Western vs. Eastern style Dragons

In both Western and Eastern culture, dragons have been a symbolic representation of nature. It is the difference in mentality of the two cultures that have influence on the way dragons are perceived. Western culture generally view nature as something to overcome and conquer, which is apparent in the philosophy of our industries; while eastern culture generally view nature as something greater then man that cannot be overcome, but something that we must co-exist with and learn from.

Thus, the reason why dragons in western mythology are often depicted as hulking intimidating creatures that must be slain and subdued, while dragons in eastern mythology are often wise intelligent being with much to teach man kind.

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Originally Posted by Eldryan

In both Western and Eastern culture, dragons have been a symbolic representation of nature. It is the difference in mentality of the two cultures that have influence on the way dragons are perceived. Western culture generally view nature as something to overcome and conquer, which is apparent in the philosophy of our industries; while eastern culture generally view nature as something greater then man that cannot be overcome, but something that we must co-exist with and learn from.

Thus, the reason why dragons in western mythology are often depicted as hulking intimidating creatures that must be slain and subdued, while dragons in eastern mythology are often wise intelligent being with much to teach man kind.

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I wonder which of these Bahamut is supposed to be. Or maybe both?

Western dragons for slaying for loot, eastern dragons for quest givers and friendly NPCs.

The eastern dragon portrayed in "Ironman Animated Adventures" is actually pretty well done. Certainly don't mind that.

An Eastern dragon can be right at home in the right kind of dungeons.

Western Dragons are actually originated in Europe. Which is East xD

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Originally Posted by Pwnagraphic

Western Dragons are actually originated in Europe. Which is East xD

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Thats western.

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Originally Posted by Shougun

Thats western.

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But Eastern of the US >_>

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Originally Posted by Pwnagraphic

But Eastern of the US >_>

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Indeed :P but usually when people say western or westernization it includes Europe :P (or at least usually for me lol).

I think it all depends on the setting of where the dragon resides in the game and the lore behind it. In FF4 it had both styles of dragon but you only see one or two eastern style dragons. The one I can recall at least is the boss of the magnetic cave. Because I've been immersed into the western culture so long I prefer western style dragons, but eastern dragons are not bad. IMO I see western dragons as ferocious and strong, where eastern dragons come off agile and sneaky. Kinda how i see large lizards (western) versus snakes (eastern).

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Originally Posted by Pwnagraphic

But Eastern of the US >_>

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My tax dollars and public school system at work. :P

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Originally Posted by Wilksha

I think it all depends on the setting of where the dragon resides in the game and the lore behind it. In FF4 it had both styles of dragon but you only see one or two eastern style dragons. The one I can recall at least is the boss of the magnetic cave. Because I've been immersed into the western culture so long I prefer western style dragons, but eastern dragons are not bad. IMO I see western dragons as ferocious and strong, where eastern dragons come off agile and sneaky. Kinda how i see large lizards (western) versus snakes (eastern).

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The magnetic cave's boss wasn't a dragon at all, it was a Dark Elf! =^.^=

FF Games have both Western and Eastern dragon depictions in almost every title.

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Originally Posted by IndigoDarkwolf

My tax dollars and public school system at work. :P

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At least he got the direction correct, even if it is America-centric. I don't want to know how many of our fellow Americans think Europe is off further west or heaven forbid to the north or south...

And for the record, I have a tendency to prefer western dragons. The styling to really make them very normal, natural reptilian but just huge makes it more believable to me that they could actually exist. Which they obviously don't, of course :P

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Originally Posted by Myranda

At least he got the direction correct, even if it is America-centric. I don't want to know how many of our fellow Americans think Europe is off further west or heaven forbid to the north or south...

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Well if you go west far enough :D :D (Japan is a part of the west wooo!! lol)

Japan: No!


More cool eastern dragons :D
http://images.elfwood.com/art/n/a/na...rZd.437760.jpg

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ma...sxh6o1_500.jpg

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Originally Posted by IndigoDarkwolf

The magnetic cave's boss wasn't a dragon at all, it was a Dark Elf! =^.^=

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True enough, but after he takes a beating he turns into an eastern dragon, that's all that matters right?

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Originally Posted by Doho

http://images.wikia.com/monsterhunte...Size_Chart.jpg

I WANT ALL OF THIS RIGHT HUR UP INS ARR

Edit: This is Monster Hunter for all you plebeians.

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My brothers and friends got our copies of MH Ultimate preordered. Unrelated, but excited none the less, thanks for that pic

I like em both.

http://mamacafetime.up.seesaa.net/im...32521prte6.jpg

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/1...cept_art_1.jpg

Dragons!

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Originally Posted by Molic

http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/1...cept_art_1.jpg

Dragons!

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Oh look, a knight shaped marshmellow.

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Originally Posted by IndigoDarkwolf

I don't know which I like more, I just think that S|E did an amazing job of making Bahamut look like a global catastrophe, compared to the weak-sauce that Blizzard tossed out there.

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Your Fanboyism/girlism aside,

WoW's dragon was a beast.

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Originally Posted by Fadedhost

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__...FafnirFFXI.jpg
Oh yeah

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Now that's a Dragon!

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Originally Posted by Psykotsu

Your Fanboyism/girlism aside,

WoW's dragon was a beast.

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I hate WoW cinematics.. they look so pretty and I actually get a bit excited and then you get in game and disappointment.. lol


That Gaping Dragon here is an ingame picture:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z83j7DN8g5...ing+Dragon.jpg

(Dark Souls)

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Originally Posted by IndigoDarkwolf

I don't know which I like more, I just think that S|E did an amazing job of making Bahamut look like a global catastrophe, compared to the weak-sauce that Blizzard tossed out there.

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Blizzard does struggle making dragons looks cool, I agree 100%. I love dragons and seeing them in WOW made my eyes bleed, only reason I played for 2 years was because the UI and game mechanics were really good, but the lore and graphics for stuff was horrible, eventually causing me to quit XD

And let's not forget those UGLY! shoulder pieces of armor on players rofl, the shoulder armor was bigger than the actual player... Shame that blizzard can make nearly perfect UI and game mechanics, but have such poor taste in animation.

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Originally Posted by Shougun

I hate WoW cinematics.. they look so pretty and I actually get a bit excited and then you get in game and disappointment.. lol


That Gaping Dragon here is an ingame picture:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z83j7DN8g5...ing+Dragon.jpg

(Dark Souls)

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Good morning/afternoon Shougun! Your a true trooper XD

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Originally Posted by Shougun

I hate WoW cinematics.. they look so pretty and I actually get a bit excited and then you get in game and disappointment.. lol


That Gaping Dragon here is an ingame picture:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Z83j7DN8g5...ing+Dragon.jpg

(Dark Souls)

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This battle took me an hour and 35 minutes. I started with thief and decided to play through the game just as a thief. That fight was so tough without stacking vit and stam like all those other people do.

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Originally Posted by AdorraEloom

Good morning/afternoon Shougun! Your a true trooper XD

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Good Var_Time_of_Day AddoraEloom :D~

Without trying to dig for a compliment I'm curious what made me a trooper XD lol



Not really a dragon but it is a sand worm flying thing in Shadow of Collosus:

http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/ar...7025945121.jpg

I hope A ARR gets a rolling sand desert zone B they get giant swimming / dolphin movement sand monsters :D like in FFXII (I find it fascinating for some reason >.> lol):

http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__...ea_Artwork.jpg

http://youtu.be/M99o_Ck2W9s

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Originally Posted by Psykotsu

This battle took me an hour and 35 minutes. I started with thief and decided to play through the game just as a thief. That fight was so tough without stacking vit and stam like all those other people do.

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I played twice the first time I was exactly that vit and stam stacker lol - but the second time I played through as a thief pretty much (except with a giant sword instead). Although I made it to level 300 so.... at that point I was a thief in the heaviest armor in the game and I could still roll easily.. :P

I like both. Much of the gear and indeed the classes in FFXIV are very western, so at this point I think adding eastern style mobs would seem out of place. Though when we start seeing Samurai and Ninja I wouldn't mind seeing some eastern style mobs joining the fray.

Western style hands down. It's Smaug!!!!

For me it just depends on how it's handled in the particular media. In terms of XIV, the End of an Era trailer with Bahamut was obviously epic, but I also remember how badass the original opening was with Midgardsormr. The first time watching the sheer length of him as he wrapped around the Garlean airship made my eyes grow wide. Overall, I have to say I'm loving all of the dragon/serpent designs in XIV.

Read up:

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In Western folklore, dragons are usually portrayed as evil, with the exceptions mainly in Welsh folklore and modern fiction. This is in contrast to Asian dragons, who are traditionally depicted as more benevolent creatures. In the modern period, the European dragon is typically depicted as a huge fire-breathing, scaly and horned lizard-like creature, with (leathery, bat-like) wings, with four legs and a long muscular tail. It is sometimes shown with feathered wings, crests, fiery manes, ivory spikes running down its spine and various exotic colorations. Dragon's blood often has magical properties: for example in the opera Siegfried it let Siegfried understand the language of the Forest Bird. The typical dragon protects a cavern or castle filled with gold and treasure and is often associated with a great hero who tries to slay it. Though a winged creature, the dragon is generally to be found in its underground lair, a cave that identifies it as an ancient creature of earth. Possibly, the dragons of European and Mid Eastern mythology stem from the cult of snakes found in religions throughout the world.

Japanese dragons (日本の竜 Nihon no ryū) are diverse legendary creatures in Japanese mythology and folklore. Japanese dragon myths amalgamate native legends with imported stories about dragons from China, Korea and India. The style of the dragon was heavily influenced by the Chinese dragon. Like these other Asian dragons, most Japanese ones are water deities associated with rainfall and bodies of water, and are typically depicted as large, wingless, serpentine creatures with clawed feet. The modern Japanese language has numerous "dragon" words, including indigenous tatsu from Old Japanese ta-tu, Sino-Japanese ryū or ryō 竜 from Chinese lóng 龍, nāga ナーガ from Sanskrit nāga, and doragon ドラゴン from English "dragon".

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From wiki.

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Originally Posted by Fadedhost

We can hide better.

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Flora was bigger, too. Not big enough to hide a T-Rex at all times, but it wasn't until after the mass-extinction that smaller plants like Grass (OMG) were able to thrive.

I like serpents, but I think western dragons look a smidge more plausible. I mean wings aside, a lot of them are just big lizards.

Note that Leviathan is my favorite summon in FF.

Now this is cool

http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/...rt-d5v11tb.jpg

I like all kinds of dragons, but I do like western style better.

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Originally Posted by Yrusama

I like serpents, but I think western dragons look a smidge more plausible. I mean wings aside, a lot of them are just big lizards.

Note that Leviathan is my favorite summon in FF.

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Sea Serpents do it for you :D ? http://youtu.be/P4hseUAAFgI?t=6m17s

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Originally Posted by PinkamenaDiane

Now this is cool

http://th04.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/...rt-d5v11tb.jpg

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Wow.

Spyro's been taking his vitamins, I see.

While western dragons do look more aggressive and dangerous... I must say that I would love to see some Eastern dragons in FF, just because they look elegant and pretty...

I guess that there could be both types... I still don't know why game developers always follow one or another, would it be so bad in having both?

How I see it... while a western dragon could easily be a "warrior" type, eastern is a "mage" type :P

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Originally Posted by Vogue

While western dragons do look more aggressive and dangerous... I must say that I would love to see some Eastern dragons in FF, just because they look elegant and pretty...

I guess that there could be both types... I still don't know why game developers always follow one or another, would it be so bad in having both?

How I see it... while a western dragon could easily be a "warrior" type, eastern is a "mage" type :P

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Well

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Originally Posted by KaMuiSouZou

. . . Midgardsormr. The first time watching the sheer length of him as he wrapped around the Garlean airship made my eyes grow wide. . . .

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Is pretty eastern style :)

I'm wondering if we will see another Dragon like him..

(He does have wings but w.e lol - he is a kind of hybrid)

Another Wyrm Hybridy dragon

artisticly i like western dragon. but i like what the eastern represents, good/evil ballance. example ffxiv midgardsormr(good/eastern style) taking on the garleans and such. then there is ole Bahamut(bad bad dragon western style) we all know what he did. so i think it's safe to say they know what they are doing in the dragon lore department :p but this is what is my favorite? so western naturaly(they don't call me beo for nothin) :) but heres hoping we get to see the resurrection of a specific flying serpent in ARR to help us out when the time comes to lay the smack down on some giant western dragon ass! ~.~
ps. here is what gw2 did to their dragons, while epic in size and i apreciate how they emplement them into the world i.e. you can see them flying around they are apart of the invironment and such, but i did not care for the animation. http://i.imgur.com/uXixRKA.jpg

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Originally Posted by fusional

western dragons, eastern character design.

because no matter how awesome their dragons look, western characters have faces that look like wrinkly, hemorrhoidal butts. with dirty straw for hair. (i'm looking at you, skyrim and AC)

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LOL! Dragon Age too!! Those western designs for characters are ugly :(. Eastern dragons though :).

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Originally Posted by Alhanelem

Eastern dragons would actually look very odd in a final fantasy game, which tends to draw more from western mythology.

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http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__.../ShinryuBC.png

...I disagree.