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Kai   Kai (The LEGO Movie)   Kai (The LEGO Ninjago Movie)    
“Impatience makes everything worse, Wyldfyre. It clouds your judgement, and you make bad decisions. Trust me, I know from experience.”

Kai is the current Elemental Master and Ninja of Fire, Nya's older brother, Skylor’s boyfriend, Ray and Maya's son, and mentor of Wyldfyre. He and his younger sister worked as blacksmiths in their father's blacksmith shop all their life until they met Master Wu. With his guidance, Kai learned Spinjitzu and discovered his other teammates, Cole, Jay, Zane, and Lloyd, with whom he embarked on many adventures; battling the likes of the Serpentine and the Stone Army.

After Zane's sacrifice to defeat the Overlord, the ninja parted ways before reuniting to go rescue Zane on Chen's Island. There, Kai grew closer to Skylor, one of the tournament contenders, as they competed in the Tournament of Elements. Ultimately, he allied with the other Elemental Masters to defeat Chen's Anacondrai Cultists. After the war ended, Lloyd was possessed by Morro, who escaped the Cursed Realm and released a legion of ghosts. Kai and the ninja battled Morro and his forces before the Cursed Realm was destroyed.

The ninja found fame after saving Stiix, but when Nadakhan returned with the Sky Pirates, Kai was the first of the ninja trapped in the Sword of Souls. Jay eventually freed him and the rest of the ninja, and reversed these events with his final wish. On the Day of the Departed, Kai and Nya fought a revived Chen, who they defeated once more. When the Time Twins returned to Ninjago, Krux tried to convince Kai that Kai's parents were traitors. Kai and Nya reunited with their parents and stopped Krux and Acronix from changing the future, but at the cost of losing Wu in the Time Vortex.

A year later, Kai and the ninja watch over Princess Harumi after she loses her adopted parents. They later discover she's secretly the leader of the Sons of Garmadon and wants to resurrect Lord Garmadon. Despite the ninja's efforts, Harumi succeeds, and shortly after Kai is marooned in the First Realm with Cole, Jay, Zane and a de-aged Wu. Kai and the ninja help save the dragons from the Dragon Hunters, and help Wu regain his confidence and memories. After Iron Baron's defeat, Wu reclaims the Dragon Armor, in turn allowing them to return to Ninjago. Kai and his allies take down Garmadon's Colossus, restoring peace to Ninjago once more. Not long after, the malicious Oni invade Ninjago, forcing the ninja to ally with Lord Garmadon. Kai uses his blacksmithing skills to reforge the Golden Armor into the Golden Weapons, and later defeats the Oni by using the Tornado of Creation with the other ninja, Wu, and Garmadon.

Months later, Kai and his friends fight Aspheera and her army, after accidentally releasing them from their tomb, and Aspheera seizes Kai's power. After Zane is banished by Aspheera's sorcery, Kai and the ninja search for him in the Never-Realm. While Lloyd goes to find Zane, Kai and the others protect the Ice Fishers from the Ice Emperor's Blizzard Samurai, and he regains his element in time to combat Boreal. The ninja learn a memoryless Zane was manipulated into becoming the Ice Emperor. He returns to his senses and frees the realm from its eternal winter, and the ninja return to Ninjago.

Over the next few months, the ninja face numerous new threats. They enter the virtual world of Prime Empire when hundreds of players are zapped into the game. During their quest to stop Unagami, Kai and Cole sacrifice themselves in a race, but everyone is restored to reality when Jay helps Unagami and his creator make amends. Kai and the ninja later traveled to the Kingdom of Shintaro, where Vangelis discreetly terrorizes the Geckles and Munce as the "Skull Sorcerer". The ninja struggle to bring peace to Shintaro, but are eventually captured. After being freed, they fight the Re-Awakened and defeat the Skull Sorcerer. Kai and the ninja later travel to the Island of the Keepers to save Misako and Wu. There, the ninja discover the Storm Amulet and the existence of Wojira - an ancient serpent that Kalmaar of Merlopia seeks to unleash. The ninja journey to the Endless Sea to investigate, but are unable to stop the beast's awakening, and Ninjago City is flooded. Ultimately, Nya sacrifices herself and becomes one with the sea in a bid to defeat Wojira.

A year after Nya's loss, Kai has opened up his own dojo. When the ninja come together and Nya manifests in a water form, they devise a plan to drain her power and restore her body. The ninja break Aspheera out of Kryptarium and steal her staff; she restores Nya, but the ninja are arrested for their actions. They escape a prison bus and set off to learn of the Crystal King, who assembled a council of the Ninjas' worst villains - including a revived Harumi. In the ensuing chaos, the Crystal King - revealed as the Overlord - unleashes an army of Crystal Warriors to ravage and corrupt the people of Ninjago. The final battle commences, with the ninja and all their allies through the years coming together to fight The Overlord, his confidants and his army. The ninja combine the Golden Weapons, releasing their powers in the form of the Golden Ultra Dragon, which helps Lloyd vanquish the Overlord. The ninja and their allies celebrate their greatest victory, and come together to rebuild the monastery.

Several weeks later, Kai went on a journey with Skylor to defeat a tribe worshipping Fire Fang and regains his powers in the process.

When The Merge occurred, where all realms formed into one, Kai woke up on an unfamiliar island and spent weeks trying to find the monastery, managing to reunite with Lloyd. Taking the Bounty, Kai went on a journey to study the combined realms while keeping Lloyd up to date, until he stopped upon reaching the Realm of Madness, reunites with Nya and helps to defend the Craglings from dragons. Kai remained at the monastery, where he was called towards the mysterious Monastery of Imperium, where he and Nya meet up, find Zane, and help Lloyd, his students, Riyu, and Wyldfyre escape from Imperium. While searching for the Dragon Core in Wyldfyre's old home, Kai came across the Lava-tides, who were miffed by Wyldfyre's pranks, until they manage to get the core. However, Dorama managed to swap it with a fake beforehand. And while waiting for Heatwave to heal, Kai taught Wyldfyre patience, eventually taking her under his wing. After discovering the fake, Kai and Wyldfyre, along with Lloyd, Zane, and Arin return to Imperium, where they're recruited by a resistance to expose Empress Beatrix's lies before she used a weapon to create a MergeQuake storm, which Kai was sent into a rift but was brought back after Lloyd stabilized the merged realms and during one lesson, Kai discovered his and Wyldfyre's powers are different.

A year later Kai helped other ninja to handle Lobbo being mutated, stopping the Mechanic and stopping the Lava-Tides from stealing dragon eggs.

History[]

Main article: Kai/History

Students[]

Appearance[]

Typically preferring red attire, Kai has tall, thick spiky brown hair, shaped like fire, similar to his hair in The LEGO Ninjago Movie. He is often seen with a focused expression on his face, with a scar visible on his right eyebrow and a bandage above his left, which has been there for a long time, possibly because he thinks it looks cool.[1] Before Season 8, his hair was a slightly darker shade of brown, his eyebrows were black, his bangs parted to the right and instead of a scar, and he had a notch on his left eyebrow. However, he has a scar below his eye in the LEGO sets released prior to Season 8, which is now reflected in the sets and in the show after Season 8 onwards. From Season 11 onward, his hair is more textured with color.

In "Way of the Ninja" and "Endings," Kai wore a white shirt and red pants as well as an orange apron. Since "The Royal Blacksmiths," Kai's civilian attire consists of a red half-zipped up sweater over a maroon shirt with his symbol on the chest and brown pants. Throughout Season 6, he wore a red cap over his hair to conceal his identity. In the pilot and The New Masters of Spinjitzu, it can be observed that Kai has chest hair while wearing pajamas, but in later appearances where his chest is visible, including the appearance of his past self while time traveling to the events of the pilot, the hair is no longer there, possibly due to an editing mistake.

In an anime-styled scene of "The Absolute Worst," Kai's eyes are shown to be brown.

In Prime Empire, Kai's avatar gives him a different look. His hair is now blond and he has red paint over his eyes, similar to Harumi. He also has a red square print that is half-hidden on his chest and wears a sleeveless red gi with gold bolt-like patterns and dark red diamond-shaped marks on the chest.

For more images on Kai's appearance in his different ninja suits, click here.

Age[]

The ninjas' ages are not specified.[2]

Ninjago: Like the majority of his fellow ninja, Kai was a teenager at the start of the original series.[3] He is 2 years older than Nya.[4] However, the ninja do not officially have specific ages,[5] as they were meant to be perpetually in their teenage years for the duration of the original series.[6] As of Hunted, he and the other three original ninja were stated to be "grown-up teenagers" by Jay.[7] Misako later referred to Kai as a grown man, implying he was a legal adult as of Seabound.[8]

Dragons Rising: The Merge occurs sometime after Crystalized, and the main events of the series take place an unknown amount of years later. Children before the merge grew into teenagers, which may imply that he and the other five ninja are now young adults in their 20s instead of late teens. However, as mentioned above, the creators do not specify ages.

Potential Estimations: During the events of the pilot and Season 1, Kai may have been at least 15 or 16 years of age.[9][10]

Relationships[]

Main article: Kai's relationships

Family[]

Allies[]

Enemies[]

Personality[]

Fittingly for his elemental affinity, Kai is very hot-headed, prone to taking action before he thinks things through. He is capable of making careful observations when the need arises, but his emotions often override his caution. His single-mindedness made interaction with his teammates difficult at first (especially due to his worry about Nya), but he eventually learned to work with the other ninja. He can be very cocky at times, especially earlier in his career as a ninja, sometimes even to the point of selfishness, insisting that he is better than others, gloating about his victory, or yelling about his failures. He seems to have a large ego as he wanted to be the Green Ninja and lead the team. He eventually grew out of this for the most part, though he occasionally lapses back into a similar mindset. But those emotions are also when his strength is greatest, especially when protecting those he cares about. Kai´s personality represents caution, growth, safety,and warmth. He may not say it much, but he deeply cares about his loved ones and will do anything to protect them, even at the cost of his own life, which is why he´s so overconfident.

Later, following the ninja's fame, Kai would end up getting something of a larger head and bigger ego, constantly flirting with girls and enjoying the merchandise styled after him. He indulged in his fame the most out of all of the ninja.[11] Usually, because he often feels insecure, Kai feels like he´s useless or insignificant at times or not as good as the other ninja.

Kai also has something of an overconfident stubborn side, believing that he is in the right until overwhelming evidence to the contrary is presented. This is especially pronounced during Lord Garmadon's stay on the Destiny's Bounty; Kai repeatedly accused the four-armed villain of treachery or plotting despite Garmadon's insistence that saving Lloyd was his primary concern at the time.[12] On the other hand, Kai's stubborn streak lends him incredible determination that allows him to bolster the team's spirit in the face of impossible odds.

Despite having no powers at the time, Kai showed intense loyalty through his determination to protect Lloyd when the latter was possessed by Morro.[13] As time passed, Kai mentally connected his power with his self-worth to a greater degree, at one point hesitating to give up his power to save Lloyd and, at another point, losing hope when his power was taken by Aspheera.[14][15][16]

Overall, Kai is a tough, brave, confident, passionate ninja. The most prevalent facet of Kai's personality is his good heart and dedication to the people he cares about—if someone can earn his friendship, he will stop at nothing to protect them. Much of his stubbornness and recklessness is due to his desire to help his loved ones, either directly or by becoming strong enough to defeat anyone who might threaten them with their plans. In turn, his friends and family work to balance out Kai's more extreme traits, causing him to become a level-headed mentor for Lloyd by the time he and his comrades begin training the Green Ninja. According to Zane, Kai's desire to protect his friends is just as powerful as his temper.

Unlike his sister, Kai likes to spend time with his parents and does not mind it when his mother tends to baby him. He also formed a better relationship with Ray while playing video games at the monastery with Cole.[8]

Weapons and abilities[]

Abilities[]

  • Fire: Being the Elemental Master of Fire, Kai can create Fire with his own hands and either throw it, use it as boxing gloves, or unleash a burst of flames towards his opponents. It is also shown that he can withstand high temperatures and walk through fire unharmed. He also has the ability to move fire at will.
  • Combat: Even before his ninja training, Kai is a competent fighter, wielding a sword against the Skulkin when they attacked the blacksmith shop. Kai is also capable of performing hand-to-hand combat, able to go toe-to-toe with the Time Twins and later Kalmaar. He also manage to have the upper hand against his fight with Aspheera, before Pythor help restrain him.
  • Blacksmith: Kai can work as a blacksmith when needed. As seen in "Endings," he was able to melt down the Golden Armor, and reforge it into the weapons it was previously made from. Although, Nya used to tell him he was a terrible blacksmith, as of "Way of the Ninja." Somehow, he was able to gain these skills with hardly any practice at all.

Weapons[]

In the Tournament app[]

Kai is a playable character in the Tournament app. His teacher version can be purchased for 50,000 studs, his jungle version can be purchase for 250,000 studs, and his special move is Spinjitzu, much like Jay, Cole, Zane, Master Wu, and Sensei Garmadon.

Vehicles[]

Kai has owned a variety of different vehicles in his ninja history.

Dragons[]

Bikes[]

Cars[]

Mechs[]

Submarines[]

Jets[]

Other[]

Official descriptions[]

Rebooted

Kai is the ninja of Fire, and though he is a hero now, he came from humble beginnings. His father was a trusted ally of Sensei Wu and the two adventured together for many years. Wu would later hide the map showing the locations of the Four Weapons of Spinjitzu in his friend’s blacksmith shop. Kai was the last member recruited for the team by Sensei Wu and the last to achieve his full potential (which happened when he saved Lloyd from the belly of an active volcano!) He can be hot-headed and impatient, but is trying to control that.

  • For the first two months of his life his parents called him Ash.
  • Kai once by accident forged a weapon called a 'Swingana' … Part yo-yo, part sword. It was not a big success.
  • When Kai uses his elemental power in a vehicle, it gets powered up and engulfed in flames … which is why flying a hang glider is a bad idea.
  • Once Kai singed off his eyebrows with the sword of fire, but no one noticed because he painted it back on with a black marker.
  • When Kai's sister, Nya, was a baby, he used to juggle hammers to entertain her. When he dropped one on his foot, she laughed the hardest.[17]

Pilot (2017 Museum gallery)

Kai’s impulsive personality, fierce temper and immense drive mirror the fire within him. His strong sense of justice makes him stubborn and he’ll stop at nothing if he has put his mind to it … but this is also the source of his bravery. As older brother to Nya, he is overprotective of her. While Kai’s self-confidence can be overwhelming to some people, this makes him one of the leaders and big personalities in the group.

Kai is the last young ninja to join Master Wu’s ninja training. His impatience with training is significant, as Lord Garmadon has kidnapped his sister. However, while he quickly becomes a skillful warrior and is the first to tame his dragon, he discovers that impatience is the enemy of a great ninja…

Season 1 (2017 Museum gallery)

When the prophecy of the Green Ninja is revealed, Kai is absolutely convinced that he will be the Chosen One and defeat Lord Garmadon in the final battle. In the end, Kai has to put his ego to one side. He discovers that life has a different plan for him and there are more important things than being the best.

Season 2 (2017 Museum gallery)

Once the self-centered rogue, Kai becomes the ultimate team player. He humbly and proudly accepts his role as Lloyd’s mentor, helping the Green Ninja find his true potential. Finally he becomes the hero he’s always wanted to be, willing to give up his own life for the team.

Season 3 (2017 Museum gallery)

Kai feels a little like the world has passed him by. While everyone else is going high-tech, he can’t even use a toaster without setting off fire alarms. He feels like machinery is out to get him, but as time goes on during this adventure, he learns to find a balance between the past and the future.

Season 4 (2017 Museum gallery)

Kai is competitive by nature and Master Chen plans to use that against him. Kai’s always been second to the Green Ninja, but maybe this tournament is his chance to prove how good he really is. Is Kai willing to leave his team behind, only to get ahead? What could compel him to follow his ego...a potential love interest, perhaps?

Season 5 (2017 Museum gallery)

After the loss of Garmadon, Kai made a solemn promise to look after Lloyd, just as Nya cared for him when their parents passed away. So when Lloyd is possessed, Kai takes it very personally! He feels he has to save him single-handedly, but really he needs the whole team. They all have weaknesses, but their individual strengths come together to win the day.

Season 6 (2017 Museum gallery)

Kai loves being a celebrity. He loves being an action figure, he loves the screams of the fans, and all this crazy ninja stuff is kind of getting in the way. He’s not ready for the threat of Nadakhan or to confront his own past, which endangers the team. Like the other ninja he is given three wishes by the Djinn which don’t go to plan. He ends up trapping himself in Nadakhan’s Djinn Blade and only escapes in time to crash Nya’s wedding.

Season 7 (2017 Museum gallery)

Kai has long wondered what happened to his parents, who disappeared when he was a child. All he knew is that they were Elemental Masters, which is why he is devastated when Krux tells him his parents helped the Hands of Time betray Wu and the Elemental Alliance. Always a fighter for justice, Kai now fears he is destined to follow in his mother and father’s traitorous footsteps, and his quest for the truth ultimately leads to an angry confrontation with his father, Ray. Fortunately, Kai learns that Krux had lied, and Kai (and Nya) save Ray from the effects of a Time Punch.

Season 8

Kai’s impulsive personality, fierce temper and immense drive mirror the fire within him. His strong sense of justice makes him stubborn and he’ll stop at nothing if he has put his mind to it … but this is also the source of his bravery. As older brother to Nya, he is overprotective of her. While Kai’s self-confidence can be overwhelming to some people, this makes him one of the leaders and big personalities in the group.[18]

2019 (The Legacy of Kai)

Did you know Kai is the Fire Ninja through and through. He can be impulsive, has a fierce temper, and his strong sense of justice can make him stubborn at times. But his fire is also the source of his bravery and strong loyalty. He will stop at nothing if he has put his mind to a cause or mission. He can be very overprotective with his younger sister, Nya. Kai’s self-confidence can seem a little overwhelming to some people, but his friends know he has the skills to back it up. They trust him with their lives and will follow him everywhere he goes. Favorite NINJAGO® Legacy weapon The Sword of Fire – one of the four Golden Weapons and Kai’s trusty battle companion through thick and thin. Quote “Crime doesn’t pay muchacho. You can take that to the bank.”

2019

Kai - the fiercely determined Fire Ninja!

Self confident, impulisive, determined and brave - Kai is a strong character among the LEGO® NINJAGO® Ninja heroes. If he puts his mind to something he will not stop until he has achieved his aim. That stubborn streak might get Kai in trouble sometimes, but his strong sense of justice is always to be admired.

Kai and his younger sister Nya worked in their father’s blacksmith shop until Master Wu took them under his wing and trained them up to be part of an awesome ninja team. With Wu’s guidance, Kai learned the art of Spinjitzu and how to harness the fire burning inside him to become an Elemental Master of Fire, following in the footsteps of his father who, unbeknown to Kai, had been the previous Elemental Master of Fire (Nya inherited their mother’s elemental mastery of water).

A massive personality in the ninja team, Kai is a hugely popular character with NINJAGO fans who love to role-play with his red-outfitted minifigure, found in many LEGO NINJAGO construction sets.

2020

Clad in red armor with his trusty sword, Kai is the ninja of fire and one of the leaders of NINJAGO’s team of fighting comrades. He expertly guides them with his sense of justice and inherent bravery.

Season 13

Kai finds himself in a peculiar position when he is "elected" leader of a race of subterranean creatures called the Geckles. And the Geckles are even more hotheaded than Kai! They are embroiled in a war with another subterranean race called the Munce, whom they believe have stolen their most precious cultural relic – a mystical sword called the Ivory Blade of Deliverance. Kai finds himself caught in the middle, forced to be the voice of reason when he must broker a peace between them and unite both sides against their true enemy – the Skull Sorcerer.[19]

2021

BE BRAVE, WITH KAI

To have Courage is to be confident you can win any battle. Even when it looks like you could lose, Kai knows a true Master never allows fear to stop them from achieving their potential.

Kai is the Fire Ninja. His strong sence of justice and unparalleled bravery makes him one of the leaders of the group.[20]

Spinjitzu Brothers

Kai is the Fire Ninja. With his fierce temper, bravery, and strong sense of justice, he'll stop at nothing if he has put his mind to it.

2023

Dragons Rising, Season 1

Kai, an original ninja, joins the quest to unravel The Merge. With a fiery temper and unwavering sense of justice, he stands out as one of the group’s prominent personalities.[21]

Appearances[]

Sets

Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu

Pilot episodes

Mini-movies

Season 1: Rise of the Snakes

Season 2: Legacy of the Green Ninja

Season 3: Rebooted

Season 4: Tournament of Elements

Season 5: Possession

Season 6: Skybound

Day of the Departed

Season 7: The Hands of Time

Happy Birthday to You!

Season 8: Sons of Garmadon

Season 9: Hunted

Tales from the Monastery of Spinjitzu

Season 10: March of the Oni

Season 11: Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu

Prime Empire Original Shorts

Season 12: Prime Empire

Season 13: Master of the Mountain

The Island

Season 14: Seabound

Ninjago: Reimagined

The Virtues of Spinjitzu

Season 15: Crystalized

Ninjago: Dragons Rising

Season 1

The Elemental Mechs

Social Media Ninja

Ninjago NXT

Books

Ninjago Magazine

Plays

Video games

Etymology[]

The name, Kai, means "strong," "victorious," and "recovery," in three Asian cultures, all of which fit his hotshot attitude in the ninja's battles. His name may also be derived from the Japanese word Akai, meaning "red." In Scottish, Kai's name means "fire"; matching his elemental power. In Japanese, Kai's name also means "ocean," which annotates his mother's and sister's water abilities. In Hawaiian, Kai's name also means "sea," a further link to his mother's and sister's water abilities.

Names Kai originally had were Dante and Ash,[22] with Ash being the name The Hageman Brothers originally suggested.[23] The name was not used because it was already the name of the protagonist of the Pokémon franchise.[24] Ash was later said on LEGO.com to have been a nickname for Kai when he was young,[17] As Tommy Andreasen was the one who wrote this description in 2012,[25][26] it can be considered canon.[27] Another character similar to Kai ended up using the name Ash, the Master of Smoke.

Behind the scenes[]

  • Kai and Nya's surname is unknown, though it was considered to be "Smith" behind the scenes, but this is not necessarily canon to the show.[28][29] They were also called this in the 2014 blooper reel.
  • Kai kept his original one-sided head-piece for the longest out of all the six ninja lasting until Season 8: Sons of Garmadon. Except for his Stone Armor variant, which was released as an exclusive small set, his Golden Ninja variant, which was released in a Bricktober pack, and his fusion armor variant in 70627 Dragon's Forge, all of his minifigures have featured him with the same scarred face. However, the Stone Armor minifigure includes Kai's show-accurate head without the scar, and in the Dragon's Forge set, Kai has two brand new face prints, one has a confident smirk and the other has an angry facial expression with orange glowing eyes, representing him using one of the Time Blades. In addition, his Golden Ninja variant had a big, toothy smile on it.
    • Tommy Andreasen explained that Kai's scar was removed for the show because "he looked way too battle-hardened for the story," specifically "for his humble beginnings."[30][31] He also could not receive the scar later because of a broadcasting rule that characters can't receive lasting wounds.[32]
    • Kai's original mouth design was later used on a two recurring faces in the LEGO City theme (and another in reverse).
  • To mirror his movie self's appearance, he now has his scar on the right side of his face as of Season 8.
  • Kai's elemental symbol is the Chinese character "平," meaning "flat" or "peaceful."
  • According to Vincent Tong in the "Ten Years of Spinjitzu" documentary, Kai was originally supposed to have red hair and freckles.[33]
  • Kai's physical minifigure prior to Season 8: Sons of Garmadon had a rubber hairpiece. It was not completely show-accurate, as in the show his hair is thinner and slightly longer in the back.
    • Simon Lucas explained in an interview with Brent Miller that this is because WilFilm basically made a custom hairpiece for Kai.[34]
    • In Shadow of Ronin, Kai's hair looks exactly the same as the rubber hairpiece he dons in the sets. It is in a lighter shade of brown.
  • Like the other ninja, Kai uses his movie counterpart's hairpiece from Season 8 onward, though it was shortened because Tommy Andreasen did not like the size of his hair from the movie,[35] and it is also now a shade of reddish-brown instead of dark brown.
    • Tommy Andreasen responded to a question about Kai's hair change with "All it takes to change a head of hair is a brisk breeze,"[36] though this does not completely explain it as the texture of his hair also changed.
    • His hair-headband combo in The Island is the same height as the set version because it is based on a new, slightly different piece.
  • The rest of Kai's scar below his eye is missing in Season 11. Tommy Andreasen pointed out that they did not notice it until it was too late.[37] He said it would appear again in future seasons.[38]
    • The rest of the scar is also missing for the first 4 episodes of Season 12, until "I am Okino", this is because Kai's model for Season 11 was still used for those episodes. The model was updated in "Shintaro".
  • According to Tommy Andreasen, Kai's greatest fear was not being liked or included.[39]
    • However, this is just speculation.
  • Kai was originally going to appear as a cameo in the Monkie Kid episode, "Benched," but it was scrapped.[40]

Trivia[]

  • Kai is the first character to speak in the franchise.
  • Before Lloyd, Kai was the main character of the show. The turning point for this was "The Green Ninja," when Kai realized his destiny was not to become the Green Ninja, but to protect him.
  • In the original series, Kai is the only ninja and protagonist who has never defeated a main and/or final antagonist alone. Lloyd defeated the Overlord in "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master" and Emperor Garmadon in Green Destiny, Zane defeated the Overlord once again in "The Titanium Ninja," Nya destroyed the Preeminent in "Curseworld, Part II" and defeated Wojira by merging with the sea in "The Turn of the Tide," Jay used his final wish to defeat Nadakhan in "The Way Back," Cole defeated the Skull Sorcerer by using the Spinjitzu Burst in "The Son of Lilly," and Wu prevented the Time Twins from continuing their villainy by losing them in the Time Vortex in "Lost in Time."
  • Kai is the fourth ninja to join the team, the last of the original four to claim his Golden Weapon, the fourth ninja to unlock his True Potential, and the third to last to have a love interest. On the other hand, he was the first ninja introduced in the franchise, the first to tame his respective dragon, and the first ninja to perform Airjitzu.
  • He cannot skate, as seen in "Ninja Roll."
  • Kai serves as an older brother figure to Lloyd, and has a habit of ruffling Lloyd's hair, which is seen in "Pirates vs. Ninja," "Winds of Change," and "The Mask of Deception."
  • He apparently appears to have a fear of Christmas-related subjects, as shown in "Can of Worms," when the Venomari's venom causes him to see things like Santa Claus, gingerbread men, and elves.
  • Kai is mentioned to be aquaphobic during "Stiix and Stones" and to have an extreme fear of water. It is ironic, then, that his sister turned out to be the Elemental Master of Water. However, this is a direct contradiction to "Rise of the Spinjitzu Master," in which he stated he would swim the whole ocean to reach Ninjago City from the Dark Island.
    • Ironically, in Hawaiian, Kai's name means "ocean" or "ocean water."
    • Despite his apparent aquaphobia, Kai showed no signs of his fear during the course of Seabound.
      • However, it is possible Kai has overcome his aquaphobia at some point between Possession and Seabound.
  • He considers Lloyd to be like a younger brother. As of Season 5, Kai also becomes somewhat of a guidance figure to Lloyd. This bond between the Red and Green Ninja can be traced to that of the same colors in Chinese mythology and culture.
    • Nevertheless he dived in the boiling see and also can swim in Season 7, when he and his sister wanted to get to Hono Mizu.
    • But in the sixth episode of Decoded it is mentioned that he wouldn't be able to swim which is nonsensical since he could swim in Season 7.
  • Kai appears to holster the Sword of Fire as if he was left-handed, but uses all other weaponry and tools in his right hand; this might mean Kai is ambidextrous.
    • This may have been confirmed by Season 8 because Kai uses two katanas in this season.
  • Kai and the other original four ninja can only harness their Elemental Powers by being dependent on Lloyd. This may be because Lloyd shares his Golden Power with them.
    • At the end of Season 8, Lloyd loses his powers. However, Kai and the other ninja retain theirs.
    • This could mean that they have become more adept at using their powers without Lloyd and do not need to rely on him anymore to use them.
  • Kai says he hates technology but can be seen enjoying video games and using his phone to send Chirps. His dislike may have been because he was not used to it growing up as a child. He may have learned to adapt.
    • He is similar to Krux since both have a hatred for technology, and are the oldest sibling.
      • However, unlike Krux, Kai has shown to grow out of his hatred of technology and learned to enjoy them (such as playing video games and using his smart phone).
  • The website states that he is often one of the leaders of the group,.[42] Though he was never officially considered a leader in the show, he did often take charge in the earlier seasons before Lloyd took the mantle.
  • He had freckles when he was younger, as seen in "A Time of Traitors" and "Pause and Effect." However, they were not present when he was temporarily turned into a child along with the other ninja in "Child's Play."
  • Tommy Andreasen said he did not think Kai uses hair gel to maintain his appearance.[43] This makes sense considering Kai and Nya came from a small, poor village that most likely did not have hair gel and his hairstyle was already spiky before he became a ninja.
    • However, Tommy Andreasen later answered a question saying the brand of hair gel Kai uses is a real-life brand, "Dapper Dan."[44]
      • Ian Hanlin, voice actor for the NEXO Knights character Lance Richmond as well as characters in Ninjago, has said that Lance also uses the same hair gel.[45]
  • He and Zane are currently the only ninja to have their Golden Techno Robe variant as a physical minifigure.
  • Kai once forged a weapon known as a Swingana, being half yo-yo, half sword. It was not a big success.[17]
  • Kai singed his eyebrows off with the Sword of Fire once, but nobody noticed because he drew them back on with black marker.[17]
  • While Kai was not experienced with the Staff of Elements which got him corrupted, he was wise at using the elements against Chen's army.
  • After Kai and Nya's parents were kidnapped by Krux, a babysitter named Mrs. Grumbmiller was hired to take care of them, but Kai and Nya would call her Madam Revenge because she made them go to bed early.
  • Kai is the second ninja to solely lose their powers due to someone absorbing them, the first being Lloyd.
    • He recovers them in "Fire Maker," albeit in a weak state, and overuse of it can weaken Kai.
    • He fully recovers them in "Awakenings," and kills Boreal with them.
  • Kai has been the mascot of most Ninjago waves, as he was the mascot of the sets from the pilot, Tournament of Elements, The Hands of Time, Legacy, Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu, and Dragons Rising, Season 2.
    • However, Kai's eyebrow notch is absent in his pilot and Legacy mascots.
  • Kai is the only character to appear in all Ninjago: Legacy Wave 3 and 5 sets.
  • Kai is the only one out of the ninja who has an avatar in Season 12: Prime Empire that does not have triangle markings on his avatar body.
  • Kai is tied with Jay to have worn every suit, with the exception of the Scuba gear Zane, Lloyd, Nya, and Jay wore in Seabound. Nya and Lloyd did not wear various earlier suits, having joined the ninja team later; Zane did not wear the Tournament or Digi robes; and Cole did not have an Avatar variant in the show, and Jay did not wear his Merge suit in Dragons Rising Season 1.
  • In the "Journey to Mastery" video series on LEGO.com, Kai's journey to mastery is primarily courage.[46]
  • Kai is portrayed as the focus character of the sets for Firstbourne, the Destiny's Wing, the Stone Mech, and Heatwave, despite not being specifically connected to any of them in the show.
  • According to Tommy Andreasen, it is possible that when Ray and Maya disappeared, Kai and Nya were cared for by their friendly neighbors, whom Wu asked for.[47]
  • Kai was the last ninja to have stayed human for the duration of the original series, with him brielfy turing into a crystal zombie in "Roots"; Zane is a Nindroid, Jay temporarily changed into a Fangpyre in "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," Cole was transformed into a ghost from "The Temple on Haunted Hill" through "Day of the Departed," Lloyd is part Oni and dragon, and Nya merged with the Endless Sea in "Nyad."
  • He appeared as a Minecraft skin in the set 21160 The Illager Raid from LEGO's Minecraft theme.
  • He is similar to Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, because they are both teenagers with dark brown hair and a scar over their eye, they can control and create fire, at least one of their parents (Maya and Ray for Kai, and Ursa for Zuko) was lost in their childhood and later found, both have a younger sister (Nya and Azula), and both learn to control their anger over the course of the series and realize their original goal is the wrong path. He also worked at a tea shop, lost his powers and regained them through a dragon somehow, wields twin blades, and is friends with a prophesied legendary hero who has the ability to wield multiple elements (Lloyd and Aang).
  • According to Tommy Andreasen in 2017, Kai is probably the ninja with the least development throughout the series, though he did have significant development in Rise of the Snakes, Tournament of Elements and The Hands of Time.[48]
  • According to Tommy Andreasen, if Kai was a YouTuber, his videos would be bad dating tips.[49]
  • According to Bragi Schut, if Kai had a secret hobby, it would be practicing one-liners in the mirror.[50] Jay was previously seen doing this before his date with Nya in "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" as well.
  • The reason Kai did not react to Nya's sacrifice like Jay is, according to Tommy Andreasen, because "People respond in unexpected ways to grief and shock. You'll learn [through] life."[51]
  • During his time in the Kingdom of Madness, Kai gained a fondness for Cragling mud.

Videos[]

Gallery[]

Main article: Kai/Gallery

Translations[]

Language Name
Czech Kai
Ukrainian Кай

References[]

  1. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1167746851661131776
  2. https://twitter.com/otherland71/status/1662922746509287424
  3. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/800279588173676549
  4. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/780896293421854721
  5. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/942371358138421248
  6. https://twitter.com/brothershageman/status/909594849862492160
  7. "The Gilded Path"
  8. 8.0 8.1 "The Call of the Deep"
  9. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kMWaHNh9Gw&t=644s
  10. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/780896469381328896
  11. "Infamous"
  12. "The Green Ninja"
  13. "Winds of Change"
  14. "Big Trouble, Little Ninjago"
  15. https://twitter.com/brothershageman/status/977536779627610114
  16. "Powerless"
  17. 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 https://web.archive.org/web/20141028220343/http://www.lego.com/en-us/ninjago/characters/rebooted/kai
  18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180712151006/https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/ninjago/characters/kai-eec9471c9daa4ec9a735fd748c52d428
  19. Choose the Path Play Guide
  20. https://legoninjagouniverse.sphere.co.uk/en/360
  21. https://www.lego.com/en-my/themes/ninjago/dragons-rising
  22. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/771438164170924032
  23. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1104091249793994752
  24. https://twitter.com/brothershageman/status/1231450991465156608
  25. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/789493821243523072
  26. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/789493965913456641
  27. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/789492671408644096
  28. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/816778254623404034
  29. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-9vChYCmBg&t=508s
  30. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/770303222762397696
  31. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/779211730845130752
  32. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1568000386149097473
  33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ol4lBKVX8cg&t=2582s
  34. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bamamSBtONw&t=152s
  35. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/955368834768269312
  36. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/915692513037611010
  37. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1180111467732967424
  38. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1180164177874345985
  39. https://www.youtube.com/live/uwvezZyxItw?feature=share&t=7721
  40. https://twitter.com/Minbitt/status/1623875043158798336
  41. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1375851870221131782
  42. https://www.lego.com/en-us/kids/characters/ninjago/kai-eec9471c9daa4ec9a735fd748c52d428
  43. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/860263906777976832
  44. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/972364767733125120 (link missing context)
  45. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXLuL9051EQ&t=590s
  46. https://www.lego.com/en-us/kids/videos/ninjago/kais-courageous-journey-to-mastery-0a5ba12fe41fa93ff661bdb94c751664 (link unavailable)
  47. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/965845712679432192
  48. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/864606224125489156
  49. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/975110111591985157
  50. https://twitter.com/bragischutjr/status/1413669849935618048
  51. https://twitter.com/TommyAndreasen/status/1485037564033748995
Characters
Heroes Arin · Cole · Jay · Kai · Lloyd · Master Wu · Nya · Riyu · Sora · Wyldfyre · Zane
Allies Cyrus Borg · Dareth · Falcon · Lord Garmadon · MiniPix Seven · Misako · P.I.X.A.L. · Ronin · Skylor
Villains Acidicus · Acronix · Arkade · Aspheera · Anacondrai generals (Arcturus) · Attila · Avatar Harumi · Bansha · Empress Beatrix · Barracudox · Bizarro Cole · Bizarro Jay · Bizarro Kai · Bizarro Zane · Blizzard Warriors (Grimfax) · Blizzard Sword Masters · Blizzard Archers · Commander Blunck · Boa Destructors · Bucko · Buffer · Buffmillion · Bunch · Bytar · Cardinsto · Cobra Mechanics · Cece · Char · Master Chen · Chew Toy · Chokun · Claw Hunters (Claw General · Hunter No. 29) · Cyren · Chope · Chopper Maroon · Chris · "Chuck" · Cinder · Clancee · Clouse · Cowler · General Cryptor · Cyrus · Daddy No Legs · Delara · Dogshank · Dorama · Doubloon · Eyezor · Faith · Fangdam · Fang-Suei · Fangtom · Fenwick · Fire Fiends · First Mate · Flintlocke · Francis · Gahrann the Dreamer · Ghoultar · Ghurka · Giant Stone Warrior · Glutinous · Golden Vipers · Hackler · Harumi · Hazza D'ur · Hostess · Howla · Hypno Vipers · Imperium Guards (Imperium Guard Commander · Melvin) · Insect Master · Iron Baron · Jet Jack · Jordana · King Kalmaar · Kapau · Karenn · Killow · Kirchonn the Invincible · General Kozu · Krait · Krux · Kryptarium inmates (The Needles) · Lasha · Dr. LaRow · Living Diamonds · Lizaru · Luke Cunningham · Maaray Guards (Gripe) · Supreme Commander Machia · Chief Mammatus · Martin · Mask of Malice · Master of Amber · The Mechanic · Mezmo · Ming · Mister F · Moody · Mogra · Mohawk · Monkey Wretch · Morro · Mr. E · Muzzle · Nadakhan · Nails · Nineko · Nitro · No-Eyed Pete · Min-Droid · Miss Demeanor · Nindroid Drones · Nindroid Warriors · The Omega · Otto Pilot · The Overlord · Pitch · PoulErik · The Preeminent · Pyro Destroyers · Pyro Slayers · Pyro Whippers · Pyrrhus · Python Dynamite · Pythor · Quartet of Villains · Commander Raggmunk · Rapton · Lord Ras · Ras' master · Rattla · Re-Awakened · Red Visors (Red 27 · Red 29) · Red Vipers · Reflectra · Richie · Ritchie · Rivett · Rotten Rabbits · Rumble Keepers · Samurai warrior · Sawyer · Scar the Skullbreaker · Scooter · Shadow Army · Six-Armed Warriors · Skip Vicious · Skreemers · Slackjaw · Skales · Skalidor · Sleven · Slithraa · Sly Vipers · Sneaky Snakes · Snake villain · Snappa · Snike · Captain Soto · Soul Archer · Spitta · Spyder · Sqiffy · Stalwart Dangerbuff · Stone Warriors · Stone Scouts · Stone Swordsmen · Sushimi · Sushimi's sushi chefs · Talon · Tanabrax · Tannin · Thunder Keepers · Time Ninja · Toxic Vipers · Translucent Blue Viper · Translucent Orange Viper · Translucent Purple Vipers · Unagami · Ultra Violet · Vangelis · Vengestone Brutes · Vengestone Guards · Vengestone Warriors · Vermin · Vex · Wail · Warriors of Felis · Wolf Hunters (Wolf Mask Claw Warriors · Wolf Mask Guards · Wolf Mask Warriors) · Wooo · Wrayth · Viper Flyers · Master Yang · Yokai · Zoltar · Zugu
Creatures Adam · Anacondrai serpent · Bahn · Balee · Bandit · Blue Dragon · Boreal · Chompy · The Chroma · Colossus · Crab monster · Crabby · Craglings (King Crag-Nor) · Dragon keeper · Dragon Matriarch · Dragonides · Egalt · Empire Dragon · Fire Dragon (Core) · Fire Dragon (Dragons Rising) · Fire Fang · Firstbourne · Fluffy · Geotomic Rock Monsters · Ghost Dragons · Gifting Goat · Great Devourer · Grief-Bringer · Guide Parrot · Heatwave · Henry · Ice Behemoth · Ice bird · Ice Serpent · Imperium's Source Dragon · Jiro · Krag · Kuma · Lava-Tides (Lava-Tide Leader · Lava-Todd the Wise · Lava-Tony) · Large dragons · Legendary Dragon · Leviathans · Monster sushi · Mud monsters · Mystery Dust . Nimbus · Pet dragon · Pebbles · Rodrigo · Ross · Sir Chomps-A-Lot · Slab · Snickers · Stone Hawk · Stormbringer · Stormbringer's baby · Strangle Weed Tentacled beasts · Thunder Dragon · Treehorn queen · Ultra Dragon (Flame · Rocky · Shard · Wisp) · Undead Mino · Undersea Biscuit · Water Dragon · Wojira · Wu's chicken · Wu's dog · Zane's Mino · Zanth · Zippy
Other Adara · Admin Droid · Adventure-Ready Woman · Administration Agents (Agent Allen · Agent Denholt · Agent Karit · Agent Underwood · Sub-Agent Prentis) · Alfonzo Frohicky · Algae farmers (Dale) · Akita · Andrea Thomson · Announcer · Anthony Brutinelli · Antonia · Army of Shintaro (Hailmar) · Arin's parents · Arrakore · Ash · Atta the Ratta · Auto · Avatar Pink Zane · Bank Boss · Baker · Barry · Beavers · Benny · King Benthomaar · Dr. Berkman · Beta Jay 137 · Boat Vendor · Bob-Bob · Bob Rattlebottom · Bob the Intern · Bolobo · Boma · Bone Hunters · Bone Guards · Bone King · Bone Knights · Bone Scorpios · Bone Warriors · Borg Store Employee · Britts Subskian · Brad Tudabone · Brayden Nelson · Bron · Butchie · Caregiver bot · Carridi · Cathy · Chamille · Christina · Chuck · Claire · Cecil Putnam · Circus Clown · Clutch Powers · Clancee's mother · Cliff Gordon · Coast Guard · Cole's grandfather · Collins · Construction workers · Cook · Courthouse Civilian · Cragger · Dan Vaapit · Dee-Jay 81 · Dillon · Dwayne · Echo Zane · Ed · Edna · Egon the Extraordinary · Eileen · Emcee · Emperor of Ninjago · Empress of Ninjago · Engelbert · Euphrasia · Finn · First Spinjitzu Master · Flerry McFloyster · The Fold · Formling Leader · Fred Finely · Fugi-Dove · Fugi-Dove's brother · Fuchsia Ninja · Fungus · Gamer Geek · Garpo · Gayle Gossip · Gene · Genn · Gertrude · Ginkle · Gleck · Gliff · Golden Ninja · Gravis · Griffin Turner · Green Screen Gary · Griffin Turner's grandparent · Grimfax's advisor · Groko · Grumbmiller · Chancellor Gulch · Hageman · Hageman Brothers · Hai · Hana · Hayley Wolfe · Harumi's parents · Hibiki · Hounddog McBrag · Hutchins · Hyper-Sonic · Imperial Sludge · Imperium Teen Resistance Force (Percival Tartigrade) · Indi · Jack the Rabbit · Jacob Pevsner · Jamanakai Villagers · Jake · Jake's parents · Jay Vincent · Jaybird 64 · Jaywalkin 238 · Jay's mother · Jeffy · Jeremiah Bobblestein · Jesper · Jimmy · Joey · Johnny · Jonesy · Joshua Deck · Juggernaut · Dr. Julien · Kaito · Karlof · Kataru · Kenji · Kenzo · Khanjikhan · Commander Kiflin · Knuckles · Mr. Koenig · Korgran · Korgran's father · Komala · Kreel · Kwon · Lan · Lar · Larry · Laval · Leroy · Lilly · Lobbo · Lumberjacks · Lloyd (The LEGO Movie) · Marcus · Magician · Mambo V · Mambo's advisor · Mascots · Mariano · Mei · Michael Kramer · Mikloshe · The Milk Man · Milton Dyer · Milton Dyer's father · Min · Mina · Mindaro · Monks · Motorcycle Mechanic · Mr. Pale · Mr. Righty Tighty · "Mr. Wise" · Mrs. Dyer · Mrs. Uchida · Museum Curator · Master of Gravity · Master of Ice · Master of Shadow · Master of Sound · Manko · Marla · Mary Louise's captain · May Robsen · Maya · Meeha · Mid · Moe · Mood · Mucoids (Grab-Barg · Tope-Epot · Zant-Tanz) · Mudd · Munce Sentries · Munce Warriors · Murt · Murt (father) · Queen Murtessa · Mystake · Nelson · Newbie Gamer · Neuro · News Reporter · Night Watchman · Nindroid Sentries · Ninjago City's former mayor · Ninjago soldiers · Warden Noble · Nadakhan's mother · Neido · Nobu · Nobu (Spinjitzu Smash!) · Noonan · Nyad · O'Doyle · Obachan · Ocean gang (Ocean gang leader) · Okino · Old Man Jiro · Orange Ninja · Patty Keys · Percy Shippelton · Peri · Phantom Ninja · Phil · Pink Ninja · Plundar · Pokee · Police Commissioner · Police Officer · Postman · Prison guards · Pythor's mother · Quanish the Elder · Rachel Sparrow · Rain · Repo Man · Restaurant Owner · Rice farmers · Robot Manager · Robo Usher 3000 · Roise · Ronin's daughter · Ronin's wife · The Royal Blacksmiths (Lou) · Royal Guards · Rufus McCallister · Saeko · Sage · Sally-Bob · Sally · Sally (Wu's Academy) · Sally's parents · Sammy · Santa Claus · Scott · Scott Decoteau · Security Bots · Security guards (Borg Industries) · Security guards (Explorer's Club) · Security guards (Ninjago City) · Seliel · Seliel's father · Selma · Sentry General · Shade · Shezada · Shin · Shifty · Ship Captain · Shu · Simon · Skales Jr. · Skeleton · Skeleton figurehead · Skylor's mother · Smythe · Sora's parents · Sorla · Spinjago Citizen · Spirit of the Temple · Spokes · Stone Guardians · Street Vendor · Successful Samurai · Suetonius · Suzie Wheeler · Sybex Tribe · Tai-D · Takanagi · Targle · Tea Vendor · Teal Ninja · Ten-Speed · Tito · Tommy · Tommy (Wu's Academy) · Tox · Tour Guide · King Trimaar · Trylle · Twitchy Tim · Uchida · Ulysses Trustable · Underhill · Unknown Elemental Master · Uthaug · Queen Vania · Vinny Folson · Vlad Tutu · Wavern · Master Whoosh · Yana · Yellow Ninja · Dr. Yost · Yuuki · Zoro
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