Quick Links
Avatar: The Last Airbenderis a masterful piece of television, set in a world where humans can bend the four elements. But since time immemorial, the humans of this world have coexisted with animals, both strange and mystical. Although the show fuses certain animals, there is one mythical creature that has continued to capture the public imagination, both in the show and outside of it.
Dragons are usually viewed with reverence and respect, but by the time Aang burst out of the iceberg, they were believed to be extinct. In Legend of Korra, however, dragons seem to be going through a revival, but their numbers still seem considerably low. In this article, we’ll delve into what happened to the original firebenders of the series and if there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for this endangered species.
The Role Of The Dragons
Like the badgermoles and the sky bison are for the earthbenders and airbenders, respectively,the dragons were the original firebenders. They were the true masters of the art of firebending,with the first recorded case of a dragon teaching a human firebending beingAvatar Wan, who we see practising the Dancing Dragon with a white dragon in the Spirit Oasis.
We know that theSun Warriors- the progenitors of the Fire Nation who existed independently even after the Fire Nation was established - highly revere the dragons andkept to what they deem to be the true path to firebending passed on to them by the dragons.
What Happened To The Dragons?
For a long time, the dragons held a position of respect and even worship in the Fire Nation,but it wasn’t until this perception was skewed during Fire Lord Sozin’s reign and the start of the Hundred-Year War.Sozin started the tradition of DragonHunts, believing that killing a dragon would improve one’s firebending, as well as prove one’s worthiness.
In truth,Sozin kickstarted the Dragon Hunts because he wanted to build a more formidable legacy than his father, Fire Lord Taiso, and repair his tarnished image after he shut down the Fire & Air Centre of Learning established byAvatar Roku.Despite knowing that killing off the dragons would disrupt the balance of the world, Sozin went ahead with his plan anyway.
Naturally,many among his subjects felt the Dragon Hunts were not morally right, especially the Fire Sages. The nobles felt the same way at first, butSozin boosted the popularity of the hunts by gifting them the titleof ‘Dragon’.
The Fire Sages were likely bullied into going along with the practice or replaced with Sozin’s lackeys. With no one stopping Sozin,the number of dragon deaths rose, and the remaining dragons began to fight back and even attack humans unprovoked.
Interestingly,Sozin himself had a dragon, as seen when he and Roku’s spirit animal, a dragon named Fang, tried to stop a volcano eruption. But that didn’t stop Sozin, andthe Dragon Hunts continued straight into Fire Lord Azulon’s reign.
Not long after the Dragon Hunts first started,the Sun Warriors completely disappeared from civilisation, isolating themselves to protect the last surviving dragons. The dragons were believed to be extinct because Iroh announced that he had killed the last one, though we all know thathe lied to protect Ran and Shaw.
At some point,either Ran or Shaw (or both of them) produced a dragon egg, which hatched intoZuko’s mount, Druk. We see Druk in Legend of Korra, but we don’t see any other dragons in the show. It isn’t known how long dragons live (or if Ran and Shaw are still alive),but dragons are still considered an endangered species in Avatar Korra’s time,and are going through a slow recovery.
Known Dragons In The Series
Ran And Shaw
The last known surviving dragons in Avatar Aang’s time,Ran and Shaw had been in hiding, protected by the Sun Warriors.The Sun Warriors consider them sacred, and any outsider who wishes to prove themselves to the ‘firebending masters’ will have to face them. Instead of a battle,the dragons will invite them to perform the Dragon Danceas shown in one of thebest episodes in the show.
They will then judge the person’s character andwill grant them the true knowledge of firebending once they deem them worthy- as seen with Iroh, Zuko and Aang. The Sun Warriors will thenswear them to secrecy to protect Ran and Shaw’s presencefrom being leaked to the world. After the Hundred-Year War,either Ran or Shaw produced a dragon egg which eventually resulted in Druk, Zuko’s mount and animal companion.
Fang
Fang is Avatar Roku’s animal companion and friend,whom Roku raised from birth after he failed to find Fang’s parents. The two are inseparable and stay by each other’s side until the end, and we see his loyalty to Roku displayed when Fang willingly stuck by him despite certain doom.
Along with Roku,Fang interacts with Aang in his spiritform, helping his friend and master guide Aang in his quest to master all four elements in time for Sozin’s Comet.
Druk
The offspring (or descendant) of Ran and Shaw,Druk is Fire Lord Zuko’s mount and friend,and one we only get to see in Legend of Korra. Zuko met Druk when the dragon was still a hatchling,and the two formed a bond and became as close as Roku was with Fang. Although we mostly see Druk flying Zuko around the world, the dragon joined in battle to protect Zuko when he was fighting against the Red Lotus members.
