TV-Series
Description
Folken Lacour de Fanel is a central figure in the narrative, initially presented as a high-ranking commander of the Zaibach Empire known as the Strategos. He is the elder brother of Van Fanel, the young king of the kingdom of Fanelia. As the firstborn son, Folken was once the heir to Fanelia's throne, but his life took a dramatic turn during his coming-of-age ceremony. The tradition required him to slay a dragon, a task at which he failed; the beast tore off his right arm. Left for dead, Folken was rescued and saved by the forces of the Zaibach Empire, who provided him with a cybernetic prosthetic arm.
Folken is a man of profound intelligence and a deeply conflicted nature. In his youth, he was a gentle and non-violent individual, finding the very idea of killing a dragon for a rite of passage to be barbaric. These core beliefs, however, became twisted after his rescue. He came to share the vision of Emperor Dornkirk, the leader of Zaibach, who sought to use science and magic to alter the very fabric of fate, believing he could create a world without war. Consequently, Folken became a dedicated follower of this cause, using his brilliance as an engineer, sorcerer, chemist, and tactician to further the empire's goals. While this made him an antagonist, his actions are driven by a genuine, if misguided, desire for a greater good rather than simple malice. He is a tragic figure who believes that the path to a peaceful future is justified, even if it requires waging war and committing terrible acts in the present.
Throughout much of the story, Folken is torn between his duty as a commander of Zaibach and his love for his younger brother, Van. He orders the destruction of their homeland, Fanelia, to capture Van and his powerful guymelef, Escaflowne. Despite this ruthless act, he never seeks to kill his brother, instead repeatedly offering Van the chance to join him. This internal conflict illustrates his compassionate core, which he hides behind a calm, calculating, and sometimes seemingly robotic exterior. His charisma and leadership earn him the unwavering loyalty of his closest subordinates, including the leopard sisters Naria and Eriya, whom he saved from persecution as children, and the doppelganger spy Zongi. Though Naria and Eriya love him, his feelings for them are more paternal or fraternal, caring deeply for their well-being, which becomes a critical turning point for him.
The death of Naria and Eriya, caused by Dornkirk’s reckless experiments to enhance their fortune, shatters Folken's faith in the emperor's methods. Realizing that Dornkirk’s quest to control fate has led to inhumanity, Folken abandons Zaibach and seeks redemption by joining Van's side. He provides the resistance alliance with crucial intelligence on Zaibach's strategies and weapons. Having inherited Draconian blood from his mother, Folken can manifest wings. However, as his body deteriorates from the effects of Dornkirk's experiments, his once-white wings turn a deep black, a visible sign of his shortened lifespan.
In a final act of atonement, Folken accompanies Hitomi Kanzaki, a girl from the Mystic Moon with precognitive powers, to confront Dornkirk directly. Knowing that his own death is near and that Hitomi has foreseen this outcome, he proceeds regardless. He succeeds in fatally wounding the emperor but is himself killed when the tip of his own sword breaks off and pierces his heart. In death, Folken completes his journey from a lost prince and tragic villain to a redeemed figure who ultimately sacrifices himself to stop the very future he once helped to engineer.
Folken is a man of profound intelligence and a deeply conflicted nature. In his youth, he was a gentle and non-violent individual, finding the very idea of killing a dragon for a rite of passage to be barbaric. These core beliefs, however, became twisted after his rescue. He came to share the vision of Emperor Dornkirk, the leader of Zaibach, who sought to use science and magic to alter the very fabric of fate, believing he could create a world without war. Consequently, Folken became a dedicated follower of this cause, using his brilliance as an engineer, sorcerer, chemist, and tactician to further the empire's goals. While this made him an antagonist, his actions are driven by a genuine, if misguided, desire for a greater good rather than simple malice. He is a tragic figure who believes that the path to a peaceful future is justified, even if it requires waging war and committing terrible acts in the present.
Throughout much of the story, Folken is torn between his duty as a commander of Zaibach and his love for his younger brother, Van. He orders the destruction of their homeland, Fanelia, to capture Van and his powerful guymelef, Escaflowne. Despite this ruthless act, he never seeks to kill his brother, instead repeatedly offering Van the chance to join him. This internal conflict illustrates his compassionate core, which he hides behind a calm, calculating, and sometimes seemingly robotic exterior. His charisma and leadership earn him the unwavering loyalty of his closest subordinates, including the leopard sisters Naria and Eriya, whom he saved from persecution as children, and the doppelganger spy Zongi. Though Naria and Eriya love him, his feelings for them are more paternal or fraternal, caring deeply for their well-being, which becomes a critical turning point for him.
The death of Naria and Eriya, caused by Dornkirk’s reckless experiments to enhance their fortune, shatters Folken's faith in the emperor's methods. Realizing that Dornkirk’s quest to control fate has led to inhumanity, Folken abandons Zaibach and seeks redemption by joining Van's side. He provides the resistance alliance with crucial intelligence on Zaibach's strategies and weapons. Having inherited Draconian blood from his mother, Folken can manifest wings. However, as his body deteriorates from the effects of Dornkirk's experiments, his once-white wings turn a deep black, a visible sign of his shortened lifespan.
In a final act of atonement, Folken accompanies Hitomi Kanzaki, a girl from the Mystic Moon with precognitive powers, to confront Dornkirk directly. Knowing that his own death is near and that Hitomi has foreseen this outcome, he proceeds regardless. He succeeds in fatally wounding the emperor but is himself killed when the tip of his own sword breaks off and pierces his heart. In death, Folken completes his journey from a lost prince and tragic villain to a redeemed figure who ultimately sacrifices himself to stop the very future he once helped to engineer.