I've Always Had This Headcanon For Him. Glad I'm Not Alone In This!

And the winner of the Biggest Daddy Issues contest by a long shot is Lloyd Garmadon!

I can’t say I’m surprised. From being destined to fight him at such a young age to being forced to banish him to a cursed realm, only to have him resurrected in his worst, evilest form, most of Lloyd’s traumas are related to his father. He even almost beat Lloyd to death, declaring he has no son, attempted to kill his friends in a very gruesome way, and finally, replaced him with a potted plant. That’s messed up on so many levels.

But to tell you the truth, Mao Mao is the one who inspired me to make this poll. Shin Mao favored his older daughters and neglected his son all his life to the point he never even got his name or age right, but Mao Mao still looked up to him, giving him unconditional love and unquestioned respect. I think the last part is what truly makes it tragic. Shin Mao doesn’t treat Mao Mao half as badly as Garmadon treated Lloyd and is described as passive-aggressive, rather than downright abusive. Yet it amazes me how many episodes focus on the long-lasting psychological effects that Shin’s treatment had on Mao. Mao Mao’s self-esteem is extremely fragile and inconsistent to the point where he’s either egotistical or self-depreciative with almost nothing in between, and there are a lot of suppressed fears, insecurities, emotions, and desires that constantly bubble up and affect Mao and everyone else around him.

Despite all this, he still tries to be the best father figure for his little apprentice, encouraging her dream and reassuring her of her own fears and insecurities.

While Lloyd’s past with his dad is the most scarring, he rarely shows those scars, unlike Mao whose entire personality and day-to-day struggles are based on it. Lloyd and his friends are often shown processing their traumas in their different ways (usually in the first episode of the season), but after a while, we return to the status quo and there are very few notable changes in the ninja’s personalities. Like, let’s wrap this up quickly, guys, there’s a new villain in town! This, to be fair, makes sense given the overarching story of Ninjago whereas Mao Mao’s more slice-of-life, over-the-top cartoon hijinks style allows for more moments in which the characters can breathe, get a good look at themselves, and address their personal issues. Mao Mao even goes to a therapist every Thursday, which is something we’ve all agreed for years that Lloyd desperately needs.

Monkie Kid is somewhere in between, having both a lot of lore, but also some more laid-back episodes, especially in the first seasons. Since unlike Lloyd and Mao, Red Son isn’t the main character, his relationship with the Demon Bull King doesn’t get as much spotlight, but it’s still pretty tragic when you think about it. Red Son waited for centuries after his father was imprisoned under a mountain, and the first thing the Bull King does after he returns is treat him like a henchman rather than a son. They do get noticeably better after a while though.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who voted!

I didn't expect so many people to be interested so I decided to turn this into a full Daddy Issues tournament. Feel free to check it out if you'd like.

I might be a little biased when it comes to Lloyd, but Arin lost some major rizz points in my book since the whole "Not from you" thing.

I mean, my dude, Lloyd specifically said when you first met he doesn't have what it takes and doesn't want to be a sensei, but you insisted. It was your idea.

It's not Lloyd's fault Spinjitzu came so naturally to him. It literally took him less than an episode because, yeah, he was that OP. What was he supposed to do? Stick you in a barrel and tryna hit you with a sword because that's literally how he did it.

If anything, you should have asked Kai to teach you. It took him a whole week and he struggled hard, so he might relate at least.

And people comparing Lloyd with Wu now. Lloyd might be a motivational speaker kind of teacher, but he didn't get Arin's hopes up just to shatter them like Wu did with Morro. He just had more pressing matters to deal with than finding Arin's parents at the moment, being the Green Ninja, the dragon conduit and all. And he didn't keep important secrets from him either.

Wu was always a strict teacher who wouldn't let the ninja catch a break and would punish them if they did. Lloyd tried to imitate him at first, but it was like him trying to imitate Garmadon as a kid. He's the exact opposite of that. Lloyd's patient, kind and understanding, and he's doing his best.

Almost forgot it's today

Feeling old, yet proud 🥲

Hear me out. Lloyd as a girl dad.

You see my vision?

Okay, when I start writing my own novel, I'll make the protagonist specifically sex-repulsed, romance-repulsed, we die virgins, no kisses sort of aroace, so people can't find excuses to ship them.

*If Red Son got a job at Pigsy's*

MK: Hey, it's your turn to wash the dishes.

Red Son: I'LL WASH THE WALLS RED WITH YOUR BLOOD!

MK: 'Kay, but before that, wash the dishes, also use soap this time.

Hey, here's a random question, but if a water bender (regardless of the fandom) got stabbed or lost a limb or got scratched real bad, since blood plasma is over 90 percent water, could they technically prevent the blood from leaving their bodies, like add an invisible patch over their wound so they don't pass out or die of blood loss? Or is this not how the human body works?

And yes I know Katara could technically just heal herself with her water powers but that's beside the point.