Estelle Rosenthal (エステル＝ローゼンタール Esuteru Rōzentāru?) is a magician[1] who first appears in Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator.
Appearance
Estelle is rather well-endowed and has blonde hair and green eyes. She has a mole under her left eye. She wears a black cloak over a sleeveless white blouse, which is open on the back, with a red skirt under a large belt. She wears two black ribbons on her temples. Her forearms are covered in bandages and she wears gloves. She wears black thigh-high socks, her legs have leather straps, and her ankles are bound with metal rings.[2] She wears dark underwear.[3]
Personality
Estelle is shown to be generally kind to people. She is also seen to be completely comfortable when Accelerator walks in on her when she is in her underwear, much to Last Order's chagrin. She values humans and their lives enough that she is outraged when they are exploited in despicable fashions;[3] this is displayed greatly when, despite how they are dead, Estelle does not see any of her animated corpses as expendable as she prefers to see no harm come to them.[4]
Background
She apparently came to Academy City and was tricked into aiding Hishigata's research on how esper powers resided in the human body. This research later developed in strengthening esper powers by reinforcing the physical body, though only corpses, though this eventually lead to the creation of the Coffins. She would later make friends with Hishigata's younger sister, Hirumi, but she later dies. Estelle later resurrects her using her magic but finds out that she had become possessed by the evil spirit of Taowu.[5] Probably aware of the evil spirit's plans of wanting to use Last Order to put a new layer upon the world, make a perfect body and brain,[6] and eventually a perfect esper,[5] She later escapes, determined to get to Last Order.
Chronology
Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator
Estelle first appears while being pursued by Anti-Skill. While escaping them, she enters a certain hospital and finds herself in Accelerator's room. She attempts to ask him about Last Order, however Accelerator doesn't notice her due to using his power to deflect sound away from him while reading. While she tries to get his attention, her pursuer catch up with her and manage to subdue her. She is later tied up with several belts and gagged. Despite her bonds, she manages to get out during the scuffle between the Anti-Skill and Accelerator who has come to take her away for questioning as she carried a photo of Last Order.[7]
She escapes her restraints during Accelerator's battle with Nishio and the prototype Coffin, and later reappears before Accelerator, in his room, inquiring about the girl on the photo, Last Order.[7]
After a rocky start with Accelerator, she tells him of DA and their plans and later bring him to the warehouse where she was restrained. There, they discover a huge mecha, a Coffin known as the Qiong Qi, and find out that DA's plans are already in motion.[6] Later, Estelle performs a magic ritual on the Hitokawa Hasami's corpse, in order to put her to rest. While doing so, the curious Accelerator touches the physical form of Hasami's residual memory, allowing him to see how she had died.[3] Later, Estelle sucessfully possesses Hasami with her Huotou. Later, when DA operatives come to dispose of her and Estelle, the Huotou activates and takes control of Hasami's body allowing her to fight for Estelle as she is her master.[4]
When Accelerator stumbled after dispatching the first DA member, Estelle asked if he was OK and noticed his head bleeding due to his wounds reopening. As the second DA member tried to escape, Estelle attempted to pursue him but he used his blade to bring the ceiling down on top of her, though the Huotou protected her using Hasami's body. Seeing her path was blocked, Estelle looked for another way, which the Huotou found. After the Huotou told her to hang on, Estelle gave it her cloak to cover Hasami's naked body. It then carried her after their quarry, breaking through a wall and intercepting the DA member as he was escaping the hospital.[8]
Abilities
Necromancy
She is a Necromancer,[1] and can perform rituals on the dead to help them "pass[ing] through the gates of Heaven."[3] An example of this is with Hitokawa Hasami, whom Estelle mentions that the corpse would crawl back again even if buried. The ritual involves Estelle putting back the wandering "residual memory" of the corpse in order to put her to rest. This requires closing the corpse's "spiritual circuit." Estelle places a complex magic circle upon the body of the corpse. Additional magic circles then form upon the floor where the ritual is being made, and a large, vibrant burst of light appears as the spirit is installed. She then "reactivates" her, re-possesses her body with her Huotou, and then closes the spiritual circuit.[3] To do this, she needs the "residual thoughts" as a keyword and then sends the false soul into the body. If the residual thoughts are not controlled, they usually take dangerous form that people sometimes call ghosts.[4]
Slowly, the "residual memory" gathers and forms outside the corpse in the form of a floating brain. If touched, as with the case of Accelerator, the memories of the person can appear in the back of the one who touched its mind, apparently spanning even from birth of the person all the way to their death.[3]
Huotou
A Huotou (禍斗?) is apparently a false soul (偽りの魄 Itsuwari no Tamashii?) that is used by Estelle to possess a corpse. She uses these in her process in “closing the circuits” of a corpse. When put in a corpse it will take a while before the Huotou activates. When it does, it rises by itself and talks in a strange manner, like that of a robot. When in combat it can be both fast and powerful, and as with the case of Hasami, be able to destroy and create a crater on a floor with a single kick. It also automatically tries to protect its master (Estelle), and if in danger of being destroyed, tries to protect the “charm” that allows it to move, allowing damage to the corpse if necessary.[4]
Taowu
Taowu (檮杌?), known as Evil Spirit of Numbers (ナンバーズの悪霊 Nanbāzu no Akuryō?) is the evil spirit that possessed Hirumi's body after being resurrected by Estelle. It is capable of independent and malicious thought unlike Huotou. It seems unwilling or incapable of speaking.[5]
Armor of the Dead
The Armor of the Dead (死者の鎧 Shisha no Yoroi?) is an armor made from dirt. Estelle can envelope her Huoutou with an armor of dirt that not only increases defense but also attack power. To activate this spell, Estelle uses one of her magic circles on paper and puts in on the ground where there is a sufficient amount of soil. By Estelle's actions however, she apparently needs to continue invoking the spell to provide the dirt for her Huotou's armor. According to her, the spell is just using a Gnome (グノーム(土精) Gunōmu (Dosei)?, lit. "Earth Spirit") to amplify the defense of the dead and increase its attack power.[9]
Emperor Shun's Blade
Estell has with her a dagger known as Emperor Shun's Blade (舜帝の剣 Shun-tei no Han?). It appears as a dagger with strange marking that Estelle uses as a regular dagger. Using it to stab people or use it to escape being tied.[7]
It can be used for a spell known as Spell of Emperor Shun's Blade (舜帝の剣の術 Shun-tei no Han no Jutsu?). The dagger is prepared for the spell by using a ritual where the blade is placed in the center of a magic circle.[5] It is not known what effects the dagger has, though based on its name, it is likely used to slay evil spirits like Taowu.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Dengeki Daioh Article
- ↑ Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator Promotional Image
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator Manga Chapter 003
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator Manga Chapter 004
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator Manga Chapter 022
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator Manga Chapter 002
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator Manga Chapter 001
- ↑ Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator Manga Chapter 005
- ↑ Toaru Kagaku no Accelerator Manga Chapter 014