The dragons fly into the abyss. Berk’s riders, including Astrid, Stoick’s spirit (seen in a vision), and all the villagers, watch in tears. The dragons are gone. The film does not end in tragedy. A six-year time jump shows Hiccup and Astrid married, with two children. New Berk is rebuilt on the sea cliffs, still using dragon-inspired architecture but now human-only. Hiccup has become a wise, weathered chief.

One day, while sailing with his children, Hiccup spots a familiar shadow. Toothless—now an alpha with the Light Fury and their three hybrid babies (Night Lights)—arrives for a visit. The final scene shows Hiccup’s children touching the baby dragons, while Toothless nuzzles Hiccup. They can never live together again, but they can reunite.

Grimmel captures the Light Fury and uses her as bait. He knows that Toothless will come for her, just as Hiccup would come for Toothless. This leads to the film’s darkest moment: Grimmel’s deathgrippers inject Toothless with a paralyzing venom. To save his friend, Hiccup forcibly removes Toothless’s automatic tail fin—the one he designed to give Toothless independence—and tells him to flee with the Light Fury.