History YMMV / TheLegendOfSpyro

** There's such a specific FandomSpecificPlot that occurs so regularly in the fanfic community that there's even a FanNickname for [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] it. Called "The Post-''[=DotD=]'' template," it goes a little like this: A new ancient evil emerges, and Spyro, Cynder, and a ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters ton]]'' of [[OriginalCharacter OCs]] (one of them possibly a human turned dragon) must stop it. Along the way, they encounter [[Franchise/SpyroTheDragon Flame and Ember]] who somehow managed to survive the temple raid at the start of the first game, and nine times out of ten Ember is given a RonTheDeathEater to make Cynder seem more likable. While all this is going on, Spyro and Cynder are struggling with their [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Super-Powered Evil Sides]] while also trying to admit their feelings for one another despite Cynder already admitting her love for Spyro at the end of ''Dawn of the Dragon'', with some contrived situation (usually caused by [[RonTheDeathEater Ember]]) breaking them up, only to get back together a few chapters later with little to no problem. Also, double points if Malefor shows up and pulls a [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Dr. Wily]] by [[HijackedByGanon hijacking the plot]]. It's impossible to count the number of fics that give Spyro a brother/sister who is ''also'' a purple dragon (despite the fact that only one purple dragon is born every ten generations) on both hands. While some of these kinds of fics ''can'' [[SturgeonsLaw turn out to be really good if handled with care]], in general, the "Post-''[=DotD=]'' template" has become widely hated in the fandom, though despite that it ''still'' refuses to die.

** There's such a specific FandomSpecificPlot that occurs so regularly in the fanfic community that there's even a FanNickname for [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] it. Called "The Post-''[=DotD=]'' template," it goes a little like this: A new ancient evil emerges, and Spyro, Cynder, and a ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters ton]]'' of [[OriginalCharacter OCs]] (one of them possibly a human turned dragon) must stop it. Along the way, they encounter [[Franchise/SpyroTheDragon Flame and Ember]] who somehow managed to survive the temple raid at the start of the first game, and nine times out of ten Ember is given a RonTheDeathEater to make Cynder seem more likable. While all this is going on, Spyro and Cynder are struggling with their [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Super-Powered Evil Sides]] while also trying to admit their feelings for one another despite Cynder already admitting her love for Spyro at the end of ''Dawn of the Dragon'', with some contrived situation (usually caused by [[RonTheDeathEater Ember]]) breaking them up, only to get back together a few chapters later with little to no problem. Also, double points if Malefor shows up and pulls a [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Dr. Wily]] by [[HijackedByGanon hijacking the plot]]. It's impossible to count the number of fics that give Spyro a brother/sister who is ''also'' a purple dragon (despite the fact that only one purple dragon is born every ten generations) on both hands. In general, while some of these kinds of fics ''can'' [[SturgeonsLaw turn out to be really good if handled with care]], in general, the "Post-''[=DotD=]'' template" has become widely hated in the fandom, though despite that it ''still'' refuses to die.

** There's such a specific FandomSpecificPlot that occurs so regularly in the fanfic community that there's even a FanNickname for [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] it. Called "The Post-''[=DoTD=]'' template," it goes a little like this: A new ancient evil emerges, and Spyro, Cynder, and a ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters ton]]'' of [[OriginalCharacter OCs]] (one of them possibly a human turned dragon) must stop it. Along the way, they encounter [[Franchise/SpyroTheDragon Flame and Ember]] who somehow managed to survive the temple raid at the start of the first game, and nine times out of ten Ember is given a RonTheDeathEater to make Cynder seem more likable. While all this is going on, Spyro and Cynder are struggling with their [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Super-Powered Evil Sides]] while also trying to admit their feelings for one another despite Cynder already admitting her love for Spyro at the end of ''Dawn of the Dragon'', with some contrived situation (usually caused by [[RonTheDeathEater Ember]]) breaking them up, only to get back together a few chapters later with little to no problem. Also, double points if Malefor shows up and pulls a [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Dr. Wily]] by [[HijackedByGanon hijacking the plot]]. It's impossible to count the number of fics that give Spyro a brother/sister who is ''also'' a purple dragon (despite the fact that only one purple dragon is born every ten generations) on both hands. In general, while some of these kinds of fics ''can'' [[SturgeonsLaw turn out to be really good if handled with care]], in general, the "Post-''[=DotD=]'' template" has become widely hated in the fandom, though despite that it ''still'' refuses to die.

** There's such a specific FandomSpecificPlot that occurs so regularly in the fanfic community that there's even a FanNickname for [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] it. Called "The Post-''[=DOTD=]'' template," it goes a little like this: A new ancient evil emerges, and Spyro, Cynder, and a ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters ton]]'' of [[OriginalCharacter OCs]] (one of them possibly a human turned dragon) must stop it. Along the way, they encounter [[Franchise/SpyroTheDragon Flame and Ember]] who somehow managed to survive the temple raid at the start of the first game, and nine times out of ten Ember is given a RonTheDeathEater to make Cynder seem more likable. While all this is going on, Spyro and Cynder are struggling with their [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Super-Powered Evil Sides]] while also trying to admit their feelings for one another despite Cynder already admitting her love for Spyro at the end of ''Dawn of the Dragon'', with some contrived situation (usually caused by [[RonTheDeathEater Ember]]) breaking them up, only to get back together a few chapters later with little to no problem. Also, double points if Malefor shows up and pulls a [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Dr. Wily]] by [[HijackedByGanon hijacking the plot]]. It's impossible to count the number of fics that give Spyro a brother/sister who is ''also'' a purple dragon (despite the fact that only one purple dragon is born every ten generations) on both hands. In general, while some of these kinds of fics ''can'' [[SturgeonsLaw turn out to be really good if handled with care]], in general, the "Post-''[=DotD=]'' template" has become widely hated in the fandom, though despite that it ''still'' refuses to die.

** There's such a specific FandomSpecificPlot that occurs so regularly in the fic fandom that there's even a FanNickname for [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] it. Called "The Post-''[=DOTD=]'' template," it goes a little like this: A new ancient evil emerges, and Spyro, Cynder, and a ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters ton]]'' of [[OriginalCharacter OCs]] (one of them possibly a human turned dragon) must stop it. Along the way, they encounter [[Franchise/SpyroTheDragon Flame and Ember]] who somehow managed to survive the temple raid at the start of the first game, and nine times out of ten Ember is given a RonTheDeathEater to make Cynder seem more likable. While all this is going on, Spyro and Cynder are struggling with their [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Super-Powered Evil Sides]] while also trying to admit their feelings for one another despite Cynder already admitting her love for Spyro at the end of ''Dawn of the Dragon'', with some contrived situation (usually caused by [[RonTheDeathEater Ember]]) breaking them up, only to get back together a few chapters later with little to no problem. Also, double points if Malefor shows up and pulls a [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Dr. Wily]] by [[HijackedByGanon hijacking the plot]]. It's impossible to count the number of fics that give Spyro a brother/sister who is ''also'' a purple dragon (despite the fact that only one purple dragon is born every ten generations) on both hands. In general, while some of these kinds of fics ''can'' [[SturgeonsLaw turn out to be really good if handled with care]], in general, the "Post-''[=DotD=]'' template" has become widely hated in the fandom, though despite that it ''still'' refuses to die.

** Quite a bit of it, a;though [[http://shalonesk.deviantart.com/art/The-Legend-of-Spyro-DotD-is-151153490 this fanart]] sums up a few of ''Dawn of the Dragon''[='s=] problems quite nicely.

* PopularWithFurries: ''The Legend of Spyro'' is more popular with scalies than the Classic series or ''Skylanders'', due to its more realistic looking dragons and focus on story.

* BestBossEver: The Advisor in the GBA version of ''the Eternal Night''. A freaking Ninja ape you fight three times over the game with each more amazing than the last, and always manage to be challenging without being unfair hard. It will require you to use all the skills you've built up over the game, and in the final battle, he has one of the coolest death animations of all the characters in the game. It's a shame the guy is only in the GBA game.
* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** In ''Dawn of the Dragon'', Spyro briefly turns into Dark Spyro due to his grief and anger over Ignitus' death. However, Cynder easily talks him out of it and Spyro never goes dark again.
** Considering how little foreshadowing it got, [[spoiler: Cynder being rescued from Malefor's control again in ''Dawn of the Dragon'' by ThePowerOfLove]] can come off as this, since there was absolutely ''nothing'' that seemed to imply [[spoiler: she and Spyro had deeper feelings for one another outside of a possible friendship.]]
* BreatherBoss: In comparison to his fight in the console version, Skabb in the GBA version of ''the Eternal Night'' is rather easy in comparison to the bosses before him, albeit a bit of GuideDangit to figure out how to damage. All his attacks are easily avoidable, and he doesn't hit particularly hard. You even have two spirit gem clusters close by should things go south! The most dangerous thing about this battle are the LedgeBats he summons.

** Within the ''[=LoS=]'' fandom, there's whether or not [[http://that-spyro-guy.deviantart.com/ Jared Pullen, the lead artist of the trilogies]] words on [[WhatCouldHaveBeen what they never got to put into the trilogy proper]] should be accepted as hard canon or not, especially after years and years of popular {{Fanon}} concepts being smashed in the process of this. The fact that Jared Pullen more or less said it's up to people whether they want to treat his words as canon or not hasn't helped matter, either.

** Opinions on ''Dawn of the Dragon'' can vary. Many people regard it as the best game in the series due to the improved combat and level design, the gorgeous graphics, and Cynder finally being playable; others hate the game due to its inconsistent story, completely different art style, and janky mechanics due to being ChristmasRushed.

** [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Malefor]] is an evil dragon, banished by the Dragon Elders for his {{ambition|Is Evil}}, power, and limitless evil. Waging war against his own kind, Malefor slaughtered countless people before being sealed away. Upon his orders, his ape servants smash the eggs of the purple dragons and overrun the rest of dragonkind. [[TheChessmaster Manipulating Spyro into freeing him, Malefor attempts to forcibly corrupt him and his fellow dragon Cynder]]. Malefor then turned his entire army of ape servants into undead living skeletons and spread plague and destruction throughout the world. Malefor then prepared to bring about "The Great Cleansing": [[OmnicidalManiac the extermination of all life in the world]] save that which he could corrupt, to craft a new world [[InTheirOwnImage in his own twisted image]].

* EpilepticTrees: The song "This Broken Soul" [[http://web.archive.org/web/20080305023321/http://www.spyroworld.net/home/3623 represents]] Spyro's relationship with Ignitus. But some fans commonly use this song for videos on Spyro and Cynder's love for one another.

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory:
** There are quite a few theories that Spyro and purple dragons in general are suppose to be [[CrystalDragonJesus Dragon Jesus]].
** Some view the ending for ''Dawn of the Dragon'' as [[spoiler: Spyro and Cynder dying while restoring the world. However, despite this, they're finally able to have a peaceful rest in the after life after everything they've been through.]] The fact that it's intentionally left vague if [[spoiler: they truly survived or not]] doesn't help.

* FridgeBrilliance: Malefor's army giving up the siege on Warfang seems a bit sudden after the Earth Golem he sends out is defeated, but given that we later see how much he enjoys messing with others, he probably called the siege off before summoning the Destroyer was probably to make his enemies think they were winning before he showed them that the outcome of the siege made no difference.

** Quite a bit of it, though [[http://shalonesk.deviantart.com/art/The-Legend-of-Spyro-DotD-is-151153490 this fanart]] sums up a few of ''Dawn of the Dragon'''s problems quite nicely.

* GameBreaker:
** In ''A New Beginning'', Earth element, specifically its sub elemental shot, is insane. You don't get it until just before the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon, but if you've been saving your EXP for it and put it all into the sub-shot of the element, it makes it a complete and utter joke. The sub element is a tornado shot that, on its highest level, can stun and toss even the largest enemies into the air while doing constant damage to them. This alone doesn't sound too broken, but add on the fact that it can do this to multiple enemies at once, and the fact that doing this causes them to drop spirit gems which recharge your mana while they're still alive, when normally they don't do this until you've killed them, and you have an attack that not only stuns all enemies in the general area and keeps them from attacking, does constant, high damage to them, but ''also'' recharges itself for basically no cost at all. Once you get it, pretty much the only strategy for the rest of the game is "use tornado, wait for the attack to wear off, use tornado again" until all enemies are dead. The basic breath also does high damage to, but isn't as broken due to the fact that is also does high damage to your mana...
** Electricity is also broken in ''A New Beginning'' too if you know how to use it, on top of the fact that you get it pretty early on. On paper, it's an element that let's you stun and toss enemies, while not doing much damage. Doesn't sound too spectacular, until you realize that enemies in this game take FallDamage, and often get {{One Hit Kill}}ed even when falling off short drops, and when you throw them into bottomless pits, you still get their spirit gems regardless. If you level the basic breath version of it up all the way, you can toss even the biggest of enemies off cliffs and ledges, killing them instantly, making it amazing crowd control when the game starts getting spam happy with enemies.
** Earth makes a return to the game breaker category in ''Eternal Night'', except this time it's the primary attack. It allows Spyro to conjure an earth-based flail that he can swing around. Upgrading this ability increases the overall size of the flail, allowing you to just spin around in a circle, knocking over and decimating every enemy around you. In fact, pretty much any enemy that isn't a Commander can get easily tossed around like a ragdoll with this move.
** In ''Dawn of the Dragon'', Cynder's Shadow element has a basic attack that uses almost no mana, is inordinately powerful, and can hit every enemy in a fairly wide radius around her. The second is the Roll ability - its intended purpose is to quickly dodge powerful attacks, but you are invincible whenever you use it, to the point where an Earth Golem can smash its building-sized hand down on you, and if you roll you take ''zero'' damage. Using these two abilities in conjunction with each other can potentially get you through the entire game without ever dying, or indeed without any kind of a challenge.
** The Shadow Strike ability deserves a little elaboration. Not only does it hit everyone in the vicinity, but it will knock the smaller enemies into the air for several seconds, and then they will spend several seconds after that getting back up. And if that wasn't enough, the shadow "blinds" them and makes them start attacking ''each other''. If one uses this ability right, you can get a whole room full of enemies all attacking each other without you ever entering the fray.
* GoodBadBugs: ''The Eternal Night'' has a bug where, if you use an element while time magic is up, it slows down the mana consumption while using the element, but the element's attack still does the full amount of damage to the enemy. This is a really useful bug, considering ''The Eternal Night'' can [[NintendoHard get brutally difficult at points.]]

* {{Narm}}: Spyro's DespairEventHorizon in the third game lasts for a whole 30 seconds.
* PolishedPort: Surprisingly, the ''UsefulNotes/GameboyAdvance'' version of ''The Eternal Night''. The console version of the game was infamous for being ChristmasRushed which resulted in it being [[NintendoHard one of the single hardest Spyro games in the franchise]]. The GBA version, however, is a far better balanced 2D platforming BeatEmUp with {{Metroidvania}} elements. Spyro's health, mana, and strength increase over the game instead of staying static like the console version, and there's even an option to adjust the game's difficulty for those who find normal mode still rather hard. The environments are also more varied [[spoiler: such as the Chronicler's dream / soul sequences being more based on the respective element he's teaching instead of being a generic purple void]] and it has some of the best graphics on the system, with one swearing some of the cutscenes were in actual 3D instead of DigitizedSprites.
* PopularWithFurries: ''Legend of Spyro'' is more popular with scalies than the Classic series or ''Skylanders''. This is due to its more realistic looking dragons and focus on story.

* StrangledByTheRedString: Even though it's a ''large'' portion of the fanbase's OneTruePairing, and many are ''very'' vicious about those who criticize it... Spyro and Cynder's relationship has little in-game development. Over the course of the series, they didn't show any interest in each other outside of a friendship, and Cynder was quite snappy with Spyro throughout [=DOTD=]. As such, [[spoiler: ThePowerOfLove rescuing Cynder after she fell under Malefor's control again in that game]] [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment may have come completely out of the left field for some]], to the point it borders on {{narm}} for both hardcore fans and people who like the pairing. [[WordOfGod According to Jared Pullen, the lead artist of the trilogy]], this was because [[http://dragonoficeandfire.deviantart.com/journal/Q-A-with-Jared-Pullen-lead-concept-artist-of-TLoS-556546930 Spyro and Cynder]] ''weren't'' intended to get together originally. However, the [[OneTruePairing very vocal]] fans on that subject eventually made them decide to ThrowItIn late in development, which explains why it feels so sudden in-game. Unfortunately, this has led to some seeing the relationship in a rather unflattering light... See AlternativeCharacterInterpretation above.
* ThatOneBoss: Both battles against Skabb in ''The Eternal Night''. His first battle takes place on a tiny, cramped platform with very little room to dodge his attacks (including a vicious gatling gun), with only a single spirit gem to replenish health. It doesn't help that he's only vulnerable for a short time, meaning you'll have to save your Dragon Time for when he's vulnerable to land a lot of hits on him instead of using it to make dodging his attacks easier. His second battle has a much larger arena, but has no spirit gems at all (meaning the only eay to restore health and mana is to defeat his [[FlunkyBoss flunkies]]), and Skabb uses much harder attacks and has less opportunities to be hit.
* ThatOneLevel: Tall Plains in ''A New Beginning'' is easy...except for a part where you have to ride a Gondola, which spawns enemies, AND it’s always the more powerful ones, ''AND'' there's always two of them that spawn. You can use electric breath to knock them off, but chances are you won’t remember this when you start the section, meaning you’re going to die over and over in this section for quite a while before the idea hits you.

** Dark Spyro. Despite being Spyro's SuperPoweredEvilSide, he barely, if at all, affects the plot. The only noticeable thing he does is kill Gaul and that's it.

** Spyro himself remains rather [[FlatCharacter flat]] throughout the trilogy, with the BadButt tendencies completely erased in lue of more IdealHero qualities. While they ''do'' try to show the stress of the adventure starting to weigh on him in ''Dawn of the Dragon'', [[{{Narm}} it ends up being unintentionally hilarious]] because of how abrupt and short it is. Some would have preferred if Spyro kept his classic personality and acted as something of a {{Foil}} to Malefor, being the one being in the entire realm even ''he'' couldn't break and calling out characters for their more [[WhatAnIdiot idiotic decisions]] over the course of the story.

** Even fans of the sub-series are willing to admit that the plot to the sub-series can be... [[{{Plothole}} Patchy]] at best. As [[WordOfGod Mike]] revealed, the games were made on what was essentially a [[NoBudget shoe-string budget]] in video game development terms. The plans for the series were [[WhatCouldHaveBeen/SpyroTheDragon much more grandious]] in development, but a lot of things had to be knuckled under or go unexplained because of the budget. That said, fans still like the themes enough to still consider it having potential; not to mention there's scant amount of fantasy media that actually ''stars'' dragons as opposed to them at best [[MostWritersAreHuman playing second fiddle to a human protagonist]].
** Really, the idea of Spyro having to take on a genuinely competent and legitimately threatening villain would be a rather nice change of pace compared to the mostly [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain ineffectual Gnasty or Ripto]]. However, since the Spyro of these games [[InNameOnly really has a bare passing glance resemblance to his Classic counterpart in terms of personality]], we don't really get to see how he would have reacted to such a scenario.

* TheWoobie: Both Spyro ''and'' Cynder, though Cynder arguably has it worse than Spyro. Spyro no doubt suffers greatly throughout everything and ultimately is pushed across the DespairEventHorizon by Malefor, but Cynder's life in general has been one long living nightmare. She was BrainwashedAndCrazy for most of her life into doing unspeakable things to her own kind and when she's finally free, she remembers every horrible thing she did during that time and feels guilty about it all (and she's a 12 year old kid at this point!) to the point she runs away from her friends and home because she can't stand it anymore. Not to mention Sparx being a pretty big {{Jerkass}} to her. And in the third game people repeatedly continue to blame her for what she did under Malefor's control, including the Hermit scene which seems to exist only to show the fate of the Apes and make Cynder suffer. Finally, she ends up getting sent over the DespairEventHorizon by Malefor as well and [[spoiler: gets BrainwashedAndCrazy all over again, forcing her to attack her own love interest!]] At least Spyro had a loving adopted family to help him through it all!

** Within the [=LoS=] fandom, there's whether or not [[http://that-spyro-guy.deviantart.com/ Jared Pullen, the lead artist of the trilogies]] words on [[WhatCouldHaveBeen what they never got to put into the trilogy proper]] should be accepted as hard canon or not, especially after years and years of popular {{Fanon}} concepts being smashed in the process of this. The fact that Jared Pullen more or less said it's up to people whether they want to treat his words as canon or not hasn't helped matter, either.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Pyra, the [[http://dragonoficeandfire.deviantart.com/art/--532115716 dragon seen next to Ignitus in one of the cutscenes in]] ''A New Beginning'', quickly exploded to this status once the lead artist for [=LoS=] went into [[http://tokowh.deviantart.com/journal/Q-A-with-Jared-Pullen-lead-artist-of-TLoS-556546930 his backstory in a Q.A. session]]. A combination of his backstory being Ignitus' first Battle Squire and being one of the few canon dragons close to Spyro and Cynder's age helps.

** Pyra is now canon / Pyra > [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Derpy]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]After the lead artist of ''LoS'' went into [[http://dragonoficeandfire.deviantart.com/art/--532115716 how the young dragon next to Ignitus in one of the cutscenes]] was intended to be a side character in the series, his back story and being one of the few dragons relatively close to Spyro and Cynder's age immediately made him explode in popularity with the fandom, despite never appearing in the trilogy proper. This also drew something of a comparison to the EnsembleDarkhorse character of Derpy Hooves from ''My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic''.[[/labelnote]]

** Pyra is now canon / Pyra > [[WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic Derpy]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]After the lead artist of ''LoS'' went into [[http://dragonoficeandfire.deviantart.com/art/--532115716 how the young dragon next to Ignitus in one of the cutscenes]] was intended to be a side character in the series, his back story and being one of the few dragons relatively close to Spyro and Cynder's age immidately made him explode in popularity with the fandom, despite never appearing in the trilogy proper.[[/labelnote]]

** Spyro. Shapt. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Cynder's [[DullSurprise halfhearted]] attempt to break Spyro out of his dark form. The line is now commonly used in the fandom as a way to sarcastically tell people to stop.[[/labelnote]]

** [[ManiacMonkeys Gaul]] is the King of the Apes who is Malefor's [[TheDragon top enforcer]] in the first two games and is hell-bent on trying to resurrect him. Prior to the first games story, Gaul led the raid on the dragon temple, slaughtering every baby dragon there but Spyro and Cynder. Taking Cynder's egg back to his lair, Gaul then proceeded to use Malefor's dark magic to corrupt the hatchling into a sociopathic monster while keeping her aware of her actions. Through her, Gaul had countless innocents enslaved or murdered. In ''The Eternal Night'', Gaul, hearing of Spyro's existence, sends an attack party to kill him, uncaring of any collateral damage. Then Gaul captures Cynder after launching another attack on the Skavengers' ship. When Gaul finally meets Spyro, he drains his strength and then forces Cynder to kill him. When that fails, Gaul goes to kill Spyro personally. Despite having a deep hatred of dragons, Gaul willingly took part in many atrocities to free Malefor just to claim more power.

** Opinions on ''Dawn of the Dragon'' can vary. Many people regard it as the best game in the series due to the refined gameplay, the gorgeous graphics, and Cynder finally being playable; others hate the game due to its rushed story and completely different art style.
* CantUnHearIt: Out of all three of Sparx and Cynder's voice actors, Creator/DavidSpade and Creator/CreeSummer are considered the most memorable by fans.

* CriticalDissonance: Review scores from critics for ''The Eternal Night'' were middling to bad. However, it seems to be the fans' favorite game in the trilogy.

* CompleteMonster: [[BigBad Malefor]] is an evil dragon, banished by the Dragon Elders for his ambition, power and limitless evil. Waging war against his own kind, [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Malefor]] slaughtered countless people before being sealed away. Upon his orders, his ape servants smash the eggs of the purple dragons and overrun the rest of dragonkind. [[TheChessmaster Manipulating Spyro into freeing him, Malefor attempts to forcibly corrupt him and his fellow dragon Cynder]]. Malefor then turned his entire army of ape servants into undead living skeletons and spread plague and destruction throughout the world. Malefor then prepared to bring about "The Great Cleansing": [[OmnicidalManiac the extermination of all life in the world]] save that which he could corrupt, to craft a new world [[InTheirOwnImage in his own twisted image]].

* CriticalDissonance: Review scores from critics for ''Dawn of the Dragon'' were middling to bad. However, it seems to be the fans' favorite game in the trilogy.

* ThatOneLevel: Tall Plains in A new beginning is easy...except for a part where you have to ride a Gondola, which spawns enemies, AND it’s always the more powerful ones, ''AND'' there's always two of them that soawn. You can use electric breath to knock them off, but chances are you won’t remember this when you start the section, meaning you’re going to die over and over in this section for quite a while before the idea hits you.

** Malefor. This guy's been interpreted in practically ''every'' way possible with the fandom, some of which include; him bullshitting through his teeth when he delivers his BreakingSpeech to Spyro [[note]]mainly because he claims to have had control over stuff and manipulated Spyro and Cynder to such a degree that it would make [[Anime/DeathNote Light]] [[GambitRoulette Yagami]] jealous[[/note]], him not actually believing it's the Purple Dragon's fate to destroy the world, and has a different motive for wanting to go through with it, him just being ''batcrap crazy'', him being batcrap crazy because his elders put so much pressure on him to explore his powers as the first Purple Dragon that he finally snapped [[note]]which makes his NotSoDifferent speech to Spyro all the more chilling considering the amount of pressure the Guardians put on Spyro himself[[/note]], and him wanting to destroy the world so he could recreate it [[InTheirOwnImage in his own image]]... And ''that's'' not ''even'' going into some DracoInLeatherPants theories...

* ShrugOfGod:
** When fans asked the producers of the trilogy how Cynder suddenly got her jewelry back on in ''Dawn of the Dragon'', when they were entirely absent in the previous game, WordOfGod responded that a planned cutscene was going to show Cynder putting her jewelry on as a subtle way of facing her fears of being under Malefor's influence. Unfortunately due to the game's development time and budget, they couldn't create such a scene, so they had to consider the jewelry to be "magic".
* ThatOneLevel: Tall Plains in A new beginning is easy...except for a part where you have to ride a Gondola, which spawns enemies, AND it’s always the more powerful ones, ''AND'' there's always two of them that soawn. You can use electric breath to knock them off, but chances are you won’t remember this when you start the section, meaning you’re going to die over and over in this section for quite a while before the idea hits you.

* ThatOneLevel: Tall Plains in A new beginning is easy...except for a part where you have to ride a Gondola, which spawns enemies, AND it’s always the more powerful ones, AND THERE’S ALWAYS TWO OF THEM THAT SPAWN. You can use electric breath to knock them off, but chances are you won’t remember this when you start the section, meaning you’re going to die over and over in this section for quite a while before the idea hits you.

* DarknessInducedAudienceApathy: Really, a lot of the animosity towards this series tends to boil down to this. If you ask most Classic purist why they don't like this trilogy, the most common response you'll get is "because it's too dark, and it just doesn't fit ''Spyro''!". Indeed, compared to the light-hearted Classic trilogy, it can be rather hard to keep an optimistic outlook while going through the trilogy. The first game isn't ''too'' bad, being only slightly darker than the Classic trilogy, but once you get to ''The Eternal Night''... It can get pretty hard to press on, if only because watching Spyro suffer is only a ''part'' of it. [[spoiler:However, it should be noted that it ''does'' [[EarnYourHappyEnding have a relatively happy ending for everyone.]]]]

** Some feel that Spyro and Cynder's relationship isn't based so much on love so much as they view each other as [[LivingEmotionalCrutch living emotional crutches]] thanks to the fact that up until the final battle they don't really show any signs of deeper feelings beyond a possible friendship, with Cynder being quite snappy with Spyro at points throughout [=DotD=]. Factor in all the trauma Cynder has and how Spyro claims that he has nothing left to fight for [[spoiler: when Malefor turns Cynder against him]] despite having Sparx, Terrador, Cyril, Volteer, and several others counting on him...

** There's such a specific FandomSpecificPlot that occurs so regularly in the fic fandom that there's even a FanNickname for [[LampshadeHanging lampshading]] it. Called "The Post-''[=DotD=]'' template," it goes a little like this: A new ancient evil emerges, and Spyro, Cynder, and a ''[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters ton]]'' of [[OriginalCharacter OCs]] (one of them possibly a human turned dragon) must stop it. Along the way, they encounter [[Franchise/SpyroTheDragon Flame and Ember]] who somehow managed to survive the temple raid at the start of the first game, and nine times out of ten Ember is given a RonTheDeathEater to make Cynder seem more likable. While all this is going on, Spyro and Cynder are struggling with their [[SuperPoweredEvilSide Super-Powered Evil Sides]] while also trying to admit their feelings for one another despite Cynder already admitting her love for Spyro at the end of ''Dawn of the Dragon'', with some contrived situation (usually caused by [[RonTheDeathEater Ember]]) breaking them up, only to get back together a few chapters later with little to no problem. Also, double points if Malefor shows up and pulls a [[VideoGame/MegaManClassic Dr. Wily]] by [[HijackedByGanon hijacking the plot]]. It's impossible to count the number of fics that give Spyro a brother/sister who is ''also'' a purple dragon (despite the fact that only one purple dragon is born every ten generations) on both hands. In general, while some of these kinds of fics ''can'' [[SturgeonsLaw turn out to be really good if handled with care]], in general, the "Post-''[=DotD=]'' template" has become widely hated in the fandom, though despite that it ''still'' refuses to die.

* ScrappyMechanic: Let's just say that thanks to the block/evade system, some people with the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} version of ''[=DotD=]'' demand to know why support for the classic controller wasn't implemented. To elaborate: in order to block you have to hold the UsefulNotes/{{Wii}} nunchuk vertical, and dodging requires you to point the analog stick in any direction and flicking the nunchuk in the direction you want to dodge. As you may expect with orientation-based controls, it has a habit of [[FakeDifficulty activating at the worst times, or failing to do so when it's needed.]] And the fighting system relies heavily on effective use of this mechanic...the classic controller has the same amount of buttons in the same orientation as the [=PS3=] controller.
* StrangledByTheRedString: Even though it's a ''large'' portion of the fanbase's OneTruePairing, and many are ''very'' vicious about those who criticize it... Spyro and Cynder's relationship has little in-game development. Over the course of the series, they didn't show any interest in each other outside of a friendship, and Cynder was quite snappy with Spyro throughout [=DotD=]. As such, [[spoiler: ThePowerOfLove rescuing Cynder after she fell under Malefor's control again in that game]] [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment may have come completely out of the left field for some]], to the point it borders on {{narm}} for both hardcore fans and people who like the pairing. [[WordOfGod According to Jared Pullen, the lead artist of the trilogy]], this was because [[http://dragonoficeandfire.deviantart.com/journal/Q-A-with-Jared-Pullen-lead-concept-artist-of-TLoS-556546930 Spyro and Cynder]] ''weren't'' intended to get together originally. However, the [[OneTruePairing very vocal]] fans on that subject eventually made them decide to ThrowItIn late in development, which explains why it feels so sudden in-game. Unfortunately, this has led to some seeing the relationship in a rather unflattering light... See AlternativeCharacterInterpretation above.

** Spyro himself remains rather [[FlatCharacter flat]] throughout the trilogy, with the BadButt tendencies completely erased in lue of more IdealHero qualities. While they ''do'' try to show the stress of the adventure starting to weigh on him in [=DotD=], [[{{Narm}} it ends up being unintentionally hilarious]] because of how abrupt and short it is. Some would have preferred if Spyro kept his classic personality and acted as something of a {{Foil}} to Malefor, being the one being in the entire realm even ''he'' couldn't break and calling out characters for their more [[WhatAnIdiot idiotic decisions]] over the course of the story.

** Some view the ending for ''Dawn of the Dragon'' as [[spoiler: Spyro and Cynder dying while restoring world. However, despite this, they're finally able to have a peaceful rest in the after life after everything they've been through.]] The fact that it's intentionally left vague if [[spoiler: they truly survived or not]] doesn't help.

* DancingBear: Probably the main reason it remains so [[CultClassic popular with those outside of the core Classic Spyro games]] is that it's one of the ''very'' rare pieces of HighFantasy media that actively ''stars'' dragons, instead of them acting as [[HorseOfADifferentColor glorified horses]] to the [[MostWritersAreHuman human]] protagonist, or being treated as mindless beasts that are to be slained as trophies for the protagonists. Many people like the take of a fantasy world where dragons are the dominant sentient species, as such premises, while ''not'' non-existent, are extremely rare in the sea of [[FollowTheLeader cookie-cutter Tolkien-wannabe fantasy novels]].

** Considering how little foreshadowing it got, [[spoiler: Cynder being rescued from Malefor's control again in ''Dawn of the Dragon'' by ThePowerOfLove]] can come off as this, since there was absolutely ''nothing'' that seemed to implied [[spoiler: she and Spyro had deeper feelings for one another outside of a possible friendship.]]

* EsotericHappyEnding: Dawn of the Dragon, if you subscribe to the theory that Spyro and Cynder died at the end. Sure, they've defeated Malefor and saved the world, but they're, you know, dead.

** Opinions on ''Dawn of the Dragon'' can vary wildly. Many people regard it as the best game in the series due to the refined gameplay, the gorgeous graphics, and Cynder finally being playable; others hate the game due to its rushed story and completely different art style.

* DancingBear: Probably the main reason it remains so [[CultClassic popular with those outside of the core Classic Spyro games]] is that it's one of the ''very'' rare pieces of HighFantasy media that actively ''stars'' dragons, instead of them acting as [[HorseOfADifferentColor glorified horses]] to the [[MonochromeCasting white]], [[MostWritersAreMale male]] [[MostWritersAreHuman human]] protagonist, or being treated as mindless beasts that are to be slained as trophies for the protagonists. Many people like the take of a fantasy world where dragons are the dominant sentient species, as such premises, while ''not'' non-existent, are extremely rare in the sea of [[FollowTheLeader cookie-cutter Tolkien-wannabe fantasy novels]].

* BaseBreakingCharacter: Cynder, ironically ''because'' of how popular she was with the fandom initially. Even disregarding Classic series fans or [[ShipToShipCombat Shipping Wars]] regarding her and [[VideoGame/SpyroAHerosTail Ember]], her fans tend to grate on people who didn't like her, were originally neutral on her, or even ''liked her originally'' due to playing up her past to {{Wangst}}y levels, and for the fact that the number of FanWorks focusing on [[PlotTumor Cynder and/or her past]] ''vastly'' out number the amount of FanWorks that focus on any other Spyro series character, including ''Spyro himself'', to the point he often ends up being DemotedToExtra frequently. There's also a third camp that insists she has potential as a character as well, if people would just stop focusing on her DarkAndTroubledPast and more on her growth as a character, pointing out how even ''Dawn of the Dragon'' had her as a bit short tempered and snappy with those around her.