Ignitus

Ignitus is a Fire Guardian dragon who appears in The Legend of Spyro series. He is the leader of the remaining Dragon Guardians and serves as the father-figure to Spyro, providing him with words of wisdom and leads him onto the right path, as well as teaching him about the element of fire.

Personality
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 is often calm and collected but has been known to break out into fits of fury, using his fire ability to great effect. He blames himself for everything that has happened to Spyro, Cynder, and the Dragon race and carries on that guilt throughout the series. His faith in Spyro is utterly unwavering and he is a devout believer in the Ancestors, truly believing that Spyro is nature's way of balancing itself against evil.

Ignitus is the most dedicated of the Dragon Guardians; he is still haunted by failures of his past and seeks to redeem himself. Equally capable of warmth, rage, and long smoldering bouts of shame, resentment, and regret, he keeps his distance from the other three Guardians, Volteer, Cyril, and Terrador. However, when the time comes, Ignitus 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 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. He is known to be one of the few Dragons who can see premonitions in the Pool of Visions and can also provide protection from fire and other sources of heat by generating a blue barrier around himself and any others that are close to him.

History
During the war against the Dark Master's army, Ignitus was a general who led a company of war Dragons into battle against the Apes. After a fierce struggle in which many Guardians were lost, Ignitus's forces were driven back until only four Guardians remained.

The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning
Ignitus was one of the Guardians in charge of protecting the eggs in the Dragon Temple when the Dark Armies attacked. Fearing for the purple dragon's safety and the ancient prophecy that foretold the coming of a new age, he rescued the purple dragon's 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 and all the other eggs had been smashed.

Years later, Ignitus lead the remaining war Dragons against the Dark Armies for the islands, but were overpowered when Cynder appeared 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. The Fire Guardian was amazed to see the young 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 other islands in the clutches of Cynder's forces. When Spyro rescued the last guardian, Terrador, in Munitions Forge, Cynder attacked Spyro and it was only by Ignitus's intervention did Spyro escape. However, Cynder overcame Ignitus and took the last Guardian to her fortress in Concurrent Skies to drain his element into the last crystal needed to free her master, the Dark Master.

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 carry out her plan. A weakened Ignitus explained to Spyro that Cynder 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. 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 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
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, 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. Ignitus feared that the Dark Master may return and sent Spyro on his journey to the Chronicler whilst he stayed behind to search for Cynder.

The Legend of Spyro: Dawn of the Dragon
When Spyro and Cynder didn't return to the Temple after the Night of Eternal Darkness, Ignitus sent Hunter of Avalar to find them. During the three years that Spyro and Cynder went missing, Ignitus led the Guardians and the other dragons in the war against the Dark Master, Malefor, who had been resurrected when the Night of Eternal Darkness passed. Despite Ignitus's best efforts, he could not hold the Dragon Temple and it fell into the control of Malefor, who tore it from the ground and raised the temple above the volcano that formed as a symbol of his power. Ignitus moved to the dragon city of Warfang and waited for Hunter's report on the whereabouts of Spyro and Cynder, all the while making sure that his fellow Guardians never lost hope in their return.

Three years later, Ignitus defended the city when it was sieged by Malefor's army and led the attack on the Golem when it appeared. However, he was knocked out of the sky by the Golem 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, Cynder and Sparx. Cynder then revealed to Ignitus the snake chains that binded her and Spyro together, and the Fire Guardian replied that it was irremovable. As Spyro and Cynder wondered on how they'll fight back if they're forced to fight tethered 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.

Ignitus was later present when Malefor declared his plan to destroy the world. He ordered everyone to venture underneath Warfang to reach the Destroyer before it would complete its circle around the globe and then comforted Spyro when the young dragon worried about what was going to happen. 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 resembling Ignitus surround Malefor before dragging him into the world's crystal 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 appearance, his scales turning a shade of blue and wielding the Chronicler's various objects. With his newly acquired power, Ignitus looked into the book, wondering where Spyro and Cynder might be, keeping his eye on their futures.

The Legend of Spyro 3D
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 leaves the egg in the hands of Dragonflies, who were peaceful and importantly very hard to find, and Ignitus calls on an allegiance from their distant ancestry.

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 he was filled with hope and eagerly trained him 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 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 disappearing during the Night of Eternal Darkness. According to Terrador, he made sure others didn't gave up hope either. 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 if Spyro is dead and happily wondered where he might be after confirming that he is still alive.

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 replace him and showed full trust on his abilities. Terrador claimed that he knows Ignitus well enough to know what he was planning. At times he 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 he felt sorry for her over having failed to protect her egg. He would have the chance to apologize for his failure when Cynder returned to normal while allowing her to stay on 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.

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.

Gallery

 * Ignitus/Gallery

Trivia

 * In an interview with the lead artist for the first two games, Jared Pullen, it was originally intended for Ignitus to be Spyro's possible biological father. Jared said that the goal was to reveal Spyro's parentage in stages and throw up the notion that perhaps his father was one of two possible dragons; one being Ignitus, and the other Malefor. The concept was to re-occur across the three games, but it was 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.
 * Ignitus is the only red dragon to appear in The Legend of Spyro series.
 * 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.
 * In the GBA version of The Eternal Night, Ignitus appears in Fellmuth Arena instead of Cynder.
 * In the GBA version of The Eternal Night, Ignitus is the only one of the Guardians to appear.
 * His name comes from Ignis, meaning fire in Latin.