Some years after a mysterious event known as the Merge forced the sixteen realms together, two youths named Arin and Sora try to make their way in the world, only to accidentally stumble into something much bigger than they expected.
Tropes:
- After the End: The episode begins with Arin's flashback, in which a catastrophic event known as the Merge happened. His parents, the Ninja, and many people disappeared as a result. Years later, seeing beings from all realms is a common occurrence.Arin: Before, everyone I knew looked like me. Now I walk the streets with skeleton people, buy food from snail people, sell pies to frog people!
- Badass Adorable: The Claws have a problem with a dragon smashing its cage about, even managing to knock the door down. Then, when we get a good look at it, it's a tiny baby dragon that'd fit inside a cat carrier.
- Big Damn Heroes: The episode ends with Arin and Sora captured by the Imperium's Claws, on a train bound for an uncertain but almost certainly unpleasant place, when Lloyd shows up to bust them out.
- Dangerous Forbidden Technique: And not for the reason Sora thinks. She refuses to use the turbo boost, because It Only Works Once, but is unaware it's been sabotaged so the minute she uses it, it will explode.
- Darkhorse Victory: It's not Kreel or Sora who wins the mech race, but Lobbo, thanks to Kreel being knocked over and Sora going after the baby dragon.
- Die or Fly: Knocked off a bridge by the Imperium goons, the baby dragon suddenly zaps Sora, causing her to reassemble her destroyed mech, only better.
- Foreshadowing: Sora isn't too impressed by the Imperium, mentioning she once was from there. We see the Imperium's underlings are willing to imprison dragons, giving a good hint as to why Sora left.
- Happy Ending Override: Crystalized ended with a hopeful looking ending, with most of the major villains defeated or reformed. An indeterminate amount of time later, the ninja are gone, missing, and presumed dead, and all their friends and allies are totally unaccounted for.
- Merged Reality: Ninjago has become merged with the other sixteen realms. Half of Ninjago City is effectively gone, replaced by the Crossroads.
- Negative Space Wedgie: The Merge manifested as a giant rip in the sky, sucking up anything and anyone nearby.
- The Voiceless: In the flashback that begins the episode, only Lloyd speaks. The rest of the ninja are totally quiet.
- What a Piece of Junk: Sora's initial mech racer, which has been cobbled together from whatever she and Arin can scrounge up.
- What You Are in the Dark: Sora and Arin are seconds from winning a race that could set them up with all they'd ever need, but Sora recognizes leaving the baby dragon to the mercies of the Imperium would be wrong, and goes to rescue him.
