We meet Ange in a whirlwind of car persecutions in the very first minutes of Princess Principal. As we only see the girls in action, we can not be sure of what their characters are like. That is until the second episode, where we catch a glimpse of Ange’s first days at school. So yes, Ange Le Carre is basically a humble, clever, slightly clumsy and bespeckled girl. She is said to have won a scholarship. Ange would not have been admitted into the exclusive Queen’s Mayfair School otherwise, as she is a commoner...

Anyway, we hear Ange’s usual catchphrase in episode 2 as well. She introduces herself timidly as “Ange Le Carre. I come from the Black Lizard Planet”. Since that moment, every time there is something odd about Ange’s personality or if she is asked too much questions, she simply replies with something related to the Black Lizard Planet. This might pass as jokes by an eccentric nerd, but there is much more behind it than it seems. It is hinted in the Ripper Dipper episode that Ange might use the Black Lizard Planet to hide her vulnerable human side.

Ange might pretend to be a harmless and intelligent student at Queen’s Mayfair, but just wait until she has to soil her hands. She was known as the best student at the Commonwealth’s Farm for a reason. Wearing the best lolita fashion for an active girl (complete with cape and top hat), Ange becomes the de-facto leader of her spying unit at every mission. Let’s remember that the official leader of the Shirohato girls is Dorothy, who is the oldest of them all. However, Ange’s superlative abilities take the center stage when things get serious.

The most obvious skills our protagonist has are her abilities to lie and catch lies. Next come Ange’s acting skills, making her a great improviser on the spot. Just remember the ball in episode 2 where she impersonated Princess! We also should mention that the nerdy figure Ange cultivates at school is not only acting. When the missions run out of hand, she is always capable of coming up with an effective plan B. Yeap, the five spies in Shirohato have not been defeated so far thanks in great part to Ange!

Although the Shirohato girls are skillful in using whatever is on hand to achieve their missions, they also have a secret arsenal in their “Club” room at Queen’s Mayfair School. In the case of Ange, her firearm of choice is an automatic revolver known as Webley-Fosberry. She also has used exploding bombs and gas bombs perfectly well hidden in her clothes (we even see her placing them in her crinoline in the episode “Humble Double”). Ange has made use of chemical substances as well. These girls sure are at the top of their profession!

Those of you who are familiar with Princess Principal might be already screaming: how about Ange’s C-ball?! We are not forgetting it, I assure you. Many opponents of Shirohato gap in awe everytime they see Ange flying and throwing away heavy objects after all. What they don’t see is that she is holding the C-ball, a stolen prototype of cavorite (a mineral of Albion) that manipulates gravity. Therefore, Ange can float and move whatever is on her way. With her C-ball, she is practically invincible!

This is a part of Ange’s story that is not very clear at the beginning. It is evident that these two know each other from the past. Should we remember how they coordinate so well in Dancy Conspiracy despite being “the first time” they meet? Or how about Bullet & Blade’s Ballad, where Ange and Princess stop two trains from colliding? These two could be considered to be close, and it is even more confirmed in a subtle scene in the Loudly Laundry episode, where we see that Princess is going to help the other members of Shirohato to catch the assassin, but Ange quickly takes her out of harm’s way. So, what’s exactly going on between Princess and her?

In the Ripper Dipper episode, Ange befriends a beggar girl and tells her a story “from the Black Lizard Planet”. It turns out that a very little Princess Charlotte felt trapped at the palace. The very day she decides to disappear from the world, she meets a beggar girl called Ange. The two quickly become friends, but when the Princess switches clothes with Ange to catch a glimpse of the outside world, the revolution barrens them from meeting again. Thus, Ange is the true Princess Charlotte! To leave someone in your place for so long is something that calls for strong ties, don’t you think?

It is natural for spies to distrust people in general. If we think carefully, neither the Commonwealth nor the Kingdom of Albion can be deemed as entirely well intentioned. The Commonwealth even played a dangerous double game in the last episodes of Princess Principal! So, despite the fact that Ange was trained in the Commonwealth and has obeyed their orders, she has her own agenda under her sleeve (which involves Princess and a refugee in Casablanca). Therefore, she can not trust anyone, not even her comrades. That is why Ange is so cold in the missions too.

Some of the few moments when we catch glimpses of our protagonist’s true personality are when she is alone with Princess. We bet that more than one gasped when she was so vulnerable by the end of the episode of Humble Double! However, it is such moments that remind us the “perfect” Ange is human. As Princess says in the Fall of the Wall episode, Ange should learn to open her heart more and trust the other Shirohato girls, who have proven their loyalty. Those few moments when we see Ange startled or caring for other people are some of the best in Princess Principal. Our icy, cool spy has the heart of a great girl, so it would be better if she would distrust less 🙂