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pokedashwarrior55 · 2 years

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Ranking every Ninjago Season's music

I originally posted this on AMINO for the 10th anniversary, but with the news that even more soundtracks will have an official release I feel I should repost it for people to see. This list was made before Seabound and since Seabound music is not fully out in good quality yet I did not add it to the ranking.

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Ok so I'll state now that these are all my opinions (obvi) and I was a band student for a while so what bothers me or what I find wonderful may be different from what you think. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments cause I want the music of Ninjago to be just as appreciated as the show itself!

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**Whenever I say "Typical Ninjago instruments" or whatever I mean the classic orchestral palate.

Asian flutes and strings, woodwinds, brass, a basic drum kit, that kinda stuff. Think season 1 and 2 instruments. That's what I mean by "Ninjago Instruments"

[I am not taking the openings into account. This is purely the background instrumental music]

"""NUMBER 15""": Skybound

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It only has one song so I cannot accurately rank it!

NUMBER 14: Fire chapter

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Revamped snake theme with little new motifs.

Some tracks have this weird cartoony "scoring to movement" thing that makes it kinda funny, but it also makes most of them strange to listen to on their own.

Good instruments but, to be honest, the bland script is probably hard to work off of. The best one is hands down "The News Never Sleeps", but "Clutch Powers" and "Charr" are funny.

NUMBER 13: March of the Oni

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Why Conga and African drums for the Oni? They go so ham and are kinda distracting in the moment.

Overall still better than most average cartoon osts (super intense music while in the Darkness) but having drums as a main motif never stands out to me since all songs typically feature drums.

And I LOVE Garmadon's theme but other seasons have more of it and have less weird drums. Just listen to "Cole Falls" and "Tornado of creation" and cry it all away

NUMBER 12: Tournament of Elements

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This one has an eerie sense that something is wrong in the back of the tracks (which is neat and reused a lot in later seasons), but they use very standard instruments like drums and the classic Asian inspired orchestral stuff we expect from Ninjago**

Doesn’t make it bad, just kinda basic. It matches the rest of the season as the most “NINJAGO” season ever made. Garmadon’s theme, "Prison Break", and "Chen's Noodle House" save this from complete obscurity, but it’s hard to compete with what’s next

NUMBER 11: Hands of Time

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Repeats the same motif 50 bajillion times but I don’t care.

The stringed instrument they chose for the Time Twins is wonderful to listen to and it may be my favorite unique instrument they have in NINJAGO. The twang it has gives it this sense of a mystery and the ticking backdrop adds such dimension to the score.

I would make it higher for it’s construction, but it’s tracks are mostly identical. Ticking backbeat with a motif or two. Still epic tho. Best tracks are: "The Hands of Time Reunite", "Using and Losing the Time Blades", and "Fusion Dragon"

NUMBER 10: Sons of Garmadon

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Has typical Ninjago instruments**, but includes more character motifs like Harumi and the SOG themselves that differentiates the tracks from each other. The chase scene scores can be a tad repetitive after a while, but hold up independently.

The digital backbeats elevate it above ToE and HoT and it delivers in many emotional beats like the slow corruption of Harumi's theme. Best track is rather "Dark True Potential" or the Opening heist.

NUMBER 9: Hunted

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Are you ready to hear the Hunters theme over and over after listening to it in the opening? Well ME TOO! It’s pretty epic but shares a lot of cons with SOG and Hands of time. Has those more basic intense instrumentation in it’s villain tracks but you cannot deny the soundtrack from grandeur simply because of this basic pool of sounds.

It still has some unique licks that make some tracks stand out and its above SOG purely for the sheer amount of character motifs woven into each score like Garmadon, Dareth, Faith, and Harumi to name a few.

Still don’t quite like chanting and drums for the Oni but it’s a small part in an otherwise fulfilling bunch of tracks. The Hunters main ost (Heard in opening as well), "Resistance Never Quits", "A Full on Battalion", and "I Can Resist You" are notable stand outs.

NUMBER 8: Rise of the Spinjitzu Master

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Season 2 Is a staple for Ninjago music, but nowhere near the best. It’s half playfully nostalgic songs like "Day jobs" and "Captain Soto’s Crew" and true gut wrenchers like the slow fusion of Garmadons motif into the overlords overpowering strings.

It has a strangely high amount of Death Choir for a Lego show originally marketed towards children and I love how intense they were able to go even in its purest stage.

It is not higher because I can never remember the Stone Army theme despite it taking up the second act of the whole season. That portion just is not as memorable as it could be.

That memorable issue may arise from the instruments being limited compared to other seasons, but nevertheless it feels like NINJAGO (perhaps partially because of nostalgia), and no one can deny a good death choir with the depressing Garmadon motif and the Ninja brass section to bring it all together.

"Metamorphosis", "Overlord", and of course "The Final Battle" are all stand outs that keep this season from slipping any lower

NUMBER 7: Rebooted

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The Overlord 2: Electric Boogaloo.

This season has more digital differentiation, more character motifs and 100% less Misako’s theme (I like the theme by itself but every time it plays I’m reminded of HER). Rebooted keeps the staple Ninjago sounding instruments** while adding that digital and other worldly spice that elevates it above Season 2 as a whole.

The mixing of digital and traditional fits the season well and it's the original season of distorting a preexisting character theme for a twist (With Pythor).

"Out of their Element", Every Digiverse track, and Zane's death and resurrection are all stand outs.

NUMBER 6: Prime Empire

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Prime Empire simply SLAPS.

Now we are getting into tracks I would go out of my way to find. S12 has such a distinct style and you either love it or hate it’s techno synthy nonsense.

I, for one, love how they were able to convert ninjago into synth, 8 bit, and all sorts of other techno sounds that a typical season would never use.

Because they opened the door to such wild sounds and synths each track feels different and you can easily tell what is the Hub world, what is Unagami, and what is a fight scene.

A perfect blend of Silly tracks ("Rockstar Rockin Jay" // "Ninjago Confidential" // "Shifty’s Mart" // "Fugidove") and freakin bops like "Dance Off", "Scott the Stowaway", and Unigami’s motif.

I know I listed far too many tracks for number 6 but listen to "Dance off" and decide for yourself whether it's your thing.

NUMBER 5: Rise of the serpentine // The Pilot

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I see Season 1 and Prime Empire as 100% equal in quality despite the fact they are COMPLETELY different in every way (I honestly love them both equally but someone must be ranked higher).

Season one has the sad advantage of being season one, which means it gets a leg up for being “tHe fIrsT”. Usually I am beneath such an argument, but season one gave us the Prologue Overture every other season built upon so it deserves praise.

Going beyond that we have The Serpentine motif, True Potentials, and that ever depressing Garmadon lick. The best word for this season’s music is iconic.

The heavy reliance of strings vs wind/brass keeps the music more grounded and tame, but this goes well with the slower build of season 1.

Honestly I can’t put the season with "Pythor P. Chumsworth", "Falcon chase", "Roomies with Garmadon:, and "Zane's True Potential" too low now can I?

NUMBER 4: Ice Chapter

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Atmospheric Marvel.

Ice Chapter is something you need to cherish while listening to to really understand the artistry behind it. Although not my top favorite, I consider everything in the top 5 to be works of art and treated equally despite the fact they are clearly ranked and judged.

The Ice Chapter evokes such emotion in it’s themes that make it more than an ost. Prime Empire may be cool and energetic, but The Ice Chapter is crafted for the moment and everything in it supports the narrative.

Pitch shifting Zane’s memory theme and then hiding it behind the clangs of Vex, the mystical new Neverrealm motif, and that disturbing backbeat echo is genius and engaging everytime that cello comes in. It definitely has the advantage of taking a gorgeous motief from season 1 and spreading out into this corrupted main theme.

Best tracks are "The Formlings", "Akita finds her animal form", "The Ice Emperor" and "Corruption", and "Arriving in the Nether Realm".

If you want a good laugh to quell the pain from "Corruption", listen to "The Absolute Worst".

NUMBER 3: Day of the Departed

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Does it only have 4 tracks? Yes. But damn it those 4 tracks are some of the best of all Ninjago.

Yang's theme is so chilling and I love my ghost motifs in this show so much. But since it has so little it also can’t afford to have dead tracks, opting instead to use previous season tracks for most fight scenes as they are with old villains and focus the musical attention to the emotional focus.

"Maybe I’m Departed"/Day of the departed credit song is my favorite track of Ninjago ever and it is exclusive to this small soundtrack so I could not leave it out

Yang's theme has that twangy guitar, back melody violins, a creepy organ and, as per usual, a death choir to bring it all together.

NUMBER 2: Master of the Mountain

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Take Ninjago and make it those # EPIC COVER vidoes on youtube.

From the first note of the instrumental theme song you know you’re in for a wild ride of death choirs and epic orchestral tracks and it delivers! MoM decides, like possession, to use a heavy brass section and a good amount of creepy strings.

MoM also introduces many unique motifs, like Shintaro, Vania, Lily/The Caves, and Skull Sorcerer and they are all gorgeous.

The clatter in the background of slower and more somber tracks feels like you are close to this metal work camp and the skull sorcerer’s violins are quite like Morros, which is always welcome.

Everything works, but some may say there is such a thing as being TOO epic. This overall lack of more somber moments keeps it from the top. I encourage daily listening to "The Skull Sorcerer" and "The Upply Strike" back to keep up mental health.

NUMBER 1: Possession

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Talk about a masterpiece.

This is the best music Ninjago has ever constructed. The strings are chilling every time and choosing to distinctly slur the notes in such a creepy way gives a real sense of danger and atmosphere that the music conveys more than the visuals at times. Layering strings on top of each other makes the music feel complete in every way with a heavy dose of spoopy pipe organ.

Thematically, Morro's motif is almost always intertwined in the middle of tracks after his introduction, showing both his connection to Wu and his possession of Lloyd. Everything from the ninja’s brass section to the ghosts' strings, to Ronin's miscellaneous percussion (bells and of the like) is amazing.

I may be biased as I love the sounds of Halloween but I don't think anyone can deny how cool Morro's theme alone is. Listen to "Ghost story", "Master of Wind", and "Temple on the Haunted Hill" and then go back and binge it all from start to finish.

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So I hope you enjoyed my list and I hope that you leave your thoughts in the comments!

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