TV-Series
Description
Keith Water is a character introduced in the anime Fafner EXODUS, serving as a Fafner pilot under the command of Dustin Morgan within the Human Army. His background is that of a professional soldier, and he is initially part of the Neo UN forces stationed at the Hawaii Base. As a pilot, he demonstrates technical proficiency, first operating an Olympia Angels unit, a ground combat variant of the Powers Model Fafner. He survives the devastating initial Festum assault on the base as well as the subsequent ROE Alpha nuclear strike. Following these events, he is reassigned to the Argos Company and later pilots a distinct black and grey Gabriel-type Fafner, a Dominions Model variant designed for aerial combat.
Keith Water’s personality is marked by a notable contradiction between his casual demeanor under pressure and his deeply ingrained professional ruthlessness. Before heading into battle, he is known to make light of the situation, such as jokingly commenting on greeting the enemy, which reveals an informal and somewhat darkly humorous attitude in the face of mortal danger. However, this casual front masks a cold and pragmatic loyalty to his commanding officers and mission objectives. He shows little hesitation in following severe directives, including the order to abandon fellow humans under ROE Alpha. His motivations are driven by a sense of duty and unit cohesion, but this gradually transforms into a powerful and consuming personal vendetta. After his Fafner is disabled in combat by the pilot Maya Toomi, his professional motivations are replaced by a singular and obsessive desire for revenge, swearing to kill her for the humiliation and losses she caused him.
In the story of Fafner EXODUS, Keith Water functions as an antagonist and a recurring threat to the protagonists from Tatsumiyajima. His role is primarily that of an elite soldier carrying out the Human Army’s increasingly desperate and aggressive operations. He participates in a significant covert operation to ambush Nothung Model Fafners, during which he provides precise long-range fire support with an improved Garm 44 rifle. In this mission, he severely damages Akira Nishio's Mark Zehn, demonstrating his skill as a sniper. Later, he is part of the force sent to capture Maya Toomi and her Fafner, Mark Sieben. During this encounter, his own unit is disabled, and the personal grudge that defines his final arc is born. His ultimate role is that of a soldier consumed by his mission, culminating in a suicidal attack during the Human Army's assault on the Alvis-03 island facility, codenamed Atlantis.
Key relationships heavily influence Keith Water’s development. His primary bond is with his superior, Dustin Morgan. Keith follows Dustin’s orders with pragmatic loyalty, but he also shows concern for Dustin’s tendency to shoulder burdens alone, suggesting a level of personal investment in his commander’s well-being. He serves as a confidant of sorts, and Dustin’s decisions directly shape the missions Keith undertakes. Another significant relationship is with his comrade Billy Morgan. In his final battle, Keith teams up with Billy to stop Maya, and together they activate their Fenrir self-destruct programs, planning to die together to achieve their objective. This act underscores a bond of mutual destruction and shared purpose among the unit's survivors. The most transformative relationship is his adversarial one with Maya Toomi. His initial professional engagement becomes a personal crusade after she defeats him, driving his every subsequent action until his death.
Keith Water’s development in the series follows a trajectory from a pragmatic, professional soldier to a fanatical individual driven solely by revenge. Initially, he is capable of dark humor and maintains a degree of soldierly camaraderie. As the war progresses and his side suffers losses, he becomes more hardened, shown when he coldly holds a prisoner at gunpoint and forces humiliation upon her. After his defeat at Maya’s hands, any remaining professional detachment evaporates, and he becomes a vengeful pursuer. His final act of development is his decision to trigger the Fenrir program. When Maya temporarily disables the self-destruct sequence on his Gabriel-type Fafner, Keith physically leaves his cockpit to destroy the wires interfering with the detonation, knowing it will mean certain death. In his final moments, he laughs as his Fafner explodes, completing his transformation into a pilot who chooses annihilation over survival to fulfill his vendetta.
In terms of notable abilities, Keith Water is a highly skilled Fafner pilot with a specialization in ranged combat. He is proficient with the Olympia Angels unit but excels particularly in the aerial Gabriel-type Fafner, using its Dominions Model frame for agile hit-and-run tactics. His primary tactical approach emphasizes providing overwatch and delivering precise, long-range firepower, as demonstrated when he severely damages Mark Zehn from a distance with a scoped Garm 44 rifle. He adheres strictly to orders and is willing to carry out missions involving the elimination of assimilated targets or former allies. Most notably, he demonstrates exceptional, if suicidal, resolve in his final battle by manually reactivating his Fafner’s Fenrir program after it was disabled from outside his cockpit, an act of extreme will that ensures his own death and the destruction of his machine.
Keith Water’s personality is marked by a notable contradiction between his casual demeanor under pressure and his deeply ingrained professional ruthlessness. Before heading into battle, he is known to make light of the situation, such as jokingly commenting on greeting the enemy, which reveals an informal and somewhat darkly humorous attitude in the face of mortal danger. However, this casual front masks a cold and pragmatic loyalty to his commanding officers and mission objectives. He shows little hesitation in following severe directives, including the order to abandon fellow humans under ROE Alpha. His motivations are driven by a sense of duty and unit cohesion, but this gradually transforms into a powerful and consuming personal vendetta. After his Fafner is disabled in combat by the pilot Maya Toomi, his professional motivations are replaced by a singular and obsessive desire for revenge, swearing to kill her for the humiliation and losses she caused him.
In the story of Fafner EXODUS, Keith Water functions as an antagonist and a recurring threat to the protagonists from Tatsumiyajima. His role is primarily that of an elite soldier carrying out the Human Army’s increasingly desperate and aggressive operations. He participates in a significant covert operation to ambush Nothung Model Fafners, during which he provides precise long-range fire support with an improved Garm 44 rifle. In this mission, he severely damages Akira Nishio's Mark Zehn, demonstrating his skill as a sniper. Later, he is part of the force sent to capture Maya Toomi and her Fafner, Mark Sieben. During this encounter, his own unit is disabled, and the personal grudge that defines his final arc is born. His ultimate role is that of a soldier consumed by his mission, culminating in a suicidal attack during the Human Army's assault on the Alvis-03 island facility, codenamed Atlantis.
Key relationships heavily influence Keith Water’s development. His primary bond is with his superior, Dustin Morgan. Keith follows Dustin’s orders with pragmatic loyalty, but he also shows concern for Dustin’s tendency to shoulder burdens alone, suggesting a level of personal investment in his commander’s well-being. He serves as a confidant of sorts, and Dustin’s decisions directly shape the missions Keith undertakes. Another significant relationship is with his comrade Billy Morgan. In his final battle, Keith teams up with Billy to stop Maya, and together they activate their Fenrir self-destruct programs, planning to die together to achieve their objective. This act underscores a bond of mutual destruction and shared purpose among the unit's survivors. The most transformative relationship is his adversarial one with Maya Toomi. His initial professional engagement becomes a personal crusade after she defeats him, driving his every subsequent action until his death.
Keith Water’s development in the series follows a trajectory from a pragmatic, professional soldier to a fanatical individual driven solely by revenge. Initially, he is capable of dark humor and maintains a degree of soldierly camaraderie. As the war progresses and his side suffers losses, he becomes more hardened, shown when he coldly holds a prisoner at gunpoint and forces humiliation upon her. After his defeat at Maya’s hands, any remaining professional detachment evaporates, and he becomes a vengeful pursuer. His final act of development is his decision to trigger the Fenrir program. When Maya temporarily disables the self-destruct sequence on his Gabriel-type Fafner, Keith physically leaves his cockpit to destroy the wires interfering with the detonation, knowing it will mean certain death. In his final moments, he laughs as his Fafner explodes, completing his transformation into a pilot who chooses annihilation over survival to fulfill his vendetta.
In terms of notable abilities, Keith Water is a highly skilled Fafner pilot with a specialization in ranged combat. He is proficient with the Olympia Angels unit but excels particularly in the aerial Gabriel-type Fafner, using its Dominions Model frame for agile hit-and-run tactics. His primary tactical approach emphasizes providing overwatch and delivering precise, long-range firepower, as demonstrated when he severely damages Mark Zehn from a distance with a scoped Garm 44 rifle. He adheres strictly to orders and is willing to carry out missions involving the elimination of assimilated targets or former allies. Most notably, he demonstrates exceptional, if suicidal, resolve in his final battle by manually reactivating his Fafner’s Fenrir program after it was disabled from outside his cockpit, an act of extreme will that ensures his own death and the destruction of his machine.