Dragons are mythical creatures that have universally enraptured humans across the globe for millennia. Every nation seems to have its own dragon myths in terms of behavior, appearance, and abilities. Unsurprisingly, powerful dragons have made many appearances in media throughout the years with anime being one such medium. With such a rich pool of ideas to draw from, dragons in anime range from aggressively violent to mystically cooperative, and sometimes somewhere in between.
Anime dragons might be evil, good-natured, or neutral, allowing for a wide range of interactions with the humans who live alongside them in anime. Whether they're small or large, patient or hot-tempered, there is a multitude of dragons in anime that are undoubtedly cool.
10 Haku Saved Chihiro From An Eternity At Yubaba's Bath House (Spirited Away)
Although he was the spirit of the Kohaku River, Haku forgot his true name and ended up as Yubaba's slave in Spirited Away. He appeared to help Chihiro on more than one occasion despite his reputation and warnings from other characters. But Chihiro trusted him in spite of the dangers and eventually remembered that he was a river guardian who saved her from drowning when she was younger. Haku possessed mysterious powers stemming from his status as a river spirit, including the ability to transform into a white dragon.
9 Dragonite Was One Of The Original Strongest Pokémon
With a Pokédex bulging under the weight of 898 entries, it might be easy to overlook Dragonite in Pokémon's original 151 species. But any Pokémon fan who has experienced the original games and anime will remember Dragonite's legendary status as one of the rarest and most fearsome Pokémon in the Kanto region. It may look a bit silly with its goofy orange appearance, but its looks are deceiving. Dragonite is known for both its kindness toward humans and its destructiveness when its natural habitat is being threatened.
8 Mega Charizard X Is The Dragon Form Charizard Deserves (Pokémon)
New evolution methods over the years in the Pokémon franchise have resulted in some truly impressive Pokémon, but Charizard's Mega Evolution is something fans have wanted for a long time. Charizard's ordinary appearance makes it look like a dragon, but Charizard lacks the Dragon typing.
Once it Mega Evolves into Mega Charizard X, however, its Flying sub-type is replaced with Dragon, making it the Fire/Dragon-type Pokémon fans have wanted for years. Changing its color scheme from orange to black with blue flames also gives Mega Charizard X a cooler appearance than its original form.
7 Kaido Is Known As The World's Strongest Creature (One Piece)
While he's undeniably a villainous pirate with questionable morality, Kaido is nevertheless an awe-inspiring figure in One Piece. He's not strictly a dragon, but after eating the Mythical Zoan fruit Uo Uo no Mi, Model: Seiryu, Kaido has gained the ability to become a dragon. Kaido's dragon form is one of the largest known beast forms in the One Piece universe, and his hybrid beast form is similarly formidable. Although he is prone to cruelty, Kaido has his own sense of honor that respects power over all else.
6 Shenron Respectfully Grants Wishes (Dragon Ball)
When all seven Earth Dragon Balls are collected in the Dragon Ball franchise, the Eternal Dragon Shenron is summoned to grant any wish within its power. Like most magical wish-granting entities, Shenron is limited in what he can do. He can't kill anyone stronger than his creator, for example, and he's unable to grant the same wish more than once. One of the traits that make Shenron so cool is his polite demeanor despite being such a large and powerful creature. Shenron is careful to warn his summoners to be particular and deliberate with their wishes, lest they receive an outcome they weren't expecting.
5 Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon Is Formidable In Appearance & Card Effects (Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL)
As Kite Tenjo's ace card in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon is understandably fearsome. Rather than appearing as an ordinary dragon, Galaxy-Eyes has an ethereal and almost robotic appearance. Its wings and body seem to be made of light, which is accentuated by its stylish armor. Galaxy-Eyes' card effect is also pretty impressive. It allows Kite to banish monsters that Galaxy-Eyes battles and send their Xyz Materials to the Graveyard if it's an Xyz monster. All cards banished are Special Summoned at the end of the Battle Phase, and Galaxy-Eyes' attack is increased by 500 per each Xyz Material sent to the Graveyard.
4 Igneel Built A Touching Relationship With Natsu (Fairy Tail)
Besides looking cool, Igneel also proves to be an inspiring father figure for Natsu Dragneel in Fairy Tail. Igneel is the Fire Dragon King and has both the looks and power to back up his title. He's a strong, muscular dragon with battle scars and impressive fire magic, the latter of which he trains Natsu to use.
Igneel's major goal is to defeat the evil dragon Acnologia, but the time he spends with Natsu is precious to him and he makes sure to let Natsu know before passing away.
3 Tohru Is One Of The Strongest Chaos Dragons In Existence (Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid)
Tohru's human form in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid can be very misleading. Tohru is actually a massive, powerful Chaos Faction dragon who once warred with humans as a matter of course. But after Tohru meets Kobayashi and falls in love with her, Tohru allows herself to be tamed and takes on the appearance of an ordinary maid. Her dragon form is capable of several impressive feats, including portal teleportation and colossal bursts of flame that destroy everything in its wake.
2 Fafnir's Otaku Hobbies Make Him Cool In A Different Way (Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid)
While Fafnir is undoubtedly one of the strongest dragons in Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid who even Tohru hasn't bested one-on-one, Fafnir's otaku hobbies add another layer to his personality. As another dragon in the Chaos Faction, Fafnir is distrustful of humans since they would often try stealing his guarded treasure in the past. But after meeting Kobayashi's long-time friend, Makoto Takiya, Fafnir decides to give humans another chance and became his roommate. Spending time with Takiya introduces Fafnir to otaku hobbies such as online gaming, which is a different kind of cool for a dragon.
1 Blue-Eyes White Dragon Is The Original Yu-Gi-Oh! Dragon
Dragon-type monsters have historically served as some of Yu-Gi-Oh!'s strongest monster cards, but Blue-Eyes White Dragon might be what started it all. Blue-Eyes is Seto Kaiba's ace card, and it plays an important role in the storyline of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters anime. Since then, Blue-Eyes White Dragon has enjoyed widespread popularity in the trading card game and has received impressive deck support over the years. It's also evolved into other versions of Blue-Eyes that are even stronger than the original, such as Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.