Red Dragon (series)

First release date
 Published
 No. of pages
 No. of arcs

The ***Red Dragon*** was a webcomic series by Chris Xorneto published between March 8th and August 15th 2014. The series was the predecessor of the *Dragons of Azuma* series. The story followed Ray (first version of Cropper) on his journey into Azuma.

## Overview

The series was intended to berelesed in a chapter per week cycle on fridays, but many publish gaps took more than one week. The reading order was left to right like every western publications (and unlike *DoA*). The series, like *DoA,* was mostly black and white with some pages colored by the author (six chapter in total contained colored pages, with the last chapter, #15, colored entirely).

## Plot Overview

Ray, after a fall from a rock ledge meets a martial arts master, Momo, who desides to make him his student. Soon after they are attacked by a mercenaries general. After a time of training the two set off to Momo's brother, Anzu. They reach a village occupied by mercenaries, where also lives Momo's former student, Inu, and his son, Neko. They are attacked by the mercenaries but the two youngsters manage to defeat the mercenaries group. One of the villagers tells to Momo that this group was a part of a local mercenaries fort Uragiri. Momo and Cropper decides to take care of the fort. They are joined by Neko.

The three enter the fort and defeat the mercenaries with ease. Some time later they reach the capital city, Dōkutsu, where they meet Nashi, which (to Momo's suprise) is an Orange Dragon. Later on, the group, goes to the Emperor. There Ray, after a fight with the emperor's strongest warrior, becomes a Dragon warrior - a Red Dragon. Much later the three finally reach their destination - Anzu's dojo, where their finally meet Momo's brother and Anzu's student - Daikon.

On the next day a man comes to Anzu begging for help, because someone has killed all of the inhabitants of one of the local villages. Anzu, Ray, Daikon, Neko, and a bit later, Momo, goes to the village. The group (minus Momo) splits and everybody starts to look for the killer. Daikon and Neko finds the mysterious figure but are easly defeated. Anzu finds the killer and the fight begans. At the same time Ray mets Nashi once again. Nashi in anger (because of Ray's majority over a Orange Dragon) starts to fight with Ray. The two are stoped by Momo.

## Characters

### Ray

Ray is the chosen one of *tRD* series. Momo choses him as his student because he, like Momo is a Tensai (plus Momo didn't met anyone else in this many years he was living in the mountains). Ray is shown to be very strong (he surpasess Momo very earlie on the series) and very fast becomes the titular Red Dragon (which is the highest rank he can obtain as he is a foriginer to Azuma empires).

### Momo

Momo is a old martial arts master who is supoused to be a master to a great warrior. Because of two failiures (Inu and Anzu) to do so he moves to the Azuma's mountains. There he mets Ray in who he sees his next student (as he belives the chosen one).

### Neko

Neko is the son of Inu - Momo's first student. He shows to be very trained warrior. He moves out of his home village to go with Ray and Momo to Momo's brother Anzu.

### Anzu

Anzu is Momo's younger brother and his second student. Although, not being 'the chosen one' Anzu becamed a good warrior and opened his own student, where he is seen with is student - Daikon.

## Dragons of Azuma

> *Main article: Dragons of Azuma*
>
>

The Red Dragon series was canceled by the author (probably after the 15th chapter was released) but it was rewroted in the *Dragons of Azuma* title. The series takes many similarities from it's predecessor and many of them are heavily changed.

### Similarities

* Ray and Cropper share thier appearance (however Ray's mostly between chapter #4 and #6) and color schemes. Both also are form a western continent and met Momo in a 'border' Mountains. Both of them are belived to be the greatest warrior of all time.
* Momo is told to be a master to a warrior that one day would be "Azuma's last chance". The two Momos look the same with small changes in appearance. Both have a younger brother named Anzu.
* Anzu and Inu were Momo's student in which Momo belived to be the 'chosen' warriors.
* Neko is from a village occupied by swordbandits who are a part of a local fort, Uragiri.
* Neko's village's leader of the group and Buta share their appearance.
* Both Nashis have an identical look. Both are told to be trained one day by Anzu.
* Shōga and the *tRD* Uragiri's commander share their appearance.

### Differences

* Cropper has the same appearance from the first chapter through the series. Ray's hair styles changed few times. Also it is said that Ray is an orphan - Cropper says that he has parents and even a brother, Booker. Ray came to Azuma on a trip, not to train martial arts, like Cropper.
* *DoA's*Inu isn't the father of Neko. Neko says that his parents died some time earlier.
* Neko didn't want to bother his village's bandits in *tRD.* In the successor series he wanted to defeat them on his own.
* *The Red Dragon's* mercenaries are called swordbandits in *DoA*. The first general to appear in the series, has a different appearance than his *DoA's* counterpart,
* The events of Uragiri are expanded in the later series.
* Daikon isin't Anzu's student from his first appearance. In *Dragons of Azuma* he is a 'bandit hunter'. Also the two have very differen appearance.

## References

1. ↑ http://reddragoneng.comicdish.com/index.php?pageID=1
2. ↑ http://reddragoneng.comicdish.com/index.php?pageID=210
3. ↑ Ray in 15 chapters had three different hairstyles.