Overview
The Claw Hunters are the foot soldiers of the Freebooters. They used to hunt dragons to power the City of Imperium as the Claws of Imperium until Beatrix's dethronement. Following the Liberation of Imperium, several Claw Hunters joined Rapton after he rebranded the Claws of Imperium into the Freebooters, a group of mercenaries and dragon hunters.
History
History[]
Dragons Rising, Season 1[]
The Merge: Part 1[]
The Claw Hunters were with Rapton as they have recently captured Riyu. As Rapton ended his call with Lord Ras, one of the Claw Hunters mentioned Ras' mistrust in the Claws of Imperium, leading Rapton to overestimate his recklessness as he claimed that he never heard the word weakness. The former took the statement seriously, to the point where he began to define the word until he was stopped by Rapton.
The next day, the Claw Hunters began to transfer Riyu to a prison train, but the dragon escaped, heading over to the Crossroads. The Claw Hunters chased him there, but Arin and Sora intervene when they came to rescue the dragon. The Claw Hunters were ordered to stop the teens until Ras arrived, single-handedly defeating the two and Riyu.
As the Claw Hunters were on the train, two spotted Lloyd, but were defeated by the Green Ninja.
The Merge: Part 2[]
A Claw Hunter caught Lloyd and tried to attack him with an Imperium Sword. Lloyd, however, deflects the hunter's attack, making him cut through Arin and Sora's handcuffs with his sword. Lloyd then knocked out the hunter. More Claw Hunters soon confronted the ninja and fought them as Rapton battled Lloyd. When Riyu activated Sora's Technology, the Claw Hunters' weapons began changing rapidly, causing them to explode.
The Claw Hunters then followed the ninja as they headed to the Land of the Three Mountains, where they were tasked to capture all the dragons in Riyu's herd. The Claw Hunters began to battle the ninja again until the Matriarch of the Mountain Dragons arrived, so Rapton ordered them to capture that dragon instead. Fortunately, because Lloyd was an Elemental Master, the Dragon Matriarch was able to enhance Lloyd's Energy with her dragon energy, allowing him to defeat the Claw Hunters with Spinjitzu.
Writers of Destiny[]
Two Claw Hunters and Rapton were tasked to capture the Ice Dragons while the ninja were distracted from fighting the tentacled beasts at the Cloud Kingdom.
Return to Imperium[]
Rapton and Claw Hunters hunted Jiro in Kreel's Junkyard. Although the hunters were momentarily routed by the ninja, they were able to regroup and successfully complete their hunt when Rapton deployed a Photac against the ninja.
Mindless Beasts[]
Four Claw Hunters assisted Rapton in recapturing Sora and Zanth when they attempted to escape from Advanced Systems Lab. The Hunters were able to subdue the dragon and two of them escorted Sora back to the lab.
I Will Be the Danger[]
A group of Claw Hunters had gathered together, with their objective being to prevent the dragon breakout under Beatrix's orders. However, their plans were interrupted when Ras summoned them to the Advanced Systems Lab. Upon arriving there, they were provided with a number of Photac Beasts.
During a proposal to the ninja, Rapton's speech was interrupted by a Claw Hunter, who charged him with being inconsiderate for forgetting his birthday. Rapton clarified that his remark of being a nice person was intended to be sarcastic and presented the ninja with a difficult ultimatum: either surrender with their dragons or battle. Although Rapton's preference was for the latter option, The Claw Hunter was curious about his potential decision. Before Lloyd could interject with a different strategy, Wyldfyre stepped forward and chose to fight. The Claw Hunters then used their Photacs to fight the dragons.
The Calm Inside[]
The Claw Hunters continued to fight against the escaping dragons and their human allies. At one point, several stared in disbelief when Rapton revealed he had a collection of Unicorn figurines.
The Battle of the Second Monastery[]
Claw Hunters continued to fight in the Battle of the Second Monastery but were defeated when Sora disabled their Photacs. Later, two accompanied Ras and Rapton in reporting to Empress Beatrix and turned on Ras when the Empress had him stripped of his title and imprisoned for his failure.
Gangs of the Sea[]
Two Claw Hunters were on standby in the Imperium Palace and hastily bowed when Empress Beatrix entered the hanger.
We Are All Dragons[]
A large force of Claw Hunters were led by Empress Beatrix to combat the ninja and their dragons within the city streets. After Beatrix defeated Jiro and Zanth, the Claw Hunters were left behind to secure and transport the dragons but were driven off by the citizens of Imperium once Beatrix's lies were exposed.
The Power Within[]
After the MergeQuake Storm, a meeting was convened with a Claw Hunter, Percival, and a select group of other Imperians to discuss the necessary adjustments that Imperium needed to make in order to embark on a fresh start.
After The Power Within[]
At some point after Imperium was liberated from Beatrix's rule, a few of the Claw Hunters joined forces with Rapton, who rebranded the Claws of Imperium to the Freebooters, whose aim is to capture dragons once and sell them for money.
Dragons Rising, Season 2[]
The Shape of Motion[]
Having heard the cries of several dragons around the Land of Madness, the Freebooters decided to investigate further. They eventually caught up to the ninja in the skies around the World Forest and engaged in a skirmish with them, seeking to capture Eridany. The Claw Hunters however were defeated and forced to retreat on Rapton's hover chariot following the loss of all their other vehicles.
Dragons Rising, Season 3[]
The Great Zane Robbery[]
Rapton and his Claw Hunters emerged from the First Land Monastery carrying an assortment of loot, including a purple Techno-cocoon. One hunter protested why Rapton wouldn't let them use carts, arguing that they could haul their loot much faster if they had them. Rapton shot down this idea and reminded her that carts were his nemesis. Zane then revealed himself, prompting Rapton to order the hunters into attacking him while fleeing to their repurposed prison train.
Zane followed the hunters to the train and released P.I.X.A.L. from the cocoon, initiating another fight between them and the Claw Hunters whom were utterly outmatched by the two Nindroids. After failing to stop them, the Claw Hunters were attacked by Nokt and his squadron of Dragonians who just as easily began laying waste to the hunters as the Nindroids. Fortunately, Zane and P.I.X.A.L. returned to back them up. Later, the Claw Hunters tried to help the ninja by fighting off the Dragonians and Nokt, but failed to stop Nokt from stealing the Red Prismatic Blade. Before escaping, one of the Dragonian Warriors destroyed the train controllers, causing it to go faster. While the prison train was about to hit a mountain, Zane pulled a cable from his back and plugged into the train controllers, stopping the train and saving the everyone in it.
I Alone Can Save Them[]
Several Claw Hunters worked on salvaging their derailed train while others were ordered by Rapton to assist P.I.X.A.L. in collecting parts to repair Zane with.
For Whom the Bell Tolls[]
The Claw Hunters headed to Djinjago with Rapton. After Rapton said he never gets what he wants, one of the Claw Hunters corrected him, only for Rapton to get angry and shut them up.
When Doves Cry[]
The Claw Hunters arrived in Djinjago. After the ninja told them about the "angry djinn", Rapton commanded the Claw Hunters to steal treasure as much as they can in a quiet-like way. However, the ninja said they can't let them steal that stuff, thus causing a battle between the Freebooters and the ninja. During the battle, some Claw Hunters tried to steal stuff while some of them were fighting against the ninja. After Rapton found the jewelry box he wanted, he and the Claw Hunters who stole different stuff escaped from Djinjago. While they were on their way, they passed by Kur, who was trying to stop the ninja from summoning the Arc Dragon of Focus.
Dragons Rising, Season 4[]
Tonight We Hunt Monsters[]
Rapton led a team of Claw Hunters to help Jay, Kai, and Nya in infiltrating the Administration. He offered his help to Jay at no cost, which frustrated the Claw Hunters. To create a diversion, the Freebooters ignited fireworks using their Imperium Swords, drawing the attention of the Administration Agents. The Claw Hunters engaged the agents in battle, easily beating them before staging a pretend loss. Afterward, the Freebooters left, leaving one of their cars behind for the Administration Agents to take, which allowed Jay, Kai, and Nya to sneak in by hiding underneath the vehicle.
Official descriptions
Official descriptions[]
Imperium Claw Hunter[]
These villains are always on the look-out for new dragons and are equipped with powerful blades. They can fire super-strong and super-long energy ropes. Ninja tip: be on your guard, dragons![2]
His bosses[]
There is a clear chain of command in Imperium. The gold-armoured Claw Hunters serve the Generals, who are cloaked in black. They in turn answer to Rapton, who reports to Lord Ras. Sitting on her throne at the very top is Empress Beatrix.[2]
His job[]
They hunt, capture and imprison dragons. The Claw Hunters must ensure that Imperium is supplied with energy from the dragons.[2]
LEGO Ninjago Dragons Rising Adventure Atlas[]
The Claws of Imperium, riding photac beasts, are no longer the realm's official dragon hunters. Be wary of lone Claw Warriors looking for dirty work!
Appearances
Appearances[]
Sets[]
Boxed Sets[]
- 71790 Imperium Dragon Hunter Hound
- 71791 Zane's Dragon Power Spinjitzu Race Car
- 71793 Heatwave Transforming Lava Dragon
- 71794 Lloyd and Arin's Ninja Team Mechs
- 71798 Nya and Arin's Baby Dragon Battle
Magazine Gifts[]
Ninjago: Dragons Rising[]
Season 1[]
- 1. "The Merge: Part 1"
- 2. "The Merge: Part 2"
- 5. "Writers of Destiny" (no lines)
- 6. "Return to Imperium" (no lines)
- 7. "Mindless Beasts"
- 8. "I Will Be the Danger"
- 9. "The Calm Inside"
- 10. "The Battle of the Second Monastery" (no lines)
- 11. "The Temple of the Dragon Cores" (video; no lines)
- 12. "Gangs of the Sea" (no lines)
- 18. "Absolute Power" (flashback; no lines)
- 19. "We Are All Dragons"
- 20. "The Power Within" (screen; no lines)
Season 2[]
- 31. "The Shape of Motion"
Season 3[]
- 44. "The Great Zane Robbery"
- 45. "I Alone Can Save Them"
- 58. "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
- 59. "When Doves Cry"
Season 4[]
- 63. "Tonight We Hunt Monsters"
Books[]
Ninjago Magazine[]
- 105. "One Ninja Alone...?"
- 106. "Probationary Potential!"
- 107. "Clash in the Trash!"
- 108. "Sticky Tricky" (non-canon)
- 109. "Flying Lessons"
- 129. "Open Sky Surgery" (non-canon)
- 132. "The Big Clean-Up" (non-canon)
Video games[]
- LEGO Brawls (non-canon)
Gallery
Gallery[]
Minifigures[]
Face prints[]
Promotional media[]
Design variants[]
In Ninjago: Dragons Rising[]
Season 1[]
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Season 2[]
Season 3[]
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Season 4[]
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Translations
Translations[]
| Language | Name |
|---|---|
| Chinese (Simplified) | 帝国爪牙 (show) 帝国利爪猎人 (sets) |
| Czech | Drápy |
| Finnish | Kynsimetsästäjät |
| German | Krallenjäger (show) Kaiserliche Klauenjäger (sets) |
| Japanese | クローハンター |
| Ukrainian | Пазурні мисливці |