The Departed Blades, also known as the Weapons of the Departed,[1] were a set of magical blades that were based on weapons associated with the villains from the Hall of Villainy. When the statues were possessed by the souls they were modeled after, the Departed Blades were infused with the energy and spirit of the original weapon,[2] allowing the deceased villains to take a person's place in the living world. They proceeded to use their assigned Departed Blades to take vengeance on those involved with their death, the ninja, in order to kill them and take their place amongst the living. Should any of the villains have killed their adversaries, they could've taken their place among the living due to the Blade's powers.
By the end of the night, the only Blades that remained intact were Pythor and Morro's, the latter of whom peacefully returned to the Departed Realm after leaving his statue and its weapon in the museum, both unscathed.
History[]
Prior to the establishment of the Hall of Villainy, the Departed Blades started out as mueseum props and were used for display in the Ninjago Museum of History.
Day of the Departed[]
After stealing the Yin Blade, Cole was tricked by Yang into using the weapon to open a rift to the Departed Realm and thus free the souls of several of his teammates' deceased enemies, most notably Samukai, Kozu, Cryptor, Chen, and Morro. Seeking vessels, their souls inhabited the statues in the Hall of Villainy, likewise taking possession of the Departed Blades posed in their vessels' hands. Yang, contacting them, informed the group wielding the weapons that they would return to the Departed Realm after the Yin-Yang Eclipse unless they used a Departed Blade assigned to them to kill a ninja involved with their death. After briefly disputing over who would take which soul's place, the antagonists succeeded in a compromise and went off to kill each opponent with their Blade. Likewise, Pythor, although not deceased, dedicated himself to the cause by seizing an unused Departed Blade as a replacement for his lost Anacondrai Staff.
Engaging their respective ninja in combat, the villains used their Departed Blades as their main means of attack, with the exception of Morro, who made peace with Master Wu instead and warned him of Yang's plans. Despite the others' efforts, their Departed Blades' purpose would be left unrealized, with Chen's destroyed after being blasted by one of his redirected rockets, Samukai's vaporized by a bolt of lightning, Cryptor's shattered after striking himself, and Kozu's blade seemingly broken after being attacked by the Stone Army.
Following the battles, only Morro and Pythor's Departed Blades were left intact, with Morro having chosen not to utilize his and thus preserving it alongside his statue following the end of the eclipse, and Pythor having survived his encounter and escaping with his Blade in hand.
List of Departed Blades[]
- A Double-Bladed Bone Axe (Samukai)
- The Anacondrai Staff (Pythor)
- An Elemental Blade (Kozu)
- A Techno Blade (Cryptor)
- A Jadeblade (Chen)
- The Sword of Sanctuary (Morro)
- The Yin Blade (Yang)
Powers and abilities[]
Modeled after various melee weapons, the Departed Blades functioned like regular tools in combat. Their main purpose, however, was their ability to transfer the placement of souls—should a soul involved in the death of the wielder be slain by a Departed Blade, the Blade's magic would allow the victim to trade places with their killer, with the wielder now among the living and their deceased opponent in the afterlife.
Aside from these abilities, the Departed Blades functioned as regular melee weapons and do not possess any of the powers of the weapons that they were modeled after.[3] The only exception to this is Pythor's staff, which holds an anti-venom in its capsule, although Pythor himself is unknowing and wary of its contents.
Appearances[]
Sets[]
- 70588 Titanium Ninja Tumbler (Techno Blade)
- 70589 Rock Roader (Elemental Blade)
- 70590 Airjitzu Battle Grounds (Yin Blade)
- 70592 Salvage M.E.C. (Double-Bladed Bone Axe)
- 70595 Ultra Stealth Raider (Jadeblade and Yin Blade)
- 70596 Samurai X Cave Chaos (Anacondrai Staff, Elemental Blade, and Techno Blade)
Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu[]
Day of the Departed[]
Season 7: The Hands of Time[]
- 67. "A Time of Traitors" (Elemental Blade; statue)
Ninjago: Decoded[]
- 1. "Legacy"
- 4. "Ninjago's Most Wanted"
Happy Birthday to You![]
- "Happy Birthday to You!" (Double-Bladed Bone Axe and Techno Blade; non-canon)
Trivia[]
- In "Day of the Departed," Yang explains that the revived villains must use their Departed Blades to slay the person who originally killed them. Doing so with the weapon would (supposedly) fully-resurrect the villain. However, Chen had seemingly discarded his Blade even before Yang said this, meaning he never stood a chance to be revived. Also, Pythor was still alive at the time, making the effects of his departed staff useless.
- In the sets, the Departed Blades are translucent-green, whereas in the show they are their solid, regular color, with the exception of Blades modeled after translucent weapons, such as Kozu's and Cryptor's. In fact, when Yang explains the purpose of the Blades, Samukai, Kozu, and Cryptor's weapons all glow.
- In the special, the Yin Blade is separate from the Departed Blades. However, in the sets, it is portrayed as being one of the Departed Blades.
- Samukai's Departed Blade is the only weapon not modeled after a weapon used by a ninja for that respective year or a weapon that he was seen wielding in the sets or show. It is worth noting, however, that he was at least famous for his use of it off-screen, when not wielding his signature Bone Daggers (which he briefly wields in one shot from the junkyard scene, likely due to an animation error).
- Samukai's Departed Blade is a bone ax. However, in the sets, it's a regular ax.
- The handles of the Blades are heavily based on of the Yin Blade's handle, more than likely due to both weapons' associations with Yang.
- In the concept artwork for the Departed Blades and in promotional material for the "Day of the Departed" special, a mysterious green lantern can be seen. However, this lantern never actually appeared in the final version of the special, and its potential powers or association with the Departed Blades are unknown.
- Interestingly, despite being referred to as a Departed Blade, the weapon based on the Anacondrai Staff is not actually a blade, but rather a staff.
- The Departed Sword of Sanctuary is the only Departed Blade not to appear in a "Day of the Departed" set. Although it could be made using existing pieces.
