A Dragoon Spirit (ドラグーンスピリット, Doragūn Supiritto) is the essence of a Dragon that emanates its power from a crystallized colored stone. It allows a being of its choice to become a Dragoon. In The Legend of Dragoon, there are eight Dragoon Spirits in existence – specifically, seven original spirits and one new spirit.
When its previous owner dies or loses the spirit's strength in presence of the next owner, the stone glows brightly, rises into the air toward its new owner, and gently levitates downward to the latter. When the Dragoon Spirit does this, it is said to be choosing, or recognizing a prospective host.
Dragoon Gameplay[]
- For in-game mechanics and gameplay with Dragoon Spirits, see Dragoon.
The Origin of Dragoon Spirits[]
WARNING: This section contains spoilers.
Rose draws the Dragoon Spirit from the Darkness Dragon.
Although it is never fully explained in the game how Dragoon Spirits are created, events during Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 show that during the death of a Dragon, its soul can manifest itself in the form of a Dragoon Spirit. This is shown when at the time of the Divine Dragon's death, its soul and power is transferred into its Dragoon Spirit, and in a flashback from Rose, she sacrifices the Darkness Dragon to obtain its Dragoon Spirit.
| “ | Darkness Dragon.... Sorry. We don't have time. Winglies are mighty. Mighty enough to annihilate us, and the entire species. In order to liberate Humans, we have to sacrifice you, Dragon. | ” |
The Official Guidebook to the game only released in Japan sheds some more light on the matter. According to it, Dragons are ranked into seven different levels. The number of eyes a dragon has determines its rank and power, to a maximum of seven eyes. The Divine Dragon is one of two top-rank dragons with its seven gleaming magical eyes - the other both unnamed and its fate unknown. When a dragon of sufficient power dies, its "eyes are dragged together" to form the Dragoon Spirit - but it must be claimed right away, or the power will expire. It is unknown whether there is a minimum eye-count required for a Dragoon Spirit to form, however. The lowest ranked dragons are the Pseudo Dragons, a species seen in the game in the Moon That Never Sets.
Dragon ranks, according to the Guidebook, also apply to the Dragoon Spirits. The number of eyes in a Dragoon spirit will match the original dragon that died to create the spirit. This count appears to be reflected on the Dragoon headbands, but some arrangements do not match between in-game art and the FMVs. As a rule, Dragoons can only control dragons that are at least one rank lower - one less eye - than their spirit. This allowed Greham, using the six-eyed Jade Dragon's power, to control Feyrbrand, a wind dragon with three eyes. Lenus, wielding the Blue Sea spirit with six eyes, took control of Regole who had four. Rose's Darkness Dragoon spirit, at six eyes, would be just high enough rank to take Michael, of five eyes, as her vassal. All Dragoon spirits featured in the game with the exception of the Divine Dragoon spirit have six eyes or are the second-highest ranking.
Nature of Dragoon Spirits[]
WARNING: This section contains spoilers.
Rose explains that war is not part of Human nature. Humans fight by making themselves enter insanity, and that "Battle Rage" is the source of power for the Dragoons. Thus transformation into Dragoon form outside of battle is extremely difficult. Measured with a Spirit Gauge, when enough Spirit Points have been accumulated, a Dragoon Transformation is possible during battle.
Dragoon Spirits merge with the host to create a fusion of Dragon and Human, with their strength and power webbed wings and resilient, heavy armor. Known Dragoon Spirits and their respective owners include:
- The Red-Eyed Dragoon Spirit recognized Zieg and Dart.
- The Jade Dragoon Spirit recognized Syuveil, Greham, Lavitz, and Albert.
- The White-Silver Dragoon Spirit recognized Shirley, Shana, and Miranda.
- The Darkness Dragoon Spirit recognized Rose.
- The Violet Dragoon Spirit recognized Kanzas, Emperor Doel, and Haschel.
- The Blue-Sea Dragoon Spirit recognized Damia, Lenus, and Meru.
- The Golden Dragoon Spirit recognized Belzac and Kongol.
- The Divine Dragoon Spirit recognized Dart.
Lloyd was not recognized by the Divine Dragoon Spirit. Although Lloyd obtained the Dragoon Spirit from the Divine Dragon, it did not react to him, possibly because Dart and his group played the main role in overcoming the Dragon. As such, it is assumed the Divine Dragon only recognizes Dart as his destined master.
Despite the fact that the Wingly race was enemy to the dragoons' cause during the Dragon Campaign, Winglies Lenus and Meru were chosen to be Dragoons. This suggests that the Dragoon Spirits hold no prejudice to race or alignment. Kongol (a Giganto), Damia (Half-Mermaid), Lenus (Wingly), and Meru (Wingly), are all non-humans who are also Dragoons. Greham, Doel, and Lenus are also villainous characters, implying the Dragoon Spirit does not hold itself to a heroic standard, either. The Blue-Sea Dragoon Spirit has never chosen a fully-human wielder. Damia, the original Blue-Sea Dragoon, was half Human, half Mermaid. Lenus and Meru, the others chosen by it, are both Winglies.
As "The Legend of Dragoon" bears similatrities to the Sentai genre of anime in Japan where often a red-colored character leads the group, the Red-Eye Dragoon may be the destined leader of the original seven Dragoons.
Dragoon Spirits are apparently indestructible and eternal. Seen in the ending FMV after the Moon That Never Sets exploded, the Red-Eye Dragon Spirit and Darkness Dragon Spirit lie on the ground, apparently unharmed.
There are some similarities between the abilities of the different Dragoon hosts of a given Dragoon Spirit, but there are many differences also, leaving room for speculation about whether it is in the individual that the potential for the type of magic rests, or whether the Dragoon Spirit itself is changing to create new abilities of the host. For example, Greham's "Dragon Crucification", Doel's "Judgment Storm", and Lenus' "Pillar Break" are abilities which none of the inheritors in the party have, and all three use different weapons and skills in battle than the characters from Dart's group.
Gallery[]
WARNING: This gallery contains spoilers.
Trivia[]
- The Golden Dragoon Spirit is the only Dragoon Spirit with more than one location, and is the only one that can be purchased. You can obtain it in Disc 2 at Lohan after Kongol joins the party, or near the end of the game in Disc 4 after defeating Indora.
- Dragoon Spirits are listed as key items, and from the beginning of the game until the events in Hoax, Dart's Red-Eye Dragoon Spirit is named "Father's Stone".
- The Jade Dragoon Spirit has the most chosen wielders of any spirit in the game, at 4 total (Syuveil, Greham, Lavitz, and Albert).
- In the Official Guidebook the game it is also that, during the course of the Dragon Campaign there had been Dragoons and Dragoon Spirits other than the seven.[1] A translation from the guide:
- "In the era of the Dragon Campaign, it is said that there were many Dragoons, including the legendary seven, but they disappeared with the conclusion of the Dragon Campaign. When transforming, the consciousness of the subject and the Dragon are fused, and a dispute occurs as to which one dominates the body. Therefore, even though people of weak conscience can become a Dragoon, they will be dominated by the Dragon. The Dragon, which the Creator Soa believes not to have intelligence, is strongly destructive and the Dragoon dominated by the Dragon instinctively tries to destroy everything in the surrounding area."