Dorsal Dragons are so named because they have large fins along their backs that can be raised and lowered at will. They use these fins to regulate body temperature; they raise them to cool off when they become overheated. The bright colors on the fins double as a means of attracting mates.

Dragons are highly-intelligent reptilian creatures that—from a human perspective, at least—appear to live forever. Many different varieties of dragon exist, each with their own unique qualities, habitats, and behavior. Adolescence in dragons is usually marked by the growth of a hatchling’s wings, although not all breeds of dragons grow wings and some breeds have other traits that indicate the beginning of maturation. In Galsreim, dragons and humans coexist peacefully.

A dragon who was born to highly-ranked parents, but cursed with the "common" red dorsal fin usually found amongst lower-born individuals, Kiyoi-Akahane desperately loathes his status and (oddly enough) loves his "common" fins which allow him to pass amongst the lower-born dragons without remark. He ran into Shien-Kishi when the two were both hatchlings, and after the initial conversation and a brief tussle, the two have been fast friends well into adulthood. He is currently the only one who sincerely believes Shien-Kishi's theory that his egg was an unwanted extra from a noble couple, and that his parents somehow came across it, thus explaining his noble-born purple fin.