Dragons are one of the native species of Skylands. They come in all shapes and sizes and are closely connected to the elements. Younger dragons are highly adaptive to their surroundings, making the way they are raised a key factor in determining their adult forms, powers, and personalities. Many dragons also tend to be pranksters.^[1] It is mentioned in many of the dragons' biographies that they tend to be outsiders, but despite being shunned by those around them, they possess a strong sense of responsibility or purpose.

Abilities

Although the known trait for dragons is their ability to breathe fire, each dragon Skylander puts their own elemental twist on this talent.^[2] Dragons live for hundreds of years, as evidenced by Ramses, who ruled over his land for centuries and is still alive to this day. Dragons possess powerful magic, which makes them immune to mind control, and this power can even be used to reverse the power of the rogue Ancient, Brain.

Purple Dragons, like Spyro and Malefor, are a rare species of dragon associated with the Magic element, which allows them to harness the power of the other elements. There are also many other species of dragons, such as Water Dragons, Snow Dragons, Bone Dragons, and many more, each with their own unique abilities.

Realms

One of the notable realms inhabited by dragons is called Dragon's Peak, also known as the Island of Scalos, where the oldest and largest of their kind reside. Another dragon realm is the Dragon Temple, far above the mainlands of Skylands, where according to Spyro all the dragons in Skylands live in "dubious" harmony with the Sheep.

Since few dragons other than the Skylanders are encountered elsewhere, dragons may very well be one of the rarest species in all of Skylands.

Culture

Dragon King

The dragons in Skylanders are evidently ruled by a King who resides in the realm of Dragon's Peak, a place considered special to dragons because whichever sits on the Dragon's Throne becomes the new king. Ramses is the current Dragon King, having ruled over the lands with peace and harmony for centuries. Some feared that Vathek, an Undead dragon and Ramses's evil brother, may one day try to steal the throne. However, when Vathek eventually claimed the throne himself and ruled as king of Dragon's Peak, he was soon thwarted by the Skylanders.

Malefor also carries the title of Undead Dragon King; however, it is unknown if it is related to the throne of Scalos.

Dragon Politics of Dragon's Peak

In the past, the dragons used to vote for their leaders, but their political system became so complex that no one could understand it. Even the act of voting became difficult for most dragons, and those who wanted to rule had to campaign and make speeches, a system that nobody in particular liked - so they finally just said, forget it. Whoever sits on the throne is King. Luckily for the dragons, the first to do so was Ramses. Not only was he the quickest to sit down, but he happened to also be the most qualified to lead.^[3]

Rite of Passage

According to Spyro, all dragons must take the paths of Fire or Ice and Brains or Brawn at the Dragon Temple before they reach adulthood, representative of their personalities.

Notable Dragon Characters

Skylanders

Dragon		Element
	Spyro Dark Spyro Elite Spyro Legendary Spyro
	Spry
	Cynder Skeletal Cynder
	Camo
	High Five
	Zap
	Echo
	Sunburn
	Fire Kraken Jade Fire Kraken
	Whirlwind Elite Whirlwind Polar Whirlwind
	Breeze
	Blades Legendary Blades
	Bash Birthday Bash Legendary Bash
	Bop
	Flashwing Jade Flashwing
	Drobot
	Drobit
	Blackout
	Spotlight

Notable Non-Skylander Dragons

• Flavius (playable when flying to areas in Dragon's Peak)
• Evil Water Dragon
• Evil Phoenix Dragon
• Malefor
• Ramses
• Vathek
• Hydra
• Sleep Dragon
• Flam Bam
• Bone Dragon
• Cloudbreather Dragon
• Dragon Elder Draeger

Gallery

Concept art of the Spyro's Adventure intro Dragon by I-Wei Huang^[4]

The curved horn dragons of Dragon Temple by Nathan Lange

Trivia

• Purple Dragons having the power to harness the power of the other elements is a direct reference to the purple dragons from The Legend of Spyro series.
• Although most dragons fly, Fire Kraken, Bash, Zap, Echo, and Camo can't fly due to lacking wings.
  • Oddly, Sunburn, Flashwing, Blades, Spotlight and Blackout have wings, but cannot fly properly in the games they appear in, though they are all seen flying in their promotional videos.
• Camo, Blades, Echo, and Spotlight are the only dragon Skylanders without the ability to travel faster.
• While male dragons have teeth (except for Sunburn), female dragons have no visible teeth. Cynder, however, has teeth in her Skylanders Academy design.
• All dragons in the games appear to be similarly-shaped quadrupeds, with the exception of Fire Kraken who is a biped.
• After each of the 8 original Elements received a dragon Skylander in Spyro's Adventure, Earth, Fire, Air, Life and Water each received 1 additional dragon in subsequent games. Flashwing, Fire Kraken, Blades, High Five and Echo, respectively.
• Whirlwind, Sunburn, Camo, and High Five are currently the only draconic hybrids.
• Fire Kraken, High Five, the Sleep Dragon and Flam Bam are the only dragons with two words in their names instead of one (not counting alternate counterparts).
• Spitfire, the leader of the SuperChargers, greatly resembles a dragon.
• Camo is the only of the original dragons that lacks a move that alters his movement speed.
• Sunburn is the only of the original dragons to have no new figures since his Series 1.
• The Skylander Dino-Rang is often mistaken for a dragon, which makes him angry.^[5]
• The Cloudbreather Dragon is currently the largest Dragon specimen in the series.
• With the exception of Spyro, Cynder is the only dragon Skylander to appear at the dragon gathering in the Dragon Temple. However, she cannot be interacted in this appearance, until Cursed Tiki Temple.
• Sunburn and Blades are the only two dragon Skylanders included in adventure packs (Dragon's Peak and Nightmare Express).
• Zap and Camo are the only two dragon Skylanders included in battle packs (Scorpion Striker and Arkeyan Crossbow).
  • Coincidentally, both of their figures were Series 2s.
• Toys For Bob originally planned to have the Dragon Skylanders of Spyro's Adventure be the special and stronger representatives of each element complete with unique bonuses, including ones that were dragon-based. While the idea was never finalized, a similar concept was later used for Skylanders: Giants.^[6]

References