Dragon

**Dragon** (ドラゴン, *Doragon*) was a Third Generation pyrokinetic and leader of the White-Clad's Destroyers.

## Appearance

Dragon was a huge and incredibly muscular man with yellow slited pupils and sharp teeth. His left eye had a noticeable squint compared to the right, akin to a case of strabismus. While appearing to have pattern baldness over short black beard and sharp hair As a child and as a younger man his black hair was long and thick, with noticeable spikes towards the back that remained over the years. Over the years Dragon grew a beard with sideburns. While shirtless and barefoot, his uniform featured armour on his arms that resembled scales. He wore a white cloak that acted like a cape due to his enormous size. Dragon’s height seemed to vary in certain situations. He usually seemed much larger when attacking.

## Personality

Dragon was extremely confident in his abilities as a killer, claiming that all who stand in his way will fall. When Gold told him to avoid failure, he belittled her before reminding her of his status as a the founder of the Destroyers. He also belittles Charon for his weakness when the Guardian is injured. This confidence lead him to see himself as beyond human, simply identifying himself as 'Dragon' and even advising his enemies how to fight against him or complementing their abilities during their battle. He relished a good fight and encouraged Arthur Boyle's delusions of knighthood just to see if the boy would prove a suitable challenge. Once he finally finds somebody capable of hurting him, he was gleeful at the possibility of a 'real' fight. In fact, Dragon's behaviour implied that truly defeating Arthur and breaking his spirit was the only thing on the planet that mattered to him.

As he inspired despair in all he encountered, Dragon believed that hope or optimism were worthless in the face of his overwhelming power. He did not find pleasure in this. Discarding these feelings lead Dragon to endless boredom without an alternative. This boredom motivated him caused him to stop his 50 year path of destruction to work with the White Clad, simply to have purpose. His boredom comes from his endless despair, a feeling so great that it influences the human unconscious. Without that goal, he was perfectly willing to spend eternity alone. Dragon became interested in completely shattering Arthur’s heart once he witnessed Arthur’s dedication and bravery. To prove that all of humanity's hope was meaningless against him and his overwhelming despair. Despite his typical apathy, this battle with Arthur pushed him to new heights of excitement and joy. Refusing to lose and fighting with everything he had, Dragon was gleeful that his life and his despair might be ending. Ultimately he was grateful to have lived long enough to meet his opponent and embraced his mortality, finding hope in it. This allowed him to overcome his despair by discovering value and meaning in his life.

## Background

Sometime after the Great Cataclysm, he appeared in Iraq. Leaving a path of ashes and being viewed by people as a walking disaster, the boy was nicknamed "Dragon". With nothing to live for and no goals of his own, Dragon spent years wondering the lands and destroying whatever he choose in an attempts to alleviate his boredom and misery. As an adult, he encountered Faerie and the boy promised that in 200 years they would be able to lay waste to the entire world. Finally with a goal to pursue, Dragon follows the child he sees as an insect although his despair remains.

## Abilities

Dragon was an enormously powerful figure who was able to easily defeat Arthur without suffering any injuries, despite Arthur fully embracing his knightly delusions as he had finally found a "dragon" to slay. He also destroyed Excalibur in the process. Even Benimaru, the strongest fighter in the entirety of the Special Fire Force, was unsure he could defeat the White-Clad by himself with Dragon around, calling him a monster after proving unharmed from Benimaru's attacks.

In addition to his astonishing physical strength, Dragon possessed remarkable durability and resilience, being able to survive a number of attacks from a super-heated plasma blade without flinching. His durability is so vast that he could survive being blasted into space by an energy beam equivalent in power to a nuclear bomb. He was also able to survive in space with no issue before deciding to return to the Earth to fulfill his role in defeating Arthur Boyle and shattering the knight king’s spirit.

Mysteriously and without any movement, even if bombarded with attacks, Dragon remains unhurt while his opponent slowly gain new injuries merely by being in his presence. All these are the sum of an ability he calls **Draconic Pressure** (竜圧（ドラゴニック・プレッシャー）, *Doragonikku Puresshā*).

**Immeasurable Strength:** Dragon possessed enormous physical strength, rivaling or even overwhelming the likes of Leonard Burns and Arthur Boyle. With a single strike he was capable of shattering Excalibur, splitting the Sea and evaporating a significant portion of the water, completely overwhelm Arthur with a barrage of attacks, and completely shatter a portion of the moon’s crust with his attacks. His strength was so great he could completely shatter an entire mountain side with his ferocious attacks and his regular punches and strikes emitted shockwaves upon clashing with Arthur Boyle.

**Immeasurable Speed:** Even without using his Ignition Ability, Dragon possessed superhuman speed, allowing him to catch Arthur Boyle off guard multiple times, despite his incredible eyesight and reflexes. In his fight with Arthur, he managed to move several times faster than the eye can see, traverse the vacuum of space with relative ease without his wings, and more impressively, managed to return to the Earth from outer space in a few minutes and launch himself and Arthur into outer space in a few seconds.

**Immense Durability:** Dragon possesses incredible durability. In his fight with Company 8 he completely shrugged off attacks from Benimaru Shinmon, the strongest soldier in the Special Fire Force, along with the full powered attacks from Arthur Boyle. During his rematch with Arthur, he completely he proved unharmed from the latter’s barrage of attacks. Even after getting severely wounded he still managed to outclass Arthur in terms of durability, eating each one of the Knight King’s attacks with relative ease. During Dragon’s time in Iraq after the Great Cataclysm, he was described as unstoppable, a walking disaster. His durability was so impressive that it caught the attention of the Evangelist, who sought him out and recruited him to It’s cause for his insane abilities. Even after being completely sliced in half by Arthur’s final attack, Dragon still managed to stay conscious to congratulate the Knight King and thank him for finally giving him meaning in his dull existence.

**Immense Endurance/Stamina:** Dragon possesses an incredible pain threshold, allowing him to completely ignore full powered attacks from the strongest members of the Special Fire Force, without feeling any pain. His stamina is so great that he appears to be invincible. When Arthur first drew blood from him in a fight, Dragon began to laugh hysterically, finally realizing what pain truly felt like. This statement alludes to just how impressive his durability is. Even after fighting Arthur for multiple hours in the ocean and in outer space, Dragon still managed to be full of energy throughout their bout, never wavering in his strikes or enthusiasm.

**Indomitable Will:** Dragons most impressive ability so far is his ability to never give up. He walked the earth for nearly 50 years after the cataclysm, his sole goal being complete and utter destruction, until giving up from boredom. After being blasted into Space by Charon, and after witnessing Arthur’s dedication and bravery, he changed his goal to instead completely shatter Arthur’s heart, and with it the hope for all of humanity, and decided to return back to earth. Even after fighting for an indefinite amount of time and losing gallons of blood he still never gave up in his fight against the knight king, not being satisfied until he destroys the Knight’s dedication. This unwavering dedication to cause despair comes from his own, as he could never experience a real fight in his entire life. In the end, after his vicious brawl with Arthur, he commends the boy on defeating him and congratulates him on his accomplishment, going as far as telling him he was outstanding and calling him the Knight King.

**Longevity:** Dragon has lived for more than 200 years, indicating he has longevity. He has survived since the original Great Cataclysm, and has maintained his physical age and appearance since that time. This longevity seemingly removes his need for food, water, and sleep, as he was never seen doing these things and has stated multiple times that he can survive in space for eternity.

### Pyrokinesis

Dragon has the ability to breathe a stream of fire out of his mouth. He could control the size of these blasts, using small streams that detonate into a large explosions when in proximity of his enemies. Dragon's wider blasts proved so powerful that the accomplished Second Generation pyrokenetic Maki Oze was completely unable to deflect his attack. The blasts at their full power are strong enough to completely incinerate a Third Generation pyrokinetic in one hit.

### Infernalization

In addition to his other abilities, Dragon was able to "Infernalize" (焰ビト化, *Homura Bito-ka*) his body at will. This granted him the physical characteristics of a Demon Infernal, rendering transformed parts of his body darker and mure durable. This allowed Dragon to protect himself with **Dragon Scales** (竜鱗（ドラゴン・スケール）, *Doragon Sukēru*); when using this ability on his entire body, it was called **Dragon Coordinate** (ドラゴン・コーデ, *Doragon Kōde*).

The transformation increased Dragon's firepower, durability, speed, and physical strength immensely. It also gave him wings, allowing him to fly. Dragon could not only change parts of his body, but transform into different forms. He could become a completely Infernal creature, turning his head into a shape resembling the diapsid skull of a lizard. When his scales broke away from his body, they could cut those who touched them. This gave the impression that those who fought Dragon were wounded by simply being in his presence. He was also able to use his scales to fashion a suit of dark armor, maintaining his humanoid shape while drawing out his true strength. Although in this form, sufficiently powerful attacks were able to pierce his armour, making it still possible to wound Dragon directly.

## Plot

### Ōbi's Rescue arc

Upon Akitaru Ōbi being imprisoned at Fuchū Prison, the Destroyers prepared for Special Fire Force Company 8's arrival. While the others are concerned that their enemies have managed to defeat the mighty Assault, Dragon emerges squashes these fears by dryly dismisses the Bloody Fire Blast's success or failure as meaningless compared to his own power. After Stream is defeated by Arthur Boyle, Dragon confronts the Fire Soldier, questioning if his opponent is feeling intimidated facing a dragon for the first time. He then unleashed a gust of flames which cripples the company with the exception of Arthur. Slashed by Arthur with enough force to cut a building, Dragon withstands the attack before pushing him away. Easily withstanding more of Excalibur's attacks and Hinawa's gunfire, Dragon breathed more flames, but Arthur defends himself using his Plasmantle.

Continuing the fight, Dragon's revealed his scales to his opponents that cause Arthur to suffer whenever he attacks Dragon. He then coats his arm in these scales and transforms his arm into a claw before striking him back. As Arthur increases the size of Excalibur using his delusions and the support of his friends: he swings his "Dragon Killing Holy Sword" at Dragon, only for Excalibur to shatter. Dragon then tries to attack the rest of Company 8, but is halted by Benimaru Shinmon and is held off until Company 8 can escape to safety.

### Stone Pillars arc

Dragon attends the Final Mass along with the other members of the White Clad. Expressing his distaste for the Great Cataclysm Execution Specialist Force, Dragon is approached by Faerie. The immortal boy reminds Dragon that is strength might be without equal, yet even he will be destroyed in the Second Great Disaster along with all of humanity.

### Amaterasu arc

Dragon arrived during the battle for Amaterasu while Company 8 tried to protect the Amaterasu Power Plant to stop the White Clad from initiating the Second Cataclysm. Dragon faces off against Arthur once again and compliments the boy on his increased skill. The knight's efforts proved fruitless. Despite his new blade and standing his ground, Arthur is still overwhelmed and unable to cut Dragon's skin. During their battle, Dragon is blasted into space when Takehisa Hinawa uses his Trajectory Control to redirect a massive suicidal energy blast from Charon, though Arthur doubts that this would have destroyed him. Dragon later appears alive and unharmed floating in space, pondering whether he should stay and let himself drift in hopes of becoming a living star. During his ennui, Dragon remembers Arthur and is intrigued by the boy's fearless determination in spite of the coming apocalypse. He decides to return to Earth to show Arthur the fear of being killed by him and begins to fly back.

### Great Cataclysm arc

Upon re-entering the atmosphere, Dragon shouted out demanding Arthur's presence. Upon a volcano near to Tama Bay, he waited. Arthur appeared, vowing to free Dragon from his despair and save the world. Dragon was interested when Arthur grazes his cheek. When Dragon knocked Arthur into the air, the knight hid in a thunderstorm to draw the energy into his blade and cut Dragon deeply enough to draw blood. Dragon cackled with laughter and finally acknowledges Arthur as a person and opponent before continuing the fight. Arthur launched a counterattack to Dragon's flame, forcing Dragon to block for the first time in his life before hammering the Fire Solider into the ocean. Dragon pursued his foe into the depths where Arthur used the water to conduct his plasma to shock Dragon, who counters by splitting the sea itself and declaring that the world feels too small for both him and Arthur to exist. The battle continued with each opponent pressing the offensive as hard as they can. Dragon is eventually blasted back into the thunderstorm above and struck by Violent Flash: Eight-way Slash, slicing the clouds and cutting open Dragon's abdomen. In his joy, Dragon transforms into an armoured state and uses his newfound speed to regain the advantage. Exploiting an opening, Dragon grabbed Arthur and flew them both out of the atmosphere and crashes on the Moon.

Being unaware that space is a vacuum, both Dragon and Arthur continue with some immunity to the side-effects of oxygen deprivation. Although Arthur quickly collapses. Dragon turned to leave in disappointment. Only to see signs that Arthur has equipped a Star Ring. Turning, Dragon sees his prey rise once more, standing atop the text he imagined and made real through Adolla when he equipped his ring. Praising Arthur for finally connecting to the Adolla's power, the battle begins once more. In the void of space, Dragon continued his relentless assaults as he and the knight use the stars as stepping stones for their duel. The pair ultimately simultaneously impale each other. Gleeful that death calls to them both, Dragon orders Arthur to avoid disappointing him. Launching a breath of fire, Dragon misses and protect his body with his forearm. As Arthur cut through his arm, Dragon managed to slash out one of the boy's eyes but is impaled and brought crashing down to the moon's surface. Launching another blast of flame, Dragon managed to burn Arthur's left hand to ash. When Arthur swore he can defeat Dragon and live to tell the tale, Dragon reminded him that is impossible. With stars shattering around them, Arthur lands another slash to Dragon's chest only to be knocked back by a heavy punch. Once again, Dragon reminds the Knight King that he is going to die in this battle. Arthur agrees.

Dragon's experiences throughout the battle, finally understanding pain and purpose and excitement cause him to realise what he desired lied in facing death itself. With an opponent able to finally kill him, Dragon begun to finally experience hope, even in death. As Arthur charged for his final attack, the knight tells Dragon that they should enjoy this once more. As Arthur leapt towards him, the Dragon unleashes a torrent of flame that engulfed the fire soldier's lower body. Grinning and prepared for death, Arthur swung his blade, unleashing Violet Flash: Earth Divider, completely bisecting Dragon down the centre. The remains of his body disintegrating, he then praises Arthur for defeating him while saying what true hope is. Dragon tells Arthur that he is happy they met, causing Arthur to smile while Dragon fades away in space.

## Trivia

* Unlike Stream and Gold, Dragon is named after an animal. Something more common with the Knights of the Purple Smoke.
* Dragon's height shifts quite wildly throughout the manga depending on the situation. He often appears larger when attacking.
* Along with Faerie and Sumire, Dragon has survived over 200 years without aging. Although he did grow from being a child to an adult during the early part of his life.
* Dragon's final armor causes him to resemble a black knight, a common archetype of Arthurian legend who typically stands against a noble knight.