LavaShipping

LavaShipping is the slash ship between Kai and Cole from the Ninjago fandom.

Canon
Kai and Cole are part of the original four ninja, and were already established to be good friends, sometimes bickering together. They are loyal to one another, often seen together or touching each other, and are ready to sacrifice their lives for one another. Cole and Kai have similar characteristics; both are confident, strong, and are alternate leaders in the earlier seasons. They call each other brothers in a metaphorical sense rather than a familial one. Kai and Cole also have many 'shipping tease' scenes together throughout the series.

Pilot Episodes
When Jay, Zane, and Cole ambush Kai during 'The Way of the Ninja', Kai attacks Cole by locking his legs onto the sides of Cole's head. This has caused older fans to joke about the scene, saying things like how Cole had a "great view" and making other such comments.

When the four ninja talk to Master Wu, Cole assures him that the three of them (Zane, Jay and Cole) were 'solid'. Kai teases him by replying that they "didn't look so solid" to him, which made Cole shoot him an annoyed glare. After Wu formally introduces Cole as the master of earth, Kai scoffs at him. Cole greets Kai, calling him 'kid', says that he 'has his back' and that there's nothing in their world he's afraid of.

Cole was the first person to notice that Kai was missing before their attack on the Skeleton Army. When Kai separates himself from the ninja again and tries to push a heavy boulder, Cole tells him that he needs to remember that the four of them are a team, in which Kai dismisses him. Cole, along Zane and Jay, help Kai push the rock away, revealing the entrance to the Scythe of Quakes. After the ninja leave the camp using Spinjitzu, Kai and Cole share a high-five.

Season 1
In episode 2, Kai and Cole sit next to each other during their dinner. While explaining what their 'sense of humor' is to Zane, he hits Kai with a plate of food, causing the other ninja to laugh. When Wu dumps a bowl of sauce on Cole's head, Kai smirks and laughs at him.

In episode 9, Kai nuzzles Cole after he wins the Blade Cup. He also very much supports Cole in him unlocking his true self. They also touch each other a lot, and are very friendly with each other.

In season 10, Kai was the most upset when Cole 'died'. It also marked the second time Kai cried throughout the whole series (he first time being when Nya 'died' in Skybound).

In season 11, when Kai started a fire for the villagers, Cole held him the entire time. They had many ship tease moments in Season 12, such as when they 'danced' together in episode 9. Kai also risked his last life left to save Cole from falling. In episode 11, when Cole didn't have a vehicle he decides to get on Kai's. They also sacrifice themselves together at the end of the episode.

Fanon
LavaShipping started garnering attention during Season 1, then gradually grew as Ninjago continued, making it a decently popular ship. The ship mainly increased in popularity during Season 10, when Kai was distraught after Cole fell into the black clouds. Some Lavashippers have shipped the pairing since Season 1, and some started shipping the pairing as the series progressed. The Wildbrain seasons (Seasons 11-15) are notorious as they contain many ‘ship tease’ moments between Kai and Cole, thus making the ship explode in popularity throughout the recent years. Some fans speculate that Kai and Cole may be canon in the future (seeing the emphasis placed on the two), but due to international laws they can't become a canonized couple.

On AO3, Lavashipping has 700+ works, being the most written slash ship in the fandom alongside BruiseShipping. Lavashipping is the most written ship for Kai and Cole, and is the third most written ship under the Ninjago fandom tags (the first being Jaya and the second being the gen tag for the main six ninja).

It is mainly rivalled by the more canonized ship of Kailor, as fans tend to debate which two of the pairings are better. It is also rivalled by Conia, BruiseShipping, and even PlasmaShipping sometimes. It is is mainly shipped alongside Jaya or TechnoShipping.

FAN FICTION

TUMBLR

WIKI
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Trivia

 * The ship name stems from Earth, Cole's element and extreme heat (Fire, Kai's element) creating lava.