History Main / TheDragonSlayer

* ''VideoGame/PokemonXAndY'' adds the Fairy type to its ElementalRockPaperScissors system specifically to counter the Dragon type, which had been getting too overpowered.

* [[MeaningfulName Georgia]] of ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'' is a self-proclaimed "Dragon Buster", a trainer dedicated to taking down dragon-[[ElementalRockPaperScissors type]] Pokemon. To this end, her team is mostly made up of ice-types, which are the dragon-type's only weakness aside from itself.

* In ''VideoGame/{{Drakensang}}'' Dragonslaying is a proud tradition among the dwarves, who have developed lots of special weapons (axes, hammers and large crossbows) specifically meant to kill dragons. To really drive the point home, Dwarves are said to have 18 words for "killing a dragon".

* One of many depictions of St. George (c. 275-303 AD) provides the page picture. George is best known as a dragonslayer, making this trope OlderThanFeudalism. In real life he was a Syrian-born Roman legionnaire who was (reluctantly) executed by the governor for being openly Christian and refusing to convert to the Roman religion. When and how he became associated with slaying dragons is not clear, but there are interpretations that the dragon is the one spoken of in [[Literature/BookOfRevelation Revelation]] and is meant to symbolize Rome.

* In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'', Dragonslayer Ornstein ''earned'' the first part of his title, fighting alongside Lord Gwyn against the dragons in the climactic battle that allowed humanity to rise and flourish. There's a collection of dragon heads mounted in the castle in Anor Londo that provides proof of his kills.

It is important to note that having killed ''one'' dragon does not necessarily make one a dragonslayer, just as having saved one person makes them a hero but not TheHero. This is basically part of their job description, meaning they generally hunt dragons, plural. The other qualification, of course, is surviving the encounter.

* In ''Smax'' (the spin-off from ''TopTen''), Smax is revealed to have started out as a professional dragonslayer before moving across worlds to become a policeman in Neopolis.

* In John Moore's ''Slay and Rescue'', Prince Charming is quite the dab hand at rescuing princesses from dragons, and has developed several specialized techniques for dragonslaying. He just wishes the princesses would be a little more demonstrative in their thanks.

A dragon is usually a job for an entire party of adventurers. So how can TheDragonslayer do this themselves? Well, having the [[{{BFS}} Greatsword]] [[WeaponOfXSlaying of Dragonbane]] [[InfinityPlusOneSword +1]] and the strength to lift and wield it helps. But beyond incredible strength and skill, they must have knowledge. They must know various weaknesses of dragons, such as that the scales near the belly are especially thin, the space between eyes (or heck the eyes themselves), or the nape of the neck are vital points. They also have to know specific weaknesses of elemental and chromatic dragons, such as that an ice dragon cannot abide large amounts of salt.

[[TheSameButDifferent So this is just a variant]] of TheHunter right? Well, no. TheHunter normally suffers the AchillesHeel of CripplingOverspecialization, while TheDragonslayer still has a giant sword, which unlike a stake or silver daggers, [[OneHeroHoldTheWeaksauce is very effective in battle]]. The Dragonslayer is often TheHero with a few dead dragons tacked on.

* Lina Inverse from ''LightNovel/TheSlayers'' does not qualify, even though she's killed hundreds of dragons, because her technique is seen as overkill and not involving real skill. She does however meet an actual dragon hunter, on her quest for gourmet cuisine (he's less a {{BFS}} variety, and more a specialist that uses knife skills).

* ''Franchise/DragonAge: Dawn of the Seeker'' reveals that the family of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' character Cassandra Pentaghast has quite a reputation as dragonslayers.

* The main characters of the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' novel trilogy ''Literature/TheYearOfRogueDragons'' are an adventuring party who specialize in taking down dragons, slaying three or four evil dragons per book, minimum.

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Saint_George_Killing_the_Dragon_6828.jpg]]

* The main characters of the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms'' novel trilogy ''Literature/TheYearOfRogueDragons'' are an adventuring party who specialize in taking down dragons.

* St. George (c. 275-303 AD) is best known as a dragonslayer, making this trope OlderThanFeudalism.

* ''VideoGame/AdventureQuest'' and its spinoff ''VideoGame/AdventureQuestWorlds'' have this as a class designed around killing dragons and dragonkin like the Drakels.
* Slaying the red dragon [[ThatOneBoss Tholapsyx]] in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' grants you the history feat "Dragonslayer".
* The eponymous characters in ''VideoGame/DragonValor'' are inviduals who wield magic swords which are the only thing that can kill dragons.

* ''VideoGame/DragonAge: Dawn of the Seeker'' reveals that the family of ''VideoGame/DragonAgeII'' character Cassandra Pentaghast has quite a reputation as dragonslayers.

* The Warden in ''VideoGame/DragonAge'' fights and slays several dragons over the course of ''Origins'' and ''Awakening'', including the game's BigBad, a dragon-shaped EldritchAbomination.

-->-- '''{{Series/Angel}}''' , ''[[GrandFinale Not Fade Away]]''

! Examples:

* [[MeaningfulName Georgia]] of ''{{Anime/Pokemon}}'' is a self-proclaimed "Dragon Buster", a trainer dedicated to taking down dragon-[[ElementalRockPaperScissors type]] Pokemon. To this end, her team is mostly made up of ice-types, which are the dragon-type's only weakness aside from itself.

* The protagonist in ''Film/{{Dragonheart}}'' is a professional dragonslayer, [[spoiler: seeking to kill the last dragon whose heart is making the king an immortal tyrant]].

* ''VideoGame/AdventureQuest'' and its spinoff ''VideoGame/AQWorlds'' have this as a class designed around killing dragons and dragonkin like the Drakels.

[[AC: Anime and Manga]]

* Parn from ''RecordOfLodossWar'' has over the course of the show killed at least two dragons, one in the first episode, and the other was an ancient dragon.
* Lina Inverse from ''TheSlayers'' does not qualify, even though she's killed hundreds of dragons, because her technique is seen as overkill and not involving real skill. She does however meet an actual dragon hunter, on her quest for gourmet cuisine (he's less a {{BFS}} variety, and more a specialist that uses knife skills).
* ''VisionOfEscaflowne'' starts off with Van fighting a dragon in a specialized dragon-fighting suit of armor. There's a folding pop-out shield that he can extend to protect him from flame breath, there's a crossbow on one arm, and if needs be he can shed the whole thing at once for added mobility. Dragonslaying is apparently a very important thing in his world, since it's how you get energist crystals for powering giant robots. It's also his rite of passage as the king of his small country.

[[AC:Comic Books]]

[[AC: Film]]
* The protagonist in ''DragonHeart'' is a professional dragonslayer, [[spoiler: seeking to kill the last dragon whose heart is making the king an immortal tyrant]].
* The film ''Fire and Ice'' had a man named Galador who slew a dragon. Too bad he died years ago, and his son had to do the job. His son, while not directly killing them, manages to take care of another by pitting it against another, and the second, and ice dragon by [[spoiler: melting it by bringing down salt mines on it]].
* In ''ReignOfFire'', Van Zan (and his fellow Americans) are all specialists in slaying dragons. They have knowledge of the dragons' weaknesses and exploit these with a range of specialized equipment, including a tank and a helicopter which can drop troops onto flying dragons to force them to land.

[[AC:Literature]]

* In ''The Hero and the Crown'' (the prequel to ''TheBlueSword''), Lady Aerin becomes a dragonslayer after working out a reasonably safe method for doing so. Her ownership of a powerful magical sword helps, of course.

* TomHolt's ''Paint Your Dragon'' plays with the trope. Saint George is an out-and-out treacherous bastard, and the dragon is closer to being a hero. The dragon just wants a fair fight.

[[AC: Mythology]]
* St. George is best known as a dragonslayer, making this trope OlderThanFeudalism.
* Beowulf (although it killed him), Bellerophon (the one of the Chimera, before slaying it he killed a dragon named Bellero), Sigurd/Siegfried, and many others also qualify.

[[AC:TabletopRPG]]

[[AC:Video Games]]

* The Dragonborn in ''{{Skyrim}}'' is the only one who can kill dragons permanently by consuming their souls.
* ''AdventureQuest'' and its spinoff ''AQWorlds'' have this as a class designed around killing dragons and dragonkin like the Drakels.

* ''VideoGame/KingsBounty Legends'' has the "Dragon Slayer" spell, which enhaces attack against dragons and fire resistence. Plus, the Knights can deal bonus damage to Dragons.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Drakensang}}'' Dragonslaying is a proud tradition amongs the dwarves, who have developed lots of special weapons (axes, hammers and large crossbows) specifically meant to kill dragons. To really drive the point home, Dwarves are said to have 18 words for "killing a dragon".

[[AC:Webcomics]]
* ''GunnerkriggCourt'' plays with it. The official protector of the Court is called the Dragon Slayer, but James Eglamore--the current Dragon Slayer--admits that it’s [[ThePiratesWhoDontDoAnything a rather misleading title]]. Dragons are rare enough--if not outright extinct--that they don’t require much slaying these days. Nevertheless, there’s little doubt that Eglamore could take on a dragon if necessary: he defeats a Rogat Orjak ([[OurDragonsAreDifferent technically not a dragon, but very dragon-ish all the same]]) in an early chapter.

[[AC: Western Animation]]
* Iroh from WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender is famed in story for slaying the last dragon left in the world earning the title Dragon of the West [[spoiler: really however he lied and left the last of the dragons alive and only claimed to have killed them so they could live in peace]].

[[AC:Video Games]]
* The Warden in ''VideoGame/DragonAge'' fights and slays several dragons over the course of ''Origins'' and ''Awakening'', including the game's BigBad, a dragon-shaped EldritchAbomination.
* The Dragonborn in ''{{Skyrim}}'' is the only one who can kill dragons permanently by consuming their souls.
* ''AdventureQuest'' and its spinoff ''AQWorlds'' have this as a class designed around killing dragons and dragonkin like the Drakels.
* Slaying the red dragon [[ThatOneBoss Tholapsyx]] in ''VideoGame/NeverwinterNights2'' grants you the history feat "Dragonslayer".
* The eponymous characters in ''VideoGame/DragonValor'' are inviduals who wield magic swords which are the only thing that can kill dragons.
* ''VideoGame/KingsBounty Legends'' has the "Dragon Slayer" spell, which enhaces attack against dragons and fire resistence. Plus, the Knights can deal bonus damage to Dragons.
* In ''VideoGame/{{Drakensang}}'' Dragonslaying is a proud tradition amongs the dwarves, who have developed lots of special weapons (axes, hammers and large crossbows) specifically meant to kill dragons. To really drive the point home, Dwarves are said to have 18 words for "killing a dragon".

[[AC:Comic Books]]
* In ''Smax'' (the spin-off from ''TopTen''), Smax is revealed to have started out as a professional dragonslayer before moving across worlds to become a policeman in Neopolis.

[[AC: Mythology]]
* St. George is best known as a dragonslayer, making this trope OlderThanFeudalism.
* Beowulf (although it killed him), Bellerophon (the one of the Chimera, before slaying it he killed a dragon named Bellero), Sigurd/Siegfried, and many others also qualify.

* ''Manga/FairyTail'' has the Dragon Slayer magic (''metsuryuu mahou'', [[hottip:note:literally "dragon-''destroying'' magic"]]), a special type of elemental magic taught to certain humans by Dragons, which is said to be really effective against other Dragons. It also slowly transform the user to a dragon. [[spoiler: Canonically, Acknologia was once a ''really'' bloodthirsty Dragon Slayer who massacred tons of dragons, until he was eventually turned into a giant dragon himself.]]

* ''Manga/FairyTail'' has the Dragon Slayer magic (Mesturyu Maho), a special type of elemental magic taught to certain humans by Dragons, which is said to be really effective against other Dragons. It also slowly transform the user to a dragon. [[spoiler: Canonically, Acknologia was once a ''really'' bloodthirsty Dragon Slayer who massacred tons of dragons, until he was eventually turned into a giant dragon himself.]]

* A standalone novel by BarbaraHambly has a village go in search of a dragonslayer who the legends describe as a KnightInShiningArmor who killed the dragon with his sword. He turns out to be [[ExpectingSomeoneTaller a rather bookish man]] who [[CombatPragmatist disabled the dragon with poisoned harpoons]] and finished it with a battleaxe.

But that's assuming the truth. Dragon slayers have a reputation for being MilesGloriosus, to the point where even the real deal is viewed with skepticism. Perhaps the one rumored to be a dragon slayer isn't, and you instead need to look for his brother, or maybe [[ActionGirl sister]]. Or maybe their great-grandfather was one, but nobody in the family knows how to do it anymore.

But that's assuming the truth. Dragon slayers have a reputation for being MilesGloriosus, to the point where even the real deal is viewed with skepticism. Perhaps the one rumored to be a dragon slayer isn't, and you instead need to look for his brother, or maybe sister. Or maybe their great-grandfather was one, but nobody in the family knows how to do it anymore.

It is important to note that having killed ''one'' dragon does not necessarily make one a dragonslayer, just as having saved one person makes them a hero but not TheHero. This is basically part of their job description, meaning they generally hunt dragons, plural. The other qualification, of course, is surviving the encounter. (For this reason, examples like Literature/{{Beowulf}} do not count)