The How to Train Your Dragon franchise is filled with thrilling battles involving the titular mythical beasts, but some of the fights stand out more than others for various reasons. The movies and TV shows in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise combine to create a sprawling saga about finding peace at all costs. Despite the story’s message of turning away from violence, the layered narrative calls for countless skirmishes throughout. Not all the fights include solely dragons, either. In fact, many of the best dragon fights in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise also feature human characters.
Although the combined runtime of the How to Train Your Dragon spinoff shows far exceeds that of the movie trilogy, most of the best dragon fights come within Dreamworks’ feature-length productions. That being said, there are a couple of skirmishes from the TV shows that are superior to some of their movie counterparts. As one of the most underappreciated movie trilogies, How to Train Your Dragon doesn’t just rely on its fight sequences, but they’re one of the most rewarding elements. Hopefully, the cast of the live-action How to Train Your Dragon cast can participate in some equally excellent moments.
10 The Flightmare Battle In Dragons: Riders Of Berk
“Fright of Passage” features a light-up dragon show
One of the joys of the franchise is the sheer variety of dragons. In Dragons: Riders of Berk, season 2, episode 6, “Fright of Passage,” the Flightmare’s presence toys with the edges of the franchise’s genre and brilliantly edges the spinoff show softly into the horror category. How to Train Your Dragon isn’t especially grounded storytelling, but it draws the line at supernatural activity. The fight between the luminescent dragons is well-choreographed, but it also has something else that’s very special.
The lack of artificial lighting in
How to Train Your Dragon
makes fighting at nighttime difficult
to make look appealing unless there are huge amounts of fire nearby to make the sequence visible.
The lack of artificial lighting in How to Train Your Dragon makes fighting at nighttime difficult to make look appealing unless there are huge amounts of fire nearby to make the sequence visible. “Fright of Passage” gets creative in solving this problem by having all the dragons involved in the sequence glowing along with the Flightmare. Consuming the algae allows for the incredibly rare visual marvel of glowing dragons streaking across the night sky as they exchange blows.
9 Toothless Vs. Hiccup & Stoick In How To Train Your Dragon 2
Stoick’s sacrifice gives his death a lot of emotional significance
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It’s a short fight, but it carries a huge deal of weight emotionally as well as being a pivotal moment in the franchise’s story. Toothless’ power can be easy to forget about because he’s always on the side of the heroes. However, in 2014’s How to Train Your Dragon 2, Toothless’ forced defection highlights his fearsome abilities. If it hadn’t been for Stoick the Vast’s selfless sacrifice, the hypnotized dragon would surely have killed Hiccup.
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How to Train Your Dragon 2 is an animated adventure comedy that follows up shortly after the first film. This second entry in the trilogy finds Hiccup and Toothless exploring new worlds and charting unmapped territories. When the two discover a secret cave filled with new dragons and a mysterious Dragon Rider, the two will have to join forces to defeat a ruthless dragon hunter – a cruel and dangerous foe who threatens the freedom and safety of all dragonkind.
Director Dean DeBlois Release Date June 13, 2014 Studio(s) 20th Century Writers Dean DeBlois Cast Jonah Hill , Cate Blanchett , Kristen Wiig , Jay Baruchel , T.J. Miller , Gerard Butler , Christopher Mintz-Plasse Runtime 105 Minutes Sequel(s) How to Train Your Dragon 3 prequel(s) How to Train Your Dragon Expand
What’s especially great about this fight is that writer/director Dean BeBlois didn’t confine the conflict to physical acts. With the spell broken over Toothless, Hiccup’s vulnerable and emotional state in the immediate aftermath of his father’s death doesn’t allow for an ounce of forgiveness for his otherwise loyal dragon. The tense dynamic forces Hiccup into Drago Bludvist’s control, meaning Hiccup loses a parent and then his best friend in the same handful of moments.
8 The First Movie’s Labyrinth Trial
The Nadder is a deadly opponent for a training exercise
As one of the first extended dragon fight sequences in the entire franchise, the training exercise involving the Nadder, Hiccup, and his fellow trainees, is a brilliant piece of worldbuilding as well as an excellent battle scene. Hiccup’s inexperience and unwillingness to hurt an enraged dragon help to set up the entire saga. Additionally, Astrid’s competence opens the door for the huge transformation arc coming her way that forces her to change her views on dragons.
Hiccup’s falsely innocuous questions about Night Furies help inject a little humor into the scene.
The labyrinth fight also reveals a huge amount about Berk’s training practices. There are several times during the fight that Hiccup and the others could have been killed by the agile and powerful Nadder. While it would be unusual for a main character to meet their end so soon in the movie, the risk still feels very real. Finally, Hiccup’s falsely innocuous questions about Night Furies help inject a little humor into the scene.
7 Toothless (& Hiccup) Vs. The Whispering Death In Dragons: Riders Of Berk
Toothless’ nemesis falls with Hiccup’s help
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Dragons holding grudges against one another isn’t an especially common trope, which is why Dragons: Riders of Berk season 1, episode 14, “What Flies Beneath,” has such a compelling fight scene. The coming together of Toothless and the Whispering Death – who turns out to have a score to settle with the Night Fury – only properly takes place in the episode’s final moments, and it’s certainly worth the wait.
Toothless fights the Whispering Death twice in “What Flies Beneath,” but the first is much shorter and less entertaining.
The sequence allows a rare glimpse of Toothless trying to fight his nightmarish opponent without Hiccup’s assistance, and it highlights the Night Fury’s biggest weakness. By the time Toothless allows Hiccup to help him engage in areal combat and defeat his old nemesis, the moment feels earned. Sure, Hiccup forces Toothless’ hand by throwing himself off a cliff, but the fact his dragon rushes to his rescue proves that Toothless hasn’t been completely consumed by revenge.
6 Volka’s Alpha Vs. Drago’s Alpha In How To Train Your Dragon 2
The clash of the Bewilderbeasts is as big as it is impactful
Whoever controls the alpha, controls the dragons, and the fight between Volka’s dragon king and Drago’s challenger puts a lot on the line. The sheer size of both combatants makes the fight brilliantly intimidating to watch, and it’s also beautifully paralleled by Stoick’s battle with Drago that’s happening alongside it. The fight feels like it must be the movie’s final set piece, but when Volka’s champion falls to Drago’s, it’s clear there’s more story to tell.
How to Train Your Dragon
‘s age rating, which is largely the same across the franchise, makes violence a tricky thing to navigate.
How to Train Your Dragon‘s age rating, which is largely the same across the franchise, makes violence a tricky thing to navigate. Having animated dragons facing off doesn’t often create issues in this regard. However, although there’s no gore shown, Drago’s alpha impaling its opponent to finish it off feels incredibly graphic for a family movie. That being said, it does add far more gravitas to the scene. Unfortunately, the size of both dragons in this fight doesn’t allow for a great deal of agility, so it loses a few points for getting old relatively fast from a visual perspective.
5 Dragons Vs. Berk In How To Train Your Dragon’s Opening Sequence
Berk’s attitude toward dragons is summed up perfectly in this fight scene
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How to Train Your Dragon‘s very first scene also ended up being the start of the onscreen franchise. Berk coming under fire from dragons doesn’t just establish the tone, but it also sets up an awesome opportunity for the community’s attitude toward dragons to change. The Berkians are clearly finding huge joy in slaying the dragons among all the drama, which is compounded by Hiccup’s desire to prove himself by taking down a Night Fury – which later turns out to be Toothless.
The chaos perfectly encapsulates Berk’s state and what needs to change.
The first movie introduces the dragons at their most fearsome, making it easy to misinterpret them as the antagonists. Without this fight scene being the way it is, the entire franchise would have felt different. The way everyday exchanges and levelheaded conversations are taking place among the chaos perfectly encapsulates Berk’s state and what needs to change.
4 The Berkians Vs. Grimmel’s Dragons At End Of The Hidden World
The movie franchise’s final set piece shows what the Berkians are capable of as well as their dragons
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Dragon fights that involve humans don’t tend to involve the latter entering the fray without the assistance of the former. In the big finale of the third movie in the trilogy, that’s exactly what happened. The Berkians’ use of Hiccup’s flight suits allows for one of the coolest arrivals to a fight in the entire How to Train Your Dragon series. The fight itself also gets creative, using piecemeal tactics to maximize the available resources.
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The third and final installment in the film franchise, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, follows the exploits of Hiccup and his dragon as they guide their village forward. Now chief of his village, Hiccup fulfills his dream of creating a peaceful dragon utopia; Toothless’ discovery of an untamed, elusive mate draws the Night Fury away. However, when danger mounts at home and Hiccup’s reign as village chief is tested, both dragon and rider must make impossible decisions to save their kind.
Director Dean DeBlois Release Date February 22, 2019 Studio(s) DreamWorks Animation Distributor(s) Universal Pictures Writers Cressida Cowell , Dean DeBlois Cast Christopher Mintz-Plasse , Jonah Hill , Cate Blanchett , Kristen Wiig , Craig Ferguson , T.J. Miller , Jay Baruchel , America Ferrera Runtime 104 Minutes Franchise(s) How to Train Your Dragon prequel(s) How to Train Your Dragon , How to Train Your Dragon 2 Expand
The final fight against Grimmel the Grisly gradually opens up as it progresses. While there is more human involvement than is sometimes present, the constant threat of being melted by the Deathgrippers’s venom and the sporadic freeing of more and more friendly dragons add several layers to the sequence of events. Toothless’ eventual chase scene as he pursues Grimmel and the Light Fury is the perfect climax.
3 Red Death Vs. Stoick’s Forces In The First Movie’s Big Finale
Hiccup corrects his father’s huge mistake
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The final set piece in the first How to Train Your Dragon movie brings to mind a scene of Godzilla versus countless smaller Godzillas. After teasing the Red Death earlier in the story, the payoff of seeing it in its full glory is very effective. At the heart of the battle is its sheer unwinnable nature and the peril Stoick has subjected his men to, despite the frenzied warnings from Hiccup.
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How to Train Your Dragon is a 2010 animated film set in the Viking world of Berk, where Hiccup, the son of Stoick the Vast, befriends a dragon and defies the village’s traditional dragon-slaying ways, leading to a reevaluation of the Viking-dragon conflict.
Director Dean DeBlois , Chris Sanders Release Date March 18, 2010 Studio(s) DreamWorks Animation Writers Chris Sanders , Dean DeBlois , William Davies Cast Jay Baruchel , Gerard Butler , Craig Ferguson , America Ferrera , Jonah Hill Runtime 98 Minutes Expand
The quality of the fight speaks for itself, but its emotional weight also can’t be undervalued. A break in the combat gives Stoick time to realize there’s more than one way to be a capable Viking warrior, and this revelation allows him to view Hiccup’s attitude toward dragons in another way. It highlights a much-needed change in leadership, as although Stoick’s motivations when attacking the Red Death were to protect Berk, it’s clear Hiccup’s approach to doing so is far more effective.
2 Toothless Vs. The Bewilderbeast In How To Train Your Dragon 2
Hiccup’s dragon challenges Drago’s champion for the title of alpha (& wins)
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Toothless’ raw power is never as prevalent as it is during his fight with the Bewilderbeast at the end of the second movie in the trilogy. Despite being a fraction of the size of Drago’s alpha, Toothless’ wild attack ultimately proves successful. Although the strength of his shots is a factor in his victory, it’s Toothless’ immense show of loyalty – which triggers all the other dragons to defect to his side – that leads to the Bewilderbeast’s downfall.
The Bewilderbeast can be spotted bowing to Toothless in
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
.
Not only does this fight convey the importance of unity, but Toothless’ vicious roars to intimidate the Bewilderbeast are a vivid reminder of why the Berkians once feared Night Furies so much. Although he’s now been tamed, Toothless begins the franchise just as ruthless in the defense of dragons as his other scaly allies. In short, his fight against the Bewilderbeast reinforces how lucky the Berkians now are to have Toothless on their side.
1 Hiccup (& Toothless) Vs. The Monstrous Nightmare (& Stoick) In The First Movie
Toothless puts his own safety aside to rush to Hiccup’s side
Hiccup’s assignment to kill the Monstrous Nightmare – later named Hookfang – in How to Train Your Dragon is supposed to be a huge milestone in the dragon hunting journey of Stoick’s only child. Instead, it’s the beginning of a very different story. Stoick’s distrust begins the fight by startling Hiccup’s opponent, but he also ends it by almost being obliterated by Toothless. The fact Stoick would have died here had it not been for Hiccup’s last-minute intervention is a big part of what makes the fight so dramatic.
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It’s impossible to forget Toothless gallantly dashing to Hiccup’s rescue when he senses the Monsterous Nightmare turning violent. He puts his own safety aside to rescue his friend and trainer, dashing right into the heart of Berk’s dragon-hating community. Not only does he manage to defeat the Monstrous Nightmare, but Toothless’ decision to come to Hiccup’s aid is what eventually leads to the vital understanding between his kind and the Berkians. It’s for this reason and many others that Hiccup versus the Monstrous Nightmare is the best fight in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.
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How to Train Your Dragon is a critically acclaimed animated franchise that began with the 2010 film of the same name, inspired by Cressida Cowell’s book series. The story is set in the mythical Viking world of Berk, where young Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III befriends a dragon named Toothless, challenging his tribe’s tradition of dragon slaying. The franchise expanded into a trilogy of films, several TV series, short films, and an upcoming live-action adaptation, becoming one of DreamWorks Animation’s most successful properties.
Created by Cressida Cowell , Chris Sanders , Dean DeBlois First Film How to Train Your Dragon Latest Film How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Upcoming Films How to Train Your Dragon (2025) First TV Show DreamWorks Dragons Latest TV Show DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms Cast Jay Baruchel , Gerard Butler , America Ferrera , Craig Ferguson , Jonah Hill , Christopher Mintz-Plasse , Kristen Wiig , T.J. Miller , Cate Blanchett , Kit Harington TV Show(s) DreamWorks Dragons , Dragons: Rescue Riders , DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms Character(s) Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III , Toothless , Astrid Hofferson , Stoick the Vast , Gobber the Belch , Snotlout Jorgenson , Fishlegs Ingerman , Ruffnut Thorston , Tuffnut Thorston Expand