Where's all the cat people?

[Morbius]

In the series the cat people seem to be persecuted by other humans for some reason... The only living cat people in the series, Merle, Naria and Eriya, all of which were raised and kind of adopted by people from Fanelia who obviously don't share the same animosity for cat people as other humans do...

So where are all the rest of the cat people? Were they driven to near extinction by humans as the twins parents were? Or do they just live somewhere else? Or perhaps they are normally an uncivilised race so they don't live near cities? Are Merle, Naria and Eriya the only civilised cat people?

What are your views on this subject?

[Drizzten]

I think it's a combination of a few things.

* Not much attention was given to the surrounding and outlaying areas of Gaea during the series. The focus was on the golden city, Allen's and Van's home, and a few other localized areas. We weren't given much chance to see the other cultures.
* It is quite possible that since what we see of Naria and Eriya's past is pure persecution, the cat-people were hunted down and nearly eliminated.

Since Merle was accepted in Fanelia and by Allen and his people, there is a chance that not everyone held the cat-people in contempt.

[Nulani]

... I think I'll agree with Drizzten here; The reason why we haven't seen any is that the series just haven't focused or been looking for any...

... Sure, they can be uncivilized and keep away from cities... personally I hope they're not...
Some people are friends with catpeople some not, like it's in most cases...

[suzaku]

i agree with Drizzten...

[Drizzten]

Ack, someone find someone who doesn't agree with me!

What do you think, Morb?

[zxcvbnm]

*ponders*

I disagree. Naria and Eryia's parents weren't killed out of persecution. They were killed because they tried to stop the humans from hunting and hurting the forest in their territory. Fadant.

Your's in Instrumentality,
Geoffrey 'ePaulson

YES! I am ALTERING FATE!

[Robotech Master]

Personally I think all three of them were "gratuitous catgirls" who were catgirls just for the hell of it. I don't think it was ever REALLY thier true intention to make them a race.

Of course, they talk about them as a race just so it makes sense, but from the show's creators point of view, I think they were cat people just for the sake of being cat people. We don't see any other cat people around because they already had 3.

[Dryden-san]

It's possible, but it seems unlikely. After all, there were human-animal mixes running around all over the place, so it's not like cat-people are the only mix out there. I'd say they're probably just a rare breed. Also, there's that line about Nariya and Eriya's parents being killed for protecting the forest. Maybe the race chooses to isolate itself in forested areas out of some perceived tribal duty. Or maybe they were just hunted into extinction. The poachers described Nariya and Eriya as gold and sliver twins. That seems to suggest there was a collecter's market... For what it's worth, the Escaflowne movie claims the demi-humans were slaughtered by the Black Dragon Empire.

[elvenfire]

I don't think cat people. or beast people in general, are presecuted on all of Gaea. It depends on the country. No one showed prejudice against Merle in Fanelia, and there were beast people running all over Asturia.

Only in Zaibach are beast people presecuted. For example, Naria and Eriya's parents were killed for trying to protect their forest. Jajuka was nothing more than a slave to the sorcerors, and we see Zaibach prison guards brutally beating him up. Folken and Dilandau were kind to beast people, but neither of them is a native born Zaibachi.

[warlock]

I guess they have been push to extinction. People were mean to the cat people and persecuted them. Probably some might be in hiding...I'm not really sure about this....hehehe.