It will never not be funny to me that Quince's twolegs just so happen to have a picture of their cat's baby daddy on a shelf. For no apparent reason!

My headcannon is that Scourge was always a bit grateful that Bluefur saved him, and when Firestar told him about how Tigerstar tried to murder her and destroy her clan, it made Scourge angry enough to kill Tigerstar

Ah yes, The Rise of Scourge, the manga that I thought was fanfiction for longer than I should have (about 4 years).

I'm seriously glad that Scourge never believed in the clans' traditions, and thus can't be resurrected in the Dark Forest, that would be pointless and ruin his character in my opinion. If Scourge was brought back, I have no faith the writers would handle him well, case in point: how they handled Darktail in Broken Code, bringing him back in Dark Forest form for all of two minutes before getting mobbed to death (admittedly in a satisfying way) by Needletail's spirit and Violetshine. I prefer to think that Scourge's spirit is just wandering the living world somewhere, contemplating his life, without being dragged into literal cat hell, which is an overplayed trope for warriors villains of late.

I always thought the reason Scourge is so focused on Tigerpaw is unlike the other cats where mostly just mean verbally, Tigerpaw scarred him physically, which made the other taunts of the cats seem less big in his mind, its one thing his litter mates called him small and annoying, but they didn't rip into him like tigerpaw, plus the physical reminders of his scars from the event makes it always in the back of his mind...

It’s hilarious to me that the tigerpaw attacking him scene was shown in at least three books! Rise of Scourge, Bluestars book, and Spottedleaf’s the Erins really wanted us to remember it lol

ah, yes, my favorite little Hot Topic boy

This is gonna be kind of a long comment but it's something I don't get to talk about often, sorry :3 (TL;DR at the end) I genuinely and unabashedly love this book and story. It's campy, wild, and touched me as a kid; I loved the main series but there was something that spoke to me about being different, not really understanding how other kids played or being able to impress the people you looked up to, being drawn to things that others would belittle you for, etc. and I saw myself in Scourge. I was a really edgy kid, but also profoundly Sad and lonely. I would imagine myself turning into a wolf and running away from my body and my mind to like, Evanescence, Nightwish, 30 Second to Mars, and dubstep remixes of pop punk songs LOL. Now, as an even more edgy (but much happier) adult, I can recognize that I felt unable to blend in and was left with the only option being to find a group of people that felt like My "clan," my community, and to give a giant "fuck you" to anyone who didn't like it. I had a group of friends on dA who would roleplay warriors with me, share their favorite EDM remixes, draw emo haired pikachus and neon red leaders of Goreclan, etc. We felt like we could stand up to anyone as long as we had each other (and the music! Genuinely, edgy warrior cats AMVs got me into pop punk, metalcore, and EDM and set me down the pipeline that turned me into a hardcore lover + huge metalhead). Obviously we didn't/wouldn't hurt anyone, but again, I think we saw ourselves in Scourge, who had gone from wanting to be like everyone else to willing to fight for what he saw as His truth. And he'd found people that admired him Because he was different. In a way, he appealed to me because he was violent towards a world that was violent to him, and he was tired of trying to be the hero and appease those who would be willing to hurt a kitten literally named Tiny (at least, that's how I read him; cynical and aggressive, but also deeply hurt by the world) And honestly, that idea of choosing to stand up and fight back rather than try to change to appease your oppressors laid the foundations for me to start getting into the punk scene, getting really into environmentalism, etc. The story kinda taught me that if the people around you are hurting the innocent, joining them is the last thing you should do. Your goal shouldn't be to get on the good side of a fucked up system, it should be to dismantle that system and protect those it hurts (but of course, at the time it wasn't so nuanced. I mean, Scourge kinda just wants the forest... because? But the story and others like it did get me thinking) Scourge's story is painfully edgy, wonderfully indulgent, and batshit insane, but to this day it had a huge impact on me; it really was my avenue for getting into close-knit, proud, and alternative communities based on building something new rather than trying to fit into bullshit social norms, and his presence in the community allowed me to indulge in what I thought was cool and exciting without shame. Also, the Tigerpaw thing, to me, comes off as important because he was a complete stranger. Siblings being horrible to you is one thing, but a complete stranger can more easily become a symbol in someone's mind for The State Of The World. You don't know him, so he can be anyone you want him to be. Tigerpaw represented a world immediately hostile to anyone different, that looked down on differences they deemed to be weaknesses. He had done literally nothing to Tigerpaw, they had no prior meeting, and already he was a target. I feel like it wasn't the writers' intention, but I think it makes sense for someone as unknown to him as Tigerpaw to symbolize injustice as a whole for Scourge LOL ANYWAY TL;DR: when I was a kid Scourge's story planted seeds in my mind about fighting unjust systems that hurt you rather than becoming part of them to stop the pain; to be scary, proud, and outspoken rather than joining a community you Know is willing to step on others. It was cathartic to see someone form his own community of people who liked him after being told his whole life that he was Unlikeable, and as an angry, sad, emo 10 year old, he was just COOL and the most indulgent, edgy thing in the series at the time. I felt seen by the story.

In my opinion, Scourge's parallel with Firestar is an interesting one. He was more of a foil to Firestar back in The Darkest Hour, when virtually all we knew about him was that he didn't believe in Starclan and primed himself on bloodlust. But then this manga reveals that he had experiences very similar to Firestar (wanting to visit the forest, straying away from his home, encountering the clans) that lead up to him forming Bloodclan, making him more of mirror to him in retrospect. Yet, even then, there are differences between them, mainly regarding their choices going forward. Unlike Firestar, Scourge doesn't attempt to fight back against the clan cats, not before nor after he's attacked. Unlike Firestar, Scourge uses his good standing with the cats he helps out for his own needs, and only acquires his strength as he's driven by resentment and the power and bloodlust getting to his head, with no focused training or moral restraint. It's not simply the fact that he was denied by the clans that make his journey parallel with Firestar, but his selfish and hateful actions following that rejection. Unlike Firestar, Scourge lacked humility and genuine connections that could have set him on a better path. His journey didn't need to be a shadow of Firestar's, but I'm honestly glad that they have this parallel. So glad in fact that in my version of The Darkest Hour, I tried to incorporate some of Scourge's backstory. I had Barley reveal to Firestar that Scourge decided to create Bloodclan upon losing to a clan cat. I felt this would even be motivational to Firestar, prompting him to reflect appreciatively on his path to becoming a warrior, the fact that Starclan allowed him to join the clans in the first place, and the choice he himself made to selflessly serve his clan. Regardless of how one feels about Scourge's story, I feel that there could've been more stories in this series like it. Stories that recontextualize certain characters and their actions in a way that's not detrimental or wastes their character, but builds upon who they are. There will never be another Warriors' spinoff like Rise of Scourge.

I love when you mentioned Seekers as "the bear one" my brain had to correct it to "the first bear one" since they have Bamboo Kingdom now which is also about bears :')

This manga has my favorite artist. I think part of the reason I still love it is how the cats are drawn. Scourge looks fierce or adorable depending on the events of the story and I love it.

I think that the art style of this one is my favourite out of all warrior cats mangas. It is edgy and cute at the same time and is definitely my cup of tea. Tiny is especially adorable and reminds me of my black cat when she was little

to be absolutely honest, Scourge is one of two reasons why i am in this fandom in first place. First being my friend who had physical copy and was helping me get better at reading by using a book she also enjoyed. Here we are now, 11 years later and i still love this series and this character :]

I loved this one so much and reread it all the time. It was probably responsible for 60% of fan content for the next few years after

This manga should have been coloured. Pelt colour is kinda important to his story.

I like to think that Firestar's speech wasn't just a retcon, butna sort of redo? I like to think that Scourge was kind of testing Tigerstar, seeing how much damage the evil cat did to the forest. Like, maybe he wanted to fight Tigerstar one on one, after BloodClan was supposed to take over the forest. Then, he heard Firestar's speech, paused as he realized that he needed to regroup in order to plan out how to take Tigerstar on knowing that LionClan's warriors wouldn't be backing up the massive tabby. Just as he decided to leave, knowing well the four clans could nearly outnumber his clan and didn't want his warriors to die in a then meaningless battle. Tigerstar basically made Scourge attack because Tigerstar went to attack Scourge when he called his warriors off. So, in the heat of the moment, Scourge got his revenge and proved a point to the clans, that BloodClan was not something they should take lightly.

Time for tiny anger cat

A sad thought for you: Nobody wanted to adopt Tiny because his housefolk decided to keep him instead of adopt him out like his siblings, which is why nobody was looking at him while visiting to adopt.

My guess as to why tiny/scourge kept thinking of tigerpaw/star was because tigerpaw said that he won't forget about tiny, in which made tiny/scourge not forget about him as a way of payback/revenge.

I've been waiting for this! Soo hyped, this boy showed up in two books and is one of the greatest characters in Warriors 20 year history! I'll admit this about the book that made no sense, was scourge running away from home, he had no reason to think Quince wouldn't want him back? Oh well, he was a baby(and I mean that literally, just a little guy) and absolutely shaken by tigerpaws brutal and unwarranted attack. Also I think he needs to return in the future, he's an absolute legend, and he deserves every bit of fanfare he's gotten, and yes, iam absolutely one of those Scourge fanboys, one of the first Warriors MAP I ever saw was Thanks For The Memories Scourge MAP.

The ending felt too fast to me. Would have liked to see the great battle from Scourge's perspective.

Oh man I loved this manga! It blew my mind as a kid

Anotber take on the Firestar/Scourge connection besides Scourge being a 'dark mirror' is simply their roots. Both are examples which prove that so-called kittypets can be more than what the Clans stereotype them as. While one goes the villain route and the other becomes a hero, they both become powerful leaders who seemingly had to brush away any trace of their roots to get to where they wanted to be. So while the do act as anti-kittypet stereotypes, they also had to stop being kittypets entirely in order to do so. In a way, the clans' kittypet racism isn't really called into question by their success because of that. In a way, they both take on the role of a warrior. Scourge copies his perceptions of the clans (and what makes you strong) with Bloodclan, while Firestar becomes a warrior based on the clan around him. One may be genuine while the other is warped, but they are still both affected by the clans and by being kittypets. Also, interesting to note that their (well, potential for Scourge) father, Jake, has a completely different arc as he is one of the first kittypets to be shown in a postive light (in terms of the values of the clans anyway) without becoming a warrior or throwing away his status as a housecat. He gains respect from Talltail, and while the two want to remain together, both would be unhappy in each other's world. And Jake's part (his bond with his human and him not wanting to be a warriorL is played just as importantly as Talltail's (his desire to return home and be a clan cat, and him being unhappy and unwilling to be a kittypet) even if Jake is more aware of what Talltail wants at first than vice versa. Anyway, I think that's the most interesting link between them: their roots, and where they go from there. Not neccessarily how their lives could have switched if things were different.

It's probably because Tigerpaw was the only character to brutally attack him, where as everyone else was threats & words. Also i'd say from personal experience that bullied/traumatized people can focus their sadness & rage on certain people they feel they were hurt by, hate, or blame the most. I've been treated like trash by many, i do feel sour towards many. But i feel far more for the few who upset me far worse. Though like Socks & Ruby, i've forgiven some of my worst enemies, been polit, but refused friendship. Time healed the hurt, but not the trust.

Poor Quince. I imagine she missed her kit.

Let’s be real we ALL made either a self insert oc to be scourge’s mate or we made an oc of one of his kits. LETS BE REAL. I had a scourge daughter 😅

This was the first piece of Warrior Cats content I ever read, so it holds a special place in my heart

This just shook my memory of the Seeker’s mangas that I think never got finished

All I can think of everytime I see Scourge or mention of him- "Edgy kitty"

so awesome. so sick. pawsome even

Oh no the edgy book

I don’t really like the Rise of Scourge because it doesn’t make sense to me why Brick and Bone came to Scourge asking him to drive out a dog for them. Why would they believe that Tiny actually got the tooth by fighting a dog when he is very obviously a small kitten. Maybe they wanted to see him humiliate himself, but it just seems to me that they actually believed he could do it. Once Scourge does scare the dog away by having a big shadow and swiping at it once (what dog is afraid of shadows), the stray cats act all impressed. But couldn’t they see that the dog was just afraid of his shadow? And then why do they make him their leader?

Jake is everyones fatgher.

I had to pause for a second when I realized Fireheart and Scourge MIGHT be brothers.

FIRST COMMENT HAHA >:D

If Scourge was a female, conservatives would call his immediate transformation from a tiny and weak person unable to face an apprentice into a gifted fighter opposing the strongest warrriors in the forest without any training justifing his new power 'contrived', 'unrealistic' or 'woke'. Do you know how these people tend to react to female protagonists becoming magically stronger for no reason and fighting against really muscled and tall males (like Rey vs Kylo Ren)? Why can't we see the same criticism when a male hero whose name literally means TINY suddenly wins a battle against trained warriors whose bodies were described as unusually large for their age even when they were kittens?