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| “ | I used to spend all my time trying to be like my heroes, the ninja. Practicing their moves, learning their poses. I wanted to be just like them. To protect everyone in Ninjago. To ride dragons into adventure and mythical realms. Mysterious lands that could only exist in legend, but I quicky found out those realms, were very real and I was about to lose everyone that was important to me. My neighborhood must have been the very center of the Merge. | „ |
| ~ Arin narrating in Episode 1 |
| “ | Lloyd, I finally have my parents. And the Land of Lee's filled with other kids' parents, other people's loved ones. I came here with you to release their souls from Thunderfang, to help reunite families like mine. But when this is all over… I'm quitting the ninja. | „ |
| ~ Arin to Lloyd in For Whom the Bell Tolls |
Arin Nived is one of the two main protagonists (alongside Sora) of Ninjago: Dragons Rising.
He was one of Lloyd's ninja students and Sora’s best friend who is the first known person to teach himself Spinjitzu without a master. He used to live in a neighborhood outside Ninjago City, until the Merge caused his parents and region to disappear. A few years after the Merge, Arin and his best friend Sora became students of the Green Ninja Lloyd Garmadon after saving a dragon called Riyu. After he learned that Wu caused the Merge, he began to lose faith in the ninja until he eventually abandons them to search for his parents with help from Ras.
He is voiced by Deven Mack who voiced Sonic the Hedgehog in Sonic Prime, Wynton Styles and Arcleon in the Bakugan: Battle Planet series, Boaragon in the 2019 mini-series Dragamonz, and Chuck in Angry Birds Summer Madness.
History[]
Backstory[]
Arin grew up in a small neighborhood with his parents outside of Ninjago City, where he became a fan of the ninja. He always loved detective work, and his parents would always play Track with him or read him detective books. Whenever he was sad, his mother would make him a pie before she eventually began teaching him how to bake. At some point, he was ridiculed by some bullies due to being a Ninja fan, only to be scared off by a Serpentine named Frak, whom he befriended and learnt how to make a pie with Merlopian ingredients, until one day, Frak had to move away, leaving Arin disappointed. While practicing ninja moves with a broom one day, a strange earthquake happened as several cracks showing the realms appeared in the sky. Arin's parents told him to get inside the house. Although he tried, Arin was blown away by the wind until he was rescued by Lloyd. Along with a few other citizens, Arin was taken back to his neighborhood. As the ninja left, Arin noticed the cracks in the sky disappearing before creating a shockwave. Shortly after, Arin saw his entire neighborhood gone while the Kingdom of Imperium was located right across. That was when Arin learned that all sixteen realms had merged with Ninjago. Arin found himself to be the only one left in the area as his parents' bench fell behind him. He tried calling for them, only for a seagull to fly by as Lloyd's mask fell onto his hands.
With his parents gone, Arin began a new life in the Merged Realms, coexisting with various denizens and becoming best friends with Sora, who was from Imperium, as well as being acquainted with Alfonzo Frohicky. He later became a citizen of the Crossroads, which was built over his neighborhood. He started baking Snowberry Pies, which he entered into multiple pie contests, but always lost to Grab-Barg. Because the ninja were missing, Arin started to carry on their legacy by training to become a ninja. Over time, he was able to learn Spinjitzu all by himself.
Ninjago: Dragons Rising[]
Season 1[]
Multiple years after the Merge, Arin and his best friend Sora became students of the Green Ninja, Lloyd Garmadon, after rescuing a dragon called Riyu. With the help of the other original ninja, Arin helped to free most of the dragons from Imperium. He and Lloyd searched for the Pink Dragon Core, defeated Beatrix, and helped to stabilize the Merged Realms during the MergeQuake Storm, where he briefly saw his parents through a rift.
A year later, Arin helped other ninja to handle Lobbo being mutated, stopping the Mechanic, and stopping the Lava-Tides from stealing dragon eggs.
Season 2[]
His popularity as a ninja continued as he took down the Mechanic and rescued Lobbo from his mech along with Lloyd, as well as attending Sora's dance party, until Cinder stole the Mallet of Shattering and broke Wyldfyre's leg before accompanying Lloyd in order to learn the Rising Dragon technique from a dragon named Egalt. However, he began to express frustration at not improving his Spinjitzu which ultimately led to Egalt demoting him to be taught under another dragon named Rontu. When the Blood Moon arose, interrupting their training, Arin and Riyu end up separated from the ninja in a storm caused by Jordana before rescuing Bonzle from her, only to lose the latter to Ras. Regrouping with Lloyd and Nya, Arin made his way to the Shadow Dojo, where the Ritual of the Blood Moon occurred, and Kai was sent to the Nether-Space, until Arin (with discreet assistance from Sora) stopped Ras before the moon then passed.
In the Tournament of the Sources, Arin met his childhood friend Frak, who he discovered had fallen under the sway of Ras while searching through Ras' room. After the latter found out Arin invaded his room, Ras tempted him by revealing that Wu was responsible for the Merge, and that Sora lied to him. His relationship with the ninja and Sora began to break down and he became distant, his faith in the ninja crumbling slowly. Because of this, Arin went to Frak for help with mastering Spinjitzu, Frak helped Arin do so with Ras' teachings, and Arin helped Frak avoid the corruption of the Wolf Clan and Shatterspin. Near the end of the tournament, Arin used his parents' detective game history as an advantage to figure out that the tournament was rigged by Bleckt, who had allied with the Wolf Clan. At the end of the tournament, as the rest of the Forbidden Five were freed and Arin managed to do a full-fledged Spinjitzu, Nokt was stripped of the powers he stole and escaped with the other members while taking Ras along to continue their revenge. Arin abandoned the ninja and chased after the Five to protect Ras. Arin and Ras became marooned in another realm, and he helped nurse Ras back to health with intentions of finding his parents.
Season 3[]
During the weeks of healing and being trained by Ras, Arin eventually travels to the Spectral Lands, where he meets Morro, who aids him obtain an elixir to heal Ras, who eventually takes him to a grave that had his parents' names on, unaware that it is false, before Ras deceives Arin further by offering to reverse the Merge by heading to the World Forest, but the tiger warror is then kidnapped by the Forbidden Five and temporarily teamed up with the ninja to rescue him. The Forbidden Five release a dragon called Thunderfang, who soon absorbed Lloyd's and Arin, achieving Object Spinjitzu, defeats the dragon and reviving Lloyd. Although on friendly terms with the ninja, Arin continues his journey to bring back his parents with Ras, this time, accompanied by Sora, unaware that Jay, a former ninja turned bounty hunter, reveals to the ninja that Ras lied to Arin about the fate of the latter's parents.
After reaching the Underworld in order to get to the Forge of the Forgotten, Arin turns against Ras after the latter tries to sacrifice Sora in order to use the forge to obtain a Dragon Icon. After he and Sora managed to escape Ras, he went back to his parents' tombstones where he found out they were fake and was reunited with his parents in the Realm of Lee although the realm was immediately attacked by Spectral Dragonian Warriors. He allied with the Ninja to help defeat Thunderfang, but revealed to Lloyd that he intended to leave the team.
Appearance[]
Arin has Coily black hair in "The Duke" hairstyle, featuring stubbled sideburns and two scars on his right cheek. He wears an orange sweatshirt with a dragon on it and his initial 'A' in Ninjargon in white, located above the left pocket, navy blue pants also sporting his initial in a lighter color on the right pocket, a very bright celadon belt, and black gloves.
On the day of the Merge, as a child, Arin was smaller and wore a different orange sweatshirt, but with the initial in the very center, different navy-blue pants, and black gloves.
From "Return to Imperium" to "The Battle of the Second Monastery", Arin dons the disguise of an Imperium citizen under the alias of Dr. Lampshade Floortile, with three markings on his left cheek.
Sometime prior to "The Temple of the Dragon Cores," Arin changed into his own ninja suit, consisting of orange coloring, but retains his sweatshirt and celadon belt.
Weapons & abilities[]
Abilities[]
Arin channels his Spinjitzu energy into a rock while he throws it at Beatrix, creating a hole in her Empress Mech.
- Spinjitzu: Arin's relentless efforts to decipher the maneuvers performed by the ninja in order to master Spinjitzu have led him to develop a rudimentary version of the art, distinct from the more sophisticated forms. Lloyd's observations acknowledged that Arin possesses untapped Spinjitzu abilities and talents beyond his foundational skills, including Object Spinjitzu, which he has yet to explore. After using the advice from Frak and Lord Ras had given him, Arin was able to achieve a full version of Spinjitzu, however due to using an forceful manner to perfect, it carries some wisps of energy found in Shatterspin.
- Object Spinjitzu: Arin possesses the ability to transfer his Spinjitzu energy into any inanimate object he throws. These objects possess explosive power, and severely damage anything they hit. It can only be used when Arin's emotions are not in tune.
- Combat: Arin is skilled in combat. Due to being mostly self taught, Arin manages to evade multiple attacks. Although he lost to Ras, even after a year of training under Lloyd, Arin managed to defeat several Wolf Warriors by himself.
Weapons[]
- Grappling Hook: At some point after The Merge, Arin obtained a grappling hook, which he uses to get around places or as a weapon.
Personality[]
Arin was once an ordinary child who aspired to be a hero. However, after the Merge, he underwent a significant change. When he believed that the ninja had vanished, he striven to take on the role of protecting the world, gaining his parents' pride, and continuing the ninja's legacy. Despite his noble intentions, Arin faced several challenges in his ninja journey due to his lack of coordination and finesse compared to his peers. This often resulted in clumsy mishaps, such as self-inflicted punches.
Arin is kind, caring, kind-hearted, compassionate, helpful, trusting, affectionate, and friendly. However, he can sometimes act naive and is willing to trust others easily. He's incredibly fond of his friends such as Sora, Riyu, and Lloyd.
Season 2 explores Arin's struggles as he grapples with his skills. He tries to control them while feeling the weight of expectations to become a skilled ninja. Arin's accident, which injured Egalt, his lack of Elemental Powers, and the looming threat of Ras, compound his insecurities and self-doubt from Season 1, intensifying his internal struggles. The fear of inadequacy and the need to prove himself in the face of adversity deepen Arin's inner conflicts. These conflicts are especially evident during a battle orchestrated by Ras, where his vulnerabilities and doubts were exposed.
After being told by Ras that Wu was responsible for the Merge and that Sora lied to him, Arin began to become cold and willing to side with Ras to search for his parents, as his teaching helped improve his Spinjitzu. He stopped seeing Lloyd as a role model and started to hold a grudge against Sora and to pull away from her, sometimes being harsh to her when she tried to approach him.
Gallery[]
.jpg "Arin looks at Lloyd and Nya (S02E10).jpg (139 KB)")
.png "Five friends (S02E10 After the fight).png (1.58 MB)")
.png "Arin and Nokt (What are you doing).png (1.07 MB)")
.jpg "Arin and Frak as children (S02E13 - Flashback).jpg (69 KB)")
.png "Lloyd with Arin (S02E04).png (1.55 MB)")
.png "Arin looks at Kai (Force From the East).png (1.84 MB)")
.png "Frak and Arin (S03E09 When the wind blows).png (1.03 MB)")
External Links[]
- Arin on the Ninjago Wiki
