Top 10 Characters in Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note (Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note)

The events of Fate: Zero gave us some memorable servants, some epic battles and a truly unexpected friendship, the friendship of Waver Velvet and the warrior Iskandar. Iskandar became the young Waver’s mentor and the young mage considered himself a loyal subject of the King of Conquerors. The end of the grail war meant all the servants returned to the aether but it didn’t mean they would be forgotten. Waver survived the Fourth Holy Grail War, then leveraged all he had to become Lord El Melloi II and a teacher at the Clock Tower school for mages.

Waver, despite his rank of lord, is technically outranked by Reines, the younger sister of the previous Lord El-Melloi. Reines often tasks him with solving problems that come up in the world of the Clock Tower mages. Waver's excellent deductive reasoning gives him a reputation as a detective with a set of skills perfect for solving the many mysteries that often arise in the world of magecraft.


10. Flatt Escardos

Like many mages in the Fate series, Flatt has a connection with a holy grail war. The holy grail war sees Flatt as the master of Berserker. He enters the Clock Tower as a student but isn’t deemed fit to be a mage by many of the professors because he doesn’t have the temperament of most mages. He eventually finds a teacher who will take him under his wing in Waver. Flatt gradually comes to be a great mage, with one problem: his personality. He has a whimsical nature which is considered incompatible with being a mage no matter how talented he is, so he is continually denied graduation by the Clock Tower leaving him as a 20-year-old student in Waver’s class. Flatt’s role, aside from being a pain in Waver’s butt at times, is to be the reliable student that will do whatever weird errand his teacher asks of him.

9. Svin Glascheit

Svin is another student in Waver's class. He is best friends with Flatt. According to most people, Svin is a calm, intelligent boy, albeit a bit immature. He gets jealous of others where Gray, who we will mention later, is concerned. The young mage utilizes Beast Magecraft which allows him to take on the characteristics of animals. Svin also seems to have a keen sense of smell and can often tell when Waver and especially Gray are nearby. We often see Svin accompany Flatt on side missions for their teacher as Waver works on a case.

8. Caules Forvedge Yggdmillennia

You may remember Caules from Fate/Apocrypha. The character shares many of the same characteristics and history as the Caules in Apocrypha but it appears that in this timeline he did not take part in a holy grail war. Caules isn’t a very powerful mage but has taken up the mantle of mage because his sister gave up the right. He joins Waver’s class of misfits where his talents are nurtured in a more natural direction than they were by the other teachers. Caules’ aristocratic upbringing gives him a bit more maturity than his other classmates. Like the other members of his class, he finds that more often than not he’s required to take part in some of the extra credit that his teacher’s younger sister assigns.

7. Olga-Marie Arsimilat Animusphere

You may remember Olga-Marie from Fate/Grand Order. She has a similar appearance and attitude in this version of the Fate Universe, too. We are introduced to her in the Rail Zeppelin/Mystic Eyes Auction arc of the Melloi series. She boards the mystical train with her aid Trisha Fellows to participate in the Mystic Eyes auction. Her goal is to obtain the “Rainbow” mystic eyes. The story becomes a version of Agatha Christie’s Murder at the Orient Express with Lord El-Melloi II starring as inspector Hercule Poirot. We are a bit surprised, however, that Olga-Marie is officially 11 years old at the time of the auction despite looking much, much older. She plays like an antagonist and reluctant ally of Waver in the unraveling of the mystery. We would love to see a bit more of Olga-Marie.

6. Luviagelita Edelfelt

We were introduced to the refined young lady known as Luviagelita Edefelt in Fate/Hollow Ataraxia. She also made an appearance in the Fate series Fate/Kaleid Prisma Illya. Now she shows up in Lord El-Melloi as one of the students in Waver's class. She always conducts herself as a lady who has no trouble flaunting her wealth. She is one of the few students that doesn’t show Waver complete respect. Luvia’s opinion of Waver is that he is “the worst kind of person.” She eventually warms up to her teacher and even helps him in the final arc of the story by teaming up with Kairi Shishigou, a necromancer, to unravel the mystery presented to them.

5. Kairi Shishigou

Kairi has always been a favorite for Fate fans because of his cool and tough-guy demeanor. He always comes off as a badass, wearing a leather jacket and toting a shotgun with mystically engraved ammunition. The necromancer can raise and employ spirits, a skill that comes in handy when solving a murder. He appears in the Marbury Workshop arc of the series. We first encounter him in the catacombs under the Marbury Mansion as he is conducting an investigation in parallel to Waver’s. He makes a second appearance near the end of the series when he is tasked by Reines to work with Luvia to find out who had stolen Iskander’s mantel from Waver. We aren’t sure what it was about the rich girl and tough guy chemistry the two had but we’d actually like to see more of it.

4. Melvin Weins

Weins is an old friend of Waver’s and is the only one to call him Waver now that he is a lord. He has known Waver for years and faced more than one life-or-death situation with him. The main thing we know about Melvin is that he is rich, extremely rich, and is willing to use his resources to help Waver. The willingness to help Waver doesn’t come from a completely altruistic place, either. He always asks if whatever he’s asked to do is entertaining. He is a rather lanky and sickly man who often coughs up blood. He isn’t exactly the person you want in combat. But you would want his help before you take the field. His ability to tune magic crests by playing the violin gives you a power boost.

3. Reines El-Melloi Archisorte

Waver bought his title of lord. A key part of that agreement was for him to turn over the title to his now adoptive younger sister Reines when she comes of age. As the head of the El-Melloi family, she was the one who leased him the title. She was also the one who came up with the terms that he takes on the extra jobs that are the basis for the series. She also has a bit of a twisted personality. She revels in watching an upstanding, honest person fall from grace. She is a mage as well and sometimes shows up in her brother’s class. She also possesses Mystic Eyes that turn red upon contact with magical energy. Reines plays a very interesting role in the story, straddling the role of antagonist for Waver and at times playing the caring sister. She is also the catalyst for a lot of the events in the story.

2. Waver Velvet (Lord El-Melloi II)

We first met Waver Velvet as a scrawny 18-year-old mage who was taking part in a holy grail war in Japan. Waver enters the war with the hope of gaining acknowledgment form his peers and the Clock Tower despite coming from lesser nobility. The experience of the grail war changed him and his outlook. He summoned Iskandar (Alexander the Great) as a servant but Iskandar became a mentor and helped him determine how he should live as a man. Iskandar’s influence on Waver was so great, Waver pledged his loyalty to him and wants nothing more than to be counted as one of Iskandar’s subjects. The grail war ends and Iskandar disappears into the aether leaving Waver with a hole in his heart and a yearning to be a worthy subject of the King of Conquerors. He eventually returns to the Clock Tower with a new goal to gain the standing and resources to participate in the next holy grail war if only to summon Iskandar again and show him what he has accomplished with his life. Waver, with his purchased title and impressive deductive intellect, gains a position as a teacher at the mages school and takes on all the misfits and troublesome students the more esteemed members of the faculty don’t want. The general role of Waver Velvet in this series is a lot like a Sherlock Homes whose investigative prowess can unravel the most difficult of mysteries in the secretive world of mages.

1. Gray

Gray is a mysterious hooded girl who serves as Waver’s apprentice and ward. She is also the result of genetic manipulation by her clan, which hoped that she would be the vessel for the soul of King Arthur. The result of this genetic tampering is that despite being human she can generate a Noble Phantasm (a powerful attack) called “The Holy Lance of King Arthur.” She also possesses a unique mystic code, a powerful sentient artifact, that transforms her into a grim reaper. Gray despite her impressive abilities is also a quiet girl who is very unsure of where she fits in life considering she was simply to be a vessel for her ancestors' spirit. The chance she has to experience life as a student at the Clock Tower has slowly begun to change her sense of self-worth. The girl with the face of King Arthur is the most prominent character in the series but we learn so little about her life. Gray is a mystery for many of us and that is what makes her intriguing. She is also the most powerful character of the series as she plays the role of Waver’s student and servant.


Closing Paragraph

Lord El-Melloi II Case Files - Rail Zeppelin Grace note is a bit unique as far as Fate series go. It is a slow-moving show with an interesting Sherlock-like protagonist. We like knowing that the story of Waver is continuing and that he has found life after the events of the Holy Grail War. We also can’t help but smile at the devotion he still has to Iskander. The chance to unravel some of the mysteries of the Clock Tower and the mage's association is also a welcome opportunity to explore the Fate universe.

Lord-El-Melloi-IIs-Case-Files-Rail-Zeppelin-Grace-note-333x500 Top 10 Characters in Lord El-Melloi II Sei no Jikenbo: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note (Lord El-Melloi II Case Files: Rail Zeppelin Grace Note)

Writer

Author: Zeke Changuris

I’m a journalist, writer, photographer, video producer, social media manager and above all a storyteller. I’m located on the east coast of the United States but travel the world with the love of my life. I’ve been a nerd since birth with a love of history and science. I fell in love with anime, watching ROBOTECH and Venus Wars in the 80s when our only source was secondhand VHS dubs. A crazy new thing called the internet changed that, giving me access to new and amazing anime every day. I love to write for work and pleasure. I’m living the dream of every kid, getting paid to watch anime and loving every subtitled line.

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