TV-Series
Description
Joshua Christopher is the younger brother of Rosette Christopher, and his disappearance serves as the central driving force for much of the story's plot. Orphaned at a young age when their parents perished in a shipwreck, he and Rosette grew up together in the Seventh Bell Orphanage in Michigan. From a very early age, Joshua made a private promise at his father's grave to become strong enough to protect his sister, rather than always being the one who needed protection.
As a child, Joshua was a naturally cheerful, bright, and imaginative boy. Confined to his bed due to his persistent illness, he escaped into a world of dime novels and adventure stories, dreaming of one day becoming an explorer alongside his sister and writing a book about their travels to places no one had ever seen. He held a deep fascination for the supernatural, the occult, and heroic tales of cowboys and explorers. Despite his weakness, he despised being pitied or coddled and felt a deep-seated shame and frustration over his frailty, which he saw as a burden to those he loved, especially Rosette. This internal conflict between the weak person he was and the strong protector he wished to be is a fundamental aspect of his character.
The supernatural powers Joshua possessed as an Apostle—specifically the ability to heal the wounds and illnesses of others—were ironically the cause of his own poor health. His body was not strong enough to withstand the energy his healing abilities consumed. This frustration and his desperate wish to become strong made him an easy target for the demon Aion. Deceived by Aion's promise of power, Joshua accepted Chrono's demon horns. He was tricked into believing the horns would cure his illness and give him the strength to finally be his sister's support, not her ward. The power the horns granted him was immense and allowed him to freeze the time of people and objects, turning them to stone. However, a human body was never meant to wield such demonic power, and the horns almost immediately began to erode his mind and memories, driving him to insanity. In his first rampage, he used the horns to freeze the entire Seventh Bell orphanage, an act from which Aion then took him away.
Following this, Joshua became a key subordinate within Aion's group of Sinners, often referred to as the Apostle of Hope. In this state, he is emotionally unstable, obsessive, and dangerous, to the point of needing a constant guard. He often confuses dreams and reality, and while he barely remembers his past, his thoughts are obsessively fixated on his sister, Rosette. This obsession sometimes transferred to his caretaker, Fiore, whom he occasionally mistook for his sister. While their relationship was complex, he developed a deep and genuine bond with Fiore, who was created to serve and stabilize him. His loyalty to Aion during this period was the result of manipulation and a twisted form of hero-worship, as the powerful demon gave him a purpose and a place when he was at his most vulnerable.
Joshua's role in the story is that of the lost McGuffin, whose rescue is the initial goal. However, as the narrative progresses, he becomes a tragic antagonist whose actions are driven by a corrupted desire for strength. His relationship with his sister is the emotional core of his development. When Rosette and her demon partner Chrono finally confront him, it is through her unwavering love and a desperate act of shooting one of the horns from his head that his sanity is briefly restored. In this moment of clarity, he rediscovers the childhood promise he made to her and, proving his growth, voluntarily tears the remaining horn from his own head, rejecting the false power that had controlled him.
After being freed from the horns, Joshua is mentally regressed and fragile for a time, but he begins to recover his sense of self. He joins the Magdalan Order to atone for his role in the destruction caused by Aion, often engaging in charitable work to help rebuild what was lost. This period marks his development from a boy seeking power to a young man accepting responsibility for his actions. His goal shifts from becoming a fantasy hero to making amends for real-world harm. In his recovered state, he retains his loyal, devoted nature, particularly toward his sister, and his grief over her shortened lifespan is immense.
Joshua's most notable ability, derived from Chrono's horns, was the power to freeze time around a target, effectively petrifying them and suspending their consciousness for nearly an eternity. As an Apostle, he also possessed the inherent ability to manifest angelic wings and heal others, though at a great personal cost to his own health. However, after the horns are removed and his mission as an Apostle is concluded, he loses all of these supernatural powers and becomes a normal human, relying on his training, knowledge of scripture, and firearms from the Magdalen Order for self-defense. The discrepancy in his fate depends on the version of the story; in the anime, he remains active, while in the manga, he lives a normal life, marries his fellow Apostle Azmaria, and eventually passes away of old age.
As a child, Joshua was a naturally cheerful, bright, and imaginative boy. Confined to his bed due to his persistent illness, he escaped into a world of dime novels and adventure stories, dreaming of one day becoming an explorer alongside his sister and writing a book about their travels to places no one had ever seen. He held a deep fascination for the supernatural, the occult, and heroic tales of cowboys and explorers. Despite his weakness, he despised being pitied or coddled and felt a deep-seated shame and frustration over his frailty, which he saw as a burden to those he loved, especially Rosette. This internal conflict between the weak person he was and the strong protector he wished to be is a fundamental aspect of his character.
The supernatural powers Joshua possessed as an Apostle—specifically the ability to heal the wounds and illnesses of others—were ironically the cause of his own poor health. His body was not strong enough to withstand the energy his healing abilities consumed. This frustration and his desperate wish to become strong made him an easy target for the demon Aion. Deceived by Aion's promise of power, Joshua accepted Chrono's demon horns. He was tricked into believing the horns would cure his illness and give him the strength to finally be his sister's support, not her ward. The power the horns granted him was immense and allowed him to freeze the time of people and objects, turning them to stone. However, a human body was never meant to wield such demonic power, and the horns almost immediately began to erode his mind and memories, driving him to insanity. In his first rampage, he used the horns to freeze the entire Seventh Bell orphanage, an act from which Aion then took him away.
Following this, Joshua became a key subordinate within Aion's group of Sinners, often referred to as the Apostle of Hope. In this state, he is emotionally unstable, obsessive, and dangerous, to the point of needing a constant guard. He often confuses dreams and reality, and while he barely remembers his past, his thoughts are obsessively fixated on his sister, Rosette. This obsession sometimes transferred to his caretaker, Fiore, whom he occasionally mistook for his sister. While their relationship was complex, he developed a deep and genuine bond with Fiore, who was created to serve and stabilize him. His loyalty to Aion during this period was the result of manipulation and a twisted form of hero-worship, as the powerful demon gave him a purpose and a place when he was at his most vulnerable.
Joshua's role in the story is that of the lost McGuffin, whose rescue is the initial goal. However, as the narrative progresses, he becomes a tragic antagonist whose actions are driven by a corrupted desire for strength. His relationship with his sister is the emotional core of his development. When Rosette and her demon partner Chrono finally confront him, it is through her unwavering love and a desperate act of shooting one of the horns from his head that his sanity is briefly restored. In this moment of clarity, he rediscovers the childhood promise he made to her and, proving his growth, voluntarily tears the remaining horn from his own head, rejecting the false power that had controlled him.
After being freed from the horns, Joshua is mentally regressed and fragile for a time, but he begins to recover his sense of self. He joins the Magdalan Order to atone for his role in the destruction caused by Aion, often engaging in charitable work to help rebuild what was lost. This period marks his development from a boy seeking power to a young man accepting responsibility for his actions. His goal shifts from becoming a fantasy hero to making amends for real-world harm. In his recovered state, he retains his loyal, devoted nature, particularly toward his sister, and his grief over her shortened lifespan is immense.
Joshua's most notable ability, derived from Chrono's horns, was the power to freeze time around a target, effectively petrifying them and suspending their consciousness for nearly an eternity. As an Apostle, he also possessed the inherent ability to manifest angelic wings and heal others, though at a great personal cost to his own health. However, after the horns are removed and his mission as an Apostle is concluded, he loses all of these supernatural powers and becomes a normal human, relying on his training, knowledge of scripture, and firearms from the Magdalen Order for self-defense. The discrepancy in his fate depends on the version of the story; in the anime, he remains active, while in the manga, he lives a normal life, marries his fellow Apostle Azmaria, and eventually passes away of old age.