Nightpaw shares their love of Warrior Cats.
Warriors is the childhood of many people, including mine. I’ve read Warriors since second grade, and although I took the opportunity of my adolescence to grow out of the series and focus more on “mature” content like classical literature, nonfiction, biographies, and autobiographies, it simply didn’t work out. I kept coming back to fantasy and the world of imaginary thoughts, which led me back to Warriors in eighth grade–where I am right now.
As I take my path to high school in less than six months, there’s a lot for me to consider. My career path, what my heart truly lies in, money, extracurricular activities, and college; there’s much to ponder about and decide in four years, which is such a short time when considered in the long run. This is precisely where Warriors comes in for me. It must seem awkward as I’ve been talking about my life story for two consecutive paragraphs, so I promise I will go on.
The characters in Warriors are very diverse, ranging from small, lithe medicine cats to huge, muscular flame-colored leaders, but the purpose of each and every character is strangely similar–to serve their Clan to the fullest (with the exception of psychopath kitties, of course). We, humans, live in a society where our purpose is diverse–as much as people teach us that the purpose of life is to live it, it really is not. Everyone has different wants and needs in life. Sometimes, that gives us individuality, yet sometimes, it makes us feel lost. As a person who’s stuck on the road of indecisiveness, I admire the characters’ deep passion for life and the clear goals engraved in their mindset, which makes the series heart-touching as I’m reading about characters I long to be like.
I also love the Warrior Code, and wish it existed in our society. Warrior cats have rules to live by, clear ones evident when broken. They know clearly what is right and wrong from a young age and are punished for wrong and praised for right. Let’s take Yellowfang’s murder of Brokenstar as an example. Yellowfang killed her son, an evil antagonist to Warriors–not once, but twice. She promptly went to StarClan after her death. There was no question in this conclusion–Yellowfang was a hero who eradicated evil–whether it was her son or not, irrelevant–and prevented any more harm to the Clans. On the other hand, our current society punishes fathers who killed attackers to protect their daughter, people who harm in self-defense, innocent girls who desperately wanted to look good at a school dance, and civilians wanting to live life. As much as our people insist that these rules are absurd and do not take place, our society simply is not a utopia. I’m not a fan of rules in general yet sometimes I wish there was a clear right or wrong that makes it easy to make the right choices. Warriors have the right choices clear in their minds, and it’s comforting to read the book without having to consider normal societal norms. Warriors is like an escape from a world where individuals, not logic, determine one’s fate.
Arguably the most important factor for me is that Warriors cats have a leader, deputy, medicine cat, warriors, and they go to StarClan if they die and were good cats. Simple as that. StarClan decides their destiny beforehand and already knows what they must do to succeed. Warrior cats have what I want to have–it feels fulfilling to see what could have been. To add on, as irritatingly as StarClan is, due to the fact that they deliver these prophecies so obscurely, they still take the opportunity to talk to them after death and communicate with them. StarClan cats will always be there. When we lose a beloved friend or family member in real life, they are simply gone forever and it is impossible to initiate contact with them. For Warriors, not only is it possible to have conversations with them, but it is a fact set in stone that they will join their ancestors and their beloved when they die and they will give you advice on your own life. I would lowkey actually look forward to dying. It feels exciting to watch a favorite character return and be granted the chance to see them again. In a typical series, dead characters are rarely mentioned again, causing me to drift away from the series as most of my favorite characters merely do not exist anymore. Warriors always has a way of weaving in the characters I was so fond of (Ex: Great Battle, The Broken Code), causing me to return to the series over and over again. This is a debatable topic, but the similar personalities the new PoVs have also is helpful as it feels like the same character with a different name. Conclusively, Warriors is a series that accomplishes what I yearn for in life, ultimately comforting me as I watch the characters develop and feel all sorts of emotions for them. It is exciting, lovely, entertaining, welcoming us all into the world of what could be beyond our sight.
Many people consider warriors a depressing series as death and battles are always around the corner. For me, when I read the detailed book that secured my childhood, I am in a utopia. They are cats, after all. What is there to hate?
Cool article! Warriors really is the best <3
Thank you for that thoughtful and well written article. Yes, one of the things that is appealing about Warriors is that good and evil are well defined, in a way that they rarely are in our world. The same is true in classic fantasies such as Lord of the Rings.
I am at the opposite end of life from you—I am 72. I started reading Warriors about a year ago and found the stories compelling. I have read a great many things in my life, though I tend to read a lot of history and politics these days. But Warriors provides something I don’t find elsewhere.
As an old person, I will offer you one piece of advice (I promise, only one): Be on the lookout for unexpected opportunities. You may plan for one sort of education and career path, but unforeseen events may open the way to paths that you never expected. That has certainly been the case in my life.
Warriors has been my life. ❤️ ❤️ ❤️
Great article! For real, Warriors is literally my life. My dream is to be warrior cat. 😛 (jk)
Agreed! Warriors is my life 😻
I agree with ALL your points! My great-grandmother passed away in 2017 and I will never see her again. That’s why I dread dying, you don’t know where you’ll go or what you’ll find. Great and true article.
I agree. I don’t know what I would do without warriors.
This article is so true and so deep. I have no more words.
Great article! I love Warriors and will always.
Great article! Warriors will always be really special to me <3
Great article! I LOVE Warrior Cats!!!
Amazing article! I love warriors so much!