TV-Series
Description
In a medieval world plagued by monstrous beings known as Yoma, humanity survives under the protection of half-human, half-Yoma warriors called Claymores. These silver-eyed warriors, named after the massive swords they wield, are employed by the Organization, a shadowy group that dispatches them to eliminate Yoma threats. Claymores are feared and ostracized by humans due to their hybrid nature, as they risk losing their humanity and transforming into Awakened Beings—powerful, monstrous entities—if they overuse their Yoma powers.
The narrative centers on Clare, a low-ranking Claymore with a tragic past. As a child, Clare was saved by Teresa, the strongest Claymore of her time, who became a maternal figure to her. After Teresa’s death at the hands of the Organization, Clare vows to avenge her by becoming a Claymore herself. Clare’s journey intertwines with Raki, a young boy exiled from his village after his family is killed by Yoma. Raki becomes Clare’s companion, offering emotional support and humanizing her otherwise solitary existence.
The plot unfolds as Clare undertakes missions to hunt Yoma and confronts increasingly powerful adversaries, including Awakened Beings and other Claymores. A significant arc involves the Northern Campaign, where Clare and her fellow warriors face a catastrophic invasion led by the malevolent Awakened Being Isley and his forces. Throughout the series, Clare’s relationships with other Claymores, such as the stoic Miria, the compassionate Helen, and the enigmatic Priscilla, reveal the complexities of their shared struggles and the moral ambiguities of their existence.
Clare’s ultimate goal is to confront Priscilla, the former Claymore responsible for Teresa’s death, who has become one of the most dangerous Awakened Beings. The story explores themes of identity, vengeance, and the cost of power, as Clare grapples with her humanity and the limits of her abilities. The series balances intense action sequences with moments of introspection, delving into the psychological toll of being a Claymore and the bonds that form between these warriors and the humans they protect. The narrative concludes with a climactic confrontation that tests Clare’s resolve and the extent of her transformation, leaving a lasting impact on the world of Claymores and Yoma.
The narrative centers on Clare, a low-ranking Claymore with a tragic past. As a child, Clare was saved by Teresa, the strongest Claymore of her time, who became a maternal figure to her. After Teresa’s death at the hands of the Organization, Clare vows to avenge her by becoming a Claymore herself. Clare’s journey intertwines with Raki, a young boy exiled from his village after his family is killed by Yoma. Raki becomes Clare’s companion, offering emotional support and humanizing her otherwise solitary existence.
The plot unfolds as Clare undertakes missions to hunt Yoma and confronts increasingly powerful adversaries, including Awakened Beings and other Claymores. A significant arc involves the Northern Campaign, where Clare and her fellow warriors face a catastrophic invasion led by the malevolent Awakened Being Isley and his forces. Throughout the series, Clare’s relationships with other Claymores, such as the stoic Miria, the compassionate Helen, and the enigmatic Priscilla, reveal the complexities of their shared struggles and the moral ambiguities of their existence.
Clare’s ultimate goal is to confront Priscilla, the former Claymore responsible for Teresa’s death, who has become one of the most dangerous Awakened Beings. The story explores themes of identity, vengeance, and the cost of power, as Clare grapples with her humanity and the limits of her abilities. The series balances intense action sequences with moments of introspection, delving into the psychological toll of being a Claymore and the bonds that form between these warriors and the humans they protect. The narrative concludes with a climactic confrontation that tests Clare’s resolve and the extent of her transformation, leaving a lasting impact on the world of Claymores and Yoma.
Episodes
Staffel 1
1Silver-eyed Monster
A yoma,a creature that assumes human form and feeds on human entrails, terrorizes a village. The villagers hire a Claymore, a silver-eyed warrior who carries a massive sword, to eliminate it. The Claymore, Clare, arrives and observes the villagers’ fear and suspicion toward her. She identifies the yoma when it reveals itself disguised as a villager’s son. Clare kills the yoma with a single, precise strike, severing its head. The dead yoma reverts to its true form, revealing the son had already been consumed long ago. The mother of the deceased son screams in grief, directing her anger at Clare. Clare responds by slashing her own arm, exposing her silver eyes and demonstrating her own hybrid nature: half-human, half-yoma. She explains that Claymores are created by an organization to hunt yoma but are themselves feared and ostracized. The villagers retreat in horror. Clare collects her payment and departs. As she walks alone, a flashback shows a young Clare following a Claymore named Teresa, establishing a personal connection that drives her. The episode closes with Clare continuing her solitary journey, the next conflict implied by the arrival of another Claymore sent to monitor her.
2The Black Card
Clare and Raki continue traveling together when they encounter a village where a yoma has killed the local priest and assumed his identity. Clare detects the yoma but waits before acting because another Claymore,Elena, arrives carrying a black card. Elena explains that the black card signifies she has reached her limit and asks Clare to kill her before she fully awakens into a yoma. Clare hesitates, recalling that Elena was once a trainee alongside her, bound by the same harsh code that forces Claymores to eliminate their own when they can no longer suppress their yoma half. After a brief internal struggle, Clare cuts down Elena with a single strike, granting her a death without transformation. Raki watches from a distance, seeing firsthand the burden Claymores carry beyond fighting ordinary yoma. Clare then returns to the village, confronts the yoma disguised as the priest, and kills it in front of the villagers, exposing the corpse’s true form. The villagers react with fear and hostility, driving Clare and Raki away despite her having eliminated the threat. As they leave, Clare speaks of the black card as a duty all Claymores eventually face, underscoring that survival for her kind only delays an inevitable end. Raki remains by her side, but the episode closes with Clare setting her sights on the northern lands, where the most dangerous awakened beings gather.
3The Darkness in Paradise
Clare and Raki enter a village where a Yoma preys exclusively on young women. They encounter Elena,a Claymore whose body nears its limit from Yoma flesh integration. Elena presents a black card to Clare, a signal that she wishes Clare to kill her before she fully awakens into a Yoma. Clare hesitates, recalling her training under Elena when she first joined the Organization. Elena’s deterioration accelerates, and she loses control of her human form. Clare draws her sword and delivers a killing strike, honoring Elena’s request. After the burial, Clare takes Elena’s sword as a replacement for her own damaged blade. Raki watches in silence, understanding the weight of Clare’s duty. The pair leave the village, with Clare now carrying the burden of Elena’s final moments. Ahead, a new assignment from the Organization awaits, forcing Clare to continue her role as a slayer.
4The Slashers I
Clare accepts a mission to eliminate a Yoma in Saint-Esme. She arrives to find the town already attacked and the garrison destroyed. Galk,a surviving soldier, describes the attacker as a humanoid monster wielding a massive sword, which they named a Slasher. Clare identifies the creature as an Awakened Being—a Claymore who surpassed her human limits. She tracks the Awakened Being to a quarry. The creature, calling herself Priscilla, regenerates wounds instantly and moves with overwhelming speed. Clare releases her Yoki energy to match her, but Priscilla severs Clare’s left arm and leaves her for dead, mocking her hybrid nature. Galk finds Clare’s severed arm and carries her unconscious body to safety. As Clare loses consciousness, she remembers Teresa, the former Number One Claymore who saved her as a child. The memory contrasts Teresa’s power with Clare’s current helplessness. Galk brings her to a village, where she remains unconscious with her survival uncertain. Galk stays by her side, unwilling to abandon her.
5Teresa of the Faint Smile
A young girl walks beside a Claymore named Teresa,who carries a severed Yoma head. The girl, Clare, was a former ward of that Yoma, which kept her alive to serve as a decoy. Teresa killed the Yoma on her mission but found Clare unable to leave her side. Teresa attempts to abandon Clare in a village, but Clare follows her silently across towns. Other Claymores warn Teresa that traveling with a human violates the Organization’s code, which forbids Claymores from forming personal attachments. Teresa dismisses the warnings, stating she will simply drop Clare off at a safe location. On the road, a bandit group ambushes Teresa, seeking to capture or kill a Claymore for reward money. Teresa easily incapacitates the bandits but one man, left alive, threatens to kill Clare. Teresa kills him with a single strike. The Organization learns of the human death and dispatches four Claymores to execute Teresa. Clare witnesses Teresa’s calm acceptance of the impending fight. The four Claymores surround Teresa, each releasing her yoki energy in preparation for the execution. Teresa draws her sword, standing alone with Clare behind her, now forced to fight former allies to protect the girl she refuses to abandon.
6Teresa of the Faint Smile
Teresa,a Claymore ranked number two, kills a group of bandits who attack her, violating the Organization’s rule against killing humans. The Organization dispatches other Claymores to eliminate her for this transgression. While traveling, Teresa finds a young girl named Clare being beaten by human captors and kills them to free her. Clare begins following Teresa, having witnessed her strength and hoping to become a Claymore herself. Teresa explains that becoming a Claymore means living as a half-human, half-yoma hybrid, a life she discourages Clare from choosing. Despite Teresa’s refusals, Clare remains by her side, and Teresa shows signs of attachment she has never displayed toward others. The Organization’s hunting party, led by the newly inducted Priscilla, tracks Teresa and confronts her. Priscilla, driven by her absolute hatred of yoma and her rigid sense of justice, demands Teresa abandon Clare. Teresa refuses, asserting her right to protect the girl. Priscilla attacks Teresa, and the two engage in combat, leaving the outcome uncertain as the other hunters prepare to join the fight.
7Marked for Death
In a village,Clare receives a black letter from the Organization assigning her to join two other Claymores in hunting an Awakened Being that has been preying on noble heirs. She leaves Raki behind, but he follows despite her orders. At the designated location, Clare meets the Claymores numbered 8 and 15, who show resentment toward her due to her low rank and her past association with the traitor Teresa. They track the target to a mansion where the Awakened Being poses as a nobleman’s son. The three Claymores engage it, but the creature’s speed and regenerative ability exceed their expectations. Before they can land a decisive blow, Claymore number 4, Ophelia, arrives and single-handedly dismembers the Awakened Being. Ophelia then turns her attention to Clare, accusing her of having used yoki beyond permissible limits in a previous mission, which suggests she is close to awakening. Ignoring the objections of the other Claymores, Ophelia attacks Clare, slicing her limbs and leaving her helpless. When Raki rushes in to defend Clare, Ophelia stabs him through the shoulder and mocks his attachment to a half-human monster. The other Claymores attempt to intervene but are swiftly incapacitated. As Ophelia prepares to deliver a killing blow to Clare, Clare recalls her time with Teresa and the choice she made to become a Claymore. With this memory, Clare seizes Ophelia’s sword and counters, refusing to die. The confrontation establishes Ophelia as a ruthless antagonist within the Organization’s ranks, driven by a personal obsession with Claymores who risk awakening. Clare’s survival hinges on her ability to fight while grievously wounded, and Raki’s injury underscores the danger of his proximity to her. The episode ends with Ophelia, amused by Clare’s sudden resistance, declaring that she will now take the fight seriously, setting up a desperate battle against a superior opponent intent on her death.
8Awakening
Clare confronts the awakened being who was once the male Claymore known as the number one. The creature reveals his past as the first to surpass his limit,driven by the constant hunger that consumed him. Clare struggles to land a decisive blow despite her rapid strikes, her sword failing to penetrate his hardened flesh. The awakened being mocks her efforts and explains the true nature of the yoma power within Claymores. Raki watches from a distance, helpless as Clare is thrown back repeatedly. The arrival of another Claymore, the number four Ophelia, abruptly changes the battlefield. Ophelia executes the wounded awakened being with a single fluid motion, then turns her attention to Clare. She declares her intent to kill Clare, revealing a twisted enjoyment in hunting her own kind. Clare, already exhausted and injured, can barely lift her sword to defend herself. Raki steps forward to shield her, forcing Ophelia to pause and mock his human weakness. The episode ends with Ophelia preparing to strike, leaving Clare and Raki trapped against a superior opponent who takes pleasure in their despair.
9The Scattered Ones
The Claymore squad under Miria’s command presses its attack on the male Awakened Being in the desolate town. The Awakened Being demonstrates his ability to manipulate the yoki of his opponents,causing several Claymores to lose control and explode from within. Miria recounts her past: she survived an encounter with the same Awakened Being years ago by suppressing her yoki to the point of near death, while the rest of her team perished. Acting on this experience, the squad suppresses their yoki emissions and executes coordinated slashing attacks to land hits on the target. Each wound, however, closes almost instantly due to the Awakened Being’s rapid regeneration. Clare releases a surge of yoki, approaching her own limit, and drives her sword into his body in a desperate attempt to end the fight. The Awakened Being responds by revealing that he can sense even suppressed yoki and that he has been toying with them to draw out their fear. He unleashes his full strength, scattering the group with shockwaves and striking down multiple Claymores, including Undine who falls while shielding a comrade. With their formation broken and their strategy rendered useless, the surviving warriors face imminent death as the Awakened Being closes in. Just as he moves to deliver a fatal blow, a second Awakened Being—the female creature who previously preyed on the town—emerges and attacks him, introducing an unexpected third force into the battle.
10The Witch's Maw
Ophelia,the organization’s fourth-ranked Claymore, intercepts Clare and Raki during their journey. She claims to hunt an Awakened Being but quickly reveals her contempt for Claymores who harbor human emotions. She engages the Awakened Being, a giant spider-like creature, and kills it with swift brutality. After the battle, Ophelia turns on Clare, citing her desire to eliminate those she considers impure. She attacks Clare with overwhelming force, slicing her limbs and leaving her defenseless. Raki attempts to shield Clare, but Ophelia strikes him down without hesitation. Cornered and facing death, Clare forcibly releases her yoma energy, transforming her arm into a flexible, blade-like appendage. Ophelia stops her assault, intrigued by Clare’s partial awakening and deciding to spare her to witness a full transformation. Left bleeding and unconscious, Clare relies on Raki to carry her away. Ophelia follows at a distance, her interest now fixed on pushing Clare to the brink of awakening.
11The Battle of the North
Miria,Clare, Helen, and Deneve arrive in the northern town of Pieta, where twenty-four Claymores have assembled under the Organization's orders. Ermita, the Organization's liaison, instructs the warriors to hold the town against an approaching force of Awakened Beings. Miria challenges the plan's defensive rigidity, pointing out that the Claymores lack intelligence on the enemy's numbers and capabilities. The warriors divide into five teams, each led by a single-digit Claymore, with Clare joining Flora's squad. Clare restrains her Yoki output, fearing that releasing it could trigger an awakening, while Flora monitors her movements with suspicion. Jean, a Claymore from the south, reveals that she and her former comrades were manipulated by the male Awakened Being who now leads the enemy force. The first wave of Awakened Beings attacks, forcing Clare to unleash her Yoki to protect her teammates and sever an enemy's limb. Flora observes Clare's partial awakening—a state where a Claymore approaches the limit without fully transforming—and resolves to question Clare after the battle. The Claymores repel the initial assault, but a second wave appears: six high-ranked Awakened Beings emerging from the forest, their power dwarfing the previous enemies.
12The Endless Gravestones
Clare,Helen, Deneve, and their accompanying Claymores arrive in a village surrounded by countless stone markers. A village elder explains the gravestones commemorate Claymores who fell in a battle against a powerful Awakened Being years prior. While the group rests, an Awakened Being with human-like speech and tactical intelligence appears, challenging the warriors. The creature reveals its identity as a former male Claymore, disclosing that the Organization first created male warriors who all eventually succumbed to awakening. Clare tracks the retreating Awakened Being through a network of caves using her exceptional ability to sense yoma energy. Inside the caves, the group discovers the skeletal remains of the male Claymores' former leader, confirming the elder's story. The Awakened Being ambushes them, demonstrating regenerative abilities and strength beyond any yoma they previously faced. Helen and Deneve launch coordinated attacks but fail to inflict fatal wounds. Clare positions herself to protect the group while attempting to analyze the creature's movements. The Awakened Being withdraws after deliberately prolonging the fight, leaving the Claymores shaken by its calculated cruelty. The Organization's handlers receive a report of the encounter, prompting them to dispatch new orders that will test the warriors' resolve.
13The Endless Gravestones (Part 2)
14Qualified to Fight
15The Witch's Maw (Part 1)
16The Witch's Maw (Part 2)
17The Slashers
Miria leads Clare,Helen, Deneve, and a team of Claymores to the northern town of Pieta to reinforce the defensive line against an advancing Awakened Being force. The warriors receive orders to eliminate any Awakened Beings that approach the town. A powerful Awakened Being with six arms and extendable limbs arrives alone at the city’s perimeter. Miria orders a coordinated assault, exploiting each warrior’s unique combat abilities. Clare uses her quick-sword technique to deliver rapid thrusts while Helen attacks from range with her stretching arms. Deneve absorbs direct strikes and uses her accelerated regeneration to create openings for the others. Miria moves with phantom-like speed, landing precise cuts that disable the enemy’s attacks. The combined offensive overwhelms the six-armed Awakened Being, and Clare severs its head with a final strike. Immediately after the victory, the warriors detect multiple yoki signatures approaching from the north. They conclude that the defeated Awakened Being was a scout sent to gauge their strength, and a full-scale invasion force is now converging on Pieta. The team braces for a desperate defense against an enemy force far larger than any they have faced before.
18The Carnage in the North
Miria leads the twenty-four Claymores stationed in Pieta against a force of Awakened Beings. She organizes them into teams to exploit synchronized Yoki suppression,allowing combined attacks that momentarily overcome a powerful Awakened Being. The initial success gives the Claymores a brief advantage, but the Awakened Beings quickly adapt and inflict heavy losses. Jean arrives with intelligence that the Organization constructed the northern mission specifically to eliminate Claymores who have shown signs of awakening and then returned. Miria corroborates this by analyzing the mission’s structure, which placed the most capable warriors in exposed positions. The surviving Claymores decide to abandon the Organization’s orders and retreat south instead of continuing to fight. Before they can move, Rigardo, the Awakened Being known as the Silver King, appears and single-handedly kills multiple Claymores with overwhelming speed. Clare attempts to defend her comrades but cannot land a strike against him. Rigardo impales Clare through the abdomen and prepares to finish her. The episode concludes with Clare bleeding on the ground as Rigardo stands over her.
19The Scars of Battle
In Pieta,Clare and her comrades face the Abyssal One Isley’s vanguard led by Rigardo. Rigardo kills several Claymores in rapid succession, using his speed and claw attacks to overwhelm them. Clare attempts to counter with her quick-sword technique but is outmatched and pinned down. As Rigardo moves to deliver a fatal blow, Clare’s suppressed memories of Teresa surface, triggering a partial awakening that alters her eye color and releases a surge of yoki. Jean, who had been separated from the group, senses the shift and forces her own body to move despite her injuries. She intercepts Rigardo’s attack, sustaining deep wounds to shield Clare. Meanwhile, the remaining Claymores—including Helen, Deneve, and the other surviving members—regroup and coordinate a defensive line to buy time. Rigardo, recognizing the threat of Clare’s transformation, focuses on eliminating her before she fully awakens. Jean’s intervention gives Clare the seconds needed to stabilize, but the battle remains dire with reinforcements cut off and supplies exhausted. The episode closes with the Northern army’s main force approaching, leaving the defenders with no retreat and the prospect of a last stand against overwhelming numbers.
20The Battle in the North
The twenty-four Claymores dispatched to the North split into five teams to engage the Awakened Beings. Rigardo,the Silver-Eyed Lion, single-handedly attacks the teams, killing several Claymores with rapid strikes. Clare confronts Rigardo after he wounds Jean and kills Veronica. Clare’s left arm and leg begin to awaken, transforming into monstrous limbs. She channels her yoki into a concentrated form to execute the Quicksword at a speed surpassing her previous limits. The repeated slashes sever Rigardo’s limbs and ultimately bisect him, killing the Awakened Being. The remaining Awakened Beings withdraw upon Rigardo’s death. Miria, Helen, and Deneve gather with Clare, who struggles to contain her partial awakening. Jean uses her yoki synchronization technique to pull Clare back from full awakening. The Northern campaign’s first major assault concludes with the Claymores securing a temporary reprieve. The episode ends with the arrival of a new force: the Abyssal One Isley of the North, who observes the aftermath from a distance.
21Invasion of Pieta
Twenty-four Claymores assemble in the northern town of Pieta under Miria’s leadership. The Organization has deployed them to counter the Awakened Beings commanded by Isley of the North. Miria divides the warriors into five teams,each assigned a section of the town’s perimeter. The Awakened Beings launch their assault at dawn, overwhelming the Claymores with superior numbers and speed. Rigardo, Isley’s second-in-command, enters the battle and personally kills several warriors, including Undine. Clare struggles to track Rigardo’s movements even after releasing her yoki. Jean activates her drill sword technique to pierce through an Awakened Being’s armor, buying time for her comrades. As Rigardo closes on the wounded Helen and Deneve, Clare releases a massive surge of yoki, partially awakening her limbs to intercept him. The episode ends with Clare confronting Rigardo in a transformed state, her body manifesting awakened features while she fights to maintain her human consciousness. The remaining Claymores regroup, knowing they face an opponent whose speed and strength exceed any they have encountered.
22The Witch's Maw
In Pieta,the seven Claymores assigned to the northern front prepare for the approaching Awakened Being army led by Isley. The Awakened Beings launch their assault, overwhelming the Claymore defenders with superior numbers and individual power. Clare struggles to control the yoki energy surging within her partially awakened body, fearing she may lose herself. The lion-like Awakened Being Rigardo penetrates the defensive lines and kills Captain Flora with a single strike. Several other Claymores fall to Rigardo before Clare confronts him, unleashing her awakened right arm in a desperate attempt to match his speed. Clare’s partial transformation allows her to wound Rigardo, but she cannot sustain the form and collapses from exhaustion. Helen and Deneve retrieve the unconscious Clare and the wounded Jean, retreating from the battlefield as the remaining Claymore forces scatter. The Awakened Being Riful of the West emerges from the ground, capturing Clare and Jean before the other Claymores can escape. Riful reveals her interest in warriors who have partially awakened, seeing them as potential allies or tools. The episode concludes with the survivors of Pieta regrouping while Clare and Jean face an unknown fate in Riful’s grasp.
23Cripple and Struggle
Rigardo,the Silver King, severs Clare’s arms and legs during the battle in Pieta. Helen and Deneve rush to defend the incapacitated Clare, but Rigardo’s speed and strength overwhelm them, leaving them unable to counter his attacks. With no other recourse, Clare releases her youki past her limit, forcing a partial awakening that regenerates her severed limbs. The rapid regeneration threatens to consume her consciousness, pulling her toward complete transformation into an Awakened Being. Jean, freed from Rigardo’s captivity when the chaos of the battle distracts her captors, reaches Clare and employs the Drilling Sword technique to forcibly align Clare’s youki flow. Jean’s precise manipulation halts Clare’s awakening, stabilizing her just before she loses her humanity entirely. While Jean works to save Clare, Rigardo continues his assault, killing Undine and several other Claymores, reducing the defenders to a handful of survivors. Clare regains full control of her body, her limbs restored, and rises to face Rigardo again. The remaining Claymores gather behind her, their numbers depleted but their resolve fixed on a final confrontation against the Awakened Being who has decimated their ranks.
24Critical Point (Part 2)
25For Whose Sake
26To the Successors
Cast
- Ophelia
- Sophia
- GalateaKatharina Koschny
- Helen
- ThérèseClaudine Grémy
- Miria
- Rubel
- CynthiaRenata Dalmora
- Noelle
- IreneHeide Domanowski
- Jean
- Deneve
- Priscilla
- Teresa
Comment(s)
1Staff
- DirectorHiroyuki Tanaka
- ScriptYasuko KobayashiKazuyuki FudeyasuDaisuke Nishida
- Episode DirectorKanji WakabayashiHiroyuki TanakaGi Du Kim
- MusicMasanori Takumi
- Character DesignTakahiro Umehara
- Chief Animation DirectorTakahiro UmeharaHaruhito TakadaDong-Jun Kim
- Art designNobuhito Sue
- Director of PhotographyOh Seong HaSuk Bum Lee
- Series CompositionYasuko Kobayashi
- StoryboardKazuo YamazakiMorio AsakaShinsaku SasakiYoshiharu AshinoHiroyuki TanakaTōru YoshidaHiromitsu MoritaTomihiko ŌkuboHiroshi HamasakiYūzō SatōHideo HayashiRyōsuke NakamuraTomohiko Ito
- Unit DirectorHiroyuki TanakaYūzō Satō
- Original creatorNorihiro Yagi
- Art DirectorManabu Otsuzuki
- Animation DirectorTakahiro UmeharaHaruhito TakadaHee Kyu JangGi Du KimJin Hee Song
- Sound DirectorYasunori Honda
- ProducerMasao MaruyamaToshio NakataniManabu Tamura
Production
- Animation ProductionMadhouse
- ProductionMadhouseVAPD.N. Dream PartnersNippon Television Networkavex mode
