''Tournament of Elements'' is the fourth season of the animated television series '' Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'' (titled ''Ninjago'' from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The season aired from 23 February to 3 April 2015, following the third season titled ''

Rebooted ''Rebooted'' is the third season of the computer-animated television series '' Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'' (titled ''Ninjago'' from the eleventh season onward). The series was created by Michael Hegner and Tommy Andreasen. The season aired f ...

''. It is succeeded by the fifth season, titled ''

Possession Possession may refer to: Law * Dependent territory, an area of land over which another country exercises sovereignty, but which does not have the full right of participation in that country's governance * Drug possession, a crime * Ownership * ...

''. The fourth season follows the storyline of the ninja searching for Zane by competing in Master Chen's Tournament of Elements. The season introduces Master Chen as the main antagonist and also several Elemental Masters into the series, who each have individual

elemental An elemental is a mythic being that is described in occult and alchemical works from around the time of the European Renaissance, and particularly elaborated in the 16th century works of Paracelsus. According to Paracelsus and his subsequent fo ...

powers, such as amber, shadow and smoke. The season marked the first time that two seasons were released in one year, replacing the previous schedule of one season released per year.

Voice cast

Main

* Jillian Michaels as

Lloyd Garmadon Lloyd Montgomery Garmadon is a fictional character in the computer-animated television series ''Ninjago (TV series), Ninjago'' (previously known as ''Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu'') which is produced by The Lego Group. He was created by the ori ...

, the Green Ninja * Vincent Tong as Kai, the red ninja and Elemental Master of Fire *

Michael Adamthwaite Michael David Adamthwaite (born September 1, 1981) is a Canadian actor. He is credited with providing the voice for many characters in various anime series. He is also known for portraying the Jaffa Herak in the science fiction television series ...

as Jay, the blue ninja and Elemental Master of Lightning * Brent Miller as Zane, the white/titanium ninja and Elemental Master of Ice *

Kirby Morrow Kirby Robert Morrow (1973 – November 18, 2020) was a Canadian actor, comedian and writer. In animation, he was known as the voice of Miroku from ''InuYasha'', its four movies, and '' Inuyasha: The Final Act'', Van Fanel from the Ocean dub o ...

as Cole, the black ninja and Elemental Master of Earth *

Kelly Metzger Kelly Jane Metzger (born February 25, 1980) is a Canadian voice and theater actress. Life and career After making her debut in the title role of '' Anne of Green Gables'', she performed on the stage with several Vancouver-based theatrical compani ...

as Nya, Kai's sister * Paul Dobson as Sensei Wu, the wise teacher of the ninja * Mark Oliver as Sensei Garmadon *Jennifer Hayward as P.I.X.A.L. a female nindroid *

Ian James Corlett Ian James Corlett (born August 29, 1962) is a Canadian voice actor, animator, and author. He is the creator of Studio B Productions' animated series ''Being Ian'' and ''Yvon of the Yukon''. One of his best-known animation roles was the first En ...

as Master Chen/Tox

Supporting

Heather Doerksen Heather Doerksen (born February 12, 1980) is a Canadian actress who has appeared on stage and screen. She has also voiced many cartoons and advertising campaigns. Career Doerksen studied at Simon Fraser University, switching majors from science ...

as Skylor *

Scott McNeil Scott McNeil is an Australian-born Canadian actor. He currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the best-known Canadian voice actors of all time, McNeil has provided voices to many characters in animated shows, most notabl ...

as Karlof/General Arcturus *

Doron Bell Jr. Doron Bell Jr. (born December 8, 1973 in Montreal, Quebec) is a Canadian actor, musician, and singer. He is known for his music, acting and voice work; he voiced the character Waldo in the Netflix animated series ''Dinotrux'' as well as many other ...

as Griffin Turner *

as Paleman/Gravis (episode 37) *

Andrew Francis Andrew Michael Scott Francis is a Canadian actor. He has appeared in many television shows and films including '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' as Shining Armor, '' MegaMan NT Warrior'' as MegaMan.EXE, '' Hero 108'' as Lin Chung, '' L ...

as Shade (Shadow) *

as Clouse *

Kathleen Barr Kathleen Barr is a Canadian voice actress. She is best known for voicing Marie Kanker and Kevin in ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'' and Trixie Lulamoon and Queen Chrysalis in '' My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic''. She also voiced Henri Richard Maurice D ...

as Misako * Mark Oliver as Mistaké/Gravis * Michael Dobson as Pythor P. Chumsworth *

as Bolobo * Brent Miller as Ash * Paul Dobson as Jacob Pevsner/Warden Noble/Rufus McCallister/Neuro *

Lee Tockar Lee William Tockar (born 1969) is a Canadian voice actor and visual artist who works for several studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He is also a writer of children's literature, a musician, sculptor, illustrator and collected painter ...

as Cyrus Borg *

Brian Drummond Brian Drummond (born August 10, 1969) is a Canadian voice actor. He formerly served on the board of directors for the New Westminster-based Urban Academy along with his wife, Laura Drummond, also a voice artist. Usually working in Vancouver, h ...

as Nuckal/Kruncha * Alan Marriott as Dareth/Captain Soto * Maryke Handrikese as Camille *

Alessandro Juliani Alessandro Juliani (born July 6) is a Canadian actor and singer. He is notable for playing the roles of Tactical Officer Lieutenant Felix Gaeta on the Sci-Fi Channel television program ''Battlestar Galactica'', Emil Hamilton in ''Smallville'', Ja ...

as Kapau *

Ian Hanlin Ian Stuart Hanlin is a Canadian voice actor based in Vancouver. Originally from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, he is known for his voice roles of Sunburst in '' My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic'', Lance Richmond in ''Nexo Knights'', Acronix in ...

as Chope *

Michael Donovan Michael Donovan is a Canadian voice actor and director known for his roles as Suikotsu in ''Inuyasha'' and Zoken Mato in ''Fate/stay night''. He has also directed many animated series and feature films. Roles Animation * ''3-2-1 Penguins!''K ...

as Eyezor * Brian Dobson as Sumo Zumo

Production

Development

Writers Dan and Kevin Hageman have stated that the season was inspired by the 1973

martial arts film Martial arts films are a subgenre of action films that feature numerous martial arts combat between characters. These combats are usually the films' primary appeal and entertainment value, and often are a method of storytelling and character expres ...

Enter the Dragon ''Enter the Dragon'' ( zh, t=龍爭虎鬥) is a 1973 martial arts film directed by Robert Clouse and written by Michael Allin. The film stars Bruce Lee, John Saxon and Jim Kelly. It was Lee's final completed film appearance before his death o ...

''. The director of the film

Robert Clouse Robert Clouse (March 6, 1928 – February 4, 1997) was an American film director and producer, known primarily for his work in the action/adventure and martial arts genres. He died on February 4, 1997, in Oregon of kidney failure. Clouse di ...

was also the inspiration for the character Clouse, an antagonist in the season.

Animation

The animation for the fourth season was produced at Wil Film ApS in Denmark.

Direction

The ''Tournament of Elements'' episodes were directed by Jens Møller, Michael Helmuth Hansen, Peter Hausner, Per Düring Risager and Trylle Vilstrup.

Release

The season premiered on

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...

on 23 February 2015 with the release of ''The Invitation''. The subsequent episodes were released across March and April 2015 until the release of the season finale titled ''The Corridor of Elders'' on 3 April of the same year.

Synopsis

The ninja heard that Zane is alive with being rebuilt with titanium and they can get him back by entering Master Chen's Tournament of Elements. However, Chen brought the elemental masters into the tournament just to steal their powers. Kai, Chen's daughter Skylor, the ninja and Garmadon goes against Chen, before he releases any Anocondrai Warriors from attacking Ninjago City.

Episodes

Reception

Ratings

''Tournament of Elements'' continued the popularity of the preceding seasons of ''Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu''. Its Monday 6.30pm time slot was the top telecast of the day among boys aged 2–11 and 6–11, and it was the top telecast in its time period among children aged 2–11, 6–11 and all boys.

Critical reception

Reviewer Melissa Camacho for

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

gave ''Tournament of Elements'' a 3 out of 5 star rating and noted that the season contains "lots of action-packed fantasy violence". The reviewer opined, "This colorful, fast-paced action series features the teen Ninja making sense of loss as they continue to learn lessons about loyalty and teamwork. It also highlights the importance of fighting with a sense of morality behind it, which is an interesting angle for an animated show based on toys."

Other media

An associated

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...

titled ''Lego Ninjago: Tournament'' was released on 23 January 2015 for

IOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also includes ...

, which was developed by

The Lego Group Lego A/S (trade name: The Lego Group) is a Danish toy production company based in Billund, Denmark. It manufactures Lego-brand toys, consisting mostly of interlocking plastic bricks. The Lego Group has also built several amusement parks aroun ...

. Five mini-movies were released in June and July 2015 on the Lego YouTube channel to accompany the season, which focus on the main antagonist, Master Chen. The mini-movies were produced by Wil Film ApS and were titled ''Chairful What You Wish For'', ''Chen's New Chair'', ''Chair Play Chen'', ''Chair Up Chen'' and ''Bad Chair Day''.

References

{{Lego Lego Ninjago Tournament of Elements 2015 Canadian television seasons 2015 Danish television seasons