Well, if we're talking 'The Wish of the Dragon', the whole thing really orbits around its central trio. You've got Long'er, the dragon spirit who's way more sarcastic and tired than your typical majestic beast. He's bound to this old jade amulet and just wants to nap for another century, but gets constantly dragged into messes. Then there's Xiaofei, the teenage kid who accidentally activates the amulet. He's not your chosen one; he's just a stressed city kid trying to get through exams and help his mom's struggling food stall. Their dynamic is the core—this grumpy, ancient magical being and this pragmatic, kind of overwhelmed modern boy who slowly become this found family.
It gets more complicated when his best friend, Anya, gets involved. She's the skeptic and the researcher, the one who Googles everything and tries to apply logic to the magic chaos Long'er brings. She provides a great counterbalance. The antagonist isn't some dark lord, at least not at first. It's this bureaucratic, soul-capturing organization called the Ministry of Balances that sees Long'er's existence as a violation of cosmic paperwork. Their agent, a woman named Ms. Lin with a briefcase that's a portal, is weirdly sympathetic even as she's trying to detain them. The character work is in these small, human (and non-human) frustrations rather than epic battles. Long'er complaining about modern air pollution while trying to muster his magic is a recurring mood.