How to Train a Dragon TV Series: Every Show Explained

NBCUniversal lists four How to Train Your Dragon television series, counting Race to the Edge separately from DreamWorks Dragons. The other two are Rescue Riders and The Nine Realms, each with different central characters. The count can be confusing because some shows also have subtitles that identify seasons or continuations. For the franchise beyond television, visit the How to Train Your Dragon page.

DreamWorks Dragons includes Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk, its first two Cartoon Network seasons. Race to the Edge continues adventures with Hiccup and Toothless, yet NBCUniversal lists it as a separate series. Rescue Riders follows Dak and Leyla, while The Nine Realms moves to modern riders, including Tom Kullersen and Thunder. The differences in characters and titles help explain which show a listing describes.

A subtitle alone does not establish another entry in the four series count. Heroes of the Sky continues the Rescue Riders story, for example, while Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk identify seasons of DreamWorks Dragons. The four entries therefore include both the original Berk series and the separately listed continuation of the familiar riders' adventures. When comparing titles, first look for the main series name, then use the subtitle and characters to identify the part you want.

Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk are the first two seasons of DreamWorks Dragons, aired on Cartoon Network. DreamWorks Dragons premiered with a one hour special in August 2012, and NBCUniversal lists its run as 2012 to 2014. The different season subtitles identify successive parts of the same series, so they should be read together when identifying the original television run.

DreamWorks Dragons bridges the 2010 film and its 2014 sequel, making the series a connection between the first two animated films. Hiccup and Toothless provide a familiar partnership for viewers coming from those films. Jay Baruchel and America Ferrera also returned for the television series, supplying another link between the animated films and the Berk seasons. The film connection helps place the series in relation to those two releases, while the season names identify the television installments themselves.

The season titles are useful clues if you remember the Cartoon Network series but cannot recall its full name. Riders of Berk identifies the first season, while Defenders of Berk identifies the second. Both sit under DreamWorks Dragons in NBCUniversal's series count, whereas Race to the Edge receives a separate listing despite continuing the familiar riders' adventures. A search using the season subtitle can therefore lead to one part of the original series, rather than a separate entry in the count.

Race to the Edge continues the adventures of Hiccup, Toothless and their fellow riders after the Berk seasons of DreamWorks Dragons. NBCUniversal lists Race to the Edge separately when counting the franchise's four television series. Its relationship to the earlier show and its separate listing answer different questions: one concerns the continuing characters, while the other concerns the way NBCUniversal counts the titles.

Race to the Edge debuted on Netflix in June 2015 and comprised 78 episodes. It concluded in February 2018, giving the series its own release history after the 2012 to 2014 run listed for DreamWorks Dragons. The riders travel beyond Berk in Race to the Edge, although Hiccup and Toothless remain the familiar partnership at the center of the adventures. Its Netflix debut and 78 episodes distinguish this run from the earlier Cartoon Network seasons, Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk.

The Netflix debut identifies where Race to the Edge began its release; it does not establish current availability. If you are looking for more of the television strand that includes Riders of Berk, check for Race to the Edge after identifying Defenders of Berk as the second season of DreamWorks Dragons. The separate series count does not mean that Race to the Edge introduces the central cast of Rescue Riders or The Nine Realms. Those two series follow different riders.

DreamWorks Dragons: Rescue Riders follows twins Dak and Leyla, who can communicate with dragons and share adventures with their dragon friends. The story is set in Huttsgalor, and the show is aimed at a preschool audience. Those details make the series identifiable alongside the other television titles, particularly for someone looking for a show centered on characters other than Hiccup and Toothless.

Rescue Riders premiered on September 27, 2019. NBCUniversal records its move to Peacock in November 2021 and its conclusion with a sixth overall season on September 29, 2022. Those dates describe the series release history, while the twins and their dragon friends identify the story. The continuation titled Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky follows Dak and Leyla with five dragon friends. The continuation's title is useful when tracing the twins' adventures across listings, since it keeps the Rescue Riders name alongside its own subtitle.

For a parent comparing the franchise's television series, the stated preschool audience is a useful distinction. The audience description does not require an assumed age cutoff for the other shows. Check a listing for Dak and Leyla if you want the Rescue Riders branch, or look for Heroes of the Sky when seeking its continuation. The Peacock move describes part of its release history and does not establish where it is currently available.

Dragons Rescue Riders: Heroes of the Sky continues the Rescue Riders story with twins Dak and Leyla and their five dragon friends. The subtitle identifies a continuation within the wider Rescue Riders grouping, which NBCUniversal counts among the franchise's four television series. A listing for Heroes of the Sky therefore points to the twins' adventures rather than an additional fifth series in that count.

NBCUniversal says Rescue Riders moved to Peacock in November 2021 and concluded with its sixth overall season on September 29, 2022. The word overall matters when reading that account: the figure describes the wider run and should not be treated as six additional seasons under the Heroes of the Sky title. The continuation retains the twins and their dragon friends as its central characters. DreamWorks identifies five dragon friends alongside Dak and Leyla, providing a detail to match with a description of Heroes of the Sky.

Rescue Riders is aimed at a preschool audience, a distinction that also helps place its continuation among the franchise's television choices. The Peacock move is part of the release history and does not establish current availability. When identifying a show from a title or description, match Heroes of the Sky with Dak, Leyla and their five dragon friends. The subtitle is the clue that identifies this continuation within the Rescue Riders grouping.

DreamWorks Dragons: The Nine Realms follows modern young riders, including Tom Kullersen and his dragon Thunder, 1,300 years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon. The young riders work to protect the dragons' secret in a modern setting. That premise gives the series a different central pairing from the Hiccup and Toothless adventures in DreamWorks Dragons and Race to the Edge.

The Nine Realms premiered on December 23, 2021, and concluded after eight seasons on December 14, 2023. Those dates describe the series release, while the 1,300 year interval describes its fictional setting. Keeping the two measurements separate helps when comparing The Nine Realms with Rescue Riders, which moved to Peacock in November 2021 but follows a different set of characters. The Nine Realms has its own release span and season total, as well as a premise centered on modern riders protecting the dragons' secret.

Tom Kullersen and Thunder are useful names to look for when identifying the modern series. Their partnership and the young riders' protection of the dragons' secret distinguish this premise from the Berk seasons. If you are seeking television adventures led by Hiccup and Toothless, look instead for DreamWorks Dragons or Race to the Edge. For the later setting, look for The Nine Realms and its riders when checking a series description.

DreamWorks Dragons bridges the first two animated films, while Race to the Edge continues television adventures with Hiccup and Toothless. The first series sits between the 2010 film and its 2014 sequel, giving viewers a way to place the Berk seasons in relation to those films. Race to the Edge receives a separate listing in NBCUniversal's count, even though it continues the familiar riders' adventures.

Rescue Riders and The Nine Realms use different central characters. Rescue Riders follows Dak and Leyla in Huttsgalor and is aimed at a preschool audience, while The Nine Realms follows modern young riders 1,300 years after the events of How to Train Your Dragon. Those premises help distinguish the television branches without assuming that every series follows Hiccup during the same period. The film interval places DreamWorks Dragons between two releases; the 1,300 year interval instead describes the setting of The Nine Realms.

The How to Train Your Dragon franchise page covers the wider film series. For a television choice, start with the characters you want to follow: Hiccup and Toothless identify DreamWorks Dragons and Race to the Edge, while Dak and Leyla identify Rescue Riders. Tom Kullersen and Thunder identify The Nine Realms and its later setting. These names also help distinguish the separately listed Race to the Edge from the two series with different central riders.