Throughout the season without showing itself the Fault Ripper began drilling underneath ICARIS causing either mild tremors knocking over a few small objects or large scale earthquakes strong enough to snap off the viewing platform.
In "Fault Ripper", the Fault Ripper's drilling was becoming worse as the earthquakes began to get stronger and was causing and nearly threatening to make ICARIS fall into the fissure. Olivia Kullersen planned to stabilize the Faultline by firing a missile into the last spot where the quake happened, unaware that it was a dragon causing the quakes. This then prompted the Dragon Club to send their dragons into the Hidden World, although not too long later the Fault Ripper showed itself and fearing Olivia and Philip were going to get killed by the dragon Tom devised a plan to get their dragons and get rid of the large beast. Later as Tom and Jun were descending into the fissure in the probe they witnessed the Fault Ripper however the dragon was blind so it couldn't see them although the kids stayed silent as they noticed its large ear holes thinking the dragon hunted by sound. Eventually when Olivia and Cheif Baker where sent down to blow up the fissure the blast disturbed the Fault Ripper prompting it to attack the probe, knocking them both unconscious. Tom and Thunder came to their rescue and fought the dragon as best as they could until the other Dragon Riders arrived. Thanks to the sonic scream from Feathers, they were able to keep the Fault Ripper from attacking. Before he fell, the dragon grabbed Tom and Thunder and nearly dragged them down into the fissure with it. However, Tom broke himself and Thunder from the Fault Ripper's grip using his pickaxe, and Thunder shot a lightning blast at the dragon. After Tom reunited with the others, he prayed that the Fault Ripper was okay.
In "Uniconned", sometime after the Fault Ripper's defeat Tom began suffering from repeated nightmares of what happened. This was likely because he was afraid he might have hurt the dragon. And when Tom was asked if he did something he regretted, he remembers sending the Fault Ripper to fall to his death. This also prompts him to add to Dragon Club that their mission is to help dragons, not hurt them, as to make up for what he did to the Fault Ripper.
In "Follow the Lightning, Part 2", as Eugene attempts to get information about Dragon Club, he sees that Jun has drawn a picture of the dragon, along with Thunder, Wu and Wei, in her sketchbook. Though he was unconvinced of this providing evidence.
In "The Sky Torcher", when the Crystal Realm was in danger of being overrun by the Alpha Sky Torcher and his Flame Thrower minions, Tom decided that he needed to see if the Fault Ripper was alive and try to get his help. So, along with Thunder, Jun, and Wu and Wei, they flew all the way to the bottom of the fissure, where they discovered that there was life within it. They found the dragon, but he attacked them. When Tom realizes the dragon remembers his first encounter with the Dragon Club and being hurt by them, Tom made the others stand down so he could approach the giant dragon and express his apologies. This allows the Fault Ripper to bond with Tom, and he agrees to help them save the Crystal Realm and its inhabitants. First, he drilled a hole in the magma fountain so it could drain back to the Fire Realm. Then, when the club members were cornered, he rallied up the dragons of the Crystal Realm to fire at the Sky Torcher and drive him and his minions back to the Fire Realm. Finally, one loud roar made rocks collapse and close up the tunnel between the two realms. The Fault Ripper's roar also opened a secret chamber where Tom discovered a canister with the Strike Class Symbol, which brought the team one step closer to understanding his connection to Thunder.
In "Punishment and Torcher", after Buzzsaw cowardly retreated from the Sky Torcher when it showed up in the Ice Realm, Tom was still certain that they could stop it, despite what the others thought, especially D'Angelo. He even reminds Tom that they didn't get rid of the Sky Torcher, but the Fault Ripper leading the Crystal Realm dragons did.
In "Ragnarok: Part 2", when Jörmungandr was making its way to ICARIS, Thunder took Tom to get reinforcements, in which they retrieved both the Fault Ripper and the Sky Torcher, and despite both dragons not having good history with each other, they both agreed to fight alongside to help the King and defeat the World Serpent. When the four of them arrived at ICARIS, Thunder commanded the Fault Ripper and Sky Torcher to rise up from the fissure, in which Jörmungandr was surprised to see them but determined to win. After the Sky Torcher blasted at the snake-like dragon and forced it to run away, the Fault Ripper stopped it in its tracks by blocking and bombarding it with an enormous blast of fire. However, Thunder made both of them stand down, and they allowed him and the riders' dragons to finish Jörmungandr off.
Physical Appearance[]
The only member of his species seen so far, the Fault Ripper is dark grey with a lighter underbelly and wings. He has pale, pupil-less eyes, as well as large, tubular horns that appear to serve as ears. His scales are hard and plated, like armor.
Personality[]
The Fissure Fault Ripper is aggressive, territorial, and hostile to any human or dragon he deems a threat, as is to be expected from his species. However, he does exhibit fear, like when he was scared of Thunder's lightning blast from their last encounter, as well as emotional intelligence, like understanding when Tom expressed his regrets and tried to make amends with the dragon. He also understands when teamwork is required for any battle, like when he rounded up the crystal dragons to attack the Sky Torcher and give the club some time to escape his blast range.
Abilities and Skills[]
Endurance and Stamina: The Fault Ripper demonstrated remarkable resilience when it accidentally plummeted into the Kullersen Fissure. Despite the significant fall from a great height, the creature appeared to have evaded any discernible physical harm, potentially utilizing its ability to fly to minimize the impact upon landing. Additionally, it displayed an impressive ability to withstand multiple direct hits to the head from various dragon blasts, albeit with some temporary disorientation. Furthermore, it exhibited a surprising resistance to collision with solid rock, emerging unscathed.
Strength: The force exerted by the Fault Ripper was sufficient to propel a Night Light of moderate size away with a single swift movement of its tail, demonstrating its considerable strength. Furthermore, it possessed the capability to pull Tom and Thunder down into the abyss alongside it, showcasing its ability to overcome their resistance.
Intelligence: The Fault Ripper was able to understand that Tom regretted attacking him and understood that the boy no longer meant him any harm. He was able to realise that the Sky Torcher was invading the Crystal Realm and helped the Dragon Club drive it out through the passage into the Fire Realm it created.
Leadership: The Fault Ripper demonstrated great leadership as he rallied the dragons of the Crystal Realm (mostly the Gembreakers, Featherhides, and Crystal Whips) to come to the aid of the Dragon Club when they were trapped by the Sky Torcher. He also directed them to blast at the large fire dragon to give the humans and their dragon partners time to move out of the way.
Hearing: The Fault Ripper was shown to have incredibly strong hearing, able to detect the locations of other dragons and people relying on sound alone.
Tunnelling: The Fault Ripper is often seen tunnelling into solid rock by spinning rapidly and drilling into it. This can trigger earthquakes if it hits a fault line.
Spinning Flames: The Fault Ripper was shown to have the unique ability to spin while emitting flames, melting or weakening the rock around them as they drill.
When they first met, Tom saw him as a threat to not only the dragons, but also to ICARIS. When he and the rest of Dragon Club stopped him, he almost dragged Tom, along with Thunder, to the bottom of the fissure, but they broke free. Though the fault ripper fell to his presumed demise, Tom hoped he was still okay, indicating he was forgiving toward the large dragon. However, when Tom began having nightmares thinking that he harmed the dragon, he started feeling guilty about that incident. He was relieved when he saw the dragon was still alive, however, the dragon just acted aggressively toward him. When Tom sees that the Fault Ripper remembers what happened to him that day, and that he must have had nightmares too, Tom repents of his previous actions, the dragon bonds with him, and he aids them in saving the Crystal Realm from the Sky Torcher and his Flame Thrower minions. The dragon became very loyal and kind toward Tom and his friends afterward.
Initially, the Fault Ripper acted aggressively towards Thunder, and the Night Light responded much the same. Thunder only saw the Fault Ripper as a threat to his rider and the rest of the Dragon Club, and fired a blast of lightning at him, causing him to fall into the fissure. The Fault Ripper remembered this experience, and was left shaken after the incident, reacting with fear when he heard Thunder charging his lightning. Thunder was defensive and untrusting upon their second meeting. However, once Tom managed to bond with the Fault Ripper, the two mended their relationship, working together to drive off the Sky Torcher and its minions. They now consider each other as allies.
In the series finale, after Thunder became the new King of the Nine Realms, he summoned the Fissure Fault Ripper to help him fight Jörmungandr, and the large dragon obeyed his every command, indicating that the Fault Ripper now respects Thunder as his new King.
Like Tom, they attacked the large dragon for threatening to collapse ICARIS into the fissure. But after the battle with the Sky Torcher, they accepted him as an ally and became on good terms with him.
Crystal Realm Dragons[]
When the Sky Torcher and its army of Flame Throwers began invading and attacking the Crystal Realm, which prompted the riders to both protect them and retrieve the Fault Ripper to drain out all the lava. The Fault Ripper asserted its dominance over all the other native dragons and gathered them all together to help drive out the Fire Realm dragons and on the Fault Ripper's command they followed and attacked by his orders. Showing they all respect him as their alpha.
It is unclear why the Fault Ripper was drilling underneath ICARIS, but it's most likely that it became lost after the fissure opened up, confusing it on where exactly to go, since it couldn't see any of its tunnels and could only rely on hearing.
Due to the Fault Ripper's absence in the Crystal Realm, it is highly possible that the Flame Throwers scouting the area thought it was perfect for the Sky Torcher, since the realm's dominant alpha species was no longer here to keep out invaders, thus leaving the realm unprotected.
As Tom stated, the Fault Ripper probably had a nightmare like him from the battle, meaning the dragon could have also been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as he remembered what Tom and Thunder did to him.
