“ | You don't need to trust me. Just use me. After all... I'm trying to do the same to you. | ” |
—Retrace XIII: A Lost Raven |
Introduction
|
Xerxes Break (ザークシーズ=ブレイク, Zaakushiizu Bureiku), often referred to by his Pandora alias "Mad Hatter" (
Born into a family of knights as Kevin Legnard (ケビン=レグナード, Kebin Regunaado) about twenty to thirty years after the Tragedy of Sablier, he served a minor noble house known as the Sinclair Family. Considerable social unrest followed the Tragedy of Sablier and a civil war had broken out within the country. Though the Four Great Dukedoms were considered the legitimate rulers of the country at the time, the Sinclair Family opposed them. One day, while Kevin was on a trip with the youngest daughter of the Sinclairs, the rest of the family died in an "accident." He became determined to revive them, Illegally Contracting a Chain called Albus the White Knight and killing over a hundred people in sacrifice to the Intention of the Abyss. For this he became known as the Red-Eyed Specter (赤眼の亡霊, Akame no Bourei). When his Contract was terminated and he was dragged to the Abyss, the Intention met him personally to gouge out his eyes. Though she successfully took his left eye, she was interrupted by Vincent Nightray, and Break was able to convince her to alter time and prevent the Sinclair Family's death. In exchange, the Intention asked that Break find a way to kill her.
He arrived at the Rainsworth Door to the Abyss thirty years later, discovered by a young Sharon Rainsworth and Reim Lunettes. For fear of prosecution, Kevin claimed his name was Xerxes Break. After some investigation, Break learned the Sinclair Family had survived only a few more years before dying even more horribly as a result of his actions. Stricken by grief, he rejected those around him until he was approached by Shelly Rainsworth. Soon he grew close to Shelly and her daughter, and while only legally recognized as Sharon's valet, Break is acknowledged by the Rainsworths as her family.
Appearance[]
Commonly referred to as Break, he is a member of Pandora and a servant of the Rainsworth household. Like Sharon, Break's appearance does not change during the ten year gap between Oz entering and escaping from the Abyss, on account of having a legal contract with the Mad Hatter. Break is often seen with a doll on his shoulder, whom he calls Emily. He adores sweets and cakes. He has short white hair and wine-red eyes. He usually carries a sword disguised as a cane. Break has no left eye, as it was taken by The Intention of the Abyss and given to Cheshire.
Personality[]
On the surface, Break seems a carefree character, never serious and always smiling, with a weak spot for all kinds of sweets and cakes. Sometimes he eats whole cubes of sugar that which he always brings along with him. When needs be, however, Break can also be sinister and dangerous. Reim tells Oz that Break has not always been the way he is now. Before, after losing his eye and for a short while after, he was a bitter and angry person, never smiling. However, through the kindness of Shelly, Sharon's mother, he began to open up. It seems though that some of the emotions from his past still linger as he becomes slightly depressed when he is reminded of it. He has sworn absolute loyalty to Shelly; promising not to die until he has fulfilled the Intention's wish. Break's true motive is to find the truth behind what happened 100 years ago. He hates Vincent with a passion, due to him ordering Echo to attack Sharon, who afterwards was poisoned by Vincent. In Retrace 42, it is shown that Break has become blind. However, he can still differentiate different objects placed in front of him, but not people's faces. He states that he will lose that ability soon. Break says very early in the series that he might not have another year left of his life, as the strain of his contract is slowly crippling his body. He is therefore eager to achieve his goals as quickly as possible, even taking extreme measures when necessary.
He is very protective of Sharon. While he once said that he sees Sharon as a daughter, as Sharon matured with Break looking after her, Sheryl Rainsworth sees it more as a brother-sister relationship. He still looks after and worries about Sharon throughout the series although she is already old enough to do things on her own. There are times when he does not mention where he is going or the condition of his health to Sharon so as not worry her. Sharon especially gets mad when he does this; calling him Mister One-man-show. Break did not immediately tell Sharon about his blindness, fearing it would worry her and make her cry. In the end he finally does tell her and finds Sharon's reaction to be positive and supportive. At this point, Break starts to realize that Sharon is no longer a young girl, but a growing woman.
Abilities and Powers[]
Break has shown some magical ability. An example would be when Oz was possessed by Alice after they left the Abyss, Break set up a magic trap that kept Oz from moving while showing a magic circle on the floor.
Since he was formerly a knight, Break is also an excellent swordsman. He can easily defeat enemies without the use of his Chain. He deflected Fang's huge blade, given that he was blind and his sword was much smaller. He also stabbed Noise's hand and impaled her stomach.
Chain[]
- See More: Mad Hatter
Mad Hatter is Break's current chain. It resembles the Alice in Wonderland character of the same name but gives off a more sinister feel. Mad Hatter resembles a giant top hat with flowery decorations, under which is one big eye. It has the power to reject and destroy the power of the Abyss and exists for the purpose of killing other Chains.
Because Mad Hatter is his second contract, it is very dangerous to Break and strains the condition of his body. Even by using a little bit of Mad Hatter's power may leave his body in a critical state, making him cough up blood and almost unable to walk on his own. It is probably that this is also a consequence of his previous contract. As seen in Oz, an illegal contract can give the contractor extreme chest pain and creating a new contract only makes it worse.
Quotes[]
- "Please... no matter how much despair awaits them... Let what remains at the end of their stories… Be like that sunny day… Full of gentle light."
- "Are you going to finish that?"
- "I am the one who serves this dukedom... My name is Xerxes Break. By the way, this little one is Emily."
- "You...are an uncute brat."
- "Where in the world are you?"
- "You are one eerie brat.."
- "Oz-Kun. You've got three alternatives. First. If time continues to pass... the darkness of the incuse will also devour you. Second. If you keep looking for the truth... there may be a way to save yourself. And third. If you find the answer to THAT question, perhaps I...Remember this, Oz- Kun... That which ultimately remains... may not be hope!"
- "Say, Oz-Kun? You... Or I? Who will be the first to run out of time?"
- "There are a lot of things I would like to tell you, if I have the time."
- "Fortunately, you're a reasonable woman."
- "Hey, miss, Do you want...to be my friend?"
- "So...well...Sharon...for a little while...let me be...a good-for-nothing, just like this."
- "Before I knew it,you turned into a really strong woman."
- "Let me tell you something... People that misbehave for other people's sake, are the ones I hate most!"
- "So throw away those useless emotions, I'll show you how to use everything and everyone available."
- "Let me give you a word of advice. A loyalty that holds fast will become a blade, and will pierce someday those you hold dear. So open your eyes wide. That is, if you... don't want to end up like me..."
- "Listen, Gilbert. You must remember your priorities. If there's only one person you wish to protect, you must be cruel enough to get rid of everything else. Because no one can get back what they've lost."
Appearances[]
- Retrace II: Tempest of Conviction (First Appearance)
- Retrace III: Prisoner&Alichino
- Retrace IV: Rendezvous
- Retrace V: Clockwise Doom
- Retrace VI: Where am I?*
- Retrace VIII: Whisperer
- Retrace IX: Question
- Retrace X: Malediction*
- Retrace XI: Grim
- Retrace XII: Where am I?
- Retrace XIII: A Lost Raven
- Retrace XIV: Lop Ear
- Retrace XV: Welcome to labyrinth
- Retrace XVI: Keeper of the secret
- Retrace XVII: Odds and Ends*
- Retrace XVIII: Hollow eye socket
- Retrace XX: Who killed poor Alice?
- Retrace XXI: Discord
- Retrace XXII: His name is...
- Retrace XXIII: Conflict
- Retrace XXIV: Hello my sister!
- Retrace XXVII: Get out of the pool*
- Retrace XXVIII: Modulation
- Retrace XXIX: Rufus Barma
- Retrace XXX: Snow White Chaos
- Retrace XXXI: Countervalue of Loss
- Retrace XXXII: Snow Dome
- Retrace XXXIII: Echo of Noise
- Retrace XXXIV: Noise of Echo
- Retrace XXXV: Madness of lost memory
- Retrace XXXVII: Glen Baskerville
- Retrace XXXVIII: Scapegoat*
- Retrace XXXIX: Gate of Blackness
- Retrace XL: Blindness
- Retrace XLI: Where am I?
- Retrace XLII: Stray
- Retrace XLIII: Crown of Clown
- Retrace XLVI: Persona
- Retrace XLVII: Unbirthday
- Retrace XLVIII: Isla Yura
- 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 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 LXVI: Jack
- Retrace LXX: Oz
- Retrace LXXII: Bloody Rabbit
- Retrace LXXIII: A note
- Retrace LXXIV: Broken Rabbit
- Retrace LXXV: Alone
- Retrace LXXVIII: Decision
- Retrace LXXIX: Falling
- Extra episode: It makes all kinds
- Retrace LXXXI: CHILDREN
- Retrace LXXXII: Wish*
- Retrace LXXXIII: After the Rain*
- Retrace LXXXIV: Trickster*
- Retrace LXXXV: Reverberate
- Retrace LXXXVI: Wager
- Retrace LXXXVII: Starting Point
- Retrace LXXXVIII: Answer
- Retrace LXXXIX: Staccato Drop
- Retrace XC: Clock Tower
- Retrace XCI: Juror
- Retrace XCII: A Story (†)
- Retrace XCIII: Abyss
- Retrace XCIV: Blaze
- Retrace XCVIII: Reverberate
- Retrace XCIX: Shade*
- Retrace C: Ossia*
- Retrace CII: The Nursery
- Retrace CIV: Will
- Episode 1: Innocent Calm
- Episode 2: Tempest of Conviction
- Episode 3: Prisoner & Alichino
- Episode 4: Rendezvous
- Episode 5: Clockwise Doom
- Episode 6: Where am I?
- Episode 7: Whisperer
- Episode 8: Question
- Episode 9: Malediction
- Episode 10: Grim
- Episode 11: A Lost Raven
- Episode 12: Welcome to Labyrinth
- Episode 13: Keeper of the secret
- Episode 14: Hollow eye socket
- Episode 15: Who killed poor Alice?
- Episode 16: His name is...
- Episode 17: Hello my sister!
- Episode 20: Modulation
- Episode 21: Snow White Chaos
- Episode 22: Countervalue of loss
- Episode 23: A Warp in the World (Non-Canon)
- Episode 24: Kyrie (Non-Canon)
- Episode 25: Beyond the winding road (Non-Canon)
- Caucus Race 1 — Story 1: Golden Drops
- Caucus Race 1 — Story 2: Black Widow
- Caucus Race 1 — Story 3: White Kitty
- Caucus Race 1 — Story 4: Pink Curse
- Caucus Race 2 — Story 4: Cradle Song
- Maidora Hearts (Non-Canon)
- Bumbling Sleuth Break (Non-Canon)
- 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[]
- "Xerxes" is a Greek name derived from the Old Iranian name Xšaya-ṛšā, which can roughly mean "ruling over heroes."[1] It is known for being the name of several rulers and members of royalty who in ancient times reigned over the area known as modern day Persia.[2] "Break" is canonically in-universe implied to have been taken as a name after the Intention of the Abyss pleaded her wish to him, which came on to be his primary goal—to be destroyed. Though the official translation renders her quote as "Destroy me. Destroy me," the verb in Japanese may also mean "to break."[3] How or when the former Kevin chose to go by Xerxes is not known precisely.
- "Kevin" is the anglicized form of the Irish name Caoimhín, which means "of noble birth."[4] "Legnard" derives from the French surname "Regnard," which itself derives from the Medieval French name "Reginhard" which roughly means "mighty" or "brave."[5]
- "Legnard" is not a conventionally used name and Japanese pronunciation conflates it with the real surname "Regnard"; thus making it very likely that the true intended reading of the name is "Kevin Regnard." However the official English localization by Yen Press consistently uses "Legnard" instead, and thus that will be the spelling favored.
- Break's Contracted Chain the Mad Hatter and his general characterization is based directly off the Hatter[6] from Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland novels.[7][8]
- Break's former identity as Kevin Legnard, who was Contracted to Albus the White Knight, is based directly off the White Knight[9] from Lewis Carroll's Alice Through the Looking-Glass.
- His likes are, in order, sweets particularly confections, and teasing Gilbert and Alice. His single dislike is Vincent.
- His skills include swordsmanship and binging on cake. He is weak when it comes to firearms, Sharon acting recklessly, and dancing with others.
- Mochizuki's comment on him is that it made her very happy when her assistant told her how happy it made them when Break joyfully recalled the way Oz spoke of their future as if it was a given.
- Break had the habit of appearing and disappearing out from underneath beds, or from within closets and pantries. How he did this is never explicitly explained, but the most logical explanation would be that Sharon was assisting him with the powers of Equus.
- Break is described as very feminine in appearance, especially his hands. He is coerced into crossdressing by Sharon in one extra - implying it wasn't an isolated occurence - and Mochizuki commented that he probably doesn't have any leg hair. Such traits are said to make Break self conscious about his own appearance.
- Break can will himself to never get intoxicated.
- In Caucus Race, prostitutes nickname him "Zeke."
- His Japanese voice actor also voices the Teacher from The Case Study of Vanitas.
References[]
- ↑ Wikipedia: Xerxes I#Etymology
- ↑ Wikipedia: Xerxes (name)
- ↑ Retrace LXIII: Purpose
- ↑ Wikipedia: Kevin
- ↑ Wikipedia: legnard (surname)
- ↑ Wikipedia: Hatter (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland)
- ↑ Wikipedia: Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
- ↑ Wikipedia: Through the Looking-Glass
- ↑ Wikipedia: White Knight (Through the Looking-Glass)