Due to LEGO’s vast universe, where the new LEGO Ninjago: Dragons Rising television show fits into the timeline of the Ninjago microcosm has been called into question. The LEGO Ninjago theme is vast unto itself, featuring a long-running series, titular LEGO play sets, video games and merch, and even its own fictional language. Coming into play June 2023, an additional component to the Ninjago theme, Ninjago: Dragons Rising, will continue to expand the Ninjago world with never-before-seen characters and storylines.
Ninjago has been fruitful for the LEGO universe; originally intended to have a short shelf life, the Ninjago series, formerly Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, blossomed into a 15-season sensation with its own LEGO box office film alongside boundless Ninjago accessories. The animated fantasy-adventure series centers on the crusades of a ninja team trained to use the fictional martial arts of “Spinjitzu” to save the world of Ninjago – the premise is so popular with fans that it’ll proceed into Ninjago: Dragons Rising. Dragons Rising will continue the fight against evil, this time, with brand-new fantastical concepts and fresh ninja recruits to train in a timeline congruent with the original series.
Ninjago: Dragons Rising Is A Sequel To The Original Ninjago
Ninjago: Dragons Rising will serve as a sequel in the timeline of the Ninjago series, where the LEGO Ninjago continuity will be maintained. With that being said, Ninjago: Dragons Rising aims to place a principal focus on its new cast of characters instead of rehashing the adventures of its old characters. Per one of Ninjago: Dragon Rising’s lead writers, the series has intentions to cameo past story threads and some of the original ninja, however, it will sustain itself as its own series.
In lead writer Doc Wyatt’s recent Ninjago: Dragons Rising Twitter thread, they reveal the opportunity in the Ninjago world, where there is space to create a separate series that audiences would be able to watch without having the knowledge of Ninjago canon. Alternatively, new viewers can tune in to the adventures of teenagers Arin (Devin Christian Mack) and Sora (Sabrina Pitre) in their unique attempt to save the planet from evil after their respective realms collide. In this series especially, Ninjago will spotlight the forces of dragons and dragon energy in their role with Arin and Sora at the heart of the sequel.
Why Ninjago Made Dragons Rising (Instead Of Season 16)
LEGO’s Ninjago decision to softly reboot the franchise with new components is not altogether surprising. It has happened before when Ninjago dropped the Masters of Spinjitzu title back in season 11; with the dropped title came new writers for the Ninjago series and a shorter runtime in episodes from that point on. These changes made it possible for an even easier watch that viewers could regard without having the knowledge of Ninjago’s upwards of 200 episode range. Ninjago: Dragons Rising may follow the same intentions.
In fact, it would make sense to. LEGO’s Ninjago series has had a long and successful run since 2011, and softly rebooting the franchise again with similar themes, but fresh perspective could continue LEGO’s Ninjago achievement without ever feeling stale or overdone. Continuing the Ninjago timeline is indeed a smart move, with new viewers having a chance to become introduced to LEGO Ninjago: Dragons Rising and old fans having an extensive catalog with unused content soon available at their fingertips.