TV Special
Description
Gerard Muska Vespaland is a central antagonist in the 2009 anime crossover special. He holds the noble title of Duke of Vespania, a fictional European kingdom, and is the younger brother of the late Queen Sakura Aludia Vespaland. This makes him the uncle to Prince Gill Cowell Vespaland and Princess Mira Julietta Vespaland, placing him directly in the line of succession for the throne.
Behind a veneer of familial loyalty and sorrow, Gerard is a deeply calculating, power-hungry, and treacherous individual. The public narrative of the kingdom's tragedy is that Queen Sakura was accidentally shot during a royal hunt by her son, Prince Gill, who was then overcome with guilt and took his own life at the scene. In the aftermath, Duke Gerard is discovered by the guards mourning the prince, lamenting that he was too late to prevent the suicide. This performance of grief is a calculated facade.
Gerard's true nature is revealed to be that of a cold-blooded murderer who orchestrated the entire event to seize control of Vespania. His primary motivation is greed and a lust for power. The queen, a staunch pacifist, had forbidden the sale and use of a rare, valuable ore found within the kingdom's territory, as its properties could be exploited for warfare. Gerard plotted to assassinate the queen so he could exploit this resource for immense personal wealth. To solidify his path to the throne, he needed to eliminate the heirs. His plan was to have Prince Gill framed for the queen's murder. When that part of the plan was set in motion, Gerard personally assassinated the prince using a revolver, then staged the scene to make it appear as though Gill had committed suicide out of guilt, even placing the weapon in the dead prince's hand to complete the illusion.
He is a skilled user of firearms, notably a revolver and a Winchester Model 70 rifle, the latter of which he used during the fateful hunting expedition. His role in the story is to serve as the hidden villain whose machinations drive the plot's central mystery. While the crossover initially teases a conflict between the master thief Lupin III and the brilliant detective Conan Edogawa, the two protagonists ultimately join forces to uncover the truth, revealing Gerard as their common enemy. The case against him is broken open by Conan's deductive reasoning, which reveals that the queen had secretly replaced the hunting cartridges with blanks due to her love for animals, proving that neither her son nor anyone else could have shot her with a hunting rifle. Evidence, such as a twig shot from the queen's cherished cherry tree, further points to Gerard's guilt.
Following this revelation, the duke is apprehended, foiling his scheme to force his surviving niece, Princess Mira, into a marriage that would consolidate his power and allow him to sell the kingdom's forbidden ore. His key relationships are defined by betrayal. He is the treacherous brother of Queen Sakura, the murderer of his nephew Prince Gill, and the would-be usurper of his niece Princess Mira. Throughout the special, Gerard displays no significant character development, remaining a consistently deceptive and ruthless figure whose primary function is to be exposed as the true culprit behind the kingdom's tragedy.
Behind a veneer of familial loyalty and sorrow, Gerard is a deeply calculating, power-hungry, and treacherous individual. The public narrative of the kingdom's tragedy is that Queen Sakura was accidentally shot during a royal hunt by her son, Prince Gill, who was then overcome with guilt and took his own life at the scene. In the aftermath, Duke Gerard is discovered by the guards mourning the prince, lamenting that he was too late to prevent the suicide. This performance of grief is a calculated facade.
Gerard's true nature is revealed to be that of a cold-blooded murderer who orchestrated the entire event to seize control of Vespania. His primary motivation is greed and a lust for power. The queen, a staunch pacifist, had forbidden the sale and use of a rare, valuable ore found within the kingdom's territory, as its properties could be exploited for warfare. Gerard plotted to assassinate the queen so he could exploit this resource for immense personal wealth. To solidify his path to the throne, he needed to eliminate the heirs. His plan was to have Prince Gill framed for the queen's murder. When that part of the plan was set in motion, Gerard personally assassinated the prince using a revolver, then staged the scene to make it appear as though Gill had committed suicide out of guilt, even placing the weapon in the dead prince's hand to complete the illusion.
He is a skilled user of firearms, notably a revolver and a Winchester Model 70 rifle, the latter of which he used during the fateful hunting expedition. His role in the story is to serve as the hidden villain whose machinations drive the plot's central mystery. While the crossover initially teases a conflict between the master thief Lupin III and the brilliant detective Conan Edogawa, the two protagonists ultimately join forces to uncover the truth, revealing Gerard as their common enemy. The case against him is broken open by Conan's deductive reasoning, which reveals that the queen had secretly replaced the hunting cartridges with blanks due to her love for animals, proving that neither her son nor anyone else could have shot her with a hunting rifle. Evidence, such as a twig shot from the queen's cherished cherry tree, further points to Gerard's guilt.
Following this revelation, the duke is apprehended, foiling his scheme to force his surviving niece, Princess Mira, into a marriage that would consolidate his power and allow him to sell the kingdom's forbidden ore. His key relationships are defined by betrayal. He is the treacherous brother of Queen Sakura, the murderer of his nephew Prince Gill, and the would-be usurper of his niece Princess Mira. Throughout the special, Gerard displays no significant character development, remaining a consistently deceptive and ruthless figure whose primary function is to be exposed as the true culprit behind the kingdom's tragedy.