All About Japan

Make These 11 Awesome Origami Dragons!

Video Origami

So, you'd like to make an origami dragon? We've got 11 options below, ranging from basic to supremely advanced, including designs from a number of top origami artists. We hope you've got time to spare!

11. Origami Dragon for Kids

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEuw2G5usMA

This is just a cute little dragon that doesn't take a ridiculous amount of time to make. For result-to-time-input ratio, it's pretty darned cool!

10. Jo Nakashima — Origami Chibi Dragon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGqZgbKEPkU

This is a (relatively) simple and adorable little dragon from Jo Nakashima, who, as we'll see, is a pretty big dragon fan. It doesn't take too long to fold, but the result is quite striking.

9. Intermediate Origami Dragon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2E51zgc5_9g

This is a decently cool origami dragon that's still in the intermediate range. The final form is satisfying, if still a little abstract.

8. Jo Nakashima — Origami Dragon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUsxMXwCW8A

From here on, things start to get pretty real, both in terms of output and time commitment. Jo Nakashima has quite a number of original origami dragon designs, and you can find even more of them on his YouTube channel. This one is rated at "low intermediate," and is basically your classic dragon. You might recognize him from the background of the Origami Chibi Dragon above.

7. Jo Nakashima — Origami Dragon v2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTrTUjwG6r4

Now that you've made a standing dragon, you naturally want a crouching one, right? This is a slightly more complicated offering from Jo, which he ranks as "intermediate."

6. Jo Nakashima — Origami Devil Dragon v2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNMGc2SiBjQ

No more kidding around, origami fans: Now we're starting to get into properly complicated territory. The video for this one alone takes 50 minutes! But wow! (You can see a preview of the original Devil Dragon here.)

5. Tadashi Mori — Origami Darkness Dragon 2.0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMRzP1R8ets

Tadashi Mori is another dragon-loving origami artist. This is an update on his original Darkness Dragon, with bigger wings and a stronger body. It looks like it means business!

4. Kade Chan — Origami Fiery Dragon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y0sGezNX_w

This dragon was originally designed by Kade Chan, though the version presented above is a slightly clearer demonstration by the incredibly organized Jo Nakashima. Quite a few origami artists have taken a shot at this one—for good reason!

3. Henry Phạm — Origami Dragon 6.0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2MzkRsbUA4

This is a Henry Phạm dragon, which means it's elaborate. How elaborate? Three 25-minute videos elaborate. The first one is above. Click the link at the end to continue to the other two!

2. Satoshi Kamiya — Ancient Dragon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5iJzS6an-4

Designed by Satoshi Kamiya, one of the most advanced origami masters in the world, this is basically the ultimate origami dragon. And yes, three hours is about the least amount of time you'll need just to watch how to make it. Good luck!

1. Kamiya Satoshi — Divine Dragon/Bahamut

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eowsr13T-NY

The video above is purely a summary of the hardest steps in Kamiya Satoshi's Divine Dragon, or Bahamut. Why? Because it took even veteran origami artist and dragon fan Tadashi Mori 20 hours to fold this thing, and it's still a headache even with the book. If you want to give it a shot on the fly, you can find a three-hour walk-through here. The King of Dragons is waiting!