Moneybags

Moneybags is a greedy, rich bear from Avalar who is obsessed with gems and his personal wealth. Spyro often has to pay an exorbitant number of gems to Moneybags to progress, usually by unlocking a level or opening a new path within a Home World or realm. Moneybags first appears in Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! and has since appeared in every main Spyro game. Moneybags is a neutral character, although his antagonistic side is more prominent due to his greed and sometimes working on behalf of a villain for profit.

Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!
In Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!, Spyro encounters Moneybags several times throughout Avalar. There are twelve different occasions when Spyro has to pay Moneybags a certain number of Gems to either learn a move, access a portal (or a path to one), or to otherwise use something that allows him to progress. In total, Spyro has to pay 4,100 Gems to Moneybags during his journey.

Spyro first encounters Moneybags in the level Glimmer, where he must pay 100 Gems to use a bridge that leads to the other part of Glimmer.

There are three moves that Spyro can learn from Moneybags in each of the three Home Worlds:
 * In Summer Forest, Spyro can learn to swim for 500 Gems.
 * In Autumn Plains, Spyro can learn to climb for 500 Gems.
 * In Winter Tundra, Spyro can learn the headbash technique for 1,000 Gems.

Aside from allowing Spyro to use a bridge in Glimmer, there are three other instances where Moneybags allows Spyro to use something to progress:


 * In Aquaria Towers, Moneybags offers Spyro to borrow a submarine whenever he wants for 100 Gems.
 * In Crystal Glacier, Moneybags once again allows Spyro to cross a bridge for a fee, specifically 200 Gems.
 * In Magma Cone, Spyro can freely use an elevator if he pays 200 Gems to Moneybags.

There are five instances where Spyro can pay Moneybags to access a specific portal:
 * In Summer Forest, if Spyro pays 400 Gems to Moneybags, he lowers the wall to Aquaria Towers. This is the only instance where Moneybags does not directly block the portal himself when offering access to a realm.
 * In Autumn Plains, there are three different portals that become accessible once Spyro pays Moneybags for each of them: Zephyr and Shady Oasis for 400 Gems each and Icy Speedway for 100 Gems.
 * In Winter Tundra, Spyro can pay 200 Gems to Moneybags to access Canyon Speedway.

In the ending, after Spyro defeats Ripto, Elora speaks for Moneybags by saying that he wants to give Spyro back all the Gems. Moneybags refuses to give him anything, so Hunter pins down Moneybags and takes his bag of Gems from him. Elora speaks for Moneybags again by saying that he is very sorry for making Spyro pay so many Gems throughout his journey, and that all the Gems are to reward Spyro for helping Avalar.

In the epilogue of the original version, a Lava Lizard in Skelos Badlands is seen with Moneybags in his mouth because he kept swindling the bonebuilders of their money.

Spyro: Year of the Dragon
In Spyro: Year of the Dragon, Moneybags had a Dragon Egg and was eager to sell it for gems. Spyro angrily chases Moneybags around Midnight Mountain. Along the way, Moneybags drops all of the gems that he took from Spyro during the course of the game before reluctantly handing over the dragon egg. Earlier in his journey, Spyro also has to pay Moneybags along the way to free characters that defied the Sorceress, including Sheila, Sgt. Byrd, Bentley and Agent 9.

Spyro: Season of Ice
In Spyro: Season of Ice, Spyro encounters Moneybags in all four realms. In each of them, Moneybags is guarding the portal to a Sparx level. He allows Sparx to access it if Spyro pays a certain fee of gems. Once Spyro has unlocked the fourth and final Sparx level has been unlocked, Moneybags gives Spyro all of his gems back.

Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly
In Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, Moneybags makes only one appearance, which is at the Dragonfly Dojo. He claims to have found a new and better life through generosity. However, Moneybags admits that money still owns his soul, and even admits that their shine helps him write his poetry, so he charges Spyro 200 Gems in exchange for raising a bridge.

Spyro: A Hero's Tail
In Spyro: A Hero's Tail, Moneybags's appearance and role was changed. He runs several shops throughout the Dragon Realms, and his main one is located in the Dragon Village. Spyro can purchase items from Moneybags to progress in his adventure.

Personality
In the PlayStation games and Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly, Moneybags is an upper class British snob who travels around, looking for opportunities to con people out of their gems. He speaks with a New England accent. In Spyro: A Hero's Tail and Spyro: Shadow Legacy, Moneybags was changed to an Eastern-European gypsy.

Profiles

 * Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly instruction booklet (page 9): "Sheesh! Won't this bear ever get a real job? Moneybags spends his days charging the denizens of the Dragon Realms for passage to all manner of special areas and socking away every penny he makes. And while he can be pushy, he always opens up new avenues for Spyro to explore ... for a small fee, of course."
 * Spyro: Season of Ice instruction booklet (page 15): "A self-made bear and entrepreneur, this penny-pinching ursus arctos has made his fortune on being at the right place at the right time, namely in Spyro's way. For a "reasonable" fee, Moneybags might help you on your adventure."