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This article is about the character within the Skylanders Academy continuity. You may be looking for the Skylander canon to the main storyline.

“Knock-knock. Who's there? The unexpected? I've been expecting you.[...] Sorry. I meant to do a tiny zap. Are you ok?”
    —Cynder, Return to Cynder

Cynder is a violet dragon who is a new cadet in Season 2 of Skylanders Academy. She comes from a royal line of dragons who are evil overlords, but she desires to become a Skylander. Her father is the evil dragon king Malefor.

Background

Personality

Much like Eon, Cynder is much more energetic and comical than her in-game counterpart, with her body language immediately expressing her happier state of mind through acrobatics and a neck flexibility that can barely keep up with her excitement when meeting her idols, Team Spyro. Despite her evil family history, she desires to become a force for good by becoming a Skylander and not follow in her father's footsteps. This however made her have internal conflicts on whether her destiny was to be good or evil. After her meeting with Spyro and joining Skylanders Academy, Cynder becomes more confident in her abilities and the choices she makes, but retains hesitation when confronting evil doers.

While in the company of others, Cynder is spunky and isn't afraid to speak her mind. However she is hesitant in engaging in physical combat, not wanting to hurt anyone, unless it's absolutely necessary.

Biography

For reasons unknown, Cynder's official biography does not reflect her actual story in the show. Please refer to the Story section.

Think Spyro is the only purple-skinned, wisecracking, devil-may-care dragon in the Skylands? Well, actually he is. But there’s also Cynder, an ambitious, violet-scaled dragon who arrived at the Academy with a mysterious past that she refuses to talk about. Maybe it has something to do with how preternaturally talented she is in the dark arts, with awesome—and sinister—powers like her spectral lightning and shadow dash. Or how she’s always taking those weekend trips down to the Underworld. Until the Skylanders can get to the bottom of what’s really driving Cynder, she’s content to be the brooding ying to Spyro’s carefree yang, adding a much-needed edge to the Skylanders’ fight for good.

Abilities

As the daughter of the powerful king Malefor, Cynder has extremely powerful abilities and a lot of potential. She can breathe bolts of electricity, and unlike Spyro's fire or other users of projectiles, it can cause recoil. She can also use the Shadow Dash, turning into an intangible dark cloud to pass through objects and move much quicker. Like most dragons, her powers makes her emotionally strained depending on her emotions. Cynder is also a brilliant actor, which runs in her family, allowing her to get the lead role in the Academy Spring Musical. Being a winged dragon, she is able to fly.

In Season 3, it is revealed that Cynder has a latent psychic ability that allows her to see the best route to anywhere in the Skylands. She can put up psychic blocks to prevent others from locating her, and also dispel magic her father Malefor places on others.

Story

History

Cynder is the daughter of the evil dragon king Malefor, who attempted to groom her to become his successor in ruling the Cadaverous Crypts with cruelty. She had heard of the heroic exploits of the Skylanders, particularly Team Spyro, wanting to become a hero herself. Eventually, she ran away from home without her father's knowledge to become a Skylander.

Season 2

In Return to Cynder, Cynder came to Skylanders Academy as a new potential cadet and eagerly became acquainted with Team Spyro. The violet dragon was soon placed under Spyro's tutelage to train for her Academy admissions test and he taught her how to utilize powers she never knew she had. During a fight between an evil family of Greebles and Team Spyro at Yum Yum Fun Burger, Spyro's strong insistence of good guys always being good and bad guys always being bad made Cynder suffer a meltdown, striking both friend and foe. During her emotional state, Cynder revealed to Spyro that she is the daughter of the evil dragon king Malefor, which makes her born from evil, but she believed she would be different if she became a Skylander. Because of Spyro's good and bad philosophy, Cynder became convinced that she can never be good, and she fled after unleashing another unstable electrical attack on all within range.

Cynder Training

Cynder undergoing her training

Back in the Cadavarous Crypts, Cynder began half-heartedly practicing her evil laughter in preparation to live up to her father's expectations. Spyro soon arrived with his Skylander team to bring Cynder back and convince her that he was wrong. Suddenly Malefor appeared, having been looking for Cynder and attacked the Skylanders when he spotted them. As Spyro fought with Malefor, he told Cynder that being born bad doesn't make her evil and meeting her made Spyro realize she has the power to choose to be good.

When Malefor was about to kill Spyro, Cynder saved her mentor by deflecting her father's firebreath with her Spectral Lightning. The violet dragon then stood up to her father about wanting to be a Skylander and not follow in his footsteps. While fleeing with Team Spyro, Malefor declared that Cynder is no longer his daughter, but an enemy. Back at Skylanders Academy, Cynder passed her admissions test, thanking Spyro for his help before being guided to cadet housing.

In Split Decision, Cynder was one of the Skylander cadets brainwashed by Hex's dark magic when her familiar Skull broke their familiar bond, inadvertantly allowing dark forces to take control of Hex. In the same episode, it is revealed that Cynder has started hanging out with Roller Brawl and Hex in after-school Undead club meetings.

When Team Spyro and Master Eon were quarantined, Cynder, Hex, Skull, Food Fight and Roller Brawl were assembled by Hugo in One Flu Over the Skylander's Nest as an experienced Skylander cadet group called the B Team. However, Hugo used his leadership opportunity to "protect" the Skylands from the surrounding sheep, leaving the group confused until they eventually left him to his own devices offscreen.

In Belly of the Beast, Cynder and the other cadets were paired with senior advisors from Team Spyro, with Cynder immediately choosing Spyro as her senior advisor. Cy soon came in with urgent news of the villain Fire Viper holding King Pen hostage at Arctic Isle, and Team Spyro and the cadets were tasked with rescuing him. During the mission, the plan went awry, ending with Team Spyro, Cy, and the cadets being eaten alive by Fire Viper. While Team Spyro went to search for a way out of the serpent's digestive tract, the frustrated cadets along with Cynder began to blame Cy for their predicament, but they were reprimanded for their behavior by Bad Breath.

When Team Spyro returned, Cynder and the cadets expressed their jealousy of Cy's easy ascension to Skylander status to their senior advisors. Spyro shared his experience of earning his Skylander status, and along with Stealth Elf, encouraged the cadets to give Cy and Bad Breath a chance to prove themselves. After escaping from Fire Viper's stomach, the cadets worked together with Bad Breath and Cy to defeat the villain.

CynderMalefor Academy

Cynder confronting her father to save Spyro

In Sheep(ball) Dreams, Cynder was part of the Sheep Herders team of Skylander cadets coached by Eruptor. When Dreamcatcher suffered a case of amnesia, the cadets expressed distrust towards the oblivious villain in fear of getting their dreams invaded. However Cynder became willing to give Dreamcatcher a second chance in becoming part of the team, since the violet dragon knew what it felt to prove that she wasn't evil. She then spoke on behalf of the other cadets and apologized for their behavior. With the teenager's guidance, the Sheep Herders took the league by storm, but before they could win first place, the Doom Raiders returned for Dreamcatcher and reverted her amnesia while they fought Team Spyro, and she left with nothing but disgust at her own selfless actions.

While in the training ground of Skylanders Academy with the other cadets in Touch of Evil, Cynder witnessed a worldwide broadcast of her father Malefor holding Spyro hostage. The dragon king demanded Cynder's return to him in exchange for Spyro's safety. Wanting to save her friend, Cynder accompanied Master Eon and Team Spyro to the Underworld after hatching a plan. The violet dragon arrived alone to confront her father, declaring that she only came for Spyro. During their conversation, Cynder revealed that the Skylanders showed her more about true friendship than Malefor ever could before launching an electrical attack on her father followed by a surprise attack by Team Spyro and Master Eon. Malefor collapsed after the assault and seemingly pleaded repentance to Cynder, which made her feel concerned for her father and wanted the Skylanders to stop their attack. Despite Eon's warnings of brilliant acting running in her family, Cynder refused to let the Skylanders harm Malefor further, which allowed her father the chance to capture his daughter and take her away to parts unknown.

Season 3

After being taken by Malefor, Cynder spent months trapped in the underworld while under the watch of her father. She was able to maintain a psychic block to prevent anyone from locating her to protect them from her father's wrath; a task that gradually weakened her.

She was eventually rescued by Team Spyro in Raiders of the Lost Arkus, Part 1 and used her psychic ability to pinpoint the location of the Lost Island of Arkus. She then accompanied the Skylanders, Master Eon and Kaossandra to Arkus to help stop Strykore from reaching the Iron Fist of Arkus. In Part 2, Cynder remained on Captain Flynn's ship while Team Spyro, Crash Bandicoot and Coco Bandicoot battled Kaos and his Conquertron to protect the Core of Light. After the battle, she and the other Skylanders were devastated at the loss of Master Eon but their spirits were lifted when Kaossandra announced that she would become the new Headmistress of Skylanders Academy in Eon's stead.

Cynder was last seen playing Sheep Ball with Team Spyro and the other cadets back at the Academy, before staring up to the sky at Spyro's farewell message to his friends: "Skylanders Forever!".

Relationships

Spyro

Cynder became fast friends with Spyro, who learned from her that being born bad doesn't make anyone evil by default. She looks up to Spyro as a mentor and a close friend, and was willing to return and face her father Malefor to save Spyro.

Malefor

Cynder has an uneasy relationship with her father Malefor, who wants her to follow in his footsteps to evil. In Return of Cynder, she gets angry at the thought of Malefor scolding her, and it is mentioned in Split Decision that she wasn't given enough love back home. However despite being on different sides, Cynder still cares for her father.

Undead Club

Cynder hangs out with fellow Undead Skylander cadets, Hex and Roller Brawl, at their after-school Undead Club meetings.

Cy

Like the other cadets, Cynder felt jealous of Cy for not going through Skylander training like they have and becoming a Skylander without graduating. After the events of Belly of the Beast, the cadets grew to accept Cy as a true Skylander.

Dreamcatcher

Though Cynder followed other cadets in mistrusting the amnesiac villain at first, she realized that they shared much in having a dark past, and was the first to reach out to her so the Sheep Ball team would work together. However, the villain's present personality and memories were eventually restored, and the floating head no longer cared for any of her former teammates.

Gallery

Cynder (Skylanders Academy)/Gallery

Trivia

  • Unlike in the games, Cynder has a longer neck and body, teeth, wider collar, and a white-colored altered Brand of the Undead. She is one of the few characters with major design changes, along with Snap Shot and King Pen.
    • The addition of teeth also makes her the only female dragon in the series to possess them.
    • Like Spyro, she now also has paw pads, though hers are a much brighter pink than her wings and scale plates.
Cynderz App

The Cynderz App

  • Cynder's Brand and wingtips glow white before she uses her electric breath, possibly as a reference to her Series 3 figure, which has a glowing Brand and wing symbols.
  • Strangely, Cynder's official backstory is entirely inaccurate to her Season 2 arc. She only leaves to Cadaverous Crypts once willingly, develops her powers through arduous training, and gets over her brooding once Spyro apologizes for his outburst.
  • Before the events of Touch of Evil, Cynder got the lead role in the Skylanders Academy's Spring Musical.
    • It was also revealed that Cynder is a straight-A student.
  • In the first part of the two part series finale,Raiders of the Lost Arkus, Part 1, it is revealed she had made an app that Pop Fizz uses to bypass traffic called "Cynderz".
  • Hailing from a royal family of overlords and being the daughter of the evil dragon king Malefor makes Cynder a princess by birthright.
Skylanders Academy
Characters

Heroes
Spyro (Dark Spyro) - Stealth Elf - Eruptor - Pop Fizz - Jet-Vac
Hex (Skull) - Chill - Wind-Up - Roller Brawl - Snap Shot - Ka-Boom
Flashwing - Food Fight - Trigger Happy - Cy - King Pen
Master Eon - Hugo - Bad Breath - Crash Bandicoot
Cynder - Ninjini - Sprocket - Flynn - Coco Bandicoot
Villains
Kaos - Glumshanks - Kaossandra - Malefor - Strykore
Doom Raiders
Golden Queen - Wolfgang - Chef Pepper Jack - Chompy Mage - Broccoli Guy - Dreamcatcher
Minor Characters
Dale - Gary and Claire - Hydra
Enemies
Greebles - Bomb Shell - Fire Viper - Fisticuffs
Berserker - Arkeyan Robots - Mechana-Trolls- Conquertron

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