Dragons: Which Get You Fired Up?

Fearsome Rating: 3+

The spawn of Daenerys Targaryen lost points, at first, for their diminutive stature. But they grew. Oh, they grew.

Fearsome Rating: 8
The first dragon in English literature was a primal vision of all-encompassing destruction. Robert Zemeckis' film version added in a slightly perverse twist, but we'll take the primal original. Literature is so awesome, gang.

Fearsome Rating: 5
''Jabberwocky'' is a nonsense-on-purpose poem, but the portrayal of the verse's monster — ''the jaws that bite, the claws that catch... with eyes of flame'' — is undeniably freaky. (On the other hand, the poem indicates that the Jabberwocky ''burbles'' as it walks.)

Fearsome Rating: 6
Reign of Fire posits the curious notion that all dragons are female, except for one. And that lone daddy dragon spends most of his time, ahem, fertilizing. That — and the presence of Bald Matthew McConaughey — is a big reason why Reign of Fire is beloved by people with an expansive sense of humor.

Fearsome Rating: 3
In this Parker Brothers half-classic — an earlier and decidedly less therapy-baiting version of Don't Wake Daddy! — you play as penguins trying to rescue your eggs from a sleeping dragon. That's right: Big Snore gets outsmarted by penguins, nature's cutest mistake. Sweet dreams.

Fearsome Rating: 7
The protagonist of Erik Larsen's long-running experiment in gonzo superheroism isn't technically a dragon. He's a big angry dude with a badass Mohawk fin. But we'll make an exception, since he might tear out our spine otherwise.

Fearsome Rating: 2
The original Peter, Paul, and Mary song has a popular reputation, thanks to the rumor that the ''Magic Dragon'' is actually a metaphor, man. But the 1978 cartoon is an endearing bit of feel-goodery. A dragon with bushy eyebrows, a long goatee, and the voice of Burgess Meredith? What's not to love?

Fearsome Rating: 6
Here is the sound your brain makes when looking at the main dragon from this beloved 2010 cartoon:
''AHHHHHHHHHawwwwwwwwWHHOOOOAAAAHHHawwwwww
OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGheeheeheehee.''

Fearsome Rating: 6
So there's this tall yellow thing with green-teardrop eye tattoos, red hair, white boots, and a southern accent. Also, he's the mayor. Also, say his last name slowly. You might not be scared, but your parents are horrified.

Fearsome Rating: 7
The most beloved character of proto-viral early '00s sensation homestarrunner.com franchise, Strong Bad was at his best when he led a mini-seminar in how to draw a dragon. The result: Trogdor, a dragon so fearsome he already has his own theme song. (''Burning anything that comes in sight/burning anything that passes!'')

Fearsome Rating: 8
A memorably outlandish creature that perfectly combines Jack Kirby's mythic fantasticality and Stan Lee's jazzy wit. Just look at that alliterative name — it could either be the name of a wiccan elder god or the chorus of a Ke$ha song, and I mean that as a compliment.

Fearsome Rating: -10
With a voice that sounds like Peter Ustinov on helium, a devotion to writing bad poetry, and an aversion to all violence, the star of this undeservedly forgotten Disney cartoon is possibly the least threatening creature ever invented.

Fearsome Rating: 4
Few dragons have ever looked weirder, and few dragons have ever won a bigger place in our hearts.

Fearsome Rating: 8
A flying three-headed monster from outer freaking space, Ghidorah is only defeated by the combined might of Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra.

Fearsome Rating: 1
He looks like Scooby Doo's Shaggy and enjoys eating and helping orphans. Fearsome, Elliott is not.

Fearsome Rating: 6
Japanese animation legend Hayao Miyazaki has a unique gift for imbuing even the most endearing creatures with a sense of primal terror, which might explain why the strange dragon in Spirited Away remains a fearsome character even after its secrets are revealed.

Fearsome Rating: 10
J.R.R. Tolkien expanded on the dragon in Beowulf, and the result is one of the most beloved and terrifying antagonists in the history of fantasy literature. Practically invulnerable and essentially immortal, Smaug is a vision of consuming greed and conniving grandeur. He's also scary as hell.

Fearsome Rating: 6
The last of his race, Draco is a creature of impossibly noble bearing. The digital effects in Dragonheart haven't aged too well... but with Sean Connery's voice, who cares?

Fearsome Rating: 8
Yes, he's small. Yes, he's purple. Yes, he sounds like the worst combination of golden-age Keanu Reeves and a voiceover actor from a late-period Peanuts special. Guess what, though: He is Spyro the Motherf---ing Dragon. And he will end you.

Fearsome Rating: 9
The laconic GRD, with his humanoid hands and his bunny ears, doesn't look like much. But as Teddy Roosevelt once said: Speak softly, and be incredibly powerful and all-knowing. Or was that Franklin Roosevelt?