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Dragon Mage EKO IHARA HOME Eko grew up in the land of Hayan in the Far East. She lived in Bracken for a few years when she became Neru's Dragon Master. Then she moved to an island in the Southern Ocean. STRENGTHS Because Eko has a strong will, she does not always like following the rules. She is a Dragon Mage, so she can harness Neru's purple energy. She can use it like a whip to wrap around something. And she once used Neru's powers to stop Worm from transporting.

BACKGROUND Eko was the first Dragon Master trained by Griffith of the Green Fields. The Dragon Stone chose her after King Roland got his first dragon Neru, a Thunder Dragon. Eko loved Neru, and she loved being a Dragon Master. But she never liked following Griffith's or King Roland's rules. And when the king began searching for more dragons to bring to the castle, she thought he was wrong. She thought all dragons should be free— even though she had a strong connection to Neru. Eko left the castle and took Neru with her. She did not return until years later, when she attacked Bracken and tried to free all the dragons. She could not see how she was hurting the dragons or their Dragon Masters. She is often only able to see one point of view— her own. DRAGON Neru the Thunder Dragon Rori reminds me of Eko, when Eko was the same age... —Griffith

Dragon NERU THE THUNDER DRAGON When you hear a loud boom in the sky, it may be thunder— or it may be Neru！ POWER COLOR

POWERS Neru can create a purple shield that protects him from attacks. His huge thunder booms shake the earth and knock dragons out of the sky. He can make portals that allow him to travel to faraway places. A portal is a magical doorway from one place to another. —Griffith DRAGON MASTER Eko Ihara SIZE LENGTH: 27 feet WEIGHT: 4,800 pounds Training Tip If you are training a Thunder Dragon, make sure you have a very strong connection before you try creating portals. If the portal isn't done right, you could end up someplace you don't expect— and it might not be easy to get back!

BECOMING A DRAGON MAGE When a Dragon Master is first chosen by the Dragon Stone, he or she begins learning how to work with their dragon. The more they train together, the stronger their connection becomes. After several years of training, a connection between a Dragon Master and dragon can become very strong. The Dragon Master can learn how to tap into the powers of their dragon and use them as their own. When this happens, a Dragon Master becomes a Dragon Mage. Eko, a former student of Griffith of the Green Fields, is now a Dragon Mage. She can harness the purple energy of her Thunder Dragon, Neru. Uri and Zelda, the Dragon Masters of the Naga, also appear to be Dragon Mages.

Dragon Mages will never be able to copy the full powers of their dragons. Eko cannot make thunder blasts the way that Neru can. But she can harness Neru's energy and turn it into power blasts, force fields, and energy leashes. Not all Dragon Masters become Dragon Mages. But the best Dragon Masters will reach this level one day!