Dragons Rising

''Ninjago: Dragons Rising'' is an animated television series produced by the Vancouver studio of WildBrain and The Lego Group, based on the Lego Ninjago brand of construction toys and the sequel to ''Ninjago'' (2011–2022). It features the original series' regular voice cast, along with new cast members as the new characters. Part 1 of the first season of the show premiered on Netflix on June 1, 2023, while Part 2 was released on October 12, 2023. A second season was released in 2024, with Part 1 on April 4 on Netflix and Part 2 on July 25, 2024, on Peacock but then removed and officially released on Netflix on October 3, 2024. The third season premiered in 2025, with Part 1 on April 17 while episodes 11-18 of Part 2 began streaming on Roku on April 24, 2025. All the episodes are set to be released entirely on Netflix on September 4, 2025.

Synopsis

Season 1

Part 1

After '' Crystalized,'' a phenomenon known as "the Merge" combines Ninjago with the rest of the sixteen realms of creation, introducing new threats, and causing chaotic aftershocks called MergeQuakes. Years later, Lloyd befriends two civilians: Arin, a huge fan of the Ninja, and Sora, a technopath from the totalitarian kingdom of Imperium. The three are tasked with finding the rest of the scattered ninja and combating the Claws of Imperium, who hunt dragons in order to drain their life force and power their kingdom.

Part 2

The ninja, having successfully rescued the dragons trapped in Imperium, set out on a quest to find the three Dragon Cores, powerful artifacts that can stop the MergeQuakes. They split off into three teams: Lloyd and Arin; Nya and Sora; and Kai and Wyldfyre. Together, they search the Merged Realms for the cores, discovering more members of their team, new creatures, and even new elemental masters. Empress Beatrix, the ruler of Imperium, manages to steal the Dragon Cores in order to create a powerful weapon to defeat the ninja for good.

Season 2

Part 1

Lloyd begins having distressing visions of a Blood Moon and seeks help from the Source Dragons. He and the ninja are led to Egalt and Rontu, two dragon masters who can teach the ninja a special technique called "Rising Dragon." Deep in the Wyldness, Lord Ras reassembles an ancient clan of warriors known as the Wolf Clan, and revives a dark and corrupted form of Spinjitzu known as Shatterspin. The Wolf Clan prepares for a ritual on the soon-approaching Blood Moon to free an ancient group of evil elemental masters, known as the Forbidden Five, from imprisonment.

Part 2

When three Arc Dragons are mysteriously murdered for their crowns of horns, the ninja must participate in the Tournament of the Sources to search for the culprit. Meanwhile, Arin begins to wonder about his position in the ninja after being told by Ras of Master Wu's responsibility for the Merge and the disappearance of Arin's parents.

Season 3

Part 1

The Forbidden Five are seeking out five Prismatic Blades across the Merged Realms in order to free Thunderfang, the Shatter Dragon of Chaos, from his imprisonment. Meanwhile, the ninja search for Jay, who vanished after losing in the Tournament of the Sources, and Arin, who left to search for his parents with the help of Lord Ras.

Part 2

With Sora joining Ras and Arin, the ninja are seeking to get them back and find Arin's parents, who were initially thought to be dead but were revealed to be alive. Meanwhile, as Thunderfang plans to destroy all the Merged Realms and become one of the Source Dragons, the ninja must summon the Arc Dragon of Focus to stop him once and for all.

Cast and characters

Main

Old characters

* Sam Vincent as Master Lloyd Garmadon, the legendary Green Ninja, chosen guardian of Ninjago, and grandson of the First Spinjitzu Master. He wields elemental energy and remains in Ninjago City to prevent MergeQuakes and train Arin and Sora. He achieved the rank of Master following his successful fight against Egalt and Rontu.
* Vincent Tong as Kai, Nya's brother and the hot-headed Master of Fire whom Lloyd tasked with surveying the Merged Realms to look for the rest of their teammates until he caught up with him and Nya in the Realm of Madness. During their hunt for the Dragon Cores, Kai decided to take Wyldfyre under his wing.
* Kelly Metzger as Nya, Kai's sister, Jay's ex-girlfriend, and the Master of Water. She lived with the Craglings of the Realm of Madness following the Merge, helping them prevent Dragons from stealing the Craglings' life energy. She later rejoined Lloyd, Kai, Zane, and Cole.
* Brent Miller as Zane, the Ice Ninja who was kept in suspension for years after the Merge. He later rejoined Lloyd, Kai, Nya, and Cole.
* Andrew Francis as Cole, the Earth Ninja, who ended up in the Land of Lost Things, helping those who ran away from home. Cole later rejoined Lloyd, Kai, Nya, and Zane.
* Jennifer Hayward as P.I.X.A.L., a female android created by Dr. Cyrus Borg, the head of Borg Industries. She is a longtime ally of the ninja and Zane's girlfriend. She was stranded in the First Land following the Merge, and like Zane, was kept in suspension for years. She was later rescued by Zane and rejoined with Lloyd, Kai, Nya, and Cole.
* Michael Adamthwaite as Jay, the Blue Ninja, the Master of Lightning and Nya's ex-boyfriend, who ended up as one of the managers of the Administration after losing his memory. He eventually left the Administration and was recruited by Ras, only to be cast away following his loss to Nya in the Tournament of the Sources. He became a bounty hunter known as Rogue but later rejoins the Ninja, though still with no memory, only to leave them later on.

New characters

* Deven Mack as Arin Nived, a civilian who idolized the Ninja in his youth. He lost his parents after the Merge and somehow managed to teach himself Spinjitzu, an impossible ability to learn without a teacher. He also inadvertently invented Object Spinjitzu. Arin was originally a member of the Ninja, but when he later learned that Master Wu was responsible for the Merge, he left them and allied himself with Lord Ras in hopes of finding his parents and reversing the Merge. He briefly rejoins the ninja later on and aided them in stopping the Forbidden Five and Thunderfang. Following Thunderfang's demise, Arin rejoins with Ras in the hopes of finding a way to revive his parents, as he believed that they had died during the Merge but is unaware that they are in fact still alive. When Ras attempted to have him sacrifice Sora in their quest to create Dragon Icons, this made Arin turned against him. He eventually reunites with his parents in the Land of Lee and once again rejoins the ninja.
* Sabrina Pitre as Sora, known in her past as Ana, a technological engineer originally from Imperium who gained recognition for creating a hard light hologram projection device called the Photac. She defected from Imperium when she found out how cruelly they treated dragons, leading to her parents and classmates shunning her. After the Merge, she befriended Arin and lived in the Crossroads, becoming a mech racer. She became the Elemental Master of Technology after discovering that she has technokinetic powers, which were first amplified in the presence of Riyu until she unlocked her True Potential. She became the winner of the Tournament of the Sources, however, her friendship with Arin crumbled after they had a falling out during the tournament. They later reconciled over the apparent death of Arin's parents. Sora joins with Arin and Ras as they seek to find a way to revive Arin's parents, unaware that they are still alive. After turning against Ras for attempting to sacrifice her to create Dragon Icons, she rejoins the ninja.
* Brian Drummond as Riyu, a young dragon from the Tribe of the Mountain Dragons. He was rescued from the Claws of Imperium by Arin, Sora, and Lloyd, and he is capable of boosting certain individual's powers in close proximity.
* Kazumi Evans as Wyldfyre, a feral pyrokinetic human and the Elemental Master of Heat, who was raised by a dragon, Heatwave, as well as a caregiver robot. After Heatwave was captured by the Claws of Imperium, she sought to rescue him. She joins the Ninja in their search for the Dragon Cores, eventually becoming Kai's protégé.
* David Kaye as Frak, a Serpentine, Arin's childhood best friend, one of Ras' former students, and the Elemental Master of Quake. He joins the Ninja at the end of the Tournament after he helped them fight the Wolf Mask Warriors, becoming Lloyd's third student.

Villains

Season 1

* Nicole Oliver as Empress Beatrix, the power-hungry empress of Imperium who orders the capture of the seven Source Dragons in an effort to conquer the Merged Realms. After her cruel treatment of dragons was exposed, she was deposed and was sent into a MergeQuake rift by Arin, leaving her fate unknown.
* Brian Drummond as Lord Ras, an anthropomorphic black and pink tiger from the Wyldness who served in Imperium's military, leading the Claws in capturing dragons until he was stripped of his position and imprisoned. He later escapes and becomes the new leader of the Wolf Clan, recruiting Jordana to aid him. He is physically strong and wields a large hammer, and answers to a mysterious and unseen "master." When empowered or enraged, his pink markings glow red.
* Giles Panton as Rapton, the field leader of the Claws of Imperium who, after capturing many dragons, helped the Ninja in Beatrix's defeat. He later returned to dragon hunting and became the leader of the Freebooters.
* Ashleigh Ball as Dr. LaRow, a head scientist of the Advanced Systems Lab working for the Kingdom of Imperium.
* Diana Kaarina as Jordana, a young scientist who believes herself to be Sora's rival. She managed to extract raw Source Dragon energy for Beatrix and Ras' master. She was possessed by Rox during the Ritual of the Blood Moon, but was later freed.
* Mackenzie Gray as Dorama, a former famous pyro-technician and showman from the Crossroads who helped Beatrix develop technology for capturing dragons.
* Ian Hanlin as Blorko, a Claw Hunter working under Rapton's command, whom he is sarcastic to and always second guesses.
* Vincent Tong as Melvin, an Imperium Guard.
* Mark Hildreth as Agent Karit, an agent of the Administration, a large organization that imposes arbitrary rules and bureaucracy on the rest of the Merged Realms.
* Kazumi Evans as Agent Denholt.
* Michael Adamthwaite as Agent Roderick Allen.
* Rhona Rees as Agent SsssSsss Underwood.
* Ian Hanlin as Sub-Agent Prentis.
* Marÿke Hendrikse as Lava-Tide Leader, the leader of the Lava-Tides.
* Vincent Tong as Lava-Tide 1
* Brent Miller as Lava-Tide 2
* Sabrina Pitre as Howler 1.
* Richard Ian Cox as Howler 2.

Season 2

* Ian Hanlin as Cinder, the Elemental Master of Smoke. He gained the power of Shatterspin from Ras and aided him in the Ritual of the Blood Moon, and later competed on Ras' team in the Tournament of the Sources only to then be imprisoned after aiding the Wolf Clan in attacking the tournament.
* Deven Mack as Nokt, a corrupted anthropomorphic wolf, the co-leader of the Forbidden Five, Rox's brother, and the Elemental Master of Brute Force. He and the rest of the Forbidden Five were imprisoned millennia ago to a space between realms known as the Nether-Space, and was later freed alone by Ras during the Ritual of the Blood Moon. Afterward, he was enslaved by Ras and made to compete in the Tournament of the Sources. He promptly betrayed Ras and colluded with Rox to free the remaining Forbidden Five. He later joins them in collecting the Prismatic Blades in order to free Thunderfang only to be betrayed and have his soul absorbed by Thunderfang, becoming a ghost in the process. He then aids Thunderfang in his quest to become one of the Source Dragons.
* Emily Tennant as Rox, a corrupted anthropomorphic wolf, the co-leader of the Forbidden Five, Nokt's sister, and the Elemental Master of Fear. During the Ritual of the Blood Moon, her spirit escaped the Nether-Space and possessed the body of Jordana. Later, she led the Forbidden Five in collecting the Prismatic Blades in order to free Thunderfang, the source of their power only to be betrayed and have her soul absorbed by Thunderfang, becoming a ghost in the process. She then aids him in his quest to become one of the Source Dragons.
* Vincent Tong as Bleckt, Roby's uncle, who conspired with Ras to rig the Tournament of the Sources.

Season 3

* Deven Mack as Thunderfang, the Shatter Dragon of Chaos, who is the source of the dark powers possessed by the Forbidden Five, and was imprisoned millennia ago after being defeated by the Arc Dragon of Focus. A great warrior in the legendary war between Oni and Dragons, he believed his victories entitled him to become one of the Source Dragons, but became infuriated when this wish was turned down.
* Michael Adamthwaite as Zarkt, a corrupted anthropomorphic animal, a member of the Forbidden Five, and the Elemental Master of Misfortune.
* Lee Tockar as Drix, a corrupted anthropomorphic insect, a member of the Forbidden Five, and the Elemental Master of Swarm.
* Ashleigh Ball as Kur, a decayed anthropomorphic jackal, a member of the Forbidden Five, and the Elemental Master of Decay.
* Adam Nurada as Powerlid, a cyclops who lives in the Southern Woods.
* Kelly Sheridan as Lightning-Tide Defense
* Adrian Petriw as Lightning-Tide Leader
* Sabrina Pitre as Lightning-Tide Prosecutor
* Kira Tozer as Elha, a Merlopian agent of the Administration.

Other villains

* Brian Drummond as Fedulian, a Merlopian that owns an antiques shop in the Crossroads.
* Michael Antonakos as the Mechanic, a well-known professional criminal and a longtime adversary of the ninja.
* Adrian Petriw as Fugi-Dove, a bird-like criminal.

Minor

* Paul Dobson as Master Wu, the Ninja's mentor who has lived for thousands of years, and son of the First Spinjitzu Master. He goes missing following the Merge but his teachings live on in Lloyd. He appears in the series as a spirit, and it is later revealed that he was responsible for the Merge.
* Brian Drummond as Barry Nived, Arin's father, who disappeared in the Merge with his wife Jenny and was thought to be dead until it was later revealed that he is still alive but had been moved by the Administration to the Land of Lee.
* Kelly Sheridan as Jenny Nived, Arin's mother, who disappeared in the Merge with her husband and was thought to be dead. It was later revealed that she is still alive but had been moved by the Administration to the Land of Lee.
* Sebastian Johansson as Lee, the sole inhabitant of the Land of Lee, which is named after him. He is the ruler of an artificial underground subdivision and has multiple clones of himself.
* Kelly Sheridan as Kreel, a citizen of the Crossroads and owner of Kreel's Junkyard. She is a mech racer with a crew of Whack Rats.
* Bethany Brown as Euphrasia, a Writer of Destiny and the current Elemental Master of Wind.
* Peter Kelamis as Geo, the Elemental Master of Fusion and a member of the Finders. He is a hybrid of Munce and Geckles, which led to him being rejected by both tribes due to their historical rivalry. Geo eventually ended up in the Land of Lost Things where he encountered and joined the Finders, later forming a close bond with Cole.
* Brian Drummond as Lobbo, a robot living in the Crossroads.
* Andrew Francis as Egalt, a dragon and legendary warrior who, alongside Rontu, defeated the Forbidden Five and banished them to the Nether-Space millennia ago. He taught the Rising Dragon Technique to the ninja.
* Kazumi Evans as Rontu, a dragon, legendary warrior, and Egalt's companion. She attempts to teach Spinjitzu to Sora, Arin, and Riyu.
* Paul Dobson as the Source Dragon of Energy, one of the seven Source Dragons. Like the rest of his kind, he is an immensely powerful being. However, during his confinement under the hands of Ras, his dominion over the realms was nullified and he was compelled to provide energy to the Kingdom of Imperium while being kept incarcerated. After Beatrix was deposed, Lloyd freed the Source Dragon of Energy.
* Niah Davis as the Source Dragon of Life, one of the seven Source Dragons.
* Diana Kaarina as the Source Dragon of Motion, one of the seven Source Dragons. She appeared to the Ninja and instructed them to participate in the Tournament of the Sources. She later gifted Lloyd a special dagger that allows him to summon her once in a time of need.
* Michael Adamthwaite as the Source Dragon of Strength, one of the seven Source Dragons.
* Marci T. House as the Source Dragon of Flow, one of the seven Source Dragons.
* Kathleen Barr as the Source Dragon of Focus, one of the seven Source Dragons.
* Ian Hanlin as Master Suetonius, the leader of the Writers of Destiny and the current Master Writer of the Cloud Kingdom.
* Aidan Drummond as Marcus, one of the Writers of Destiny.
* Tabitha St. Germain as Gandalaria, the high sorceress of Mysterium, who created Bonzle.
* Sabrina Pitre as Hantro, a Serpentine that lives in Ninjago City. She supplies Fedulian's antiques shop.
* Bill Newton as Intelligent George, an influencer in the Merged Realms that makes theories and talks about people who were lost in the Merge.
* Mark Hildreth as Arrakore, a djinn and one of the few known inhabitants of Djinjago to escape from its destruction. After having his hope restored, he began to restore his home realm, harnessing his wish magic once more.
* Deven Mack as Gus, a resident of the Crossroads.
* Jason Simpson as Sora's father, whom she disowns when she reaches her true potential.
* Kathleen Barr as Sora's mother, whom she disowns when she reaches her true potential.
* Richard Newman as the Spirit of the Temple, a mystic figure in the Temple of the Dragon Cores.
* Vincent Tong as Mr. Koenig, Sora and Jordana's former school teacher.
* Richard Ian Cox as the Bone King, the ruler of the Greenbone Warriors and King of the Underworld prior to Samukai.
* Kelly Metzger as a Bone Guard, one of the Greenbone Warriors.
* Kelly Sheridan as a Bone Warrior, one of the Greenbone Warriors.
* Joanne Wilson as the caregiver bot who took care of Wyldfyre.
* Deven Mack as a Claw Hunter.
* Mark Hildreth as King Crag-Nor, the ruler of the Kingdom of Madness and the King of the Craglings.
* Jason Simpson as Dale, a farmer and mechanic from an unknown ocean village.
* Adam Nurada as the ocean gang leader, an unnamed Merlopian pirate that leads the ocean gang.
* Brenda Crichlow as the Matriarch of the Mountain Dragons, an Arc Dragon of matriarch rank who holds the position of leadership within a herd of Mountain Dragons. She was killed by Nokt and Rox, who was possessing Jordana's body, so they could use her dragon crown to open the portal to the Nether-Space. The Matriarch is survived by her daughter Eridany, who succeeded her mother as the next leader of their herd.
* Andrew McNee as Gulch, the Geckles' Chancellor.
* Ben Toth as a boy, who was at the ninja's memorial tent during the Crossroads Carnival.
* Abigail Journey Oliver as a girl, who was at the ninja's memorial tent during the Crossroads Carnival.
* Andrew McNee as Alfonzo Frohicky, the Assistant Keeper of the Monastery who runs various carnival events in the Crossroads.
* Sabrina Pitre as Spitz, a young Hypnobrai and a member of the Finders.
* Vincent Tong as Fritz, a Formling and a member of the Finders.
* Michelle Creber as Bonzle, a spell made mortal being, who has assumed the form of a skeleton. She was originally created by Gandalaria to seal away the Forbidden Five after they were defeated by Egalt and Rontu. Once this task was accomplished, she wandered the realms aimlessly for eons, until she met Wu and he encouraged her to take a physical form.
* Nicole Oliver as Zeatrix, Beatrix's twin sister and the current Master of Shockwave, who was banished from Imperium so that Beatrix could take the throne. She participated in the Tournament of the Sources, where she ruthlessly attacked Lloyd in retaliation for her loss and was effectively banned from the tournament as a result. She later sought revenge on Lord Ras for aiding Beatrix in exiling her.
* Tabitha St. Germain as Tox, the Elemental Master of Poison.
* Ian Hanlin as Mr. Pale, the Elemental Master of Light.
* Ryan Beil as Roby, the Games Master for the Tournament of the Sources and Wyldfyre's boyfriend.
* Paul Dobson as Zur, a Devonian and the Master of Reflex. He was said to be ruthless, but this was actually a cover as his kind are shy. He befriends Wyldfyre and helps her solve Bleckt's journal to learn of his efforts to rig the Tournament of the Sources.
* Deven Mack as Chef Grab-Barg, a Mucoid chef who has a rivalry with Arin.
* Brian Drummond as Tope-Epot, a Mucoid and a citizen of the Crossroads.
* Garry Chalk as Zant-Tanz, a Mucoid, the Elemental Master of Plants, the acting general of the Mucoid Warriors, and the supreme leader of the Mother Garden. He participated in the Tournament of Sources, but was expelled after being framed for a covert attack on the Ninja, Ras, and Zur.
* Ron Halder as Emperor Levo, the emperor of the Kingdom of Imperium and the Elemental Master of Shockwave prior to Zeatrix.
* Deven Mack as SpinjitzuForDays99, an influencer and a fan of the ninja.
* Diana Kaarina as NinjaFanInfinity, an influencer and a fan of the ninja.
* Brian Drummond as the Security Bots, androids created by Gerard Gearhead. They served as the security personnel for the City of Temples and sometimes act as medics. Following the recent Tournament of the Sources, they were reprogrammed to function as tour guides for the city.
* Andrew Francis as Morro, a ghost and the former Elemental Master of Wind.
* Paul Dobson as Koji, the husband of Ume and the father of Aru.
* Kathleen Barr as Aru, a young boy and a fan of the ninja. He is the son of Koji and Ume.
* Sam Vincent as Leaf Blade, a Mountain Dragon who is Eridany's regent until she comes of age.
* Brian Drummond as Kruncha and Nuckal, the Skulkin general duo.
* Alan Marriott as Dareth, the self-proclaimed Brown Ninja who owns Laughy's Karaoke Bar and a longtime ally of the ninja.
* Adam Trask as Tyr, the leader of the Dragonians.
* Kazumi Evans as Old Lady Dragonian 1
* Kathleen Barr as Old Lady Dragonian 2
* Michael Daingerfield as Elway, an inhabitant of the Land of Lee. He had his suspicions about Lee until the latter caught on to it and brainwashed him.
* Michael Adamwaithe as Villager
* Jay Brazeau as Pontifex Magicus, a wizard from Mysterium.
* Andrew Francis as Monster Skull, a massive skeleton monster providing a passage to the Underworld to those who are able to defeat it.
* Tabitha St. Germain as Coconut Copy, a magical backup copy of Gandalaria. She was designed to preserve the essence of who Gandalaria is, ensuring that her traits and characteristics remain intact, even in the event of a mindwipe.

Episodes

Series overview

Season 1 (2023)

Season 2 (2024)

Season 3 (2025)

Shorts

The Elemental Mechs (2024)

A series of canonical shorts were released in 2024, to tie in with the release of the new sets that came out in the same year.

Return to the Wyldness (2024)

A second series of canonical shorts were released in 2024, set between parts 1 & 2 of season 2.

Wyldfyre's Stories (2024)

A third series of canonical shorts were released in 2024, set between parts 1 & 2 of season 2.

Wyldfyre's Voice Notes (2024)

A fourth series of canonical shorts were released in 2024, set between parts 1 & 2 of season 2.

Production

Development

The new series was produced following the final season of the ''Ninjago'' television series, which had been on air since 2011 and concluded in 2022. For the new series, animation company WildBrain Studios moved to Unreal Engine 5 to improve on the animation quality of its predecessor.

Writing

The lead writers for the series are Chris "Doc" Wyatt and Kevin Burke. Wyatt confirmed on Twitter that ''Ninjago: Dragons Rising'' is a new show, rather than a continuation of the previous ''Ninjago'' series, which had been on air for 11 years.

Music

Jay Vincent, Michael Kramer and Adam Dib composed the series music score. Theofania Pavli performed the series' opening theme song "We Rise".

Release

The series was initially revealed at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. Season 1 Part 1 of Dragons Rising was released on Netflix on 1 June 2023 in the United States, Canada, Japan, and Latin America, and in other territories later in the same month or the next except for the UK, where it was released on ITVX on 5 June 2023. It was later aired on Cartoon Network in Southeast Asia and Europe. While Season 1 Part 2 was released on 12 October 2023.

Season 2 Part 1 was released on 3 April 2024 on Netflix in Finland, and on the next day was also released in the United States.

Season 2 Part 2 was originally given the release date of October. However, it had all 10 episodes in English unintentionally published by streaming service Peacock on 25 July 2024, less than a day afte
the first trailer for Part 2
was released by LEGO. All 10 episodes were quickly saved before Peacock could remove them, 2 months before part 2 was intended to be released.

Season 3 Part 1 was released on Netflix on 17 April 2025.

Season 3 Part 2 will release on Netflix on 4 September 2025.

Reception

''The Hollywood Reporter'' gave the first season a positive review, saying that it looked just as good as the previous ''Ninjago'' series. The series has generally been viewed in a highly positive light.

Other media

Several playable characters and a new level based on the series were launched in ''Lego Brawls'' in June 2023.

References

External links

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{{Netflix original current series

2020s Canadian animated television series
2020s Canadian children's television series
2023 animated television series debuts
2023 Canadian television series debuts
Canadian children's animated action television series
Canadian children's animated adventure television series
Canadian children's animated science fantasy television series
Canadian children's animated superhero television series
Animated television series about dragons
Canadian computer-animated television series
Canadian English-language television shows
Netflix original programming
Lego Ninjago
Lego television series
Martial arts television series
Television series by WildBrain