrounded by Cultists. Nya decides to hold them off, while Lloyd and Garmadon go on, only to encounter Clouse. Lloyd is forced to leave his father behind and falls into another one of Chen's trapdoors into a cave made by Clouse's serpent. Kai appears and gets the Green Ninja out. Kai advises him on the situation and plan, but Lloyd refuses and says he needs to face Chen. With that, Kai blows out his torch and leaves while Lloyd finds himself with Chen in the throne room. Shocked that Chen managed to turn Kai against him, Lloyd proceeds to battle while trying to talk some sense into Chen. However, he uses everyone's elements to overwhelm the Green Ninja and easily defeats him.

Nya wakes up in the dungeon of the serpent where, along with Garmadon, she's chained to a post. Chen, Clouse, and Skylor approach and inform them of Lloyd's defeat, and that his power will be taken soon. Nya questions how they were able to defeat him. Chen explains that he had help. Kai then enters the chamber. This shocks Nya. Kai defends his actions by saying that Lloyd would never have stood a chance alone. He tells Nya that Chen will let her go, but Nya angrily states that she rather be snake food than take up an offer of the villain. Garmadon, now enraged at Chen turning the ninja against each other the way he had done to their ancestors, grabs Skylor and threatens her unless he and Nya are released. Chen calls his bluff due to his reform and he's forced to release Skylor, leaving her shocked at her father.

Clouse opens a tunnel door for his snake to enter after its nap while Nya tries to talk sense into her brother who tells her this was the way it had to be. As everyone leaves, Kai winks at them, revealing he had only pretended to switch sides to gain Chen's trust, which relieves them. As Chen and Clouse leave to prepare for the ceremony, Kai pulls Skylor back and explains he can get the Staff. Skylor asks why he'd tell her after her betrayal. Kai states that she had let him go for a reason, with her feelings for him being the most obvious choice. This makes her smile again.

Back in the factory, Jay is working on the Roto Jet when Karlof signals the ninja that Zugu is approaching. Zugu tells them of the feast celebrating the Green Ninja's defeat, and that they need noodles for it. Upon removing the sheet, the cultists realize the truth while Cole jumps inside the jet and begins firing.

However, the blaster overheats while the Masters turn the Jet to fire and Karlof continues work on getting it to fly. Firing two missiles in the process, they make an opening and push the jet through it.

The ceremony begins, and Lloyd is brought in by Kapau and Chope. Lloyd questions why Kai would betray him, though Kai tells him not to worry. Chen then has Skylor give up her powers.

In the dungeon, the serpent is close while Garmadon assumes that karma has caught up to him for destroying the Great Devourer. Just as the serpent is about to eat Nya, the Masters crash through the wall with the Roto Jet and shoot at the ceiling, crushing the serpent with rocks and debris. Nya hugs Zane with the joy of his return, while Cole congratulates Karlof on completing the jet.

By now, Skylor has completely lost her power, and Chen proceeds to take Lloyd's Energy. As Clouse begins the spell, Kai tells Chen he forgot one element: surprise. Skylor then kicks the Staff out of her father's hands, and Kai uses it to free Lloyd, hold off the cultists and freeze Clouse. Lloyd tells him to destroy the Staff, but Kai begins to become corrupted by its power. Just before he uses it on Lloyd and Skylor, everyone busts in and attacks, causing him to drop the Staff. Lloyd is happy to see Zane again as they fight off the cultists. Chen spots his staff and runs to retrieve it, but Kai spots and grabs the Staff before Chen does and destroys it, restoring everyone's elements and allowing them to overpower the cultists.

Then Lloyd, Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane all reunite, performing Spinjitzu to finish off and capture the rest of the Cultists as Nya expresses her joy at seeing them fight together again. Garmadon goes up to where Clouse was, but finds that he had escaped from the ice along with Chen, Eyezor, Kapau, Chope, and Zugu, with Skylor as their prisoner. Chen bemoans the fact that his plans were ruined as Clouse tries to reassure his master that they find a way to achieve victory.

With the Elemental Masters now in control of the island, Nya and Garmadon assure Kai they'll find the remaining cultists and rescue Skylor. Kai says that they had found an old friend, but he didn't expect to make new ones. Zane turns on his humor switch and starts dancing, just like in his father's old lab, entertaining the Elemental Masters.

## Appearances

### Characters

* Chen
* Chope
* Clouse
* Cole
* Eyezor
* Garmadon
* Griffin Turner
* Guard
* Jay
* Kai
* Kapau
* Karlof
* Lloyd Garmadon
* Neuro
* Nya
* Shade
* Skylor
* Zane
* Zugu

### Mentioned

* Maya
* Ray
* Skylor's mother
* Wu

### Creatures

* Anacondrai serpent
* Great Devourer (mentioned)

### Items

* Anacondrai spears
* Driftwood bo staff
* Karlof's metal fists
* Staff of Elements
* Vengestone chains

### Species

* Anacondrai
* Humans
* Nindroids
* Oni/Dragon/Human hybrids

## Trivia

* 70627 Dragon's Forge includes an alternate face for Kai that resembles his corrupted face from this episode, though with orange eyes instead of red.

## Cultural references

* The scene when Garmadon catches Skylor and blackmails Chen, who laughs at him that he has changed is similar to the scene from The Incredibles, where Mr. Incredible catches Mirage and blackmails Syndrome. In both cases, it had an impact on the reform of both, Skylor and Mirage.

## Continuity

* Jay's broken leg is shown to have healed despite the last episode's final scene showing he still couldn't walk. This suggests enough time passed between "Spy for a Spy" and this episode for his leg to have healed.
* The Tournament of Elements ends with Chen as the self-proclaimed winner, even though he is not an Elemental Master of any kind. Thus, Lloyd (the runner-up) would have been the technical winner.
* The Boulder Blaster makes its debut as the completed Roto Jet.
* Among Chen's trophy collection was a scale from the Great Devourer, Captain Soto's peg leg, a cog from the Celestial Clock, Zane's pink gi, Skales's snake king crown, the Blade Cup, the Green Ninja prophecy, Stone Armor, a Grundle skull, and an Anacondrai Blade.
	+ It was said at the end of "Can of Worms" that Lloyd cleaned Zane's gi after washing it 20 times. However, a story in the Ninjago webpage states that Master Chen, or some of his men, must have snuck onboard the *Destiny's Bounty* and replaced the gi in the washer with a completely white one.
	+ Alternatively, Tommy Andreasen stated that the gi in Chen's hall could have been a fake.
* Chen's statement that he "decided when the war is over" is proven to be true later in the episode "The Greatest Fear of All," because he started the war, to begin with.
* Garmadon mentions that he killed the Great Devourer (in "Day of the Great Devourer").
* The ninja have reunited as a team again for the first time since "The Titanium Ninja".
* When Kai was briefly corrupted, his evil self showed jealousy that he should have been the Green Ninja. This ties back to his arc in Rise of the Snakes, where he wanted to be the Green Ninja but ultimately learned in "The Green Ninja" that his destiny wasn't to become the Green Ninja, but to protect him.
* This is the last episode to play The Weekend Whip as the end credits theme song.
* The phrase "the element of surprise" was later used to describe the Fuchsia Ninja's element in *The LEGO Ninjago Movie*.
* Chen tells Kai that he knows dark secrets about his parents. This plot point would be elaborated on in The Hands of Time, though the creators did not have further plans at the time of this episode.
* As of this episode, due to Kai's brief corruption, every ninja has been turned evil or had a villainous role at some point. Lloyd served as an antagonist early in Season 1; Cole attacked the other ninja while hypnotized in "Home"; and Cole, Jay, and Zane were corrupted by Dark Matter in "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master."

## Errors

* After Chen absorbed the powers of the Elemental Masters, Mr. Pale remained invisible.
* When Karlof says "Sure. Positive thinking!", his eyebrow has two notches missing from it.
	+ In the same scene many character's mouth don't move, and Jay looks like he's angry for some reason.
* When the Roto Jet is launched and the Elemental Masters cheer in the factory, Jacob is there, although he has not appeared in other scenes.
* When Karlof says "It fly, when it fly!" his lips are not in proper sync with the animation, as if he's saying something different.
* In some scenes of Kai wielding Chen's staff, his arm slightly clips through his torso.
* As Kai and Chen run to the staff during the fight, while they are heard puffing, and panting the mouths don't move.
* Michael Donovan is incorrectly credited as "Michael Donocan."
	+ Kathleen Barr is also credited as voicing Misako, despite the character not appearing in the episode.