- “Since as far back as Breakneck Bog, I've been doing everything humanly possible to rid the Archipelago of you and your Dragon Riders. But you have a most annoying habit of not dying when you're supposed to.”
- ―Johann revealing his true colors to Hiccup.
Trader Johann is a recurring character in Dragons: Riders of Berk and Dragons: Defenders of Berk and the main antagonist of Dragons: Race to the Edge. He used to be a seafaring trader who visits Berk from time to time, offering goods to barter for. Despite being introduced as a good ally to the Dragon Riders and Berk in Riders of Berk, he is later revealed in Race to the Edge to be the true leader of the Dragon Hunters after Viggo's defeat, having secretly been working against the Dragon Riders and Berk by pretending to be their ally for years.
Background[]
Personality[]
Johann pretended to be a likable fellow, and everyone on Berk greatly anticipated his visits. His bargains seemed reasonable, and he even gave away an object freely from time to time. Stoick and Gobber seem to enjoy his company and are quite willing to mend his boat when it is damaged.
He does not dress in typical Viking garb, and he talks in an English accent. Even though his garb is atypical of a Viking, he does still sail a typical Viking ship. His nationality is unknown, but he does claim Berk to be his favorite island (though he also says that Outcast Island is his favorite Island while he and the Stoick, Gobber, and the riders were there, but it might have been part of the plan or a marketing tactic).
He is certainly cultured from his many voyages, and because of this, he is greatly looked up to by some of the inhabitants of Berk and Outcast Island. Johann may possess fighting prowess, as he claimed to have wrestled a giant squid for its ink, and was willing to act violently toward Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut for leaving him stranded in the middle of the ocean.
But in spite of his apparent friendly relations with Berk, he is still a businessman at first, as he sold metal from a Berserker to Gobber. Despite this fact, the two have bad relations, implying that he did not care enough to warn them and when told it had led to all their metal being stolen as eggs were laid in the metal, he simply apologizes and says nothing can be done.
However, at the end of season 5, it is revealed that his whole kind and easily frightened personality is fake and that he is actually evil and manipulative. He has secretly been after a dragon eye lens on Heather's belt that could lead him to the "King of Dragons", and only begrudgingly pretended to be kind to Stoick and Berk to get close to them. Johann is also shown to be extremely patient, willing to wait for many years in order to completely gain Stoick and Berk's trust (though Snotlout has doubted him several times already). The way that he acted violently towards Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut hinted at his true nature.
Physical appearances[]
Johann has dark brown hair and a beard tied into a twist knot. He wears an off-white sack hat on his head, a long-sleeved shirt with deep blue white-swirled imprinted tunic and deep red sari over it, light gray cloth bracers on his arms (each bit of cloth goes between the second and third finger), brown belt with a yellow pack and knife around his waist, multicolored pinstriped pants, and light brown boots.
Johann wears a cream-colored dirty sack hat on his head, a long-sleeved shirt with deep blue white-swirled imprinted tunic and deep red sari over it, light grey cloth bracers on his arms (each bit of cloth goes between the second and third finger), a brown belt with a yellow pack and knife around his waist, multi-colored pinstriped trousers, and light brown boots.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Deception: Johann was a cunning master of deceit. He was able to manipulate every member of the Hooligan Tribe that he was an ordinary merchant so that he would understand their strengths and weaknesses. Johann was extremely patient and waited for years to gain the Hooligans' complete trust until the time was right for him to strike. He would often charm them with stories that he either made up or plundered from real merchants that he assassinated. Johann could tell if Viggo was betraying him through his time with the Vikings of the Archipelago.
- Combat: Johann was exceptionally deadly in combat, and his primary weapons were his daggers that he had hidden beneath his sleeves. He was a capable marksman as shown when he threw his daggers with near pinpoint accuracy and when he shot down the Skrill with a single crossbow bolt that was laced with Dragon Root. Johann was also rather proficient in physical combat, able to punch and pin down Hiccup for a certain amount of time.
Appearances[]
Dragons: Riders of Berk[]
Johann in Dragons: Riders of Berk.
Trader Johann made his debut in Riders of Berk and Defenders of Berk, where he was a neutral comic relief character and came to Berk and was surprised to see that the inhabitants of Berk had made peace with the dragons during the events of the first How to Train Your Dragon film. He also inadvertently gave Mildew a batch of Blue Oleander flowers, which were poisonous to dragons in exchange for some of his cabbage. He also traded a botany book to Fishlegs in exchange for a dragon teeth necklace.
Johann then found a toy that Valka had made for Hiccup and sent word to Stoick. However, he tried to make up for the lost toy and lost his ship while traveling through the bog. He was then found by Hiccup and his riders. Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut were tasked with flying Johann to Berk, but instead, they left him on a small sea stack in the middle of nowhere. When Johann and his ship were finally brought to Berk, Stoick asked if there was anything he could do for Johann besides having the ship repaired. Johann angrily requested five minutes alone with Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut.
He made his third appearance when he went to Outcast Island. Stoick saw his ship while searching for Hiccup, and asked for his help to trick the Outcasts. When his ship reaches the shores of Outcast Island, the Outcasts immediately board the ship and start trading. Then Trader Johann opens a trapdoor of his ship, and Stoick, Gobber, and the gang start attacking the Outcasts. They manage to defeat them with Trader Johann's help.
Johann was briefly mentioned by Stoick. He informed the dragon riders that Johann had overheard the Berserker leader saying that he planned to test it soon. However, it turned out that Dagur had leaked the information on purpose to lure and trap Hiccup and Toothless.
Hiccup brought Johann to Berk after his ship was stuck in the ice. When they got back, the entire village was empty after the Speed Stinger invasion. He helped Fishlegs and Hiccup bring a paralyzed Meatlug to the cove where the tribe was hiding. Hiccup and Toothless later brought Johann back to his ship when the frozen sea thawed and gave Hiccup a bottle of squid ink as thanks.
When he went to Berk to trade his wares, he sold Gobber a pile of metal from an undisclosed location. Shortly afterward, the village of Berk was plagued with a metal thief every night. When Hiccup figured out it was Smothering Smokebreaths and suspected Johann's metal, Johann initially wouldn't confess due to customer confidentiality but was threatened by Stoick, and told them he got it from a Berserker at Breakneck Bog for a great price. Hiccup tells him it was from a Smothering Smokebreath nest and the metal had eggs, but Johann simply states he is sorry. Hiccup and Stoick leave angered and Toothless interrupts Johann before following them. At the end of the episode, to make up for knowingly giving them metal from the suspicious Berserkers and not warning them, they force Johann to sail his ship full of scrap metal to lure the Smothering Smokebreaths away, much to his chagrin and despite his pleas. Although Hiccup and Toothless went with him so he can be safe.
Dragons: Race to the Edge[]
Johann in Dragons: Race to the Edge.
3 years later, Johann had his ship stolen by Dagur the Deranged during his escape from Outcast Island. He was then found by Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and their dragon Barf and Belch near Bucket's and Mulch's ship. Johann then told the riders about Dagur's escape and the theft of his ship. He also told the riders about where he hid his treasure in the Ship's Graveyard and warned them about a heavily booby-trapped ship known as The Reaper.
Johann then had dealings with Heather and her Razorwhip, Windshear. He acts as her informant when they raided ships. Hiccup confronted Johann about this, and even though the trader had sworn to secrecy, he told Hiccup that Heather's village was attacked and had been returning stolen goods to victims who had similar experiences. And that Heather was now going after the man who wiped out her island and family, Dagur the Deranged.
Johann revealing his true nature to Hiccup while betraying him.
Johann met up with Heather at her campsite, who was with Astrid. Johann was relieved to see her, as he tried to send her a message and found her site was empty, fearing the worst. He then proceeds to tell the girls that Dagur planned to purchase dragon-proof catapults and winches. When Astrid asks if Johann is coming, he points out he's not one to ride into battle on a dragon.
Johann sends a message to the Riders that his ship is under attack by the Dragon Hunters. But when Hiccup, Snotlout, and Fishlegs arrive, they see he is being attacked by a pack of wild dragons under Scardian. They soon attack the Riders and make off with Fishlegs. While tracking them down, the three find it strange how aggressive the dragons were. Johann admits a bit of a relief when they started attacking the Riders over him. They soon find the pack surrounding Fishlegs on their island. Johann and Snotlout think about just leaving him, but Hiccup has a plan to save their friend.
The three work together with Johann riding Meatlug to distract the sentries. However, the Gronckle hears her rider's voice and comes flying to him, ruining the plan. Hiccup, Johann, and Snotlout are forced to retreat. After talking with Fishlegs, Hiccup explains that the rogue pack had been attacked by the Dragon Hunters, thus explaining their hostile nature. He comes up with another plan to lure as many of the wild dragons, including their leader, away so Johann and Snotlout can grab Fishlegs. They all soon reunite, along with the dragon pack after Hiccup showed them they were not the enemy with his flight suit. Ruffnut, while riding on Windshear, finds them and tells them the Dragon Hunters are attacking Dragon's Edge. The Riders and wild dragons team up and chase the Hunters away. After the battle, Hiccup and the gang take the pack back to their island, leaving Johann alone with Smidvarg.
Johann then sent a message to Hiccup, thanking him for rescuing him. Johann then stole information from a pair of Dragon Hunters on Outcast Island. He then took Sir "Ulgerthorpe" and his valet to the Dragon Auction on Dragon Hunter Island. He also "brought" Viggo Grimborn and his brother Ryker dragons to be sold at the auction. He also brought Hiccup and his riders in secretly.
Johann was the sole survivor of a Submaripper attack. He eventually sails to Berk where he tells the Dragon Riders of his past experiences with a Submaripper. He meets up with Heather at the end of the episode revealing that he knows a man who has seen her father alive, unknown to her he is luring her into a trap.
Johann is frozen to death by the King of Dragons.
It was later revealed in this episode that Johann had been leading the Dragon Hunters secretly all along, wanting to get a specific Dragon Eye lens that was unexpectedly on Heather's belt the whole time, without the riders knowing. Viggo and Krogan meet with Johann, and give him the lens, with Johann inserting the lens into the Dragon Eye, using a Singetail to light it up so it can view the "King of Dragons" (the Bewilderbeast). However, it doesn't work, as they were only using the lens from Heather's belt. Viggo reveals that they need all of the Dragon Eye lenses so the Dragon Eye can reveal the Bewilderbeast.
Later on, Johann and Hiccup are seemingly ambushed by the Dragon Hunters. They eventually enter a dragon's lair, with Hiccup using a signal to tell Toothless to stay on guard. When Hiccup and Johann enter the lair, the latter pulls out his knife at Hiccup and reveals he is associated with the Dragon Hunters. Hiccup asks Johann why Viggo and Krogan are paying him, but Johann reveals that he is paying them. However, Toothless defends Hiccup from Johann, and Hiccup and Toothless escape from Johann's clutches.
In the last episode of Season 6, Johann and Krogan attempt to take down and capture a Bewilderbeast who lived under Berserker Island. However, they are interfered with by the Dragon Riders. In the process, the Bewilderbeast freezes Johann to his death.
Trivia[]
- It's unknown if Johann and Drago have any connection to each other.
- Johann is the only villain in the How to Train Your Dragon franchise who hid his nature, excluding Mildew as he was evil before the events of the last two episodes of Riders of Berk.
- Canonically, Johann was only a villain in Race to the Edge for the sake of plot twist, as he was only ever written as a neutral comic relief character in Riders and Defenders of Berk.
- There are some foreshadows of Johann's nature:
- In "Dire Straits", Johann was sailing with several other traders in the Straits of Baldur before a whirlpool emerges under them. Johann secretly mocked one of the traders' beards.
- As said by Hiccup in "In Plain Sight", in "Edge of Disaster, Part 1", he sent a distress call, saying he is being attacked by Dragon Hunters, but were wild dragons while the Dragon Hunters took this time to attack their base. In this case, Ryker had sent the pack of tortured wild dragons to attack Trader Johann's ship in order to draw the Dragon riders away from Dragon's edge.
- He grins evilly in "Last Auction Heroes", not because he got the information, only because his business is gonna get well, due to one of the men in the bar saying that only the richest people can come to the auction. He even suggested that Hiccup take Berk's gold with him.
- In "Sins of the Past", right before his actual nature was revealed, he said it was best if he stayed out of the bar to Heather, before dealing with Harek. He was also the one who encouraged Heather to give up the lens to free Windshear as it is not worth it and congratulated while smiling, to which Snotlout calls him out for it.
- Despite him being a villain, in the game Dragons: Rise of Berk, he is still a trader and helpful, even though there are some updates. It is possible because he is the only notable trader in the franchise.
- Because he was manipulating the Dragon Riders from the start he presumably told their enemies the Berserkers and Dragon Hunters the name of the Night Terrors and Typhoomerang. As...
- In "Edge of Disaster Part II", Ryker says he knows what Night Terrors can do. It is strange that he refers to them as Night Terrors, considering that the Riders thought they came up with the name when they first found the dragon.
- It is also strange in "Maces and Talons, Part 2", that Viggo and Dagur knew the name "Typhoomerang", due to the name being established by the Riders.
- Johann is arguably one of the Dragon Riders' most dangerous enemies, due to his immense cruelty to have any dragon or Viking killed to achieve his goal of capturing the Bewilderbeast in order to become the richest man on earth. Johann is seen as one of the smartest and most dangerous foes that Hiccup and the Riders have ever faced, having manipulated and outsmarted Hiccup and the Riders and nearly all the Vikings in the Barbaric Archipelago since before the start of the franchise.
- It is possible Astrid indirectly mentioned him when she said "Sailors are known for their tall tales" in How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World considering his deceptive, traitorous nature. If this is true, this makes Johann one of the few people introduced from the TV shows to be referenced in the movies.