Summary
Dragon’s Dogma season 1, episode 7 is the ending of all endings — it had drama, action and an overwhelming will to find purpose as the lead character learns more than he bargained for. “Pride” is a great finale.
This recap of Netflix anime Dragon’s Dogma season 1, episode 7, “Pride” — the ending explained — contains significant spoilers.
The opening
In finale style, Ethan heads to the Tainted Mountain with Hannah to finally face the dragon and reclaim his stolen heart. Hannah senses the sinister energy oozing from the place. You can already tell this is going to be a good finale.
The weak, dark humans
And then it happens, the dragon faces them and it expected Ethan, calling him a “Heartless One”. Hannah suggests that he doesn’t face it head-on. She’s obviously asking her fighting partner to show some strategic common sense but the dragon seems content in swatting them both aside as it continues to mock Ethan while highlighting the flawed, dark human condition.
“Humans pretend to be moral creatures”.
Ethan admits that humans are not imperfect and he believes mankind is redeemable. He calls the dragon evil and corrupt. With the assistance of Hannah, Ethan manages to gauge an attack on the dragon but that comes with damage to the building they are in. The dragon tells Ethan that he’s learned nothing from his travels and starts using his flames that Ethan has to evade. This has all the bearings of a good ending to a series — it builds the tension slowly.
Ethan’s vow
Ethan ends up on the dragon’s back and they glide in the sky. The dragon continues speaking his philosophy and how he doesn’t have the needs of flawed humans. Ethan vows that the dragon dies by his hand for what he did to his loved one and stabs the dragon with his sword.
Your wife will not return
As they both reach the ground, Ethan manages to stab the dragon right in his heart. He then pulls apart the dragon’s skin in the middle of its body and eats right into the dragon’s flesh — the dragon asks Ethan if he’s satisfied as the man eats aggressively, blood flowing everywhere — he’s eating like an animal. The dragon reminds Ethan that this will not bring back his wife:
“All thou has accomplished is the release of thine own rage. A rage that has consumed you. Thou hast committed a deadline sin thine self. The sin of pride is thine transgression”.
Arisen’s destiny
This stops Ethan in his tracks and the dragon elaborates — “The sin of pride is what links us together forever // I, too, was once human. And, like thee, I battled and slew a Dragon as an Arisen, consumed by my need, my desire for revenge, my pride.”
The dragon states that Ethan is destined is to become the next Dragon and it’s a curse. The dragon says The Pawn knows nothing and cannot help — Hannah looks at him helplessly. Ethan is now destined to kill humans.
I always wanted death
The dragon explains he’s only ever wanted one thing — his death. This is why he killed Ethan’s wife Olivia so Ethan would seek revenge. Ethan is exasperated by this reveal as the dragon dies and his body flakes away into ash.
Kill me
Suddenly, Ethan gets heart pains and he starts transforming. It looks like a painful transformation as he tries to deny it. Ethan asks Hannah to kill him so this all stops. Hannah states as The Pawn she’s meant to protect him. Ethan reminds her that thinking rationally is her specialty and asks her to save countless lives.
The ending
Hannah drops her weapon and apologizes because she can’t do it. She sobs as Ethan fully transforms into a dragon. As a dragon now, Ethan asks for one final request from Hannah — “Protect those foolish humans from me”. Dragon’s Dogma season 1, episode 7 is the ending of all endings — it had drama, action, and an overwhelming will to find purpose as the lead character learns more than he bargained for. “Pride” is a great finale.
