LEGO NINJAGO's new dragon showcases 14 years of evolution

The latest LEGO NINJAGO dragon takes the theme to new heights, showcasing just how far the theme's creature creations have come.

71847 The Guardian Dragon is NINJAGO's first display-only set, so much so that one fan has had to add in play functions with a custom build. This compromise means that the new set stands out from the many other NINJAGO dragons, and not just in a literal sense.

LEGO NINJAGO is known for its dragon models, and we're comparing 71847 The Guardian Dragon to three other dragon sets from throughout LEGO NINJAGO's history to discover why this build is one of LEGO NINJAGO's best dragons to date, and how the theme has evolved over 14 years.

The sets selected for this comparison include 2260 Ice Dragon Attack from 2011, 70653 Firstbourne from 2018 and 71753 Fire Dragon Attack from 2021. These sets all have different piece counts and prices compared to the new 71847 The Guardian Dragon, but their details are more comparable and showcase how much NINJAGO has changed over nearly 15 years.

For this comparison, we'll be focusing on these details, and taking into account the budget of each model, as well as when they were released, to see how NINJAGO has evolved and adapted up to 71847 The Guardian Dragon from earlier this year.

Heads

LEGO NINJAGO's dragon heads have had quite the journey over the past 14 years, starting with a moulded rubber variant in 2011. It relies on printing and texture to provide all details, while incorporating an ice blast function. This early effort was commendable and helped NINJAGO's dragons stand out compared to other creature models available at the time. It unfortunately had the consequential effect that the dragons within the theme ended up with similar-looking heads, though.

LEGO NINJAGO's dragon design philosophy eventually adapted to brick-built heads with more unique shaping, as seen in 2018's 70653 Firstbourne. This was accompanied by a shift in dragon designs in the animated series, allowing every dragon to stand out, but also adopt more grounded details that contrasted heavily with the designs of earlier models.

Despite this alarming level of contrast, the brick-built detailing offered NINJAGO a way to have its dragons stand out from not just creatures outside the theme, but builds within the theme as well. 70653 Firstbourne doesn't include a play feature within the head, which would start to become the norm for NINJAGO's dragons as the theme would go on.

The 10th anniversary in 2021 saw NINJAGO briefly return to the moulded dragon head concept, featuring the same angular design that was included in 2260 Ice Dragon Attack. This time, the head was scaled down, and there was no blasting function. Compared to these three designs, 71847 The Guardian Dragon's head embraces both a brick-built structure and a specialised element, blending the best of 70653 Firstbourne and 71753 Fire Dragon Attack's heads while hiding any unnatural aspects, such as the neck joints and the grey interior structure.

Wings

LEGO NINJAGO's dragon wings have come a long way since 2011, when they were depicted only with blades that gave the illusion of full wings. These efforts were fine for the time, and such techniques are still in use today, though with some improvements. 31161 Medieval Dragon is one such example of this, but you can't beat it when the NINJAGO designers plus up a set with printed material wings.

LEGO NINJAGO dragons have preferred printed material wings in more recent years. It adds some character to that specific creature and helps them to stand out from the other red, green, and blue dragons that are either on shelves at the same time or those previously available. For three of the four dragon sets selected for this comparison, those character-centric details are on full display.

71753 Fire Dragon Attack's elemental nature fits perfectly with the flames visible on its printed wings, though some of these details are inevitably lost when the wings are folded up. 70653 Firstbourne's wings look suitably old and gaunt, which makes sense when you consider that she is the mother of all dragons in NINJAGO's story, and therefore one of the oldest characters to exist.

71847 The Guardian Dragon's wings have the angular shapes that are common in the current design aesthetic of LEGO NINJAGO, seen frequently in Dragons Rising. The wings have some battle damage, demonstrating that she has had plenty of experience in combat. It's these smaller details in the printed wings that allow the newer LEGO NINJAGO dragons to have more character than previous sets possibly could.

The downside with these more recent wings is that only one side is printed, leaving the other side bland by comparison. It's especially noticeable in 71847 The Guardian Dragon, where the rear of the model is so highly detailed, but all you can see on the green wings are some exposed Technic pin ball joints. Unlike the other LEGO NINJAGO dragon models, you'll be tempted to look at the model from this angle as well, since there are other details to admire at the back.

Legs and claws

LEGO NINJAGO dragons have also had a huge makeover in recent years when it comes to their claws and feet. In 2011, the dragons commonly used the same claw element that debuted for BIONICLE's Piraka, which inherently features limited posability and exposes mechanical aspects of the figure. It didn't take NINJAGO long to veer away from this element for dragons, instead opting to use the Exo-Force mechanical arm piece that was already being used for claws on their wings.

In turn, this technique became almost too common. While effective, this part of LEGO NINJAGO dragons started to feel too similar as it was used time and time again. 2021's 71753 Fire Dragon Attack attempts to innovate with an extended leg design that differentiates it while adding plenty of stability, despite it only having two legs. This, in turn, helps with posing, which we'll explore in-depth later in this feature.

71847 The Guardian Dragon innovates further since there is no possibility of posing the set, using this compromise to its advantage. Since no part of the dragon needs to move, the legs are shaped specifically in a preset pose, covering almost any mechanical details for a more natural appearance. The use of sloped elements is otherwise similar to other NINJAGO dragon sets, making it clear that it belongs in the same theme as them. For display purposes, it's the best NINJAGO dragon foot design, but with the compromise that it is static.

Chests and scales

The chests and scale details of LEGO NINJAGO dragons differ in design and shape to fit each specific dragon, but they commonly use the technique of placing studs anywhere but the top of an element. This has always worked well and continues to be used effectively in 2025. 71847 The Guardian Dragon doesn't innovate in this aspect but uses the technique more than ever before.

While 70653 Firstbourne opts for stickers and decorated pieces for its scale detailings, LEGO NINJAGO dragons don't have to resort to this to make the most of the space available on their body. 71753 Fire Dragon Attack and 71847 The Guardian Dragon both opt for detailing that is entirely built from elements with no decoration whatsoever. Both techniques are effective, but the latter removes the risk of placing stickers incorrectly or exposing the colour change at the edge of the elements they are placed on.

By using the studs not on top technique more than ever before, thanks to its static nature, 71847 The Guardian Dragon demonstrates more than ever how effective the technique can be on creature creations. By layering elements on their side, it also recreates scales incredibly well, without the need for stickered details.

Profile and posing

There's no escaping the fact that 71847 The Guardian Dragon is the least posable LEGO NINJAGO dragon ever released intentionally, aiming for an older audience than any other NINJAGO dragon. Despite its inherent lack of posing options, 71847 The Guardian Dragon undoubtedly has one of the most impressive profiles, with its wings spread wide and body pointed upwards, thanks to the supportive base.

71753 Fire Dragon Attack has a similar profile, though with printing on the other side of its wings, and with the option to pose the model as well. Both 70653 Firstbourne and 2260 Ice Dragon Attack show how early LEGO NINJAGO dragons have had good profiles from certain angles and increased posing options compared to 71847 The Guardian Dragon.

LEGO NINJAGO dragons haven't become much more posable than they were in the early days of the theme, but their profiles and appearances have become much more experimental, now incorporating the landscape into the build in 71847 The Guardian Dragon.

The 2025 set is an evolution of LEGO NINJAGO's dragons in many ways, but in others, the set is warmly familiar for fans of the theme. 71847 The Guardian Dragon demonstrates what LEGO dragons can be with an important compromise, embracing NINJAGO's growing audience with a display-centric build that is rife with more details than ever before.

71847 The Guardian Dragon is available now alongside many other LEGO NINJAGO dragons, but none are quite like the display-forward Legends build. Click here to take a closer look at 71847 The Guardian Dragon and get ready for the 15th anniversary of NINJAGO in 2026.

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