TV-Series
Description
Artorius Collbrande is a central figure in the anime Tales of Zestiria the X, recognized as the supreme leader of the Abbey, the ruling organization of exorcists. He is a man of immense power and conviction, hailed by the public as a savior for his role in quelling a devastating daemon outbreak three years prior to the main events. Despite his heroic image, his methods and ultimate goals place him as a formidable antagonist.
Standing at 187 centimeters with long silver hair tied back and light blue-green eyes, Artorius presents a refined and commanding appearance. His attire, a long white and gold coat over an ocean-blue interior with a matching cape, reflects the pristine and authoritative image of the Abbey. He wields a longsword in combat and favors strategic, reason-based tactics over emotional impulses, a philosophy he instills as the core teaching for all exorcists under his command.
Before becoming the revered leader of the Abbey, Artorius lived a very different life under the name Arthur in the village of Aball. He was the husband of Celica Crowe, making him the brother-in-law to both Velvet and Laphicet Crowe. During this time, he was a loving and gentle family man who cared deeply for his wife and her younger siblings, even though he was not related to them by blood. He inspired both Velvet and Laphicet to consider becoming exorcists and worked to support the family.
This peaceful life was shattered by two catastrophic events known as the Scarlet Nights. During the first Scarlet Night, which became known as the Opening, Artorius fought to protect his family. In the ensuing chaos, his pregnant wife Celica was killed while saving him. Consumed by grief and anger at what he perceived as humanity’s selfishness, Artorius resolved to end the world's suffering by any means necessary. He made a pact with a powerful entity called Innominat, whose revival required a tremendous sacrifice. On the second Scarlet Night, the Advent, Artorius put his plan into motion by using his own brother-in-law, Laphicet, as the primary sacrifice in a ritual. When Velvet discovered this, Artorius attempted to sacrifice her as well, but the ritual instead transformed her left arm into that of a daemon known as a Therion. Unable to kill her, he imprisoned Velvet on the island of Titania. In the three years that followed, Artorius rose to power, using the power gained from Laphicet's sacrifice to expand the Abbey's influence and become the world’s acknowledged savior.
In the anime, Artorius is shown to be aware of Velvet's eventual escape from her prison on Titania. He dispatches his subordinate, Oscar Dragonia, with an exorcism sword to recapture her, demonstrating his calculated and indirect method of dealing with threats. The story reveals his past through Velvet's flashbacks, most notably the traumatic moment she witnessed him plunging a sword into her brother Laphicet, declaring his intention to stop the world's pain.
Artorius’s motivations stem from a genuine, albeit twisted, desire to create a utopia. Having witnessed the suffering and chaos caused by malevolence, which turns humans into daemons, he concluded that humanity's emotions are the root cause. His goal is to resurrect Innominat to suppress all human emotion and will, thereby eradicating malevolence permanently. He operates on a cold, utilitarian logic, believing that sacrificing a few individuals is a justifiable price for saving the many. This philosophy puts him in stark opposition to the protagonists, who value individual lives and the inherent goodness of human emotion despite its potential for darkness.
Key to his character are his relationships, which serve as the foundation for his fall. His love for his wife Celica and his subsequent loss is the catalyst for his transformation. His betrayal of Velvet and Laphicet, whom he once protected as family, represents the complete subordination of his personal affections to his grand, emotionless ideology. His relationship with his former ally, the malak Seres, who is the reincarnation of his wife Celica, is complex and tragic, as he uses her as a tool for his plan.
Over the course of the story, Artorius shows no redemption arc but rather a deepening commitment to his path. He is a tragic figure who, in his grief, became a sociopath willing to sacrifice everything for what he believes is the greater good. His development is one of hardening his resolve, burying any remnant of the kind man he once was to become the perfect, unfeeling savior. In the end, he wonders if things would have been different had Velvet and Laphicet died instead of his wife, acknowledging the cruel twist of fate that shaped his life.
As a combatant, Artorius is exceptionally powerful. As the Head Exorcist, he is considered the strongest of his kind. He fights with a longsword and is proficient in both melee combat and powerful magic. His most notable ability is his capacity to armatize, or fuse, with the Empyrean Innominat. In this merged state, his power is amplified to godlike levels, allowing him to unleash devastating combos and magic that can easily overwhelm his opponents. His fighting style, like his philosophy, is controlled, precise, and devoid of unnecessary emotion, relying on cold reason and overwhelming force.
Standing at 187 centimeters with long silver hair tied back and light blue-green eyes, Artorius presents a refined and commanding appearance. His attire, a long white and gold coat over an ocean-blue interior with a matching cape, reflects the pristine and authoritative image of the Abbey. He wields a longsword in combat and favors strategic, reason-based tactics over emotional impulses, a philosophy he instills as the core teaching for all exorcists under his command.
Before becoming the revered leader of the Abbey, Artorius lived a very different life under the name Arthur in the village of Aball. He was the husband of Celica Crowe, making him the brother-in-law to both Velvet and Laphicet Crowe. During this time, he was a loving and gentle family man who cared deeply for his wife and her younger siblings, even though he was not related to them by blood. He inspired both Velvet and Laphicet to consider becoming exorcists and worked to support the family.
This peaceful life was shattered by two catastrophic events known as the Scarlet Nights. During the first Scarlet Night, which became known as the Opening, Artorius fought to protect his family. In the ensuing chaos, his pregnant wife Celica was killed while saving him. Consumed by grief and anger at what he perceived as humanity’s selfishness, Artorius resolved to end the world's suffering by any means necessary. He made a pact with a powerful entity called Innominat, whose revival required a tremendous sacrifice. On the second Scarlet Night, the Advent, Artorius put his plan into motion by using his own brother-in-law, Laphicet, as the primary sacrifice in a ritual. When Velvet discovered this, Artorius attempted to sacrifice her as well, but the ritual instead transformed her left arm into that of a daemon known as a Therion. Unable to kill her, he imprisoned Velvet on the island of Titania. In the three years that followed, Artorius rose to power, using the power gained from Laphicet's sacrifice to expand the Abbey's influence and become the world’s acknowledged savior.
In the anime, Artorius is shown to be aware of Velvet's eventual escape from her prison on Titania. He dispatches his subordinate, Oscar Dragonia, with an exorcism sword to recapture her, demonstrating his calculated and indirect method of dealing with threats. The story reveals his past through Velvet's flashbacks, most notably the traumatic moment she witnessed him plunging a sword into her brother Laphicet, declaring his intention to stop the world's pain.
Artorius’s motivations stem from a genuine, albeit twisted, desire to create a utopia. Having witnessed the suffering and chaos caused by malevolence, which turns humans into daemons, he concluded that humanity's emotions are the root cause. His goal is to resurrect Innominat to suppress all human emotion and will, thereby eradicating malevolence permanently. He operates on a cold, utilitarian logic, believing that sacrificing a few individuals is a justifiable price for saving the many. This philosophy puts him in stark opposition to the protagonists, who value individual lives and the inherent goodness of human emotion despite its potential for darkness.
Key to his character are his relationships, which serve as the foundation for his fall. His love for his wife Celica and his subsequent loss is the catalyst for his transformation. His betrayal of Velvet and Laphicet, whom he once protected as family, represents the complete subordination of his personal affections to his grand, emotionless ideology. His relationship with his former ally, the malak Seres, who is the reincarnation of his wife Celica, is complex and tragic, as he uses her as a tool for his plan.
Over the course of the story, Artorius shows no redemption arc but rather a deepening commitment to his path. He is a tragic figure who, in his grief, became a sociopath willing to sacrifice everything for what he believes is the greater good. His development is one of hardening his resolve, burying any remnant of the kind man he once was to become the perfect, unfeeling savior. In the end, he wonders if things would have been different had Velvet and Laphicet died instead of his wife, acknowledging the cruel twist of fate that shaped his life.
As a combatant, Artorius is exceptionally powerful. As the Head Exorcist, he is considered the strongest of his kind. He fights with a longsword and is proficient in both melee combat and powerful magic. His most notable ability is his capacity to armatize, or fuse, with the Empyrean Innominat. In this merged state, his power is amplified to godlike levels, allowing him to unleash devastating combos and magic that can easily overwhelm his opponents. His fighting style, like his philosophy, is controlled, precise, and devoid of unnecessary emotion, relying on cold reason and overwhelming force.