Its acctually quite touching how Ophelia got killed by Clare and Ophelia's ill fate was quite touching.

Someone make a good observation of Ophelia in another forum:

A little more of my thoughts on Ophelia, as brought up a couple episodes back.

She's a sadistic, evil, monstrous little creature, caring only for her own enjoyment and the pain she can cause others. That's not why I like her.

The anime version was more limited in some of its presentation, though what it did show it showed beautifully. The point that I think finally drove home exactly who Ophelia was, for me, was her simple declaration of, "You won." Those two words finally crystalized an understanding of her seemingly meaninglessly sadistic nature.

Someone commented an episode or two ago that it was unusual to have such a vicious antagonist whose sadism seemed to have no purpose other than simply the act itself. It wasn't for power, or revenge, or torture or whatever. It was simply causing pain for the sake of causing pain. What I saw was that there was actually a purpose behind it, even if she was not consciously aware of it.

I've noted before that our two 'evil' characters so far have extremely childlike personalities. Priscilla is the epitome of righteous magical girl; Ophelia wants to play games. Even Clare herself is still heavily tied to her younger self, of the time she had with Teresa. The parallels being drawn seem to be deliberate. The children of this world are the most vulnerable, at every level.

At the physical level, they are the most susceptible to being killed by the pervasive plague of yoma. Even adults have almost no way to defeat them, and children have no chance at all. They are also in the worst position as survivors of such attacks since the adults will mistrust them, and can't be relied on to help them survive.

At the social level, those who have survived such attacks are taken in by this world's "Health and Welfare Bureau", the Organization. Rather than being cared for, however, they are turned into half-monsters themselves, forced to endure the pain of the transformation, sent out to kill, and knowing that no one considers them human anymore. Sooner or later they will either die in battle, or become the very monsters they fight and caused them to become what they are.

And at the metaphysical level, they seem to be the most vulnerable to turning into the monstrosities they fight, Awakened Beings. It is the human mind that keeps that at bay, and the childlike minds don't seem to have the proper type of strength of will to hold onto their humanity.

Thus we return to Ophelia. She wants to play a game. More importantly, it's implied that this is normal behavior for her. She kills and inflicts pain in numerous ways, and disposes of the evidence to keep from being punished, all in the name of playing a game, a game where she sets the rules. The rules are unfair, the dice are loaded, and the penalty for losing is death.

What she wants, however, is someone with whom she can play a game, who will win.

Consider how she plays with Clare. She taunts and teases, but doesn't kill directly. She uses every trick she can think of that any enemy might use against you. Are you afraid? She'll play on that fear. Do you care about someone? She'll use him as leverage against you. Are you an offensive type? She'll take advantage of the weaknesses of that type (inability to easily heal/regenerate). Any special techniques? She's very good at analyzing and countering those abilities.

Every possible weakness an enemy could exploit, Ophelia will try to use against her fellow 'player', trying to force their limits, and find the point they will break. As long as Clare could keep finding ways out of the traps Ophelia set, Ophelia kept pushing her. When Clare was out of tricks, and unable to continue fighting, only then did Ophelia get bored and was prepared to kill her.

Yet, even though Clare was out of tricks, out of strategy, and unable to fight, she never broke. She never gave in. She kept trying to find a way.

Fast forward to after the Quick Sword training. Clare had gotten faster and stronger. Perhaps strong enough to be worth testing one more time. This time it was a test of her inner self, the part that holds back the beast, that keeps her from awakening. Yet another set of unfair rules, rules Clare -could- have ignored in order to dispatch Ophelia, as Ophelia herself noted. Clare, however, stayed within the rules of the game, perhaps as much to test herself as to let Ophelia test her.

And Ophelia wanted her to win. This was her last chance to find someone who -could- win. She wouldn't skimp on the rules, because the rules were important. But that inner part of her, the child that knew what she was trying to find, could encourage Clare just enough to get her over the top.

Why was she trying to find this person? While Ophelia was #4, she was also a very competitive person. If it was possible for her to gain a higher rank, she would have tried. She also probably knew that #5 (Raphaela) was stronger than she was. She loved killing Awakeneds, but her true goal was Priscilla. She had to know, then, that she had no chance of actually beating Priscilla.

She had to find someone stronger than herself, not just physically (as 1/2/3/5 would be), but mentally and strategically. Beating someone in a straight-up 'fair' fight is easy. Priscilla didn't play fair. Ophelia had to find someone who could play a game with completely unfair rules and still win.

The child that is Ophelia, the child who wanted her brother back, the child who wanted revenge on his murderer, the child with such a keen mind, even if twisted over the years, the child who just wanted to play some games, that is the one that I care about, and I will miss.

His second post

More thoughts on Ophelia. This is more speculative than analytical, with a number of points that I can't directly prove.

I think that Ophelia had already given up any hope of defeating Priscilla before she ever met Clare. The carelessness of her fight with the Awakened was not her being overpowered, but rather her being lazy or uncaring of the outcome. She was, at that point, already on a suicidal path.

Recall her words from Miria's flashback, regarding Miria's ability to fight multiple opponents. I believe that at that time she was still 'testing' herself, willing to take any opportunity to fight an opponent that would allow her to determine if her skills were good enough to fight Priscilla.

Ophelia appears to be an excellent tactician. It's likely the primary reason she rose to rank 4. That gift, however, allowed her to recognize an unwinnable fight. There was some point after her encounter with Miria when she found she would never be good enough.

High probability: She keeps track of all Awakened hunts. Secondary probability: she keeps tracks of those who go on such hunts to scout for a possible 'successor' (even if she wouldn't readily acknowledge that). She had already encountered Miria and knew she had a potentially fatal weakness. She was likely aware of Helen and Deneve in a general sort of way, and had enough experience to easily pick apart their weaknesses. What caught her attention, however, was a rank 47 warrior going on such a hunt, and returning alive. The report would likely at least indicate that this warrior performed adequately, even if details were left out.

This was something completely out of left field, and probably quite intriguing to Ophelia. It would not take much digging to determine that she was the product of the infusion of Teresa (though that information isn't a necessary presupposition to further speculation), and considered a failure. However the fact that she was both assigned to and survived an Awakened hunt might lead Ophelia to take a chance on her.

To a tactician, people become predictable, and warriors even more so. However this 'Clare' person could very well be something different, unusual. Interesting.

The assignment of Clare to the hunt with Ophelia is very odd. Instead of the usual group of 4, there were only 2, and Ophelia claimed (correctly) that she could have handled it herself. There is absolutely no reason whatsoever for the Organization to assign Clare to such a hunt, especially against an Awakened more powerful than the one she fought before. The only conclusion is that someone must have specifically requested it. [Edit: Well, there is the alternative "plan to kill both troublemakers off" theory.]

The only one who could conceivably have done so is Ophelia herself (probably through her handler). Rubel might have done so, but he is far too meticulous. He would have arranged for another standard group of 4 against progressively more difficult opponents, not paired with a single, unstable Claymore.

Ophelia, having failed to be strong enough herself, and having failed to find a strong enough candidate among the 'normal' Claymores, is grasping at straws to find someone suitable. Her own failure worsens her mental instability. She no longer cares if she lives or dies, and she honestly no longer has any real hope. She has slipped fully into her 'game' mode by the time she meets Clare.

Thus she is hanging onto her humanity by a mere thread during this arc, and her encounter with Ilena breaks that. Her psyche snaps, and she finally succumbs and becomes Awakened. However, being in 'game' mode, her grasp of reality is still loose, and she's unaware of what happened.

When she finally realizes what happened, enough of her true self pulls together to put on one last test - one last game - for Clare. Clare winning the game that she herself could not allowed Ophelia to at long last rest easy, knowing there was another there to fight in her stead.

Pretty good read.

Claire with Theresa yoki sensors, Irene/Ilena's Quicksword arm and Ophelia's manifest. She sounds like a bearer for some of her most powerful comrade in arms. Talk about adaptability and flexibility. Claire is like a tabula rasa, waiting to be fitted with good parts that maybe someday enable her to take on Priscillia face to face in mortal combat.

The problem being a tabula rasa, she has no unique ability of her own as much it is source of her great strength.

Now that is hallmark of a potentially good warrior.

PS: Tabula Rasa in this context means clean slate from Latin, not part of the tongue in BM.

This post has been edited by Stormy001_M1A2: Jul 5 2007, 11:30 AM

Very interesting article indeed did you write this yourself or adopted it from somewhere else?

Very good read. Highly analytical and to the point. However, the ending of episode 14 ...



Anyway just my theory.

Italics is exact copy, bold is my input.

I think Ophelia is still useful for her bosses, so I don't see her as "problem child" from her handler's point of view.

Gahhhh. I can't download due to crappy indonesian internets.
>_<

You are a Indon?

No.....i'm currently on a project here.

Despite all the psycho-analytics on the mental state of Ophelia posted by Stormy, i still feel the Ophelia arc is convoluted and has totally no meaning and bearing to the story except as a plot device for Claire to gain her new ability, the Flash Sword. Alot can be read about Ophelia's sadistic tendencies and if i bothered, I can write a very long essay about why Ophelia is like that as well. But the jist of the matter is, Ophelia was just a plot device, and the mangaka either didn't bother to develop her story or maybe he did later in the manga and I don't know cuz I didn't read it.

Consider that nobody found it odd that Ophelia was able to kill humans and get away with it. She even preyed on weaker Claymores to make them awaken so she had reason to kill the Awakened Beings she so loved to kill. We only see her messing with Clare, trying to get her to awaken but that never happened much to her dismay. God knows how many other weaker Claymores she already killed in this way. (story never bothered to mention about this either) I'm abit disappointed with what little role Miss Ophelia played.

Anyway episode 14 made me slightly interested as it gives more clues to what the Organization is planning. Why is Raffaela (Rafflesia?) no. 4 despite being hinted to be very powerful? Irene was the former no. 3 and she admits to Rafaela that she would never stand a chance even if she had both arms. I hope she doesn't die. Why the grinning shot of Clare's handler? Did he expected this to happen? Hmmm.

My theories on where the series is going:

The Organization's goal is to create "the perfect being", that is a person who can "awaken" but yet retain their human selves and if posibble don't get human guts fetish as well. Yomas are the by products of this research, being the weaker monsters that prey on humans but still controllable by the Claymores. People are told that the Yoma are demons who kill humans and then take on the form of those they have killed, but possibly the fact is Yoma are humans, just like Claymores were humans. The Org probably spread some yoma virus to selected people so they will lose their humanity and become Yoma. Claymores that become Voracious Eaters/Awakened Beings are of no use to the Org as they are considered "failed experiments" to achieve the perfect being, and thus are disposed off. Claymores who kill humans are also considered "failed" because by hurting humans, they are considered no longer subservient to the Org. The Org wants the perfect being that can be controlled by them, not a rogue Claymore that cannot be controlled and won't listen to the Org.

And thus was born the ranking system of Claymores. I'd reckon that the path to the perfect being is near, and all the Org requires is the perfect subject that shows that she can control her hunger to eat human flesh as well as retain her humanity. A pool of 47 (it might've been a bigger number in the past) Claymores are created and they are ranked according to ability. Claymores die and are replaced constantly. The Org's goal to the perfect being becomes ever closer with Claymores becoming stronger as each generation passes, and the weak ones are discarded from the "gene pool". Later on, there may be a battle royale of Claymores or a big cataclysmic battle will happen where either they fight amongst themselves or awakened beings until only THE ONE will survive. And i'm sure i don't have to assume that this ONE will be Clare. Theresa was probably as close as they can get to having their perfect being, but sadly she wasn't as subservient to the Org as they would've liked. Perhaps Clare was an experiment in hopes that she will carry on Theresa's legacy that's why they agreed to "put Theresa into her" whatever that means.

Also remember the slasher arc, all the Claymores there have "reversed" their awakening process and thus are slightly stronger than the average Claymore. They were sent to kill that Awakened Being probably as a test, contrary to Miria's theory that they were considered "troublesome" by the Org. All of the Returned Claymores (i'll call those that reversed the awakening as Returned) that were sent to that AB were killed until Clare's group was sent. That's what surprised that scary handler dude, that probalby one of them in the group is the person they are trying to accomplish.

Why they want to achieve this perfect being? Can be any reason. To bring forth the apocalypse? World domination? To make yoma as the new supreme race on the planet? Pick any cliche plot out there.

This post has been edited by wolfx: Jul 7 2007, 05:59 PM

Raphaela is mysterious Claymore. Hard to say what kinda motivation she has for her being.

Ophelia managed to push Claire to limits of her ability and also set the stage for Claire acquiring Flash Sword. In twisted way, she actually mentored Claire in finer points of being a warrior. However the payment for her tuition is your life which is bit tad too expensive.

I'll be interested to know Rafaela's story.

Also strange....i thought Claymore's naked bodies are supposed to be so turn off that it will make your lil bro shrivel up immediately. Probably wrinkled boobs or big scar between the boobs or something, as hinted by Theresa when she was getting raped. But Ophelia seemed fine.

during #13, while claire was fighting ophelia:
ophelia said that claire is an offensive type claymore, so she cant regenerate her body back, hence the lost arm + scars. While ophelia is the defensive type, hence a "fine" body

i like offensive claymore on bed

*hinting on clare *

Ohh yeah did Clare got rape by that bandit that wanted to rape theresa or did she get rape by the bandit then before theresa come to her rescue?

You are a fan of DoW too?

any way back to the story of claymore, I thought that bandit that wanted to rape theresa said that clare was shouting out theresa's name when he ahem ahem and that that made theresa mad, but I wonder if he'd made it up.