Gotta appreciate the spoiler warning for a season that’s 8 years old (I’m being serious btw)

This is honestly the best example of how to do a tournament arc in any show.

I agree with practically everything you said here except for one thing: I do buy Skylor falling for Kai. She doesn’t buy his bullcrap, and is honestly a more grounded person than him. She balances out his ego by outsmarting him and seeing him for the total dork he really is. I feel like she saw it as a bit endearing that he thinks he’s got it all but is clueless. That’s just me anyway- but I can still totally see where you’re coming from. Great video as usual!

I can see why you don't like Skylor in the 2nd half of ToE, but honestly I think that her changing sides shows how great of a character Kai is. As it eas because of Kai's loyalty to his friends that he resised Skylor's mind games, and that willingness to do the right also gave her the courage to go through with betraying her father. So that's why she's shocked when Kai succumbs to the powers of Chen's staff, as Kai was the only one who didn't give up on her and helped her change for the better. But with that being said, I do still think your take on Skylor is valid and I do wish that the writers utilised her more in other seasons, especially the ones where the ninja aren't protecting Ninjago.

Tournament of Elements has one of my favourite and most charismatic villains i've seen in any TV series. I freaking love Chen.

One more thing I love about the season is its outstanding antagonistic force and the usage of the Nya and Dareth B plot

I actually don’t mind skylor allying with the ninja especially after she realizes that her father just sees her as a pawn and doesn’t really care about her, also I don’t mind kailor either I just wish in the later episodes of the season they developed an actual bond bc it feels a little rushed imo but there dynamic and chemistry in later seasons is great especially in crystallized. (one of the few character dynamics it did justice)

A season that does something similiar to Tournament of Elements is Skybound which also slowly knocks out the Ninja from the main story and reveals secrets of Djinn's while the season goes on like Tiger Widow's Poison and what happens when a Djinn marries

This was the first arc I ever watched of Ninjago, renting it from a library. Years later I watched it on Netflix for my summer binge watch along with the rest of the series. What a fantastic introduction to the series

I prefer Possession a bit more, but season four is a close second for me as the best season. It is just amazing from beginning to end. I really like the ending for scenes like Chen telling Skylor that he's done everything because he doesn't want to be "insignificant", Garmadon talking about how the real Anacondrai wanted peace, but Chen deceived both sides, and how the Anacondrai ghosts save the day, with them calling the ninja the greatest warriors in history.

One of the things I love about TOE is how they get to go all out on the martial arts for the ninja and the other elemental masters, I do agree on how the last part felt alright it would've been more cooler if it was to get the elemental masters to work with the ninja to show they have trust issues after what happened with Chen to make the final battle a lot more rewarding still a good season tho.

14:20. Now that I think about it. Skylor becoming Kai’s love interest is like if Harumi actually had a redemption arc and became Lloyd’s love interest by the end of it.

Tournament of elements will always be my fav season of ninjago the way it fleshes out the world and we see more elemental powers it so cool the only season the comes close to this for me is seabound

And don't forget the amazing lore that we got from garmadon flashback, i remember that i loved it when i first saw it and even now i still very like that flashbacks.

I remember when this first aired on Cartoon Network and the feeling of "what will happen next" was the reason I actually watched a full Ninjago Season. After that I became a Fan. What good first Impression.

I completely agree about the last few episodes of the season. It’s always felt to me as if ToE suddenly abandoned all of its tournament and character aspects which makes it so great.

I can't believe you haven't covered Possession yet. Would absolutely love to hear your take on the season! Possession is my favorite season of all

Unpopular opinion: tournament of elements>possession

Tournament of Elements is tied with Sons of Garmadon as my favourite Ninjago season for many of the reasons you listed in this video. I personally don't mind the second half, since the season was clearly building up to it anyways and it still managed to keep up the high stakes of the first half. I agree with everything else tho

Another thing I loved about this season was how every character got a small arc. Many seasons focus on a specific ninja, but this season gave character development to everyone involved, including Nya and Garmadon. I loved the two subplots in this season: Cole helping everyone break out of the noodle factory, and Nya & Dareth attempting to infiltrate the island. Everything came together in Episode 7 for an explosive finale. Unfortunately the season went downhill after that, but it's still one of the best seasons ever made!

Glad I’m not the only soon to be adult still watching this show. I never watched past skybound when I was younger, but I started rewatching this show a month ago. Soon finished with season 5.

17:10 YES! Definitely interested, in fact I wish you make one for most seasons

I feel like SoG is the best season but ToE is the most entertaining. I always liked the ending a lot more than most people.

I’d be interested in a season overview for this!

Really great video here! Tournament of Elements is probably my favourite season, and I love the way you highlighted its strengths and weaknesses. Would definitely be interested in a deep dive into this season. I really adore the tournament premise and how it builds intrigue and interesting character dynamics. The subplot of Garmadon's history with Chen, Clouse and the Anacondrai is great. Along with him having to sacrifice himself again is really tragic to see how he has to basically give up everything due to past decisions he regrets.

This was an awesome video it is nice to watch someone’s opinion on things like different seasons because I can see other people’s perspective also just to clear up any confusion I did already like tournament of elements.

Love this review! Finally my video isn’t alone on this. Thanks for giving this season more attention!

Just subbed! I love your video essays on the show. It's a nice way to jump back into Ninjago.

holy moly another masterpiece from bengoat bricks. this dude's analysis' are jus so deep and good bro. like a lot of stuff people ain't ever thought of like the whole skylar thing was amazingly put together into words. bengoat's videos are exactly what the ninjago community desperately needed for so many years man cuz this content is just top tier. wowzers.

you've completely summarized my love for ToE into words i couldnt before! the season knows how to unfold its drama and engage its audience while maintaining a wide cast of characters. chen being one for the dramatics himself is one of my favorite parts about him, it makes his plot and antics believably wacky and entertaining. another really good video!!

Great video! Really impressed by that take on Skylor,never heard it before

Genuinely such a well-made analysis. Usually, when I see ninjago analysis videos, there's typically some bias or omitting of important information or rephrasing or misinterpreting of the show, but this is about as objective you can get. S4 was my favorite season as a child, and you've helped put into words why it feels like there's such a divide between the first half of the season and the second, all while acknowledging the season's biggest flaws. 10/10 video, will watch again

Great video essay man, absolutely love tournament of elements

Another great video, legit kinda opened my eyes on Skylor, haha. Would love to see your thoughts on Seabound or Hands of Time since those two are my personal favorites

would absolutely love a long video essay of this season like the crystalized one!

you made me realise why i love this season so much!

This is honestly so true❤

I love your analysis man. You’re good at picking apart what makes a story good, I would love to hear your ideas on how you would rewrite some Ninjago seasons, I’d definitely watch that if you made a video about it

I really like how Kailor develops from Kai being a simp for Skylor and she's put off by him to an actual potential couple judging by the ending of Hunted

Another spintacular video Bendo! I think another great title for this would the "The Element of Engagement"

ToE has always been one of my favourite seasons, though I honestly like all the seasons. I don't have ones I dislike, like some people do. Just ones I like better, and ones I like a bit less better lol. I agree with most everything you said here, I would add one more though, the humour. Most of the public now completely downplays how important this is. How it adds to the charm. There is a new trend, especially in the USA, to make things so SERIOUS. Dark, gritty, distressing even. It just makes me YAWN, and I don't want to be disturbed. Some levity thrown in makes all the difference in the world, and makes you bond more with the characters. Sorry, this is a bit long, but I can't do a video to say the same things. Just a couple of things I don't agree with though, and I encounter this a lot in the fan base....what is with people thinking Kai is such a dork, and arrogant? lol. Truly, I'm just honestly baffled by this. I dunno, maybe I just have different taste? I'm autistic. Does that make a difference in how I am seeing his character? He's my favourite along with Garmadon. But I think people are totally misreading him all the time. He's not arrogant at all. Arrogant people think they are better than everyone else, and they are obnoxious, and immoral. Kai is a fundamentally good person, who is loyal to his loved ones, and always does the right thing, even if it's not in his personal best interest. He doesn't actually think he's better than anyone, he just has a healthy dose of self love, and that's a good thing. He also gets a bit insecure sometimes, and so likes to show off. Big deal. There are far worse things a person can do. When he sees Karloff trying to harass Skylor, and talks about honour, so fights Karloff, people think this is lame somehow, and Skylor says, 'I can handle myself'....well, I'm going to maybe piss some people off, and I'm a feminist also, but Yes, the 'strong, and independent female that can fight 'like a man', and doesn't need help ever'.....YAWN again. I'm so tired of this trope, and it's also totally false. Everyone needs help sometimes, and no, women are not as strong as men. There I said it. Yes, you can fight also, good for you. But a guy wanting to jump in and help doesn't make the woman 'weak', and it doesn't make him a dork, or sexist show off. It just means he has values. If only more people irl were like that. So things like that, if people are judging it, that just makes me roll my eyes so hard. I think his attitude is charming, and amusing. It's hilarious when he sees a portrait of himself and says 'SO handsome!' or is in the hospital, and chirps, 'Of course I'm in the hospital, my hair is SICK!' lol. Gold! Why am I saying this stuff? Cause it's bugged me for years, and well, it ties into the rest of it. I also don't see Skylor as a villain. I know she was meant to be, according to Chen's design, but it's actually explained later, and it makes sense to me. Yes, she was manipulating Kai initially, but not out of evil intentions, (and yes this matters, unlike cough, Harumi for example, hate her....) but as she later said, 'I have to obey my father', and 'He holds all the power'. She felt she had no choice. She didn't actively choose to do so. Her alternative was what? Risk jail or worse? She's stuck on this island with him, and his minions. She couldn't go against him, but once she made friends, she had the opportunity to do so. And yeah, she was starting to fall for Kai the whole time, but she was conflicted obviously. Her seeming like she was put off by his antics, was really her feeling guilt over what she knew she was doing. So it all makes sense really, and I don't see her as being this bad person. She did the right thing in the end, and I'm happy with their bond. What I do find a bit weird, is how little interaction they had throughout the rest of the series. Harumi in contrast, acted purely out of evil, is a total psycho, and imo, is totally irredeemable, and it makes me so angry that they had Lloyd still have feelings for her, AND try to redeem her at the end of Crystalized, but I digress.

This season had it all - Robot zane - Wu - Garmadon - Engaging villan - Engaging villan sidekick what else would you want? Well, maybe flintlocke. FLINTLOCKE THEY DID YOU SO DIRTY. I MUST AVENGE YOU!

I just love tournament arcs in general so entertaining

Most people seem to think that the Overlord is the Ninjago equivalent to Darth Sidious, but I would actually argue that Chen is a lot more close: Both of them are strategic geniuses playing two sides against each other to create a war for their own benefit (In Star Wars it's the Clone Wars, in Ninjago, it's the Serpentine Wars.), both of them had one of the heroes as their apprentice (in Star Wars, it's Anakin, in Ninjago, it's Garmadon.), both have a tendency to be very theatrical, especially with their laugh (Just look at all the KZfaq compilations of Palpatine laughing.), both of them steal other's power or energy at one point (Granted, with Palpatine, it happens in Rise of Skywalker, so...) and both of them wear cape-like clothing. This is so interesting because it shows the power of Chen's show: He tries to look all goofy and stupid on the outside, when in reality, he is this manipulating strategist. And he pulls off this facade so well, even the audience believes it.

I would definitely be interested in a long form ToE video

My favorite Ninjago season. Its just so amazing

I LOVEd the archs in ninjagos TOEs not in the bad way

Ive been rewatching ninjago as I really only remember watching up yo season 7. When I got to touramemt of elements I got very exicted cause I remembered really liking it when I was younger

I'd honestly be interested in seeing ur reviews on every Ninjago season (including Pilot season, Day of the Departed, & the Island) like how u did Crystalized

Kai Launching skylar with just his arm Kai is absolutely strong when throwing skylar; he is a blade user often.

Nice vid bro❤

An 8 year old season is better than most shows/movies these days

Really enjoyed the vid, actually inspired me to go binge it, but I was curious why you didn’t talk about any of the Zane elements or some of the really corny dialogue, I get it doesn’t relate specifically to the topic at hand but I felt it was an important aspect of the season

Gen 5 music is always such a joy to listen to =)

Can you do a video about season 5 Possesion? I think it’s a fan favorite. This season it’s a complete journey and the most cinematic of all of them. It was also cool that 80% of the season was only with the original 4 ninjas

Can’t wait for the monkie kid S4 special

great video

Also often I see a villainous trio or duo that is antagonistic for a season of TV, but often one of them decides to turn good - this can be written well (the Flash season 4 did it very well I'd say) but it doesn't work for Skylor here. Edit: Past me is crazy what. Skylor is fine here. Decided that clearly she felt guilty about what she did with Kai, and was trapped by her father who didn't care about her, not really.

Sons of Grsmdon is my personal favorite season but tournament of elements is my second favorite and the only thing I would change would be that the second half would still focus on the tournament.

this is to this day my favourite ninjago season lmao

This season also had a fun af mobile games I don’t know if anyone else remember

Chen is my guy. Such a unique villain even outside of Ninjago.

Can you do Possession or Hunted?

You should do a video on talking on some of the evilest villians, such as Kalmar, vex, and iron baron

My favorite season

Possession and TOE are the best IMO with skybound being close behind

This was the GOAT of Ninjago seasons because after the revival season the writers needed to cook

Bendo, I know it’s unrelated, but do you have any negative thoughts on lmk season 4 special? It’s one of the best things I’ve ever watched

that roller rink episode did not need to go that hard

dude how are your analyses so well made aaajdjfjdxcsdf

Can you make a vidoe talking about how kai never truly had a focus season, he was the focus in the pilot but it's just a 44 minute special and not a season, he got season 4 and he had a great focus but it didn't really feel like a kai season, he was the focus in season 7 but he shared it with nya, s11 was marketed as a kai season but it's really not a kai season, fire chapter was a team season and the ice chapter was a Lloyd season, so yeh kai really deserves a stand alone season and I love to hear you're thoughts on it

my favorite seasons are season 4 and 5 so i like that a lot of people think the same about this season. hoever, i would really like to hear your opinions on season 5, because i've been hearing a lot of mixed messages about the season online.

When a season is so good that you have to overly inflate a minor thing into a huge problem to get the usual "problems with" part of the video made.

How would you change the second half?

casual reminder that in crystalized they completely forgot about the crystals that could absorb powers from shen's island(who is tecnically skylor's property) and instead the ninja choose what got them arrested

Tornament of Elements is the definition of what Ninjago is trying to do today… suprisingly Dragons Rising might rival this season.

omg bengoat bricks uploaded a new vid omg i actually pooped my pants for the first time

About the plot, it's basically a kid friendly version of mortal kombat with klaus the shifty second in command sorcerer being most obvious example. Yet slighty off like the rest! Would you agree b.b.?

I'm pretty sure sky might've played along with her father's plan long as they didn't come between them. Garmadon=mr incredible,skylar=mirage,chen=syndrome! Else?

another bendo banger

Best seasion of Ninjago let’s go!!!!!!!! Chens noodles boi!!!!!!

Can you make a vidoe talking about how season 3 isn't really a Zane season cause it really felt like a team season with Zane having a little bit of a focus compared to the other ninjas

Having a longer toe video would be cool

Tournaments of elements or possession? i think ill have to go with possession because of the ending and carry over into the next season.

Nice use of the LittleBigPlanet music :)

i fully agree with what was said here, tournament of elements is a great season, the last 3 episodes just drag on and aren't captivating in the slightest

Kailor is the worst "canon" ship in the show. It just starts as: *Me boy you girl we kiss* 🦍 Then the finale and rest of the show goes with it. Doesnt change the fact I love TOE

ToE is like the Steel Ball Run of Ninjago, but only the "undisputed best piece of its series"

But they love each other Kai still likes her after all she did become, good

Eh I might aswell do a re-watch on a staple of my childhood.

I hated that my…hubby sacrifices, himself!

The obligatory tournament arc... except it's actually good!?

its pretty much just an animated squid game

im just commenting to say your choices for music are based as fuck

Top 3 season

Skyler start evil and didn't love Kai, after change, good personality, powers, story and look. New Skyler is a great hero, i wish see more, she is my second favorite charcher after Zane

The ending in episode 8 should have been the ending of the season. Kai should have solved this seasons problem and Garmadon died too early in my opinion. The rest of the season was great

The fall off in the last few episodes is crazy

Pokemon music

For my current opinion I like this season. But when I first watched this season and possession, it scared me and I didn't want to watch it lol