| “ | Really? Am I... the one becoming strange? | ” |
—Retrace LXIII: Purpose | ||
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Introduction
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Leo (リーオ, Rīo) is a supporting character from Jun Mochizuki's Pandora Hearts. First appearing as a student of Lutwidge Academy, Leo is the valet and best friend of Elliot Nightray. Though being of common birth and thus far below Elliot socially, the two treat each other as equals. He serves as a voice of reason to Elliot, and is not afraid to criticize him or curb his temper. As such, he is far more warm to Oz Vessalius, not seeing the conflict between Oz and Elliot's families as a reason the two should dislike each other.
This article contains plot and/or ending details for Pandora Hearts.
Read at your own risk.
Since early childhood, Leo had been plagued by voices only he could hear and sights that only he could see. This made him an outcast within his rural village. After being orphaned by a Chain at age twelve, he was sent to the House of Fianna, an orphanage run by the Nightray Dukedom in the destroyed former capital of Sablier. At around age fourteen, he met Elliot Nightray, who'd gone to the House of Fianna in frustration after finding no suitable noble to serve as his valet. While the two did not initially get along, they grew to like each other greatly, and Leo agreed to serve as Elliot's valet in hopes of accessing the Nightray library.
A few months later, on a return trip to the House of Fianna, Elliot would suffer grievous wounds in an altercation with a Chain. Desperate, Leo listened to the voices in his head for the first time, calling upon the previous incarnations of Glen Baskerville to find a way to save Elliot's life. This resulted in Elliot becoming the Illegal Contractor of Humpty Dumpty, a Chain which made him "forget" his wounds. Driven by Humpty Dumpty to forget all sources of distress and "protect" Leo at all costs, Elliot began to lose memories of certain events and interactions. As Leo trusted in Elliot, he believed Elliot's words over his own memories, and began to fear for his own sanity. Thus, Leo did not seek help, even after several of his foster siblings had died and he began to suspect Elliot was in danger.
Appearance[]
Leo's anime character design
As the reincarnation of Glen Baskerville following Oswald's death 100 years prior, Leo was born with a special connection to the Abyss; which was directly represented in his black eyes that were flecked with gold. Having been the cause of hardship in Leo's young life, his mother allowed Leo's thick black hair to grow out so that his bangs would cover his eyes and help protect him from the harshness of the outside world. Leo continued to allow his hair to grow after his mother's death when he was relocated to The House of Fianna in Sablier, only ever eventually allowing Elliot to view his eyes; which Elliot thinks are beautiful and shouldn't be kept hidden. Even so, Elliot helped Leo hide his eyes by getting him a large pair of glasses that would later become a signature of his appearance.
After becoming Elliot's valet, Leo began attending Lutwidge Academy alongside Elliot, donning the school uniform in favor of his previous rags. The Lutwidge uniform consists of a white overcoat over a black waistcoat and white undershirt, complimented by white dress shoes and a white bowtie.
Leo's formal wear outside of Lutwidge Academy includes a black overcoat over a white undershirt with a large collar that folds over the collar of his overcoat, black dress pants and dress shoes and a large purple ribbon tied in a bow.
Personality[]
Having grown up in a troubled situation as a child when his mother was devoured by a Chain, Leo became rather unsettled, violent and defiant toward his superiors; as shown during his first encounter with Elliot; caring little for the Nightray Dukedom who had brought him to an orphanage in Sablier. Despite this, Leo is known to have cared deeply for his fellow orphans of The House of Fianna, viewing them as family and attempting to keep them safe no matter the consequence.
Leo also has a great love for music, having taught himself to play piano, and having bonded with Elliot through their mutual interest in the instrument. This eventually lead to Leo seeing Elliot as his equal, ultimately resulting in him becoming Elliot's valet. Despite his position however, Leo refuses to be subservient to Elliot and even denied his request to take Leo as his valet at first. While Leo is willing to stand by Elliot, he is not willing to passively take Elliot's attitude - as shown when he lashed out at Elliot during Oz Vessalius's second Coming-of-Age Ceremony when Elliot had questioned his motives in relation to Isla Yura. Even so, Leo has a great level of respect for Elliot, being willing to kill in order to keep Elliot safe if the need ever rises, even if it means destroying himself.
Leo's love for piano
Following Elliot's death however, Leo becomes warped; not caring what happened to himself because of the guilt he felt for the role he played in Elliot's death. As Leo takes to his destiny and becomes a Baskerville, he takes the back seat when times get hard, allowing Oswald's consciousness to take over his body out of fear after being attacked by Jack Vessalius. This gives way to Leo becoming himself once again, actively fighting against Oswald within his subconscious when Oswald's intentions begins to threaten the lives of his friends. Ultimately, Leo is free to relieve his anger in a confrontation with Oz when he finally regains control, soon putting aside his differences with Oz in order to save the world as a whole. It is at this point that Leo fully accepts his role as a leader and begins to act as a true incarnation of Glen Baskerville.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Access to The Core of the Abyss - As Glen Baskerville, Leo is capable of making direct Contact with The Core of the Abyss. Although such abilities were meant to be used only in cases of emergency.
- Baskerville Contract with Jabberwock - Through Jabberwock, Leo is capable of mending the Chains of the World, passing judgement on those accused of crimes against the Abyss and interdimensional travel, while being able to control Jabberwock's deadly energy beam attack.
- Some Gun Experience: While being rather incompetent with guns, Leo was known to carry one as part of his duty as Elliot's valet; using his gun against Lottie when the Baskervilles invaded Lutwidge Academy and against Noise in Sablier.
- Talented Pianist: Leo is a self-taught pianist and musical composer, having practiced while at The House of Fianna. His talents surpass that of Elliot's, something which Elliot is known to be quite bitter about. Leo composed "Lacie" and gave it to Elliot as a gift in return for Elliot giving him "Statice".
Quotes[]
- "Now that the wedge called Elliot is gone - we're nothing more than enemies!"
- "You're wrong... You're wrong about that as well, Oz! We're just two people who met through someone called 'Elliot'. You're quite mistaken thinking we were friends through him. Because I don't know a thing about you!"
- "I've come for you, Oz-kun."
- "Elliot... I'm sorry..."
- "It's also a servant's duty to make sure his master behaves properly am I right?"
- "Correcting the master's conduct is also a duty of a servant, you know..."
Appearances[]
- Retrace XXIV: Hello my sister! (First Appearance)
- Retrace XXV: Elliot&Leo
- Retrace XXVI: The pool of Tears
- Retrace XXVII: Get out of the pool
- Retrace XXVIII: Modulation
- Retrace XXIX: Rufus Barma*
- Retrace XXXV: Madness of lost memory
- Retrace XXXVI: Sablier
- Retrace XXXVII: Glen Baskerville
- Retrace XXXVIII: Scapegoat
- Retrace XXXIX: Gate of Blackness
- Retrace XL: Blindness
- Retrace XLI: Where am I?
- Retrace XLII: Stray*
- Retrace XLV: Queen of Hurts
- Retrace XLVII: Unbirthday
- Retrace XLIX: Night in gale
- Retrace L: Reverse Corte
- Retrace LI: Lily&Reim
- Retrace LII: Bloody Rites
- Retrace LIII: Humpty Dumpty Sat On A Wall*
- Retrace LIV: Blank Smile
- Retrace LV: Back To Back*
- Retrace LVI: Rabbit Eyes
- Retrace LVII: Humpty Dumpty had a great fall
- Retrace LVIII: Puddle of blood
- Retrace LIX: Couldn't put Humpty together again
- Retrace LX: Egg Shell
- Retrace LXI: Demios
- Retrace LXII: Repose
- Retrace LXIII: Purpose
- Retrace LXIV: Tarantelle
- Retrace LXV: Collapse
- Retrace LXX: Oz
- Retrace LXXIV: Broken Rabbit
- Retrace LXXVIII: Decision
- Retrace LXXXII: Wish*
- Retrace LXXXIII: After the Rain*
- Retrace LXXXV: Reverberate*
- Retrace LXXXVII: Starting Point*
- Retrace LXXXVIII: Answer*
- Retrace XCI: Juror
- Retrace XCII: A Story
- Retrace XCIV: Blaze
- Retrace XCV: Vincent
- Retrace XCIX: Shade
- Retrace C: Ossia
- Retrace CI: Oswald
- Retrace CII: The Nursery
- Retrace CIII: Call Your Name
- Retrace CIV: Will
- Episode 17: Hello my sister!
- Episode 18: Elliot & Leo
- Episode 19: The pool of Tears
- Episode 20: Modulation*
- Episode 23: A Warp in the World (Non-Canon)
- Caucus Race 2 — Story 1: Blue Rose
- Caucus Race 2 — Story 6: Epilogue Tale
- Pandora Academy (Non-Canon)
- Gilbert in Wonderland (Non-Canon)
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Trivia[]
Leo's profile in 24 + 1: Last Dance
- "Leo" is a name in several languages, mainly European, originating from the Latin word "leō" and Greek word "λέων" which both translate to "lion."[1]
- He likes reading. He dislikes anything which disrupts his reading.
- His skills include speed-reading and piano. He is weak when it comes to poor explained instructions and Levi.
- Mochizuki's comment on him is, though she believes he will continue to struggle even after the story's conclusion, Levi has taken a liking to him, so he will manage.
Leo's brooch as seen in Retrace LV: Back To Back
- In the chapters after Elliot's death, Leo can be seen wearing a brooch engraved with statice flowers, most likely due to the song that was gifted to him by Elliot, Statice.
- It has been noted that despite the fact that Oz and Leo are the same height (The difference being a mere centimeter), Elliot calls Oz a shorty. Volume 15's special thanks page has noted that this is due to Elliot already calling Leo a shorty once and getting beat up for it.
- In the anime, Leo was shown in a flashback living with the Nightrays since he was a child. This causes an adaptation-induced plot hole as Leo actually became Elliot's servant much later than that.