History Main / InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons

* ''Literature/TheCosmere'''s creator, Brandon Sanderson, is widely known for mostly inventing original, unique species to inhabit the many worlds of his shared universe - the only exception to this general rule of thumb thus far have been dragons. Sanderson says he likes dragons a lot, and has set them up to play a major role in one of his planned series, aptly named "Dragonsteel". In-universe, dragons are native to the ancestral human world of Yolen, are highly intelligent, long-lived if not immortal, capable of VoluntaryShapeshifting shapeshifting and at least a few became knowledgeable of the wider Cosmere and its various magics and peoples. Thus far, however, only two dragons have been confirmed to still be around and only one has made a physical appearance (in a human form at that).

* ''Manga/MyHeroAcademia'' introduces Ryukyu, the #9 ranked Pro Hero in the country. Her Quirk allows her to transform into a huge and powerful dragon.

* According to a Qualcomm spokesperson, Qualcomm's Snapdragon S1 QSD8250 system-on-chip, the first in a line of chipsets found in many mobile devices today, was so named because "Snap and Dragon sounded fast and fierce."

** Tarkir has a case of this working to a setting's detriment. When players were first introduced to the plane, Tarkir had five three-color clans, with the plane's dragons having long gone extinct. Then Sarkhan went back in time to save the BigGood Ugin from being killed by Nicol Bolas, which had the side effect of bringing back the dragons, who took over the clans and reformed them into two-color factions. This is somewhat presented as a good thing by the narrative, but it was undermined by the fact that the dragons were tyrannical, violent {{Jerkass}}es who oppressed the non-dragon races. WordOfGod is that Wizards of the Coast expected that the dragons' inherent coolness would compensate for the loss of the three-color factions, only to find players negatively reacting to the dragons because they saw them as erasing the uniqueness and culture of the three-color factions they were already invested in.

* ''Manga/MahouSenseiNegima'' has thrown in some dragons. The first one is a guardian in [[GreatBigLibraryOfEverything Library Island]] who apparently works as a watchman for Albireo Imma. The latter of the two dragons existed solely for [[{{Ninja}} Kaede]] to defeat while blindfolded. There's also the significantly [[SuperWeight less-powered]] ([[ActionSurvivor only having recently graduated]] from {{muggle}} status) [[BadassBookworm Yue]] taking a [[MixAndMatchCritters Gryphon-Dragon]] down with an [[JokeWeapon ornamental dagger]] and AwesomenessByAnalysis. At about the same time [[GratuitousNinja Kaede]] brought hers down, [[EverythingsBetterWithSamurai Setsuna]] and [[CuteBruiser Asuna]] took another one down, as well. [[BigBad Fate]] also demonstrates an OffhandBackhand to kill one of those dragons that had been left with a NonLethalKO by the heroines. Dragons are pretty much the [[TheWorfEffect Worf]] of Negima. Though there is Vrixas Nagasha, which fought Jack Rakan to a standstill... and it, as a representative of its species in Negima, is again Worfed. In a one hit kill no less.

** In chapter 655, [[spoiler:Luffy's crew encounters a real dragon.]]

* In the ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' episode 608, ''"Where No Togepi Has Gone Before,"'' [[OlympusMons Rayquaza]], a Dragon-type Pokemon, appears out of nowhere for a split second and [[BreathWeapon fires Hyper Beam]] at the rocket Ash and friends were riding on for passing its territory. The whole episode was about a [[BitchInSheepsClothing togepi]] messing with all the characters, and, after blasting them down, [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment Rayquaza leaves and is never mentioned again.]]
* of ''Anime/SpiritedAway'': There ''seems'' to be no particular plot reason for Haku to be a dragon, except that ''[[RuleOfCool dragons are just so cool]]''. However, this is {{averted|Trope}} with the realization that Haku represents a river spirit, often personified as dragons in Eastern culture, and in fact his reveal is part of the environmental message of the film.

* ''Manga/{{Claymore}}'' gets a lot more interesting at the reveal that [[spoiler:all of the warriors are essentially being trained up to become ''fucking dragon slayers.'']] Chapter 126 takes it even further [[spoiler:with the reveal that youma (and by extension Claymores) are humans augmented with parasites born from the flesh of dragons. The Claymores are ''half-dragon dragon slayers''.]]

* ''[[http://www.dragonstorm.com/ Dragon Storm]]'' is an RPG collectable card game that features dragons as one of the playable character types.

* In ''Uncanny ComicBook/XMen'' during the early '80s, in the midst of a climactic battle between the X-Men and the Brood, Kitty Pryde's life is saved... by a [[ShoulderSizedDragon small dragon]] who flies in out of nowhere, who later becomes Kitty's companion Lockheed and a popular fixture of the X-books.
* ''ComicBook/FiftyTwo'': The cover blurb for issue #39 advertises one of the stories as "Montoya fights a dragon." [[CoversAlwaysLie Montoya does not encounter a dragon in this issue. She does not confront any metaphorical or internal dragons, nor does she even fight with her Sensei, a guy named Richard Dragon.]]

* In ''ComicBook/TotallyAwesomeHulk'', Fin Fang Foom, the mightiest alien dragon in all Franchise/MarvelUniverse, makes a brief appearance in issue #2.

** In ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #262, the Daily Planet crew become trapped in a strange world. As making their way back to the portal where they came from, Superman and his friends are assaulted by an assortment of weird creatures, including a winged dragon.
** In ''ComicBook/AdventureComics'' #418, ComicBook/{{Supergirl}} is taking down a criminal gang when the leader -and old Batman's enemy- sics a green, flame-spewing dragon on her. Similarly, in ''ComicBook/SupermanFamily'' #174 the baddie-of-the-issue summons a sea dragon to keep Kara busy as he carries his plans out. The purple dragon comes out of nowhere, and after a brief but awesome tussle, it retreats and is never seen again.

* The ''Film/HarryPotter'' film series takes the awesomeness of its source material's dragons UpToEleven. Specifically, ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', and even more so ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows: Part 2''.
* As the page quote shows, this is subverted and lampshaded in ''Film/The13thWarrior''. It turned out the "fire wyrm" is just [[spoiler:a cavalry with torches, and Herger said he would have preferred an actual dragon. Of course, given that the size of the fire wyrm in question meant it was comprised of literally ''hundreds'' of warriors, all mounted on horseback and moving independently, his preference for a straight-up lizard is understandable.]]

* ''Film/{{Dolittle}}'' very randomly adds a giant, black, fire-breathing dragon to an old story that has otherwise always been set in the normal world, except with a guy who just happens to understand animals. The dragon looks like it belongs more in something like ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings.''

* ''Literature/TheEyesOfTheDragon'' has no real dragon in it. The dragon of the title comes from a stuffed and mounted dragon head that has peep-hole eyes. Any peep-hole would have done just as well, but it's more awesome with dragons.
** There is a real dragon! It dies in the backstory, but it was there.

* ''Literature/DragonSlippers''. Yeah, no such thing as dragons. You just keep thinking that, Creel...granted, the dragons have been in hiding for the past 300+ years. Plus, in book two, no one's worried about the war with[[spoiler: Citatie until they discover the army is mounted on DRAGONS.]]
* ''Literature/HarryPotter'': For most of the series, dragons are added primarily for the awesome (they appear only as plot devices). Rowling introduces them as if she knows that her readership expects them and is rewarding them for holding out for three books.

* ''Literature/AlexVerus'': The first book in the series makes a passing reference to a prophecy made by a dragon. The dragon itself makes no appearance in thst book, but it does help the prophecy stand out against [[SlidingScaleOfFateVsFreeWill the less certain, probability-based divinations]] that are the norm for the setting. The dragon shows up several books later in a quasi-dimension/tunnel beneath Arachne's home. It's the size of a skyscraper, and when it casually bats at an annoying minor villain, he doesn't so much spaller as [[PinkMist vaporize]].

* ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'': Festus. [[InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha Who also happens to be a giant magic robot]]. So, [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons Dragons]] + [[InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha Mecha]] = double invocation of awesome. [[spoiler: And after Festus' death, he - or his head, at least - is integrated into the ''Argo II'', a [[CoolAirship Cool Airship]]. Has [[Creator/RickRiordan Rick Riordan]] been reading this wiki?]]

** In ''Series/KyoryuSentaiZyuranger'' and the first season of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'', the main team pilots HumongousMecha based on StockDinosaurs. The [[TropeNamer Trope Naming]] {{Sixth Ranger}}s pilot a dragon-styled mecha. Said Sixth Rangers became [[BreakoutCharacter Breakout Characters]]. Deny the correlation as coincidence at your peril!

* This trope is no doubt the reason for the existence of documentaries like National Geographic's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3yrFj3Y8y4A Dragon Wars: Fire and Fury]] and Film/DragonsAFantasyMadeReal.

* I Fight Dragons
** If they do a [[CoverVersion cover]] of a song, they define this trope even more (i.e., ThePowerOfLove + InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons = [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtbh6CRua_U this song]]).

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' has dragons. They are pretty much ''the'' iconic magical critter of the setting, the mass awakening of the dragons in 2012 serving as the (at that point) most obvious herald of TheMagicComesBack. Fast-forward to the game's start in the 2050s and the dragons rule a significant piece of the setting behind the scenes, making their constant background in-fighting a good source of conflict and shadowruns (not that your PlayerCharacters will ever openly take a dragon job).

* The former ''Dueling Dragons'' coaster at [[Ride/UniversalStudios Universal's Islands of Adventure]] was about a fire and ice dragon battling one another.

*** Crossing over with DragonsAreDivine, Akatosh is the [[TopGod chief deity]] and God of Time in the Imperial [[SaintlyChurch "Nine Divines"]] religion. Akatosh takes the form of a dragon. The First Cyrodiilic Empire was founded when he (and the other Aedra who would become the Divines) lent their aid to the races of Men under St. Alessia (the "Slave Queen") against their [[OurElvesAreDifferent Ayleid (Wild Elf)]] masters (who were primarily [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedra worshipers]] to boot). Upon their victory, Akatosh [[BargainWithHeaven made a pact with mankind]], sealed by [[DivineParentage joining his blood]] with Alessia and placing her soul within the Amulet of Kings, that the Divines would give mankind their patronage in exchange for their worship. Since that day, all legitimate Cyrodiilic Emperors have been "Dragonborn," in the sense that they are (metaphysically) descended from Akatosh and Alessia and help to seal the barrier between Mundus (the mortal plane) and Oblivion (the realm of the Daedra). During the darkest hour of the [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollSIVOblivion Oblivion Crisis]], Mehrunes Dagon (the Daedric Price of [[OmnicidalManiac Destruction]]) successfully took form in Mundus, threatening to destroy all creation. [[spoiler:Martin Septim, the [[HiddenBackupPrince last in the line]] of these Dragonborn Emperors, shattered the Amulet of Kings and summoned Akatosh to Mundus, where he, in the form of a massive dragon, would banish Dagon]]. Standard dragons (including Alduin, though Alduin may be an ''aspect'' of Akatosh instead) are said to be the "[[DivineParentage children]]" of Akatosh. They are lesser Aedra, making them a form of divinity loosely akin to [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angelic beings]].) They have been worshiped by cultures throughout Nirn, from the ancient Atmorans ([[{{Precursors}} ancestors of the modern Nords]]), to the ancient Nords, and to the Ka Po' Tun "[[CatFolk Tiger Folk]]" of [[{{Wutai}} Akavir]]. The first two groups created the "Dragon Cults," in which the Dragon Priests held as much power as kings, ruling in the stead of the aloof dragons they worshiped. In Atmora, the priests demanded tribute and set down laws and codes of living that kept peace between dragons and men. This carried over to Skyrim, but they became much more aggressive and authoritarian in their leadership. (Eventually, the ancient Nords rebelled and, combined with a later Akaviri invasion, nearly drove the dragons to extinction.) The dragons practice a LanguageOfMagic, the "Thu'um" which allows for some small scale [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] by "[[MakeMeWannaShout shouting]]" elements into existence. The dragons themselves are TheAgeless, and while they can be slain by any capable individual, they possess ResurrectiveImmortality and can be brought back to life by another dragon unless their soul is [[YourSoulIsMine absorbed by another dragon (or Dragonborn)]]. Despite their divine origins, dragons [[DragonsAreDemonic are creatures of aggression and domination]], and it's [[AlwaysChaoticEvil in their blood to be cruel and contemptuous]]. However, they can [[HeelFaceTurn fight against their baser nature]], as best exemplified by Paarthurnax.
*** Peryite is the Daedric Prince of [[{{Plaguemaster}} Pestilence]] and Tasks, and throughout the series, most commonly takes the form of a four-legged green dragon. He obviously isn't a real dragon and simply likes [[VoluntaryShapeshifter manifesting as one]], which is said to be a "primordial and curious jest" toward Akatosh.
* In ''VideoGame/EVOSearchForEden'', if you eat a red crystal you temporarily get a powerful form depending on your current animal type. Naturally, if you're a bird, that temporary form is a Dragon.
** The red crystal forms are fixed, you just have to be a bird to reach the dragon one (and the gargoyle one). Temporarily turning into one via green crystal works too, since the effect doesn't wear off inside the cloud maze for some reason.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', despite the name, has only one true adult dragon, as an ''optional'' fight. The only other Dragonkin in the game are very young and small, or [[spoiler:a shapeshifted witch, and an Archdemon.]]

* ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'' had [[PlayingWithFire Magma Dragoon]], a Maverick Hunter-turned-traitor who destroyed an entire city and got an entire army organization blamed...just so that he could fight the heroes. For extra coolness, his moveset was based off [[StreetFighter Akuma]], complete with {{Shoryuken}} and [[KamehameHadouken Hadouken]] attacks.

* ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros'':

* ''VideoGame/BetrayalAtKrondor'': PlayedWith a bit: dragons are very rare in the game, and the one [=NPC=] who looks like a dragon tells you she isn't a dragon at all. However, after five chapters of fighting humanoid enemies and the odd [[ScaryScorpions Giant Scorpion]], there are finally a few fights against baby dragons.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Overwatch}}'', the Shimada brothers Genji and Hanzo both have dragon-based abilities. Genji's [[LimitBreak Ultimate]] ability causes a pair of dragons to surround him while he goes into a SuperMode that gives him powerful sword attacks, while Hanzo's Ultimate summons a pair of massive dragons that charge forward and continously damage enemies that get in their way, going through walls in the process.

'''Hanzo''': ''[when activatting his]'' Let the dragon consume you!

** Series protagonist Liu Kang can shoot fire balls shaped like dragons and has a [[FinishingMove Fatality]] in which he turns into a dragon and burns the opponent. In VideoGame/MortalKombat11 he has a [[LimitBreak Fatal Blow]] that allows him to summon a dragon made of fire to attack his opponent.

** In VideoGame/MortalKombatDeadlyAlliance, we are introduced to the Dragon Medallion, an AmplifierArtifact with a dragon image on it that boosted the abilities of whoever held it. Sub-Zero acquired it after defeating Sektor for control over the Lin Kuei clan and it increased his powers over cold and ice.
** VideoGame/MortalKombatDeception has the debut of the Dragon King Onaga who is also a DraconicHumanoid. Referenced in the lore of the above mentioned game, Onaga commanded a powerful army that was famed as unstable due to their immunity to death and was the original ruler of Outworld before he was betrayed and poisoned by Shao Kahn.
** In VideoGame/MortalKombatArmageddon, the brothers [[CainAndAbel Taven and Daegon]] each had a dragon as a guardian. Taven's was killed by Daegon.

* ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight'' sure references dragons a lot for an [[Franchise/{{Nasuverse}} expansive continuity]] that continues absolutely 0 actual dragons in any story. Dragon-killing swords, dragon slayers, ranks of phantasmal beasts, the difficulty in summoning dragons, inability to ride them, dragon tooth soldiers, Caster's Golden Fleece that she can't use and has absolutely 0 use in the story. And apparently awhile back a bored dragon sat around the temple and taught the monks stuff. There are none in the sequel either and the current projects they're working on are Tsukihime Rebirth (vampires) and a completely new visual novel about demons. Still no dragons. [[spoiler:The dragon is also symbolic of the house of [[KingArthur Pendragon]] -- the background mentions that Arturia would be weak against "anti-dragon" weapons, as Pendragon means "child of the dragon".]]
** It ultimately took up to ''LightNovel/FateApocrypha'' to finally see an actual dragon [[spoiler:in the form of Sieg turning into one.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'': The selling point is obviously the dragon; the main character, Jake Long, can "dragon up" to a European style dragon and fight evil under the tulteage of his grandfather, who is also a dragon, and is sometimes helped by his sister (dragon) but never his mother (who, despite being his grandfather's daughter, is inexplicably ''not'' a dragon). Also, the number #1 villain of the magical world is also a dragon and the #3, who are also the most common villains, are the Huntsclan who have dragon birthmarks.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'': Timmy had to fight a dragon to save his parents when they TimeTravel to the MiddleAges.

* ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'': Both Dora and [[EvilPrince Aragon]] transform into dragons.

* In the ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' episode "Spellbound", villain [[MailerDaemon Malchior]] could have easily been a human EvilSorcerer whose spirit was [[SealedEvilInACan trapped in one of Raven's spellbooks]] without substantially altering the plot- but he turns out to have been a dragon, just for that special dose of awesome. (What makes Malchior unique is that, unlike most dragons, he's ''very'' subtle, using deception and seduction to coerce Raven into trusting him. The ''most'' awesome part? This was a rare time when the character that would normally be the DistressedDamsel was the one who ''defeated'' him.)

* The ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' short "The Bashful Buzzard" featured a dragon near the end. Since there is no other fantasy element to the cartoon - it wasn't set in a StandardFantasySetting - there is no excuse for its appearance other than the director wanted to have a dragon on the picture.
* Granamyr from ''WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse1983''. [[WordOfGod Larry DiTillio]], who designed the character, stated that Granamyr was created to present a foe that even He-Man could not defeat physically, and that he considered "The Dragon's Gift", the episode where the character first appeared, the best episode written. And yeah, as any fan of the show will tell you, Granamyr is downright awesome. He was ''so'' awesome, in fact, that he was planned to appear in one episode of [[WesternAnimation/HeManAndTheMastersOfTheUniverse2002 the updated version of the cartoon]], specifically in the episode "Separation". however, [[ExiledFromContinuity copyrighting reasons]] prevented use of the character, so it was changed to the mother dragon He-Man had met in the previous episode, "Dragon's Brood".

* In the cartoon series ''WesternAnimation/ChipNDaleRescueRangers'' a character named Dtz is featured both in the opening credits as a dragon as well as in the episode Dale Beside Himself in which the character transforms into a dragon. Despite this the character only shows up for this one episode and as a dragon for less than 20 seconds

* A thunder dragon appears on the flag of UsefulNotes/{{Bhutan}}. This is referenced in ''[[VideoGame/HeartsOfIron Hearts of IronIV]]'' where becoming fascist renames the country to the Thunder Dragon Empire, and becoming communist renames it to the Union of Red Dragons.
** The flag of the [[UsefulNotes/DynastiesFromShangToQing Qing dynasty]] also had the [[TheFourGods Azure Dragon]] on it, and Qing iconography often depicted the Azure Dragon.

* ''Literature/AlexVerus'': The first book in the series makes a passing reference to a prophecy made by a dragon. The dragon itself makes no appearance, but it does help the prophecy stand out against [[SlidingScaleOfFateVsFreeWill the less certain, probability-based divinations]] that are the norm for the setting.

** Tarkir has a case of this working to a setting's detriment. When players were first introduced to the plane, Tarkir had five three-color clans, with the plane's dragons having long gone extinct. Then Sarkhan went back in time to save the BigGood Ugin from being killed by Nicol Bolas, which had the side effect of bringing back the dragons, who took over the clans and reformed them into two-color factions. This is somewhat presented as a good thing by the narrative, but it was undermined by the fact that the dragons are tyrannical, violent {{Jerkass}}es. WordOfGod is that Wizards of the Coast expected that the dragons' inherent coolness would compensate for the loss of the three-color factions, only to find players negatively reacting to the dragons because they saw them as erasing the uniqueness and culture of the three-color factions they were already invested in.

** Tarkir has a unique case of this. When players were first introduced to the plane, Tarkir had five three-color clans, with the plane's dragons having long gone extinct. Then Sarkhan went back in time to save the BigGood Ugin from being killed by Nicol Bolas, which had the side effect of bringing back the dragons, who took over the clans and reformed them into two-color factions. This is somewhat presented as a good thing by the narrative, but it's undermined by the fact that the dragons are tyrannical, violent {{Jerkass}}es. WordOfGod is that Wizards of the Coast expected that the dragons' inherent coolness would compensate for the loss of the three-color factions, only to find players negatively reacting to the dragons because they saw them as erasing the uniqueness and culture of the three-color factions they were already invested in.

** ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'' is where the series' dragons come [[JustForPun roaring back]] into the picture. The BigBad of the game is Alduin, the [[DragonsAreDemonic draconic]] BeastOfTheApocalypse who was [[SealedEvilInACan cast out of the stream of time]] by [[LongDeadBadass ancient heroes]] using the power of an [[TomeOfEldritchLore Elder Scroll]]. He has now returned and is using the ResurrectiveImmortality of the series' dragons to bring his fallen brethren back to life. Stopping he and his dragon minions is a major part of the game's main quest.

** Prince Goro, a sub boss for the first and [[VideoGame/MortalKombat4 fourth game]] is a member of the Shokan, a DraconicHumanoid race.

*** Crossing over with DragonsAreDivine, Akatosh is the [[TopGod chief deity]] and God of Time in the Imperial [[SaintlyChurch "Nine Divines"]] religion. Akatosh takes the form of a dragon. The First Cyrodiilic Empire was founded when he (and the other Aedra who would become the Divines) lent their aid to the races of Men under St. Alessia (the "Slave Queen") against their [[OurElvesAreBetter Ayleid (Wild Elf)]] masters (who were primarily [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedra worshipers]] to boot). Upon their victory, Akatosh [[BargainWithHeaven made a pact with mankind]], sealed by [[DivineParentage joining his blood]] with Alessia and placing her soul within the Amulet of Kings, that the Divines would give mankind their patronage in exchange for their worship. Since that day, all legitimate Cyrodiilic Emperors have been "Dragonborn," in the sense that they are (metaphysically) descended from Akatosh and Alessia and help to seal the barrier between Mundus (the mortal plane) and Oblivion (the realm of the Daedra). During the darkest hour of the [[VideoGame/TheElderScrollSIVOblivion Oblivion Crisis]], Mehrunes Dagon (the Daedric Price of [[OmnicidalManiac Destruction]]) successfully took form in Mundus, threatening to destroy all creation. [[spoiler:Martin Septim, the [[HiddenBackupPrince last in the line]] of these Dragonborn Emperors, shattered the Amulet of Kings and summoned Akatosh to Mundus, where he, in the form of a massive dragon, would banish Dagon]]. Standard dragons (including Alduin, though Alduin may be an ''aspect'' of Akatosh instead) are said to be the "[[DivineParentage children]]" of Akatosh. They are lesser Aedra, making them a form of divinity loosely akin to [[OurAngelsAreDifferent angelic beings]].) They have been worshiped by cultures throughout Nirn, from the ancient Atmorans ([[{{Precursors}} ancestors of the modern Nords]]), to the ancient Nords, and to the Ka Po' Tun "[[CatFolk Tiger Folk]]" of [[{{Wutai}} Akavir]]. The first two groups created the "Dragon Cults," in which the Dragon Priests held as much power as kings, ruling in the stead of the aloof dragons they worshiped. In Atmora, the priests demanded tribute and set down laws and codes of living that kept peace between dragons and men. This carried over to Skyrim, but they became much more aggressive and authoritarian in their leadership. (Eventually, the ancient Nords rebelled and, combined with a later Akaviri invasion, nearly drove the dragons to extinction.) The dragons practice a LanguageOfMagic, the "Thu'um" which allows for some small scale [[RealityWarper Reality Warping]] by "[[MakeMeWannaShout shouting]]" elements into existence. The dragons themselves are TheAgeless, and while they can be slain by any capable individual, they possess ResurrectiveImmortality and can be brought back to life by another dragon unless their soul is [[YourSoulIsMine absorbed by another dragon (or Dragonborn)]]. Despite their divine origins, dragons [[DragonsAreDemonic are creatures of aggression and domination]], and it's [[AlwaysChaoticEvil in their blood to be cruel and contemptuous]]. However, they can [[HeelFaceTurn fight against their baser nature]], as best exemplified by Paarthurnax.

** Tarkir has a unique case of this. When players were first introduced to the plane, Tarkir had five three-color clans, with the plane's dragons having long gone extinct. Then Sarkhan went back in time to save the BigGood Ugin from being killed by Nicol Bolas, which had the side effect of bringing back the dragons, who took over the clans and reformed them into two-color factions, and this is somewhat presented as a good thing by the narrative, but this is undermined by the fact that the dragons are tyrannical, violent {{Jerkass}}es. WordOfGod is that Wizards of the Coast expected that the dragons' inherent coolness would compensate for the loss of the three-color factions, only to find players negatively reacting to the dragons because they saw them as erasing the uniqueness and culture of the three-color factions they were already invested in.

** Tarkir has a unique case of this. When players were first introduced to the plane, Tarkir had five three-color clans, with the plane's dragons having long gone extinct. Then Sarkhan went back in time to save the BigGood Ugin from being killed by Nicol Bolas, which had the side effect of bringing back the dragons, who took over the clans and reformed them into two-color factions. WordOfGod is that Wizards of the Coast expected that the dragons' inherent coolness would compensate for the loss of the three-color factions, only to find players negatively reacting to the dragons because they saw them as erasing the uniqueness of the three-color factions they were already invested in. (It didn't help that the dragons were oppressive, violent {{Jerkass}}es.)

** Tarkir has a unique case of this. When players were first introduced to the plane, Tarkir had five three-color clans, with the plane's dragons having long gone extinct. Then Sarkhan went back in time to save the BigGood Ugin from being killed by Nicol Bolas, which had the side effect of bringing back the dragons, who took over the clans and reformed them into two-color factions. WordOfGod is that Wizards of the Coast expected that the dragons' inherent coolness would compensate for the ... only to find players negatively reacting to the dragons because they saw them as erasing the uniqueness of the three-color clans they were already invested in. (It didn't help that the dragons were oppressive, violent {{Jerkass}}es.)

** The plane of Tarkir doubles down on Ravnica's dragon extinction by scattering dragon skeletons around liberally, one of which is a major location in the story.

** Charizard is by far the most popular of the original Starter Three, and one of the most publicised Pokemon in media and advertising, rivalling Pikachu and Mewtwo in this regard. The fact it looks like a big badass dragon with a flaming tail may have had something to do with it. It's the only 'mon besides Mewtwo to get ''two'' Mega Evolutions, one of which finally makes it an actual part-Dragon type. It also got into ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' as its own character as opposed to part of a three man... [[JustForPun Uh, 'mon]] team.

* [[invoked]] ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'': Dulcy is a [[CaptainCrash clumsy]], [[OurDragonsAreDifferent ice breathing]] dragon who [[RememberTheNewGuy appears without explanation]] in the second season. The fans tend to [[TheScrappy take offense at here mere existence.]]

%%* Dulcy in ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM''.

* Dulcy in ''WesternAnimation/SonicSatAM''.

** In ''Disney/{{Aladdin}}'', Genie briefly turns into a dragon for no reason other than to show off his {{Shapeshifting}} skills.

* ''Film/{{Enchanted}}'' has the evil Queen Narissa transform into a dragon when [[spoiler:her earlier plan to kill Giselle fails]]. The entire film homages the animated Disney princess films, and this sequence in particular is a massive ShoutOut to ''Disney/SleepingBeauty''.

** Maleficent [[OneWingedAngel becomes a dragon]] in the final episode of Season 1, and later on after her grand reappearance in Season 4, just like in ''Disney/SleepingBeauty.''

** What makes this feel kinda shoved in is that the dragons are the most "typical" fantasy creature that feels out of place amongst creatures like platypus bears and sky bison. They also do not fit into the Fire nations history well at all since the one who started hunting them was Sozin, who had also had a pet dragon, and none of the flashbacks give an indication that Sozin was that far off the deep end to kill his own pet for no reason.