Dragon Moves are series of specific tricks, techniques, or acrobatics used by Dragon Riders and their dragons, as well as the Rescue Riders. These may be training techniques for combat and battle purposes, or simply for 'joy-flying'. These moves often have specific names, and can be relayed as a command or set of instructions by the Rider to his dragon. Most moves are suited to the dragon species' specific abilities and skills.
Aerial Moves[]
Toothless' Divebomb[]
The Night Fury is one of the few dragons with the ability to dive bomb. Coupled with blazing speed, Hiccup and Toothless use their signature dive more than often throughout the franchise.
With the added velocity of the dive, this move helps Toothless better direct this attacks, be it in combat or in firepower. The dive is often used after a vertical scale towards the sky and a flip. They also often use it when diving downwards straight towards water, only pulling up just before they hit the water. This effect is strong enough to break the surface barrier of the ocean, resulting in a trail of water following their wake as they glide inches above the water.
Upward Spiral[]
| “ | And, now the spinning... Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile. [src] | ” |
| — Hiccup to Toothless |
A common maneuver used by all dragon riders, the upward spiral move was first shown in the first movie, where Toothless uses the move in Hiccup and Astrid's first flight. It is a very simple move, which involves the dragon and dragon rider launching themselves into the sky, while spinning in midair. Most commonly used as an evasive maneuver or in dragon racing between the Dragon Riders of Berk.
Sea Stack Hopping[]
Undertaken by Hiccup, much against Toothless' will, this feat was first showcased in Gift of the Night Fury, followed by in "How to Start a Dragon Academy" when the duo attempted this stunt in front of the other Riders. In this move, Hiccup an Toothless would fly towards an arched sea stack, the former jumping over the arch, while the latter glides under it. They end up meeting at the other end with Hiccup back on Toothless' back.
Similar Sea Stack Hopping is seen carried out by Dak and Winger in Dragons: Rescue Riders. Dak would jump off Winger's back, run along the top of a sea stack, then jump back on Winger, all while the dragon was flying.
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Barrel-Roll Multiple Blast[]
While Toothless flies straight he begins to rolls and fires straight towards multiple targets.
Stormfly's Twirl[]
Astrid and Stormfly invented this move before the events of "How to Start a Dragon Academy", when they demonstrated it for their best trick contest. Stormfly has to twirl forward in a rotating motion for this trick.
Stop, Drop, and Hover[]
Created to be a rescue skill, Meatlug flies up in the air with her rider, then falls at great speed. This move is also mentioned in "Dragons: Titan Uprising in Meatlug's Bio.
Gas and Tail-bludgeon[]
Meatlug can wait for an enemy to get close, pass gas in their face to stun them, then use her tail to finish them off. This move is also mentioned in "Dragons: Titan Uprising in Meatlug's Bio, but called "Gas and Smash".
Inverted Gronckle Drop[]
Inspired by nearly falling out of the sky on his first flight with Dagur, Shattermaster was able to master a modified version of Fishlegs and Meatlug's Gronckle Drop. It's an effective yet borderline insane maneuver, not unlike Shattermaster's rider.
Shatter Scatter[]
| “ | Everyone thinks Berserker means crazy, but what it really means is going full speed--all out, all time. Total commitment to your Berserker brothers and sisters. So, if you really want to know what Berserker style is... Show them our new move, Shattermaster! Shatter Scatter! [src] | ” |
| — Dagur the Deranged to Shattermaster |
The Shatter Scatter was first used by Dagur, alongside Shattermaster, in "Gold Rush".
Inspired by the intense commitment of the 'Berserker Style', Dagur invented this move. The Shatter Scatter involves a Gronckle, which takes to the air and plummets forward in a tumbling motion. Before hitting the target, the Gronckle points it heavily bludgeoned tail towards the target. The impact is strong enough to cause slight tremors in the ground and break the supposed Dragon Proof Metal used by Dragon Hunters.
In "Gold Rush", Shattermaster used it against a Dragon-proof hut on one of Viggo's islands and successfully broke the door open.
Flying Shatter Scatter[]
An extension of the Shatter Scatter, the Flying Shatter Scatter was invented by Dagur, Heather, Windshear and Shattermaster.
This move involves a larger dragon, preferably with a spiked or prehensile tail, to tow a Gronckle behind it while flying at high altitudes. After that, with a whipping motion, the larger dragon flings the Gronckle downwards towards the target, with the latter finishing off with the original Shatter Scatter. This is powerful enough to penetrate several hulls of dragon-proof Dragon Hunter ship at once.
In "Gold Rush", Windshear towed Shattermaster while carrying Dagur and Heather, before they took out several dragon hunter ships with dragon-proof hulls, sinking all of them successfully.
Gale Force Gronckle[]
Meatlug will start spinning at a very high speed using her head and clubbed tail to attack. This move is shown to be so powerful that it can knock a full-grown Typhhomerang out of the air, as shown in the episode The Eel Effect. This move is also mentioned in "Dragons: Titan Uprising in Meatlug's Bio. Fishlegs states they don't use this move very often because it makes him sick after doing it.
Spine-Clone[]
While in flight, Stormfly whips her tail behind her and protrudes her spines. Then, she ascends while twirling and releasing her spines in multiple directions. This is a very useful ability when surrounded by enemies from all sides.
Spike Ladder[]
She was also able to use these spines as a rescue skill, to create a ladder for Astrid. It was a practice exercise, in case they would have to rescue Vikings from a place where dragons can't go.
Single Spine Shot[]
Stormfly is also able to accurately shoot one spine by being tapped on the back of her head. It is so accurate that she can shoot right through a previously shot spine.
Wing Blast[]
They have a hidden ability that Astrid discovered is known as a Wing Blast, when she temporarily became Hookfang's rider in "A Tale of Two Dragons". They use their large, powerful wings to create a blast of wind that is so strong, it can even blow a flying fully-grown Hideous Zippleback to the ground.
Swiftwing Spin-Spiral[]
Winger, a fast Swiftwing, know multiple moves that can be carried out by his species. One such move he calls the Swiftwing Spin-Spiral entails flying up to a high altitude, then spinning rapidly at great speed back toward the ground, only to pull up at the very last second. Any rider - in this case Dak - may not remain in the saddle during this move. The Swiftwing Spin-Spiral can be extremely difficult for other species to do, especially if they are not aerodynamically built.
Ground Moves[]
Hug[]
In "Twinsanity" and again in "Night of the Hunters, Part 2", Fishlegs asks Meatlug to 'hug' a member of a rival tribe, which knocks him down.
Barrel Roll[]
As demonstrated in "Quake, Rattle and Roll", Meatlug, with a running start, can roll into enemies or targets in means of offense.
Water Moves[]
Tail Flip[]
A simple move, developed by Astrid and Stormfly, the twirl involves the latter to glide close to the water and flip her tail into the water, creating a trail of water splashing in her wake. This was first demonstrated by the duo in "How to Start a Dragon Academy".
Toothless' Water Dive[]
| “ | Yeah, I don't like the water either. But we have to try new moves. This will definitely give us an added element of surprise! [src] | ” |
| — Hiccup to Toothless |
First used by Hiccup and Toothless during the events of "Gold Rush", this move requires them to plunge into deep water before shooting out several blasts out of the surface and shooting himself out the ocean. This gives them an added stealth advantage. It is similar to his signature dive-bombing techniques.
In "Gold Rush", the duo were practicing the new move while training. They later used it to defeat a Dragon Hunter ship, after they both fell into the water.
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