Red the Dragon is the main villain from the video game Spyro: A Hero's Tail. As a fallen Dragon Elder, he wants to take over the Dragon Realms in order to exact revenge for his banishment long ago. He uses Dark Gems to darken the Dragon Realms. He carries a Dark Gem staff to cast spells with, as he is a powerful sorcerer. He recruits Gnasty Gnorc and his minions to do his dirty work. Spyro defeats Gnasty Gnorc once again, and goes to another realm.
At the next realm, Red's minions are planning to destroy Spyro, and Red's orders are to finish Spyro off, and in case they can't do it, Red asked Ineptune, another of his partners and evil queen of the Seven Seas, to kill Spyro. Spyro defeats Ineptune, and goes to another realm.
At the next realm, Red is so angry at Spyro for defeating Ineptune, he asks his soldiers and a brutal mammoth to finish Spyro off, and if they can't do it, Red will finish Spyro himself. Spyro reaches Red's lair, and the final battle begins. Red's attacks are ice spells from his staff, crates that have a picture of him on the side, and fire breath from his mouth. In the end, Red flees, and he drops his staff. The crystal from Red's staff breaks, and a fairy escapes.
In the next realm, Red is weak. When the Professor comes, he uses him to make the gnorcs better, turning them to robots. They also have better weapons. Spyro defeats the gnorcs and goes to fight Red. In his initial attack on Red in his chambers, Spyro acidently shoves Red into a machine, morphing him into Mechna-Red and to make it worse the Professor makes him giant. Spyro beats him once more and the Professor shrinks him to a more "manageable" size.
However, in Shadow Legacy, he was cast under a spell after escaping from the Professor's lab by the Sorcerer who forced Red to help him. Later on in the underground cave of Blink's home, he was unimprisoned from the Sorcerer's spell thanks to Spyro. After all his time inside the lab he began to realize his actions and thus decided to help Spyro and redeem himself as an Elder Dragon.
The Dark Gem Staff
Contrary to the other Dragon Elders, whom Spyro rescued in the original game, as well as those who assisted him in A Hero's Tail, Red's staff has a group of Dark Gems on it. These help to focus his magical powers, as well as cast ice spells while the fairy he captured remains inside.
Dark Gems
Dark Gems are gems that can suck out cheerfulness out of the world. These gems also blocks the boss' caves. The only way for the player to remove the vines at the cave is to destroy 10 gems on each realm. The gems also powers a device in Red's laboratory.