Line #122 WesternAnimation/DinoRiders


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dinoriders1_3622.jpg]]
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3	The home planet of the Valorians, a peaceful race of [[OurElvesAreDifferent somewhat elven telepathic humans]], has been conquered by [[WhatMeasureIsANonCute an evil race of lizard-, frog-, bug-, and fish-men]] called the Rulons. Four hundred Valorian survivors use an experimental TimeTravel device to go back in time and escape, but they inadvertently drag a Rulon ship back with them. Stuck in prehistoric times, they fight each other by [[NinjaZombiePirateRobot strapping lasers and BFGs to dinosaurs]].
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5	Truly an awesome sight to behold.
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7	Originally airing in FirstRunSyndication (as part of the ''Marvel Action Universe'' block) in 1988, the show is best known today for being the benefactor of MemeticMutation. The dinosaur toys were eventually recycled (stripped of their armor) as a series of straight, though articulated, dinosaur models (they were even endorsed by the ''Smithsonian Institution'').
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9	----
10	!!Tropes in this series:
11	* AbortedArc: Questar and everyone look into the future with the STEP crystal to see how things are in Valoria. They saw a Viper, a Sharker, and an Ant-man arguing over who will rule the Rulon Empire with Krulos missing. It seems the Empire will either break apart or civil war might erupt, but the vision is cut and we never see what happens next.
12	* AirVentPassageway: Serena use the Dreadlock's ventilation system to escape her cell.
13	* AllCavemenWereNeanderthals: Averted in the Ice Age line. Neanderthals are correctly portrayed as separate from early ''Homo sapiens'' (referred to as "Cro-Magnons").
14	* AlwaysChaoticEvil:
15	** Every single Rulon is evil.
16	** The ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', isn't evil per se but it is a major problem to be contended with even when it's not under Rulon control since it's an apex predator.
17	* AmplifierArtifact: The [=AMPs=] (Amplified Mental Projector), which the Dino-Riders use to communicate with and befriend the dinosaurs.
18	* ArtEvolution: Between the first two episodes by Creator/HanhoHeungUp, the rest of the series by Creator/{{AKOM}} and the Ice Age special by Island Animation. The switch from Hanho to AKOM was accompanied with brighter colors and flatter designs. With Krulos' suit going from dark red to pink.
19	* ArtisticLicensePaleontology:
20	** They had dinosaurs like ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' and ''Diplodocus'' coexisting, which were separated by millions of years' time. The line of toys also included ''Dimetrodon'' and ''Placerias'', which were not dinosaurs or even proper reptiles and the former was long extinct before the first dinosaurs came into being. (''Dimetrodon'' is part of the clade that eventually gave rise to the first mammals). ''Placerias'', on the other hand, at least lived in the late Triassic.) The [[https://imgur.com/a/CIdHstg info card]] on ''Dimetrodon'' did mention that they existed before dinosaurs so it isn't explicitly saying that they '''are''' dinosaurs.
21	** Also, woolly mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and giant sloths are thrown into the mix. These were collected from the Ice Age and brought back via time travel, so at least were not intended to be contemporaries of the reptilian creatures. However, the lineup also featured "killer warthog" ''Archaeotherium'', which was actually an entelodont that already went extinct long before the Pleistocene. Plus ''Smilodon'', ''Doedicurus'' (cartoon only), and ''Megatherium'' are depicted [[MisplacedWildlife living alongside woolly mammoths and Neanderthals]].
22	** ''Brontosaurus''. Never mind that it should have been called ''Apatosaurus'', it was at the centre of a two-part storyline that had the Dino-Riders and Rulons battling over it because it was "the largest dinosaur in the world." But ''Brontosaurus'' was not the largest known dinosaur even then -- ''Brachiosaurus'' was taller and heavier, ''Ultrasaurus''[[note]] it was still considered a valid genus at the time[[/note]] was much larger. And ''Diplodocus'' was longer, yet both the toy and cartoon versions of the ''Brontosaurus'' are more than twice as long and tall. ''Brontosaurus'' is now officially a separate genus from ''Apatosaurus'' thanks to re-examining its skeleton for differences. However, this makes the franchise's portrayal even more glaring as ''Brontosaurus excelsus'' was ''shorter'' than either ''Apatosaurus'' or ''Diplodocus''.
23	** The above-mentioned ''Brontosaurus'' was not the only dinosaur depicted [[AnimalsNotToScale out of scale]]. For example, the ''Tyrannosaurus'' towers over even the ''Diplodocus'' and is the second largest dinosaur after the ''Brontosaurus''. The ''Deinonychus'' was also made [[RaptorAttack larger and bulkier than the real one]] (who could hardly have carried a human on its back), ironically putting it at about the same size as the much-later-discovered ''Utahraptor''. ''Kentrosaurus'' is made about the same size as ''Stegosaurus'' instead of half as large, making it more similar to ''Dacentrurus''. Not to mention ''Pteranodon'' and ''Pterodactylus'' (referred to as "Pterodactyl") are both portrayed as large and strong enough to carry a full-grown human, although the latter is smaller than the former; in fact, the ''Pterodactyl'' here could pass for ''Quetzalcoatlus lawsoni''. And ''Dimetrodon'' was in no way large enough to cart around a rider and all that armor, and the whole "hide behind the sail and raise a seat above it as cover" trick would never work. Plus, ''Smilodon'' was certainly not as big as a ''Pachyrhinosaurus''.
24	** On the other end of the spectrum, the Dino Riders' ''Ankylosaurus'' was tiny compared to its real life counterpart, and ''Saurolophus'' was barely larger than the ''Deinonychus'', despite the actual animal being comparable in scale to the ''Tyrannosaurus'' (the toy version is smaller than the ''T. rex'''s ''leg'', though the ''T. rex'' is already oversized). ''Quetzalcoatlus'' is the same size as ''Pteranodon'' when the real animal was anywhere from half again to twice as large. And ''Megatherium'' is big as both the ''Archaeotherium'' and the ''Smilodon'', even though it's actually taller than a woolly mammoth when standing on two feet (here, it's only half the size of the mammoth).
25	* AttackAttackAttack: While Krulos had many schemes under his belt, his favorite strategy is constantly attacking:
26	** [[ZergRush with overwhelming force]].
27	** [[MoreDakka with superior firepower]].
28	** with an air strike.
29	* BadBoss:
30	** Krulos constantly yells at his underlings, physically abuses them, and uses them for target practice.
31	** His elite minions pick up on this -- Hammerhead always order his troops [[NoIndoorVoice by yelling at them]] and calling them "incompetents" or "idiots".
32	* BeastMan: The Rulon Empire consists of several alien species, all of which resemble animals: Cobras, crocodiles, hammerhead sharks, skates (related to rays), ants, locusts, and a toad.
33	* {{BFG}}: The particle beam cannon fitted on top of the ''Brontosaurus''. It's the largest weapon in the series.
34	* BigBad: Emperor Krulos. The "Bible" for the series indicates that Krulos should not be seen humiliated or pratfalling, in order to maintain his sense of menace. The writers, alas, did not follow these instructions, and he's tossed about and embarrassed a fair deal.
35	%%* TheBigGuy: Gunner.
36	* BlackAndWhiteMorality: The Dino-Riders are all good and the Rulons are all evil.
37	* BrainwashedAndCrazy: The Rulon dinosaurs, as a result of the Rulons using Brain Boxes to control them.
38	* CaveBehindTheFalls: Questar and his friends got into one to hide from the Rulons.
39	* TheCavalry: The cavalry with dinosaurs and guns blazing to be precise.
40	* ChestBlaster: Glide has small guns mounted in his chest-pack.
41	* ClearMyName: [[spoiler:Questar is accused of sending top secret intelligence to Rulon. He leaves to prove his innocence. However, his people believe it's a Rulon lie and Questar never truly needed to clear his name so they let him lead anyway. It was a [[IncrediblyObviousBug Rulon device]] attached to Questar's computer that was responsible for the leaks.]]
42	* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: The lasers of the Rulons are green, while the Dino-Riders's lasers are red. Naturally, when the Brontosaurus is brain-boxed, its lasers turn from red to green despite the fact that it's still equipped with the Dino-Riders' cannons. If the laser color could be adjusted easily, then it may be done just to avoid confusion and possible "friendly fire".
43	* ContinuitySnarl: The Thanksgiving episode with a flashback sequence. Krulos orders the [[CoolStarship Dreadlock]] to pursue the Valorian ship into the time rift. In the pilot episode, Krulos orders the tractor beam to disengage and the Dreadlock gets zapped into the past anyway. To be fair, the argument could be made that the former case is based on Yungstar and Llhad's recollection of how they got there while the latter is what actually happened.
44	* ConvectionSchmonvection:
45	** Dinosaurs are [[AnnoyingArrows merely annoyed]] by laser beams unless the plot requires otherwise. Even ones that can rip through their metal armor.
46	** One episode features a ''Plesiosaurus'' swimming in a boiling sulfur pit.
47	* DangerousForbiddenTechnique: As stated below (see EquivalentExchange), Serena's ability to [[HealingFactor heal]] other beings draws from her own life force and can leave her drained or become life-threatening to her if she overdoes it.
48	* DeflectorShield: A planet-sized shield once protected Valoria from the Rulon's armada, but after many bombardments that lasted a very long time, it collapsed.
49	* DisabilitySuperpower: Mind-Zei, who can "see" without eyesight.
50	* DistressBall: [[IdiotBall Llahd]] is kidnapped many times by the Rulons and constantly needs rescuing.
51	* TheEmperor: Krulos, the emperor of the Rulon Empire.
52	* EnergyWeapon: Aside from the usual lasers, the Rulons created a pulse cannon and the Dino-Riders [[{{BFG}} a particle beam cannon]]. Aside from its first demonstration, the pulse cannon doesn't do anything new and the beam look like another laser. It does have a different sound effect though. The particle beam cannon used the STEP crystal for an energy source, but this risked breaking the STEP.
53	* EquivalentExchange: Serena's healing ability draws from her life-force. If a patient is close to death, it will drain most of Serena's energy, severely weakening her. If used too many times in a row, it can kill her.
54	* EvilCounterpart: Most of the early toys seem to come in pairs -- a Dino Rider and Rulon version:
55	** Each gets a flying mount with guns strapped to the wings. The Valorians have a ''Quetzalcoatlus'' figure; the Rulons get a ''Pteranodon''. Though the cartoon features Serena atop a ''Pteranodon'', and the Rulons later get a ''Quetzalcoatlus'' toy that shows up in the Ice Age special episode.
56	** The Valorians ride a ''Torosaurus''; the Rulons ride ''Triceratops''. The toys have different heads, paint jobs, armor and riders, but identical bodies.
57	** Small Ceratopsians are common -- the Valorians ride ''Styracosaurus'', while the Rulons get a head & PaletteSwap in ''Monoclonius''. Although Questar rides a ''Monoclonius'' in the cartoon.
58	** Each side gets a ''Deinonychus'' -- the dinosaur toys are identical save the color of the figure's back stripes. In some episodes of the cartoon, the Dino-Riders' ''Deinonychus'' are brown while the Rulons' are white/beige colored.
59	** The other figures in the first series are more similar in size than anything, as they dinosaurs are completely-different -- the Valorians ride ''Pterodactyl'' and ''Diplodocus'', while the Rulons get ''Ankylosaurus'' and ''Tyrannosaurus''. The ''Pterodactyl'' and ''Ankylosaurus'' are small-sized models with a simple harness/weapon set-up, and the ''Diplodocus'' and ''Tyrannosaurus'' are jumbo-sized, line-defining centerpieces who are packed with tons of weapons and three figures.
60	** The second series gives us the Valorian ''Stegosaurus'' and the Rulon ''Kentrosaurus'' (upgraded in size to match the Stego's size), and the Valorian ''Pachycephalosaurus'' and the Rulon ''Saurolophus'', which are also of similar scale. The Valorian ''Protoceratops'' and Rulon ''Placerias'' are also about the same size.
61	** The second and third series however break the "Counterpart" set-up, as the heroes end up getting far more figures (the ''Brontosaurus'' has no counterpart, and neither do the ''Dimetrodon'', ''Struthiomimus'', ''Edmontonia'', or any of the Ice Age creatures), including a few more head and palette swaps of the Ceratopsians (''Pachyrhinosaurus'' for the large-sized model, and ''Chasmosaurus'' for the small one).
62	%%* EvilIsHammy: Krulos. Being voiced by Creator/FrankWelker helps.
63	* EvilLaugh: Any of the named Rulon: Krulos, Rasp, Hammerhead, Antor and so forth.
64	* EvilSoundsDeep: Krulos. You think his voice would have been garbled since his head is constantly bathing in a bowl of water.
65	* EvilSoundsRaspy: With a name like Rasp, what do you expect?
66	* ForgotAboutHisPowers: Too many times, a Dino-Rider forgets he has an AMP crystal to communicate telepathically with the others.
67	* FunWithAcronyms:
68	** The [=AMPs=] (Amplified Mental Projector)
69	** The STEP crystal (Space Time Energy Projector).
70	* GalacticConqueror: Krulos in his own era, as emperor of the Rulon empire.
71	* GeneralFailure: Krulos never listen to the advices of his subordinates and think [[AttackAttackAttack that destroying the Dino-Riders is the only viable strategy]].
72	* GenreBlindness: The Rulons suffer greatly from this:
73	** Serena's cell wasn't guarded and she escaped through the air-vents.
74	** The Rulons are confident that no one could break through one of their back-doors without the code access, so they posted no guards. Mind-Zei, who's ''blind'', cracked the access code.
75	** Tagg falls to his doom. Rasp and Hammerhead think he's dead and don't bother to look for his corpse. Tagg survives, of course.
76	** On several occasions, the Rulons capture dinosaurs that belonged to the Dino-Riders without bothering to brain-box or or otherwise restrain them beyond placing them in a corral. The Dino-Riders use this to their advantage and turn the dinosaurs against the Rulons when they rescue them
77	** Whenever Dino-Riders are captured by Rulons they never think of removing their AMP crystals. This lead to the Dino-Riders using their AMP to telepathically warn others or call dinosaurs for help.
78	* GoodTamingEvilTaming: The heroes tame their dinosaurs using telepathy while the villains used mind control helmets on theirs. In the first episode, this comes back to bite them when one of the heroes shoots the helmet off of the villains' Tyrannosaurus Rex.
79	* HandicappedBadass: Mind-Zei, who took out three Rulon Vipers using just his wits and martial arts. Keep in mind that [[DisabilitySuperpower Mind-Zei is blind]].
80	* HeadButtingPachy: The Valorians/Dino-Riders use pachycephalosaurus to smash large rocks with their domed heads. They're also mentioned to be used for clearing rubble, presumably the same way. Both actions would have likely have caused the dinosaurs harm.
81	* HealingHands: Serena's specialty with an EquivalentExchange twist.
82	%%* HumanAliens: The Valorians.
83	* IdiotBall: Llahd and Yungstar. Many episodes revolved on their recklessness and lead to many DistressBall.
84	** [[spoiler:In the two-part finale, Questar is accused of transmitting secret plans to the Rulons. You think the Dino-Riders would start searching Questar's computer to see if anything is wrong. No! They only do so near the end of the second episode and have to deal with a big mess in between.]]
85	** Krulos in the finale. [[spoiler: He finally has the STEP crystal and can return to the future, but he decides to remain so he can destroy the Dino-Riders before leaving. It never crossed his mind that he could do both: return to the future to get reinforcements, then go back to the past and destroy the Dino-Riders with the armada.]]
86	* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: Both factions are lousy shots unless the plot demands so. At which point the Dino-Riders become crack shots able to hit the Brain Box off of a moving animal without hurting it.
87	* IncrediblyObviousBug: The device that tempered with Questar's computer and sent secret intelligence to Rulon. While hidden under the console, it's large and constantly blinks.
88	* LargeAndInCharge: Krulos is tallest and largest of the Rulon Empire. His dinosaur, the ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', is also the biggest dinosaur of the Rulon army.
89	%%* TheLancer: Yungstar.
90	* LargeHam: Whenever someone is taunting in battle with Questar and Krulos being the biggest hams.
91	* MacrossMissileMassacre: Weapons other than lasers are missiles.
92	* MacGuffin: The STEP (Space Time Energy Projector) Crystal, which the Valorians used to travel through time, and which Krulos and the Rulons want.
93	* MalevolentMaskedMen: The Brain Boxes, the [[KickTheDog mind control devices]] the Rulons used to control dinosaurs resembled metal masks.
94	* MammothsMeanIceAge: The Ice Age lineup naturally features the woolly mammoth.
95	%%* {{Mentor}}: Mind-Zei.
96	* MerchandiseDriven: One of the biggest examples of this -- the reason for the production of the animated series was so that Tyco could launch a Dino-Riders toy line. Oddly, in some markets there was no animated series, or there was just a one-off special. Some markets (France in any case) had a comic book.
97	* MindControl: The Rulons used "Brain Boxes" to control their mounts. To them, they were only war machines to be captured, broken in, and forced to participate in combat. Unlike the Dino-Riders who respected dinosaurs as living creatures, seemed to be actually holding telepathic conversations with them at some points, and only recruited to their ranks those who were willing to fight alongside them while allowing other dinosaurs to remain free.
98	* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Krulos sound very much like "cruel".
99	* NonindicativeName: Rasp and the snakemen are referred as "Vipers", but they look like cobras.
100	* NoIndoorVoice: Hammerhead. He not only growl every line, but scream on top of his lungs.
101	* OnlyAFleshWound: Whenever a SlowLaser actually manages to wound someone.
102	* PaletteSwap: All of the Rulons's {{Mooks}} in the cartoon are Palette Swaps of the established, named characters. Antor, Rasp and Hammerhead are quickly joined by Lokus, Skate and Krok -- all six have legions of guys on the Rulon forces that look exactly like them, but for different colors. The toys were like this as well -- "Name" characters got the most-spectacular dinosaurs (''Diplodocus'', ''Tyrannosaurus'', ''Quetzalcoatlus'', ''Triceratops'', etc.), while most of the lesser-known ones got mere re-colors of established characters.
103	** The toyline made this a common feature in the "Two-Packs" that were sold, featuring only humanoid characters -- each was sold with one Rulon and one Dino-Rider. All six Rulon Generals had two or more characters that were just Palette Swaps, and all of the featured Valorians had at least one Swap each.
104	** Rulon Examples: Krulos got two color swaps in the "Two-Packs", sharing his name but coming in different colors. Antor is the key "ant", coming with the ''Deinonychus''- his Swaps are Sting (''Ankylosaurus''), Bitor (another ''Tyrannosaurus'' figure), Drone, Fire, Termite and Demon. Rasp is the key "viper", coming with the ''Pteranodon''- his Swaps are Cobrus (''T. rex'' add-on #2), Sidewinder (''Triceratops'' co-rider), Fang, Rattlar and Skwirm. Hammerhead is the main "shark" figure, and gets to ride the large and pricey ''Triceratops''- his Swaps are the similarly-colored Mako (stuck riding the much-smaller ''Monoclonius''), Finn, Six-Gill, Dedeye and Gill. Krok is the only "Crocodile" character seen in the cartoon, and comes with the ''Kentrosaurus''- his Swaps are Algar (ultra-rare Rulon ''Quetzalcoatlus'' rider), Kraw, Snarrl, Gorr and Gutz. Lokus is a rarely-seen "locust", and comes with the ''Saurolophus''- his Swaps are Poxx, Buzz and Squish (all mini-pack figures). Skate is also rare, coming with the ''Placerias''- his Swaps are Sludge and Ray.
105	** Valorian/Dino-Rider Examples: Questar (coming with the ''Diplodocus'') gets two Swaps with the same name and a different color scheme. Serena (a ''Brontosaurus'' rider) also gets one, plus another Swap named Ursus. Mind-Zei (coming with the ''Diplodocus'') had two Swaps with the same name. Turret and Gunnur both had camouflage-colored Swaps named Quark and Boldar, respectively. Llahd, the young boy figure, comes with the ''Pterodactyl'' dinosaur, while a brown recolor named Nimbus comes with the ''Struthiomimus'', and Mercury (a silver Swap) is a Two-Pack character. Tagg had the same body as Gunnur/Boldar, but a different head.
106	** Other Valorians: Yungstar's body-type produces a spectacular number of recolors, some with his same bandana-wearing head, and others without it. They include a brown-haired Yungstar, Vega (''Stegosaurus'' rider), Magnus (''Torosaurus''), Sky (''Deinonychus''), Nova, Aries, Proto, Orion and a rarer Llahd with the same color scheme as the ''Pterodactyl'' figure (it was occasionally released with that dinosaur). One type, unseen in the cartoon, was the Tark (''Stegosaurus'')/Shado (''Dimetrodon'') style- it also included Llava (''Chasmosaurus'') and Hondo. Axis rode the ''Edmontonia'', and spun off Ion (''Brontosaurus'' add-on), Graff and Ecco. Ayce rode the ''Brontosaurus'' also, and spun off Atlas (''Pachyrhinosaurus''), Neutrino and Wizz.
107	** Even the "Cavemen" figures were all Swaps of each other: Grom (''Woolly Mammoth''), Ulk (''Giant Ground Sloth''), Zar (''Killer Wart Hog''), Kub (''Sabre-Toothed Tiger''), Onk, Urg, Tor and Agga.
108	** The ''dinosaurs'' were not excluded, either, especially for the toys. Both sides received ''Deinonychus'' that were identical but for the color of their stripes. The ''Monoclonius'', ''Styracosaurus'' and ''Chasmosaurus'' (a later, rare release) have the same body mold, but different heads and color schemes. The ''Triceratops'' and its Dino-Rider counterpart, the ''Torosaurus'' have the same thing going on -- the former is blue and has a short frill, while the latter is brown and has a much larger frill and set of horns (later, the ''Pachyrhinosaurus'' -- among the rarest toys in the line -- joins them, with a gigantic central nose-horn). The ''Pteranodon'' and ''Quetzalcoatlus'' also are Swaps with different heads. The Rulons later get a straight Swap of the ''Quetzalcoatlus'', patterned like an aircraft.
109	* PantheraAwesome: The Ice Age lineup adds in the saber-toothed cat ''Smilodon''.
110	* PunnyName: Almost every Valorian character.
111	* RaptorAttack:
112	** The Dino-Riders ''and'' the Rulons have ''Deinonychus'' among their forces. Until the introduction of a Rulon ''Quetzalcoatlus'' at a quite late point within the toy line's run, it was therefore the only species that was ridden by both factions. (If you only count the toys, and not the series or the comics.)
113	** The ''Deinonychus'' is made larger than its real-life counterpart roughly 5 years before Creator/StevenSpielberg and ''Franchise/JurassicPark'' made raptor-upscaling a popular trend. This becomes confusingly ironic when you consider that Jurassic's ''Velociraptors'' were allegedly based on ''Deinonychus''.
114	* RedEyesTakeWarning: Whenever a dinosaur is Brain Boxed, its eyes turn red. Not that they really become evil, but they are under Rulon control.
115	* RememberTheNewGuy: Happened a lot with both Dino-Riders and Rulons as the toy line expanded to include more characters. Most notable example; the Commandos, who didn't appear at all in early episodes but were featured prominently in the last few and starred in the Ice Age special.
116	* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Among the Rulons are humanoid [[SnakesAreSinister snakes]] and [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodiles]].
117	* TheRival: Aero is this to Yungstar. It's downplayed as the series goes on however.
118	* RuleOfCool: The entire premise!
119	* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: When the Brain Boxed's ''Brontosaurus'' main particle beam is overloaded, many Rulon troops evacuate. Antor suggest they run, but [[TooDumbToLive Krulos demand more power routed to the cannon]]. Antor wisely chooses to escape and abandon the Emperor to his fate.
120	* SequelHook: At the end of the episode, "Dino-Riders in the Ice Age", the Commandoes have brought back several prehistoric mammals and Kub, Grom might join up with the Rulons (he's last seen running off in the same direction as them) and the Dino-Riders have fixed the S.T.E.P. which means that Krulos will try twice as hard to steal it.
121	* SharkMan: Hammerhead, Mako and several unnamed Sharkers are part of the Rulon empire.
122	* SnakePeople: Rasp, Sidewinder and whole bunch of several unnamed Vipers.
123	* SnowySabertooths: ''Smilodon'' is part of the Ice Age lineup.
124	* SilenceYouFool: Krulos will not hear excuses from his underlings.
125	%%* TheSmartGuy: Turret.
126	* SpotlightStealingSquad: As the show's short run went on, episodes seemed to centre more and more around the ''Franchise/GIJoe''-style Commando team.
127	* SpiritualSuccessor: For the toyline Imaginext Dinosaurs.
128	* SurroundedByIdiots: Krulos seem to think so while he is really a GeneralFailure.
129	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Serena is, in fact, ''not'' the only female Dino Rider. Just the only one you won't [[FreezeFrameBonus miss if you blink]].
130	* TheStarscream: A requirement for becoming a Rulon general, apparently -- Rasp is most-notably like this, but Antor and Hammerhead also scheme for control. One episode's whole premise involved Krulos being injured and near death and the three main Starscreams feuding amongst themselves to take over.
131	* SunglassesAtNight: Faze. He's never seen without them.
132	* TagalongKid: Llahd.
133	%%* TheTeam:
134	* TerrifyingTyrannosaur: ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' is the largest and most powerful of the Rulons' dinosaurs, used as a mount for Krulos.
135	%%* TimeTravel
136	* TimeTravelersDinosaur: In an effort to escape an evil race called the Rulons, the peaceful Valorians use TimeTravel to escape them. Unfortunately for the Valorians, a Rulon ship gets dragged with them and they end up on prehistoric Earth. Both sides make use of dinosaurs (Hence the name.) and later on other prehistoric creatures by arming them.
137	* TitleDrop: From the pilot episode:
138	-->"We're not Valorians anymore, we're Dino-Riders!"
139	* TooDumbToLive: Llahd (due to his constantly making dumb decisions that got him caught) and Yungstar (the previous AND his hot-headedness!).
140	* UngratefulBastard: After Serena saved Krulos' life, the Emperor never thanked her and demanded that Questar surrender to him in exchange for Serena.
141	* VillainExitStageLeft: Almost every episode ends with Krulos and the Rulons retreating.
142	* WeaponizedAnimal: The Rulons' first move after realizing they need the Valorians' time projecting device to return to the future is to start arming dinosaurs with lasers against their will to create an army and take said device. The Valorians (nee Dino-Riders) counter this by doing the same albeit with their dinosaurs being willing participants.
143	* WhatYouAreInTheDark: In one episode, Krulos is gravely injured and on the verge of death. The rest of the Rulons didn't care at all that he was dying, leaving him to his fate and instead arguing amonst themselves in regards to which one should be the new leader. At the same time, the Valorian healer Serena was caputred by the Rulons but had managed to escape into the base. Serena came across Krulos and saw he was dying. Despite the fact that she could have escaped and robbed the villains of their powerful leader, she stayed to heal Krulos and bring him back to health. Serena even beats herself up at the end of the episode, acknowledging that she should have let Krulos die, though Mind-Zei and Questar counter that her doing so would have made her no better than Krulos.

Context WesternAnimation / DinoRiders