WMG / Spyro the Dragon

Note: Please do not use this page to blatantly bash the other continuities. Remember, TV Tropes has rules against this.

For WMG pertaining to specific Spyro works and other continuities, see the following pages:

• The Legend of Spyro
• Skylanders
• Skylanders Academy
• Spyro Reignited Trilogy

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Gnasty Gnorc rescued Ripto from the lava soon after Spyro 2. Ripto betrayed Gnasty later on.

Gnasty Gnorc snuck into Avalar right after the second game, and pulled Ripto out of the lava pits. The epilogue of Spyro 3 shows Gnasty and Ripto having a meeting to discuss "The Spyro Problem". However, Ripto betrayed Gnasty, and claimed Gnasty's scepter for himself. He also used it to revive Crush and Gulp.

A Hero's Tail was intended to be a reboot, and the start of a new trilogy.

That would explain the different voice cast, change in certain characters' personalities, and why Spyro acts like he's the same age as in Spyro 1.

• Even if they didn't go all the way, it and Shadow Legacy come off as prototypes for what was done in the Legend trilogy. Especially when it comes to the villains (Red towards both Cynder and Malekor, and The Sorcerer also towards Malekor).

The classic Spyro and The Legend of Spyro series take place in the same universe but...

Classic Spyro's world was the one before the TLoS and was destroyed by the Destroyer. TLoS Spyro was the reincarnation of the original Spyro (differences being due to being raised by dragonflies) and succeeds where he fails. Sorry, this has been running through my head this whole time.

Alternatively, The Legend of Spyro really is a prequel to the classic series.

When Spyro recreates the world at the end of Dawn of the Dragon, it sets up the classic series' realms. It could also be entirely possible that the Spyro in the classic series is really a descendant of the TLoS Spyro and Cynder.

• Ratchet5, a well known Spyro Youtuber has created a theory on TLoS being a prequel

Building on the above two WMGs, Skyland is the future after classic Spyro.

The Legend of Spyro is the past, then the world is destroyed and recreated by Spyro, and over time changes into classic Spyro setting. Then Skylanders is the future (it DOES seem to have more advanced technology, what with one of the elements being "Tech".) The three Spyros and Sparxes and two Hunters and Cynders are reincarnations.

• There's a page on DeviantArt that explains how this theory could work.

Going on the above, all the Spyros, and possibly Sparxes, Hunters, and Cynders are the same beings reincarnated.

Their massive differences in personality being the result of being raised differently.

• Other characters could be reincarnated like the Mysterious Figure/the Sorcerer being reincarnated as the Malefors.

The classic and Legend worlds are parallel to each other.

When you think about it. They could be something like yin and yang. The classic world is very bright, cheery, and while there is evil, they're normally not as dangerious and threating as most of the sterotypical big bads out there. Meanwhile, the Lo S world is much Darker and Edgier, with things being realistic in scenery and the villains are much more bloodthirsty then the classic villains. It could be said that the main characters of both worlds are the same people, only their destinies being radicially different.

Going off the above WMG, there exist versions of Cynder, Ignitus, and the Chronicler in the classic universe.

Of course, since the world is majorly different from the TLoS universe, their personalities are probably very different as well.

Continuing on the above theories, Cynder is Ember's alternate universe equivalent.

• Her different appearance, powers, and personality are because she was raised rather differently and was touched by the darkness.

Malefor IS the original Spyro

Think about it, original Purple Dragon, gleefully taught by his masters, considered a hero, Prowlus even said Malefor and Spyro were very similar as children. Eventually, he went insane from constantly having to save the world (or possibly a villain performing a Break the Cutie on him) and turned evil, and was renamed Malefor in response to his corruption. If true, this would make his "Not So Different" Remark speech very chilling indeed.

• This also adds to the creepiness of one of the dragons freed in the first game; he mentions they "always knew", but vanishes before this can be explained.
• This actually makes a lot of sense... and it also just ruined this troper's childhood.
  • But then why is he named Malefore and not Spyro I or something?
    • He felt he needed to change his name after his Face–Heel Turn? Though, it does beg the question of why the dragons decided to name someone else Spyro, with all the negative connotations that name would have...
    • "The dragons" did no such thing: He was raised by dragonflies, remember?
  • So the sequel takes place centuries in the future with Spyro, Sparx, and Hunter being reincarnations?

Moneybags is behind everything

He bribed Ripto to lock everyone up because he knew Spyro would come, and that meant he'd get more money! Plus, he sold Bianca into slavery with the Sorceress because he had her locked up like the animals. Heck! The events of the first game were probably brought upon us by Moneybags.

The reason there are gems lying around everywhere is because they're really low quality.

Moneybags doesn't care, he just sees the shiny gems and wants them now! But the various residents don't care about them because not only do they not need them, the gems simply aren't worth enough — you'd have to go on a huge collecting spree to buy anything, even if there was anything to buy.

• The earlier games say the gems were stolen from the dragons/Avalar/Forgotten Worlds by the villains.

The Spyro 1 home worlds represent a caste system

Think about it. The way the levels increase in difficulty is similar to how higher castes have stricter rules. The balloon fare is more expensive because it costs more to get to a richer neighborhood. Gnasty Gnorc's world is the last one because he put himself at the top, above all of the dragons.

• ... except for the fact that the Artisans seem to be the most important and respected dragons generally, and Nestor, the very first dragon you free, is even implied to be some sort of ruler (or at least a senior elder). If anything, the caste system seems to run in reverse order; the highly respected Artisans on top, the Peace Keepers, responsible for law and order, next, the self-important (though not utterly unjustifiably so) Magic Crafters after that, then the slightly country-ish Beast Makers, then the airy-fairy Dream Weavers — and finally the Dragon Junkyard, which truly is the pits of the Dragon Realms. The higher transport fees may simply be because you're going to a rougher neighbourhood each time - more risk for the balloonists (even though they seem to have no problem parking in the previous neighbourhood...).

Skylanders will set up a Crisis Crossover

Think about it. The Big Bad is able to hurl people into alternate worlds. How could they overlook the opportunity to crossover the three Spyros? Particularly with the outcry from older fans at each new universe. What better way to take advantage of that than featuring all three in one game?

• And the most famous levels could get HD remakes, Sonic Generations style.

Spyro is a Time Lord.

I believe my troper duties are done for today.

Moneybags is omnipotent.

Think about it. He shows up in, like, four places simulataneously in Autumn Plains in the second game. And in the third game, if you don't pay him to go into the ice-skating minigame, he scoffs, "What are you saving your money for, another sequel?" Then Enter the Dragonfly comes out, and we all know THAT wasn't exactly the best game ever... Then at the Agent 9 cage, he tells Spyro, "I bet you wish you had YOUR own action figure..." in a knowing way YEARS before Skylanders!

• Then why does he get his ass kicked by all the animal partners in Year of the Dragon after releasing them?
  • He's omniopotent yet incredibly greedy and stupid?
  • Alternatively, Moneybags is an example of Me's a Crowd and is a Seer. Other than that, he's just a greedy bear.
  • Or, you know, he could be letting them kick his butt intentionally so it seems like he's less powerful than he actually is.

There are more than three continuities

It's not just "Classic", "The Legend of Spyro", and "Skylanders". There are things in games like A Hero's Tail and Shadow Legacy that contradict earlier canon such as Hunter using a bow in later titles, Moneybags and Bentley in general, the Dragon Spirit randomly being in Enter the Dragonfly, and the two different stories about how the Dragon Realms was discovered. There's also Bianca's Chickification and the general lack of Elora in post-Insomniac titles.

• The GBA Spyro games happen in a continuity that's shared with Crash Bandicoot (see the crossover duology and Spyro's cameo in Crash Twinsanity). There's grounds to suspect that A Hero's Tail was during development meant to be the first attempt to reboot the franchise (addressing the contradictions with earlier games) and even after the devs didn't go all the way, can still be seperated into its own canon alongside Shadow Legacy (with the mentions of older games being from it happening in a broad strokes universe where similiar but different events to Insomniac's trilogy happened).

Spyro is not twelve

In Spyro Yearof The Dragon we're shown ages hatch every twelve years, which pins Spyro and his friends from Spyro: A Hero's Tail at at least twelve. What if he was even older chronologically but dragons age differently from "normal" species.

The reason everyone was so Out of Character in A Hero's Tail is because of the Dark Gems.

They were mentioned to warp reality around them, after all. That's why everyone was either wildly out of character or extremely flanderized version of themselves. Also explains why Sparx could talk despite normally making kazoo noses in other games, and why the fourth wall was barely existent in the game.

Additionally, Moneybags was attempting a gimmick during the course of A Hero's Tail and Shadow Legacy in attempt to get more gems.

• Moneybags is the only one who doesn't fit into "the dark gems" theory above, as while most of the character went back to their normal characterization in Shadow Legacy, Moneybags is still portrayed as a peddler instead of the posh Englishmen he was in the Classic trilogy. However, Moneybags is incredibly greedy, and would do anything to get more gems, even charging the only one who can save his realm (Ripto's Rage) gems to get to certain areas, or outright admitting to working for the bad guy to get more gems. (Year of the Dragon) As such, it's not too hard to claim that his sudden peddler characterization was a gimmick in an attempt to get more gems, believe beings would be more willing to buy from a peddler than an already rich looking Englishmen.

Moneybags Took a Level in Kindness due to Season of Flame.

• Throughout the game we see a more spiteful and vengeful Moneybags than before, basically stalking Shiela and blocking her maps, negotiating only with Spyro, and even charging extra to spite Shiela for cussing him. Given Shiela is a standout Nice Girl of the Spyro universe, it seems almost like Moneybags took exception to not even her liking him. At the end of the game however, in a bizarrely rare act of genorosity, Moneybags offers back Spyro all his gems out of gratitude for stopping Ripto, sheepishly insisting he never intended to keep them. Put together, it can almost be contextualised that Moneybags was finally starting to get hurt by how unpopular his greed was making him, acted out against someone he expected to show otherwise, only to realise he was his own problem and try to remedy it by being charitable to his most recurrent patsy .In the games afterwards, Moneybags is still greedy, but at least trying a more honorable trade of selling helpful items to Spyro, leaving them both on better terms.

Spyro is the richest dragon.

think about it. in the first game alone you collect 14000 gems free 80 dragons(or 60 or so with a few who needed a second rescue.) and a dozen eggs the next game Spyro comes home with 10000gems 64 magic orbs and in year of the dragon Spyro is responsible for the rescue of an entire generation. Avalar at least explicitly gave him the gems as a reward for his actions. assuming he gave back all the treasure from the first game and the forgotten worlds he still has almost as much as the entire dragon kingdom stated to be 14000.

Moneybags was protected by law until...

... He tried to make off with that dragon egg. dragon law protects merchants from being harmed, but when he tried to take the egg he was reclassified as an egg thief. thus everything on his person becomes forfeit and it was okay to attack him.

In the Classic Series, only Dragons can touch the gems (without being harmed).

This would explain why nobody but Spyro picks them up. In the first game, all of the Dragons are frozen, meaning they won't pick it up, and neither can the Gnorcs. And in the second and third games, there are no Dragons around. No doubt they're still valuable, and can be handled in certain ways. This also explains why Moneybags doesn't pick up the gems around him. He WANTS them, so he can sell/ogle them, but can't get them without Spyro's help.

• Dragonflies can touch the gems too.
  • Original poster here. I was thinking that too, the night I posted this, as Spyro 3 presents the problem of Sheila, Sgt Byrd, Bentley and Agent 9 getting gems. More likely, only Dragonflies have the magic to pick up gems. And when Spyro is down to 25% health (in the first three games at least, I haven't played Et D or aHT), Sparx is probably just hiding under Spyro's wing or something until he finds a butterfly. Sparx still gets the gems, but Spyro needs to get closer to them so that Sparx can reach them without coming out in the open.

In the Classic series, adult female dragons are huge, solitary creatures.

That'd explain why none are around in the games, despite there being eggs present — they only visit to have a shag and lay their eggs, then go right back to their usual routines of terrorizing towns, kidnapping princesses, sitting on enormous hoards of treasure and being too terrifying to be allowed in polite society.

In the Classic series, the Gnasty Gnorc fought in the first game was in fact a Doppelgänger.

Think about it: when you confront Gnasty Gnorc at the end of the game, he barely puts up a fight and goes down in two hits. Gnasty has proven to be a powerful mage, able to neutralize the whole Dragon Realms with a single spell, and his imposing stature, as well as the fact that he wears armor, should have made him a much, much tougher foe. Also, when you finally defeat him, he releases gems and his body disappears in a puff of smoke, just like the regular Gnorcs that he created with his magic.

So here is this Tropers' theory : when Gnasty understood that Spyro wouldn't stop, and after he witnessed the young dragon single-handedly destroy his whole army without breaking a sweat, he seriously doubted his ability to defeat the dragonling. Fearing he wouldn't be able to match Spyro, Gnasty took some gems out of his loot and created a unique gnorc, a less powerful copy of himself, which he ordered to try and defeat the dragon at all cost, before retreating somewhere Spyro couldn't find him.

This also explains why he returns to petrify the dragons once again in the 120% ending, not to mention that Spyro himself aknowledges that Gnasty is still around somewhere: because he actually was The Unfought. Eventually, he's defeated offscreen by Spyro in between the events of the first and second games.

Then again, when you consider that Gnasty is shown to be alive and well in Year Of The Dragon's epilogue, and that Ripto himself survived a dive in a lava pool, you have to wonder if, in the Spyro universe, getting killed is really that much of a problem...

Year of the Dragon wasn't the first time the Sorceress tried to steal the dragon eggs.

Don't you think it's weird that, for a whole kingdom, Spyro is the only dragonling to ever appear (unless you consider Enter the Dragonfly and A Hero's Tail to be part of the original continuity, in which case you can also count Ember and Flame)? In YotD, it is shown that every twelve years, fairies bring large amounts of eggs to the Dragon Realms, so Spyro logically shouldn't be alone; and since he avoided Gnasty's spell due to his small size, the other youngs should have been present as well in the first game...

It is revealed in YotD that the Sorceress needs 300 hatchling wings to complete the ritual that would grant her immortality. So maybe 12 years before the events of the game, she already tried once to steal the dragon eggs, but failed to get them all: Spyro's egg (as well as those containing Ember and Flame, once again if you want to count them in) was retrieved by means unknown, or wasn't stolen in the first place, making him the only one to avoid capture. This single missed egg was enough to ruin the Sorceress' plans, even if it's best not to think too much about what happened to the other hatchlings...

This also explains why, in a kingdom so large, every dragon seems to know who Spyro is, even though he probably never even ventured outside of the Artisans' realm before Gnasty's attack : of course he is famous, he was the only egg to hatch on that fateful year of the dragon!

• Seemingly supported by the Rekindled trilogy: several of the redesigned dragons have wings of metal or crystal, indicating that the Sorceress had taken theirs when they were young.

The Insomniac trilogy will be remastered for the PlayStation 4.

Since the Crash Bandicoot franchise is having its first three installments remade for the aforementioned console, why not give its sister series a similar treatment?

• Confirmed. The Spyro Reignited Trilogy was released in 2018 for the PS4 and Xbox One.

Zoe was in Spyro 1.

Specifically, she's the fairy in Haunted Towers who gives you permanent Superflame on that level. Granted, it could be a coincidence, but they both have red hair and yellow dresses, so... yeah. As to why she doesn't do that in later games, maybe it's some sort of effect of Haunted Towers that enables her to do so?

• Alternatively she is Save Fairy - in the Polish dub of Reignited Trilogy, the said fairy is voiced by Magdalena Krylik who also voices Zoe in the Reignited versions of the Ripto's Rage! and Year of the Dragon. But then how you explain that Save Fairy has blonde hair in ponytail and orange clothes, while Zoe's colors are essentialy reversed, with addition of having different hairstyle...

Elora's absence from the series after Year of the Dragon was driven by censorship and failure to find a use in gameplay

Elora has a distinction of being the only one among the trio of herself, Hunter, and the Professor from Spyro 2 to never return in any of the games following Spyro 3 beyond a really small cameo in The Orange Conspiracy which is just a card. It's odd that they never so much as spoke of her in dialogue, almost giving the impression that later developers were embarrassed of her and quietly removed from the series.

This WMG suggests that Elora's disappearance stemmed from concerns her design wasn't child friendly enough, considering both how she's effectively nude from the waist down and how technology advanced enabling her body to be more detailed. Keep in mind, Half-Dressed Cartoon Animal (and since she's a faun in a cartoony series, would apply to Elora) is in many cases avoided for female characters drawn as more realistic/humanoid/attractive than the males and/or the more cartoony females (see Gadget from Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers, Amy Rose or Rouge the Bat from Sonic The Hedgehog, Coco and Tawna from Crash Bandicoot). Post-Insomniac devs would judge Elora as inappropriate and act accordingly. You could ask what stopped them from just redesigning her, to which you'll be told what in the next paragraph.

Elora wouldn't provide a gameplay niche not already covered by other characters. Looking at Year of the Dragon alone, Hunter was Spyro's effective Lancer who introduced minigames, Moneybags continued being a gate you needed to bribe, and the Professor briefly showed up to inform Agent 9 on the situation in his lab. Elora just made a cameo at the end and otherwise took no part in the game's events. This carried into the rest of the series before Legend, since Elora continued to not have a niche for herself. Combine all that with the issue of her design and you can see the developers of the post-Insomniac games would pick to retire her instead of dealing with it all.

Guesses for future playable characters (as well as updates for the existing characters):

Ever since Spyro: Year of the Dragon, there's been a general increase in additional playable characters throughout the series: Sheila, Sgt Byrd, Bentley, Agent 9 and Sparx in YotD and Hunter and Blink in A Hero's Tail. Following this, it stands to reason that whatever new classic (games that take place in this new universe the Reignited Trilogy has set up) games come out will most likely incorporate some new gameplay styles, as well as possibly updating some of the older characters' movesets should they be brought back.

• Here are some possible newcomers:
  • Elora: Considering the one reason people speculate she hasn't returned beyond the original trilogy (her inappropriate design) is no longer a factor, she could finally be made a full playable character like she was allegedly intended to be in Aot R. Judging from her apparent ability to tame animals (if those pterodactyls in Gulp's fight are any indication), her gameplay would revolve around finding and riding different animals, resulting in a different type of gameplay every time you use her. Possible animals to use include pterodactyls from Skelos Badlands, bulls from Town Square, and the giant dragons from Fireworks Factory.
  • Bianca: She stands out as a major fan-favourite, and has had some demand to be a fully playable character in the same way the friends in Yot D were. She'd most likely be focused on using her magic to solve puzzles, usually involving turning enemies into various objects. She'd also have a form of teleportation as her second jump, allowing her to access heights Spyro can't, based off her methods of movement in her debut.
  • Greta: That little girl from the Fireworks Factory has demonstrated some interesting abilities that could make for a cool character: her gameplay would most likely revolve around sneaking past enemies ala Metal Gear Solid, though she'd be able to bust out her awesome karate moves in a pinch, or jump out of there by "Fweeing her mind". In addition, she'd also be able to utilise her strange twin powers should she be able to find Handel elsewhere in her levels.
• In addition, several of the old characters will gain new abilities to go with the advances of technology since the PS1 days:
  • Sheila would gain some boomerangs, allowing her to hit targets from further away and solve ranged puzzles, in addition to her usual jumping abilities. She'd also be given some longer ranged combo attacks, and possibly be able to launch herself at enemies, alievating her previous problems of being unable to hit certain enemies effectively.
  • Bentley would gain attacks beyond his usual short-ranged club swing, in order to make him feel more like the awe-inspiring giant he should feel like, such as longer ranged punches, kicks, and a bigger variety of club attacks. He'd also use his strength for certain puzzles, mainly revolving around picking up heavy objects and moving them elsewhere, like in that brief section where he had to move metal boxes in his home world.
  • Hunter would probably play just as he did in A Hero's Tail, albeit with more claw attacks and the ability to enter and leave his vehicles freely.

The series will get a racing game at some point.

Since Crash and Spyro have had a lot of similar games (a three-game PS1 trilogy that later got remade, a PS2 installment that wasn't considered as good as the original games, a later game that drastically changed several core elements of the series but still retained the series' core gameplay, and a highly-contested reboot [or pseudo-reboot in Crash's case]), it only makes sense that Spyro will eventually get a racer of his own to go with Crash's. Whether it goes for the kart-racing-based approach Crash did or something completely original (perhaps something like the Speedway levels?) is unknown.

While it's unlikely we'll see another game in The Legend of Spyro continuity, it doesn't mean it'll be the last we'll see of it.

We've already had cheeky references to it in Spyro Reignited Trilogy with the crystal dragon statues resembling Ignitus and the building architecture in Spyro 1 bringing to mind the dragon temples seen in TLoS. Toys For Bob seems well aware that a lot of people still like the Legend sub-series despite being contentious among a Vocal Minority of Classic fans if the fact that both Cynder and Malefor survived the Skylanders reboot is any indication.

Keep in mind this is not a theory designed to defend the sub-series, but rather speculation on how far Toys for Bob is willing to push these cheeky nods and references. I'd prefer if this could be kept civil and not have a war breaking out over this.

• We'll see more TLoS characters reimagined to be more fitting to the Classic universe.
  • Cynder is the most obvious and most likely; if they don't try to adapt her general plotline (since Bianca kind of already did that in a previous Spyro game) she'll probably be turned into something of a female Spyro and alt-playable character ala Coco from Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy.
  • Malefor. He'll probably be a more serious villain but nowhere near as extreme as he was in the TLoS trilogy. He'll definitely push Spyro far more than any previous villain and will be guarantee to have a connection with Cynder in whatever they reimagine him as. He will be a composite character with classic villain Stranger/the Sorcerer.
  • Ignitus is possible if not as likely as the previous two. He was basically the closest thing Spyro had to a dragon dad in TLoS. If Toys for Bob wants to continue with the interpretation that dragons are communally raised, he could be the Artisan Spyro relates the most to or the one who actually knows how to encourage Spyro and get him to act well.
• A Legend of Spyro Realm will be added as DLC to a future game.
  • Probably the most unlikely, although not completely out of the realm of possibility. Gameplay would stick to classic Spyro navigating the more notable areas of TLoS and interacting with the case; maybe getting in a few snarky remarks at Legend Spyro's expense (though he'd probably fire back with a few of his own) and letting people who wanted to know what happened after the open ending of DotD get some closure. (As well as enticing TLoS fans to give the classic games a chance)
• The plot of TLoS will be adapted into the Classicverse in a much Lighter and Softer way.
  • Probable. The biggest problem TLoS faced among classic fans is its Darker and Edgier nature. Readapting it back into the classic continuity in a much Lighter and Softer way isn't as impossible as it sounds. The only major things that would need to be done are make the apes a lot more comedic on the same scale as the Gnorcs or the Rhynocs, remove the whole "dragon egg genocide" thing, rework Cynder to be far less angsty and keep Spyro snarky/playful/determined and be the one thing Malefor can't seem to break and you've already fixed the major issues most classic fans have with the series. Add on to that the Classic Spyro gameplay and there's actual potential for it to work out.

A fourth game will made in the same vein as Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time, and it'll take elements from Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly.

The idea of dragonflies going missing will be used, but a new villain will be the one behind it. Gnasty Gnorc will return, as a Mythology Gag based on the fact that he was originally going to help Ripto.

Why Gnasty instead of Ripto? I noticed that they seem to be pushing him as Spyro's main Big Bad in recent years. Notice how, when Spyro was added to Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled, Hunter and Gnasty were guest racers too.

Spyro having multiple breath abilities could come from different dragonfly types. One dragonfly provides him with ice breath, one with electricity, etc. Heck, the Dragon Spirit could play a role in the story instead of everyone acting like he's always been around.

If Gnasty was to be playable ala Dr. Cortex or Dingodile, he'd be a fast runner, referencing his boss fight in the first game, but he'd also be a Glass Cannon. He depends on long-range attacks, turning enemies into stone with his mace. Maybe instead of collecting gems, he turns them into Gnorc minions.

Spyro and Crash share the same universe.

• It seems to be closer to a shared multiverse, if games like Crash Bandicoot Purple, Spyro Orange, Skylanders: Imaginators (which itself has a different Spyro from the other examples) and Crash: On the Run! are any indication.

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