TV-Series
Description
Joseph "Joker" Carpenter is the head of the British Library's Special Operations Division in the anime R.O.D -The TV- and a character who appears across multiple installments of the R.O.D franchise, including the original Read or Die OVA and novels. In the television series, he has taken control of the organization following the death of his superior, Mr. Gentleman, and is often referred to as Mr. Carpenter. He is a tall, slim Englishman with short blond hair, typically seen in a costume reminiscent of an early 20th-century English gentleman, complete with a green cutaway, vest, watch fob, tie, and wing collar, though he also wears conventional business suits on occasion. By the time of the TV series, his face appears more lined from stress and age, his hair is slightly longer, and he walks with the assistance of a cane due to a serious injury suffered in the period between the OVA and the television continuity.
Described by series writer Hideyuki Kurata as someone whose photograph one would expect to see in the encyclopedia entry for Englishman, Joker is a stereotypical upper-class Englishman whose cool head and skill with words are his primary weapons. He presents a calm, reassuring, and easy-going demeanor, frequently smiling even in the most dire situations. However, this affable exterior masks a far more complex and ruthless interior. As the TV series progresses, he is revealed to be an elitist who holds the same human selection principles as the I-Jin, the villains from the original OVA, and he grows more violent and high-strung. He is a master of deception whose true nature makes him one of the most complex and contradictory figures in the R.O.D universe, often blurring the line between hero and villain to the point of assuming the role of an anti-hero.
Joker's motivations are rooted in a profound disappointment with the decline of British global influence following the death of Mr. Gentleman. He is fiercely loyal to the British Empire and is dedicated to reviving its former glory, believing that Great Britain, headed by the superhumanly knowledgeable Mr. Gentleman, is the only nation capable of creating and leading a world of high-class peace. To achieve the reinstallation of Mr. Gentleman and the peace he believes only that man can create, Joker is willing to endure and inflict any amount of pain, using any and every means, fair or foul. His grand scheme involves seizing control of all libraries, bookstores, and print and electronic media worldwide to ensure the British Library's monopoly on knowledge, all as a prelude to resurrecting Mr. Gentleman through the Sleeping Books Collection Operation.
In the TV series, Joker serves as a supporting antagonist whose actions drive much of the conflict, placing him in direct opposition to the protagonist Yomiko Readman, a former agent under his command. While he initially seemed to have respect and affection for Yomiko in the OVA, their relationship sours dramatically in the TV series due to his harsh and unforgivable actions. He seeks to neutralize Yomiko and the Paper Sisters, and his schemes include kidnapping Nenene Sumiregawa and sowing doubt amongst the sisters by revealing the truth about their origins. His most significant and cruel plan involves taking Junior, the child of the former agent Nancy Makuhari, to use as the physical vessel for Mr. Gentleman's resurrection. He also reveals to Yomiko that he has done something ghastly to her believed-deceased lover, Donny Nakajima, an act that drives her into an uncontrollable rage that destroys the British Library and cripples him.
Throughout his various depictions, Joker's role can shift. In the OVA, he appears as a straightforward good guy and a calm, resourceful leader under Mr. Gentleman's direction. In the novels and later manga, he is portrayed as far more sinister and ambitious, at one point seeking to destroy Mr. Gentleman to gain control of the British Empire himself, only to later reorganize his plans to resurrect his master when he realizes the full extent of Mr. Gentleman's power and the weakness of an empire without him. In the TV series, Joker undergoes a form of development through his failure. At the climax, during the execution of Operation Sleeping Books, he is inadvertently caught in the data transfer of Mr. Gentleman's knowledge, absorbing some of the information and falling into a comatose state. He is last seen recovering from this state under the care of his faithful assistant, Wendy Earheart, though he mysteriously disappears at the end of the final episode. Joker does not possess supernatural fighting abilities like the series' paper masters. Instead, his notable abilities lie in his strategic genius, his unparalleled skill with words and deception, and his willingness to sacrifice anyone and anything for his cause. His true power is his intellect, his resourcefulness as a leader, and his capacity for meticulous, long-term scheming.
Described by series writer Hideyuki Kurata as someone whose photograph one would expect to see in the encyclopedia entry for Englishman, Joker is a stereotypical upper-class Englishman whose cool head and skill with words are his primary weapons. He presents a calm, reassuring, and easy-going demeanor, frequently smiling even in the most dire situations. However, this affable exterior masks a far more complex and ruthless interior. As the TV series progresses, he is revealed to be an elitist who holds the same human selection principles as the I-Jin, the villains from the original OVA, and he grows more violent and high-strung. He is a master of deception whose true nature makes him one of the most complex and contradictory figures in the R.O.D universe, often blurring the line between hero and villain to the point of assuming the role of an anti-hero.
Joker's motivations are rooted in a profound disappointment with the decline of British global influence following the death of Mr. Gentleman. He is fiercely loyal to the British Empire and is dedicated to reviving its former glory, believing that Great Britain, headed by the superhumanly knowledgeable Mr. Gentleman, is the only nation capable of creating and leading a world of high-class peace. To achieve the reinstallation of Mr. Gentleman and the peace he believes only that man can create, Joker is willing to endure and inflict any amount of pain, using any and every means, fair or foul. His grand scheme involves seizing control of all libraries, bookstores, and print and electronic media worldwide to ensure the British Library's monopoly on knowledge, all as a prelude to resurrecting Mr. Gentleman through the Sleeping Books Collection Operation.
In the TV series, Joker serves as a supporting antagonist whose actions drive much of the conflict, placing him in direct opposition to the protagonist Yomiko Readman, a former agent under his command. While he initially seemed to have respect and affection for Yomiko in the OVA, their relationship sours dramatically in the TV series due to his harsh and unforgivable actions. He seeks to neutralize Yomiko and the Paper Sisters, and his schemes include kidnapping Nenene Sumiregawa and sowing doubt amongst the sisters by revealing the truth about their origins. His most significant and cruel plan involves taking Junior, the child of the former agent Nancy Makuhari, to use as the physical vessel for Mr. Gentleman's resurrection. He also reveals to Yomiko that he has done something ghastly to her believed-deceased lover, Donny Nakajima, an act that drives her into an uncontrollable rage that destroys the British Library and cripples him.
Throughout his various depictions, Joker's role can shift. In the OVA, he appears as a straightforward good guy and a calm, resourceful leader under Mr. Gentleman's direction. In the novels and later manga, he is portrayed as far more sinister and ambitious, at one point seeking to destroy Mr. Gentleman to gain control of the British Empire himself, only to later reorganize his plans to resurrect his master when he realizes the full extent of Mr. Gentleman's power and the weakness of an empire without him. In the TV series, Joker undergoes a form of development through his failure. At the climax, during the execution of Operation Sleeping Books, he is inadvertently caught in the data transfer of Mr. Gentleman's knowledge, absorbing some of the information and falling into a comatose state. He is last seen recovering from this state under the care of his faithful assistant, Wendy Earheart, though he mysteriously disappears at the end of the final episode. Joker does not possess supernatural fighting abilities like the series' paper masters. Instead, his notable abilities lie in his strategic genius, his unparalleled skill with words and deception, and his willingness to sacrifice anyone and anything for his cause. His true power is his intellect, his resourcefulness as a leader, and his capacity for meticulous, long-term scheming.