2026 marks the 15th anniversary of LEGO Ninjago. To celebrate, there are two lines of Ninjago sets being released: Dragon’s Rising and Legacy, each capturing their own distinct look and feel. Let’s explore the nine sets coming out on January 1, 2026. We’ll explore why Ninjago remains one of LEGO’s most celebrated themes.

I have only experienced Ninjago through the LEGO sets and the 2017 Ninjago movie, so I will not be comparing the sets to the shows. Instead, I have analyzed them as standalone sets and as a group.

About the sets

15 years of Ninjago

Ninjago made its first debut in 2011, launching both a new line of LEGO sets and the animated series. The series was highly anticipated, following more than a decade hiatus since the previous Ninja theme in 1998-2000. Drawing inspiration from Japanese culture, martial arts, and fantasy, Ninjago was first introduced through six heroes, Kai, Jay, Cole, Zane, Lloyd, and Nya, all characters who still play roles in today’s content. The release of sets and a TV show was new for LEGO, creating a narrative experience that allows sets to come directly from the show. The show likely was released to promote sales for the set, but both have their own following. Over the years, the franchise has expanded across themes with hundreds of sets ranging from small spinners or polybags to massive dragons and temples. Ninjago stands as one of LEGO’s longest running and most successful homegrown themes, with over 200 episodes, a feature film (The LEGO Ninjago Movie, 2017), video games, books, and sets celebrating its legacy. Ninjago’s ability to reinvent itself through new storylines has kept it relevant for more than 15 years, cementing its place in LEGO history.

To celebrate the 15th Anniversary of Ninjago, 2026 includes a series of anniversary minifigures across its Ninjago Legacy line of sets. In this article we will review one such set: #71866 Ninja Character Display 15th Anniversary. Each set includes an iconic minifigure from the shows that has not been common in LEGO builds to pay homage to past characters. As someone who has not watched the show but only watched the movie, many of these characters are unknown to me, providing a good opportunity to do my research and read up on each of them as they are revealed. 2021 saw the 10th anniversary Ninjago minifigures revealed, these being widely popular, so it will be great to compare them to the new anniversary minifigures 5 years later.

Diving deep into the sets

Lloyd vs Earth Monster Spinner & Nya vs. Mutation Monster Spinner

When I look at spinners, the first thing I think of are Beyblades. A popular battling spinning top toy inspired by traditional Japanese Beigoma that gained massive global popularity in 2001. While not the same mechanism, this spinning top allows for fun play through spinning battles as multiple spinners can collide with each other. These spinners are core to the Ninjago wave, being released in many of the earlier waves over a decade earlier, signaling its success over the years. Both #71850 Lloyd vs. Earth Monster Spinner and #71849 Nya vs. Mutation Monster Spinner are pretty much the same set however, with the difference being the included minifigures and colors. The sets themselves are nothing to write home about so there is not much to say beyond the fact that it spins and can be great fun for kids, but I am not the intended target audience here so it was not for me.

#71849 and #71850 Spinners come in angular cardboard boxes. (Photo: Tom Alphin)

As the names suggest both spinners contain one Ninja and one villain in the form of a Earth Monster. Both #71850 Lloyd vs. Earth Monster Spinner and #71849 Nya vs. Mutation Monster Spinner being affordable sets makes both the Earth Monster and Mutation Monster easy army builder pickups, being the first foray into the cool set of villain minifigures we will see across this wave. With new molds and prints the villains are better than the ninja counterparts in Lloyd and Nya, both looking rather generic in comparison. But that may be due to bias of having seen the ninjas many times before while the villains are new.

Spinners aren’t my cup of tea, but can allow for hours of fun for kids. They are effectively flavors of the same set which is why both #71850 Lloyd vs. Earth Monster Spinner and #71849 Nya vs. Mutation Monster Spinner earned a Acceptable (2/5 Stars) rating for our audience of adult builders.

Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack

#71851 Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack is a fun little set and sets the tone for the techniques we see in the rest of the wave, articulated builds. This small mech packs a good punch with great end product, great part selection and an engaging build. For its price point I think this is a great way to build your own mech and learn techniques that let you build your own mechs.

#71851 Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack (Photo: Tom Alphin)

For a small set the minifigure collection is great, including a Earth Monster and two Ninjas in Kai and Sora. It is a shame that the Earth Monster only includes one claw piece unlike its variants in other sets which include three. This was likely done to keep cost low. Sora looks similar to the Sora we see in other sets, capturing the iconic look but not blowing me away as usual. When I first saw this set Kai excited me, but this excitement quickly dropped to disappointment. I thought this was the first and cheapest set to get a Dragon Form minifigure but LEGO chose to not include the tail or wing pieces requiring you to purchase a pricier set should you wish to pick up Kai. This is a shame as having at least one such minifigure available in an affordable set would have been a nice touch.

Three Minifigures and a mech is pretty good for $10.

Its a small set and has a lot of fun, capturing the feel of the rest of the wave so there is not much you can go wrong with. The downsides I pointed out are excusable given the set’s price although I wish this included the full Dragon Form Kai. I give #71851 Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack a Good (3/5 Stars) rating.

Cole’s Mission Mech & Dragon Zane

For a theme that is filled with mechs, this wave only has three, with #71854 Cole’s Mission Mech & Dragon Zane being the largest of the two. Despite being the largest it is still small for mech standards, but size can be deceiving. The mech is packed with blocky details that allow Cole to easy slot into the cockpit to pilot the mech. The bulk of the mech’s details are accomplished through creative use of bricks, leveraging tiles to create the plated armor texture in 199Dark Stone GreyDark Bluish Gray and 26Black. The cosmetic flourishes to provide accents take an opposing approach, relying on bright colors like 106Bright OrangeOrange and 297Warm GoldPearl Gold, opting for angles and curved shapes. While the exterior details make for an appeasing yet compact mech, what makes the mech stand out is the posability accomplished through articulation. With over 10 differet points of articulation it is easy to pose the mech in different ways to create your very own action filled scene.

The mech is packed with articulation points for ease of posing.

One of the cool features of this mech is its ability to both hold and sheath a variety of weapons. To do so a technic pin is placed in the palm of each hand of Cole’s mech and on its back, to which the weapons can be attached. To hide the technic pins and thus hiding some of the constructive elements, the mech’s fingers curl over the hilt of the weapon, hiding the connection point effectively.

Technic pins allow for weapons to be held easily.

Not only does the articulation for this mech allow for some great poses but the designers have included a selection of weapons to add variability in what the mech can hold. Included are a bladed sword, a bokken (wooden training sword/pole) and what looks like a blaster gun. I am surprised in the inclusion of a firearm given the Ninja subject matter and LEGO avoiding depictions of firearms, but I am sure this inclusion aligns with the mech in the show. These weapons are all very different and are a fun detail, giving the builder the ability to pose and decide what weapon the mech should wield.

The set includes 3 weapons that the mech can wield.

Despite being a small set and only containing a small selection of minifigures the details on each are great. Despite being Cole’s mech, he is the weakest of the minifigures, with Dragon Zane and the brand new Acid Monster being standout and unique figures, utilizing new prints and molds. The serpentine shape of the Acid Monster is incredible, reminding me of the Anacondrai we saw in some of the older Ninjago sets. Having this be included in a relatively affordable set makes it an even bigger win as this means this minifigure will likely be affordable on the after market should you wish to army build with them. Of the included Dragon Form Ninja minifigures, Dragon Zane can be found in #71854 Cole’s Mission Mech & Dragon Zane, making him one of the more accessible of the collection. An incredible minifigure, part of a collection that can easily be the best in the set if not only overshadowed by the even greater Acid Monster included.

The minifigure selection is small but great!

For a small set it has the hallmarks of a solid yet standard LEGO set. A fun build, great minifigures and a price that is not absurd, and with that assessment I give #71854 Cole’s Mission Mech & Dragon Zane a Good (3/5 Stars) rating. I can see this set being a popular set to pick up for kids and collectors alike.

Ninja Dragon Riyu’s Battle

The smallest of the two included dragons (not counting the Dragon Form Ninja minifigures of course) is released in #71855 Ninja Dragon Riyu’s Battle. Of the larger sets in this wave, this set is the second least favorable when it comes to price per part, but a big chunk of this is due to the sheer number of large parts included in the set. Whether it be 297Warm GoldPearl Gold pieces of armor or the plethora of 212Light Royal BlueBright Light Blue elements that make up the dragon itself, the size of the parts drives the price up. This is a reason why price per part is not always the best measure of value as a large wing cannot be compared to a singular tile or plate in terms of what you get for your money. While shape and substance make up the bulk of what makes this build a fun yet great build, it is the color that speaks out to me the most. The muted yet distinct 212Light Royal BlueBright Light Blue used captures a new color for many of the pieces included, allowing for a dragon color that is different to the usual shades of green, red or black we see in other sets.

The dragon is a lot bigger than expected.

When fully extended Riyu (the dragon) is large, much larger than I expected. When compared to some of the older Ninjago sets we can see how the sets follow a linear story progression as in the earlier seasons Riyu the dragon was captured as an individual piece, now growing to an over 300 piece build. The new armor plating pieces capture the dragon scale aesthetic effectively, giving the hardened back a scaly look. To ensure that Riyu has maximum playability, the designers utilized articulation pieces to the fullest extent they could, with over 10 articulation points included in Riyu’s build, captured through clip and pin or ball and socket joint connections. This variety and abundance in connection types allows for a fun build experience but also ensures that Riyu can be posed in many different ways to capture whatever scene you as the builder wants to display your set in. Although a show accurate inclusion, I feel the large 297Warm GoldPearl Gold shuriken on Riyu’s tail detracts from the build. Fortunately this can easily be removed to give the dragon a cleaner look without exposing much construction detail beneath. To give Riyu an ethereal feel a series of143Transparent Fluorescent BlueTrans-Medium Blue flourishes are included on the tip of his tail and along the sides, accenting the 212Light Royal BlueBright Light Blue color it complements and giving Riyu a wispy look. A fun added detail accomplished by very few parts that makes the build look better.

Brick and tile details help create a scaly texture.

As with #71854 Cole’s Mission Mech & Dragon Zane one of the included play features is the ability for Riyu to equip various weapons. Using the same techniques as other sets that employ this feature we use technic pin connections to allow Riyu to hold a weapon on his tail and in his mouth, with space on side to sheath any additional weapons. This set includes a selection of weapons but they can easily be interchanged with the other weapons in the line to add variety. I personally prefer the cleaner non weapon look of Riyu as the oversized weapons look a little too exaggerated for my liking so will remove them entirely for my own display. That means more weapons for Cole’s mech at least!

The dragon can wield weapons in its mouth.

As the sets get larger the number of included minifigures grow, with #71855 Ninja Dragon Riyu’s Battle including 4 minifigures. Of the heroes included we have Arin in regular ninja attire and Dragon Nya, sporting the same look as the other dragon form ninja’s but in her trademark 102Medium Blue color. The villains include a generic loyalist who is nothing to write home about a 28Dark GreenGreen Mutation Monster. As with the other monsters in this wave, this one is great, with its colors, prints and oversize minifigure head. Looking at the box art alone I did not come to realize how big this head actually is, only when putting this minifigure together do you see how outrageous it looks. Outrageous in a fun and good way!

Both the ninjas and enemies are packed with detail.

Ninjas and dragons, what can you really want more. With a good selection of minifigures and pieces and a fun build I give #71855 Ninja Dragon Riyu’s Battle a Good (3/5 Stars) rating. I expect this set to sell reasonably well to even non Ninjago fans.

Jay’s Transforming Car

Before even jumping into the details of the set I will say that I am likely a very biased source when it comes to oversized vehicles.. mostly because I dislike them. They often come with huge price tags, repeted build experiences and don’t fit into the greater narrative of waves due to their exaggerated sizing. That does not mean I don’t like vehicles as waves such as Speed Champions do a great job at getting proportions right. Despite this I tried to give this set a chance and look at it objectively. Vehicles for starters are designed for play not display, and as such the large size makes it easy to grab and fit in your hand, allowing for “swooshability”.

The car is a lot bigger than expected and feels almost too big.

As the name of the set suggests, the car can transform. The hood of the car is designed to have a detailed underside that can be rotated allowing those playing with the set to choose with version of the vehicle to use. The two options are a regular car hood style or a Dragon Mode which reveals a 297Warm GoldPearl Gold dragon head and claws. While this is probably a fun feature for children, I was not blown away with this, instead feeling they could have just kept the dragon look by default and shave 5$ off the set price. Although the end product is not spectacular, the build experience and technique to create this mechanism was fun, although not one that I feel I will replicate in my own builds. Resting along the side of the car are two oversized shurikens. As was my assessment with anything oversized I feel this detracts from the build, but I am sure its ability to spin makes it alluring for its intended target audience.

The hood of the car can be rotated to display a dragon’s visage.

#71856 Jay’s Transforming Car comes with 5 minifigures including Kai in Dragon Form. Interestingly Kai is the one Dragon Form ninja that comes in two sets, also included in a cheaper #71851 Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack. It is worth pointing out that to encourage purchasing the pricier #71851 Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack, the cheaper version of Kai does not include his tail or wings. Of the Dragon Form ninjas Kai is my favorite with his strong 21Bright RedRed color. The other two ninjas, Jay and Nya use a common generic Ninja look in their respective colors. While not bad per se, they are not something we have not seen before, only including different prints in this set. The villains are the two weakest villains in this wave unfortunately, with a generic loyalist and a Earth Monster included. Despite being the weakest of the monsters, the Earth Monster is still a great minifigure and a fun army builder. It is worth pointing out that this loyalist is not the same as the other loyalists we have seen giving it a bit of variety.

The minifigures are the best part of this set for me.

I was not a fan of #71856 Jay’s Transforming Car. Due to its use of large pieces the price is very high while the build feels compact and blocky. Even the minifigure collection is rather weak despite a great Dragon Form Ninja. Despite Kai coming in a cheaper set I dislike that LEGO chose to not include his tail and wings in that set to push you to buy this car instead. I feel this tactic should be discouraged as it doesn’t hurt anyone other than LEGO’s bottom line to include one affordable Dragon Form Ninja. With the weak build and weak minifigure selection I give #71856 Jay’s Transforming Car a Not Recommended (1/5 Stars) but will concede that there are likely many fans of the oversized vehicles we see in LEGO and that I am not the intended target audience for this set. I just feel that at this price point there are a ton of better sets you can find so expect to see this set have deep discounts as it approaches end of life.

Ninja Vehicle Tree House Battle

Oversized vehicles… I am sure you can predict my thoughts on #71857 Ninja Vehicle Tree House Battle before reading given what I had written in the previous paragraphs, but fortunately there are side builds here that do interest me. As the name suggests this set contains both vehicles and a tree house, allowing the builder to create an action packed battle scene between the large selection of minifigures included. The bulk of the pieces however are used for the motorcycle and helicopter, but that doesn’t mean the designers were not able to create a great looking tree house rich with colors and details.

The bulk of the set are two vehicles.

In my opinion the motorbike is laughably oversized. I am sure to some this is what makes it fun but for me it feels unnecessary. The motorbike is dense and built using a combination of System and Technic piece and as such is sturdy and heavy. This makes it great for play as it is durable. As the motorbike is piloted by Kai, it is predominantly built using 21Bright RedRed pieces, with accents in other colors accomplished through brick built construction or stickers. As I put stickers on this build it reminded me of how few stickers are in this wave of sets, to be ensuring that the sets get their details through a healthy mix of stickers and brick built construction.

The motorbike is huge!

The second included vehicle is Zane’s helicopter, which to me is better sized, using a lot of common helicopter building techniques but with Ninja flourishes to make it fit the scene. While helicopter builds don’t impress me, the fun design details for both rotors impressed me. The designers moved away from traditional blades, instead opting to use less conventional pieces which help make the build stand out. The blades of the top rotor especially fit the aesthetic with its 42Transparent Light BlueTrans-Light Blue color and unique shape, giving it a icy look. You can’t be a ninja set without ninja weapons and the helicopter uses a ton of them as 297Warm GoldPearl Gold ornate flourishes, whether it is a ninja sword or a shuriken, various are included to help add color while giving the helicopter a ninja flair. Compared to the motorbike, this helicopter has its upsides which makes it a good inclusion. To me that means that if the motorbike was better scaled and utilized pieces morea creatively I may have had similar positive thoughts about it.

The helicopter is detailed but small unlike the motorbike.

I love it. As a fan of architecture and buildings it took too long to see the first structure in this wave of sets. Ninjago is known for some incredible structures, especially through the Ninjago City modular line so I know the designers have the ability to create some fun looking buildings. The treehouse does this well by capturing natural aesthetic through trees, rocks and a running stream and combining it with traditional Japanese architecture. While sometimes a stereotype, the bright 21Bright RedRed and 26Black utilized in this build is reminiscent of Fushimi Inari Taisha that can be found in Kyoto. I am sure the color and shape choices made were no coincidence with the designers referencing real life architectural styles to replicate in the set.

To me the side build is more impressive than the vehicles.

You see how thin the treehouse is when you turn it around and look at it from the back. Being only 4 studs deep due to piece constraints the designers had to fit the details into a cramped space. The interior looks rather unimpressive and I wish the pieces used for the vehicles had instead gone into expanding the treehouse as the from the front it looks amazing. The stark difference shows that the designers could have done a lot more but had to work within the price and piece constraints they had.

There are some minor interior details that can be found tucked in the back.

You can make some incredible details with very few parts and the 8 piece tōrō highlights this. A tōrō is a traditional stone lantern commonly found in Japanese Buddhist templates, shinto shrines or gardens, and the one built in this set captures the look perfectly. To achieve the desired look this mini build is built upside down and held in place by a pin, giving it an orthodox but fun look that lets this build be steeped in culture.

The tōrō is small but impressive.

While relatively small, the bridge leading up to the treehouse has a built in play feature that allows the bridge to rotate, giving it a rocky bridge aesthetic. This bridge is a great example of a play feature that also acts as a display piece as you can pose the bridge in ways to give the scene more energy. The 21Bright RedRed of the bridge also effectively blends into the colors of the treehouse making it a transitional pathway.

The bridge has a built in action feature allowing it to rock.

Ninjago has a plethora of characters and not all of the heroes have to be Ninjas. #71857 Ninja Vehicle Tree House Battle is the first set in this wave that does this by including Euphrasia. This is the second time we see this character, the first time being in 2024 in the widely popular #71819 Dragon Stone Shrine, a set we have explored on this site before. The other two heroes included are Kai and Zane, both in generic ninja attire using new prints of the common look we have seen over the years, not bad but nothing spectacular. The included Dragon Form ninja for this set is Jay, who I have always felt is too similar in color to Nya, only being a lighter shade of blue, leveraging the same magic that makes all Dragon Form ninjas great. On the topic of great, the villains come in a story of two halves, with a generic loyalist and a Acid Monster included. The loyalist is no different to the ones we have seen before, which technically is also the case for the Acid Monster, but as the Acid Monster is such a great unique mold and minifigure the latter gets a pass. The Acid Monster is identical to the one we saw earlier but is still a wonderful minifigure even if you get repetition across the sets so is one I always like seeing included.

This is the smallest set that includes a non ninja main character.

For me #71857 Ninja Vehicle Tree House Battle is a tale of two halves, one being great and the other being forgettable. As is the case with #71856 Jay’s Transforming Car, oversized vehicles don’t blow me away and the motorcycle in this set is more egregious than even the car. I do need to acknowledge as always that this is a kids toy and as such I am not the target audience and I am sure that given LEGO keeps releasing oversized vehicles there is a market for these builds. While the vehicles are passable, I am a big fan of the tree house, packed with immersive details and the fun play feature in the form of a rotating bridge. This inclusion gives this set a nudge up for me but is not alone to make me want to get this set. If this set was $25-30 cheaper and only included the tree house and half of the minifigures my assessment of this set would be very different. With all this in mind and a $80 price tag I give #71857 Ninja Vehicle Tree House Battle a Acceptable (2/5 Stars) with the caveat that should you like large vehicles this set can easily rise in desirability.

The Dragon of Life

#71859 The Dragon of Life

The Earth Monster mech reminds me of Kai’s mech we saw in #71851 Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack, only this time more detailed and improved. Seeing this mech only makes me wish Kai’s mech matched this level of detailing. The mech itself has 9 pivot points allowing for a wide range of motion and is built to be a larger version of its Earth Monster pilot, from its color to its claws. When I see this I think of it as a Ninjago style Hulk Buster from the Marvel universe. A fun detail I liked is that the pilot when not piloting the mech holds new printed claw pieces, which turn into shoulder detailing when not wielded, giving the weapon a dual purpose.

The mech emulates the details of its rider.

The side build is small but packs a punch. Its 311Transparent Bright GreenTrans-Bright Green flames are controlled by a a series of gears allowing the base and sword contained to spin giving it a fun play feature and giving the sword its mystical allure. This however was not the highlight of the build for me, once again this being the incredible tōrō build. The more I build this the more I want to go out and purchase the pieces to create an army of tōrō that I can slot into my builds. The flame pieces in this mini build have a dual purpose, also acting as large tree fronds in 28Dark GreenGreen. These sit atop a great tree that utilizes a new horn piece as a trunk, one that I picked up recently in large quantities to build my own thick stemmed trees. This technique has been used in a number of trees over the last year and are great so I see no reason why LEGO would not continue to build trees this way.

The side build helps make this set more than just a dragon.

I cannot talk about #71859 The Dragon of Life without the bulk of this section being about the Dragon of Life. LEGO does not hide that this is the key focus of the set as the name of the set is literally just the name of the dragon. Although I cannot comment on screen accuracy of this majestic dragon, I will say this is the best LEGO dragon I have ever seen. The dragon’s core structure is built using Technic connection to give it a robust base, with brick built layered detailing built atop using SNOT (Studs Not On Top) build to give it a rounded and smooth detailed finish. The wings utilize Technic for its skeletal structure, with a foil sheet for the wing’s membrane. This is likely done for a variety of details, most notably to reduce the piece count and get shapes and details that would otherwise not be possible with LEGO bricks. While this feels like cheating, it is an understandable decision. One thing you do not appreciate until you build the Dragon of Life is the sheer scale of the dragon. the model measures over 11 inches (28cm) high, 15 inches (38cm) long and 21.5 inches (55cm) wide when its wings are fully extended, which is huge. The Dragon of Life is an amazing build, but what stands out to me is the sturdiness. Some of the past dragons including the Red Dragon from 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale are flimsy, highlighting how LEGO has learned from past errors to create what I believe to be the best dragon to date. Everything from its shape, to size, to color and building techniques used to put it all together makes it a great set to put together and display.

The dragon is the star of the set.

There is no part of the Dragon of Life that is not packed with detail. With the exception of the top of the head and a few stickered pieces, the majority of the details are accomplished through brick construction detailing. Even the underbelly is detailed with smooth tile construction, highlighting the soft contrast against the harsh scales on the upper exterior. When looking from the front you can see all the posability options this dragon comes with, these including a posable jaw, head, neck, legs, ankles, claws and tail. Pretty much everything is posable. My favorite detail however has to be the Dragon of Life’s head. Its grimacing visage is beautifully detailed, with a lower jaw that can be lowered to expose tongue.

The dragon is impressive, even better than others I have seen.

The horns atop the head of the dragon are majestic, looking like aged tree branches that have been weathered and reclaimed by nature over the ages. As someone who has played World of Warcraft in the past, these horns reminded me of the antlers that rest upon the head of Night Elf druids, symbolizing their deep connection to nature, something that might have influenced the Dragon of Life’s look which too has a deep connection to nature. On the topic of World of Warcraft, the Dragon of Life closely resembles that of Ysera, the Green Dragon charged with protecting nature (and the Emerald Dream, but that is not relevant to this topic), whom is closely related to the aforementioned Night Elf Druids.

The Dragon of Life has a menacing visage.

Despite being large and heavy, the dragon has been designed with posing in mind, utilizing click joints to do so. These joints are a lot sturdier than clip and bar or ball and socket joints, which makes sense given there is a larger weight to support. Had the designers opted for a smaller joint connection we would likely see the wings or legs sag under the weight of the bricks it connects to. These joints have a large range of motion and are made out of Technic pieces, known for its strength, but connected to System pieces for the detailing. Despite the strength of this connection, there are still limitations in how the dragon can be posed solely due to its size, but the majority of poses you will likely want to display the dragon in can be achieved.

Joints allow the dragon to be posed in many ways.

Of all the Technic mechanisms in this build, the wing mechanism is the most complex. I will admit, I am not the biggest Technic fan and as such I do not collect its sets so this mechanism may in fact be par for the course when it comes to Technic. The wing is built in such a way a claw at the base of the wing can be pushed down to either spread or tuck the wing. This mechanism allows for a good range of motion letting you display the wing in a series of poses, although limited to the extension range created by the mechanism. While small this serves as yet another fun piece of detail that allows for great posing, only this time coming in with a movable play feature as well. While I am not wing expert, looking at this mechanism and its “bones” and “tendons” made me want to research the structure of real life bird and dinosaur wings, making this build an educational piece as well as I got to learn about how animal wings evolved over millions of years to be what they are now.

The wings can be opened and closed using technic mechanisms.

As the largest set of the wave it comes with the most minifigures, coming with 8 in total. The villains included are the Acid and Earth Monster, along with a loyalist. The monsters are the highlight as usual, but the absence of the Mutation Monster is missed. While the loyalist makes sense to the narrative of the scene I wish we had all three monsters of the wave in this set to avoid the need to pick up another set to complete your monster collection. The villains do not use any new printing and are repeats of those we saw before, but that is not a detractor as don’t break what ain’t broke. Unlike the other sets #71859 The Dragon of Life comes with two Dragon Form ninjas in Cole and Lloyd. It is no surprise that the main ninja, Lloyd, is included in the largest set, however his 28Dark GreenGreen color scheme fits the naturey look of the scene. Both Cole and Lloyd as minifigures are recolors of the other Dragon Form ninjas but in the respective ninja’s colors, donning the wings and tail we saw earlier. The final three minifigures included are Zane, Sora and Arin, all in their regular attire that we have seen across the rest of the wave. Repetition does not mean this ninjas are not great though, as each are beautifully printed and come with great accessories to help capture their iconic look.

To no surprise, the largest set comes with the most minifigures.

#71859 The Dragon of Life is a great set. With a great minifigure lineup, and an incredible dragon this will likely be a popular set for those that can stomach the steep price. The only real detractor of this set is that the bulk of pieces make up the Dragon of Life, so if you have no interest in the dragon there is not much else the set offers. The pictures and box do not do the dragon justice however, as in my opinion this is the best LEGO dragon I have ever built or seen. While the set does include a mech and a tiny side build, if LEGO had expanded the side build a little further it may provide more to those on the fence, but that would likely come with a price difference. As such I give this set a Recommended (4/5 Stars) rating and think it is worth the price, especially when it goes on its inevitable 20% sale that most sets do.

Dragons are cool, whether big or small

Who doesn’t like Dragons. Most certainly not me. To get a sense of the scale of both the Dragon of Life and Riyu I decided to gather all my non custom built dragons together for a family photo. I thought the Red Dragon from 21348 Dungeons & Dragons: Red Dragon’s Tale I covered on this site previously was large but it pales in comparison to the Dragon of Life. The grandiose details of both Ninjago dragons make them amongst my favorite LEGO dragons I have built, maybe only being built by the iconic classic LEGO dragon from 1993 (one I wish I had handy for a comparison picture).

You can never have too many dragons!

Dragon Form Ninjas

LEGO employs FOMO (fear of missing out) marketing tactics to drive up consumption in the collector market, and with Ninjago sets this is done through the Dragon Form ninjas or the 15th anniversary exclusive minifigures. While I am not a fan of this tactic I know that they are only a small part of the entire build and if anything only encourages the most die hard of fans. For most the need to have all of these ninjas is not there. Despite this aggressive marketing tactic, these Dragon Form ninjas are really dang cool. Included across the sets in the Dragons Rising wave are six Dragon Form ninjas, each capturing the transformed look of one of the iconic six ninjas in the series. Despite being cool, is it worth pointing out that the minifigures are pretty much the same bar a recolor so there is not much variety. Despite this, the tail and wings really capture this human-dragon hybrid look. If I didn’t get all of these through a review copy though I would probably not go out of my way to pick up every set just for the minifigures, especially with many of the sets not being my cup of tea.

Each of the six ninjas has a Dragon form.

Ninja Character Display 15th Anniversary

As 2026 marks the 15th anniversary of Ninjago, LEGO’s first set comes out in the form of #71866 Ninja Character Display 15th Anniversary. This action packed scene is intended as a display piece, capturing all of the iconic minifigures from the first Ninjago season. As the minifigures are the focus of the build, the rest of the scene serves as a decorative display vehicle to ensure the minifigures can be displayed as best they can. This action packed scene depicts the entrance to the monastery, with its iconic Torii gate style in vibrant 21Bright RedRed and 26Black. When the minifigures are placed in the scene it is unfortunately difficult to see all the great details, something we will look at closer in the next paragraph. To accomplish placing all the minifigures in great poses a series of 1×1 Round Plate w/ 45° Bar, Bottom pieces are placed throughout the structure, coming out of walls, trees and rocks. As these pieces come in 40Transparent Trans-Clear they blend well into its surroundings giving off a jumping look as the ninjas are mid stance! Of all the pieces released over the last few years this is one of my favorites due to the versatility of it and for its ability to inject action into a scene.

The display is action packed.

When the minifigures are removed you can see the slice of the monastery much clearer. The monastery is based off the Monastery of Spinjitzu, built atop the tallest mountain in the Ninjago universe. This is not the first time this monastery has been released in a set, with 2019 seeing the entire structure released in set 70670 Monastery of Spinjitzu. As this is a smaller, more affordable display piece the entire monastery is not needed, instead focusing on just the entryway and the steps leading up to it. Due to its smaller more limited scale the designers are able to add a lot more detailing, whether it be through the great angled construction in the 21Bright RedRed and 1White walls or the traditional 1White roof. All of the structures borrow from iconic Japanese architecture of the 10th to 12th century. I was especially impressed at how the designers were able to effectively get curves for the top of the wall using two sloped pieces resting on each other to give the wall a less uniform blocky look. While the entry way looks great, the 297Warm GoldPearl Gold tile at the top of the doorway feels like it is missing detailing, something that could have been accomplished through a sticker or a print.

Aside from the walls and gate, the build itself rests atop a display stand helping round off the build and add side detailing to let it display well as a standalone set. SNOT (Studs Not On Top) edge detailing helps create the ornate look as the 297Warm GoldPearl Gold contrasts against the 21Bright RedRed and 26Black of the rest of the base. As the Ninjago sets we looked at prior lacked much architectural structures it was welcoming to see this beautiful and filling structure that does a great job at capturing just as much detail as is needed for a small display piece, while not deviating away from the main goal of this set, that being to serve as a decorative character display that will be built upon with each 15th anniversary minifigure you collect.

Without minifigures the display looks welcoming with its gates.

We once again see the incredible details of the tōrō in this set. I don’t blame designers for reusing this mini build as it is great, fitting the overarching theme and scene perfectly captures the look perfectly. There is not much more to say that was not already said earlier so enjoy marvelling at this beautiful build.

The tōrō is my favorite detail in this set.

Along both the base of the character display and the anniversary minifigure display stands are technic pins indicating a connection point. While we have not seen all of the anniversary sets that are to be released in 2026 I can only assume that each of the stands for the anniversary figure are intended to be connected to the character display to create a huge display piece. It will be interesting to see what the intended use is and how it will look when put together.

The display is designed to connect to other displays.

#71866 Ninja Character Display 15th Anniversary is intended to be a display piece and as such the majority of the pieces are used on the front exterior, but that doesn’t mean there are no hidden details. Tucked in the back is the monastery’s tearoom with a stickered mural depicting an iconic battle scene between brothers Wu and Garmadon from the first season of the Ninjago show. The stickered scene looks so great that even though I had not watched the show I dug through the internet to find a grainy copy of the scene. As history is always told by the victor, there was some creative liberty Wu took in the depiction of the scene in the mural, but the mural is great nontheless.

The tea room is the only interior detail.

As the name suggests, #71866 Ninja Character Display 15th Anniversary is a character display and as such is packed with minifigures. This is the first Ninjago set I have seen that includes the entire core ninja cast from the show, making it a great way to pick up every single ninja should you be new to Ninjago. The set contains 8 characters, all donning their season 1 attire from the TV show, these being Kai, Zane, Cole, Jay, Lloyd, Wu, Samurai X and exclusively the elemental Master of Lightning. Although I am nitpicking here, all of the 5 core ninjas have 297Warm GoldPearl Gold pauldrons and hood detailing, something that is not show accurate as Cole and Jay don 315 Silver MetallicFlat Silver in the show. For a set that celebrates the 15th anniversary this oversight is sloppy and lazy. I wonder if this was done as a cost saving measure to allow simple recolors and reuse of the 297Warm GoldPearl Gold variants. The minifigures themselves are rather simple and nothing to write home about, with the modern renditions of these minifigures being more detailed. It is important to note that this set does aim to pay homage to the first season and as such doesn’t need to go overly flashy.

All of the iconic Ninjago ninjas are included in this display.

As #71866 Ninja Character Display 15th Anniversary serves as a showcase piece to display the 15th anniversary of Ninjago it only makes sense to compare how the 15th anniversary minifigure compares to one released as part of the the 10th anniversary celebration in 2021. For each the designers took a different approach, with the 10th anniversary focusing on 297Warm GoldPearl Gold versions of the main cast while the 15th anniversary looks at unreleased side characters of the show over the years. This set includes for the first time ever the elemental Master of Lightning. I personally prefer the 10th anniversary minifigures as is the recolor is novel and feels celebratory, fit for an anniversary. There may be bias however as I do not watch the show so am not familiar with the figures included in the 15th anniversary line. Those more familiar with the show may have opposite opinions.

The 15th anniversary figures are not as interesting as the 10th anniversary ones.

I was a fan of #71866 Ninja Character Display 15th Anniversary. It has a great minifigure selection, even if I find the detailing a bit bland and forgiving the show inaccuracy, and has a great detailed structure. For the price point you get a lot, especially when compared to other sets in the same price bracket. The structure itself is ornate, fun to put together and dense, highlighting some great part usage and building techniques which make the build more varied. I almost want to pick up some additional pieces and expand the gates a little further just to make the display larger to house additional figures. All in all, a pretty great set and as such I give it a Recommended (4/5 Stars) rating.

Conclusion

With a large selection of sets being released all at once it can sometimes be overwhelming to decide what is worth picking up. Hopefully this article has shone some light into the sets themselves and the minifigures without revealing too much to ensure you have some of that LEGO magic as you pick up the sets. I acknowledge that I am not the intended target audience for these sets so my assessment on some of them may be harsher than that of others, with oversized vehicle focused sets ranking lower in my assessment.

Remember that Acceptable (2/5 Stars) and Good (3/5 Stars) are not bad ratings, and could be cherished sets for the right audience. The Dragons Rising wave of sets have some incredible minifigures, both for the Ninjas and the villains spread across the sets in the wave, while #71866 Ninja Character Display 15th Anniversary provides a great display piece with all the iconic Ninjas at a reasonable price in one set. I wish that there were more buildings included in these sets, but I am sure we will see this niche be filled with the other Ninjago sets that will come out in 2026.

• #71850 Lloyd vs. Earth Monster Spinner – Acceptable (2/5 Stars)
• #71849 Nya vs. Mutation Monster Spinner – Acceptable (2/5 Stars)
• #71851 Kai’s Dragon Mech Battle Pack – Good (3/5 Stars)
• #71854 Cole’s Mission Mech & Dragon Zane – Good (3/5 Stars)
• #71855 Ninja Dragon Riyu’s Battle – Good (3/5 Stars)
• #71856 Jay’s Transforming Car – Not Recommended (1/5 Stars)
• #71857 Ninja Vehicle Tree House Battle – Acceptable (2/5 Stars)
• #71859 The Dragon of Life – Recommended (4/5 Stars)
• #71866 Ninja Character Display 15th Anniversary – Recommended (4/5 Stars)

The Dragon Ninja variants included in this wave are incredible, although it’s frustrating you will need to pick up almost every single set to get all of them! LEGO is taking advantage of FOMO marketing tactics here, hoping the allure of these incredible minifigures drives people to buy sets they otherwise wouldn’t buy. I am not a fan of such marketing as it takes advantage of completionist tendencies and unhealthy consumerism. Unfortunately I will not fault LEGO entirely for employing this tactic however as it is used in all areas of life nowadays. As has been the case with LEGO sets over the last year, if you have the patience and can wait half a year you can expect to see most of these sets receive deep discounts of 20-40% off, making it more affordable to pick up sets you were otherwise on the fence on. Fortunately in my opinion, the best set of the wave also happens to be the most expensive set, which means if you are targeting all minifigures you won’t be pressured to buy an expensive set that is a poor set, or makes it easy to skip on the entire wave all together. All in all, some great highlights in the wave, but not one that you need to break the bank over.