Debuting on Hulu December 23rd, 2021, Dragons: The Nine Realms continues the epic story of How To Train Your Dragon by setting the titular mythological beasts in the modern world 1300 years after the events depicted in the film. As such, a whole new crop of compelling human and dragon characters alike have been created to continue the story, most of which are cut from the same cloth as Hiccup, Toothless, Snotlout, and others.
With six short animated episodes to feast on this holiday season, the well-drawn and sympathetic characters are what really makes the dramatic stakes really resonate in the new Hulu series.
Tom Kullersen
Akin to Hiccup in the film series, Tom Kullersen (Jeremy Shada) is the main human protagonist on the beloved Hulu animated series whose journey the audience implicitly follows throughout the show. A natural-born leader, Tom is courageous and adventurous in ways that make him easy to follow and root for every step of the perilous journey.
While Tom often butts heads with his overprotective mother Olivia (Julia Stiles), he genuinely loves her to the risking his life to rescue her from the Fault Ripper's attack. A true hero, Tom also saved a researcher from falling into a deadly fissure.
Thunder
Thunder is the name of the first dragon Tom ever saw in his life. After pulling Thunder from a pile of rocks and saving his life, Thunder reciprocated the love by rescuing Tom after falling off a ledge. Afterward, the two became inseparable best friends who count on each other for everything.
Bearing a resemblance to his distant relative Toothless, Thunder is a thin Night Light male that protects Tom by shooting electrical charges, plasmablasts, cloaking, and flying at high speeds. In many ways, the relationship between Tom and Thunder is the crux of the show, underscoring profound friendship that borders on being a genuine family.
Jun Wong
Deeply engrossed in the spiritual realm and the mythological history of dragons, Jun Wong (Ashley Liao) is a very compelling character on the binge-worthy Hulu animated show. First, her contentious relationship with her disapproving mother May (Lauren Tom), who thinks she wastes time in a fantasy world, makes her so easy to relate to.
Secondly, Jun's relationship with her adorable two-headed dragon friend Wu & Wei proves what a caring soul she has and how quick she is to sacrifice her own life for the sake of their safety.
Wu & Wei
In addition to protecting Jun at all costs, what makes Wu & Wei so adorable is their hilarious dual-nature and constant bickering back and forth. While Wu is cool, calm, and collected, Wei is assertive, fiery, and hot-tempered.
The personality clash leads to constant arguments and amusing infighting, but when pressed into dangerous action, Wu & Wei join forces in the most majestic way by writhing through the air and combining their different attack modes to deliver intense damage to anyone who dares to endanger Jun.
Alexandra Gonzalez
Alexandra Gonzalez (Aimee Garcia) has a really endearing arc on the show, beginning as a shy and timid character without much confidence. Prone to hacking into complex computer systems in order to gain geographic intel and monitor security, Alex makes huge contributions to the team during their exploration.
What makes Alex such a strong character is the way she begins to come out of her shell, gain more self-esteem, and take care of Feathers after first being petrified of the Featherhide dragon. After Feathers calms Alex's nerves, the two become bonded forever. Moreover, Alex's close relationship with her two mothers makes her even more delightful.
Feathers
One of the funniest and most playfully silly dragons on the show has to be Feathers, the exotic jungle Featherhide species that will do anything in its power to keep Alex from harm. However, Alex has to earn the trust of Feathers, who remains guarded until she really gets to know a person.
With cloaking camouflage techniques and a unique sonic scream that sets her apart, Feathers balances her playful side with raw courage in order to protect Alex and the others from sudden doom.
Plowhorn
Aside from her adorable appearance, Plowhorn is one of the most beguiling dragon characters on the show. The runt of the Gembraker litter who was often bullied as a baby, giving her grumpy demeanor that provides endless laughs. Indeed, Plowhorn is one of the best dragon characters anime has ever seen.
However, when push comes to shove, Plowhorn will do absolutely anything necessary to keep D'Angelo and the rest of the characters from sudden danger. An excellent tracker and formidable protector, Plowhorn has one of the most memorable personalities on the show.
D'Angelo Baker
Armed with veterinary skills to keep the dragons alive and well, D'Angelo Baker (Marcus Scribner) is a big strong protector that is very hard to dislike on the show. When Tom doesn't lead the way, it's D'Angelo who usually takes charge by using his supreme climbing skills to scout dangerous locations.
While D'Angelo remains close to the other human characters, it's his instant bond with Plowhorn that shows his softer and more sensitive side. Reluctant to treat the dragon at first, but after coaxing Tom and Jun, he agrees to look after her, and the two forge a meaningful kinship. As a stickler for the rules, D'Angelo keeps the rest of the crew in check.