History Main / DragonsAreDivine

** The Four Great Dragons are a group of Mega-level Dragon Digimon based on the Dragon Kings of Chinese mythology comparable to gods, and include Azulongmon (also a member of the [[FourGods Digimon Sovereigns]] and guardian of the eastern Digital World), Goldramon, Magnadramon, and the wicked Megidramon.

* ''Manga/DragonBall'': Collecting the titular items will summon Shenron, a dragon whose name literally means "Divine Dragon" (rendered "Eternal Dragon" in most dubs). Shenron was created by Kami, i.e. {{God}}, although it turns out Kami is a [[GodJob title]] in this setting. This is then subverted in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' when it turns out Kami is from the planet Namek, and the Dragon Balls are alien in origin and not divine. This is then double subverted in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' when it turns out the Namekian Dragon Balls in turn were based on the Super Dragon Balls, which were created by the Dragon God Zalama to grant the wishes of the gods.

*** Two of the three Egyptian God monsters are Slifer the Sky Dragon and The Winged Dragon of Ra. There is also Kaiba's ace monster, the Blue Eyes White Dragon which has a [[LightEmUp light attribute]]. In the "World of Memories" arc, it is revealed to be the reincarnation of a girl Seto loved and displays its power by being the first monster to damage [[GodOfEvil Zorc Necrophades]].
*** The Legendary Dragons from the Doma arc, guardians of Atlantis and the direct opposition to [[EldritchAbomination the Great Leviathan]]. They're a rare case of this trope being applied to western style dragons, who often fall under DragonsAreDemonic instead.

* Landia in ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand''. He's the guardian of the Master Crown and watches over the deserted Halcandra. And despite fighting Kirby and his friends, he was really [[spoiler:guarding the crown from falling into [[BigBad Magolor]]'s hands and allowing him to take over the universe.]]

** Dragons were uplifted by the [[{{Precursors}} Titans]] and tasked with being the immortal guardians of Azeroth, with each dragon subspecies representing one aspect of the world. Red dragons represent Life, Green dragons represent Dreams, Blue dragons represent Magic, Bronze dragons represent Time, and Black dragons represent Earth. While normal dragons are pretty powerful, the five leaders of the Dragonflights, the Dragon Aspects, are gods in all but name. Despite their divine origins, Neltharion the Earth Warder (AKA Deathwing the Destroyer) and the Black Dragonflight are much closer to [[DragonsAreDemonic another trope]] by the time the series actually takes place. This is because their [[NiceJobBreakingItHero connection to the earth]] made them easy to corrupt by the subterranean Old Gods, who drove Deathwing and his ilk insane and turned them into their pawns.
** Yu'lon the Jade Serpent is one of the four August Celestials, gods that watch over Pandaria. She takes the form of a celestial cloud serpent, which is Warcraft's version of an Eastern dragon.

* In ''Videogame/{{Arknights}}'', there are PhysicalGod beings referred to a "Feranmuts" who are the {{Patron God}}s of different regions of the world. [[DraconigHumanoid Draconic and serpentine motifs are present in most]], though not all, of these characters. They include:

* Recently rediscovered Myth/PhilippineMythology shows a common motif where ''crocodiles'' are seen as Asian dragons, filling the roles of [[NatureSpirit powerful water-spirits,]] if not outright {{Physical God}}s like with East Asian mythology. Of course, being [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodiles,]] they're naturally more fearsome than most Asian dragons: They were held as minor gods because [[AuthorityGrantsAsskicking they protected mortals from the OTHER dangerous water-spirits]] lurking in the seas and rivers. It was often thought that being eaten by a crocodile sent someone directly to the positive "heaven-type" afterlife, without the arduous sea-journey needed after most other deaths, and some tribes thought that normal crocodiles needed a HumanSacrifice to LevelUp INTO dragons, as they [[SoulEating needed to eat a human soul.]]

* ''LightNovel/ReZero'': Volcanica, the Divine Dragon, embodies this trope to a T. Though it is unclear whether the dragon is actually a deity, he certainly has the power to claim such a status. Volcanica is seen as the guardian of the Dragon Kingdom of Lugunica, the primary setting of the story, and is worshipped by the populace, having forged a covenant with the old royal family to protect the Kingdom from all external threats centuries prior. Volcanica also created three lesser breeds of smaller dragons for humans to use, and was instrumental in sealing the [[SatanicArchetype Witch of Envy]] to prevent her from ending the world four hundred years ago.
* ''LightNovel/ThatTimeIGotReincarnatedAsASlime'':

* ''LightNovel/SoImASpiderSoWhat'': The dragons Kumoko fights are hybrids created from dragon and animal DNA and lack any form of divinity. True dragons are born mortal but with incredible magical strength and knowledge. By maturity, their souls have absorbed enough magic to transcend and become a god. Their race controls vast swathes of space, conquering planets and using their inhabitants to generate and gather more strength. [[spoiler:Gyurie]] is the only true dragon seen in-story as the rest of his people left the world after their war with the ancient civilization.

* Recently rediscovered Myth/PhilippineMythology shows a common motif where ''crocodiles'' are seen as Asian dragons, filling the roles of [[NatureSpirit powerful water-spirits,]] if not outright {{Physical God}}s like with East Asian mythology. Of course, being [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodiles,]] they're naturally more fearsome than most Asian dragons: They were held as minor gods because [[AuthorityEqualsAsskicking they protected mortals from the OTHER dangerous water-spirits]] lurking in the seas and rivers. It was often thought that being eaten by a crocodile sent someone directly to the positive "heaven-type" afterlife, without the arduous sea-journey needed after most other deaths, and some tribes thought that normal crocodiles needed a HumanSacrifice to LevelUp INTO dragons, as they [[SoulEating needed to eat a human soul.]]

** ''VideoGame/DragonQuestIII'' has Xenlon (who is a clear {{Expy}} of [[Manga/DragonBall Shenron]]) in the rereleases of the game. She is a BonusBoss who has to be defeated under a certain amount of turns in order to have your wish granted each time.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'': Besides the playable divine dragons, Askr, Embla, Nifl, and Múspell are known dragons and are worshiped by the royalty of their respective self-named kingdoms.

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'': Besides the playable divine dragons, Askr, Embla, Nifl, and Múspell are known dragons and are worshiped by their royalty.

* ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'': Dragons were uplifted by the [[{{Precursors}} Titans]] and tasked with being the immortal guardians of Azeroth, with each dragon subspecies representing one aspect of the world and are granted unique magic abilities based on that aspect. Red dragons represent Life, Green dragons represent Nature, Blue dragons represent Magic, Bronze dragons represent Time, and Black dragons represent Earth. While normal dragons are pretty powerful, the five leaders of the Dragonflights, the Dragon Aspects, are gods in all but name. Despite their divine origins, Neltharion the Earth Warder (AKA Deathwing the Destroyer) and the Black Dragonflight are much closer to [[DragonsAreDemonic another trope]] by the time the series actually takes place. This is because their [[NiceJobBreakingItHero connection to the earth]] made them easy to corrupt by the subterranean Old Gods, who drove Deathwing and his ilk insane and turned them into their pawns. As a result, Black dragons serve as frequent antagonists, and Deathwing becomes the main antagonist of the ''Cataclysm'' expansion, where he nearly succeeds in releasing the Old Gods from their prison and bringing about the destruction of the world.

* ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'': While not exactly ''gods'', many Elder Dragons have a majestic, deific appearance to them.

** The standard and Crimson Fatalis may sit firmly on the [[DragonsAreDemonic demonic]] end of the spectrum, but Old/White Fatalis has more typically godly traits, with a beard-like mane, shimmering white scales, and command over [[BoltOfDivineRetribution lightning]] rather than flame. That said, it is no less of a MisanthropeSupreme than its younger kin.
** While Shagaru Magala is a gold-and-white based Elder Dragon that looks almost angelic, it's ironically mostly known for being an ''extremely'' [[LightIsNotGood dangerous bringer of disease]].
** Kulve Taroth is a majestic Elder Dragon that lives in the Caves of El Dorado, has goat-like horns and a golden 'robe' that it carries around, a robe literally made of gold. She's even nicknamed the ''Mother Goddess of Gold''. Interestingly, even among Elder Dragons, she's unique, as there's no others of her kind, and you can't even technically ''kill'' her. Every fight with her inevitably end with the hunters breaking her horns, which then results in her running away, and said horns growing back.
** Wind Serpent Ibushi and Thunder Serpent Narwa are a pair of powerful and [[ItCanThink intelligent]] Elder Dragons whose designs are based on the Japanese gods Fujin and Raijin, and are referred to as the Serpent God of Wind and the Serpent Goddess of Thunder. They even seem to [[AGodAmI buy into this perception themselves]], describing themselves ([[PsychicLink through Hinoa and Minoto]]) as "divine beasts".

** [[https://scryfall.com/card/c17/45/o-kagachi-vengeful-kami O-Kagachi,]] the Great Old Serpent, is the highest and greatest of the kami, and was their undisputed ruler before his death. He took the form of an immeasurably vast, eight-headed serpent with eyes that blazed like stars.
** The Dragon Spirits are five immensely powerful kami, one for each color of mana, who serve as protectors of the magic of Kamigawa and of its peoples. They are [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/39/yosei-the-morning-star Yosei, the Morning Star,]] guardian of the plains and White mana; [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/63/keiga-the-tide-star Keiga, the Tide Star,]] guardian of the riverlands and Blue mana; [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/172/jugan-the-rising-star Jugan, the Rising Star,]] guardian of the forests and Green mana; [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/144/ryusei-the-falling-star Ryusei, the Falling Star]], guardian of the mountains and Red mana; and [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/95/kokusho-the-evening-star Kokusho, the Evening Star,]] guardian of the swamps and Black mana.

* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'': In addition to Slifer and Ra, there are several other dragon monsters that are depicted as holy or godlike. For example, [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Judgment_Dragon Judgment Dragon]], [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Ancient_Sacred_Wyvern Ancient Sacred Wyvern,]] and [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Master_Peace%2C_the_True_Dracoslaying_King Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King.]]

* ''WebAnimation/OverlySarcasticProductions'': In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eXAPwjASEQ Trope Talk: Dragons,]] while talking about portrayals of dragons in folklore and modern fiction, Red describes both several divine dragons from real-life myths, such as Chinese and Japanese dragons and the Rainbow Serpent of some Australian myths, as well as their successors in modern fiction. These tend to be based on the Chinese kind, and range from powerful and benevolent creatures to literal gods. They are usually mentors, distant protectors or similar figures, and rarely central characters. Some are more malevolent instead, and likelier to feature as powerful foes in the backstory or in a story's grand finale.

This trope is OlderThanDirt as the Chinese have revered dragons for millennia, with the oldest known "true" dragon depiction in the world dating back to the fifth millennium BC, during the time of the Neolithic [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangshao_culture Yangshao culture]]. Older proto-dragon depictions called "pig dragons" and "embryo dragons" have been found in the neighboring Hongshan culture which developed from even ''older'' dragon-like depictions from its predecessor, the Xinglongwa culture. This makes Myth/{{Chinese mythology}} the UrExample, TropeMaker ''and'' TropeCodifier.

** The Four Great Dragons are a group of Mega-level Dragon Digimon based on the Dragon Kings of Chinese mythology comparable to gods, and include Azulongmon (Also a member of the [[FourGods Digimon Sovereigns]] and guardian of the eastern Digital World), Goldramon, Magnadramon, and the wicked Megidramon.

** [[https://scryfall.com/card/c17/45/o-kagachi-vengeful-kami O-Kagachi]], the Great Old Serpent, is the highest and greatest of the kami, and was their undisputed ruler before his death. He took the form of an immeasurably vast, eight-headed serpent with eyes that blazed like stars.
** The Dragon Spirits are five immensely powerful kami, one for each color of mana, who serve as protectors of the magic of Kamigawa and of its peoples. They are [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/39/yosei-the-morning-star Yosei, the Morning Star]], guardian of the plains and White mana; [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/63/keiga-the-tide-star Keiga, the Tide Star]], guardian of the riverlands and Blue mana; [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/172/jugan-the-rising-star Jugan, the Rising Star]], guardian of the forests and Green mana; [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/144/ryusei-the-falling-star Ryusei, the Falling Star]], guardian of the mountains and Red mana; and [[https://scryfall.com/card/ima/95/kokusho-the-evening-star Kokusho, the Evening Star]], guardian of the swamps and Black mana.

* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'': In addition to Slifer and Ra, there are several other dragon monsters that are depicted as holy or godlike. For example, [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Judgment_Dragon Judgment Dragon]], [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Ancient_Sacred_Wyvern Ancient Sacred Wyvern]], and [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Master_Peace%2C_the_True_Dracoslaying_King Master Peace, the True Dracoslaying King.]]

* ''WebAnimation/OverlySarcasticProductions'': In [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eXAPwjASEQ Trope Talk: Dragons]], while talking about portrayals of dragons in folklore and modern fiction, Red describes both several divine dragons from real-life myths, such as Chinese and Japanese dragons and the Rainbow Serpent of some Australian myths, as well as their successors in modern fiction. These tend to be based on the Chinese kind, and range from powerful and benevolent creatures to literal gods. They are usually mentors, distant protectors or similar figures, and rarely central characters. Some are more malevolent instead, and likelier to feature as powerful foes in the backstory or in a story's grand finale.

** Generation 7 introduces Necrozma, a Pokémon that initially brought light to the alternate world of Ultra Megalopolis, where it was revered as a deity, and took the form of a large dragon made of light with golden armor referred to as "Ultra Necrozma". The ancient citizens of Ultra Megalopolis caused it to revert to the black form it's commonly seen in after managing to break off pieces of its prism body, which became the Z-Crystals and Sparkling Stones used to create Z-Rings. It's also one of the most powerful Pokemon in the game with stats that surpass Arceus (The creator of the universe) and is one of the most [[ThatOneBoss frustratingly difficult boss fights in the series if you're unprepared.]]

** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAkaneia'': Naga, the leader of the Divine Dragons, is worshipped as a male god, but without the dragon traits. In truth, Naga is a female dragon who leads the Divine Dragons, while immensely powerful, and having power based in holy magic, Naga is not a god, and there are many things she cannot do. Tiki, Naga's daughter, and one of the last remaining Divine Dragons, is also mistaken for a goddess during the time when she was brainwashed by [[EvilSorceror Gharnef]].
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'': The god of Power, Duma, seemingly an actual god, resembles a decaying {{cyclop|s}}ean dragon. Both he and Mila, his counterpart, are revealed in ''Shadows of Valentia'' to be [[spoiler:exiled members of the Divine Dragon Tribe]].
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemJugdral'': The beings that gave the Crusaders their power were dragons who gave their blood to counter the Lopt Empire, in particular dragons of the Divine Dragon tribe, including Naga and Forseti, the latter being worshipped as the Wind God of Silesse. On the opposite side, Loptyr himself was revered as a deity by the Loptyrian Empire, usually as a figure dedicated to vengeance against Grannevale, however the Maira Loptyrians worshipped Loptyr as benevolent figure.
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'': Naga is worshiped by Ylisse opposing Grima, the Fell Dragon worshipped by the [[ReligionOfEvil Grimleal]] of Plegia, though neither are truly gods because they lack the power of creation among other things. Naga's daughter, Tiki, now over 3000 years old, is revered as a sort of prophet, the Voice of the Divine Dragon. [[spoiler:One boss fought in Valm reveals that Mila is still worshiped two thousand years after ''Gaiden''/''Shadows of Valentia'' as the Earth Mother]].
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'': [[spoiler:Anankos]] is one of the First Dragons, and a deity with control over [[YinYangBomb light and darkness]], [[MakingASplash water]], and fate. Among his other powers are [[spoiler:the ability to [[{{Necromancer}} raise the bodies of the dead as his undead servants]], the ability to grant eternal life and the eternal survival of one's bloodline, the ability to easily travel between worlds, and the ability to grant the power to use Dragon Veins using his blood.]] However, [[spoiler:by the time of the game he has devolved into [[MadGod madness]] like so many other First Dragons, and in ''Revelation'' the Avatar and company are forced to put him down.]]
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'': [[spoiler:Sothis]] is not only the Goddess worshipped by the Church of Seiros in Fodlan, but also mothered multiple children called the Nabateans who are in fact various breeds of dragons [[spoiler:such as Rhea/Seiros the Sky Dragon]]. Unlike Naga, however, there are many indications that [[spoiler:Sothis]] really is a true out-and-out deity, possessing power over [[TimeMaster time itself]] and enough raw power to wipe out [[spoiler:the advanced civilization of Agartha when they turned against her]], and [[spoiler:from lines from both the Church and "those who slither in the dark", may have in fact come from another world entirely.]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}'': ''GURPS Dragons'' discusses a wide range of ways to use dragons in games, including the idea of making them more or less divine, and provides brief setting outlines based on this.

** Generation 7 introduces Necrozma, a Pokémon that initially brought light to the alternate world of Ultra Megalopolis, where it was revered as a deity, and took the form of a large dragon made of light with golden armor referred to as "Ultra Necrozma". The citizens of Ultra Megalopolis caused it to revert to the black form it's commonly seen in after managing to break off pieces of its prism body, which became the Z-Crystals and Sparkling Stones used to create Z-Rings. It's also one of the most powerful Pokemon in the game with stats that surpass Arceus (The creator of the universe) and is one of the most [[ThatOneBoss frustratingly difficult boss fights in the series if you're unprepared.]]

** The True Dragons -- "Star King Dragon" Veldanava, "White Ice Dragon" Velzard, "Scorch Dragon" Velgrynd, and "Storm Dragon" Veldora Tempest -- are immeasurably powerful spiritual beings often worshipped as gods, with Veldanava being the creator of the multiverse itself. Ironically, Veldanava is the only one [[DeaderThanDead truly dead]] by the present day, as part of the consequence of dying after [[DePower giving up most of his godlike power]] to naming his daughter [[spoiler:Milim Nava, who's one of the most powerful beings on the planet and technically a demigoddess.]] Note that the "True" is particularly key, as the lesser dragon race are not this. In fact, the dragon race [[MonsterProgenitor was born from the decaying spiritual dragon body]] of Veldanava [[spoiler:when he abandoned it and became human after siring Milim]], and while amongst the most powerful of the mortal races even the strongest Dragon Lords are a pale shadow of the might of their divine forbearers.

* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': The most powerful god in Gensokyo is the unnamed dragon god, who is worshiped by both humans and youkai alike as a creator god found in the ocean, sky, and rain. It also serves as a protector deity. Akyuu describes it as so large that it's thicker than a thousand-year-old tree, and so long that it could blot out the sky. In terms of power, she mentions that its cry is said to part the sky and create thunderstorms and that just by moving it can create earthquakes. It can also easily move between Gensokyo, hell, heaven, and the Netherworld without being stopped by the Great Hakurei Barrier. Its last appearance was when the Barrier was first erected in 1885, where the youkai sages managed to placate the dragon god by staking their very existences swearing eternal peace towards it.