Think about it: Would a fantasy anime be complete without an awe-inspiring anime dragon? A Dragon is a massive and majestic mythical beast, they play an important role in many of our most loved stories. Animals and creatures play a vital role in shaping the characters and the plot in anime. They can be sweet, but they can also rip souls. More often than not, dragons are rivals in anime. Or, in some cases, they will act as cronies of the main characters.
However, the gigantic, laser-eyed lizard isn’t always the best interpretation of dragons, that you will get to witness in anime. As a matter of fact, dragons are a distinctly Asian artefact as well, so the idea of dragons as Godly-creatures is more prevalent than dragons being evil and always ready to bite.
Whether it is because of their magical ability, strength, or a combination of both, all dragons, both evil and good, are worthy of the respect. We are here to present you with a list of the top ten best dragons in anime. Let’s hit it for them!
Top Ten Anime Dragons
10. Crimson Dragon – Yu-Gi-Oh! 5D’s
Let’s start this list of dragons with a surprise bomb – Crimson!
Just from the looks of it, you can tell Crimson is packed with a lot of burning fire – and you’re not wrong! The Crimson Dragon is an enormous cosmic body of sacred fire. It’s the cosmic manifestation and physical embodiment of the colossal “Dragon Star” in the anime.
Indeed, Yu-Gi-Oh is packed with many dragons, but the most powerful of them all is the Crimson Dragon. It is more potent than the three Egyptian Gods – how’s that for a surprise? However, it does not have a physical form; instead, it appears as an Aztec dragon made of eternal flames.
9. Blue Dragon – Blue Dragon
Blue Dragon is the Shadow Monster of the main hero, Shu, in the Blue Dragon universe. The story of Shu and Blue begins when Shu’s village is attacked. The enemies seem to be unknown, yet very powerful. Shu and his friends do everything they can to protect their homeland from destruction.
Along the journey, they meet Zola – a warrior, from which they receive the “power of shadow”, which allows them to transform their shadows into beastly creatures. As a result of that power, we get one of the most awe-inspiring dragons in anime. His personality is cold as he frequently criticises Shu for everything he is and is too violent at times. To put it simply, the Blue Dragon is a narcissist!
8. Ryūkotsusei – Anime Dragon from Inuyasha
Ryūkotsusei, Dragon Bone Spirit, was a controlling dragon who threatened the Plains of Musashi until Toga tamed him to a cliff in the Valley of Ryūkotsusei.
This anime dragon remains to be one of the strongest creatures in Inuyasha. Even the lord of Inuyasha, a terrifying dog demon, could not defeat him. Due to his steep size, this anime dragon can effortlessly crush mountains just by creating a slight movement and can fire caustic blasts of demonic energy.
Ryūkotsusei’s hide is exceptionally resilient and almost indestructible. His strength can be judged from the time when he bore a straight hit from Inuyasha’s Wind Scar and when he made it through when Tessaiga stabbed him in the heart.
7. Peterhausen – Anime Dragon From Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Mao
Peterhausen belongs to the top-class make-believe anime sequence “Ichiban Ushiro no Dai Mao.” The show has a typical theme. Let’s dive into the background, shall we? Akuto Sai is the protagonist who is blessed with an undying passion for changing the world, and along his journey, he meets Junko Hattori, who shares similar goals and thoughts.
Both of these characters join a magic academy as the first step to fulfilling their dream. As the series progresses, Akuto is revealed to be a unique being. This becomes the word-on-the-street, and later on, Akuto is declared to become the next Demon King – and that’s when Peterhausen steps in!
Peterhausen is a mighty dragon with a demonic and monstrous appearance. With Akuto being the one to defeat Peterhausen, they both share a remarkable bond. Aukot becomes the master of Peterhausen after taking it down. Unfortunately, the story has a sad ending since Akuto and Peterhausen die in war. With such a transformation from evil to an acquaintance, Peterhausen deserves to be on this list!
6. Dragonite – Pokemon Anime Dragon
This one is for the 90’s kids! Now, let’s talk about Dragonite. Interests are rising, aren’t they? Dragonite is a rare type of pokemon. He’s nothing like Charizard, who reflects a formidable appearance; Dragonite looks adorable and quite friendly. But it can go extreme sometimes. It becomes violent when it observes danger to its environment.
As Dragonite is a rare pokemon, it is quite challenging to train. Furthermore, Dragonite progresses from Dragonair, which further advances from Dratini. In terms of appearance, Dragonite has a curvy nose. He has thick, strong legs, massive hands, and covered in orange fur – all the more reason to call Dragonite cute but fierce!
5. Acnologia – Dragon From Fairy Tail
Acnologia, fearsomely known as Black Dragon of the Apocalypse, is a mass-destruction beast. Originally, Acnologia was a human who learned Dragon Slayer Magic, but due to overuse, he turned into a dragon. He then declared himself as the Dragon king after thrashing almost every dragon to near disappearance.
Acnologia is not like other Dragon Slayers; he is not limited to a particular element because he can quickly devour all magical forces. At the peak of his power, Acnologia can release thousands of starts to cause widespread damage. Furthermore, Acnologia is also a survivor since he subsisted being held captive in another dimension between space and time, where nothing existed.
4. Shooting Star – Record of Lodoss War
Behold, the most powerful dragon, Shooting Star! Shooting Star exists in Flame Dragon Mountain, where he protects the sceptre of domination. As you can see, he’s a red beast, and he kind of looks like Smaug (from the very famous “The Hobbit”).
Nonetheless, Shooting Star is a humongous and terrible dragon who inspires awe and death among humans, which he believes as “lesser begins.” He can also communicate and speak, but only to threaten and insult people. Moreover, Shooting Star is truly a tumultuous beast that has to be stopped!
3. Great Red – High School DXD Anime Dragons
The Great Red, also recognized as the True Red Dragon God Emperor, the Apocalypse Dragon, and Dragons’ Dragon! No matter how you put it, he’s still a bloody monster!
In High School DxD, the Great Red is one of the three most prevailing creatures in existence. As he’s the Emperor, Great Red holds irresistible power and can cause massive devastation on an apocalyptical level.
In terms of abilities, Great Red is crawling with them! He has the power to change a person’s size and create new bodies for people by using his flesh. In the process, he also offers them access to some percentages of his power.
Furthermore, Great Red is the physical embodiment of dreams in the High School DxD world. Due to this quality, he has control over the world of dreams and gathers most of his power from them. Other than that, he can also influence the real world through daydreams and turn imagination into reality. What a piece!
2. Bahamut – Anime Dragon From Rage of Bahamut
This list would definitely be hopeless without the unstoppable and terrifying; Bahamut. Bahamut is a black humanoid dragon. His body is covered in scales/spikes, and his head bears a pair of mighty horns. As frightening as he may be, nothing is known about Bahamut’s history or where he came from. However, he has appeared in Mistarcia multiple times, and every time
Bahamut started destruction and chaos of unbelievable proportions.
Despite his apparent I-will-wreck-you-all indestructibility by firing blasts of yellow energy, Bahamut possesses a few weaknesses as well. It is possible to seal Bahamut using tremendous amounts of power. Also, Bahamut’s talon is pretty much the only thing that can defeat the beast. As you can see, the “rage” of Bahamut is no joke!
1. Shenron – The Most Awe-Inspiring Dragon in Anime
It’s almost impossible for us to bestow the 1st position to anyone other than Shenron! This majestic anime dragon from the action-packed ‘Dragon Ball’ series is a sight to behold! Like the other Everlasting Dragons, summoning Shenron requires all seven Dragon Balls. The only drawback is that the balls are the size of planets. Shenron has the ability to fulfil the wish of anyone who manages to summon him.
Indeed, Shenron doesn’t remain the same in every season of Dragon Ball. By the end of the first season, we will witness Shenron in all its might after all the seven dragon balls have been collected.
Furthermore, another grandiose form of Shenron, known as the “Super Shenron,” initially appeared in ‘Dragon Ball Super.’ Moreover, Super Shenron is even more powerful and has the power to restore destroyed worlds. Isn’t that cool?
The End
Unfortunately, the joyride of “discovering the ten best dragons in anime” is over! At some point, you may even wish, “man! I wish I had a dragon by my side.” We hear you, buddy; anime dragons are really something!
Nonetheless, we hope you’ve relished it and grasped a few rarely-known concepts about the dragons in anime. These mighty creatures of anime possess many intense powers – which makes them even more intriguing to watch.