History Main / EasternZodiac

[[TigerVersusDragon The Tiger and the Dragon]] are commonly regarded as the two most powerful signs, but since ThereCanBeOnlyOne, the two are {{Arch Enem|y}}ies. 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.

The above listed is the Chinese Zodiac, and this is the one most familiar to most Western and Eastern audiences alike, but other Eastern zodiacs exist. The Korean and Japanese are functionally identical to the Chinese Zodiac, with changes primarily in nomenclature. The Vietnamese zodiac, however, replaces the rabbit with the cat (a pity [[{{FruitsBasket}} Kyo]] wasn't born there), and the Thai zodiac replaces the dragon with the naga.

* ''MagicTheGathering''. The ''Portal: Three Kingdoms'' set has [[http://magiccards.info/query?q=zodiac&v=card&s=cname 12 creatures corresponding to the Zodiac signs]].

* There's a retelling of the Zodiac Race for children called something like "The Great Race," which describes the race as having been a contest of six teams of two - Rat was paired with Ox, and so on. Every participant was given a character that fit with their personality type, and many didn't finish the race at all (Snake and Horse, for example, were paired together, and Snake twined himself around Horse's neck to be the guide. However, Horse stubbornly elected to take the road that Snake advised against, leaving them trapped in an endless forest with Snake going "IToldYouSo"), and when Rat passed the finish line, the placement of the animals at that moment determined their place in the Zodiac. Don't remember where the Cat came in.

* ''Year of the Rat'' by {{Badly Drawn Boy}} - also doubles as a [[Heartwarming/{{Music}} Music Video of Heartwarming]].

* Used in ''Webcomic/OrderOfTheStick'' as the Twelve Gods of the South, who rule over, among others, the Azurites.
* The story of ''StringsOfFate'' (now offline) centred 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 {{The Four Gods}}.
* In ''WebComic/EightBitTheater'', Fighter practices "Zodiackenshido", with his combat styles based on animals of the Eastern Zodiac.

* In ''LegendOfTheDragon'' the heroes all had Power Bands based on the Chinese Zodiac, and the evil Zodiac Master was trying to seize the power. The most powerful is, of course, the titular Golden Dragon, but close behind him is Biengal the Tiger Guardian.

[[quoteright:350:[[FruitsBasket http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cit_fruits_basket_-_twelve_animals_-_isnt_it_sad_kyo.jpg]]]]

* There is a [[http://jiggly.deviantart.com/art/Pokemon-Zodiac-Calendar-67669270 fanart]] combining this with {{Pokemon}} (its kind of a long stretch actually, due to Arcanine being a dog).

* ''AceAttorney'' lampshades the Dragon/Tiger rivalry by having Phoenix (whose Japanese name, Ryuuichi, has part of its name meaning 'dragon')[[spoiler: being impersonated]] by a guy named Furio Tigre [[spoiler:who is the real killer, and of course Phoenix has to set him straight]].

* 'VideoGame/'TheWorldEndsWithYou'' has each clothing brand based one of the 12 Animals, with the 13th (Gatito) being based on the Cat.

* ''TheWorldEndsWithYou'' has each clothing brand based one of the 12 Animals, with the 13th (Gatito) being based on the Cat.
* In ''{{Okami}}'', the Celestial Brush Gods are represented by the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, as well as the Cat.
* MegaManStarForce also does the EasternZodiac in addition to the WesternZodiac with the following symbols Ox (Taurus Fire), Sheep (Kung Foo Kid), Snake (Queen Ophiuca), Horse (Pegasus Magic), and Dragon (Dragon Sky).

* In ''EightBitTheatre'', Fighter practices "Zodiackenshido", with his combat styles based on animals of the Eastern Zodiac.

* Jane Lindskold's ''BreakingTheWall'' trilogy has thirteen family lines representing the EasternZodiac and the Cat. The characters subvert some of the details noted above, such as the current Tiger and Dragon being ChildhoodFriends. Pearl, the current Tiger, is initially hostile to a second Tiger when he appears, but she eventually warms up to him.

* There is a book called ChineseAstrology by SuzanneWhite. It goes through the 12 animals, describes their characteristics and their relationships with each other.

* In ''LightNovel/{{Toradora}}'' the two main characters are named Taiga and Ryuuji, or tiger and dragon, respectively. They are constantly at each others throats, and [[OfficialCouple later]], other parts of their anatomy.
** Probably more of a case of TigerVersusDragon, which is related in a way to this trope.

* In ''{{Toradora}}'' the two main characters are named Taiga and Ryuuji, or tiger and dragon, respectively. They are constantly at each others throats, and [[OfficialCouple later]], other parts of their anatomy.

* In ''{{Toradora}}'' the two main characters are named Taiga and Ryuuji, or tiger and dragon, respectively. They are constantly at each others throats, and [[OfficialCouple later]], [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean other parts of their anatomy]].

* Used in ''OrderOfTheStick'' as the Twelve Gods of the South, who rule over, among others, the Azurites.

* ''Holy Beast Online'' Plays around with this. The six animal clans you get to choose from are based off of the Zodiac, but as the plot and other elements of the game reveal themselves, you learn that the developers decided to switch around some things, Dragons are associated with water and birds are associated with fire among some other things.

[[quoteright:350:[[FruitsBasket http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cit_fruits_basket_-_twelve_animals_-_isnt_it_sad_kyo.jpg]] Isn't it sad, Kyo?]]

** Honestly, it seems like each member of the zodiac purposefully ''subverts'' their animal. The only animal this troper thought actually embodied their characteristics was the boar, who did that to an insane extreme. Of course, given the vagueness of zodiac descriptions, maybe I'm just interpreting it wrong.

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* ''JackieChanAdventures'' featured the Talismans -- spirits of the Chinese Zodiac who were encapsuled via demonic magic. Each Talisman possessed a different power and granted it to the one holding it.

* In ''{{Toradora}}'' the two main characters are named Taiga and Ryuuji, or tiger and dragon, respectively. They are constantly at each others throats.

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.

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 purposively gave it the wrong meeting time, or because the Rat pushed it off the Ox into the river during their crossing.) They are governed by the 5 Eastern [[ElementalPowers elements]]. Earth, being the central element, governs all the signs but chiefly the Dragon, Rat, and Ox. The rest break down as follows:

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

* ''KingsQuest V'' {{lampshades}} the rivalry between The Tiger and The Dragon during the final [[ShapeshifterShowdown Wizards Duel]].

[[quoteright:350:[[FruitsBasket http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cit_fruits_basket_-_twelve_animals_-_isnt_it_sad_kyo.jpg]] Isn't it sad, Kyou?]]

* In ''SengokuBasara'', eternal rivals Date Masamune and Sanada Yukimura are known as the One-Eyed Dragon and the Little Tiger respectively.

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 12-year cycle corresponds itself 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.

* ''Year of the Cat'' by Al Green.