Line #71 Main/DragonTamer


1	[[quoteright:350:[[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dragon_tamer.png]]]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:'''''[[BadassBoast "Now, I will create the future I desire! I shall sweep you before me!"]]''''']]
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4	Dragons by themselves are generally considered to be pretty cool. What can be equally if not more cool?
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6	Raising, training, and/or just getting a dragon to listen to you yourself.
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8	The Dragon Tamer trope describes people who raise, befriend, command, and/or train dragons for whatever reason, including but not limited to [[BeastOfBattle combat]] or competition, environmental purposes, or even just for fun. The methods used to get said dragons to obey them can include but are not limited to:
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10	* Some sort of magical tool or ability.
11	* An affinity to dragons that makes them more amenable to training or partnership than they might be otherwise.
12	* Earning their loyalty in some way, such as through befriending them or [[DefeatMeansFriendship besting them]] through battle or some other type of challenge.
13	* Raising them from birth/hatching or from a very young age.
14	* Mundane training techniques like you would use for any other pet or tamed wild animal, whether through positive or [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals negative]] reinforcement. (This is most often seen with dragons leaning more towards non-sapience)
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16	This trope mostly deals with non-dragons that work with dragons, whether they're no different from a regular animal, [[IntellectualAnimal or basically on par with a human.]] While the "tamer" portion of the trope name may imply only "master-servant" or "pet and owner" type relationships can count, it can also include partnerships between equals, though regardless of the nature of the relationship, generally it is the human (Or other non-dragon species) who initiates the partnership. While Dragon Tamers may happen to ''specialize'' in working with dragons, it isn't strictly necessary for them to ''solely'' work with dragons to count as an example of the trope.
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18	In cases where ''both'' subjects are in some way draconic, they only count as an example if there is a clear difference between the dragons in question, whether in shape, species, or intelligence. One such example would be a DraconicHumanoid who uses more bestial dragons. If they're the same type of dragon, it doesn't count as an example of the trope.
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20	A subtrope of TheBeastmaster and FluffyTamer, if dragons have a reputation for being dangerous in general or in the wrong hands. Dragon Tamers are most often also {{Dragon Rider}}s, since the dragons will often allow their partner to ride on their back, but this isn't strictly necessary to count as an example, particularly when the dragons are trainable or otherwise willing to work with humans, [[ShoulderSizedDragon but]] are [[FairyDragons too small]] for the average person to ride. Compare and contrast TheDragonslayer, whose main job is to ''slay'' dragons instead of raise or train them, though there's nothing stopping someone from being both.
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22	----
23	!!Examples:
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25	[[foldercontrol]]
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27	[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
28	* Iris in ''Anime/PokemonTheSeriesBlackAndWhite'' strives to become a master Dragon-type trainer. Her SignatureMon is the child-like Axew, and most of her troubles with her Pokémon stems from trying to train the rebellious Excadrill, who isn't even a Dragon-type. She later catches a Dragonite, who proves to be her strongest Pokémon and the hardest test of her resolve. By the time of ''Anime/PokemonJourneys'', Iris has managed to become Champion of the Unova region and has the ability to empathically connect with Dragon-types such as Ash's Dragonite, but still considers herself far from being a true Dragon-type master.
29	* ''Manga/RiseOfTheOutlawTamer'' sees [[TheBeastmaster Lint]] being dragged off to a dragon's nest because his new companion Belina thought it would be [[RuleOfCool really cool]] if he tamed a dragon.
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32	[[folder:Comic Books]]
33	* ''ComicBook/XMen'': ComicBook/KittyPryde has a [[ShoulderSizedDragon cat-sized]] pet alien dragon named Lockheed that is smart enough to understand human speech and is a surprisingly [[PintSizedPowerhouse formidable]] combatant for his size. [[spoiler: When we see things from Lockheed's perspective, we discover that he's actually extremely intelligent and considers Kitty to be ''his'' pet.]]
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36	[[folder:Films -- Animation]]
37	* The ''Franchise/HowToTrainYourDragon'' franchise centers around the people of Berk bonding with and training dragons of all kinds, with notable examples including:
38	** Hiccup, who bonds with the Night Fury Toothless after nursing him back to health from the tail injury he caused in their battle, and starts the whole process upon realizing dragons aren't horrible monsters like Berk believed up to this time.
39	** Hiccup's mother Valka, introduced in ''WesternAnimation/HowToTrainYourDragon2'', has worked with dragons for over 20 years after deciding to leave Berk with Cloudjumper, her personal bonded dragon. She and Cloudjumper are so bonded that she doesn't even need to give him direct commands, as he'll just instinctively do what she wants.
40	** Also introduced in ''How To Train Your Dragon 2'', [[BigBad Drago Bludvist]] is an abusive version of this trope. He enslaves dragons and forces them to submit to his will by screaming at them, hitting them with a bullhook, pinning them to the floor under his boot, [[spoiler:and directly controlling their minds with his own captive Bewilderbeast, an Alpha dragon]]. Drago's approach is deconstructed, however, since his dragons only follow him out of fear, and as soon as [[spoiler:Toothless]] challenges [[spoiler:Drago's Bewilderbeast]] for the right to command the dragons, Drago's entire army abandons him and sides with Hiccup.
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43	[[folder:Literature]]
44	* In ''Literature/TheBrothersWar'', the [[MechanicalLifeforms biomechanical]] dragon engines of Phyrexia become docile in Mishra's presence and obey his commands, spoken or otherwise. Mishra can't explain why the dragons obey him, though he doesn't dwell on it for long, as their strength and firepower make him the most powerful military force on the planet.
45	* Cadderly from ''Literature/TheClericQuintet'' at one point manages to use a spell to brainwash a dragon into his service.
46	* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': Lady Sybil is the [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething leading authority]] on dragon care and breeding, the founder of a sanctuary for sick dragons, and herself a devoted owner of a full pen of dragons. Cat-sized swamp dragons, to be precise, who need special care to mitigate their vulnerability to illness and/or spontaneous explosion.
47	* ''Literature/DragonarAcademy'':
48	** At the titular Academy, people train to ride and tame dragons, making most characters Dragon Tamers by default.
49	** Ash's relationship with Eco (his dragon) is inverted as she's the dominant partner rather than him, treating him as her servant most of the time.
50	* ''Literature/DragonridersOfPern'' is a series that revolves around an alien planet where the humans who crashed there centuries ago use psychic powers to establish empathic bonds with the native dragons in order to fight the alien Thread that falls from the sky and devours all organic matter it touches every time the planet's sister world comes close.
51	* In ''Franchise/HarryPotter'', dragons are classified as a "non-tamable" magical creature, which means they cannot be domesticated. However, a few characters have tried, with varying results:
52	** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' Hagrid attempts to raise Norbert, a dragon whose egg he bought at Hog's Head. Emphasis on "attempts"; it's unclear if [[spoiler:[[SamusIsAGirl she]]]] ever truly bonded with Hagrid before being released into the wild.
53	** Ron's older brother, Charlie, despite his association with dragons, is actually not one of these. He's a biologist who studies dragons in their natural habitats, and he does not try to tame them. The closest he comes to this trope is in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'' when he helps handle the dragons used in the first Triwizard Tournament task. Even then, they're still treated as dangerous wild animals and are explicitly ''not'' tamed, making him technically more of a dragon wrangler.
54	** In ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheDeathlyHallows'' a Ukrainian Ironbelly dragon is kept by Gringotts [[DragonHoard to guard its vaults]], in the only known instance in the series of an adult dragon being directly "tamed". It was, however, trained in an abusive manner, being conditioned to expect pain whenever it heard the sound of a bell.
55	* The ''Literature/HowToTrainYourDragon'' book series centers around Hiccup's struggles keeping control of his dragon and becoming a respected member of the Hairy Hooligan tribe.
56	* ''{{Literature/Nevermoor}}'': Hawthorne's knack is [[DragonRider dragonriding]], but when he gets into the Wundrous Society, his classes and sponsor aim to expand his skillset to encompass far more; he also has to take lessons in dragons' culture and their language. As his mentor Nan points out, being able to train a dragon to let you ride it is all well and good, but being able to actually talk with one can be infinitely more useful in some situations.
57	* ''Literature/ShatterTheSky'': The imperial dragons are controlled and raised by the use of special oils whose smells affect them, but this leads to their enslavement or worse. Maren on the other hand is a positive counterpart, singing to the dragons and bonding with them. She raises one, Tasia, from a hatchling and never misuses her gift, freeing the dragons instead.
58	* ''Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire'': Daenerys Targaryen is known by the title "Mother of Dragons" for raising the last living dragons from eggs, and her noble house, House Targaryen, was known for being closer to dragons than other men as they used them in their conquests.
59	* ''Franchise/StarWarsLegends'': After the draconic Basiliskans were defeated by the Mandalorians following a last-ditch effort in which they poisoned their planet to deny them victory, the Mandalorians turned them into war mounts alongside their war droids. Eventually, [[FormerlySapientSpecies they lost their sentience]], and became little more than beasts for the Mandalorians to use in their future wars.
60	* ''Literature/ToShapeADragonsBreath'': Dragons when born immediately bond with one of the people in the vicinity and the two are connected from then on. Anequs "knew" Kasaqua's name soon after she was born, and feels all her discomfort, pain, curiosity, etc. This is heavily influenced by those around them at birth, and eggs in Anglish culture are purchased quickly after laying and kept near the one it's "intended" to bond to. Many are hatched in front of multiple siblings to pick one of them. This doesn't always go as wanted. Copper, rather than bonding to either of the two sons of the egg's purchaser, escaped from the presentation room and chose the Naquisit boy Theod Knect--which was a scandal large enough it rose to the level of a legal challenge.
61	* ''Literature/VainqueurTheDragon'': While ostensibly their servant, Victor learns how to get the titular dragon to fit into society.
62	* ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'': Dragonrider has a normally ShoulderSizedDragon named Pern that she can command that she brought into existence using her powers.
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65	[[folder:Live-Action Television]]
66	* ''Series/GameOfThrones'': Just like in [[Literature/ASongOfIceAndFire the books]], Daenerys Targaryen is known by the title "Mother of Dragons" for raising the last living dragons from magically revived eggs. Her noble house, House Targaryen, was known for being closer to dragons than other men as they used them in their conquests.
67	** The latter point gets considerably expanded upon in ''Series/HouseOfTheDragon''. It is traditional to {{bond\|Creatures}} baby dragons to Targaryen children in infancy, and the Dragonpit of King's Landing houses the dragons until they outgrow the place and are taken care of by High Valyrian-speaking handlers when their [[DragonRider riders]] are not there. Daemon Targaryen's expertise and knowledge about dragons is seemingly unmatched among dragon riders -- he knows their lifecycle, how many there are in Westeros and what their status is and, more crucially, how to claim the gigantic and [[TheDreaded dreaded]] Vermithor in order to counterbalance the use of Vhagar by the Greens. He approaches the beast [[MusicSoothesTheSavageBeast singing a song]] in High Valyrian.
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70	[[folder:Tabletop Games]]
71	* In ''TabletopGame/{{Pathfinder}}'' the HornyVikings of the Lands of the Linnorm Kings are ruled by said kings, who traditionally claim the title by slaying a [[OurDragonsAreDifferent linnorm]]. The latest king, White Estrid, claimed her title not by slaying a linnorm, but by defeating it in combat, then agreeing to spare it in return for its service. Some of her fellow kings consider this cheating, but having such a formidable ally on her side means such grumblings usually occur well out of White Estrid's earshot.
72	* One of the mages in ''TabletopGame/ResArcana'' is the Dragon Tamer, whose control over dragons is represented by the ability to summon dragons at a discount, or straighten an existing dragon to allow it to act again. She is depicted as a woman who wears a dragon-themed outfit and wields a whip. The illustration also has several dragons in the background.
73	* ''TabletopGame/YuGiOh'': The [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Lord_of_D Lord]]/[[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Lady_of_D Lady]]/[[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/The_King_of_D King]] of Dragon cards depict spellcasters who use MagicMusic to [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/The_Melody_of_Awakening_Dragon attract]] or [[https://yugipedia.com/wiki/Dragon_Revival_Rhapsody resurrect]] dragons that help them in battle.
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76	[[folder:Video Games]]
77	* In ''Website/DragonCave'', flavor text from the Dragon Encyclopedia says of humans, "Many brave (or perhaps foolish) souls venture out from the safety of towns in order to hunt or collect eggs from dragons." The point of the game is to steal, hatch, and raise eggs to adulthood and [[CreatureBreedingMechanic build lineages by breeding]], so you, the player, are one of those brave souls. No matter how dangerous, irascible, or flighty your dragons are, they'll always listen to you.
78	* ''VideoGame/DragonManiaLegends'' is built on the player character breeding, raising and battling dragons of a cartoony style.
79	* In ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress'', dragons can be captured and tamed for use as warbeasts, hunting animals, and as a source of dragon eggs, which can be hatched to get more dragons.
80	* ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsVSkyrim'':
81	** After being tricked into being captured by the Dragonborn, Odahviing pledges himself to their service in exchange for his freedom, and from then on works as an ally in combat whenever they Shout his name.
82	** After defeating him in combat, the {{Dracolich}} Durnehviir from the ''Dawnguard'' DLC allows the Dragonborn to summon him by Shouting his name to serve as a combat summon so that he can be freed from his duty in the Soul Cairn for brief moments.
83	** The full Bend Will Shout introduced in the ''Dragonborn'' DLC allows the Dragonborn to bend even dragons to their will in a more direct application of the trope, which they mainly use [[DragonRider to ride them around.]] Miraak himself does much the same to bind dragons to his service.
84	* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'': In a particularly twisted application of this trope, after forcing the captured Prince Rajaion of the Dragon Laguz tribe to drink Izuka's feral drug, driving him insane and leaving him trapped in his dragon form, King Ashnard of Daein trained him into being his personal mount.
85	* ''VideoGame/HowToRaiseADragon'': The dragon gets captured at birth, and is kept as a pet for a master. At this second stage of the game, the dragon is too powerful and breaks out of the cage - with regular escape being considered generally a merciful result for the master. Other options for dealing with the master vary based on the obtained breath effect.
86	* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}'': Apart from the {{Player Character}}s possibly using one or more Dragon-types making them one by default, along with random [=NPCs=] with Dragon-types in their teams:
87	** The Dragon Tamer Trainer class specializes in training exclusively Dragon-type Pokémon, or Pokémon in the Dragon egg group like Gyarados.
88	** Certain Gym Leaders and Elite Four members such as [[VideoGame/PokemonGoldAndSilver Clair]] and [[VideoGame/PokemonXAndY Drasna]] specialize in Dragon-types.
89	** Blackthorn City is particularly famous for the amount of Dragon-type specialists that come from there due to it having a Dragon-type Gym and being home to the Dragon's Den shrine.
90	** Champion Cynthia's ace and strongest Pokémon is the Dragon/Ground-type Garchomp.
91	** ''VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite'':
92	*** Rival Cheren acquires the Dragon-type Haxorus for his postgame team.
93	*** N Harmonia, pictured above, has a Dragon-type {{Olympus Mon\|s}} as his ace--specifically, he gets the one that ''isn't'' on the boxart of the game you chose (in ''White'' he gets Reshiram, the dragon shown in the picture above, and in ''Black'' he gets Zekrom).
94	*** Team Plasma's leader Ghetsis, the main villain of the Unova duology, has as his ace and strongest Pokémon the Dark/Dragon-type Hydreigon, who he is implied to have also [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals abused]] since in ''VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2'' it can use a max powered [[ThePowerOfHate Frustration]], a move that gets stronger the more the Pokémon hates its trainer.
95	** ''VideoGame/PokemonOmegaRubyAndAlphaSapphire'':
96	*** Aarune has as his one and only Pokémon the Ground/Dragon-type Flygon.
97	*** Zinnia specializes in Dragon-types and has Mega Salamence as her ace.
98	** ''VideoGame/PokemonScarletAndViolet''
99	*** The protagonist acquires the box legendary (Koraidon/Miraidon) very early on and they eventually are able to ride around on it like the Cyclizars that various [=NPCs=] have. After “The Way Home”, the protagonist can use their legendary in battle.
100	*** After battling her a few times, Nemona will add a Goomy to her team and it will eventually evolve into Goodra. Also, if you go to her home, you’ll find a Gible with another Goomy. Whether both are hers or not is never explained.
101	*** Hassel comes from a long line of dragon tamers. Unsurprisingly when you face him in the Elite Four, his team has all dragons. He also brings a Gible into his class for a couple lessons.
102	*** [[spoiler:The Professor for both games. They managed to catch the legendary you presently have and they brought another one of its kind to the present. While the first one is kind and friendly, especially after it's been with you for the whole game, the other one is much more aggressive and territorial. Regardless of its behavior, it seems to be loyal to the Professor. AI Sada in particular also has the part Dragon-type Roaring Moon as her ace during her battle as well as the second Koraidon.]]
103	* ''VideoGame/RealmGrinder'': The Dragon assistant is a cute little critter that also appears near your advisor's feet as a sign of the "Dragon Tamer" upgrade.
104	* In ''VideoGame/SuperMarioOdyssey'', Bowser manages to somehow command the Ruined Dragon, a massive, lightning-breathing dragon who serves as the main boss of the Ruined Kingdom.
105	* Abigayle from ''VideoGame/SymphonyOfWar'', in addition to having a unique personal skill that improves the stats of any dragon in her squad, can potentially find and tame a wild young dragon as early as the first mission where she can be deployed.
106	* ''Franchise/TouhouProject'': Amongst Kasen Ibaraki's numerous pets is her baby dragon Koutei, [[ActionPet who she uses for some of her attacks]] in ''[[VideoGame/TouhouShinpirokuUrbanLegendInLimbo Urban Legend in Limbo]]''.
107	* The core concept of ''VideoGame/WarDragons''. You are the last member of a family with a gift for communicating with dragons. You must restore your base and do battle with other dragon lords.
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110	[[folder:Webcomics]]
111	* Commissioner O of ''Webcomic/TheGodOfHighschool'' is the strongest of the commissioners, and his contract is with an enormous red dragon the size of an apartment building. And he won her loyalty by beating her in a fight, ''without'' the assistance of a dragon. [[spoiler:He tames another dragon in the buildup to Ragnarok, and after the time-skip has a whole family of child dragons.]]
112	[[/folder]]
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114	[[folder:Western Animation]]
115	* ''WesternAnimation/DragonBooster'': Artha Penn's father Connor is a dragon breeder. He bred and raised Beau, the first golden dragon in years. He also bred and raised Chute's dragon Turbulence.
116	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Sintel}}'': The protagonist is a young woman who befriends a baby dragon and tries to teach him how to fly. When he is snatched away by an adult dragon, she sets out on a quest to rescue him.
117	[[/folder]]

Context Main / DragonTamer