Astrid Hofferson

"Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it."

- Astrid Hofferson

Astrid Hofferson is the most promising female Viking warrior of her generation, the most beautiful girl in the island and was the most promising dragon fighter before the peace between dragons and humans. Now she is the second best dragon trainer from Berk behind Hiccup, his second in command, and girlfriend.

Astrid takes inspiration from Camicazi in the books.

Appearance
Astrid is a young, sensual shieldmaiden with slim features that conceal her true strength. Her most notable features are her steel-blue eyes, expressive features, and her fair blonde hair. Her hair itself is always pulled out of her face and into a tight braid, with her long bangs falling into her eyes. She is seen wearing tight grey leather with a spiked leather skirt, dark blue leather pants, and brown boots. She also has cloth wraps on her arms that go to her fingers.

As she grows in the films, her outfit and hairstyle also evolve from her simple foundation. Her hair is now swept to left side and has three split bangs in front of her eyes, as well as two braids, one larger and falling over her left shoulder with a brown leather hairband and a smaller one that is on the top of her head. She wears a red sleeveless tunic-like shirt with two shoulder pads with five-six pieces affixed to them as well as a leather hood w/ thick fur outlined on it. On her arms are bicep lace strings and brown fur arm wraps/cuffs from her elbow points to her knuckles, with stitching on the side and smooth wrap on the knuckles. Her gloves possibly protect her while she is in flight. She also wears a fur skirt that comes to about above her knees with armor straps, dark silver bird skulls on the belt, and spikes on the armor straps. The skirt appears to be made out of pleather and leather, and is stitched around the sides. On her right hip is a brown pouch bag. She wears blue pants/leggings with faded white streaks and small brown knee-pads. Finally she wears dark moccasin boots that may be stitched together on the bottom of the fur pieces. Her height for the second film is 5'9".

Personality
Astrid is first shown to be a dedicated shieldmaiden that is focused and determined to prove herself to others. She tends to ignore the other teenagers in order to go off on her own to either study or practice with her weapons, showing a drive to better herself. This seems to pay off as she easily takes a 'leadership' position in Viking training, not hesitating to step forward and face the challenges that Gobber throws at the teens. She is skillful and deadly in her abilities, and believes that she is the best and will be the one to kill the dragon at the end of the camp. In the show, it is strongly hinted at that part of the reason why she is so dedicated is that people seem to underestimate her by her appearance, despite the gender-equal society that Berk has established.

As she later becomes aware of Hiccup and his connection with the dragons, she shows a different side to her personality. She clearly has a short fuse when challenged, using her temper as a tool to understand exactly why she was failing compared to the 'failure' that she saw Hiccup as. However, she also showed an awareness for him and her surroundings, always being the one to take notice when he would leave the group. This suspicion paid off as she later discovered his interactions with Toothless.

Her discovery of Toothless caused her to have a conflict of character. On one hand, she was raised to believe that dragons were the enemy, and as a result felt her loyalty to the tribe required that she reveal Hiccup's secret. She was stubborn enough that both Toothless and Hiccup were forced to kidnap her in order to help her see the truth behind the dragon and rider. This results in her showing a different side, an empathetic side toward the dragons and an understanding to why they are raiding Berk. She becomes a strong support figure for Hiccup, and is quickly able to inspire him into action and support him with his decision to begin dragon training.

Powers/Abilities
Astrid is considered the best warrior of her dragon-fighting class, and she is quick to prove it. She is strong, fast, intelligent, and incredibly athletic for her size, able to outshine the other more Viking-like teens. She is an expert in hand to hand combat and weaponry, particularly excelling with her giant battle ax. She is also a talented dragon trainer, specializing in Deadly Nadders, and is a competent enough leader and strategist to be second in command of the Berk Dragon Academy, leading it in Hiccup's absence. She shows a strong sense of empathy both for others and for her dragon, and it is clear she has earned her many titles and respect.

Weapons
Astrid excels with her giant battle axe, able to easily lift it up and efficiently use it in combat. She can swing it over her shoulder and throw it long distances without batting an eyelash. Additionally, she has a strong empathy for her pet dragon, Stormfly, whom could also be considered a weapon based on it's ability to breathe fire and shoot spikes from it's tail. Astrid's connection with Stormfly brings forth a deadly combination that features true teamwork. Despite this, Astrid doesn't usually use Stormfly for harm, preferring to use her to fly and handle heavy lifting while she handles violence herself.

Role in the Crossover
Astrid is a popular character that is placed in the Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons universe, although not often as part of a relationship with Hiccup. This may be because she has a large personality and a major part in the land of Berk, being a leading force in the befriending and training of dragons. Although she may take on a more supporting role in the crossover, it still does not mean she is not an active member and friend to the Big Four, be it as a romantic catalyst or friendship developer.

Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III
In the How to Train Your Dragon film, Astrid is featured as Hiccup's best friend, second-in-command in the Dragon Academy, and official girlfriend in the sequel. This pairing is known as Hiccstrid. At first, Astrid seemed uninterested in Hiccup, seeing him as irresponsible and a troublemaker that only made things worse during the war. Additionally, when both joined dragon training and Hiccup began to surpass her, she began to see him as competition. However, her mind was changed when Hiccup took her flying on Toothless, and his fierce determination to protect the dragon impressed her. She was devastated when she thought that Hiccup had died fighting the Red Death, only to be overjoyed when he was found alive.

In Gift of the Night Fury ​they are shown to be closer than friends, with Astrid having no trouble expressing her affections  However, in the television series DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk, their relationship is shown to be more platonic. They are best friends on Race to the Edge.

In the second movie, Astrid is confirmed to be Hiccups longtime girlfriend. She is often shown as still being his second-in-command, possibly from the fact that they do still develop a friendship over Toothless and both hail from Berk. However, most do not tend to place the two dragon trainers in a romantic relationship, instead favoring relationships like Mericcup and Hiccunzel. This does not mean that the two are not close or confidants, it just means that their relationship does not develop past close friends when part of the RotBTD universe.

Heather
Although they start off at odds, Heather is Astrid best friend after Hiccup. The two are often seen going on missions together and hanging out.

Jack Frost
Jack and Astrid do not often interact in the crossover. However, some may feel that his irresponsible nature would put him in the same category as Snotlout or other immature characters where Astrid is concerned. Additionally, based on Jack's love to tease and prod at others, he could be seen as a constant pest to the serious and dedicated girl, challenging her and distracting her because he sees fit for her to have some more fun. This can be seen as a severe hinderance to their relationship early on, as he would be the exact type of person Astrid would hope to avoid. Despite this, Astrid may become moved by Jack's determination to protect and save the children, resulting in her respect for him growing and developing a potential friendship.

Merida DunBroch
Astrid and Merida both have similar personalities, appearing as strong and independent women who work hard to achieve what they want and stand out against the status quo. Often, their relationship is usually portrayed as either great friends or fierce enemies. This could possibly be because of their personality, or because both may be fighting for Hiccup's attention as a romantic partner. However, in the long run they tend to relate positively based on their common interests.

Rapunzel Corona
Astrid's relationship with Rapunzel is either as close friends or tentative acquaintances. When Rapunzel and Astrid meet independently from the other members of the Big Four, they often are able to relate because they are the only two together. Astrid may respect Rapunzel's strength and drive to support others, as it is similar to Astrid's devotion to her village and friends.

However, some authors believe that their opposite personalities may cause them to clash. They feel that Rapunzel's sweet, somewhat naive nature could get on the tougher Astrid's nerves, much like how Astrid first interacted with Hiccup. Astrid could potentially see Rapunzel as a weak link and a very un-Viking female. Likewise, Rapunzel might Astrid's aggressive personality unnecessary and mildly unnerving.

Concept Art
(Concept Art sketched and submitted for original film(s) is credited to Nico Marlett, Carlos Grangell, David Soren and Shane Prigmore)