Ninjago: Tournament of Elements
Tournament of Elements is the fourth season of the computer-animated television series "Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu" (titled "Ninjago" from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The season aired from 23 February 2015 to 3 April 2015, following the third season titled "". It is succeeded by the fifth season, titled "". The fourth season follows the storyline of the ninja searching for Zane by competing in Master Chen's Tournament of Elements. The season introduces Master Chen as the main antagonist and also several Elemental Masters into the series , who each have individual elemental powers, such as amber, shadow and smoke. The season marked the first time that two seasons were released in one year, replacing the previous schedule of one season released per year. Production. Development. Writers Dan and Kevin Hageman have stated that the season was inspired by the 1973 martial arts film "Enter the Dragon". The director of the film Robert Clouse was also the inspiration for the character Clouse, an antagonist in the season. Animation. The animation for the fourth season was produced at Wil Film ApS in Denmark. Direction. The "Tournament of Elements" episodes  were directed by Jens Møller, Michael Helmuth Hansen, Peter Hausner, Per Düring Risager and Trylle Vilstrup. Release. The season premiered on Cartoon Network on 23 February 2015 with the release of "The Invitation". The subsequent episodes were released across March and April 2015 until the release of the season finale titled "The Corridor of Elders" on 3 April 2015. Plot. Following the loss of Zane, the team splits apart, but Lloyd seeks to rebuild it. The ninja are reunited at Chen's Noodle House, where they discover that Zane is alive and are invited to compete in a tournament by  Master Chen. Garmadon and the ninja join a group of Elemental Masters and Chen's second-in-command, Clouse, on board a ferry. On Chen's island, Zane is being held prisoner and is now the Titanium Ninja. Upon arrival, Kai falls in love with Skylor, the Elemental Master of Amber, and tries to impress her. The competitors compete to obtain Jade Blades to remain in the contest, while the losers are dropped into trap doors. The ninja discover a secret tunnel which reveals Chen's Cultist Warriors. When Jay and Cole are forced to compete against each other, Cole  allows Jay to win, and the two end their debate over Nya for good. He is put to work in Chen's Noodle Factory, but plans to escape. The ninja gain the trust of the Elemental Masters during a race between Lloyd and Chamille, the Elemental Master of Form. When Lloyd wins the race, Chen tries to change the results, but the ninja are supported by the Elemental Masters. Chen attempts to weaken the alliance by claiming that the winner will obtain the Staff of Elements, which he is secretly using to absorb their elemental powers. Dareth and Nya infiltrate  the tournament, with Nya disguised as a kabuki, while Cole finds Zane and releases him. The ninja realise that one of the Elemental Masters is a spy for Chen. It is later revealed that Skylor is not only the spy, but Chen's daughter. In the next contest, Chen sends the contestants to a jungle island to capture Nya. In the jungle, Kai and Skylor team up, but Skylor reveals herself as Chen's daughter and everyone aside from Garmadon, Lloyd, and Nya are captured. Chen offers Kai greater power if he betrays the ninja and Kai pretends to switch  sides. When Lloyd is captured, Kai uses an opportune moment to take the Staff of Elements, which begins to corrupt him, but he manages to destroy it, which restores all of the elemental powers. In the jungle, Clouse and Garmadon fight, resulting in Garmadon throwing Clouse into a portal to the Cursed Realm. Chen and his army escape from the island but are pursued by the ninja and Elemental Masters riding on their elemental dragons. When Chen performs a spell to transform his army into Anacondrai warriors, he realises that to make the spell permanent, he needs the essence of  a true Anacondrai. As Pythor is the last remaining Anacondrai, he is captured by Chen, who uses his sweat to complete the spell. Chen and his army then wage war against Ninjago. A battle takes place at the Corridor of Elders, between the ninja alliance and Chen's army. Pythor reveals to Garmadon that the only way to defeat Chen's army is for Garmadon to banish himself to the Cursed Realm to bring back the original Anacondrai generals. Garmadon accepts, resulting in the spirits of the Anacondrai generals banishing Chen and his army to the Cursed Realm. A single  spirit flies out of the portal to the Cursed Realm, uttering the name "Morro". Episodes. <onlyinclude> </onlyinclude> Reception. Ratings. "Tournament of Elements" continued the popularity of the preceding seasons of "Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu". Its Monday 6.30pm time slot was the top telecast of the day among boys aged 2-11 and 6-11, and it was the top telecast in its time period among children aged 2-11, 6-11 and all boys. Critical reception. Reviewer Melissa Camacho for Common Sense Media gave "Tournament of Elements" a 3 out of 5 star rating and noted  that the season contains "lots of action-packed fantasy violence". The reviewer opined, "This colorful, fast-paced action series features the teen Ninja making sense of loss as they continue to learn lessons about loyalty and teamwork. It also highlights the importance of fighting with a sense of morality behind it, which is an interesting angle for an animated show based on toys." Other media. An associated action game titled "Lego Ninjago: Tournament" was released on 23 January 2015 for IOS, which was developed by The Lego Group. Five mini-movies were released in June and July 2015 on the  Lego YouTube channel to accompany the season, which focus on the main antagonist, Master Chen. The mini-movies were produced by Wil Film ApS and were titled "Chairful What You Wish For", "Chen's New Chair", "Chair Play Chen", "Chair Up Chen" and "Bad Chair Day".