

The origin of the Ninjago theme lies in the earlier Lego Ninja theme, which was released in 1998.

Simon Lucas, Senior Creative Director, commented, "With Lego Ninjago, we took inspiration from a Japanese starting point, but it developed into something of a massive mashup of cultures, not just one particular culture." Concept and creation Tommy Andreasen's original 2009 concept drawing depicting the main characters Background The storyline is set within the fictional world of Ninjago, a place inspired by East Asian culture. In the theme's storyline, the ninja characters are trained in the art of "Spinjitzu" a fictional martial art that allows them to fight their opponents. The theme originally introduced five main characters with an original storyline set in a fictional world that fused the ninja theme with dragons, modern vehicles and futuristic mech-robots.

The main focus of the line is the formation and consequent exploits and trials of a group of teenage ninja, battling against the various forces of evil. Main article: Ninjago (TV series) § Overview On January 14, 2021, the Ninjago theme celebrated its tenth anniversary, making it one of The Lego Group's longest-running and most successful original brands. The popularity of the TV series and the toy line resulted in the production of The Lego Ninjago Movie, released in 2017, which was the third film in The Lego Movie franchise. The Lego Group developed the theme into a media franchise aimed primarily at young boys and pre-teenage boys, which has produced books, video games and theme park attractions. However, after a brief hiatus, the line was continued after feedback from fans and has been in production ever since. Ninjago enjoyed phenomenal popularity and success in its first year, and a further two years were commissioned before a planned discontinuation in 2013. In 2023, new characters were introduced for the replacement series. They are also trained in the fictional martial art of "Spinjitzu" by their ancient and wise teacher, Master Wu, giving them the ability to fight against the forces of evil. The ninja characters are "Elemental Masters", which means that they each possess elemental powers. The theme originally focused on a group of six teenage ninja, led by the legendary Green Ninja, Lloyd Garmadon. It was produced to coincide with the computer-animated television series Ninjago, which was replaced in 2023 by a new series titled Ninjago: Dragons Rising. It is the first theme to be based on ninja since the discontinuation of the Lego Ninja theme in 2000. Lego Ninjago is a Lego theme that was created in 2011 and a flagship brand of The Lego Group. (Original) Lloyd Garmadon, Kai, Cole, Jay, Zane, Nya, Master Wu, Lord Garmadon
