| This article is about the ability in the classic series. You may be looking for the ability from The Legend of Spyro series or the Skylanders series. |
The ability to breathe elements other than fire has been a part of the gameplay in the Spyro series since Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly though it technically made its debut in Spyro: Year of the Dragon.
Fire breath seems to be the most common element. However, other elements can be acquired by using Powerup Gates or magic spells. In the spin-off Advance series, other elements can be obtained by means ranging from spell scrolls to hot peppers.
In other series, dragons of various different elemental types exist, with some specializing in just one element, or being capable of learning multiple breath attacks.
Original Series
In the original series, almost all breath types are modifications of fire, barring few exceptions.
Spyro the Dragon
Fire
The standard Element Spyro uses throughout the majority of the game. When used, Spyro heaves as if it requires significant effort to do. The actual flame resembles five small streams of flame arranged in a fan shape. It can be used to kill (or harm, in the case of Bosses) any unarmoured enemy, but is unable to harm metallic and even heavily armoured enemies.
Fairy Kiss
This game's version of the Superflame that would appear in later installments. It is identical to the standard flame, but is pink in colour and is capable of destroying things that are normally immune to Spyro's standard flame.
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!
Fire
Looks and functions identical to the first game, albeit with a notably crunchier sound effect.
Superflame
A stronger variation of fire breath capable of breaking through most armoured enemies and metal objects. It is a large fire ball that flies out in a straight direction and explodes on impact with anything. When used underwater, it becomes a blue-white mine of energy that travels in a slow, spiral-shaped path and, again, explodes on impact with anything. A permanent variant can be unlocled by collecting every Gem and Orb in the game. It is capable of securing a rapid victory against Gulp and Ripto.
Ice Breath
Ice Breath is a breath exclusive to an Orb quest in Cloud Temples. It is used to freeze Trolls in order to maneuver up a bell tower. The breath is a snowball with a trail of snowflakes that explodes into a flurry.
Meteor
This breath is exclusive to the boss battle with Ripto. Upon gathering three Green Orbs on either of the first two phases, Spyro will turn green and be able to damage Ripto with his meteor breath. The breath consists of bright green rocks that travel in an arc and explode on impact.
Spyro: Year of the Dragon
Fire
Identical to the previous game.
Superflame
Identical to the previous game except for a few key differences. There is no underwater variant, it is the same regardless of where it's used, and when used in two of the stages in the game, it gains homing properties. There is no permanent variant.
Ice
Only useable in one level, it is essentially to the standard Fire what Super Freeze is to Superflame. When used on almost any enemy, they freeze solid. If left alone, they will eventually thaw. If charged into after freezing, they die. Frozen enemies can be stood upon. The breath is a blue version of the standard Fire.
Inferno
Exclusive to Spike's boss fight, when Spyro grabs a red crystal dropped in from Sgt. Byrd, he will gain a one-time use flame attack which can damage Spike. The flame is a continuous stream of fire that only lasts a few seconds and end abruptly when Spike is hit to avoid him taling extra damage.
Rocket
Exclusive to Scorch's boss fight, they are obtained from capsuled Bently sends into the arena and consist of red and green varieties. A Red Capsule will endow Spyro with a large quantity of Red rockets which he can rapidly fire, allowing him to protect himself when surrounded by enemies. Green Capsules will only grant Spyro a single Green rocket per capsule broken. The green rockets fire one at a time and are much slower than the red ones. They offer no additional benefits over the red ones. Both rockets deal the same amount of damage to Skorch. If Spyro has the ammunition for one rocket and breaks a capsule for the other, the one he was carrying will be replaced.
Spyro: Enter the Dragonfly
Fire
Identical to the previous games in function and sound, but its appearance has become blurry, resembling an orange cloud.
Bubble
This breath cannot harm enemies or kill fodder. In fact, the only purpose of the bubble breath is to capture dragonflies in bubbles. It can also break open butterfly jars. Spyro learns bubble breath near the beginning of the game, and it is the first breath he can legitimately obtain outside of Fire.
Electricity
Spyro using electricity breath.
This breath is primarily used as a means of activating machinery or solving puzzles. It is a blue-green static flame that resembles Spyro's 5-branched fire breath from the PS1 games.
Ice
Spyro first uses Ice Breath in Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage!, where he uses a Super Freeze Powerup to freeze trolls and ring the bells in Cloud Temples. In Spyro: Year of the Dragon, the Ice Fairies give Spyro ice breath while he remains in Frozen Altars. Later, in Enter the Dragonfly, Spyro gets a more permanent ice breath. Ice breath reappears in A Hero's Tail and Shadow Legacy. Ice breath's most common use is to freeze enemies to be used as stepping stones to reach otherwise inaccessible areas. Frozen enemies can be defeated with a charge, no matter how big they are. In the spin-off game Season of Flame, Spyro's fire breath is replaced with ice and he has to collect fireflies to regain his fire. In Attack of the Rhynocs, a fairy gives Spyro a spell scroll that gives him ice breath for heating the Fairy Library.
Wind
Spyro starts the game Attack of the Rhynocs with wind breath already learned, although the game never explains how. At the start of this game, wind breath pushes Spyro backwards, but cannot harm enemies. Later, in the Rabbit Habitat, Uncle O' Hare gives Spyro a magic top that allows his wind breath to create tornadoes that can harm enemies. Moneybags later gives Spyro a magic battery that allows him to charge up his wind breath for a more powerful electricity breath, making electricity an extension of wind.
Sheep
This breath is a joke in Spyro Orange: The Cortex Conspiracy. It can only be unlocked by entering a cheat code. Sheep breath is exactly the same as fire breath, only that a sheep flies out of Spyro's mouth.