Warrior Cats Redemption Arcs that I don't like

Some recent Warrior Cats books have chosen some questionable cats to give redemption arcs. Here are my thoughts.
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[@darkninjafirefox]

I liked Blackfoot's Reckoning less for Blackstar's character arc and more for how it showed Brokentail being a creepy kitty sociopath even as a kid

[@XxEmpty_EscapexX693]

I agree

[@akkitty3405]

Same lol

[@andywright9195]

Lol

[@Icannothink]

Lol 😹😹

[@Igottagowalkmyfish]

For me, Blackstars/foots Reckoning just confirmed all my thought about him. Nothing changed. Just something to distract myself with

[@RickyKingProductions]

I'm so confused about Blackstar. Like he literally murdered Mistystar's brother and now they're both leaders just chilling together?

[@XxEmpty_EscapexX693]

IKR like wtf is happening.

[@TipOfTheSauce]

In Mistystar’s Omen that is actually something that comes up a few times. She always sends other cats in her place when she needs to communicate with him.

[@feathertail8996]

"You remember you slaughterd my bro in cold-blood infront of me?" "Yeah. Good times."

[@goodday2826]

what? don't you remember? just before the eclipse mistystar let her anger at blackstar loose and began beating him up, never mess with a cat who can swim

[@fabplays6559]

@@feathertail8996 It wasn't in front of her. Mistystar found out that Stonefur died through Firestar who told her after she was freed.

[@TipOfTheSauce]

IMO Longtail had the best redemption arc. Edit: Longtail should have been the one to kill Darkstripe during the Bloodclan battle. Then have Firestar make him deputy after Whitestorm dies; that would have been the perfect way to finish his redemption. This would also give Firestar sort of a redemption for holding a grudge against Longtail for so long. Firestar would have been like: “this cat just killed his old friend in order to save me.”

[@Weirdanimalboy]

He def should’ve been ThunderClan deputy, don’t @ me

[@TipOfTheSauce]

@@Weirdanimalboy following Whitestorm, yes he should have been.

[@skyrimclam]

longtail is by far my favourite cat, and i really wish the writers did more with him. he should've definitely been deputy instead of graystripe.

[@heyalovergoat512]

Longstar AU? 👀

[@TipOfTheSauce]

@@heyalovergoat512 Unfortunately no, because he would still go blind during Firestar’s Quest and would be forced to retire.

[@feathertail8996]

The one thing that bothered me about Leopard'Star's Honor is that she didn't resent Sky'Heart in any way after she tried to DROWN her as kits. Sure she could've forgotten, but that was the reason why she was a dry-paws half-though her apprenticeship.

[@delubayca1290]

I was more bothered by the fact Skyheart didn’t finish the job.

[@feathertail8996]

@@delubayca1290 pfft-

[@howellaboutno9500]

EXACTLY SHE NEVER MENTIONED IT

[@magena120]

So there just gonna shove something into Leopard’s back which can be traumatizing and barely do anything about it? I’ve nearly drowned because of someone and I grew to resent that person and the fact Leopard didn’t hold a grudge against Sky, something she seems like she’d do just makes no sense. Last time I checked shoving something that can be traumatic onto a character’s back story and barely doing anything about it is poor writing

[@chuuyaswifeee]

@@delubayca1290 I used to like Leopardkit but now she was a leader I absolutely hated her.

[@Povejmikatrina]

I really like Blackstar, but to be honest his redemption arc wasn't good. He never really apologized for anything he did.

[@TheRibottoStudios]

Tell me you haven't read Blackfoot's Reckoning without telling me you haven't read Blackfoot's Reckoning.

[@gyutaroswife.]

You should Blackfoots reckoning

[@Clooover]

@@TheRibottoStudios I've read it, he still has a crappy redemption arc.

[@anoushkashenoy692]

@@TheRibottoStudios I read it too, it was bad. He keeps justifying his decisions until the end where he finally doesn’t apologize to anyone.

[@kingkiwi8542]

I like to imagine he just got too tired to do much and was really laid back and lazy, sure he was very skilled in fights but he just doesn’t want to get up to do it. And with sol it was just him being too tired to argue. Lol

[@JRMax-ss6ob]

Personally, I don't think Blackfoot's Reckoning was intended to be a redemption arc so much as it was an explanation as to why Starclan went ahead and gave him his lives despite what he'd done. His "redemption arc", as it were, was the implication that throughout the main series he would prove to be a more caring and dependable leader than his predecessors. (Which to be fair isn't a high bar at all.) I don't think he ever got proper attention, and that's why the redemption feels so lazy and hamstrung, but looking back at the series you can tell that while he's nowhere near Good -- he's still stubborn, antagonistic, and prideful -- he's not as bad as he was when he played henchman to the other leaders. There are little notes of growth you can pick out in the series. Small actions like offering to guide Longtail in the New Prophecy and accepting the help of kittypets and other clan cats while his clan is recovering from losing the camp, and actually being grateful and relieved that Thunderclan offered them a place to stay. In Power of Three, despite disliking Firestar and continuing to be rather antagonistic with him/Thunderclan, he's still comfortable enough to confide in Firestar about he felt they never should have left the forest, and later even agrees to help Thunderclan when Windclan attacks. After Tawypelt and her kits leave he asks Littlecloud to go and bring them back once his faith is restored. In OotS, he doesn't immediately heed Flametails warning to "stand alone" and agrees with Littlecloud that they shouldn't ignore another clan in need. He invites other clan cats into camp for freshkill when they come back from the beaver incident, even insists on it. When Dawnpelt accuses Jayfeather of murder, Blackstar, while he doesn't refute her, also doesn't jump to his paws and demand Jayfeather be removed from his station or threaten Thunderclan. During the final battle he tells Lionblaze that it was "an honor" to fight with him, and tells him to go and help his own clan. And after that, he's the one who starts naming the fallen at each gathering not just of his clan, but all clans, and is said that he helped Bramblestar toward the beginning of his leadership. He still fought and growled and antagonized and refused aid, he still held Ivypaw as a bargaining chip for herbs, he still failed to admit fault or give thanks, he even loses his faith and nearly lets Shadowclan fall apart because he was and always has been rather easily manipulated. It's not just something that comes up in Reckoning; Brokenstar and Tigerstar both abused Blackfoot's sense of loyalty to get him to follow their leads, Tigerstar through charisma, Brokenstar likely through the fact Blackstar was the one who tried to befriend him since Brokenstar was a kit, as we learned in Reckoning. And later, Sol takes advantage of Blackstar's depression and faltering faith to do much the same. Even Cinderpelt had a moment of twisting things in such a way to get Blackstar to accept travelling herbs for the journey to their new home, knowing he was too prideful to accept them outright. His leadership is filled with ups and downs, but a lot of those "ups" wouldn't have happened if he were the same cat he was as deputy, and a lot of those "downs" wouldn't be there if his change had been sudden and miraculous, and there IS that minuscule, gradual growth that leads up to him being a confused, but mournful old man that he was at the end of his life. There's a reason why he was distrusted by the other clans throughout his leadership, but also reasons why they could go to him when they needed aid. I doubt ANY of it was intentional -- that's giving the Erins a bit TOO much credit -- but it is there if only by accident. Blackfoot's Reckoning, though I did enjoy it for what it was, was simply an unnecessary novella to sate those who wondered why Blackstar became leader at all. This is all VERY subjective, ofc, and I don't expect everyone to agree, but Blackstar (and Littlecloud) are my two favorite characters in the series. Blackstar's redemption -- the one I claim is actually in the series, not Reckoning -- is something I've thought a lot about. It was never a perfect redemption because Blackstar simply wasn't ever the focus, just the background, and he was never perfectly good, but nor is his redemption totally hamfisted in there with an instant change of heart and little conflict. NOTE: It's been YEARSS since I read any of the books, so if I got some things wrong my apologies

[@TheRunningLeopard]

This comment is beautiful, Blackstar is in my top favorite cats and this analysis is solid.

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

Beautiful comment. Btw, I'm trying to remember a moment at a gathering where, I think it was Onestar, was exchanging passive aggressive comments with Firestar, and Blackstar just sits there, looking confused as to why they are arguing with each other. It was a pretty funny moment.

[@prowlinality]

this is a FANTASTIC comment.

[@valtersplume3726]

Blackstar is the classical antihero.

[@projesusantisatan3583]

I definitely feel like they did a good job of portraying leopard‘s character in her super addition. I also think it is the best super edition written in recent years pacing wise that is. And I definitely feel like her character was pretty in line of what was shown in the first Arkin second Ark. Now her redemption arc I thought was very poor. Because it was only her going you know what I did bad decisions but I’m gonna automatically change it. There is no struggle between her in morality and her morals

[@projesusantisatan3583]

@Miss. Quokka that’s unique

[@projesusantisatan3583]

@Miss. Quokka understandable. My favorite river clan cat is probably river star also does anyone buddy remember green flower

[@zanecruse5132]

I feel like the book shouldn’t of been so rushed with the first two chapters :/ I just wish it was longer.

[@zanecruse5132]

@Miss. Quokka mhmm

[@projesusantisatan3583]

I’m happy they didn’t keep leopard as a kit for very long. Because in the other super additions like tall stars revenge and blue stars prophecy Especially Tolstoy’s revenge they were kids for like 15% in the book. And then apprentices for like Half of the book. And then the last half was done becoming warriors. And then at the very end of the book it was them getting their nine lives in becoming leaders and we didn’t get to see any of the decisions they make as leaders in their superadditions. But I see why you would say it went by too fast

[@lalas181]

It's almost as if Warrior Cats is badly written. _Wait a minute...._ Seriously though, if they wanted to give depth to Blackstar as a character, I have no idea why they decided a novella would be the way to tackle that. Hearing about it genuinely gives off the impression that they just did it so people would buy the Blackstar vinyl figure because "he's a Good Guy(tm) now!" The way to go for him isn't redemption, it's just atonement. Show him working to atone and be the best leader for his Clan he can be, not him feeling guilty in a cave in front of ghosts. He doesn't need to be Secretly The Best Person Evar or a hero or whatever to be interesting and multi-dimensional. He can still be a good antagonist while working to better himself. If a character who's been a bad guy in the past is framed as being redeemed, that by definition makes them no longer an antagonist except in the cases where there's a villain protagonist, and even then _not always_ since they can just become background characters afterwards. Generally the reason I regard him as the "Best Modern Leader of ShadowClan" is because WHILE IN POWER he wasn't _as bad_ as the literal kit murderer or Tigerstar the Probably-Still-Alive-Despite-Dying-Twice, and because I haven't yet read main series books beyond OotS. It's probably the lowest possible bar to clear. My only solaces at there being no Blackstar super edition is that they didn't ham-fist in an unneeded romance arc for him, and that they only butchered the character for a novella's length. I'm not gonna be engaging with replies for this since it's mostly just a lamentation mixed with my super-subjective thoughts on a character that has very little in terms of actual personality in the main series of a poorly-written YA xenofiction franchise. I know at least like twelve people will think I'm wrong about either how writing works or Blackstar's main series characterization or the writing quality of Warriors as a whole for at least twelve different reasons. Talk to each other, but I'm not gonna go out of my way to die on some hill about my overthought opinions regarding magical cat mafias in the woods.

[@Steffy07]

I completely agree. Here wasn’t much development of his character. Almos every “flashback” scene or whatever he was in the mindset of “I’m doing the right thing by supporting and carrying out my leaders bad choices.”

[@crowblossom06]

Warriors was a cash grab. It’s even said someone said to the Erin’s or one of them to “write a book about feral cats” or something

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

Trust me, he's better than his successor too. Rowanstar was really bad. As for Tigerstar #2...We'll have to see.

[@startheangel9760]

I disagree with the Blackstar one because he felt legitimate guilt and remorse when his kill victims gave him lives plus he was willing to fight along side Thunderclan when Wind and River clan attacked in Eclipse.

[@insectcat7057]

Yes, he felt remorse, and Akira started that pretty clearly. The issue with it was not him feeling guilt in the end, it was the path to it that sucked.

[@emmettrose5960]

I get what you mean about Blackstar’s redemption, but all things considered, I don’t hate it. You hit the nail on the head-he didn’t have the book time for a full, meaningful redemption arc. He had a novella, and he’s entirely too dead to warrant even more books on his redemption arc. In the time that he had, Blackstar still made important progress. He acknowledged that he hurt characters. He was remorseful, but he accepted that remorse on its own wasn’t gonna cut it-the cats he hurt had zero obligations to forgive him, and he knew better than to tell them that “I’m a victim too.” Is Blackstar a good cat? Not really. Are any of the cats he hurt/killed obligated to forgive him? Also no. But in the context of the narrative, the authors had a novella’s worth of space to show an entire leadership ceremony, while also fixing the plot hole of “StarClan making murderous right-hand-man to Tigerstar and Brokenstar leader immediately after the Great Battle” AND not breaking Blackstar’s characterization* through the entirety of his leadership/life. There’s not a lot they can do. *I will admit the bit where they showed Blackstar with Sol was bad, though. Unless he mysteriously forgot that part of his leadership ceremony, it nullifies my whole point about caring about preserving continuity.

[@mysryuza]

Thank you 🙏

[@TheRunningLeopard]

This comment. I honestly think that Blackstar was in love with Sol, which is why he was so easy to ignore the warning signs and lessons he had learned but I do not believe that was intentional. (Bc like, Warriors hates the gay.)

[@thatmomentwhen597]

This!

[@rowanheart8122]

I think it's pretty interesting that Leopardstar didn't have a real redemption arc, also I think people backpedaled around Leopardstar because she was coddled as a kit, her father was a respected warrior and an even more respected medicine cat, and then she was deputy and leader. I haven't read Leopardstar's Honor, but I hope to in the future. And yeah, I agree, Blackstar's Reckoning was pretty lazy writing. They should have made it a whole super edition about his redemption and only made the flashback thing part of it. I want to see how Blackstar would readjust to ShadowClan after his undying loyalty to Tigerstar and Brokenstar. I want to see some of his clanmates try to reject him as leader, and have Tawnypaw consider going back to ThunderClan after Blackstar does something stupid like let a former BloodClan cat into his clan

[@Undydamon]

So, trying to write redemption arcs for stories that were written almost 10 years isn't a great idea? Whaaat?

[@TipOfTheSauce]

I mean, you could write a redemption arc for a story written 1000 years ago as long as you did a good job

[@user-qt4qj1rx4j]

SPOILERS The main thing that I was excited for in Leopardstar’s honor was to see why she joined TigerClan. I kinda see what she did, but the book was written bad. They glossed over most of her life as an apprentice, warrior, and leader. The book focused mainly on her life as deputy. Which I think was good, but I would like to see her POV after the blood clan battle. A lot of stuff they included in the book during her deputyship was unnecessary. Most of the book should’ve been focused on her leadership. The ending felt kind of rushed, all the things I wanted to hear about were pushed to the end. Overall, I think it was a really good book. I’m just a little disappointed how they didn’t portray what I wanted to hear….

[@crisadence3707]

Needletail’s character arc is amazing

[@sandywolfr26]

Now if only they didn’t hide why she was the way she was in a bonus chapter for some books and not all!

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

It gets unfair criticism for sure.

[@sweetwolfsteve5583]

I didn't like leopardfur/leopardstars redemption arc imo leopardstars honor was just alot of filler it felt like we were waiting on crookedstar to die I never really liked leopardstar shes one of my least favorite cat

[@hazelgrunts]

I like Blackstar before the novella, because the change happened over multiple arcs and by the end he’s this lovable old guy who felt so bad about the great battle that he named all the fallens’ names at every gathering. I think I’m going to try to forget the novella ever happened, because it took place way too soon in the timeline and was destined to fail

[@mikiarkensaw]

I liked Leopardstar's honor but what the heck happened during editing? Stormpaw and Featherpaw's apprentice ceremony is first and in the next chapter Tigerstar is asking Leopardstar is she going to make Stonefur and Mistyfoot as StormKIT and FeatherKIT's mentors?!

[@lj2659]

Yeah I totally agree. I noticed that was like wtf

[@ThatArtisticBookwormYT]

I noticed that! Leopardstar was also called her leader name at least twice before becoming leader. Not to mention the allegiances mess-

[@XxEmpty_EscapexX693]

Blackstar was probably the most disappointing redemption arc for me, as it doesn’t seem like he was regretful or sorry in any way. I do agree that war criminals should not be leaders, like...

[@XxEmpty_EscapexX693]

Not to mention, no one ever really truly called him out for his crimes, and by that I mean, he never really experienced consequences.

[@delubayca1290]

@@XxEmpty_EscapexX693 Cats: Blackstar you killed us and helped Tigerstar kill other innocent cats Blackstar: Oopsies Daisies 😱 anyways give me my lives

[@kestrelthesoldier]

I wouldn't be sorry if I did something like Blackstar

[@legrandliseurtri7495]

But war criminals being leaders is pretty realistic. When Tigerstar ordered the murder of Stonefur for being a half-clan, nobody helped him, and sure, some were probably just afraid, but many likely agreed with Tigerstar's agenda. Bigotry does not simply disappear over night. If Firestar had tried removing Leopardstar or Blackstar from their position, their clans would have resisted that change for sure.

[@sandywolfr26]

I actually liked blackstar redemption arc. As he was just following his leader and he even pointed out why he never questioned anything. Love how it was cats he killed who gave him nine lives too. And why it seem he changed so drastically. Old shadowclan would never help out thunderclan during the eclipse battle. Also seemed he had a lot of guilt. Why sol was able to manipulate him. Like he questioned starclan decisions too. Even went back to Blackfoot since he felt he never deserved to be leader after everything he done. That how I saw that whole moment in the books. As for leopardstar, she should never been leader.

[@True2ChainzLilWayne]

He also felt bad when Brokenstar banished Yellowfang from shadowclan if I remember right

[@sandywolfr26]

@@True2ChainzLilWayne exactly!

[@luxarcanae]

Instead of going for redemtion for Leopardstar, litterally one sentance would have been enough on her death bed: "I am afraid of star clan. What will (insert favourite river clan cat here) say?"

[@sm0lcatfish]

shadow in riverclan leopardstar redemption > leopardstar’s honor leopardstar redemption

[@feathertailfanspoofs]

Also it’s odd how starclan told blackfoot/star he could stop anytime but never told it to brokenstar, tigerstar, Leopardstar etc that

[@NightTheKittenn]

i've always hated leopardstar and her super edition is essentially validation for me with every turn of the page. im having a blast watching her prove me right again and again that she was a terrible cat.

[@flamindorito]

she seems a little narcissistic tbh

[@pixie8436]

I’m pretty iffy about Leopardstar, because first; she had NO resentment towards Skyheart when she tried to drown her as kits. Second; her first deputy: Stonefur was LITERALLY Mistyfoot’s brother, and then when Tigerclan is driven out from existence she makes Mistyfoot, her former deputy’s sister deputy. And then she was overall a bad leader and Crookedstar should not have made her deputy in my opinion

[@FantasticFawnleap]

Crookedstar should of chose someone else!

[@Celeste-jh2lj]

I never really liked Leapordstar. Especially after what she did with Tigerstar. She let her clanmates be killed and did nothing to stop him taking over her clan inthe name of uniting the clans

[@idk-nq7pv]

I just cannot forgive Leopardstar or Blackstar. They are my least favorite characters. It was stated from the beginning that Blackstar was an idiot (in the first arc). Leopardstar and Blackstar worked alongside Tigerstar... Allowing senseless murder of innocent cats, including apprentices, and abandonment of weak, sick, and elder cats.

[@WinglessCanary]

Someone told me that Tom from dawn of the clans had a redemption arc at some point. I have no memory of it but no matter how good he becomes I cannot like him, he is still my least favourite cat ever lmao

[@pyrook4074]

yeah i agree entirely, blackstar’s reckoning was so incredibly weak compared to spotfur and daisy’s novellas which stood impressive alongside it. i don’t get why they decided to show him with sol when he saw the vision of the future…? it makes him seem incompetent when the whole point of him reliving his mistakes is to realize he shouldn’t be so trusting and make his own choices (only to be trusting and stop making his own choices after meeting sol) it was weird 💀

[@yawninglion1677]

Blackstar really should've been portrayed as someone molded and conditioned by Brokenstar into being his deputy... his IDEAL deputy, who acts as his secret police brute without ever questioning orders. It would've explained a lot about him without making him too unsympathetic.

[@BG_NC]

I don't like that they tried giving Leopardstar a redemption arc in this. We got as close as we needed to one in previous books, especially Mistystar's Omen. She was always a proud and ambitious leader who made selfish decisions. She wanted Riverclan and herself to appear strong to the other clans. Illness tempered her some, and she truly seemed to regret how she treated Mistystar and the rest of her clan on her deathbed. To give her a redemption arc while she is still shown to be the same prideful and selfish leader for many more moons in other books is ridiculous.

[@queenofdogs01]

everybody gangsta till Blackstar says he's sowwy

[@SandyTheDesertFox]

Leapardstar said 'Gaslight, Gatekeep, Girlboss'

[@belughlegosi]

QUEEN

[@TheRibottoStudios]

Blackstar's Redemption is perfect in my opinion. During his nine lives ceremony, HE CONSTATNLY regrets and questions his own decisions. But doesn't outright apologize for them, even though he feels guilt for what he's done. That's realistic. People are prideful, and Blackstar IS PRIDEFUL. You can feel all the guilt in the world, but....if you don't apologize...what does that say about you? It says you're NOT PERFECT and that's FINE. What bothered me about Leopardstar, is that she was treated as this SPECIAL cat because she was the only one to survive out of her littermates and all that, and because of a PROPHECY. She got away with LITERALLY letting Stonefur be murdered. And yes it was Blackfoot who killed him, but Blackfoot REGRETTED IT, and wondered what kind of leader he'd be because of that act, as well as his past. Leopardstar just...does NOTHING afterwards. She doesn't immediately pull away from TigerClan. She doesn't IMMEDIATELY side with ThunderClan and WindClan...she constantly just WAITS for things to happen FOR her. And then the prophecy doesn't even make any sense cause SHE doesn't SAVE RiverClan it's supposed to lead her to...MISTYSTAR?! Who ALSO sucks as a leader? What's the book trying to say? Not to mention they canonize the TigerLeopard romance thing which.... *Shudders* I don't know how you can read that passage of "if only our timing had been different" and her fur shuddering at the base of her tail, and his breath on her neck as anything OTHER than romantic esq. Gross.

[@thelanktheist2626]

Exactly. The fact that Akira didn’t even bring up Breezepelt’s way worse “redemption” strikes me the wrong way. She really needs priorities.

[@justyourlocalcommenter7492]

If you’ve done something wrong, and have the chance to apologize, you need to take it. It’s not okay if you just feel guilt but you’re too prideful to own up to what you feel it for. Especially if someone else who you hurt is involved. You need to apologize to them, and it’s their choice whether to forgive you or not.

[@baasparkopenings851]

@@justyourlocalcommenter7492 I mean, I completely agree with this, but I think the whole point is that Blackstar didn't really get a "redemption arc". Blackfoot's Reckoning struck me more as an explanation than a redemption arc, but that could just be me.

[@anoushkashenoy692]

@@thelanktheist2626 It’s probably because she’s mentioned Breezepelt’s redemption before. I think she was bringing up the two most recent examples

[@thelanktheist2626]

@@anoushkashenoy692 she did? Where at, and what did she say about it?

[@horizontiger7240]

I agree with all you said, but my opinion on Clear Sky is very different. I feel like he went from being a villain to being a cat that gets on my nerves WAY to much. But opinions are different and that's a good thing

[@projesusantisatan3583]

OK now for black stars redemption arc. I thought it was very terrible not well done. And he changed at a drop of a freaking hat he went tiger star is dead looks like I got to be a hero now and the whole novella is stupid. I didn’t like it at all and having characters give him nine lives like a shadow star really really screws up character arcs that were previously sent in stone. Like shadow star was a good cat and had a good character development and down the clans. And I feel like that was thrown away in black stars novella. Same thing with Riverstar giving leopard her nine lives

[@goodday2826]

leopardstar's redemption ark is basically when your sibling or friend or cousin says they will do something but 9 months later the still wont and dont

[@sweetwolfsteve5583]

Why is blackstar in starclan he killed two innocent cats and then a traitor rosetail stonefur and redwillow who was the traitor

[@MaddoxEzman]

RedWillow deserved it though. He tried to kill his clan mates. Blackstar did the right thing there.

[@sweetwolfsteve5583]

@@MaddoxEzman redwillow yes he did deserve it but stonefur and rosetail didn't they did nothing wrong blackstar was wrong when he killed rosetail and stonefur

[@MaddoxEzman]

@@sweetwolfsteve5583 Oh believe me Rosetail and Stonefur’s deaths are not justifiable at all! I do believe RedWillow shouldn’t be counted against Blackstar though. Blackstar is a bad cat. But I love him for that, I have mixed feelings on whether he should be in Starclan or dark forest.

[@sweetwolfsteve5583]

@@MaddoxEzman yeah redwillow shouldn't be counted imo opinion he should have ended up in the dark forest but I think then only reason he ended up in starclan was bc when he became leader he redeemed himself sorta

[@iidrbubbles]

Love your videos Akira, they're always so entertaining :)

[@lexiyaanimates7607]

6:54 But that's something that's supposed to be advice for when you fail your math test. Not when you brutally murdered someone and several cats dies because of you! Me: *Cries in failing math several times*

[@groudonvert7286]

That's why I wanted to read a story about her redemption more than the first arc from her POV.

[@the_gaming_hyena]

I need this leaopardstar art…missy Dakota did an amazing job as always

[@Franciskitty]

Blackstar should have got a redemption arc! BUT I would have liked to see him physically haunted by the ghost of stonefur and he keeps trying to brush him off as new stuff goes wrong with his clan he has to learn how to lead calmly ans kindly and his harsh cold angry nature gets in the way. Tension keeps building with little things and somehow he looses a life when he is met with stonefur showing him the awful things that will happen to him and his clan if he doesn't change. When he awakes he tries harder at first to get stonefurs ghost to leave him alone but slowly he starts to feel good about helping his clan and takes pride in doing good. He looses another life and when he dose he is presented with the slaughter of stonefur and the murders tigerclaw manipulated him into doing. He breaks down and cries seeing first hand what he's done... he apologizes to stonefur and tells him he wants to change and wile stonefur doesn't forgive him he nods showing his appreciation for the effort. (Sol had been introduced in this book with him sometime causing tension in the clan) Black star kicks sol out and stands before his clan ready to make shadowclan the clan it once was. THE END

[@beetleboii2575]

I will never forgive them for doing my boy Blackstar dirty like that by giving him a novella. There's so much they could've explored with his character, but they just... chose not to.

[@DarkQuilava13]

I havent read it yet- leapoardstar's honor- however I feel like Blackstar could of made better use of a super edition frankly, and could of been redeemed if they really had the idea that he was swayed and manipulated and gullible and was also later manipulated by sol if they tried doing that to make him redeemable :/ overall though I do agree with akira i just think that blackstar has more potential out of teh two if that was the eren's ideas but they went with the vote still and wouldnt have enough room for that.

[@finnsnow2495]

I mean Lepordstar is just a horrible person ahe doesn't have redemption arc because she never really got redeemed. I'm bias because I've never liked her ever. But Lepordstar's honour showed me the exact cat I expected. There were never consequenses for her actions and she never grew from them. The fact Mistyfoot went back to Riverclan always bewildered me and only in Feathertail's comic did we see a cat that actually held her to her actions for a while. I don't understand how Lepordstar is viewed as a good leader or the best leader that's ridiclous. Lepordstar's honour did as I thought and showed her true colors. Horrible cat and leader just as I always thought. Also the fact she called herself a victum made me laugh. Truly the height of her selfishness

[@jillianefaithcobre8637]

What about Bluestar? She doesn't have her redemption arc like she never apologizes for everything that she has done to her Clan, even Brightpaw as Lostface, even though she is dying for emphysema aquosum she did nothing to apologize to her kits and StarClan.

[@MidnightWhisper]

I think she did apologize and Bluestar more just mentally broke than went "evil"

[@jillianefaithcobre8637]

@@MidnightWhisper I know, but she still didn’t apologized to what she has done not only for her past, but every Clan and StarClan as well. Making her redemption in the end really rushed.

[@baasparkopenings851]

So I don't usually read warrior cats books but I got a totally different interpretation reading Blackfoot's Reckoning, personally. I felt like they were saying he needs to be a good leader to atone for his crimes instead of moping about the past or becoming evil like the past. Remember the past without feeling sorry for himself. I actually liked the book. It might be a little less good with the context of Blackstar's later actions but frankly Blackstar never reached the same evils as Blackfoot did imo. But Warrior Cats is always written like trash lmao so its like arguing if a piece of trash is trash or garbage really.

[@appleshade578]

Personally, I love Blackstar. He's my favorite warrior's character. However, Blackfoot's Reckoning was poorly written. He does feel bad for what he did, but the way he expressed it was not written well. It was strange the way they wrote it. And Leopardstar. Oh God, how I hate Leopardstar. She's been a selfish brat since a kit and her awful super edition proved it too. To be honest, I think Blackstar needed that super edition more than her.

[@keyravens]

I see Blackfoot's Reckoning less as a self-contained redemption arc, but instead as the moment Blackstar dedicated himself to being better, and came to feel the full force of his past crimes. His atoment is his long, selfless serving of his clan, building it back up from the ruins he helped create. There doesn't need to some big sacrifice moment for a redemption arc to work.

[@deerlyqueery]

I'm writing a fanfic and giving Scourge a redemption arc bc dammit I love Tiny and he deserved to be happy 😤

[@graphitetailgrace3870]

At least they got redemption arcs unlike...*certain* cats. *COUGHCOUGHFURZEPELTCOUGHCOUGH*

[@almaszericebean1401]

Furzepelt as in the wind/riverclan cat who trained in the dark forest?

[@graphitetailgrace3870]

@@almaszericebean1401 Yes. Also the Furzepelt who never showed any decent growth and made fun of ThunderClan for mourning Firestar's death. Which, y'know, she is indirectly responsible for because she helped the Dark Forest get that strong.

[@BreathingGachaBrit]

Question, Do you use an anatomy? If so can you do a video or unlisted video to give me a link?, I need help with drawing cats because I would like to be doing drawings instead of gacha content or both, Am not sure, But can you?

[@QuietRage]

THANK. YOU. Blackfoot's Reckoning was such hot garbage I couldn't believe anyone defended it. The pattern of recycled scenes and "oooooops, my bad" reactions, over and over and over again, was painful to read, it was so obvious no effort went into it at all. Warriors has a terrible track record with this sort of thing, they never let their characters feel too guilty for their mistakes, and as soon as Leopardstar's Honor was announced, I knew it was going to be 500 pages of that disgusting habit. No thanks.

[@TheBrightestGuardian]

Thank you for the amazing advice, for I probably failed my math test today.

[@Princess_Pomphera]

Redemption arc idea: Force the cat to suddenly regret all the unforgivable things they have done and then have them dedicate the rest if their life trying to redeem themself, become a much better person, all the while knowing that they deserve any punishment they get and not really believing they deserve forgiveness.

[@juliedillion3942]

The fact both are leaders.... also in Power of Three, didn't Blackstar and SC let themselves give up on Starclan to Sol? Pretty pathetic if you ask me.

[@MaNTa-cOrE_ToaST9]

i personally love blackstars redemption. i find it to be a unique way of star clan judging and it would be interesting to see this for other leaders. he felt like he needed a cat to follow. and once it was his turn to lead he realized all he had done. and didn't believe he should be a leader. sure it was rushed but im thinking of how it was written. i am upset that all that stuff was thrown out the window when the moved to the lake. but regardless i think he is a wonderful character. i love bads that Arnt trying to be bad but just follow orders.

[@jakupharrison8051]

I’ve not read most of warrior cats. I’m somewhere in the power of three. But if you asked me who I hate most out of these two it’s definitely Leopardstar by a mile. And it all has to do with Stonefur’s death. Blackstar killed him but he was obeying orders from a superior. Leopardstar was supposed to be an equal co leader in tiger clan but let HER deputy be killed. I quite like Blackstar (bearing in mind I haven’t read the novela) cause I’m alright with partial redemptions. Actually I like them where a character gets better in an aspect or towards a specific group yet retains previous traits. Shadow clan isn’t thunder clan blackstar isn’t supposed to be some bastion of diplomacy and honour like firestar or tallstar (who definitely went easier on and was more diplomatic with thunder clan because fire heart was in it so how he’d react otherwise could be questioned) or pre-leadership onestar.

[@randomspider7368]

*laughs in reading Leopard'Stars honor but never finished it yet*

[@tsundasta6389]

Blackstar literally committed hate crimes against mixed race cats and it was never acknowledged again 💀

[@anoushkashenoy692]

I agree so much with Blackstar. He may feel guilty and remorse, but he doesn’t actually ever apologize to his victims or have a real change. People say he was able to point out his faults - and that’s true - but that is NOT a redemption arc on its own. They have to make up for their mistakes too.

[@TDIdialgagirl]

3:28 "If you you're not willing to listen" Speech: 100

[@thatmomentwhen597]

Commenting before I watched the video, just want to share my thoughts! I really liked Blackstar’s Reckoning. I’ve always liked Blackstar as a character, not entirely sure why. But the entire novella being his nine lives ceremony was really cool to me and I even got emotional a couple of times. His guilt feels incredibly genuine. That doesn’t forgive him of his crimes but it counts for something. Idk maybe I’m biased Leopardstar’s Honor did nothing for her character (edit: let me rephrase, it did something. Just built on the jerk that she is and then sloppily tried to redeem her). As cool as she looks, I never liked her, and this book just reiterated what we already knew. Leopardstar is a hypocrite and a fool. She is and always has been, greedy, stubborn, and naive, and it got so many cats killed so unnecessarily. Her guilt feels so superficial, because she had moments of doubt she could have acted on. She had nine lives that she could’ve given for some of those clanmates if it meant protecting the cats she loved, but she didn’t. She stood there and watched. The difference is that Leopardstar, for the most part, knew what she was doing was wrong, or more or less questioned Tigerstar’s motives from time to time. But she did _nothing_ until it was too late. Blackfoot believed Tigerstar’s every word, and that was his mistake. They both thought what they were doing was right. But Leopardstar had moments of doubt that could have prevented so many deaths. Just when you think she learned her lesson, she just gets someone else killed for the same reasons. At least Blackstar had an agency. Rant over, gonna watch video now :D maybe I’ll add to this afterwards. Edit: okay, sure, Blackstar’s novella was lazy. But I wouldn’t call Blackstar a villain, at least anymore.

[@cookiethecookiee6977]

I love LeopardStar her attitude and the way she acts makes it interesting to read as a villain

[@robynluffman6430]

I would like Darkstripe's perspective in a similar way to tigerstar's fury or Mapleshade's vengeance, no redemption, just the progression of his evil

[@tabataba9986]

I've never liked blackfoot or blackfoot (reason why I didn't say " *star* " is bc he doesn't deserve that name)

[@Spottedstorm27]

Thing is, I don't think Leopardstar's Honor is meant to be seen as a redemption arc. It's the to show us why she is the way she is and why she did those terrible things. It wasn't there to excuse her actions. While I wish it focused more on her kithood and apprenticeship, it helped me understand her better as a character. I still won't look to her as a hero, but that's not the intention of her book, like I said. I really think that's something the fandom just expected and therefor tried to make out of it. Overall, I like the book. She was extremely in character, something the Erins have struggled with a lot for earlier cats lately, as were her clanmates As for the speech at the end then leading to the comic, cats don't change overnight. I believe she clearly wished to try her best, but her old self-centered arrogance slipped through. It happens. Not excusable, but realistic.

[@TheBabyInYellow-xo6fp]

I don’t know why but after reading Leopardstar’s honor I kind of disliked her more because I feel like seeing what her motives were only further condemned her. They made no sense and she was waaay too full of herself throughout the entire book. And she may have slightly changed since the first arc but that’s because Riverclan just isn’t relevant past the first arc.

[@rot0s]

I think leopardstar’s would be handled better is mistyfoot just started going off on her giving her a reality check breaking her out of the mindset that good intentions is all that matters, and that cats were still put in danger and actions have consequences. Or anything of sort of like this a cat breaking her out of delusion.

[@mintyleaves-su1bp]

I been wondering how do you know what challenge is next Please let me know

[@NapaCat]

I think Blackstar's Reckoning was a modified scene from his never-made super edition. It felt like... filler. A filler novella. I like it, but... it's fillery

[@tigerpeltofwindclan8431]

I Love Blackstar's Redemption Arc Thank You Very Much 😌

[@belughlegosi]

I loved Needletail’s, if you can call that redemption. I wish she could’ve lived so we could see her actually get better and have to regain her clanmates’ trust.

[@otterpopz170]

there needs to be a sharptooh supper addition

[@xenomane]

I disagree with your points on Blackstar; you say he was a different character in the novella, but we had never gotten his pov before anyway. Besides, there are still scenes that aren’t his pov which display some of his true character; such as when he ended the battle over territory when Russetfur died because he realises a cat he cares about is gone, and there is no point continuing the fight in case more cats will get hurt; this shows revenge isn’t his priority even if it was Tigerstar’s. Another time is bramblestar’s storm, when he lists the names of the fallen in the great battle. He shows genuine remorse for the amount of cats who died and feel that they deserve respect. In terms of his novella, I agree it felt rushed and I didn’t like how they wrote it in the form of flashbacks, it started getting very repetitive very quickly. But I don’t think his redemption arc was all that bad. True, he didn’t have to make any real sacrifices. But the guilt from his deputyhood stuck with him for all of his leadership. Just like the rest of Shadowclan he was put under pressure by Tigerstar and his followers; in his position, it was so much easier to just do as he was told, so why risk himself and his clanmates by rising against what Tigerstar asked of him? Also you said ‘this is something you say to encourage a kid after a maths test, not a murderous villain.’ This is warrior cats. Death is a huge theme in it and isn’t so uncommon. Also linking with my earlier point, Blackstar had to kill Stonefur because he was ordered to in front of so many other cats; he had to kill stonefur to save his own skin. Sure you can say that’s villainous if you want, but I bet many people you think are great put in the situation of kill or be killed, would much rather kill. The novella was weak because the writing was rushed and repetitive, and they did reuse scenes we had already seen. I think a super edition would have been better, with a story that was more about after he became leader, and how he implemented the lessons he’d learned from Tigerstar and Brokenstar into his own leadership, overcoming but also worrying and sometimes struggling with the affect they’ve had in him. It would have been interesting to read his thoughts about Sol; I feel like part of the reason he was so easily swayed is because of how tyrannous the two Shadowclan leaders before him had been, so perhaps he thought the stars of Starclan must not shine on him or his clan. I do not see Blackstar a villain and I enjoy his redemption arc; it’s just a shame how poorly written his novella was, but poor writing is never a surprise when it comes to warriors, I suppose. Anyways, congrats to anyone who got this far, you reached the end. Please do let me know your own opinions if you’d like to. Do not see this as an attack on Akira, honestly I do like Akira’s videos and even hearing her opinions, even when I don’t agree with them.

[@LousoMiso27]

I disliked Leopardstar instantly when she allianced with Tigerstar. I haven't seen Leopardstar's Honor yet and I hope I get to soon, even though I don't like Leopardstar but why not? This contained spoilers but i don't care much tbh, I just wanted to hear opinions about redemption arcs about villians. (I forgot about Blackstar)

[@supersketchy3824]

Would you consider doing best redemption arcs next?

[@mangle18423]

blackstar had a good redemption imo, and ive always sorted seen him as a comfort character

[@mistystars5980]

It’s annoying how lazily and dryly the Erin’s write most of the time. Not to mention their constant lack in consistency. Don’t get me wrong, writing a book is not easy, especially with a team of many people. But maybe if they checked over it and communicated with eachother more these things would be less frequent. It’s just sad at this point.

[@mechwolf3909]

Second!! I love you Akira 🥰

[@AudreyArnett-si3ss]

Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender is a great example of a great redemption arc. His arc is just great.

[@missraven420]

Blackstar I'm ify on but Leopardstar, I personally think should've been sent to the Dark Forest and forced her to live through her "Clan-mates" bodies, showing her what her actions and how she actually appeared to them and her actual actions. Rather then her own thoughts and opinions, then have to take Stonefur's punishment. I mainly wanna see how he felt when she betrayed him and have him murdered. Perhaps it'll actually make her 100% humble and have to apologize. Giving Mistystar peace and making it up to her instead of her manipulating Mistystar then go back to mistreating Mistystar, giving her a better Redemption arc. After all that is done, she's let into StarClan, hopefully apologizing to those she also had hurt. Though I think it be awhole better if she just stayed in the Dark Forest and have her Redemption arc within the new books then finally being allowed into StarClan. Blackstar - I need to read his book. Perhaps follow like Leopardstar but gets accepted automatically into StarClan because he went through the same things but while alive.

[@ThatArtisticBookwormYT]

Right before I read Leopardstar's Honor I read Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which is The Hunger Games prequel, and in that they took the antagonist of the original trilogy, but rather than giving him a redemption arc and making us feel sorry for him, they made us like the character and then slowly watch as he falls down a dark, evil path. This is what I was expecting from Leopardstar's Honor, but we didn't get it. And like Leopardstar stayed selfish until her death... in The Fourth Apprentice, a book before she died, she was trying to insist that RiverClan owned the whole lake. There's also the whole thing in A Shadow in RiverClan. So why are they all of a sudden trying to give her a previously nonexistent redemption arc halfway through her life? Sure, at the end of The Prophecies Begin she did experience what you would call a half redemption arc, where she did realize some of her actions were wrong and she did improve, but she didn't completely improve to being the best leader her Clan could have after that. In the main series she still experiences flaws after that. But to be honest? I love Leopardstar like a million times more than leaders like Firestar, Tallstar, Sunstar, etc. Leaders who are super good during their leadership are super boring. I like the leaders with complex backstories. In reality, it's super hard to lead a group and so leaders are going to be faced with stressful situations that cause them to accidently make mistakes. We didn't see this with say, Firestar, and I found him extremely boring after he became leader. Leopardstar though? She was fascinating! Blackstar is a whole different story though... he was always boring. Always will be. The fact that his Novella was super boring just proves how boring he is and that there is nothing anyone can do to change that. Perhaps if a Super Edition was written on him to in-depth develop his character, but since he has a Novella now we know that will never happen. So we're going to have to live with a boring Blackstar.

[@clobertina8176]

This is my headcanon- It would have been cool if Blackstar did feel huge remorse but doesn't show it due to being seen as a "weak" cat or leader both by others and by himself. As he continues being clan leader, he grows to regret his actions more and more, starting to question why he's even leader and if StarClan made mistake, becoming more aggressive due to it, taking it out on others... explaining why he lost faith in StarClan so easily in the power of 3 arc, and why he's such a jerk

[@apawture]

to be fair on leopardstars part, yeah she was really reckless as a young cat, but the tigerstar stuff? she was outright being manipulated, and i know that doesnt excuse what she allowed to happen, but like. its hard to stand up to abusers. tigerstar didnt really DO anything to her, but he didnt need to, to keep her agreeing with what he was saying. she ended up in too deep and afraid for her own life

[@lunerwerewolf]

I feel like both of these could have been done better, particularly if it had explored there horror at what they had been involved in. If leopardstar and Blackshear had seen what they'd become and worked from there. These are just lazy and rushed

[@pikathemimikyu6655]

I read Crowfeather's Trial last month, and I know this is strange to most people but Breezepelt is one of my favorite characters now. I just think he's really adorable, even when be was doing bad things. I don't know why, I really like his redemption. I used to really dislike Heathertail, too, now I kinda like her.

[@Daishi_The_Professional_Fool]

This is great

[@shadowpheinix6489]

It threw me off when there wasn’t an intro in the beginning

[@carri7405]

while we're on the topic of Leopardstar, did you know that the ultimate edition suggested she had a crush on Tigerstar? ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTING. cuz their kits woulda been half-clan and they both hate half-clans.

[@sleepyhalo1256]

This is something stupid i thought of lionflame looks kinda like leafpool hollyleaf looks like crowfeather but jayfeather don't look like them but he looks like ashfar and leafpool was sad when he died for no reason

[@DoctorWhoXIII]

Blackstar is my favorit character and this make me really sad, i was hopping for a good book for him, i waited for so many years

[@nacht_himmel]

You are so right. But for some reason loads of people actually sympathise with Blackstar.

[@SonarTheBat]

What about Bluestar?

[@tricksfollies9549]

I really liked to Blackstar too.

[@marvelous6447]

I actually like Leopardstar. I don’t know why, but I somewhat relate to her. Trying to fix things but only make it worse.

[@entitledbobcat]

Blackstar’s character redemption arc was great and you can’t change my mind. Edit: he deserves a super edition though. Not a novella. The novella was crazy powerful in my eyes however

[@claireleibel7106]

As soon as I saw this video, I was like, "If this is rated, Mapleshade's Vengeance is going to be number 1." Edit: O-O WAIT WHAT AKIRA HATES SEVERAL REDEMPTION ARCS MORE THAN MAPLESHADE'S VENGEANCE?????????? well I really understand the Blackstar one. He's just, "I only tried to kill Bluestar and her Clanmates and kitnap her Clan's kits a FEW times!"

[@indigogogoThatfloof]

I really liked breezepelts character but then he just woke up and was like I’m good now and now i don’t like him

[@Whispdawn]

Honestly I agree.