Spyro
Spyro is the small purple dragon hero of the Spyro the Dragon video game series, beginning on the PlayStation in 1998, who charges and breathes fire to rescue his fellow dragons and their treasure.
| Also known as | Spyro the Dragon |
|---|---|
| Type | dragon |
| Tradition | Insomniac Games / Sony (Spyro series) |
| Category | Games |
| Earliest source | Spyro the Dragon (Insomniac Games / Sony Computer Entertainment, PlayStation), 1998 |
| Wings | Yes |
| Breathes fire | Yes |
| Guards treasure | Not specified |
| Nature | Benevolent |
The Story
In Spyro the Dragon (1998), the Dragon Kingdom is a peaceful land made up of five dragon homeworlds. When a television interview insults the exiled Gnasty Gnorc, he takes revenge with a spell that traps the dragons in crystal, and his minions seize the dragons' gem hoards. Only Spyro, a young dragon too small to be noticed, escapes. With his dragonfly friend Sparx, he travels from world to world, freeing the crystallized dragons, recovering the stolen gems, and finally defeating Gnasty Gnorc.
The sequels Ripto's Rage! (1999) and Year of the Dragon (2000) sent Spyro to new lands. Later the character passed to other developers, was rebooted in The Legend of Spyro trilogy (2006–2008), and became a lead character in the Skylanders games (from 2011).
Appearance and Powers
Spyro is a small, purple, four-legged dragon with golden horns, a golden spiked crest, and small wings. He attacks in two ways: a head-down horn charge and a short burst of fire. His wings let him glide but not truly fly in most early levels. Sparx flies beside him, and the dragonfly's color shows how much health Spyro has left. He is cheeky and confident but good-hearted.
Origins and Sources
Spyro was created by Insomniac Games for Sony's PlayStation as a family-friendly 3D platform game, with character designs by Charles Zembillas and music by Stewart Copeland, the former drummer of the Police. The design took the dragon of fairy tales and made it small, quick, and funny, a hero rather than the monster at the end of the level.
Legacy
The original trilogy sold millions of copies, and Spyro became one of the PlayStation's mascot characters. Spyro Reignited Trilogy (2018), by Toys for Bob, remade all three games for modern consoles. For other dragons in games, see D&D computer games.
Related
- Toothless: Toothless is the dragon partner of the Viking boy Hiccup in Cressida Cowell's How to Train Your Dragon books (from 2003), a tiny, talkative dragon who became the sleek black Night Fury of DreamWorks' 2010 film.
- Alduin: Alduin the World-Eater is the black dragon who serves as the main villain of the video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011), an ancient tyrant of dragonkind prophesied to devour the world.
- Mushu: Mushu is the small, wisecracking red dragon of Disney's animated film Mulan (1998), voiced by Eddie Murphy, a demoted family guardian spirit who tags along to protect Mulan in hopes of winning back his post.
- D&D Based Computer Games
Sources and Further Reading
- Spyro the Dragon (Insomniac Games / Sony Computer Entertainment, 1998)
- Spyro Reignited Trilogy (Toys for Bob / Activision, 2018)
Cite this entry: “Spyro,” Draconika Encyclopedia of Dragons, https://www.draconika.com/dragons/spyro.