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| 3 | %% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks! |
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| 7 | [[quoteright:243:[[VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dragons_are_demonic_deathwing.png]]]] |
| 8 | [[caption-width-right:243:[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Deathwing the Destroyer]].]] |
| 9 | |
| 10 | ->''"The Blades are wise not to trust me.'' Onikaan ni ov.[[note]]Roughly, "Wise not to trust."[[/note]] ''I would not trust another dovah.'' Dov wahlaan fah rel.[[note]]Dragons built in order to dominate.[[/note]] ''We were made to dominate. The will to power is in our blood. You feel it in yourself, do you not?"'' |
| 11 | -->-- '''Paarthurnax''', ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'' |
| 12 | |
| 13 | When it comes to representing evil in a given story, a common form it takes is that of the dragon. While in East Asia dragons were often seen as benevolent or at least neutral [[DragonsAreDivine deities]], the most common depiction of dragons in Europe, especially post-Christianity, were as evil beings that were often used as a stand-in for Satan himself or those directly under him. (The Greek ''drakon'' and Latin ''draco'' that the word "dragon" derives from literally mean "one who stares", referring to [[SnakesAreSinister large snakes]] and occasionally [[NeverSmileAtACrocodile crocodiles and alligators]].) |
| 14 | |
| 15 | One of, if not ''the'' most common scenarios in a fantasy story is [[TheDragonslayer the hero slaying a dragon]], either as a literal example of TheDragon, or as an ArcVillain or BigBad in their own right. It's common, though not compulsory, for these dragons to be [[DarkIsEvil dark in color]], and capable of breathing dark or green colored flames (whether literal {{Hellfire}} or not), or poison breath. A {{Dracolich}} often falls under this, due to the association between the undead and evil. |
| 16 | |
| 17 | Compare ReptilesAreAbhorrent, and especially SnakesAreSinister for older depictions. If they have religions based around them or are otherwise treated as deities or divine beings, they may also fall under DragonsAreDivine (albeit as ''evil'' deities). There's also a heavy overlap between this trope and DraconicAbomination, and if [[FeatheredDragons a demonic dragon is feathered]], it falls under FeatheredFiend as well. |
| 18 | |
| 19 | A subtrope of OurDragonsAreDifferent, OurDemonsAreDifferent, and ScaledUp. See also DemonicVampires, for another mythical creature often conflated with demons. |
| 20 | |
| 21 | ---- |
| 22 | !![[WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty Now shall you deal with ME, O troper—and all the entries of HELL!]] |
| 23 | |
| 24 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 25 | |
| 26 | [[folder:Anime and Manga]] |
| 27 | * ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': While normal dragons exist and are seen once the barrier between the spirit world and the mortal world is torn down, the first "dragon" to appear in the series is Grunbeld, a demonic warrior working for [[BigBad Griffith]], whose true Apostle form is that of a corundum-skinned dragon. Ironically, as far as Apostles usually go, Grunbeld is a NobleDemon with a side of TragicVillain as revealed in ''Literature/BerserkTheFlameDragonKnight''. |
| 28 | * ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'': |
| 29 | ** ''Anime/DigimonAdventure'': Two of the Dark Masters, Machinedramon and [=MetalSeadramon=], are based on dragons. |
| 30 | ** ''Anime/DigimonTamers'': Guilmon and his evolution Growlmon are referred to as Demon Dragons (Dark Dragons in the English localization), and are red Virus-type dinosaur-like dragons that specialize in combat. While the Ultimate form [=WarGrowlmon=] is a Cyborg like its predecessor [=MetalGreymon=], it still follows the same aesthetic. Upon extreme anger of Takato over the death of Leomon at Beelzemon's hands, he transforms his partner Guilmon into one of these, named Megidramon. His powers are so acute and massive that he causes the Digital World to slowly crumble around him simply by existing. Fortunately he's calmed down before he could destroy everything, and the two are able to [[FusionDance biomerge]] into Guilmon's true Mega form, [[KnightInShiningArmor Gallantmon]]. |
| 31 | ** When Lucemon, the GreaterScopeVillain of ''Anime/DigimonFrontier'', goes OneWingedAngel a second time, he takes the form of a gigantic bestial dragon with UnholyNuke powers. This form is even called Satan Mode. |
| 32 | * ''Franchise/DragonBall:'' |
| 33 | ** Cymbal, one of the sons of Great Demon King Piccolo in the original ''Dragon Ball'', is a villainous dragon-shaped Mazoku. |
| 34 | ** The Evil Dragons ([[DubNameChange called]] Shadow Dragons in the English dub, or Devil Dragons in the German dub) from ''Anime/DragonBallGT'', spawned by the Dragon of the Black Smoke, an EvilCounterpart of Shenlong/Shenron, are evil beings created by the overuse and built-up negative energies of the Dragon Balls through the series, and serve as the final antagonists for our heroes to defeat. Fittingly enough, a good deal of them look quite similar to traditional depictions of winged, horned demons and they all exist to create as much chaos and destruction as possible. However, Sixinglong/Nuova Shenron is instead a TokenGoodTeammate who eventually teams up with Goku to try and defeat Super Yixinglong/Omega Shenron, who wields the powers of all the dragons thanks to absorbing their Dragon Balls. [[spoiler:Alas, he is defeated]]. |
| 35 | * In ''Manga/FairyTail'': [[GreaterScopeVillain Acnologia]] is known throughout the world as the "Black Dragon of the Apocalypse" who slaughtered almost the entirety of the dragon race and is feared by everyone who knows him as a calamity that brings nothing but destruction. It's to the point he's [[EvilerThanThou the only thing more fearsome than]] [[BigBad Zeref]], the immortal [[EvilSorceror Black Wizard]] who created various devastating black magics and demons that still plague the world today. |
| 36 | * In ''Manga/FushigiYuugi'', the [[TheFourGods deity]] on the side of the Kutou Empire, Seiryuu, is a dragon. Unlike most examples of this trope, Seiryuu is an Asian-style dragon, and associated with water more than fire. [[SubvertedTrope However]], it is shown that Seiryuu himself isn't actually evil; it's just that his purpose is to grant wishes...and that he's [[WarGod the patron god of a very warlike empire]], so he's being manipulated by [[HumansAreBastards corrupt humans]]. |
| 37 | * In ''Anime/FutureCardBuddyfight'', BigBad Kyoya Gaen's Buddy Monster is named Demonic Demise Dragon, Azi Dahaka. He's also the leader of [[EvilCounterpart Darkness Dragon World]]'s legions of monsters, which include many more examples, though that doesn't figure too much into the plot. |
| 38 | * ''Anime/{{Inuyasha}}'': |
| 39 | ** Ryukotsusei is an extremely powerful dragon demon (To be more exact, a daiyoukai), who battled the Inu no Taisho, Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's father, to a standstill before being sealed by being stabbed above the heart by one of his fangs. Even then, the injuries suffered by the Inu no Taisho during the battle [[BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu proved enough to kill him afterwards]]. |
| 40 | ** Ryuujin, a far weaker dragon demon, has the ability to absorb demonic energy. |
| 41 | * In ''Anime/TheMysticalLaws'', Tathagata Killer summons a demonic-looking Chinese dragon spirit when Konohana-no-Sakuya-bime summons Yamata-no-Orochi to devour his fleets on their way to invade Japan. [[spoiler:He summons it again to destroy both Shou and Princess Theta after his demon armies were defeated by the spirits sent to protect them, but it's again defeated by Yamata-no-Orochi]]. |
| 42 | * In ''Franchise/OnePiece'', Kaido of the Four Emperors, [[WorldsStrongestMan known as the strongest "creature" in the world]], takes the form of a massive East Asian dragon, and rules his territory as a near merciless EvilOverlord. |
| 43 | * ''Anime/TransformersRobotsInDisguise'': Megatron is the leader of the Predacons and one of his alt modes is a two-headed dragon. It was his most frequently used alt. mode in battle before he upgraded and became Galvatron. |
| 44 | * ''Anime/TransformersVictory'': The BigBad Deathsaurus has a dragon-based alt mode. |
| 45 | * ''Franchise/YuGiOh'': |
| 46 | ** ''Manga/YuGiOh'' (manga & anime): |
| 47 | *** "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" is a mild case of this, being an entirely black-scaled dragon with [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]], and being first introduced by the minor antagonist Dinosaur Ryuzaki (his Serpent Night Dragon also fits this trope). However, Ryuzaki loses "Red-Eyes" to Jonouchi, which would continue to act as a heroic dragon for the rest of the series while displaying less demonic traits in ''Duel Monsters''. Its BreathWeapon "Kokuendan" translates to "[[{{Hellfire}} Black Fire Bullet]]". |
| 48 | *** The Fusion of Jonouchi's "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" and Yugi's "Daemon's Summon" is called "Black Daemon's Dragon", and it also has the moniker "Devil Dragon". This moniker would later be added to "Black Daemon's Dragon's" name with its retrained version in the OCG, making it "Devil Dragon -- Black Daemon's Dragon", which is pretty much what the original version was called in the manga/anime anyway. |
| 49 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOh'' (anime): |
| 50 | *** The Big Five's main boss monster in both Virtual World arcs is the "Five-God Dragon", also F.G.D. for short. It's a gigantic dragon with five heads that represent five different elements and it can only be destroyed by battle by a LIGHT or DIVINE Attribute monster. "Five-God Dragon" serves as a classic JRPG final boss. After its second appearance and defeat, the Big Five immediately replace the defeated dragon with another demonic-looking dragon, "Berserk Dead Dragon", a zombie dragon that looks even more intimating despite its weaker power. |
| 51 | *** The Doma arc features the God of Orichalcos as the ultimate BigBad of the FillerArc, which takes the form of a gigantic serpentine dragon. It's called the Great Leviathan in the [=4Kids=] version, which is an evil giant snake from Christian mythology, and it also serves as the creature related to the Deadly Sin of envy. While the God of Orichalcos doesn't have much relation to that sin, it is a being made of the hatred and rage of humanity and its power draws out the darkness inside the people. The God of Orichalcos gets empowered by the darkness that is residing within the human souls as well as from captured human souls themselves. |
| 52 | ** ''Manga/YuGiOhR'': The Wicked God counterpart to "Osiris the Heaven Dragon" is "The Devil's Eraser", a very demonic-looking dragon that gains power depending on the number of cards the opponent is holding in their hand. What makes this monster really powerful is its TakingYouWithMe effect, as it can kill and destroy everything on the field (including other Gods) if "Eraser" is destroyed. "Eraser" is capable of destroying itself on command, meaning that it doesn't to have to wait for the opponent to destroy it to trigger its other effect. |
| 53 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOhGX'' (anime): |
| 54 | *** Fubuki uses "Red-Eyes Black Dragon", and if he's possessed by Darkness, "Red-Eyes" becomes this trope through and through, unlike in ''Duel Monsters''. When summoned, it emerges from the fires of the volcano, invoking the {{Hellfire}} trope, with the fire taking the shape of "Red-Eyes Black Dragon" during the summoning. It evolves into "Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon", which also engulfs itself in volcanic, hellfire-like flames during the evolution process, and it gains 300 ATK for each Dragon-type monster in Darkness's GY, with each dragon being shown as dragon-shaped hellfire, which is a very unique depiction of monsters residing in the GY. "Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon" and "Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon" are only ever used by Darkness rather than Fubuki himself, cementing the evil nature of the two evolutions. |
| 55 | *** "Lord of the Divine Flames, Uria" and "Lord of Striking Thunder, Hamon" are the [[EvilCounterpart demon counterparts]] to "Osiris the Heaven Dragon" and "Ra the Winged God Dragon", which is also reflected in their demonic appearances. Together with "Lord of Phantasms, Raviel", the Sangenma are capable of destroying the world and affect reality. "Uria" has a strong {{Hellfire}} motif despite what its name is saying, while "Hamon" is basically a gigantic, yellow {{Dracolich}}. Ironically, "Uria" and "Hamon" have opposite elements to their God counterparts, as "Uria" uses fire and Osiris uses "thunder", while "Hamon" uses thunder and "Ra" uses fire. |
| 56 | *** Duel Monster Spirit Yubel is a demon (and even classified as such in the OCG) but was also described as draconic in [[AmbiguousGender their]] past life. This is far more obvious in their [[OneWingedAngel "Terror Incarnate" and "Ultimate Nightmare"]] forms. |
| 57 | ** ''Manga/YuGiOhGX'' (manga): Manjoume's "Light and Darkness Dragon" is a dragon with two halves that represent light and darkness. The light half has an angel motif, while the dark half has a devil motif. This also applies to its two components "Light End Dragon" and "Dark End Dragon", which have an angel and devil motif, respectively. The light half is more dominantly present on "Light and Darkness Dragon's" body. |
| 58 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' (anime): |
| 59 | *** Jack Atlas's Signer Dragon is called "Red Daemon's Dragon" and it is heavily supported with Fiend-types (called Demon-types in Japan). "Red Daemon's" serves as the rival counterpart to Yusei's "Stardust Dragon" and is significantly more destructive. Its two evolutions "Savior Demon Dragon" and "Scar-Red Nova Dragon" aren't exempt from this trope either. "Savior Demon Dragon" is both, angelic and demonic, which is not only reflected in its name, but also with its angel-like wings and hellfire motif. "Scar-Red Nova Dragon" was created with the power of the Crimson Devil that got sealed within the body of "Red Daemon's Dragon", which makes "Scar-Red Nova Dragon" a physical manifestation of a devil. |
| 60 | *** Kiryu's Dark Synchro Monster is "One Hundred-Eye Dragon", which is a monstrosity of a black dragon with one hundred eyes on its entire body. It is used in an Infernity deck, which is largely comprised of DARK Demon-types, and "One Hundred-Eye Dragon" has the ability to use the effects of Kiryu's DARK monsters in his Graveyard. Killing the dragon only makes things worse, since it allows Kiryu to add his "Earthbound God Ccapac Apu" from his deck to his hand. After his HeelFaceTurn, Kiryu no longer has access to "One Hundred-Eye Dragon" and replaces it with "Infernity Death Dragon", which looks less intimidating, but is still demonic. |
| 61 | ** ''Manga/YuGiOh5Ds'' (manga): |
| 62 | *** The Duel Dragon counterpart to Jack's Red Daemon's Dragon is "Jeweled Demon Dragon -- Red Daemon", which has an even more destructive effect. "Red Daemon" also got evolutions like the original "Red Daemon's", but the evolutions of "Red Daemon" are far more demonic looking with even more menacing names: "Abyss", "Bellial" and "Calamity". Those three versions look outright more like demons than actual dragons despite still being labeled as such. |
| 63 | *** The Duel Dragons in general act as more darker versions of several of the Signer Dragons, but they also have even more members. "Demon King Dragon -- Beelze", "Underworld Dragon -- Dragonecro" and "Purgatory Dragon -- Ogre Dragoon" are especially blatant examples of this trope due to their very demonic designs, which even look more horrifying after "Beelze" and "Dragonecro" evolve. The Duel Dragons are also capable of corrupting their owners. |
| 64 | *** "Ultimaya Tzolkin" looks identical to the benevolent [[BigGood Crimson Dragon]] from the anime, but has a completely different role in the manga story and it is also blatantly malevolent. It also has a OneWingedAngel form, "Ultimate Phantasmal God Ultimitl Bishbaalkin", a far more demonic looking dragon that serves as the boss monster of the manga's BigBad. |
| 65 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOhZexal'': |
| 66 | *** The DiscOneFinalBoss Dr. Faker's true ace monster is "Number 92: [=Heart-EartH=] Dragon", a gigantic black and purple dragon that resembles a {{Dracolich}}. |
| 67 | *** During Vector's final duel, he summons "Chaos Number 5: Perishing-Gloom Dragon - Chaos Chimaera Dragon", which is the evolved form of the unseen "Numbers 5: Perishing-Gloom Dragon - Death Chimaera Dragon". "Chaos Chimaera Dragon" is a gigantic red and black {{Dracolich}} and serves as Vector's new boss monster. |
| 68 | ** ''Anime/YuGiOhArcV'' (anime): |
| 69 | *** This version of Jack has a retrained of "Red Daemon's Dragon", which is "Red Daemon's Dragon Scarlight", which is a basically an even more destructive version of the original, but lacks the demerit of the Duel Dragon counterpart from the manga. Its evolved form "Tyrant" looks more demonic with its additional wings and additional horns, but without looking drastically different like all the other evolved forms of the other versions that preceded it. |
| 70 | *** The ultimate BigBad is "Supreme King Dragon Z-ARC", who is the combined form of Zarc and the Four Heavenly Dragons. "Z-ARC" is a gigantic black dragon that is hellbent on destroying the world to fulfill the people's craving for violence. Because of that, Zarc is referred to as the Devil Duelist and he can still duel even in his dragon form. |
| 71 | *** The Four Heavenly Dragons themselves count, as they are able to bring out the inner darkness (Z-ARC) that is residing within their wielders, and the four dragons had a dark history in the past. Aside from that, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, which is probably the most soft-hearted of the four, uses {{Hellfire}} as its BreathWeapon, is not hesitant to inflict physical violence on duelists, and has the most demonic evolution of the four, "Supreme King Violent Dragon - Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon". "Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon" is a black and purple dragon that brutally pierces the enemy with its pointy chin that is charged with lightning, and if combined with "Odd-Eyes", they become the very aggressive "Supreme King Black Dragon - Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon" that tears the enemies apart with its lightning-charged tusks. "Clear Wing Synchro Dragon" is actively looking for the other dragons to force them into fights, and "Starve Venom Fusion Dragon" is a horrific dragon with man-eater plant attributes that can swallow other monsters whole or even eat humans, and "Starve Venom's" Fusion Materials require them to be two DARK monsters. All four gain corrupted forms known as "Supreme King Servant Dragons", acting as Z-ARC's elite squad of four powerful dragons that protect "Z-ARC" while he also protects them with his mere presence alone. In order to beat "Z-ARC", the characters have to beat him alongside his Four Heavenly Dragons at once. |
| 72 | ** ''Manga/YuGiOhArcV'' (manga): The BigBad of the manga is "Genesis Omega Dragon", or "G.O.D." for short. It is foretold that G.O.D. would destroy the world, with the main cast trying to prevent that from happening. "G.O.D." is basically the manga counterpart to Z-ARC. Unlike Z-ARC, G.O.D. is a manipulator. |
| 73 | * Fafnir from ''Manga/MissKobayashisDragonMaid'' is a cursed dragon whose true form is nightmarish, with multiple solid-red eyes, a vertical mouth lined with fangs, a jet-black serpentine body, and what appear to be tentacles. [[DarkIsNotEvil Though he's more of a greedy recluse than outright evil]]. |
| 74 | [[/folder]] |
| 75 | |
| 76 | [[folder:Comic Books]] |
| 77 | * ''ComicBook/{{Checkmate}}'': The final arc of the 2000s run deals with a three-headed dragon named Azhi Daraki who wants to bring about the end of the world. |
| 78 | * ''ComicBook/{{Hellboy}}'': The Ogdru Jahad is a seven-headed dragon prophesied to destroy the Earth, its physical form consisting of seven cocoons somewhere in deep space. Just about every other villain is trying to accelerate its coming or delay it by killing Hellboy (who is prophesied to wake it). Hellboy himself being an AntiAntiChrist, he ends up slaying an avatar of the dragon, but it still isn't enough to prevent the apocalypse. |
| 79 | * ''ComicBook/JLAALeagueOfOne'' has Drakul Karfang, an ancient and evil dragon who is stated to be an embodiment of hatred and lies and is so powerful that a prophecy states that the Justice League will die if they face her even if they kill her. It is for this reason that Franchise/WonderWoman decides to face the dragon alone. |
| 80 | [[/folder]] |
| 81 | |
| 82 | [[folder:Fan Works]] |
| 83 | * In ''Fanfic/TheBridge'', the normal Equestrian dragons are, relative for a fantasy setting, normal beings whom can be good or evil. The cosmic monstrocity, Grand King Ghidorah on the other hand combines the worst aspects of the character from multiple film incarnations, is responsible for the deaths of untold millions; and is treated more like an AnimalisticAbomination that just happens to ''[[DraconicAbomination look]]'' like a dragon. |
| 84 | * ''Fanfic/DeadOrAlive4TheDevilFactor'': When searching the DOATEC building for Kasumi and Ayane's mother, Dante is forced to fight Apophis, a robotic dragon who shoots red lightning. His brother Vergil gained Apophis' servitude by [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership defeating him in battle]]. |
| 85 | * ''Fanfic/AThingOfVikings'': While dragons in this setting are just really weird animals, quite a few characters (namely Christian ones) believe them to be this trope, with some outright calling them demons, devils, or hellbeasts. After the Dragon Mail stations have been set up however, this becomes less prevalent as people get more used to dragons being around (as intended by Hiccup, which is partly why he set up the mail). It actually becomes inverted with some people. After a long time spent suffering the tyranny of Harthacnut, after he was killed by {{Dragon Rider}}s, Markus started comparing dragons to ''angels''. |
| 86 | * ''Fanfic/ThomasAbridged'': [[spoiler: The Malevolance’s original form before it was 'killed' was a jet-black dragon.]] |
| 87 | * In ''Roleplay/WeAreAllPokemonTrainers'', Umbra during his time as the evil Ghost Lord uses his entire Ghost Army to take on the form of Penumbra, a monstrous dragon resembling a cross between Origin Giratina, Black Kyurem, and the Dark Hide from ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep'' at the climax of the Conquest arc. In this form he's so powerful that it takes the combined efforts of most of the warlords of Ransei, Tagg using some of his most powerful seals empowered by the Aura Nexus below the Infinity Tower, and a faith-empowered Ammy in order to defeat him. |
| 88 | [[/folder]] |
| 89 | |
| 90 | [[folder:Films -- Animated]] |
| 91 | * ''WesternAnimation/AllDogsGoToHeaven'': During Charlie's nightmare, he's DraggedOffToHell and confronted by a truly terrifying [[SatanicArchetype Satan figure]], depicted as a BigRedDevil resembling a cross between a dragon and a {{hellhound}}. The monster appears at the very end, waiting to drag Charlie's soul down to Hell. [[spoiler:The whippet angel appears before that happens, however, drives the dragon away, and tells Charlie his place in Heaven has been restored due to his HeroicSacrifice]]. |
| 92 | * ''WesternAnimation/ThePagemaster'': The giant fire-breathing dragon is some sort of enigmatic PrimalFear that pursues the protagonist across the real world, dreams, and the fantasy setting of the library. It will take on whatever form it needs to, to get him. |
| 93 | * ''WesternAnimation/SleepingBeauty'': The evil fairy Maleficent proclaims to Prince Phillip prior to fighting her that he must now face her and "all the powers of Hell", before [[ScaledUp transforming]] into a giant black dragon with glowing green eyes and the ability to breathe green flames. |
| 94 | * ''WesternAnimation/{{Wizards}}'': Blackwolf, an evil character, is depicted as turning a [[{{Bambification}} Bambi-like]] Deer into a dragon which the narrator describes as "torturing small animals." Ironically many viewers considered it rather awesome. |
| 95 | [[/folder]] |
| 96 | |
| 97 | [[folder:Films -- Live-Action]] |
| 98 | * ''Film/{{Dragonslayer}}'': The dragon (the Vermithrax Pejorative) is just a beast (although one that is incredibly devastating), however from the point of view of many characters it is a demon in the flesh (being a living representation of one of the film's sub-plots, that TheMagicGoesAway and is being replaced with Christianity... and the magic is not "going away" quietly). |
| 99 | * ''Film/DungeonsAndDragonsWrathOfTheDragonGod'': The eponymous dragon god Faluzure is a creature of decay and undeath who the evil mage Damodar intends to awaken. |
| 100 | * ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}}''. |
| 101 | ** King Ghidorah. In the Showa era, he was the cause of the extinction of life on Venus or Mars (depending on whether you saw the Japanese original or the English dub). Then there was the ''Film/RebirthOfMothra'' version who killed all the dinosaurs and wanted to eat the souls of children. And in the ''[[Film/GodzillaKingOfTheMonsters2019 Monsterverse]]'' version, he's depicted with [[SatanicArchetype Satanic imagery]], with one memorable scene showing him perched on top of a volcano, with a cross in the foreground, complete with a fiery and thunderous background. |
| 102 | ** [[Film/GodzillaVsDestoroyah Destoroyah's]] final form looks like a cross between a giant crab, a dragon, and Satan himself. He is treated as [[KnightOfCerebus the most vile kaiju to face Godzilla]], since he [[spoiler:[[WouldHurtAChild killed his son]]]]. |
| 103 | * ''Film/YamatoTakeru'' features a massive fire-breathing lightning-shooting version of the [[{{Orochi}} Yamata no Orochi]] which is the ScaledUp form of BigBad PhysicalGod Tsukuyomi. |
| 104 | [[/folder]] |
| 105 | |
| 106 | [[folder:Literature]] |
| 107 | * ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'': Dragons appear to be representative of vice, such as in ''Literature/TheVoyageOfTheDawnTreader'' where Eustace is turned into one after indulging his greed. |
| 108 | * ''Literature/TheCrimsonShadow'': Both dragons portrayed in the books are malicious beings. The second is even in league with the villain-they have a pact to [[SharingABody share bodies]], portrayed like the pacts with other demons his minions have. |
| 109 | * The dragon from ''Literature/TheFaerieQueene'' is seen attacking the Kingdom of Eden, viciously attack a shield with the symbol of the cross, burning the Tree of Life to the ground, and even spewing fire said to be just like the fires of Hell. Spenser lays it on pretty thick that he's trying to make his dragon a symbol of the Devil. |
| 110 | * More often than not in the ''Literature/FightingFantasy'' franchise, you will discover that Dragons are very, very bad news. Several books in the series, including ''Literature/TempleOfTerror'', ''Literature/NightDragon'', ''Literature/LegendOfZagor'', ''Literature/EyeOfTheDragon'', and a few others features dragons as absolutely dangerous opponents. |
| 111 | * ''Literature/TheFlightOfDragons'' by Creator/PeterDickinson states that "the Devil, in Christianised art, becomes ''the'' dragon", claiming that this supports the premise that dragons were once real, because Christian allegory doesn't usually use mythological creatures. |
| 112 | * In Creator/FrankPeretti's ''Literature/TheOath'', the TownWithADarkSecret is stalked by a dragon that turns out to be [[spoiler:a ''literal'' embodiment of sin]]. It is also remarkably beautiful and has a tendency to induce EvilFeelsGood in those who are under its thrall. |
| 113 | * ''Literature/{{Redwall}}'': [[SnakesAreSinister Snakes]] serve as the setting's stand-in for dragons and are portrayed as the most intractably evil of all species in the 'verse. The first one we meet, Asmodeus Poisonteeth, invokes this trope, sharing a name with a demon lord from Christian demonology, and stated in story to be the "devil himself." |
| 114 | * ''Literature/TheSagaOfTheJomsvikings'' speculates that a sea-serpent seen in Hjorunga Bay is either the ghost of Bui guarding the two chests of gold he took with him to the sea-bottom, or else that it is "some evil spirit" which has taken possession of the treasure. |
| 115 | * ''Literature/SaintGeorgeAndTheDragon'': The dragon defeated by Myth/SaintGeorge, which was terrorizing towns eating people and livestock. George claims to have defeated the creature through the power of Christ, which implies the dragon is literally of demonic origin. |
| 116 | * ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'' zigzags this. Dragons are considered unusual animals and strongly associated with magic. To the Targaryens and the extinct Valyrian dragonlords of the past, they are considered bond creatures (if stubbornly independent), but to others they are terrifying. From the point of view of Westerosi before the Targaryen conquest, seeing dragons for the first time must have been like seeing demons from Hell (or their equivalent), particularly since a trio of them managed to conquer an entire continent with liberal use of [[KillItWithFire dragonfire]]. At present, the hatchling of Daenerys' dragons has hastened [[TheMagicComesBack the return of magic]]. This is not considered a good thing, because the return of magic also heralds the growing threat from [[HumanoidAbomination the Others]]. |
| 117 | * In ''Literature/TheSummonerTrilogy'', dragons and several similar creatures are varieties of demon, although demons in this trilogy are not [[AlwaysChaoticEvil always chaotic evil]] and are amoral, animal-like beings only as good or bad as their summoners, since they fill a {{Mon}}-like role in this setting. Salamanders, like Ignatius, are very much like small, wingless dragons, and [[spoiler: they are later shown to transform into drakes, and eventually enormously-powerful true dragons. Only one of the latter appears, which acts as an {{Olympus Mon|s}} in the final battle.]] |
| 118 | * Dragons, such as [[Literature/TheHobbit Smaug]] and [[Literature/TheSilmarillion Ancalagon the Black]], are described in ''Literature/TolkiensLegendarium'' as creations of Morgoth (the setting's SatanicArchetype) that are inherently evil as a whole. Glaurung, [[MonsterProgenitor the Father of Dragons]], may have been a corrupted Maia spirit, making him a literal demon. |
| 119 | * In ''Cloak of the Light'', the first book of ''Literature/WarsOfTheRealm'', Drew fights a Chicago street gang which is controlled and empowered by demons. The gang's name? The Dragons. |
| 120 | [[/folder]] |
| 121 | |
| 122 | [[folder:Live-Action TV]] |
| 123 | * One of the [[MonsterOfTheWeek Demon Captains]] sent out by the [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Akuma Clan]] in ''Series/Akumaizer3'' is Dragondar, a literal dragon demon. |
| 124 | * ''Series/PowerRangersJungleFury'' has Dai Shi, an ancient, eight-headed Chinese dragon. In the series' backstory, Dai Shi initiated the "Beast War", believing that humans should be destroyed and that animals should rule the planet. He was [[SealedEvilInACan sealed away in a chest]] by the Order of the Claw until he was released and possessed [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Jarrod]]. He takes on his dragon form when he is separated from his host. |
| 125 | [[/folder]] |
| 126 | |
| 127 | [[folder:Music]] |
| 128 | * Gowan's ''Dragon'' compares [[PollutedWasteland industrialization]] to the Dragon of the Apocalypse. |
| 129 | -->''"Evil sire, breathing fire\ |
| 130 | Belching smoke and fume\ |
| 131 | Behold, the Face of Doom\ |
| 132 | We can't stop runnin'\ |
| 133 | The Dragon's comin'\ |
| 134 | Death defiant man-made giant\ |
| 135 | The sum of all we killed\ |
| 136 | A living toxic will"'' |
| 137 | [[/folder]] |
| 138 | |
| 139 | [[folder:Mythology and Religion]] |
| 140 | * Generally speaking, European and Christian folklore and iconography tend to portray dragons as either [[DraconicAbomination abominations against the natural order]] or fully demonic monstrosities, and they are often used to symbolize Satan. This is a large part of why [[DragonsVersusKnights knights are traditionally depicted slaying them]] -- dragons represent sin and evil, knights are defenders of Christendom and often used to represent saints and angels, and the knight slaying the dragon thus shows godliness and good triumphing over Hell and evil. |
| 141 | ** In ''Literature/TheBookOfRevelation'', {{Satan}} transforms into a seven-headed dragon so big that a sweep of his tail sends a third of the stars in the sky to Earth, and is likened to a dragon throughout the book. More generally, dragons in medieval Christian imagery were strongly associated with Hell and evil, often being out-and-out [[SatanicArchetype stand-ins for Satan and his demons]]. In other stories, they symbolize the [[SevenDeadlySins sin of Greed]]. |
| 142 | ** Myth/SlavicMythology: Dragons are only mostly associated with Satan and demons. "Zmey" -- a distinct brand of three-headed dragon -- are often antagonistic and most of them are affiliated with forces opposing {{God}} but are often explicitly said to be capable of converting to Christianity. This oddity makes a bit more sense when you consider they were most likely analogues to foreign invaders. [[note]]You obviously want to portray the people who once conquered you as bad guys, but it gets a bit awkward when you realize they had a lot of kids with your people and your peoples' blood is now mixed, maybe permanently. Not to mention that a good portion of your nobility and royalty can trace their noble roots to positions offered or filled by these occupiers. Most people resolved to tell themselves that their ancestors were "one of the good ones" and when these people were personified as dragons a few good dragons got thrown in the mix. Plus, it's way cooler to say you were descended from a dragon than a Turk or Mongol. [[/note]] |
| 143 | ** In the legend of ''Literature/TheLambtonWorm'', the eponymous dragon exists specifically as divine punishment for Sir John Lambton skipping church to go fishing, which was considered ''extremely'' improper at the time. Even after he's able to kill it, his family are hit by a HereditaryCurse for the next nine generations, so evil is the Worm. |
| 144 | ** In Christian iconography, there's a practice called "saint symbolism", where a given saint or angel will be consisted depicted with a few specific traits or an IconicItem, so the viewer will know who they're supposed to be (e.g. Saint Peter is usually shown holding a key, because Jesus told him he would be given "the keys to the kingdom of Heaven" in Matthew 16:19). The ArchangelMichael's symbolism shows him in the act of [[RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun his greatest accomplishment]], beating up {{Satan}} during the latter's rebellion. In this iconography, Satan is depicted as a dragon just as often as he is a BigRedDevil. |
| 145 | ** Medieval writings often used the word dragon as an euphemism or nickname for the Devil, such as in the ''Vade Retro Satana'' exorcism formula, which contains the line "Nunquam draco sit mihi dux" ("May the dragon never be my ruler"). |
| 146 | * Apep (or Apophis, as the Greeks knew him), the evil Night Serpent of Myth/EgyptianMythology, who seeks to devour all life to return the universe to the dark nothingness from whence it came. Apep is the eternal enemy of the sun god Ra, who defeats him every morning in battle as the sun rises once again. |
| 147 | * Myth/HinduMythology: Vritra is an asura that takes the form of a serpentine dragon, and is a personification of drought. He attempted to hold the rivers of the world captive, but was slain by the storm-god deva Indra. |
| 148 | * In Myth/NorseMythology, Nidhoggr is a giant dragon that gnaws at the roots of Yggdrasil in hopes of destroying all worlds. |
| 149 | ** There's also Jormungandr, the [[SeaSerpents sea serpent]] so [[KrakenAndLeviathan catastrophically huge]] he [[{{Ouroboros}} encircles]] Midgard (the world of mortals). Jormungandr is the son of the [[SatanicArchetype corrupted god]] Loki, and has a major role to play in [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Ragnarok]], where he and the heroic thunder god Thor will kill each other. |
| 150 | * {{Orochi}} from Myth/JapaneseMythology, the eight-headed serpent dragon slain by Susano, god of thunderstorms, and a being powerful enough to frighten the earthly gods of the area into doing nothing as he eats their daughters. |
| 151 | * In Persian myth there's Azhi Dahak, a three-headed dragon [[SealedEvilInACan imprisoned beneath Mount Demavend]] is the Lord of Lies. In the Shahnameh he also possesses a foolish prince named Zahak, turning him into a [[ImAHumanitarian tyrant and cannibal]]. |
| 152 | [[/folder]] |
| 153 | |
| 154 | [[folder:Tabletop Games]] |
| 155 | * ''TabletopGame/DungeonsAndDragons'': |
| 156 | ** Abyssal Drakes have a very dragon-like appearance, but are native to the Abyss and considered demons in all respects. They are said to be the result of an experiment conducted by the [[DemonLordsAndArchDevils Demon Lords]] into cross-breeding red dragons, wyverns and demons into [[DragonRider a beast that could be used as a steed]], but were too strong-willed and broke free from their master's control. |
| 157 | ** Hellfire wyrms are extraplanar dragons from the Nine Hells, sent to the material plane to infiltrate societies and manipulate them and their rulers into committing evil acts, spreading death and misery, and ultimately damning themselves. They also breathe {{Hellfire}} and can turn into devils at will. |
| 158 | ** There are various evil draconic deities, including Tiamat, a goddess of greed who is also a member of the ''TabletopGame/ForgottenRealms''' main pantheon. This is balanced by good draconic deities like Bahamut. |
| 159 | ** The Abishai are a race of devils that have the appearance of {{Draconic Humanoid}}s and serve as the servants and heralds of Tiamat within the Nine Hells. |
| 160 | ** ''TabletopGame/DarkSun'': All dragons are the embodiment of the horrific, rapacious corruption of arcane magic on Athas, each one born from an act of genocide. They devote themselves to [[BlackMagic defiling magic]], and progressing through the transformation requires ''multiple'' acts of mass-scale HumanSacrifice. |
| 161 | ** The ''Draconomicon'' in 3.5 features the Disciple of Ashardalon, a prestige class for evil dragons that have their hearts replaced with a demon. As they progress in such class, they get more demonic features and at the highest level they no longer are considered dragons but outsiders instead, as demons are. |
| 162 | * In ''TabletopGame/IronKingdoms'', the core factions of each gameline have the same basic arrangement: Good-Ish Guys (Trollbloods, Cygnar), WellIntentionedExtremist Guys (Menoth, Circle Orboros), Imperialistic and Kinda Dickish Guys (Skorne, Khador), and Straight-Up Bad Guys (Cryx, Everblight). In both lines, the Straight-Up Bad Guys faction is tied to dragons: Cryx is ruled by the first of the dragons, and their long-term objective is killing all of the other dragons so that Toruk can regain his full power, while Everblight is one of Toruk's spawn who has corrupted most of the Nyss elves. Aesthetically, Cryx is a horrible den of undead and black, hissing insect-like warjacks crafted from a mixture of bones and machinery, while the forces of Everblight are a nightmarish mess of BodyHorror mutations who direct blind monsters bred solely to kill against their enemies. |
| 163 | * ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'': |
| 164 | ** Chromatic dragons, as in ''D&D'', are beings of evil and destruction and often worshiped by other mortal beings as living gods who must be appeased through sacrifice and lavish offerings. The metallic dragons usually avert this, but when they fall and [[FaceHeelTurn tarnish]] they can become as evil and destructive as any chromatic. |
| 165 | ** One of two main dragon gods, Dahak, is a monstrous, sadistic brute who lives to spread pain and suffering, especially to his own draconic creations -- he is explicitly described as having created the first mortal dragons in order to hunt them for sport. Even the chromatic dragons hate him. |
| 166 | ** The outer dragons -- dragons native to the various planes of the afterlife -- include some rather unpleasant natives of [[{{Hell}} the Lower Planes]]. Infernal dragons and diabolic dragons are horrific monsters in league with the devils and always seeking to damn souls to the flames of Hell, while the rift dragons of the Abyss are demonic entities who often make their way to the material plane to force mortals to worship them as demigods of suffering and destruction. |
| 167 | ** Yamaraj, [[https://www.d20pfsrd.com/bestiary/monster-listings/outsiders/psychopomp/psychopomp-yamaraj/ psychopomps of the underworld]] who [[FeatheredDragons are covered in dark raven-like feathers]], signifying death and decay and tasked with underworldly duties. Fittingly, some of them take the "hellish punisher" motif too far and revel in damning souls. |
| 168 | * ''TabletopGame/MagicTheGathering'': |
| 169 | ** Dragons like the [[https://tagger.scryfall.com/card/lgn/104 Kilnmouth,]] [[https://tagger.scryfall.com/card/lgn/104 Avaricious]], and [[https://tagger.scryfall.com/card/isd/129 Balefire]] Dragons come in threatening big red motifs. [[https://scryfall.com/card/dtk/218/dragonlord-kolaghan Some dragonlords]] combine this and [[FeatheredFiend feathers, fitting a "dark angel" mindset and the fact they're tyrannical jackasses lording over certain realms]]. The one dragon that takes the cake is the Elder Dragon Nicol Bolas, a draconic EvilSorcerer and one of the most iconic and recurring villains in the series. |
| 170 | [[/folder]] |
| 171 | |
| 172 | [[folder:Video Games]] |
| 173 | * In the second ''VideoGame/{{Actraiser}}'' game, the embodiment of the [[SevenDeadlySins sin]] of {{Greed}} is a dragon. |
| 174 | * One of demons ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' summons is Gomorrah, a gigantic vicious dragon. He is so huge that Bayonetta only brings out his head every time, and when we see him in full in [[VideoGame/{{Bayonetta 2}} the second game]], he is easily the size of a multi-story building. |
| 175 | * What's left of the BigBad of ''VideoGame/Doom3'' has fused with a giant demon dragon in the expansion pack ''Resurrection of Evil'', and given that said demon dragon guards Hell itself, it's as literal as you can get. |
| 176 | * The ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'' mod ''VideoGame/{{Guncaster}}'', fitting of the source game, has its dragon coloured a deep red and themed after demons. While he fights against said demons, he's certainly not much of a [[AntiHero nice guy.]] |
| 177 | * The Destroyer from ''VideoGame/{{Darksiders}}'' is quite literally a demon in the form of a dragon, leading TheLegionsOfHell on Earth in the aftermath of the [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt End War]]. [[spoiler:And is actually the FallenAngel Abaddon after making a DealWithTheDevil.]] |
| 178 | * ''VideoGame/{{Diablo}}'' franchise: |
| 179 | ** Tathamet is a seven-headed dragon who is also known as the Prime Evil. It is said that when he was killed while fighting the warrior god Anu, his corpse reformed itself into the Burning Hells, and each of his seven heads became one of the Seven Great Evils, the demon lords who reign supreme over the other demons. |
| 180 | ** Also, in VideoGame/MedianXL for ''VideoGame/DiabloII'', you can fight dragons that are demonic spawn of Baal. |
| 181 | * ''VideoGame/DungeonKeeper'' has [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Demon Spawns]], violent toad-like creatures that can be trained past the regular limit of Level 10 to turn into Level 4 [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]]. |
| 182 | * ''Franchise/TheElderScrolls'': |
| 183 | ** As best seen in ''[[VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim Skyrim]]'', Dragons are creatures of aggression and domination, and it's [[AlwaysChaoticEvil in their blood to be cruel and contemptuous]]. Even the protagonist, the [[PlayerCharacter Last Dragonborn]], who is [[TheChosenOne a mortal with a dragon's soul]], is no exception. However, they can [[HeelFaceTurn fight against their baser nature]], as seen by Paarthurnax, who follows the Way of the Voice. The BigBad of ''Skyrim'' is [[GodIsEvil Alduin]] the [[PlanetEater World-Eater]], the "firstborn" of the dragons who takes the form of a colossal [[DarkIsEvil black]] dragon. Alduin is the BeastOfTheApocalypse, divinely mandated to "[[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt eat the world]]" so that [[EternalRecurrence a new one can be created in its place]]. While technically an act AboveGoodAndEvil, most mortals understandably see it as a bad thing. However, Alduin isn't the Big Bad because of this. Instead, after becoming DrunkWithPower in an earlier age, he has chosen to shirk his duties as World-Eater and is instead trying to TakeOverTheWorld and be worshiped as a god by mortals. |
| 184 | ** ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsOnline'': |
| 185 | *** The Daedric Titans are dragons that have had their [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Aedric]] souls forcibly replaced with [[OurDemonsAreDifferent Daedric]] ones, and primarily serve [[GodOfEvil Molag Bal]] and other [[OurGodsAreDifferent Daedric Princes]]. |
| 186 | *** Kaalgrontiid, known as the "emerald sovereign of wrath and terror" is a dragon whose pride and ambition caused him to split from Alduin when he ruled over Skyrim during the Merethic Era and took over Elsweyr back when it was 16 separate kingdoms before he and his dragon followers were tricked and sealed away inside the Halls of Colossus by Khunzar-ri and his companions. During the game proper, he attempts to become Tamriel's third moon using the power of Jode's Core in order to match Akatosh himself. |
| 187 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyI'': The six-headed dragon Tiamat is one of the Four Fiends whose evil is slowly killing the world. |
| 188 | * ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'' features dragons, many of whom are demonic. |
| 189 | ** Bahamut, the elder primal, is a massive dragon that the ancient Allagans sealed in the artificial moon of Dalamud long ago. Near the end of the original version of the game, Bahamut broke free of its prison when Dalamud was brought down to Eorzea, after which it initiated a miniature apocalypse. Notably, however, the original Bahamut was actually a hero and kind ruler for his nation; the Bahamut we see in the game is a primal summoned by Tiamat, his consort/sister, in a state of grief and despair using the corrupted summoning spell taught to her by Ascians. The result is a distorted and inherently dangerous mockery of the real Bahamut, something that has haunted Tiamat for milennia. |
| 190 | ** The dragons of Dravania [[ZigZagged zig-zag]] this trope. For the most part, the native dragons do not take part in the war ongoing between dragonkind and the city-state of Ishgard, but are territorial and hostile towards outsiders. Some dragons are actually very wise and noble, and become allies of the heroes. More specifically, the dragons of Hraesvalgir's brood are uninvolved in the Dragonsong War and are merely territorial and distrustful of humans; the dragons of Nidhogg's brood are the participants in the war, answering Nidhogg's eternal call for vengeance (indeed, even if a given dragon of Nidhogg's brood doesn't want to fight, Nidhogg's call drives them insane if they refuse it for long). Because dragons develop their bodies to reflect their own identities, the war- and vengeance-minded dragons of Nidhogg's brood appear more demonic and menacing. |
| 191 | ** Near the end of the ''Heavensward'' post-game storyline, [[spoiler:a dragon rivaling the ferocity and danger of Bahamut appears; Shinryu, a dragon primal created by the desperation of Ala Mhigan insurgents led by Ilberd. At the end of ''Stormblood'', Shinryu serves as the FinalBoss after being hijacked by [[TheEvilPrince Zenos]].]] |
| 192 | ** ''Endwalker'' elaborates further on the past of dragons and their nature. [[spoiler: The dragons once lived on their own planet, as a peaceful and thriving society, until the Omicron suddenly invaded. The dragons fought back fiercly, but were ultimately defeated; the Omicron left after achieving only a PyrrhicVictory, leaving the planet a desolate wasteland. Midgardsormr fled the planet with a clutch of seven eggs to seek out a new planet to settle on, with Omega pursuing the most powerful of all dragons across the stars. After a very long journey, Midgardsormr found Etheirys, and settled there, while Omega also arrived, but was severely damaged by the incredibly long journey, and thus entered hibernation. This makes the dragons of Etheirys the last of their kind...sort of.]] |
| 193 | ** ''Endwalker'' also shows us another of the First Brood: Vrtra. His appearance is even more deadly-looking than Nidhogg, [[spoiler: a fact that causes him much angst. He fears that the humans he secretly rules over would view him as a monster and thus spark a war. When the events of Endwalker occur, Vrtra is encouraged by Estinien to come out of hiding and openly reveal himself as their true ruler and declare that he would directly and openly fight to protect them. When he does, he is viewed with awe, reverence, and gratitude, fully allaying his fears and proving that his menacing appearance is more than offset by his heroic deeds, humble and gentle demeanor, and kind words.]] |
| 194 | * ''Franchise/FireEmblem'': Dragons tend to be enemy characters throughout the series. [[DragonRider Wyvern riders]] are also a common sight in enemy armies. Even Dragons who are not evil are in danger of [[HatePLague going insane]] and entering a KillAllHumans state of wildness if they don't conserve their power. The common enemy dragons are as follows: |
| 195 | ** [[http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/File:Fire_Dragon_Boss.jpg Fire Dragons]] are immense dragons described as capable of incinerating everything in their path, and have [[HotWings wings made of flame]]. They have a long history of mutual antagonism with humanity. Aside from one individual in the first game, and its sequel, all Fire Dragons are enemy characters. |
| 196 | ** [[http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/File:Mage_Dragon_(TCG).png image Mage Dragons,]] sometimes translated as ''Demon Dragons'' are [[SnakesAreSinister snake-like]] [[PurpleIsTheNewBlack Dark Purple]] Dragons that [[AntiMagic seal]] all magic attacks while dealing damage with their magically infused breath. All Mage Dragons are enemy characters in the series, either members of an evil empire, or having fallen to the madness listed above. |
| 197 | ** [[http://fireemblem.wikia.com/wiki/File:Earth_Dragon_TCG.png Earth Dragons]] are gigantic armored dragons with features of crocodiles, komodo dragons, and various dinosaurs. Earth Dragons command the forces of the earth, and shadow, being one of the strongest dragons. Virtually all Earth Dragons fell victim to insanity mentioned above, were the most dangerous of the mad Dragons, and were sealed. The few survivors are also enemy characters. Some have reached an advanced form known as a Shadow Dragon which is unsurpassed in power. |
| 198 | *** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemShadowDragonAndTheBladeOfLight'': Medeus, the leader of an evil [[TheEmpire empire]] of Dragons, resurrects, gathers up his old soldiers, teams up with an EvilSorcerer, and starts TakingOverTheWorld. Medeus does have a FreudianExcuse of being antagonized by humanity for many years. In the sequel ''VideoGame/FireEmblemMysteryOfTheEmblem'' Medeus returns in the form of a Shadow Dragon as the seal on the insane dragons starts to weaken. This also applies in backstory as the [[ShroudedInMyth same myths]] that made Naga an [[ShroudedInMyth outright god]], depicted Dragons as monsters from Hell, are actually an exaggerated version of Naga protecting humanity from dragons that had gone feral. |
| 199 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'': |
| 200 | *** Duma, the God of Power, is revealed in ''Echoes'' to be a Divine Dragon suffering from dragon degeneration, and has the ability to turn people into Witches by [[YourSoulIsMine having their soul offered to him]], and can turn the corpses of fallen dragons into Necrodragons. His class is also Fell God (Evil God in Japan), he uses Fell Dragon magic (evil magic in Japan), he summons evil beings from the darkness, he has a single glowing red eye, and his body is darkly colored with tattered wings. |
| 201 | *** The Brethren in ''Echoes'' are living dragons that are a common enemy in dungeons who are implied to have gone completely feral from dragon degeneration. |
| 202 | ** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'': Loptous, an Earth Dragon who escaped being sealed under the Dragon's Table through blood-bonding with the bishop Galle, is often described as less of a regular (albeit evil) dragon, and more something akin to an EnemyWithin due to his [[DarkIsEvil heavy association with darkness]], habit of DemonicPossession of those with major Loptous blood through his eponymous tome, and having a whole ReligionOfEvil based around him. He is the archenemy of Naga, the leader of the Divine Dragons. |
| 203 | ** Elibe games: This setting has its dragons sent to another dimension after losing a war against humanity. While both played dirty in the war, it was actually humanity that started the war. The prequel ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' has an EvilSorceror attempt to unleash Dragons on the war as part of a plot to get revenge on the world. The sequel ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBindingBlade'' has a [[TheRemnant has the last dragon soldier left on the continent]] team up with a nihilistic King to restart the dragons ancient line of [[ArtificialHuman artificial]] Dragon soldiers, and use them to conquer humanity in favor of dragonkind. Fittingly the dragon they use produce these soldiers is literally called the ''Demon Dragon.'' |
| 204 | ** The Fell Dragon Grima from ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' is [[MeetTheNewBoss also]] Naga's greatest rival, and is also an evil dragon that possesses a suitable host and surrounds himself with a death cult of fanatical supporters, the Grimeal. Much like Loptous, his plan for full resurrection involves the use of a suitable host bred for the task, in this case [[spoiler:the Avatar]]. Grima himself is a fiendish-looking city-sized monstrosity with multiple eyes. On top of that, [[spoiler:''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden Shadows of Valentia]]'' reveals that he's the result of a dark alchemy experiment that sought to create the perfect lifeform]]. |
| 205 | ** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'', King Garon transforms into the Blight Dragon during the final battle of ''Birthright'', complete with [[RedEyesTakeWarning glowing red eyes]]. In the ''Revelations'' path it's revealed that Garon and many others [[spoiler:were possessed by Anankos The Silent Dragon, who was also [[GreaterScopeVillain behind]] the entire story's plot]]. |
| 206 | ** In ''VideoGame/FireEmblemThreeHouses'' it turns out [[spoiler:the legendary Immaculate One dragon and the saint Seiros are the same person, and she's also Archbishop Rhea. While normally benevolent and representative of DragonsAreDivine, on the one route where the player can side against her (Crimson Flower) she undergoes SanitySlippage and is fought in dragon form after setting fire to a city at night. On Silver Snow, she is also fought in dragon form, this time after a rapid succession of traumas forcibly transforms her and she begins to go mad, though as this boss battle is portrayed as a tragedy, any demonic framing is significantly downplayed in favor of underscoring that this is a MercyKill]]. |
| 207 | ** The BigBad and the FinalBoss of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemEngage'' is the Fell Dragon Sombron, who is trying to collect all the Emblem Rings by any means necessary. Aside an already monsterous humanoid form, his dragon form resembles a giant snake. Sombron [[spoiler:along with his child Veyle, and allegedly his other children in the past,]] has the ability to revive people as Corrupted warriors. |
| 208 | * ''VideoGame/HungryDragon'': Umbra is a demonic undead dragon whose "Hellshade" skin gives her a RedAndBlackAndEvilAllOver palette swap and large horns, making her look demonic instead of undead. Her "Goldshade" skin also gives her a volcanic makeover, with black scales and a molten yellow underbelly and markings, giving her a demonic vibe. |
| 209 | * The Storm Rider in ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' is a dragon that was corrupted into a Heartless by Xigbar of Organization XIII. |
| 210 | * ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'': |
| 211 | ** Volvagia from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' was an ancient dragon who terrorized the Gorons before being slain by a Goron wielding the Megaton Hammer. Ganondorf ends up reviving Volvagia in a plot to feed all the Gorons to him as punishment for defying his regime. |
| 212 | ** Onox, General of Darkness, main villain of ''{{VideoGame/The Legend of Zelda Oracle|Games}} of Seasons''. He spends most of the game in the form of a humanoid knight rather like a Darknut, but his OneWingedAngel form is a huge black dragon. |
| 213 | ** Argorok from ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess'' is a wyvern who possesses a shard of the Mirror of Twilight, and a malevolent being who terrorizes the Oocca of the City in the Sky. |
| 214 | ** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTearsOfTheKingdom'': [[spoiler:Ganondorf himself is well-known and well-feared as the [[MaouTheDemonKing Demon King]]. In the final battle, in a last ditch effort to defeat Link and destroy Hyrule, he swallows his [[AmplifierArtifact Secret Stone]] to sacrifice his own mind and become a dragon. His boss title even becomes "Draconified Demon King, Demon Dragon."]] |
| 215 | * Urgash the Dragon God of Chaos from the [[VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagicAshan Ashan]] series of ''VideoGame/HeroesOfMightAndMagic'' exists as a SatanicArchetype in opposition to his sister Asha, [[DragonsAreDivine goddess of Order and creator of the world]], and fathered the first demons as a mockery of her claiming the right to creation. |
| 216 | * While genuine dragons in the ''Franchise/DragonAge'' series are basically large, bad-tempered carnivores, there are some elements of this: dragon blood can defile holy relics in spectacular fashion, the dragon cult you encounter is evil and practices human sacrifice, and most notably, the Archdemons that lead the darkspawn Blights take the form of enormous dragons (as does AmbiguouslyEvil witch Flemeth, but that's mostly because it's powerful; Archdemons don't appear in any other form). |
| 217 | * ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfSpyro'': While [[TheHero the titular hero]] is [[DelightfulDragon a good dragon]], the same cannot be said for [[BigBad Malefor]], an utterly vile dragon who corrupted [[FaceMonsterTurn Cynder into a monster]] and seeks TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt. |
| 218 | * In the ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'' series, the SpacePirate commander Ridley fits the description perfectly. He's a skeletal western-styled dragon with the head of a pterosaur, armed with a fiery breath and a dagger-like tail that he uses to impale his enemies. And if that wasn't enough, his usual domain is Norfair, a subterranean LethalLavaLand with hellish heat, and [[JokerImmunity his tendency to cheat death]] and bring terror to even the bravest heroes (such as [[TheHero Samus Aran]]) has earned him the moniker "[[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Cunning God of Death]]". |
| 219 | * Most dragons in the RTS-game ''VideoGame/MinionMasters'' belong to the Voidborn-Faction which is also the faction all demons in the game belong to. The desciption of the card "Dragon Whelp" refers to it as "Part Dragon, Part demon". |
| 220 | * While several [[OurDragonsAreDifferent Elder Dragons]] in the ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter'' franchise tend to fall under either DragonsAreDivine or DraconicAbomination, there are a specific few Elder Dragons that are a cut above the rest, called the Black Dragons, who are far more demonic, ominous, and [[ItCanThink intelligent]] than their more animalistic brethren: |
| 221 | ** The most classic example in the franchise (and having debuted in [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter2004 the very first game]]) is Fatalis, a Western dragon who destroyed an entire kingdom singlehandendly, is rumored to be able to have ResurrectiveImmortality, and humans are so scared of it they only put the best of the best they have to kill it whenever one shows up. |
| 222 | ** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunter3Tri'': |
| 223 | *** Alatreon, while not as AxCrazy as its fellow Black Dragons, is still an incredibly dangerous Elder Dragon who makes any habitat he decides to live on as inhospitable as possible [[TheHermit so only he can live alone and in peace]]. |
| 224 | *** Dire Miralis from ''3 Ultimate'' is a gigantic WalkingWasteland Elder Dragon who sinks islands just by walking into them, boils the ocean he walks on, and is even called demonic in some item descriptions. |
| 225 | ** While not officially considered a Black Dragon, the first Siege boss of ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterWorld Iceborne'', Safi'jiiva, has all the qualifications of the classical, medieval interpretations of dragons: Hellish red scales, long black horns, can drain the lifeforce of other living beings or even the land itself to feed itself (as if 'stealing their souls'). |
| 226 | ** ''VideoGame/MonsterHunterRise'': |
| 227 | *** Magnamalo is not an Elder Dragon at all, rather a Fanged Wyvern, but it is a feared monster known as the "Wyvern of Malice" and thematically has a distinctly demonic bent, the purple flame it uses to attack even being dubbed "{{hellfire}}". The Scorned Magnamalo variant introduced in ''Sunbreak'' is even more dangerous, with better control over its hellfire, and is described as a being that [[SoulEating uses the souls of the departed to increase its own power]]. It easily goes toe to toe with even Elder Dragons such as Malzeno. |
| 228 | *** ''Sunbreak'' introduces [[spoiler:Gaismagorm, expressly called the "Archdemon of the Abyss". It primarily uses attacks which resemble hellfire, crawls its way out of the depths akin to Hell, and has a FlowerMouth resembling a pentagram. The monster itself is made as one gigantic reference to the Devil itself as a dragon.]] |
| 229 | * Ukkuhr-Makhai, the Great Stygian Dragon from the ''VideoGame/NexusWar'' games. He was formed from a festering mass of chaos that grew teratoma-style in the pustulent flesh of [[EldritchAbomination Tholaghru]], the infernal Nexal god of chaos and BodyHorror, which eventually clawed itself free. In the first Nexus game he then wandered randomly around [[FireAndBrimstoneHell Stygia]], devouring all in his wake and generally acting as ThatOneBoss when challenged by raiding parties. |
| 230 | * ''VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Dragon Sword'' has the Dark Dragon. Originally one of the 13 Divine Dragons, the Dark Dragon was corrupted by [[GodOfEvil Vigoor]] and turned against his brothers. |
| 231 | * ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': |
| 232 | ** Giratina, first introduced in [[VideoGame/PokemonDiamondAndPearl Gen IV]], is the third member of the creation trio, a Ghost/Dragon type who was banished to the Distortion World by Arceus for its violence, and has a particularly evil-looking appearance, though it isn't inherently evil. It does however serve as an antagonist in ''VideoGame/PokemonLegendsArceus'', [[spoiler:working together with BigBad Volo.]] |
| 233 | ** Hydreigon from [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite Gen V]] is a three headed Dark/Dragon type that is described as being willing to attack and devour anything in its path, and is also the strongest Pokémon of Ghetsis, the Unova duology's main villain. |
| 234 | ** Dragalge from [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Gen VI]] is a Poison/Dragon type that will sink any ships entering its territory with their acidic poison. |
| 235 | ** ''VideoGame/PokemonSunAndMoon'' introduces UB-05 Glutton, aka Guzzlord, an eldritch looking Dark/Dragon type Ultra Beast that can devour whole buildings and even mountains and seas. The Ultra Ruins in ''VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon'' are implied to be an alternate Hau'oli City that was devoured by Guzzlord following a power plant accident. |
| 236 | ** Mega Charizard X definitely looks the part with its SpikesOfVillainy, [[EvilWearsBlack black skin]] and [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]]. However, it's of the DarkIsNotEvil variety. |
| 237 | * ''VideoGame/Splatoon3'': Horrorboros is a gigantic King Salmonid that resembles a mix between an eel and a Chinese dragon, and a monstrous enemy to Inklings and Octolings during Extrawaves. |
| 238 | * ''VideoGame/SonicSuperstars'': The TrueFinalBoss of the game, [[spoiler:the Black Dragon]], who has a set of [[PurpleIsTheNewBlack dark purplish-black scales]], and its appearance looks more demon-like than other dragons seen in the series, especially compared to [[spoiler:Trip the Sungazer's own Super Form, which turns her into a dragon]]. The boss can breathe fireballs, shoot meteors, and even create black holes that can kill Super Sonic instantly if he doesn't use his boost to escape. |
| 239 | * While Bowser tends to flirt with this trope due to being a draconic turtle monster who rules over a near-literal [[LethalLavaLand Hell on Earth]], he goes all in with it in the ''VideoGame/BowsersFury'' expansion for ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld''. There, he takes on the form of a jet-black kaiju-sized monstrosity called Fury Bowser, who will occasionally awaken and go on violent rampages that turn the peaceful Lake Lapcat into a dark and stormy hellhole while he assaults Mario and Bowser Jr with volleys of massive spikes from his shell, storms of enormous fireballs, and jets of fire reminiscent of Godzilla's atomic breath. He's also constantly secreting an inky, tarlike substance that turns out to be [[spoiler:paint from Bowser Jr's magic paintbrush that reacted strangely to an angry outburst]], which mars the lake's beautiful scenery and is very dangerous to touch. |
| 240 | * ''VideoGame/TaiFuWrathOfTheTiger'': The Dragon Master, tyrannical overlord of all China, is [[DarkIsEvil black-scaled]] Chinese dragon with [[YellowEyesOfSneakiness pupilles yellow eyes]] and a [[EvilSoundsDeep deep voice]] that sounds downright demonic. |
| 241 | * The dragons in ''VideoGame/TalesOfZestiria'' are particularly powerful [[TheHeartless Hellions]], and thus are evil by definition. Only a few are encountered during the game, and they are all extremely dangerous foes. |
| 242 | * ''VideoGame/{{Ultrakill}}'': [[KrakenAndLeviathan The Leviathan]] is a Demon that's based on SeaSerpents, which are often dragons themselves. [[spoiler:The Leviathan is also born from the bodies of despair-ridden Sinners, and it is said to herald the Apocalypse.]] |
| 243 | * ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'': |
| 244 | ** Dragons were inherently evil in ''Warcraft II'', used by orcs as flying shock troops. ''Warcraft III'' had them released from the orcs' mind control into a more neutral position, though their leaders are either good (Alexstrasza, the formerly imprisoned Dragonqueen) or evil (Deathwing, pictured above). |
| 245 | ** Expanded further in ''VideoGame/WorldOfWarcraft''. Black dragons (like Deathwing) are AlwaysChaoticEvil due to being corrupted by the Old Gods. The other flights are usually neutral or good, but dip into evil on occasion. The blue dragons became antagonists in ''Wrath of the Lich King'' when their leader went insane. The time-travelling bronze dragons become the evil Infinite Dragonflight in a possible future, and frequently attempt to muck with the timestream. Green dragons are occasionally warped by the Emerald Nightmare, a corrupted version of the dream realm they usually reside in. Red dragons are the only flight to fully avert this, although some have been driven to insanity before, and they were the flight mind-controlled by the orcs in ''Warcraft II''. |
| 246 | ** Aside from the natural flights, there are also chromatic dragons, which are artificial dragons made from the blood of all five flights, and nether dragons, made by exposing black dragon eggs to the Twisting Nether. Both are creations of the Black Dragonflight, but while the Twilight dragons retain the corrupted nature from the Black Dragonflight, nether dragons are surprisingly ''not'' inherently evil. |
| 247 | * ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles'': |
| 248 | ** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' has only three dragons, but they're the strongest group of monsters in the game, with the latter two dragons even dropping [[{{Hellfire}} Demonic Everflames]] once defeated: |
| 249 | *** Dragon King Alcar is the antepenultimate boss of the story, guarding the way to the roof of Prison Island, serving as almost a literal example of TheDragon due to it blocking the way to the BigBad's realm. |
| 250 | *** Demon King Dragonia attacks Colony 6's ether planters once it reaches 90% completion and must be defeated as a result. |
| 251 | *** Avalanche Abaasy is one of the {{Superboss}}es, appears at night on Valak Mountain during a raging blizzard and is ''the'' most powerful enemy in the game. |
| 252 | ** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3'': |
| 253 | *** The main game features a number of Dragues/Draguils, with the most significant being the {{Superboss}} Dreadwyrm Nizoont in the Lower Maktha Wildwood. |
| 254 | *** ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles3FutureRedeemed'' features as its most powerful {{Superboss}} a Fogbeast Draguil called Fogdweller Abaasy, fought in the same location as and using similar moves toAvalanche Abaasy.[[note]]Depending on one's interpretation of the exact nature of Fogbeasts, it potentially ''is'' Avalanche Abaasy.[[/note]] |
| 255 | [[/folder]] |
| 256 | |
| 257 | [[folder:Web Animation]] |
| 258 | * ''WebAnimation/{{RWBY}}'': |
| 259 | ** The dragon variant of the [[TheHeartless Grimm]] is noted to be the most powerful and dangerous of them, and is capable of summoning other kinds of Grimm. |
| 260 | ** The sea dragon Grimm that Blake and Sun fight in Volume 4 is an unusual take on this trope, as its appearance is based off of Eastern dragons rather than the typical Western ones. |
| 261 | [[/folder]] |
| 262 | |
| 263 | [[folder:Webcomics]] |
| 264 | * Invoked in ''WebComic/DraconiaChronicles.'' Female dragons look an awful lot like succubi, and the emblem on their flag is an inverse pentagram. The males, however, are more like eastern dragons in temperament, being wise and peaceful for all their immense power. |
| 265 | [[/folder]] |
| 266 | |
| 267 | [[folder:Web Original]] |
| 268 | * While not ''literally'' demonic because they lack the [[TheCorruption rot]] associated with demons, dragons in ''Literature/{{Pact}}'' are malevolent beings formed from something feeding into itself when the stars align just right. This can take the form of things such as a god worshipping itself or an elemental spirit absorbing more than it puts out. Treated as being among the most powerful of Others with no real weaknesses, the only surefire ways of defeating them include fighting them directly while being backed by a god or being overwhelmed by a bigger source of whatever they embody. |
| 269 | [[/folder]] |
| 270 | |
| 271 | [[folder:Western Animation]] |
| 272 | * ''WesternAnimation/BeastWars'' has [[BigBad Megatron]] start out with a T. rex based alt mode before he upgrades to a red dragon alt mode in the final season. What makes him fit this trope very well is that while he took his name from [[WesternAnimation/TheTransformers the great leader of the Decepticons himself]], he also took it from the name of TheAntiChrist as written in the Covenant of Primus, and by the finale, he's gone full OmnicidalManiac. |
| 273 | * ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' has Shendu and his son Drago, a couple of demonic {{Draconic Humanoid}}s who are also {{Evil Sorcerer}}s hellbent on [[TakeOverTheWorld taking over the world]]. |
| 274 | * ''Franchise/KungFuPanda'': |
| 275 | ** ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaLegendsOfAwesomeness'' has Ke-Pa, an ancient demon resembling a red-colored Chinese Dragon who plans to unleash a demonic army on China to take over it. Fittingly enough, the guy is one of the most powerful villains seen in the franchise, what with him having destroyed the Jade Palace, burning half of the Valley of Peace, and [[spoiler:succesfully managing to kill Po for a while]]. |
| 276 | ** In ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPandaThePawsOfDestiny'' the BigBad is an evil dragon that survived its defeat at the hands of the Four Constellations by {{Body Surf}}ing for a thousand years, and wants to use their Hero Chi to access the source of all chi and [[GodhoodSeeker become a god.]] This is contrasted by the heroic Four Constellation member Blue Dragon, who fits the eastern dragon archetype as [[DragonsAreDivine wise and benevolent.]] |
| 277 | * ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Dragons are seen as AlwaysChaoticEvil by the ponies at the beginning of the series, with Spike being the only exception. Even he falls into this when he begins to indulge his more selfish impulses and begins growing into a giant dragon that terrorizes Ponyville. And the [[TeensAreMonsters teenage dragons]] Spike meets later are little more than [[TheBully bullies]]. Starts to get subverted in later seasons with the introduction of more reasonable and friendly dragons. |
| 278 | * ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans2003'' has Malchior, an evil dragon who was sealed inside a book that came into the possession of Raven. He tricks her into releasing him by posing as the wizard who sealed him inside the book. His dragon form even resembles the one Maleficent has. |
| 279 | * The fifth season of ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2012'' introduces Kavaxas, a DraconicHumanoid described as a "Demodragon," whom Tiger Claw [[SummoningRitual summons to Earth]] in order to [[spoiler: bring the Shredder BackFromTheDead]]. |
| 280 | %%* ''WesternAnimation/ToucheTurtleAndDumDum'':%%None of these examples show the dragons as demonic%% |
| 281 | %%** Or in this case more mischievous than outright evil. "Dragon Along" sees the two swashbucklers hired to get rid of the title character, who is bothering the resident king with his fire-breathing behavior.%% |
| 282 | %%** "Dragon Feat" sees Touché and his {{sidekick}} struggling to bring a reluctant dragon to a young prince's birthday party.%% |
| 283 | [[/folder]] |
| 284 |
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