Tuffnut

Tuffnut
Background Information
Films	How to Train Your Dragon How to Train Your Dragon 2 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Television	DreamWorks Dragons
Shorts	Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon Gift of the Night Fury Book of Dragons Dawn of the Dragon Racers
Video Games	How to Train Your Dragon How to Train Your Dragon 2
Voice	T. J. Miller
Character information
Full Name	Tuffnut Thorston
Quote	That's my sister out here, Astrid. If this goes wrong and we don't save her, I couldn't live with myself.

Tuffnut is one of the main characters of the How to Train Your Dragon franchise. He is featured as an ally of the main protagonist Hiccup Horrendous Haddock. He has a twin sister named Ruffnut and they share a Hideous Zippleback named Barf and Belch.

Background

Personality

Although never said throughout the show, Tuffnut seems to be slightly more dominant twin than his sister and has a more prominent role, especially in the TV Series. Together, he and his sister love to get into trouble, even if it means getting scolded by the chief of the village. Tuff likes the idea of Ruff being in danger (as he stated that when Ruff was on fire one time, he just watched for a while before he decided to save her). Tuff enjoys the chance to argue and wrestle with his sister, although it usually ends with Ruff overpowering him, either verbally or physically. He shares many similar traits with his sister. The only thing that seems to be apparent in difference, is he enjoys gross things as opposed to his sister (as seen in Gift of the Night Fury). Despite having a close sibling relationship, Tuff is frustrated when he has to share everything with his sister, but he's willing to make amends with Ruff to save his dragon. Although sharing rivalry with his sister, on occasion, he will save her if she is in trouble. He often thinks highly of his own skills, claiming that he was the world's deadliest weapon. In the TV series, Tuff appears to show a thrill-seeking and masochistic personality, displaying an attraction to dangerous situations and seems to enjoy or looks forward too whatever bodily harm he receives (usually by his sister).

Appearances

How to Train Your Dragon

Joining the same Dragon Training class as Hiccup, at first Tuff delights in taunting Hiccup over his poor performance although he doesn't have much success either due to the fact that he couldn't get along with his sister in battle. Later, however, when Hiccup displays an amazing talent for subduing the Dragons, he becomes his avid fan (often pushing and shoving Ruff to be the first to talk to him). The twins decide to help Hiccup fight the Red Death and bond with the Zippleback that had been trapped in the training arena before. To confront the Red Death, the twins mount a Hideous Zippleback, which fits their fractious relationship, the two naming the dragon Barf and Belch. Each head seems to agree with one of the twins in particular - Ruff taking Barf and Tuff Belch, and they ride it to great effect in the final battle and afterwards. Notably, they were the only ones not forced from their dragon in the final battle.

How to Train Your Dragon 2

In the second film, Tuff would not let his dragon be taken by Drago Bludvist. Tuff was disgusted by his sister's attraction to the Dragon trapper Eret. Following Stoick's death, Tuff rode one of the baby scuttleclaws despite difficulty in riding them back to Berk.

Trivia

• Tuffnut is a character from the book, How to Train Your Dragon (Book), unlike Ruffnut who is an original character created for the film franchise.
• It is revealed in the episode "Sandbusted" that Tuffnut will cry when he hears the word "tears."
  • However, in previous and later episodes, the word "tears" is mentioned and Tuffnut doesn't cry.
• His name indicates the phrase "tough".
• In the video game, it's said that Tuffnut is the older twin by five minutes, but Ruffnut is slightly taller. However, it should be noted that in the episode "Snuffnut" of Race to the Edge, Ruffnut (upon seeing a Changewing she believed to have eaten Tuffnut at the time) exclaimed "a Changewing ate my baby brother!"; implying that in fact, she is the eldest. It is unclear at the moment which is actually true.
• Tuffnut appears to have a favorite blanket, as it is seen and heard many times in the series: "Give it back, it's my blanket!", although it was always said while he was sleeping, or possibly, dreaming.
• In the books, Tuffnut has the same name as his father (Tuffnut Senior), so his name in the Book Series is Tuffnut Junior, which, ironically, means his name would be T.J. Thorston, the same first name as his voice actor.
  • Tuffnut is also an only child in the books.
• While Tuffnut is shown eating chicken early on in the series and the first film, he seems to no longer do so since he befriended Chicken.
• Tuffnut's vest is a different shade of gray in the series.
• Tuffnut is the only character from the movie who did not appear in any of the Racing for the Gold clips.
• Ruffnut and Tuffnut are two of the only Vikings on Berk who have a known sibling, in this case, each other. Other only known Viking siblings Dagur and Heather, and Ryker and Viggo ("The Night and the Fury").
• Ruffnut and Tuffnut are two of the only Vikings on Berk to have more than two horns on their helmets (The twins have four horns). The only other person to have more than two horns on their helmet is Mildew with six horns (but he joins the Outcasts later on).
• Tuffnut gets far less focus and screen time than his sister in the sequel movie.
• Tuffnut is the only known Viking that speaks "post-lightning Snotlout" (which is a gibberish language developed by Snotlout after he has been struck by lightning, allegedly a dozen times)
• Both Ruffnut and Tuffnut have trained a large dragon and later released into the wild. It's also possible that the dragons they trained (Torch by Tuffnut and Scauldy by Ruffnut) are counterparts to each other.
  • Scauldy was trained by Ruffnut, Torch was trained by Tuffnut.
  • Scauldy is a Tidal Class dragon (dwells within the water and sprays water), while Torch is a Stoker Class dragon (dwells on land and manipulates fire and air to attack).
  • Scauldy was hostile and a danger to the Viking Teens, while Torch was more civil and friendly from the beginning.
  • Scauldy was the one who was saved by Ruffnut and Torch was the one who saved Tuffnut.
• The twins seem to show a level of intelligence when they caught the Eel Pox in "The Eel Effect", doing experiments on air resistance, inventing ice cream, and speaking with advanced vocabulary.
• In the episode "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", he develops a crush on a mace he dubs Macey. This is still carried on in Race to the Edge.
  • In "Twintuition", Macey 'dies' in an attempt to hold back the flood gears to save the Riders, and is given a proper Viking Funeral in a water trough.
• It is possible that Tuffnut has either a tattoo or a birthmark that looks like a tattoo, on the left side of his body.
  • This is revealed in the first movie in a conversation between Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut when Fishlegs gasps; "[at Tuffnut] Your mom let you get a tattoo?" to which Tuffnut returns with "No, it's a birthmark.". Ruffnut then challenges his statement with, "Uh, I've been stuck with you since birth, and that was never there.". At this Tuffnut says, "Yes it was, you've just never seen me from the left side until now."
    • It may be a birthmark, as, so far as we know/have seen, Ruffnut is always on Tuffnut's right side.
  • The mark is not seen, as the camera is intentionally panned away; possibly to prevent from encouraging teenage tattoos, or to create an aura of mystery, or because Tuffnut was making it all up.
    • However, many different characters like Dagur have tattoos.
• It is revealed that Tuffnut once trained to be an officiator, but he never completed his training since his mentor jumped off a cliff.
• In Dragons: Race to the Edge, Tuffnut has sectoral heterochromia; most of his irises are a dark grey-blue, however, towards the top they are a yellowish-brown color. For unknown reasons, his eyes are a solid and brighter blue in all other appearances in the movie franchise.
• Tuffnut and Ruffnut both reference things from the modern day such as hospitals, ice cream, popcorn, sliced bread, and even a spin-off pig Latin (dubbed "boar Latin" by the twins) for humorous effect. 
• Ruffnut and Tuffnut seem to be much smarter than they pretend to be as Ruffnut knew what a rhetorical question was ("Edge of Disaster, Part 1") and Tuffnut knew about symbiosis and parasitism as well as Mesopotamia ("Living on the Edge").
• Tuffnut seems to know a lot of Spanish as he speaks full sentences of it countless times throughout the tv series, or speaks in English with a Spanish accent. It is unclear whether or not he really is fluent, or has just picked up phrases. It is likely, however, that he does indeed know Spanish as a second language. How or why is unknown.

v - e - d

Media Films: How to Train Your Dragon • How to Train Your Dragon 2 • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World Shorts: Legend of the Boneknapper Dragon • Gift of the Night Fury • Book of Dragons • Dawn of the Dragon Racers Spin-off series: DreamWorks Dragons (Episode List) • Dragons: The Nine Realms Video games: How to Train Your Dragon Characters Film Characters: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III • Astrid Hofferson • Stoick the Vast • Valka • Gobber the Belch • Fishlegs Ingerman • Snotlout Jorgenson • Ruffnut Thorston • Tuffnut Thorston • Eret, Son of Eret • Gothi • Spitelout Jorgenson • Drago Bludvist • Grimmel the Grisly • Warlords • Zephyr and Nuffink Spin-off Characters: Dagur the Deranged • Mala • Heather • Heather's Parents • Atali • Gustav Larson • Minden • Bucket • Mulch • Silent Sven • Trader Johann • Alvin the Treacherous • Viggo Grimborn • Ryker Grimborn • Mildew • Captain Vorg • Krogan Dragon Characters: Toothless • Stormfly • Meatlug • Barf and Belch • Hookfang • Cloudjumper • Skullcrusher • Grump • Red Death • Toothless' Rival • Scauldy • Windshear • Shattermaster • Torch • Light Fury Dragon Species: Night Fury • Deadly Nadder • Gronckle • Monstrous Nightmare • Hideous Zippleback • Typhoomerang • Thunderdrum • Hotburple • Fireworm • Scauldron • Whispering Death • Smothering Smokebreath • Changewing • Screaming Death • Fireworm Queen • Flightmare • Skrill • Lead Stinger • Speed Stingers • Stormcutter • Timberjack • Bewilderbeast • Seashocker • Razorwhip Songs How to Train Your Dragon: Sticks and Stones How to Train Your Dragon 2: For The Dancing And The Dreaming • Where No One Goes • Into A Fantasy How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World: Together From Afar See also Locations: Berk • Itchy Armpit Objects: Hiccup's Shield • Inferno • Dragon Eye • Dragon Eye II