The Dragon Prince Fans Just Got The Best News Ever

Fans of The Dragon Prince have speculated for more than a year about whether Netflix would renew the popular 3D-animated fantasy series beyond the third season. During the series' San Diego Comic-Con@Home panel on Friday, July 24, 2020, fans finally got their answer — and it was bigger news than anyone anticipated. 

The Dragon Prince co-creator Aaron Ehasz — whose most notable work includes writing for Nickelodeon's acclaimed Avatar: The Last Airbender – announced that the fan-favorite show would be coming back not just for season 4, but also for seasons 5, 6, and 7. That means fans won't be left hanging after The Dragon Prince season 3 ended on a number of significant cliffhangers in November 2019. Moreover, the announcement confirms that the seven-season arc that Ehasz and fellow co-creator Justin Richmond teased will actually get to play out.

The show's first three seasons were named after one of the six primal forces, a group of powerful entities that represent various elements of the natural world: the Sun, the Moon, the Stars, the Earth, the Sky, and the Ocean. Back when The Dragon Prince season 3 was debuting, Ehasz and Richmond told CBR that their long-term plan was for the number of seasons to mirror the amount of primal forces, in addition to the element of darkness.

Following the panel announcement, a news release confirmed that work has already begun on The Dragon Prince season 4, which will be titled "Earth," as announced at the show's 2019 SDCC panel. It also revealed that each of The Dragon Prince's remaining seasons will consist of nine episodes. The episode order is in line with what Richmond said he and Ehasz view as the storytelling sweet-spot. "It could vary," he said of the episode count in November 2019 (via CBR). "We like how it feels right now with those nine episodes, but if it needs to be a little bit longer or whatever, then we'll absolutely do that." 

The Dragon Prince built a following starting with its very first season. With the release of seasons 2 and 3, the fandom grew even bigger — especially as critics increasingly noted The Dragon Prince as a Netflix cartoon you should be watching for its expansive yet detailed universe-building that, like Avatar: The Last Airbender, is intelligent and socially focused. 

The animated show follows half-brothers Ezran (voiced by Sasha Rojen) and Callum (Jack DeSena) — two young human princes who, after their father is assassinated, forge an unexpected bond with Rayla (Paula Burrows), an elfin assassin sent to kill them. When they get their hands on a powerful stolen dragon egg, the trio ventures out on an epic quest to return it to the place it's from and bring peace to their warring lands and races.

Since debuting in 2018, The Dragon Prince has tackled many heavy themes — with storylines spanning big, complex issues like the nature of war and sacrifice and more personal themes such as trust, self-determination, and family. Many have celebrated the series for its racially diverse characters, bits of LGBTQ+ inclusion, and disability representation through General Amaya, a deaf military leader who uses sign-language on the show. Overall, fans and critics alike view The Dragon Prince as an example of powerful and meaningful high fantasy.

Beyond announcing the four remaining seasons, the panel also confirmed that The Dragon Prince universe would continue to expand — through the release of graphic novels and a game. Through the Moon (The Dragon Prince Graphic Novel #1) is an original story that will hit shelves on September 15, 2020. The newly announced tabletop roleplaying game Tales of Xadia has no known release date, but was promised to have game supplements and organized play events held prior to season 4's release (via Forbes).

These news tidbits will have hold fans over for the time being, as the renewal announcement didn't come with an official release date for The Dragon Prince season 4.