Fan art for "By the Grace of the Gods" (2020/TV Anime/Comics/Light Novel)
Date of drawing: July 14th,2021
Size: A4 paper size (210mm x 297mm)
*This English text was machine translated.
I drew Ryoma Takebayashi bowing.
I drew him as a counterpart to the previous rough drawing of Lady Eliaria, but I made his head a little too big and he ended up looking like he was about 9 or 10 years old. The costume was also a mess, especially the muffler around the neck.
Incidentally, the bow and scrape that Ryoma is doing is a bow performed by Western royalty, aristocrats, dignitaries, and other men, and it seems that there is no clear rule as to which side of the leg to put back (in fact, it is quite varied in the videos I have seen of Western dignitaries).
A magicless human from another world. He is a quiet boy, and rarely appears in classes, as he prefers to roam the campus in search for subjects for his art.
|Biographical Information
Name: Ryoma
Katakana: リョウマ
Kanji: 涼真
Birthday: March 21rst
Age: 17
Height: 156 cm
Dominant Hand: Left
Homeland: Japan
Family: "My head hurts when I try to remember..."
Voice Claim: ///
Nicknames: Jelly/Jellyfish (Mizukurage) by Floyd, Monsieur Cœur de Glace (Rook)
|School Life
Grade: Freshman
Class: Class A
Club: //
Best Subject: Animal Linguistics
Worst Subject: History
|Personal Information
Personality:
Ryoma is...quite the odd one. He doesn't seem fazed by most things, and his expression is almost always the same for whatever situation, but it doesn't mean he is as unfeeling as he looks.
He may appear intimidating due to his quiet demeanor, but he can be very expressive in his art and gestures.
He is very blunt and a no-nonsense type of guy, likes taking shortcuts whenever possible.
Occasionally he might get in trouble with the rest of the group, but he always ends up shifting the blame somehow. He gets easily frustrated when he is dragged into situations, and tends to just leave it to others to solve.
He seems talented in his studies, and does enjoy teasing his friends about how little effort it takes him to pass his tests.
Appereance:
Ryoma is a short young man with thick, purple hair that reaches his neck, with blunt bangs, and two bangs on each side that frame his face, and two streaks of straight hair that reach his chest. Ryoma has downturned light grey eyes that perpetually give him a dead stare. He has a scar on his left cheek that seems to be a result of a severe burn.
Background:
Ryoma is from another world, of which he doesn't remember anything aside from a few details of his life. Back there he was a manga author, though the plot or look of his manga is something he struggles to remember, which is often the source of his annoyance at being here.
Xander is the crown prince of the kingdom of Nohr and wielder of the sword Siegfried in Fire Emblem Fates. The name Xander is a short form of Alexander, a Greek-based name. Considering he is a major character and face of the Conquest route, he is likely named after Alexander the Great, the famous Macedonian king and general; he widely expanded his kingdom to one of history's largest empires. Much like Nohr, Greece under Alexander's rule looked eastward, invading through India until halted by the Persian Empire. Considering that Xander's mother Katerina (or Yekaterina in Japanese) is named after Russian Empress Catherine the Great, there may be an intentional throughline of powerful rulers carrying the "Great" epithet. There could also take influence from Catherine's grandson Alexander I of Russia, emperor during the Napoleonic Wars. Ironic in a sense, this would make the prince of the invading nation named after an emperor who was unsuccessfully invaded.
In Japanese, Xander's name is マークス (rōmaji: mākusu), romanized as Marks. The name is most likely a corruption of マルクス (rōmaji: marukusu). While this can be used for the name Marx like early fan translations addressed the character by, it also can be used for the Latin name Marcus (also rendered as マーカス; rōmaji: mākasu). This choice is most associated with Roman political figure Marcus Antonius, better-known thanks to Shakespeare as Mark Antony (マーク・アントニー; rōmaji: māk antonī). Mark Antony was a general serving under Gaius Julius Caesar in the Gallic Wars and, after the conquest and rising tensions among the First Triumvirate, during the Civil War. Before war erupted, he went to the Roman Senate in an attempt to peacefully settle the conflict, but his pleas were largely resisted. After Caesar became dictator of Rome, Antony served as his second in command and, after the formation of his cult, the high priest. Following the assassination of Julius Caesar, Mark Antony agreed to be a member of the Second Triumvirate alongside Caesar's heir Octavian and Marcus Lepidus, and divided the Roman Republic amongst them. However, tensions between him and Octavian were high, especially as after his marriage to the young Caesar's sister he maintained an affair with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Eventually, this strain birthed the War of Actium between Rome and Egypt, with Antony declared a traitor. When the couple had their backs against the wall as Rome invaded Egypt, they took their own lives, leaving Octavian as the sole ruler of Rome, which he soon converted into the Roman Empire under his new name Caesar Augustus. Xander seems to take influence from Mark Antony more so as they both were respected military leaders with tense relations to the powers they support - Garon and Julius Caesar - but proudly follow them despite such. Additionally, Shakespeare popularized the image of Mark Antony being a tragic figure in Antony and Cleopatra. Especially in Birthright Xander can be interpreted as a tragic figure, like most following the "Camus-archetype" in the Fire Emblem series. It could also be argued based on some of Xander's lines that his death in Birthright was of his own intention, further relating to Mark Antony.
Ryoma (JP: リョウマ; rōmaji: ryouma) is the high prince of the kingdom of Hoshido and wielder of the blade Raijinto. He is named after Sakamoto Ryouma (坂本龍馬), a master swordsman and political activist following the end of Japan's isolationist policy brought about by the forceful arrival of United States Commodore Matthew Perry. Born to a low-ranking samurai family, Sakamoto dropped out of school at an early age to pursue the blade in Edo, becoming a master kenjutsu instructor come his early twenties. Soon after returning to his home domain of Tosa, he was an early member of the Tosa Loyalist Party, one of many organizations that were dissatisfied with the Tokugawa Shogunate (a military dictatorship) and desired power to lie in the hands of the Imperial Court once more. As the Tosa Loyalists, purely focused on their domain, began plotting the assassination of the local governor - a man largely focused on modernization - Sakamoto, whose interests lay more with the army of Satsuma marching on Edo, left Tosa. The act of leaving one's clan was not acceptable and brought about the death penalty and left one denounced as a rōnin. He traveled back to Edo, where he and a colleague planned to assassinate Katsu Kaishu, a member of the Shogunate and a major influence on Japan's westernization. Upon meeting Katsu, however, Sakamoto was convinced of the need for westernization and the development of Japan's naval force. He became an assistant and mentee of Katsu. When Katsu was dismissed by the shogunate and his naval training center done away with, Sakamoto and other students were taken in by the Satsuma domain. Here he established Kameyama Shachū, a trading and shipping company through which he allied the opposing domains of Satsuma and Chōshū. Together, Satsuma and Chōshū were able to best the Tokugawa Shogunate and brought about the Meiji Restoration. Shortly before the start of the Boshin War, however, Sakamoto Ryouma was assassinated by the Mimawarigumi, a police force established by the shogunate. Fire Emblem's Ryoma obviously takes inspiration from the historical figure as a skilled wielder of katanas, but also in his participation in a revolution, seen in his affiliation with the Chevois Rebellion. A comparison can also be made between Ryoma's sudden disappearance from Hoshido to support the western-based revolt and Sakamoto Ryouma's leaving of Tosa to support the movement against the Tokugawa Shogunate, while growing in understanding of the westernization movement from his superior. Additionally, Sakamoto bringing peace between the feuding Satsuma and Chōshū domains to dismantle the shogunate may have some influence upon Corrin being able to bring peace between Nohr and Hoshido to bring war to Valla.
There are notable parallels between the purported namesakes of Xander and Ryoma. Both Mark Antony and Sakamoto Ryouma were major political figures in times of unrest in their countries during the buildup of a shift from militaristic dictatorships to placing power in the hands of an emperor followed by a period of peace. Both instances feature the subject as a major player in the conflicts leading to an imperial system but dies shortly before such a change is adopted. The endings of both of their lives can be reflected in Xander and Ryoma, who in their respective route opposing Corrin die in battle shortly before peace is found between the warring kingdoms.
Title: "You're going to be taking part in the defeat of a hexenbiest, aren't you afraid to wear sandals?"
Fan art for "By the Grace of the Gods" (2020/TV Anime/Comics/Light Novel)
Date of drawing: Dec.1,2020
Size: A4 paper size (210mm x 297mm)
*This English text was machine translated.
While watching the TV animation, I was concerned that the footwear was still in sandals when equipped for defeating demonic beasts. I imagined that Mr. Worgan was worried about Ryoma and asked him the following question. "Aren't you in danger with your sandals on?"