Archi Elior

Archi Elior is a minor flashback character in the 2014 Japanese dark fantasy light novel series Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World and its 2016 anime television series adaptation of the same name.
Archi was an elf living within the Great Elior Forest who, along with his fellow forest dwellers, protected a mysterious seal and a half-elf child named Emilia who could unlock it. Despite his youth, Archi was a strong warrior proficient in magic who was slated to become the Guardian of Emilia once the elven woman Fortuna retired. A kind young man, Archi cared deeply for Emilia and her surrogate mother Fortuna.
Unfortunately, a radical element of Witch Cultists led by the Sin Archbishop of Greed Regulus Corneas and the Witch of Vanity Pandora attacked the elven settlement in an attempt to seize Emilia and unlock the mysterious seal. Emilia was entrusted to Archi by Fortuna who named him the new Guardian and instructed him to flee the forest with the child. Although apprehensive, Archi agreed and made for the exit.
However, his life was cut short when the plague-bringing mabeast known as the Black Serpent intercepted the pair as they tried to escape. Elior stayed behind and valiantly sacrificed himself so that Emilia could escape the forest and live happily. His kindness and strength of will earned him a permanent place in Emilia's heart as she remembered him later in her life.
Archi is voiced by in the Japanese version of the anime and by Howard Wang in the English version. Namikawa has also voiced Hisoka Morow in Hunter x Hunter, Waver Velvet in the Fate franchise, Ulquiorra Cifer in Bleach, Rock in Black Lagoon, Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Mystogan in Fairy Tail, Dr. Genus in One Punch Man, and Yu Narukami in Persona 4. Wang has also voiced Whitley Schnee in RWBY.
==Biography==
===Protector of Elior Forest===
Archi was an elven male who lived approximately three hundred years after the Great Calamity. He was part of a small and peaceful community of elves who made their homes in the Great Elior Forest, an expansive woodland located in the north of the Dragonfriend Kingdom of Lugunica. As an elf, Archi had an extraordinary lifespan, although he was still considered a youth by elven standards. One day, an elven woman named Fortuna began residing within the forest with her half-elven niece/surrogate daughter Emilia. Emilia, who was the orphan of Fortuna's elven brother and human sister-in-law, functioned as a key for a seal that existed within the forest.
The members of the community, including Archi, were completely dedicated to protecting and nurturing the pure-hearted Emilia. Archi, who was scheduled to act as the girl's next Guardian despite his youth, often played with Emilia and forged a strong sibling-like bond with her. Despite her inherent kindness, Emilia would often behave mischievously and cause a lot of trouble for Archi and his comrades. On one occasion, everybody in the forest including Archi grew ill after eating rotten apples, although Emilia was miraculously unaffected. Occasionally, the forest would receive supply deliveries from members of a Witch-worshipping group called the Witch Cult during which Emilia was supposed to stay inside a room built into a tree known as the Princess Room. Geuse Romanée-Conti, the leader of the cultists, enjoyed a rather close relationship with Fortuna. 
During one of the cult's deliveries, Fortuna rushed over to the elves and the cultists with Emilia in her arms and a panicked expression. The seven-year-old girl was claiming to have a stomach ache so that she could spend time with Geuse who was not allowed to see her. Although everyone else was convinced by her pretend groaning, Archi believed Emilia was acting because of the incident with the rotten apples. Fortuna criticized Archi for his accusations, as both her and Geuse were seemingly fooled. Romanée-Conti suggested praying for the girl, and despite being sceptical, Archi joined in. Emilia, who felt guilty for her actions, pretended that the prayer had worked.
===Attack of the Witch Cult===
====Tearful goodbyes====
One day, during another routine delivery from Romanée-Conti and his subordinates, Archi helped the Witch Cultists unpack the supplies like usual. Emilia, who had secretly been sneaking out to observe the deliveries, called the young warrior an idiot to herself out of jealous frustration upon seeing the intimacy shared between Fortuna and Geuse. Later on in the day, a group of hostiles that belonged to a more radical part of the Witch Cult arrived in the forest unbidden and began engaging in combat with Romanée-Conti's men. Archi, worried about Emilia, began rushing over to the Princess Room at haste.
Upon arrival, Archi was relieved to find Emilia and Fortuna were safe in one another's arms. The future Guardian reported the situation to Fortuna and reassured Emilia that everything would be alright. Archi voiced his suspicions that the radical faction were after the seal and suggested escorting Emilia out of the forest to safety. Fortuna agreed, although she sought to have Archi take Emilia to safety instead of herself. Archi, who saw Fortuna and her surrogate daughter as family, emotionally voiced his disapproval for Fortuna's plan. After saying her goodbyes to Emilia, Fortuna named Archi the new Guardian and ordered him to forge a new life for himself and Emilia outside the forest. Although still reluctant, Archi obeyed and took off with Emilia on his back towards the exit of the forest. 
====Facing the Serpent====
As they ran, the tearful Emilia began blaming herself for the events that were transpiring. Archi attempted to dissuade the child's self-deprecation until they encountered an elderly Witch Cultist who assured them he served Romanée-Conti as a "finger" and could be trusted. The finger bore bad news for Archi as Regulus Corneas, the powerful Sin Archbishop of Greed who led the radical faction, was reportedly present in the forest and fighting Geuse. Additionally the Black Serpent, the greatest of the Three Great Mabeasts that were considered living calamities due to their strength, had also breached the forest.
As Archi began to sputter his disbelief that the Serpent would appear simultaneously with the radical faction, the finger delivered one more piece of bad news. The Witch of Vanity Pandora, who led the cult from the shadows, was accompanying Greed and was likely responsible for the Black Serpent's appearance. Archi was further dismayed, as the Witches of Sin were supposed to be long dead with the exception of Envy. Steeling himself despite the terrible information report, Archi pressed on with Emilia and the finger at his side. Just as they began to run, the finger cried out and his body began rapidly falling apart, as the vicious tongue of the plague-bringing Serpent had struck him from the shadows. Although he did not know the exact location of his enemy, Archi began desperately running towards the forest exit with Emilia. 
However, the Serpent struck the Guardian on the ankle with its tongue, making him tumble to the ground and drop Emilia. To stop the spread of the venom, Archi dismembered his lower leg with wind magic and cauterized the wound with ice conjured by water magic. Despite the pain, Archi told the concerned Emilia that he was alright. Knowing he couldn't go on in his condition, the young warrior told Emilia to continue pressing toward the exit while he faced the terrible mabeast. As the terrified child reluctantly made off, Archi reminisced about the times when she had given the elves the run around. The Serpent drew nearer to its prey with a lick of its lips and despite its power, Archi sat tall and refused to let it passed him. As the venom began to whittle away at the courageous Archi, the elven warrior thought to himself that Emilia would likely be alright. In the end, his exhausted smile never faltered. 
===Legacy===
Emilia subsequently went to the seal where she was reunited with Geuse and Fortuna who were fighting Pandora. Emilia conveyed news of Archi's likely demise to Fortuna who felt a torrential wave of grief wash over her. Using her power, the Witch of Vanity killed Fortuna and drove Geuse insane. Emilia, in her rage, froze the entire forest including herself and its inhabitants. Although Pandora had been prevented from opening the seal, she wiped Emilia's memories and left the forest with the newly-loyal Romanée-Conti at her command.
Roughly a century after Archi's death, Emilia was thawed and she spent the next seven years wandering the frozen Elior Forest with no memory of her past. Seven years later, Emilia began undergoing a set of trials in the tomb of the Witch of Greed Echidna in order to lower a barrier that was keeping a demi-human settlement imprisoned. These three trials were related to the past, present, and future and fabricated mental scenarios from the challenger's memories. During the trial of the past, Emilia experienced visions of her childhood, specifically the days leading up to Pandora's attack on the elven village. As a result, she remembered the role Archi and the other villagers had had in her youth and how valiant their sacrifices for her had been.
==Powers & Abilities==
*Magic: Elior was capable of using magical energy (known as mana) naturally absorbed into his body to manipulate reality in specific ways. Although most people specialized in only one of the six magical elements, Archi could conjure spells from at least two different ones—water and wind. The water element related to life and the rejuvenation of wounds and the wind element focused on directing external power rather than power found within a person's body.
**Aerokinesis: Using wind mana, Archi was able to shape and manipulate the air around him. As air cannot be seen, wind magic was therefore almost undetectable to the naked eye. One wind magic spell Archi was capable of using was "Fula" which allowed its user to project a swift blade of concentrated wind that was deadly enough to slice through flesh and bone. The elven warrior demonstrated his use of Fula when he sliced off his own leg in an attempt to prevent the spread of the Black Serpent's venom through his body.
**Cryokinesis: Using water mana, Archi had the capability to rapidly cool the air around him to the point that he could conjure ice out of thin air. The most simple variant of this technique, which Archi could use, was called "Huma." The future Guardian exhibited use of Huma when he cauterized his own leg with a block of ice after he sliced it off with wind magic to stop the venom of the Serpent.
==List of Appearances==
Light Novel
===Volume 14===
*Chapter 1: —Journey of Memories (First appearance) (Appears in vision)
*Chapter 3: The Day Alpha Orionis Laughed (Appears in vision)
*Chapter 4: The Eternal Freezing of the Great Elior Forest (Mentioned in vision)
===Volume 15===
*Chapter 2: Happiness Reflected Upon the Water's Surface (First identified as Elior) (Appears in vision)
Anime Adaptation
*Episode 42: A Journey Through Memories (First appearance) (Appears in vision)
*Episode 43: The Day Petelgeuse Laughed (Appears in vision)
*Episode 44: The Permafrost of Elior Forest (Appears in flashbacks in vision)
*Episode 47: Happiness Reflected on the Water's Surface (Appears in vision)
==Gallery==
ReZero Volume 14 Pandora & Archi Description.jpg|Character summaries of Archi and the Witch of Vanity Pandora in the fourteenth light novel.
ReZero Volume 14 Emilia & Archi Illustration.jpg|As the venom of the Black Serpent spread throughout his body, Archi told Emilia to run for her life.
ReZero Volume 15 Emilia's trial of present Illustration.jpg|Archi flustered by an older Emilia in a vision of a possible alternate reality witnessed by the latter.
ReZero Season 2 Announcement.jpg|Archi (with Fortuna and Geuse) on the announcement illustration for season two of the anime.
==External Links==
*Archi at the Re:Zero wiki.
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