Ayanami, born Krowell Raggs, is the primary antagonist in the anime and manga series07-Ghost.
He is the leader of the infamous Black Hawks, a Warsfeil and a military strategist. He has held the post of the Barsburg Army's Chief of Staff for several years after the Raggs War, and after he drowned Marshal Oak, rose to become Field Marshal. It appears that he is widely known and respected throughout the Barsburg Empire for his accomplishments, despite his relatively young age, usually being greeted with salutes by his inferiors when they see him, but because he is a Wasfeil, many soldiers talk about him negatively behind his back or are afraid of him.
He is directly or indirectly responsible for many of the turmoils that Teito has suffered in his life including the death of Mikage and Weldeschtein Krom Raggs, Teito's father. Ayanami seeks the Eye of Mikhail and has been shown to be targeting the Seven Ghosts, particularly Zehel as the scythe that Zehel is wielding actually belongs to Verloren, Ayanami's soul.
He is revealed to be the reincarnation of Verloren later in the story, and is trying to regain his original ageless and powerful body (Verloren's Body) by unlocking Pandora's Box.
In chapter 90 of the manga, he revealed to Teito that he is in fact Teito's paternal uncle, being the youngest of Teito's paternal grandparents' three sons.
Ayanami is a youthful-looking man who is 34 years old.[4] He stands at 183 cm in the manga, but is drawn taller in the anime.[5] Ayanami weighs 69 kg and has a slender build with broad shoulders.
He has sharp facial features with a pointy nose, narrowed eyes and full lips. Out of all the Black Hawks, Ayanami has the palest skin tone, almost white when compared to others. His hair is neck length, wavy and colored white.
His eye color is violet but the rims of his irises flash red whenever he uses his Zaiphon. In the manga, Ayanami's eyes are either drawn as having no pupils, or slitted pupils like that of a snake, this not occurring in the anime, as Ayanami is drawn as having normal eyes in the anime.
Ayanami is considered very handsome in the series universe, with Eve and Katsuragi commenting on his beauty.[6] The Imperial Army has been shown to take advantage of Ayanami's attractiveness, using pictures of him to attract more females into the military.[7] Many women in the Barsburg military have a crush on him.[8]
Clothing
Ayanami is nearly always seen in his Military uniform, which consists of a black, or possibly dark blue, ankle-length overcoat with gold trimmings on the chest, sleeve cuffs and neck-guard. Like his subordinates, Ayanami wears black trousers, 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, and on his right he has a golden epaulet and shoulder boards as an indication of his high rank. 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 attired in the Military uniform).
Ayanami's uniform is more decorated than those of his subordinates, a major difference being that Ayanami wears a peaked cap which is trimmed with gold and has the Barsburg Military insignia in the centre. Ayanami is very fond of his military cap (to the extent that Hyuuga teasingly said that Ayanami's cap grows on his head), and does not like to take it off, except around Yukikaze. The reason for this is unknown.
When the Black Hawks went to Antwort, Ayanami wore a winter version of the military uniform. It looked very similar to the standard uniform, but was made of a thicker material, with a higher neck-guard and silver decoration instead of gold.
In Kapitel 45, Ayanami infiltrated the Barsburg Church in order to attack the Ghost Profe, and while doing so, wore the traditional Bishop's clothing. He wore a cassock with white trimming on the collar, under a long white outer cassock that hid his arms. The cassock was held together with a loose belt and a large, silver, rectangular brooch emblazoned with the carving of a cross. He also wore the standard Church mitre with a cross in the centre and a veil that extended from the mitre to fall over his face.
In Kapitel 80, Ayanami attended Princess Roseamanelle's masquerade, and wore the appropriate noble clothing. On the cover page of Kapitel 91, he is shown wearing a plain white bathrobe that exposes his bare chest, as well as an ornament that resembles a necklace. The pendants on the necklace bear a resemblance to military ID tags, a form of identification for military personnel. Therefore, the writing shown on the pendants is presumably information on Ayanami himself.
As Verloren, Ayanami wore a black cloak with a hood, and always wore the hood up.
Ayanami in his standard military uniform.
Ayanami in his winter uniform.
Ayanami and Verloren.
Ayanami dressed as a Bishop.
Ayanami in his masquerade clothes.
Ayanami in a bathrobe.
Personality
“
I must protect this country. I will protect it no matter what I'll become.
As Ayanami (not Verloren), he is very dedicated to his profession as a soldier and to his country, willing to kill and die for what he believes in. Nationalism is his main motive in his actions, and Ayanami holds a lot of respect for those who are willing to make sacrifices for their country.[10] He originally shared Marshal Oak's view that the best way to protect Barsburg from losing its present territories is to exterminate all the wielders of the Eye of Mikhail, so that no one can make use of the powerful Eye to threaten Barsburg.[11] However, over the course of the series, Ayanami prioritises loyalty to the Barsburg empire less, and he begins using his position as Chief of Staff to search for Verloren's body. He shows increasing willingness to commit acts of treason.[12]
He does not change his behaviour or go out of his way in order to impress or please his superiors, and the opinions and comments of other people hardly affect him. However, Ayanami does seem rather sensitive when someone mocks his family, as he was shown to be very offended when the Antwort King mockingly referred to him as 'low-born', Ayanami being quite willing to sympathize with his situation until he had said that.
He is quiet and always polite when speaking to colleagues and superiors, rarely showing any facial expressions and always speaking in a monotone. However, when involved with individuals he strongly dislikes, such as Frau or Teito, he sometimes speaks to them rudely.[13] He occasionally displays a dark sense of humour.[14]
Ayanami is very tidy, meticulous and organized, as seen by his tendency to sort his garbage before disposal, and likes to complete his work quickly and to a high standard.[15] He often prefers to work quietly and alone, and dislikes it when anyone distracts him. If someone does distract him during work, or if his subordinates do stupid things (e.g. joking that Ayanami's cap grows on his head) to annoy him, Ayanami is quick to lose his temper and isn't above using violence to discipline them.
He values hard work and diligence, both in his subordinates; he commends Teito and Konatsu for their hard work and is displeased at Hyuuga's laziness. He also values loyalty, and expects it in his subordinates.[16] He dislikes defiance,[17] and denial[18] in subordinates. Ayanami doesn't hesitate to kill people who offend him [19] but is more merciful to those who show humility. [20]
Despite his cold demeanor, Ayanami is aware of his subordinates' feelings[21] and well-being.[22] Despite trying to keep relationships professional (possibly as a result of Yukikaze's death) Ayanami does show kindness towards his fellow Black Hawks.[23] He will also try his best to protect them from harm, and will risk his own safety to help them if he feels the situation has become too dangerous for them.[24] Ayanami occasionally shows a gentle side to his subordinates, especially Yukikaze in the past, and Kuroyuri and Teito in the present. He is also fair to his subordinates, and does not practice favouritism.
Ayanami is an excellent tactician, and as the Chief of Staff, he has planned many of the military's attacks. He is rarely caught off-guard and shows surprise only when his opponent is stronger than he has thought. He is also very patient, waiting more than ten years until it is the right time to carry out his plan to remove Major-General Ogi. Ayanami can be very cunning and manipulative.[25]
Ayanami has great respect for power, as his motto is "Justice without power is vain".[26]
As Verloren
The fact that Ayanami is Verloren's reincarnation has had a considerable impact on his personality. Despite Ayanami being calm and composed, when Verloren is in control of him he appears uncharacteristically eccentric, his behaviour is irrational and he grins maniacally. When ruling Ayanami, Verloren is impulsive in his actions, a trait which is not normally associated with Ayanami.[27]
Verloren's crippling insanity also seems to have had an effect on Ayanami, with Hyuuga remarking that Ayanami is often unable to sleep at night because of the nightmares he experiences.
Abilities and Attributes
One of Ayanami's most notable traits is his intelligence, earning him the nickname 'the Barsburg Empire's number 1 genius'. This, along with how quickly he rose through the ranks of the military reflect his shrewdness and cunning, and as a strategist he the mastermind behind most of the military's plans.
He is a master of manipulation,[28] and is able to find and exploit weaknesses in the enemy's defence or attack style, and his plans are well thought out, always having a fall-back plan if things go wrong.
As Verloren, Ayanami has been alive for more than 1000 years and remembers his past life.
Healing
Being a warsfeil, Ayanami can recover from injuries at an inhuman speed, at the expense of shortening his overall lifespan. An example of his quick healing was shown when he was able to heal a wound on his cheek in a matter of seconds.
Ayanami is able to harness the power of a zaiphon and is shown to be very skilled at using it (universally being acknowledged as the strongest among the Black Hawks), being able to easily overpower his subordinates, as shown in the Drama CD. He displays many abilities with his zaiphon; mostly using it for attacking - but has shown the ability to put up shields to block attacks from enemies. Ayanami was shown to be strong enough to destroy the barrier that was protecting the city of Antwort with a single attack from his Zaiphon. He is one of only two characters in the series (the other being Capella) who can wield dual Zaiphon.
Attacking zaiphon: Ayanami mostly uses his powers to attack enemies, usually launching rings that explode upon impact. Ayanami has also used his attacking Zaiphon to cut the attacks of opponents in half, so that both sides of the opponent's zaiphon attack miss him.
Verloren's abilities
As Ayanami is the reincarnation of Verloren he has also inherited some of Verloren's abilities too, however he cannot use them at their full strength because he is in a human body.
Because Verloren devoured the soul of Vertrag, Ayanami has the ability to possess souls by making a contract, as seen in Mikage's case.
Ayanami communicates with Kuroyuri via telepathy.
However, in a human body, Verloren can only use the power imperfectly, hence possessing only half of Mikage's soul. But this is enough to allow Ayanami to control a person's movements and what they say. It is currently unknown for how long he can possess a person's soul and if this works on everyone. The Black Hawks, his loyal subordinates, have given half of their souls to Ayanami (07-Ghost official character book), with the sole exception of Konatsu. Ayanami can communicate telepathically with the owner of the soul he holds. He will also receive the same injury if these owners are injured, as seen in episode 19 (when blood comes out from Kuroyuri's mouth, blood also comes out from Ayanami's mouth). However, while Ayanami is injured when one of his subordinates is hurt, his subordinates do not appear to be injured whenever Ayanami himself receives damage.
Tying souls together (imperfect): After devouring part of Castor, Ayanami could, imperfectly, tie souls together. He used this ability to revive Haruse by tying his soul to Kuroyuri's.
Seeing the past: While this was not shown, Hyuuga mentioned that Ayanami had used Lance's power to see the past, enabling him to find out that Katsuragi was the traitor in the Black Hawks.
Hand-to-hand combat
Ayanami is rarely shown combating without the use of a Zaiphon, but there is evidence to show that he is an able left-handed swordsman, as during his fight with Teito in the church (episode 25), Ayanami drew his sword confidently and was shown to be able to dodge all his attacks then slice Teito's cheek. Ayanami also carries a whip at his belt at all times, this often being his weapon of choice, and has been shown to be very skilled at using it; being able to hit moving targets, and targets at a distance with ease. Ayanami also sometimes hits Hyuuga with his whip when the latter annoys him.
↑An omake in Supreme Sugar (however as this is in an omake that set in the same universe as the Begleiter side chapter, where Yukinami and Suzunami are young students not combat slaves as they are in the manga, it's unknown if this is canon)
↑In the manga whenever Ayanami is stood next to Hyuuga he is shown to be a few inches smaller than him. However the anime height chart shows that in the anime he is taller than both Frau and Hyuuga.
↑In Kapitel 52, Eve says to Verloren (who looks identical to Ayanami) "why do you have such a beautiful face?" In the second Drama CD: The Day of Retribution, Katsuragi says Ayanami has a very beautiful face.
↑In a four-panel omake from one of the Limited Anime DVDs, Hyuuga and Katsuragi say, "The number of females in the military has increased recently", and then they find a leaflet on which "Shake hands with me at Hohburg" is written and an image of Ayanami (smiling and holding out his hand) is on it. They think it is an altered image. Later, the organizer of that "campaign" is no where to be found
↑Seen in a four-panel omake from Supreme Sugar 01 where the military is celebrating Valentines day. Yukinami says that Ayanami's is very popular with the female cadets.
↑Kapitel 8: Ayanami expresses his wish to protect Barsburg, despite knowing this is not a priority of Verloren.
↑In Kapitel 16, Ayanami smiles when saying that Bastien loves Barsburg more than anything.
↑In Kapitel 8, Ayanami says: "If the Pope got a hold of the stone it will be the Raggs War all over again" then says "We must bring that weapon back under the rightful control of our Imperial Army to bring peace to the Barsburg empire".
↑In Kapitel ?, Ayanami shoots one soldier in the head for defying him, and in Kapitel ?, sacrifices another to possess its body. In Kapitel ?, he murders his superior, Wakaba Oak, and disobeys orders from the Emperor. In Kapitel ? he attacks the Empress-to-be, Ouka. Ayanami was also shown planning a coup d'état with Miroku Barsburg.
↑When talking with Teito, Ayanami uses the derogatory forms of you and says his name without an honorfic.
↑In Drama CD 1, when the Black Hawks thank him for bringing them treats, he laughs and jokes that he would work them all to death starting from the next day.
↑In a manga chapter, other generals expect that it will take him half a year to settle the conflict in Antwort, but it turns out that it only takes him one week to win the war.
↑In Kapitel ?, Castor remarked that the Black Hawks' sharing half of their souls with Ayanami is an effective means of preventing betrayal.
↑In Kpaitel ?, he intended to personally fight Katsuragi after discovering Katsuragi's betrayal of the Black Hawks.
↑In Kapitel ?, two soldiers were guilty of the same offence, Ayanami only punishes the soldier that refused to admit his mistake and spared the one that did.
↑He killed King Antwort for calling him a low-born Warsfeil, killed a soldier who laughed at him for wanting to search a dangerous mountain path for Teito, and killed three generals who often mocked him.
↑He pardoned a soldier who apologised for not searching a dangerous mountain path for Teito.
↑In Kapitel ?, he comforted Kuroyuri when he/she cried.
↑In the first Drama CD, he has asked himself countless times whether Yukikaze was happy being his Begleiter
↑In the first Drama CD, Ayanami brings treats for his subordinates in his own luggage, but brings nothing but work for himself.
↑This is seen in Episode 19; when Kuroyuri was fighting Castor, Ayanami refused to abandon him/her even when he was in great pain, and similarly in Kapitel 19, when he was willing to be the one who Mikhail attacked instead of Haruse. It was also shown in Episode 25, when he put himself in the line of fire to buy his subordinates some time to escape.
↑In Kapitel 45, he could have killed Razette immediately, but he hasn't done that, because keeping her alive allows him to continue getting confidential information from Fest.
↑Verloren attacked Labrador in blind rage, after he (Labrador) remarked that he will never get Eve back, something Ayanami would never have done during a battle.
↑Ayanami uses the Eye of Mikhail as leverage for Marshal Oak to allow him to pursue Pandora's Box.
