Were you looking for his Monster version or his partner on Stage, The Cat?
The Rat, also known simply as RAT, is the main antagonist of the Five Nights at Candy's series. He serves as the main antagonist in Five Nights at Candy's, Five Nights at Candy's 2 and Five Nights at Candy's Remastered, and the overarching antagonist of Five Nights at Candy's 3.
He is unique in that he only activates on the last few nights. He appears to get up and do something in the cutscene after completing Night 6. He is possessed by the soul of actor Rat from the Rat and Cat Theater.
While The Rat doesn't appear in the main gameplay of Five Nights at Candy's 3, he is seen in the Night 1, Night 3, and Night 5 cutscenes. He is replaced by Monster Rat and Shadow Rat during main gameplay.
As revealed in Five Nights at Candy's 3, the two were originally suits worn by actors. RAT has orchestrated the murder of the twins at the Rowboatics Corp. factory and facilitated the closure of Candy's Burgers & Fries in 1993.
The real name for RAT's actor is unknown, both when it comes to the cartoon character of RAT and the ghost possessing the robot. In Five Nights at Candy's 3, RAT's actor's name is shown as "#####", meaning that it is most likely 5 letters long.
Appearance
FNaC 1 / Remastered
The Rat is a withered, eyeless rat animatronic, with a faded brown color. He appears to have a torn cloth covering, and a seam can be seen running down the middle of the head. He has brownish, broken buckteeth. His left ear is also broken, and his hands and feet are exposed.
In the Remastered version, an abundance of wires were added throughout his body (most notably visible on his hands) and the pegs sticking out of his suit were changed from square-shaped to round.
FNaC 2
The Rat is even more withered than he was in the first game. His right forearm exoskeleton is missing, and his lower legs exoskeletons are almost completely missing. The model used in the second game is also an edited version of the one used in the first game with better textures and made to have a more withered appearance.
FNaC 3
The Rat appears in the minigames as Costume Rat. Unlike in the second game, that was a different incarnation of him as a animatronic. He is replaced by Monster Rat in the main gameplay.
Personality
As Rat's Actor it's known that he was mostly kind to the children, with the only known exception being toward a boy who mentioned The Rat was angry when he complained about the state of the theater's games. Rat's actor is also an alcoholic as revealed in FNaC 3's Night 5 Cutscene where we also see he has quite an ego, demonstrated when he angrily mocks The Puppeteer stating that he's got talent and The Puppeteer does not, although it's unknown if this was due to the influence of the alcohol. Besides that, and the fact he enjoyed his job as Rat's actor, nothing else is known about him as a human.
He is also implied to be the one crying in the backroom in night 4, as the cat was definitively outside the backroom and the puppeteer was not normally that early to work.
As an animatronic, The Rat is shown to be mysterious and imposing, as well as being really aggressive. He seems to be blinded by his desire for revenge and he acts on his impulses which leads him to murdering just about anyone and even dismantling other animatronics. However, it seems The Rat keeps a close and deep bond with The Cat, usually showing up along with him ever since FNaC 2.
Mechanics
FNaC 1 / Remastered
The Rat becomes active on Night 5 from 4 AM, but most likely will not reach the office. On Night 6, he will officially start attacking. He will exit through the door at the back of CAM 9. He enters through both the Right and Left Door. When he enters the security office, he will jumpscare the player, ending the game. The Rat is extremely active and can appear at the door as early as 12 AM.
The player can stop The Rat without using the cameras by listening for a sound reminiscent of a glitch or electrical spark, indicating his presence at the door. However, one needs to be very quick on the draw to close the door in time.
Note, however, that this sound cue is entirely absent in the remaster.
FNaC 2
Withered Rat, along with Withered Cat, are only active on Night 6 and Night 8 while the other animatronics are fully inactive for unknown reasons. He will attempt to get to the player via the hallway, like the other standard animatronics. Occasionally, Rat's face will cover up an entire camera. If the camera is not switched fast enough or put down, the camera will be temporarily disabled. This is very similar to Withered Penguin, except when the screen glitches out, the Windows-based error pop-up will show a bunch of numbers ("726576656e6765") instead of the normal error text that translates into "yourdeathmyrevenge". The OK button is still functional so the player can continue after the application for the camera has restarted.
Minigame
FNaC 2
Upon completing Night 8 (7/20 Nightmare Mode), the player will earn a 4th star on the main menu, which notably flickers on occasion with the rest of the text but not the other three stars. Clicking this 4th star will trigger a bonus minigame.
- Year: 1962 (Shortly before the events of FNaC 3)
Beginning in a reopened Rat & Cat Theater, the player controls a younger version of Mary Schmidt in a black dress and bright green sleeves and pant legs.
A banner saying "Grand Reopening" is on the wall behind them. The only possible path to take is left into a large stage room with the stage on the left side, where a crowd of happy children watches The Rat and The Cat on the stage while their parents stand off to the side and vintage music is heard in the background. Upon entering the room, the scene progresses in total automation and the player is unable to move. It appears that Mary is crying at the sight of the two animatronics.
A young boy (which is her brother) wearing a shirt of the same bright green as the girl and a woman (which is their mother) in the crowd excitedly runs up to the edge of the stage, the music gradually slowing into an eerie warped version of itself and fading. The Rat slowly bends down and reaches out towards the boy, every face in the crowd turning from happy to surprise or scared in a single frame. The cutscene ends.
FNaC 3
Night 1
The Rat, being played by an actor who was inside the costume/suit, appears at the back of the building, near the "Backstage" area, and asks the player to play hide-and-seek before the show. When the player hides somewhere, a mini-jumpscare of The RAT plays, and the cutscene ends.
Night 3
The Rat once again appears at the back of the building, near the "Backstage" area, and recognizes the player from the first night cutscene and asks if they want to play hide-and-seek again. When the player is caught, the same mini-jumpscare follows, and the cutscene ends.
Night 5
The Rat is seen with a bunch of children, who all decide to play hide-and-seek with The Rat. The player is also expected to play, as well. This eventually leads to the events regarding the "True Ending."
True Ending
In FNaC 3 on Night 5's Cutscene, Mary, after telling The Rat she will play hide n' go seek with him and the other children, tries to find a place to hide, but all of the places, including the closet used by the player other previous nights, are all taken by the other children. As the Cat, who also is being played by an actor in the costume, runs out of the "Staff Only" room, leaving the door open and unlocked, Mary decides to hide in the Closet within that room. Soon after, The Rat says he saw her run in, and The Puppeteer appears, then starts chewing the actor in The Rat's costume/suit out for being drunk during work hours.
The Puppeteer asks him to "Think about their Careers and the Children," but The Rat angrily mocks The Puppeteer, which prompts him to attempt to pry off The Rat's mask. The Rat fights back, but ultimately ends up getting pushed by The Puppeteer into Vinnie's bench and is paralyzed and left bleeding from a head wound. The actor in the Candy (Cat) costume/suit will appear in the room and ask The Puppeteer what happened to Rat, in which The Puppeteer says it was an accident and that Rat was unstable.
Candy says that they need to call the ambulance and the police, whom of which The Puppeteer says not to, and instead lie to the police and say they found The Rat this way. Candy says to tell the police the truth and goes to the phone to do so, but The Puppeteer sneaks behind him and clenches the gap of the suit, suffocating Cat, and kills him. The Puppeteer then calls the police and tells them that he found his co-workers dead while he was out and leaves the room with Mary still in the closet.
As the screen changed to a black screen, Origami Cat or a psychiatrist, will tell Mary that it is not her fault and that she shouldn't be afraid of the Monsters anymore, and asked her to draw a picture of the room for him.
As the Truth Ending fades in, a doctor's report of Mary's case is displayed, stating how they should notify the police of the newfound information and should reopen the case once more.
History
The RAT was created sometime in 1961 as a costumed character for the Rat & Cat Theater. He was played by a male actor who, alongside the CAT and Puppeteer, would put on shows and play games with the children.
One day in 1961, the RAT comes into work drunk and invites a group of children to play Hide-N-Seek with him, with everyone except Mary Schmidt finds a place to hide. The RAT notices her enter the Employees Only room and runs in after her, telling her he saw her go in. The Puppeteer enters the room, telling RAT to take off his costume and go back home, as he came to work drunk. The Puppeteer tries to take off RAT's mask, but they get into a fight. The RAT tries to choke the Puppeteer, but he pushes him towards the table, causing the actor to fall and smash his head on the table's edge, killing him. After the CAT enters and tries to call the police he is also murdered by the Puppeteer, who calls the police and tells him that he found them dead.
Sometime after, the Rowboatics Corp. Factory is opened and creates the RAT & CAT animatronics for the Rat & Cat Theater's reopening. However the RAT animatronic is haunted by the dead actor and becomes extremely aggressive. A year later, at the theater's grand reopening the RAT and CAT are performing for a crowd of children. It's at this moment where Mary's brother gets close to The Rat, leading The Rat to injure him. Despite the injury being non-fatal, the Rat & Cat Theater was closed anyway and the employee controlling the RAT was arrested despite being innocent. The Rat & Cat were sent back to the factory and were used as the base for newer designs.
In 1964, After Old Candy and Blank are created, The RAT is sat next to them on a conveyor belt. The RAT then activates and begins to wander the factory and attack the security camera watching him. The RAT ends up at Candy's Burgers and Fries, it is unknown whether he was sent for spare parts or if he snuck in with the other animatronics. He was placed in a backroom and stayed unused for the remainder of the restaurant's run.
One night in 1989, Chester discovered a key to his room and went to unlock it. The RAT presumably then attacked and dismembered him, leading to Chester being decommissioned. The RAT also murdered a nightguard in 1993 which led to the restaurant being shut down along with the animatronics being sent back to the factory.
RAT reactivates in 2007, after young Marylin Schmidt breaks into the factory and stays there for six nights. RAT is only active on Night 6 along with the CAT, they are the only animatronics active for the whole night. After Night 6, the factory burns to the ground leaving nothing but rubble, it can be assumed that RAT and all the other animatronics were destroyed in this event.
Trivia
- In FNaC 1, unlike all the other animatronics, The Rat's custom night icon is completely distorted. Additionally, his name flickers randomly. It’s not the case in the remaster.
- Much like Springtrap does in Five Nights at Freddy's 3 and Freddy Fazbear in Five Nights at Freddy's 1, The Rat will attempt to stay hidden in the cameras, making him harder to keep track of.
- The Rat may have been based on a suggestion for a Springtrap-like character named "Mousetrap" on an official announcement page.
- The Rat, (along with The Cat) are most likely inspired by the popular 1950’s American TV show known as Tom and Jerry. As evidenced by the duo of Rat and Cat being similar to the duo of mouse and cat seen in the show, and the overall inspiration/ inclusion of Tom and Jerry and its music (composed by Scott Bradley) in the franchise.
- In the original FNaC, the last frame of The Rat's jumpscare can be inverted back to reveal that he possesses human eyes, similarly to Springtrap.
- This detail is exempt in the remaster however.
- In the late hours of Night 5, The Rat can be seen coming from the door in CAM 09, even though he is not very active at this time. On very rare occasions, he can even attack the player on this night.
- The Rat has his own unique jumpscare sound. In FNaC 2, this sound is shared with The Cat.
- The Rat's shadow can occasionally be seen over the paycheck, replacing Candy's shadow which usually can be seen over the paycheck.
- In the 6th's night cutscene, the time stamp says "64" unlike "87" in the other cutscenes. This means The Rat is at least 3-years-old at the time of the cutscene which explains his slightly withered and appearance.
- The Rat is, however, is 26 years old during the events of Fnac 1
- In Fnac 2, it is indicated that The RAT is 46 years old
- In Fnac 3 he is only 1 year old as this game takes place in 1962 and The Rat was built in 1961.
- The Rat is, however, is 26 years old during the events of Fnac 1
- After completing the 6th night, you will be shown another clip of security footage from The Factory. The footage shows Old Candy, The Rat, and Blank all sitting on a conveyor belt. After a few seconds, The Rat will slightly move. He eventually stands up, walks away from the camera and then re-appears with his face right in front of the camera-view, staring at the player. In FNaC: Remastered, he destroys the camera instead which reboots in the 5th night ending where Vinnie destroys it after showing the player some text on the screen.
- When in the Extras menu, the music stops when the player is at The Rat's extras with the title "RAT".
- In Five Nights at Candy's 3, it is revealed that The Rat and The Cat were formally costumes subsequently converted into animatronics, similar to the Fredbear and Spring Bonnie springlock suits from the FNaF series.
- As revealed in FNaC 3, The Rat is the one who murdered the pair of twins inside Rowboatics Corp. Factory.
- In the original FNaC 1, if the player stays at Rat's extra for too long, he will look at the player and start to ominously walk towards the screen, then he will stare at the player while his head twitches violently.
- In FNaC: Remastered, if the player zooms into Rat's face and stares at him for long enough in the extras, his head will be constantly twitching and numbers 0-20 will be shown. After the numbers fade away, Rat will stare at the player while subtly twitching, showing CAM-13. After the text fades, Rat will stop twitching, and the extras music will resume playing, the player needs to go to Custom Night and input the exact numbers in the exact order they were, then start the night.
- Though in the first game he was named "RAT", the Extra menu in the second game names him as "The Rat". The reason for this is unknown.
- He and The Cat are the only animatronics in the second game that can appear in the same room at the same time.
- When viewing The Rat and The Cat in the Extra Menu of the second game, the music turns into an ominous trombone tune. This is actually the normal music in the extra menu, albeit slowed down.
- In the bonus minigame, he is speculated to have a role in the first murder of the restaurant. This may explain why he had been retired by the time of the first game.
- He is also hinted in the minigames to have had a role in the destruction of Chester, and in the murder of a security guard, leaving the blame to fall on New Candy.
- Alongside with The Cat, The Rat might be an equivalent to Shadow Freddy and RWQFSFASXC. Both of them are the only two who have the same design interpretation and act as secret animatronics. The Cat could correspond to Shadow Freddy (Based on Candy while Shadow Freddy is from Freddy) while The Rat could be an equivalent to RWQFSFASXC.
- In FNaC 3's Night 5 Cutscene section, Mary can inspect a trash bin in the employees room to see two drawings crumpled in there, both about being best friends with Vinnie and The Cat. There are no signs of a Rat drawing in the bin, potentially implying that he keeps the drawings he receives from the children.
- In the second game, when The Penguin disables the monitor, a box will pop up prompting the player to restart SaSS.exe. When The Rat disables the monitor, however, the text consists of strings of symbols with the only legible word being the “Restart” button.
- Despite the similarities between The Rat, Springtrap, and Freddy Fazbear, the three antagonists are pretty different. While Springtrap remains pretty slow and easy to predict, The Rat and Freddy Fazbear are very aggressive. The potential of Rat's jumpscare is extremely high as demonstrated from the cutscene of Night 6 during the first game. On the other hand, while Freddy Fazbear can enter from both doors, he only goes through the right door when the power is on and the left door when the power goes out.
- The Rat is the only enemy in FNaC that is not playable in any of the FNaC 2 minigames.
- The Rat is about as tall or a smidge taller than the average adult man, implying he's either 5'9 or 5'11 feet tall as mentioned by Emil here.
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