Guan: This Is Such A Bad Idea.

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.

What do you think Dojo did after Dashi's passing? With the whole original trio gone and the Shen Gong Wu all presumably hidden and dormant, did Dojo just take up permanent residence at the temple he's still at today and spend a few centuries mourning alone there? Or did Dojo go stay with the Northern Cho-Cho he said he descends from for a while?

I like to think Dojo stayed at the temple to watch over Dashi’s students, the first or one of the first generations of Dragons in training. Even though there were no Shen Gong Wu for them to retrieve, he probably had to fly them from place to place to fight the forces of evil, save villages, and stuff like that. He also had to guard the Ancient Scroll of the Shen Gong Wu as stated in the first episode.

But he must have tracked down his dragon relatives and visited them at some point. I mean fifteen thousand years is a long time. However, his closest family is the Xiaolin Monks and his home is the temple. The saddest part is imagining how many generations of Xiaolin Dragons he had watched grow only to have to say goodbye.

I think it's mostly because Perry is technically paid to visit Doofenshmirtz every day and listen to his evil plans. Yeah, I doubt OWCA expects Perry to provide actual comfort or support for his nemesis, which he does anyway, but it's still his job to stop Doofenshmirtz by whichever means he sees fit. Perry knows when to use force and when to use empathy and that's why I always loved his character.

People who have the "Perry the Platypus is Doofenshmirtz' therapist" headcanon , Do you never had a friend that you think therapists are the only people who listen to you? So fucking sad...

Ah yes, Kimiko Tohomiko and Blythe Baxter. Growing up, they were the only cartoon characters I knew of that came with a new outfit every single episode. I used to think it was kind of strange back then. I mean most cartoon characters seem to have a single set of clothing and hairstyle, so I really appreciate the design effort that went into this. They didn't have to do it but they did it anyway!

#xiaolinshowdown #lps

Kimiko Outfit Appreciation (Full Version)

EDIT: Added an outfit I missed from “The Deep Freeze”

If Grandmaster Dashi could see the current state of things, his old teammates Chase and Guan and Dojo, and the new dragons-in-training who inherited their duties, and he could say one thing about it, what do you think he'd say? What would his emotions be?

Oh, he'd probably be very proud of the dragons-in-training for already accomplishing so much in their short time, even if they screw things up sometimes. I think he would see a little bit of himself in each of them, especially in Raimundo and his quest to be a good leader while still getting at least ten hours of sleep. After all, you can't think straight if you're not well rested, can you? And he would surely like Clay's simplicity and modesty. After all, Dashi never wanted to be famous and used to keep a low profile and hang out with his piggie friends.

And Kimiko can be very creative with her tech. I imagine if he had been born in our era (or the early 2000s like in the show) Dashi would have been the same. He would totally capture Wuya in a Tamagotchi if he could and feed her things she doesn't like. I don't think Dashi has that much in common with Omi personality-wise, except maybe how they were raised at the Xiaolin temple, but canonically Dashi is really fond of the kid and I'm sure he'd smile at each of his achievements no matter how small or how big.

Out of all of them, I think he would be most proud of Dojo for taking care of the kids and carrying on his legacy. Chase's fate would sadden him, but he would still strive to see pieces of the old Chase in him. And he would tell Guan to take it easy, take a chill pill and try to live in the present for him.

Dashi would also be relieved that the kids stuck together even when their journey got rough. Like when Raimundo turned against them but came back in the end. And they freed Omi from Chase's spell whereas Dashi failed to reverse the effects of Hannibal's soup that turned Chase into a beast. I think it would bring him comfort knowing that the new dragons in training succeeded where he and his friends failed, that even though he and his friends fell apart, there's still hope for the future, and that his Shen Gong Wus are in good hands.

Pigsy: I know you snuck out last night, MK.

Mei: Play dumb!

MK: Who's MK?

Mei: NOT THAT DUMB!

Pigsy: Guys, since this looks like the end, I just want you to know – you’re not really the two people I wanted to die with.

Sun Wukong: Ditto.

Tang: Actually, I always planned on the two of us being buried together in a tomb.

Pigsy: If we make it through this, you and I are having a serious talk.