Animal Motifs: Difference between revisions

[[File:rsz_yuruyuri111_1404rsz yuruyuri111 1404.jpg|link=Yuru-Yuri|frame]]

{{quote|''"Ah, the Animal Kingdom offers many useful ideas!"''|'''Dr. Otto Octavius''', ''[[Western Animation/The Spectacular Spider-Man|The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'', "The Invisible Hand"}}

Animals are used to depict characters more often than they describe themes. Even in the real world, describing a person by comparing them to an animal is a good way to convey your opinion of them: phrases such as "lion-hearted," "eagle-eyed," or "<s>dirty</s> [[You Dirty Rat|doity rat]]" are popular to the point of cliche. Therefore, many [['''Animal Motifs]]''' are also [[Characterization Tropes]]. The wimp who spends his time watching the tigers at the zoo will most likely be stronger than you think. As for the girl doodling big black spiders [[Black Widow|with suspicious red hourglasses on their underbellies]]... well, think twice before accepting her invitation to "coffee."

Animals, like [[Flower Motifs|flowers]], are a motif that tends to be gendered. Men are usually compared to animals that are clearly predatory: wolves, lions, and bears, for example. Women generally get the cute and fluffy animals as motifs, such as bunnies and suchlike. However, women have historically had a strong association with the cat which, while cuddly and furry, is also a predator. Cats are therefore a common motif for female characters, but one aspect of the feline mystique will most likely be emphasized over the others -- theothers—the woman will either be a predator, a seductress, or a sweet little kitten. (Lionesses are especially popular for [[Action Girl|Action Girls]]s: they look very different from male lions, and most people know it's lionesses who do the hunting, so a lioness motif conveniently emphasizes both femininity and ferocity.) Women are also frequently associated with foxes, also a predatory animal, although it is the fox's attractive nature or reputation as a trickster that is being invoked. A woman represented by [[Mama Bear|a large, predatory animal]] is twice as dangerous as her male counterparts - after all, women are traditionally characterized as [[Damsel in Distress|pretty and helpless,]] not [[Dark Action Girl|aggressive and scary]].

* From ''[[xxxHolic×××HOLiC]]'', we have Yuuko who is often represented by a butterfly, which symbolizes change and how she changes her customers, including the main characters.

* Being an anime about ballet and fairy tales that was heavily influenced by ''[[Swan Lake]]'', ''[[Princess Tutu]]'' has several of these, along with references to [[Animal Stereotypes]]. In particular, Princess Tutu is heavily associated with swans (as is Mytho in his true, princely form), the girl that transforms into her is named Ahiru ("duck") and is really a duck disguised as a human, the villain is a Raven and thus crows are associated with evil and the bad guys, and Princess Kraehe ("crow" in German) is associated both with crows (obviously) and black swans. The opening intro goes as far as to show Ahiru in her duck form flying into the sky as she transforms into a beautiful swan--answan—an "Ugly Duckling" reference that has not been lost on the fandom.

** The same goes for [http://i26.mangareader.net/one-piece/522/one-piece-65141.jpg the members of the CP9]{{Dead link}}:

* [[School Shock]] has [[Super Soldier]] [[Cyborg|Cyborgs]]s named Vanguards. They are themed on bees, praying mantises, ants, moths and spiders.

* [[Sibling Yin-Yang|Black and White]] from ''[[Tekkon Kinkreet]]'' are collectively referred to as 'the cats,' and White is often seen wearing hats or hoods that mimic animal looks.

** {{spoiler|[[Soul Eater Not!|Shaula]]}}, for Scorpions

* In ''[[Berserk]]'', Griffith is closely associated with the hawk; besides the name of the group of his followers, The Band Of The Hawks, his helmet is vaguely similar to that of a bird of prey, he often wears a cape (symbolising the wings), and is even called [[Light Is Not Good|"The Hawk of Light"]]. {{spoiler|Eventually, once he becomes a member of the Gondhand, his demonic form Femto resembles a red hawk with bat like traits.}} His counter part, [[Dark Is Not Evil|Guts]], however, is more closely associated with [[Big Badass Wolf|wolves]], most notably by his [[Enemy Within|"inner beast"]] Guts is also known as "The Dark Hawk", to counter Griffith.

* [[Naruto]] Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are odd cases of having ''two'' [[Animal Motifs]] each. First are ones which [[Generation Xerox|they "inherited" from their teachers]] (which are really too blatant in their cases to even count as motifs) and the second are ones unique to them. Naruto has [[Frogs and Toads|toads]] and foxes (resemblance to a fox, a prankster but [[I Gave My Word|always keeps his promises]]), while Sasuke has snakes and hawks (what he names his team, an illusion he uses is represented with feathers pierces the person, {{spoiler|he learned to summon a hawk}}, ''[[Anime Hair|his hair]]'').

** Yoruichi can ''turn'' into a black cat.

* In ''[[GetBackers]]'', Ban is often associated with snakes. His eyes are slitty and look a ''lot'' like a snake's, and even one of his trademark attacks is ''called'' "Snake Bite." Shido even calls him "Snake Bastard." Hey, even his proud, condescending attitude is rather reminiscent of [[Smug Snake|a certain trope]]. Though physically, it's especially obvious in [https://web.archive.org/web/20090920182250/http://www.mangafox.com/manga/get_backers/v14/c001.2/30.html this page of the manga].

* ''[[Hajime no Ippo]]'' uses this trope quite a lot. Ippo is a gazelle, Sendo a tiger, Vorg a wolf, Date a lion, Woli a monkey, Kimura a dragonfish... Notably, Takamura, despite being the 2nd main character, does not have a clear motif. He could be a hawk (his name reflects it and he wears a hawk costume for world title fights), a bear (won against one and has worn his fur) or a rhinoceros beetle (wore such a costume and his ''[[K-On!]]'' manga appears to have a thing for turtles and tortoises. For one, there are the statues on the school staircases, based on the fable of the tortoise and the hare. In the opening of the first season, the girls are seen hopping over stones in a river, some of which are turtle-shaped (both are from [[Real Place Background|real locations]], by the way). Ui owns a large turtle plushie. And then there's Ton-chan, a turtle living in an aquarium in the club room.

* [[Negima|Satsuki Yotsuba]] [http://www.mangafox.com/manga/mahou_sensei_negima/v09/c073/11.html is commonly drawn with a Koala behind her] and is the only [[Loads and Loads of Characters|one]] drawn quite [[Only Six Faces|different]] clearly inspired by a Koala.

* The last shot of ''The Departed'', a movie about a pair of moles within the Boston Mob and the Mass. "Staties" hunting each other, features a rat scurrying across a balcony

* Many of the noble houses in ''[[A Song of Ice and Fire]]'' have animals on their coats of arms, and are commonly referred to by these animals as well as showing an awareness of how they are 'supposed' to act to fit the animal characteristics; the series has a lot of fun with the possible symbolism. For example, the grim, grey, and cold-dwelling Starks have a direwolf on their arms, while the blonde, vain, and aggressive Lannisters have a lion. Littlefinger deliberately chooses the small, bright, and <s>harmless</s>cunning thief, the jaybird, for his arms to appear nonthreatening. Crows seem to act as the motif for the series as a whole, symbolizing war, ill omen, and death.

* There are the protective spirits brought forth by the Patronus Charm in ''[[Harry Potter (novel)|Harry Potter]]'' -- Harry—Harry's Patronus is a stag, which is the animal his father could turn into, Ron Weasley has a terrier, and dotty but quick-thinking Luna Lovegood has a hare. The Patronus of {{spoiler|Severus Snape}} turns out to have a critical symbolic significance recognized even by characters in the scene. Dolores Umbridge, who fills her office with adorable kittens and has a cat Patronus, presents an atypical symbolic association for felines; the cute kittens and sleek cat Patronus (which we see only in a scene where it magically shields Umbridge against the consequences of her own ongoing miscarriage of justice) represent cloying, false sweetness, politeness masking lethal intention, and near-pathological self-justification.

** Entire groups of people can also take on the animal motif of their house, but to a lesser extent. Gryffindor has a lion, showing bravery. Hufflepuff a badger, signifying plain-ness, but also hard workers. Ravenclaw has an eagle, for intelligence and knowledge. Snakes are the symbol of Slytherin, and associated with evil, but also traits such as intelligence and ambition.

* The [[Animorphs]] all have signature animals they often turn into, particularly in battle. For example, Marco, the team clown, typically transforms into a gorilla, which is big, bulky, but still capable of delicate manipulations with opposable thumbs; [[The Hero]], Jake, is a tiger; [[Blood Knight]] Rachel is a [[Everything's Worse with Bears|grizzly bear]]; Tobias is a hawk (self-sufficient and needs lots of space); [[Team Mom]] Cassie is a wolf.

* ''[[The Grapes of Wrath]]'' has in its third chapter a tortoise trying to cross a road and getting run over by a truck. In the fourth chapter, we meet Jim Casey, who's described as having a "long head" and a "beaked" nose.

** Blutbaden are Wolflike.

* Most [[Kamen Rider|Kamen Riders]]s have an insect or arachnid theme; in some series it's obvious (such as ''[[Kamen Rider Kabuto|Kabuto]]'', where the characters' [[Transformation Trinket|Transformation Trinkets]]s '''are''' their theme creature) while others are less so.

* Quite a few national soccer teams have animals on the logo (France has a rooster, England has three lions), or as a nickname (Brazil are the "Little Canary team", Nigeria the "Super Eagles", Cameroon "The Indomitable Lions").

** In ''[[Final Fantasy VII]]: Advent Children'', Cloud has a very strong wolf symbolism going on. Not only is there a wolf head in his shoulder pad but his motorbike is named ''Fenrir'' and he's being followed by a shaggy old wolf that mourns in the places he most strongly associates with personal failure. You have three guesses which kind of wolf this is painting him as.

* While it's not very overt, [[Knight in Shining Armor|Hakumen]] of ''[[Blaz BlueBlazBlue]]'' apparently has a canine motif. His emblem is the ever-popular [[Obake|nine-tailed fox spirit]], and his stage quote is "The wolf knows what the ill heart thinks." [[Catgirl]] Taokaka has the obvious theme, and then there's the playable [[Blob Monster]] Arakune, whose body is filled with decay...and insects. For bonus points, everyone ''except'' the [[Intentional Engrish for Funny]] announcer pronounces his name as "Arachnae" in the English dub.

*** The final level of ''[[Assassin's Creed: Revelations]]'' finally just says "to hell with subtlety" - Ezio goes ''parasailing'' behind a charging carriage, and dispatches mooks by dive-bombing them and slicing their necks with his twin blades.

* In ''[[BioshockBioShock (series)]] 2'', [[Big Bad]] Sofia Lamb's cult uses the Butterfly to represent rebirth due to their belief in sacrificing the individual for the good of the group.

* The noble chicken is a recurring motif in ''[[Fable III]]'', representing a spirit that is unfortunately frequently taken advantaged of, yet yearns for freedom.

* Many of the chapters in the ''[[Rule of Rose]]'' involve animal motifs, such as 'The Bird of Happiness' and 'The Goat Sisters'. Even ones that don't often have an animal associated with them; 'Rag Princess' has pigs, for example. All these animals manifest as pseudo-humanoid enemies during the game, and seem to be inspired by animals kept in the orphanage.

* Philemon of ''[[Persona (video game)|Persona]]'' is ''really'' big on [[Butterfly of Death and Rebirth]], to the point [[Word of God]] says he's ''all'' the butterflies seen in the third and fourth games.

* Deliberately invoked by the faculty of [[Wizarding School|Iris Academy]] in ''[[Magical Diary: Horse Hall]]''. All students are sorted into one of six houses based on their gender and personality traits. Horses, Butterflies and Snakes for girls. Wolves, Falcons and Toads for boys.

* The Four Great Knights of Gwyn in ''[[Dark Souls]]'' each have their own unique animal theme.

** Antimony is associated with [[Big Badass Wolf|Wolves]]. She carries a stuffed wolf doll around with her, and she's named after an element that the alchemists of old associated with the wolf. Others often find her hard to approach. And she keeps running into supernatural canines.

* ''[[Mummies Alive]]'': Each mummy has an animal motif for their [[Powered Armour]] - falcon (Ja-Kal), cat (Nefertina), ram (Armon) and snake (Rath). [[Big Bad]] [[Meaningful Name|Scarab]] also has one in his (much less friendly-looking) transformed state.

* The main characters of [[Motorcity]] all have [[Cool Car|Cool Cars]]s named and designed after animals:

* Most countries have an animal they use as a symbol for the nation as a whole. The United States have their bald eagle, of course, while Russia has [[Everything's Worse with Bears|the bear]], the United Kingdom the scrappy but lovable bulldog (officially it's actually the Lion but the bulldog characterisation stuck), India has the tiger, Thailand has the elephant, Israel the Lions of Judah and China has its whiskered dragon. Other countries apparently had to take whatever animal mascots were left over: Canada has the [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HmgemMkfKA mighty beaver], Spain has the black bull, while France is unofficially associated with the Gallic rooster. Empires with great reach or which were viewed as secular and religious authorities often adopt the double-headed eagle: the Byzantine Empire, the Holy Roman Empire, the old Russian Empire, the [[Warhammer 4000040,000|Imperium of Man]], etc.

** Actually, Judah has the [[Captain Obvious|Lion of Judah]]; each of the tribes has its own animal motif. However, due to the loss of the Ten Tribes,<ref>Reuben, Simeon, Naftali, Issachar, Asher, Dan, Zebulun, Gad, Ephraim, and Menasheh</ref>, most modern Jews descend from the tribe of Judah. Hence the term "Judah-ism", or Judaism. Or "Jew" and derivatives thereof, for that matter.

* Some [[Goth|Goths]]s haveuse thea raven motif.