My issues with Stormfur by Mountainstorm

Mountainstorm shares their opinion on Stormfur.

Good morning/noon/evening kits, apps, elders, med cats!
Stormfur is quite a popular character among Warriors fans. He’s admired for being a good mate and father, and being a good sister to Feathertail and overall a great cat with a nice personality and appealing design.
Well, Stormfur never struck me as a likable character, from the moment he first popped up in the books, and even in Super Editions and mangas I didn’t like him all that much.

Stormfur’s story started in A Forest of Secrets when he was born to Silverstream and Greystripe along with his sister, Feathertail. He grew up in RiverClan. His mentor was Stonefur, who was killed protecting him and Featherpaw when Tigerstar took over RiverClan.
Stormfur completed his training in ThunderClan, before returning back to RiverClan and becoming a warrior, known as Stormfur, as a tribute to his mentor.
He’s said to be easy-going like his father, along with being strong, brave, and loyal. Unlike Feathertail, he didn’t experience any emotional trauma and fit back into RiverClan right away.
He later accompanied her to the sun-drown-place, then moved to the mountains and became mates with Brook Where Small Fish Swim. They returned to the Clans soon after to check on them, and moved back into RiverClan. After Mothwing was forced to deliver a fake prophecy by her brother, Hawkfrost, whose ambition was to become deputy and was afraid Stormfur would get the position instead of him, Stormfur and Brook were kicked out. They returned to the mountains, and had four kits, Lark That Sings at Dawn, Breeze That Rustles Leaves, Pine That Clings to Rock, and Feather of Flying Hawk.

So….why don’t I like him? Let’s start with his one-sided personality.
Especially since I re-read Wings of Fire, I’ve been noticing a lack of personality and development in most characters. Stormfur, like so many others, is brave and loyal and clever. But so is Firestar and Brambleclaw and Greystripe, and Bluestar and Lionblaze and Redtail and Whitestorm and a whole bunch of others. Unlike in Wings of Fire, where each character has a developed and unique personality; like Blue is empathic, Tsunami is buoyant, Glory is sarcastic, Starflight is nervous and smart, Sunny is bubbly and optimistic, Clay is warm-hearted and kind….but in warriors it’s just brave and loyal and brave and loyal and brave and loyal over and over and over again. After so, it starts to become a bit boring and dull, reading about just another character who follows the exact boxed traits of a stereotypical Clan warrior.
Stormfur…just…has no personality development, or unique traits that make him an interesting character. He’s not a Gary-Stu, don’t get me wrong. It’s mostly that his development is flat and his personality is similar to many other’s.
This alone thought isn’t enough of a reason for me to hate him, but I think it does play a small role.

My dislike for him probably started in A Shadow in RiverClan. When Feathertail is forced to do apprentice work because of giving prey to Ferncloud and attacking a Clanmate, Stormfur tries to point out what she’s done wrong. She knows what she’s done wrong. And it’s clear she’s pretty traumatized by what happened, by what her Clanmates did, by the murder of her brother’s mentor, by the way the cats who were once friends with her cheered when the cat was murdered. The cats who were about to let her be killed too. Stormfur shoves all his sister’s emotions aside and takes the time she’s in a bad mood because of Leopardstar’s punishment to point out what she did wrong. That’s a bit messed up, especially after Stormfur’s painted to be Feathertail’s best friend and this great, supportive, loving brother.

Feathertail, in the book, is going through a lot of emotional turmoil, not just that one day. She needs her brother’s support- she needs someone to lean on, someone to trust, someone to help and guide through her depression and fear and trauma. Stormfur, of most cats, should understand that, since he witnessed and went through the whole thing beside her. But time and time again, she’s pushed aside by him.
Stormfur’s happy in RiverClan; he has a lot of friends, show in the book again and again. Because he’s happy, he doesn’t really care for his sister. He chooses his friends over his sister, the sister who’s in pain and fear, the sister who feels guilty for feeling jealous of him fitting into the Clan and making friends, the sister who feels guilty for her valid emotions.
Stormfur brushes her concerts away, time and time again. When Feathertail expresses her worries to him, he makes her feel worse instead of supporting her.

“Are you serious? It’s a little late to be having thoughts like that, don’t you think?”
-Stormfur to Feathertail, page 29 of A Shadow in RiverClan.

Stormfur’s unwillingness to even talk about his sister’s worries makes him a callous and selfish cat.

“Listen Feathertail, I know you’re having trouble, and I want to help, I really do. But I’ve made my choice. I hope you can understand that. I need to be a part of RiverClan. And that means…well, it means forgiving the cats who hurt us.”
-Stormfur and Feathertail, page 37 of A Shadow in RiverClan

Just because he’s happy in RiverClan, doesn’t mean he should completely let go of his relationship with Feathertail and leave her alone to deal with her troubles.
The way he neglects his relationship with Feathertail to hang out with his new buddies is…just…wrong! His sister is clearing suffering in isolation but Stormfur doesn’t seem to care.

“I was right when I told Greystripe that Stormfur belongs here. He’s a RiverClan cat, through and through which is great…except, the more time he spends with them, the less time he has for me. I miss him.”
-Feathertail’s thoughts about Stormfur, page 126 of A Shadow in RiverClan

He clearly cares more about his friends than his sister. He gets easily frustrated with her and doesn’t care for her emotions truly.

Stormfur: “There you are. Sleeping outside the warrior’s den? Feathertail, I thought you were finally making friends. What happened? It’s like you’re more alone now than ever.”
Feathertail: “I…can’t tell you exactly what happened. But I know you’re my friend. I don’t need any other cat.”
Stormfur: “Feathertail, that’s no way to live. We need to depend on our Clan! That’s why we have Clans!”
Feathertail” “I…I just…I’m sorry. I can’t.”
Stormfur: “Whatever.” *Walks away and leaves Feathertail in the cold night alone.
-Stormfur and Feathertail, pages 104 and 105 of A Shadow in RiverClan.

BUT when it came to the question of protecting Feathertail physically he’s all on board, like when hunting the fox or going on the journey to the sea. Seriously? You abandon her when she needs you emotionally, but when it’s protecting her, you’re all ears. Which makes it seem like he wants to take her spot of glory. Not chosen for a quest from StarClan but still coming along. It’s probably not that, considering some contradicting evidence, but it’s still rather weird for me.

In the arcs, he’s also overshadowing his sister. He always cuts in and answers for her before she can even open her mouth, which is also not being a good brother or friend.
He’s even telling her off for loving Crowpaw! You don’t care when she’s traumatized but you’re willing to talk when she’s in love with somebody, and finally happy?
Yeah, he was looking out for her. But why wasn’t he looking out for her before?

My last reason I dislike Stormfur is…well….in Moonrise, when the traveling cats were resting inside Midnight’s den, Stormfur remembered what salt water tasted like…and because of that he spat on her floor. Which is….just….a bit rude, maybe?

In conclusion, I dislike Stormfur because he’s rude, callous, a bit selfish, a bit shallow- he has little to no development and isn’t a very good brother or friend.
Is he a good cat? Yeah, I think he is, despite all this. He’s kind and loving, smart, helpful, and easy-going. He’s a good mate, and a good father.
Do I like him? No, I don’t. But it’s my opinion and perspective on his character!
Everyone has different thoughts about characters. What is your opinion on Stormfur? Do you think he was a good brother? Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
-🏔️🐾