← Back to show
Dragons: The Nine Realms - The Sky Torcher (S3E7)
The Sky Torcher and Flame Throwers invade the Crystal Realm; Tom must conquer his demons and bond with the Fault Ripper to defeat the Sky Torcher.
| Runtime (min) | 23 |
|---|---|
| Air Date | 2022-08-18 |
| Genres | Animation, Action & Adventure |
| TV Rating | TV-Y7-FV |
| Network(s) | Hulu, Peacock |
Storyline
The Crystal Realm faces its most dangerous threat yet when the Sky Torcher, a massive and aggressive dragon, leads an invasion of Flame Throwers into the sanctuary. The attack puts the entire dragon population and the Dragon Riders at risk, forcing Tom and his friends to mount a desperate defense. As the situation grows more dire, it becomes clear that conventional tactics won't be enough to stop the Sky Torcher's destructive rampage through the realm.
Tom realizes that the only way to defeat the Sky Torcher is to form a bond with the Fault Ripper, a powerful dragon he has struggled to connect with in the past. This requires Tom to confront his own fears and doubts, pushing past the psychological barriers that have prevented him from fully trusting this particular dragon. The episode builds toward a climactic confrontation where Tom must rely on his newly forged bond with the Fault Ripper to protect the Crystal Realm and drive back the invading forces.
What kids learn
This episode teaches children about the importance of facing personal fears in order to help others. Tom's journey demonstrates that sometimes protecting the people and things we care about requires us to step outside our comfort zones and confront the challenges we've been avoiding. His struggle to bond with the Fault Ripper shows that building trust and connection often demands vulnerability and courage, especially when past experiences have made us hesitant.
The episode also explores themes of perseverance and adaptability in crisis situations. When familiar strategies fail against the Sky Torcher invasion, Tom and his friends must think creatively and try new approaches rather than giving up. This reinforces the value of flexibility and innovation when facing seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Additionally, the story highlights the power of teamwork and mutual trust between humans and animals. Tom's bond with the Fault Ripper isn't one-sided; it requires both parties to trust each other completely. Children learn that meaningful partnerships are built on reciprocal respect and understanding, and that overcoming personal limitations can unlock new strengths they didn't know they possessed.
Parents' top 5 questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How intense are the battle scenes with the Sky Torcher and Flame Throwers? | The invasion sequences feature dragon-on-dragon combat and aerial battles as the Sky Torcher leads Flame Throwers through the Crystal Realm. The action is animated and stylized rather than graphic, with fire-breathing and physical clashes typical of the series. The stakes feel high as the sanctuary is threatened, but the violence remains within the show's established fantasy-adventure framework without blood or serious injury depictions. The intensity is comparable to other action episodes in the series. |
| What are the 'demons' Tom needs to conquer? | Tom's demons are his internal fears and self-doubt about bonding with the Fault Ripper, a dragon he hasn't successfully connected with before. The episode frames these as psychological barriers rather than literal demons, focusing on Tom's emotional journey to overcome his hesitation and trust issues. This provides an opportunity to discuss with children how fear and past difficulties can hold us back from new relationships and experiences, and how courage means pushing through those feelings when it matters most. |
| Is the Fault Ripper a dangerous or scary dragon? | The Fault Ripper is portrayed as a powerful dragon that Tom finds difficult to bond with, but not as an inherently evil or malicious creature. The challenge lies in Tom's ability to connect with and trust this particular dragon, rather than the dragon being a threat to him. The episode emphasizes that building relationships with different personalities requires different approaches and mutual understanding. By the end, the Fault Ripper becomes an ally, reinforcing positive messages about overcoming initial difficulties in relationships. |
| Does Tom succeed in stopping the Sky Torcher invasion? | The episode builds toward Tom using his newly formed bond with the Fault Ripper to confront the Sky Torcher and defend the Crystal Realm. The narrative arc follows a heroic structure where Tom's personal growth and courage directly contribute to resolving the crisis. The episode rewards Tom's bravery and willingness to face his fears with a meaningful outcome, providing a satisfying conclusion that reinforces the episode's themes about courage, trust, and perseverance in the face of overwhelming challenges. |
| What age group is this episode appropriate for? | This episode is appropriate for the show's target demographic of children ages six and up who enjoy animated fantasy-adventure series. The dragon battles and invasion scenario create suspense and excitement without crossing into frightening territory for most elementary-aged viewers. The emotional content about facing fears and building trust provides relatable themes for this age group. Younger or more sensitive children might find the invasion scenes intense, so parents can gauge based on their child's comfort with action-oriented animated content. |
Writing
—
Directing
—
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Moving to an exotic new home, an adventurous teenager meets a new group of kids and discovers a dragon in the fissure. |
| 1 | 2 | Tom forges a friendship with the dragon and discovers an entire world of dragons within the fissure. |
| 1 | 3 | Tom and Jun encounter unexpected dangers and are separated while exploring the Hidden Realm of dragons. Tom introduces Jun to the dragon world, and Jun bonds with a dragon of her own – Wu and Wei. |
| 1 | 4 | Tom and Jun take a risk in revealing the secret of the Hidden Realm to D’Angelo to aid an injured dragon, and D’Angelo bonds with Plowhorn. |
| 1 | 5 | Tom and the others debate how to keep the dragons a secret, even as a rambunctious young “cloaking” dragon gets loose in town and pursues a friendship with a Alex. |
| 1 | 6 | Tom and the Riders try to save ICARIS when it's revealed to be in danger from a monstrous dragon. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | Jun breaks the rules by sneaking a small, adorable dragon out of the Crystal Realm and bringing it home, but finds that her older brother, Eugene, has arrived and watches her every move. |
| 2 | 2 | Tom has to keep his mom, Olivia, distracted while Jun, Alex, and D’Angelo use a new dragon to close off a cave leading to the Crystal Realm, and prevent her from discovering the dragons. |
| 2 | 3 | When Feather is taken by a group of what appear to be zombie dragons, Alex finds her inner hero and rescues her friend. |
| 2 | 4 | Tom and Thunder train a new species of aggressive tidal dragons to help the other riders put out a forest fire threatening ICARIS. |
| 2 | 5 | Tom and D’Angelo must come together to help Alex and Jun escape the clutches of the Spiderwings. |
| 2 | 6 | Tom and the riders go in search of Thunder and must face a gauntlet of dangerous dragons to find their lost friend. Along the way, Tom reveals his big secret to D’Angelo and Alex. |
| 2 | 7 | Tom and the riders help Thunder, who is seeking revenge against the dragons that chased off his family. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | Tom hatches an unorthodox plan to use a Monstrous Nightmare to test Alex's new fire suit, endangering the secret of dragons. |
| 3 | 2 | After a fight with her mom, Jun joins Tom on an adventure into the Fire Realm, where her knowledge of myths saves the day. |
| 3 | 3 | When a tiny Fireworm dragon ends up at ICARIS, Alex must decide between her mom's excitement and keeping the dragon secret. |
| 3 | 4 | During an attempt to get displaced Fire Gronckles back to their native realm, D'Angelo accidentally feeds them Catastrophic Quaken eggs. |
| 3 | 5 | Eugene discovers the Lair and demands a dragon of his own. |
| 3 | 6 | The dragon riders must sneak a very sick Magma Breather into the ICARIS infirmary. |
| 3 | 7 | The Sky Torcher and Flame Throwers invade the Crystal Realm; Tom must conquer his demons and bond with the Fault Ripper to defeat the Sky Torcher. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | Tom and the riders discover the Ice Realm and find Buzzsaw inside. |
| 4 | 2 | Alex and Eugene find themselves at odds with Tom and their fellow dragon riders when Feathers and Webmaster go missing during a blizzard in the Ice Realm. |
| 4 | 3 | Jun struggles to convince Tom to trust her faith in myths over the Book of Dragons when they venture to a place that his book seems to say is extremely dangerous. |
| 4 | 4 | Tom’s leadership abilities come into question by Eugene when his decisions lead to failure while attempting to confront Buzzsaw. |
| 4 | 5 | Tom and Thunder discover a baby Nightlight and must bring him back to Thunder’s home realm. |
| 4 | 6 | When Thunder’s clan of fellow Nightlights is attacked by the Snow Wraith, Tom vows to rescue them. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | 1 | While punished, Tom must sneak out to rescue the Riders from Buzzsaw. |
| 5 | 2 | Tom orchestrates a “safe” tour of the realms to convince Olivia that the Hidden World is safe for them to explore. |
| 5 | 3 | A mischievous new breed of dragons called Vine Tails steal the Book of Dragons. |
| 5 | 4 | Tom and the riders must work together to rescue Eugene from a dragon’s nest. |
| 5 | 5 | Tom must rescue Olivia from the Hidden World when she winds up getting herself frozen by a pack of hungry Speed Stingers. |
| 5 | 6 | When a deep freeze puts the lives of everyone in Rakke Town in jeopardy, the riders must attempt to use the dragons to get the humans through the night without being seen. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 1 | Tom struggles under the pressure of being the new ‘Dragon Whisperer’ for Rakke Town; Thunder rises to the occasion to help him. |
| 6 | 2 | When the parents leave for the night and tell the riders not to bring the dragons to the surface while they’re gone, D’Angelo and Eugene get locked in the hangar (with the dragons!) after Eugene triggers a security lockdown. |
| 6 | 3 | Jun forms an unlikely connection with Sledkin. |
| 6 | 4 | Eugene’s bond with Webmaster is put to the test when Webmaster leaves the group for a pack of Deathgrippers. |
| 6 | 5 | Tom sets out to prove Sledkin caused an explosion that injured a dragon in the Hidden World. |
| 6 | 6 | When the dragons fall victim to Buzzsaw’s poison darts, D struggles to keep a cool head and find a cure while others panic. |
| 6 | 7 | Tom and the riders “borrow” the bathysphere to rescue a dragon from the depths of the Giant Realm Sea. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | 1 | When Phil threatens to shut down D’Angelo’s new dragon hospital and ban dragons from ICARIS, D’Angelo and a little Hobgobbler have to change his mind. |
| 7 | 2 | While Tom struggles with admitting his feelings for Jun, the pair find themselves trapped inside a giant tree with an anxious colony of Woodchipper dragons. |
| 7 | 3 | Thunder must wrangle and lead the Hero Dragons in a desperate attempt to save Tom and the riders from a dangerous new dragon, The Glass Caster. |
| 7 | 4 | When Jun does a Tarot reading for the team, she interprets its meaning to be that the riders will disband! In an effort to defy this fate, Jun forces the group to stick together as they search for a dragon that has breached the Rakke Town eel barrier. |
| 7 | 5 | With the dragon riders disbanded, Eugene attempts to start his own Dragon Club. |
| 7 | 6 | When Thunder accidentally fries Alex’s tablet, Alex goes off on her own and is captured by Buzzsaw. |
| 7 | 7 | Tom and the riders must finally overcome their differences and come together as a team to survive the Dark Realm. |
| Season # | Episode # | Episode Name |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | Tom attempts to defeat the World Serpent by emulating Hiccup. |
| 8 | 2 | Tom and the dragon riders foster displaced Hidden Realm dragons in Rakke Town but things get complicated when Mr. Rakke makes a surprise visit. |
| 8 | 3 | The Dragon riders enlist the aid of Carla and Hazel and their scientific knowledge to help them prepare for a mission to neutralize Jörmungandr so they can return him to his chamber and seal him back inside. |
| 8 | 4 | Tom and the riders must rescue Plowhorn from Sledkin when the villain abducts the dragon to help her find the Gods Realm and the Dragonsite jewel. |
| 8 | 5 | Tom’s overconfidence turns to frustration then despair as he struggles to procure the ingredients for Gronckle Iron in hopes of building a trap to stop the World Serpent. |
| 8 | 6 | After a major miscalculation by Tom in 225 leaves the fate of the Realms in jeopardy, Jun and the riders rally behind Tom and Thunder to face off against the World Serpent. |
This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.