Johann's map to the King of Dragons is incomplete, so he hatches a plan to steal the Dragon Eye lenses he needs from the Dragon Riders.
Tropes:
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Dragons of every shape, size and occasion, with powers both fantastical and bizarre? Real. The Thunder-fish? Doesn’t exist, don’t waste your time. Granted, the closest to a thunder-fish we see is a Scauldron, so no confirmation on whether it exists or not.
- The Atoner: Snotlout points to Dagur that he could just take the lense from Ansson and be done with it, but Dagur would rather use diplomacy instead because he doesn't want to be like the old Dagur.
- Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Ansson claims that the thunder-fish is attracted to shiny objects.
- Bullying a Dragon: If Dagur was not trying to be a better person, Ansson would have had all of his teeth knocked in and his limbs broken before he could say "Dainty."
- The Cassandra: Subverted with the twins. Though Hiccup treats them as crazy for thinking there's a mole (partly because they accuse each other), he does actually believe them and is only downplaying it so Johann won't suspect his cover is blown.
- Cerebus Retcon: Johann admits to manipulating the Riders as far back as Breakneck Bog, and Hiccup realizes that a lot of Johann's coincidental appearances were actually engineered.
- Call-Back: Hiccup, Toothless and Johann venture into the Sandbuster's underground cave for the topaz and sapphire that they need. They even try to have their showdown as quietly as possible as to not attract it to their location.
- Camera Abuse: The Scauldron is seen spitting droplets on the "camera" twice.
- Determinator: Ansson's mission in life is to catch the elusive thunder-fish. But alas, the thunder-fish is just a myth, and he was chasing a measly dragon this whole time.
- Dumbass Has a Point:
- The twins accurately deduce that the Dragon Hunters ambushing Hiccup and Johann at the Northern Markets can't be a coincidence. Even Hiccup has to admit they're on the ball, because the hunters knew to ask for the Dragon Eye lenses even though they should have no reason to suspect Hiccup is even carrying them.
- Snotlout shows surprising insight in dealing with Dagur's bully.
- Egomaniac Hunter: Ansson has been searching for the elusive thunder-fish for years, and is considered crazy because of it. He won't accept any other payment than help to catch it for the dragon eye lens he stole from Dagur.
- Embarrassing Nickname: When they were young, Ansson would torment Dagur with the nickname "Dagur the Dainty". In present times, people would call Ansson "the Incompetent".
- Future Loser: Ansson used to be called "Ansson the Abominable" and was a particularly savage bully to Dagur. Now, he is a grumpy laughing-stock of a sailor that Dagur could easily overpower if he wanted to.
- Gilligan Cut: Of a kind...Dagur: It's not like you have another Dragon Eye laying around.
[cut to Dagur and Hiccup in Hiccup's room where his Dragon Eye copy is]
Dagur: You have another Dragon Eye laying around. Of course he does. - Hostage Situation: One of the hunters threatens Johann to get Hiccup to hand over the lenses. The twins foil the attempt.
- How Did You Get It?: One of the things Dagur tries to bribe Ansson with is a gronkle iron sword. When Fishlegs demands to know where he got it, Dagur admits that he plundered it at some point back when he antagonized them every other week.
- Internal Reveal: Johann reveals himself as a villain to Hiccup and by extension the Riders as a whole.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Johann quickly realizes that Hiccup is not as shocked by his betrayal as he should be, because Hiccup had already put it together that Johann was likely a traitor.
- Power Crystal: Hiccup needs to gather the correct gemstones to finish the Dragon Eye Two.
- Put on a Bus: Heather left to Vanaheim alone to say her farewells to Oswald.
- Saying Too Much: The hunters specifically demand Hiccup give up the Dragon Eye lenses when they ambush him. Since Johann was the one to recommend bringing them in the first place, this immediately blows his cover, though Hiccup plays the fool so Johann doesn't suspect he's been made.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: When the twins suspect each other to be traitors, they immediately pull daggers on each other. Then they pull out a pair of maces. Then they pull out... a slab of scrap-metal and a fish. It's Johann and Hiccup that really sell the moment.Johann: My Thor. That descended into the absurd rather quickly.
Hiccup: Actually, it took longer than expected.
