History Main / DragonRider

In Romanian Folklore, a group of wizards alligned with the devil, called the Solomonari ride dragons causing lightning and hail. In some versions the type if dragon is called a balaur, which typically live in deep lakes and are brought out with golden reins.

* ''Franchise/YuGiOh'':

* ''Anime/AgnisPhilosophy'': At the end of the clip, the titular character ends up in that position.

* ''Anime/DragonBallZ'': The second opening depicts Gohan, Goten, and Trunks riding on top of Shenron’s head.

* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'': Several monsters are depicted this way. Additionally, some [[FusionDance Fusion]] Monsters are deliberate combinations of dragons and humanoid warriors
** ''Alligator’s Sword Dragon'' - Alligator’s Sword + Baby Dragon

* ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'': George twice turns into a red dragon so he can fly several people to some inconvenient place. The problem is that he's too big to straddle, so whomever's riding him has to hang on as best he can--not a problem for the [[SuperStrength extremely strong]] Paul or even the Hunter, but a total impossibility for Ringo unless someone hangs onto him as well.

* ''Literature/AllTheSkillsADeckbuildingLitRPG'': Dragons are sapient, and each is born with a card at his/her heart, which can bond with someone whose heart deck holds a compatible card, resulting in a third card power formed from their synergy. Dragon riders are an important strategic asset in fighting back scourge infestations.

* ''Literature/CompanionsCodex'': In the climax of ''Vengeance of the Iron Dwarf'', the final book, [[spoiler: Drizzt]] rides the copper dragon Ilnezhara in a dog-fight against [[spoiler: Tiago on Arauthator]], an ancient white dragon. In the background of this confrontation there is also [[spoiler: Tos'un Armgo who rides Arauthator's son Aurbangras]].

* Dumai in ''Literature/ADayOfFallenNight'' bonds with the royal dragon of Seiiki, Furtia Stormcaller. The royals of Seiiki traditionally defended the realm on dragonback, so they dig a saddle out of storage for Dumai and a good chunk of her story is flying here and there around the East trying to understand the threat of the wyrms and gain support from other Eastern nations. [[spoiler:The end of the book shows Nikeya laying the foundations for the dragonriders we see in ''Priory'', stipulating that they should be drawn from all corners of society.]]

* ''Literature/DragonRider'' is not as focused on this trope as one would expect. Although the main human character does in fact ride on the dragon's back, it's simply because this is the only way to transport him. Said dragon (Firedrake) is WalkingTheEarth, looking for a valley for the dragons to move to, and acquires the main human character as a TagalongKid, as he's a HeartwarmingOrphan who Firedrake decides to help. [[spoiler: However, it is stated that humans who bond with dragons and ride them do get some special powers, such as extended life and healing abilities, as they find out in a Pakistani village. Overall, though, this isn't too important to the plot.]] We learn more about why dragons sometimes need riders (whether humans or brownies) in the sequel, ''The Griffin's Feather''. Although the silver dragons are usually gentle, they can go berserk if they see anyone mistreating someone they care about, and need a rider calming them down in order to behave rationally. Also, the silver dragons can usually only fly by moonlight, but in an emergency where they have to fly day and night, riders can feed them moonflowers to give them the strength to keep going.

* ''Literature/{{Dragonsdale}}'' is basically one of those stories for horse-crazy preteen girls, [[HorseOfADifferentColor with a twist]].

* ''Literature/TheElricSaga'': The dragons of Melnibone and their riders are pretty much the island's military trump card...though limited by the fact that, by the time the stories are set at least, the dragons need a ''lot'' of sleep for every brief period of activity. Arguably an {{UrExample}}, as "The Dreaming City" predated ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' by ~6 years.

%%* ''Literature/LordOfDragons'': Duly noted in [[http://lordofdragons.wikispaces.com this wiki]] concerning the [[spoiler:completely made up]] book series.
* In the ''Franchise/MagicTheGathering'' novel ''Literature/TimeStreams'', Urza Planeswalker and his ally Mage Master Barrin ride into the final battle astride the dragons Gheridarigaaz and Rhammidarigaaz, respectively.
* ''Literature/AMemoryOfFlames'' is basically a huge deconstruction of this trope. People do ride dragons, in much the same way that knights rode horses, and the dragons themselves are similar to modern fantasy--they speak telepathically, can form bonds with humans, immortal, etc. The downside? The dragons ''hate'' their slavery, and are regularly drugged to keep them docile. The series kicks off just before a dragon manages to break free of its bonds...and the [[AnyoneCanDie total carnage that follows this]].

* In ''Literature/ThePrioryOfTheOrangeTree'', Tané's story begins with her goal to become a dragon rider in Seiiki and making a disastrous decision to protect this desire. The dragon riders all become part of Clan Miduchi regardless of their origins, and many are outcasts or orphans who were taken in by the House of Learning. Their duties consist of patrolling the skies and seas around Seiiki, and the whole corps is marshalled for the FinalBattle against the Nameless One and his wyrm army.
* ''Literature/RealmOfTheElderlings'': Attempted but subverted in the backstory. It's possible to make a dragon by carving it out of a special stone and then placing your essence into it, basically becoming the dragon. One dragon-maker tried to dodge this by making her carving that of a girl on a dragon and putting herself only into the girl. It didn't work, and the result is a chimera with the girl as just another part of the whole dragon. This is later played straight in the follow-up series, ''Literature/TheRainWildsChronicles'', when a bunch of misfit teenagers have to figure out how to care for and bond with live,

* ''Videogame/{{Drakerider}}'', which is ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin. It's [[DeconstructedTrope deconstructed]], since the dragon is a vicious and powerful monster who ''hates'' the arrangement. You don't control the dragon so much as keep a tight hold on its chains and make it face things you want to kill while praying it doesn't throw you off and eat you.

** Subverted by ''VisualNovel/FateStayNight''. You'd think that the Servant Rider would be able to ride dragons, but even at a Rank A+ of the Riding ability (allowing her to "ride" almost anything with expert skill, from ordinary horses to modern motor vehicles to most mythical beasts), she is unable to ride dragons.

* ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft'' features several types of dragon that can be acquired as mounts. Normally they can't do anything that would make a dragon preferable to any other flying creature (although it does look cool to fly around on a dragon). Some expansions offers short quests in which players can commandeer a more badass dragon - raining down fireballs and even swallowing enemies whole in some cases.

* ''Webcomic/ChampionsOfFaraus'': Galemore’s military has the Sky Force, a division consisting of Wyvern riders, who mainly ride serpent-like Wyverns, and take part in holiday festivities with wyvern petting zoos to educate and entertain the public, as well as putting on “Wyvern Shows” where they fly around at night, creating images in the sky with the wyvern’s fire breath, like something of a cross between an air show and a fireworks display. Dragons also exist, but the lack of dragon riders among the Sky Force seems to imply that Wyverns are easier to handle.

* "My life as a Dragon Rider" subverts this - it's a story about a farm boy who becomes a dragon rider after he passes a challenge of worth, which is basically just staying on top of a dragon for a couple of minutes. Was he TheChosenOne, or a story of going FromZeroToHero? [[spoiler:Nope, he entered a pub and got into a fistfight with a guard, which was somehow taken to a cliff where the farmboy was kicked over the edge, landed on a dragon, and got stuck between two of its back spikes.]]

* The ''Rescue Knights'' saga of ''WesternAnimation/PAWPatrol'' features a doberman pup named Claw, who used a magical tooth to command a dragon he dubbed as "Sparks". It's worth mentioning that this previously led to him being stripped of his knighthood for breaking Barkingburg's number 1 rule: never disturb a dragon. The six main pups also become dragon riders with a group a baby dragons.

*** The greatest of the Stormcast Eternals ride the mighty [[ArmoredDragons Stardrakes]] into battle.

*** In the game's background material, it is said that in past ages High Elf Dragon Princes used to regularly ride dragons into battle. In the time period that the game takes place in, however, those dragons that remain have entered a deep hibernation that takes exceptional effort to wake them from, forcing the Dragon Princes to ride purebred elven steeds clad in armor shaped to resemble dragons. The kingdom of Caledor has a particularly close connection to the dragons, as the bulk of their population slumbers in the Dragonspine Mountains on its lands; ancient Caledorian songs are the only reliable means of rousing them, and the majority of modern dragonriders are Caledorians.

*** In the game's background material, it is said that in past ages High Elf Dragon Princes used to regularly ride dragons into battle. In the time period that the game takes place in, however, those dragons that remain have entered a deep hibernation that takes exceptional effort to wake them from, forcing the Dragon Princes to ride purebred elven steeds. The kingdom of Caledor has a particularly close connection to the dragons, as the bulk of their population slumbers in the Dragonspine Mountains on its lands; ancient Caledorian songs are the only reliable means of rousing them, and the majority of modern dragonriders are Caledorians.

*** In the game's background material, it is said that in past ages High Elf Dragon Princes used to regularly ride dragons into battle. In the time period that the game takes place in, however, those dragons that remain have entered a deep hibernation that takes exceptional effort to wake them from, forcing the Dragon Princes to ride purebred elven steeds.

*** In ''Cataclysm'', the Dragonmaw are shown to be under the unwanted rule of Mor'ghor, a fel orc who ran the nether dragon-breeding operation back on Outland and now lords over the untainted Azerothian clan with an iron fist. Before and after his insurrection the Dragonmaw used and still use the same ArtifactOfDoom, the Demon Soul, that they enslaved the red dragons with. This time, however, they enslave black dragons, who are considered more AcceptableTargets, and catch their drakes in the wild to not repeat the mistake of the groups who came before them.

* ''ComicBook/ElfesEtNains'': Some of the series' protagonist manage to bond with a dragon and ride them in combat. For instance Fall, protagonist of Volume 3, rides a great white dragon. Meanwhile in Volume 20, Gaw'Yn the Dark Elf has bonded and asserted his dominance over a whole flock of dragons.

* ''WesternAnimation/DragonsRidersOfBerk''. Naturally, seeing how it takes place after ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon''.

* ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon'' follows a young boy who finds an injured dragon and befriends it. There's quite a bit of dragon-riding in the process.

* ''Literature/ShatterTheSky'': The Empire of Zefed has them, called Talons, the dragon guard. Earning the right to ride a dragon however is difficult. Only the Zefedi are given them. The Verran people had them originally before the Zefedi conquered them. However, they are still in the dragon mountains as dragons will die if taken away too far. Verrans are barred from work in the fortress housing the dragons and riders. All the Verrans despise it. Long ago, the Verrans had ridden dragons as well and even breathed fire too it's said. They were only defeated after a Zefedi emperor stole them, which explains their animus for this. The bond between a rider and dragon is reputedly unbreakable when raised up from a hatchling. Maren infiltrates where the dragons are raised to get one so she can become a dragon rider and go rescue her girlfriend, who has been taken captive by the emperor's servants. Different oils are used to control and train the dragons it's revealed, which Maren learns about. She eventually rides a dragon herself, through winning her trust instead of control with the oils. It turns out that the emperor is himself a dragon rider, riding the biggest one, named Vix the Ruiner. The Senatese, a people who he wants to conquer, also have (free) dragons whom they ride it's revealed, and defeated his own dragon riders through using them.

* ''Literature/ShatterTheSky'': The Empire of Zefed has them, called Talons, the dragon guard. Earning the right to ride a dragon however is difficult. Only the Zefedi are given them. The Verran people had them originally before the Zefedi conquered them. However, they are still in the dragon mountains as dragons will die if taken away too far. Verrans are barred from work in the fortress housing the dragons and riders. All the Verrans despise it. Long ago, the Verrans had ridden dragons as well and even breathed fire too it's said. They were only defeated after a Zefedi emperor stole them, which explains their animus for this. The bond between a rider and dragon is reputedly unbreakable when raised up from a hatchling. Maren infiltrates where the dragons are raised to get one so she can become a dragon rider and go rescue her girlfriend, who has been taken captive by the emperor's servants. Different oils are used to control and train the dragons it's revealed, which Maren learns about. She eventually rides a dragon herself, through winning her trust instead of control with the oils.

* ''Literature/HarryPotter'' fanfiction occasionally makes Harry himself a dragon-rider (most notably ''Fanfic/TheQueenWhoFellToEarth'' and its sequels).
** ''Fanfic/LikeARedHeadedStepchild'' has the entire Weasley clan ride dragons against the Death Eaters, and ''Fanfic/TheParselmouthOfGryffindor'' features a dragon-rider ''GiantSpider''.

** The ''Dragonflight'' expansion added the new Dragonriding mechanic, allowing players to choose from four customisable dragons to navigate the Dragon Isles. It has a bit more of a physics engine than a typical flying mount, requiring players to account for things like momentum, winds and how tired their dragon is before they can get to a particular spot, but can reach ''much'' higher speeds with the right technique and winds hopping. The more the player achieves in the game (through raiding, Mythic+ dungeons and so on) the more appearance customisations become available for the rideable dragons.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'': In one episode, Ariel and Flounder go on an adventure with Apollo, a celebrated hero that helped King Triton during a battle years ago. Turns out that he's actually a cowardly FakeUltimateHero who had saved the day [[AccidentalHero by accident]]. However, when Ariel and Flounder are threatened by a sea dragon, Apollo [[TookALevelInBadass becomes a real hero]] when he saves them by taming the dragon and turning it into his mount.

* ''Webcomic/TheStoryOfAGardevoirThatBecameATrainer'': The Pokémon Nurse at Oldale has a Charizard as big as [[Anime/{{Pokemon}} Ash's]]. They were friends back when [[HumanityEnsues the Nurse was a Chansey]].

** [[Anime/PokmeonTheSeriesDiamondAndPearl Pokemon Hunter J]] had a Salamence, as did [[Anime/PokemonJirachiWishmaker the magician Butler]]. Carlita had a Hydreigon in the 'Victini and Reshiram/Zekrom' movies.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'': Trainers with Dragon-type Pokemon can sometimes be seen riding them.

*** Alain, Liza and Kiawe also ride on their Charizards.

** Pokemon Hunter J had a Salamence, as did the magician Butler. Carlita had a Hydreigon in the 'Victini and Reshiram/Zekrom' movies.
** In the ''Sun & Moon'' series, aside from Kiawe's aforementioned Charizard, and Sophocles riding a Metang, each member of the Ultra Guardians rides a Dragon-type; Ash rides a Garchomp, Lillie rides an Altaria, Mallow rides a Flygon, Lana rides a Dragonair, and Gladion rides a Noivern.

* ''VideoGame/{{Absinthia}}'': During the final boss fight, Lilith [[spoiler:rides the undead Typhus as a CallBack to the TrueFinalBoss of the first game]].

The plausibility of this trope depends on how [[OurDragonsAreDifferent intelligent the dragons are in this setting]] as well as what exactly the rider brings to the table. In some cases, the human might fill some gap in the dragon's own abilities. If the dragon is just a particularly awesome, non-sapient animal, then the relationship is more comparable to that of a horse. If the dragon lacks access to powerful or diverse magic, it might benefit from having a wizard on its back. However, most dragons are so all-around awesome that the human comes across as redundant. That legendary magic sword of yours isn't going to do much good up there either unless it's [[{{BFS}} really really big, in which case the dragon himself might use it]]. In the case of a sapient dragon, it might be letting the human ride on its back not so much because it needs their help in combat, but just because [[ThePowerOfFriendship the dragon and human are friends]].

* ''Literature/{{Temeraire}}'' features dragon riders in an AlternateHistory version of the Napoleonic Wars -- the dragons are used as living military airplanes or airships, with crews of up to thirty men led by a captain. Extremely maneuverable and [[SapientSteed self-aware]] airships, with [[BreathWeapon flamethrowers, water cannons, acid bombs]] or [[MakeMeWannaShout sonic generators]] (different dragon breeds have different military uses), in addition to whatever ordnance and rifles the crew is carrying.

The plausibility of this trope depends on how [[OurDragonsAreDifferent intelligent the dragons are in this setting]] as well as what exactly the rider brings to the table. In some cases, the human might fill some gap in the dragon's own abilities -- an old-fashioned, unintelligent dragon might need a rider for direction, and a non-firebreather might benefit from having a wizard on its back -- but most dragons are so all-around awesome that the human is redundant. That legendary magic sword of yours isn't going to do much good up there either unless it's [[{{BFS}} really really big, in which case the dragon himself might use it]]. If the dragon is just a particularly awesome, non-sapient animal, then the relationship is more comparable to that of a horse. In the case of a sapient dragon, it might be letting the human ride on its back not so much because it needs their help in combat, but just because [[ThePowerOfFriendship the dragon and human are friends]].