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My recent interest in the anatomy of dragons, took a turn into imagining an epic fight between two legendary creatures : the European Dragon and the Asian Dragon.

Two relatives from the same family will settle the score once and for all, to determine who is the best. And so they chose a neutral territory where they will confront each other : the great desert of the african continent.

So who will prove to be superior ?

Based on :

1 - Anatomy.

2 - Weapons.

3 - Known super-powers (already exist, no invention allowed).

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Javert
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    Since dragons were mythical creatures, you are free to give them whatever powers and magics you want to make your favourite one win. Personally I'd like giving the European dragon the ability to shoot maxim canons from its mouth and run on a steam engine while the Asian dragon would simply be a large, fast creature with no magic and a very powerful striking potential. And they'd fight in ... the Roman colessium!! Now that would be a match! – Youstay Igo Mar 08 '16 at 13:55
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    You just set up a dragon version of Pirates vs Ninjas. :D https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pirates_versus_Ninjas – MichaelK Mar 08 '16 at 13:57
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    Nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope nope. This seem to be a very discussion oriented question , which is not meant for this site –  Mar 08 '16 at 14:07
  • Why not just go to an open plain? I'm pretty sure that is in both of the territories they would like. This is opinion based anyway, since by most standards dragon weapons, armor, and even some parts of their anatomy vary from dragon to dragon. There is a basic concept of an Asian dragon and a European one, but no real set standards. Oops. Too late to change my close vote, but it actually seems more like its too broad – Xandar The Zenon Mar 08 '16 at 14:37

2 Answers2

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European dragons were generally considered the ultimate monsters, existing to challenge the greatest heroes. While fierce and powerful with dangerous weapons such as fire and poison, their narrative purpose was to be slain and therefore they were very much mortal.

Asian dragons, by contrast, were essentially gods, effectively immortal, with power over the weather and sometimes even greater spheres of influence. In some legends they were said to span the distance between heaven and earth.

Therefore if we go according to their original mythological role and function, Asian dragon wins hands-down. Monsters can't fight gods.

IndigoFenix
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  • cough cough Actually... dragons, in western mythology, were a representation of Satan. And their defeat was a representation of our triumph over evil. – hownowbrowncow Mar 08 '16 at 19:55
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    @hownowbrowncow True, though they were a symbol of Satan that could be killed. So I would still say they are more mortal than creatures who were said to be actual gods. – IndigoFenix Mar 09 '16 at 06:35
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The family member with an Asian dragon would not go to the desert because the Asian dragon is "The Ruler of Weather and Water" according to the Wikipedia page. This cripples the weapon/super-power of the Asian dragon.

On the other hand: if it is a sand desert (which 90% of the world's deserts are not, Nota Bene) the Asian dragon would simply blow sand in the face of the European dragon and keep their distance. The European dragon cannot blow fire then because that sand will melt to white hot glass that blows in their face. Ouch...

And already here we see that your question has the same kind of problem as "Pirates vs Ninjas" and debates like "What is the best: M-16 or AK-47?" or "F-16 vs MiG-29": the context makes the difference, not the powers of the things being tested.

MichaelK
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    The desert will also cripples the European Dragon's abilities because in most of the stories, the European Dragon lives in the top of a mountain where it happens to be cold. – Javert Mar 08 '16 at 14:11
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    Also, if that dude from How To Train Your Dragon is there with one of the dragons, he would give an unfair advantage to his party with planning and human support and stuff. Unless the hero of Eragon is there to join forces with the other party! ^_^ – Youstay Igo Mar 08 '16 at 14:25
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    @Javert Deserts are about precipitation, not temperature. A cold desert is not an oxymoron. – user May 18 '16 at 15:15
  • @MichaelKjörling You are right ! it's known that during the night the temperature drops very low in the desert. – Javert May 18 '16 at 16:38
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    @Javert Not only that deserts tend to get very cold at night; high temperature at any time is not a requirement for a desert. This is too long to be pasted conveniently into a comment, so I refer you to my answer at http://worldbuilding.stackexchange.com/a/52/29. – user May 18 '16 at 16:49