Many Dota 2 fans were pleasantly surprised to see some new faces on their screens in the animated adaptation, Dragon's Blood. Studio Mir took the initiative to create some fresh, new character concepts specifically for the show.
Most new arrivals are added simply to stir the pot, causing significant trouble for Mirana and Davion in particular. Others appear to reference pre-existing Dota 2 Heroes, yet with something ever-so-slightly off. The remainders consist of entirely fresh faces that have many fans begging for their inclusion in the MMORPG game.
Spoilers ahead for Dragon's Blood Book 3, which is now available for streaming on Netflix.
4 The Secondary Antagonists
Shabarra the Snake
Shabarra is a self-proclaimed God who usurps the throne right from under Mirana's nose to become the ruler of the Helio Imperium. Shabarra personally had a hand in the deaths of Princess Mirana's parents; however, he paid for it dearly at the hands of Slyvion. Shabarra relied heavily upon his advisor, Viceroy Kashurra, who whispered manipulative words of "wisdom" into his puppet's ears.
Legatus Tihomir, the Two-Timer
Legatus Tihomir is a constant thorn in Mirana's side, like a vulture circling her prey in eager anticipation of seizing the throne, but unwilling to actually strike. Tihomir aligns herself with the Helio Imperium by supplying her army as aid and assuming a seat on the council, but shows no loyalty after Shabbar's death. She jumps from supporting one potential leader to the next, until Asar gets annoyed enough to decapitate the traitor.
Viceroy Kashurra
When the Eye of the Worldwyrm is put on the table, Kashurra proclaims that he has been masquerading as a Void Dragon, and takes the lives of Lina and Marci during the big reveal. Spurred by the loss of her closest friends, Mirana's outburst unlocks her own Divine powers, unleashing the Goddess of Sun and destroying Kashurra in the process.
Drysi the Devoted
This wayward elf is even less trusting and more hostile than Luna, which in itself is quite a considerable achievement. As the leader of the Elven Resistance, Drysi is bent on ridding the Nightsilver Woods of the Dark Moon Order's influences in the name of Mene. She renounces Selemene, yet falls victim to Terrorblade's perverse persuasions and sheds blood in his honor instead.
3 The Thunderous Eldwurms
The eight Eldwurms are fundamental aspects of the entire Dragon's Blood storyline, essentially forming the basis of all existence as the Pillars of Creation, collectively known as the Thunder. While most Eldwurms (aka eldwyrms or elderwurms) may appear to be unique creations, the inspiration for each design can be tracked back to the Dota 2 Heroes. While this theory has not been confirmed, the resemblances are too uncanny to ignore.
Winter Wyvern also fits into the Eldwurm category, but is not an original Dragon's Blood character, nor one of the Thunder.
Dragon Type | Element/Force | Dota 2 Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
Slyrak | Fire | Of the iconic Big Three Elementals, Ember Spirit |
Lirrak | Water | The master of the oceans, Morphling |
Aethrak | Air | The eagle-like appearance suggests a Skywrath Mage influence. Storm Spirit would also be fitting as a Wind representative, however, most of his attacks are lightning based. |
Uldorak | Earth | Earthbreaker |
Vahdrak | Choas | Chaos Knight |
Orrak | Luminous | Shares visual similarities with Dawnbreaker, not to mention her Luminosity Ability. |
Indrak | Ionic | There is an undeniable connection to Wisp. |
Byssrak | Void | Allegedly based on Enigma, but also shares similar characteristics to Faceless Void. |
2 The Copycats
Asar: Ursa Warrior
Asar has so much in common with Dota 2's Ursa that is surprising the creators even bothered to change his name, but apparently, the distinction was necessary. He is a loyal follower of Lina's cause and seems less temperamental than his RPG counterpart, but Asar's character did not get enough screentime to delve much deeper. A surprising decision, considering his voice is delivered by none other than Michael Dorn (Worf from the Star Trek franchise).
Nico Hieronimo: Pangolier
"A rose by any other name would smell as sweet." While the resemblance between Nico and his unmistakable Dota 2 counterpart is undeniable, the original gaming Hero goes by another name, Donté Panlin. Nico, who also stems from the Nivan Gallants, supplies what little comic relief Dragon's Blood has to offer, with his Pepé Le Pew approach to handling the ill-natured Luna.
Filomena: The Invoker-ess
As the daughter of The Invoker and Selemene, Filomena was born with so much potential and so little time to see it through. After her father reset the Universe to his desire, Filomena gets the opportunity to become a young adult with the intellect and scientific curiosity of an aspiring mage. She can conjure the Quas, Wex, and Ex Elements much like her father. She displays an expert mastery of the Forge, and it seems that this young fighter is not quite done with her journey.
Vanari: Drow Ranger meets Bounty Hunter
Vanari shows great prospects as a possible Dota 2 Hero, as her character design sparked quite a bit of interest within the community. While she is technically an original Dragon's Blood design, Vanari shares extraordinarily similar traits to both Drow Ranger and Bounty Hunter in both looks and capabilities. It only takes some gold to sway Vanari's target, and Mirana is the unfortunate victim of her relentless attacks and crystalline blows.
Fymryn: Vengeful Spirit and Phantom Assassin Vibes
Fymryn resembles Vengeful Spirit in several ways, from her visage to her weaponry, which could be classified as simplified versions of the iconic Scree’auk’s Talon blade. The elf's skill set, however, shares more similarities with Phantom Assassin, but with enough tweaks to emphasize Fymryn's individuality. Her ability to shapeshift combined with her ascension into the goddess territory takes Fymryn's lore to a whole new level, making her a fan-favorite character with lots of RPG potential.
1 The New Kids on the Block
A handful of characters were uniquely created for Dragon's Blood and show very little resemblance to any existing Dota 2 Heroes, making them truly one of a kind. The following characters are all crucial to the overall storyline, each possessing a rich enough backstory to spark their own spin-off shows.
Bram: Squire and Dragon-lover
Bram is everything a support character needs. However, he does not have any magical abilities of his own, aside from the protective ring gifted to him by Winter Wyvern, and his substandard skills as a Dragon-Knight-in-training. His charming personality makes up for any pitfalls, as Bram proves to be Davion's most loyal companion and the obvious choice to lead the next generation of warriors as Kaden's official successor.
Selemene, The Goddess of the Moon
Selemene starts as the main antagonist of Dragon's Blood Book 1, but her foreboding presence slowly dissipates as the story progresses. The Dark Moon Order have dedicated their lives to the Goddess of the Moon, unaware of her soul-devouring intentions, with Luna, Mirana, and Fymyrn being some of her greatest supporters. Selemene has a direct link to the moon's power, dominating her enemies with lunar attacks. Terrorblade eventually gets the better of her at The Invoker's behest, but Fymryn lands the final blow by draining all of Selemene's magic.
Kaden, The Cool Uncle
Kaden is one of the most legendary Dragon Knights to walk the realms, as the only person capable of saying they have killed each of the eight Dragon types and survived a battle against an Eldwurm. His armor is reinforced by the scales of his victims, allowing this mortal man to channel the Dragon's powers, creating an almost unstoppable force. Kaden seems to have a little something going on with Crystal Maiden, but sadly his heart still yearns for his beloved, long-lost wife.
Marci The Magnificent
This original Dragon's Blood character made such an impact on fans that Valve decided to turn her into a new Dota 2 Hero with the 7.30e patch, along with the 7.31d patch, which introduced her to the Captain's Mode lineup. Marci does more listening than talking but still manages to charm just about everyone with her quirky, cute personality and unwavering loyalty to Mirana. The origins of her magical capabilities are unclear, but her fury-fueled strikes grant her super speed and incredible strength which regularly catches her opponents off guard.