Humans

Artha Tannis Penn - The Dragon Booster

Artha's challenge is to realize his full potential and release the power of his dragon Beau. To do so, Artha must overcome his immaturity and occasional selfishness. Artha tends to look for the easy way out a little too often rather than working and training hard. Also, having been chosen to be the Dragon Booster gives him a bloated ego at times. These flaws tend get him, and Beau, into trouble frequently in the early episodes. As the show progresses, Artha's character grows and these flaws diminish.

Artha began street racing to raise money after Penn Stables was damaged in an explosion and his father Connor went missing. Mortis wants Artha to race as training to become a better team with his dragon Beau. Artha's is adept at dragon racing vid games and this experience has apparently helped him pick up the real sport quickly. He is also coached by Kitt, who Artha has taken a liking to.

In Dragon City, Artha's identity as the Dragon Booster is known only to Mortis, Lance, Kitt, Parmon, Stewardd, their dragons Wyldfyr, Cyrano, Fracshun and, of course, Beau. Outside Dragon City, Propheci, Reepyr and the rest of the Prophets crew learned Artha is the Dragon Booster in the episode "The Lost Track of Doom," but they don't seem to have told anyone else.

Nothing is yet known of Artha's mother. There is some speculation among fans that Artha might not be Connor's own son since Connor and Lance are both red-heads while Artha has black hair. However, there is no other evidence in the show that Artha might have been adopted, so this is merely speculation.

In addition to his friends listed above, the Dragon Booster has gained a number of allies throughout the episodes. These include Phistus, Stewardd, Commander Faier, Reepyr and on occasion Wulph. It's also possible that Libris and Propheci may be willing to be allies in the future.

Artha's main enemies are Word and Moordryd Paynn. Moordryd in particular is Artha's rival ever since he tried to steal Beau in episode 1. Neither Word nor Moordryd yet suspect that Artha might be the Dragon Booster.

Trivia: The lettering on the back of Artha's racing jacket says "ARTHA" but, for some unknown reason, it's a mirror image of how the letters should appear. Artha's middle name comes from Tannis the Wise, the dragon priest that instructed Connor.

Lance Patrik Penn

Lance is Artha's little brother. Refreshingly, Lance is not just the typical comic relief side-kick kid character that appears in most shows. Although he's only 10 years old, he at times acts with more maturity and insight than his years would normally warrant. This is particularly true in episodes like "Faster Than Fear" and "Wraith Booster" where Lance plays a key role in the story. When Artha gets into a tight spot, Lance will help out any way that he's able. But he's still a kid at heart and enjoys playing vid games and occasionally teasing his older brother (and perhaps causing a little mischief as well).

Like most kids his age, Lance is trying to grow up but is occasionally frustrated when the older teenagers won't take him seriously or listen to what he has to say.

Lance's dragon is Fracshun and they seem to make a good team.

Connor Jackson Penn

Connor is the father of Artha and Lance. He is an orphan who, along with Word Paynn, was raised by the Dragon Priesthood since he was a small child. While in the priesthood, Connor took the prediction of a coming dragon-human war seriously and began a program to breed gold dragons back into existence to fulfill a prophecy that a gold dragon of legend would come to stop the war and unite dragons and humans. After a lifetime of work, he was successful and bred Beau whom he raised from a pup. Connor was also the bearer of the gold star amulet of the Dragon Booster. It was apparently passed down through the ages by the Dragon Priesthood and given to Connor so he could in turn pass it on whoever was chosen to be the Dragon Booster by the gold dragon.

Connor disappeared mysteriously either shortly before or as the result of an explosion that occurred at Penn residence in episode 1. He was not seen again until episode 26. See Mortis for more details.

Connor's wife is never seen or mentioned in the show so far.

Parmon Sean

Parmon (or just Parm, as his friends call him) is Artha's best friend. At age 17, Parmon is a technical wiz, though sometimes the things he builds don't quite work out or last as long as they should in theory. Parm is not exactly the bravest member of the Penn Racing team and would much prefer to run and avoid fights. However, if his friends are threatened, he doesn't hesitate to come to their aid.

Parmon is the oldest member of the group and tends to think Artha and the others should listen to him. He helps Artha during races but is frequently annoyed when Artha doesn't heed his advice. Parm likes to play things by the book with well thought out plans and generally coaches Artha to race with a more conservative style. He is annoyed when Artha chooses to improvise or act impulsively.

Parmon's family is never seen, though it is known that his mother is a teacher (revealed in "Into the Fire"). Where Parmon lives is unknown, though he frequently sleeps over at Penn Stables. Parm's dragon is Cyrano.

Kitt Raada Wonn

At 16 years of age, Kitt is one of the best street racers in Dragon City. She and her dragon Wyldfyr form a strong team that's difficult to beat on the race track. Kitt is sure of herself, strong minded and a bit feisty. She believes in Artha and wants to help him prevent the dragon-human war in any way she can. She routinely gives him advice to help him become a better racer. Kitt likes Artha, but at the same time, won't hesitate to tell him when he's doing something dumb or selfish. Kitt tried to ride Beau in episode 1 before he had chosen Artha but she was rejected by him. Even so, it appears she will have a strong role to play working with Artha and Beau to stop Word Paynn.

Kitt lives in the Down City section of Dragon City, and she knows her way around Squire's End and Down City better than Artha. Nothing about her past or family has been revealed.

Mortis

Mortis is the only known dragon priest in Dragon City. He is Artha's mentor and trains him in the ancient ways so Artha can fulfill the prophecy. He gave Artha the ancient Dragon Booster armband on their first meeting when Artha discovers the Dragon Temple deep below the Penn Racing Stables. Mortis knows many legends and secrets, and knows much about what lies in the wasteland surrounding Dragon City. He is also highly trained in the ancient fighting techniques.

Until "The Return of Drakkus, Part 2" (episode 26), nothing was known about his past and Mortis seems to have wanted it that way. He appeared on the scene in episode 2 shortly after Connor disappeared in episode 1. Most fans picked up that he was Connor in disguise, and this was finally confirmed when Mortis revealed himself to Artha and his friends in episode 26. In this episode, Connor explained that Artha needed to believe in himself in order to release the full power of both Beau and himself, and that Artha needed to do so without relying on his father as a crutch.

In "Broken Bonds," it was revealed for the first time that Word Paynn is aware of Mortis' existence and both refer the other as an old enemy. This apparently means they have had encounters and conflicts prior to the time of episode 1, though they have never met during the course of the show.

In "Return of Drakkus, Part 2" we learn that Mortis was an Elite Class racer 30 years ago and one of his chief rivals was Drakkus. This means that Connor was disguising himself as Mortis long before Artha was even born. Neither Mortis nor Drakkus seem to know the other's true identity.

While Connor was hiding himself as Mortis he rarely left the subterranean dragon temple beneath Penn Stables. Except in "Prophet's Motive" and "Return of Drakkus, Part 2," we never see him talk to anyone except Artha and his friends.

Dragons

Beau - The Gold Dragon of Legend

Beau is the Gold Dragon of Legend and the only gold draconium dragon in existence in present day Dragon City. Beau was bred by Connor Penn and was named after the Beaucephalis, the gold star dragon that stopped the first dragon-human 3000 years ago. Beau is 16 years old, the same age as Artha, and the two were raised together by Connor.

As a gold dragon, Beau is the only dragon in Dragon City to choose his rider. Connor held try-outs and Beau rejected all riders until Artha rode him in episode 1, making Artha the chosen Dragon Booster. When Artha is teamed with Beau, he enhances Beau's power and, with training, Artha will be able to release the full power of the dragon.

According to prophecy, a Gold Star dragon would one day return to prevent a second dragon-human war. Word Paynn is seeking to start the war and the only thing that can stop him is the gold dragon. He therefore seeks to capture Beau to prevent Beau from stopping his plans. If Word can control Beau, then he is almost assured victory in his plans since he could then use Beau to lead the war.

Beau's normal colors are black with gold markings. He can change his colors to blue and red to hide his identity so that he and Artha can race and be seen in Dragon City without Word Paynn finding out who he is.

Beau interacts with humans more than other dragons we see, and he seems to take delight in teasing Artha at times. Beau also seems to have a more developed sense of humor and is the only dragon we see that snickers and he even bursts out laughing on occasion. Even though he likes to have a little fun, he takes his role as the gold dragon of legend seriously with unflinching bravery and determination. Many fans consider him to be the true hero of the show.

Cyrano

Fracshun

Fracshun is a blue dragon ridden by Lance, and like Lance, appears to be young. It seems likely that Fracshun and Lance are the same age (10 years old). Like Lance, Fracshun is enthusiastic but lacks experience. Agility seems to be one of his strong points. Though bigger dragons like Beau and Wyldfyr can outrun him, Fracshun is nimble and quick in his own right. Fracshun is the smallest dragon in the team and is a loyal friend to Lance. He will help Lance whenever he can and contributes to the story the most in "Faster than Fear." He doesn't appear in the show until episode 4 and nothing about his past has been revealed, though presumably he was raised by Connor and Lance at Penn Stables.

Fracshun has a design on his left flank that's very similar to the design on Lance's helmet. The design pretty much looks like a 10 year old's drawing of a dragon, so this was presumably drawn on him by Lance. The other possibility is that the design is a natural part of Fracshun's coloration and it just happens to look like a kid's drawing. If so, Lance could have then just copied it onto his helmet. Either way, Fracshun is the only dragon with a recognizable image on him.

Tyrannis Pax

Tyrannis Pax is the giant, four-armed bipedal dragon ridden by Mortis. He is a powerful dragon and Mortis indicates he has been trained in the ancient ways and that his draconium energy is very pure. While it hasn't been yet stated, Tyrannis Pax may be a gold dragon of some type since his mag energy looks as if it's the same color as Beau's. In any event, Mortis is able to channel and project his dragon's mag energy for attack and defense. This fighting style is referred to as "mag claw" and is only known to those trained in the ancient ways. Given the very high level of teamwork between Mortis and Tyrannis Pax, it appears they have worked and trained together for quite some time.

Tyrannis Pax doesn't appear in the show until episode 25 "The Return of Drakkus, Part 1." He appears to have been living in seclusion down in the dragon temple with Mortis until then. Nothing is known about his past or how he and Mortis came to meet. It's possible that Tyrannis Pax is another ancient dragon like Libris. It also uncertain if his two extra arms are real arms or mechanical arms from some type of gear he may have magged. There doesn't appear to be any gear on his back where the arms are, but we've also never seen a four-armed dragon before.

Wyldfyr

Wyldfyr is a red Magma-class dragon. According to the "Ultimate Scrap book" and the trading card game, Wyldfyr is a female. However, in "Framed" (episode 29) Kitt referred to Wyldfyr as "boy," so now this dragon's gender is uncertain. You'd think there would be more female dragons in the show besides Decepshun, but who knows.

Wyldfyr is one of the fastest dragons on the race track and has a stride that makes running look effortless. Kitt frequently uses red thruster gear on Wyldfyr to go even faster. Wyldfyr hasn't shown much of her personality on screen, but she is very loyal to Kitt, and as seen in episodes like "Three Times a Hero" and "Wraith Booster," won't hesitate to defend her when the need arises.