Wakaba Oak

'''SPOILERS AHEAD! READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!'''

Wakaba Oak is a minor antagonist in the 07-Ghost manga and anime series. He is Shuri Oak's father and Hakuren Oak's uncle.

Wakaba was the field marshal of the Barsburg Armed Forces after Miroku, and was one of the officers behind the Raggs War and the Raphael Project. Wakaba was murdered by Ayanami in manga chapter 75.

Etymology
Wakaba's first name may come from the Japanese destroyer battleship of the same name. His name follows the trend of Barsburg officers being named after warships.

In Japanese, "wakaba" means "young leaf" or "verdure leaf". His surname, Oak, may be derived from the fact that the oak leaf is commonly seen on military awards and insignia, as it is a symbol of strength, and the oak (tree) is the national tree of Germany.

Wakaba is also the name of one of the six wards of the Japanese city of Chiba.

Physical appearance
Wakaba Oak's official weight and height are unknown. He appears to be around his late 40's in age, as he has wrinkles round his eyes as well as marionette lines round his mouth. His face is masculine, diamond-shaped, with a strong jaw. He has a small mouth, with full lips and large, narrowed eyes (light-color in the manga, medium purple in the anime) and a large, crooked nose. Wakaba has a strinking resemblance to his son, Shuri Oak, and like his son has fair skin and pale blonde hair, and like many from the Oak family, Wakaba has long eye-lashes on his bottom lid. Keeping with the Oak family tradition, Wakaba also wears earrings.

Clothing
Wakaba's military uniform consists of a black or dark blue, ankle-length overcoat with gold trimmings on the chest, sleeve cuffs and neck-guard. He wears black trousers and knee-length black, buckled boots and white gloves. His uniform has a small half mantle hanging off his left shoulder emblazoned with the Barsburg Military insignia. As the field marshal and the leader of the First Fleet, he uniform has some difference compared with the other generals - he wears some golden aiguillettes and a fringy epaulet on his right shoulder, and the upper part of his coat has more trimmings. It is unknown what is worn under the overcoat but it is possible it is a plain white shirt (as Mikage was shown wearing one when in the Military uniform).

Personality
Wakaba Oak is a nationalist. He values the interests of his counrtry above everything or anyone else. For this, he could be unsympathetic to other people (even to a princess of Barsburg), as he supports the view that it is right for his country to attack Raggs for Raggs' rich resources, so that Barsburg can become the strongest and/or richest nation in the world. He also thinks that feuds between individuals should give way to Barsburg's interests.

He usually talks with other people in a friendly or polite way (e.g. calling his subordinates "gentlemen" in meetings, using the polite suffix -kun to address Ayanami and Konatsu), even to those whose ranks are much lower than his (e.g. Konatsu), and seems to have a good relationship with other colleagues, as he is congratulated by the officers around him when he told them about his son's graduation. It seems that he adopts a fairly open policy with his direct subordinates, as one of them frankly asks his superior whether it is good to let Shuri stay in the Black Hawks, and Wakaba gives him his answer.

"Stitch those meat pieces together and make a princess again! You're a scientist! Do something right!"

- Wakaba

Despite normally appearing calm and polite to those around him, when it comes to matters related to war, Wakaba has a callous regard to and an aggressive attitude towards human beings who he doesn't consider related to him (e.g. Raggs civilians) or close enough to him emotionally (e.g. Princess Ouka). When the chance of winning an important war is threatened, he stands firm and becomes aggressive.

Wakaba is a confident man, as in chapter 62 he smiles and says, "Interesting", when he thinks that he is probably Ayanami's next target to remove from the army.

He is also quite cunning, sometimes uses silly/humorous acts to cover his real purpose. One example is when he cheerfully tells Hyuuga to take his son to Ayanami and then beats a hasty retreat. It is not until Shuri sees Ayanami that the Black Hawks know Wakaba's real purpose was to make Shuri Ayanami's Begleiter (manga chapter 25, page 25).

He is a practical man. If he wants something, he is willing to pay a price.

He is a successful businessman, as he has made the Oak Family's wealth grow much more by selling the kokujyuseki as a monopoly.

He shows signs of nepotism, as he assigns his son to be the former Chief of Staff's Begleiter for apprenticeship.

Family and relatives
Shuri Oak: Wakaba loved his son very much. He is kind towards and protective of Shuri, ready to support him emotionally (he let a teary Shuri run into his arms and encourages him) and career-wise. Wakaba has greatly helped Shuri in the military as he managed to persuade the military academy to let Shuri pass the graduation exam, and he assigned Shuri as the Chief of Staff's Begleiter. He appeared to be proud of his son.

Shuri has a very close relationship with Wakaba, as he cried a lot when Wakaba dies.

His wife: As Wakaba loves the child born by his wife very much, and Shuri is fond of both of his parents, it seems that he loved his wife or had a good relationship with her.

Hakuren's Father: It appears that Hakuren's father dislikes or is indifferent towards Wakaba, as he does not attend his brother's funeral.

Hakuren's Mother: No interaction between Wakaba and Hakuren's mother has been shown, and nothing is known about their relationship. However, the fact that they seem to interact very little, if at all, suggests that they are not close.

Hakuren Oak: Like his (Hakuren's) parents, Hakuren was not seen at Wakaba's funeral, and has made no mention of Wakaba's death, suggesting that Hakuren feels indifferent towards his uncle.

Other members of the Oak clan
Some Oaks have asked Wakaba to do them favours. and it seems that Wakaba had been trying to help his relatives when he was a high-ranking officer in the army. However, they clearly do not care for him, as they express their disappointment at no longer being able to obtain benefits through him instead of being sad over his death, and even gossip about the cause of his death. Shuri is apparently aware of their dislike or indifference towards Wakaba.

Colleagues
Miroku Barsburg: Wakaba and the Chairman appear to have had a stable relationship. As Miroku was the former field-marshal before his retirement, he may have tutored or given advice to Wakaba. There is evidence to suggest that they were on apparently friendly terms, as Miroku, the headmaster of the Barsburg Academy, let Wakaba's son pass the Begleiter Exam despite he should have failed the exam; and Wakaba protects Ayanami, Miroku's subordinate, from other generals' hostile attack in meetings. The night Wakaba died, he dined with Miroku too.

Ayanami
"General Oak seems to approve of the Black Hawks diplomacy."

- Miroku Barsburg

He is suspicious of Ayanami, and does not believe that Ayanami played no part in the death of Major-General Ogi despite his alibi, saying it looks so 'guiltless' he cannot help but think it 'fishy'.

However, Wakaba appears to approve of Ayanami's capability or deems Ayanami a valuable asset to the army, as he defends his position when other officers attack him,  and asks if Ayanami is unharmed following the battle.

Wakaba also respected Ayanami enough to place his own son as Ayanami's begleiter, and appears disappointed when he (mistakenly) believes Ayanami already has a begleiter, so it cannot be Shuri. Due to Wakaba being a nationalist, he may believe that although Ayanami may have several motives, he will rank nationalism the first. Unfortunately, he does not know that Ayanami is no longer Ayanami, who ranks Barsburg the first, but Verloren, who ranks finding his love the first. For ten years since the Raggs' War, if Marshal Oak had sided with the generals who hate Ayanami, making use of opportunites to execute or demote Ayanami, Ayanami might not have had the chance to kill Wakaba.

Konatsu Warren: It seems that Wakaba has confidence in Konatsu's ability and personality, as shown when he entrusted Shuri to him. Being a loyal subordinate to Ayanami, Konatsu Warren is uninterested in Wakaba (manga chapter 75).

Others
Roseamanelle Ouka Barsburg: Wakaba does not care for the princess and values her only in terms of how useful she is to Barsburg. Compared with Barsburg's glory and gains if she wins the war against Raggs, he doesn't care about the welfare of the princess. He was unwilling to hear the scientists' concerns about starting the experiments too early as the princess was still very young, and was unconcerned with her death, instead furious that the important Raggs War may be lost.

Wolfram Eifeler Barsburg: They may have been rivals as two of the seven God-House-wooers of the former Barsburg empress at her Groom Choosing birthday party, in which Wolfram won her hand in marriage, though they probably did not take the rivalry seriously as Wakaba went on to marry another woman, with whom he seemed quite content. Wolfram trusted Wakaba to some extent when it came to business and gave Wakaba the power to oversee the Raphael Project. It is likely that they could work quite well with each other, as both of them willingly sacrificed the princesses/empresses of Barsburg for the Raphael Project, and they both believed that Barsburg should take Raggs' resources. As a member of the Barsburg military, Wakaba was loyal to Wolfram and the Empire's cause. However, Wolfram never expressed any grief at Wakaba's death, so it seems that their relationship was only ever formal and businesslike.

Early childhood
Wakaba was born into the prestigious and wealthy Oak family. He presumably grew up with his brother, Hakuren's father.

Marriage
At some point, he married a (presumably noble) woman whose name and appearance are unknown in the series. It is estimated that Wakaba was in his mid-thirties when he had a son, considering his physical appearance when the Raggs War broke out and Shuri's age (around three years old) at the time.

Military
He is the Barsburg Army's field marshal after Miroku, and has held the post for at least 12 years.

Pre-Raggs War
Before the Raggs War was fought, he was already the field-marshal in the Barsburg Army.

In manga chapter 84, it is revealed that Marshal Wakaba, along with some scientists, witnessed the death of the 'real' Princess Ouka in an experiment a few years before the Raggs War. Then, Doctor Nanase took Wakaba to a secured laboratory, in which he told Marshal Oak not to worry, because he had already made 47 replicas based on the information obtained from the experiments carried out on the previous empresses and empresses-to-be.

Wakaba told Nanase not to record the death of the 'real' Ouka, instead, write down that the princess did not die in the experiment on that day, so the project would go on. He also told Nanase not to tell the Emperor about the princess's death. From that day onwards, OR-0007 (the Ouka shown to the readers since the Raggs War) took the role of the real Ouka, though unbeknownst to Wakaba, OR-0007 was not just a replica, since the real Ouka's soul was secretly moved into it by Ghost Ea.

Re-discovery of the Eye of Mikhail
"We will never acknowledge Raggs. All these seven continents belong to us (Barsburg)!"

- Wakaba Oak

Field Marshal Wakaba first appears at a meeting with other generals concerning Ayanami's loss of two imperial fleet ships. Three generals that dislike Ayanami, are appalled at the damage and are quick to demand Ayanami's execution. However, Wakaba silences them and draws their attention to the Eye of God left in the mountains of District 7- it being proof the Eye of Mikhail was present at the attack. He explains that what they (the Barburg Army) worry most, namely the appearance of the Eye of Mikhail's host, has become reality (if a host for Mikhail's Eye is available, the Church can crown him king, reviving the Raggs Kingdom), and they must do anything, including eliminating the leftover descendant(s) of Raggs, to protect Barsburg's present territories.

Wakaba decides to offer the public false information on the appearance of the Eye of God, saying the Eye of Raphael malfunctioned. In the manga, he then adjourns the meeting, but not before informing his subordinates that his son, Shuri Oak has passed the Begleiter Exam.

Antwort War
"Because Papa said I was Ayanami-sama's begleiter, of course!"

- Shuri Oak

Wakaba approaches Hyuuga, who he recognises as a subordinate of Ayanami, and asks him to take his son, Shuri Oak on board Ayanami's ship as the Black Hawks prepare to leave for Antwort. He then leaves Hyuuga with Shuri, and Shuri reveals later that his father told him that he (Shuri) had been made Ayanami's begleiter- something Wakaba did not tell Ayanami.

Ayanami's return
Wakaba is seen in a meeting when Ayanami returns from Antwort with news that the country is now under Barsburg's control. Wakaba appears very pleased and congratulates Ayanami on his victory, but is suddenly interrupted by admiral Ogi who attacks Ayanami for breaking the charter. Wakaba ignores him, letting Miroku Barsburg defend Ayanami. Ayanami then addresses Wakaba and asks for permission to pursue the vessel of the Eye of Mikhail. Wakaba is reluctant at first, but the Chief of Staff presents him with the Eye he had taken earlier and Wakaba is so impressed he agrees.

"I understand why you feel this way but you are a Warsfeil. You cannot leave Hohburg without permission."

- Wakaba

After the meeting, Wakaba accompanies Ayanami to see his son, Shuri Oak, who has just returned with the rest of the Black Hawks. Shuri runs into Wakaba's arms in tears, and Wakaba comforts and encourages Shuri. He notices Yukinami and Suzunami are following closely behind Ayanami, and mistakenly believes them to be his begleiters. He appears disappointed at this, as he had hoped Ayanami would have his son as his begleiter. However, he then entrusts Shuri to Konatsu Warren after seeing how attached Shuri has become to him.

Death
In chapter 75, it is revealed that Verloren used Fest's strings to kill Wakaba, but made his death look as if Wakaba fell into a fountain accidentally but was too drunk to get himself out of it. In the same chapter, it is also revealed that the Oak Family is in fact one of the seven God Houses, i.e. the Oaks are the lineage of one of the Seven Ghosts. It is Verloren's plan to use attending Marshal Wakaba's funeral as an excuse to infiltrate the Oak House and lure a Seven Ghost out (and this plan does succeed, as Relikt is attacked and killed by a prepared Verloren from the back when he came to the Oak House).

Quotes

 * "Everyone has use." (manga chapter 28)
 * "To start a war, any reason will suffice." (manga chapter 67)

Trivia

 * Wakaba has an impressive war record.
 * Manga chapter 67 shows that although Wakaba looks like a young man in his mid-30s only, he was already the army's highest-rank officer and the commander-in-chief in the Raggs' War. There is a chance that some elder officers were secretly jealous of Wakaba.
 * His residence is close to Hohburg.
 * According to Shuri, although many Oaks or other people come to Wakaba's funeral, none of them cared about Wakaba; they are only concerned with their personal gain.
 * Wakaba always wears his earring(s), but his earrings are missing when his corpse lies in the coffin. (manga chapter 75)
 * He collects art works and he has at least 700 collections.
 * Wakaba has a Begleiter. When Wakaba's body was controlled by Ayanami, his Begleiter was not with him. Wakaba's corpse is first discovered by his Begleiter.

'Extras' related trivia

 * He is the eldest son of the family, and has a younger brother whose son is Hakuren.

Misc.

 * Kawahara Yoshihisa plays the role of a student at the Barsburg Academy in the April 2009 drama CD titled 07-Ghost - 7th District.