The Best Lego Ninjago Sets

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). 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.

Jay’s Lightning Jet EVO

• Set: #71784
• Age Range: 6+
• Piece Count: 146
• Dimensions: 2.5 in. (6 cm) high, 8.5 in. (22 cm) long, 8.5 in. (21 cm) wide
• Price: $9.99

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.

NINJAGO City Markets

• Set: #71799
• Age Range: 14+
• Piece Count: 6163
• Dimensions: 18 in. (46 cm) high, 20 in.(51 cm) wide, 10 in. (25 cm) deep
• Price: $369.99

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—like there are so many people that there was 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.

Best LEGO Deals

Dragon Stone Shrine

• Set: #71819
• Age Range: 13+
• Piece Count: 1212
• Dimensions: 9 in. (22 cm) high, 6.5 in. (17 cm) wide, 11.5 in. (29 cm) deep
• Price: $119.99

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.

Nya’s Water Dragon EVO

• Set: #71800
• Age Range: 6+
• Piece Count: 173
• Dimensions: 5 in. (13 cm) tall
• Price: $19.99

Another introductory build, this one features a squat water dragon with a wide base. That makes it sturdy for intense play, which a six-year-old will no doubt engage in. The detail on the dragon is especially nice, with stylized water elements and a scaly, curled-up snake torso.

Jay and Nya's Race Car EVO

• Set: #71776
• Age Range: 7+
• Piece Count: 536
• Dimensions: 8 in. (21 cm) high, 12.5 in. (32 cm) long, 4.5 in. (12 cm) wide
• Price: $49.99

This set includes both a car and a helicopter, and it swaps out the more typical skeleton enemies for snake warriors. The car's spoiler doubles as a detachable ninja glider, so Jay can engage in mid-air battle.

Creative Ninja Brick Box

• Set: #71787
• Age Range: 5+
• Piece Count: 530
• Dimensions: 6 in. (16 cm) high, 6.5 in. (17 cm) wide, 2.5 in. (6 cm)
• Price: $59.99

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

• Set: #71806
• Age Range: 7+
• Piece Count: 235
• Dimensions: 5.5 in. (14 cm) tall
• Price: $19.99

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

• Set: #71785
• Age Range: 9+
• Piece Count: 794
• Dimensions: 11 in. (28 cm) tall
• Price: $79.99

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

• Set: #71792
• Age Range: 8+
• Piece Count: 384
• Dimensions: 7.5 in. (19 cm) high, 4.5 in. (11 cm) long, 6 in. (16 cm) wide
• Price: $47.99

There's a lot to love about this set. It's a 2-in-1 build, first of all; 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

• Set: #71786
• Age Range: 10+
• Piece Count: 973
• Dimensions: 7.5 in. (19 cm) high, 18 in. (46 cm) wide, 18 in. (46 cm) deep
• Price: $99.99

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.

NINJAGO City Gardens

• Set: #71784
• Age Range: 14+
• Piece Count: 5686
• Dimensions: 29 in. (73 cm) high, 17.5 in. (44 cm) long, 13 in. (33 cm) wide
• Price: $349.99

The most expensive Ninjago set is this one—a 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.

LEGO Ninjago is into its second decade now, an achievement that demonstrates the brand's staying power.

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.