History Manga / AnimalLand

* AllOfTheOtherReindeer: Seigo the wildcat from Chapter 0.

* EvilGenius: Giller not simply found and used old human biotechnologies, he ''improved'' them.

* InformedSpecies: The tanukis look less like real life tanukis and more like small humans in bear-like costumes.

* JunglePrincess: Capri is this.

* OmnicidalManiac: Giller [[spoiler: and the repica Elaine at first.]]

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: Giller's belief system is this taken {{Up To Eleven}}.

* PredatorsAreMean: Played straight at first. Although most of it had to do with the predators being unable to understand the cries of pain from the prey they killed.

* TrueCompanions

* SlidingScaleOfAnthropomorphism: How anthropomorphic the animals are in appearance varies from animal to animal. Some are drawn realistically like real life animals, some look like goofy cartoon characters, and some look completely like PettingZooPeople. Some wear clothes and some don't. Some walk on all fours, some walk on two legs, and some zigzag. Heck, this even applies to animals from the same species, especially Capri's lion siblings who are different combinations of gonk, baby-faced plushy, humanoid, and realistic.

** Dougen, a tiger who uses KungFu to fight. He is one of the strongest animals in the series. Apparently, this guy is so strong and badass he could kill and eat any animals in this world including bears, lions or elephants, which are usually TheDreaded and considered the top-tier animals in this world. His family left him because they were unable to compete for food with him. Oh and let's not forget his more carnivorous "form" [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c040/44.html]]

Think ''Literature/AnimalFarm'' [[XMeetsY meets]] ''Franchise/{{Tarzan}}'', with a touch of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' thrown in for flavor.

Think ''Literature/AnimalFarm'' meets ''Franchise/{{Tarzan}}'', with a touch of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' thrown in for flavor.

* {{Badass}}: In this world of eat-or-be-eaten, Badass is a minimum requirement to survive. As such, almost any animals who fight or kill to survive usually have a shade of this. Even among these animals, a few stand out:
** Jeek's dad, a wolf who was preying on Tarouza's tanuki family to feed his own family. He is by no mean an exceptionally strong animal by this world's standards but it's still undeniable he is a badass. [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c004/5.html take a look]]
** Catherine the Hippopotamus. She will remind you just why the hippo is one of the most dangerous animals in the world despite being mostly herbivores. [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c032/36.html that bite gotta hurt.]]
** Dougen, a tiger who uses KungFu to fight. He is one of the strongest animals in the series. Apparently, this guy is so strong and badass he could kill and eat any animals in this world including bears, lions or elephants, which are usually TheDreaded and considered the top-tier animals in this world. His family left him because they were unable to compete for food with him. Oh and let's not forget his more carnivorous "form" [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c040/44.html]]
** Kiritobi, a weasel who is also a Ninja. If that does not sound Badass enough for you, every ninja from Manga/{{Naruto}} can learn a thing or two from his final fight. [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c038/48.html It has ]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c038/49.html to be ]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c038/50.html seen to]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c038/51.html be believed]].
** Surprisingly, the reigning Badass champion of Animal Land might actually be Kurokagi.[[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c008/30.html His look alone might be more than enough as a suggestion]]. While he is an exceptionally huge lynx, his size and strength are nothing special by this world's standards. He is also not the fastest animal in the series thus he is by no means a top-tier fighter. However, what makes him stand out is that in almost every one of his fights, the odds are almost always against him, either the enemy is far larger than him or have overwhelming numbers. Yet, apparently years of surviving this harsh world, his instincts, [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c017/16.html skills and badassery]] help him manage to keep up with all the top-tiers, fight on equal ground and at times defeat them to save Tarouza's ass. He would go through hell and fight the whole world if it means keeping Tarouza safe. It is very safe to say that, aside from Monoko, he was the sole reason that Tarouza survives for much of the manga. [[spoiler: He remains Taroza's main mount until the end and is rewarded for his badassery in its final chapters with cool PoweredArmor.]]
** Let's not forget about our human protagonist. Even as a baby, he was fearless enough to confront carnivores or animals hundred times his size and give them a piece of his mind. A few years older, he would even dare to go against the Lions, who are generally viewed as TheDreaded and were said by Kurokagi as the type they should never mess with, just to save some lion cubs who previously were trying to prey on them. His badassery goes over the top when [[spoiler: his adoptive mother, Monoko, dies.]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/17.html Take]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/18.html a look]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/19.html at the]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/29.html current Tarouza]].

* ToiletHumor

'''''Animal Land''''' (Japanese title '''''Doubutsu no Kuni'''''). Also known as "Animal Kingdom" and "Animal Country".

* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: [[spoiler: Resurrecting Elaine and uniting the animals]] would have gone a lot more smoothly had Quo realized that [[spoiler: summoning a convicted murderer to the future]] was a ''really'' bad idea.
** [[spoiler:It's hinted that Quo ''did'' know this, but chose to take Giller since he found out that chimeras that Giller developed, unlike ones made by Quo's people, could develop a sense of self, which was the lynchpin in brining Elaine back. Where he ''really'' dropped the ball was underestimating just how far Giller was willing to go, and not having a quick way of stopping him in place]].

* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: [[spoiler: Resurrecting Elaine and uniting the animals]] would have gone a lot more smoothly had Tuou realized that [[spoiler: summoning a convicted murderer to the future]] was a ''really'' bad idea.

* CouldHaveAvoidedThisPlot: [[spoiler: Resurrecting Elaine and uniting the animals]] would have gone a lot more smoothly had Tuou considered that [[spoiler: summoning a convicted murderer to the future]] might have been a bad idea.

** ParentalAbuse: Giller's dad abused him after the world got tired of his "trick".

* TalkingTheMonsterToDeath: In the final battle Tarouza uses his empathic power amplified by the Gaia Spinal to directly project all animals' desire to live into Giller's brain [[spoiler: but that only serves to disable Giller's himera body long enough for Tarouza to get close and cave Giller's skull in.]]

* TalkingAVillainToDeath: In the final battle Tarouza uses his empathic power amplified by the Gaia Spinal to directly project all animals' desire to live into Giller's brain [[spoiler: but that only serves to disable Giller's himera body long enough for Tarouza to get close and cave Giller's skull in.]]

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Tarouza and the other humans who can speak to animals, all go around barefooted. [[spoiler: Quo is the notable exception to this.]]

* GoodIsDumb / GoodIsImpotent / EvilGenius: Capri is relatively good but hadn't created anything beyond her own clothes; Tarouza is very good and invents agriculture but is powerless against Jyu's fire [[spoiler: and later rediscovered human technology]]) and Giller's rediscovered and enhanced chimeras; meanwhile Riemu and her gorilla "family" had knowledge of the past and miracle fruit that carnivores could eat but isolated themselves.

* OffingTheOffspring: Capri and her adopted lion siblings learn the harsh truth that when a pride is taken over, the offspring of the previous male are subjugated to infanticide.

Think ''Literature/AnimalFarm'' [[JustForFun/XMeetsY meets]] ''Franchise/{{Tarzan}}'', with a touch of ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'' thrown in for flavor.

* CryForTheDevil: Giller's past is finally revealed in chapter 42. He was [[spoiler:born in the year 4078 to a park ranger and a religious studies scholar. When his ability to speak to animals was discovered, he was thrust into the media which made both him and his family fabulously wealthy. However, when he tried to get away from all the attention, his father became abusive and started drinking when no more money came in. With advice from his mother, Giller stabbed his father and watched with wonder as, in his last moments, he realized how much pain he had caused and apologized to his son and wife for everything he's done. Thus starts Giller's ambition to create a creature capable of wiping all life on Earth under the twisted belief that everyone will be purified through death, once they realize that their wordly possessions and horrible actions.]]

* RedemptionEqualsDeath: This is basically Giller's belief system taken {{Up To Eleven}}.

* SterilityPlague: [[spoiler: What killed off the original humans in Animal Land.]]

** Let's not forget about our human protagonist. Even as a baby, he was fearless enough to confront carnivores or animals hundred times his size and give them a piece of his mind. A few years older, he would even dare to go against the Lions, who are generally viewed as TheDreaded and were said by Kurokagi as the type they should never mess with, just to save some lion cubs who previously were trying to prey on them. His badassery goes over the top when his adoptive mother, Monoko, dies. [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/17.html Take]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/18.html a look]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/19.html at the]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/29.html current Tarouza]].

* [[spoiler: ArtificialHuman[=/=]HumanoidAbomination: Human shaped Chimeras are artificially created creatures that while may look human, can transform themselves in all manner of BodyHorror forms.]]
* [[spoiler: BabiesEverAfter: Tarouza, Capri, and even ''Jyu'' have gender-flipped kids.]]
* BeastWithAHumanFace
** On the antagonist side, there is Bahr Milan, an artificial created chimera. The second form he takes on after ejecting his head and combining with several other chimeras is hard to describe. Basically he's a horse headed giant armed multi-legged centaur-like being whose hoofed legs are arranged like jellyfish tentacles. What stands out about him other than that are the two human faces located on his torso.
** On the protagonist side, there is also the chimera Salad Udon. He can best described as a four legged slug lizard creature with snakes for arms. He also has a human face.

* [[spoiler: NothingIsTheSameAnymore: After Monoko sacrifices herself to protect her children from being eaten, that's when the manga takes a more serious tone.]]

* [[spoiler: SterilityPlague: What killed off the original humans in Animal Land.]]

* BringMyBrownPants: When Pepper is scared by Kurokagi in chapter 3. Since Pepper's a tanuki he doesn't wear pants, so we get quite a good view of this. It's not detailed so it stays funny, but even so at least one scantalator has found it too inappropriate to include in their scanlation.

* CheerfulChild: Monoko, even though she becomes Tarouza'a "mommy", seems to be only a kid herself at the start of the series.

* {{Determinator}}: Many characters if not almost everyone.

* FurBikini: Capri wears this even when she was a child.

* TookALevelInBadAss: Almost everyone after the time skip but a few of them stand out
** Jeek, the wolf. He went from [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c008/33.html this gonk]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c028/33.html to this Big Badass Wolf]]
** Chimpan the chimpanzee. He went from [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c008/13.html this poor little monkey]] to [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c028/5.html a huge badass chimpanzee who will cut you down with his gigantic boomerang]]
** Capri who can now command even adult lions

** Chapter 25: [[spoiler: Tarouza and his fellow humans are actually five individuals brought from five separate time periods to the far off future [[AfterTheEnd where all humanity has died out]] from a SterilityPlague. They are actually special individuals who all can [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talk to animals]] and it was hoped that one of them might bring harmony to all the animals of Animal Land via the use of the Eternity Fruit, a fruit that carnivores can eat, and the Gaia Spinal, a device that will allow all the animals to understand one another. Chimeras are also revealed to actually be bioweapons. On a lighter note, Tarouza becomes a big brother when Monoko gives birth to Moko]]

** [[spoiler: ArtificialHuman[=/=]HumanoidAbomination: Human shaped Chimeras are artificially created creatures that while may look human, can transform themselves in all manner of BodyHorror forms.]]

* AnimalisticAbomination: The Chimeras that Giller uses are unnatural monstrosities that aren't anything compared to the relatively natural looking animals of Animal Land. A number of them look more like they come from a horror themed manga like Manga/{{Berserk}} than a lighthearted animal manga.
** Subverted when a few decide to side with the heroes when they develop their own ego and stop being Giller's mooks. One of them even acts like a PluckyComicRelief. Played dead straight by Globule, the draconic LivingWeapon designed by Giller to kill all life on the planet.

** Dougen, a tiger who uses KungFu to fight. Can't get any more badass than that. He is one of the strongest animals in the series. Apparently, this guy is so strong and badass he could kill and eat any animals in this world including bears, lions or elephants, which are usually TheDreaded and considered the top-tier animals in this world. His kind and his family had to leave him because they were unable to compete for food with him. Oh and let's not forget his true carnivorous form [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c040/44.html]]

** Surprisingly, the reigning Badass champion of Animal World might actually be Kurokagi.[[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c008/30.html His look alone might be more than enough as a suggestion]]. While he is an exceptionally huge lynx, his size and strength are nothing special by this world's standards. He is also not the fastest animal in the series thus he is by no means a top-tier fighter. However, what makes him stand out is that in almost every one of his fights, the odds are almost always against him, either the enemy is far larger than him or have overwhelming numbers. Yet, apparently years of surviving this harsh world, his instincts, [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c017/16.html skills and badassery]] help him manage to keep up with all the top-tiers, fight on equal ground and at times defeat them to save Tarouza's ass. He would go through hell and fight the whole world if it means keeping Tarouza safe. It is very safe to say that, aside from Monoko, he was the sole reason that Tarouza has been able to survive all along.
** Let's not forget about our human protagonist. Even as a baby, he was fearless enough to confront carnivores or animals hundred times his size and give them a piece of his mind. A few years older, he would even dare to go against the Lions, who are generally viewed as TheDreaded and was said by Kurokagi himself as the type they should never mess with, just to save some lion cubs who previously were trying to prey on them. His badassery went over the top when his adoptive mother, Monoko, dies. [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/17.html Take]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/18.html a look]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/19.html at the]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/29.html current Tarouza]].

* CryForTheDevil: Giller's past is finally revealed in chapter 42. He was [[spoiler:born in the year 4078 to a park ranger and a religious studies scholar. When his ability to speak to animals was discovered, he was thrust into the media which made both him and his family fabulously wealthy. However, when he tried to get away from all the attention, his father became abusive and started drinking when no more money came in. With advice from his mother, Giller stabbed his father and watched him slowly die realizing how much pain he caused, forgiving his son and mother for everything he's done. Thus starts Giller's ambition to create a creature capable of wiping all life on Earth under the twisted belief that it will bring out the best in everyone right before their dying moments.]]

* DoesNotLikeShoes: Tarouza and the other humans who can speak to animals, all go around barefooted.

* GenreShift: The manga starts off as a simple story of a baby being raised by tanukis in the wild. Then after a few years, it turns into a story about the child trying to find a way to allow carnivores to live alongside herbivores without starving in the small but ever growing animal utopia he created. When the child grows up, the manga turns into a straight up {{Shonen}} wherein he commands herds of animals to fight against gigantic AnimalisticAbomination in order to change the CrapsackWorld they live in.

* KnightOfCerebus: The manga starts off with Tarouza, a human child, dealing with relatively simple challenges from trying to get the various animals to get along in harmony, to defending against gigantic carnivores. Then comes Jyu, another human child who is a SocialDarwinist, who sees all that Tarouza is trying to do be an upfront against nature and thus burns down all of the hard work Tarouza did in seven years.

*** That's not the end of it. By the climax of the series, Jyu plans to commit absolute total extinction of all forms of life right down to the tiniest insect, bacteria and plant seeds by unleashing an unspeakably horrifying {{Eldritch Abomination}} that will spent the next billion years of its life span making sure that all life on the planet is utterly extinguished so as to end all suffering through the purification of death. Holy. Shit.
* LastOfHisKind: Tarouza, Capri, Jyu, Giller, and Riemu are the five remaining humans in Animal Land. [[spoiler: An interesting twist that they actually from five separate time periods brought to the future rather than surviving humans.]]

** Hector the whale actually calls Tarouza for this thinking, claiming that even if they don't emit a cry he can hear, it doesn't mean that they are any less deserving to live.

** Dougen the tiger accidentally killed his son after the latter killed a deer that was his adopted son.
* PantheraAwesome: The manga features several of these among its animal cast. They range from Kurokagi, a gigantic lynx, to lions the size of small skyscrappers. As well as the tiger Dougen, who before giving up his meat eating ways had spent his life eating every animal he killed (including lions, bears and even elephants!), lying on a bed of their skulls.

* ShoutOut: The Volume 7 omake of Llama Akiko is one to Manga/DragonBall wherein she wears a uniform similar to Goku's and performs Tenshinhan's signature move in mid-air. Even the title of the very omake itself is part of the shoutout as it refers to Tien's former master.

** Tarouza, our main character. In fact, his badassery never stops growing. It just grows bigger than ever with a powerful push, [[spoiler: Monoko's death]]. There are a clear differences between [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c008/14.html this]] and [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c034/41.html how]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c034/46.html he]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c034/47.html is]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c035/2.html now]], aren't there?
** And the last but not least, our insane sadistic psychopath Jyu.[[spoiler: He was already a major badass in his first debut but that did not prevent him from being on the receiving end of a CurbStompBattle against Giller.]] After the Time skip, [[spoiler:he is now constantly giving Giller cold sweat and finally handed Giller his ass despite Giller having a gigantic ass ultimate monster by his side]]

** Chapter 25: [[spoiler: Tarouza and his fellow humans are actually five individuals brought from five separate time periods to the far off future AfterTheEnd where all humanity has died out from a SterilityPlague. They are actually special individuals who all can [[SpeaksFluentAnimal talk to animals]] and it was hoped that one of them might bring harmony to all the animals of Animal Land via the use of the Eternity Fruit, a fruit that carnivores can eat, and the Gaia Spinal, a device that will allow all the animals to understand one another. Chimeras are also revealed to be actually bioweapons. On a lighter note, Tarouza becomes a big brother when Monoko gives birth to Moko]]

** Chapter 45: [[spoiler: Giller is going to release a titanic monster that will wipe every single life form on the planet,]] even if it takes the next thousand years to do so.

Written and drawn by Creator/MakotoRaiku of ''Manga/ZatchBell'' fame and translated by Kodansha.

** Subverted when a few decide to side with the heroes when they develop their own ego and stop being Giller's mooks. One of them even acts like a {{Plucky Comic Relief}}. Played dead straight by Globule, the draconic {{Living Weapon}} designed by Giller to kill all life on the planet.
* AnimalsNotToScale: Many animals are enormous compared to what normally would be in real life. One example would be Kurokagi, a lynx whose size would be comparable to that of a real life bear. A number of animals in particular are the size of small skyscrappers.

** And it turns out that [[spoiler:most of humanity ''wasn't'' able to communicate. The children gathered in the story were chosen specifically because they were amongst the few among the ''entire recorded human history'' who ''could'' speak to animals, Dr. Doolittle style]].

* [[spoiler: ArtificialHuman[=/=]HumanoidAbomination: Human shaped Chimeras are artificially created creatures that while may look human, can transform themselves in all manner of BodyHorror forms.]]
* {{Badass}}: In this world of eat-or-eaten Badass is a minimum requirement to survive. As such, almost any animals who fight or kill to survive usually have a shade of this. Even among these animals, a few stand out:
** Jeek's dad,a wolf who was preying on Tarouza's tanuki family to feed his own family. He is by no mean an exceptionally strong animal by this world standard but it's still undeniable he is a badass. [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c004/5.html take a look]]
** Catherine the Hippopotamus. She will remind you just why Hippo is one of the most dangerous animals in the world despite being mostly Herbivore. [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c032/36.html that bite gotta hurt.]]
** Dougen, a tiger who use KungFu to fight. cant get any more badass than that. He is probably the strongest animal in the serie. Apparently, this guy is too strong and badass he could kill and eat any animals in this world including bear, lion or elephant, which are usually {{The Dreaded}} and considered the top-tier animals in this world. His kind and his family had to leave him because they were unable to compete for food with him. Oh and let's not get to his true carnivorous form [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c040/44.html]]
** Kiritobi, a weasel who is also a Ninja. If that does not sound Badass enough for you, Every ninja from Manga/{{Naruto}} can learn a thing or two from his final fight. [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c038/48.html Has to ]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c038/49.html be seen]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c038/50.html to]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c038/51.html believe]]
** Surprisingly, the reigning Badass champion of animal might actually be Kurokagi.[[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c008/30.html his look might be more than enough as a suggestion]]. While he is an exceptionally huge lynx, his size and strength are nothing special by this world's standards. He is also not the fastest animal in the serie thus he is by no mean a top-tier fighter. However, what makes him stands out is that in almost every of his fight, the odds are almost always against him, either the enemy is far larger than him or have overwhelming number. Yet, apparently years of surviving this harsh world, his instincts, [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c017/16.html skills and badassery]] help him manage to keep up with all the top-tiers, fight on equal ground and at times defeat them to save Tarouza's ass. He would go through hell and fight the whole world if it means keeping Tarouza safe. It is very safe to say that, aside from Monoko, he was the sole reason that Tarouza has been able to survive all along. Also, everytime he is not present, someone either gets hurt badly, has a jaw around his neck, or dies.
** Let's not forget about our human protagonist. Even as a baby, he was fearless enough to confront carnivores or animals hundred times his size and give them a piece of his mind. A few years older, he would even dare to go against the Lions, who are generally viewed as {{The Dreaded}} and was said by Kurokagi himself as the type they should never mess with, just to save lion cubs who previously were trying to prey on them. His badassery went over the top when his adoptive mother, Monoko, dies. [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/17.html Take]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/18.html a look]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/19.html at the]] [[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c027/29.html current Tarouza]]

* BringMyBrownPants: When Pepper is scared by Kurokagi in chapter 3. Since Pepper's a tanuki he doesn't wear pants, so we get quite a good view of this. It's not detailed so it stays funny, but even so at least one scantalator has found it too inappropriate to include in their scantalation.

* CanonImmigrant: Ponygon and his mother from {{Zatch Bell}} are introduced in volume five, with "Mamagon" urging Tarouza to make her son a part of his traveling group. Notably, his cry is "Mehh mehh" in Animal Land (or at least the English translation) compared to "meru meru me" in Zatch Bell.

* ChildrenAreInnocent: The young meat-eaters are the easiest for Tarouza to influence. Capri and the four lion cubs show up at Tarouza's festival in volume four, while the older lions are too pride(ha)ful to attend.
* CivilizedAnimal: In striving for his goal Tarouza makes the animals around him smarter. Some characters, like Jyu, disapprove intensely of this.

* GenreShift: The manga starts off as a simple story of a baby being raised by tanukis in the wild. Then after a few years, it turns into a story about the child trying to find a way to allow carnivores live alongside herbivores without starving in the small but ever growing animal utopia he created. When the child grows up, the manga turns into a straight up {{Shonen}} wherein he commands herds of animals to fight against gigantic [[AnimalisticAbomination Animalistic Abominations]] in order to change the CrapsackWorld they live in.
* GoOutWithASmile

** Surprisingly, the reigning Badass champion of animal might actually be Kurokagi.[[http://www.mangahere.com/manga/doubutsu_no_kuni/v01/c008/30.html his look might be more than enough as a suggestion]]. While he is an exceptionally huge lynx, his size and strength are nothing special by this world's standards. He is also not the fastest animal in the serie thus he is by no mean a top-tier fighter. However, what makes him stands out is that in almost every of his fight, the odds are almost always against him, either the enemy is far larger than him or have overwhelming number. Yet, apparently years of surviving this harsh world, his instincts, skills and badassery help him manage to keep up with all the top-tiers, fight on equal ground and at times defeat them to save Tarouza's ass. He would go through hell and fight the whole world if it means keeping Tarouza safe. It is very safe to say that, aside from Monoko, he was the sole reason that Tarouza has been able to survive all along. Also, everytime he is not present, someone either gets hurt badly, has a jaw around his neck, or dies.