Why Ninjago Crystalized's Prison Plot WORKS (and why Skybound doesn't) 

Another reason that Skybound's prison arc is dumb is that there were witnesses and people with the ninja the entire time nadakhan committed crimes. Nelson, the children and the fan girls were present at the hospital, Dareth and the helicopter driver were present with the ninja for many hours in the helicopter

You know the famous quote "a hero sacrifices you to save the world but a villain sacrifices the world to save you" Nya is a hero but the ninja..

completely agree. skybound’s prison arc feels so simple in comparison to crystalized’s (the trial was a great touch). I don’t think keeping them wanted forever is good though. having the police pursue the ninja in every following season would get old quickly.

I decided to rewatch the prison arc in skybound and I think doesn't work because it doesn't feel like a challenge and is resolved too quickly, the ninja left prison in the same episode they entered it, they got the information they wanted from soto and just left and in nadakhan's side there wasn't much happening, so for skybound there was no sense of urgency or of obstacle for the prison arc, what made it seem bland. For crystalized, the sense of urgency and challenge is more well built, kabuki mask gives a sense of threat and lloyd can't do anything because he's in prison, he tries to thwart kabuki mask from escaping and fails because of the guards, the ninja try to stop pythor from escaping and once again fail because they're in prison. There's a new villain of which the ninja know nothing about threatening them and the city inviting old villains to the council of the crystal king and it seems the villains know it, but the ninja can't do anything and can know barely anything because they're in prison. The prison here is actually an obstacle for the ninja and that's what makes it more interesting to watch.

My favorite part of Skybound was Jay’s characterization it was very good especially the way Nadakhan talked about how Jay only makes jokes to cover up his depression/anxiety, it wasn’t explicitly stated that Jay has anxiety or depression but as someone who has both the way he freaks out is very simolar to my anxiety attacks and the covering it up is similar to what I do a lot with depression I wish they kept those details about Jay

One of the things I’ve really liked about this season so far is how much it highlights that the ninja are just that - NINJA - especially with how they’re contrasted with the new ninja who act way more like superheroes/power rangers. It’s good to see!

I think Crystalized also works because there's a real sense of urgency. They NEED to take the risk, or they lose their one shot of saving Nya. In Skybound it just seems like a setting change for the first few episodes. I doubt the Ninja are gonna remain wanted for all of Crystalized but it'd be nice. Really make it feel like the Ninja are getting attacked from every side

Can we all agree that it is kinda odd that in crystallized, the ninja aren’t wearing vengestone cuffs and are not restrained from using their powers despite the threat they pose to the prison.

It’s basically deontology vs consequentialism. Should we do this bad thing for a good reason and outcome? Or is it not justified because it’s a bad thing? I think this is the cause of the divide in opinions on the Ninja’s arrest. If you believe the Ninja shouldn’t go to jail, you’re likely a consequentialist, if you believe they deserve to go to jail, you’re likely a deontologist. At least for the moment. Btw, it could be a fun video for you to analyse whether or not the Ninja should go to jail. Legally, morally, etc (though it might be slightly out of your scope, you can still give your opinions and why. I’d love to see the discussion! If you haven’t done such a video already)

I think the big difference between the two is that in one the ninja are passive while in the other the ninja are active. In Skybound, it feels like the ninja are just dealing with some that happens to them, not actively doing something that leads to the prison plot. It’s much more intriguing and nuanced when the ninja have to actually make the choice of whether or not to go to prison rather than simply dealing with the fact that they now have to go to prison. Also, as you were saying, major consequences seem to be at play with the Crystalized plot, which I don’t think I can say about the Skybound plot. There is a chance that the ninja “befriending” Aspheera will have dire consequences later on in the season, as (possibly spoilers) it seems that her knowledge on the ninja will allow the Council of the Crystal King to power up. If a major character death(which kind of seems likely this season) happens as a result of this, then it would serve for a great cause-and-effect narrative that stretches all the way from Nya’s sacrifice to the major character death.

This is the first why it works video I 100% agree with

I mean, the moment Lloyd gets golden power, no amount of police force will be able to fuck around with him. Even if the mayor still would want to put him and the ninja in jail after they deal with the overlord, Lloyd just giving him a 'tf you said to me you little shit' look would probably be enough to get a pardon. God powers often come with immunity from the law.

i don’t have issue with them going to jail in crystalized it’s definitely done way better than in skybound but i just think it’s funny how the police thought they could keep the ninja in jail without any vengestone or anything even though they got this right before (and based on the actual episodes, they could’ve broken out at any time)

My only problem is that Jay basically has dementia. I know it would be confusing for anyone who hasn't seen pre-Season 11, but seriously, the guy doesn't give a *HINT* of that timeline. Everyone fails to acknowledge that they saved the world like 10 times, and the multiverse 2 other times(which is actually pretty accurate to real life).

Aw it's cute how hopeful you were about crystalized back then..... How quickly that changed.

It honestly just shows how much the show has improved over the years in terms of plot development and the ninjas' actions having consequences

But the fact is why wouldn’t use vengetone in crystallized

According to the Ninjago timeline, the ninja have only been sent to Kryptarium once

I still don’t get how the cuffed Cole in s6 when he’s a ghost 😂 the shackles should’ve just gone trough him lmao

another thing about the skybound wanted arc (that you touched on briefly) is that if you remove it from skybound, practically nothing changes. (of course, if you remove skybound from the canon, practically nothing changes. but that’s another discussion entirely.) that’s one of the most egregious writing mistakes you can ever make: create a useless scenario that wastes time. in crystallized, the wanted plot line is fundamentally necessary. the plot we have so far could not function if it were removed. THAT is how you properly implement a scenario. it HAS to be impactful, or it is a waste of time. (like skybound, /lh please don’t come after me.)

In skybound they could not use their power thanks to the venge stone. But in crystalised they can. It's stupid. Why not put stone revenge yet. They know very well that ninjas have powers. (srry for my English I'm French.

Well if they actually used vengestone there in crystallised it could have been a bit better

I’m glad that Crystalized did keep the whole “wanted” thing for longer than two episodes. That’s one of the only things in Crystalized that wasn’t a plot hole lol

Just saw this video and would like to add that their time in prison is the most frustrating thing ever. They could have easily written it so that the ninja aren’t pardoned, but every single guard is on a hair trigger. Instead of completely ignoring what Lloyd is saying about the kabuki masked Harumi, they could have just said that they haven’t done anything illegal, forcing Lloyd to attempt escape to go after her. And then again during Pythor’s escape, they’re clearly there to help and the police are stupid for ignoring the GIANT HELICOPTER breaking out a prisoner and ignoring the ninja’s actions. Sure, they shouldn’t just be let off the hook, but they could at least acknowledge that the ninja are still being the good guys. You know, like they did several minutes prior when they were just arriving at Kryptarium.

Tbh it does look a little like it might have concluded out of nowhere (so far in crystallised) because they were operating pretty freely in their suits while driving the mechanic’s truck. And the trailer for the second part looks so crazy intense I wonder if the charges might be forgotten altogether O_o But i do hope they give it some conclusion.

Crystalized makes it more clear on why the Ninja were arrested too, in Skybound, Nadakhan has absolutely no reason for framing the Ninja, he didnt even find out the ninja were responsible for the collapse of the djinn realm ag the time

ppl before crystalized: this is going to be a good season ppl after crystalized: THIS IS THE WORST SEASON EVER

Okay honestly think the prison story plot idea in Skybound sounds good on paper but actually going through with it in Skybound feels out of place and not only that it felt like they scrapped the idea but at last minute added it back again which felt rushed.

Good video, couldn't agree more that this new stealth aspect is a great consequence for the ninja!

I think they did do the prison plot and concluded it for a good reason, the whole world was being overtaken by the embodiment of evil and they still had that sheriff guy still hunting them during that, so although crystalized part 2 wasnt great at least the prison plot wasny rlly ruined all too much

Now with Ninjago crystallized part 2 being out, please tell me, I’m not the only one who thinks the emotional and sacrificial pay off of Nya’s has been almost completely undone with her getting her powers back. Making the sacrifice pointless in Seabound.

The thumbnail looks like a meme template

How often do l make jokes about chemistry? Periodically.

I'm gonna defend the prison plot just a little bit, Yes the prison plot ends too fast when the comissioner pardons them way to early as well as the ninja escaping in the same episode they were put in the prison, but Nadakhan wanted to tear the ninja apart from each other by getting them all by themselves so he could trick them into wishing themselves away, like when he was alone with jay while they were undercover trying to find nadakhan's ship, he saw how Jay behaved around Nya and how he truly feels about her so that was a great opportunity to get him alone which later would make him have secrets from the rest of the gang with his encounter with Nadakhan which led to Zane's disappearance on the sailboat when Zane didn't know about jay's wishes until the chess game started which could have been avoided Jay told them the truth so Zane could think his own wishes through before meeting nadakhan. And also Nadakhan wanted no one to stand in his way of bringing back his crew. Like this justification doesn't mean i think the prison part of Skybound is not bad, but it does mean that it was tought out just a little bit. But i 100% agree that the prison arc of Crystalized worked 10 times better than Skybound did

Considering the rumors about ninjago receiveing a soft reboot next year, what if the ninja end this season in prison and next season we'll see a new inexperienced team trying to get ninjago safe while the real ninja can't.

I don't know, my one dealbreaking problem with season 15's prison plot is that, as far as I understand it, it's driven entirely by ninja being stupid: they've saved Ninjago countless times and want bring back a person who helped them do that and is mourned by the entire nation. The mayor is of no help because he's less of a person and more of a plot contrivance. Do the ninja contact Cyrus Borg and the Kryptarium warden - their longtime friend and ally respectively - directly and organise a quiet removal of Nya's power by transporting her to Kryptarium in a cryocontainer and convincing Aspheera to cooperate by offering her to keep her arms and tail for the rest of her sentence as a reward with the prison guards closely overseeing the whole process?

One other reason Crystalized’s Prison Arc was better than Skybound’s prison arc was that in Crystalized, the ninja were in prison for a few episodes. But in Skybound, the ninja literally broke out right after they were put in jail for only one episode.

I would absolutely love for the ninja to have to adopt fake identities. I feel like there's room for interesting plot beats (like being out in public and unable to stop a crime/having to do so secretly), and some funny jokes.

No one noticed that in season 6 they give them hadcuffs that blocks their powers, but they don't do this in season 16. WHY?!

I don't think bringing Nya back made her sacrifice pointless now she lost her elemental powers. And if you ask me I love Nya being the water ninja but the way the story is going I think Nya should lose her water powers forever and be Samurai X again it looks like that's the direction they're going with and nya losing her water Powers forever still made her sacrifice work. but that's just my opinion

I absolutely adore skybound, but crystalized's prison arc is soo much better

yeah I think they should stay wanted, this is a big crime that isn't going to just go away and as you said it will have it so that they need to be real ninjas, not that they aren't but more like them. Can't wait to see where crystalized goes and I can't wait to see the crystal king especially since there is a theory that he is secretly the overlord returning

I respect the grindset my dude, you present some good points, but I'm gonna have to hard disagree on a few things here ... 0:47 - This argument seems alright on paper, but truth be told, there are many better scenarios where the Ninja should have emphasized stealth (all of Rebooted, for example, due to NNC's extensive facial recognition tech) and many episodes where being stealthy would have resolved the plot sooner. I think the reason we like the idea of the Ninja as fugitives is because we get to see them cut off from all their resources save themselves. Stealth remains an option, but seeing them act without vehicles, allies, or Wu's advice even makes it interesting. Not to mention that prisons are designed so the guards can constantly monitor the prisoners. Stealth opportunities are greatly minimized in a story when the enemy has the advantage in anticipating your behavior in their territory. 1:44 - "Formulaic" implies a formula that has been repeated, and up until Skybound we had yet to see the Ninja framed for anything significant. I believe the framing idea is a good storytelling mechanism here because it so violently shifts the Ninja from being beloved by the public to hated by the public, thus limiting their resources and capabilities and adding to the conflict. Any advantage they had being on top of the world is now gone, and the prison scenes help further emphasize just how low they've gone. Because Nadakhan's manipulation was so thorough that the Ninja had no chance at making a case for their innocence, I see no plot safety in framing the Ninja and removing them thoroughly from their comfort zone. 3:18 - "It doesn't change the fact that they freed a terrorist and gave her a weapon ... this is most likely a move that will cost many people their lives." You had mentioned how the Ninja's actions could, hypothetically, be viewed as morally justified or unjustified earlier, but it seems you have very thoroughly concluded that they are immoral - and thus successfully refuted the argument in favor of the Ninja. So I think your argument about the ambiguity of the Ninja's cause for going to prison just undid itself. In contrast, the "wrong man" plot from Skybound gives the Ninja a goal to prove their innocence, and thus, a conflict to be resolved in the story. Crystalized lacks that goal since the Ninja's innocence cannot be argued, and the conflict comes from the sudden arrival of the Crystal King (a villain so mysterious and thorough in his plans that he announces his plan to destroy the Ninja before he can finish recruiting all the villains needed to destroy the Ninja.) 4:02 - Save the first Sky Pirate attack in Ninjago City (a crisis that forced the police to stand by) and that boat scene (does that Captain with the suspicious sauce look like he's gonna report them? Heh heh ... ) the Ninja do actually spend the rest of Skybound trying to avoid public areas entirely - until the police are forced to work with them of course. Their suits are only used in scenarios where they anticipate combat, otherwise, we see them attempt to use disguises. 4:40 - I know this list is disagreements overall but I just gotta say ... I 100% agree on this point. Remember when Zane died and we had several episodes to wonder if Chen was just pulling a fast one on the Ninja and the audience? Good times, good times ... 5:27 - "Generic, by the books, randomly concludes" - I have addressed the first two already, and as for the random conclusion, we do see in "My Dinner With Nadakhan" where the Commissioner and the police see the Sky Pirates in action and decide to work with the Ninja - now seeing full proof that their story was true. If anything, Crystalized's prison setup is by-the-books because we have already seen a prison setup in Skybound! We'll have to see how it concludes but I wouldn't be surprised if it ends similarly - the reveal of the Crystal King in action forces the Mayor and his team to work with the Ninja and drop the charges. Personally, I think Crystalized is a writing disaster that only works because the show writers simply wish plot points into existence (the prison setup being only one of many instances). I think Skybound has far better writing and better holds up under scrutiny. Then again, we have only seen half of Crystalized so far, so maybe ... somehow ... what we've seen so far can stick the landing.

Totally agree, I like how in crystalized they go to jail because they brek laws trying to save someone instead of just getting randomly framed for a crime. It really shows that the ninja are heros. In skybound the prison arc felt like pure filler, in crystalized it feels much better integrated into the story. The episodes where they are wandering through the desert feel like filler though.

WHERE DO I FIND THE MODERN EPISODES? I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW THERE WAS MORE AFTER THE SEASON FOLLOWING THE MOVIE AND CN STOPPED AIRING IT ON THE CHANNEL.

I agree with this video But i do wonder why they didnt put vengestone on the ninja in crystallized when they did in skybound

I very much agree with you but I only had one question with the crystalized prison arc, in skybound they put vengestone chains on the ninja because if not they were able to escape easier but why didn't they do it in crystalized?

if they stay public enemy numbers 1,2,3,4 and 5 it will force them to be more sneaky and more ninja like

I haven't seen the series after season 4, but then I saw on a Netflix and then I saw a newer version of it and then I got confuse. It just doesn't make sense to me anymore. Is there like a timeline. For me to catch up

I don’t mind the prison arc in season six I’m glad they broke out I enjoyed both those arcs

Don't forget that skybound never happened since Jay wished it so they got the perfect redo

I agree with everything here. Except the Ninja being wanted forever thing.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME IF NEW EPISODES ARE COMING THIS FRIDAY OR NOT?! OR WHAT?!

unless they defeated the crystal king, the government take derak advice and get the ninja to just do community service, this would make things great in the end

Unrelated. But what do you think of the Crystalized Ninja Suits? The standard ones and the golden ones

I like their love for each other, they sacrifice themselves, their freedom and even the city 💓

What episode

Skybound was my favorite season, and I actually forgot that the prison arc even happened

i havent even seen seabound yet is there anything i can watch them on

I don't remember how's in skybound but in crystalized they put them in NORMAL cells, like... they still had their powers, they used it few times. WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT FEW RANDOM GUARDS CAN STOP ELEMENTAL MASTERS FROM ESCAPING THE NORMAL PRISON. If ninja wanted to hurt those around them, they would without any problems

i can 100% once i watch the part 2 episodes aspheera will be one of my fav characters

I prefer sky bound prison only because the ninja were framed instead of actually doing dumb chaotic shit

It's easy. It's because in Skybound Nadakhan commited the crimes and not the Ninja unlike we see the Ninja do in Crystilized.

The Skybound prison arc isn't anything special but it's still fun seeing how they 'adapt' to it, even if it was for just an episode lol.

I like how the halo soundtrack plays in the back

I agree

it is unknown if mayor trustable calls nya public enemy number 6 since ulysses trustable hate her it it is unknown if mayor arrest nya after her return.

3:59 well, the captain was drunk

FACTS crystallized makes a lot of sense. But skybound’s is just weird because the commissioner just saw Jay and like thought meh. But in crystallized they have been bringing it back up

brro when is crystalized part two imma die of old age

I think that the plot of the ninja being hunted forever won't work In the beginning, Lloyd's plan was to remain in prison and wait, so if the Crystal King is defeated and the ninja are arrested again, they most likely won't break out

100% agreed

The crystallized prison plot is the only good plot scene of ninjago crystallized

Now that crystallized has ended, they could still save the prison arc. Just have the police arrest the ninja at the start of the next season.

I hope they have to stay in shadows but i think they are going to make it ninja gets bad guys back to prison everything is fine now

Sorry but i dont think there gonna keep it plus tye commisioner doesnt really care only the mayor ground hog and the new ninja plus they seem to drop it at the end

fun fact; going by definition, apart from what they wear, the ninja arent actually ninja's.

Hyyyypeed

This is a great example of why the new ninjago isn’t worse, and is arguably better than old ninjago. It makes sense why people like old ninjago better (nostalgia), but those people need to realize that in terms of writing, animation, etc, new ninjago is better. You can like whatever you want, but when comparing them, one is obviously higher quality.

Crystalized’s prison arc is way better, i’m with Risky in how they should go with it (In DRL’s comment replies)

Bro finally a vid where Crusty isn’t complaining about Crystalized! 😂

What I don’t get is that the ninja save all of Ninjago from terrible threats a fates none could ever have escaped without them. Sometimes even sacrificing lives to do it! Some even have stood by their side to battle. They’ve done more for Ninjago then they could ever hope to repay. But when the ninja need something, or ask for something, they are so unwilling to deliver? Don’t they trust the constant saviors of the world? That they have their reason and they’ll take care of it like they always do?

trust me, it isnt like skybound. it wa AMAZING

I just think that Seabound's ending and the Crystalized prison plot are bad because they killed Nya *just to bring her back the next season*. (At least with Zane in season 3, you don't see it coming.) Yes, it was written well. And with Skybound, yes, it's a generic wrong man formula, but Ninjago used the " villain summons/aids an evil/unaligned god that too late they realize can't be controlled" at least 4 times. (S1 Devourer, S2 Overlord, S3 Overlord, S5 Preeminent, S8 Garmadon, S14 Wojira.) I said 4 because I'm not sure how many I listed actually count, but S1 Devourer, S2 Overlord, S5 Preeminent, and S14 Wojira def count.

I hope crystallized’s prison arc ends with the mayor being kicked out. I hate that guy. But sadly he does make great points and does seem to try and take care of the city. He’s just a guy with a horrible personality doing what needs to be done for the good of the city.

idk why Ninjago's police is useless by all means except when the ninja are wanted

Plus in the end Skybound didn't even matter in the end thanks to Jay's last wish that undid it all.

Private quote retweet

Crystalized gets a lot of things wrong but at least yhey got the prison arc right

Halo 4 lives sneakily rent free on this channel, I see

The ninja are back in prison

wait... Lego ninjago is still going? I stopped checking in on it after the stupid Lego ninjago movie so I wasn't aware it had kept going. it's just weird to me, I never got used to the new animation style

What kind of annoyed me in Crystalized is how the Ninja don't get the deep stone handcuffs.

what he is trying to say is they got better police xD

Coles aghost

Cryatalized was so much better there wa a court but in skybound no jay and cole had evidence but no

I mean Skybound wasn't great as a season in general (I'm considering making a video on my own channel detailing how it went wrong and how it could be improved, because the basic premise is actually really good), but yeah, the prison arc was pretty weak.

I am with the ninja because where they sacrifice so much to keep the city safe the city just replaces them

Tmnt is one of my favorite show and I’m glad that In the new season they where black suit and stuff and act sneaky I still want a tmnt and ninjago crossover if you watched tmnt 2012 you would know how similar leo and Lloyd are and how similar Kai and raph are heck jay and Mikey both had lightning at some point and have freckles make joke and use nunchucks

"Ninjago" after Ninjago Movie isn't the same Ninjago...