Ignitus is a red dragon in The Legend of Spyro series who is the leader of the remaining Dragon Guardians. He masters the element of Fire. He serves as a father-figure to Spyro, providing him with words of wisdom and leads him into the right path.
According to an interview with Jared, originally, the goal was to reveal Spyro's parentage in stages and throw up the notion that perhaps his father was either Ignitus or Malefor. The concept was to re-occur across The Legend of Spyro trilogy, but it never panned out. Jared stated that he had always personally maintained that Ignitus was indeed Spyro's biological father and set out with that in mind right from the design phase. The animators also loosely held true to this idea, so without it being 'official', it was the original intention.[2]
Physical Appearance
Original Design (2006-2007)
Ignitus is a red dragon with dark red spots, light orange horns, and red-pink frills on his shoulders and behind his cheeks. He has dark red spines that grow from his head and trails down his back to the tip of his frilled tail. His wings are also dark red with light orange membranes and he has a scaley underbelly. A pair of frills grow from under his chin resembling a goatee. In the concept art, Ignitus has a visible clawmark on his left flank, which is absent in the final version of A New Beginning.
Dawn of the Dragon Design (2008)
Ignitus was given a major design overhaul in the console versions of The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon by Étranges Libellules. He no longer has dark red spots on his body (though they are present in his concept art) and his back is pushed down more than his original design's, potentially giving Ignitus an oriental look. The top of his back is now dark red before blending down with his natural red body color.
Personality
Ignitus is often calm and collected but has been known to break out into fits of fury, using his fire ability to great effect; equally capable of warmth and rage. His faith in Spyro is utterly unwavering and he is a devout believer in the Ancestors, truly believing that Spyro's existence is nature's way of balancing itself against evil. Deep down, Ignitus is haunted by his past and blames himself for what happened to Spyro, Cynder and the Dragon race. He carries on that shame, resentment and guilt throughout the series, seeking to redeem himself.
Ignitus is the most dedicated of the Dragon Guardians. Despite being leader, he keeps his distance. However when the time comes, he is only too glad to enlighten others and stoke the embers of hope and stand in the face of fire that others might burn even brighter.
Abilities
As the leader of the last remaining Guardians, Ignitus has unquestionable ability within range of attack power, second only to Terrador in military strategy. He trained in the ancient ways, using his teeth, tail and physical strength to perform moves that can knock back multiple enemies. Ignitus is also known to be one of the few Dragons who can see premonitions in the Dragon Temple's Pool of Visions.
Elemental Fire
As a master of Fire, Ignitus is competent in all Fire techniques and can quickly dispatch his enemies with little effort. His ability to explode in rage makes him a perfect berserker for the blazing heat of burning battles. In Dawn of the Dragon, Ignitus can provide protection from fire and other sources of heat by generating a blue barrier around himself and any others that are close to him. Although a storyboard panel reveals the intention was for Ignitus to generate shield made of flames from his fiery surroundings or from his own fire breath.
Story
History
During the ongoing war against the Dark Master and his armies, Ignitus was a general who led a company of war Dragons into battle. After a fierce struggle in which many Guardians lost their lives, Ignitus's forces were driven back until only four Guardians remained.[3] Like all the other dragons, he heard of the ancient prophecies speaking of a rare purple dragon who is destined to bring peace to the world.
The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning
The Fire Guardian, Ignitus, looks after the egg of the prophecised purple dragon.
When the Dark Armies attacked the Dragon Temple during the Year of the Dragon, Ignitus was one of the Guardians in charge of protecting the dragon eggs, including the egg of the purple dragon. Fearing for the purple dragon's safety, he rescued the egg and sent it down a stream, hoping for the best. When Ignitus returned to the temple, he found that the other Guardians had been overwhelmed by the Dark Armies, who proceeded to smash all the other dragon eggs in sight. He attempted to stop the theft of Cynder's egg, but ultimately failed in the effort. The slaughter of the eggs and Cynder's kidnapping would haunt Ignitus for years to come, causing him to feel that he was utterly responsible for failing the night of the raid.
Sometime later, Ignitus would lead the remaining war Dragons (including his "Inferno Battalion") against the Dark Armies for the islands, but were overpowered when Cynder appeared on the battlefield and captured the other remaining Guardians. Ignitus managed to escape from Cynder and exiled himself to the Swamp, casting off his battle armour in despair and becoming the crestfallen figure that Spyro would soon meet years later. The Fire Guardian was amazed to see the young purple dragon alive and well, but it took the persistent questions from Spyro to lift Ignitus out of his despair. He informed Spyro of what had happened to their race and about the evil dragon, Cynder. When he told Spyro about their home, Spyro expressed an interest to see it which Ignitus at first refused. But Spyro would not take no for an answer and together they reclaimed the Temple.
Once there, Ignitus showed Spyro what Cynder had done to the nearby islands, and after teaching him how to fly and use his fire abilities more effectively, he sent Spyro to rescue the other Guardians that were being kept on the islands in the clutches of Cynder's forces. When Spyro rescued the last Guardian, Terrador, on Munitions Forge, Cynder attacked Spyro and it was only by Ignitus's intervention did Spyro escape. However, Cynder defeated Ignitus and took the last Guardian to her fortress in Concurrent Skies to drain his element into the last crystal needed to free the Dark Master.
Ignitus congratulates Spyro over his victory and for rescuing them all, including Cynder.
As Spyro arrived to rescue him, Cynder fought the purple dragon to give time for the crystal to absorb Ignitus's elemental energy. When it was finally infused with Ignitus's power, Cynder took the crystal and fled to Convexity to free the Dark Master. A weakened Ignitus explained to Spyro the truth about Cynder's origins; she was stolen from the Temple on the night of the raid and she was just like Spyro, but was twisted by the Dark Master's influence to serve and free him from his prison in Convexity. It was these words that led to Spyro rescuing Cynder after her transformation back to her true self upon her defeat and he brought her back to the Temple with him. At the Dragon Temple, Ignitus was overjoyed at the outcome and expressed a sincere apology to Cynder, blaming himself for everything that happened on the night of the raid, but was reassured by the other Guardians.
The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night
Weeks later[4][5], Ignitus and the other Guardians were asleep when Cynder left the temple out of guilt. As such, they were all present when the Apes attacked the temple again and were able to repel the attack. Spyro, who had left the temple momentarily to stop Cynder from leaving, made his way back to the main body of the temple and witnessed Ignitus battling Apes alone. The Fire Guardian asked for Spyro's help when he was becoming overwhelmed, and when the Apes began to focus their attention on Spyro, Ignitus used his Fire fury to destroy most of the Apes before entering the temple. When Spyro defeated the last of them on the balcony (including the Assassin, who led the attack on the Temple), Ignitus returned and asked where Cynder was.
When Spyro told him Cynder had left, Ignitus gathered everyone around the Pool of Visions to search for her but to no avail. Ignitus then foresaw a vision of Spyro standing before a great tree, and Spyro told the Fire Guardian about his dreams and the Chronicler. With the Night of Eternal Darkness approaching, Ignitus feared the imminent dark times unfolding around him and the others and decided to take the next course of action. He tasked Volteer and Cyril to go to the mainlaind to learn what news they can, and sent Terrador to make haste to the Shattered Vale to warn of its inhabitants of the darknesss spreading in the Mountain of Malefor. Lastly, Ignitus sent Spyro on his journey to seek out The Chronicler whilst he stayed behind to search for Cynder and await Spyro's return.
Between The Eternal Night and Dawn of the Dragon
When Spyro, Sparx and Cynder didn't return to the temple after the Night of Eternal Darkness, Ignitus sent a cheetah warrior named Hunter of Avalar to find them. During the three years that Spyro and Cynder went missing, Ignitus led the Guardians and other surviving dragons in the war against the resurrected Dark Master Malefor, who was revealed to be another purple dragon like Spyro. The Guardians moved to the dragon city of Warfang and waited for Hunter's report on the whereabouts of Spyro, Sparx and Cynder. During that time of war, Ignitus made sure that his fellow Guardians never lost hope in the return of the missing children.
The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
After the Golem's defeat, Ignitus reunites with Spyro after three long years.
Three years after The Eternal Night, Ignitus was notified by one of Hunter's falcons that Spyro, Cynder and Sparx were finally found by the cheetah warrior. The Fire Guardian later defended Warfang when it was under siege by Malefor's army and led the attack on an Earth Golem when it appeared. However, he was knocked out of the sky by the creature and collided with a building, rendering him unconscious until after the battle. Ignitus was relieved to see Spyro when he finally had the chance to talk to him, and was more pleased that the young dragon had returned with his companions, Sparx and Cynder. Cynder then revealed to Ignitus the snake chains that binded her and Spyro together with a chain, and the Fire Guardian suspected that it was irremovable. As Spyro and Cynder wondered on how they'll fight back since they were chained together, Ignitus stated that the chain was more than a hindrance, but a reminder of the bond Spyro and Cynder shared, and that their destinies were intertwined.
Later that night, Ignitus was later present with the others when Malefor announced his plan to destroy the world by unleashing an ancient creature called the Destroyer. The Fire Guardian devised a plan to intercept the Destroyer by venturing underneath Warfang to reach the massive creature before it would complete its circle around the globe. After Spyro and Cynder opened the gates to the underground city for their troops, Ignitus comforted Spyro when the young dragon was worried about what was going to happen and his fears of becoming like Malefor. When Cynder thought of a plan to stop the Destroyer's progress, Ignitus ordered everyone else to buy her and Spyro some time by any means necessary.
When the plan failed, Ignitus took Spyro and Cynder to the Belt of Fire to confront Malefor. Upon arriving, he generated a barrier around them to protect him, Spyro, and Cynder from the heat generated from the wall of fire as they began to cross through it. However, the dark power of the Belt of Fire was beginning to overpower Ignitus. As he struggled to keep his barrier around them up, the Fire Guardian apologized to both Spyro and Cynder for everything that had happened to them by his failures. Ignitus, with the last ounce of his strength, threw Spyro and Cynder through the Belt of Fire safely to the other side, sacrificing himself; his death having a deep and almost devastating impact on Spyro. When Spyro and Cynder's battle with Malefor led them into the heart of the world, dragon spirits emerged from the world's crystal core and surround Malefor before dragging him into the core, imprisoning the evil dragon forever. Ignitus's spirit appeared briefly afterwards, lending Spyro his final words of wisdom and giving the young dragon the realization of his true destiny as the Purple Dragon.
After the world was restored by Spyro's power, Ignitus's spirit was chosen by the Chronicler to become the next Chronicler of the new age. He then asked the Chronicler what became of Spyro. The old dragon explained to Ignitus that each time a dragon dies, a new page would be written in the book that he held, but he couldn't seem to find any trace of Spyro among the pages. The Chronicler then disappeared, with Ignitus donning the Chronicler's scale colors and wielding his attire. With his newly acquired power, Ignitus looked into the book, wondering where Spyro and Cynder might be, keeping an eye on their futures.
According to the plot sypnosis of the cancelled movie, Ignitus guarded the egg that contained the special purple dragon, Spyro. However, it was being hunted, and knowing that the egg was no longer safe, the Fire Guardian sends it downriver hoping for the best. Igntius will later help Spyro in his journey to save the land and defeat the Dark Master's pawn, Cynder.
Another plot synopsis states that Ignitus gave Spyro's egg over to a woodland full of Dragonflies to keep. Knowing that the Dragonflies creatures are peaceful and more importantly hard to find, Ignitus calls on an allegiance from their distant ancestry and the Dragonflies agreed to protect the egg and raise Spyro as their own.
Relationships
Spyro
Ignitus acts as a father figure for Spyro and sees him as his only form of redemption for all the failures in his life. When Ignitus first met Spyro, he had already given up and called his fight a lost cause, but after watching the young dragon's courage and willingness to at least give it a try, Ignitus was filled with hope and eagerly trained Spyro to become stronger. He constantly put Spyro's safety over his own and even fought to protect him despite his age hindering him and allowed himself to be captured by Cynder in place of Spyro.
Through Spyro's journey, Ignitus constantly congratulates him for his achievements despite his age and he never gave up hope that Spyro would return after he disappeared after the Night of Eternal Darkness. According to Terrador, he made sure others didn't give up hope either. While walking through the Ruins of Warfang, Ignitus calms Spyro's fears of being a second Malefor by expressing that the young dragon's existence is nature's way of balancing itself against Malefor's evil; the Fire Guardian even believes Spyro is destined for great things and bring about a new age of peace to the world. When Ignitus realized he wouldn't survive helping Spyro and Cynder cross the Belt of Fire, he apologized for not having been useful to them before sacrificing himself to let them cross safely, claiming that it was the least he could do for them. When he became the new Chronicler, he immediately asked what became of Spyro and happily wondered where he might be after confirming that he may still be alive somewhere.
Ignitus apparently is aware of Spyro's feelings for Cynder. When they reunited after three years, he told them that the chain they were stuck together with shouldn't be seen as a hindrance but a reminder of their bond and that their destinies were intertwined. His last advice for Spyro and Cynder before his sacrifice was to "draw strength from each other and follow (their) heart; it will never fail (them)".
Dragon Guardians
As their leader, Ignitus respects his fellow Dragon Guardians as friends and wanted Spyro to rescue them as soon as possible. He also seems to get along with Terrador better than Volteer and Cyril. Before taking Spyro and Cynder to the Burned Lands, he asked Terrador to lead the civilians to safety and showed full trust in his abilities; this alone aroused Terrador's suspicions that he knows Ignitus was planning something, since they've both known each other for a long time. At times Ignitus can be annoyed by Volteer's non-stop talking and Cyril's arrogance.
Cynder
When Cynder was under Malefor's control, Ignitus saw her as an enemy, but at the same time knew about her origins and was guilty over having failed to protect her egg. He would have the chance to apologize for his failure when Cynder was returned to normal while allowing her to stay at the Temple without holding any grudge for what she had done and later considered her a valuable ally. In an intended story detail, it was Ignitus who strongly supported Cynder's re-inclusion into Dragonkind as he felt he had failed Cynder on levels the other Guardians could not imagine. His guilt, coupled with his understanding of failure prompted him to reach out to Cynder in this way.[6]
Sparx
Ignitus is shown to be in good terms with Sparx and shows close to no annoyance over the dragonfly unlike almost everyone else. Although he did say "and I thought Volteer talked a lot" when Sparx complained that he didn't get any credit after Cynder was defeated and released from Malefor. He also agreed about not letting him go to the Belt of Fire, concerned about his safety.
Profiles
“Ignitus is a Guardian Dragon Elder who was once a proud general-like figure, but is now grizzled and a little broken inside. He acts as a mentor to Spyro, guiding him and teaching him the ways of the world, while casting a careful eye on Spyro's well-being.”
“A proud father-like figure and mentor to Spyro. Ignitus was the leader of a special band of dragons charged with the duty of protecting the new batch of eggs that were to hatch the Year of the Dragon. It was during his watch that the Dark Master's forces attacked and stole Cynder's egg, and smashed all the others. Ignitus was only able to rescue Spyro's egg that night by sending it down the Silver River where it was later discovered by Sparx's parents. Still haunted by his past, he now seeks to redeem himself. Equally capable of warmth, rage, and long smoldering bouts of shame, resentment, and regret.”
– The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night/Dawn of the Dragon wesbite and Spyro's Lair website character description
“Ignitus is the Guardian Dragon of fire. He acts as Spyro's mentor throughout his quest, teaching him about his destiny and about what it means to be a dragon. When Spyro was just an egg, Ignitus saved him from the Dark Master's forces during their siege on the dragons' temple. Ignitus sent Spyro's egg floating down a nearby river, which brought it to a distant swamp. A kindhearted pair of dragonflies eventually found Spyro's egg, and when Spyro popped out of it, they raised him as one of their own.”
– The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning Prima Official Game Guide, page 29
“Ignitus is the guardian dragon of fire and leader of the dragons. When the temple is attacked, Ignitus divides the Council of Dragons up to complete various tasks and knows Spyro must go solo and play his part. Previously Spyro’s mentor, Ignitus now takes a backseat role as another legendary presence takes over to shape our hero’s future.”
– The Legend of Spyro: The Eternal Night Prima Official Game Guide, page 30
“Ignitus is the Guardian Dragon of fire. He has been both friend and mentor to Spyro throughout his quests, teaching him about his destiny and about what it means to be a dragon. When Spyro was just an egg, Ignitus saved him from the Dark Master’s forces during their siege on the Dragon Temple. Ignitus sent Spyro’s egg floating down a nearby river, which brought it to a distant swamp. A kindhearted pair of dragonflies eventually found Spyro’s egg. When Spyro popped out of it, they raised him as one of their own. As Malefor prepares his final assault, Ignitus rallies the Guardian Dragons to war as Spyro’s destiny begins to unfold.”
– The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon Prima Official Game Guide, page 25
Jeremy Irons, known for his voice role as Scar from Disney's The Lion King, was considered for the voice of Ignitus.[7]
In the game artwork for Ignitus by Krome Studios, there is a clawmark on Ignitus's left flank.
In the Krome Studios adaptions of The Legend of Spyro, Ignitus walks with a limp.
His limp is a reference to his designer's own limp in real life.[8]
Ignitus leading his war dragons, "Inferno Battalion", against the Dark Armies with the banner-bearer, Pyra by his side In one of the flashbacks of the isle-wars in A New Beginning, Ignitus can be seen standing by a young dragon who was his battle-squire and banner-bearer for his war battalion, Pyra.
Ignitus, being the new Chronicler at the end of Dawn of the Dragon, would explain why he was narrating the prologue of A New Beginning and of Dawn of the Dragon. It is possible that he was reading the whole trilogy the entire time to the viewers after the events of Dawn of the Dragon.
The original English voice of Ignitus is played by Gary Oldman, who also played famous roles such as Commissioner Jim Gordon from the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy, Count Dracula in the 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula film, Sgt. Viktor Reznov in Call of Duty: World at War and Black Ops, Sirius Black in the Harry Potter film series, as well as the main antagonist in films The Book of Eli, Air Force One, and Kung Fu Panda 2.
In A New Beginning, there was originally going to be a mini-quest for Spyro to go on to collect Ignitus's helmet, shield and lance in the Swamp level as a way to develop Spyro's friendship with Ignitus, introducing a clue into Dragon culture and Ignitus's military past, as well as reinforcing the magnitude of his feelings of failure. However, this was later cancelled due to limited time. 3D props of the items were made and can be seen throughout the Swamp.[3]
In the Nintendo Gameboy Advance version of The Eternal Night, Ignitus appears in Fellmuth Arena instead of Cynder. Unlike her capture at the hands of the Shadow Wraiths, it's entirely unknown what happened to Ignitus after he fought off the Skavengers, in this version of the game.
In this version of The Eternal Night, Ignitus is the only one of the Guardians to appear.
His name comes from Ignis, the meaning of fire in Latin.
In a storyboard panel for Dawn of the Dragon for the Burned Lands introduction cutscene, Ignitus draws in or breathes out a shield made of fire that would protect him, Spyro and Cynder from the flames of the Belt of Fire. In the final game, a blue energy shield is simply generated from Ignitus.
