Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Raya and the Last Dragon!

Raya and the Last Dragon features a new type of antagonists with the introduction of the Druun, an evil force that threatens the citizens of Kumandra. Though not presented as the primary villains, the monsters remain the underlying threat in Disney’s latest animated movie. Not only do the Druun have a long and dark history with Kumandra, but their return ends up teaching the kingdom about the importance of unity.

Five centuries before the events of Raya and the Last Dragon, Kumandra stood as a prosperous land where humans and dragons lived in harmony. When the Druun arrived, the kingdom was ravished as living things fell victim. To save humanity, a group of dragons combined their magic to form an orb that could banish the Druun. It worked, but the remaining dragons went extinct, except for Sisu (Awkwafina). The orb, known as the Dragon Gem, also survived. After the five distinct tribes fight for control of the magical object in the present timeline, it breaks, awakening the Druun. To save humanity and the fate of Kumandra, Raya (Kelly Marie Tran) makes it her mission to find Sisu to help obtain the Dragon Gem pieces to eliminate the Druun for good.

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At the outset of Raya and the Last Dragon, the central figure describes the Druun as “a mindless plague” that has the ability to absorb the souls of the living before turning victims to stone. Dragons also fall victim to the Druun, which happened to Sisu’s siblings during the species’ first encounter with the dark force. Rather than flesh and bone villains, the Druun are amorphous cloud-like monsters that can wipe through the area like wildfire. When the black and purple Druun return, they ravage Kumandra for six years before Raya steps up to save her homeworld despite Namaari’s (Gemma Chan) efforts to thwart the plan. With the help of others whose lives have been negatively affected by the Druun, Raya discovers what the kingdom truly needs to overcome the terror caused by faceless evil.

What The Druun Symbolize In Raya & The Last Dragon

During the mission throughout Kumandra’s five distinct regions, Raya encounters Boun (Izaac Wang), Little Noi (Thalia Tran), and Tong (Benedict Wong). As the sole survivors of three different families, they agree to assist in Raya and Sisu’s efforts. Along the journey, Raya mentions the notion that the Druun were “born from human discord” before claiming other dragons didn’t return because humans don’t deserve their presence. This claim falls into Raya and the Last Dragon‘s theme of trust and unity. Conflict is what brought the Druun to Kumandra in the first place, and the lack of peace among the five tribes allows the shapeless monsters to return.

Considering the dragons were known to bring water and peace to Kumandra, it makes sense that both elements repel the Druun. The creatures don’t travel through water, which is why some of the tribes live so close to the Dragon River, or even on top of it in Talon’s case. Aside from water, the Druun are driven away by the Dragon Gem, which Raya’s team uses as a shield during their climactic face-off with the evil force in Raya and the Last Dragon. When the dragons put their magic together to form the orb 500 years prior, they entrusted Sisu to use its power to save humanity. Raya convinces her group to do the same by giving Namaari the gem pieces in the last-ditch effort to save Kumandra. By trusting a former foe, the magic unleashes an unstoppable force that vanquishes the Druun once and for all while bringing back monsters’ victims in the process. Without discord and conflict, the Druun have nothing to feed on.

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Kara Hedash
(1744 Articles Published)

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Kara Hedash is a features editor and writer for Screen Rant. From time to time, she dives into the world’s most popular franchises but Kara primarily focuses on evergreen topics. The fact that she gets to write about The Office regularly is like a dream come true. Before joining Screen Rant, Kara served as a contributor for Movie Pilot and had work published on The Mary Sue and Reel Honey. After graduating college, writing began as a part-time hobby for Kara but it quickly turned into a career. She loves binging a new series and watching movies ranging from Hollywood blockbusters to hidden indie gems. She also has a soft spot for horror ever since she started watching it at too young of an age. Her favorite Avenger is Thor and her favorite Disney princess is Leia Organa. When Kara’s not busy writing, you can find her doing yoga or hanging out with Gritty.

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