Meet the Dragons

Welcome to Dragonsteel's Tournament of Dragons! For the next month, we'll be hosting head to head competitions between some of fantasy's favorite flying fire-breathers. Before we can start the tournament though, we need to meet our challengers. We've selected thirty-two contestants who will face off daily to determine which wyrm is truly the fan favorite.

Smaug

A most specially greedy, strong, and wicked worm, Smaug is perhaps the most famous dragon in all of literature. After ousting the dwarves of Erebor, he ruled over their hoards and homes for over a century until Bilbo Baggins joined the company of Thorin Oakenshield on a quest to reclaim the Lonely Mountain. He was given an on screen depiction in both the 1977 animated version of The Hobbit and Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy, but for my money the coolest version of Smaug will always be the little red pen illustration on Thror's Map.

Toothless

One of the most beloved dragons of all time. Toothless and his forbidden friendship with Hiccup Horrendos Haddock III have been the mascot for dragon riders for 20 years now. His on screen depiction is quite different from his form in the books.

Charizard

Whether Charmander was your starter Pokemon in 1998, a beloved card in your blacktop-stained deck of cards, or you play Pokemon Trainer in Super Smash Bros, you know Charizard and odds are you love Charizard.

Shenron

The wish-granting eternal dragon whose magic balls give Dragon Ball its name. The power of his wish granting has kept Dragon Ball alive since 1984.

Gather all seven dragon balls and Shenron himself will grant your wish. Whether you’re in the mood for comfortable undergarments or an alternate universe featuring you as the arch-deity, Shenron can make it happen.

King Ghidorah

The three headed kaiju that brings a proper dragon to the cast of any Godzilla franchise. His recent on screen appearance in Legendary Pictures’ monster-verse made the King a primeval alien whose presence throws the hierarchy of nature and kaiju out of balance.

Hungarian Horntail

A few different dragons make their appearance at Hogwarts, but none makes quite the same impact as the Horntail. Harry faces this creature during the Triwizard Tournament, and it makes for some of the most triumphant moments in the entire series.

Falcor

Sometimes a dragon is a terrifying force of nature, a herald of death and destruction that begets only fire and misery. Other times, a dragon is a good friend and ally, a good boy, and a fluffy white good luck charm. Bonus points for looking like my dog.

Mushu

Mulan’s pint size dragon sidekick, Mushu, was once the guardian for the Fa family. Now he is dishonored and left eager to please, which sets things up nicely for his journey alongside the daughter of the Fa family and her quest to save all of China.

Drogon

Without Drogon, there is very little to the Khaleesi. Drogon’s appearances certainly stand out as one of the biggest, baddest depictions of a dragon on screen. Throughout Game of Thrones we get to watch him hatch, grow, and eventually become a winged weapon of mass destruction. 

Tiamat

Tiamat is the queen of evil dragons, one of the biggest bads in all of Dungeons and Dragons. This five-headed tyrant rules over the forces of all the chromatic dragons, and she has a head for each dragon color in the Monster Manual. At one point she ruled over hell, though now it serves as her inconvenient prison, a place where she bides her time until you can get your D&D group together frequently enough that their characters are strong enough to challenger her. With five brains, five breath attacks, five sets of teeth, she’ll be sure to put more than a dent in any adventuring party unlucky enough to face her.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon

Kaiba’s attack dog, the Blue-Eyes White Dragon is a fearsome summoned monster. By itself it is an extremely powerful dragon, and Yugi can only ever overcome it with complex combinations of cards and strategy—there is no single monster he can use to fight back. Blue-eyes is one of Yu-Gi-Oh's most iconic monsters.

Dragonite

Dragonite is a beloved and powerful member of the original 151 Pokemon, and made an appearance recently in Pokemon: Pokopia, lending the game his ability to fly and his incredible charm..

Alduin

The main villain in Skyrim, Alduin is the dragon god that heralds the return of the dovah to the world. From his iconic introduction to his boss fight in Sovngarde, he is a terrifying presence haunting the background of the Dovahkiin’s journey until their final confrontation. Perhaps best known as a Skyrim loading screen, where he sits atop a Word Wall, often accompanied by the words to the Prophecy of the Dragonborn.

Nicol Bolas

Magic: The Gathering’s most iconic villain, Nicol Bolas has been menacing the characters of Magic’s worlds for decades. Known throughout the planes as The Deceiver, the God-Pharoah, the Ravager, and more, he is a scheming arch-villain whose evil plan caused one of the biggest conflicts in Magic history, the War of the Spark. While our heroes defeated him then, he seems to be making a comeback with the upcoming Reality Fracture expansion.

Maleficent

If Mushu is Disney’s most beloved dragon, Maleficent is their most despised. In her final moments, Maleficent calls on the literal powers of Hell to transform into a massive black dragon, and she incinerates half of the forest with her iconic green breath while hunting Prince Philip. With the combined powers of one noble knight, his brave steed, and three magic fairies, good triumphs over evil and the fairy dragon is slain. If you want an iconic dragon, you need look no further than 1959’s Sleeping Beauty.

Trogdor the Burninator

From his debut in Strongbad Email #58, Trogdor is a wing-a-ling dragon who spends his spare time incinerating peasants and their thatched roof cottages. He was at his most viral in the early 2000s, but the classics never go out of style. Trogdor is still decorating school notebooks and worksheet margins 25 years after his introduction.

Saphira

Saphira’s eye is the first thing that catches your eye when you see Christopher Paolini’s Eragon. Paolini helped turn millions of schoolkids into readers back in the early 2000s, and Saphira herself was one of the best parts of the 2006 Eragon movie.

Carrying on the epic fantasy legacy of dragons and dragon-riders that Anne McAffrey established in Pern, Saphira and Eragon introduced a new millenia of readers.

Dragon

Guarding the princess in the highest room of the tallest tower is the Dragon. We see corpse after corpse in the castle where Dragon guards Fiona, evidence of two decades of dedicated service. After Shrek breaks the princess out of the castle, we are treated to one of the best escape sequences (and theme songs) in animation history. She takes a shine to Donkey, and before the adventure is over she develops a taste for short kings, in more ways than one.

Ran and Shaw

When the first benders learned to control fire, it was from the dragons. As the Fire Nation militarized, dragon hunting became a mark of prestige, until Iroh slayed the last living dragon, stealing the title “Dragon of the West” for himself. Years later, his nephew Zuko and the avatar discover the truth: Iroh found the first firebending masters and the last living dragons, and protected them by declaring he had slain the last dragon alive.

The Ender Dragon

Since her 2011 introduction as Minecraft's final boss.

Rathalos

There is little more satisfying than defeating a foe and then turning their bones, claws, and hide into armor. That is one of the core aspects of Monster Hunter, and few foes make the process as rewarding as the Rathalos.

Spyro

Spyro was one of Playstation's mascots in the late 90s and early 00s, a young purple dragon traveling through portals with his best friend Sparx the dragonfly. He is one of the cutest dragons around, and one of very few dragons who get to be the protagonist of their own story.

King Gleeok

Since the original Legend of Zelda, Gleeok’s have been causing a nuisance for Link on his quest to unite the pieces of the Triforce and rescue Zelda. Their most recent appearance in Tears of the Kingdom is their most fearsome yet. These multi-headed elemental dragons are a daunting boss fight (I lost my horse, Epona, to a Frost Gleeok flying over the Tabantha Plain) but the rewards are great. Gleeok horns are crazy powerful.

Puff the Magic Dragon

Puff is a beloved dragon, more of a musical meditation in the inevitability of growing up than anything else. Puff is a mighty creature, respected by pirates and kings, but more importantly he is a good friend to a growing boy.

Seathe The Scaleless

Seath the Scaleless is the first named dragon in the Dark Souls franchise, and he is a traitor to his kind, helping Gwyn defeat the stone-scaled everlasting dragons and usher in an age of fire. He is also a killer boss later in the game.

Themberchaud

Themberchaud is the wyrmsmith of Gracklstugh, a dragon raised under the ground to keep the forges of the Underdark fueled with dragon fire. He is kept full and fed by dragon cults in the Underdark, and so he has grown to gigantic size. Even if he was able to get past his prison guards, he would never make it to see the sky. He made his big screen debut with Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, an appearance that emphasized his corpulence and powerful fire breath.

Haku

The spirit of the Kohaku river and Chihiro’s closest ally throughout her journey in the Spirit World, Haku is one of anime’s most iconic dragons. Extra points for his powerful spellcasting and mentorship of Chihiro as she navigates Yubaba’s bath house.

The Witch-King’s Fell Beast

The Fell Beast is one of the coolest wyrms ever to grace the big screen. In Tolkien’s original books the fell beasts are a terrible foe, but Peter Jackson’s version turn the siege of Minas Tirith into a true nightmare. Watching the nine Nazgul descend on the soldiers of Gondor is like watching the salmon in a documentary about grizzly bears. You can’t help but root for the little prey animals, but you know things won’t end well.

Starling

The darling mascot of Dragonsteel Nexus, Starling finally got an appearance in Isles of the Emberdark. Of all the Dragons in the Cosmere, she is the most beloved. Her uncle, Frost, is a 10,000 year old dragon, the oldest being in the Cosmere, and a good friend to Hoid. Starling carries on his legacy after his disappearance, as the captain of the Dynamic.

“You can never be ruined, child,” he said, a smile in his voice. “Never, ever. You can learn better, and you will as you grow. Knowing that fact is how it happens!

Ridley the Space Pirate

Samus Aran’s nemesis in the worlds of Metroid, Ridley is a winged, fire-breathing space pirate. A recurring nightmare for the bounty-hunter-turned-hero, no matter how many times Ridley dies, he just keeps coming.

Rayquaza

It has flown through the ozone layer for millions of years, descending only to mediate the conflict between Kyogre and Groudon. When Mega Rayquaza was introduced, it was such a menace that an entire competitive bracket was invented to contain him.

Dragonlord Placidusax

Placidusax is an optional boss in Elden Ring, a two headed hurricane of a dragon with a deep health pool and a massive body: it is nearly impossible to keep an eye on both heads and his claws when you get close enough to attack him. Players seeking to rid themselves of the Frenzied Flame are certainly familiar with this deadly foe.