Analyzing some of my favorite Warriors characters by Flamepaw

Flamepaw shares why they love these characters from the series.

Hi, guys! It’s Flam here with my first article! It might be a bit long, so bear with me on this! 😉 Just a warning, there’ll be spoilers for (I think?) every series, maybe not ASC, but definitely the others! Today, I’ll be analyzing a few of my favorite characters and why I like them! First, we’ll be starting with… (drumroll, please…)

Firestar!
Firestar has always been my very favorite character, ever since Into the Wild. Call me sentimental, but I just love the classic!
A summary of Firestar
Firestar is a fiery orange tom with leaf-green eyes. He’s the son of Jake and Nutmeg and brother of Princess, Tommy, Filou, and Luna. He is also the half-son of Quince and half-brother to Socks, Ruby, and Tiny (later Scourge). Firestar lived his first six moons or so as a kittypet named Rusty, but he felt a calling to go to the forest outside his home, later meeting a ThunderClan apprentice named Graypaw (later Graystripe). After Rusty’s encounter with “wild cats,” he decided to leave his housefolk and became a ThunderClan apprentice under the name of Firepaw. Firepaw became close friends with Graypaw and Ravenpaw, two other ThunderClan apprentices, and was mentored by Bluestar, the leader of ThunderClan. He later earned the warrior name Fireheart with Graypaw, now Graystripe, and was later named deputy of ThunderClan after the deputy, Tigerclaw, was cast out of ThunderClan as a traitor. After Bluestar joined StarClan, Fireheart–now Firestar–received his nine lives at the Moonstone alongside his former apprentice, Cinderpelt. Many moons later, Firestar ridded the Clans of Tigerstar (formerly Tigerclaw) for good, sacrificing himself in the process and fulfilling the prophecies, fire alone will save our Clan and three must become four to defeat the darkness that lasts forever. In A Light in the Mist, Firestar aided the Lights in the Mist in defeating Ashfur and still resides in StarClan as of Shadow.
Why I like him
Even though he’s, to some, ‘a bit too perfect,’ or ‘a gary-stu,’ or something like that, I don’t think he is. He’s made some mistakes in the past and that’s what I like about him. Sure, he might seem like the most perfect and amazing character in the whole history of Warriors, but no character is perfect! I loved all of his relationships with his apprentices, but especially his relationships with Cinderpaw (Cinderpelt) and Bramblepaw (Brambleclaw/star). (No offense, Cloudpaw!) Cinderpaw, later Cinderpelt, might not have always been his apprentice, but I loved how they stayed friends even after Cinderpaw became a medicine cat apprentice. And Firestar’s relationship with Bramblepaw was another one of my favorites, and it shows that Firestar wasn’t perfect. He was honestly quite terrified of Bramblepaw (even when he was Bramblekit!) because of his father’s treachery. Firestar was worried that Bramblepaw would end up like Tigerstar, and it showed a lot of character growth for him to accept Brambleclaw as a different cat.

Next up, we have another of my favorites, Bristlefrost!
While we didn’t see Bristlefrost for all that long, I still loved her, and her relationship with Rootspring. (Bristle x Root forever!)
A summary of Bristlefrost
Bristlefrost is a fluffy pale-gray she-cat with beautiful blue-green eyes. She was a ThunderClan warrior, born to Ivypool and Fernsong and the sister of Thriftear and Flipclaw. She was mentored by Rosepetal and as an apprentice saved Rootpaw, a SkyClan apprentice, from drowning in the lake. She later earned the warrior name Bristlefrost after her second assessment. A short while after Bristlefrost became a warrior, Bramblestar, the ThunderClan leader became very sick. The ShadowClan medicine cat apprentice, Shadowpaw, supposedly cured Bramblestar, only for the ThunderClan leader to start acting very strangely. Later on, Bristlefrost became the temporary deputy of ThunderClan, only for the Clans to find out that Bramblestar was, in fact, being possessed by Ashfur’s spirit. During this time, Bristlefrost had eventually fallen in love with Rootspring, the SkyClan warrior that she had once saved from drowning. When Rootspring went missing, having been dragged into the Moonpool by Willowshine’s ghost, Bristlefrost and Shadowsight (formerly Shadowpaw) went into the Dark Forest to save him. They were later joined by Mistystar, Violetshine, Graystripe, and Crowfeather and eventually defeated Ashfur, but at the cost of Bristlefrost’s life and her afterlife. As of Shadow, we still don’t know what’s become of her.
Why I like Bristlefrost
I know some people hate her because of her “random, character-destroying,” relationship with Rootspring, but I personally love that relationship! As an apprentice, Bristlepaw had failed her first warrior assessment because of the lack of prey in leaf-bare, but she was resilient and because of that, passed her second assessment and was given her warrior name. She also had confessed her love to Stemleaf, who admitted that he didn’t like her, and in fact had a crush on Spotfur, another ThunderClan she-cat. Instead of, y’know, going sort of crazy like Ashfur, Bristlefrost moved on and found another (in my opinion, better ) love in Rootspring. And her death… Oh boy, that really hit me hard. I know no one knows what exactly has happened to her after her death in the Dark Forest, but I’m one of those people hoping that (somehow) she’s still alive! (RIP Bristlefrost 😟)

After Bristlefrost, we have…
Mapleshade!
Some people love her, some people hate her, it really depends on the person. I, personally, love her!
A summary of Mapleshade
Mapleshade is a fluffy black-and-white tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes and lots of scars. She was a ThunderClan warrior under the leadership of Oakstar and was extremely ambitious. In fact, there were rumors going around her Clan that she’d most likely be the next deputy, or even leader. But later, she became pregnant with Appledusk of RiverClan’s kits. She didn’t tell anyone who the father was, and everyone, especially Oakstar and his daughter, Frecklewish, thought that she was expecting Birchface’s kits. Birchface was a ThunderClan warrior who was the son of Oakstar and brother of Frecklewish. He was killed in a recent battle with RiverClan, along with his apprentice, Flowerpaw. Eventually, Mapleshade gave birth to three kits: Larchkit, Petalkit, and Patchkit. When ThunderClan found out about the kits’ heritage, Mapleshade-and her kits-got banished from ThunderClan. Mapleshade tried taking her kits to RiverClan to be with Appledusk, but the river flooded and unfortunately, Mapleshade’s kits drowned. (I loved them so much and was really depressed when they died. 😭) Mapleshade was taken to RiverClan, where, expecting to be accepted and welcomed by her mate’s Clan, Mapleshade was rejected not only by RiverClan, but by her very own mate, Appledusk. (Gosh, I hate Appledusk so. Freakin’. Much. I’m going to write an article on him later!) Heartbroken and out for vengeance, Mapleshade killed Ravenwing, the ThunderClan medicine cat, who was the reason Mapleshade had to leave in the first place; Frecklewish, the ThunderClan she-cat who was one of the most approving cats of Mapleshade’s exile; and lastly, her very own mate, Appledusk. Mapleshade was convinced that she was avenging her poor kits’ spirits and giving them a ticket to StarClan by doing this, only to be killed herself after her last vengeance murder. She found herself in the Dark Forest, and as of Shadow, still resides there.
Why I like her
While she might seem like a vengeance-crazed ancient villain, I think Mapleshade is so much more than that. She was a caring mother and a loyal warrior until she lost her kits and went… Insane. And honestly, who doesn’t like a female villain? I personally, love them, and feel like they’re SO underrated. In fact, there’s only… *counts fingers* Two female villains? Yeah, I think so! There’s Mapleshade, (my baby <3) and Sleekwhisker. Personally, I’m hoping that Lightleap is the villain of ASC, but it’s probably gonna be Splashtail or Tigerstar 2. 🥲 Eh, oh well, one can only dream of it. Even though she hasn’t had all too many appearances, Mapleshade clearly is tough and (in my opinion!) an awesome villain! If it’s not Lightleap as the villain of ASC, I’m hoping it’s my precious Mapleshade! <33
Okie dokie, next up we have…

Ivypool!
Ah yes, Ivypool. The SUPER-DUPER AWESOME ThunderClan warrior and one of the BEST POVs in the whole series! (Again, in my opinion! ^^)
A summary of Ivypool
Ivypool is a gray-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes. She was born to Whitewing and Birchfall, along with her sister Dovekit (Dovewing). As an apprentice, she was mentored by Cinderheart, Dovepaw being mentored by Lionblaze. Dovepaw was basically worshipped by everyone (okay, not WORSHIPPED, but whatever) and Ivypaw got jealous, which lead to Hawkfrost showing up in her dreams and eventually training her in the Dark Forest. She earned her warrior name, Ivypool, and after a little while realized that the Dark Forest was actually evil and trying to kill everyone. So eventually, when the Dark Forest, y’know, tried to attack everyone (started the Dark Forest battle), Hawkfrost found out Ivypool was a traitor to the Place of No Stars, and tried killing her. As he was dealing the death blow, Hollyleaf, Jayfeather and Lionblaze’s sister, intercepted said blow and sacrificed herself to save Ivypool. Ivypool later became mates with Fernsong, Lionblaze’s son, and they later had Thriftkit (Thriftear), Flipkit (Flipclaw), and Bristlekit (Bristlefrost). Later on, Bristlefrost ended up sacrificing herself and dying in the Dark Forest, and as of Shadow, still is undetermined where she is, and Ivypool has been extremely depressed about that. (I am too, Ivypool. I am, too. 😥)
Why I like Ivypool
Ivypool is basically the definition of cool. Not only that, but she risked her whole existence every night to spy on the Dark Forest back in the day. If that’s not considered amazing, I don’t know what is! Plus, I love her relationships with Fernsong and Bristlefrost. Ivy x Fern is AMAZING and SO CUTE, and I personally think that Ivypool is a wonderful mother. I wish we had gotten to see more of her family relationships, but unfortunately, it’s really just her relationship with Dovewing, and after a while, that gets all too boring. Overall, I just love Ivypool and I think she is a great role model!!
All righty, second to last, we have…

Ashfur!
Okay, okay, I can hear all of you saying something like, “why the heck would you like Ashfur?! He’s a psychotic, insane, CRAZY MURDERER!!”, but to be honest, I think he’s a pretty awesome villain!!
A summary of Ashfur
Ashfur is a pale gray tomcat with darker gray speckles and blue eyes. He was born to Brindleface and Whitestorm alongside Fernkit (Ferncloud), Tulipkit, and Elderkit. Tulipkit and Elderkit died before they could receive their apprentice names, but Fernkit and Ashkit were given theirs. As apprentices, their mother, Brindleface, was killed by Tigerstar in order for his dog pack to develop a taste for cat. Instead of just grieving for their poor mother, Fernpaw and Ashpaw did something awesome and helped get rid of the dogs for good. Unfortunately for those two, their father, Whitestorm, was killed by Bone, the deputy of BloodClan, in the BloodClan battle. As you can tell, Ashfur had a rough early life. By the next time we see these two, they’ve recieved their warrior names, Ferncloud and Ashfur, and Ferncloud is mates with Dustpelt. Later on, Ashfur and Squirrelflight become close and for a brief time, are in a romantic relationship. But then, Squirrelflight dumps Ashfur for Brambleclaw, and the rest is history. Ashfur mentor’s Lionpaw (Lionblaze), Squirrelflight’s “kit,” and later, when Lionblaze is a warrior along with his sister, Hollyleaf, (Jayfeather is, as we all know, a medicine cat!) Ashfur decides to confront his ex’s kits in a fire. Squirrelflight then reveals that they aren’t her kits at all, but her sister, Leafpool’s, and out of fear, Hollyleaf kills Ashfur. Mostly because of Yellowfang, Ashfur is accepted into StarClan, with claims of only “loving too much.” Later on, Ashfur tricks Shadowpaw, (later Shadowsight) the ShadowClan medicine cat apprentice, into (unintentionally) killing Bramblestar, the ThunderClan leader. While Bramblestar’s spirit is in StarClan, Ashfur takes over Bramblestar’s body and rules over ThunderClan until he is found out to be an impostor. The Lights in the Mist later venture into the Dark Forest to fight Ashfur and his army of possessed spirits and Bristlefrost sacrifices herself by drowning Ashfur and ending his reign of terror over the Clans. As of Shadow, we don’t know what’s become of him (or Bristlefrost).
Why I like him
Okay, so close to everyone hates him, but I feel like he deserves a bit more sympathy. Now, I won’t get into all of that right now (I’m planning on writing an article in his defense later), but after losing two of his siblings plus both of his parents at a young age, I think that while maybe he wasn’t totally worthy of StarClan, that he doesn’t deserve the Dark Forest either. To add on to why I like him, I think that he’s an amazing villain! I’m not going to rant for too long (you know I love ranting!), so let’s move on to my final cat I’ll be discussing today! And that cat is… (drumroll, PLEEEEEASE…)

Gray Wing!
Yep. He’s the world’s best dad and one of the best characters in the whole Warriors universe, and I love him!! <3
A summary of Gray Wing
Gray Wing is a dark gray tom with amber eyes. He was born in the mountains to Quiet Rain and an unknown father alongside Clear Sky, his brother. When we first meet him in The Sun Trail, he is around a warrior’s age and Quiet Rain is nursing her second litter. Unfortunately, because prey was so scarce in the Ancient Tribe’s territory, Fluttering Bird, Gray Wing’s younger sister, joined her ancestors in what would become StarClan. However, Fluttering Bird’s littermate, Jagged Peak, was healthy and strong and longing to leave the mountains with some of the other Tribe members. Gray Wing wasn’t intentionally going to leave the mountains with some of his Tribemates that included Clear Sky, Bright Stream, Shaded Moss, Tall Shadow, Rainswept Flower, Turtle Tail, and others, but when Jagged Peak went missing, Gray Wing felt it was his duty to go after his younger brother. Because of this, Gray Wing ended up helping to establish different territories. He was a member of Tall Shadow’s group (later Wind Runner’s group), his brothers both being in Clear Sky’s group. After Clear Sky’s first mate, Bright Stream, died before reaching the new forest territories, Gray Wing’s brother ended up falling in love yet again, this time with a rogue named Storm. Unbeknownst to Clear Sky, Gray Wing was also in love with Storm (and possibly Bright Stream). Unfortunately, though, Storm died after she ran away from Clear Sky and was living in a Twoleg den that was abandoned and later collapsed. Along with Storm, all of her kits were killed. All except for her son, whom Gray Wing named Thunder. Clear Sky rejected Thunder, so Gray Wing acted as his father. He later became mates with Turtle Tail, who had previously left Tall Shadow’s group to live as a kittypet with her friend, Bumble, and later, a terrible, awful, evil piece of dung named Tom. When Turtle Tail returned, she found out she was pregnant with Tom’s kits, but (in my opinion) were technically Gray Wing’s. Gray Wing raised them as a father and probably is the best dad in the whole Warriors universe. Anyways, one day, Turtle Tail’s kits (Pebble Heart, Sparrow Fur, and Owl Eyes) went missing. It turns out that Tom, that evil, terrible, awful, ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING piece of dung, kidnapped the kits. Turtle Tail went to Twolegplace to find them, but ended up getting killed by a monster. RIP, Turtle Tail. </3 After that, Gray Wing was even more protective of his kits (plus Thunder). So then, a while later, Gray Wing meets a rogue named Slate, who he later falls in love with. She has his kits, and Gray Wing, who is suffering from his asthma, eventually gives in to it and joins his warrior ancestors, but not before he officially establishes the Clans. In his dying moments, he named the Clans: ThunderClan, RiverClan, SkyClan, WindClan, and ShadowClan (Not in any order). He still resides in StarClan as of Shadow.
Why I like him
Well, Gray Wing is just about the best dad ever! No joke! Plus he’s so sweet and I love his relationship with Turtle Tail. His death was so, so sad, and I cried a LOT. 😭 Poor, poor Gray Wing. </3 And his relationship with Clear Sky is so exciting! Waayyyy more sibling drama than Dove and Ivy, and personally, I think it’s a lot more complex-and better-than Dovewing and Ivypool’s drama. I love Gray Wing so much, and I feel like he deserves a lot more love. 🙂