Perkins
Perkins is a rabbit and a ZSI special operative in We Can Fix Pawbert. He was a member of Charlie Sierra One, a ZSI rabbit special operations team that conducted covert intelligence gathering in hostile territories. Perkins and his partners Botasky and White are killed during a mission in Vladifrostok in "Golden Age", their deaths establishing the emerging threat that drives the season's conflict.
"Charlie Sierra One, transmitting in the blind, the target is Zootopia, the target is Zootopia!" — Perkins, desperately trying to relay intelligence, "Golden Age"
Background
Perkins was recruited by ZSI fifteen years before the events of Season 5, approached by a nondescript officer at a bar in Bunnyburrow who asked if he wanted to do something that mattered. He and Botasky partnered from the beginning, becoming a two-mammal team that worked in the shadows, keeping Zootopia safe from threats most mammals never knew existed.
As rabbits, Perkins and his team were ideal infiltrators — small, unassuming, and easy to underestimate. They operated in facilities designed for mammals three times their size, using their agility and professional training to compensate for the disadvantage. Perkins was described as practiced and efficient, his reloading muscle memory doing the work while his eyes scanned for threats.
Series History
Season 5
S05E01 "Golden Age"
The episode opens with Perkins and Botasky fleeing through a Vladifrostok facility after their mission has gone sideways. Their sniper, White, has been killed by an RPG while covering their extraction from a maintenance catwalk. The two rabbits have downed a polar bear and are attempting to exfiltrate with critical intelligence about a threat to Zootopia.
The intel is trapped on a device the size of Perkins' paw, unable to transmit through the jamming. Perkins tries repeatedly to broadcast their findings — first calling for the station Angel One, then transmitting in the blind under his own team's callsign, Charlie Sierra One — and gets only static back. The words "the target is Zootopia" never reach ZSI.
At a corridor junction, the team encounters multiple hostiles. Despite their exceptional combat skills — two rabbits taking down a tiger, leopard, dhole, and gray wolf in quick succession — Botasky is shot through the abdomen. Perkins reaches him before the wolf's body has stopped moving and stays there, telling him to hold on, until Botasky goes still.
When a red fox and brown bear round the corner, Perkins grabs Botasky's weapon and fires with both paws, screaming as he pulls both triggers. He kills them both, but the bear gets one shot off on his way down and it catches Perkins in the chest. Perkins lands beside Botasky, reaches out to find his partner's paw, and whispers his final words: "It's been an honor, Bota."
A shadow falls across his face, and a shot rings out. The polar bear standing over him is Mikhail Icener, though nobody will speak the name for another three episodes. He is massive, his fur pristine and unmarked by the violence around him; he steps over the bodies without looking down, picks up the device, turns it over once, and tosses it to the corsac behind him, who cancels the transfer. Everything Perkins died trying to send is lost.
Legacy
Perkins' death, along with Botasky's and White's, leaves ZSI blind to the Vladifrostok threat. At the close of the episode, Luther receives a phone call informing him that the Vladifrostok station went dark eighteen hours earlier and that three operatives — Perkins, Botasky, and White — are MIA, presumed KIA. Their intel never reached Zootopia, and ZSI has no idea what they found or what is coming.
The image of the three operatives' sacrifice hangs over the season as a reminder of what is at stake. They discovered the threat to Zootopia and died trying to warn their home.
Key Relationships
Botasky
Perkins and Botasky were partners for fifteen years, having worked together since their recruitment from Bunnyburrow. Their bond was forged through countless operations in hostile territory. In their final moments, Perkins reached for Botasky's paw and held it as he died, their partnership ending exactly as it began: together.
White
White was Charlie Sierra One's sniper, providing overwatch from elevated positions during operations. He was killed by an RPG while covering Perkins and Botasky's extraction, his loss forcing them to flee without cover. Perkins carried the weight of leaving White's body behind, knowing there was nothing else they could do.
Key Quotes
| Quote | Context |
|---|---|
| "Charlie Sierra One, transmitting in the blind, the target is Zootopia, the target is Zootopia!" | Desperately trying to relay intelligence (S05E01) |
| "He's gone. He's gone. There's nothing we can do." | To Botasky, about White (S05E01) |
| "It's been an honor, Bota." | Final words to his dying partner (S05E01) |
Trivia
- "Charlie Sierra One" is a reference to the manga/anime Cat Shit One (also known as Apocalypse Meow), which features rabbit soldiers conducting military operations.