These are the relationships of the Earth Ninja, Cole.
Family[]
Lou[]
Cole reconciles with his father Lou.
Lou is Cole's father and a dancer who wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. When Cole was a child, Lou sent him to Marty Oppenheimer School of Performing Arts but Cole ran away from the school and wouldn't see his father for some time.
After reuniting with his father, Cole was unable to admit that he ran away from the school and became a ninja. Lou found out and was furious but watched Cole battle a few Serpentine and was impressed with his son's choice. The two reconciled the relationship and have become closer as Lou once made a song to show how proud he was of him.
After Cole and Lou resolved their conflicts, Cole became delighted when he would see his father performing, such as when The Royal Blacksmiths arrived at the Ninjaball Run.
In "Day of the Departed," Lou wondered what was taking Cole so long to meet him, as he was looking forward to lighting lanterns with him for the holiday but Cole couldn't show up because of Yang's actions. They were able to spend time together, by the time of the next holiday.
During The Hands of Time, Cole was surprised to find his father was being held hostage by the Vermillion and with the help of Jay together they freed him and everyone else.
In "Snake Jaguar," after Cole used his singing to annoy a Sons of Garmadon member enough to escape imprisonment, Cole remarked that his father would be proud.
Lilly[]
- “Oh Cole, don't you see? I am proud. I want you to promise me, Cole, that you will always stand up to those who are cruel and unjust. Always.”
- “I- I promise, Mom. Always.”
| — Lilly and Cole, "Dungeon Crawl!" |
Lilly was Cole's mother who passed her elemental powers on to her son before her death. During Cole's flashback in "Dungeon Crawl!," he stated that he doesn't want her to be sick anymore. After Lilly learned that Cole was involved in a fight at school, he made a promise to make his mother proud by standing up against anyone who is cruel and unjust.
In "The Jade Princess," he appears to have been close to her as he told Wu that he was sad at her passing and resorted to climbing mountains as a way of coping with her being gone.
During "Into the Dark," Cole tackled a Geckle named Gleck and saw a necklace that includes the pictures of Lou and Lilly inside it.
Friends[]
Master Wu[]
Cole and Wu
Cole is Wu's student along with the other ninja. When Cole and the others trained to become ninja, he is shown to care about Wu and glad to have him mentoring them. Cole is the closest to Wu, as he was his first student as a ninja. Following Wu's sacrifice to defeat the Time Twins, Cole and the others were devastated by his loss and made plans to find their lost master. Cole was the most devastated by the loss of his master.
In Season 8: Sons of Garmadon, he is the main one focused on finding his master and has changed some of his habits to be more driven such as giving up on sweets and training more intently.
Cole later encounters a mysterious baby while being held prisoner to the Sons of Garmadon. Cole is responsible for taking care of the baby and at the end of the episode "Dead Man's Squall," Cole is seen shielding the baby to protect it from the Bounty's crash.
In "The Quiet One," it is revealed that the Baby is Wu with Cole being the most surprised as he sees the infant talk and drink tea. Cole questioned this before Nya and Zane came up with a theory for it and how he'll turn back to normal very soon. Despite his shock, Cole was very happy to have his master back.
During the events of Hunted, Cole is primarily the one who tries and teaches Wu in hopes of helping him regain his memories. He and Cole work together to try and save Jay, Kai, and Zane, who had been captured by the Dragon Hunters. When Wu ages into a teenager, Cole, along with the other ninja, are happy to see him age further and does his best to support Wu as he tries to remember his memories, even when the other ninja doubt Wu. When Wu fully regains his memories and ages into an older teenager, Cole is overjoyed as his old master is back.
In "Green Destiny," Cole and Wu return to Ninjago along with the others. They save Lloyd and the others and fight off the Sons of Garmadon and Colossus before Lloyd defeats Garmadon. In the end, Cole sees Wu has returned to being an old man and happy he is finally normal Wu again.
Jay[]
Cole and Jay
Jay and Cole are best friends throughout the series. Cole and Jay argued in earlier seasons, and Cole was most likely to be annoyed with him, due to the differing personalities (Cole was always serious and Jay was childish and unfocused), they always have each other's backs like the other ninja.
In Season 3, their friendship hit a rough patch when Nya developed a crush on Cole; this makes Jay upset and causes them to become rivals for her affections; which, along with Zane's "death" to defeat the Overlord serves as the main reason for the team breaking up.
In Season 4, they refuse to be on the same team again and continue fighting with each other about Nya. Jay even notes that he was more upset about losing Cole than Nya, showing the power of their friendship. When Chen forces them to duel in the tournament, the two get out some of their pent-up frustration but in the end, they rekindle their friendship with Cole sacrificing himself so Jay could advance. They maintain their friendship in the next season with Jay expressing sadness (nearly crying) when Cole was turned into a ghost by Yang and attempting to move him out of his despair.
During Season 6, Cole confronted Jay about him keeping his encounters with Nadakhan a secret from him and the others, being angered by his reasons. However, Cole was overjoyed to see Jay and Nya reconcile their relationship, not even upset she chose Jay over him, showing how much they have rebuilt their friendship. Jay considers Cole as his best friend.
In "Day of the Departed," when the ninja rushed to Cole's aid as he was fighting Yang, Cole was reenergized and managed to overpower and defeat the ghostly master. When Cole was thought to be departed, Jay broke down crying and stated that he would give anything to have Cole back, which the latter overheard before revealing himself to be alright. Jay and other ninja were relieved when Cole was okay and became a human again.
They still get along in future seasons, though Cole was put off by Jay going crazy in the Realm of Oni and Dragons until he regained himself.
When seeing Cole fall in the darkness of the Oni, Jay was horrified but along with the others had to reluctantly accept it.
In "Endings," he was relieved to see him return and happily asked him to help fend off the Oni attacking the Monastery.
In "The Turn of the Tide" Nya defeats Wojira by merging with the ocean and leaves. While Cole himself was saddened by Nya's departure, he was aware of how depressed Jay was by this. Cole can be seen silently comforting his friend during Nya's memorial.
Kai[]
Cole and Kai
They are good friends throughout the series. Kai and Cole respect each other and both are close friends. He and Kai are both confident, strong, leaders, and brave. Kai and Cole are often shown association with each other, the two like to team together and hang out with each other a lot as shown in the later seasons. As shown in Prime Empire specifically: the two always have each other's backs and would risk their lives for the other, showing just how close the two friends are.
In Season 5, Kai was sad that Cole became a ghost and attempted to move him out of his sadness. Kai made sure Cole never gave up and they even took Morro down together along with Lloyd, with their relationship growing bigger in the end.
In "Day of the Departed," Kai and the others were very happy to see Cole return to being a human.
When seeing Cole fall in the darkness of the Oni, Kai was distraught and immediately tried to save him but was stopped by Zane. Kai accepted that he had to continue their mission.
In "Endings," Cole returns to his friends, and Kai was relieved to see him back as they fended off the Oni attacking the Monastery.
In "The Speedway Five-Billion," Kai lets Cole ride on the back of his jet in the race until he steals a Whack Rat's Quad Bike. When they see Jay get surrounded by Red Visors, Cole and Kai both agree to go out with a bang and sacrifice themselves for their teammates.
Zane[]
- “A ninja doesn't save himself. He protects those who can't protect themselves. I have to go back. I have to go back and save them all.”
- “And a ninja never leaves another ninja's side.”
| — Cole and Zane, "Spy for a Spy" |
Cole and Zane
Like the others, Cole was put off by Zane's personality but when finding out he was Nindroid, he and the others supported and accepted their friend. In earlier seasons, Zane and Cole were best friends due to them being similar to being serious among the ninja.
When Zane sacrificed himself to defeat the Overlord and was seemingly destroyed, Cole was distraught by his friend's demise and was unable to continue being a ninja.
In season 4, when Lloyd suggested replacing Zane, Cole and the others were adamant about not replacing Zane until they spotted a poster that said he was still alive causing them to enter Chen's fighting tournament to find him. After being eliminated from the tournament, Cole was the first of the ninja to find Zane, being relieved to see him alive and well in a new form and immediately promised to break him out of his captivity. Working together, they manage to break free however, due to Cole's promise of breaking the other elemental masters out of Chen's grasps, he implored Zane to leave while he goes back. To his surprise, Zane decides to help him deeming that ninja never leave one another behind. After a series of plans, they were successful in liberating the captives and joined their allies in defeating Chen.
The two don't have much interaction in Season 5, though Zane comforted Cole after he became a ghost.
In "Day of the Departed," Zane and the others were very happy Cole was fine and became a human again.
During Season 7, Cole was worried for Zane after he was rendered off-line by the Time Twins. However, he was happy to see that he recovered and ready to help. During Season 9, Cole and Zane worked to survive in the Realm of Oni and Dragons. Cole also worked to free his friends from Iron Baron.
When seeing Cole fall in the darkness of the Oni, Zane was horrified but stopped a distraught Kai from trying to behave recklessly since it was too late to save him. In "Endings," he was relieved to see him return and happily asked him to help fend off the Oni attacking the Monastery.
Cole and the other ninja embarked on a journey to save Zane in "A Cold Goodbye."
During "Awakenings," an encounter with Boreal caused the others to realize Zane was the Ice Emperor. Although hesitant to believe this, Cole realized Zane was corrupted by the Scroll of Forbidden Spinjitzu, which caused him to become a monster. He wanted to free Zane of his trance. Likewise, Zane finally remembers him and a happy moment of them together. He then snaps out of his delirium enough to help his friends.
Nya (former love interest)[]
Cole and Nya in Season 3
Nya and Cole are good friends throughout the series, but in Season 3, Nya developed a crush on Cole, which caused him a rivalry between him and Jay, due to Jay finding out that Cole was Nya's perfect match. Cole originally saw Nya as a friend and ignored her, due to his uptight and serious personality. These feelings from Cole developed because of Nya giving him attention.[1]
In Season 5, when Cole became a ghost, she supported the depressed Cole to keep on trying with his life and never give up.[2] It's worth noting that Cole and Nya's friendship did not make Nya immune to criticism in Cole's eyes, as Cole became harsh with her for a moment after Ronin stole the Sword of Sanctuary.[3]
Cole and Nya in Season 11
In Season 6, Nya ultimately chooses to be with Jay but Cole is supportive of her choice with all three remaining good friends in the end.
In "Day of the Departed," Nya and the others were very happy Cole was fine and became a human again.
During Season 7, they continue to be good comrades when facing Time Twins.
During "The Fall," when learning that Cole fell in the darkness, Nya was horrified and along with the others broke down, due to being indirectly responsible.
In "Endings," she was relieved to see him return and gave him his scythe to help him fend off the Oni attacking the Monastery. When Jay asks Nya to be his Yang, he is initially critical of Jay's timing but is ultimately happy for his friends.
In "The Turn of the Tide", Cole became saddened by the sacrifice Nya made to save Ninjago and was later seen comforting Jay at her memorial.
Lloyd[]
Cole and Lloyd
When they first met, Cole thought Lloyd was troublesome and would tell Master Wu to give him a severe punishment in "Never Trust a Snake." After he reformed, they bonded and became good friends to the point, that the former would prank him more often than the other ninja.
Lloyd and Cole continue to be good friends throughout the series, with Cole giving Lloyd support which would inspire him to keep trying whenever Lloyd was feeling down in some battles against their enemies. When Lloyd was possessed by Morro, he and the other ninja did everything they could to rescue him from the Ghost Warriors. After saving him, Lloyd says Ninjago is at risk of being in possession because of the Preeminent, but the Earth Ninja tells him they won't be able to stop her without him.
Overall, Lloyd looks up to Cole and they work together greatly as they are both the strongest ninja on the team. In Season 6, they worked together throughout the season. Both of them even sacrificed themselves for Jay and Nya to getaway. They have other's backs and both led their friends against the Sky Pirates.
In "Day of the Departed," Lloyd and the other ninja were glad to see that Cole was okay and became a human again.
In Season 7, Cole supported Lloyd throughout the season. One point, Cole and Kai went against Lloyd's orders so that they could take action. At the end of the season, Cole and the others let Lloyd take charge during Wu's absence. During Season 8, Cole made fun of Lloyd's crush on Harumi and the latter was surprised at Cole's singing. Other than that, they get along as Cole respected Lloyd's leadership and followed his orders as they worked together. Cole was also worried for Lloyd after Harumi's true colors were revealed and he didn't hesitate to try and give up his powers to heal Lloyd after he fought Garmadon.
For most of Season 9, Cole was mostly in the Realm of Oni and Dragons and worried for Lloyd and the others. In "Green Destiny," Cole was reunited with his friend and they saved Ninjago from Garmadon and Cole was happy Lloyd's power returned.
In "Endings," he was relieved to see him return and the two friends fend off the Oni attacking the Monastery.
Arin[]
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Arin is Lloyd's student. They first met off-screen, they later met again when Cole returned to the monastery upon discovering many dangerous artefacts including Chronosteel, were brought to Kreel's junkyard.
Sora[]
- “Someone's done her homework on me.”
- “My best friend's a ninja super fan. He even got a Zane haircut once.”
- “Please tell me you're kidding.”
- “I wish I was.”
| — Cole and Sora, "Land of Lost Things" |
Sora is one of Lloyd's ninja students. He first met her, thinking she, Nya, and Riyu were going to harm Fritz and Spitz until he recognized Nya and stood down. After their failed attempt at preventing Dr. LaRow from taking the Yellow Dragon Core, Cole decided not to accompany her and Nya in order to search for Wu. They meet again when Cole returned to the monastery upon discovering many dangerous artefacts including Chronosteel, were brought to Kreel's junkyard.
Geo (possible love interest)[4][5] [6][]
- “I was too scared to tell you. I... thought you would leave if you didn't need me.”
- “But I do need you. If my new form has been part of my elemental power all along, I clearly needed you to help me realize my true potential.”
| — Geo and Cole, "Land of Lost Things" |
Cole and Geo share a moment
Geo and Cole are very close, and have built a family in the Finders. They met sometime after the Merge. Cole woke up in the Land of Lost Things, where Geo, supposedly a Munce with Geckle coloring, was banished with a few kids from other realms. In the years following the Merge, Cole told Geo about his adventures he had in the past and the locations he visited, such as the Cloud Kingdom. After gaining the ability to transform into a golem, Cole assumed it was a combination of Geo and his own's Elemental Powers, until Geo told him that it was Cole's own power. He was afraid Cole would leave if he knew the truth, but Cole reassured him he would not, as he did still need him as part of his life.
Bonzle[]
- “I'm so proud of her. She was. . . such a selfless little spell.”
- “No, she was a selfless person.”
| — Gandalaria and Cole, "Rising Ninja" |
Bonzle is one of the Finders Cole befriended when he ended up there after the Merge. When Bonzle mentioned she was a spell that took in her current form and was worried about what others would think, Cole was one of many to comfort her and, along with Zane, accompanied her to Mysterium to meet her creator, Gandalaria. After Bonzle was reverted back to her spell form to try and summon the Forbidden Five, managing to close the portal to the Nether-Space, Cole was saddened upon hearing it, even telling Gandalaria that Bonzle was 'a selfless person.'
Gandalaria[]
Gandalaria is Bonzle's creator.
Seliel[]
Seliel and Cole are good friends in the book Who is the Phantom Ninja?. This relationship is non-canon; that means Cole never met Seliel in the events of Season 3. It is unknown whether she truly exists in the series or if she does whether Cole will ever meet her.
Karlof[]
Cole and Karlof
They did not truly interact until after both lost their matches.
While working in Chen's factory, Karlof tried to dissuade Cole from any attempts at escape especially when they saw Jacob Pevsner taken away. However, Karlof covered for him when Cole found his captive friend Zane and regain hope. Once Cole voiced his intent of escape, Karlof was somewhat moved and asked Cole to break him out and the Earth Ninja hastily promised. In the end, Cole kept his promise with him, and Zane returning to liberate all Chen's captives. They do work together and regained their lost power and fought Chen.
During Hands of Time, Cole once more encounters Karlof who was captured. Cole and Jay save him from the Time Twins and the Vermillion.
Krag[]
Cole and Krag
Cole encountered Krag when journeying for the Traveler's Tree. Their first meeting wasn’t off to a good start. Cole immediately attacked the Yeti when he believed it was trying to harm him (in truth trying to save him from a fall). Despite Cole’s actions, the Yeti was still compassionate enough to provide him with food and shelter. Eventually, Cole found out it was the last of his kind and decided to befriend him. Cole also stopped Jay and Nya from attacking Krag and asked if he wanted to join them down the mountain, to which he accepted.
During "Once and for All," Cole and Krag are shown to be able to communicate as Krag complied with his order of stopping with his games.
In "Awakenings," as the ninja had to go home, Cole found it hard to part with Krag who gave Cole one more tight hug before he left, and was saddened before being comforted by Sorla. Cole took one last glance at his friend before heading home.
Vania[]
Cole and Vania
Cole got along well with Vania.
In their first meeting, she was excited to finally meet him in person. Cole was warned by a worried Lloyd that she could be untrustworthy, due to his own experience. Cole assures Lloyd that he didn’t feel that way about her.
During "Into the Dark," Vania has shown most of her interest in Cole, something he seems touched by. When the ninja didn't believe his story, Vania states that she believes his story as she has seen a Geckle before.
She was under the impression that he was the leader of the ninja until Wu said otherwise.
In "The Skull Sorcerer," Vangelis is revealed to be the enemy, Vania made the decision to side with Cole and the ninja against her father.
She travels with Cole and Wu, through the tunnel where they work together to escape the Dungeons of Shintaro.
During "The Son of Lilly," Vania helps Cole in saving his friends and sees him defeat her father. With her father arrested and his crimes exposed, Vania becomes the new queen. When the ninja were preparing to leave Shintaro, Vania shares the moment with Cole, and both promise to work with each other in the future.
More than a year later, Cole was able to contact her, allowing her to fulfil her promise to bring her army to help Cole during the final prophecy of Quanish the Elder.
Enemies[]
Yang (formerly)[]
Yang fights Cole at his temple
On "The Temple on Haunted Hill," Cole and his allies entered to Master Yang's Temple of Airjitzu. As the ninja hurried to get out of the temple before sunrise, Cole accidentally dropped the Scroll of Airjitzu, causing Yang to turn him into a ghost. His transformation became the reason that Cole wanted revenge on the Airjitzu master.
During "Day of the Departed," they meet again when Yang confronts Cole through a painting, telling him to "close the circle." Desiring revenge for being made a ghost, Cole proceeds to steal the Yin Blade and head to Yang's Temple to settle the score, where he meets Yang. Unbeknownst to him, this was Yang's plan and feigning fear, he tricks Cole into attacking him. This allows the ghosts of the ninja's foes to escape the Departed Realm. Yang has his students capture Cole and lock him up, where he mocks Cole on dooming his friends since the ghosts will distract the separated remaining ninja. allowing the ghostly master opens a Rift to the Departed Realm and become mortal again. Cole ultimately escapes and fights Yang for a while until the corrupt master overpowers him and proceeds to demoralize him calling him a ghost who will be forgotten and who will take his place as Master of the house. However, the voices of the ninja who have defeated their villains, reenergize Cole who rises to face off against Yang again.
This time in their fight, Cole unleashes enough power to shatter the Yin Blade and freeing Yang's students of his control. As the Rift begins to close, the formerly imprisoned pupils are prompted by Cole to go through the Rift, allowing them to become mortal while Yang admits defeat. Bitter, Yang reveals he wanted to be immortal so he would not be forgotten and Cole reminds him as the creator of Airjitzu that he would not be forgotten by anyone. Cole then flies the two of them towards the Rift but Yang tells him one of them must remain behind as the Temple's master because of the curse, and throws Cole into the disappearing Rift claiming he wanted to settle his "debts." Afterward, Cole becomes human again and he and the ninja move into the Temple, while Yang wanders the halls, no longer a sadistic monster but a kind master who has accepted his fate, with only Cole being aware of his presence.
Vangelis[]
Cole and Vangelis
Cole met him when he and Vania discovered the Skull Keep.
Cole attempted to fight him but the Vengestone around the area prevented him from using his powers and left him at a disadvantage, leading to him being taken captive. When the ninja, Geckles, and Munce escaped from him, Vangelis targeted Cole with his attacks and chased him down, but lost him through the tunnels.
In "The Skull Sorcerer," he reported to Vangelis about this but was shocked to learn that he was really the Skull Sorcerer. Cole and Wu were then sent to a trap and fell through a tunnel.
During "The Upply Strike Back!," Cole spots him threatening his friends. Cole then confronts the villain, who is annoyed to see him again.
In "The Son of Lilly," Cole uses his mother's weapons against the Skull Sorcerer. An intense battle ensues between the pair, despite putting up a good fight, the Earth Ninja is overwhelmed. The Skull Sorcerer then starts to mock him and his mother but this only goes to inspires Cole to unlocks the ability to use the Spinjitzu Burst. Cole then defeats the Skull Sorcerer by destroying the source of his power and leaving him defenseless. In awe by his acts, Vangelis concedes and begs for mercy. Due to Cole's actions, Vangelis is stripped from the throne and succeeded by his daughter.
A year later, Cole was annoyed to be reunited with the former King who sought revenge. Using the latter's crystalized Scythe of Quakes, Vangelis claims that what had happened to him were lies before Cole reclaimed the Scythe and used it to trap Vangelis.
References[]
| Character relationships | |
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Heroes |
Arin · Cole · Cyrus Borg · Dareth · Garmadon · Jay · Kai · Karlof · Lloyd · Misako · Nya · P.I.X.A.L. · Police Commissioner · Skylor · Sora · Wu · Wyldfyre · Zane |
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Neutral characters |
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Villains |
Acronix · Aspheera · Beatrix · Chen · Harumi · Iron Baron · Jordana · Kalmaar · Krux · Morro · Nadakhan · Pythor · Ras · The Overlord · Unagami · Vangelis · Vex |