History Awesome / HowToTrainYourDragon

* Though it's a KickTheSonOfABitch moment, Hiccup's lie about the Hairy Scary Librarian stealing a Murderous Stealth Dragon to save Big-Boobied Bertha from death or slavery. Hiccup later gets LaserGuidedKarma for that, but points for being a GuileHero.

* Fishlegs punching out Snotlout for acting like an UngratefulBastard and getting Camicazi captured. A KickTheSonOfABitch moment that was a long time in coming.

[[folder:First Film]]
* Hiccup. Untying the Night Fury. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Even the fully grown Vikings run from it as fast as they can. He untied it. Without any assurance that he'd live.
* Hiccup falling out of the sky with Toothless. Anybody else in that world would have panicked, frozen and then died. Hiccup stays calm enough (and virtually assumes a skydiving position) to try and control the situation and eventually remounts Toothless. Not to mention, Hiccup had also taken a good, sharp whack from Toothless' tail during the fall, and ''still'' managed to pull this off.
** And then he steers him perfectly through a group of rock formations without his cheat sheet. When Hiccup throws the sheet away, trusts his instincts and his bond with Toothless, and just ''goes for it'' while [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "Test Drive"]] soars to its overwhelming climax, ''shivers will run through your entire body!''
** This marks the moment where Hiccup and Toothless change nature: from a human riding a dragon to a combined being, trusting each other implicitly with their lives. From this moment on, Hiccup is no longer a Viking- he's a '''dragonrider.''' When Hiccup gives his barbaric yawp when they reach clear skies, he's earned it.
* When picking up the falling Astrid in the end battle. The picture, the music, everything is perfect. To cap it off, this valiant maiden says the only thing that needs to be said to a mighty fellow warrior about to accomplish the impossible:
-->'''Astrid''': Go...
* The end of Astrid's little speech on top of the wharf. ..Then something crazy!
** The whole speech. Drags Hiccup out of his self-pity and gets him to do what's needed to save the entire village from the giant dragon that only she and Hiccup have seen.
* High-speed flight. On the back of a dragon. Just above the foggy surface of the sea. Between cliffs and stone pillars. ''With an abomination at least twenty times as big chasing after you.''
* Even just Toothless' dive-bombing precision plasma attack, in general, complete with that ''eerie'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrEo8J0j7_s whistle.]]
* The entire battle against the Red Death. First when it's introduced, and the hardened dragon-killing Vikings who just moments ago were ready to kill thousands of dragons [[OhCrap ran for their boats in sheer terror]]. Then, the neglected prince comes in at the last minute, and their fight soon takes to the skies where all the Vikings on the ground can see is explosions like thunder and lightning silhouetting the Red Death. Then the Red Death comes plummeting out of the sky and explodes. Every scene evokes the feeling of an epic Viking tale 200 times greater than Beowulf.
** Standing out in that fight, Hiccup and Toothless going in for the shot.
--->'''Hiccup''': That thing has wings! ''Let's see if it can use them!''
--->'''''BOOM'''''
*** That shot is so powerful the Red Death gets ''knocked flat!''
** The gist of Hiccup's plan to [[BigDamnHeroes save everyone's asses?]] Have the other teenage Vikings distract the Red Death long enough for him to get to Toothless.
** The final battle really shows how effective a team Hiccup and Toothless really are. The massive armies of Vikings and Dragons independently have no chance but to flee from the Red Death. The newly recruited riders do nothing except annoy the massive beast. Hiccup and Toothless? Not only do they provide the only real challenge the Red Death faces, but also come out victorious in the end. The only reason Hiccup and Toothless couldn't hang in the fight for any longer was because Toothless' artificial tail fin caught on fire. In the end, a young boy and his pet dragon are more of a threat than a gigantic dragon monstrosity.
** The rest of the kids showing up with their own dragons and holding their own against the Red Death is also incredibly badass, considering their parents and the other adults are practically useless against it. Special mention goes to Snotlout, the all-talk-no-action DirtyCoward JerkJock, who gets knocked onto the the Red Death's head, and proceeds to distract the giant dragon ''[[BullyingADragon by bopping it in the eyes with a mallet]].''
--> '''Snotlout:''' [[BadassBoast I can't miss!]] [[DoNotTauntCthulhu What's wrong buddy?]] [[DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu You got something in your eye?]]
** While the Viking were hopelessly outmatched against the Red Death, Stoick got a moment where even though he knew the dragon would kill him, he was planning to divert his attention to let the rest of the army make an escape to the other side of the island. Even when facing an enemy he knows he can't beat, it [[DoNotGoGentle won't be picking him off like some sheep]].
* Stoick the Vast's introduction.
--> '''Hiccup''': That's Stoick the Vast. They say that when he was a baby, he popped a dragon's head clean off its shoulders. Do I believe it? (Stoick grabs a cart and throws it at a dragon, bringing it crashing down.) Yes, I do.
** During the attack, the catapult he's near gets attacked by a Monstrous Nightmare while it's on fire. What does Stoick do? Calmly tells the others to reload the catapult, while he pounds the thing upside the head with his hammer.
** Stoick and Gobber's last stand.
---> '''Stoick''': I can buy the men a few minutes if I can give that thing something to hunt!
---> '''Gobber''': Then I can double that time.
---> '''Stoick''': (smiles, then charges at the Red Death) Come on! Attack me!
---> '''Gobber''': Oh no... here! Here!
* ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUWBm0Z-Xww Test Drive]]'' and ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6fX4wWR58Y Forbidden Friendship]]''. So good that it was nominated for an Oscar for best film score.
** The whole soundtrack really does give you the sensation that you're flying. Do yourself a big favor and invest those ten dollars in it.
* After a Monstrous Nightmare pins down and tries to attack Hiccup, Toothless appears seemingly out of nowhere, jumps on its back, slashes at it, and basically scares it off into hiding. The thing was a little over three times his own size, and it was a very one-sided battle.
** Addendum to that statement: since Toothless has lost his left tail fin, he ''can't fly.'' But when he hears from a distance that his friend is in danger, he throws himself up the cliff that pins him into the box canyon and then he half-runs, half uses his wings to get to Hiccup in time. Especially awesome since he gets there just in the nick of time to place himself in front of Hiccup to protect him from the Monstrous Nightmare. ''Epic''.
** Even better, Toothless gets out of the canyon by getting his claw onto the same ledge Hiccup uses to get in and out of it, which he didn't notice during his more panicked attempts to escape at the start of the film. It seems Hiccup isn't the only one who's paying attention.
* Let's not forget how Hiccup was about to take on the Monstrous Nightmare: by taming it and showing the village that the Vikings don't have to kill dragons. He was about to use his coming-of-age ritual as a way to force the village to change their way of life. Not only does that showcase his CharacterDevelopment, but he might have pulled it off if Stoick hadn't panicked!
* The montage where it shows Hiccup using smarts and intellect to overcome his lack of bravado and become top of the class. It truly is awesome to watch a case of brains over brawn defeating dragons with relative ease.
** Bonus point for being one of the few moments that subverts the overturned the FlawlessToken YouGoGirl archetype; Hiccup outperformed the sole ace of the group, Astrid ''without'' using raw power!
* A lot of people seem to overlook a particularly satisfying moment of Awesome for Hiccup: After the disastrous final exam, Stoick drags Hiccup off and begins condemning him for his traitorous actions. Keep in mind that up until this point, the conversations between Hiccup and Stoick have always been very awkward and in the end, Hiccup just takes whatever his dad throws at him. But here, when Stoick is blaspheming the misunderstood dragons and saying "They've killed hundreds of us," Hiccup ''finally'' strikes back: "And we've killed ''thousands'' of them!" He then goes on to tell Stoick the real reason behind the raids. And when he accidentally reveals how to get to the Dragons' Nest using Toothless and his dad immediately sets off to do just that, does Hiccup just stand there? No. He tries to warn his father about the Red Death and makes one last desperate attempt to get Stoick to listen, culminating in "For once in your life, ''would you please listen to me?"'' Does it turn out badly for him? Yes. Does it show how far he's come from the beginning of the movie and that he's gained the courage to stand up against what he knows is wrong? '''You bet it does.'''
** As a bit of a precursor, the scene in the cove after discovering the dragon's nest is a similar moment for Hiccup. They've found "the thing Vikings have been looking for" for over 300 years, yet Hiccup is so determined to protect Toothless from the villagers that [[BluntYes the firmness of his one-word response to Astrid's solid reasoning]] is so plain that the only thing Astrid can respond with is a completely defeated "okay". That moment probably seeded both confidence in his own convictions and a belief that, perhaps with the right reasoning and tone, he could get ''anyone'' to understand what he had learned about dragons. Astrid deserves recognition for a moment of awesome as well for not pushing Hiccup any further, accepting his loyalty to Toothless over his village's desire to be free of dragons instantly.
* It's awesome enough when Stoick manages to pull Hiccup out of the water in time during the climactic battle. But the second his son is safe, he dives right back into the water again to free Toothless, the "unholy offspring of lightning and death itself." Granted, we all know that isn't the case by this point, but that's centuries of belief bred into these vikings. Even after everything Hiccup said to defend Toothless, Stoick was still taking a huge leap of faith by freeing him, especially after treating him so badly. Then Toothless has his own moment when he carries Stoick back out of the water to safety. And just shakes himself off and gestures for Hiccup to hop on so they can take the monstrous behemoth of a dragon down and all the while, the film's heroic theme is '''thundering''' on the soundtrack as the two disrespected heroes are back in action. So much awesome packed into a few seconds.
** There is actually another moment of awesome for Stoick within that scene. It's the reason he's gone back for Toothless. Stoick has just taken his people into a hopeless battle where they will all be slaughtered and he did this ''despite'' Hiccup warning him not to. They had a full-blown argument (note that this was probably the FIRST TIME Hiccup ever stood up to his father) that ended in Stoick disowning the son he loved dearly. And when everything Hiccup warned him about turns out to be true, what does Stoick do? He frees Hiccup's dragon and apologizes, turning the battle over to him ''without hesitating''. He realized he made a mistake and owned up to it, and began to work to repair it.
** A subtle one from a writing perspective: After Stoick disowns Hiccup and leaves him behind, look at his face. It immediately hits him what he just did. He realizes right away that he went too far. He wasn't dehumanized of the sake of being a StrawMan. He was just an angry Viking who made one irrational decision too many.
* Comparing Toothless and Hiccup's initial flying skills to their fight against the Red Death. When they're falling during the Test Drive scene, Hiccup barely manages to pull them back up before they hit the ground, and Toothless's wings fan out just in time to catch them. When Hiccup realizes that the Red Death has wings, Toothless spreads his wings again to stop in midair, whips around, and dives straight for the dragon, completely controlled. That, along with Hiccup's nonchalance during Toothless's spinning temper tantrum with Astrid, shows just how far they've come in terms of their flying ability.
* Being a 3-D theatrical film in which the glasses and extra money is justified and was wholly recommended for the stellar use of it during the flying sequences, which give off an exhilarating effect on par with James Cameron's ''Avatar'', which is no small feat.
* The {{Bookends}} ending: "The only upside is the pets. Other people have ponies or parrots. We have...DRAGONS!"
* There really should be a Chekhov's Gun page for this film. Among the things that play into the final battle that appear throughout the story:
** Fishlegs' [[AwesomenessByAnalysis breakdown]] of the Red Death's anatomy;
** Crashing into the rock formations during the test flight;
** Hiccup and Astrid's flight through the clouds, showing the visibility limits;
** Hiccup's understanding of how a bellows intensifies the heat of a forge;
** Gobber's instruction of targeting a dragon's wings and tail.;
** Toothless' inability to pull out of the freefall during the test flight;
** How Toothless tried to use his wings to decelerate at the same time; and
** The squabble between Toothless and the Terrible Terror ("Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?").
** In essence, the entire climax is Hiccup killing a dragon with LOGIC.
* And one that's overlooked: Hiccup shooting Toothless down in the first place. Consider that modern day anti-aircraft weapons are mostly effective due to being able to home in on a target. Before that, dealing with aircraft on the ground was MoreDakka with flak cannons and the biggest rapid-fire gun you could get. Toothless is a Night Fury, the draconic equivalent to a stealth fighter, and Hiccup shot him down with an ''unguided bola from a man-portable launcher'', one that did not even have the ability to elevate that far. Say what you will about how it pales in comparison to the rest of the two's [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Moments of Awesome]], but give Hiccup credit for being able to pull off that kind of shot.
* I might be the only one who thinks this but Hiccup picking up a knife with his foot and tossing it into a lake was pretty cool, it gets overshadowed by the fact that he's making himself virtually defenseless against the most dangerous dragon known to Vikingkind, but just the action itself is what I'm talking about. Picking up a nearly flat object with your shoe is hard enough but then he balances it on his foot and tosses it with enough distance that you can hear it go in the water. It's tiny compared to the rest of this page, but still really cool considering Hiccup isn't the most graceful person.
* One thing that's impressive about Astrid is that she sees what's happening, far better than the other characters. Hiccup is the one to learn that dragons are different from what the Vikings thought, and forge the first friendship with a dragon. But it's not him but Astrid who realizes that this friendship is going to change ''everything''. Hiccup just wants to protect a friend, but Astrid knows he's going to end a war, to the point where, during Hiccup's DarkestHour, she's actually in a pretty good mood - Hiccup is miserable because he's ruined everything, but Astrid is ''excited'' because she knows that ''something incredible'' is about to happen. She knows that is one of those moments that makes history, that what happens next is going to alter the course of not just their lives, but their home and its future.
-->'''Hiccup:''' Why is this so important to you all of a sudden?
-->'''Astrid:''' Because I want to remember what you say, right now.

[[folder:Rest of the Film Franchise]]
* Awesome/GiftOfTheNightFury
* Awesome/DragonsRidersOfBerk
* Awesome/HowToTrainYourDragon2
* Awesome/HowToTrainYourDragonTheHiddenWorld
[[/folder]]

* The BookEnds ending: "The only upside is the pets. Other people have ponies or parrots. We have...DRAGONS!"

[[folder: Book series]]

[[AC: How to Train Your Dragon]]

[[AC: How to Be a Pirate]]

[[AC: How to Speak Dragonese]]

[[AC: How to Cheat a Dragon's Curse]]

[[AC: How to Twist a Dragon's Tale]]

[[AC: A Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons]]

[[AC: How to Ride a Dragon's Storm]]

[[AC: How to Break a Dragon's Heart]]

[[AC: How to Steal a Dragon's Sword]]

[[AC: How to Seize a Dragon's Jewel]]

[[AC: How to Betray a Dragon's Hero]]

[[AC: How to Fight a Dragon's Fury]]

[[folder: First Film]]

** Bonus point for being one of the few moments that subverts the overturned the [[PositiveDiscrimination Positively Discriminated]] YouGoGirl archetype; Hiccup outperformed the sole ace of the group, Astrid ''without'' using raw power!

** And then he steers him perfectly through a group of rock formations without his cheat sheet. When Hiccup throws the sheet away, trusts his instincts and his bond with Toothless, and just ''goes for it'' while [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "Test Drive"]] soars to its triumphant climax, ''shivers will run through your entire body!''

** The whole speech. Drags Hiccup out of his self-pity and gets him to do what's needed to save the entire village from the enormous dragon that only she and Hiccup have seen.

** The final battle really shows how effective a team Hiccup and Toothless really are. The massive armies of Vikings and Dragons independently have no chance but to flee from the Red Death. The newly recruited riders do nothing but annoy the massive beast. Hiccup and Toothless? Not only do they provide the only real challenge the Red Death faces, but also come out victorious in the end. The only reason Hiccup and Toothless couldn't hang in the fight for any longer was because Toothless' artificial tail fin caught on fire. In the end, a young boy and his pet dragon are more of a threat than a gigantic dragon monstrosity.

** While the Viking were hopelessly outclassed against the Red Death, Stoick got a moment where even though he knew the dragon would kill him, he was planning to divert his attention to let the rest of the army make an escape to the other side of the island. Even when facing an enemy he knows he can't beat, it [[DoNotGoGentle won't be picking him off like some sheep]].

** During the attack, the catapult he's near gets attacked by a Monstrous Nightmare while it's on fire. What does Stoick do? Calmly tells the others to reload the catapult, while he bashes the thing upside the head with his hammer.

* The montage where it shows Hiccup using [[WebVideo/TheSpoonyExperiment Science!]] to overcome his lack of bravado and become top of the class. It truly is awesome to watch a case of brains over brawn defeating dragons with relative ease.

* A lot of people seem to overlook a particularly satisfying moment of Awesome for Hiccup: After the disastrous final exam, Stoick drags Hiccup off and begins condemning him for his traitorous actions. Keep in mind that up until this point, the conversations between Hiccup and Stoick have always been very awkward and in the end, Hiccup just takes whatever his dad throws at him. But here, when Stoick is blaspheming the misunderstood dragons and saying "They've killed hundreds of us," Hiccup finally, ''finally'' strikes back: "And we've killed ''thousands'' of them!" He then goes on to tell Stoick the real reason behind the raids. And when he accidentally reveals how to get to the Dragons' Nest using Toothless and his dad immediately sets off to do just that, does Hiccup just stand there? No. He tries to warn his father about the Red Death and makes one last desperate attempt to get Stoick to listen, culminating in "For once in your life, ''would you please listen to me?"'' Does it turn out badly for him? Yes. Does it show how far he's come from the beginning of the movie and that he's gained the courage to stand up against what he knows is wrong? '''You bet it does.'''

** A subtle one from a writing perspective: After Stoick disowns Hiccup and leaves him behind, look at his face. It immediately hits him what he just did. He realizes right away that he went too far. He wasn't dehumanized of the sake of being a StrawMan. He was just an angry Viking who made one rash decision too many.

* One thing that's impressive about Astrid is that she sees what's happening, far better than the other characters. Hiccup is the one to learn that dragons are different from what the Vikings thought, and forge the first friendship with a dragon. But it's not him but Astrid who realizes that this friendship is going to change ''everything''. Hiccup just wants to protect a friend, but Astrid knows he's going to end a war, to the point where, during Hiccup's DarkestHour, she's actually in a pretty good mood - Hiccup is miserable because he's ruined everything, but Astrid is ''excited'' because she knows that ''something incredible'' is about to happen.

** And then he steers him perfectly through a group of rock formations without his cheat sheet. When Hiccup throws the sheet away, trusts his instincts and his bond with Toothless, and just ''goes for it'' while [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "Test Flight"]] soars to its triumphant climax, ''shivers will run through your entire body!''

[[caption-width-right:350:''Test Flight.'']]

** Hiccup [[DidWeJustHaveTeaWithCthulhu talking to the Green Death]] and coming back alive.
** Thuggory, the Meathead heir, standing up for Hiccup against Snotlout and agreeing that Stoick and the chiefs shouldn't have put the law -- exile for failures of the dragon training test-- above their son's lives.
** [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Toothless risking his life]] [[spoiler:to save Hiccup from the Green Death]]

** Toothless realizing early on that "Alvin, the Poor But Honest Farmer" is an Outcast by his scent. Shame that Hiccup [[CassandraTruth doesn't believe him]].
*** Later, when Alvin traps Toothless in a barrel to stop him from warning Hiccup of the Outcast ambush, Toothless manages to knock the barrel down and roll it into several of the invaders, saving Hiccup's life.
** Stoick taking on several hundred Skullions to [[PapaWolf save Hiccup]]. And ''surviving''.
** Hiccup announcing he is Stoick the Vast's heir, despite having not found the treasure. Unfortunately Alvin sees this as an excuse to kill Hiccup, since he has vowed to kill the heir.

** Hiccup talking the Roman Consul into letting him, Fishlegs and Toothless live long enough to participate in the Gladiator arena. Counts as a ScheherezadeGambit
** [[BadassAdorable Camicazi's]] introduction. Her first act is to cut down Fishlegs's pants and engage Hiccup in a sword fight, assuming they are Roman spies. Being a Roman captive has only made her a BadassInDistress
*** Bonus points to Hiccup for holding up well against her, and then reasoning with her to stop fighting.
** Camicazi's numerous escape attempts, including DressingAsTheEnemy. They would have worked if she had applied some common sense or Hiccup's input, but knocking out a Roman guard and hanging from a Gronkle's leg for several hours is pretty badass.
** The escape from Fort Sinister. Details include Hiccup "flying" over the flooded arena, releasing a bunch of hungry Sharkworms onto the spectator, and taking the Consul to task for eating dragons:
---> "BECOME A VEGETARIAN"
** Fishlegs pushing Snotlout in the water, when Snotlout tries to claim credit for Hiccup's victory.

** Camicazi gets several. Face to face with [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Norbert the Nutjob]], she not only engages him in battle, [[ExcuseMeWhileIMultitask but also picks up a piece of food and eats it with one hand while keeping him at bay with the other]].
*** Also coerces Hiccup into letting her accompany him on the quest, or she'll [[BlackMail tell on him.]] This Bog thinks burgling from a psychotic chief is ''fun''.
*** Spies on the Hysterics with none of them noticing, picks the locks on Hiccup's cage easily, and manages to burgle the potato without setting off the alarm. Unfortunately, [[StickyFingers the ticking thing catches her eye . . .]]
** Hiccup catching the huge, double-headed axe which Norbert the Nutjob uses to divine what Fate wants him to do. When Norbert objects that he cheated, Hiccup alleges that Fate must have let him cheat. This scrawny kid argues a crazy enemy to a standstill.
*** Even before that, shooting Norbert in the butt to save Fishlegs from getting killed. Then pulling a BatmanGambit on sled dragon One-Eye to get rescued from a deep fall into freezing water.
** Hiccup telling his father that it's his duty as future Chief to help the dying Fishlegs, because "[he] has no one else to look after him."
*** After that, he goes on the potato quest after Stoick has forbidden him from doing so.
** Claiming he is the Chosen One of the Hysteric Tribe by [[RefugeInAudacity pulling the arrow out of the potato in and out after the potato has been thawed]]. As he had said before, a child could do it once the potato was no longer frozen. Norbert leaves him alone for three books after this.
** When he learns that [[spoiler: Hiccup really has Vorpentitis and needs the potato]] Stoick is ready to [[spoiler: rush out and wrest another one from the Doomfang, or from America.]] Old Wrinkly has to tell him otherwise, but it's the intent that matters.
** Fishlegs [[spoiler: understanding what ill Hiccup is trying to say ("OOT ME!") and shoots him in the toe with the arrow that was in said potato. Better, the author says that "this may be the only time Fishlegs actually hit anything he was aiming at."]]
** Hiccup later [[spoiler: planting the arrow so that more potatoes grow on Berk, and Vorpentitis is eradicated. The arrow also turns out to be a Lost Thing.]]

** Humongous has plenty of [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Awesome Moments]] given he is a Hero for Hire. Some highlights:
*** Constantly saving Hiccup from [[spoiler: murder attempts Humongous has orchestrated.]]
*** On seeing the heart's jewel, realizes that [[spoiler: Alvin lied about Valhallarama leaving Humongous to rot in the Lava Lout mines]]. Then shows up to [[spoiler: kick Alvin's butt in fencing.]]
** Hiccup realizing the riddle behind the Fire Stone, and getting Toothless to toss it into the volcano. Also figuring out that Alvin was trying to kill him ''again'' and [[spoiler: lied about Valhallarama leaving Humongous in the Lava Lout mines, after hearing how "Al the Terrific" is described.]]
** [[LavaSurfing Surfing. Down. Boiling. Lava.]]
** To Hel with that. Swordfight. With. Volcano. Erupting. In. Background
*** Hiccup refusing to give the Fire Stone to Alvin even under the threat of death by hook and swordpoint. CharacterDevelopment, as before Hiccup was willing to bargain with Alvin for his, Toothless and Fishlegs's lives, but now he knows better.
*** Figuring out in minutes how to use the heart's stone to call for help, and conscripting Toothless to deliver the stone.

** Hiccup and Camicazi taking on one of the most deadly swordfighters alive, despite neither of them being over twelve.
** Fishlegs knocking out said swordfighter with a heavy book on Flashburn's swordfighting.
** Though it's a KickTheSonOfABitch moment, Hiccup's lie about [[spoiler: the Hairy Scary Librarian stealing a Murderous Stealth Dragon]] to save Big-Boobied Bertha from death or slavery. Hiccup later gets LaserGuidedKarma for that, but points for being a GuileHero.
** Though it's HarsherInHindsight, Hiccup finding out that he had an ancestor, Hiccup II, who not only wrote books but had a secret passage named after him.
** Hiccup's notebook saving [[spoiler: Stoick the Vast]] from getting killed by an arrow. [[spoiler: This inspires Stoick to speak on behalf of opening up the library again, with success.]]

** Old Wrinkly [[spoiler: getting a prediction right for once]] and telling Hiccup to be on time according to the ticking thing. Then he starts dancing at the end before [[spoiler: Hiccup, Fishlegs and Camicazi show up and Hiccup is declared the winner of the Swimming Competition.]]
** Hiccup has two good ones while a captive on Norbert's ship.
*** Pulls a ScheherezadeGambit by making Norbert realize only Hiccup can use the ticking thing to navigate.
*** After reaching America, Hiccup has outlived his usefulness. His response to when Norbert says this? [[BatmanGambit "No, Norbert! Don't kill me because I'm a redhead!"]] This leads to [[spoiler: MUTINY because half of Norbert's crew are redheads, and the other half tries to wipe them out.]]
** Fighting Norber and a Sea Dragon. On a sinking ship. ''In a storm''.
** Fishlegs learning to swim [[spoiler: just in time to save an unconscious Hiccup from drowning.]]

** Hel, in ''How To Break A Dragon's Heart'': Swordfight. On. Flaming. Bridge. And Hiccup nearly WINS.
** Before the witch [[spoiler: tries to kill Hiccup after he realizes she is Alvin's mother]], she saves Toothless by removing all the unwanted things in his stomach, including a spoon, and a key. A witch in ''complete darkness'' operates on an unconscious dragon and sews him up.
*** Also, she figures out who Hiccup is by telling him the story of Hiccup II, though he quickly figures out who she si at the same time.
*** The witch is such a badass that even ALVIN is scared of her. Alvin the Treacherous is [[spoiler: ''scared of his mother''. Shame that she is a villain and evil.]]
** Camicazi is a very small eleven year old girl. But when she get's kidnapped in How to Break a Dragon's Heart, does she panic? Does she cry? ''Hell no.'' It takes ''six'' fully-grown warriors to catch her, and makes one of the most brutal warriors in the Archipelago cry. Then she holds their leader ''at knife point'', telling him that if he doesn't do what Hiccup says she'll kill him. ''Damn.''
*** Leaves a trail of winkles for Toothless to find, leading right to her tree.
** [[spoiler: Hiccup appearing on the Beast's back and single-handedly freeing every prisoner on the island. Though it becomes a case of NiceJobBreakingItHero when Furious sets the island on fire, vows to return in a year and wipe out the humans, and tosses Hiccup off his back.]]
** Fishlegs fighting his fear on the brink of death, so that the black nanodragons that swarm like flies to fear-ridden humans back off. Even his executioners are impressed.
** Furious surviving the events of his past, though it has left him as a [[spoiler: WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds]].

** Hiccup leading all the kids in a battle against the rebelling dragons in a seemingly hopeless position on the side of a cliff. He ends up getting rid of them through a brilliant trick with grappling hooks.
** Hiccup obtaining the crown from the Wodensfang after hearing his tale.
** Hiccup winning the swordfighting competition against several older, more experienced and powerful Vikings. [[spoiler: Including his own father.]]
** Despite [[spoiler: being outed with the Slavemark, seeing his tribe turn his back on him and his father sold into slavery]], Hiccup vows to beat Alvin for the kingship. Toothless and Windwalker remain loyal to him despite the Red Rage.
*** Only most of his tribe abandon him. [[spoiler: Fishlegs, the cowardly, useless runt, stands by his best friend.]]

** [[spoiler: Hiccup's mother. PERIOD.]]
*** Though it's supposed to be a case of cruel irony and OhCrap for Hiccup, the fact that she ambushes Hiccup at the beginning of the book and nearly kills him shows how badass she is.
*** Just as Hiccup has found the [[spoiler: jewel, Fishlegs, and Camicazi, Valhallarama shows up since her dragon is the only one that can track a deadly shadow, and kidnaps Hiccup to return him to the prison. She then talks back to the witch, rallies the slaves to riot against their tyrant king, and turns the Slavemark into a Dragonmark.]]
*** "You were not my first love, Stoick , but you will be my last." ''Aww''.
*** Excellinor mentions Valhallarama's failed courtship with Humongous [[spoiler: without mentioning that Excellinor's son Alvin was responsible]], and Valhallarama shows no reaction but TranquilFury. She then [[spoiler: tosses Alvin's poisoned arrow at him, claiming it's because he used the arrow to shoot her dragon White Shadow, but it may have also been payback for lying about Humongous's death to her.]]
** Camicazi breaking people out of the Slaveland Prison, and then refusing to leave Hiccup when he stays to find Fishlegs.
** Baggybum and Gobber calling out Snotlout for not treating them with respect and forgetting the loyalty to his tribe. Inverted case of CallingTheOldManOut

** The Wodensfang plays Devil's Advocate to Hiccup when he debates about saving Snotlout from wolf-like dragons, reminding him that doing such a thing will endanger him and his friends. [[spoiler: And the Wodensfang is right.]]
*** Despite agreeing with Fishlegs that Snotlout deserves to rot, Camicazi goes along with Hiccup's order to save Snotlout. [[spoiler: And gets captured for her effort.]] She refuses to betray Hiccup also when the witch tempts her.
** Fishlegs punching out Snotlout for acting like an UngratefulBastard and [[spoiler: getting Camicazi captured]]. A KickTheSonOfABitch moment that was a long time in coming.
*** The only one that eclipses that is [[spoiler: the captured Dragonmarkers turning their backs on Snotlout when he betrays Hiccup, and the witch giving Snotlout a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech. This helps Snotlout with a HeelRealization, which leads him to free the Dragonmarkers]]
** Plan B. [[spoiler: While chained up and dropped into the freezing ocean with piranha-like dragons, for minutes at a time, Windwalker breathes air into Hiccup's lungs and scares away the carnivores, allowing Hiccup to withstand the torture and not reveal the Dragonmarkers location and to trick the witch into lowering Camicazi into the water.]]
** Snotlout's [[spoiler: ImpersonationGambit and HeroicSacrifice, where he dresses up in Hiccup's clothes to draw the fire from the witch's dragons and arrows. It leads to EVERYONE thinking Hiccup is dead. [[TearJerker Including his parents]]]]
*** Before doing so, he asks Hiccup to tell everyone that he was a hero, and Hiccup thinks of his cousin with forgiveness.
*** [[spoiler: [[TearJerker Hiccup still has Snotlout's medal as an old man.]]]]
** Camicazi and Fishlegs going to find Hiccup, despite [[spoiler: the witch's declaration that he is dead, with his armor as proof]].

** [[spoiler: Amnesiac]] Hiccup not suffering [[spoiler: AmnesiacDissonance]] and getting past ALL the obstacles to the Island of Tomorrow, as well as correctly identifying several dragons from a far distance, including obscure species that he had never seen in person like the Woden's Nightmare. He even attacks [[spoiler: Camicazi]] at one point due to the Wodensfang's poorly worded instructions.
** Camicazi's plan to keep Hiccup alive to get to Tomorrow by pretending to be the Guardians.
** Toothless managing to single-handedly [[spoiler: cure Hiccup of his amnesia simply by reminding Hiccup of who he was.]]
--->'''Toothless''': What do you mean, [[spoiler:you don't know who I am? ''I'm T-t-toothless.'']]
--->'''Narrator''': [[spoiler:As soon as Toothless said the words, Hiccup remembered.]]
** The AwesomeMomentOfCrowning the entire series has been leading to, as numerous pieces of evidence plus Hiccup's various good deeds across the whole series present enough proof that he is the rightful king.
** [[spoiler:After spending his whole life searching for his father, Fishlegs discovers that it's Alvin the Treacherous, and promptly reams him out, declaring that he's starting his own tribe where literally everyone is welcome except Alvin.]]
** [[spoiler:Hiccup putting an end to the Dragon War with just a few words about how pointless the whole thing is, with a handy assist from Toothless to remind Furious of just how deep his bond with Hiccup the Second was.]]

* The end of Astrid's little speech on top of the wharf. [[spoiler: ..Then something crazy!]]

* A lot of people seem to overlook a particularly satisfying moment of Awesome for Hiccup: After the disastrous final exam, Stoick drags Hiccup off and begins condemning him for his traitorous actions. Keep in mind that up until this point, the conversations between Hiccup and Stoick have always been very awkward and in the end, Hiccup just takes whatever his dad throws at him. But here, when Stoick is blaspheming the misunderstood dragons and saying "They've killed hundreds of us," Hiccup finally, ''finally'' strikes back: "And we've killed ''thousands'' of them!" He then goes on to tell Stoick the real reason behind the raids. And when he accidentally reveals how to get to the Dragons' Nest using Toothless and his dad immediately sets off to do just that, does Hiccup just stand there? No. He tries to warn his father about the [[spoiler:Red Death]] and makes one last desperate attempt to get Stoick to listen, culminating in "For once in your life, ''would you please listen to me?"'' Does it turn out badly for him? Yes. Does it show how far he's come from the beginning of the movie and that he's gained the courage to stand up against what he knows is wrong? '''You bet it does.'''

** [[spoiler: Fishlegs' [[AwesomenessByAnalysis breakdown]] of the Red Death's anatomy]];
** [[spoiler: Crashing into the rock formations during the test flight]];
** [[spoiler: Hiccup and Astrid's flight through the clouds, showing the visibility limits]];
** [[spoiler: Hiccup's understanding of how a bellows intensifies the heat of a forge]];
** [[spoiler: Gobber's instruction of targeting a dragon's wings and tail.]];
** [[spoiler: Toothless' inability to pull out of the freefall during the test flight]];
** [[spoiler: How Toothless tried to use his wings to decelerate at the same time]]; and
** [[spoiler: The squabble between Toothless and the Terrible Terror ("Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?")]].
** In essence, the entire climax is [[spoiler: Hiccup killing a dragon with LOGIC]].

** Hiccup winning the swordfighting competition against several older, more experienced and powerful vikings. [[spoiler: Including his own father.]]

* Hiccup. Untying the Night Fury. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Even the fully grown vikings run from it as fast as they can. He untied it. Without any assurance that he'd live.

** This marks the moment where Hiccup and Toothless change nature: from a human riding a dragon to a combined being, trusting each other implicitly with their lives. From this moment on, Hiccup is no longer a viking- he's a '''dragonrider.''' When Hiccup gives his barbaric yawp when they reach clear skies, he's earned it.

* The entire battle against the Red Death. First when it's introduced, and the hardened dragon killing vikings who just moments ago were ready to kill thousands of dragons [[OhCrap ran for their boats in sheer terror]]. Then, the neglected prince comes in at the last minute, and their fight soon takes to the skies where all the vikings on the ground can see is explosions like thunder and lightning silhouetting the Red Death. Then the Red Death comes plummeting out of the sky and explodes. Every scene evokes the feeling of an epic viking tale 200 times greater than Beowulf.

** The gist of Hiccup's plan to [[BigDamnHeroes save everyone's asses?]] Have the other teenage vikings distract the Red Death long enough for him to get to Toothless.
** The final battle really shows how effective a team Hiccup and Toothless really are. The massive armies of Vikings and Dragons independently have no chance but the flee from the Red Death. The newly recruited riders do nothing but annoy the massive beast. Hiccup and Toothless? Not only do they provide the only real challenge the Red Death faces, but also to come out victorious in the end. The only reason Hiccup and Toothless couldn't hang in the fight for any longer was because Toothless' artificial tail fin caught on fire. In the end, a young boy and his pet dragon are more of a threat than a gigantic dragon monstrosity.

** While the Viking were hopelessly outclassed against the Red Death, Stoick got a moment where even though he knew the dragon would kill him, he was planning to divert his attention to let the rest of the army make an escape to the other side of the island. Even when facing an enemy he knows he can't beat, he [[DoNotGoGentle won't be picking him off like some sheep]].

--> '''Hiccup''': That's Stoick the Vast. They say that when he was a baby, he popped a dragon's head clean off its shoulders. Do I believe it? (Stoick grabs a cart and throws it at a dragon, bringing it crashing down.) Yes I do.

* Let's not forget how Hiccup was about to take on the Monstrous Nightmare: by taming it and showing the village that the Vikings don't have to kill dragons. He was about to use his coming-of-age ritual as a way to force the village to change their way of life not only does that showcase his CharacterDevelopment, but he might have pulled it off if Stoick hadn't panicked!

** There is actually another moment of awesome for Stoick within that scene. It's the reason he's gone back for Toothless. Stoick has just taken his people into a hopeless battle where they will all be slaughtered and he did this ''despite'' Hiccup warning him not to. They had a full blown argument (note that this was probably the FIRST TIME Hiccup ever stood up to his father) that ended in Stoick disowning the son he loved dearly. And when everything Hiccup warned him about turns out to be true, what does Stoick do? He frees Hiccup's dragon and apologizes, turning the battle over to him ''without hesitating''. He realized he made a mistake and owned up to it, and began to work to repair it.

* The BookEnds ending: "The only upside, is the pets. Other people have ponies or parrots. We have... DRAGONS!"

* And one that's overlooked: Hiccup shooting Toothless down in the first place. Consider that modern day anti-aircraft weapons are mostly effective due to being able to home in on a target. Before that, dealing with aircraft on the ground was MoreDakka with flak cannons and the biggest rapid fire gun you could get. Toothless is a Night Fury, the draconic equivalent to a stealth fighter, and Hiccup shot him down with an ''unguided bola from a man-portable launcher'', one that did not even have the ability to elevate that far. Say what you will about how it pales in comparison to the rest of the two's [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Moments of Awesome]], but give Hiccup credit for being able to pull off that kind of shot.
* I might be the only one who thinks this but Hiccup picking up a knife with his foot and tossing it into a lake was pretty cool, it get's overshadowed by the fact that he's making himself virtually defenseless against the most dangerous dragon known to viking kind, but just the action it'self is what I'm talking about. Picking up a nearly flat object with your shoe is hard enough but then he balances it on his foot and tosses it with enough distance that you can hear it go in the water. It's tiny compared to the rest of this page, but still really cool considering Hiccup isn't the most graceful person.
* One thing that's impressive about Astrid is that she sees what's happening, far better than the other characters. Hiccup is the one to learn that dragons are different from what the Vikings thought, and forge the first friendship with a dragon. But it's not him but Astrid who realises that this friendship is going to change ''everything''. Hiccup just wants to protect a friend, but Astrid knows he's going to end a war, to the point where, during Hiccup's DarkestHour, she's actually in a pretty good mood - Hiccup is miserable because he's ruined everything, but Astrid is ''excited'' because she knows that ''something incredible'' is about to happen.

* This is a behind-the-scenes moment that deserves mention; the scene where [[spoiler: Hiccup loses his leg]] was risky enough, but they showed it to test audiences [[MoralGuardian expecting the parents to make the usual fuss.]] Not only did the backlash not happen, but the parents actually '''encouraged''' them to keep it in. If this isn't a serious blow to the AnimationAgeGhetto, I don't know what is.

* Hiccup falling out of the sky with Toothless. Anybody else in that world would have panicked, froze and die. Hiccup stays calm enough (and virtually assumes a skydiving position) to try and control the situation and eventually remounts Toothless. Not to mention, Hiccup had also taken a good, sharp whack from Toothless' tail during the fall, and ''still'' managed to pull this off.

** This marks the moment where Hiccup and Toothless change nature: from a human riding a dragon to a combined being, trusting each other implicitly with their lives. From this moment on, Hiccup is no longer a viking- he's a '''dragonrider.'''

** As a bit of a precursor, the scene in the cove after discovering the dragon's nest is a similar moment for Hiccup. They've found "the thing Vikings have been looking for" for over 300 years, yet Hiccup is so determined to protect Toothless from the villagers that the firmness of his one-word response to Astrid's solid reasoning is so plain that the only thing Astrid can respond with is a completely defeated "okay". That moment probably seeded both confidence in his own convictions and a belief that, perhaps with the right reasoning and tone, he could get ''anyone'' to understand what he had learned about dragons. Astrid deserves recognition for a moment of awesome as well for not pushing Hiccup any further, accepting his loyalty to Toothless over his village's desire to be free of dragons instantly.

* The end of Astrid's little speech on top of the wharf. [[spoiler: ..then something crazy!]]

** The final battle really shows how effective a team Hiccup and Toothless really are. The massive armies of Vikings and Dragons independently have no chance but the flee from the Red Death. The newly recruited riders do nothing but annoy the massive beast. Hiccup and Toothless? Not only do they provide the only real challenge the Red Death faces, but also to come out victorious in the end. The only reason Hiccup and Toothless couldn't hang in the fight for any longer was because Toothless' artificial tail fin caught on fire. In the end, a young boy and his pet dragon are more of a threat than a gigantic eldritch abomination.

** This marks the moment where Hiccup and Toothless change nature: from a human riding a dragon to a combined being, trusting each other implicitly with their lives.