The Animorphs in their battle forms
A battle morph, also known as a combat morph, is a morph used predominantly to fight or attack. With the exception of Tobias and Ax, the Animorphs used these morphs for close combat encounters against the Yeerk Empire, most often against Hork-Bajir-Controllers. Each morpher for the most part had a primary and secondary battle morph.
Battle Morphs: Main Animorphs
- "I glanced over at Jake, who'd morphed a sleek, deadly tiger. At Rachel, a massive, towering grizzly bear. Marco, a gorilla with enormous hands and the strength to tear a human apart limb from limb. At Ax and Tobias who'd chosen their own forms. An Andalite whose razor-tipped tail was as lethal as lightning and twice as fast. And a red-tailed hawk with talons created to puncture, rip, and tear."
- ―Cassie[src]
| Morphable character | Primary Battle Morph | Secondary Battle Morph |
|---|---|---|
| Jake | Siberian Tiger | Rhinoceros |
| Rachel | Grizzly Bear | African Elephant / Hork-Bajir |
| Tobias | N/A (uses his red-tailed hawk form) | Hork-Bajir |
| Cassie | Wolf | Polar Bear |
| Marco | Silverback Gorilla | Wolf / Cobra |
| Ax | N/A (uses his Andalite form) | --- |
Battle Morphs: Auxiliary Animorphs
| Morphable character | Battle Morph |
|---|---|
| James | Lion |
| Collette | Crocodile |
| Timmy | Bobcat |
| Kelly | Bull |
| Julio | Grizzly Bear |
| Tricia | Rhinoceros |
| Judy | African Elephant |
| Ray | Leopard |
Battle Morphs: Other Morphers
| Morphable character | Primary Battle Morph | Secondary Battle Morph |
|---|---|---|
| David | Lion | North American Golden Eagle |
| Cobra | Jaguar |
Trivia
- In The Forgotten, the Animorphs (minus Tobias) acquire jaguars to use as their battle morph while trapped in a rainforest; however, the morph is rendered unusable due to the effects of the Sario Rip.
- Andalites do not often use a battle morph, since their own bodies are well-equipped for battle, although Ax has sometimes morphed for battle, such as assuming a rattlesnake and cheetah morph when missions required him to fight in front of humans; Visser Three possessed a variety of morphs that he would use to battle the 'Andalite bandits', but he rarely used any of these morphs more than once and showed no sign of a specific favorite.
- Although not listed above, many of the battle morphs are shared amongst the Animorphs. For example, all of them possess polar bear and Hork-Bajir morphs. Rachel, Cassie, Tobias, and Ax also have elephant morphs while Marco and Jake have a rhinoceros morph; Jake, Cassie, Marco and Rachel also all have wolf morphs. However, Cassie is the only member of the main Animorphs to lack a unique battle morph of her own. In The Hidden, she acquires a buffalo, and in The Unexpected, she acquires a kangaroo, but is never shown using them again after the events of these books.
Gallery
Inside cover; The Stranger
Inside cover; The Attack
Inside cover; Elfangor's Secret
Inside cover; Back to Before'
Japanese illustration; The Predator
Japanese illustration; The Invasion
