TV-Series
Description
Clayman is a former member of the Ten Great Demon Lords, also known as the Marionette Master or Crazy Pierrot, and a key antagonist in the main storyline of his series. He is an undead being of the Deathman race, created from the corpse of a fallen friend by his master, Kagali, to ensure he would never forget the humiliation of their homeland's destruction. At over two thousand years old, he has spent centuries building his power base, eventually ruling over the Puppet Nation of Jistav and becoming a Demon Lord seed.
In his original timeline, Clayman embodies the archetype of the scheming noble. He possesses a slim, oblong head with pointed ears and sharp features, and typically wears an elaborate, layered white tuxedo that gives him the appearance of a wealthy aristocrat. His personality is defined by arrogance, cruelty, and a deep-seated distrust of others, often treating even his own subordinates as disposable pawns. He is a master of manipulation who prefers to operate from the shadows, orchestrating complex plots rather than engaging in direct conflict. Despite this cold exterior, he shows genuine loyalty and considerateness toward his true comrades within the Moderate Harlequin Alliance, particularly his creator Kagali, for whom he holds an almost fanatical admiration.
Clayman's motivations are driven by a desire for power and the restoration of his master's glory. Following Kagali's death at the hands of Leon Cromwell, he inherited her territory and spent decades working to increase his influence through trade, political maneuvering, and military buildup. He masterminded several major incidents, including the creation of the Orc Disaster, aiming to gain a puppet Demon Lord to strengthen his position within the council of Demon Lords. His ultimate goal was to orchestrate a war between monsters and humans to harvest enough souls to complete his own awakening as a True Demon Lord.
In the main story, his role is that of a primary antagonist to the protagonist. He looks down on the slime Rimuru Tempest as a lowly nuisance disrupting his plans and sends spies to monitor the growing power in the Great Jura Forest. His grand scheme involves using the adventurer Myulan as a spy, manipulating the kingdom of Falmuth to attack Tempest, and later using a magical circlet to seemingly place the powerful Demon Lord Milim Nava under his control. However, this overconfidence proves to be his undoing. At the Walpurgis banquet, it is revealed that Milim was never truly controlled and was merely playing along. Cornered and humiliated, Clayman undergoes an incomplete Demon Lord awakening but is ultimately defeated and completely consumed, body and soul, by Rimuru.
Clayman's key relationships are complex and often duplicitous. He holds deep reverence for Kagali, his master and creator, and maintains friendly, equal bonds with his fellow Harlequin Alliance members like Laplace, Tear, and Footman. In contrast, he treats his subordinates in the Five Fingers as tools, placing curses on their hearts to ensure obedience, though he shows slightly more trust to those who swore loyalty willingly, like Yamza. He also holds a vengeful grudge against Leon Cromwell for killing Kagali, repeatedly sending assassins after him. His relationships with fellow younger Demon Lords Carrion and Frey are purely transactional, as he never truly considers them friends and eventually plots to kill them to further his own awakening.
Regarding notable abilities, Clayman is not known for his direct combat power, which is considered weaker than most of his peers, but for his cunning and unique skills. His primary asset is the Unique Skill "Puppeteer," which allows him to control the bodies and minds of others, as well as gather information through the senses of his subordinates across a wide area. He also possesses the "Dragon Pulse Death Canon," a powerful attack that gathers energy from the earth to create beams that disturb an opponent's magicule sequence, bypassing physical defenses and destroying magical barriers. He has high-speed regeneration and the Intrinsic Skill of the Walking Dead, which allows his soul and memories to survive the destruction of his physical body. In the spin-off series Clayman Revenge, upon his death in the original timeline, he awakens the ability "Retry" or "Survivor," which sends his consciousness back in time seventy years, granting him a limited number of chances to alter his fate.
The character undergoes a significant transformation in the spin-off timeline, Clayman Revenge. Retaining the memories of his past failures, he develops a phobia of Rimuru Tempest and becomes a more comedic, thoughtful, and even kind leader. He works to genuinely earn the loyalty of his subordinates, returns Myulan’s stolen heart, avoids unnecessary killing, and builds true friendships, transforming from a cruel villain into a somewhat flustered but well-meaning boss who strives to protect his people and avoid his tragic destiny.
In his original timeline, Clayman embodies the archetype of the scheming noble. He possesses a slim, oblong head with pointed ears and sharp features, and typically wears an elaborate, layered white tuxedo that gives him the appearance of a wealthy aristocrat. His personality is defined by arrogance, cruelty, and a deep-seated distrust of others, often treating even his own subordinates as disposable pawns. He is a master of manipulation who prefers to operate from the shadows, orchestrating complex plots rather than engaging in direct conflict. Despite this cold exterior, he shows genuine loyalty and considerateness toward his true comrades within the Moderate Harlequin Alliance, particularly his creator Kagali, for whom he holds an almost fanatical admiration.
Clayman's motivations are driven by a desire for power and the restoration of his master's glory. Following Kagali's death at the hands of Leon Cromwell, he inherited her territory and spent decades working to increase his influence through trade, political maneuvering, and military buildup. He masterminded several major incidents, including the creation of the Orc Disaster, aiming to gain a puppet Demon Lord to strengthen his position within the council of Demon Lords. His ultimate goal was to orchestrate a war between monsters and humans to harvest enough souls to complete his own awakening as a True Demon Lord.
In the main story, his role is that of a primary antagonist to the protagonist. He looks down on the slime Rimuru Tempest as a lowly nuisance disrupting his plans and sends spies to monitor the growing power in the Great Jura Forest. His grand scheme involves using the adventurer Myulan as a spy, manipulating the kingdom of Falmuth to attack Tempest, and later using a magical circlet to seemingly place the powerful Demon Lord Milim Nava under his control. However, this overconfidence proves to be his undoing. At the Walpurgis banquet, it is revealed that Milim was never truly controlled and was merely playing along. Cornered and humiliated, Clayman undergoes an incomplete Demon Lord awakening but is ultimately defeated and completely consumed, body and soul, by Rimuru.
Clayman's key relationships are complex and often duplicitous. He holds deep reverence for Kagali, his master and creator, and maintains friendly, equal bonds with his fellow Harlequin Alliance members like Laplace, Tear, and Footman. In contrast, he treats his subordinates in the Five Fingers as tools, placing curses on their hearts to ensure obedience, though he shows slightly more trust to those who swore loyalty willingly, like Yamza. He also holds a vengeful grudge against Leon Cromwell for killing Kagali, repeatedly sending assassins after him. His relationships with fellow younger Demon Lords Carrion and Frey are purely transactional, as he never truly considers them friends and eventually plots to kill them to further his own awakening.
Regarding notable abilities, Clayman is not known for his direct combat power, which is considered weaker than most of his peers, but for his cunning and unique skills. His primary asset is the Unique Skill "Puppeteer," which allows him to control the bodies and minds of others, as well as gather information through the senses of his subordinates across a wide area. He also possesses the "Dragon Pulse Death Canon," a powerful attack that gathers energy from the earth to create beams that disturb an opponent's magicule sequence, bypassing physical defenses and destroying magical barriers. He has high-speed regeneration and the Intrinsic Skill of the Walking Dead, which allows his soul and memories to survive the destruction of his physical body. In the spin-off series Clayman Revenge, upon his death in the original timeline, he awakens the ability "Retry" or "Survivor," which sends his consciousness back in time seventy years, granting him a limited number of chances to alter his fate.
The character undergoes a significant transformation in the spin-off timeline, Clayman Revenge. Retaining the memories of his past failures, he develops a phobia of Rimuru Tempest and becomes a more comedic, thoughtful, and even kind leader. He works to genuinely earn the loyalty of his subordinates, returns Myulan’s stolen heart, avoids unnecessary killing, and builds true friendships, transforming from a cruel villain into a somewhat flustered but well-meaning boss who strives to protect his people and avoid his tragic destiny.