Warrior Cats Trivia at Zenkaikon 2026

WHAAAT?? Warrior Cats is alive and well? You bet it is!

For the first time ever, I submitted two panel ideas for Zenkaikon—my third year in attendance. Both, of course, were Warriors-themed. To my surprise, and utter delight, the Warrior Cats trivia game got approved.

Though I’ve co-hosted panels with fellow Fandom Spotlite writer, Gabby, before, this one was my own creation. I was lucky that Gabby was there for emotional and technical support! Our duo of Firestar and Scourge cosplay always kills, too.

Below, I go through the problems that came up, what went well, and changes I would make if I did the panel again. If you’re interested in seeing what questions I used, those are also included.

Fumbles

I knew the panel couldn’t possibly go one-hundred percent smooth, but technical difficulties and possible mistakes on my end right away threw me way off my game. For one, the lighting in the room was strange. It was too bright up front, where the screen was placed, but with all the lights off, nobody could see their answer sheet. Unfortunately, we discovered these problems at the very start by messing with the lights (both a worker and an audience member, shoutout for their help). We settled on keeping the lights at a medium.

Then, because of the weird lighting issue, the screen had a vicious glare on it which made my white lettering unreadable. Only a couple of my beginning slides had white letters, so I was luckily able to make a quick edit to change them to red instead. I might’ve been shaking that whole time, though.

I’m also introverted, which made talking to people individually more difficult. I’m fine presenting, but when it came to the one-on-ones, I feel as though I wasn’t as charismatic as I wish I could be.

I blacked out in my panic to these problems, but once the game actually got moving, I felt confident in my knowledge and slideshow.

Successes

Since I’ve been reading Warriors so long, and I’ve reread the first four arcs and early Super Editions so many times, I knew my stuff. In case the stage fright made me forget, I did have my phone open with notes. Compiling all of this pre-con was a win for me because it made me feel more at ease as I explained the origins of several answers.

The audience was affirming, too. Their laughs, “oohs” and “aahs,” and general good-natured grumbles made the room feel accepting of my work and their fellow participants. The ages in the room ranged from young children to adults, showcasing the reach of the Warrior Cats books. While I didn’t get a solid number, based off how many raffle tickets I gave out and the staff member’s approximation, around seventy-five to ninety people came and went from my panel room.

This number is crazy to me. For a room that seats three hundred, it might not have looked like a lot, but it warmed my heart to know that my kitty trivia game garnered that much attention on a Sunday morning. It really felt like everyone had a stake in it.

I had lots of fun conversations with Warriors fans after we wrapped up, too. A few of them even took pictures with my and Gabby cosplay! Some darling person also gifted us large, beautiful pins of Sol. I immediately added it to my Warriors ITA bag.

My slides, both artistically and mechanically, worked perfectly (okay, other than my fumbles I mentioned earlier). I agonized over the backgrounds and font choices, and ultimately, ended up super happy with the result. The backgrounds were subtle enough to read the words, but engaging with the familiar book covers. I was stupidly proud of my transitions for the bonus questions too, with Firestar or Scourge popping up before each one.

Finally, of course, I am happy with the prizes I was able to acquire for my game (full picture at the end). With the release of Bonkers Toys and my mostly successful mystery hunting, I ended up with a couple duplicates I didn’t know what to do with. When I got approved for this trivia game, it was a no-brainer to use them there. While the Silverstream figure ended up as a first-place prize, I used the Tallstar mini plush as a door prize. Since I could only have three winners, I wanted to include a raffle so anyone who walked through the door had a chance to leave with something.

At the same time, I knew I wanted to include indie artists as well. I browsed through Etsy for multiple days, eventually landing on stickers from DovesongArt and pins from AutumnsArtStore. DovesongArt was so kind to include little phone charms for free, too, which I added onto the winnings.

Remember the person who gave us Sol pins? Before they left, they gave us two additional ones to hand out. I ended up pulling more raffle tickets for those!

Changes

If I could, I have several aspects of my panel I’d change. One being the placement of the paper and pencils. They were put on a chair directly next to our table, which caused some awkwardness for people slipping in late. I’d like to move it closer to the door and with a larger indicator that they’re there for next time.

For general ambiance, I’d like to hook music up directly to my slideshow or laptop during the set up of the panel. Since most panels allow people in ten to fifteen minutes early, having something soft in the background would ease some of the quiet anxiety. It might also be a good idea to include a MAP or AMV from YouTube for people to enjoy.

As for the questions, I’m torn about whether I should be making them harder. The first place winner got everything correct, while the second and third place winners only got a few wrong. Making the questions harder would exclude more people from getting correct answers, but it would also give more people a chance potentially (if you consider the 25% chance of guessing it right). It’s something for my brain to chew on.

This might be small; however, I also want to make my Firestar cosplay better. Maybe doing this panel again would give me the push I need to enhance it!

The Questions

If you missed the trivia and want to see the Google Slideshow, check it out here. If you’d rather see all the questions and answers directly, I’ll put them below.

1. Who is the first cat to die in the series (from Into the Wild)? Redtail.
2. Who was the ThunderClan Deputy before Brambleclaw? Graystripe.
3. Which is the fourth book in The Prophecies Begin? Rising Storm.
4. What arc contains the prophecy, “Before there is peace, blood will spill blood and the lake will run red”? The New Prophecy.
5. Who died from an adder bite in the ThunderClan camp in Power of Three? Honeyfern.
6. What is the name Berrypaw is scared he’ll get when he becomes a warrior? Berrystumpytail.
7. What herb is used to treat rat bites? Burdock root.
8. What is Dovewing’s power in Omen of the Stars? Hear, see, and smell things from vast distances.
9. What is the full name of the Tribe? Tribe of Rushing Water.
10. Which cat is on the old cover of Twilight? Crowfeather.
11. Who is Mothwing and Hawkfrost’s father? Tigerstar.
12. Where did Lionpaw and Heatherpaw meet in secret as apprentices? Underground tunnels.
13. Who inspired Jayfeather’s suffix? Crowfeather.
14. How many people make up the Erin Hunter team? 8 or 4.
15. Tigerheart and Flametail are Tawnypelt’s kits. What is the name of her third kit? Dawnpelt.
16. What creatures were at the end of the journey in The Fourth Apprentice? Beavers.
17. Which cat was the oldest known cat in the series? Mistystar.
18. How many lives do Clan leaders receive?  9.
19. What was Tigerclaw’s original name in the first draft of Into the Wild? Hammerclaw.
20. Which cat became a medicine cat after being cured of a bad sickness? Littlecloud.
21. What Dark Forest cat helped Breezepelt attack Jayfeather at the Moonpool? Brokenstar.
22. Which warrior did Rusty fight when he first came to the ThunderClan camp? Longtail.
23. What cat did Ivypool kill in the Dark Forest to prove her loyalty? Antpelt.
24. Which character is said to be the best tracker in ThunderClan? Cloudtail.
25. Which of these is NOT an illustrator from the Warriors team? Devin Elle Kurtz.

Bonus

1. Who was the deputy before Graystripe? Whitestorm.
2. How did that cat die? Killed in the battle with BloodClan by Bone.
3. What two cats is the prophecy talking about? Brambleclaw and Hawkfrost.
4. Describe Jayfeather’s power. Entering dreams and memories. Perception of emotions.
5. Describe Lionblaze’s power. Invincible in battle.
6. Who is on the new cover [of Twilight]? Leafpool.
7. [Mothwing and Hawkfrost’s] Mother? Sasha.
8. What two ancient cats does Jaypaw see when he’s down there? Rock and Fallen Leaves.
9. Who lost all their lives at once? Tigerstar.
10. What StarClan cat helped Jayfeather [against Breezepelt and Brokenstar]? Honeyfern.

Tie breakers

1. How many books are in the series in total? 100+ (my last count was 109).
2. What is the name of Bluestar and Snowfur’s mother? Moonflower.
3. What were the two roles WindClan used to have? Tunneler and moor runner.
4. How many rules are in the Warrior Code? 15/16.
5. Who was Yellowfang’s mate? Raggedpelt/star.

Super secret tie breaker

1. What is the name of the new Erin Hunter series? Renegades.

After how successful this panel felt, I’m intent on doing another round of Warriors trivia for Zenkaikon 2027. I have so many more questions I could make, with a few helpful tidbits from attendees. This niche community is somewhere I’ve flourished and enjoyed since I started reading them over a decade ago, and all I want to do is give back to my fellow fans. I may even inquire about doing a Warriors cosplay group eventually!