LEGO has numerous third party partnerships that are wildly popular. We're talking brands like Star Wars and Nintendo and Harry Potter, etc. But LEGO's homegrown, original themes are a little more hit-and-miss.
Do you remember LEGO Hidden Side, a hybrid theme that incorporated digital poltergeists via augmented reality? If you don't, that's understandable; it only lasted two years before LEGO took down the app's servers and pulled the plug. Hopefully, the LEGO Dreamzzz line (see at Amazon), the company's most recently introduced original brand, can avoid a similar fate. It's one thing to create something that is visually interesting and creative (which Dreamzzz is). It's an entirely different proposition to make that thing commercially viable and widely known to the public.
You know what LEGO brand doesn't have this problem? LEGO Ninjago, that's what. A mashup of martial arts tropes and LEGO's signature meta-humor, the Ninjago brand has thrived for close to 15 years, with two successful TV shows, a movie, video games, theme park rides, and over 500 LEGO sets.
Here are the best LEGO Ninjago sets that you can purchase in 2024.
TL;DR Best LEGO Ninjago Sets in 2024
- Jay’s Lightning Jet EVO
- City Markets
- Dragon Stone Shrine
- Tournament Temple City
- Source Dragon of Motion
- Creative Ninja Brick Box
- Cole's Elemental Earth Mech
- Jay’s Titan Mech
- Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer
- Zane’s Ice Dragon Creature
- City Gardens
Jay’s Lightning Jet EVO
An excellent, budget build for 10 dollars, Jay's Lightning Jet has his signature blue colors and a solid base. It also includes a place for Jay to store his tiny sword – something that should never be taken for granted when it comes to LEGO.
City Markets
The LEGO City Markets are busy, above all. Every store and every residence is stacked one on top of the other, four floors up. It all feels claustrophobic – as though population density left no option but to build vertically. The City Markets includes a working suspended cable car, a karaoke club, a sushi bar, a bakery, and 22 Minifigures.
Dragon Stone Shrine
Most of the LEGO Ninjago sets are either mecha or manmade architecture, so this chiseled Dragon Stone Shrine stands out from the rest of them; it could easily be a mantelpiece on its own, apart from the Ninjago brand. The dragon spews water from its mouth into a blue pool, and the Japanese cherry blossom tree adds a pretty, organic touch.
Tournament Temple City
The Tournament Temple City from the second season of the show comes with 13 minifigures, and although it has the prerequisite battle platforms, it also contains more practical city elements like a water mill and a blacksmith's forge. A massive pagoda on a rocky cliff dominates the set's skyline.
Source Dragon of Motion
This is a classical dragon, reimagined as a massive tank. How massive? It is as long as the Tournament Temple City, and it is nearly as tall. It comes with a dramatic saddle and six smaller "spirit dragons." One of LEGO's best designed dragon builds, the Source Dragon of Motion is fully articulable and poseable.
Creative Ninja Brick Box
Have the open-endedness of LEGO free building, but with a number of specialized pieces that give your builds that signature Ninjago flavor. This is an excellent starter set, or if you're an advanced builder, an excellent supplement to flesh out your Ninjago village with additional, enhancing details.
Cole's Elemental Earth Mech
Cole's Elemental Earth mech is a fully articulable, brawny bruiser – as wide as it is tall – and it wields a massive hammer to crush its enemies. It looks like a Hulkbuster from the LEGO Marvel line, but with a darker, cooler color scheme. It comes with two Minifigures: one of Cole, who can ride in the mech, and one of a Wolf Mask Warrior, to give Cole someone to squish.
Jay’s Titan Mech
Jay's Titan Mech has an appealing blue, white, and gold color scheme, and a slender, sleek construction that differentiates it from other, bulkier LEGO mechs. The final build is articulable, with a massive sword and a mounted shoulder cannon that fires a projectile.
Sora's Transforming Mech Bike Racer
This is a 2-in-1 build; you build a mech that also transforms, Optimus Prime style, into a ninja bike. The set includes Minifigures of Arin and Sora, the two newest heroes from Ninjago: Dragons Rising, as well as lead villain Rapton.
Zane’s Ice Dragon Creature
A 2-in-1 special, you can build this as either a dragon – a vicious, six-legged behemoth with sharp teeth – or a massive ice warrior with a golden sword. Both builds have a beautiful color scheme of white and light green, which creates the impression of new ice versus older, glacial ice.
City Gardens
The City Gardens is massive modular building with five levels, multiple apartments, and tons of little details, including a noodle shop, a rooftop bonsai garden, and 19 unique LEGO Minifigures. Released to celebrate Ninjagos 10th anniversary, it contains Easter eggs paying homage to the franchise's past, present, and future.
How Many LEGO Ninjago Sets are There?
According to LEGO's official site, 43 LEGO Ninjago sets available for purchase as of August 2024. LEGO Ninjago is into its second decade now, an achievement that demonstrates the brand's staying power.
Clearly, it here to stay. The original Ninjago TV show was on the air from 2011-2022. And the new, rebooted Ninjago: Dragons Rising (2023) has had two acclaimed seasons, with a third season on the way. So if you're late to Ninjago, this is a good time to start and catch up. More models and more immersive sets are sure to come.
Kevin Wong is a contributing freelancer for IGN, specializing in LEGO. He's also been published in Complex, Engadget, Gamespot, Kotaku, and more. Follow him on Twitter at @kevinjameswong.
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