Protagonists The story of
Last Exile revolves Claus Valca and Lavie Head, who fly their vanship as sky
couriers. Although they usually take up missions of relatively low difficulty, they are one day asked to complete the mission of dying courier
Ralph Wednesday. The mission, rated seven stars out of ten, is to deliver a young girl named Alvis E. Hamilton to the mysterious battleship
Silvana. Despite their fears, Claus and Lavie deliver Alvis to the battleship but decide to remain aboard to keep her safe. It is later revealed that Alvis holds the key to uniting the two warring nations of Anatoray and Disith.
Claus Valca : is a fifteen-year-old pilot employed by the Norkia Vanship Union, a sky
courier service for the nation of Anatoray. Claus is known for his signature flight technique, the
Immelmann turn, and possesses a flight record "not even an adult could outdo". Claus is no stranger to the vanship courier lifestyle, having been born into and raised for the lifestyle by his late father Hamilcar Valca (much like navigator Georges Head raised daughter Lavie). Their fathers died while attempting to cross the "Grand Stream" on a mission that would have brought peace to Prester. After this and his mother's death, Claus followed in his father's footsteps throughout his childhood and early adolescence to become a top-notch pilot. While transporting their special "cargo", Alvis Hamilton, Claus and Lavie's vanship is damaged and they are forced to stay on board the
Silvana. The captain of the ship, Alex Row, had been the young pilot who delivered news of his father's death to his family. On top of that, he caught the eye of Dio Eraclea, who was fascinated with his skills as a vanship pilot. Though uncomfortable in his presence, Claus treats Dio as a friend.
Lavie Head : is Claus Valca's navigator and vanship mechanic. The moody, outspoken redhead is proud of her lineage as seen in her protectiveness of her vanship (thought to have belonged to their fathers). Unlike Claus, she is relatively reluctant to stay on the
Silvana and favors the freedom of the vanship lifestyle. She abhors the use of vanships for military purposes, and deplores Claus's interest in becoming a combat pilot. Along with her friendly nature, she can hold grudges with others. Her feelings for Claus are obviously conflicted. She treats Claus mostly like a dear friend and sibling, sometimes acts the part of nagging but caring wife, insofar as she cooks for him and rustles him out of bed. She seems to have repressed romantic feelings for Claus, judging by the somewhat simmering jealously she feels when Tatiana Wisla starts showing an interest in Claus. This most prominently appears when Claus and Tatiana return to the
Silvana with Tatiana wearing Claus's pilot suit. As the events of the series unfold, the emphasis of the story began to shift away from her and Claus, instead focusing on the plights of the two countries in Prester, and the treachery of the Guild. However, she and Claus bore witness to Alvis' release of "Exile," and in the end, chose to settle in the new world.
Alvis E. Hamilton : is a peculiar eleven-year-old child and "the cargo." Alvis (or "Al") is targeted by the Guild and it becomes apparent that she is the "key to
Exile." Her nurse, Guita, and the pilot who was commissioned to transport her, Ralph Wednesday, were killed as a result of the Guild's pursuit. Claus Valca tended to Ralph when he crash landed and that's how they met Al. Ralph knew he was going to die and asked Claus to take his dangerous mission in delivering Al to the
Silvana. While Ralph distracted the Guild pilot with his engine, Claus and Lavie drifted downstream with their vanship and Ralph self detonates his ship to save the three of them. When Al woke up, she was confused and scared of Claus and Lavie Head because she was unconscious during the whole ordeal. She wanted to know whatever happened to her previous guardians, but Claus and Lavie made up an excuse that they were simply away. Al's intuition was enough for her to figure out they are dead. During the night while Claus planned their route, the Guild already caught up to their house and had to make an early run before morning. They did not run far before the Guild fighter caught up to them. At the last moment Alex used a pistol to kill the pilot and recovered their "cargo." Al was knocked out during the Guild fighter assault. After she came to, she woke up again to new strangers (
Silvana crew). Claus during that time didn't like Alex's facial expression and worries the safety of Al. He steals highly purified fuel from what's left of the Guild fighter and flew to the
Silvana to find Al. After everyone was reunited, Claus remained with the
Silvana crew to look after Lavie and protect Al. Al does not know of her importance, but learns of it while under the care of the
Silvana. Al is revealed to be member of the Guild House of Hamilton which has the ability to control
Exile and unlocking it by knowing the answers to the questions that form the four Mysteria (see below). The Guild's Maestro Delphine Eraclea kidnapped Al and Claus to discover the secrets of
Exile. She needed to recite all four passages, but Alex was smart enough to not know of the fourth and final one should he ever get captured and interrogated. After
Lucciola helped Al and Claus escape from the Guild, Al ended up back in Norkia with Claus. They ventured back into the Grand Stream to use the vanship Lavie worked so hard on to adapt to Grand Stream conditions. After they entered the domain, Al and Claus got to the other side of the Grand Stream, she finished reciting the poem that would unlock Exile's true form. At the end of the series, Claus and Alvis recite the four Mysteria, allowing
Exile to shed its defensive cocoon and reveal itself. The Mysteria, in their correct order of recitation, and their responses are: • "What lies in the furthest reaches of the sky?" "That which will guide the lost child back to her mother's arms:
Exile." • "The waves that dye the land gold." "The blessed breath which nurtures life: a land of
wheat." • "The path the angels descend upon." "The path of great winds: the Grand Stream." • "What lies in the furthest depths of memory?" "The place where all are born and where all will return:
a blue star."
Supporting characters The majority of the events in
Last Exile occurred on the fictional lone aerial battleship and aircraft carrier . The ship is known as the "Kill-'em-all"
Silvana for its reputation of destroying other battleships regardless of which faction they belong to. Because it has never lost in a battle, the ship became an object of superstition and rumor. Despite being powered by a Claudia unit of Guild origin, the
Silvana cannot be controlled by the Guild because the unit itself was stolen. The ship also employs armaments that differ from battleships used by the Anatoray navy. They were developed in secrecy and use a
propellant fluid system rather a
steam-based one. The nation of is at risk of experiencing
drought. The nation of , on the other hand, is experiencing a deep freeze. Anatoray Prime Minister Marius Bassianus likened Disith to a "wounded lion" after its lands fell into a deep freeze due to climate changes.
Alexander Row : Twenty-eight-year-old Alexander Row, or most commonly known as , acts as the captain of the
Silvana. In the series, he is portrayed as emotionally distant from the other characters, including his first officer, who resembles his deceased fiancée . Alex's actions are driven by one purpose: to kill Guild Maestro
Delphine Eraclea, whom he holds responsible for his fiancée's death. After being confronted about his past, Alex reveals himself to be a friend of the legendary vanship duo of Hamilcar Valca and Georges Head and the former owner of Claus's and Lavie's vanship. Character designer Range Murata has described the character as a "loner". Alex Row was based on
Captain Harlock, a
space pirate character created by
manga artist Leiji Matsumoto. According to Murata, the design for his clothing "turned out all black, no matter how carefully or subtly I put in the lines; they were all the same when I colored it in". Animators also experienced difficulties in animating his hair and flowing cape.
Sophia Forrester : is the
Silvanas nineteen-year-old first officer and holds the title of Vice-Captain. Another graduate of the Anatoray Officer's Academy along with
Vincent Alzey, she is one of the few people Alex Row trusts and is often seen left in command of the ship when the Captain is out in pursuit of his own agenda. Sophia was assigned to be an onboard spy to reveal everything to the emperor, but Sophia fell in love with Alex and never revealed anything compromising about Alex. During the series, it is revealed that Sophia is actually the daughter of the Anatoray emperor and the princess of Anatoray, which comes as a surprise to Claus and others. But all of the feelings of unrest about Sophia's true identity comes to rest when they see that deep inside she is still their executive officer, and loyal to both the Silvanna and Alex. Her feelings for Alex sometimes reveal too much, much to Row's chagrin in his sometimes snarky comments to her. Marius tells her to love "all [her] subjects, not just one man". With her trusted friend, confidant, and navigator, Alister Agrew, she quickly becomes one of the most dreaded forces in the sky next to the Silvana herself, for which the technicians on board the
Silvana start calling her the "princess." Her cold demeanor manages to alienate even her close friend Alister. This leads to Alister flying with Claus Valca as his "navi" (short for "navigator") for a time, both as a rebuke to Tatiana and because Claus's navigator, Lavie Head, does not want to fly any more combat missions. Tatiana is second best to none in her own mind, but her overconfident self-view is challenged when she meets Claus, whose piloting skills rival her own. From then on, her feelings toward Claus go on a roller coaster, making her feel anger, disgust, awe, respect, fear, and even attraction to the young vanship pilot. Her frosty aloofness is clearly a self-defensive façade; she suffers a mental breakdown of sorts after getting shot down over the desert, but recovers, and from that time she begins to show a greater depth of feeling, especially towards Claus, whom she develops a crush on. In
Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing, Tatiana is now Captain of the Submersible Aircraft Carrier
Silvius with Alister as her Vice-Captain.
Alister Agrew : , or "Alis" to her friends, is Tatiana Wisla's trusted confidant, best friend of the same age, and expert navigator. By her nature she is very quiet, reserved, and otherwise unflappable, reacting very little to even the strangest of circumstances. Her only reactions are shown in the way she carries herself, and the quickest way to earn her loyalty is to not dismiss her, or act like she is not around. From her behavior, it is shown that she is a consummate professional, just like Tatiana, which explains why they work so well together. However, she is far more than that, but will do nothing to prove it outright. She has displayed unfathomable respect for Tatiana, a strange attraction to Claus Valca, and even motherly behavior towards Alvis Hamilton. Alister returns in
Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing serving as Tatiana's Second-in-Command in the Submersible Aircraft Carrier
Silvius.
Mullin Shetland : is a nineteen-year-old rifleman on the battleship
Claihm Solais, which is the flagship of the Anatoray fleet. He has fought in nineteen battles and needs only one more survivor medal (received from surviving a battle) to become promoted out of the rifleman line. A third of the way through the series he joins the
Silvana and becomes a mechanic servicing the vanships. He has a brief crush on the vanship captain Tatiana Wisla but soon forgets about it realizing the futility of it as he moves on to other things. Around the end he leaves the
Silvana to train again as a rifleman in a secret joint operation to take back the battleships' Claudia engines and free the world of the Guild. At this time he meets Dunya Scheer from the Disith fleet, also involved in the operation. He and Dunya fall in love with each other, culminating in Mullin asking Dunya to go on the same ship together. Dunya accepts his request, as the operation to take back the ship's Claudia unit begins. The operation ends with Mullin taking the unit back, but being gravely wounded in the process, believed dead. The epilogue reveals he survived and is living with Dunya on a farm with her siblings.
Vincent Alzey : is a naval officer of Anatoray and a friend of Alex Row and Sophia Forrester. Initially appointed Admiral of Anatoray's fleet, he was relieved of his command after Alex sank four out of five of his
Urbanus ships. Despite this, he respects Alex, knowing his strengths in combat and strategy (they were in the Officers' Academy together and the same age; indeed, before the battle, Vincent met Alex to try to persuade him to keep the
Silvana out of battles). A great lover of coffee, Vincent likes to enjoy life. But when duty calls, he's not about to sit back either. When Sophia was imprisoned by her father and about to be killed by a guard, he barges into her room and saves her. Some of his dialogue also hints at a romantic interest in Sophia, despite her obvious affections for Alex. With her command as Empress, Vincent resumed his command as Admiral, this time leading his ships into a grand battle together with Disith against the Guild. Vincent returns in
Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing serving as Commander-in-Chief of the Vanguard Unit of the United Kingdom of Anatoray-Disith.
Dunya Scheer : was first introduced in episode 13 (
Isolated Pawn) as a seventeen-year-old woman soldier in the army of Disith. She appeared for the first time as one of the members of a small Disith patrol that captured Tatiana Wisla and Claus Valca while they were trying to reach into one of
Silvana emergency resorts. However, the patrol is abandoned when migration ships from Disith arrive nearby. When Dunya reaches the landing field, she realizes no civilian ships survived the launch. She sets off her gun while crying in grief. She is later involved as part of the ground force in the Disith operation to raze the Anatoray capital which is successfully completed. We next see her involved in the same operation Mullin Shetland is involved in; they first meet when she falls over Mullin trying to catch a dove to eat. Over the course of their training, they meet several times and eventually develop a relationship. The relationship between her and Mullin culminates in Mullin asking Dunya if she would join him on the
Silvana. Dunya accepts with the approval of other Disith soldiers and Mullin is overjoyed. The operation commenced shortly thereafter and was successful, though Mullin was gravely wounded and presumed dead. Dunya is seen crying over him. No more reference is made to either of them until the last episode where she is seen getting the message Lavie Head and Claus's fathers were supposed to have delivered over their new grave. She is then seen in the new world with the others.
Crew of the Silvana Godwin Austin : is the thirty-six-year-old mechanic of the
Silvana flight deck crew. He is the largest and most aggressive member of the flight deck crew, and usually the first to throw a punch in any fight on anyone who insult the
Silvana. Despite this, he has a hidden sensitive side.
Gale Frank : is a twenty-seven-year-old bald mechanic. Notable for wearing metal ear-cuffs that make his ears look pointed, Gale is openly gay and has a crush on Claus.
Anthony Kostabi : is a twenty-two-year-old mechanic with glasses. Mostly known as Kostabi, he is a cool and calculating type, who is probably more sinister than he looks.
Ethan Pelerin :
Wina Lightning : is the listening officer of the
Silvana. Gifted with a perceptive hearing, she is tasked with matching the
acoustic signature provided by Disith to that of
Exile. She trains herself by continuously listening to the different acoustic signatures present in the Grand Stream, from the sound of a rainbird flock to the signature of a Disith battleship's remains. Lescius returns in
Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing now serving as the chief engineer of the
Silvius.
Anatoray's Nobility Marius Bassianus : Fifty-two-year-old Prime Minister is a member of one of three Guild houses purged by Delphine Eraclea who was taken under the protection of the Anatoray royal family. After the death of his daughter Euris, Marius took care of Princess Sophia as if she were his own daughter. He and the Emperor killed each other during the Disith attack on the Anatoray capital after a dispute on Sophia's status as heir to the throne.
Lady Mad-thane : is the head of the Mad-thane residence in Norkia in her husband's absence. She assigned Claus and Lavie the delivery mission that takes them to the battle at Minagith. She later turns the residence into a makeshift hospital to care for Anatoray's and Disith's wounded soldiers during the assault against the Guild.
Holly Mad-thane : is the nine-year-old daughter of Duke and Lady Mad-thane. She asks Claus and Lavie to deliver her message (in addition to her mother's) to her father, who she fears will not return home from the battle at Minagith. After her message is broadcast aboard the
Claimh Solais by Claus and Lavie, her father decides to hide his shame and retreat from the losing battle. He is the father of Sophia and, at the age of sixty-five, dies during the invasion of the capital city not by the Disith forces, but at the hands of Marius Bassianus. His death leads to the
succession of Sophia to the throne.
Vitellius Glamis :
Charles Knowles : Count is the commanding officer of the Anatoray battleship
Goliath, assigned to Mad-thane's fleet at Minagith. His ship is the first to retreat from the battlefield during the surprise attack by Disith, giving it the nickname the "Fleeing"
Goliath. Charles is portrayed as a vain and
egotistical character and orders his own face painted on the bow of the
Goliath. He unknowingly challenges Alex Row to a ship-to-ship duel but regrets his action after realizing he is facing the
Silvana. Charles orders his men to fire before the signal to commence is fired, expecting to destroy the
Silvana in a surprise attack, but the
Silvana is unharmed and sinks his ship in one volley. He perishes with the entire crew of the
Goliath.
Giancarlo : He takes the artifact, auctioned at 50 billion Claudia, to Maestro Delphine Eraclea but discovers it to be fake. Delphine gives him a Guild ring as a "reward", but the ring's power kills him by turning him into dust. Sixty-year-old His name was derived from the actual historical figure
Hamilcar Barca,
Carthaginian general during the
First Punic War and father of the famous tactician
Hannibal.
Justina Valca : is the mother of Claus Valca. After the Valca family moved to Norkia and became neighbors with the Heads, Justina took care of Lavie, whose mother died in childbirth. According to Lavie, Justina died at the age of twenty-eight, just six months after her husband disappeared in the Grand Stream, leaving both Claus and Lavie as orphans. The serves as the arbitrator between the Anatoray and Disith nations.
Dio Eraclea : Principal is the sixteen-year-old younger brother of the most powerful Guild member, Maestro Delphine Eraclea. People see him as a rare find that will someday take over the Guild. He is very playful and fearless, and treats many things like they were games. His odd nature can be seen in his awe of Claus Valca's skills and giving him the nickname "Immelmann" (referring to the
World War I German ace,
Max Immelmann and the maneuver Claus frequently used while flying, the
Immelmann turn). This strange nature is mostly due to the Guild lifestyle and fear of his sister Delphine. His first appearance in the series is marked by a chess-match with his beloved friend Lucciola and with the Guild's power and surveillance, watches the skies of a skirmish between Guild ships searching for Alvis Hamilton and the
Silvana. He finds extraordinary talent in Claus's vanship piloting, and after the Horizon Cave Eight vanship race, he starts to have strong interactions with the main characters. He later joins them on the
Silvana in order to escape his sister. Though his initial presence with the
Silvana was unwanted, his participations and interactions with Claus and Alvis eventually earn the entire crew's trust, and is acknowledged as one of them, during a birthday party proposed by Alvis. He is forced back to the Guild during the end of the series, and is brainwashed by a Guild device in preparation for the "Rite of the Covenant". Driven to insanity, he participates in the Rite of the Covenant, where the next Maestro is chosen, and emerges victorious. He escapes with Claus and Alvis soon after and is nursed back to health in the Mad-Thane residence. He flees from there in a vanship and travels to the Grand Stream. Being delirious, his memory resets to the moment of the race in Horizon Cave, and he attempts to pass Claus. At that moment he tells his navi, Lucciola (who isn't there), to jump out so they can get more speed. He crosses a flock of rainbirds believing them to be the finish line and congratulates Lucciola on their victory and invites him to celebrate, but he then turns around to find he is not there. Believing Lucciola had actually jumped from the vanship, he attempts to cross to his seat while crying, but his vanship is then hit by a gust of wind and he is swallowed by the Grand Stream. Despite this, his voice is heard during a later scene in the ''Silvana's'' engine room cheering "Ascending!" In addition, there is a scene depicted in the series' official artwork showing Claus, Lavie, and their friends living on the farm turning and smiling at an individual. Though all that can be seen is one foot and a waving hand, the individual appears to be wearing a Guild uniform. In the
Last Exile Aerial Log artbook, notes by the creators revealed that Dio survived after being rescued by a passing Guild ship and later joining Claus, Lavie, and their friends journey to Earth. In
Last Exile -Fam, The Silver Wing, Dio is a member of the Sky Pirates yet is secretly a scout for the
Silvius. Since the events of
Last Exile, his personality is back to normal and remembers what happened to Lucciola which he honors his late friend's memory by riding his vanship alone and telling those who ride the backseat not to touch anything. Dio is also the Italian word for "God"; many of the Guild members have Italian names.
Lucciola : is a member of the Guild and personal bodyguard to Dio Eraclea. He is an exceptional
martial artist and is one year older than Dio. He was assigned the role of protecting him from a very early age, and Dio considers Lucciola not just a servant, but also a friend. Lucciola is forced to betray that trust out of fear of Maestro Delphine Eraclea when Maestro ordered him to bring Dio back before her. Lucciola then redeems himself by helping Claus, and Alvis and Dio escape from the grasp of the Maestro. In a confrontation against the Maestro, Lucciola kills his brother, Cicada, and is then disintegrated by a ring that is given to him by Maestro Delphine as a "gift." Lucciola's name is
Italian and means
firefly.
Delphine Eraclea :
Maestro is the series' main antagonist, Dio's twenty-four-year-old older sister, and head of the Guild. A run-in between her and Alex Row in the past has left her the sole target of his vengeance, and one of his only goals is to personally kill Delphine. The Maestro is portrayed as a decadent aristocrat, callous and ruthless in her ways. When Lucciola decided to let Dio escape, the Maestro, feigning interest in his plea to let Dio go free, killed him with a device (in the shape of a ring) that essentially disintegrated him. However, she did not go unpunished, for Alex managed to strangle and break her neck, even though he had been tied in place by rose tendrils. Like her favorite flower, the rose, the Maestro is beautiful but dangerous. With her death and the release of
Exile by Alvis Hamilton, the might of the Guild was broken, never to be restored again. Delphine possesses a veritable arsenal of psychological weapons she uses frequently, which explains Dio's fear of her. She is truly heartless when it comes to the Guild, and takes great delight in the wastefulness that her people go through to attain and prepare meals, such as the meat of a type of yak from the frozen wastes, the capture of which leads to the deaths of countless hunters, Kerasion mousse, which contains an ingredient so rare only a handful is gathered each year, and catfish that took 100 gallons of First Water to remove the mud. During the Trial of Agoon, she demonstrated an ability to restore the dead to life; everyone who died in the Trial was seen scampering to her feet as she said "I have renewed your lives." It is unknown whether she has any real combative power of her own. Due to her impossibly immense oppressive influence, she really only needs her truly loyal subordinates to do her work, namely Cicada and his attack force. The only evidence of power she may have is in that she killed off the other families and remained as the sole house of the keys to
Exile, which she stole the Mysteria from each house-except for house Hamilton's, the one she lost to Alex Row at Giancarlos' auction at the price of 500 billion Claudia.
Guild Agents The Maestro Delphine has many loyal Guild members at her disposal. Some include bodyguards and maids, to fighter pilots and counselors. They tend to fall into two groups: and . The names of the Guild servants all seemed to be named after insects. The most powerful of the Maestro's entourage is , the servant to Maestro Delphine and the elder brother of Lucciola. A man of thirty-one, he is skilled in hand-to-hand combat and prevents Alex Row from assassinating Delphine when the Guild boards the
Silvana. However, Lucciola kills him in combat in front of Delphine after Claus, Alvis, and Dio escape from the Guild stronghold. The Maestro also has two maids, and who are part of the Maestro's Aspis. The nineteen-year-old male servants and are also a part of the Aspis. Twenty-three-year-old , twenty-six-year-old , twenty-eight-year-old , and twenty-seven-year-old are her other agents and a part of the Scutum. ==
Last Exile: Fam, the Silver Wing==