Airdate: January 14, 2011
The first Pilot episode of Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu, and thus the first episode of the entire series.
Kai and his younger sister Nya are hard at work crafting weapons in the Four Weapons Blacksmith in the village of Ignacia. A mysterious old stranger comes into the store and insults Kai's handiwork, causing Kai to drive him off. Moments later, a dark cloud appears over the area, heralding the arrival and first appearance of the Skullkin who surround the blacksmith shop with their Mooks. Kai confronts the invaders, with Nya later joining in the fight despite his warning for her to stay back. Meanwhile, the Skulkin warriors Kruncha and Nuckal sneak into the blacksmith to steal a map hidden on the back of the shop's sign. With the rest defeated, Kai challenges the four-armed general Samukai himself, but is quickly overwhelmed. Before Samukai can deliver the finishing blow, Master Wu intervenes with a strange golden tornado of energy. The two exchange taunts and Samukai throws his daggers at a nearby water tower, forcing Master Wu to save Kai before it collapses. Retreating to their vehicles, the Skullkin snatch Nya away before driving off.
Kai demands Master Wu about what just happened. Master Wu explains that the Skulkin were acting on the orders of Lord Garmadon, his evil older brother who seeked the Four Golden Weapons in order to escape his prison in the Underworld. Wu then tells Kai that he sensed the "fire" within him that would allow Kai to save Nya - but in order to do so, he must first train to become a Spinjitzu Master. Determined to save his sister, Kai agrees.
At the Monastery of Spinjitzu, Master Wu immediately puts Kai through the training course in the courtyard. Kai successfully completes the course after a few tries, prompting Master Wu to tell him that his final test will be tomorrow. Kai then prepares for bed, only to be ambushed by three mysterious black ninja.
Since the pilot episodes are 10 minutes long each, this episode is often combined with "The Golden Weapon" in order to meet the runtime for a typical 20 minute TV episode.
This episode provides examples of:
- Agony of the Feet: One of the Skulkin's heads bites Kai on the foot when he tries to fight them off. He responds by kicking the head over the blacksmith.
- …And That Little Girl Was Me: Master Wu tells Kai the story about the the First Spinjitzu Master, the Golden Weapons and the ensuing battle between his sons over them. He concludes the story by telling Kai that his father was entrusted with the map of the Golden Weapons' location, and that Lord Garmadon was the evil older brother in the story. Wu never explicitly calls himself the good younger brother, but he vaguely implies it and Kai quickly realizes that he is.
- Buy or Get Lost: In the opening scene when Kai was working as a blacksmith, he originally brushes off Master Wu the first time they meet when Wu told Kai the weapons the later sells were loud and heavy, and not great for stealth, such as for a ninja. An irritated Kai tells the old man to buy something or go peddle his insults somewhere else.
- Cain and Abel: The sons of the First Spinjitzu Master, Wu and Garmadon. After their father's death, they were supposed to protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu, but Garmadon, consumed with darkness, tried to possess them. This led to a battle between the brothers that resulted in him being banished to the Underworld.
- Combat Pragmatist: Samukai, outmatched by Master Wu, throws his knives into a tower, forcing Wu to save Kai and seizing the opportunity to get back to his truck.
- Damsel in Distress: Obeying Lord Garmadon's orders to "capture the girl", the Skullkin use a skeletal grappling hook to take Nya away before driving off to the Underworld. This motivates Kai to train as a ninja under Master Wu.
- Disappeared Dad: Kai and Nya speak of their father in the past tense, but the episode never reveals if he's passed away or just gone.
- Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Young Wu and Young Garmadon's designs as depicted in Wu's story are drastically different from their subsequent appearances. Notably, their hairstyles are different and Wu has a moustache despite being shown as clean-shaven in all future flashbacks of younger Wu. Justified since this is the first pilot episode and their designs hadn't been solidified yet.
- Ray (Kai's and Nya's father) is depicted as being tanned and having stubble in the same story, yet his first appearance in "Spellbound" shows him having the standard minifig yellow and a thin moustache.
- Just in Time: Kai is knocked down and is struggling to get up as Samukai advances on him with his spinning blades... Fortunately, Master Wu jumps in at the last second with his Spinjitzu, knocking Samukai aside and allowing Kai to recover.
- Legendary Weapon: The Four Golden Weapons of Spinjitzu (individually the Scythe of Quakes, the Nunchucks of Lightning, the Shurikens of Ice, and the Sword of Fire). Initially forged by the First Spinjitzu Master to create the world of Ninjago, they are so powerful that no one is able to handle all of them at once. Lord Garmadon wants to possess the Golden Weapons to free himself from the Underworld, and is actively seeking them through his alliance with the Skulkin.
- Luck-Based Search Technique: Nuckal and Kruncha find the map to the Golden Weapons on complete accident when Kruncha knocks Nuckal into a wall, causing the shop's sign to dislodge and reveal the map.
- Oh, Crap!: Kai attempts to take on Samukai, who then reveals that he has four arms, each of them holding a sword.Kai: "Oops..."
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Kai turns away briefly in the middle of a conversation with Master Wu, only to find that he has suddenly disappeared. Kai then glances at Nya standing behind him, who seems equally confused. This foreshadows the idea that Master Wu is skilled in the art of stealth - just like a ninja.
- Throwing Your Sword Always Works: During his successful run of the training course, Kai throws his practice sword at Wu which knocks a teacup from Wu's hand. Justified as he isn't attacking Wu, just buying himself more time to finish the course.
- Training Montage: A brief one. Master Wu issues a challenge to Kai: complete the training course by the time he finishes making tea. Naturally, Kai fails the first few times but remains undeterred; he's able to successfully complete it in time for him to offer Master Wu some sugar.
- [Verb] This!: When one of the Skulkin detaches its head and bites his foot, Kai shouts "Bite this!", and kicks the head over the blacksmith.
- Wimp Fight: Nuckal and Kruncha get into a minor scuffle while looking for a map. This leads to Kruncha knocking Nuckal into a wall, with the impact dislodging the blacksmith's sign on which the map is hidden.
