A Quick and Handy Guide to Daenerys's Dragons on Game of Thrones
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A lot of us might claim we watch Game of Thrones for the drama, the betrayals, and the shocking moments that still haunt us. But, let's be real for a second: even eight seasons later, we watch it for the motherf*cking dragons. There are few things as exciting as hearing Daenerys Targaryen utter the word "Dracarys" to her three — oops, now two — fire-breathing children who have given the show an extra something-something ever since rising from the ashes of Khal Drogo's funeral pyre in season one. Although we don't get to see them as often as we'd like (even HBO can't cough up all that CGI money), here's a quick guide to each of Dany's children.
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Drogon
After the dragons hatch from the eggs Daenerys places on Khal Drogo's funeral pyre, a pint-size Drogon is the one who climbs onto her shoulder and unleashes a fearsome scream. Drogon is Dany's personal mount (the one she chooses to always ride) and named after the late Khal Drogo. Even if Daenerys is not riding on his back, he's easily distinguished by his black and red scales, as well as his more pronounced red wings, which are also streaked with black coloring.
Drogon is the most visible of the three dragons by far since he regularly accompanies Dany wherever she goes (with the exception of that time he straight up ditches her in seasons four and five). In season seven, he appears in "The Spoils of Where," where Daenerys flies into battle against the Lannisters on Drogon's back, and he gets shot in the wing by a giant spear. He's not dead, but we imagine he's not doing so hot at the moment. Most recently he appears in the season eight premiere episode, "Winterfell," spying on Jon and Daenerys's date.
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Rhaegal
While Drogon is red and black, Rhaegal has green and bronze scales, as well as orange-gold wings. Like his siblings, he's named after another important figure in Dany's life: her eldest brother, Rhaegar Targaryen (aka Jon Snow's biological father). Since creating CGI dragons costs beaucoup bucks, we don't get to see much of ol' Rhaegal, but he is right alongside his brother Drogon in the premiere of season eight.
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Viserion
It's fitting that Viserion has gold-colored scales and red-orange wings, given that he's named after Dany's brother Viserys (who, as we all know by now, is covered in gold himself). Like Rhaegal, we don't get to see as much of Viserion as we do Drogon, but we witness him doing his thing in the season five and six scenes in the Meereen catacombs (he's the one who breathes some pissed-off fire at Dany after she chains them up).
Since the White Walkers are marching into Westeros, Viserion has become the problem child of the family. After being resurrected by the Night King, Viserion's eyes turned an icy blue and he now breathes blue (still hot) fire. Technically considered a wight, Viserion has awoken as part of the Night King's army because, in this show, not even the dragons are safe from being pitted agains their own families.