In the eternal words of iconic author J.R.R. Tolkien, it simply isn't an adventure worth telling if there aren't any dragons. Dragons are legendary, fire-breathing beasts that encapsulate the best of fantasy and the human imagination. They have remained a popular fixture of storytelling since early civilization from all parts of the world, with film and television being no exception.
From the early days of cinema to the most recent CGI depiction of winged mythical and terrifying creatures, dragons can sometimes be the missing ingredient that can turn a film or show from good to great.
1 Haku — 'Spirited Away' (2011)
There's so much that can be said about Hayao Miyazaki's animated masterpiece, Spirited Away. It's filled to the brim with beautiful, traditionally-drawn sequences and lovable characters, with Miyazaki's incredible story-telling helping to bring life into a modern fairytale that remains truly timeless. Haku is the deuteragonist of the film alongside Chihiro. He can help the young girl through his human form, despite being a river spirit that takes the form of a majestic dragon.
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Haku is kind and does his best to help and comfort Chihiro during the entirety of Spirited Away, but the film also does not shy away from showing off his more vicious and ferocious side, making him an incredibly powerful ally. His serpentine body moves through the air with stunning fluidity, and he is one of the very many great attributes of this film to make it ever re-watchable and shows off the very best of animation.
2 King Ghidorah — 'Godzilla' (1954-)
King Ghidorah is a fictional, planet-destroying dragon (although more commonly referred to as a kaiju) that first appeared in Ishirō Honda's 1964 film Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster who is usually portrayed as the powerful and brutal arch-nemesis of the eponymous Godzilla. The three-headed beast is widely considered the most notable and most popular enemy of Godzilla, which is saying something since the nuclear-powered giant has found himself many rivals during his incredibly long cinematic run.
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Another dragon inspired by East-Asian mythology, King Ghidorah's fictional origins has ranged from being an ancient guardian monster of feudal Japan to an extraterrestrial dragon from the future. Honda has described the character as a modern adaptation of the mythical dragon Yamata no Orochi found in traditional Japanese folklore in the book Ishiro Honda: A Life in Film, from Godzilla to Kurosawa.
3 Toothless — 'How to Train Your Dragon' (2010-)
Arguably the cutest dragon on film and TV, Toothless is a jet-black dragon from Dreamworks Animation's How to Train Your Dragon franchise who acts more like a kitten than he does, a terrifying beast capable of incredible destruction. His bond with the main character, Hiccup, is absolutely adorable, even if the films never shy away from depicting his deadly power and is described in the film as the "unholy offspring of lightning and death itself."
For the majority of the film series, he is considered to be the last-ever Night Fury in existence until the third film, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, revealed a titanium-white and almost identical "Light Fury" that later became his life-long mate, probably making them the most iconic dragon power-couple in cinematic history.
4 Dragon — 'Shrek' (2001-)
Definitely the most glamorous dragon in movies and TV, the astutely named Dragon from the first Shrek film is a pink-lipstick-wearing femme fatale who guards the tower that holds Princess Fiona. Dragon may be fabulous, but she still makes for a pretty terrifying foe.
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She prevented many knights from getting close to the princess, and only the loudmouthed Donkey could win her over, who reciprocated her affections only after she kidnaped him. Dragon later becomes an ally to Shrek and the gang in later films, as shown when she hilariously delivers the final death blow to antagonist Lord Farquaad in the original film, who endures the terrifying fate of being eaten alive.
5 Drogon — 'Game of Thrones' (2011-2019)
Now, there's much to be said about the final season of Game of Thrones. While it may not have been the finale everyone hoped it would be, the true power of Daenerys Targaryen's (Emilia Clarke) pseudo-child, steed, and living weapon Drogon cannot be denied. Drogon was born long after the reign of his kind alongside his two siblings, Rhaegal and Viserion, and following their deaths; he sadly became the last dragon still alive in Westeros.
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Tragedy aside, Drogon is capable of destroying enemies, armies, and even cities single-handedly and helped get Daenerys out of many situations from his fire-breathing power, making him the character in the already incredibly brutal series with the highest body count. Game of Thrones may have lost its once golden reputation, but Drogon remains one the few remaining best attributes of the ill-fated series.
6 Falkor — 'The NeverEnding Story' (1984)
While he looks more like a dachshund rather than a dragon, Falkor is an incredibly wise and polite luck dragon from the 1984 fantasy epic The NeverEnding Story. Falkor assists the main character Atreyu in defeating the nihilistic terror of "The Nothing" and keeps an upbeat attitude despite the frightening odds.
For a dragon, he's not the most ferocious: he's also a lot furrier too, but his power to always remain lucky is extremely helpful, and he always seems to be in a perfect headspace, so he's probably the most mentally stable dragon here too; Falkor is purely the perfect dragon to be alongside in a magical adventure.
7 Smaug — 'The Hobbit Trilogy' (2012-2014)
Smaug is pretty much the quintessential dragon: he hoards mountains of gold and priceless treasure and pretty much kills anyone brave enough to get close, and Benedict Cumberbatch does an excellent job of providing the voice to the larger-than-life mythical tyrant. He's incredibly arrogant, greedy, and cruel, and his suspenseful conversation with Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) is one of the best parts of the entire franchise.
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Smaug is obviously terrifying due to his almighty power and strength, but his intelligence and cunning make him a true Machiavellian foe that very few have survived. The movies may not have been as fantastic as the original Lord of the Rings trilogy, but at least Smaug was expertly depicted in ways true to the original source material.
8 Ran and Shaw — 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' (2005-2008)
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In the highly acclaimed animated series, Avatar: The Last Airbender, dragons are the original fire benders who taught humans how to control and manipulate the element. Following the devastating Hundred Years War and the Fire Nation invasion, dragons were soon hunted as trophies almost entirely into extinction until Iroh spared the lives of the final two dragons in the world, in case you needed another reason to love Uncle Iroh.
The blue and red dragons are named Ran, meaning "burn" or "ignite" in Chinese, and Shaw, meaning "burn" or "blaze" in Chinese too, and they make their appearance in "The Firebending Masters" as they mentor Aang and Zuko about the beauty, philosophy, and power of harnessing fire. Dragons might not have a big presence in the series, but they are always welcome when they appear.
9 Draco — 'Dragonheart' (1996)
Dragonheart is a 1996 fantasy-adventure film directed by Rob Cohen and stars Dennis Quaid, David Thewlis, Dina Meyer, and Sean Connery as the voice of Draco, a dragon that literally shares half of his heart with a tyrannical king. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, and Draco's CGI animation still holds up pretty well.
Draco is a powerful dragon who has long-lost hope in humanity following the destruction in the wake of King Einon (Thewlis), but his friendship with the knight Bowen (Quaid) inspires him to assist the subjugated peasants in an uprising against their brutal leader. The film is fun and exciting, and Draco is obviously a key highlight.
10 Maleficent — 'Sleeping Beauty' (1959)
It's the terrifying shape-shifting dark sorceress Maleficent found in the original 1959 Sleeping Beauty that we're talking about here, not the live-action 2014 spin-off film that didn't quite live up to its incredibly high expectations. This beast terrified so many children from the late 1950s to this day, and it's not hard to see why.
Maleficent literally brings forward the towering monster through "the powers of Hell." Even if this dragon doesn't get enough screen time, Maleficent's dragon form remains one of the most iconic movie dragons ever. The animated beast spits lime green fire and has glowering eyes, so even if the live-action remake didn't hit the mark, the original animated classic still is pretty impressive.
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