Christopher Armalite
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Chrisopher Armalite is a fictional character in the anime television series Scrapped Princess.
Contents |
[edit] Character history
He was raised by the military as a soldier since his early childhood, and is current leader of Obstinate Arrow, Fifth Special Ops of the King's Army. He is a highly-skilled combat master, and wields a large battle-axe that can be folded and concealed easily. He appears to fill the role of honorable antagonist in this series.
Since the beginning of the series, Christopher and his team have been charged with the mission to eliminate the Scrapped Princess. Christopher moved on his own for most of the first episode, seeking to understand his "quarry" better before striking. After tailing the Casulls to the village, he came to understand the magical prowess of the sister Raquel, and later fought with Shannon to understand his skill in swordsmanship. After gathering what information he needed, Christopher casually queries why Shannon and Raquel protect Pacifica as they do. When Shannon tells him why their parents named her "Pacifica", and swears his allegiance to her no matter the outcome, Christopher takes his leave back to his headquarters.
He appears again in the latter part of the third episode - and then throughout the fourth episode - where he kidnaps Winia Chester in order to lay a trap for one of the two guardians. While waiting, he shows some kindness to Winia by offering her his cloak. Eventually, Shannon shows up, and the two fight in a duel in the Glass Canyon. Shannon soon subdues Christopher, but spares his life, telling him that Pacifica is the sort of girl that would be upset and blame herself if anyone died because of her - enemy or ally. Christopher allows Shannon to take Winia back with her, promising that he will not make any further attempts on their lives.
However, before he and his team can leave the city of Taurus, word from the Major comes in that a Peacemaker (Galil) has come in to deal with the Scrapped Princess - the whole city's populace is at risk. Unable to stand aside and allow the civilians to be slaughtered, Christopher and his teammates enlist the aid of the Casulls in fending off the Peacemaker's onslaught, briefly allying with them for that moment.
Later, in order for him to gain access to the castle's resources, he is officially adopted by Obstinate Arrow's superior - Baroness Bailaha - as her son, becoming Christopher Bailaha. Upon entry into the castle, he befriends the crown prince, Forcis. During his stay in the castle, Christopher continues to research on Grendel's prophecies, trying to understand if the Scrapped Princess is truly destined to destroy the world - there have been two instances where the prophecies had been false. During this period, he makes fewer appearances, his purpose to supply background information for the audience.
Nearing the end of the series, Baroness Bailaha is dismissed from her position of command over the Obstinate Arrow. Unused to the command of the new leader (the Major), the team turned to Christopher for his leadership. Christopher served under the Major to the point of arresting Pacifica, but later defied orders by helping her escape by boat through the waterways under the city.
Since their "betrayal" to the King, Christopher and Obstinate Arrow officially allied with the Casulls, helping to fend off the attacking army until her sixteenth birthday.
In the final episode, Christopher seems to have become a friend to the Casull family. His close friendship with Prince Forcis has continued, and he attended Forcis' coronation as King at the end of the anime.
[edit] Obstinate Arrow
Although a natural leader, Christopher appears to be the youngest member, and as a result is a target of maternal affection from Baroness Bailaha - despite her having adopted him only for the sake of his mission - and sisterly affection from both Julia and Scarlet, who nicknames him "Chri-boy" in the Japanese version. After receiving his first letter from Winia, he was subjected to friendly teasing from the three of them.
Regardless, he has his whole team's respect, and all of them were willing to follow him even after he "betrayed" the King by helping Pacifica. He also seems to have a close friendship with Dennis, who is usually there to give him advice.
[edit] Christopher and Winia
Christopher and Winia Chester appear to have some kind of relationship with one another, if not mutual affection, ever since the incident in Glass Canyon. After Christopher had departed from Taurus, Winia has been sending him letters - much to the delight of the female members of Obstinate Arrow. Eventually, with Leopold Scorpes' escort, Winia decided to visit Christopher in his home (the timing however, was very bad, seeing as it was a very tense situation at the time regarding the Scrapped Princess). Christopher ignored Winia when she showed up to meet him, but later apologized for it - he had not wanted to get her involved in any trouble. Later, when all have gathered together, Pacifica discovered Winia had feelings for Christopher and teased her about it until Seness showed up. In the epilogue, Christopher and Winia can be seen riding together with Prince Forcis to his coronation, with Winia knitting something pink.
[edit] Trivia
Christopher can be described as an example of the developing hero. His original last name "Armalite" probably comes from the name of the ArmaLite Corporation, a manufacturer of American firearms, including M16 and M4 assault rifles.
Christopher's weapon has large blades on either side - with a handle long enough for dual wielding, but is somehow so light that it can be compacted small enough for him to hide easily. It thus appears a curious question of physics, but possible remnant of the lost technologies that were originally responsible for the creation of Dragoons and Peacemakers.
