Nya Jiang - Blog Posts
We talk about older brother Kai a lot but we need some more big sister nya appreciation. Her and Lloyd were often stuck in the ship together when she wasn’t out samurai x’ing so I think they’d end up pretty close.
tell me im wrong.
Kai with his haired gelled: GIRLBOSSING PORCUPINE
Kai with his hair down: Feral Cat In Need Of Restraining
similarly,
Nya with her hair tied: GIRLBOSS
Nya with her hair down: Mass Destruction Warning
ninjago’s biggest flaw: death = development
ninjago has this consistent idea that the death of a character leads to the development of either said character, or the characters who grieve the death. while this concept can be written very well, ninjago can’t seem to get it right.
for example, nya’s sacrifice in seabound. i think her death could have been the BEST example in ninjago of how relationships can grow and strengthen over a shared loss. nyas ‘death’ could’ve been written as a wonderful way to deepen relationships between the characters, ESPECIALLY kai and jay. relationship development between those two would have been such a good concept, stabilizing eachother during times of grief, and so cole (who was, im sure we all agree, the most stable post seabound) would not have the burden of trying to help all members of the team, burying his own grief in order to aid the others, just as he had to do when his mother died.
furthermore, nya’s own death could have been a development strike for herself, but the show did not give her and nyad enough time to show nya once again reestablishing her sense of self, and collecting her memories. this lack of time nya had, and the lack of attention brought to kai’s grieving methods, combined with loss of potential growth between kai and jay, simply proved that what the writers were aiming for (nyas death--> development) did not work out. and im sure u all can think of the other examples where this idea does not work out.
but i think while the death= development IS a problem, there are times where they got it right, and it did lead to development at some point. for example, when the monastery doors collapsed on lloyd, and so he ‘died’ and met with the first spinjitsu master (plot contribution). and, cole’s ‘fall/death’ showed us an extremely rare occasion of kai being vulnerable and scared, and then nya into a phase of blaming herself, which led to kai comforting nya, showing the strength of the bond between the two.
so, ultimately, i believe the true problem, is : ninjago’s inability to correctly and deeply portray grief, because the entire idea of death= development is based on how individuals deal with grief (coping mechanisms), how they carry on with it, and the relationships formed/strengthened by it. if grief is written poorly, then death can never lead to development.
yeah everyone focuses about nya’s connection to nyad, but if nya is technically one with the ocean, and nya is basicslly a part of kai, isnt kai basicslly connected to nyad too?? like wouldn’t it be awesome if human nya still had the ability to talk to nyad after she unmerged and stuff?? And since nya can do it kai could kinda do it too??
like if nya could talk to nyad as separate beings, but still be connected, through their magic? and kai maybe not being able to talk to nyad but being able to feel her, embrace her because after all, nyas blood is within him too, and so with alongside shared blood comes shared bonds, right?
can you imagine kai feeling upset or maybe lonely, nya not being there bc maybe she’s on a mission so he sits alongside the ocean, nyad joining him and creating little jellyfish that float around kai, to cheer him up?
can you imagine kai and nyad dancing across the shore, nya secretly recording them from a distance?
and maybe whenever kai goes near the ocean, nya and nyad can both feel his warmth and so there’s an array of fish and various sea creatures that suddenly appear alongside kai, kinda making the ocean a bit more magical?? idk I think It would be such a beautiful concept
all the ninja have unique characteristics and they are so individually unique and reflect their nature
for example,
kai’s smile ( + dimples <33333 ) is bright, fearless, and contagious, his eyes radiate love and warmth, his laugh energetic and filled with enthusiasm
jay’s freckles remind you of stars, his smiles are timid yet adorable, his laugh loud and silly
cole’s hugs make you feel at home, eyes embedded in admiration and protection, his laugh is strong and smile is gentle yet valiant
lloyds laugh is quite mellow, voice smooth and soft, eyes curious yet immensely fond
zane’s words are a striving source of comfort, eyes tender, voice calm and patient, smile polite yet encouraging
nyas eyes remind you of calming waves against a shoreline (or when she’s mad, the complete opposite), voice firm and assertive, smile bold and daring
your honor, I indeed firmly believe that nya and lloyd are taller than kai
the superhero: lloyd
the supervillain: kai
the mayor: nya
can we have kai and nya content??
ninjago headcannons ll
-kai sleeps like a cat
-jay loves eating chobani yogurt (incase you don’t know, it’s a brand of yogurt that has one little thingy full of yogurt and the other thingy u can flip over and add cookie dough or chocolate chips or whatever)
- nya and kai are those crazy madmen racing on the street ways that all the moms shake their heads at
- nya cannot parallel park but she can tokyo drift
- one day lloyd hit his head on the table so kai hit the table back.
- cole can digest anything ( poisoning him to death? lol nice try he loves to nom poison)
-kai bought lloyd most of his game/comic collection
- nya has a bellybutton piercing
part one
Lloyd, Nya, and Zane vs Cole, Kai and Jay in an escape room:
Team #1:
Lloyd (the leader + idea maker ): nya you search that area and be on the lookout for map coordinates and zane can you please help me with these pots I think these designs are hinting something
also lloyd: *oni growls* at everything…
Nya (the theorizer + hint refuser): ok guys so according to my theory these coordinates should be the password to unlock the safe because the ID card numbers are proportional to the- NO LLOYD WE DONT NEED HINTS WE ARE BETTER THAN THAT.
also nya: smash smash frustration BASH
Zane (the analyzer + clue organizer): according to my database this is a long, forgotten language used by an ancient civilization decades ago. no one has ever deciphered it before. i shall translate it in a few seconds. apologies for the delay. allow me to organize the clues, I’ll section them in different categories and label them individually.
also zane : [grabs a detective hat and wears it, declares his newfound ownership over it] oh? what do you mean it’s the property of the escape room?
Team #2
Cole (the muncher+ the holy observer): guys look I found a trail of crumbs maybe if we follow it we can find something! [is staring at his own crumbs]
also cole: hmmm that painting MOVED. let’s check it out. yes it’s totally a color wheel it’s certainly hinting towards a certain art type we should investigate all the painting in that art type let’s go woo!! guys is that a THREAD of string on the floor? that’s the same fabric on the coat!!
Jay (the toucher of everything + the creative one ): what’s this what’s that hey guys check this out ew this is sticky don’t come here everyone I’m gonna touch everything
also jay: ok guys I made this mini electronical gps by myself with the limited materials we found! slay!
Kai ( secret passageway finder, the riddle solver): ooo is this a lever how about this maybe this is the lever oh man THIS IS DEFINITELY a SECRET passageway oh wait no it’s not oops sorry
also kai: so I solved all fifty riddles and found 68 secret passageways do u guys think that’s good enough?
guess which team always wins.
MORE RGB HEADCANNONS PUHLEASE
here you go love:
-kai and nya WOULD do the ‘thats my f-ing evil twin’ tiktok trend with eachotehr. they’d slay it tbh
-zane taught kai origami so now kai leaves origami hearts in random things that nya and lloyd possess and he thinks they don’t know it’s him but they know ( and they love it).
-when the rgb siblings go to a pool lloyd and nya tip over every floaty kai rests on
-they have a 3 minute long handshake.
-if lloyd nya and kai are on the same laser tag team the opposing team is SLAUGHTERED within SECONDS.
-lloyd and nya are cooking?? my dear, the only thing they cook is disaster
-LISTEN hear me out : kai does ballet
-lloyd loves sour patch and sometimes kai will throw a handful of sour patch at him. randomly. for no reason. lloyd NOMS THEM ALL UP. not a single one lands on the floor.
Do you think the sibling banter between the Smith siblings goes over the head of thecrest of the ninjas from time to time since esentially they are only children, and don't always get it?
certainly does my dearest anon
honestly I feel like half of the smith sibling banter is things the others have absolutely no context of and it’s funnier if the others deliberately don’t want to have any context because then you’d be a part of the battlefield and oh boy
when the smith siblings argue it turns into a banter field. get it bc it’s a battlefield now everyone laugh I’m so funny and btw of course the arguments have their limitations, and don’t last more than three minutes
but also I do personally feel like Lloyd doesn’t argue like he’s just not that kind of person, he’d talk things through and whatver
and it’s also funny to imagine the three at literally any store and there you see a short hedgehog aka kai + the 6 ft ocean gal aka nya both starting world war three and then ur average window cleaner aka lloyd dead on the ground waiting to be buried 6ft under (cause of death: secondhand embarrassment)
more ninja headcannons (cole-centered) <3
cole definitely paints on the gang when he’s stressed out or for fun
like one day kai and nya are wearing sleeveless and they want cole to paint matching animals across their arms
or jays sleeping and cole paints a mustache on him
or maybe zane wants to spice up his apron so now it’s covered in coles art
or lloyd wants to get better at painting so they both experiment on kai’s back bc kai loves being painted on
it’s like a stress reliever and a fun hobby at the same time that cole loves doing and he’s spectacular at it too
or maybe like one day cole is really upset and the ninja are like cmon guys let’s paint him instead and in less than an hour cole is covered in dragons and flowers and monkeys and chickens and all sorts of things that they all take pictures of and laugh about and coles forgotten why he was sad in the first place
Isn't it so incredibly interesting how both smith siblings handled their trauma in drastically different ways? But isn't it also beautiful that everything they went through together simply made them love & support each other in bajillion different ways!?!!
Nya’s mindset of, ‘’I don't need anybody, I can do everything myself. I can rely on only myself,” just means that “My parents betrayed me and let me down when I needed them the most, which has damaged my ability to trust.’’
This is hyper-independence, and that is a result of trauma. It was likely one of her prime ways to protect herself from vulnerability, building walls to protect herself from feeling a pain similar to what she felt when her parents disappeared, making it hard for her to love. She shows signs of ‘self-sabotage’ because she refuses to ask for help, and does not show vulnerability. She declined any affection (except kai, bc he was the only person who had not betrayed her/only dependable & trustworthy person in her childhood) in the earlier seasons, and has trouble doing things if she cannot execute them perfectly. Kai undoubtably worked hard to support her, and so Nya pressured herself to meet certain objectives for Kai’s sake, to ensure Kai’s work didn't go to waste. This likely lead to her habit of perfectionism, which with time, became a bigger breeding ground for severe toxicity.
Despite Kai offering her unconditional support, Nya likely did not want to overburden him with her troubles so she kept a lot of things bottled up. Her independency also probably derives from her will to try and make things easier for Kai (and later the team) so she minimizes asking for help. Rarely asking for anything at all, insisting on dealing with issues herself. She dragged this habit with her throughout her life, likely in fear of rejection. When it comes to grief and loss, she has a very unhealthy habit of pushing it down, trying to not feel anything especially when others are around (ex. in Hunted when nya and lloyd thought the others were dead, she pushed the grief down/started hiding it and distracted herself by focusing on/helping lloyd). When it comes to grief and certain other things she puts herself below others, prioritizing their needs instead of hers. All of these things are results of and/or mechanisms she developed from her childhood trauma.
Nya requires a lot of verbal affirmation and physical touch to open up (kai is an exception). A lot. Remember, it took a long time until she actually told Jay she loved him. But what Nya needed is was patience, and Jay was displaying that, and never criticized her for not saying ily back.
She could have chosen to leave all the burden on Kai, but when she couldn’t remove it, she did everything she could to lighten it. Trauma gave nya so many reasons to be an untrustworthy person. Trauma made loving people hard for her. Trauma made love a battlefield for her. Trauma made future relationships difficult for her to ease in. But despite this, Nya chose to be trustworthy. Trauma didn’t make her brave. She made herself brave so she could accept Jay’s (and the teams) love, and in time, selflessly tore down her walls so she could love him back. She chose to be there in the times of need for others, just as her brother was there for her. Her trauma gave her opportunities and opportunities to be scared, but she chose to stand her ground. She chose to be brave.
Kai’s <3
https://theatlasrealm.tumblr.com/post/692060841958408192/isnt-it-so-incredibly-interesting-how-both-smith
every ninja has their own unique telltale for lying that no person but the people within the ninja can pinpoint
when lloyd lies they can tell by his voice, it has the slightest unsure and unsteady tone
when jay lies he sometimes stutters and fidgets with his hands
zane doesn’t do lies [ except for white lies that are beneficial (thanks to kai) ]
cole cannot lie.
whenever kai or nya lie ( both siblings are the best liars on the team ) you can tell by studying their eyes; since they are the most expressive part on their body, and I don’t mean darting or dilating pupils. I mean if you have enough practice you can gaze into their (very beautiful) eyes and study their eyes to see if they are smiling or sad. like yk the “he’s smiling but his eyes aren’t” type of stuff. idk how to explain this ok. it works in my head (and sometimes only the other sibling can tell when one sibling is lying.)
We all know Kai’s coping mechanisms for grief are extremely destructive. He became an alcoholic to deal with Zane’s death, and openly said he wished he would be dead instead of him.
BUT During Nya’s death (at least nearly after the year, who knows what he was doing the months before he opened a dojo, probably definitely crying himself to sleep every night and other sad sad things. another quick reminder kai felt the same amount of pain jay did.) he surrounded himself with kids. On the outside, doesn’t seem so bad. He’s a teacher. At least he’s not an alcoholic! Yay?
No. Not yay.
He surrounded himself with Children. Little girls (and boys) who undoubtedly reminded him every single day of his baby sister. Kai was basically torturing himself, forcing himself to remember that he was unable to protect his nya. Seeing all these eager kids wanting to learn how to fight, seeing these parents send in their Tom’s and their Jennifer’s, through desperation he tried to help protect them so the guilt of failing to protect Nya was less suffocating. So that neither Tom or Jessica’s parents go through what he went, and so that when the guilt is just a little less suffocating , because it probably won’t ever not be suffocating, he can try and just maybe scrape the courage and try living and breathing in the honor of the life she, his baby sister, nya, lived, telling her story and fulfilling her dreams (likely what nya would have wanted) instead of drowning in the grief of the life she couldn’t live.
I love to headcannon that butterflies remind Kai and Nya of each other bc of this memory
Like Kai or Nya would gaze at a butterfly and think about the other and that’s just so adorable
I know a lot of people are saying that Kai and Nya had a babysitter and whatever, but guess what.. who cares? Allow me to explain:
A Babysitter is someone who comes for a short amount of time to take care of kids. A babysitter needs money. This ‘babysitter’ definitely had her own family and I don’t think a random stranger or even if the babysitter was a good neighbor would raise someone else’s kids and provide for them and support them and love them for free. She most likely came in only to feed them, and left. Or left the minute Kai turned ten. Maybe she gave up when no more money was coming her way, and she only came to feed them for a year and that’s it. We don’t even have enough information to conclude any of this, especially not if she was a good, loving babysitter, which she was likely not. Because if she was, Kai and Nya would be mentally healthier.
When kids are growing, they look up to their parents, because they are emotionally connected with them. Kids mimic emotions from their parents, and look up at them for validation of their own. Nya was really young when Maya and Ray were captured. Kai was very young too, but old enough to know what love is because he most likely remembered his parents loving him. Now on the other hand Nya probably had little to no memory recall of her parents at all, much less the idea of what ‘love’ is.
When Maya and Ray were captured Kai was the only person left who Nya was emotionally connected with. Kai was the only person who could fill the role of being a loving person in her life, someone she could relay on and trust with vulnerability. I don’t think some children would just suddenly trust a random adult in their life, especially not Kai (remember how hesitant and suspicious he was when he first saw Wu). 
If this babysitter was that awesome, dependable, or trustworthy, Kai would not have trust issues, Nya would not need to feel independent, etc etc. Again, Both siblings would have a little more healthier mindsets.
Kai, as a child, loved Nya since the beginning. When Maya and Ray disappeared, he did raise her. You could interpret this sentence in many ways- raised her by love, raised her emotionally, raised her by providing for them both, raised her by protecting her. I strongly believe in every one of these and more, but this furthers on to my point: babysitter or no babysitter, at the end of the day, Kai did raise Nya. And I think for a small child who was just as lost and scared, he did his very best.
A child forms their idea of love normally by looking at their parents relationship, and by observing how parents treat them. Kai had a slight foundation in this already, since he loved Nya since the beginning. Nya however, as I mentioned before, likely had little to no memories of her parents. So, everything Nya learned about love, how to love, etc was from Kai. And with this, Nya had understood and developed her own love languages, and proceeded to use what she learned from Kai and reciprocate it. This was undoubtedly Kai’s biggest mental support during his childhood. And with what she learned from Kai, she started to also love Jay.
NINJAGO: VILLIAN EDITION
alternatively: modern ninja as villains w/modern weaponry (no powers)
Cole :
weaponry: shoulder guns, shoulder cannons. physical strength king - kneel before him. i feel like the type of shoulder gun he would use is:
also im not sure if ‘gauntlets’ would be considered modern but idc and im gonna show you anyways <3
not sure if you can tell but the pink-haired girl (vi) is using gauntlets. honestly any kind of gauntlet would look good on cole. pistols/bombs aren't really his thing, so if he doesn't have his trusty shoulder gun its punching time!! ouch!!
pastime hobbies: collects rocks. has a pet rock. spends stolen money... on expensive rocks. big foodie btw. knows and has eaten at every 5 star restaurant in the country. artist.
role in evil villain plans: on field member, normally gives out orders/directs missions. takes care of opponents with ease (scary good puncher). occasionally the getaway driver, best music taste. also an incredibly skilled artist, always leaves graffiti behind a crime scene. would never hurt a kid. loves robbing art shows. somehow always gets blood all over his clothes so he just shows up wearing black. has enough patience for assassination, and is incredibly skilled at it too. also muscular tattooed cole supremacy
code name: skullcrusher
Nya:
Weaponry: normally sticks to a pistol in one hand, but rotates with shoulder guns. hasn't mastered either one, but decently skilled with both. queen of physical strength. shoulder gun (1st pic) + pistol type (2 pic):
(she doesn't wield double pistols though, just one)
pastime hobbies: hacking, creating bombs (she and jay are the ‘bomb’ team, creating and disabling bombs is one of their prime talents.)
role in evil villain plans: nya ( + lloyd/zane) come up with the plans. girlie plays two roles: 1) stays in the evil lair and gives the on-field members information, monitors coms, and she is humanities cause of identity theft. 2) fighting on field , because hey; if you want something done right you do it yourself. similar to cole, also excels in physical fights. handles money/finances and reigns over the black market. people fear her online and in person. Also, she and jay make bombs together
codename: glitch
Kai:
weaponry: i have said it before and I will say it again: kai. mastery over double pistols. both hands. agility + double pistols = this is what i call supremacy. also, he uses bombs. terrifyingly. (who else did you think nya and jay made bombs for?)
yes. these are pistols. ik its hard to see but i promise they are pistols
pastime hobbies: training, pranks, retail therapy (he is the biggest money spender.)
role in evil villain plans: flirts with law enforcement, engages them in a false sense of security. can also blink pretty and look harmless in order for the enemy to drop their guard. excellent liar/actor, does not have enough patience for assassination. he thinks that being the last thing his enemy sees is a blessing for said enemy. isn't afraid to wear white clothes when killing bc somehow he evades every blood drop (he is the most agile, after all). when things don't go according to plan, kai’s in charge. he works best in unpredictable situations.
codename: inferno
(For a fighting style analysis check out my post abt that!!)
if people like this I guess i’ll do the others too!!! also all weaponry pics are from Honkai Impact 3rd <3
Smith sibling headcannons ft jay and cole <3
nya uses Kai and Jay to workout like who needs weights when you have your surprisingly light brother and yang (cole fights over kai and jay with nya bc he needs some ninja weights too!!)
nya cannot touch her toes and kai does take advantage of this (nya doing touching toe exercises and kai touching his toes AND bending his body into a pretzel to show off)
kai is a feral cat and kid!lloyd was his feral accomplice in crime (present Lloyd has a part of him that still is..)
kai and nya as kids used to have a tradition of having a ‘sleepover’ and doing each other’s hair when either of them were upset. this passed down to Lloyd too
jay falls asleep during a movie? let’s hope Lloyd and Kai are far away from any nearby sharpies. just saying…
Out of the three smith siblings kai is the best cook but it’s not his fault the kitchen keeps lighting on fire he swears by this and yet we have no proof..
all three of these lads (kai, nya, Lloyd) suck at art (Lloyd is considerably decent since cole helped him with this since cole is the teams artist)
kai likes to read, preferably historical fiction (he became a history teacher guys+ I think it would be really cute that someone as energetic as Kai would like to read and I love that ) and Lloyd likes comics and so whenever nya goes out with jay or alone or something, she makes sure to bring back a book and comic for two certain people
Hey! What do you think are the ninja's love languages?
I’d love to share my thoughts on this! For those of you that do not know the five love languages, they are five ways people might show how they love (obvi not limited to romantic) someone, and speak the way they would like to feel cared for. People tend to love all five, but certain types are special to them. The five are: quality time, words of affirmation, gift giving, acts of service, and physical touch. I determined each character’s through how they interact with the others. So grab a snack, and get cozy because this is a lot.....
Cole
Cole's love language is definitely physical touch (both giving and receiving). Imagine being hugged by cole like it would be such a nice hug guys. Throughout the show, you can see him hugging, touching, or a simply arm on a shoulder as he smiles at them. For example,
+ when cole hugged zane when he found him in s4, when cole grabbed kai and danced with him, and there are too many to all list here
and, below are examples of how Cole not only gives affection like this, but also likes to be shown affection through physical touch
LOOK AT HOW HAPPY COLE LOOKS
anyways I also do believe Cole has a secondary love language (again, both receiving and giving) , it being words of affirmation. We see Cole as a comforting character throughout Ninjago, like when he tried to uplift kai when kai was upset abt his powers, or when he reassures Zane when he told them he was a robot, by calling him special and saying “you're still the same zane” and remember how happy he gets when someone verbally comforts him as well.
For example, when Kai and Nya comforted him when he was a ghost. When Cole lost the travelers tea in s11, he clearly needed someone to tell him it was alright and they would get it back. And when his father accepted him, he was so happy yk... like I always wanna see Cole happy pls
Kai
ok so Kai is.. complicated. I feel like we see him do all five of these but I'm pretty confident I've picked out the two most supported ones, in both giving and receiving ends Acts of Service, and Words of Affirmation (with a side of physical touch and quality time. ik. its basically all of them but bare with me).
First of all, let me explain Acts Of Service. This one is pretty self-explanatory ; when Nya was young, Kai undoubtably took care of her and supported them in ways Nya probably doesn’t even remember anymore since she was so young. This was surely his way of showing her he loved her, and showing that he wouldn’t leave her like their parents did.
Remember, Kai was attacked by skeletons, he attempted to fight them off for Nya’s sake, despite how scared he must’ve been. When he couldn’t , he become so desperate he joined a random stranger and followed him to an unknown place when this place, this house, was all he had ever known. Protection is definitely an act of service.
This brings me to my next point: Words of Affirmation. Kai is very vocal about how he loves Nya and the others. Whether it him be saying I love you directly, or complimenting/reassuring others. For example,
Over here, he reassures Lloyd by telling him how he himself felt, and then telling him he would look after him no matter what.
An example of how Kai is verbal with Nya is when she gives Kai a bike bc they needed to run away from Ronin. With this, Kai says,” I love my little sister,’’
Another example is when Kai reassures Nya in s10 when nya makes a ‘fatal’ mistake and cole falls off the bounty. He tells her shes the brains, and that she’s always building all the plans. This moment also stood out to me a lot because Kai knows exactly what Nya needed to hear. ( also when he entirely supported her when she told him she was samurai x, and more) + Kai reassured cole that he was still a part of their team even after being a ghost (words of affirmation) and helped Jay propose to Nya and entirely supported/cheered him on through the process (acts of service)
I said quality time bc remember how when his parents came back he was playing video games with his dad, etc - he was clearly having sm fun. Also, Kai does tend to hug/ lean against others quite a lot , as shown in images below Cole’s analysis (physical touch)
Nya
Nya isn’t as verbal or touchy as her brother, and so she’s definitely Acts of Service and Gift Giving. We see this throughout the seasons as Nya constantly helps the Ninja in the beginning by monitoring missions and aiding them through technology, making their missions smoother and easier. And in the later seasons, she could finally help them in person, since she became the water ninja
Now Nya always gifted the Ninja mechs, bikes, gadgets, you name it. I think this habit of hers could be considered both gift giving and acts of service. She tends to do it throughout the entire show, from giving them mechs to climb that mountain to get to the blinds man eye, to all sorts of other stuff the team required.
I do strongly believe the reason why both the smith siblings have acts of service as a love language is because when growing up they didn’t really have anyone else to do it for them. Nya most likely as a child probably made small gadgets for kai as to show him that she loves him, and that gradually continued to the other ninja as well.
However, when nya is on the receiving end, I think she loves physical touch and words of affirmation. This is proven since whenever kai and jay are verbal with her, she always has a positive reaction. Same when Kai and jay respond to her with physical touch- she doesn’t mind it, and happily responds to it as well.
Jay
Jay definitely has three love languages: words of affirmation, quality time, and physical touch (mostly revolving around nya)
Jay is extremely verbal when it comes to Nya, saying he loves her multiple times throughout Ninjago, similar to Kai. However, unlike Kai, who tends to do this to all the ninja, Jay usually focuses on Nya when it comes to verbal expression and words of affirmation. Telling her how they were meant for each other, regularly complimenting her, etc.
As shown above and below, Jay is also very physical with mainly Nya, kissing her on the cheek quite frequently and dancing with her on various occasions. He loves spending time with her, preferring to go on missions with her than anyone else (as shown in the show, and that's why his analysis is mainly jaya lol)
Jay, when on the receiving end, also loves the same things. He gets extremally happy when Nya responds back to with the same actions. The biggest proof of this is how jay unlocked his true potential: Nya states that she doesn’t need Jay to wear any clothes or pretend to be anything he’s not, because she liked him for being him then proceeded to kiss him on the cheek, which led to Jay turning back human. Afterwards, Nya tells him, “You are the best You,” and with this, Jay unlocks his true potential.
This tells us a lot about how heavily Jay takes Nya’s words, and how much words of affirmation can inspire/motivate him, so much to the point where he unlocked his true potential!
Zane
Zane’s love languages are probably: quality time and acts of service, with a side of words of affirmation. This applies to both when he shows affection, and how he likes when he receives affection.
Zane has shown multiple times to enjoy spending time with the team. Three examples of this are when he was escaping Chen with Cole (that was fun), when Zane had fun throwing rocks at Kai when Kai become chancellor (guys that was hilarious.) , and WHEN HE AND PIXAL BECAME ‘DETECTIVES’ GUYS THAT SCENE WAS THE BEST
(Also, Zane is sometimes shown to be physical too, as shown here. However the other love languages I stated seem to be more primary outlets of how he expresses affection, this scene still was too cute not to share)
Zane also cooks for the team on multiple occasions, and its stated/implied that everyone loves his cooking. He also bravely sacrificed himself for the Ninja , and as I stated before, protection is an act of service. He also is willing to do any favors the ninja ask him too, and never really turns them down, and that's very sweet. Zane has literally never been ‘rude’ to anyone.
Zane also tends to reassure others, however unlike Cole/Kai he does so in a more logical way. He states facts about his reassuring statements, and I think that’s an important part of who he is. His interactions with Pixal are also very cute, and I love their dynamic sm.
Lloyd
Lloyd montgomery garmadon. I strongly believe that our boy loves all sorts of affection, since he was deprived of any as a child ): However, throughout the show I believe his ‘giving’ love language is: words of affirmation, and acts of service.
We see Lloyd frequently uplifting the Ninja (he is the leader after all), when they ‘lost’ zane, he reunited the ninja that left, he tried to reassure kai that even without his powers he was important, and he warned cole abt vania (this is an act of service I think? Lloyd wanted to protect cole from being betrayed from a princess like he was and he had good intentions. I think what he did was sweet)+ and various more examples that im sure you are all aware of.
His words of affirmation is not limited to the ninja, for example: when they ‘lost’ zane, he reunited the ninja that left, he led the Elemental Masters + Serpentine against Chen in the Second Serpentine War and encouraged them all, led the resistance, etc etc. These actions can also be counted as acts of service too. After all, he leads them and creates plans for them too.
When receiving, I think Lloyd reacts positively to physical affection (like above) and also words of affirmation. He is definitely touch-starved and doesn't mind hugs at all (he loves them in fact). And, words of affirmation are great to Lloyd too, a prime example of this is Kai comforting Lloyd on multiple occasions and Nya doing the same. Kai and Nya both promised to protect Lloyd, and always be there for him, and said so verbally. You could see how it impacted Lloyd, reassuring him and helped him regain confidence.
I also think he loves quality time as well, since he loved spending time with his dad, talking with him, and training with him. I love their interactions and it really shows how much Lloyd values his dad, despite everything.
phew that was long.. thanks for sticking with me
can you do an analysis on how each ninja fights??
YES!!! btw this isnt just from my head, this is from a person who binged ninjago 50+ times and has been watching it since she was 3. i have watched it enough to come up with an analysis i promise
Cole:
Although he’s decently skilled at it , Cole does not like far ranged combat - its not his strongest suit. Mainly because he doesn't like far ranged weapons. However, when this type of combat is needed, he simply chucks boulders at whoever needs to be taught a lesson.
Cole is definitely the king when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. His strong body structure (awesome muscular build) enables him to throw harder punches, and on top of that he has his super strength that gives every hit he throws an added bonus (enemies really be flying all over the place when this kid fights). You can try to throw a punch at him but it would be like punching a brick wall. Cole is also a very powerful ‘kicker’, and has an excellent defense. Cole uses scythes/war hammers as his default weapons, and could use other weapons such as the ‘morning star'(yk, the big huge weapons with spikes on them, like the chain connected to a huge spiky ball. that would be so cool). Also, he could probably slay with gauntlets. Like cmon. Cole is able to use heavier weapons and hit harder because when it comes to physical strength, he surpasses all the ninja.
However, he is a tad little slow due to his size, but his skull breaking punches make up for it and more. He uses his elemental powers to his advantage, also throwing small but dangerous rocks at his enemies in between his punches, and sometimes finishing them off with a boulder punch ( a punch + a boulder. boulder punch. its super effective). Cole is normally extremely patient but on the battlefield he simply prefers facing enemies head on. He still observes them and make’s sure to know what he’s getting himself into. Not the most analytical in the team, but he certainly isn't lacking much in that department.
He works the best with all ninja, but especially well with Kai and Jay, since they compensate for his ‘slower’ attacks. Also, yk the small and tall fighting methods... (big uses hands and throws small in the air, small jumps of off big’s back, etc ) gotta love em. With jay, he’s more on defense to keep jay’s back covered. When cole is fighting with kai its like Cole trying to minimize a feral cats damage while also trying to maximize the feral cats damage ( hint: kai is the feral cat).
Nya:
Nya is the Queen when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. She also has a strong body structure, similar to Cole, and so she also throws some nasty punches. Although she doesn’t have super strength like Cole, to make up for it she fights in smooth yet harsh motions, using water to disrupt the enemies movements/slow them down so she can pinpoint their weak areas and break their noses. She is the queen after all.
Her default weapon is a spear, bc she likes to use pole-like weapons. Pole-like weapons such as spears and lances allow Nya to thrust forward with them, and have a long distance they can cover without having to actually stand far, unlike far-ranged weapons. This goes well with her water powers as water hits harder with increased pressure and is able to take any form. Nya could probably work well with whips too, or like form water whips. That would be cool.
She doesn’t like far ranged combat simply because its ‘boring’ for her.
Nya is a little faster than Cole, but she still isn't the fastest (more about that below). She tends to analyze enemies before attacking, or analyze them while attacking. Either works! She also tends to outsmart her enemies by appearing weaker than she looks, or looking at their fighting style and then adapting a counter-style (water is adaptable, after all).
Nya also works well with all the ninja. However she works best with Kai, Jay, and Zane. With Kai and Jay its also the small-tall method (Nya’s taller than both). With Jay and Zane she has elemental reactions, since water and lighting are more effective together (shock shock shock + more shocks) also they have chemistry + nya helps zane freeze at larger capacities, also both are super smart and are good at strategies. With kai, nya just works well . yk. reading eachother with simple glances. when together enemies being devoured within seconds. destroying whoever hurt the other. fun!
Jay:
Jay is not the best at hand to hand combat, but as a ninja he is obviously still not someone to be taken lightly. He cant throw hard punches, but he can throw fast punches. Lightning is not a slow force, after all! Jay may not be excelling in physical strength but he is arguably the fastest ninja.
His size also gives him an advantage, since he’s not heavy or tall, he’s able to double his speed and rapidly attack his enemies. He tends to tire out his enemies first, using speed and swiftly strikes them with lightning to take them down. You think he’s teleporting? Nah he’s just hella fast dude
Jay isn't very ‘analytical’ but does very well with limited materials; he can invent/create something that can get them out of any sticky situation, not quite perfect yet very effective! This is a skill that is unique to him, as he invents best with scarce materials.
Jays' default weapon is nun chucks. He doesn't really like any other weapons. He loves metal nun chucks because remember, metal conducts electricity. He can simply use them as a weapon, and then use his powers and so the whoever he hits the nun chuck weapon with ( or any metal weapon really) would get a hard electric shock. Ouch. He would also do really well with Chakrams (if ur too lazy to google it, they are circular weapons- kinda like circular boomerangs with sharp edges. ). Doesn't mind far range combat, and isn't bad at it either. He has no preference, as long as he gets to work with nya LOL
Jay works well with all ninja, especially with nya (reasons stated above) and works well with cole (also stated above).
Zane:
Zane is good in hand-to-hand combat, and his punches hurt quite a lot ( he has metal hands, after all). He would be ranked second when it comes to hard punches, very close after Cole and Nya. His body structure... is... well... metal.
His defense is the best out of all the ninja mainly because who would wanna punch a tin can (its certainly do able, but boy it hurts). Zane tends to do 100% analytical fighting, he estimates the enemies moves and studies how they fight. He is the most analytical fighter.
His moves are careful and calculated. He takes the next course of action based on statistics. However, this sometimes does not work when it comes to ambushes, or unexpected fights as there is no time to observe or estimate. That’s all right though, because Zane isn't entirely dependent on this, as he does have his powers to slow/freeze enemies down.
You wanna know how many enemies are left? Ask Zane, he can scan the area. You wanna know an enemies weak point? Dw, Zane can scan it for you. Thanks Zane!!!
Zane excels in mid/far ranged combat- he’s the best ninja for the job. His default weapons are shuriken's and bows, after all. He has the patience for it, and has excellent aim. If the ninja had guns, he would be a dangerous sniper.
Zane works well with every ninja, but has an advantage working with Nya (as stated before) and Pixal
Kai:
Kai is similar to Jay when it comes to hand-to-hand combat. He can throw punches, but cannot throw hard punches (he was trained to be a blacksmith though, so I’d say he’s a little behind zane). But he is extremely fast, closely second to only Jay. His biggest advantage in hand-to-hand combat is agility. Kai is the most agile ninja, and his immense flexibility (he is also most flexible) gives him an upper hand in many situations. He also has the best reflexes ; his nimble moves make him a hard target. You wont see a ninja ur gonna see a gymnast. A gym-ja.
Zane and Nya are the best logical planners, but logical plans need time and observation. Kai excels the most when faced with ambushes or fast-paced situations ; he’s always on his toes and his impulsivity becomes beneficial, since he takes quick action and takes advantage of chances that the other’s would never have noticed. He’s also as astute as Nya and Zane, just in a less logical, and in a more of a crafty way. He isn’t a patient fighter though, so he sometimes gets himself into... situations.
His default weapons are sword/katanas, and he uses them as an extension of himself; the best swordsman on the team. What’s that? You want kai to do far-ranged combat? Bestie, for kai, far ranged combat is just throwing fireballs from a distance. You might as well throw bombs at ur enemies. Kai doesn't do well with far-ranged weaponry. If Kai had short ranged-pistols, like one on each hand (like Jinx from Arcane or Kiana from Honkai Impact) he would also reign supreme.
Kai works well with all ninja, especially with Nya (stated above) , Cole (also stated above) , and Lloyd (lloyd works really well with every ninja, but he has patience and he helps kai think things through).
thats it for now! i’ll reblog and include lloyd in this after part two of s16 comes out, bc i wanna add his “oni-style”
I think the reason why I love Kai and Nyas dynamic so much is because of three reasons
1) I’m a sucker for any sibling dynamic
2) the entire fact that their childhood consisted of only each other + they know each other so well; probably better than they know themselves and I could go on and on and on about how 10000 different reasons why Kai and nya ( +Lloyd!) have the best dynamic in the entire show and that’s why this same show GATEKEEPS THEIR MOMENTS LIKE BRO. GIVE US KAI AND NYA HUGS/MOMENTS/THINGS/TALKS/EVERYTHING IN S16 TO MAKE UP FOR SEABOUND.
3) their elements
I believe that out of all the elements in Ninjago ( or in any other show, or LITERALLY just nature itself ) fire and water are the most unique because of one reason: they are the elements that are embedded with the convergence of opposites. creation, and destruction. life, and death. light, and darkness. for example:
Water provides shelter for sea creatures. Water keeps us hydrated, nourished. Water can provide us with energy (dams). Yet, water causes floods and tsunamis. Water can cause you to drown. Water takes lives.
Without the sun we would die. The sun helps plants grow and protects us from the cold and is the source of all our food. Fire burns down forests and destroys homes. Fire inflicts pain and burns on human beings. Fire turns anything in its way to ashes. Fire takes lives.
See? good and bad, bad and good. And the fact that both their elements hold these concepts is such an amazing thing to me because that just seals the wholesomeness of their dynamic even more.