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{{trope}} |
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{{trope}} |
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[[File: whatisthybidding1_6117.jpg|link=Star Wars|frame|"What is thy bidding, my master?"]] |
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[[File: whatisthybidding1 6117.jpg|link=Star Wars|frame|"What is thy bidding, my master?"]] |
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<tabber> |
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The Dragon is the [[Big Bad]]'s top enforcer. Some Dragons are ferocious fighters who leave the heavy thinking to the boss. Others are smart, detail-oriented administrators who oversee the day-to-day running of the evil organization. Either way, defeating the Big Bad almost always requires the hero to overcome the Dragon first. A common but by no means universal theme is to have the Dragon pose a physical challenge to the hero, while the Big Bad poses a mental or moral challenge. |
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Basics= |
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The Dragon will occasionally commit a [[Heel Face Turn]] when confronted by the heroes. If he does so, chances are very good that he will end up [[Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work|killing the Big Bad]] when the heroes [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|cannot bring themselves to do so]]; often by [[Taking You With Me|joining the villain in death]] as a [[Redemption Equals Death|final act of redemption]]. |
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'''The Dragon ''' is the [[Big Bad]]'s top enforcer. Some Dragons are ferocious fighters who leave the heavy thinking to the boss. Others are smart, detail-oriented administrators who oversee the day-to-day running of the evil organization. Either way, defeating the Big Bad almost always requires the hero to overcome the Dragon first. A common but by no means universal theme is to have the Dragon pose a physical challenge to the hero, while the Big Bad poses a mental or moral challenge. |
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The Dragon will occasionally commit a [[Heel Face Turn]] when confronted by the heroes. If he does so, chances are very good that he will end up [[Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work|killing the Big Bad]] when the heroes [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|cannot bring themselves to do so]]; often by [[Taking You with Me|joining the villain in death]] as a [[Redemption Equals Death|final act of redemption]]. |
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The Dragon is an integral part of the [[Five-Bad Band]] dynamic. If there's a [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]], the Dragon is often the unofficial leader. |
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The Dragon is an integral part of the [[Five-Bad Band]] dynamic. If there's a [[Quirky Miniboss Squad]], the Dragon is often the unofficial leader. |
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Please note that effectively being the Big Bad's secretary, or just constantly hanging around them is not enough to be a Dragon. Like [[The Lancer]] for [[The Hero]], the Dragon is somebody the Big Bad can rely on (or thinks they can rely on) in a time of trouble to step up and beat the living heck out of the Hero, or maybe just take charge for a while, should the Big Bad not be around to do the job. |
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Please note that effectively being the Big Bad's secretary, or just constantly hanging around them is not enough to be a Dragon. Like [[The Lancer]] for [[The Hero]], the Dragon is somebody the Big Bad can rely on (or thinks they can rely on) in a time of trouble to step up and beat the living heck out of the Hero, or maybe just take charge for a while, should the Big Bad not be around to do the job. |
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[[Trope|Tropes]] related to Dragons:
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Tropes related to The Dragon= |
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* [[Big Bad Duumvirate]] - when he achieves equal footing with the Big Bad. |
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* [[Big Bad Duumvirate]] - when he achieves equal footing with the Big Bad. |
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* [[Co-Dragons]] - Two or more characters split the Dragon role between them. |
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* [[Co-Dragons]] - Two or more characters split the Dragon role between them. |
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* [[Climax Boss]] - generally when Dragons are encountered in [[Video Game|Video Games]]. |
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* [[Climax Boss]] - generally when Dragons are encountered in [[Video Game]]s. |
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* [[Corporate Samurai]] - If a [[Mega Corp]] or [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] is the villain, this sort of character can fill the role of the Dragon. |
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* [[Corporate Samurai]] - If a [[Mega Corp]] or [[Corrupt Corporate Executive]] is the villain, this sort of character can fill the role of the Dragon. |
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* [[Demoted to Dragon]] - A previous Big Bad is revealed to be, or is reduced to being, the Dragon to another villain. |
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* [[Demoted to Dragon]] - A previous Big Bad is revealed to be, or is reduced to being, the Dragon to another villain. |
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* [[Devour the Dragon]] - The Big Bad kills the Dragon in order to become stronger. |
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* [[Devour the Dragon]] - The Big Bad kills the Dragon in order to become stronger. |
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* [[Dragon Ascendant]] - when he takes over from the Big Bad after the latter is defeated or leaves. |
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* [[Dragon Ascendant]] - when he takes over from the Big Bad after the latter is defeated or leaves. |
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* [[Dragon-in-Chief]] - when he is actually ''more'' dangerous than the Big Bad. Like [[Dragon With an Agenda]], may actually be the [[Man Behind the Man]]. |
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* [[Dragon-in-Chief]] - when he is actually ''more'' dangerous than the Big Bad. Like [[Dragon with an Agenda]], may actually be the [[Man Behind the Man]]. |
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* [[Dragon Their Feet]] - when the Dragon shows up late to the party. |
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* [[Dragon Their Feet]] - when the Dragon shows up late to the party. |
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* [[Dragon With an Agenda]] - when he has different goals from the Big Bad. |
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* [[Dragon with an Agenda]] - when he has different goals from the Big Bad. |
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* [[The Heavy]] - The "active" villain that drives most of the plot. This is more often the Dragon than the Big Bad, since most authors want to keep the Big Bad in the background and mysterious for most of the story. |
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* [[The Heavy]] - The "active" villain that drives most of the plot. This is more often the Dragon than the Big Bad, since most authors want to keep the Big Bad in the background and mysterious for most of the story. |
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* [[My Master Right or Wrong]] - When the Dragon does things he doesn't agree with out of loyalty to the Big Bad. They will often be an [[Anti-Villain]] in this case. |
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* [[The Man Behind the Man]] - When the Dragon has his or her own Dragon, The Man Behind the Man is the Bigger Bad. |
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* [[My Master, Right or Wrong]] - When the Dragon does things he doesn't agree with out of loyalty to the Big Bad. They will often be an [[Anti-Villain]] in this case. |
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* [[Noble Top Enforcer]] - When the Dragon is an [[Anti-Villain]] that is considerably more virtuous than his master. Likely to turn on the Big Bad if their actions piss him off enough. |
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* [[Noble Top Enforcer]] - When the Dragon is an [[Anti-Villain]] that is considerably more virtuous than his master. Likely to turn on the Big Bad if their actions piss him off enough. |
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* [[Number Two for Brains]] - When the Dragon is an idiot. |
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* [[Number Two for Brains]] - When the Dragon is an idiot. |
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* [[The Starscream]] - a traitorous Dragon. |
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* [[The Starscream]] - a traitorous Dragon. |
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* [[Villainous Friendship]] - When a Dragon is good friends with the Big Bad. |
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* [[Villainous Friendship]] - When a Dragon is good friends with the Big Bad. |
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Etymology= |
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The term "dragon" actually originates from folklore where the hero will often end up fighting an ''actual'' dragon before even fighting the more intelligent but weaker Big Bad and described as such in "The Hero Of A Thousand Faces", a non-fiction comparison of various fantasy heroes written by Joseph Campbell. Hence, dragons (or stand-ins for them) are often portrayed as a Big Bad's second-in-command. |
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The term "dragon" actually originates from folklore where the hero will often end up fighting an ''actual'' dragon before even fighting the more intelligent but weaker Big Bad and described as such in "The Hero Of A Thousand Faces", a non-fiction comparison of various fantasy heroes written by Joseph Campbell. Hence, dragons (or stand-ins for them) are often portrayed as a Big Bad's second-in-command. |
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</tabber> |
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For literal dragons and their permutations, see [[Our Dragons Are Different]]. Not to be confused with [[Dragon Lady]], who is more likely to be a Big Bad than the Dragon, or ''[[Dragon]]'', which was a magazine. Definitely not to be confused with [[The Savage Dragon]]. The heroic version of this trope is [[Number Two]] or [[The Lancer]], or [[The Hero]] in a [[Big Good]] vs Big Bad scenario. See also: [[The Man Behind the Man]], [[Hypercompetent Sidekick]], [[Psycho for Hire]], [[The Consigliere]]. |
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For literal dragons and their permutations, see [[Our Dragons Are Different]]. Not to be confused with [[Dragon Lady]], who is more likely to be a Big Bad than the Dragon, or ''[[Dragon (magazine)|Dragon]]'' magazine. Definitely not to be confused with [[The Savage Dragon]]. The heroic version of this trope is [[Number Two]] or [[The Lancer]], or [[The Hero]] in a [[Big Good]] vs Big Bad scenario. |
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Considering that calling someone a bad person in [[Real Life]] isn't a good idea, not to mention subjective, '''[[No Real Life Examples Please|No real life examples, please]].'''
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{{noreallife|calling someone a bad person in [[Real Life]] isn't a good idea, not to mention subjective.}} |
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* [[The Dragon/Anime and Manga|Anime and Manga]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Board Games|Board Games]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Card Games|Card Games]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Comic Books|Comic Books]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Fanfic|Fanfic]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Film|Film]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Literature|Literature]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Live Action TV|Live Action TV]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Music|Music]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Professional Wrestling|Professional Wrestling]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Radio|Radio]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Tabletop Games|Tabletop Games]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Video Games|Video Games]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Web Animation|Web Animation]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Webcomics|Webcomics]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Web Original|Web Original]] |
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* [[The Dragon/Western Animation|Western Animation]] |
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{{reflist}} |
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{{reflist}} |
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[[Category:No Real Life Examples Please]] |
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[[Category:{{PAGENAME}}]] |
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[[Category:Authority Tropes]] |
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[[Category:Authority Tropes]] |
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[[Category:Tropes of Legend]] |
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[[Category:Calling All Heroes]] |
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[[Category:Boss Battle]] |
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[[Category:Boss Battle]] |
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[[Category:Tropes of Legend]] |
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[[Category:Villains]] |
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[[Category:Villains]] |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Dragon, The}} |
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[[Category:index]] |
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[[Category:The Dragon]] |
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[[Category:Trope]][[Category:Pages with comment tags]] |
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