is Spike really a dragon?

[The Awesome One 1,314]

I'm getting the impression Spike doesn't ever grow up (at least not for the purpose of the show). 

 

I'm pretty sure Spike has a lifespan of a couple hundred years. He will not be growing up at all right until the end of the show because I think even after 10 seasons, only 4-5 years will have passed at maximum and that is nothing in a dragon's life.

 

Right now, in human years, he is probably 8-9 years old.

[Sommar 1,289]

He is a dragon physically, but you could argue he is not much of a dragon mentally. I mean he still has the natural instincts of a dragon (eats gems, is fireproof etc.), but his mannerisms is like that of a pony. For example, a baby's mental state is affected depending on what environment they grow up in. In Spike's case, he spent his whole life growing up around ponies. So instead of having an aggressive nature like the dragon(s) in "Dragon Quest" and "DragonShy", he has a nature similar to that of a pony. So yes, he is a dragon, but he's a pony at heart.

 

Dragons don't hibernate, rather they take long naps. In the winter episodes such as "Winter Wrap Up" and "Tanks for the Memories", Spike is clearly seen walking around, so how could he be hibernating. Spike also mentioned to Rainbow that "dragons don't hibernate", so the theory that dragons hibernate is false.

 

The reason Spike doesn't have wings is because he's a baby dragon. I believe Spike will receive wings as he grows older, but for now he will continue to live without them.

[LZRD WZRD 1,929]

He is definitely a dragon. Secret to My Excess confirms that. Why else would he be growing in the same way a normal dragon would? Not to mention he looks like a dragon. I assume he's a different species or has some sort of mutation, hence why he's wingless and not like the other dragons.

[CastletonSnob 3,025]

Again, where do people ge tthe idea that Spike is mistreated? I'll just repost an earlier post:
 

They say that Rarity just uses Spike, and doesn't care about him. What show are they watching? Let's see,

 

Rarity explicitly calls Spike her friend in Inspiration Manifestation, even assuring him that he shouldn't be afraid to tell her the truth. 

In the middle of her song in RTM, she gives him a hot dog.

 

She calls him a "dear friend" in Secret of My Excess.

 

She's shown concern for his well-being numerous times. She threatened to tear a teenage dragon to shreds if he harmed Spike. And listen to how she says, "Spikey-Wikey!" when he falls in Crystal Empire. She's CLEARLY worried about his well-being.

 

She's given him various pet names, such as "Spikey-Wikey", "Spikey-poo", "Spikey-boo", and "Precious Scales". 

 

What about the fact that Fluttershy DOESN'T get upset with Spike messing up the Breezies' travel?

 

[Grtxkkyz 387]

Of course he's a dragon! Spike may not posses wings, but still has other defining characteristics belonging to dragons, namely his overall body plan and ability to expell some form of energy from his mouth (in this case magic green fire), lava resistance, huge appetite, particularly for gems and precious stones, and a rather long life span too. Being raised by ponies gave him a contrasting personality with that of his fellow dragons, making him more pony-like, but we all know how sardonic and snarky he can be sometimes.

Plus, he may very well be the only dragon to live among ponies, though future seasons may prove otherwise

Edited May 2, 2015 by Dino-Mario

[TailsIsNotAlone 3,694]

I think that he is a dragon, but the question is what kind of dragon is he?  Certainly no kind of dragon that we have seen so far in Equestria.  I'll be honest, I am really confused at how his aging works.  Basically what confuses me, is the fact that in "Secret of my Excess", he grows and ages based on how greedy he gets.  My main question is how in Equestria does his aging cycle work?

You're absolutely right. How Spike ages into a full-grown dragon, and what he will look like when he does...it's all a mystery. My theory is that the writers of the show never really sat down and decided what a dragon is, how their bodies work, what their culture is all about. So what we have is a bunch of episodes with dragons that look and act totally different, and different ideas that come out of nowhere like the "Dragon Code" in Spike at Your Service. 

[Cwanky 17,445]

Well, ask yourself this, is Crackle really a dragon?

 

 

There's a lot of different type of dragons, just like there's a lot of different ponies. Its like asking why Bulk Biceps is a pegasus if he barely can fly and barely has any wings.

[colt .45 259]

In the light of recent events, I stand corrected. 

[Thrond 3,257]

no, he's a drawing of a dragon. 

[kaiser5578 340]

i believe Spike could be a Drake, it's similar to a dragon, has the fire breath, but has no wings

also while in the same family, it's the same as a human and a chimp so while a dragon may hibernate, a drake at least within the realm of MLP may not

also they are more likely to conform to human or in this case pony culture

Edited May 27, 2018 by kaiser5578

[VeroxVitrus 70]

Scales, Fire for breath, Tail, Wings... nah, I think he's a duck

[Kitty_Cat 376]

Remember when twilight was telling the CCC anout how she got her cutie mark? Well, when she blasted all of hat magic, it may have stunted his growth of a dragon and thus his being of a dragon. Also tye fact that he was raised by peaceful ponies also taught him to be nice and not greedy. Greed is what makes a dragon grow, after all.

[Dragulia 17]

2 minutes ago, Kitty_Cat said:

Remember when twilight was telling the CCC anout how she got her cutie mark? Well, when she blasted all of hat magic, it may have stunted his growth of a dragon and thus his being of a dragon. Also tye fact that he was raised by peaceful ponies also taught him to be nice and not greedy. Greed is what makes a dragon grow, after all.

No it does not. Watch Molt Down.

[Kitty_Cat 376]

Just now, Dragulia said:

No it does not. Watch Molt Down.

What season is it in?

[Dragulia 17]

1 minute ago, Kitty_Cat said:

What season is it in?

Season 8.

[Altastrofae 933]

On ‎4‎/‎28‎/‎2015 at 9:39 PM, midnightlegacy said:

I think that he is a dragon, but the question is what kind of dragon is he?  Certainly no kind of dragon that we have seen so far in Equestria.  I'll be honest, I am really confused at how his aging works.  Basically what confuses me, is the fact that in "Secret of my Excess", he grows and ages based on how greedy he gets.  My main question is how in Equestria does his aging cycle work?

Zecora never said he would age, just grow. That could possibly entail not developing wings in that process and still being, more or less, a baby dragon

[Kitty_Cat 376]

3 minutes ago, Dragulia said:

Season 8.

No wonder I was confused, im still watching season 7!

[EpicEnergy 22,066]

He might be a different and unique type of dragon, but he's still a dragon.

[Tom Gallagher 33,521]

What else would he be? 

[dead account 2,703]

On 2022-04-20 at 11:39 PM, TomDaBombMLP said:

What else would he be? 

A dog?

[Tom Gallagher 33,521]

36 minutes ago, Heasol said:

A dog?

Only in a bad non-canon spin-off. 

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

What else would he be?