Close Menu
Posters comparing Zootopia and Beastars
Posters comparing Zootopia and Beastars (Image via GamesHorizon)

5 ways Beastars is similar to Zootopia (& 5 ways they are different)

Stuart RayBy Updated:9 Mins Read Anime

Shonen is filled with a variety of weird characters and bizarre worlds but very few are immediately as striking as that of Beastars. Filled with a variety of anthropomorphic animals of different species who inhabit a fictional world and attend a fictional school (all while wearing clothes) the series has warranted many comparisons to another series. This series by Disney – Zootopia – bears many resemblances to the anime of Beastars, so much so that the latter has been regarded as a ripoff of the former.

However, dedicated fans of both series and anthropomorphic animals in general will know the key difference underlying each. On the surface, the animated expressions of these bipedal animals are the medium for telling two entirely different kinds of story, although neither are undoubtedly better than the other. This does not negate the similarities between them, and Paru Itagaki, the mangaka for Beastars, did confirm the inspiration Disney’s magnum opus had on her. So, let’s look at five dominant ways in which Beastars and Zootopia are similar to each other, and ways in which they differ vastly. 

Beastars shares many similarities with Zootopia, just like the differences

1. Similar: They both feature worlds with anthropomorphic animals 

The most basic reason for comparing both series is the inhabitants of both worlds. Yes, both worlds are inhabited with wolves, lions, elephants, sheep, rabbits and foxes. The size of the animal and the natural physical strength of each of them also play a role in their interactions. For example, Judy Hopps is looked down upon in Beastars because of her size and the consequent assumption regarding her lack of physical power in a profession that sees violence, and is dominated by big rhinos, hippos and elephants.

In Beastars a similar dynamic remains with most carnivorous animals being depicted as bigger and stronger than their prey animals. Riz the bear is one of the strongest animals and his strength is a focal point of the story, Similarly Legoshi’s strength as a wolf is contrasted with Louis’ weakness as a red deer. While most of the students attending Cherryton Academy are of comparable heights, some are much smaller and others far larger. 

2. Different: The diversity of represented species is different

Zootopia features only mammals, with its different terrains like Tundra Town, Sahara Square and other eco-domes being populated by only furry characters. However, beings of scales, feathers and smooth skin (aka birds, reptiles, insects) populate the city shown in Beastars even though the city itself lacks diversity in terms of terrain. One of the major characters of the story is a rattlesnake who helps Legoshi crack the case of the alpaca Tem’s murder. Insects serve as food in one scene despite their lack of sentience and that too features as a major plot point.

Furthermore, the spotlight on the animals in Zootopia falls mostly on common well-recognized species like foxes, rabbits, elephants, lions and wolves (Flash the sloth is an exception). Meanwhile, Beastars has as part of its cast hyenas, pandas, rodents, komodo dragons, anteaters, various dog breeds, and even hybrid animals as part of its fauna. Needless to say, that adds the “bio” in “biodiversity”.  

3. Similar: The central protagonists bear similarity

Legoshi the wolf in Beastars and Nick Wild the fox in Zootopia are technically different species, but these mammals both belong to the dog family and have a very similar body shape. Meanwhile the female protagonists Judy Hopps and Haru are both rabbits, who are both regarded as petite and frail. Their relationship is often commented upon as being disbalanced in terms of the power distribution.

Furthermore, the journey both pairs of protagonists go through are similar in a way because it involves them all coming to terms with their own true nature as well as know their partner. While the story of Zootopia showcases this via a buddy cop movie, the narrative of Beastars takes a plot that involves high school romance.

4. Different: There is no romance in one of them

https://twitter.com/briskydet/status/1420326914577731586

Despite the vast number of fanart and shipping that goes on in the Zootopia community, Nick and Judy are only friends. Nowhere is a romantic angle hinted at in their story anywhere. Judy and Nick have a relationship that never features them going beyond buddies, even at the end where they both join the police force as the first of their species to ever enrol.

On the other hand – or paw – the very crux of the Beastars narrative borders on romance between Legoshi and Haru. Legoshi falls in love with Haru but his attraction to her is mixed with his lust and predatory instincts as a wolf, which creates an uncomfortable situation in both his mind and in that of the viewers. However, that initial encounter also sees Legoshi set out on his journey to dismantle his own instincts, making the entire narrative hinge on their relationship (which goes on and off as the series progresses).

5. Similar: Their “predator-prey” dynamic both comment on prejudice and discrimination

Both Zootopia and Beastars showcase respective worlds where different kinds of animals have become sentient, wear clothes and drive cars. They have academic institutions and police forces. However, at the very centre of it all, both series have one dividing line – that between predator and prey. 

In both worlds, prey look upon predators generally with a mixture of hatred and fear, while predators often react to such hatred in ways that can be construed as violent. Small rabbits, cunning foxes, fierce wolves and tigers, fragile deer and various other kinds of animals who retain the categories between the ones that eat and the ones that are eaten – categories they carry over from when they were wild as part of their ancient past. As such, the divisions are ways to comment upon issues of discrimination that are present in our own world.   

6. Different: The ways of depicting prejudice are unrelated

The manners of commenting are vastly different however. Where “predator” is just a simple term to describe the carnivorous species of Zootopia (where they have overcome their wilder instincts), while in Beastars it is far more complex. The eagles, tigers and wolves here do retain their instincts and fighting the external prejudice is regarded equally as important as fighting the darker sides of one’s own instincts.

While both series comment on the necessity of dismantling prejudice, the process is easier in Zootopia because characters are simply stand-ins for actual people and can be easily transferred over to racial and gender categories. However, in Beastars, predators can and do harm their fellow classmates, making the fear of them justified to a degree and making the metaphor a little problematic.

7. Similar: Both series feature violence

Zootopia follows the story of a rabbit cop and her unwilling fox ally as they investigate a hidden enemy who attempts to turn predators into a savage race in order to propel her own political motives. Beastars tells the tale of a wolf who struggles with his own dark instincts and the nature of the world around him as he comes of age and reaches puberty. Needless to say, both stories feature a host of violence and action.

Legoshi the wolf takes on a whole gang of lions, lashes out against his tiger classmate and becomes embroiled in a conflict with a terrifying brown bear. Other characters who are physically weaker like Louis, also fight using weapons such as guns. The characters of Zootopia, on the contrary, mostly uses weapons too but there are scenes when the protagonist Judy Hopps catches a weasel, and where a group of rams attack the main characters on a moving train 

8. Different: But only one shows blood and gore

However, all these scenes pale in comparison to those of Beastars because Zootopia is forced to be a Disneyfied family-friendly film where lessons are learnt without showing actual blood on screen. Beastars has no such qualms. The mangaka and consequently the animators didn’t pull any stops while showing a brown bear devouring a llama who is screaming for help, or an antelope who is forced to sell his fingers (bloody and stubby) for money to hungry predators or a crocodile forced to donate his organs or a lion whose head is blown up or a deer who voluntarily offers up his leg as food or… you get the idea.

These scenes do not just exist to show blood for the sake of it or shock viewers, but are relevant in depicting how this dangerous world is terrifying to live in for predators and prey alike. Beastars does a more accurate job of describing how a world inhabited by animals would really be than Zootopia and its use of darker colour palettes establish the same.

9. Similar: Both feature a criminal underworld

Both stories feature a criminal underworld. In Beastars, Legoshi is introduced to this world where predators can indulge in their carnivorous instincts away from the judging eyes of the public. However, this place is inhabited by different mafia gangs, illegal organ harvesters, children to be sold for meat, and other  darker things. Zootopia also features a criminal underworld where rams and sheep harvest illegal drugs to make animals lose their minds.

Both stories feature the respective underworlds as dangerous locales where important sections of the action take place. For Zootopia, the chase scene leading up to the climax in the museum takes place here. The characters of Beastars continue returning to the black market or underworld for various reasons, not least of it being food.

10. Different: One underworld is vastly darker

We all knew this was going to be here. Zootopia depicts its criminal underworld as a subterranean station where illegal activities take place, but it does not really delve into the world of the same. Judy and Nick jump in, discover the cause of the mystery and jump out in a jiffy before the climax is wrapped up in a satisfying way.

Concurrently, the presence of the black market or criminal underworld in Beastars is shown to be a more real, fleshed out place. Here stays Gohin, a panda who rehabilitates carnivores that have lost control of their instincts in lieu of their voracious appetite. The lion gang Shishigumi also operate here, and is a terrifying force who initially captures Haru the rabbit illegally to be sold off as food. There is one uncomfortable scene when an antelope dances on a pole while predator businessmen in suits growl at her. Louis the deer was also sold off here, for meat but was rescued in time – however he never fully overcomes his trauma. The list can go on and on. 

Share.

Stuart loves anime, writing, and writing about anime. Someday, he hopes to illustrate his own manga from his novel!