| “ | You're so attached to this treacherous cat, you're more afraid of her death than your own. I want you to know what it's like to live with the pain and grief of losing the one cat who befriended you and took care of you. | „ |
| ~ Darktail telling Needletail to kill Violetpaw as punishment |
| “ | I was surprised as any cat to find myself here, but it’s all worked out. Ashfur has given me a chance for revenge. I failed in life, but in death I can finally destroy the Clans. | „ |
| ~ Darktail to Onestar after they both meet in The Dark Forest |
Darktail is a major antagonist in Erin Hunter's Warriors book series. He is the main antagonist of the six-book sub series, A Vision of Shadows.
His Evil Ranking[]
What Makes Him Close to Being Pure Evil?[]
- Darktail is a cruel, sadistic and treacherous murderer and tyrant who enjoys fighting and killing. He regularly abuses his own followers, verbally, emotionally, and occasionally physically. At one point, he verbally berates and physically assaults one of his followers, Flame, just for having a cough.
- He is an arrogant and selfish Social Darwinist who prefers to let sick cats die to save resources, even if that cat is one of his followers.
- He infiltrates SkyClan, pretending to be their friend, then brings in his army of rogues and drives them out, killing many cats in the process, including Sharpclaw, the father of Darktail's supposed friend, Hawkwing.
- When he meets an apprentice called Alderpaw from ThunderClan, Darktail tricks Alderpaw into thinking that he is the leader of the newly reformed SkyClan. At first, he is nice to Alderpaw, but it is all just an act.
- When a half-starved Mistfeather reveals the truth about Darktail and his group (the Kin,) Darktail brutally kills him for it and then dishonorably leaves his corpse to rot in the open instead of burying it.
- He and his minions follow Alderpaw and his friends back to the Clans with the intent to destroy them.
- When he arrives, he kidnaps Smokekit---a kit as well as Darktail's own kin---and chokes her to near death. He only spared Smokekit to let Onestar know how easily he could've killed her.
- When one of the rogues under Darktail's leadership, Rain, questions him, Darktail attacks and beats him, and even claws one of his eyes out after Rain gives up and surrenders to him.
- Darktail stays near the Clans, and watches one of the Gatherings, and when he notices that many cats are not happy with Rowanstar (the leader of Shadowclan's) leadership, he seizes the opportunity to attack Rowanstar and manipulates many ShadowClan cats, especially apprentices into joining his "Kin."
- Any cats who try to leave the Kin, (including Dawnpelt and Beenose) are drowned by him, and drowning is one of the most painful deaths, which just proves how sadistic Darktail is.
- In battle, Darktail and his "Kin" take over RiverClan and Darktail visibly enjoys the battle, even outright describing it as "fun" despite all the deaths and suffering it causes.
- After the battle, Darktail dishonorably refuses to let RiverClan take their most severely injured Clanmates for treatment or the the bodies of their slain Clanmates for burial. Instead, he takes the wounded prisoner and leaves the dead to rot in the open.
- While holding the injured RiverClan cats' prisoner, Darktail pointlessly tortures them into swearing an oath of loyalty to him by starving them and allowing their wounds to fester. When Reedwhisker, the cat who resists the longest, finally gives in, Darktail needlessly humiliates him by forcing him to say the oath again in a louder voice. However, even after the prisoners finally give in, Darktail refuses to treat their injuries and keeps starving them and is even described as having a "satisfied expression on his face", making it very clear that he is treating the prisoners the way he is purely for his own amusement.
- When he discovers that Violetpaw betrayed him, Darktail punishes her by trying to drown her best friend, Needletail, right in front of her, which is yet another example of how sadistic he is.
- He is sent to the Dark Forest in his death, and later joins Ashfur in his attempt to destroy the Clans.
- Darktail has one of the biggest kill counts in the series and is one of the most prominently sadistic villains in the series, making him one of the most heinous characters in the Warriors series overall.
What Prevents Him from Being Pure Evil?[]
- He has a genuine tragedy in that he only became the way he is because he was rejected by his father, Onestar, and then raised by his mother, Smoke to hate the Clans and their way of life for this rejection, so his quest to destroy the Clans was for her. Darktail being rejected by Onestar is somewhat played for sympathy, as Onestar states at that he grew up full of resentment and grief that he was rejected, and Violetpaw mentally points out that Onestar could've at least tried to help his son. Therefore, it can be argued that had Onestar accepted him, Darktail might've grown up to be a better cat.
- However, this is only a minor prevention because overall it doesn't justify anything Darktail did, as he went over the top in his cruelty, and hurt countless innocent cats who did nothing wrong to him and had absolutely nothing to do with Onestar abandoning him and his mother. Furthermore, any sympathy his sad background has earned him is limited due to Harestar pointing out that Darktail still chose his own path.
- He genuinely loved his mother Smoke, shown when Onestar told him what he wanted Darktail said he wanted his mother back, blaming his mother's death on Onestar. However, again this is only a minor prevention as he still attacked Dudley and harming a Twoleg kit from his resentment towards his father.
- It is implied that a part of Darktail, however small, genuinely longs for kinship/friendship, which can be seen through his complicated relationship with Hawkwing. Even though he lies to him and manipulates him, Darktail encourages Hawkwing to act on his feelings for Pebbleshine, which is implied to be a genuine act of compassion since it serves no purpose in Darktail's plan to drive out SkyClan. It is implied at the end that Darktail does actually want to be friends with Hawkwing, because he looks genuinely disappointed when Hawkwing refuses to join him.
- However, again this is only a minor prevention, because his apparent fondness for Hawkwing doesn't stop Darktail from abusing and then betraying his trust or killing his estranged, but still loved father, Sharpclaw.
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 Near Pure Evils
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Darktail | Tigerstar | ||