Draggadon, le dragon de Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, gueule ouverte sur ses dents jaunes et griffes en avant

Draggadon: the volcano dragon you can ride

2239 words | Reading time : 11 minute(s)

BossCaptain Toad: Treasure Tracker (2014)Volcano dragon

A fire-breathing dragon that only gives in after a blow to the skull, before offering its head as a mount. Draggadon is a species of dragon that first appeared in 2014 in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, where one of them serves as a recurring boss; the species also shows up in Paper Mario: Color Splash. This profile covers the species and its name, its looks, its powers and its weak spot, the battles on Pyropuff Peak, Gold Draggadon, and finally the fossil brought back to life by paint.

Inside an isolated volcano, a dragon with magenta and purple scales breathes fire at a small explorer, who scurries for cover behind a wall. Yet Captain Toad was only trying to catch up with Wingo: he has just stumbled by accident upon the King of Pyropuff Peak.

This giant is Draggadon. A recurring boss in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, released in 2014, it belongs to a species that also turns up in Paper Mario: Color Splash, where a Draggadon fossil comes back to life. Read on for its looks, its weapons and its weak spot, then the Draggadons of Pyropuff Peak and Redpepper Volcano, not forgetting the golden double and the bait that turns it into a mount.

Contents

A species of dragon with a love of heat

The name Draggadon refers both to a character and to a species of dragon. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker puts two of them in the heroes' path: the Draggadon fought on several occasions, and a second specimen encountered later on, Gold Draggadon. Paper Mario: Color Splash then reinforces, through its dialogue, the idea of an entire species.

These lines reveal a few of their habits. Prof. Kinopio explains to Mario that Draggadons like to nest deep inside volcanoes, because they love the heat. A red Toad from the Rescue Squad, meanwhile, begs not to be left behind: another Draggadon might come along and swallow him in one bite.

The official Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker website sums up the creature's two sides: a fire-breathing dragon living in a volcano can be a powerful friend or a fearsome foe.

In Japan, it is called Doragodon, a portmanteau built on “dragon”. The end of the name points either to the Greek suffix “-odon”, meaning “tooth”, common in dinosaur names (creatures known in Japanese as kyōryū, literally “scary dragon”), or to “Don”, a Spanish honorific. The French, German, Italian, Spanish and Dutch versions kept Draggadon, while the European Portuguese version uses Dragodon. A Paper Mario: Color Splash personality test on Play Nintendo even misspelled it as Draggodon.

🔥 Draggadons love the heat of volcanoes: to enjoy gentle warmth at home, without lava or flames, discover our Mario throws, ready to unfold on the sofa.

Magenta scales, yellow teeth and whiskers

A Draggadon is a gigantic dragon that usually stands upright on its hind legs, with wings that are surprisingly small for its size. Most of its body is covered in paired scales: two scales of the same colour form a stripe, and the stripes alternate between magenta and purple.

Its head carries its most distinctive features. Four yellow teeth shaped like molars poke out from the sides of its muzzle, and two whiskers complete the picture. Its eyes are orange, with an iris whose pattern changes from one medium to another: two circles in the artwork, three circles in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

In Paper Mario: Color Splash, the paper version takes a few liberties: its fingers lose their claws, its wings have only two fingers and two membranes instead of three, and the iris shrinks to a single circle. Like Iggy Koopa, and unlike most paper characters, this Draggadon keeps coloured irises shaped like circles.

Paper Draggadon in Paper Mario: Color Splash, its body striped with magenta and purple bands, with yellow teeth, whiskers and small wings
In Paper Mario: Color Splash, Draggadon keeps its magenta and purple stripes, its yellow teeth and its whiskers, but its fingers lose their claws and its wings have only two fingers.

Fire, a mighty roar and a vulnerable skull

Unsurprisingly, Draggadons breathe fire and are resistant to lava. Their tiny wings don't keep them grounded, though: Paper Mario: Color Splash shows them to be perfectly capable of flying.

Even their roar is a powerful weapon, able to defeat enemies and shatter blocks. On the other hand, direct attacks from enemies such as Hammer Bros. or Bullet Bills are completely ineffective against their bodies.

Their only known weak spot is on top of the head: in both games, the dragon only surrenders after a blow to that spot. Paper Mario: Color Splash even explains this vulnerability: at Château Chanterelle, a sign displays an excavation report that deduces it from the shape of its skull.

Pyropuff Peak, a boss to dodge before knocking it out

In Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, as in its Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS versions released in 2018, the first Draggadon is fought in three levels: 1-10, “The King of Pyropuff Peak”, 2-9, “Draggadon's Revenge”, and the eleventh level of the bonus episode, which leads back to Pyropuff Peak.

It all starts with a chase. Captain Toad is running after Wingo, who has kidnapped Toadette, when he lands on this isolated volcano. Unlike Wingo, Draggadon isn't fought head-on: you have to reach the end of the level while dodging its attacks and hiding behind walls.

At the end of the course, the Captain topples a pillar, which crashes onto the dragon's head and knocks it out cold, allowing him to collect the Power Star. Toadette, who in turn sets off in search of Wingo, also comes across Draggadon and has to defeat it the same way.

🛋️ A pillar on the skull is all it takes to calm a Draggadon: to rest your head gently after a long gaming session, discover our Mario cushions.

Captain Toad, next to a wall, facing Draggadon as it rises up in the middle of the volcano in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
On Pyropuff Peak, Draggadon rears up in front of Captain Toad, who cannot fight it head-on: he dodges its attacks under cover of the walls until he reaches the pillar that will knock the dragon out.

Toadette's mount and a golden double

After the Episode 2 battle, Draggadon lets Toadette ride on its head for an intermediate stage. The left stick controls its altitude, the A button makes it breathe fire that breaks blocks and destroys enemies, and the Y button triggers a roar that shatters blocks normally untouched by flames.

Later in the adventure, another dragon appears: Gold Draggadon, the boss of the level “Secret of the Golden Realm”. Captain Toad has to face it too, with two extra difficulties: its fireballs travel faster and the lava rises more quickly. Once beaten, it too lets itself be ridden.

Its silhouette follows Draggadon's, in a richer palette. Its scales alternate between gold and orange and the rest of its body is golden, except for the lower muzzle and the belly, which stay beige, and the triangular plates, which are mostly purple. Its eyes turn blue, and the tips of its whiskers are darker but still golden.

Gold Draggadon with golden scales, blue eyes and long golden whiskers in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
Gold Draggadon borrows Draggadon's silhouette in a richer palette: golden scales, eyes turned blue and golden whiskers.

The Marmalade Valley fossil comes back to life

In Paper Mario: Color Splash, a Draggadon first appears in the form of a fossil, on a mountain in Marmalade Valley. When Mario takes the orange Big Paint Star back from Larry Koopa, the fossil is covered in a coat of orange paint and comes back to life.

Mario meets it again later at Redpepper Volcano, and the dragon is anything but friendly. It gives chase, intent on devouring him, then unleashes a gigantic blast of fire: if Mario doesn't hide behind a column or leave the level, the attack knocks him out in a single hit.

To put an end to its hostility, you have to bring out the Basin, one of the game's Things. The utensil falls on the dragon's head and leaves a bump, just like the blow it took in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Huey, for his part, shouts himself hoarse in capital letters to make the introductions: he gives his name, points to Mario and assures the dragon that they are friends.

A basin falls on the head of Draggadon, risen from the lava in front of Mario, at Redpepper Volcano in Paper Mario: Color Splash
At Redpepper Volcano, the former fossil brought back to life only stops being hostile once the Basin has fallen on its head, leaving a bump.

A Magma Burger on the end of the fishing pole

Like Captain Toad before him, Mario eventually gets to ride the Draggadon over the lava. Only the method changes: he dangles a Magma Burger from the end of a Fishing Pole, just in front of the dragon, as bait.

At the controls, Mario can smash small platforms. If he jerks the pole upwards, the dragon leaps out of the lava, making it possible to grab items that are out of reach.

The ride does come to an end, though. On reaching a platform where a Mini Paint Star awaits, Mario gives the Magma Burger to the Draggadon. To steer it again, he has to buy another Magma Burger at Fort Cobalt.

Mario on Draggadon's head in the lava, a Magma Burger dangling from the end of his fishing pole, in Paper Mario: Color Splash
Above the lava, Mario steers the Draggadon with the Magma Burger dangling from the end of the Fishing Pole as bait.

Draggadon at a glance

French name Draggadon
Japanese name Doragodon
First appearance Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker (released in 2014)
Species Draggadon, a species of dragon
Role Recurring boss, then mount
Habitat Volcanoes: Pyropuff Peak, Redpepper Volcano
Powers Fire breath, roar, lava resistance, flight
Weak spot The top of the skull
Other notable Draggadon Gold Draggadon
Other appearance Paper Mario: Color Splash (revived fossil)

🎨 A coat of orange paint was all it took to wake the Marmalade Valley fossil: to bring some colour back to a notebook, a door or a desk, discover our Mario stickers and decals.

FAQ

  • Why is Draggadon called Doragodon in Japan?
    Doragodon is a portmanteau built on “dragon”. Its second part points either to the Greek suffix “-odon”, which means “tooth” and is used to name dinosaurs, or to “Don”, a Spanish honorific.
  • How do you beat Draggadon in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker?
    You don't face it head-on: you have to cross the level hiding behind walls to avoid its attacks. At the end of the course, a toppled pillar falls on the dragon's head and knocks it out, allowing you to collect the Power Star.
  • How does the Draggadon fossil come back to life in Paper Mario: Color Splash?
    The fossil lies on a mountain in Marmalade Valley. When Mario takes the orange Big Paint Star back from Larry Koopa, the fossil is covered in a coat of orange paint and comes back to life.
  • What sets Gold Draggadon apart from Draggadon?
    Gold Draggadon is a second dragon, the boss of the level “Secret of the Golden Realm”. Its scales alternate between gold and orange and its eyes are blue instead of orange. In battle, its fireballs move faster and the lava rises more quickly.
  • How does Mario ride Draggadon in Paper Mario: Color Splash?
    Mario dangles a Magma Burger from the end of a Fishing Pole in front of the dragon, as bait, to steer it over the lava. By jerking the pole upwards, he makes it leap towards items that are out of reach. Once the Magma Burger has been handed over, he has to buy another one at Fort Cobalt to take control again.
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