Ruined Dragon
| Ruined Dragon | |
|---|---|
 The Ruined Dragon in Super Mario Odyssey. | |
| Species | Dragon |
| First appearance | Super Mario Odyssey (2017) |
- “Let's see you survive this, plumber boy!”
- —Bowser, Super Mario Odyssey
The Ruined Dragon, also referred to as the Lord of Lightning, is a giant dark purple dragon encountered in the Ruined Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey. According to Crumbleden's brochure, it is thought that the altar with the shape of his head in said location was built to talk to him or possibly confront him, with it being made to restrain the lightning. It is also implied that he is the one responsible for reducing Crumbleden to ruins. His Japanese name, "Crumbleden Dragon", indicates that the "Ruined" term in his name refers to the place he lives in rather than his physical condition.
When first meeting him, the Ruined Dragon is seen wearing a golden samurai helmet featuring the shape of Bowser's head on it, as well as various horns and a black cloth with golden motifs similar to the ones seen in Bowser's Kingdom, as a way to introduce the upcoming kingdom.[1] After being defeated, the Ruined Dragon no longer wears said helmet.
Unlike other bosses, the dragon does not explode after being defeated and instead rests hanging on the tower of Crumbleden. If Mario gets on the plaza on top of it, he follows Mario with his eyes and closes them if Mario throws Cappy at them, and can even be spoken with, though he will only state that he is tired. After activating the Moon Rock, a Power Moon can also be obtained by throwing Cappy at the tip of his upper right horn.
Much like the T-Rex and Sphynx, the Ruined Dragon was designed as a standard dragon to evoke surprise,[2] with detailed textures and very minimal cartoonish exaggeration.
Battle[edit]
The Ruined Dragon uses two types of attacks: the first one are purple lightning bolts from his mouth that hits the ground in front of him, generating various rolling spiked wheels made of electricity that are able to slightly change direction to chase Mario until they fall off the area where the battle is fought. The more the Ruined Dragon is hit, the more spiked wheels are generated through this method. The second consists in electrifying his head and slamming the ground with it, generating various purple electrical streams that diffuse in all direction and have to be avoided. Like in the case of the spiked wheels, the more the dragon is hit, the denser the streams are and thus the greater is their coverage of the surrounding area. The pattern which they are shaped gets more complicated. A few seconds after the second attack, the head stops being electrified and the dragon is forced to rest, allowing Mario to jump on his head and use Cappy to remove various sword-shaped pins on his head that keep a crown shaped after Bowser's head into place. Each time a pin is removed, a purple red-eyed Burrbo comes out from where the pin was stuck and tries to hit Mario with electricity. Once all pins are removed, the crown disappears and Mario is able to Ground Pound a glowing spot on his head to hit him. Every time he is hit, the number of pins keeping the crown in place increases. Once he is hit for the third time, he faints, and leaves a Multi Moon that is needed for the Odyssey to be repaired.
The rematch in Peach's Castle is mostly the same, but the arena is slippery. Also, the streams of electricity the dragon creates after slamming the ground with his head now appear in a vertical zigzag pattern, meaning Mario must jump over some areas and run under others.
Quotes[edit]
- "So...tired..." - (When speaking to him after he is defeated) Super Mario Odyssey
Gallery[edit]
Artwork[edit]
Group artwork for the party in order to welcome the candidate staff of 1-UP Studio in 2019
Screenshots[edit]
The spiked wheels' attack of the Ruined Dragon.
The streams' attack of the Ruined Dragon.
The streams' attack of the Ruined Dragon in the rematch.
The Ruined Dragon resting on the tower of Crumbleden.
The painting from Mushroom Kingdom to Ruined Dragon's rematch
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ホロビアドラゴン Horobia Doragon |
Crumbleden Dragon;「ドラゴン」is typically used for Western dragons |
| Chinese | 霍洛比亚龙 (Simplified) 霍洛比亞龍 (Traditional) Huòluòbǐyǎ lóng |
Crumbleden Dragon |
| Dutch | Donderdraak | Thunder Dragon |
| French | Dragolos | From Dragon (Dragon) and Colosse (Colossus) |
| German | Zappodrac | From zapping (electricity) and Drache (Dragon). |
| Italian | Drago dei Ruderi | Dragon of the Ruins |
| Korean | 폐허비아드래곤 Pyeheobia deuraegon |
Crumbleden Dragon |
| Russian | Руинный дракон Ruinnyy drakon |
Ruin Dragon |
| Spanish | Dracustio | From dragón (dragon) and mustio (withered, gloomy) |
Trivia[edit]
- The only sentence that the Ruined Dragon says, "So...tired..." is what the developer in charge of the Ruined Dragon often said when trying to find a way to make his gameplay and appearance compatible.[3]
- Because of the Ruined Dragon's massive size, his legs and tail are only seen from a distance when Mario returns to the Ruined Kingdom during subsequent visits, where they are seen dangling from the edge of the tower where Mario previously battled him.
References[edit]
- ^ Sho Murata. The Art of Super Mario Odyssey Kōshiki Settei Shiryōshū (「The Art of Super Mario Odyssey スーパーマリオオデッセイ公式設定資料集」), page 258. 「頭に侍の兜をかぶっているのは、この後に訪れる国の前振りです。」 which translates to "The fact that he's wearing a samurai helmet on his head is an introduction to the kingdom visited next."
- ^ Rikuto Yoshida. The Art of Super Mario Odyssey Kōshiki Settei Shiryōshū (「The Art of Super Mario Odyssey スーパーマリオオデッセイ公式設定資料集」), page 258. 「デザインは、驚きがシンプルに伝わるように、ティラノサウルスやスフィン・クイズと同じ方針で、「スタンダード」なドラゴンを前提に進めました。」, its translation is "Regarding his design, our policy was to evoke surprise simply by putting forward a 'standard' dragon, like with the T-Rex and Sphynx." This is also reconfirmed by Sho Murata on the same page:「オリジナリティ全開のドラゴンにするのではなく、みんなが思う「ザ・ドラゴン」という印象になるようにデザインしました。」, which can be translated as "Rather than going full throttle with originality, we decided to design him after the impression of "the" dragon that everyone thinks of."
- ^ Rikuto Yoshida. The Art of Super Mario Odyssey Kōshiki Settei Shiryōshū (「The Art of Super Mario Odyssey スーパーマリオオデッセイ公式設定資料集」), page 258. 「遊びと見た目を両立させるのが大変なボスだったので、担当者は「ああー疲れた…」とよく漏らしていましたが、終盤の良いアクセントになっているのではと思います。」, which translates to "Because it was so difficult to make the boss's gameplay and appearance compatible, the person in charge was often venting "Ah, I'm so tired...", which we thought would make a nice accent in the endgame." Note how the Japanese line of the Ruined Dragon is 「ああー疲れた…」, the very same sentence vented by the person in charge.
