Samukai claims to be a "fearsome master of the axe" even though he was never shown wielding an axe before this special. Cole's Spinjitzu appears normal when the ninja arrived at the museum, yet later, when he fights Yang's students in the temple, his Spinjitzu has a ghostly appearance. A teaser featuring the opening scene was released on August 18, 2016, while the official trailer was released on September 30, 2016. Day of the Departed aired on October 29, 2016, in the United States. It follows the ninja as they commemorate their ancestors and fallen friends on a sacred holiday. During this, Master Yang manipulates Cole into ushering in the return of the ninjas' arch-enemies—forcing them into an unexpected and dangerous conflict. This is the first episode to feature several villains at once, including Samukai (last seen in " Wrong Place, Wrong Time"), Kozu (last seen in " Rise of the Spinjitzu Master"), Cryptor (last seen in " The Titanium Ninja"), Pythor, Zugu and Eyezor (last seen in " The Corridor of Elders"), and Chen and Morro (last seen in " Curseworld, Part II"). Some of these villains have appeared within the last ten episodes of the previous season, while others, such as Samukai and Kozu, had not appeared in over forty episodes, which aired four years prior.

Kozu had an off-screen but implied death (Lloyd defeating the Overlord destroyed him, then Dareth turned his troops against him). P.I.X.A.L. had a cameo at the beginning of the special, before the introductory sequence to tie in with the effects of Jay's final wish in the previous episode. Misako, Dareth, and Ronin also made appearances in the special. Samukai was almost victorious but got overwhelmed (first the Golden Weapons, then Ronin supported Jay). Golden Legend · 2. Gold Rush · 3. A Day in the Life of a Golden Ninja · 4. Sweatin' to the Goldies · 5. Golden Hour Wu gets a bad feeling as Morro confronts him, though Wu is pained at having to fight his former student again, he states that he won't hesitate to do it again. However, Morro reveals he really has no intention of revenge; instead he tells Wu of Yang's plan and they set off to reunite the ninja.Before the special was released, Tommy Andreasen responded that "Yang only invites bad guys to the party" when asked if Garmadon could return on the Day of the Departed. [27] However, this statement proved to be false when Morro revealed himself as an ally to Wu and the ninja. Day of the Departed" was confirmed during San Diego Comic-Con 2016 along with The Hands of Time. During the event, the opening scene of the episode was shown to the audience.

When battling Yang's students, Cole says, "This isn't a fair fight. I'm handcuffed. [...] So you might want a few more guys." This is nearly identical to his quip in " Enkrypted": when Soto pointed out that the other Kryptarium inmates had weapons while the ninja were handcuffed, Cole said, "Yeah. Sounds like it's almost a fair fight." In-universe, it makes sense that Cole would reuse this line, considering the events of "Enkrypted" took place in an alternate timeline that Cole does not remember. The golden statue of a Hypnobrai general, which was previously seen in " Winds of Change" shortly before Morro possessed Lloyd, can be seen at the entrance of the Hall of Villainy. The episode marks the first time that the term Skulkin is used in the show instead of the Skeleton Army, with Samukai calling himself the "Skulkin general." When the ninja arrive on the Bounty and Kai says, "We have to help him," he and Lloyd are wearing their Jungle robes.At one point, Kai asks Nya if she thinks that they'll ever find out what actually happened to their parents. This hints to the next season, The Hands of Time, where the siblings do find out what actually happened to their parents.

Morro accepted his fate (by letting the Preeminent take him down and by returning to the Hall of Villainy then to the Departed Realm). Instrumental versions of " We Are Ninjago," " The Rift Whip," and " Day of the Departed" are heard in the first two scenes. Master Yang's students and the past villains' henchmen (Frakjaw, Krazi, two Stone Swordsmen, two Stone Scouts, three Nindroid warriors, Zugu, and Eyezor) serve as the villainous factions of the special respectively. When asked what "Close the circle" meant, Tommy Andreasen stated, "Finish the job. Get even. Settle the score. It is basically a trap to make Cole go to Yang." [25] The Helmet of Shadows makes its return in this episode, having last appeared in " Rise of the Spinjitzu Master." In its last appearance, it served the same purpose—for Dareth to control the Stone Army.Cryptor presumably challenged Zane because he inadvertently destroyed him by slaying the Golden Master. https://web.archive.org/web/20220531215509/https://play.google.com/store/movies/details/LEGO_Ninjago_Day_of_the_Departed?id=6trKqgs5xTI&gl=US Similarly one could argue that Day of The Departed seems to borrow most of the idea as part of their premise by the looks of it. That being The statues of the villains coming to life during nightfall, and Yang possibly serving as the equivalent of The Tablet Of Ahkmenrah since he is responsible for setting off the events in some way. This marks the last appearance of Cole as a ghost and the first appearance of him as a human since " The Temple on Haunted Hill." Andreasen confirmed various other aspects of the special, including that Pythor would appear in the flesh [9] and the special would feature several locations from early seasons. [10]

In actuality, Yang doesn't ally with the revived villains. He uses them to distract the ninja so they won't interfere with him opening the Rift of Return. This special focuses on Yang's conflict with Cole, while the return of the villains acts as a subplot. While holding up the head of the statue, Lloyd says, "You are still with me, dad!" This echoes part of Garmadon's last words to Lloyd in " Curseworld, Part II:" "Whatever happens to me, wherever I am—I will always be with you."Legacy · 2. Vehicles and Mechs · 3. Legendary Places · 4. Ninjago's Most Wanted · 5. The Digiverse and Beyond · 6. The Elemental Masters · 7. Beasts and Dragons · 8. Rise of Garmadon · 9. Prophecy of the Green Ninja · 10. Greatest Battles Cole has a lantern with him while viewing the Hall of Villainy, but when he goes off to Yang's portrait, his lantern disappears for the rest of the scene.