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Dragons are mythological creatures that have always stood out to human beings for one reason or another. Similarly, they've had quite the presence in various animes. Some of them are notoriously strong, while others are surprisingly weak. Either way, there are plenty of great draconic characters to talk about in this article.
There's no real limitation to ranking these characters on this list. As long as they clearly have some draconic elements and come from an anime, then that's good enough to be listed here.
Despite these creatures being of a similar race, their personalities are all over the place, making ranking them all the more interesting.
8 of the best dragons in anime that really stand out
8) Igneel (Fairy Tail)
The foster father of the main protagonist is a character that many Fairy Tail fans should already know. He looks as blatantly like a dragon as one could imagine for a list like this one, making him a good introduction to what readers might expect. He's a great fatherly figure who grew to love humans thanks to raising Natsu.
Fittingly for his species, he can also come across as angry and arrogant. Unfortunately for him, he is fatally wounded by Acnologia, yet he still tries to comfort Natsu in his final moments in the anime.
7) Kija (Yona of the Dawn)
Yona of the Dawn is a great anime that deserves more recognition (and especially episodes to catch up to the manga). Among the great cast of characters are the Dragon Warriors. All of them technically have the blood of dragons in them, with Kija representing the White Dragon.
Personality-wise, he's the most loyal to Yona in the anime and is known for being kind and dutiful. He might look far more humanoid than the rest of the characters on this list, but it's worth noting that he still has some draconic attacks involving his claw that make him more fitting for a list like this one.
6) Ryūkotsusei (Inuyasha)
In complete contrast to the previous entry on this list is the vicious Ryūkotsusei. He was initially sealed by Tōga, Inuyasha's father. Ryūkotsusei remained dormant for a long time, but was obviously not going to be sealed forever. Fast forward a bit, and Ryūkotsusei would eventually fight Inuyasha to the death.
Inuyasha would predictably win in the end, but everything leading up to that conclusion was quite interesting. Seeing Ryūkotsusei mess around with Inuyasha and not taking him seriously was a clear example of his arrogance as a fighter, which made Inuyasha's eventual victory all the more cathartic to witness.
5) Ravendia (A Herbivorous Dragon of 5,000 Years Gets Unfairly Villainized)
Readers might have heard one old adage at least once: "Looks can be deceiving." That's the perfect way to describe Ravendia, who looks like an evil and ferocious monster but is actually a complete wimp who doesn't even eat meat. His character is a major part of the premise of this Chinese anime.
It's completely ridiculous, yet it's also incredibly charming at the same time. Somehow, this bizarre characteristic leads to a plotline that makes a little girl who was supposed to be sacrificed become extremely powerful. It's an underrated anime, so it's one that some people might not know.
Ravendia's character is a complete subversion of what one would expect from a fearsome-looking draconic character but in the best way possible.
4) Shenron (Dragon Ball)
As far as iconic anime dragons go, Shenron has to be near the top of the list. He is the most recognizable Eternal Dragon in the series, with many fans of the series remembering that he would grant wishes to those who collect all seven Dragon Balls.
He has appeared regularly throughout the legendary series' many iterations. As far as neutral characters go, Shenron is definitely one of the more memorable examples, especially in later seasons where he gets to develop his personality a bit more.
3) Kaido (One Piece)
This former Yonko was often described as one of the strongest captains in One Piece lore. Sure enough, he was a significant character in the Wano Country Arc and quickly established why he was such a feared character. The main reason for him being on this list is due to his Devil Fruit, Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu.
That Devil Fruit gave him the power to transform into a traditional Japanese dragon, which made it arguably the coolest Zoan Devil Fruit out there. This easily bored warmonger had an amazing fight against Luffy and company, which eventually led to his defeat and fall into some magma.
2) Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
As far as recognizable Yu-Gi-Oh! cards go, Blue-Eyes White Dragon is near the top of that list. Its regular appearances as Seto Kaiba's boss monster made it a fan favorite for many Yu-Gi-Oh! fans, especially since it was good in the TCG for some time too (especially in casual settings).
Its popularity has even led to a whole archetype being built around it, and it still gets some support cards in recent years. As for its appearance in the anime, one could never forget the legendary moment where Kaiba used Obelisk the Tormentor of all cards, just to tribute summon Blue-Eyes.
1) Charizard (Pokemon)
Before one would argue that it's a Fire/Flying type, it's vital to mention that one of its mega evolutions is Fire/Dragon, so it technically counts for this list. Not to mention, anybody who looks at it should assume that it's a dragon just by virtue of its design alone.
It is undisputedly one of the most popular Pokemon of all time, partially because of how memorable it was in the anime under Ash's control. This Charizard was initially a Charmander who was abandoned by his original trainer, which led Ash to take care of him.
He eventually evolved into a Charmeleon, where his rebellious attitude started to develop. That Charmeleon would become a Charizard and was regularly shown to be one of Ash's strongest Pokemon. This Charizard was disobedient to a fault in its first few appearances in the anime, but Ash would have much better control over it later on as the series progressed.
Alain and Leon have also used this iconic Pokemon to tremendous success within the anime.
Note: This article reflects the writer's personal views.
