What Makes Warriors Special? by Flamecloud

Flamecloud wonders what makes the Warrior Cats series special for us.

What makes Warriors special?

If you’re here on Blogclan, you probably have your own version of this answer. Maybe there’s that one comfort character that never fails to make you smile. Maybe it’s the plot that keeps you engaged. Perhaps you just really like cats.

The answer to that question is going to be a little different for everyone. However, I do think there’s something unique about Warriors, that plays a part in making the books so enticing:

Its size.

Warriors is really, truly, mind-numbingly huge.

If you were to mosey on over to the wiki, you could find some interesting numbers.

There are 8 main arcs, with 6 books in each.
There are 15 super editions.
There are 7 collections of novellas.
There are 8 graphic novel arcs.
There are 7 field guides.

Not counting the individual novellas, or the separate graphic novel books, there are approximately 85 books in the Warrior’s universe.

Here are some more interesting numbers:

According to the Wiki’s events timeline, the Warrior’s books span across at least 36 years.
Our first main character, Firestar, is now a great-great grandfather.
The category “characters” has 1360 pages under it.

Let me say it again:

Warriors is really, truly, mind-numbingly huge.

Now, there are some obvious issues with this.

Back when I was 12, I asked my loving father to read Into the Wild so that we could talk about it together. He took one look at the allegiance, and said, “NOPE!”

I, personally, spent a good year thinking Brackenfur and Birchfall were the same cat. I also started the series by reading the Ravenpaw graphic novels, then POT, because I saw “#1” on The Sight and thought it was the first book. Even our lovely Erins occasionally forget some key details here and there.

In other words, it can be a bit confusing and overwhelming. There have probably been many potential readers who have turned the other way.

However, for those of us that stuck with it, I think the sheer size has been at least part of why we stuck around.

For one, there’s always a lot to talk about. In what other series can you casually ask the fandom for their top 20 characters and receive lists of completely different cats? Likewise, if you want to debate, you have a couple hundred ideas to choose from. Should Mudclaw be in the Dark Forest? Is Firestar a Gary Stu? Who’s better for Crowfeather, Leafpool or Feathertail? The topics are virtually inexhaustible.

Beyond discussion, Warriors’ broad span of content makes room for something even more important:

It allows fans to create.

Original characters and pursonas are a good example. The structure of Warriors is simple and easy to replicate, so it’s not too hard to read Into the Wild and think, “Hey, what if there was a cat named Flamecloud?” And there you go, easy as that! You’re in the stories!

With the universe being so big, who’s to say there wasn’t once a cat named Flamecloud? Perhaps she was born after the book’s chronological range, or was one of the cats not listed back when Windclan’s allegiance only included two cats. Maybe she’s from another missing clan like Skyclan. Maybe she’s from a whole different universe.

The same can be said for fanfiction. Warriors is set up in a way that can’t really be ended. Sure, maybe after A Starless Clan, the Erins will write, “And they lived happily ever after”, and never write another book again. That, my friends, would only be the end of cannon material. Us fans can still continue on with the endless rogue attacks, new forms of magic powers, and ridiculous love triangles. Because of how large the Warriors series is, anything is plausible.

And if fanfiction possibilities are endless, couldn’t the same be said for roleplays? Fanart? Games? Articles?

There’s always room for one more warrior.