Ninjago women :(

Rewatching every episode of Ninjago until it passes the bechdel test.

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Welcome to the Ninjago Bechdel Test!

This blog is purely for fun, and to give me something to do while I rewatch Ninjago! I'm not trying to imply it's a bad show because an episode does not pass the Bechdel test.

Every review will include the Bechdel test criteria, and then some wins to stay positive! I do not expect any episode to pass the Bechdel test until season 3, but we may be pleasantly suprised.

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Current Bechdel Statistics:

Episodes that have passed the Bechdel Test: 0

Episodes that have received any form of partial credit: 3

Episodes that have completely failed the Bechdel Test: 11

Episodes that have not been reviewed: 197 (+ Dragons Rising)

Milestones Achieved:

First episode with a named female character:

P1 (Nya, main cast)

Ep3 (Edna Walker, side cast)

First episode where two female characters interact:

Ep3 (Nya and Edna Walker, main cast and side cast)

First episode where a female character completes a K.O. unassisted:

Ep3 (Edna Walker, side cast)

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Season 1: Rise of The Serpentine Overall Score

Episodes that pass the test: 0/13

Episodes with partial credit: 3/13

Episodes that completely fail: 10/13

Most women: Episode Six

Highest score: Episode Three

My personal vote for most feminist: Episode Six

Season Score: 5/10, not actively objectifying Nya and definitely giving her chances to shine as Samurai X and a potential green ninja candidate, but the overall lack of women and non-male centric plot points isn't great.

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This has been bothering me, and it's not a bechdel test but I need an answer:

Nya is Jay's yang, Jay is Nya's...

Yin

Yang

Ying

A different name for functionally but not her husband

Voting ended onFeb 13

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Episode 13: Day of the Great Devourer

This has audio from Storm Rider on youtube

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ✅ (Nya and Edna walker are in this episode!)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (No, unfortunately)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

Pokemon-esque music for the Great Devourer

Emotional reaction to the Bounty being destroyed

Valid Jay crashout pt. 1

MAILMAN!

Ninjago political rally?

They really do the tornado of creation for everything

Valid Jay crashout pt. 2

Ultra Dragon!

Wow, I sure hope defeating the Great Devourer won't have any lasting consequences we won't learn about for years!

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Episode 12: The Rise of The Great Devourer

This one does have audio

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character, but the mother does speak!)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

They have to go to a volcano to destroy magical artifacts? That's not familiar at all

"One day I will die" - Master Wu, 2013

Pythor is genre aware, and it's really funny

Wilheim scream

Why did they let the seven-year-old drive the flying battleship?

There's no way the episode opens with Wu saying he'll die one day, and ends with the great devourer eating him.

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Episode 11: All Of Nothing

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

Exposing an obvious flaw in the villain's plan

Good father Garmadon pt. 3

Why did they leave a child in charge of backup?

Jaya distracting each other in battle

Comically large cage

Lloyd had to get the fit on to help

His dad left and they're having a party in the background, poor baby

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Episode 10: The Green Ninja

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

How does that uniform fit Kai and Lloyd? Does he have multiple?

The complete overreaction from Kai and Zane is hilarious

"The lord of darkness just became our roommate!"

Professional rage-baiter Lord Garmadon

Good father Lord Garmadon pt. 2

Green Nya would have been an interesting plot twist

"Why do you have four arms" joke on blurry vision

It's crazy Kai just guessed Lloyd with no real evidence, It would have been hysterical if he was wrong

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Episode 9: The Royal Blacksmiths

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

The entire episode is an allegory for coming out

It's somehow radical about masculinity and not at the same time

They do an amazing job of separating "villian" and "bad person" with Garmadon.

Lou's problem isn't that Cole is a ninja, it's that he wants to steal the fangblade, which is actually understandable.

Amazing visual gag of Zane having butterflies in his stomach hatch

Nya and Sensei Wu can be seen in the audience

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Episode 8: Once Bitten, Twice Shy

I would love to be able to credit this, but I couldn't find the original so I remade it from memory? Credit to me then?

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

Jaya awkward first date + first kiss

Incredibly realistic depiction of women with allergies ("I need to leave now before I go into shock" said without an ounce of concern)

Garmadon being a good father pt. 1

Pythor predicted furries

Comical "ta-da" noise when Jay enters the room

Roller-coaster of doom

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Episode 7: Tick Tock

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character, as Mystake is not given a name until Season 8)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible, and Nya has no spoken lines)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

The incredibly bisexual image I attached

Baby Wu and Garmadon

Wu walking backwards out a door while making direct eye contact

The childhood nostalgia of Zane finding out he's a robot

This is currently the worst failure of the bechdel test, as no named female characters speak at all

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Episode 6: The Snake King

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character, but this is the first episode with unnamed female characters who speak!)

Do they talk to each other? ✅ (Two unnamed female characters engage in direct conversation! This receives partial credit because they are not Nya)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (They talk about Samurai X under the assumption that she is a man, so it does not count)

Wins in this episode:

First instance of female characters who are not Nya speaking! (Albeit in an objectified way)

Honorable mention to Jay in drag talking about a man, thus hypothetically failing the bechdel test

Lloyd in his terrible disguise was adorable

Wu pinching Cole's bicep

Fighting Samurai X is an acceptable reason to pull out the tornado of creation

As of this episode, Samurai X now counts as a named female character

Overall, I'd say this is the most feminist episode in Ninjago so far

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Episode 5: Can of Worms

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

Pink Zane

Rare instance of back when Jay was the technology one

"Only I'm allowed to bully Zane!"

If Christmas doesn't exist in Ninjago, this episode implies Kai was tripping so hard he made up the concept of Christmas

First instance of Samurai X!!!

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Episode 4: Never Trust a Snake

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character, and BARELY in it)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

Montage of Pythor and Lloyd being rude at best

Master Wu and Lloyd bonding moment

For some reason, when Jay suggested crashing an anchor into a SCHOOL, nobody told him no. That's interesting.

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I'm debating different categories of tests for different characters because it's going to be like 30 episodes back to back of "This cannot pass the bechdel test because there is only Nya".

Already thought about the idea of counting how many times Jay has an interaction solely with or about Nya like a drinking game (I think it's at four or five right now, which would be close to once an episode but I know it gets worse later on)

Most of the things I can think of are only big problems in the later seasons as far as I'm aware, but I'd take suggestions!

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Episode 3: Snakebit

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ✅ (Nya and Edna Walker appear on screen at the same time in multiple scenes)

Do they talk to each other? ✅ (Both Nya and Edna directly address each other in conversation, though it is never an independent conversation)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (There is an instance where Nya discusses the Fangpyre antivenom with Ed and Edna, but because Edna does not speak it cannot be considered a conversation)

Wins in this episode:

Nya participates in a conversation not about a man at the beginning of the episode

Milestones achieved:

This is the first episode to feature a named or unnamed female character besides Nya with a spoken line (screaming does not count)

This is the first episode to feature any two female characters interacting in any capacity

This is the first episode where a female main character (Nya) completes an assisted K.O. and a female side character (Edna Walker) completes an *unassisted K.O.

*Nya knocks out a snake while Wu is charming them, so this is counted as assistance. Edna sneaks up on a snake and completes a knock-out, but she is not directly assisted by any character.

This is the first episode to receive ANY amount of credit on the Bechdel Test

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Episode 2: Home

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

Iconic Sensei Wu quote: "What is weird, someone who is different? or someone who is different from you?"

Jay was given an interest in Rom-coms, which is the first representation of a male character with a non-stereotypically masculine interest (It is also not remotely played as a joke unlike Zane and his pink apron, baby steps)

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Episode One: Rise of the Snakes

Is there two named female characters on screen at any point? ❌ (Nya is the only named female character)

Do they talk to each other? ❌ (Impossible)

Do they talk about something other than a man? ❌ (Impossible)

Wins in this episode:

Unlike the ninja team, Nya is actually training

The show seems somewhat aware of its own misogyny, even if the ninja themselves are not.

Honestly, the entire village attack just frames her as more competent than the rest of them.