Dragon

## Origin

### Origin

Dragons are one of the most powerful and prominent creatures that represent power as they are admired, respected, and feared by all.

**Dragons** (ドラゴン, *Doragon*) are one of the most powerful and prominent creatures in *High School DxD*.

## Summary

Dragons are creatures that represent power. As such, in all ages, Dragons are admired, respected, and feared by all. The Dragons are the only creatures who, as a race, did not side with any of the three factions in the Great War, unlike the Youkai, European Monsters, spirits, fairies, and other supernatural races. However, some Dragons did join one of the Three Factions.

Dragons are beings created from large masses of energy who act freely and selfishly. Despite this, Dragons have an extremely high level of intelligence.

Azazel theorized that the reason dragons are so powerful is their purity of thought that compels them to devote their all to one goal, for the Evil Dragons, it's battle and carnage. He also observed and stated by Crom Cruach that Dragons live according to their own free will. Among dragons, evil dragons, in particular, tend to rely on their obsessions for things focusing on a singular purpose even if their bodies are destroyed.

It is also a known fact that it is a grave mistake to anger a dragon of any level, whether it be a Low-class Dragon or one of the Heavenly Dragons. The reason being Outrage Mode shown when Fafnir displayed power equal to that of Rizevim Livan Lucifer who is a Super Devil. When a dragon is enraged (or someone who possesses a Dragon-type Sacred Gear), one known way to calm them down is to sing them a song as seen when the Oppai Dragon song calmed down Issei.

Currently, almost all of the Dragons of legend are sealed in Sacred Gears, dormant, missing, or dead.

Dragons love hoarding treasure as seen in the case of Tiamat who in the past, had a hoard of treasure to which some of her treasures were borrowed by Ddraig, who ended up losing them. Losing the treasure of a Dragon angers them to where they will relentlessly pursue whoever lost it, as shown by Tiamat, who has been persistently pursuing Ddraig and his possessors for centuries, to make them pay for losing her treasures.

As shown by Ddraig, dragons revert back to being baby dragons if they don't heal properly as a result of using up too much of their powers.

## Appearance

Dragons are creatures with reptilian traits. There are two physical types of Dragons, Western Dragons, and Eastern Dragons.

* The Western Dragons (ウエスタン・ドラゴン, *Uesutan Doragon*) are a lizard-like creature that stands on four legs, leathery or bat-like wings growing from their backs, and a long, muscular tail.

* The Eastern Dragons (イースタン・ドラゴン, *Īsutan Doragon*) are typically portrayed as serpentine creatures that have long, slim bodies with four legs, and without wings.

Various Dragons come in different colors, from red (Flame Dragon or Ddraig) to white (Albion) to blue (Tiamat or Sprite Dragon). Most Evil Dragons have black scales.

## Classes

The Dragons are divided into many different classes. There are the normal Dragons, the Dragon Kings which are above the normal Dragons, the Heavenly Dragons which are above the Dragon Kings, and the True Dragon and Dragon God, the highest class of Dragons.

### True Dragon

The **True Dragon** (真龍, *Shinryū*) is a class that solely belongs to Great Red, the Apocalypse Dragon and the True Red Dragon God Emperor who is known as the "Dragon of Dragons (D×D)". It is the title given to Great Red as the most powerful of Dragons. While Great Red is the only Dragon that belongs to this sub-class, in Volume 12, it is said that Issei could be thought of as a small True Dragon because of having his new body made from Great Red's flesh.

### Dragon God

The **Dragon God** (龍神, *Ryūjin*) is a class that belongs to Ophis, the Ouroboros Dragon and founder of the Khaos Brigade, and Lilith, the spawn of Ophis. Great Red is also considered one of the Dragon Gods, in addition to being a True Dragon.

 Lilith | Spawn of Ophis

### Two Heavenly Dragons

 File:Heavenly Dragons.jpg
The **Two Heavenly Dragons** (二天龍, *Nitenryū*) are Dragons with powers that can kill both Gods and Satans, and are considered to be one of the highest class of Dragons. The two Heavenly Dragons are the Red Dragon Emperor, Ddraig, and the White Dragon Emperor, Albion.

In the past, the two Heavenly Dragons fought a fierce battle, which was interrupted by the Angels, Devils, and Fallen Angels who were at war during the time. In anger, both Dragons attacked the leaders of the Three Factions, which led to their bodies being destroyed and their souls being sealed into two separate Sacred Gears.

Currently, both of the Heavenly Dragons are sealed within two separate Sacred Gears: Boosted Gear and Divine Dividing.

 Ddraig | Red Dragon Emperor

### Five Great Dragon Kings

The **Five Great Dragon Kings** (五大龍王, *Godai Ryūō*) are a group of five (previously six) unique Dragons with high destructive powers, rivaling those of Ultimate-Class Devils or even the Four Great Satans. The Five Dragon Kings are Tiamat, Yu-Long, Vritra, Midgardsormr, and Fafnir. Tannin was also one of the Dragon Kings before leaving and joining the Devils.

It is unknown how a Dragon reaches this class, as the other classes appear based on the Dragon's specific type, while the Dragon Kings are of different types and factions.

 Yu-Long | Mischievous Dragon
 Vritra | Prison Dragon
 Midgardsormr | Sleeping Dragon
 Fafnir | Gigantis Dragon

### High-level Dragons

* Blizzard Dragon in the anime.pngBlizzard Dragon in the anime
* Blizzard training Riser.pngBlizzard training Riser
* Blizzard using ice breath.pngBlizzard using ice breath
* Blizzard Dragon telling Riser to say Dragon.pngBlizzard Dragon telling Riser to say Dragon
* Blizzard Dragon stopping Riser from esc.pngBlizzard Dragon stopping Riser from escaping
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**High-level Dragons**: A Dragon class that belongs to normal Dragons. A total of four have appeared within the series.

 Flame Dragon
 Blizzard Dragon
 Spectre Dragon
 Zmei Dragon

### Low-level Dragons

**Low-level Dragons**: A Dragon class that belongs to normal Dragons. The only Dragon that has been revealed that belongs to this class is the Earth Dragon.

* The dinosaur that appeared in the short story ***A Tokusatsu Devil*** is an example of an Earth Dragon.

### Evil Dragons

Another class of Dragon that is first introduced in Volume 14.

The **Evil Dragons** (邪龍, *Jaryū*) are known to be more powerful than the Five Dragon Kings while the most powerful Evil Dragon in existence, Crom Cruach, is said to be as strong as a Heavenly Dragon. The Evil Dragons are stated to be the most vicious and brutal of all Dragons, all being dangerous battle maniacs that want to destroy everything including themselves. All Evil Dragons were considered as extinct before the beginning of the series. They are considered as "broken Dragons" and are feared by all the factions of the world due to their immense power and extremely savage brutality. Evil Dragons are considered nearly impossible to control as only Evil Gods and Malevolent Gods were able to control them in the past.

Evil Dragons can revive themselves naturally if a part of their soul remains. This process, however, consumes a large amount of time.

The Dragons of this class include:

Technically, Vritra is considered to be in this category as well, but he pales in comparison to their iniquity. Among the Evil Dragons, the ones that were the most brutal and stood at the top were:

 Apophis | Eclipse Dragon

All the currently known famous Evil Dragons were revived by Qlippoth of the Khaos Brigade for the Evil Dragon War. Out of the seven named Evil Dragons, Crom Cruach defected from Qlippoth, Aži Dahāka and Apophis betrayed Rizevim, Grendel and Ladon were both sealed after their defeat, while Yamata no Orochi, Apophis, Aži Dahāka, and Niðhöggr are the only Evil Dragons who died in battle. In Volume 16, Rizevim reveals that with the help of the Sephiroth Graal, he could mass-produce Evil Dragons, using it on the Vampires that already modified themselves using the Holy Grail. The mass-produced Evil Dragons are said to have at least the strength above a Mid-class Devil. Four of these dragons defected and formed a contract with Asia Argento after seeing Fafnir's impromptu cooking show in Volume 17.

Asia named the four:

* Anselmus
* Cyril
* Gregorios
* Simeon

### Dragon Children

Are a group of Dragons who are children of the higher-class of Dragons. So far Tannin, the former Dragon King is known to have three sons.

### Other Dragons

There are several Dragons that do not have proper classes due to being a former Dragon or a Dragon that has been forbidden. The two Dragons that belong to this category are Tannin (former Dragon King) and Samael (a Fallen Angel that was turned into a Dragon and sealed). Issei Hyoudou, a humanoid Dragon, could also be considered as a Dragon of this class, as his body is made from the Great Red's flesh through Ophis' powers. This, along with the Boosted Gear, places Issei as a Dragon under the Dragon God, True Dragon, and Heavenly Dragon classes but at the same time, he is not.

## Powers and Abilities

The abilities of a Dragon differ between classes, their specific races, and in some cases, the specific Dragon. All of them have demonstrated the power of flight and their own elemental breath (either fire, ice, or lightning). Their breath attacks, claws, and aura are noted to be their most basic forms of offense.

There has also been dragons who have developed their own abilities aside from their basic ones such as Ddraig (Power Multiplication and Transference), Albion (Power Division and Absorption), and Vritra (Power Absorption and Transference).

A frequently seen trait amongst the higher classes of Dragons is the ability to change their appearance to varying degrees. This trait ranges from changing their size (Tannin and his son Bova Tannin) to completely changing their outward appearance (Yu-Long, Crom Cruach, Ophis, Tiamat, Apophis, and Alivian).

It has been stated (and shown by Issei) that Dragons draw strong allies and enemies to them.

Unlike other races that have long lifespans measuring to a millennium, all dragons have a limitless lifespan, as a dragon doesn't age after reaching maturity and will only die if they are killed. Dragons (and by extension Dragon Sacred Gear possessors) are immune to poisonous mist created from Youjutsu, which is said to be able to work even higher ranking Devils and Youkai.

**Outrage:** As stated in Volume 18, all dragons seem to have the ability to enter an empowered state of sorts when they are angered. In this state, physical abilities increase significantly. When Fafnir entered this state, his power was enough that he was able to knock Lilith to the side and bite off one of Rizevim Livan Lucifer's arms. In the Outrage state, dragons will relentlessly pursue their enemies. Ddraig and Albion also entered Outrage mode back in the Great War and lashed out at the leaders of the Three Factions for interrupting their fight.

**Magic:** Though not many, some Dragons have the ability and also expertise of using various types and classes of magic and spells, and much more potent than any other supernatural beings, higher classes of Dragons can use high classes of magic, and even forbidden spells. The only prime example of these dragons is Aži Dahaka; who both controls and possesses one thousand magic skills, Fafnir; which he uses his skills in magic to willfully opens the Dragon gate and bestowed curses, and Apophis; who use his magic to contain the Holy Grail through his own dimension.

**Magic Resistance**: The scales of Dragons are stated to be resistant to magic.

**Curse:** Though not all Dragons can use curses, there are several higher ranking and powerful dragons that can create and bestow curses. In particular, those who can use forbidden magics and spells, such as Fafnir who can use his spiritual presence, Vritra's shadowy black flames that can curse both mortals and supernatural beings, and Azi Dahaka's thousand skills of ancient and forbidden magic skills.

**Poison:** Some dragons can utilize poison, and some of them are very deadly that it not only devour and kill a being's physical body but also its soul. In particular, the only known dragons that possess this ability are Samael, Albion, and Yamata no Orochi (Though his venom can be cured by certain associations such as Heaven and some Magician factions).

### Dragon Gate

The **Dragon Gate** (龍門ドラゴン・ゲート, *Doragon Gēto*) is a magic circle exclusive to the Dragons. The Dragon Gate allows them to summon another Dragon. While the Dragon Gate insignia can be drawn by someone else, it will only respond when there is a Dragon nearby. It requires 3 or more powerful Dragons to use to forcibly summon another Dragon.

The Dragon Gate insignia is positioned after the Five Dragon Kings, Tannin, the Two Heavenly Dragons, and Grendel. Each of which is represented on the magic circle by a different color:

 Grendel | Dark Green

Despite so, there appear to be other methods to use the Dragon Gate; in Volume 9, the Hero Faction intended to use a brainwashed Yasaka and the spiritual energy from Kyoto to replace the use of the Dragons to open the Dragon Gate.

Individuals who specialize in summoning magic and have made a Dragon into their Familiar can learn to use Dragon Gate magic to summon the dragon which is Familiar.

## Weaknesses

Despite dragons being considered to be masses of power, a common weakness for dragons are objects or individuals that considered **Dragon Slayers** (龍殺しドラゴン・スレイヤー, *Doragon Sureiyā*). Swords imbued with dragon-slaying abilities such as the Holy Sword; **Ascalon** and the Demonic Emperor Sword; **Gram** have shown the ability to easily cut and harm Dragons as Issei Hyoudou was able to use Ascalon to easily damage and destroy Vali Lucifer's Scale Mail armor during their fight, and the Demonic Sword Emperor Gram was used by the original Siegfried to kill one of the Dragon Kings; Fafnir, though Fafnir was later revived by the Norse Gods. Dragons can gain resistance to these Dragon Slayers by either using the Sephiroth Graal; or by through intense training as seen with Crom Cruach who defended against an attack from Issei's *Crimson Blaster* + Ascalon.

So far, the most dangerous weapon against Dragons is the deadly poison of the *Dragon-Eater*; **Samael**, which not even immensely powerful Dragon Gods such as Ophis and Great Red can remain unaffected by; this poison had destroyed Issei's body and would have affected his soul if not for the past possessors of Boosted Gear sacrificing themselves.

In Volume 6, it was mentioned that Dragons can be calmed down using specific songs, though Vali mentioned that there weren't songs for the Heavenly Dragons until the introduction of the Oppai Dragon Song, which was used to calm down Issei in Juggernaut Drive. The new High-Tier Longinus; **Nereid Kyrie**, can be used to control Dragons or drain the powers of any Dragon who hears the user's voice while active, but it can conversely be used to strengthen them.

## Trivia

* It has been stated several times that dragons and those who possess Dragon Sacred Gear are able to naturally gather both friends and foes alike, in addition to males being able to attract women and easily form harems.
* There is a race of Dragons who require a special fruit, called the **Dragon Apple**, to survive. All of the Dragon Apples on Earth have been destroyed due to climate changes, with the ones growing in the Underworld all existing within Tannin's territory.
	+ The Dragon Apple was the main reason for Tannin to become a Devil.
* The Dragons have a disease called the **Dragon Flu**.
	+ Dragon Flu can also be caught by the users of Dragon-type Sacred Gears.
* Male Dragons take a liking to females of other races while hating other males.
	+ This is, in fact, the reason why Rassei attacked both Issei and Kiba.
* Before the introduction of Ophis, the Heavenly Dragons were stated to be the highest class of Dragon.
* In the 2nd season of the anime, Ddraig called himself and Albion the Twin Sky Dragons, but this is corrected in season 3.
* Both sub-species Balance Breakers of Blade Blacksmith are Dragon related.
* Possibly due to representing power, those who spend extended periods of time around especially powerful dragons such as those who possess the Heavenly Dragons and Ophis have on multiple occasions undergone changes in their powers, potential, and growth; which extends to their blood causing potent affects on other beings who ingests them.
	+ Saji after taking in some of Issei's blood, the Red Dragon Emperor who reached Balance Breaker, the information was recorded on him, affecting his body and Sacred Gear, causing him to manifest a series of black snake markings and jewel resembling Boosted Gear on his hand.
	+ Kiba awakened both Blade Blacksmith and Sub-Species Balance Breaker, Glory Drag Trooper (Issei).
	+ Akeno created her Holy Lightning Dragon (Issei).
	+ Rias created her Extinguish Star (Issei).
	+ Kunou awakened her Dragon Fox Mode (Ophis).
* Dragons love bananas as shown by Fafnir, Ophis, and Crom Cruach.
* The concept of Outrage comes from the "gekirin" (逆鱗), the one inverted scale among the 81 of an Eastern Dragon that will enrage it if touched.
* Zmey is a bad pronunciation of Slavic dragon name "Żmij", which means "viper."
* Samael, Albion, and Yamata no Orochi possess both deadly poison that can devour and kill not just a physical body, but also the soul.
* Currently, only Heaven is the only place and faction that can cure Yamata no Orochi's poison.
* Ingvild Leviathan, the Issei Hyoudou's Queen has the power to strengthen or weaken the power of Dragons and her potential is so vast that she could affect both Ophis and Great Red.

## References

1. ↑ Volume 18, Life 2
2. ↑ High School DxD Light Novel Volume 5 Life. 3 *Cat and Dragon!* Part 4
3. ↑ High School DxD Light Novel Volume 13 Life. 3 *The Disturbance of a Devil*