Capcom’s dragon saga ran from 1993 to 2016: five console role-playing games and one online game, always with a boy named Ryu who can turn into a dragon and a winged girl named Nina.
Ryu of the Light Dragon clan sets out to stop the Dark Dragon empire and its emperor, who wants to free the goddess Tyr. The first game introduced the series’ shape-shifting dragon hero, the princess Nina from Windia, and a party with very different field abilities: Bo the hunter, Karn the thief, Ox the blacksmith, Gobi the merman and Mogu the mole.
Set centuries later, a young Ryu loses his family and grows up with his friend Bow, a dog-like ranger. A darker story about a false religion, with party members like Katt, Rand, Sten, Jean and Spar, and the “shaman” system that fuses characters with spirits.
Ryu is a dragon child found in a mine, who grows up with the thieves Rei and Teepo. The first 3D-styled entry, with sprite characters on 3D maps, the Master apprentice system, fishing, a fairy colony to build, and the companions Nina, Momo, Garr and Peco. Many fans’ favourite.
Two stories in one: Ryu’s, with Nina, Cray, Scias, Ershin and Ursula, and that of the emperor Fou-lu, a dragon god who woke up in a world that forgot him. Beautiful hand-drawn sprites and the darkest ending of the series.
A bold change: Ryu, Nina and Lin try to escape an underground world, in a tactical role-playing game with permanent danger from the D-Counter and the “SOL” restart system. Divisive on release, a cult classic today.
An online game with the subtitle Hakuryū no Shugosha-tachi (“Guardians of the White Dragon”). It was released only in Japan and shut down after about a year, which makes it the only Breath of Fire you can no longer play.
Every Breath of Fire stars a Ryu, a boy from the Dragon clan who can transform into a dragon, and a Nina, a princess or girl with wings from the kingdom of Windia. They are not the same people from game to game: each title has its own Ryu and Nina, in a different age of the same mythical world. Recurring names and ideas, like the goddess Myria and the fishing mini-game, tie the series together.
Some games have had re-releases, for example in the Nintendo Switch Online library and as PlayStation classics, but what is available differs per region and changes over time. Check the store on your own console before you buy a second-hand copy. Breath of Fire 6 cannot be played at all any more.
Which is the best Breath of Fire? Rank all six games, or the party members, with the Breath of Fire tier list. Or find out which hero you are in the Breath of Fire character quiz.
From 2002 until the early 2010s, this domain was home to Dragon Tear, a Breath of Fire fan site with translations, artwork, character quizzes and a busy forum. That site is gone, but its name lives on here, along with the quiz. Thanks to everyone who was part of it.
Breath of Fire is a trademark of Capcom. Dragon Tear is an independent fan site and is not affiliated with Capcom.
