We're putting each of the LEGO Series 29 minifigures in the spotlight, starting with a certain someone from NINJAGO, the Mysterious Ronin.
Of all the 12 minifigures in LEGO 71052 Series 29, two lean into fan-favourite themes more than any others. This feature isn't about the Bionicle Cosplayer, though, as we're focusing on the NINJAGO entry. In case you have missed it, NINJAGO is celebrating a monumental 15th anniversary this year, including with special sets and exclusive minifigures.
The Mysterious Ronin is not one of those minifigures, though he was designed specifically for the 15th anniversary and therefore given a spot in this new series.
“We were talking, and we said that of course we could do something for the 15th anniversary," said LEGO Minifigures Design Lead Esa Nousiainen to Brick Fanatics at Fan Media Days 2025.
The idea behind this NINJAGO minifigure was to revisit a specific character down another path, different to the main series. It appears to be one with a more mature tone. In case you hadn't already guessed by the green eyes, blond hair and outfit, that character is Lloyd.
"We came up with the idea that this would be Lloyd from some kind of alternative timeline where he’s alone, and that’s why we named him Mysterious Ronin."
The minifigure design team aimed to keep his identity somewhat secret, but with some more obvious hints for NINJAGO fans. It was also mentioned that it's entirely up to the NINJAGO team if they want to use this design in future projects.
"It’s kind of like, for the fans who know who he is, they know, as the green eyes will be visible. Esa continued, "The rest is left to the NINJAGO team, such as if they want to use that in the stories, or not.”
Lloyds outfit has become darkened and worn over time, benefiting from the increased printing afforded to minifigures in these series. The finer printed details on this minifigure include additional armour embedded into the outfit and battle damage on the knee pads.
Minifigure series' increased budgets compared to minifigures in standard sets also mean new elements. A new hood and hair piece demonstrating how Lloyd's hair has grown considerably out of control, almost as if this version of Lloyd has stopped caring about his appearance, focused only on battle.
We'd be remiss not to mention those dual-moulded legs, too. Only a handful of NINJAGO minifigures have featured such a detail, making this Lloyd minifigure one of the most detailed for the theme so far.
Under the hood, Lloyd's face has added cheekbones, either to signify that the character has grown older, or that he has become leaner. Either path continues the narrative that this Lloyd is all alone, potentially struggling in the world. It may bring to mind the Golden Legend short from NINJAGO: Reimagined for the 10th anniversary, where NINJAGO was much more post-apocalyptic.
Moving away from any theories surrounding this minifigure, the outfit appears to take inspiration, or perhaps be a worn and muddied version of the Secrets of the Forbidden Spinjitzu outfit, which utilised similar printed emblems, straps and armour.
Beyond any speculation, we know now that this Lloyd minifigure was teased last year at the start of the anniversary reveals. A graphic from San Diego Comic-Con 2025 depicted a strange version of Lloyd that some online theorists theorised to be draconic in nature.
We now know that this is actually three Lloyd 2026 minifigures meshed into one. On the left is the new Legacy Lloyd outfit, based on his original appearance. In the middle is dragon form Lloyd from
The Mysterious Ronin is just one of the 12 new minifigures in
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