Kai was one of my favourite ninjas at the time of seasons 1-7, but after that he kind of got worse for me Not that I don’t like new Kai or anything , I think he’s OK , but in newer seasons they seem to make him way more stupid and flat than in older seasons, with little to no character arcs.
I wouldn’t say that Kai’s arc in s5 was meaningless. Morro was treated very badly in life,was an orphan Who was saved by Master Wu and trained VERY hardly in order to become the green ninja,but they competitivity has corrupted him, leading to him leaving the monestary after he didn’t become the green n. and ,therefore, dying. After going back to life , he possesed Lloyd so that he would finally become the green ninja ,Showing how he became VERY jealous of Lloyd. Meanwhile Kai,in S4 ,has made a lot of progress in letting go of his jealousy for Lloyd ,which puts a contrast between him and Morro *(even tho Morro isn’t evil at all , he just wanted to make his master proud . “You can’t save those Who don’t want to be saved” are his final words , Showing how he realised that all life offered him was pain and suffering : him getting saved by Wu eventually caused his iminent death , and he was profoundly marked by the afterlife ,and wanted to free all evil ghosts from the cursed realm ,but ,in the end ,he realised that the afterlife was better than life.)* And Kai promised to protect Lloyd , so Kai is trying to do that by perminantely defeating the human representation of his jealousy : Morro. He tried to protect Lloyd , something that gets a payoff when he defeats his Fear of swimming in order to save Lloyd . So , in Conclusion , Kai’s arc in season 5 was saving Lloyd and *definitively* letting go of his jealousy ,which I wouldn’t call meaningless .
I was about to say all this as well he this arc definitely reinforced kai and Lloyd's relationship which made the bond between lloyd, kai, garmadon and wu have brilliant ties to each other and parallels
To be honest, I feel like they ruined Jay with Nya's character. Let me explain. So, in Season 1 plus the Pilot I think, it was established that Jay was an inventor and knew how to work machines thanks to growing up in a junkyard (he's the reason the Bounty can fly). But in later seasons, we see Nya doing that, and it literally shows Jay not understanding any of it.
Been looking for this comment for a while! Jay used to be the smart, goofy character with a great background story (and the Bounty part too). They turned Jay into a child. I mildly dislike how every scene Jay has is always with or connected to Nya. Skybound is my favourite season, and despite being the focus ninja, Jay still shares half the season with Nya. After Skybound everything crumbled down for Jay; he just looks plain stupid in newer seasons. I really miss the old, quirky engineer that Jay used to be.
@@LaccyMaccy Rewatch season one. I feel like Jay was always secondary to/interwoven with Nya. Pretty much all of his scenes in season one are him fawning over her or thinking about her, while she actually gets to stand alone.
Jay is that sad boyfriend who wanted the attention and love by his girl, but he doesn't know how to get it and doesn't know to handle different situations
I feel like Kai is a character with so much potential, they could have done so much with him, but looking at what he actually did, they did nothing with him. it's sad to watch a character who had so much personality and perfect set-ups for character arcs never get any spotlight and because of this slowly lose the interest of parts of themselves that attracted people in the first place.
EXACTLY! Right? Jay’s peace talk with the Crystal Army is by far the dumbest and stupidest thing that they have done for this character. Why was he even reasoning with the Crystal Army that doesn’t share any humanity or emotions (also with the Crystal generals that are purely evil). So bad! Jay got ranked down to third or fourth of my favorite ninja ranking (Cole is now my second favorite now).
No matter what your preference is, the fact that the show gets you so attached to its TEAM of protagonists is very impressive. It writes it's TEAM of heroes and the team dynamic better than most shows out there for me. For that, all these ninja have my hearts. Often when there's a team of main characters, there's usually a significant imbalance where the leader is the star of everything, and/or the so called team just has their own stuff going on and only interact with like one other member. I want to see a team BE a team. I want to see a found family FEEL like a found family. I want to see people interact, I want to see them banter, crack insults, be playful, share heartfelt moments, create bonds you buy into. And this aspect of Ninjago, I think is what remains consistently good the entire show. Even in the worst seasons. There's a reason there's so many compilations on the internet of the ninja just interacting with each other. And I think it's what fans have grappled onto with the show the best. And it's also the reason very few fans care for the 2017 movie where the team dynamic was very much ignored, and it was all 'Lloyd is the star, and the others are just there'. THANK FSM THE SHOW DIDN'T DO THAT. The fact that it managed to never make Lloyd this glorified perfect person who stole screen time is very impressive. Most shows that go so long usually fall into that.
I absolutely agree with Kai. I've been around when the show first aired and as a kid he was my favorite. I still hold onto that so it's just sad to see how mishandled his character is. I think when Kai shines he's fantastic. He was great in seasons 1 and 2. He was fun in 4 (although his focus got shifted to Lloyd at the end there). I absolutely loved his dynamic with Lloyd in season 5. After that I struggle to think of good moments with him that I really do love. It's just a little sad to see how who was essentially the first ninja we ever known, the ninja who started the series off and was the main character of the pilots get the short end of the stick.
@@Crusty783 How he doesn't give up on wu and finds wu in the same way that wu found cole, then cole proceeds to be wus mentor much like wu did for cole and it's so good. Also I think zane's appearance as snake jaguar was worth mentioning in this video since it was really cool.
Ironically, Lloyd is my favorite ninja too. I get that his character in Crystalized was frustrating for a lot of people, but that didn't change how I feel about him. I still am impressed how much he grow up, and honestly at this point, he is the most relatable ninja in my opinion.
When I started watching season one and saw Zane, I immediately knew that he was gonna be my favorite ninja because of how goofy he is. Kinda sad he gets a bit less content but glad to see he has a nice episode in season 15 with Sally! Lloyd is a close second for me, I really love Lloyd as a character and I love how well written his trauma is, his dynamic with his dad is also really entertaining at times. As for Lloyd in season 15... We don't talk about that.
Very similar to my ranking. Mine are: 1) Cole 2) Lloyd 3) Nya 4) Zane 5) Kai 6) Jay Before Crystalized, Lloyd and Cole were fighting for my favorite, but after, it’s definitely Cole. Zane and Kai are also interchangeable, but I slightly prefer Zane because of the first 4 seasons
My guess 1- Lloyd (Has always been the most well developed character in the series, with him having a lot of the greatest moments in the show. Though he might get bumped down due too crystallized issues, making him actually #2.) 2- Cole (Besides the love triangle, he has always been a consistently good-great character that got even better in Motm. They also didn’t suffer poor character writing in crystallized, potentially making him the actual #1.) 3/4- Nya or Zane (Both largely great characters. Their ranking depends on how much Crusty weighs in Nya inconsistencies issue such as the Love triangle and crystallizes’s “arc”, while Zane is too consistent with him having little to no development past season 3. Best guess is that Zane is 3rd with Nya being 4th, though that may be my bias.) 5- Jay (The mostly comic relief character ,especially in later season, that while having many great moments, still couldn’t compete with the high highs of the other characters. Might also be too annoying) 6- Kai (Largely inconsistent with many off, weird, and dumb moment. Besides a few glimmers here and there he doesn’t have as many highs as the others and has a lot more consistent lows. Still not bad, but not great either.)
i wish we got back the jay from seasons 6 and 7 cause he was very entertaining to watch. i rewatched both seasons recently, and while he was funny, he was still capable of pulling his own weight and he knew when to be serious. they sorta tried??? giving him a lead role in prime empire but it didn't really work
Plus not to mention Lloyd’s development within those first couple of seasons was very endearing. Even after he learned the way of the ninja and became a hero he still loved his father and could barely bring himself to fulfill his destiny to defeat him. The mere idea of Lloyd being the green ninja is exactly what brought a lot of nuance to the overarching plot because garmadon also cared for his son immensely and although garmadon was evil the thought of defeating his son was agonizing for him. This whole storyline where garmadons son, a person he cares for immensely is the person he’s destined to fight is what gives these characters nuance. Imagine if the green ninja had ended up being any of the other ninja. Garmadon wouldn’t be in such deep internal conflict and there would be no nuance.
This list contains absolutely no bias at all :) (trust me bro) 1. Jay jay has always been my favourite, hes the funny blue one and i always liked that about him, his development in skybound was great and his earlier season freakouts were hilarious, yeah he did get flanderized but hes still my favourite 2. Zane zane's arc of becoming more than just the weird friend is smth i found relatable as i was always the "weird kid" and his arc over s1-4 was wonderful, the benefit of grief was great for zanes character and the ice emperor story was great but i wish they did more with his trauma from it (s11 arc, we dont talk about return of the ice emperor) 3. Cole cole is a great character, he didnt have as much to do in the earlier seasons but he was still consistently great and s8/9 and s13 cemented him as one of the best ninjago characters, his story in s13 was especially powerful 4. Kai the original main character that didnt get much focus later on, his arc in s1-2 about overcoming his want to be the green ninja and then training him was great and his character work in tournament and possession were great too 5. Nya Maybe a bit low but eh, i love her character in the back half of skybound and all of seabound and the early seasons but there have been times where i just found her really annoying like early skybound and crystalized ruined her so yeah 6. Lloyd unpopular but eh, lloyd has great character development throughout the whole show but i never liked him as much as the other 5 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm gonna be honest with this list in my opinion 1. Cole, the only downside I can name is the love triangle, other than that, he was a very consistent character who didn't mind being the underrated member, but he definitely took over from SOG onward 2. Lloyd, I feel he would be number 1 if it weren't for him having too much spotlight over characters who genuinely need the development 3. Zane, really he just has had very good and consistent development and character throughout his time 4. Nya, I didn't really care for her character after the love triangle, but I think season 6 and 7 saved her character, but seabound made her amazing 5. Jay, sky bound and prime empire are really good ways to show Jay in a bigger role than just comedic relief, love it 6. As much as it breaks my heart, my og favorite ninja, but I gotta say Kai is the worst, he would be number 1 if it were only pilot-march of the oni Kai, but TSOFS Kai onward just completely ruined his character, made him a non funny comedic relief and whiny kid who made it seem like his powers were the only thing that made him worth anything, not the brave courageous Kai who would fight regardless of the odfs
Not true. He still does have that courageous side of him in the newer seasons. For example, in episode 14 of S11, he gets ahold of the scroll. And he can’t use it do to him being powerless. And he still tried to fight Aspheera to. He literally charges at her while holding it to. That is pretty brave. And in Episode 25, Kai tried to protect that village from the Ice dragon, he was still regaining his power during that time, so he wasn’t at full power, but he still tried to take on Boral. So I wouldn’t say that he’s completely lost his courage cause he still clearly has it.
Well here’s my ranking of the six ninja 1). Jay Jay has always been my favorite ninja since day one. He’s such a relatable character, I love how caring he is and I love his jokes. Overall a good character. ( Also he’s the only ninja who’s actually permanently defeated all his villains ) 2). Cole Cole wasn’t the best character in the earliest seasons, he didn’t really have a lot character, but season 8 really turned his character around for me, it showed how caring his character could be, but season 13 sealed the deal for me. I love the promise he made to his mom it was so good and really just made Cole’s character so awesome. 3). Kai Kai’s character really shines in the early season and feel like this is what makes Kai’s character for me. I love his drive to protect his friends and his personality is just amazing. 4). Nya I honestly love her story and she’s evolved and changed through out the course of the series. I wish they had done more with her in Crystalized though. 5). Zane Don’t get me wrong, Zane’s an amazing character, but the lack of development he’s been receiving since season 4 is really tanking his character for me which is why he’s down in number 5. 6). Lloyd Like Zane, Lloyd is a good character, but after season 9 it’s like they just keep giving him pointless character arcs which is getting really annoying and boring. Instead of getting the stuff in the Ice chapter give Kai’s power arc more attention. Good character just to much focus.
my ranking: 1) nya - call me cringe if you want but i honestly relate to nya in a lot of ways. i’ve never felt like i had the choice to choose my own path and failure is something that has always greatly disturbed me. once i feel like i can do something right, nobody is changing my mind on that. nya is literally everything i strive to be and idk (I KNOW ITS CORNY OKAY 😭) i feel like by watching ninjago and her character especially, i’m getting closer to that goal. 2) kai - i know it’s pretty common nowadays for people to hate him but i feel like his personality throughout seasons 1-7 is underrated. yea his whole thing is being a hothead, but he’s still genuinely cares for his team and puts others before him. my only downside with him is how whiny and lowkey irrelevant he became in the newer seasons. 3) zane - i mean, if zane isn’t in my top 3 can i even call myself a ninjago fan?? only reason why he isn’t higher is because of how they completely trashed his character development in the ice emperor series (referring to how his whole motivation was to protect those who cannot protect themselves and he literally does the opposite in the later seasons. whether or not he did it by his own will, he barely showed any remorse after it happened). 4) lloyd - lloyd’s personality is genuinely one that makes him perfect for the green ninja role. he’s selfless, kind, trustworthy, caring, but asides from that, his priorities are set straight. when harumi captured him during (i think) crystallized, although he cared for her at first, once he realized she wasn’t worth trusting, he immediately became firm and (idk if this is the word but) self-sufficient. he knows not to take bs from anyone anymore and that’s what makes him so lovable. 5) cole - his character development and the way he deals with problems is genuinely inspiring. if he existed irl, i just KNOW he’d be someone you could count on. although i do wish we could’ve seen more of his “cool” personality in the later seasons, i feel like him becoming more humble was for the better. the only reason he’s ranked low is because the other characters stand out more to me. 6) jay - jay is always starting shit my god. i know he’s supposed to be a character that freaks out a lot and is goofy but damn it’s too…. overdone in the later seasons. s 1-7 jay was great and he was genuinely a cool character, i mean my childhood was made because of him, but his goofiness is just absolutely unbearable in the later seasons and that just ruined his whole character for me icl. he’s still cool don’t get me wrong, but i feel like he just can’t take hints in the new series. overall, all of the ninja are great and i love our distinct each and every one of their personalities are 🔥 !
My personal ranking: 1) Cole (he’s just a great guy and characterized really well) 2) Kai (nostalgic. And I loved him in the earlier seasons) 3) Jay (same with Kai and also his arc in Skybound is my favorite in the whole show) 4) Zane (best character in the first 4 seasons. Admittedly not the best recently. But not bad) 5) Lloyd (didn’t like him in seasons 1, 7, and some wild brain seasons. Pretty good otherwise) 6) Nya (idk doesn’t exactly resonate with me that much personally. Still a good character tho)
Hey Crusty I think I will feel stupid saying this, but I want to speak my mind anyway regarding Nya. I don't feel like Nya was ruined from all her characterwork since 2011. This Crystalized arc carried the enemy really hard. And I don't know what Nya's supposed to do at some point without her powers against the vengestone warriors or the mechanic. Mechanic was doing something called "Toxcicity" which means is he's being mean to nya, and that's all I felt like it pretty much is. So even if any ninja fight these vengestone armies or the crystal council, they'll get crystalized, and it's not just nya. So think about it like this, the Mechanic has all the advantages, shoot, they become crystal zombies and are easily defeated and therefore the mechanic is just absolutely selfish more than him being right. Of course Nya can be whoever she is no matter what, Because she saved the ninja 2ice in the season. I think she has time to recover. I'd say Nya would do so much better without her powers, just not against the vengestone army, oh, and there were times and season 11 where she didn't need powers to fight, so is 13 where she only used spinjitzu at this time and spinjitzu is an art not a power, that is for an example. So the Mechanic is just straight up wrong and just a selfish bully. That's all I think And yes, if they brought back Nya, she absolutely needed an arc and didn't get one which is fucking trash. And I so much agree she should have done so much more. If you think I'm wrong, CMV me, and sorry if I said anything wrong or offensive.
Broooo... I just noticed that when Cole entered the below freezing wasteland of the Never-realm realm, where people cannot survive without heavy coats, he was wearing a TANK TOP
Number six would be Lloyd-because although he was an amazing character in most of the seasons-Crystalized just ruined pretty much everything about him! Number five is Kai. He was one of the BEST characters in Ninjago:Masters of Spinjitsue, but his character just seems to be side lined for the last couple of years-it’s not that he is a bad character in the seasons-it’s just that he doesn’t get any needed development when he should. Number four would have to be Jay. I’m probably being a little biased-because Jay was my absolute FAVORITE from The Pilots-Season 7, but after that he just became a pretty meh character in my opinion. Number three is Cole: I started liking his character inSeason 4-and he has only become more awesome after! I loved his ghost arc (And kinda wish he stayed a ghost) and love all the development he got! Number two would definitely be Nya! I love how she developed through the series and I can REALLY connect to her from my personal life. Also-even though people say she was just a damsel in distress in the Pilots-she was still one of the best characters because of her strong and independent personality. Number one is obviously Zane! 🤍 His character has been my favorite for YEARS now! I love his development throughout the show and love how he stands out from the others. Zane was the ninja that has benefited my life the the most (Especially Season 1 Zane-because he was seen as the Weirdo and I myself am seen as a weirdo) and I will always connect to him on a personal level. So…that’s my opinion! 😅
Tbh besides crystallized, Lloyd has been consistently amazing character throughout the series. Him being the worst ninja just because of one season is kinda lame tbh. But it’s your opinion And Cole imo is very consistent I agree with him I think he should be no 2 And Nya is very underrated idk what’s with the hate
Best ninja to worst (Just my opinion don't kill me please) 1: best ninja is jay, funny childish and overall just a good character. 2: cole, he is super underated and disserves more than 1 season 3: Nya, like Cole she's underated and has good but sometimes bad moments. 4: Kai, has good and bad moments but hasn't changed much and was at one point the best but just never developed. 5: Zane, OG Zane was really good and probably my favorite of the original ninja, but like Kai he just stopped developing and now just is like the smart guy in the group 6: lloyd, should have never been added to the show and gets 90% of every season. Overpowered for no reason and just isn't an overall great character.
@@Crapulence1 No am just not being one of those “fanboys” that’s it am just agreeing with your Lloyds flaws, I mean can’t someone like a character but agree with their flaws? Or is that not allowed.
@@Crapulence1 Like i Said can’t people hate on their favourite character but also like them at the same time? Am sure you probably have characters that you hate but also love at the same time.
Welp now with dragons rising, Jay could get a character arc with him forgetting his memories. Hopefully they stop exaggerating that childish trait after he gets his memories back
Well, my favoritt ninja is Kai because the earlier seasons, but yeah, I agree that the newer seasons are not giving Jim the attention that he needs, as he is the one to pretty much start the show
my list lol: 1. nya (best character arc in ninjago. atp i dont consider crystalized a season) 2. cole (do i need say much here?) 3. kai (basically jay but less clowny and he has his rare good moments) 4. zane (lately he seems blunt and less exciting but still likeable) 5. jay (wouldnt be this low if his character wasnt drowned in his childish personality) 6. lloyd (over developed and exaggerated character with daddy issues)
For me Lloyd is the best ninja. 2 is nya, 3 is Zane, 4 is cole, 5 is jay, and 6 is kai. Everything you said about lloyd is so spot on. His growth throughout the entire series literally made his character. However, tbh i genuinely believe his character was the best in crystalized since the oni trilogy. And should you really listen to what tommy says at this point? Dude is leaving the show and cant make up his mind on anything anymore. He cant say how many seasons there are when it shouldnt be that hard to count, and he doesnt know the ninjas ages, yet it's all "up to interpretation". Clearly with that llorumi comment hes just trying to appeal to the fans, because there are alot of llorumi shippers. Them being together at this point is straight up illogical. It also pained me to listen to you getting so much wrong about nyas arc in crystalized. They didn't reverse her character arc in any way, shape, or form. Infact she was more useful as samuri x than the water ninja in s15. Oh but just because they SAY shes useless means that's the point huh. Even wu encourages her to go back to her roots, cause samuri x shows nyas true capabilities. And she and pixal both worked on samuri x mech, and nya came up with all the plans. Why it that when it comes to crystalized that you take everything at face value and treat it as fact, negative facts, instead of looking deeper into it like you do with EVERYTHING ELSE about this show. Clearly your hate for crystalized is clouding your judgement, to the point where it feels like you dont WANT to take the time to analyze the season, and simply just hate on it cause ur disappointed with ninjagos "climax".
I think it goes on to how many people say like rhe first episode of season 11, it was a "wasted true potential". In my opinion, crystallized was good. Some seasons were better, some were worse. But there were countless ways where it could have been better, and that really disappointed a lot of people
You’re speaking fax man. I agree with everything you said about Nya and Llorumi. I enjoyed pretty much everything about this season, it does have a few issues, but I still think it’s solid.
I like Jay and he adds a lot to the show but and his character could have been so so so much better! Sadly he’s more like the comic relief that has been striped away of anything more .
My personal favourite ninja is Lloyd and my list is really similar to yours. I'd say maybe he hasn't been as good since season 10 and about crystallized,oh well........... But anyways Lloyd has always been my favourite ninja,i could relate to the struggles he went through as a person and love how develops throughout the show.The way he grows from an annoying kid to the green ninja and after that to a great leader is just amazing, unfortunately a lot of people only see him in season 1 and dismiss the rest of his development in the other seasons.But that does NOT change the fact that he has one of if not the best character arcs in the show. I also really hope they fix the mess they made with Lloyd in crystallized .
My personal list : 1.Lloyd(crystallized was a really bad season for Lloyd (at least to me)but does not change how i feel about him) 2.nya(mostly dismissing her arc in crystallized) 3.Zane(could have been higher if the ice emperor wasn't handled so rushed) 4.Cole 5.Kai(kai really developed in seasons 4 and 5,the brotherly bond with him and Lloyd was just beautiful but the writers just somehow forgot about it, They devote a couple of seasons to kai accepting Lloyd as a leader and as the green ninja and then having it kinda thrown away by a meaningless line in season 7, season 5 kai was just peak Kai to me unfortunately he didn't get Actual development after that(at least to me) they could have changed it in crystallized but unfortunately it didn't) happen 6.jay(I'm so sorry jay,Jay has been acting really childish fir a couple of seasons and when there was a chance to fix it,they missed the opportunity )
Jay and Cole were my fav since always and im sad to see how Jay got ruined and destroyed as a character, at least we can finally agree Cole is one of the biggest GOATS of Ninjago for me he was a GOAT since season 1 for me he alway's been the best character, though the reason i liked him as a kid it was simply because he was the only ninja with black robes hahah! Anyway amazing video.
My personal rating: 1. Jay (Despite looking younger, he looks better and is a great character) 2. Cole (Would've been lower without MOTM. Great character and keeps promises. Really function see him talk to himself and be with the Lowly/Uply ) 3. Nya (Great now for the time idk what happened is Crystalized xD) 4. Kai (Solid character, straight in the middle) HONORARY MENSIONS: Nelson and Antonia (Dude they hard carry in certain episode and I always look forward to theor episodes each season 5. Zane (Didn't do much with being a robot after season 4 besides that 1 episode every season) 6. Lloyd (Bro can't make up his mind about anything)
My opinion : Prime ninjago ( season 1 to 7 ) : 6 lloyd : he didn't really have any character he was just the good boy 5 kai : i know everyone is gonna disagree, i don't hate kai the other ninjas are just better imo 4 nya : she's great in season 4 to 7 but she wasn't that good in earlier seasons 3 zane : he had some great development 2 cole : it's lloyd if he had a character but much better 1 jay : he was actually funny back then but he's jokes didn't ruin his character cuz he was serious when needed, plus season 6 was peak jay, mature, smart, resilient, funny all in one but sadly that was just in season 6. Modern Ninjago ( season 8 to dragons rising ) 6 jay : not funny, stupid, cringe, over exaggerating he really just became annoying, even in prime empire. 5 kai : lost all his glory 4 zane : he's really just a punching bag for the new villain to show how strong the villain is, he needed a rematch against mister E at least 3 nya : it's just prime Ninjago nya but better 2 Lloyd : he actually does have a character now and it's amazing 1 cole : cole didn't change much tbh he became slightly better so he takes the number one spot
I still maintain that Kai could have been one of the most interesting and complex characters of the series if they had actually developed him properly, there's so much potential. S5 is good but it could have been amazing if they had properly set Morro up as his foil, and S7 was the perfect chance to delve into his childhood and how that shaped him into who he is now. Jay went downhill since the movie, the writers seemed to forget that Jay used to have just as many snarky comments towards Kai as Kai did to him, but now he's just the cute childish guy that gets picked on and needs Nya to stand up for him.
Jay did not went down hill after the movie, Jay was petty much already going down hill after season 6, i think Day of the Departed or season 7 was when Jay was going back to his original self, that was because new writers were brought on, after that, the original writers were brought back for the oni trilogy, and have completely forgotten about Jay's character development.
@@Giovanni_Fierros951 I at least thought Jay's personality was more accurate in the oni trilogy since the original writers worked on some episodes, but yeah development-wise it's been pretty dire after s6
I feel like the biggest problem with Kai, is that his character arcs rarely ever stick. Unlike Lloyd where u can see his progression throughout multiple seasons Kai kinda goes back to default the very next season after he has an arc. For example willing to do everything to protect Lloyd in s5 (uh oh here comes s8 where Kai is not willing to give his power to save Lloyd) Kai hating his father and acronix and krux becomes irreverent the very next seasons where all those characters become irrelevant. I have more examples of this but SLIGHT DRAGONS rising spoilers btw Kai in that season so far is just the same comic relief character he’s been for a while. And not trying to spoil too much but he once again becomes jealous in this season, something I thought he got over in season fucking 1, and he also will not stop quipping in the middle of a battle or in an intense situation, They just turned Kai into Old Jay lmfao.
This is how I would rank them Kai,Jay, Zane,Nya,Lloyd and then Cole and he isn’t even my favorite ninja but thanks to this video this shows the show needs to really develop Kai but they also need to make a new team so we will see what choices the writers made
I think the reason that og 4 dont get character development anymore is because of Lloyd. They took all the attention and give it to him during the series. İn oni trilogy, season 2, even dragons rising. They just look like they're Side characters. İn season 1 we saw the best character developments for the ninja. Then Lloyd came up and they stop development the main 4 ninja.
Without looking at the character arcs as much as just my own preferences I personally like Zane the best so I would put him at number 1 which is ironic because winter is my least favorite season. Then I would put Jay at number 2 because although he does occasionally have some really strong character arcs like in Skybound for example, he always seems to make me enjoy the show more with whatever he random stuff he does like the one scene with the train in Crystalized as well as the speech he gave to the Crystal warriors made me laugh. 3rd I would put Cole because exactly what you said in the video. Then I would put Nya 4th, Lloyd 5th, & Kai 6th. I don’t really have that much to say about these other 3 characters as I just haven’t felt as strongly connected with them as I have with Zane, Jay, & Cole to a lesser extent but still significant enough.
Zanes my favourite too, his character is the most admirable to me, he's the intelligent, level headed and discliplined one but at the same time also the kind, innocent and pure hearted one. He had the biggest heart and kindest soul and despite being a robot knew how to be a better human being than all the rest. I think he encompasses the best qualities of the group and I love him so much, I especially loved s1-4 Zane the most but he's still my favourite in any season. I know he is well loved but I still wish more people respected and appreciated his character more, after everything he's done and gone through yet still continues to get up and fight and stand up for what he believes in, peace freedom and courage and protecting those who cannot protect themselves. He cared for everybody, was pretty much never hostile, aggressive, belittling or rude like some of the others can be (e.g Nya, Jay and Kai) and always sacrificed and put himself in front of others to save them. I truly believe he is an incarnation of everything good in humans.
I really love how Kai needs to face off against Morro in S5, as Morro is what Kai would have become if he never let go of not being the green ninja. I'd say that S5 had pretty good characterization for Kai in general
Man, I really am glad Cole is getting so much love in the recent years! I've been watching since 2012 and Cole's has been my #1 since, even more so now that I'm getting back into the series and have all this new content to watch. Let's just pretend the love triangle never happened and you can't find a single serious flaw on the guy 🙈
My rating of the ninja 6th: Jay. Honestly Jay used to be one of my favorites, but over the years has slowly moved closer and closer the bottom. 5th: Kai. Kai is great and all, but I simply like the others more. 4th: Nya. Nya is much better than her brother. She is smart, funny, caring, and very talented. I just like the others more. 3rd: Lloyd. Lloyd has had the most character development out of them all and he's great. 2nd: Zane. Zane is an outstanding character and has been very slowly climbing the ranks. 1st: Cole. Honestly Cole along with Zane really started to become my favorite after season 8.
Here’s my ranking on og and wild brain: OG 1. Lloyd 2. Zane 3. Kai 4. Jay 5. Nya 6. Cole Wildbrain 1. Cole (lol worst to best) 2. Lloyd 3. Nya 4. Zane 5. Kai 6. Jay Kai Jay and Zane got ruined but Cole and Nya got a huge step forward for me. Lloyd is pretty much the same, maybe a bit worse though after Crystallized
As a kai fan, I'm disappointed.(not at you lol) he really degraded as a character, instead of the confident, selfless leader, he became a selfish cocky follower. The righters just kind of discarded him during seabound, only focusing on Jay:/ also where tf were kai's parents during him grieving his own sisters death?!! Bros left again 😭 alsoJay, please make a good joke...please????
Personally I love kai. His character development was nice to watch (imo), especially in DR, Possession and TOE. He’s fun, seems like a guy you’d want as your friend, powerful, skilled, funny, ambitious, kind and caring. If you disagree that’s okay but I’ve been a kai fan since day 1.
Zane's my favorite and his ultimate sacrifice in S3 is one of the reasons he's so kind. And some people say that Zane was bad in the later seasons. That IS NOT true!!! >:(
My ranking of the ninja 1) Lloyd- I liked how he changed from a brat to the Green Ninja destined to defeat the Overlord to having his heart broken and having issues to him trying to resolve it during the Wildbrain seasons. In Crystalized, Lloyd was done well for the most part but I still find it weird that Lloyd wants to forgive Harumi but not his father. There should have been one more episode to properly conclude as the way they ended Lloyd's story felt incomplete. 2) Cole- He was an alright character in Seasons 1 and 2 but Rebooted was bad for him due to the love triangle. Afterwards he became good especially during and after the Oni Trilogy made him such a good and grounded person. 3) Kai- He used to be my favourite ninja but after Season 7, he became boring and doesn't do much. 4) Zane- He was a fantastic character in the first four seasons of the show but then, he became a tool for the writers to do all sorts of harm. Except for Sons of Garmadon, to some extent Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu and The Benefit of Grief episode, every other season post Tournament of Elements does Zane poorly. 5) Nya- She was a great character and her progress from being Kai's sister to the Samurai X to being the Water Ninja and finally becoming one with the sea was great. But I didn't like her story in Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu and her powers coming back in Crystalized was bad done terribly. 6) Jay- He was a good balance between comedy and seriousness in the first few seasons. In season 6, I especially liked his role. I also liked his roles in season 7, 9, 14 and the starting of 15. But now, mostly he is overly obnoxious and annoying.
The worst part is when the design changed, while the other ninja looked older, Jay looked younger
Kai looked awful, and i agree with Jay.
At least we can all agree on that!
@@David_28050 Disagree about Kai
@@JN-ln5ey I mean the new kai looks awful.
@@David_28050 Hard disagree
A sad day to be a Kai fan, as a watcher of Ninjago since season 1, seeing his character get ruined is just heartbreaking, he was the top g
Kai was one of my favourite ninjas at the time of seasons 1-7, but after that he kind of got worse for me
Not that I don’t like new Kai or anything , I think he’s OK , but in newer seasons they seem to make him way more stupid and flat than in older seasons, with little to no character arcs.
Remember when he made a joke to have Okino feeling better… yeah. WORST… JOKE… EVER… from Kai.
preach
It’s even worse as a Jay fan, but I can certainly feel for ya 🥲
Kai and Zane-coldest duo😞
I wouldn’t say that Kai’s arc in s5 was meaningless.
Morro was treated very badly in life,was an orphan Who was saved by Master Wu and trained VERY hardly in order to become the green ninja,but they competitivity has corrupted him, leading to him leaving the monestary after he didn’t become the green n. and ,therefore, dying.
After going back to life , he possesed Lloyd so that he would finally become the green ninja ,Showing how he became VERY jealous of Lloyd.
Meanwhile Kai,in S4 ,has made a lot of progress in letting go of his jealousy for Lloyd ,which puts a contrast between him and Morro *(even tho Morro isn’t evil at all , he just wanted to make his master proud . “You can’t save those Who don’t want to be saved” are his final words , Showing how he realised that all life offered him was pain and suffering : him getting saved by Wu eventually caused his iminent death , and he was profoundly marked by the afterlife ,and wanted to free all evil ghosts from the cursed realm ,but ,in the end ,he realised that the afterlife was better than life.)*
And Kai promised to protect Lloyd , so Kai is trying to do that by perminantely defeating the human representation of his jealousy : Morro.
He tried to protect Lloyd , something that gets a payoff when he defeats his Fear of swimming in order to save Lloyd .
So , in Conclusion , Kai’s arc in season 5 was saving Lloyd and *definitively* letting go of his jealousy ,which I wouldn’t call meaningless .
I was about to say all this as well he this arc definitely reinforced kai and Lloyd's relationship which made the bond between lloyd, kai, garmadon and wu have brilliant ties to each other and parallels
@@derekbradley3763 exactly
Happy I’m not the only one Who thinks that
Yeah I loved that arc which makes me really dislike modern Kai where he completely gave up after he lost his powers
@@newthejsterjacob408 fax
Not disagreeing with you but...
Bro wrote an essay 💀
To be honest, I feel like they ruined Jay with Nya's character.
Let me explain. So, in Season 1 plus the Pilot I think, it was established that Jay was an inventor and knew how to work machines thanks to growing up in a junkyard (he's the reason the Bounty can fly). But in later seasons, we see Nya doing that, and it literally shows Jay not understanding any of it.
Been looking for this comment for a while! Jay used to be the smart, goofy character with a great background story (and the Bounty part too). They turned Jay into a child. I mildly dislike how every scene Jay has is always with or connected to Nya. Skybound is my favourite season, and despite being the focus ninja, Jay still shares half the season with Nya. After Skybound everything crumbled down for Jay; he just looks plain stupid in newer seasons. I really miss the old, quirky engineer that Jay used to be.
@@LaccyMaccy Rewatch season one. I feel like Jay was always secondary to/interwoven with Nya. Pretty much all of his scenes in season one are him fawning over her or thinking about her, while she actually gets to stand alone.
Jay is that sad boyfriend who wanted the attention and love by his girl, but he doesn't know how to get it and doesn't know to handle different situations
As a season 1 og it sucks to see both Kai and Jays character get ruined over the seasons. They both need a season to their own.
They both need seasons about THEM
Because they’ve both shared their seasons with Nya so we don’t really get to see them grow as individuals
exactly
I feel like Kai is a character with so much potential, they could have done so much with him, but looking at what he actually did, they did nothing with him. it's sad to watch a character who had so much personality and perfect set-ups for character arcs never get any spotlight and because of this slowly lose the interest of parts of themselves that attracted people in the first place.
Leafy???
They need to make a Kai season with Ray teaching Kai some lesson just like Nya was taught by Mya
It’s spelled maya!
As a Jay fan,I say modern Jay id the worst ninja, especially that 'peace talk' in crystallized final battle 🤡
Yeah i don't Care he's still my favorite character
He bat blth of "his villans" with words so it actually kinda made sense but the way it was done was not that good
Wildbrain literally fucked him alongside Wu and Kai.
EXACTLY! Right? Jay’s peace talk with the Crystal Army is by far the dumbest and stupidest thing that they have done for this character. Why was he even reasoning with the Crystal Army that doesn’t share any humanity or emotions (also with the Crystal generals that are purely evil). So bad! Jay got ranked down to third or fourth of my favorite ninja ranking (Cole is now my second favorite now).
The best jay for me is skybound jay after the movie they made him too cowardly
No matter what your preference is, the fact that the show gets you so attached to its TEAM of protagonists is very impressive. It writes it's TEAM of heroes and the team dynamic better than most shows out there for me. For that, all these ninja have my hearts.
Often when there's a team of main characters, there's usually a significant imbalance where the leader is the star of everything, and/or the so called team just has their own stuff going on and only interact with like one other member.
I want to see a team BE a team.
I want to see a found family FEEL like a found family.
I want to see people interact, I want to see them banter, crack insults, be playful, share heartfelt moments, create bonds you buy into.
And this aspect of Ninjago, I think is what remains consistently good the entire show. Even in the worst seasons.
There's a reason there's so many compilations on the internet of the ninja just interacting with each other.
And I think it's what fans have grappled onto with the show the best.
And it's also the reason very few fans care for the 2017 movie where the team dynamic was very much ignored, and it was all 'Lloyd is the star, and the others are just there'.
THANK FSM THE SHOW DIDN'T DO THAT. The fact that it managed to never make Lloyd this glorified perfect person who stole screen time is very impressive. Most shows that go so long usually fall into that.
THIS captures what I love about ninjago
I absolutely agree with Kai. I've been around when the show first aired and as a kid he was my favorite. I still hold onto that so it's just sad to see how mishandled his character is. I think when Kai shines he's fantastic. He was great in seasons 1 and 2. He was fun in 4 (although his focus got shifted to Lloyd at the end there). I absolutely loved his dynamic with Lloyd in season 5. After that I struggle to think of good moments with him that I really do love. It's just a little sad to see how who was essentially the first ninja we ever known, the ninja who started the series off and was the main character of the pilots get the short end of the stick.
I like how splinter in the blind man's eye displays lloyd's trauma and the impact of it on him.
You forgot to mention Cole’s amazing arc in SOG, making him the best ninja imo
What’s SOG?
what arc?
@@Crusty783my guess is him being a father and a more interesting character in the oni trilogy
@@Crapulence1sons of Garmadon
@@Crusty783 How he doesn't give up on wu and finds wu in the same way that wu found cole, then cole proceeds to be wus mentor much like wu did for cole and it's so good. Also I think zane's appearance as snake jaguar was worth mentioning in this video since it was really cool.
Ironically, Lloyd is my favorite ninja too. I get that his character in Crystalized was frustrating for a lot of people, but that didn't change how I feel about him. I still am impressed how much he grow up, and honestly at this point, he is the most relatable ninja in my opinion.
Great opinion
I agree
Yea fr him and Cole are so relatable to me
When I started watching season one and saw Zane, I immediately knew that he was gonna be my favorite ninja because of how goofy he is. Kinda sad he gets a bit less content but glad to see he has a nice episode in season 15 with Sally! Lloyd is a close second for me, I really love Lloyd as a character and I love how well written his trauma is, his dynamic with his dad is also really entertaining at times. As for Lloyd in season 15... We don't talk about that.
I got Cole at #1 just because of his leadership and patience throughout the series
Very similar to my ranking. Mine are:
1) Cole
2) Lloyd
3) Nya
4) Zane
5) Kai
6) Jay
Before Crystalized, Lloyd and Cole were fighting for my favorite, but after, it’s definitely Cole. Zane and Kai are also interchangeable, but I slightly prefer Zane because of the first 4 seasons
L
L
L
Yall are weird. W
@@dee_torch5He just inverted Cole and Lloyd
My guess
1- Lloyd (Has always been the most well developed character in the series, with him having a lot of the greatest moments in the show. Though he might get bumped down due too crystallized issues, making him actually #2.)
2- Cole (Besides the love triangle, he has always been a consistently good-great character that got even better in Motm. They also didn’t suffer poor character writing in crystallized, potentially making him the actual #1.)
3/4- Nya or Zane (Both largely great characters. Their ranking depends on how much Crusty weighs in Nya inconsistencies issue such as the Love triangle and crystallizes’s “arc”, while Zane is too consistent with him having little to no development past season 3. Best guess is that Zane is 3rd with Nya being 4th, though that may be my bias.)
5- Jay (The mostly comic relief character ,especially in later season, that while having many great moments, still couldn’t compete with the high highs of the other characters. Might also be too annoying)
6- Kai (Largely inconsistent with many off, weird, and dumb moment. Besides a few glimmers here and there he doesn’t have as many highs as the others and has a lot more consistent lows. Still not bad, but not great either.)
Facts
scarily close to the list in the video
@@Crusty783 epic 😎, can’t wait to see what I got wrong.
Love this list! Spot on dude
@@Crusty783
Dang, I should’ve known to switch Kai and Jay, at least I got the rest right
i wish we got back the jay from seasons 6 and 7 cause he was very entertaining to watch. i rewatched both seasons recently, and while he was funny, he was still capable of pulling his own weight and he knew when to be serious. they sorta tried??? giving him a lead role in prime empire but it didn't really work
Plus not to mention Lloyd’s development within those first couple of seasons was very endearing. Even after he learned the way of the ninja and became a hero he still loved his father and could barely bring himself to fulfill his destiny to defeat him. The mere idea of Lloyd being the green ninja is exactly what brought a lot of nuance to the overarching plot because garmadon also cared for his son immensely and although garmadon was evil the thought of defeating his son was agonizing for him. This whole storyline where garmadons son, a person he cares for immensely is the person he’s destined to fight is what gives these characters nuance. Imagine if the green ninja had ended up being any of the other ninja. Garmadon wouldn’t be in such deep internal conflict and there would be no nuance.
In the Tournament of Elements; Cole sacrificed himself for Jay to win the round, not knowing what would happen to himself
hes so real for that
This list contains absolutely no bias at all :) (trust me bro)
1. Jay
jay has always been my favourite, hes the funny blue one and i always liked that about him, his development in skybound was great and his earlier season freakouts were hilarious, yeah he did get flanderized but hes still my favourite
2. Zane
zane's arc of becoming more than just the weird friend is smth i found relatable as i was always the "weird kid" and his arc over s1-4 was wonderful, the benefit of grief was great for zanes character and the ice emperor story was great but i wish they did more with his trauma from it (s11 arc, we dont talk about return of the ice emperor)
3. Cole
cole is a great character, he didnt have as much to do in the earlier seasons but he was still consistently great and s8/9 and s13 cemented him as one of the best ninjago characters, his story in s13 was especially powerful
4. Kai
the original main character that didnt get much focus later on, his arc in s1-2 about overcoming his want to be the green ninja and then training him was great and his character work in tournament and possession were great too
5. Nya
Maybe a bit low but eh, i love her character in the back half of skybound and all of seabound and the early seasons but there have been times where i just found her really annoying like early skybound and crystalized ruined her so yeah
6. Lloyd
unpopular but eh, lloyd has great character development throughout the whole show but i never liked him as much as the other 5 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I'm gonna be honest with this list in my opinion
1. Cole, the only downside I can name is the love triangle, other than that, he was a very consistent character who didn't mind being the underrated member, but he definitely took over from SOG onward
2. Lloyd, I feel he would be number 1 if it weren't for him having too much spotlight over characters who genuinely need the development
3. Zane, really he just has had very good and consistent development and character throughout his time
4. Nya, I didn't really care for her character after the love triangle, but I think season 6 and 7 saved her character, but seabound made her amazing
5. Jay, sky bound and prime empire are really good ways to show Jay in a bigger role than just comedic relief, love it
6. As much as it breaks my heart, my og favorite ninja, but I gotta say Kai is the worst, he would be number 1 if it were only pilot-march of the oni Kai, but TSOFS Kai onward just completely ruined his character, made him a non funny comedic relief and whiny kid who made it seem like his powers were the only thing that made him worth anything, not the brave courageous Kai who would fight regardless of the odfs
Not true. He still does have that courageous side of him in the newer seasons. For example, in episode 14 of S11, he gets ahold of the scroll. And he can’t use it do to him being powerless. And he still tried to fight Aspheera to. He literally charges at her while holding it to. That is pretty brave. And in Episode 25, Kai tried to protect that village from the Ice dragon, he was still regaining his power during that time, so he wasn’t at full power, but he still tried to take on Boral. So I wouldn’t say that he’s completely lost his courage cause he still clearly has it.
Ngl i think lloyd needs to be the worst ninja bc too much spot light plus lloyd has no rizz no friends no anything
Well here’s my ranking of the six ninja
1). Jay
Jay has always been my favorite ninja since day one. He’s such a relatable character, I love how caring he is and I love his jokes. Overall a good character. ( Also he’s the only ninja who’s actually permanently defeated all his villains )
2). Cole
Cole wasn’t the best character in the earliest seasons, he didn’t really have a lot character, but season 8 really turned his character around for me, it showed how caring his character could be, but season 13 sealed the deal for me. I love the promise he made to his mom it was so good and really just made Cole’s character so awesome.
3). Kai
Kai’s character really shines in the early season and feel like this is what makes Kai’s character for me. I love his drive to protect his friends and his personality is just amazing.
4). Nya
I honestly love her story and she’s evolved and changed through out the course of the series. I wish they had done more with her in Crystalized though.
5). Zane
Don’t get me wrong, Zane’s an amazing character, but the lack of development he’s been receiving since season 4 is really tanking his character for me which is why he’s down in number 5.
6). Lloyd
Like Zane, Lloyd is a good character, but after season 9 it’s like they just keep giving him pointless character arcs which is getting really annoying and boring. Instead of getting the stuff in the Ice chapter give Kai’s power arc more attention. Good character just to much focus.
my ranking:
1) nya - call me cringe if you want but i honestly relate to nya in a lot of ways. i’ve never felt like i had the choice to choose my own path and failure is something that has always greatly disturbed me. once i feel like i can do something right, nobody is changing my mind on that. nya is literally everything i strive to be and idk (I KNOW ITS CORNY OKAY 😭) i feel like by watching ninjago and her character especially, i’m getting closer to that goal.
2) kai - i know it’s pretty common nowadays for people to hate him but i feel like his personality throughout seasons 1-7 is underrated. yea his whole thing is being a hothead, but he’s still genuinely cares for his team and puts others before him. my only downside with him is how whiny and lowkey irrelevant he became in the newer seasons.
3) zane - i mean, if zane isn’t in my top 3 can i even call myself a ninjago fan?? only reason why he isn’t higher is because of how they completely trashed his character development in the ice emperor series (referring to how his whole motivation was to protect those who cannot protect themselves and he literally does the opposite in the later seasons. whether or not he did it by his own will, he barely showed any remorse after it happened).
4) lloyd - lloyd’s personality is genuinely one that makes him perfect for the green ninja role. he’s selfless, kind, trustworthy, caring, but asides from that, his priorities are set straight. when harumi captured him during (i think) crystallized, although he cared for her at first, once he realized she wasn’t worth trusting, he immediately became firm and (idk if this is the word but) self-sufficient. he knows not to take bs from anyone anymore and that’s what makes him so lovable.
5) cole - his character development and the way he deals with problems is genuinely inspiring. if he existed irl, i just KNOW he’d be someone you could count on. although i do wish we could’ve seen more of his “cool” personality in the later seasons, i feel like him becoming more humble was for the better. the only reason he’s ranked low is because the other characters stand out more to me.
6) jay - jay is always starting shit my god. i know he’s supposed to be a character that freaks out a lot and is goofy but damn it’s too…. overdone in the later seasons. s 1-7 jay was great and he was genuinely a cool character, i mean my childhood was made because of him, but his goofiness is just absolutely unbearable in the later seasons and that just ruined his whole character for me icl. he’s still cool don’t get me wrong, but i feel like he just can’t take hints in the new series.
overall, all of the ninja are great and i love our distinct each and every one of their personalities are 🔥 !
My personal ranking:
1) Cole (he’s just a great guy and characterized really well)
2) Kai (nostalgic. And I loved him in the earlier seasons)
3) Jay (same with Kai and also his arc in Skybound is my favorite in the whole show)
4) Zane (best character in the first 4 seasons. Admittedly not the best recently. But not bad)
5) Lloyd (didn’t like him in seasons 1, 7, and some wild brain seasons. Pretty good otherwise)
6) Nya (idk doesn’t exactly resonate with me that much personally. Still a good character tho)
Thats exactly mine except that I have Kai at the one spot even tho I do think Cole is better written character and I also rrally dislike Nya.
Cole is my favorite since season 1, so happy seeing him so high, he is usually very underrated
Hey Crusty
I think I will feel stupid saying this, but I want to speak my mind anyway regarding Nya.
I don't feel like Nya was ruined from all her characterwork since 2011. This Crystalized arc carried the enemy really hard. And I don't know what Nya's supposed to do at some point without her powers against the vengestone warriors or the mechanic. Mechanic was doing something called "Toxcicity" which means is he's being mean to nya, and that's all I felt like it pretty much is. So even if any ninja fight these vengestone armies or the crystal council, they'll get crystalized, and it's not just nya.
So think about it like this, the Mechanic has all the advantages, shoot, they become crystal zombies and are easily defeated and therefore the mechanic is just absolutely selfish more than him being right.
Of course Nya can be whoever she is no matter what, Because she saved the ninja 2ice in the season. I think she has time to recover.
I'd say Nya would do so much better without her powers, just not against the vengestone army, oh, and there were times and season 11 where she didn't need powers to fight, so is 13 where she only used spinjitzu at this time and spinjitzu is an art not a power, that is for an example. So the Mechanic is just straight up wrong and just a selfish bully. That's all I think
And yes, if they brought back Nya, she absolutely needed an arc and didn't get one which is fucking trash. And I so much agree she should have done so much more.
If you think I'm wrong, CMV me, and sorry if I said anything wrong or offensive.
Broooo... I just noticed that when Cole entered the below freezing wasteland of the Never-realm realm, where people cannot survive without heavy coats, he was wearing a TANK TOP
absolute legend
My tier:
1-) Cole
2-) Jay
3-) Zane
4-) Kai
5-) Nya
6-) Lloyd
W
L
I don’t get why people like jay he is very useless and just here to help Nya out
Poor Kai....
Number six would be Lloyd-because although he was an amazing character in most of the seasons-Crystalized just ruined pretty much everything about him! Number five is Kai. He was one of the BEST characters in Ninjago:Masters of Spinjitsue, but his character just seems to be side lined for the last couple of years-it’s not that he is a bad character in the seasons-it’s just that he doesn’t get any needed development when he should. Number four would have to be Jay. I’m probably being a little biased-because Jay was my absolute FAVORITE from The Pilots-Season 7, but after that he just became a pretty meh character in my opinion. Number three is Cole: I started liking his character inSeason 4-and he has only become more awesome after! I loved his ghost arc (And kinda wish he stayed a ghost) and love all the development he got! Number two would definitely be Nya! I love how she developed through the series and I can REALLY connect to her from my personal life. Also-even though people say she was just a damsel in distress in the Pilots-she was still one of the best characters because of her strong and independent personality. Number one is obviously Zane! 🤍 His character has been my favorite for YEARS now! I love his development throughout the show and love how he stands out from the others. Zane was the ninja that has benefited my life the the most (Especially Season 1 Zane-because he was seen as the Weirdo and I myself am seen as a weirdo) and I will always connect to him on a personal level.
So…that’s my opinion! 😅
No no! I agree with your list! 👍
@@brickbanditstudios6037 Well-thanks!
Tbh besides crystallized, Lloyd has been consistently amazing character throughout the series. Him being the worst ninja just because of one season is kinda lame tbh. But it’s your opinion
And Cole imo is very consistent I agree with him I think he should be no 2
And Nya is very underrated idk what’s with the hate
As a kai fan yh they treated kai badly he’s lit the same as he was just smarter
I liked jay in seasons
1-10 because he’s funny and he can still be a good ninja but in seasons 11-15 everyone probably forgot he can even fight
You have Cole’s character nailed down to the tee, love your opinions on crystallized!
Best ninja to worst
(Just my opinion don't kill me please)
1: best ninja is jay, funny childish and overall just a good character.
2: cole, he is super underated and disserves more than 1 season
3: Nya, like Cole she's underated and has good but sometimes bad moments.
4: Kai, has good and bad moments but hasn't changed much and was at one point the best but just never developed.
5: Zane, OG Zane was really good and probably my favorite of the original ninja, but like Kai he just stopped developing and now just is like the smart guy in the group
6: lloyd, should have never been added to the show and gets 90% of every season. Overpowered for no reason and just isn't an overall great character.
I 100% agree with the Lloyd part, also am not counting him as the Main character. Anyways even though he is my favourite ninja he is so ANNOYING!
@@Crapulence1 No am just not being one of those “fanboys” that’s it am just agreeing with your Lloyds flaws, I mean can’t someone like a character but agree with their flaws? Or is that not allowed.
@@tofu866 no because I find it weird u trying to hate on your own favourite ninja
@@Crapulence1 Like i Said can’t people hate on their favourite character but also like them at the same time? Am sure you probably have characters that you hate but also love at the same time.
“Overpowered for no reason” I’m not a Llyod fan I can tell U watched only watched s2
I always liked Cole, from the beginning, but I don't know why
I honestly forgot Nya was in crystalized they do nothing with her character
is it rude that i didn’t really like lloyd in crystallised but in all the other seasons he was like my fav character
not really crystalized just sucked lol
Welp now with dragons rising, Jay could get a character arc with him forgetting his memories. Hopefully they stop exaggerating that childish trait after he gets his memories back
Well, my favoritt ninja is Kai because the earlier seasons, but yeah, I agree that the newer seasons are not giving Jim the attention that he needs, as he is the one to pretty much start the show
my list lol:
1. nya (best character arc in ninjago. atp i dont consider crystalized a season)
2. cole (do i need say much here?)
3. kai (basically jay but less clowny and he has his rare good moments)
4. zane (lately he seems blunt and less exciting but still likeable)
5. jay (wouldnt be this low if his character wasnt drowned in his childish personality)
6. lloyd (over developed and exaggerated character with daddy issues)
For me
Lloyd is the best ninja. 2 is nya, 3 is Zane, 4 is cole, 5 is jay, and 6 is kai.
Everything you said about lloyd is so spot on. His growth throughout the entire series literally made his character. However, tbh i genuinely believe his character was the best in crystalized since the oni trilogy. And should you really listen to what tommy says at this point? Dude is leaving the show and cant make up his mind on anything anymore. He cant say how many seasons there are when it shouldnt be that hard to count, and he doesnt know the ninjas ages, yet it's all "up to interpretation". Clearly with that llorumi comment hes just trying to appeal to the fans, because there are alot of llorumi shippers. Them being together at this point is straight up illogical.
It also pained me to listen to you getting so much wrong about nyas arc in crystalized. They didn't reverse her character arc in any way, shape, or form. Infact she was more useful as samuri x than the water ninja in s15. Oh but just because they SAY shes useless means that's the point huh. Even wu encourages her to go back to her roots, cause samuri x shows nyas true capabilities. And she and pixal both worked on samuri x mech, and nya came up with all the plans. Why it that when it comes to crystalized that you take everything at face value and treat it as fact, negative facts, instead of looking deeper into it like you do with EVERYTHING ELSE about this show. Clearly your hate for crystalized is clouding your judgement, to the point where it feels like you dont WANT to take the time to analyze the season, and simply just hate on it cause ur disappointed with ninjagos "climax".
I think it goes on to how many people say like rhe first episode of season 11, it was a "wasted true potential". In my opinion, crystallized was good. Some seasons were better, some were worse. But there were countless ways where it could have been better, and that really disappointed a lot of people
You’re speaking fax man. I agree with everything you said about Nya and Llorumi. I enjoyed pretty much everything about this season, it does have a few issues, but I still think it’s solid.
If your planning to do more of these how about the season that has the best fights
I like Jay and he adds a lot to the show but and his character could have been so so so much better!
Sadly he’s more like the comic relief that has been striped away of anything more .
My personal favourite ninja is Lloyd and my list is really similar to yours. I'd say maybe he hasn't been as good since season 10 and about crystallized,oh well........... But anyways Lloyd has always been my favourite ninja,i could relate to the struggles he went through as a person and love how develops throughout the show.The way he grows from an annoying kid to the green ninja and after that to a great leader is just amazing, unfortunately a lot of people only see him in season 1 and dismiss the rest of his development in the other seasons.But that does NOT change the fact that he has one of if not the best character arcs in the show.
I also really hope they fix the mess they made with Lloyd in crystallized .
My personal list :
1.Lloyd(crystallized was a really bad season for Lloyd (at least to me)but does not change how i feel about him)
2.nya(mostly dismissing her arc in crystallized)
3.Zane(could have been higher if the ice emperor wasn't handled so rushed)
4.Cole
5.Kai(kai really developed in seasons 4 and 5,the brotherly bond with him and Lloyd was just beautiful but the writers just somehow forgot about it, They devote a couple of seasons to kai accepting Lloyd as a leader and as the green ninja and then having it kinda thrown away by a meaningless line in season 7, season 5 kai was just peak Kai to me unfortunately he didn't get Actual development after that(at least to me) they could have changed it in crystallized but unfortunately it didn't) happen
6.jay(I'm so sorry jay,Jay has been acting really childish fir a couple of seasons and when there was a chance to fix it,they missed the opportunity )
Season 6 is peak Jay.
We dont talk about crystalized
Thank god dragons rising exists
Jay and Cole were my fav since always and im sad to see how Jay got ruined and destroyed as a character, at least we can finally agree Cole is one of the biggest GOATS of Ninjago for me he was a GOAT since season 1 for me he alway's been the best character, though the reason i liked him as a kid it was simply because he was the only ninja with black robes hahah!
Anyway amazing video.
Number 6 Zane
Number 5 Nya
Number 4 Lloyd
Number 3 Kai
Number 2 Cole
Number 1 Jay
in my opinion.
My personal rating:
1. Jay (Despite looking younger, he looks better and is a great character) 2. Cole (Would've been lower without MOTM. Great character and keeps promises. Really function see him talk to himself and be with the Lowly/Uply ) 3. Nya (Great now for the time idk what happened is Crystalized xD) 4. Kai (Solid character, straight in the middle) HONORARY MENSIONS: Nelson and Antonia (Dude they hard carry in certain episode and I always look forward to theor episodes each season 5. Zane (Didn't do much with being a robot after season 4 besides that 1 episode every season) 6. Lloyd (Bro can't make up his mind about anything)
My opinion :
Prime ninjago ( season 1 to 7 ) :
6 lloyd : he didn't really have any character he was just the good boy
5 kai : i know everyone is gonna disagree, i don't hate kai the other ninjas are just better imo
4 nya : she's great in season 4 to 7 but she wasn't that good in earlier seasons
3 zane : he had some great development
2 cole : it's lloyd if he had a character but much better
1 jay : he was actually funny back then but he's jokes didn't ruin his character cuz he was serious when needed, plus season 6 was peak jay, mature, smart, resilient, funny all in one but sadly that was just in season 6.
Modern Ninjago ( season 8 to dragons rising )
6 jay : not funny, stupid, cringe, over exaggerating he really just became annoying, even in prime empire.
5 kai : lost all his glory
4 zane : he's really just a punching bag for the new villain to show how strong the villain is, he needed a rematch against mister E at least
3 nya : it's just prime Ninjago nya but better
2 Lloyd : he actually does have a character now and it's amazing
1 cole : cole didn't change much tbh he became slightly better so he takes the number one spot
As a Kai fan I agree with mainly everything except for Kai's ranking in prime Ninjago
My list opinion ninja on new seasons
1.Jay
2.Zane
3Nya
4.Lloyd
5.Cole
6.Kai
Why Kai so low? Can you explain? And what is your ninja rating for old seasons?
Why is Cole so low as well?
Jay, Cole, Lloyd, Kai Zane then Nia
Honestly, this is the best ninja ranking I have ever seen. My top 3 ninja is exactly the same
Kai in Dragons rising is genuinely the best main ninja in my opinion, wyldfire really helped fleshed out his character
Absolute Cole fan since the start. I see Kai a bit higher for when he realizes his mistakes n stuff but i mainly agree with/respect your opinion
I think number one should be Cole. He's too pure
I still maintain that Kai could have been one of the most interesting and complex characters of the series if they had actually developed him properly, there's so much potential. S5 is good but it could have been amazing if they had properly set Morro up as his foil, and S7 was the perfect chance to delve into his childhood and how that shaped him into who he is now.
Jay went downhill since the movie, the writers seemed to forget that Jay used to have just as many snarky comments towards Kai as Kai did to him, but now he's just the cute childish guy that gets picked on and needs Nya to stand up for him.
Yeah… shame that Kai and Jay pretty much got character derailed to this point
Jay did not went down hill after the movie, Jay was petty much already going down hill after season 6, i think Day of the Departed or season 7 was when Jay was going back to his original self, that was because new writers were brought on, after that, the original writers were brought back for the oni trilogy, and have completely forgotten about Jay's character development.
@@Giovanni_Fierros951 I at least thought Jay's personality was more accurate in the oni trilogy since the original writers worked on some episodes, but yeah development-wise it's been pretty dire after s6
well don't forget kai is the one who saves lloyd in season 5 from murro
I do disagree with this ranking however I agree with near everything you said about each character. Great video 👍
I feel like the biggest problem with Kai, is that his character arcs rarely ever stick. Unlike Lloyd where u can see his progression throughout multiple seasons Kai kinda goes back to default the very next season after he has an arc.
For example willing to do everything to protect Lloyd in s5 (uh oh here comes s8 where Kai is not willing to give his power to save Lloyd)
Kai hating his father and acronix and krux becomes irreverent the very next seasons where all those characters become irrelevant.
I have more examples of this but SLIGHT DRAGONS rising spoilers btw Kai in that season so far is just the same comic relief character he’s been for a while. And not trying to spoil too much but he once again becomes jealous in this season, something I thought he got over in season fucking 1, and he also will not stop quipping in the middle of a battle or in an intense situation, They just turned Kai into Old Jay lmfao.
This is how I would rank them Kai,Jay, Zane,Nya,Lloyd and then Cole and he isn’t even my favorite ninja but thanks to this video this shows the show needs to really develop Kai but they also need to make a new team so we will see what choices the writers made
Here's my list:
Kai
Cole
Zane
Nya
Jay
Lloyd
Here's my guess of crusty's list:
Jay
Lloyd
Nya
Cole
Zane
Kai
Oh hi king studs
@@penguin15 Hi 🖐
I think the reason that og 4 dont get character development anymore is because of Lloyd. They took all the attention and give it to him during the series. İn oni trilogy, season 2, even dragons rising. They just look like they're Side characters. İn season 1 we saw the best character developments for the ninja. Then Lloyd came up and they stop development the main 4 ninja.
Without looking at the character arcs as much as just my own preferences I personally like Zane the best so I would put him at number 1 which is ironic because winter is my least favorite season. Then I would put Jay at number 2 because although he does occasionally have some really strong character arcs like in Skybound for example, he always seems to make me enjoy the show more with whatever he random stuff he does like the one scene with the train in Crystalized as well as the speech he gave to the Crystal warriors made me laugh. 3rd I would put Cole because exactly what you said in the video. Then I would put Nya 4th, Lloyd 5th, & Kai 6th. I don’t really have that much to say about these other 3 characters as I just haven’t felt as strongly connected with them as I have with Zane, Jay, & Cole to a lesser extent but still significant enough.
Zanes my favourite too, his character is the most admirable to me, he's the intelligent, level headed and discliplined one but at the same time also the kind, innocent and pure hearted one. He had the biggest heart and kindest soul and despite being a robot knew how to be a better human being than all the rest. I think he encompasses the best qualities of the group and I love him so much, I especially loved s1-4 Zane the most but he's still my favourite in any season. I know he is well loved but I still wish more people respected and appreciated his character more, after everything he's done and gone through yet still continues to get up and fight and stand up for what he believes in, peace freedom and courage and protecting those who cannot protect themselves. He cared for everybody, was pretty much never hostile, aggressive, belittling or rude like some of the others can be (e.g Nya, Jay and Kai) and always sacrificed and put himself in front of others to save them. I truly believe he is an incarnation of everything good in humans.
Jay,zane,nya,Kai,Lloyd ,Cole in my opinion
My ranking is the exact same!
My favorite ninja is Kai, and agree what you said. Also wish show improve Kai, Jay and Zane
I really love how Kai needs to face off against Morro in S5, as Morro is what Kai would have become if he never let go of not being the green ninja. I'd say that S5 had pretty good characterization for Kai in general
Best ninja will always be dareth
Do you plan on doing a dragons rising update with the new ninja members as well?
Kai got done so dirty by the show. Had to even make a video about his character's downfall.
Kai and Jay's new designs have hurted their personalities
Nya after cheating on jay and complaining throughout all of season 5 6 and 7: Me good character.
And season 6 nya…god season 6 nya
@@Chaoywowey first half was annoying, but damn second half was brilliant writing
Skybound first half sucks in general,but second part is goated
@@Chaoywowey Nya was great in the sixth season
@@Crusty783 I disagree but opinions.
Nya is my least favourite
they did Jay so dirty in the latest seasons
Always wondered why they got rid of air jitsu and elemental dragons
1 green ninja lloyd💚
2 earth ninja cole🪨
3 ice ninja zane ❄️
4 blue ninja jay⚡️
5 azure ninja nya 💧
6 red ninja kai🔥
Jay wAs good in crystalized and zane had a good role in s 8
Man, I really am glad Cole is getting so much love in the recent years! I've been watching since 2012 and Cole's has been my #1 since, even more so now that I'm getting back into the series and have all this new content to watch. Let's just pretend the love triangle never happened and you can't find a single serious flaw on the guy 🙈
This is such a solid list. Awesome video! Too bad Kai is the wasn’t handed better. But Lloyd does deserve number 1!
My rating of the ninja
6th: Jay. Honestly Jay used to be one of my favorites, but over the years has slowly moved closer and closer the bottom.
5th: Kai. Kai is great and all, but I simply like the others more.
4th: Nya. Nya is much better than her brother. She is smart, funny, caring, and very talented. I just like the others more.
3rd: Lloyd. Lloyd has had the most character development out of them all and he's great.
2nd: Zane. Zane is an outstanding character and has been very slowly climbing the ranks.
1st: Cole. Honestly Cole along with Zane really started to become my favorite after season 8.
It didn’t run for 11 years it still is running ninjago 2023 is going to be the same show
Chris Wyatt said itll be a seperate show so im going to take the word of the dude who wrote it
Rating the ninjago characters (my opinion)
1.Kai
2.Zane
3.Lloyd
4.Cole
5.Nya
6.Jay
kai has always been my favorite, but hes been so neglected lately in the newer seasons.
amazing video
my ranking:
6: Jay
5: Kai
4: Nya
3: Cole
2: Zane
1: Lloyd
Pretty good, mine is:
1) Zane
2) Cole
3) Lloyd
4) Kai
5) Jay
6) Nya
Here’s my ranking on og and wild brain:
OG
1. Lloyd
2. Zane
3. Kai
4. Jay
5. Nya
6. Cole
Wildbrain
1. Cole (lol worst to best)
2. Lloyd
3. Nya
4. Zane
5. Kai
6. Jay
Kai Jay and Zane got ruined but Cole and Nya got a huge step forward for me. Lloyd is pretty much the same, maybe a bit worse though after Crystallized
As a kai fan, I'm disappointed.(not at you lol) he really degraded as a character, instead of the confident, selfless leader, he became a selfish cocky follower. The righters just kind of discarded him during seabound, only focusing on Jay:/ also where tf were kai's parents during him grieving his own sisters death?!! Bros left again 😭 alsoJay, please make a good joke...please????
before i watch, jay is the best no cap.
My list:
1. Cole
2. Zane
3. Jay
4. Lloyd
5. Nya
6. Kai
I said what i said
Exactly what my ranking would be, probably a tie between cole and nya though
looking back i can say that kai is now top 3 ninja as we saw him change from a hot headed show off too a mature and intelligent teacher
*_A-look-a how they-a massacred ma boi_*
- Me, when questioned about Kai
Personally I love kai. His character development was nice to watch (imo), especially in DR, Possession and TOE. He’s fun, seems like a guy you’d want as your friend, powerful, skilled, funny, ambitious, kind and caring. If you disagree that’s okay but I’ve been a kai fan since day 1.
nah i rank kai alot higher now since DR. the new show has done wonders with his character
@@Crusty783 I agree
@@Crusty783maybe do an updated video your this topic?
I know it’s your opinion and stuff but as a jay fan, I’m pretty sure jay is the way he is as the entertainer that the directors purposely put in
problem is he isn't entertaining anymore
At this point, I just don't consider Crystilized Canon anymore
I agree with this list except think that cole and lloyd should be swapped. Cole is simply superior
i just have one question and the question is where can i watch crystalised
Crusty in 2023: Kai hasn’t gotten the attention he needs
Dragon Rising Season 2 in 2024: Let me introduce myself
absolutely goated screentime for kai in that season
@@Crusty783 Agreed
Zane's my favorite and his ultimate sacrifice in S3 is one of the reasons he's so kind. And some people say that Zane was bad in the later seasons. That IS NOT true!!! >:(
My ranking of the ninja
1) Lloyd- I liked how he changed from a brat to the Green Ninja destined to defeat the Overlord to having his heart broken and having issues to him trying to resolve it during the Wildbrain seasons. In Crystalized, Lloyd was done well for the most part but I still find it weird that Lloyd wants to forgive Harumi but not his father. There should have been one more episode to properly conclude as the way they ended Lloyd's story felt incomplete.
2) Cole- He was an alright character in Seasons 1 and 2 but Rebooted was bad for him due to the love triangle. Afterwards he became good especially during and after the Oni Trilogy made him such a good and grounded person.
3) Kai- He used to be my favourite ninja but after Season 7, he became boring and doesn't do much.
4) Zane- He was a fantastic character in the first four seasons of the show but then, he became a tool for the writers to do all sorts of harm. Except for Sons of Garmadon, to some extent Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu and The Benefit of Grief episode, every other season post Tournament of Elements does Zane poorly.
5) Nya- She was a great character and her progress from being Kai's sister to the Samurai X to being the Water Ninja and finally becoming one with the sea was great. But I didn't like her story in Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu and her powers coming back in Crystalized was bad done terribly.
6) Jay- He was a good balance between comedy and seriousness in the first few seasons. In season 6, I especially liked his role. I also liked his roles in season 7, 9, 14 and the starting of 15. But now, mostly he is overly obnoxious and annoying.
F A C T
@@MrChampion2024
Is it tho?