The dragon holding the dancer's neck in the trailer...

[Kysafen]

Who's in the mood for fruitless and pointless extrapolation of data? This guy.

Now, the obvious way of looking at it was that it was hostile. Look how it crumbles away as the Fire Emblem necklace glows, as if the Fire Emblem protects her, suggesting that it's the spirit of Medeupterima-whatever that's after her.

BUT!

Take a look at the dragon's tail in the opening shot: Does that not bear resemblance to the "seahorse dragon" motif that Manaketes in Awakening had? What if, say, this was a shot of the two going underwater, after the Dancer fell into the water, and the dragon here was coming to save her? What if, in this universe, the Fire Emblem was Dragon Kryptonite, and it's keeping the dragon from using its power to rescue her? And why, tell, would the dragon rescue her?

Well, for one, the dragon could be the white-haired prince. Look at the picture again: if the dragon was by any other color, it'd be showing it. The dragon's scales might just be naturally white... a tabula rasa, if you will (and what better a canvas for an artist to make decisions than a clear, white one? Thematically it fits the game's theme of decision-making). And this is a lame argument and ripe for rebuttal, but you also had manakete characters whose hair/clothes matched their scale color. Ninian, Yahn, Fae's clothing. It's a really, really long (and probably dumb) stretch, and it also presumes that the dancer character in question is A) On the player's side and B) Story-wise, involved enough (whether both by the dancer's significance in the setting or by the intimacy between the two) to have the main character think her life is worth saving in this way.

See also: they seem to be in water, judging by the bubbles around. It could also just be a metaphor for the trailer/bad dream the Dancer had/has in the game.

Also, extrapolate from the imagery here what you will.

[hammerene]

I think it's pretty obvious that the dragon is strangling the dancer and in the GIF, seems to even push the dancer deeper into the water. Definitely hostile since after all, strangling is just one of the million ways to kill a person.

Also, looking at the outline of the human being after the dragon scales are shedded, the character isn't really recognizable. I doubt it's the MU lord (could you imagine all the different cutscenes to accommodate the hairstyles and such... good lord). I feel the most possible choices would be the dancer's sibling or an antagonizing figure from the story. I still think it's a little too early to speculate but it will be interesting to see what people come up with.

[Draco]

Huh, never really noticed what was going on in the GIF. Poor dancer girl, amirite?

[Ryo]

Am I the only one who thinks that the dragon's head looks weird?

[Kysafen]

I think it's pretty obvious that the dragon is strangling the dancer and in the GIF, seems to even push the dancer deeper into the water. Definitely hostile since after all, strangling is just one of the million ways to kill a person.

The Dancer does seem to have a genuinely shocked expression on her face, so it might be someone that she legitimately cares about... possibly the Avatar.

(could you imagine all the different cutscenes to accommodate the hairstyles and such... good lord)

Take a closer look at the head in the figure's outline: If it was the avatar, then that's probably the reason why the "head" portion looks so vague where the other parts of the body come into better focus.

Am I the only one who thinks that the dragon's head looks weird?

Nnnnnope, you're not. Of course, I'm always looking to see a design crush the status quo in the spirit of world-building to a specific setting; the more culture and rationality behind a design, the better (which is why I'm liking this new game better, in the hope that the opposing forces in the trailer are not just countries at-face-value, but they're also clashing fighting styles, societal norms, ideologies and philosophies, and their very ways of life as well).

[Book of Ereshkigal]

I think it's pretty curious they both have the 'spine' armor on their back.

[Leif]

I think it's pretty curious they both have the 'spine' armor on their back.

I noticed that too. I think the Avatar is that dragon. Look how the head is unrecognizable. This is similar to how Awakening treated Robin - they alway had him/her with his/her hood on. This scene probably involves one of the "important choices" that Iwata mentioned.

[Aura Of Twilight]

I wonder...is the avatar an actual dragon, or is it just a symbol for something? Also, that swordsman at the being of the trailer. I wonder who he is.

[Book of Ereshkigal]

...anyway, for the scene itself, I think it's either purely metaphorical, or MU lost control and then amulet shenanigans woke him up?

[hammerene]

...anyway, for the scene itself, I think it's either purely metaphorical, or MU lost control and then amulet shenanigans woke him up?

For some reason, I have a feeling that MU dies in the process of "waking up." He/She is pretty much fading away. But of course, this can be along the metaphorical sense.

[PWJosh]

The dragon is choking the dancer because the dancer is just into that kind of stuff. That's my theory, and I'm sticking to it till the game comes out.

[Book of Ereshkigal]

...Maybe dancer is actually a bad guy and MU is doing the right thing :B

[Aura Of Twilight]

So. Let's say that Kamui is indeed a literal dragon. That would mean two games in a row where the avatar is like that. Anyone have any ideas what sort of plot twist the game could have to make it different from Awakening? I think the cultists are out of the question. lol

[Book of Ereshkigal]

Well, Robin was more like Julius than an actual dragon (the main difference being Loptyr apparently doesn't have a body to resseruct?)

If Kamui is an actual manakete, that would be something new for the series, and... I have no idea what they're going for story wise with that. Unless you count Roy being a quarter manakete depending on who you ask.

[euklyd]

I feel like if the dancer legitimately getting strangled by a dragon is actually what's going on, and actually important to the plot, they wouldn't be showing it in the very first trailer /meta

I agree that based on aesthetics (including the visual symbolism) the dragon character doesn't look "evil" at all

I don't really see it being metaphorical unless it were a dream sequence

and even then I don't see the dragon character not actually being a dragon in one way or another

also the back plates are a good catch I hadn't noticed that at all

Edited January 22, 2015 by Euklyd

[Gryz]

Scalie Guy/Girl is clearly saving Dancer Lady! Duh!
When someone is drowning you should clamp shut their windpipe to prevent oxygen from escaping the lungs.

[Magical CC]

Holding? He is strangling her for serious! But I have the feeling that the dancer is in love with the dragon.

[RedEyedDrake]

Here is a nice thought. Kamui does indeed have the soul of a dragon sealed inside. The dancer girl is also a dragon trapped in human form. In fact, she was the one who sealed away the dragon in Kamui, probably when they were too young to remember it. However, the price of doing so was that the dancer the ends herself into a human and lost her memories. As Kamui & co. Try to find more about the two dragons they come across multiple things to suggest that the one in Kamui was an outright monster while the dancer was non-hostile. The game will then deal with looking for a way to destroy the dragon sealed inside Kamui forever and have the dancer recover her memories, with the former requiring them to do the later first.

The plot twist will happen when everything required for the destruction of Kamui's dragon is prepared and the party succeeding in recoverin the dancer's memories. Said plot twist is that things unfolding as they did, with Kamui's dragon being ready to be destroyed and her recovering her memories is exactly what the dancer planned when she was a dragon. Turns out she was the antagonistic dragon all along and is now free to ravage the world as she pleases. The shot of Kamui's dragon choking the dancer is simply it trying to kill her before anything happens.

At least, I think something like this would be pretty neat.

[Hong]

I didn't select "Hostile" for the dragon in the sense I think there is an internal struggle that Kamui (the dragon) hosts some malevolent force, or is occasionally controlled. After the spiritual incarnation of Kamui "sheds" those dragon parts, s/he regains control of herself.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Hong

[Kaede Ryusaki]

All I can say is, I really want a manakete avatar. So I'm just gonna hope :3

[Apotheosis]

1st thought: IT'S TIKI!

2nd thought: Manakete dancer... op.

3rd thought after reading this: The dragon is a symbol for the avatar. The dancer falls in love with the avatar, hence, no retaliation. The avatar is not in love with the dancer and is supporting the Eastern army (I think) while it seems pretty clear that the dancer is affiliated with the Western army or at least happens to be associated with them in some point of the game. Seeing as we seem to be rooting for the Eastern army in which case, the avatar is doing something good. Unless we get to choose which side we play for, in which case I have no flippin' idea what's going on.

[Coreyographed]

I think that the dragon is a symbol for Kamui as well. I think that there is some sort of malevolent force inside of Kamui, and that force manifests itself as a dragon in Ninian's the Dancer's dream. I think that the force inside Kamui is hostile, not Kamui.

[Azz]

3rd thought after reading this: The dragon is a symbol for the avatar. The dancer falls in love with the avatar, hence, no retaliation. The avatar is not in love with the dancer and is supporting the Eastern army (I think) while it seems pretty clear that the dancer is affiliated with the Western army or at least happens to be associated with them in some point of the game. Seeing as we seem to be rooting for the Eastern army in which case, the avatar is doing something good. Unless we get to choose which side we play for, in which case I have no flippin' idea what's going on.

Pretty much this.

[Sock]

Kamui is having a bad dream and will be all "What the, I was a dragon? Who was that girl?" when he wakes up.

Or something. :v

[Dragrath]

I suspect the scene shows an internal struggle rather than a literal encounter likely a dream. The Dragon is likely a symbol for something else (Kamui is a good guess). What we can't really gauge w/out more information but I expect it to be plot relevant.