One of the many well-liked Netflix original “anime” series is Dota: Dragon’s Blood. The popular online role-playing game Dota 2 from Valve is the inspiration for the series, which employs extravagant narratives of epic proportions to bring the game’s macabre fantasy world to life for players and viewers. A third successful season of Dragon’s Blood, which had its first season premiere in early 2021, has just been made available.
The series’ narrative is set against an imagined fantasy world where elves, dragons, devils, and monsters coexist. Davion, a Dragon Knight, is the main character. He embarks on journeys with the exiled Princess Mirana. Davion is particularly intriguing because of his merger with a large, old dragon, which gives him access to superhuman strength and virtually invincibility. This is the tale of Davion the Dragon Knight, a man who evolved from a youngster to a beast.
Origins – From Killing them to Becoming One of Them
Davion is a dragon knight who is in charge of killing dragons and defending people from their fury, to start. He is a powerful, courageous man, and everyone is aware of his victories over dragons. He is frequently requested to protect human populations in various locations.
The opening episode of the Netflix animated series features Davion in his element, engaged in combat with one of the enormous winged creatures for which he had spent his entire life training. He skilfully manoeuvres around the dragon, utilising more of a tactical and strategic approach to the fight than just physical force, and encircles it with rope. In an effort to get away from him, the dragon dives into a sizable hole in the ground, which is probably a dragon’s nest. Unfazed, Davion pursues the dragon into its den while brandishing his own sword and getting ready to slay it. In the dragon’s lair, he locates and kills it with almost no effort. Davion the Dragon Knight is who he is for you.
The series doesn’t tell us much at all about Davion’s childhood, apart from the fact that he had been training and learning how to fight and kill dragons since he was a little child. Now, in this universe, Dragon Knights train in a place called Dragons Hold, quite reminiscent of Kaer Morhen in fact, for those of you who have watched The Witcher.
The fact that he has been training since he was just a child, coupled with the fact that he showed immense compassion to a young boy who had lost his family due to a dragon attack, it may be possible that Davion also lost his parents to dragon attacks, which prompted him to train, so that he could one day avenge them.
This theory is confirmed when the demon Terrorblade taunts him about how he simply stood paralysed and watched as his father was burnt alive by a fire-breathing dragon. Thus, he lost his family to dragons and took a vow to slay them henceforth. He gave up his childhood and trained and trained endlessly to become strong and sharp enough to always be one step ahead of the beasts, or so he thought.
Even after knowing that he has spent a better part of his life training and learning how to hunt and kill beasts, his skills are no less astonishing. We watch him stoically slaughter dragon after dragon. However, Davion abides by a strict code of conduct throughout his pursuits.
He would never dishonour the dragons he killed and treated them with respect before and after the battle. Despite this, he vowed to kill as many dragons as he could in his lifetime, because he believed that dragons were harbingers of chaos and could not stand the fact that dragons killed humans and massacred entire towns and villages. This deep-seated hatred for dragons and their actions fuelled the Dragon Knight and little did he know, he was soon about to be in a very complicated situation.
The larger backdrop that the story of the series is set in, is one of chaos. It involves a demon called Terrorblade who was trying to obtain the souls of all the eight major dragons that embodied the eight pillars of creation and existence. These eight major dragons are known as Eldwyrms and their offspring are known as Wyrmlings.
These Wyrmlings largely roam the Earth and destroy human life while the Eldwyrms slumber in their nests, rising once in many years to satisfy their hunger. Now, while Davion had killed countless Wyrmlings, going up against an Eldwyrm itself was a whole different story. They were ancient dragons, a hundred times stronger than the Wyrmlings that terrorised humans and had millennia of combat experience.
One day, Davion came face to face with not one, but two Eldwyrms at the same time – like I said, complicated. A general named Fruhling from the village he had just saved from a dragon attack had gotten drunk and set out to kill the Eldwyrm that lay resting deep inside the dragon’s lair. In his stupor, he ended up getting possessed by Terrorblade, who preyed on the man’s weak psyche and dark intentions.
Fruhling walked into the lair, determined to defeat the beast named Uldorak and with Terrorblade possessing him, he was able to finish what he had started, quite effortlessly. The morning after, Davion rushed to the lair and stumbled upon a possessed Fruhling who asked Davion to join his cause – this was when Davion realised that Fruhling was no longer the man that he knew; a supernatural entity possessed him. The demon taunted him about his failures as a child, how he had failed to save his own father from dragons and goaded him to join the dark side and slay dragons to calm the rage that burnt in his heart, but Davion resisted.
In the meantime, another Eldwyrm showed up at the scene, the ancient father of fire, the fire-breathing dragon, Slyrak. Slyrak demanded that the demon free his brother’s soul, so that Uldorak may be reborn, but Terrorblade had other intentions. This resulted in a grisly duel between them as Terrorblade possessed Uldorak’s body and fought Slyrak tooth and nail as Davion watched on, helplessly.
However, as Slyrak overpowered the demon, Davion joined in to help as he realised that the demon was worse than the dragons and had to be kept at bay. They did not manage to completely defeat the demon and managed to only send him back to Hell. But, at that point, Davion had picked a side – the side of the Eldwyrms.
Slyrak was dying, the injuries the demon had inflicted on the ancient beast were fatal and he asked Davion to honour him and give him a respectful death. Being a man of honor, Davion obliges, and as he pierces the dragon’s flesh with his sword, the dragon also does the same to him with his talons. This causes them to become one, their souls bound together as they share a blood bond. Slyrak does this to preserve his soul from Terrorblade and hopefully find a way to save his brothers and sisters and by extension, the rest of the world from the evil clutches of the demon.
Thus, Davion turns into the half-dragon half-man Dragon Knight we see in the first two seasons of the show. While this gave him insane abilities and superhuman strength, it also brings with it a whole host of problems that young Davion has to grapple with. Mentally, this takes a toll on him, because he struggles with reconciling the fact that he was now the very thing he had vowed to kill his entire life… and that is the origin story of Davion the Dragon Knight, as we know him in the Netlfix Animated series Dragon’s blood.
In fact, this inherent contradiction in Davion’s character is what intrigued showrunner and executive producer, Ashley Miller, who was drawn to the character. DOTA 2 has several heroes and frankly, any one of them could have been chosen to be the lead in the web series. But Davion brought internal conflict to the table as well and that allowed the production team to explore difficult plot points and convoluted conversations due to his nature as a dragon-slaying Knight, who was half-human and half-dragon. Netflix had pitched the idea to him with Davion in the lead and Miller ran with it, because the character intrigued him greatly and he hoped audiences would feel the same way. What do you think? Let us know in the comments section below!
His Journey So Far
The main character of DOTA: Dragon’s Blood is Davion the Dragon Knight, and season one is mostly about him brooding over what seems to be his impending death. The first season also shows his impressive combat skills and prowess with the sword. But above all, the season tells us the story of how a young boy became a dragon-slayer and how that dragon slayer, became a human-dragon hybrid to become the one and only Davion the Dragon Knight.
After his fateful run-in with Terrorblade and Slyrak that fused him with the ancient dragon, Princess Mirana discovers him, naked and unconscious. She gives him food and clothing, making him a traveling companion and sort of a bodyguard for herself and her handmaiden, Marci.
After being nursed back to health by Mirana, Davion joins forces with her and discovers that she is a princess fleeing her despotic uncle, who forcefully took her kingdom by murdering her parents. They set out together, each on their own quest, dealing with their own demons. The Princess wants to find the Lotuses of Selemene, the goddess she worshipped, while Davion wants answers for his condition. They stick together, even though Davion’s sudden and violent changes into a half-dragon monster put them in danger quite a few times.
In fact, he first learns of the beast within him when he retches out a ring from his throat while in a tavern with Mirana and Marci, which causes a man to recognise the ring as his family insignia and blames Davion for killing his brothers. He brings more of his men and they start beating Davion up.
All seems lost as Davion gets pummelled, but suddenly, something inside him changes, and he turns into a human dragon and literally smashes the skulls of all the men attacking him. Marci and Mirana watch this transformation in awe and horror as Davion beats them all to a pulp, leaving nothing but a mess of lifeless bodies, blood and guts spewed in the open once he is done.
After this fight, Davion “dreams” and speaks with the Eldwyrms to decide whether or not to die. It is during this conversation that he learns that his merging with Slyrak is actually killing him. Davion will eventually become entirely controlled by Slyrak. Slyrak assumes control of his body when he is dreaming and attempts to murder Mirana. Marci must battle Slyrak. Slyrak is about to murder Mirana but manages to stop himself by setting himself on fire.
It is after all this that these three set out to find an extremely powerful and elusive mage known simply as The Invoker. After they find him, he heals Davion’s wounds and tells him that he is going to die soon and Slyrak will be free, causing him to give up his playboy ways and find a greater purpose for his life.
In the Invoker’s tower, Davion and Mirana kiss and confide in one another. They then eventually meet an elf called Fymryn, and immediately depart for the Nightsilver Woods to complete a deal for the Lotuses of Selemene, as brokered by The Invoker himself. The connection between Davion and Mirana is strained at this time, however, as he joins forces and gets all buddy-buddy with Fymryn, because Mirana and Fymryn worshipped opposite deities and were on two opposite sides of the war waging in the Nightsilver Woods.
However, Davion’s fellow Dragon Knights have other intentions, as he has now wholeheartedly thrown himself into helping Mirana. He is practically kidnapped and taken away by his fellow dragon knights, as they search for a way to separate Slyrak’s soul from his soul and sever their bond in the final episode of the season.
The second season again focuses on him against the backdrop of the larger battle that is going on in the Nightsilver Woods. In the first chapter of Book 2, Father is experimenting on Davion, and the results of those experiments cause Dragonhold to be destroyed.
When Father learns that Davion has regenerative dragon qualities in his blood, he becomes so ambitious that he plans to use Davion as a limitless resource to increase his own power and create more dragon knights. As he gives in to his dark desires, he subconsciously allows for Terrorblade to possess him along with a bunch of dragons that subsequently attack the keep, destroying their home and killing almost all the dragon knights inside.
Rylai and her dragon companion save Davion and take him, along with Marci, Mirana, and Bram, his squire turned dragon knight, back to their cave dwelling. This is where Davion finds himself being drawn to a crystal, and when Davion communicates with the blue crystal, Slyrak informs him that they require the Eye of the Worldwyrm in order to separate from each other and beat Terrorblade.
In an effort to obtain the Eye of the Worldwyrm from Emperor Shabarra, the gang journeys to the Helio Imperium, the land of the sun and Mirana’s home kingdom. Shabarra resists Davion’s attempts to reach the Eye, so Davion transforms into the dragon-man and hangs Shabarra from a structure. Shabarra finally concedes and says he has no idea where it is, so he drops the man off the structure, to his death.
This naturally sparks a conflict and a hunt begins for a new emperor, with many vying for the throne. Davion joins Lina in her quest to help Mirana succeed as the emperor, when Mirana is put into a coma. When Mirana wakes up and learns the truth, their relationship is strained. Of course, he doesn’t realise Lina is the one who hired Mirana’s assassin until after the fact.
Davion later sacrifices himself for Mirana when searching for her while in his hybrid form by switching into full dragon form and engaging the Viceroy Kashurra in his Dragon form, which is essentially a death mission. Surprisingly, when Slyrak has finished battling, Davion is able to return to his human form. Thus, it turns out that Slyrak has “left” him, as season 2 comes to an end. A tumultuous journey that promises no sign of rest as the world around them comes to be undone, Davion will continue to have to lead from the heart as season 3 rolls around.
Powers and Abilities
Before his fusion with the Eldwyrm, he was still a strong and skilled combatant. Davion is shown to be a tall, chiselled man with visible scars on his shoulders and arms. His hair is short and brown, and his skin is tanned. His thick, furrowed eyebrows draw attention to his brown eyes. Further, his interactions with ladies are evidence that he is incredibly attractive. This character is definitely quite reminiscent of Geralt of Rivia, the Witcher, in many ways, including the womanising and his powers and abilities, which match those of Geralt.
As a simple dragon slayer, he is at peak athletic ability, being able to move swiftly, dodge attacks from the beasts and is extremely dextrous with his hands and nimble on his feet. He is incredibly fast because, well, a moment of distraction could mean death while battling dragons. Not only is he fast and agile, he also wields a massive sword, showing just how physically strong and skilled he is. His blows always landed right on target, displaying his immaculate precision with the weapon as well. The sword is his weapon of choice in combat.
While all of this is definitely impressive, he gains more abilities than ever before as Slyrak and Davion become bonded by blood. His injuries recovered incredibly quickly after the blood bond was created and even though the dragon practically slashed his throat, he woke up without even a scar. This also gave him powerful new abilities. While not as impressive as Slyrak, he discovered that he had the capacity to breathe fire and fireballs, immolating groups of enemies simultaneously. However, Davion could also assume his Elder Dragon Form, and transform into the powerful Eldwyrm itself, allowing him to fly, use his massive size and sharp talons and of course, rain fire down on his enemies.
Further, because he would tear through his clothes and end up naked every time he transformed, The Invoker gave him his armour, so that it would fit him even as a dragon when he transformed. It is comprised of brown leather with crimson accents on the arms and boots that resemble dragon scales.
All in all, the Dragon Knight is definitely not one to be messed with. He is not only physically strong, but as is evidenced countless times throughout the show, he is also quite headstrong, often being referred to as brave, and even stupid, as he is not one to run from a battle, ever. He often gets by because of the sheer strength of his willpower and a whole lotta heart. This man is a true knight.
DOTA 2 Lore
Sir Davion the Dragon Knight is a playable hero in the games and much of his game lore was changed to make Davion a protagonist in the Netflix anime. However, his game lore is nevertheless interesting as well. According to the game, the feared Slyrak had grown old and frail, his wings tattered and torn, his few surviving scales afflicted with scale-rot, his fangs powdered to nitpicks, and his fire-gouts no more intimidating than a bundle of wet matchsticks, when Davion came across him. After spending years searching for the legendary Eldwyrm, the Knight Davion found himself facing a depressing foe.
Knight Davion was ready to turn away and allow his long-time enemy to pass away peacefully, since he saw no honour in dragon-murder. But as a voice entered his head, Slyrak begged Davion to sacrifice himself in battle in his honour. Davion agreed, and the kindness he showed was returned to him in ways he never imagined. The dragon thrust a talon into Davion’s throat as he plunged his blade into Slyrak’s breast.
Slyrak sent his power out down the Blood Route as their blood mixed, giving all of his strength and decades of experience to the knight. The dragon’s death cemented their relationship, and the Dragon Knight came into existence. When the Dragon Knight Davion summons it, the ancient force awakens from its rest, coming to the Knight’s aid in battle. However, the Dragon also often calls upon the Knight – a coexistence of sorts.
While bits and parts of this story remain constant, like Davion’s union with Slyrak, the nature and reason behind it are completely different.
What is next for him in season 3?
Well, this is a question most fans have probably been asking themselves. With Davion no longer having the power of a dragon within him, how will he match up to the threats that loom over his head? How will he save the world from the clutches of Terrorblade as a mere mortal? Well, we have the answer.
Skip to the end if you don’t want any spoilers from the third season – you have been warned! In the third season, all the surviving heroes, including Davion and Princess Mirana, join forces with The Invoker to help defeat Terrorblade, who would stop at nothing to remake the world in his own image. The Invoker realised that he alone couldn’t stop Terrorblade and thus requested Davion, Mirana and the remaining heroes’ help.
As part of this bargain, he allowed the five dragon souls that he had kept with himself to merge with Davion’s soul, turning him into a massive human-dragon hybrid with enough power to take down an ancient demon! The fight sequence between Terrorblade and Davion as the hybrid dragon-man is exhilarating to watch as they are evenly matched, trading blows in the demon’s home-ground, Foulfell, or Hell, in simple terms.
Davion as this hybrid dragon has enormous strength and can rain shards of ice down on the demon. In fact, he is so strong that he single-handedly overpowers and then kills the demon while the rest of his friends keep the demon’s hellish legion at bay.
Even though unfortunately Davion dies in the process, he emerges victorious, having saved the world. But all of this happens in the second episode of the third season – so clearly, something else went wrong.
The third season is now airing on Netflix! Keep watching to know what happens. Are you a fan of the series? Tell us in the comments section below.