“ | You never cease to amaze me, bud. Thank you. [src] | ” |
— Hiccup |
Hiccup and Toothless have an exceedingly tight bond that has gotten stronger as the Franchise continues. Both Hiccup and Toothless lead Berk as leaders of their respective species. They first met in the first film of the franchise, and have been featured in every show and film since.
Hiccup and Toothless love each other like brothers and would give their own life to protect the other one.
First Meeting and Forging a Bond[]
Hiccup's first encounter with Toothless is a contrast to what happens later. Hiccup aims his catapult and is looking for something to shoot at (specifically, the Night Fury) when Toothless flies across and is briefly silhouetted against the starry night sky. Hiccup roughly gauges where the dragon would be in his flight trajectory before shooting, and successfully strikes the dragon mid-flight, as evidenced by the roar and howl he emitted while visibly plummeting toward the ground. Though Hiccup was ecstatic at having finally shot down a dragon, and a Night Fury no less (a species he had himself aspired to take down for a while), no one else was present to witness his success, besides a less-than-friendly Monstrous Nightmare, much to Hiccup's disappointment and imminent horror.
He later goes in search of the dragon he shot down, experiencing a lack of success that he vocalizes in frustration, right before he finally stumbles upon his first clue of where the dragon might be. Approaching the crash site carefully, albeit in some haste, he follows the trail the Night Fury made on the ground during the crash landing before suddenly spotting the dragon's sprawled, restrained form over a mound and ducking in shock. In a series of tense moments, he slowly works up the courage to first expose himself slightly to look at the scaled beast, before slowly approaching it after drawing his knife and defensively moving toward the incapacitated reptile. After peering around a rock he'd hidden behind that obscured proper vision of the Night Fury, he realizes that the bola had completely immobilized the dragon (who initially appears dead or unconscious), and his ecstasy finds him once again as he believes his tribe will finally think highly of him, and take him seriously. In his celebratory moment, he places his foot proudly on the Night Fury's shoulder while proclaiming that he had "brought down this mighty beast", before the dragon, still very much alive and conscious, shrugs him off with a loud, somewhat pained grunt, putting the boy on the defensive again as he realizes that the dragon may yet pose a threat. As he brings his knife to bear once more, he cautiously approaches once again, and this time finds the dragon peering at him out of the one eye facing him.
The timid teen nervously looks back at the dragon, before slowly working up and building up the courage and bloodlust necessary to use the knife on his catch, telling the waiting reptile (and mostly himself) that he would cut out his heart and take it to his father, and that he was a Viking, feeling the need to repeat the last point in a more aggressive tone before he raises the knife over his head. He looks back at the dragon one last time; the beast has not taken his eye off him. Hiccup closed his eyes, raises the knife over his head and grits his teeth once more. The Night Fury also closes his eyes, letting his head drop in despair as he awaits the killing blow... which never comes.
Unable to bring himself to slay the beast, Hiccup looks at the dragon, still awaiting his fateful end, before expressing disappointment in himself at having even shot him down in the first place, realizing that he didn't have it in himself to kill him. As he walks away dejectedly, he pauses and looks back at the downed beast, realizing how helpless he was in his shackles, still awaiting his end. The Night Fury's eyes suddenly open as he hears a cutting sound to his side, and looks to his left as he realizes that Hiccup is cutting away his restraints. His bound limbs come free, and in an instant he pounces on the boy, pinning him to the rock behind by his neck and chest, sending the latter into a panicked state as he looks up at the dragon, who gazes back sharply through narrowed pupils as he regards his former captor. As the intimidated teen squirms in terror, the dragon looks on for a second more, rears up and takes his foot off the boy's torso as he emits a loud, fearsome roar right in his face, turns, and leaps out of the clearing and into the undergrowth, attempting to take flight as he does, but crashing into a rock and a few other things as he fails to do so, disappearing from sight altogether. A very shocked and spooked Hiccup turns to make his way back (but not before comically collapsing once out of sheer relief and recovery from his terror).
The next morning, following the teens' first dragon-slaying class, the course of which very nearly saw Hiccup blasted to death by the arena's Gronckle before being saved by Gobber, the students (and Hiccup in particular) are warned by the blacksmith that a dragon will always, always go for the kill. Later, Hiccup revisits the site of the Night Fury crash, picking up one of the bolas on the ground as he wonders out aloud why the dragon he freed didn't do the same. His curiosity getting the better of him, he makes his way into the forest, in the direction the dragon disappeared in, eventually finding himself in a niche opening out into a large, secluded, naturally formed pit-like clearing with high rock walls and a lake in the middle of it called the Cove. He looks in and sees no sign of the dragon inside, remarking in disappointment that it was stupid to even try and find him again, before some black dragon scales on the floor of the niche draw his attention, and he crouches down to look at them. As he picks one up and examines it, the dragon suddenly bursts upward from the floor of the pit (previously concealed by the peripheral blind spot of the niche) toward the top of the wall, right in front of the opening the boy is in, causing him to fall backward in shock and fear. The Night Fury attempts to scramble onto the top of the wall but slides back down as he haplessly claws at the rock, unable to find purchase, before attempting to avert a hard, awkward landing by leaping off the rock and pivoting to glide back toward the ground, crashing nonetheless as he nears it. The inquisitive teen moves out of the niche and jumps onto a sloping rock platform just below it (nearly sliding off and into the pit in the process), trying to get a closer look.
Hiccup takes the opportunity to make a quick (and surprisingly detailed) sketch of the dragon in his book as he observes him attempting to take flight and escape the clearing several times, each attempt culminating in failure. It is then that the boy wonders why the Night Fury doesn't simply fly away, realizing as the dragon fires off a shot into the ground nearby in exasperation, that one of the reptile's tail fins is missing, likely lost during his crash landing in the forest. He accordingly smudges out the corresponding tail fin in his sketch, surmising that both fins must be required in order for the creature to achieve steady flight. This theory appears confirmed as the dragon attempts flight once more, his tail stalling out and ruining his flight-form mid-air, dropping him onto the ground once again. As the Night Fury lays there exhausted and frustrated, a fish flops up and back into the lake nearby, and the dragon gets up to try and catch himself some food. He plunges his face into the water, hoping to snag one of the fish swimming around near the surface in his jaws, but fails to do so. Hiccup, watching from above at the other end of the pit, feels sorry for him, and accidentally drops his stylus into the clearing. It bounces off some of the rocks, catching the reptile's attention, and causes him to look up. He recognizes the boy, and they both warily look at one another out of curiosity.
Book of Dragons[]
First Snoggletog Together[]
Like any other scene, Hiccup and Toothless' friendship always stand out. Toothless wakes up Hiccup every day for their early morning flight by jumping on the roof, and they are seen to fly with each other, soaring the Berkian skies. When Hiccup's helmet is knocked into the sea by the migrating dragon flock, Toothless dives to catch it, knowing how much it means to his rider, but is stopped by Hiccup, who was worried by the flock and wanted to return to Berk quickly. When the dragons all leave for the Rookery, Hiccup notices that Toothless is unable to come and go like the other dragons. With his friend's best interests in mind, he crafts the dragon a mechanical prosthetic tail fluke that opens and closes simultaneously with his right one. At first, Toothless lashes his tail, unfamiliar with the feel of the new fin, before realizing that he can now control it himself. His pupils narrow into slits, and he promptly takes off. Hiccup spends the next three days in a restless state, both worried for Toothless and anxious that he might have left for good. He rushes outside when he hears banging on the roof, thinking it to be a returned Toothless, but is disappointed to find his father putting up decorations.
When Toothless returns, Hiccup is overjoyed, hugging the dragon around the neck, to which his companion is surprised and unsure how to react to. Then Toothless drops an object on Hiccup's head- his helmet, sopping wet with saliva. It is then revealed that Toothless had spent the whole time looking for is best bud's helmet. Later, Hiccup goes to ride Toothless, only to find that the dragon has brought out the old prosthetic tail fin and saddle. Hiccup remarks that Toothless doesn't need him to operate his tail fin to fly, but Toothless dodges away, and resorts to slamming his tail into the ground until the new prosthetic is destroyed. The message is clear: he wants to fly with Hiccup, or not at all. Toothless wished to be in perfect harmony with Hiccup, both of them depending on the other if they wanted to touch the skies. Later, Hiccup states that while he gave Toothless a 'pretty great gift', the dragon had given him a better one.
Learning to Work as a Team[]
In the episode "The Terrible Twos", Hiccup learns to listen more attentively to what Toothless tries to tell him. Hiccup finds a baby Typhoomerang in the woods named Torch. He also brings him home and shares Toothless' food and bed with him. Toothless behaves strangely, which Hiccup interprets as jealousy and wrongly attributes some broken items and a fire to Toothless. Until he can figure out a way for Toothless and Torch to get along, Hiccup leaves Toothless in the Cove where he can't leave. In truth, Toothless does display a little jealousy due to Torch's juvenile antics such as eating all of his food and stealing his bed without his consent. Ultimately Hiccup and Toothless are reunited and Hiccup apologizes for misunderstanding his dragon.
Hiccup is forced to leave Toothless on Dragon Island along with the rest of the dragons in "In Dragons We Trust". The dragons are framed by Mildew for various incidences of property damage, including the destruction of the Berk Armory, which Toothless is blamed for. At this destruction, Stoick deems the dragons as too dangerous to stay on Berk. Hiccup does voice concern, but doesn't fight it due to lack of evidence. He and the Riders leave the dragons. Hiccup's and Toothless' good-bye is especially poignant, as Toothless cannot fly without Hiccup and the two repeat the iconic hand-to-nose bonding moment.
The following episode, "Alvin and the Outcasts", finds Toothless and Hiccup each pining away for the other. With the dragons and weapons gone, the Berk is vulnerable and gets attacked by Alvin the Treacherous, who is looking for the 'Dragon Conqueror'. Hiccup reveals himself, and tricks Alvin into taking him to Dragon Island where the dragons were banished to. The pair are reunited, and the dragons proceed to demonstrate just how valuable they are around Berk and defending it.
While trying to bring his father around to the 'Dragon Way' in "How to Pick Your Dragon", Hiccup lets Stoick use Toothless to fly around Berk on. Toothless doesn't protest but gets very worn out by Stoick's rough hand and many chiefly duties. Hiccup apologizes to Toothless and also exhibits some jealousy toward his father for taking 'his dragon'.
Dragons: Defenders of Berk[]
During the course of Defenders of Berk, Hiccup and Toothless keep Alvin the Treacherous from attacking and seizing Berk. Hiccup and Toothless' relationship in Defenders of Berk seems to be that of a pet and their owner. Toothless is depicted as being intelligent, though not with the almost human emotion seen in the later films.
The Eel Effect[]
Toothless is incredibly protective of Hiccup, even to the point of eating an eel for him. Hiccup goes to great lengths to procure an antidote for Toothless in this episode.
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Dawn of the Dragon Racers[]
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Dragons: Race to the Edge[]
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A Test of Friendship and Leadership[]
Hiccup and Toothless' friendship never goes unnoticed in this film. They treat each other like brothers, and they even tease each other just for fun. Hiccup cares for Toothless deeply, and Toothless loves his rider with all his heart, much like every rider to their dragon, although Hiccup and Toothless' relationship can go beyond that. Toothless is seen to save Hiccup a couple of times in this film. And it is also Hiccup who brought Toothless back to his right mind when he was in control of Drago's Alpha, and the only way to describe this is the strength of their friendship. Although, one scene in the movie showed Hiccup angry and sorrowed about Toothless, pushing him away and telling the dragon to back off, but only because Toothless was controlled by the Alpha and killed Hiccup's father, Stoick the Vast. Hiccup soon calmed down, breaking through the Alpha's control of his friend by assuring Toothless that he didn't blame him for what had happened. Toothless in return challenged the massive Bewilderbeast solely through his desire to protect Hiccup, showing that their bond is unbreakable even in the toughest of trials. As a result, both of them have become leaders of their clans.
Graphic Novels[]
Burning Midnight[]
The Serpent's Heir[]
Hiccup and Toothless are still learning about the burden of becoming leaders. When Calder plans on killing Toothless to obtain his wings, Hiccup and the other Riders manage to prevent the madman from doing so.
Dragonvine[]
During the events of Dragonvine, Toothless gets entangled and poisoned by dragonvine, a plant deadly to dragons. Toothless immediately becomes ill, and Hiccup soothes him, in tears that he might lose his friend. Fortunately, the Silkspanner dragons are both immune to dragonvine and can remove or inactivate the toxin in others. A few babies swarm over Toothless, eating away the dragonvine and healing him.
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World[]
One year after they both became leaders of their community, Hiccup and Toothless still take time to play together despite their duties while also being dragon rescuers. Hiccup relies a lot on Toothless for self-confidence. However, Toothless becomes distracted after meeting and falling in love with a white female Night Fury-like dragon, (dubbed a Light Fury by Astrid). Hiccup built a new automatic tail fin for Toothless who, this time, does not reject it, instead overjoyed to have a way to get close to his crush, who flees whenever she sees Hiccup. Yet, when leaving, he can't help but stop and look back at Hiccup with a sad look, showing he doesn't want to abandon his best friend. Later, the Berkians think Toothless will most likely not be coming back, which hurts and scares Hiccup. But, when the dragons of the Hidden World attack Hiccup and Astrid, Toothless doesn't hesitate to leave his mate to save them and bring Hiccup safe back to New Berk. When the Light Fury shows up on New Berk, Toothless convinces her to follow him toward Hiccup. This shows that perhaps Toothless never meant to leave permanently.
Sadly, Toothless and Hiccup both come to understand the time has come to separate, although none of them want to say goodbye, as shown when Toothless hugs Hiccup. This was the moment where Hiccup said for the first time that he loves Toothless. The human world is just too dangerous for dragons and Toothless, as the Alpha, belongs in the Hidden World. Toothless is the last dragon to leave and not without a last sad look at Hiccup.
About a decade later, Hiccup reunites with Toothless again. However, Toothless is now wild again and doesn't recognize Hiccup until he sniffs the man's hand. He then immediately jumps on Hiccup and licks him, extremely happy and even let Hiccup's children pet him. Toothless and Hiccup then take a ride together in the sky, now reunited, with their respective families. This shows that despite their separation, their friendship is still alive and well.
Quotes[]
Films and Shorts[]
“ | Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile. [src] | ” |
“ |
|
” |
“ | I couldn't kill him, because he looked as frightened as I was. I looked at him, and I saw myself. [src] | ” |
“ | If something goes wrong... just make sure they don't find Toothless. [src] | ” |
“ | Bad dragon! Very bad dragon! You scared me to death. Don't ever stay away that long again, and what is in your mouth? (Toothless puts Hiccup's now spit covered helmet on his head) Yeah, you found my helmet. What-hey! You found my helmet! That's where you've been? Buddy, thank you! You are amazing! [src] |
” |
“ | That year, I gave my best friend a pretty great gift. He gave me a better one. | ” |
— Gift of the Night Fury - referring to Toothless choosing Hiccup's friendship over freedom. |
“ | Toothless didn't just become my friend. He became the friend who gave me my purpose. [src] | ” |
“ | I guess you and I are stuck together now. [src] | ” |
“ | You never cease to amaze me, bud. You know that, right? [src] | ” |
“ | "What do you think, bud? You wanna give this another shot?" (Toothless groans skeptically) "Toothless! It'll be fine." [src] |
” |
“ | "Oh, come on. You wouldn't hurt a one-legged—AHH!" (Toothless laughs) "You're right! You're right! You win! You win!" [src] |
” |
“ | "He's down! Ah, and it's ugly! Dragons and Vikings, enemies again, locked in combat to the bitter..." (Toothless pins Hiccup, who moans in mock pain. Toothless then licks him repeatedly) "Ugh! C'mon!" (jumps to his feet and wipes the drool off his clothes) "You KNOW that doesn't wash out!" (Toothless laughs and Hiccup playfully flicks the excess drool at him) [src] |
” |
“ | Don’t worry, bud. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise. [src] | ” |
“ | Toothless! You really had me worried there, bud. [src] | ” |
“ | It wasn't your fault, bud. They made you do it. You’d never hurt him. You’d never hurt me! Please. You are my best friend, bud. My best friend. [src] | ” |
“ | We can do this. You and me. As one. [src] | ” |
“ | ” | |
“ | You never cease to amaze me, bud. Thank you. [src] | ” |
“ | I will never give him up. [src] | ” |
— Hiccup, to Grimmel |
“ | It's you and me, bud. Always. [src] | ” |
“ | You're right bud, it's time. You've looked after us long enough, time to look after yourself. | ” |
Cast[]
“ | Toothless is Hiccup's best friend, y'know, not to take away from any of the humans in his life, but he just, they have a symbiotic relationship. They need each other. And despite the fact that they're two completely different species, they have more in common with each other than they do probably with their respective species. They're both kinda odd birds, outcasts, and they both had some work done. There's no Hiccup without Toothless. | ” |
— Jay Baruchel on Hiccup and Toothless[1] |
Trivia[]
- Hiccup and Toothless' relationship is close because Toothless is the same age as Hiccup, as revealed by Valka in the second film.
- Ever since the first film, the two share many things in common:
- Hiccup loses his left foot in The Battle of The Red Death, and Toothless loses his left tail fin.
- They both become leaders following the previous leaders' demises and the villains' defeats. Hiccup being the Berkian Chief and Toothless being the Alpha Dragon.
- They both have marital relationships with blue-eyed females - Hiccup with Astrid and Toothless with the Light Fury.
References[]
- ↑ How To Train Your Dragon 2: JAY BARUCHEL "Hiccup" On Set Movie Interview. (Date Posted - May 16, 2014). YouTube. Retrieved August 6, 2018.