The Rise of the Hares: What It Means for the Bored Ape Empire

The phrase "Rise of the Hares" is used to describe a challenger effort aimed at the Bored Ape Yacht Club community. This guide does not rely on a specific current report for that name, because public reporting were not available when it was written. Instead, it explains the general pattern behind challenges like this, the background readers need, and the steps to verify any claim.

If you came here after seeing the name in a post, thread or news item, treat it as a starting point for research rather than a confirmed event. Names of this kind can refer to a marketing campaign, a community project, a new collection, or a message that spreads quickly without a clear origin.

The sections below cover the Bored Ape background, how challenger collections typically work, how to assess one, and how to protect yourself as a holder or prospective buyer.

Bored Ape Yacht Club is a collection of 10,000 algorithmically generated cartoon ape images, created by Yuga Labs and minted on the Ethereum blockchain as ERC-721 tokens. Each ape is a non-fungible token, so ownership is recorded on-chain and is separate from the image file itself.

The collection became one of the most recognised examples of a profile picture, or PFP, NFT. Holders often use their ape as an avatar, and membership in the community has been tied to events, merchandise and access programs over time. Yuga Labs later launched a spin-off, Mutant Ape Yacht Club, which is also listed on this site.

The main points to understand are these:

• Ownership is held in a wallet, not on a website.
• Value is set by buyers and sellers, not by the project.
• Community activity and brand decisions can affect demand, but neither guarantees future prices.

For current supply, sale data and sales volume, check the collection page on a marketplace and the contract on a block explorer.

In crypto, an "attack" on a collection usually means a competing project tries to draw attention, holders or liquidity away from it. It can take several forms, and not all of them are harmful.

Common forms include:

• A new collection with a similar art style and a lower entry price.
• A community campaign that encourages holders to move or to join a rival.
• A marketplace feature, such as a bidding tool, that makes a rival easier to trade.
• Copycat projects that use similar names, images or logos to confuse buyers.

The last point matters most for safety. Copycats are a frequent source of fraud, because they can look official at a glance. A legitimate challenger will usually be transparent about its team, its contract and its terms. A copy will often avoid these details or hide them behind urgency.

PFP collections rise and fall for reasons that have little to do with the art alone. Most of the factors below are visible if you look for them.

• Community engagement. Active Discord or social groups, regular communication and clear governance tend to keep holders interested. Silence or constant hype can both be warning signs.
• Team identity. Named, accountable teams are generally easier to assess than anonymous ones.
• Utility and access. Some collections offer membership perks or events. Promised utility is only as strong as the team's record of delivering it.
• Royalties and secondary sales. Royalty settings and enforcement differ across marketplaces and have changed over time, so check the current terms rather than assuming them.
• Liquidity. A collection with few active buyers can be hard to sell at a fair price, even if the art is well made.
• Market conditions. Broader crypto price moves affect NFT demand heavily.

No single factor predicts success. A useful habit is to write down what would make you change your view, then check that information on a regular schedule.

Different collection types carry different risks. The table below compares common models in general terms. It does not rank any project, and it does not describe any specific current event.

Model	What it is	Main points to check
Blue-chip PFP	Large, long-running collection with a known creator	Team disclosures, contract history, trading depth
Challenger PFP	Newer collection positioned against an established one	Team identity, mint terms, contract ownership
Copycat	Imitates a known name, art or logo	Official domain, contract address, links from verified channels
Membership or access NFT	Token tied to perks or early access	Written terms, what the team has delivered before
Fractional or pool token	Wraps NFTs into fungible tokens	How the pool is priced, redemption rules, fees

The more a project depends on hype, pressure or unclear promises, the more caution it deserves. A simple checklist helps: who runs it, where the contract is, what the rules are, and what happens to your asset if the project stops.

Before acting on any claim about a rival collection, work through these steps:

1. Find the official source. Use a domain you typed or bookmarked yourself, not a link from a direct message or a reply under a post.
2. Check the contract. On a block explorer, look at the contract address, its creation date, whether it is verified, and who holds administrative rights.
3. Read the terms. Look for mint conditions, royalty settings, transfer restrictions and any promised utility, and note whether they are written down.
4. Identify the team. Named people with a track record are easier to assess. If the team is anonymous, weigh that as a risk.
5. Look at trading history. Check whether sales are spread across many wallets or concentrated among a few, and whether prices are moved by a small group.
6. Look for independent coverage. Reputable crypto news outlets and security researchers often report on problems. Read more than one source and note dates.
7. Decide your maximum loss before you buy. Only commit what you can afford to lose.

If any step turns up a red flag, pause. Urgency, requests for seed phrases and offers that sound too good to be true are common signs of fraud.

Holders and buyers face several specific risks in this space:

• Phishing. Fake mint sites and fake support accounts often copy official branding. Never enter your seed phrase on a website or into a chat.
• Malicious approvals. Signing a transaction can give a contract permission to move your tokens. Read what each signature does, and revoke approvals you no longer need.
• Rug pulls. Some projects take funds or abandon their promises. Anonymous teams and unclear treasury control raise this risk.
• Wash trading. Some sales are arranged between wallets controlled by the same person to make a collection look active. Sales counts alone do not prove real demand.
• Price swings. NFT prices can fall quickly and may not recover. A high floor price does not guarantee a buyer at that level.
• Tax and reporting. Sales can have tax consequences depending on where you live. Keep records and check local rules.

These risks apply to Bored Ape holders as much as to any other collector. Community size and brand recognition do not remove them.

Whether you hold a Bored Ape or are thinking about a rival collection, these habits reduce your exposure:

• Store your seed phrase offline and never type it into a website, app prompt or support chat.
• Use a separate wallet for NFT activity if you can, and keep only what you need in it.
• Read every transaction prompt before signing. Pay attention to approvals, transfers and any "setApprovalForAll" style request.
• Revoke approvals you no longer use through your wallet settings or a reputable approval-checking tool.
• Bookmark official marketplace and project pages, and type the address yourself.
• Be wary of direct messages offering support, airdrops or mint slots. Official teams rarely start contact this way.
• Keep a record of purchases and sales for your own accounting and any tax reporting.

If you suspect you have signed something harmful, move remaining assets to a new wallet you control, and revoke approvals through a trusted tool. Consider seeking advice from a qualified professional in your jurisdiction.

The following sources change often, so check them on the day you make a decision:

• The official Bored Ape Yacht Club and Yuga Labs channels, which are the authoritative sources for that project.
• The collection page on a major NFT marketplace, for listings, floor prices and sales history. Prices move quickly, so use the live page rather than a saved figure.
• The contract on a block explorer, for ownership, verification status and transaction history.
• Established crypto news outlets, which report on disputes, lawsuits and launches with dates.
• Project documentation and written terms, where available.

Avoid relying on screenshots or unsourced posts. If you cannot confirm a claim through at least one of these sources, treat it as unverified.

A challenger narrative like the Rise of the Hares story can be exciting, but it should not change how you handle your wallet or your money. Start by identifying the official source, verifying the contract, and reading the terms. Then decide how much you are willing to lose, and keep your seed phrase offline.

Bored Ape Yacht Club remains a well-known reference point for PFP collections, but being well known does not make any project safe or guaranteed to hold value. Rival collections may succeed, fail or fade, and their status can change faster than any guide can track.

If you want to explore related areas, the marketplaces and collections listed on this site are a useful place to start. Read each project's terms before you connect a wallet or sign anything, and make decisions based on current information you have checked yourself.