 |
| “ | Jun: "I can't believe we pulled that off. And without hurting a single dragon."
Tom: "It's all about finding the balance, and putting nature back where it belongs. These realms are safer with us here." |
” |
| — Jun and Tom celebrating |
"The Sky Torcher" is the seventh and final episode of the third season of Dragons: The Nine Realms.
Overview[]
| “ | The Sky Torcher and Flame Throwers invade the Crystal Realm; Tom must conquer his demons and bond with the Fault Ripper to defeat the Sky Torcher. | ” |
| — Rotten Tomatoes[1] |
Plot[]
Once again, Tom is haunted by nightmares of accidentally hurting, and possibly killing, the Fault Ripper. While having breakfast, Tom voiced his concern about nightmares to Olivia, but tells him to not worry too much about it. He then asked if there are any recent earthquakes, to which she said no since they successfully collapsed the fault.
In the dragon's lair, still feeling guilty, Tom has decided that he wants check on the Fault Ripper, but D'Angelo and Jun try to talk him out of it since they believe that Tom didn't do anything wrong because he had no other choice. Alex then alerts everyone that all the sensors were being triggered in the Crystal Realm, and they immediately go to investigate. Meanwhile, Olivia and Sledkin investigate a sinkhole near ICARIS station, with Sledkin believing there may be more crystals there. They are quickly halted by Buzzsaw, who owns the land, but decides to let them investigate if they give in to his demands.
Upon arriving, the riders witness several Crystal Realm dragons running way frightened. They then see a small gang of Flame Throwers, which they assume are the reason for driving out the resident dragons. The riders follow the Flame Thrower gang to the crystal spire and discover lava spewing from the Fire Realm into the crystal realm. Then from the pool of lava, a giant white dragon, the Sky Torcher, reveals itself. After seeing it interact with the Flame Thrower pack, D'Angelo realized that they're the Sky Torcher's minions, which make Tom realize that the Flame Throwers that invaded the Crystal Realm were scouts looking for new territory for the Sky Torcher. Tom insists on staying to fight the giant dragon, but after seeing its size and firepower, the riders are forced to retreat. Recuperating in the dragon's lair, Tom comes up with a plan to save the Crystal Realm from the Sky Torcher. D'Angelo and the other riders are tasked to gather injured Crystal Realm dragons, while Tom tries to find "someone" who can help them drain the magma. When Tom and Thunder prepare to head down to the bottom of the fissure, Jun and Wu and Wei insist on coming with them because she knew that Tom was talking about the Fault Ripper, and that they might need back up.
Back at the sinkhole, Sledkin lets Buzzsaw oversee their activities so that he won't report them about trespassing on his land. Buzzsaw begins setting up a trap for the "Lightning Bird" and accuses them of being responsible for it.
Tom and Jun arrive at the bottom of the fissure. They find a giant hole revealing that the Fault Ripper is alive and well, and they immediately enter to find the giant dragon. In the Crystal Realm, while D'Angelo is tending to some injured dragons brought by Alex and Eugene, they hear the Sky Torcher coming and prepare themselves. Tom, Thunder, Jun, and Wu and Wei were able to find the Fault Ripper sleeping inside but was immediately woken up by Tom's voice. When Tom tries to ask him for help, the Fault Ripper is angered by their presence, and quickly chases Tom, Jun, and their dragons. Olivia and Sledkin leave Buzzsaw's property, believing him to by dangerous lunatic, but while monologuing to himself about capturing the Lightning Bird, Buzzsaw trips on a rock and is accidentally caught in his own net trap, and then falls into the sinkhole.
Despite Jun's plea to let the Fault Ripper be and find another way to drain the magma, Tom still believes that the dragon is their only chance of winning and continues to try to get through to him. But when Thunder attacks at the Fault Ripper, the giant dragon quickly reacts with fear. Tom immediately realizes that the Fault Ripper remembered what they did to him and was just scared of them, traumatized by their last encounter. Tom stops Thunder from attacking, apologizes to the Fault Ripper for what he had done, and explains he understands the dragon now, promising to never hurt him again. Tom once again asked for the Fault Ripper's help, to which he accepts by placing his snout on Tom's hand.
Back in the Crystal Realm, just as the other riders were about to lose hope, Tom and Jun finally arrive with the Fault Ripper, but Tom insists that he is not going to fight, but to simply drain the magma away. With the riders distracting the Sky Torcher and Flame Throwers, the Fault Ripper quickly gets to work in draining the magma by tunnelling. After chasing riders throughout the Crystal Realm, the Sky Torcher corners them in another part of the realm. But before the Sky Torcher makes his move, the Fault Ripper shows up, and has summoned all the Crystal Realm dragons to help the dragon riders fight back against the giant invading dragon. With Tom's guidance, the Fault Ripper creates a new path to the Fire Realm, forcing the Sky Torcher and his Flame Thrower army back to their home realm, and then destroys the entrance using his powerful roar. Having won the battle without hurting any dragons, Tom concludes that the realms are safer in their hands. But just before they leave, Tom notices a small chamber that was opened up by the Fault Ripper's digging. And inside, he discovers a capsule with the Strike Class symbol on it, which could finally give him about answer his connection with Thunder and the dragons.
Meanwhile, Buzzsaw, who fell in the sinkhole, notices snow and light coming from the end of the tunnel. He then peaks through a small hole and discovers that there is an ice realm filled with dragons on the other side. While shouting about how he was right, he suddenly loses his footing, and accidentally enters into the new realm.
Characters[]
Humans[]
- Tom Kullersen voiced by Jeremy Shada
- Jun Wong voiced by Ashley Liao
- D'Angelo Baker voiced by Marcus Scribner
- Alexandra Gonzalez voiced by Aimee Garcia
- Eugene Wong voiced by Vincent Tong
- Buzzsaw voiced by Haley Joel Osment
- Olivia Kullersen voiced by Julia Stiles
- Wilma Sledkin voiced by Carrie Keranen
Dragons[]
Dragon Species[]
- Night Light
- Mist Twister
- Gembreaker
- Featherhide
- Deadly Spinner
- Fault Ripper
- Sky Torcher
- Flame Thrower
- Terrible Terror
- Razorwhip
Locations[]
- Kullersen Fissure
- ICARIS
- Tom's Dome
- Rakke Town
- Dragon's Lair
- Hidden World
- Crystal Realm
- The Lava Fountain
- Fire Realm (mentioned)
- Ice Realm
- Crystal Realm
Objects[]
Flora and Fauna[]
Trivia[]
- The introduction of a mysterious capsule bearing the Dragon Training Academy insignia in this episode is an inconsistency since no humans were supposed to have ever entered the Hidden World after the events of the third film.
- Eugene Wong and Webmaster appear in the opening sequence for the first time.
- This episode confirms that the Fault Ripper survived the battle with the Dragon Club in its namesake episode in season 1.
- When Tom finds the canister with the Night Fury crest, a remix of the "Flight" motif used repeatedly throughout the How to Train Your Dragon trilogy and previous TV series can be heard.
- This episode marks the debut of the third realm of the Hidden World, the Ice Realm.
- This episode marks the first time in which a human who isn't a Dragon Rider (Buzzsaw) journeys to the Hidden World onscreen.
- The Sky Torcher’s attack on the Crystal Realm in this episode, bears a number of references to the fabled Norse legend of Ragnarök, during which Surtur, the ruler of Muspelheim, the Norse realm of fire, attempts to enflame the nine realms of Norse cosmology with an army of Fire Jotun.
- The Fire Realm is seemingly based off of Muspelheim, the realm of fire and lava in Norse myth.
- The Sky Torcher seems to draw reference from Surtr, being seemingly the ruling dragon of the Fire Realm who attempts to lay waist to the Crystal Realm through fire and lava, just as Surtr does in mythology.
- The Flame Throwers appear to take on the role of Surtr’s army of fire Jotun, who aid their master in laying waste to the Nine Realms.
- The Dragon Club appear to take on the role of the Æsir, the main pantheon of Norse gods that oppose the forces of Surtr at Ragnarök.
