When Hiccup and Toothless are captured and forced into dragon fights, it's up to the gang to rescue them.
Tropes:
- Badass in Distress: Hiccup and Toothless, having both been kidnapped and taken to dragon fights.
- Beastly Bloodsports: Dragon vs dragon fights. Business hasn't been doing well ever since Ryker acquired a dragon so powerful, that its matches are always over in an instant, and thus not particularly exciting to watch.
- Call-Back: The scene where Toothless defeats and almost kills the Triple Stryke mirrors the scene where Hiccup captures and almost kills Toothless in the first film.
- Call-Forward: It looks like Astrid learned the High-Altitude Interrogation technique she uses in the second film from Heather, who uses it on a hunter in this episode.
- Gladiator Revolt: With a little help from Hiccup and the others, the captured dragons are freed and proceed to attack their jailers and their audience.
- The Guards Must Be Crazy: The guards' dialogue when Hiccup regains consciousness makes it clear they know full well who Hiccup and Toothless are, yet it never occurs to them until Ryker learns whom they've captured that these prisoners are too valuable to their bosses to risk their lives entertaining paying customers in dragon fights.
- I Am Not Left-Handed: Hiccup worriedly notes there is only one way Toothless will survive fighting the Triple Stryke, and it turns out to be revealing this. Toothless is getting pummeled until he has had enough and goes wild, fighting with intent to kill instead of pulling his punches like he usually does. This change in tactics increases the power of his plasma blasts, his physical strength, and his speed.
- I Want Them Alive!: Ryker isn't too happy to find that Toothless is in the dragon fights.
- Locking MacGyver in the Store Cupboard: Hiccup is imprisoned in the pen the fighting dragons are kept in, giving him ample opportunity to tame and befriend them all to aid in an escape plan.
- Noodle Incident: A flashback reveals a brief shot of the twins interrogating Gothi. She's tied to a tree, Tuffnut is threatening her with Macey, and Ruffnut is offering her cookies.
- Ship Tease: After Heather has Windshear break down the door, which allows them to enter the place Hiccup is being held, Astrid runs to Hiccup and hugs him and says, "Thank Thor, you're okay."
