OVA
Description
Joachim of Blankenheim is the head of the Blankenheim ducal house and one of the great nobles of the galaxy empire who carries the blood of the imperial family. His family has enjoyed its status and privileges for roughly six hundred years, and its enormous wealth is built primarily on rights and interests in rare metal mining operations. Growing up surrounded by the advantages of high nobility, he reportedly lived a life of dissipation from a young age and developed a strongly elitist worldview, regarding anyone outside the aristocracy as beneath consideration. In his later years he is depicted as an aged, debauched figure who continues to indulge his appetites, purchasing women through the twin sisters who operate as slave traders and subjecting them to cruel treatment.
In terms of personality, Joachim is fundamentally cowardly, yet he compensates for his timidity with a talent for underhanded scheming and conspiracy. He prefers to achieve his goals through manipulation, bribery, and indirect means rather than facing danger directly. His lustful nature also shapes his decisions, most notably his preference for capturing enemies alive rather than having them killed. His central motivation is the imperial throne. After the emperor is assassinated and the seat of power falls vacant, Joachim burns with ambition to claim the supreme position and pursues an aggressive military buildup along the lines of the big-ship, big-gun doctrine.
Within the story, Joachim serves as a principal antagonist whose schemes set the main conflict into motion. He first attempts open warfare, attacking the Welsh nobles' alliance and its border territories, but he is severely repelled by Sylia von Bernstein, the Silver Knight, and loses three of his subordinate knights in the process. Fearing Sylia's retaliation, he shifts to covert means. Using his vast financial resources, he wins over Welsh aristocrats who resent Sylia and then commissions Sara Scorpion, leader of the pirate-mercenary Scorpion corps, to capture Sylia in exchange for information about a treasure Sara has long sought. His order to capture rather than assassinate Sylia stems directly from his depraved, salacious interests.
In terms of key relationships, Joachim's most significant connection is with Sara Scorpion, whom he hires as a pawn in his vendetta; the arrangement backfires as it draws Sara into a web of betrayals. Sylia von Bernstein is his principal enemy, a capable knight he both despises and fears. The Welsh nobles serve as temporary allies bought through his wealth. He also relies on the twin sisters, Karin and Cecil von Gielen, who supply him with women and act as agents of his darker dealings. His character shows little positive development, as his fear of Sylia only drives him deeper into intrigue, and his cruelty becomes more pronounced in his old age. His plots ultimately help bring about the dire circumstances faced by Sara and Sylia, though the final confrontation of the series sees the tables turned on the decadent aristocrats who have dominated events.
Joachim possesses no notable combat abilities or special powers. His influence rests entirely on his status, his vast fortune, and his political cunning. He is a master of oblique strategy, using money and manipulation to make others fight his battles, and his one consistent talent is the ability to turn his wealth into leverage over the people and factions around him. His cowardice and his skill at intrigue define him as a behind-the-scenes villain rather than a warrior.
In terms of personality, Joachim is fundamentally cowardly, yet he compensates for his timidity with a talent for underhanded scheming and conspiracy. He prefers to achieve his goals through manipulation, bribery, and indirect means rather than facing danger directly. His lustful nature also shapes his decisions, most notably his preference for capturing enemies alive rather than having them killed. His central motivation is the imperial throne. After the emperor is assassinated and the seat of power falls vacant, Joachim burns with ambition to claim the supreme position and pursues an aggressive military buildup along the lines of the big-ship, big-gun doctrine.
Within the story, Joachim serves as a principal antagonist whose schemes set the main conflict into motion. He first attempts open warfare, attacking the Welsh nobles' alliance and its border territories, but he is severely repelled by Sylia von Bernstein, the Silver Knight, and loses three of his subordinate knights in the process. Fearing Sylia's retaliation, he shifts to covert means. Using his vast financial resources, he wins over Welsh aristocrats who resent Sylia and then commissions Sara Scorpion, leader of the pirate-mercenary Scorpion corps, to capture Sylia in exchange for information about a treasure Sara has long sought. His order to capture rather than assassinate Sylia stems directly from his depraved, salacious interests.
In terms of key relationships, Joachim's most significant connection is with Sara Scorpion, whom he hires as a pawn in his vendetta; the arrangement backfires as it draws Sara into a web of betrayals. Sylia von Bernstein is his principal enemy, a capable knight he both despises and fears. The Welsh nobles serve as temporary allies bought through his wealth. He also relies on the twin sisters, Karin and Cecil von Gielen, who supply him with women and act as agents of his darker dealings. His character shows little positive development, as his fear of Sylia only drives him deeper into intrigue, and his cruelty becomes more pronounced in his old age. His plots ultimately help bring about the dire circumstances faced by Sara and Sylia, though the final confrontation of the series sees the tables turned on the decadent aristocrats who have dominated events.
Joachim possesses no notable combat abilities or special powers. His influence rests entirely on his status, his vast fortune, and his political cunning. He is a master of oblique strategy, using money and manipulation to make others fight his battles, and his one consistent talent is the ability to turn his wealth into leverage over the people and factions around him. His cowardice and his skill at intrigue define him as a behind-the-scenes villain rather than a warrior.