“ | ” | |
— Hiccup and Fishlegs discussing the Grim Gnashers |
The Grim Gnasher is a medium-sized Sharp Class dragon that first appeared in Dragons: Race to the Edge.
Official Description[]
“ | Despite their relatively small size, Grim Gnashers love nothing more than to sink their thousands of teeth into weaker dragons. Sneaky and opportunistic, Grim Gnashers circle above their injured prey like carrion birds. Even though they hunt in packs, Grim Gnashers prefer to feast on a dragon that can't defend itself, rather than take on a healthy dragon. Yet Grim Gnashers are just as deadly with their long-range attacks. Possessing a shark-like ability to regenerate row after row of sharp teeth, these dragons spit out fiery blasts of fangs with remarkable precision and accuracy. But perhaps the most dangerous thing about Grim Gnashers is their ability to plan and communicate with each other to outsmart their quarry. |
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— Dragonpedia |
“ | These Sharp Class dragons live off the dragons which arrive on Vanaheim. Using their unique ability to blast razor-sharp darts made of their teeth, Grim Gnashers hunt down sick dragons and the Sentinels who protect this sacred island. While not the friendliest of dragons, Grim Gnashers live in packs and work well with others. The Alpha of the group is easy to spot by its red wings and stripes, as opposed to the regular Grim Gnashers’ purple hue. |
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— School of Dragons Website[1] |
“ | The most dangerous thing about Grim Gnashers is their ability to plan and communicate with each other to outsmart their quarry. They circle above their injured prey like carrion birds. | ” |
— World of Dragons |
“ | Grim Gnashers are aptly named - they prey upon the weak, dying dragons of Vanaheim. But don't be too quick to vilify them, its all part of the circle of life. Grim Gnashers fight dirty. They always prefer taking on an injured, helpless, or otherwise weakened Dragons. When together in packs they are not to be underestimated. |
” |
— Dragons: Rise of Berk |
Physical Appearance[]
Egg[]
The Grim Gnasher egg in School of Dragons is oval and has a dark color. It has scale-like patterns that are red, yellow and pale purple, similar to the colors of an adult. It is covered in spikes, for defense purposes.
In Rise of Berk, the egg appears to be almost identical in appearance to the one from School of Dragons.
Hatchling to Adult[]
Grim Gnashers somewhat resemble Grapple Grounders. They have serpentine necks with heavily built chests and abdomens, a small head and four legs. They have three main sets of horns on their heads, complemented by more along their necks and backs. In addition, they have a long nasal horn and a distinct under-bite with rows of small, extremely sharp teeth, giving them a sinister appearance. Covered with prominent, iridescent purple scales, they have a paler underbelly but more vibrant coloration on their backs and wings.
Alpha Grim Gnashers have purple scales, red stripes on their back, and red wings that differentiate themselves from the rest of their pack.
Titan Wing[]
Titan Wing Grim Gnashers, as revealed in School of Dragons, have similar coloration patterns as the Broad Wing stage — a solid base color with another color along the back. Titan Wing Grim Gnashers have the same body structure as adults but sport larger and thicker spikes and horns. The largest pair of horns on the head is reminiscent of those of a longhorn cattle or another type of bovine.
Abilities[]
Regenerating Teeth[]
Much like sharks, Grim Gnashers have the ability to shed and regenerate as many rows of teeth as they need to in their lifetime. They are said to have a thousand teeth. Furthermore, they can attack by shooting them in their blasts with extreme accuracy. These tooth blasts can also go quite a distance, and deal a good amount of damage, with enough force to sink into solid rock.
Teamwork and Communication[]
Their remarkable communication skills are the core of their extraordinary teamwork. They are able to plan and communicate to plot against their prey. As such, they tend to hunt in packs and ambush their prey. Similar to the Speed Stingers, and the Night Terrors, the Grim Gnashers have a leader (or an Alpha) whose orders they follow.
Speed and Agility[]
Because of their small size, Grim Gnashers are very fast and agile dragons that are able to swiftly ambush their prey as well as evade attacks from larger dragons.
Endurance and Stamina[]
Grim Gnashers were able to endure attacks from larger dragons. The leader was able to take a hit from an Night Fury’s blast in the wing and still able to fly.
Firepower[]
As shown in School of Dragons and Dragons: Rise of Berk, along with its teeth darts, the Grim Gnasher is also able to shoot powerful blasts of fire. The fire takes the form of a blue stream or green fireball. However, it prefers to use its teeth, as they require less energy and have a better accuracy than the fire.
Slitherwing Venom Immunity[]
Grim Gnashers are somehow immune to the lental venom produced by Slitherwings.
Stealth[]
Some Grim Gnasher individuals, such as Dawnbite, posses specific coloration on their bodies that enables them to blend in with the early morning sunlight, preventing their ill, dying or elderly prey from seeing them.
Singing[]
As mentioned in Toadlich’s description, Grim Gnashers can sing a chorus known as 'the Deadman's lament' as they swarms over their unfortunate victims.
Weaknesses[]
Leader and Pack Dependency[]
Their strength is through their numbers. One Grim Gnasher alone isn’t enough to almost get captured or killed. They are also extremely vulnerable when they are by themselves. Like many small dragons with a leader, if the Lead Grim Gnasher is captured then it would render the others completely defenseless.
Hard Surface[]
Like many other Sharp Class dragons, Grim Gnashers' sharp teeth are unable to penetrate through the hard surfaces of some material or dragons like a Triple Stryke's defensive plates or the Sentinels' rock skin, as shown in "Searching for Oswald... and Chicken".
Sentinels[]
The Grim Gnashers that attack Vanaheim are shown that only the Sentinels are the only dragons powerful enough to stop the Grim Gnashers, due to encountering every dragon they seen. One Sentinel is enough to drive them away with a wing blast.
Behavior and Personality[]
Grim Gnashers are scheming and cunning predators that tend to plot against their prey. Furthermore, they exploit the weaknesses of the old and sick dragons of Vanaheim, a divine funeral ground for dragons to spend their last days. This behavior is likened to that of a vulture who circle weak prey and consume carrion. As Sentinels guard Vanaheim and both the dead and elderly/dying dragons, Grim Gnashers have become their enemies since they are taking advantage of a ready food source.
While the Grim Gnashers appear to be villainized, in a functioning ecosystem, these dragons are an important part of removing weak animals and, presumably, cleaning up carrion, allowing the food cycle to continue, just as real-life scavengers do.
Grim Gnashers work in packs like other creatures such as wolves. There is a pack leader or Alpha, who has a red back and wings to distinguish it from other pack members.
Comparative Statistics[]
Ultimate Book of Dragons |
Guide to Dragons Books |
Dragonpedia | Dragonpedia Stat Cards |
World of Dragons |
School of Dragons |
Other | |||||||
CLASS | Sharp | Sharp | |||||||||||
SIZE | 10 feet | 10 feet | |||||||||||
WINGSPAN | 14 feet | ||||||||||||
WEIGHT | 400 lbs | ||||||||||||
ATTACK | 10 | 10 | |||||||||||
SPEED | 12 | 12 | 8 | ||||||||||
ARMOR | 7 | 7 | |||||||||||
FIRE POWER | 9 | 9 | 6.9 | ||||||||||
SHOT LIMIT | 5 | 5 | 5 | ||||||||||
VENOM | 0 | 0 | |||||||||||
JAW STRENGTH | 12 | 12 | |||||||||||
STEALTH | 7 | 7 |
Appearances[]
Dragons: Race to the Edge[]
Season 5[]
Grim Gnashers are introduced in the episode, "Searching for Oswald... and Chicken". Hiccup and Fishlegs return to Vanaheim, along with Dagur, following up on clues from Oswald's Diary. They encounter the Grim Gnashers there, a predatory dragon-eating species preying on the weak and dying dragons on the island. They also find out that Oswald had made it his mission to assist the Sentinels protecting the ailing dragons from these predators. There was also a diagram of a Grim Gnasher on a wall in Oswald's hut in Vanaheim.
Season 6[]
Grim Gnashers return in “Guardians of Vanaheim”, not long after Dragon Flyers attacked and incapacitated the Sentinels. The Grim Gnashers return and make their presence clear after they seemingly kill and devour a Flyer that has been captured by the Dragon Riders while trying to escape with a Dragon Eye lens. The Grim Gnashers then make their move towards the hibernating Sentinels when Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Barf and Belch start attacking them. Knowing that the Sentinels are the only ones powerful enough to stop the Grim Gnashers, Fishlegs and the Twins have their dragons arouse the guardian dragons by exposing them to the heat of their fire. The plan worked as the Sentinels awaken and drive off the Grim Gnashers once again.
Games[]
Dragons: Rise of Berk[]
The Grim Gnasher appeared in Rise of Berk, along with several individuals such as Gnasteeze.
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School of Dragons[]
Grim Gnashers were released in this game in March 2018 as part of the "Wrath of Stormheart" Expansion, as NPCs (non-playable characters). All individuals seen are purple in color, with red backs. They attack the player and Dragon Riders on Vanaheim and appear as opponents in some of the levels of the 'Dragon Tactics' activity. Some Grim Gnashers appear to be under the control of Nikora Stormheart, though it is not explicitly discussed.
In April 2018, the Grim Gnasher was released as a dragon players could train and ride.
Later in June 2018, School of Dragons released a titan form of the Grim Gnasher, the first to appear in the Franchise.
Trivia[]
- The official measurements given by DreamWorks Animation do not appear to be realistic when considering the relative sizes the viewer sees within the Franchise. Based on the Model Sheet for the Grim Gnasher, this dragon should have a wingspan of 11 feet 4 inches (3.469 meters).
- The Grim Gnashers' ability to shoot their teeth is possibly inspired by those of the Poison Darters or Razorwings from the How to Train Your Dragon Book series.
- Since Grim Gnashers prey on sick and dying dragons and Sentinels protect them, it is possible that the two species are natural enemies.
- The Grim Gnasher's running animation in School of Dragons greatly resembles that of a horse.
- The word Gnasher means teeth, which is fitting since they use their teeth as weapons.
- The Grim Gnasher's design resembles Cynder from "The Legend of Spyro" and "Skylanders".
References[]
Grim Gnasher uses Creative Commons Licensed content from the DreamWorks School of Dragons Wiki page Grim Gnasher. The list of authors can be found on the page revision history (view authors). |
Grim Gnasher uses Creative Commons Licensed content from the Rise of Berk Wiki page Grim Gnasher. The list of authors can be found on the page revision history (view authors). |
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