Western Zodiac

"What's your sign?" is among the most notorious (and least effective) pick-up lines. "Sign" in this case means "star sign," a way of guessing a person's personality by their date of birth.

Astrology is actually a bit more complex than that. The term "star sign" is technically inaccurate for a start - that horoscope that appears in the paper every day is actually the sun sign. Furthermore, every planet has a sign - you might say that you're a Virgo, but your Mercury, Mars and Venus might all be in Libra while Jupiter is meandering around in Capricorn. A birth chart will also take into account where the planets were in the sky and the angles at which they connect to each other. All of these factors supposedly have an effect on personality. For a practice that yields results indistinguishable from random chance, astrology involves a great deal of math.

The signs themselves belong to one of the four elements. According to astrology, water signs are emotional, air signs are intellectual, earth signs are practical and fire signs are passionate. They also fall in to one of three qualities: Cardinal (pioneering), Fixed (constant) and Mutable (adaptable). Each sign has a "ruling" planet (the sun, the moon, and Pluto count), although the planet itself may be placed in a totally different sign in the birth chart. Which makes things even more confusing.

Obviously, this is all a bit too complicated to be effective as a motif, so a Zodiac motif will just use the sun sign, with a character claiming "I'm a Gemini," or "my boyfriend's a Scorpio."

The sun signs are:

• Aries, the Ram (March 21-April 19): Cardinal Fire. Playful, impulsive, tactless, dynamic. Ruling planet: Mars
• Taurus, the Bull (April 20-May 20): Fixed Earth. Practical, artistic, stubborn, luxury-loving. Ruling planet: Venus (until further notice)
• Gemini, the Twins (May 21-June 20): Mutable Air. Intelligent, versatile, "silver tongued devil," communicative. Ruling planet: Mercury
• Cancer, the Crab (June 21-July 22): Cardinal Water. Family-oriented, sensitive, cranky, tenacious. Ruling planet : The Moon
• Leo, the Lion (July 23-August 22): Fixed Fire. Dramatic, courageous, arrogant, charismatic. Ruling planet: The Sun
• Virgo, the Virgin (August 23-September 22): Mutable Earth. Level-headed, service-oriented, obsessive over detail, intelligent. Ruling planet: Mercury (until further notice)
• Libra, the Scales (September 23-October 22): Cardinal Air. Charming, diplomatic, vacillating, appreciates beauty. Ruling planet: Venus
• Scorpio, the Scorpion (October 23-November 21): Fixed Water. Loyal, passionate, grudge-bearing, good detective skills. Ruling planet: Pluto, classically Mars.
• Ophiuchus/Serpentarius, the Serpent Holder/Doctor (not an actual astrological sign (although sometimes used as such); omitted from most versions of the Zodiac)
• Sagittarius, the Archer/Centaur (November 22-December 21): Mutable fire. Freedom loving, wise, feckless, adventurous. Ruling planet: Jupiter
• Capricorn, the Goat (December 22 - January 20): Cardinal Earth. Ambitious, hard working, cold, reliable. Ruling planet: Saturn
• Aquarius, the Water Carrier (January 21-February 19): Fixed Air. Progressive, friendly, aloof, idealistic. Ruling planet: Uranus, classically Saturn
• Pisces, the Fish (February 20-March 20): Mutable Water. Poetic, dreamy, irresponsible, mysterious. Ruling planet: Neptune, classically Jupiter

The dates listed are approximate - they change slightly from year to year (this is the same reason we need leap years; time of day also matters (but see "cuspal" below)). The signs also do not line up with the constellations (and haven't for about 2000 years). Also, the course of the sun passes through 13 constellations, of varying sizes (they aren't all equal). Astrological signs are units of angular measurement (each one is exactly 30 degrees) of ecliptic longitude, where 0 Aries is at the spring equinox in the northern hemisphere, and are not the same as the constellations with the same name. The Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn correspond to astrological signs, not constellations.

If a character refers to themselves as "cuspal," it means they were born within the last few days of one sign or the first few days of the next. Someone born on the 18th of February for example, is a cuspal Aquarius/Pisces. This is popular for characters with some kind of duality in their nature. Even if you are cuspal, your sun sign will be one or the other, not both (it is based on ecliptic longitude).

Characters almost invariably match the star sign they're born under. There's also a trend regarding which type of character falls under which sign. The gallant hero is nearly always a Leo. The Lancer is usually an Aries. Female love interests are often Pisces. Cloudcuckoolanders tend to be poster children for Aquarius. Of all the signs, Scorpio gets the roughest deal. Its connections to the "dark side" of life make it de facto sign for villains and highly unsuitable love interests. Some signs are almost unheard of in TV and books - few characters claim to be Libras or Capricorns, for example. This trend holds true even when the Zodiac reference is just the character's profile information.

The prevalence of belief in astrology in earlier centuries generated many common expressions: Star-crossed, jovial, saturnine, mercurial, and so on.

Due to the fact that there are a set of twelve signs, the Zodiac sometimes finds itself involved in a Gotta Catch Them All type of plot (sometimes involving the "secret" 13th sign). Including in the real world.

See Also: Eastern Zodiac, Animal Motifs

Examples of Western Zodiac include:

Anime and Manga

• Sailor Moon, of course—each Scout/Senshi had a sun sign that matched up with their planet as well as their personality. The Eastern Zodiac is used as well; the Western symbol corresponds to their personality, and the Eastern with their abilities, basically.
  • The personalities don't necessarily fit their signs. Setsuna (Scorpio) and Hotaru (Capricorn) hardly fit them, and Ami fits Virgo more than Gemini.
  • Just as well, Rei in the manga is far more quiet and ladylike compared to her hot-headed Aries anime counterpart.
• The anime Aquarian Age takes its title from the Aquarian Age. Aquarius is the sign of oddities and advances, connected to the theme of the anime. See the Real Life section.
• The second episode of Urusei Yatsura after Mendo's introduction had Lum comparing Ataru and Mendo with a zodiac. Being a bit of a Literal Genie, she actually had them riding on a miniature models of the zodiac signs in a globe.
• The OZ-made mobile suits in Gundam Wing and its spinoffs use the Western Zodiac as part of their Theme Naming, though the name is usually only significant in rare cases (Cancer and Pisces are amphibious models; Virgo is automated, hence "virgin"; Scorpio has a scorpion-shaped flight mode; Geminass is a pair of twin Gundams).
• The girls of Sister Princess are each born under one of the signs.
• Ditto Sentimental Graffiti.
• Two words: Saint Seiya. A wonderfully Camp Shounen Anime, which had constellation-themed warriors who loved to call their attacks, including the 12 Gold Knights for each of the Zodiac constellations, who the main characters had to fight. See its Character Sheet for more information.
• Celestial Spirit Mages in Fairy Tail can summon the spirits of each of the constellations, through the use of keys. Main character Lucy is the prime example of one of these mages, who currently owns ten out of twelve spirits. Curiously, Aquarius and Leo are her two strongest, and none of the personalities or elements really match with the above. For example, Aries is a shy, non combative woobie and Taurus is a Loveable Sex Maniac.
  • However, Virgo's personality matches almost perfectly with the above traits, and though we haven't seen much of his personality yet, Capricorn's personality also seems to match.
• In Naruto Kakashi Hatake's September 15 birthday makes him is a typical Virgo (August 23 - September 22). Virgo's Strengths: Perfectionist, Practical, Loyalty, Modesty, and Introspective. Virgo's Weaknesses: Hyper-critical, Seemingly cold on the outside, and Moody on the inside (Virgos are described as "still waters that run deep").
  • During the events of "Kakashi Gaiden," it is shown that he was an introverted, cold, taciturn, and perfectionist student.
    • "Kakashi became more stern and serious following his father's suicide (who had killed himself after being vilified for saving the lives of his team instead of the prioritizing the success of an important mission), following all the shinobi rules and scorning any who disobeyed them, like his team-mate Obito. This caused Obito to resent Kakashi, as Kakashi showed little kindness to his team-mates."
  • Virgo's personalities are mutable (adaptable/flexible).
    • " Obito's eventual death and sacrifice for his team had a huge impact on Kakashi's personality. He is now more cheerful and shows great concern for his team-mates and students, placing their safety over the successful completion of a mission, as well as believing that teamwork is essential to overall success as a team. He is also regularly late for appointments, making obvious excuses just like Obito before him. This is because of his frequent visits to the memorial where Obito's name is engraved, where he loses track of time."
    • "However, Kakashi can still be just as seemingly emotionless as he was during his youth, often speaking bluntly about sensitive topics."
  • Virgos while private and introverted, are nevertheless very loyal to their loved-ones:
    • "Kakashi claims to have lost everyone who was close to him, causing some reluctance to allow others to get close to him."
    • "Of the people who are still alive, Kakashi is on the best terms with his students, although he is on good terms with almost everyone in Konoha. After the formation of Team 7, he begins taking a special interest in their development, as shown from his regular checking up on Naruto and his eating habits. Kakashi is so devoted to his friends and the rest of Konoha, such that his signature jutsu, the Lightning Cutter, had been made on the principle of duty, and perfected on the principle of protecting loved ones."
    • "Kakashi has a rather solitary and matter-of-fact attitude. His calm and detached demeanor has been called “cool, hip, and trendy” many times by Might Guy."
  • Virgos are modest:
    • "Despite his increasingly growing reputation and prowess as a ninja, Kakashi has shown no signs of arrogance, and is rather modest about his abilities, as shown when he readily praises others for leaps in their combat abilities and stating on more than one occasion that Naruto has surpassed him in power. And when suggested by many others for him to become Hokage, Kakashi admitted that such a position was unfit for him. (A Virgo trait...Virgos prefer to serve rather than lead.)
  • Virgos are highly adaptable, patient, methodical, and analytical:
    • "His naturally calm attitude is used to his advantage in battle, as it becomes easier for him to maintain his composure to stay focused on the situation at hand, and ultimately notice everything around him. As a result, he can quickly adjust to any situation to make keen and thought-out decisions, allowing him to stay steps ahead of his opponents."
  • In Naruto Nagato's/Pain's September 19 birthday makes him a typical Virgo (August 23 - September 22). There's also Shikamaru, a calm, introverted, analytical and slightly grumpy genius.
  • Other typical characters include Cancerian Shikaku (shrewd and a good right-hand man); Libran Naruto (smiling, friendly, can talk to anyone) and Ino (loves beauty and is a bit boy-crazy); Sagittarian Lee (tactless but good-hearted and full of energy); Arien Sakura (temperamental, impulsive and brave) and Hidan (a Psychopathic Manchild); Capricorn Hinata (quiet and shy but determined), Madara and Danzo (ruthless and ambitious); Taurean Choji and Choza (loyal, like their food, determined); Aquarian Hiruzen (an eccentric old man with a deep humanitarian streak); Scorpio Orochimaru (fascinated with the dark side, ruthless, cruel) and Jiraiya (a tough old bastard who died fighting, and a sex maniac); Leo Tsunade (likes gambling and drinking but will defend Konoha to the death); and so on.
  • To extend it further, Naruto's main chakra nature is wind, the same element association with his sign.
• The names and spirits of dozens of beys in Metal Fight Beyblade.
• Iron Man had Zodiac themes for each Monster of the Week.
• In Bleach fights, Tite Kubo seems fond of pairing up people of the same sign. For example: Kenpachi vs Nnoitra (both Scorpio), Kenpachi vs Tousen (who is a Scorpio as well), Soifon vs Barragan (both Aquarius), Byakuya vs Tsukishima (another fight between two Aquarius people). Seeing people of the same element fghting one against the other happens often, too: Toshiro (Sagittarius) vs Harribel (Leo) (both Fire signs), Zommari (Libra) vs Byakuya (both Air signs), Ichigo (Cancer) vs Ikkaku (Scorpio) (both Water signs), Ichigo vs Kenpachi, Ichigo vs Ginjou (Scorpio).
• Sket Dance has a bit of fun with Astrology, as well. Sometimes it happens that a character is shown reading their horoscope, and the three protagonists represent (coincidence?) the three Water signs (Bossun is a Scorpio, Himeko is a Cancer and Switch is Pisces).
• And of course, Zodiac P.I. revolves around a detective using spirits of the zodiac signs of murder victims to help solve her cases

Comic Books

• The Marvel Universe has a recurring supervillain gang named the Zodiac, composed in its original form of members born under the sign corresponding to their villainous identities. In a 1976 coloring book, "Spiderman Zaps Mr. Zodiac", one Mr. Zodiac has the power to turn into all the of the Zodiac Signs, including Libra, a giant set of scales, and Virgo, who dates Peter Parker.
• DC's recent Final Crisis storyline involved a character named Libra who unified the bad guys under Darkseid; they actually managed to conquer the world for a few weeks(?) before the good guys inevitably made a comeback. Libra's MO was, of course, to "balance the scales" in favor of the villains.

Literature

• In Gods of Riverworld, last and "tributary" novel from the Philip Jose Farmer's Riverworld series, Author Avatar Peter Jairus Frigate uses zodiacal attributes to assign certain special rooms to himself and his other seven companions in the journey to the Dark Tower. It's done semi-humorously, though.
• Jonathan Swift's Bickerstaff Papers began with a set of satirical astrological predictions. It was basically a giant Take That against a quack almanac writer named Partridge, particularly the very first prediction of Partridge's death.
• Harry Potter (The Hero) and his feisty, red-headed love interest Ginny Weasley are both Leos. Hermione is a Virgo and Ron is a Pisces, making them opposite signs. Somewhat Lampshaded by the fact that they are all in Gryffindor House (which selects the most brave students), whose emblem is a lion.
  • Severus Snape (The head of Slytherin) is a Capricorn. Which is interesting, since the character himself is ambitious, hard working, cold, reliable and stubborn.
  • Also, Fred and George Weasley not only match the profile of Aries, but were born on April Fools' Day.
• James Bond, Agent 007, is a Scorpio (November 11). This is an appropriate sign for him, since good detective skills are one of its key characteristics.
• In the beginning of Good Omens, there's a (very accurate) horoscope prediction for the earth, which is a Libra
  • Except for the part about the salads
• Parodied in Discworld. Astrologers have to work a lot harder there because the constellations are constantly changing as the world turtle swims through the stars. At one point a wizard tries to find Rincewind by casting his exact horoscope—Rincewind's birth sign is "The Small Boring Group of Faint Stars".
• Sherlock Holmes, according to Fanon, is a Capricorn—he was born on Twelfth Night (January 6). Capricorn is not particularly known for detective skills, but he’s got the tireless work ethic and perseverance that this sign encompasses.

Live Action TV

• Power Rangers SPD features an episode in which one character is reading everyone's horoscopes. One character, Jack, who didn't know his own birthday and previously shared with Syd, asks for Gemini, which fits Syd perfectly, but also fits the fact that two people have that birthday. The resident Cloudcuckoolander, Bridge, doesn't know his sign because he was born on a cusp... and his mother was on a plane crossing the international dateline when he was born anyway. A quip about a forecast for confusion ensues.
• One villain from The Sarah Jane Adventures used zodiac signs to control people.
• Discussed in Six Feet Under: An astrologer wonders the impacts space travel will have on her job, as the monthly order, the position of stars and etc... will work differently. For instance, an Aries living on Mars will not have it as his/her ruling planet and Earth will be a stellar object for those outside Earth. A while later, she realises nobody is listening to her.
• Chouseishin Gransazer uses this as a central motif, with each one of the twelve protagonists being covered by a certain sign. The elements also matter, by determining which Tribe and Elemental Powers each is associated with.
• The Zodiarts of Kamen Rider Fourze are themed around constellations, with the Big Bad Ensemble being based upon the Zodiac.
• Dorothy Zbornak upon being asked how she could be so sure answers with "I'm a leo, we're all very self-confident".
• The tribes and home planets of Battlestar Galactica are all based on the zodiac.

Music

• The "Weird Al" Yankovic song Your Horoscope For Today makes fun of bad horoscopes.

Sagittarius: All your friends are laughing behind your back...
(...kill them...)
Take down all those naked pictures of Ernest Borgnine
you've got hanging in your den
Capricorn: The stars say that you're an exciting and wonderful person
but you know they're lying
If I were you, I'd lock my doors and windows
and never, never, never, never, never leave my house again.

Recorded and Stand-up Comedy

• Todd Barry was asked by a woman in a bar his sign (he's an Aries) and immediately started picking apart her analysis of his personality.

"'Oh, I know all about you man, I know all about the Aries, you're stubborn!' Actually I'm not that stubborn. 'You're crazy competitive, into sports!' I hate sports. 'You are a workaholic.' Wow, you're not even close on that one. Then she says, 'Well, you're probably not even an Aries then.' Yeah, I was thinking astrology is a load of shit, but it's more likely that I don't know my own birthday."

Tabletop Games

• A Zodiac villain team similar to that in Marvel Comics appeared in a supplement for Champions.
• The game Nephilim had a whole Splat of characters classified by the 13 Zodiac signs (with The Serpent added to the more typical 12, something Final Fantasy Tactics also did). Because the game's setting works with 7 elements (the usual four, plus Moon, Sun and Orichalcum), the elements' association of the signs went under a bit of rework.
• Werewolf: The Apocalypse sourcebook Rage Across the Heavens deals with astrology according to Garou spirituality. Each of the 13 remaining "good" tribes has a sign that corresponds to an astral body in the solar system, which also corresponds to the Zodiac. As such, a Garou's chart would include the sign she's born under as well as the sign of her tribe. A side bar in the book mentions how the Eastern Zodiac fits in with this, for Asian Garou who would rather use that than the western system. Oh in case you're wondering, the 13th sign, Zorg the Many-Taloned Hunter (represented by the Astroid Belt) doesn't correspond to any Zodiac; his followers besides the feral Red Talons (his tribe) join him by choice rather than the accident of birth.
• According to the Horus Heresy novel 'Horus Rising' all of the Primarchs correspond to one of the twenty signs of the Zodiac. Guess there are a couple more months in the year in Warhammer 40,000. Unfortunately, it doesn't say what the other signs are, but Horus himself is a Sagittarius. That must have been one heck of an interesting horoscope.
• The time-travel RPG Continuum marks off deep time in astrological ages, with the Age of Aquarius as the upcoming rise of the Inheritors.

Theater

• The "Age of Aquarius" is also referred in a song of the same name, in the musical Hair.

Video Games

• The various Final Fantasy games typically provide birthdates for the main cast in the supplementary material. These dates are at least occasionally chosen with the associated sun sign in mind.
  • A notable example is Final Fantasy VIII's Squall Leonhart, whose August 23 birthday, makes him a Virgo (August 23 - September 22). Squall is described as an introverted, cold, and taciturn teenager (which are Virgo traits). He resents assuming leadership, (another Virgo trait...Virgos prefer to serve rather than lead), nevertheless he is the first to ensure that what is necessary gets done (Virgos are perfectionists, practical, loyal, and dutiful).
    • Virgo's Strengths: Perfectionist, Practical, Loyalty, and Introspective.
    • Virgo's Weaknesses: Hyper-critical of others and self, Cranky, Seemingly cold on the outside, and Moody on the inside (Virgos are described as still waters that run deep).
    • "Even though everyone agrees on how difficult Squall can be, staff and students admire him, and he is eventually appointed commander of the Garden."
    • "During the game, Squall frequently narrates his thoughts and feelings in silent voice-overs. It is during these narrations that Squall reveals that he deliberately acts the way he does to push others away for fear of getting close to them."
    • Squall can also be technically described as a Virgo/Leo cusp (A true Virgo but with some Leo traits/quirks), since his birthday borders Leo. This makes some sense due his lion motif.
    • Squall's love interest is Rinoa Heartily, a Pisces (Squall is a Virgo). This makes a lot of sense, since according to the Zodiacal Wheel, signs opposite of each other attract strongly. "There are many Pisces and Virgo couples, testament to the fact that opposites attract. They are directly opposite each other on the Zodiacal wheel, but both are mutable (adaptable), able to 'go with the flow.' Pisces likes to dreamily let their imagination take the lead. Virgo likes to be precise and has two feet firmly in this world, but is constantly refining their body, routine, skills, etc. The industrious Virgo can be an anchoring presence for Pisces, who often has a hard time with discipline. Pisces helps Virgo soften emotionally, and put trials in a spiritual perspective. When a Virgo and Pisces two meet, there is an instant curiosity and sexual attraction. Pisces will see Virgo as a dream lover and will make every effort to hold onto the sexy and smart Virgo. Virgo will see social and sexual adventures in Pisces and will always leave Pisces wanting more. Love will blossom over time to the point of possible marriage."
• Final Fantasy Tactics gave every character, generic and specific alike, a Zodiac sign. The relationships between the signs, usually ignored in most usages of the Western Zodiac in pop culture, were actually integrated into the strategy in this case. "Trines" (one-third away—same element, different modality), known for causing positive relationships, caused the two units to be more effective against each other, for good or for ill. "Squares" (one-quarter away—different element, same modality), known for being obstructive, resulted in the units being less effective against each other in both positive and negative ways. "Oppositions" (which should be obvious) had effects dependent on the characters' genders—if they were of the opposite gender, they would be most effective against each other because Opposites Attract, while if they were the same gender they would be least effective instead. The 13th sign, Serpentarius, is neutral to the other twelve signs, but only one character in the entire game has it. FFT also took this a step further, and used Gotta Catch Them All MacGuffins called the Zodiac Stones as a central part of the plot.
  • Not to belabor the point, but this also helps in Shipping: since you get to decide what Player Character Ramza Beoulve's birthday is, you can set him up with (or against) anyone you want.
• Although certainly not pivotal to the plot, in the original Gabriel Knight game, Gabe reads his horoscope almost every day of the 10 day period, and it's always eerily accurate to what he's going through. At the end of the game, on day 10, when he reads his incredibly doomy-sounding horoscope, he remarks, "There's a schoolteacher somewhere who's really confused."
• In The Sims 2, zodiac signs are representations of specific combinations of personality points, and are unrelated to when a character is "born", since there are no dates, as such. When the chemistry feature was introduced, compatible signs contributed to higher chemistry, which makes it easier to unlock new social interactions. (Whether the personality-point combinations actually matched the zodiac sign they were supposed to is something you should argue about elsewhere.)
• Mega Man Star Force uses the following Western Zodiac signs in the series, Aries/Capricorn=Kung Foo Kid, Taurus=Taurus Fire, Gemini=Gemini Spark, Cancer=Cancer Bubble, Leo=Fire Leo (not that Fire Leo this one is one of three a powerup that Mega Man Geo-Omega can receive in the first game, Virgo=Queen Virgo, Libra=Libra Scales, Ophiuchus/Serpentarius=Queen Ophiuca. In addition, the Chinese-only game Rockman Strategy features zodiac-themed bosses.
• In the Purple Moon computer games, just about every named character gives their sign in their personal information, and many of them are very interested in it (then again, they are thirteen-year-old girls, who do obsess over these things). Ginger has a whole monologue about being born on a cusp, and the CSG group only accepts Sagittarius girls as members.
• In most Raising Sims, your child's birthdate will affect his or her initial stats and personality (unless Personality Blood Types are in play).
• Final Fantasy IX featured a Zodiac-themed Sidequest, which required collecting Stellazzio coins for the amusement of Queen Stella. Collect all twelve and the engravings on them form a love story about who captured the heart of Virgo; suggest the existence of a 13th coin (Ophiuchus) and you'll be tasked with following the clues on each coin (a series of directions) to conclude the story. They point to the location of one of the previous coins, where the Ophiuchus is found with the final engraving.

"Their future was uncertain, but Scorpio and Virgo kissed in the light of dusk. That moment meant everything."

• • (The whole quest is probably a reference to FFT.)
• Final Fantasy XII has 13 espers in accordance with the thirteen signs of the western zodiac. They are:
  • Belias (Aries)
  • Mateus (Pisces)
  • Adrammelech (Capricorn)
  • Hashmal (Leo)
  • Cu Chulainn (Scorpio)
  • Zalera (Gemini)
  • Shemhazai (Sagittarius)
  • Chaos (Taurus)
  • Zeromus (Cancer)
  • Exodus (Libra)
  • Famfrit (Aquarius)
  • Ultima (Virgo)
  • Zodiark (Ophiuchus)
    • It should also be mentioned that the player can collect gems (loot, steal, etc.) that are also stones fashioned after the thirteen zodiac
• In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the Craggy Peak Ruins house what amounts to a Zodiac temple, with each sign having its own related puzzle chamber that must be completed to move forward (though they give generic names rather than the proper Zodiac ones; the lion, the twins, the maiden, etc). I don't know if there's any symbolism to the completion order, but here it is: Leo and Aquarius are open to begin with. Completing Aquarius opens the Gemini puzzle. By the time those three are done, Virgo and Libra are open. Those open Aries and Pisces, then comes Cancer and Scorpio, then Taurus and Capricorn, then finally the Sagittarius puzzle opens the way forward.
• All the bosses in RefleX except Sctutum and Entropy are named after these. Including the hidden 13th zodiac.
• In The Elder Scrolls series has its own Zodiac, based off the Western one. In Morrowind and Oblivion the player may choose one of the signs as his birthsign in beginning of the game, while in Skyrim the player may find one of the stones, representing each sign. The signs and their months are:
  • Morning Star - The Ritual
  • Sun's Dawn - The Lover
  • First Seed - The Lord
  • Rain's Hand- The Mage
  • Second Seed - The Shadow
  • Midyear - The Steed
  • Sun's Height - The Apprentice
  • Last Seed - The Warrior
  • Heartfire - The Lady
  • Frostfall - The Tower
  • Sun's Dusk - The Atronach
  • Evening Star - The Thief
  • 13th Sign - The Serpent

Webcomics

• Calamities of Nature provides the perfect response to the notorious pick-up line "what's your sign?"
• Being as he lives on Earth (specifically, in Canada), Insecticomics‍'‍ Thrust follows the Western zodiac in his astrology rather than some Cybertronian variant. His reasons for using the one in the newspaper, however, are unknown.
• In Homestuck, each of the twelve Trolls take their handles from a symbol of the Western Zodiac. For example, "carcinoGeneticist" for Cancer. Their actual names are also based on their sign (for example, Tavros is derived from Taurus), and use the symbol of their zodiac sign as their associated symbol.
  • A lot of the trolls' various quirks and interests (although not necessarily their personalities) are also related in some fashion to their representative sign. For example, Sollux (Gemini) is obsessed with bifurcation and duality, Equius (Sagittarius) has a thing for horses and archery. Even their guardian lusii follow the motif. However, the Trolls are based off of the stereotypes of the Zodiac constellation icons themselves rather than the Zodiac characterizations. There's also a persistent theory of a thirteenth troll representing Ophiuchus. Which may or may not have been confirmed with the introduction of the character signified by the rod of Asclepius/Caduceus.
  • However, since the Trolls are all aliens, all the connections between their names, symbols, and character traits are completely coincidental because they have no knowledge of the Western Zodiac on Earth. But when they create the universe that Earth is in by completing their session, they also create the constellations of the Zodiac, and thus the astrology itself. They're not patterned after the Zodiac, the Zodiac is patterned after them.
• Zodiac features a team of twelve superpowered individuals (okay...nine superpowered individuals plus three normal people) codenamed by a Zodiac motif (i.e., there's one person called Aries, one called Gemini, ect). It seems that none of them were given their aliases by accident - all of their birthdays coincide with the sign they are named after. The reason for this isn't clear yet, but definitely set up in-universe.

Western Animation

• Sylvia Anderson, wife of Gerry Anderson and co-creator of Thunderbirds, assigned birthdays to the various characters on the show based on their personality characteristics, to bring them in line with the appropriate signs.
• Cancer: sensitive, cranky, tenacious, looks out for his/her family? Yeah, that pretty much sums up Candace Flynn (July 11).

Real Life

• While Aquarius isn't a popular choice for characters, it's certainly popular as a general theme. The "Age of Aquarius" refers to a time period starting roughly in the mid-to-late 20th century that will last for the next two millennia. This is popular in works influenced by the hippie culture of the '60s.
  • Well, sort of, anyway—dates given for the start of the Aquarian Age (each age lasting 2150 years) range from AD 1447 to 3597. (See the other wiki's article.)