Search/Recent Changes
DBTropes
...it's like TV Tropes, but LINKED DATA!

Corporate Dragon

 Corporate Dragon
type
FeatureClass
 Corporate Dragon
label
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon
page
CorporateDragon
 Corporate Dragon
comment
In medieval European folklore, dragons were often depicted as living incarnations of sin or calamity. At their worst, they were the ultimate hoarders, jealously guarding what wealth and territory they saw as theirs by right of strength. In modern times, the allegory of the dragon can be found not just in fairytales or fantasy stories, but serves as a fitting symbol for large commercial companies. It's the idea of a corporation as this monolithic beast, whose domain is only limited by the shadow made from atop its tower as it spreads wide its wings to blot out the sun. The effects of such an organisation can bring desolation to natural resources or small businesses just to add more treasured assets to a mountainous hoard. If the company is a war profiteer, there might not even be a difference between actual beast and business, with distant lands being made barren or marred by fire-scorched ruins.
Not all Corporate Dragons are tyrannical, however. Sometimes it's merely a businessman who seems nigh-untouchable compared to his peers, as a dragon is to a pack of wolves or screaming villagers... or perhaps they genuinely are a literal dragon.
In Urban Fantasy settings or medieval fantasy worlds undergoing their version of modernization, this may be included as traditional fantasy dragons' response to growing economies and emergent capitalism — after all, capitalist wealth aggregation and economic power are likely going to be very appealing to creatures motivated by greed and a desire for control.
Sometimes, this theme includes a Knight in Shining Armor — intent on slaying the dragon — appearing in the form of a Private Detective, a straight-arrow cop, a whistleblower, or similar protagonist.
For another Urban Fantasy stereotype, see Vampires Own Night Clubs. If you're looking for someone who acts as The Dragon for a corporation, see Corporate Samurai.
Potentially a Sister Trope of Dragon Hoard.
 Corporate Dragon
fetched
2024-02-08T07:00:11Z
 Corporate Dragon
parsed
2024-02-08T07:00:12Z
 Corporate Dragon
processingComment
Dropped link to ArcWords: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Corporate Dragon
processingComment
Dropped link to ColdIron: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Corporate Dragon
processingComment
Dropped link to CorruptCorporateExecutive: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Corporate Dragon
processingComment
Dropped link to OurPresidentsAreDifferent: Not an Item - FEATURE
 Corporate Dragon
isPartOf
DBTropes
 Corporate Dragon / int_238182fa
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_238182fa
comment
In The Masked City, despite the fact that the setting's dragons are based mainly on Eastern dragon tropes, Irene meets the King of the Northern Ocean in a cyberpunkish dimension where he and his court take the form of the CEO and executives of a MegaCorp.
 Corporate Dragon / int_238182fa
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_238182fa
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Masked City
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_238182fa
 Corporate Dragon / int_3a26d470
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_3a26d470
comment
The Prince Division: Acidback is an ancient and mighty green dragon who runs an investment firm.
 Corporate Dragon / int_3a26d470
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_3a26d470
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Prince Division (Web Video)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_3a26d470
 Corporate Dragon / int_44237db6
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_44237db6
comment
Fast & Furious: Spy Racers: Cleve is a greedy businessman who hoards his wealth, believes might is right, and feels entitled to territory he doesn't actually own, and makes use of extensive dragon and fire motifs in his clothing and corporate iconography.
 Corporate Dragon / int_44237db6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_44237db6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Fast & Furious: Spy Racers
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_44237db6
 Corporate Dragon / int_61d236b7
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_61d236b7
comment
In InCryptid, the female members of the dragon species — known as dragon princesses — pursue wealth which they trade for gold. This gold is then used for their nests. To do this, they often act as vicious traders and executives who are extremely reluctant to part with any money that they get.
 Corporate Dragon / int_61d236b7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_61d236b7
featureConfidence
1.0
 InCryptid
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_61d236b7
 Corporate Dragon / int_6ac55ec7
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_6ac55ec7
comment
Dungeons & Dragons: The 3rd edition Draconomicon describes Lothaenorixious, a great wyrm blue dragon who was almost killed by adventurers sent by the owners of a salt mine whose caravans he had been raiding. After he recovered, the enraged dragon attacked the mine and killed its owners, but then realized that it could serve as a source of a great deal of wealth. Consequently, instead of just razing it, he claimed the salt mine for himself, ruthlessly managing its workings in order to extract every drop of profit from it while minimizing expenses as much as possible. He's a draconian manager, providing his enslaved workers with the bare minimum of food and shelter needed to keep them alive, and making periodic "adjustments" to his workforce in response to the mine's productivity, which chiefly consist of killing workers to reanimate as zombies.
 Corporate Dragon / int_6ac55ec7
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_6ac55ec7
featureConfidence
1.0
 Dungeons & Dragons (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_6ac55ec7
 Corporate Dragon / int_77da3630
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_77da3630
comment
Beast: The Primordial: Luca Rohner, the son of Swiss bankers, became an Apex Ugallu Ravager, as well as the head of his family's lucrative investment firm.
 Corporate Dragon / int_77da3630
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_77da3630
featureConfidence
1.0
 Beast: The Primordial (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_77da3630
 Corporate Dragon / int_79d9b538
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_79d9b538
comment
The Palaververse: While most dragons are reclusive loners more interested in hoarding treasure in the wilderness than in joining civilization, one forward-thinking drake named Glint is noted to have started his own bank with his hoard as an asset base, overcoming traditional draconic aversion at letting others have your valuables through the promise of future profits.
 Corporate Dragon / int_79d9b538
featureApplicability
-1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_79d9b538
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Palaververse / Fan Fic
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_79d9b538
 Corporate Dragon / int_7d8f1ed5
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_7d8f1ed5
comment
In The Heartstrikers, this trope is very common, as dragons are naturally drawn to positions of power, including running large corporations.
 Corporate Dragon / int_7d8f1ed5
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_7d8f1ed5
featureConfidence
1.0
 The Heartstrikers
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_7d8f1ed5
 Corporate Dragon / int_920bdb7c
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_920bdb7c
comment
Kill Six Billion Demons: Mammon is known (among others) as the Grand Dragon (his species are very dragon-like, though they are colloquially known as the Kind People), and is the founder, owner and head of the Infinite Bank of Yre, which is in itself a world power due to controlling Throne's coinage. Much of Mammon's Dragon Hoard is made up of coinage from his own bank. Mammon himself is actually quite the Benevolent Boss, mostly because he's gone too senile to do much but wander his inner vault and continually count its near-infinite wealth, coin by coin. The Bank mostly runs itself.
 Corporate Dragon / int_920bdb7c
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_920bdb7c
featureConfidence
1.0
 Kill Six Billion Demons (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_920bdb7c
 Corporate Dragon / int_95f45f6b
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_95f45f6b
comment
Shadowrun Returns: The symbolism part of the trope is lampshaded in Dragonfall. Dietrich is a shaman of the Dragonslayer, who is trying to push Dieter into slaying bigger and bigger opponents until he gets into a fight he can't win. The protagonist can advise Dietrich to try and negotiate with the Dragonslayer that there are other entities — especially the Megas — who fulfill a "dragon" role that he can try fighting and "killing" instead, and are often led by actual dragons. The Dragonslayer will agree to this interpretation.
 Corporate Dragon / int_95f45f6b
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_95f45f6b
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shadowrun Returns / Videogame
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_95f45f6b
 Corporate Dragon / int_974ad78f
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_974ad78f
comment
GURPS Technomancer: Leviathan Investment Group is the setting's biggest MegaCorp, with divisions in many branches of industrial magic. Its reclusive chairman, Joshua Rain, is a dragon, although this is not publicly known.
 Corporate Dragon / int_974ad78f
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_974ad78f
featureConfidence
1.0
 GURPS Technomancer (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_974ad78f
 Corporate Dragon / int_a15c03fd
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_a15c03fd
comment
Starfinder: Multiple dragons rule entire countries and corporations on the planet of Triaxus. An ancient green dragon named Dretchnyliax, after getting beaten up for aggressive expansion efforts, settled down and started a family-run business centered on dragon-flesh augmentation. She is also now a Cyborg, being triple her original size and more mecha than flesh.
 Corporate Dragon / int_a15c03fd
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_a15c03fd
featureConfidence
1.0
 Starfinder (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_a15c03fd
 Corporate Dragon / int_a825da3e
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_a825da3e
comment
Magic: The Gathering: The city-plane of Ravnica has this trope in the Mad Scientist dragon Niv-Mizzet, parun and guild-master of the Izzet League. Said guild holds a monopoly on the civic works of the city, including water supply systems, sewers, heating systems, boilers, and roadways.
 Corporate Dragon / int_a825da3e
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_a825da3e
featureConfidence
1.0
 Magic: The Gathering (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_a825da3e
 Corporate Dragon / int_aa5b7cc2
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_aa5b7cc2
comment
Oglaf: One strip has a halfing sneak into a dragon's cave to propose an association (well, real-estate scam): the dragon sets neighboring villages on fire, the halfling buys the land at a fraction of its value and develops it with gold from the Dragon Hoard, then splits the profits with the dragon. The dragon incinerates him, then realizes that was actually a good idea.
 Corporate Dragon / int_aa5b7cc2
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_aa5b7cc2
featureConfidence
1.0
 Oglaf (Webcomic)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_aa5b7cc2
 Corporate Dragon / int_b2afdc9d
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_b2afdc9d
comment
Chronicles of Darkness:
Beast: The Primordial: Luca Rohner, the son of Swiss bankers, became an Apex Ugallu Ravager, as well as the head of his family's lucrative investment firm.
Changeling: The Lost has two draconic Gentry that control international corporations:
Baron Fairweather, aka the Free Market Dragon, is a creature of pure Greed who owns Max Mart as part of a centuries-long plan to lay claim to the entire mortal world. His current incarnation might actually have helped create modern capitalism.
Dorian Hargrave, aka Dzarûmazh the Deathless, aka the Conqueror Worm, owns Hargrave Imports, but is more interested in power and authority in all their forms, especially as tools in his centuries-long quest to master the magic of Cold Iron.
 Corporate Dragon / int_b2afdc9d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_b2afdc9d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Chronicles of Darkness (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_b2afdc9d
 Corporate Dragon / int_b7c37594
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_b7c37594
comment
Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: Elma is a high-ranking Harmony Dragon who is capable of facing Tohru on even footing and works at an IT company... as a low-level software engineer. It's eventually revealed that Tatsuzawa is also a dragon who was sent to take over for Elma after she was called back to the other world for her Arranged Marriage, though she remains even after the marriage falls through.
 Corporate Dragon / int_b7c37594
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_b7c37594
featureConfidence
1.0
 Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid (Manga)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_b7c37594
 Corporate Dragon / int_bcb32dc6
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_bcb32dc6
comment
Shadowrun: Dragons from the Fourth World were already ancient, greedy, cunning, and extremely manipulative. During the turnover from the Fifth to the Sixth World, dragons found a very comfortable niche ready for them in the corporate ladder, so it's not unheard of for them to control the MegaCorps that rule much of the world's economy and resources:
The dragon Lofwyr controls Saeder-Krupp, one of the largest Mega Corporations in the world (the largest in some editions), and is the source of the proverb "Never, ever cut a deal with a dragon."
The Great Dragon Celedyr is fascinated with technology, and used his hoard of treasure to take over the Mega Corp Transys Neuronet. After it merged with the corporations Erika and Novatech, he became Director of Research and Development for the combined corporation Neo_NET. His human colleague Richard Villiers, a born businessman and much more charismatic being, actually runs the show at Neo_NET, and the pair have done well in at least tolerating one another so far.
The Red Dragon Association or Hung Lung Mun is a centuries-old Triad, which used to be known as the "Red Fists". The syndicate is based in Hong Kong with ties to the Great Dragon Lung and the AAA-rated megacorp, Wuxing, Inc.
The dragon Dunkelzahn was a bit of a weirdo amongst the dragons, especially in that he was much more humanist and fond of the mortals the dragons usually exploit. He was still filthy rich (and judging by the outcomes of his will, just as manipulative as his peers}, but his business concerns were hosting a talk show and a conspicuously profitable nonprofit that manages his estate. Dunkelzahn's biggest accomplishment (in recorded history, at least) was becoming President of the U.C.A.S. for all of 8 hours before being assassinated.
 Corporate Dragon / int_bcb32dc6
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_bcb32dc6
featureConfidence
1.0
 Shadowrun (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_bcb32dc6
 Corporate Dragon / int_bd8b694d
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_bd8b694d
comment
Codex Equus: Urania is both a Dragon Lord and a Corrupt Corporate Executive, and quite likely the first businessdragon of the Fourth Age. She's ruthless and exploitative but also forward-thinking, and believes that dragons need to adapt to the changing shape of world culture to thrive.
 Corporate Dragon / int_bd8b694d
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_bd8b694d
featureConfidence
1.0
 Codex Equus (Fanfic)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_bd8b694d
 Corporate Dragon / int_c3196434
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_c3196434
comment
Baron Fairweather, aka the Free Market Dragon, is a creature of pure Greed who owns Max Mart as part of a centuries-long plan to lay claim to the entire mortal world. His current incarnation might actually have helped create modern capitalism.
 Corporate Dragon / int_c3196434
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_c3196434
featureConfidence
1.0
 Greed
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_c3196434
 Corporate Dragon / int_c51cb60a
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_c51cb60a
comment
Changeling: The Lost has two draconic Gentry that control international corporations:
Baron Fairweather, aka the Free Market Dragon, is a creature of pure Greed who owns Max Mart as part of a centuries-long plan to lay claim to the entire mortal world. His current incarnation might actually have helped create modern capitalism.
Dorian Hargrave, aka Dzarûmazh the Deathless, aka the Conqueror Worm, owns Hargrave Imports, but is more interested in power and authority in all their forms, especially as tools in his centuries-long quest to master the magic of Cold Iron.
 Corporate Dragon / int_c51cb60a
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_c51cb60a
featureConfidence
1.0
 Changeling: The Lost (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_c51cb60a
 Corporate Dragon / int_cb6abea3
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_cb6abea3
comment
Yu-Gi-Oh!: Seto Kaiba, the president of Kaiba Corp, has a deck centralized around dragons, with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon being his signature Monster card. His company even worked as an Arms Dealer until he wrested control from his stepfather, Gozaburo Kaiba, at which point the business slowly shifted into the gaming industry, complete with theme parks and holographic projectors. Even his private jet is shaped like a Blue-Eyes.
 Corporate Dragon / int_cb6abea3
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_cb6abea3
featureConfidence
1.0
 Yu-Gi-Oh!
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_cb6abea3
 Corporate Dragon / int_dbd793bc
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_dbd793bc
comment
d20 Modern: In the Urban Arcana setting, where fantasy creatures have found themselves transported to the modern world, dragons often become CEOs of large companies — to quote an official tagline, "dragons rule the boardrooms".
 Corporate Dragon / int_dbd793bc
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_dbd793bc
featureConfidence
1.0
 d20 Modern (Tabletop Game)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_dbd793bc
 Corporate Dragon / int_dcbfeeee
type
Corporate Dragon
 Corporate Dragon / int_dcbfeeee
comment
Little Witch Academia (2017): Luna Nova Academy once borrowed money from the dragon Fafnir, who runs his hoard like a venture capitalist and loan shark.
 Corporate Dragon / int_dcbfeeee
featureApplicability
1.0
 Corporate Dragon / int_dcbfeeee
featureConfidence
1.0
 Little Witch Academia (2017)
hasFeature
Corporate Dragon / int_dcbfeeee

The following is a list of statements referring to the current page from other pages.

 Corporate Dragon
processingCategory2
Dragon Tropes
 Corporate Dragon
processingCategory2
Money Tropes
 Corporate Dragon
processingCategory2
Organization Index
 Corporate Dragon
processingCategory2
Urban Fantasy Tropes
 The Palaververse / Fan Fic / int_38349a53
type
Corporate Dragon
 InCryptid / int_38349a53
type
Corporate Dragon
 For The Tyrants Fear Your Might (Roleplay) / int_38349a53
type
Corporate Dragon
 Beast: The Primordial (Tabletop Game) / int_38349a53
type
Corporate Dragon
 Changeling: The Lost (Tabletop Game) / int_38349a53
type
Corporate Dragon
 Shadowrun (Tabletop Game) / int_38349a53
type
Corporate Dragon
 Starfinder (Tabletop Game) / int_38349a53
type
Corporate Dragon