History Main / EasternZodiac

*** Though it's not a starter, another sign included is the Horse (Rapidash).

** Sheep: {{Astral Projection}}.

** Dog: {{Immortality}}.
** Pig: [[EyeBeams Heat Vision]].

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys

** Gobo Fraggle = Rat (ambitious, loves his friends, good helper)

* The Chinese Zodiac plays a very important role in the ''Mystic China'' sourcebook for TabletopGame/NinjasAndSuperspies by Creator/PalladiumBooks.

The 12 signs of the Chinese cycle, in order, are: the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Sheep, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog, and the Boar/Pig. (The Cat missed out on the Chinese Zodiac alternately because the Rat purposely gave it the wrong meeting time, or because the Rat pushed it off the Ox into the river during their crossing.[[note]]In Vietnamese Astrology, the Cat is indeed included, but takes the place of the Rabbit instead probably due to a translation error as the Chinese word for 'rabbit' sounds a lot like the Vietnamese word for 'cat'.[[/note]]) They are governed by the 5 Eastern {{Element|alPowers}}s. Earth, being the central element, governs all the signs but chiefly the Dragon, Rat, and Ox.

The Eastern zodiac is similar to [[WesternZodiac the western one]] in that is consists of a repeating cycle of 12 totems that correspond to personality types - the eastern ones are all animals, while the western ones are only partially so (e.g. Aries, Taurus, Leo, Scorpio). The number 12 is one of those numbers often given [[NumerologicalMotif mythical significance]]. While the western signs of the zodiac each represent a month, eastern ones each primarily represent a year, though they are also applied to both months and hours. With both types of zodiac, a popular activity is calculating the romantic compatibility between two people.

[[TigerVersusDragon The Tiger and the Dragon]] are commonly regarded as the two most powerful signs, but since ThereCanBeOnlyOne, the two are [[TheRival Arch-Rivals]]. Other rivalries and affinities also exist, however - for example, two Tigers rarely get along.

There are other methods to classify the signs, all of which can be used together. These include polarity (yin/yang), power and romance, and trine (four in total). Unlike the elements, these repeat through the 12 as yang/yin and first/second/third/fourth - the first sign, Rat, is a yang sign in the first trine, while the eighth sign, Sheep, is a yin sign in the fourth trine. In addition, each pair of consecutive years corresponds to a specific element, which also affects a personality reading - an Ox is typically seen as stern and inflexible, but a Water Ox (1973) or Wood Ox (1985) will be seen as more flexible than a Metal Ox (1961) according to a simple reading.

* In the Music/TearsForFears song "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzAd8YjLrEE Rhythm of Life (Demo)]]" [[note]]which was included on the 2020 super deluxe box set of ''The Seeds of Love''[[/note]], it's repeated twice that Lucy is lucky that her astrological sign is the dragon.

* In the Music/TearsForFears song "Rhythm of Life (Demo)" [[note]]which was included on the 2020 super deluxe box set of ''The Seeds of Love''[[/note]], it's repeated twice that Lucy is lucky that her astrological sign is the dragon.

[[folder:Films - Live Action]]

* ''Year of the Rat'' by BadlyDrawnBoy -- also doubles as a [[Heartwarming/{{Music}} Music Video of Heartwarming]].
* Since 2006, Canadian hardcore band Music/FuckedUp has released a 12" vinyl single titled "''Year of the ___''", starting with ''Pig''. The most recent release is 2017's ''Year of the Snake''. The band originally wanted each song in the series released in its relevant year, but the series has experienced some ScheduleSlip due to each member's personal schedules (2017's ''Snake'' should have come out in 2013, for example.)

** Dragon will forever remain vacant so as not to be confused with [[OneSteveLimit Monkey D. Dragon]].

** The fourth film, ''Mission Incredible: Adventures on the Dragon's Trail'', as suggested by the title, prominently features [[InstantAwesomeJustAddDragons dragons]] as characters and has one of the dragons, Xiao Shen Long, helping the goats to save the Dragon's World from evil dragons.

* BunnyTropes
* DragonTropes
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent
* EquineAndEquestrianTropes

* PrimateIndex
* CluckingFunny
* PreciousPuppies
* MessyPig

* The titular heroes of thr Taiwanese kung fu film ''Film/ZodiacFighters'' are based on the eastern zodiacs. These are reflected in their fighting styles, for example, the rat fighter attacks by biting, the monkey fighter climbs, the snake is known for her agility, the pig uses his {{Kevlard}} in battle, etc.

* ''VideoGame/NamuAmidaButsuUtena'' features the Twelve Heavenly Generals, a set of Buddhist deities each representing an animal in the zodiac.

* The titular heroes of thr Taiwanese kung fu film ''Film/ZodiiacFighters'' are based on the eastern zodiacs. These are reflected in their fighting styles, for example, the rat fighter attacks by biting, the monkey fighter climbs, the snake is known for her agility, the pig uses his {{Kevlard}} in battle, etc.

* The story of ''Webcomic/StringsOfFate'' (now offline) centers around the story of the Zodiac and the animal gods themselves, especially the Rat and his re!lationship with the Cat. The Dragon and the Tiger are also part of TheFourGods.

* The story of ''Webcomic/StringsOfFate'' (now offline) centers around the story of the Zodiac and the animal gods themselves, especially the Rat and his relationship with the Cat. The Dragon and the Tiger are also part of TheFourGods.

** Sheep: {{Astral projection}}.

** Pig: [[EyeBeams Heat vision]].

* ''VideoGame/EnsembleStars'' has a new years card set themed around the Eastern Zodiac, notably featuring an increased number of cards compared to usual (four 3* cards compared to the usual two) to cover each of the animals. And unlike most gacha sets, the story is divided into a number of smaller tales rather than featuring every card character together at once. [[https://enstars.info/scout/zodiac-part-one Here is part one]], and [[https://enstars.info/scout/zodiac-part-two here part two]].