TV-Series
Description
Diethard Ried is a former television producer who becomes a key member of the Black Knights, serving as the head of information, espionage, and public relations. A Britannian by birth, he is a tall man with distinct blonde hair tied in a long ponytail, indigo eyes, and a prominent cleft chin. Before joining the resistance, he was a producer for the Britannian station Hi-TV, a role that left him disillusioned with the stagnant, controlled nature of imperial media. He is a graduate of the Imperial Britannia Central University's Faculty of Law.
The core of Diethard's personality is his obsession with witnessing and documenting grand, history-altering events. He is not driven by ideology, justice, or a desire to liberate the Japanese people. Instead, his primary motivation is the narrative itself; he seeks to be a chronicler of a new era, serving a leader who embodies chaos and upheaval. He has little regard for journalistic integrity or objective truth, believing that all information is inherently subjective and a product of human intent. Consequently, he has no qualms about manipulating media or presenting false fronts to the public. His loyalty is not personal but professional, extended only to figures he believes can shatter the existing world order and provide a spectacular story. He holds a deep distaste for stagnancy, which he associates with the Britannian aristocracy and their established rule.
Within the story, Diethard first appears at the memorial service for Prince Clovis. His fascination with Zero begins when he witnesses the masked figure rescue Suzaku Kururugi. Seeing Zero as chaos incarnate and the harbinger of a new era, Diethard approaches the Black Knights. To prove his worth, he provides critical intelligence on Britannian military operations, such as the attack on the Japan Liberation Front in the Narita Mountains. His skills in organization and propaganda quickly prove invaluable. He is responsible for restructuring the Black Knights into a more secure, cell-based organization and expanding their intelligence network. Zero recognizes Diethard's dedication to making him a godlike figure, a trait that makes him predictable and therefore easy to control.
Diethard maintains several key relationships that define his role. His most significant relationship is with Zero. He is a fervent admirer, viewing Zero as a source of inspiration and the perfect subject for his documentary ambitions. For a time, this admiration translates into fierce loyalty. Despite his loyalty to the figure of Zero, he has a pragmatic and often ruthless streak. He is the first to suggest assassinating Suzaku Kururugi, believing the knight poses a threat as a potential figurehead for the Elevens. He also attempts to manipulate Kallen Kozuki into carrying out the assassination. His relationships with other Black Knights are respectful but distant. As a Britannian, he is initially viewed with suspicion, but his competence earns him a position of authority, sometimes bringing him into ideological conflict with more traditional soldiers like Kyoshiro Tohdoh.
Diethard's development is a gradual shift from loyal chronicler to disillusioned opportunist. For a significant period, he serves Zero faithfully, even suspecting that Zero possesses a strange power, the Geass, without betraying him. His breaking point comes when Lelouch vi Britannia's identity as Zero is publicly exposed to the Black Knights' leadership. At this moment, Diethard abandons him, stating that while he would have preferred to watch Zero topple Britannia, he will settle for a hero's death. He then defects to Lelouch's primary rival, Prince Schneizel el Britannia, deeming Schneizel's plans for controlled destruction and global order to be a more "interesting" narrative than Zero's now-compromised one.
Diethard's notable abilities lie not in combat but in manipulation, perception, and media. He is highly perceptive, often deducing the true outcomes of Zero's complex plans long before others. He is a master of information warfare, capable of swaying public opinion, fabricating stories, and building a vast intelligence network from the ground up. In his final moments, after Lelouch defeats Schneizel and uses his Geass to enslave him, Diethard is enraged. He holds Lelouch at gunpoint, declaring the story over. However, he is shot by the controlled Schneizel. As he dies, he asks Lelouch to finish him with his Geass, a final request to be part of the power he sought to document. Lelouch refuses, declaring that Diethard is not even worth wasting a Geass on, and he dies, abandoned by the very history he wished to record.
The core of Diethard's personality is his obsession with witnessing and documenting grand, history-altering events. He is not driven by ideology, justice, or a desire to liberate the Japanese people. Instead, his primary motivation is the narrative itself; he seeks to be a chronicler of a new era, serving a leader who embodies chaos and upheaval. He has little regard for journalistic integrity or objective truth, believing that all information is inherently subjective and a product of human intent. Consequently, he has no qualms about manipulating media or presenting false fronts to the public. His loyalty is not personal but professional, extended only to figures he believes can shatter the existing world order and provide a spectacular story. He holds a deep distaste for stagnancy, which he associates with the Britannian aristocracy and their established rule.
Within the story, Diethard first appears at the memorial service for Prince Clovis. His fascination with Zero begins when he witnesses the masked figure rescue Suzaku Kururugi. Seeing Zero as chaos incarnate and the harbinger of a new era, Diethard approaches the Black Knights. To prove his worth, he provides critical intelligence on Britannian military operations, such as the attack on the Japan Liberation Front in the Narita Mountains. His skills in organization and propaganda quickly prove invaluable. He is responsible for restructuring the Black Knights into a more secure, cell-based organization and expanding their intelligence network. Zero recognizes Diethard's dedication to making him a godlike figure, a trait that makes him predictable and therefore easy to control.
Diethard maintains several key relationships that define his role. His most significant relationship is with Zero. He is a fervent admirer, viewing Zero as a source of inspiration and the perfect subject for his documentary ambitions. For a time, this admiration translates into fierce loyalty. Despite his loyalty to the figure of Zero, he has a pragmatic and often ruthless streak. He is the first to suggest assassinating Suzaku Kururugi, believing the knight poses a threat as a potential figurehead for the Elevens. He also attempts to manipulate Kallen Kozuki into carrying out the assassination. His relationships with other Black Knights are respectful but distant. As a Britannian, he is initially viewed with suspicion, but his competence earns him a position of authority, sometimes bringing him into ideological conflict with more traditional soldiers like Kyoshiro Tohdoh.
Diethard's development is a gradual shift from loyal chronicler to disillusioned opportunist. For a significant period, he serves Zero faithfully, even suspecting that Zero possesses a strange power, the Geass, without betraying him. His breaking point comes when Lelouch vi Britannia's identity as Zero is publicly exposed to the Black Knights' leadership. At this moment, Diethard abandons him, stating that while he would have preferred to watch Zero topple Britannia, he will settle for a hero's death. He then defects to Lelouch's primary rival, Prince Schneizel el Britannia, deeming Schneizel's plans for controlled destruction and global order to be a more "interesting" narrative than Zero's now-compromised one.
Diethard's notable abilities lie not in combat but in manipulation, perception, and media. He is highly perceptive, often deducing the true outcomes of Zero's complex plans long before others. He is a master of information warfare, capable of swaying public opinion, fabricating stories, and building a vast intelligence network from the ground up. In his final moments, after Lelouch defeats Schneizel and uses his Geass to enslave him, Diethard is enraged. He holds Lelouch at gunpoint, declaring the story over. However, he is shot by the controlled Schneizel. As he dies, he asks Lelouch to finish him with his Geass, a final request to be part of the power he sought to document. Lelouch refuses, declaring that Diethard is not even worth wasting a Geass on, and he dies, abandoned by the very history he wished to record.