TV-Series
Description
Randal Oland is a central character and the male lead of Pumpkin Scissors, serving with the rank of corporal in the Imperial Army's State Section III, the unit known as Pumpkin Scissors. He is an enormous man, standing more than two meters tall, with a large frame and a body covered in scars, and he has been a soldier for as long as he can remember.
His background is rooted in the war between the Empire and the Republic of Frost. During the conflict, Oland belonged to the top-secret 901st Anti-Tank Troop, also called the 901 ATT and known by the nickname Gespenst Jäger, meaning Ghost Hunter. This unit was one of the Empire's hidden 900-series forces, collectively called the Invisible 9, which were created under the supervision of Dr. Kauplan. The soldiers of the 901 ATT were foot soldiers conditioned and trained to destroy heavy tanks on their own, typically using a single-shot anti-tank weapon called a door knocker. The 900-series units were officially nonexistent and were involved in practices that could not be publicly acknowledged. When the war ended and the armistice was signed, the surviving members of these hidden units were not permitted to return to the army because they officially did not exist. This left veterans such as Oland cast out of society, and he spent time wandering aimlessly, weary from the horrors of the battlefield.
In his ordinary state, Oland contradicts his intimidating appearance. Most of the time he is kindhearted, gentle, and somewhat ingenuous, behaving like a gentle giant who is willing to help people in trouble. He is caring and unassuming despite his strength and his scarred body. This calm demeanor changes dramatically in combat. He carries a blue-steel lantern marked with the number 901-ATT, and when he opens it, its eerie blue light glows and his personality shifts. In this state he becomes a fearless and vicious combatant, nearly unstoppable in battle and indifferent to the injuries he suffers while attacking. During the war, Imperial soldiers were warned to be wary of any soldier carrying a blue lantern because of what it signified.
His motivation after the war appears to be tied to finding a renewed sense of purpose. He holds enormous respect for Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin, the leader of Pumpkin Scissors, and he is the only person in the unit who never questions the usefulness of the war relief division. His loyalty to Alice and her ideals gives him a direction that he lacked as a wandering veteran, and he throws his abilities behind the unit's mission of aiding civilians and confronting those who exploit the postwar chaos.
He enters the story when he happens upon Alice and the Pumpkin Scissors in a village that is being terrorized by Wolmarf, another former member of the 900-series forces, specifically the 908 Chemical Tactics Troop, who leads a group of bandits using chemical weapons. Oland helps Malvin defeat Wolmarf and secure the counter-agent for the poison, and after this encounter he is assigned to Pumpkin Scissors. His arrival strengthens the unit considerably, and as the story unfolds, the unit begins to be taken more seriously, with Oland's mysterious past as one of the Invisible 9 gradually coming to light.
His relationships are shaped by this past and his new allegiance. He is deeply devoted to Alice L. Malvin and supports her without hesitation. Captain Hunks, the officer in charge of the unit, remains suspicious of the large newcomer, and the mystery surrounding Oland's origins is an ongoing source of tension. His former life connects him to other survivors and antagonists from the 900-series units, including Wolmarf and the broader legacy of Dr. Kauplan's experiments.
In terms of development, Oland moves from being a war-weary drifter with no clear place in peacetime to a committed and dependable member of the Pumpkin Scissors, finding meaning in the unit's relief work and in protecting people who cannot protect themselves. His personal growth is tied to reconciling his violent past with his gentle nature and to trusting the purpose Alice represents.
His notable abilities are largely physical and combat-related. He is an unusually large and strong man, reportedly a genetically enhanced human, with the conditioning and training to engage armored vehicles singlehandedly. His door knocker weapon allows him to destroy tanks from close range, and when his lantern is activated, he fights with a ferocity and disregard for personal harm that makes him feel effectively unstoppable on the battlefield. Outside of combat, his remarkable stature and scarred body make him a striking presence, but his defining trait is the contrast between his peaceful everyday temperament and the relentless soldier he becomes when the blue lantern is opened.
His background is rooted in the war between the Empire and the Republic of Frost. During the conflict, Oland belonged to the top-secret 901st Anti-Tank Troop, also called the 901 ATT and known by the nickname Gespenst Jäger, meaning Ghost Hunter. This unit was one of the Empire's hidden 900-series forces, collectively called the Invisible 9, which were created under the supervision of Dr. Kauplan. The soldiers of the 901 ATT were foot soldiers conditioned and trained to destroy heavy tanks on their own, typically using a single-shot anti-tank weapon called a door knocker. The 900-series units were officially nonexistent and were involved in practices that could not be publicly acknowledged. When the war ended and the armistice was signed, the surviving members of these hidden units were not permitted to return to the army because they officially did not exist. This left veterans such as Oland cast out of society, and he spent time wandering aimlessly, weary from the horrors of the battlefield.
In his ordinary state, Oland contradicts his intimidating appearance. Most of the time he is kindhearted, gentle, and somewhat ingenuous, behaving like a gentle giant who is willing to help people in trouble. He is caring and unassuming despite his strength and his scarred body. This calm demeanor changes dramatically in combat. He carries a blue-steel lantern marked with the number 901-ATT, and when he opens it, its eerie blue light glows and his personality shifts. In this state he becomes a fearless and vicious combatant, nearly unstoppable in battle and indifferent to the injuries he suffers while attacking. During the war, Imperial soldiers were warned to be wary of any soldier carrying a blue lantern because of what it signified.
His motivation after the war appears to be tied to finding a renewed sense of purpose. He holds enormous respect for Lieutenant Alice L. Malvin, the leader of Pumpkin Scissors, and he is the only person in the unit who never questions the usefulness of the war relief division. His loyalty to Alice and her ideals gives him a direction that he lacked as a wandering veteran, and he throws his abilities behind the unit's mission of aiding civilians and confronting those who exploit the postwar chaos.
He enters the story when he happens upon Alice and the Pumpkin Scissors in a village that is being terrorized by Wolmarf, another former member of the 900-series forces, specifically the 908 Chemical Tactics Troop, who leads a group of bandits using chemical weapons. Oland helps Malvin defeat Wolmarf and secure the counter-agent for the poison, and after this encounter he is assigned to Pumpkin Scissors. His arrival strengthens the unit considerably, and as the story unfolds, the unit begins to be taken more seriously, with Oland's mysterious past as one of the Invisible 9 gradually coming to light.
His relationships are shaped by this past and his new allegiance. He is deeply devoted to Alice L. Malvin and supports her without hesitation. Captain Hunks, the officer in charge of the unit, remains suspicious of the large newcomer, and the mystery surrounding Oland's origins is an ongoing source of tension. His former life connects him to other survivors and antagonists from the 900-series units, including Wolmarf and the broader legacy of Dr. Kauplan's experiments.
In terms of development, Oland moves from being a war-weary drifter with no clear place in peacetime to a committed and dependable member of the Pumpkin Scissors, finding meaning in the unit's relief work and in protecting people who cannot protect themselves. His personal growth is tied to reconciling his violent past with his gentle nature and to trusting the purpose Alice represents.
His notable abilities are largely physical and combat-related. He is an unusually large and strong man, reportedly a genetically enhanced human, with the conditioning and training to engage armored vehicles singlehandedly. His door knocker weapon allows him to destroy tanks from close range, and when his lantern is activated, he fights with a ferocity and disregard for personal harm that makes him feel effectively unstoppable on the battlefield. Outside of combat, his remarkable stature and scarred body make him a striking presence, but his defining trait is the contrast between his peaceful everyday temperament and the relentless soldier he becomes when the blue lantern is opened.