Estarossa - Ten Commandments - Seven deadly Sins

Mael「マエル」 is one of the Four Archangels of the Goddess Clan. During the Holy War 3,000 years ago, a certain person reforged Mael and everyone else's memories, giving the Archangel a new identity as a member of the Ten Commandments and the second son of the Demon King, under the name of Estarossa「エスタロッサ Esutarossa」.

Appearance

Estarossa is a very tall and muscular man and wears a yellow (blue in the anime) longcoat with gold (silver in the anime) gauntlets and boots. He bears a great resemblance to the wanted poster of Meliodas. He has silver hair and noticeable facial stubble. He also has the same demonic mark as Meliodas and Zeldris but unlike Meliodas, it is above his left eye similar to Zeldris.

After absorbing the Commandment of Truth, Estarossa's appearance remains mostly unchanged except that his forearms and legs are covered in darkness, and he gains a spiked circle made of darkness on his back. Once he absorbs the Commandment of Reticence, he transforms for a second time with his entire body covered in darkness similar to that of Meliodas' Assault Mode.

PERSONALITY

ESTAROSSA

"It's impossible to read what he's truly thinking or feeling, just like Meliodas...But what worries me the most is that inexplicable feeling of unease and discomfort that radiates from him...Like something's out of place...I can't figure what the source of it is... But regardless, he is a strange man."
— Cusack's point of view about Estarossa

Estarossa seems to have a normally relaxed demeanor. When Meliodas appears and threatens the Ten Commandments, he doesn't seem overly bothered by the situation. Beneath this aloof exterior, however, he has a very sadistic and cold side. He cites Meliodas' former ruthlessness as one of the traits he used to admire most about him, and clearly takes pleasures in torturing his estranged brother as punishment for the betrayal of his own kind. He did, however, begin crying when killing Meliodas, implying that he does still feel love for his older brother.

Estarossa seems to enjoy fighting for himself. For instance, he claimed that he wanted to fight with his brothers for the Demon King's throne, even though he confesses to not being interested in it. Consequently, it makes his motivations rather unclear as he does not put himself forward for the Demon King's throne and rather prefers "gaining" Elizabeth instead. He seems to show some respect against strong opponents such as Escanor to whom he asked his name because he deemed it worth to keep in mind.

Zeldris implied that Estarossa may hunger for more power, as he warned him to not try stealing the Commandments they had to recover for himself. Furthermore, Estarossa himself had no qualms in proposing killing his fellow Commandments to acquire their special abilities more quickly, showing that he does not care at all for them apart from possibly Zeldris. This was proven further when he ruthlessly killed the petrified Galand just because it would take time to have Zeldris release him from his petrification. His hunger for power was later proven to be true by the fact that he would rather have all the Commandments for himself, rather than to give them to Zeldris or Meliodas.

Eventually, it's revealed that Estarossa seems to be a rather mentally unstable man. Monspeet mentioned that his mind and soul has been slowly eaten away at by his commandment, leaving him in an unstable mindset. His thirst for power is what drives him now.

While ruthless to demons, considering them as garbage and feeling no remorse for how many he killed, Mael seems to have been a good individual to those not associated with the Demon Clan, expressing deep remorse for killing so many innocents and his kin upon remembering what happened. He had enough willpower to turn himself from being a coward unable to harm an insect to the mightiest of the Four Archangels. He also was very proud of how highly Ludociel thought of him. He does not seem to be sadistic towards demons despite his hatred for them, as he prefers to use a technique that gives them painless death instead of beating them first.

After regaining his memories, while under the influence of the Commandments, Mael became vengeful towards Gowther for what he did to him. He has became sadistic towards those who ally with Gowther, relishing in the pain Gowther felt when King was in severe pain from his attack. However, he seems to still consider his fellow Archangels as allies, greeting them cordially, clearly being surprised as of how they are against him, and while he fights them and King, he never strikes them with one of his attacks, only ever being shown to inflict grievous harm on King. This changes after he absorbs the Purity Commandment, where he has no qualms attacking anyone, even Elizabeth.

After Gowther invaded Mael's mind and made him know the reasons behind why the Archangel was chosen by the demon Gowther to be turned into "Estarossa", Mael felt great remorse for his past indiscriminate killing of demons, allowing him to be able to expel the Commandments from within him. Free from the influence of the Commandments, Mael didn't hesitate in saving Gowther. Afterwards, Mael was unsure if he should continue to fight in the Holy War, asking if he should fight to defeat the Demon Clan as a member of the Goddess Clan. It was only after Elizabeth asked him to help end the Holy War instead that he joined the battle.


History
3000 years ago
Mael was one of the Goddess Clan's Four Archangels and Ludociel's younger brother. In his youth, Mael was rejected by his clan because he was a coward incapable of harming even an insect. During this time, Mael greatly admired his older brother, aspiring to be like him.

It was also during this time that he met the goddess Elizabeth and fell in love with her because of her being the only person besides his brother who never made fun of him. However, Elizabeth, who only had eyes for Meliodas, did not reciprocate his feelings. Despite this, Mael always kept observing her from a distance and told Ludociel about his feelings for Elizabeth. His older brother then promised to arrange things for the two of them. However, Mael ultimately ended up devastated when Elizabeth eventually fell in love with Meliodas.

At one point, Mael confronted the leader of the Six Knights of Black, Bellion when he raided a Sky Temple and showed his far superior strength by effortlessly almost burning him to death until Meliodas interfered. The result of their fight it is unknown.

Mael is first mentioned when Ludociel asks Nerobasta to call for him during the attack on Stigma headquarters.

According to Ludociel, Mael was at some point killed by Estarossa of the Ten Commandments. This, however, was revealed to be a false memory forged by the demon Gowther.[1] Searching to put an end to the Holy War, Gowther uses a forbidden spell and reforged Mael's and everyone else's memories of the Archangel, him a new identity as the second son of the Demon King, under the name of "Estarossa".

Now a part of the Demon Clan, Mael received the Commandment of Love that Meliodas abandoned, becoming a member of the Ten Commandments. The supposed death of Mael was so devastating for the Goddess Clan, that it forced them to carry out the seal of the Coffin of Eternal Darkness. Estarossa was sealed away by the Goddess Clan along with the rest of the Demon Clan, ending the Holy War.

Abilities and Equipment
As one of the Four Archangels, Mael is an extremely powerful goddess. Like all members of the Goddess Clan, he has wings that grants him the ability of flight.[2]

Despite being initially weak from the beginning, Ludociel knew Mael possessed immense potential and would be able to surpass him in the future.[3] Living up to Ludociel's beliefs, Mael became the strongest of the Four Archangels.[4] His older brother, the leader of the Four Archangels, openly admits that he is not able to match Mael's power when his Grace reaches it's maximum at high noon.[5] With his very presence alone, he was able to use his Grace to completely cloud over Bellion's darkness, the leader of the Six Knights of Black, and deal heavy damage on him. Mael is so powerful that after Meliodas' betrayal of the Demon Clan, to perverse the balance of power, Gowther was forced to convert him into Estarossa in order to tilt the power balance of the war in favor of the Demon Clan, forcing the Goddess Clan to perform the Coffin of Eternal Darkness.[6] His power as the most powerful of the Four Archangels is far superior to the power he had as Estarossa, as while Estarossa was considerably overwhelmed by the Commandments, upon regaining his memories and power as Mael, he proved capable of fully controlling the Commandments in his body.[7] The Commandments inside him also serves as a replacement to the Grace he possessed which increases his power,[8] as shown by how he manages to pressure King, Sariel and Tarmiel all at once, severely injures King and only loses upon being caught off guard.[9] Even after he sustains severe wounds from Derieri's beating, he was still able to instantly kill her with his Kyusai no Ya and successfully absorbs the Commandment of Purity.[10] At this point, Mael's power skyrockets to being above 200,000 and his magic power alone was sufficient to terrify and cause King, Diane and Gowther to sweat, with Elizabeth going as far as to tell them to run upon feeling Mael's power.[11] After re-obtaining Sunshine, he easily dispels Original Demon's spell of Darkness and overpowers his attacks after he had increased his power with Crisis.[12]

Mael possesses tremendous speed, as shown when he blitzes Gowther before he can react[13] and instantaneously appears behind King right after the latter knocked him away,[14] as well as being able to easily catch Zeldris off-guard.[15] He also possesses immense levels of durability and physical strength, as shown when he emerges completely unscathed after taking a direct hit from King's True Spirit Spear Chastiefol[16] and easily stops his Sabaki no Yari with just one hand.[17] It took both Sariel and Tarmiel using their graces to the fullest to restrain him and he was able to endure a violent beating from Derieri without showing any signs of pain despite heavily bleeding, and survives long enough to reason with Tarmiel to make him cease his attack and afterwards effortlessly kills Derieri and absorbs her Commandment.[18][19] He is also an extremely skilled swordsman, as shown when he kills a group of demons with great ease[20]. Mael is fully capable of fighting unarmed, being on the same level as Meliodas or Zeldris, even imbuing his physical combat with Sunshine techniques.[21]

Possessing the Commandments of Love, Truth, and Retinence has granted Mael tremendous dark powers while he also retains the vast light powers he possessed.[22] He is even capable of mixing them together, creating a sphere of pure light and darkness,[23] generating a blade of light and dark energy in both his hands,[24] and firing destructive beams of light and darkness, with a single one of which was sufficient to destroy Tarmiel's physical form.[25] After he had absorbs the Purity Commandment, Mael is capable of combining the curses of the Commandments with his light magic, as shown by how he mixed the Commandment of Love with his light powers to unleash a devastating explosion that severely injured and would have killed Diane and King while not causing them any pain and instead simply makes them sleepy until they finally die.[26] He also has become immune to both the powers of the Goddess Clan and Demon Clan, with only a Fairy, Giant, or a Human as well as a direct attack to Mael's psyche has a chance to defeat him.[27]

As Estarossa
After receiving a Commandment from the Demon King, he becomes an extremely powerful demon. Like all members of the Demon Clan, he is able to manipulate the mysterious jet-black power of darkness for a variety of purposes, such as forming a sphere for battle[28] and wings for flight.[29] His aura, combined with the aura of the other Ten Commandments is so terrifying that it made the normally calm Hendrickson sweat in fear by their presence.[30]

Estarossa has the power to turn other living creatures into demons, similar to the effects of drinking Red Demon's blood.[31] Those incompatible with the power will explode.[32][33] A hint to his true power is given when Drole and Gloxinia, fellow Commandments, are shocked to see someone else with a level of magic power similar to his.[34] According to Cusack; Estarossa's power may be even greater than Zeldris,[35] which is proven true, as he was able to keep himself from being completely immobilized by Meliodas' attack in his Assault Mode, while Zeldris was completely unable to move even while using the Demon King's power, forcing Meliodas to use more of his power to completely pin him down.[36]

After learning Admonition from Zeldris, Estarossa now has the ability to remove Commandments and has also shown to know the ritual to absorb the Commandments into himself, doing so to absorb the Commandments of Truth and Reticence.[37] [38]

Estarossa possesses immense levels of speed and strength, sporting a fighting style that revolves around punches, piercing attacks and brute force. He instantaneously moved behind Ban in order to attack Meliodas.[39] When Ban tried to break his neck or steal his strength with Hunter Fest, he acted as if nothing was happening, showing just how truly astonishing his physical strength is.[40] He easily overtook Sariel and Tarmiel with his Killing Saucer before they can react and managed to easily impale Tarmiel's chest, although the latter quickly escaped with his Ocean Grace. He also possesses immense levels of durability and endurance, as shown when he was completely unfazed by Ban's Fox Hunt[41] and survives Escanor's Cruel Sun and Pride Flare after being hit at point-blank range.[42] He remained completely unscathed from Monspeet's massive Hellfire when the latter used it against him as a last resort in trying to stop him.[43] He even gained praise from two of the Four Archangels for taking Elizabeth's Ark head on and remain unharmed,[44] charges straight through their Vengeful Saint attack without suffering any damage, and survived their Enlil no Tenbatsu long enough to absorb a Commandment.[45]

After absorbing the Truth Commandment, Estarossa becomes much more powerful than before, as he was able to break out of the Domain of God that Tarmiel and Sariel unleashed to imprison him, which was impossible for anyone not holding raw power greater than two Archangels. He was also somehow able to negate Tarmiel's ability to use Ocean to liquefy himself and bypass Sariel's Tornado and break off all of Sariel's bones as well as briefly ground Tarmiel with a single attack, with Tarmiel being astonished by how far his power grew, saying that it rivaled even that of his and Sariel combined. His durability and regeneration becomes great enough to survive and swiftly regenerate from being cut to pieces and half.[46] Absorbing the Reticence Commandment made him even more powerful, allowing him to instantly defeat both Tarmiel and Sariel. He also remained unfazed by King's attack and effortlessly broke through Diane's Diamond Shield while simultaneously grievously wounding Guila and was able to swiftly slice Sariel and Tarmiel in half after being cut to pieces, after which he quickly regenerated. However, this massive increase in power comes at the cost of his soul becoming even more warped.[47]

Full Counter「全反撃フルカウンター Furukauntā」: Like Meliodas, Estarossa's special power is also called Full Counter. However, whereas Meliodas could only return magical abilities with more than double the strength, Estarossa is only able to return physical attacks with more than double their original strength.[48]
Main article: Hellblaze
Hellblaze「獄炎ヘルブレイズ Herubureizu; literally meaning "Hellfire"」: A mysterious ability possessed by Estarossa that allows him to generate black flames.[49] The technique also has the additional effect of nullifying an immortal's regeneration.
Rebellion「反逆剣リベリオン Riberion; literally meaning "Rebellion Swords"」: Estarossa materializes seven black swords, each with a distinct form.[50]
Blackout「暗黒回帰ブラックアウト Burakkuauto; literally meaning "Dark Regression"」: Estarossa engulfs a specific target with his darkness.[51]
Killing Saucer「キリング・ソーサー Kiringu Sōsā」: Estarossa creates blades of darkness in his hand that rotate at high speed which he uses to slice his enemies as they are engulfed in darkness.[52]
Decree Absorption: After absorbing the Commandments Truth and Reticence, Estarossa gains a form similar to that of Meliodas' Assault Mode, which increases his power dramatically.[53]
Commandment
The Demon King bestowed Estarossa with the Commandment of Love「慈じ愛あい Jiai」, which was given to him after Meliodas' betrayal of the Demon Clan.[54] Those who stand before him with hatred in their hearts will be rendered powerless to harm or inflict damage on anyone else.[55] Its power allowed Estarossa to suppress Meliodas' Revenge Counter and render him powerless afterwards.[56]

Weapon
As a child, Mael wielded a sword identical to the Winged Sword.[57]




Trivia
According to the official fanbook (Estarossa's data, before Chapter 273):
Age: 380
Handedness: Right-handed
Birthplace: Demon Realm
Special ability: Turning living beings into demons
Hobbies: Dragon Slaying
Daily Routine: Goddess Slaying
Favorite food: Dragon meat
Dream/Hope: Being the best
Charmpoint: Nothing
The name Estarossa was seemingly taken from the name of a little dog the goddess Elizabeth was taking care of.
According to his power level, Estarossa has the highest amount of strength measured accurately thus far in the series.
Mael used to have long hair to imitate Ludociel's, but after his memories were altered, he cut it to imitate Meliodas'.

Escanor - Seven deadly Sins

Escanor - Seven deadly Sins

Escanor「エスカノール」 is the Lion's Sin of Pride of the Seven Deadly Sins, the former second prince of the Kingdom of Castellio, and the man formerly known throughout the Kingdom of Liones as "The Strongest Holy Knight". He is renowned for gaining immense power during the day, and gradually becoming weaker with the setting of the sun, leaving him frail and submissive at night. His Sacred Treasure is the Divine Axe, Rhitta. His inherent power is called Sunshine.

Escanor and Gowther

In the wanted poster, Escanor is depicted as a middle-aged man with a beard and a ponytail hairstyle.
Escanor has a mustache and a pair of glasses. Escanor's attire is a suit commonly worn by bartenders and although slightly baggy, does appear to fit his non-sunshine form far better than his previous attire. He temporarily wore spectacles during his first formal appearance in the plot. His lion symbol is on his back.

Ten years ago, he wore a suit of full body armor with a unique helm (which may be too large to fit him properly in the early morning or night, and conversely too small to fit him during the sunlight hours, particularly noon).

Escanor was revealed during the Vampires of Edinburgh side story to be a very meek and weak looking young man, with short-cut hair and a set of clothes that seemed too large to fit him. His clothes were made to be intentionally loose so that they fit him properly when he increases his size.

During the new Holy War, Escanor wears a long-sleeved white jacket that is open at the front with white fur trimmings on the side of the jacket and white spiky fur on the neck of the jacket, and an ornamental golden handguard. He wears black pants and a belt with three rows of studs and a large buckle featuring a sun with spikes around it and studs around it. He wore white boots that are decorated at the top with a miniature sun and swirly wing-like designs around it.

Personality
Escanor's personality changes drastically along with his strength between day and night. At night, he is skittish, submissive and unfailingly polite. Whereas in the day he is arrogant, boastful, and domineering, he also takes it upon himself to deliver judgment to those he feels have sinned, such as those that toy with feelings. Both personalities seem to be truly him, and he remembers everything he does in either, though at night he has chastised himself for losing control during the day.

Despite the great contrast, there are some personality traits he retains day or night, such as his feelings for Merlin and fondness for writing poetry. Even with his prideful personality he still cares for his comrades but in his own way. Pretending to annihilate Gowther, instead attacking the two Commandments for toying with people's hearts. Proof that he retains his love for Merlin was how the belief that Merlin loved Arthur romantically left Escanor disheartened visibly. But at night he cares very deeply for his captain and comrades, not wishing to harm any, even those he only recently met.

Escanor also does not particularly desire anything, as when competing in a tournament for any prize he desires, he simply stated he would like to deliver alcohol for that tournament and not compete, despite his power.

He is also accustomed to others calling him a monster for his unique body changes after suffering a bad childhood when his power first manifested. Even the likes of demons refuse to believe he is a human.

During the day, Escanor's pride and attitude is such that he never holds hatred in his heart to anyone, even Demons, as he does not hold hatred to those beneath him, he only pities them. This quirk has given him immunity to a Commandment. His pride is also unfailing as when his own blow got reflected to him with greater power, he is not surprised he got injured by his own attacks. His pride also does not seem to prevent him from acknowledging the strength of others, as he openly acknowledged the strength of Estarossa and Meliodas during his fights with them. He is also not above asking for help, as he asked Hawk to help him declare his feeling towards Merlin. These examples, however, are somewhat contradicting due to Escanor still viewing himself above others during the day. This was even pointed out by Hawk when he stated that despite asking him for help, he was still being surprising forceful, and even a little shameless about the favor he was asking for.

Despite being at his weakest at night and being more cowardly, Escanor's sense of duty and responsibility is surprisingly strong. He still wanted to complete his final delivery of alcohol to the tournament, despite no longer needing to stay in hiding as a bar owner, and even asked Ban to help him complete this task. His resolve to protect the people he cares for is even stronger, as during his fight in the new holy war arc, after being defeated by the original demon, and unable to continue to fight, he asked and pleaded with Mael, the previous owner of the power of Sunshine, to take the power of Sunshine back, and fight in his place.

Later, after losing the power of Sunshine, Escanor still felt the need to protect others, as he not only came to help Gilthunder, Griamore, and Howzer fight an Indura spore despite not having his powers anymore, but even went as far as to try to fight the spore alone, and even withstood and shielded the holy knights on willpower alone; despite receiving numerous severe injuries in doing so. At the time, Escanor compared the spores attacks to Meliodas', stating that compared to the pain he received from him, the spores attacks were nothing, which greatly shocked the holy knights into disbelief, who were surprised that he was still alive from those attacks, let alone still standing. Mael, one of the Four Archangels, and the original wielder of the power of Sunshine, was greatly pleased and impressed by Escanor's determination, despite having no power, and rescued Escanor as a result. After rescuing him, Mael later healed then offered Escanor his Sunshine power back in order for him to be able to fight again, but warned him that the power was never meant for a human, and that taking the power back would eventually lead to his death, to which Escanor simply stated his lack of concern in that matter and asked for the power back, showing that his resolve to fight for his friends was well worth any price.

escanor

This same resolve was later shown again when Escanor activated The One: Ultimate, as he was more than ready to sacrifice himself in order to defeat to demon king for his friends. Despite this, Meliodas and the rest of the sins chastised Escanor for behaving this way, with all of them angrily declaring that his life was too important and that as their friend he should never throw his life away for them. After hearing this, and after hearing that they would gladly risk their lives in order to stop him and fight by his side, he finally let go of his attitude towards the matter, and pridefully requested/ordered that the Sins allow him the honor of fighting side by side with them, despite the damage that has already been done to his body, showing that Escanor's daytime form had in some ways, finally learned to let go of his pride and overprotectiveness towards his friends, and had also learned to value his own life more in that same regard.

Escanor fell in love with Merlin at first sight, as she was the first person to not only be unafraid of him or his power but to even be interested in it as well as him. Since then, she has become the one person he does not view himself as being above. In fact, in both of his forms, his love for her seems to go far beyond his own pride, despite knowing that she may never feel the same way he feels towards her, he still views her as the one to illuminate his path, just like the Sun would, which temporarily allowed him to fight during the tournament. Despite not viewing himself above her, he is still very prideful when it comes to impressing her and trying to make himself of use to her, so much so that even when visibly injured or exhausted in front of her, he pridefully acts as if he is top condition and continues to boast in front of her, which normally tends to simply annoy and/or worry her, as well as everyone else around him.

Despite his casual nature in the day, he seems to be capable of being serious, chastising his fellow Sins for playing around while they were about to go to war with the Demons. Escanor in both his night and day form happens to care deeply for his fellow Sins, regarding them as his closest friends and willing to put himself through any challenge to aid them, and also even go as far as endangering his own life for their sakes. Escanor also carries some internal anxiety over not being able to protect his loved ones in spite of his great power.

History
Escanor was born 40 years ago, the prince of the Kingdom of Castellio. When he was a child, his older brother Daymond used to pick on him, until one day his power awakened, and he accidentally broke his brother's arm. His parents disowned him because of what happened and his strange unexplained appearance, and soon the Kingdom's forces mobilized to kill him. He was rescued by a kind woman named Rosa, who hid him in a barrel and set it adrift at sea. He survived but wherever he went, people called him a monster even when he helped them.

At some point, Escanor returned to Castellio in search of Rosa, only to find the kingdom in ruins and Rosa nowhere to be found.

15 years ago
One day, Escanor was causing problems in Liones after getting rid of a monster that caused riots in a town. Several Holy Knights, including the Great Holy Knight, Zaratras, tried to stop him from believing to be responsible because the people of the villages and towns were terrified of him. All the knights ended up being seriously injured. There, Escanor meets Merlin and Meliodas who asked him to join their knightly order[1], although the two were forced to restrain him by order of the king to stop his havoc.

After being taken prisoner to the castle of Liones, Escanor was accused by the Kingdom of terrorizing and destroying many villages and towns, gravely injuring the Holy Knights who tried to restrain him and for disrespecting the king as well. Labeling him as the Sin of Pride, Escanor is then sentenced to flogging followed by public hanging. Escanor, already in his night form, tried to explain what really happened, but having no evidence he decides to accept the punishment. However, Meliodas intervenes at the last moment stating that he would take care of him.

That night, Meliodas takes Escanor with his companions as the seventh and last member of the Seven Deadly Sins. Despite being scared by his new companions, they receive him with open arms, Escanor finds a special pleasure in Merlin for her resemblance to Rosa. After everyone drinks all night, Escanor decides to leave after saying he would go to the bathroom. While reciting a poem, he is surprised by Merlin who asks him why he is leaving. Escanor says he can not stay because his curse that prevents him from controlling his actions during the day ends up causing him to harm them. Merlin says that he is actually an interesting man, causing Escanor to be ashamed. While the sun rises, Meliodas appears asking if his power is as strong and invincible as they say, offering to try it with a blow. Escanor warns him that he cannot guarantee that he will not lose his life if he takes a step towards him. When Meliodas disobeys him, he receives a blow that leads him to crash into Ban who was drinking. Believing he killed both of them, Escanor runs away asking someone to stop him and put an end to his life.

Already at night, Escanor hides in the mountains where he is found by Merlin. He tells her that it feels good that someone searches for him for once, and how his power is the reason he is alone, since people get scared to see him use it. Merlin tells him to join them then and they can solve his problems using his incredible power. Escanor mentions how much she looks like Rosa because of the good things she says about his curse and the lonely eyes she have, but that he doesn't deserve to be with her after killing her friends. However, Ban and Meliodas appear revealing to be alive, which terrifies Escanor by believing them ghosts. When the other Sins arrive, Meliodas tells him that he is not the only monster there and that everyone is trying to repent for their sins by living life to the fullest. Meliodas again offers him to join them, but Escanor insists that because his lack of control with his own power only harmed those around him. He states that no one knows what he had to go through because of his curse, there Gowther uses his Invasion to read his memories and reveal his past. Escanor believes that the destruction of his kingdom was due to him and that Rosa must hold a grudge even then. Merlin offers him to use her magic to find Rosa, which he is excited about in the beginning, but Escanor doesn't think he should see her and that he has nothing interesting to say. Hearing him say that he only deserves to die, Ban attacks him annoyingly saying he will send him to the grave if he wants to. Meliodas stops Ban and tells Escanor that they would have a fight at noon to decide, that he will join the Sins if he loses.

During the fight, although Escanor reaches the pinnacle of his power at noon, Meliodas manages to defeat him by releasing his Assault Mode. Meliodas then tells him that he feels pain because he is alive because Rosa saved him by sacrificing her own life, but if he wants to die so badly then there is no point in speaking to an arrogant dead man. Escanor finally tells him that he wants to live, to which Meliodas tells him that if he can't keep those thoughts in check, he will be there to do it instead.

Before fainting, Escanor asks Merlin to take him with Rosa. She then sends his soul to the Capital of the Dead, without Escanor knowing where it really is. Escanor then meets Rosa there. He initially refuses to see her from the front for being disappointed in himself, but rectifying himself, Escanor thanks Rosa for saving him and promises to fully live the life she saved regardless of what tragedy falls on him or how lonely he becomes. Rosa then assures him that there is nothing to be ashamed of, as he will no longer be alone. The two remain talking for a while before Escanor returns to the living world where his body is loaded back by Meliodas, telling her about Merlin and how she has not changed, to which Rosa reveals that she has been watching him all along.

12 years ago
With a clan of vampires having taken over the Kingdom of Edinburgh and threatening the Kingdom of Liones and all of Britannia with impending war, the Seven Deadly Sins, including Escanor, were deployed to deal with them and recapture Edinburgh Castle. King and Dreyfus are noticeably unnerved with his inclusion in the mission.

When the mission started, Meliodas had Escanor released from a special containment room whilst the former was dragging the latter's Sacred Treasure. The Lion's Sin of Pride apologized to his captain and reminded him that he would like to be back by morning, if possible. After Meliodas explained that Merlin had made a portal for them, Escanor was reassured and declared his resolve to do his best.

Both Meliodas and Escanor were teleported to the Castle using Merlin's Magical Gate. After being encouraged by Meliodas to have more confidence, Escanor apologizes for being born and starts crying. After that, the two get separated and Escanor is confronted by the Vampire King, Izraf, who demands to know his reason for coming to his castle. He then attacks the Sin of Pride with telekinesis-controlled debris, which Escanor evades with ease. Their fight continues until dawn when suddenly the Sin stops dodging and faces Izraf. He easily lifts his Sacred Treasure, which he had previously been unable to move, and orders the Vampire King to fight at full power. He then demands an apology from him for being born into his world.

During his Fight with Izraf, Escanor showed his power by easily dispelling the Darkness of the Vampire King with his sheer presence. He then used his Sacred Treasure to lazily cleave the Vampire King's torso, which quickly regenerated, but having come into contact with Escanor's axe, began to burn him. Escanor then read a poem about Merlin that Izraf thought was an incantation, angering Escanor as he proceeded to incinerate Izraf with Sunshine, but not before telling Izraf he had changed his mind about killing him, despite the latter desperately apologizing and pleading for his life. After destroying the castle and killing Izraf, Escanor was approached by Merlin, who he was pleased to see. As she distracted him, he was hit by Gowther's Blackout Arrow, which Merlin had amplified to knock him unconscious until his power depleted. He was then brought home by Merlin. Back at the castle, Escanor was scolding himself for losing control and that his poems are not worthy of Merlin's ears. Merlin then entered his chamber and asked if she could hear his poem.

10 years ago

Escanor, along with the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins, was summoned to a castle to meet the Great Holy Knight Zaratras after a mission in which they defeated the Troll Queen and caused the accidental destruction of the Great Druid Altar. After they found him dead there, all of them were ambushed by the Holy Knights. When Meliodas ordered everyone to disperse and regroup later, Escanor obeyed and went into hiding, forming a secret bar hidden deep within the mountains, and even establishing himself as the owner and master of the bar.[2] It is unknown how successful Escanor's secret bar was, but it was seen to be well stocked and maintained, and Escanor himself even stated to have made deliveries at times in the past, which implies that his business was somewhat thriving at that time.

Abilities and Equipment
Escanor has been described as the strongest member of the Seven Deadly Sins, as upon his fight with Galand and Melascula, two of the Ten Commandments, he easily defeated them when the sun began rising with little effort whereas Ban and Jericho could not do anything against either. Escanor's might is considered monstrous, both by enemy and ally alike. Estarossa, one of the strongest members of the Ten Commandments, refused to believe someone so powerful was a human and was rendered paralyzed in fear of Escanor's might.

Even Meliodas, the leader of the Sins, has acknowledged Escanor to be far stronger. Merlin also has a lot of faith in his abilities, acknowledging Escanor as the only individual who can stop Meliodas when he reverted to his previous self. True enough, using "The One" Escanor was able to defeat Meliodas in his Assault Mode with a single attack, although it is worth noting that before reaching The One, Escanor was barely capable of holding off Meliodas. At night, however, his power is the weakest due to the setting of the sun, rendering him powerless and unable to use his magic.

In battle, Escanor primarily relies on the rising of the sun to use his magic, Sunshine for battle. As when the sun rises, his magical power and size grow greatly. Just nearing noon causes his body to emit an enormous amount of heat to the point of being able to melt armor like nothing and incinerate others by being around them. Just using a single attack caused a lake to be evaporated in a flash from the intense heat Escanor gave off. His incredible brute strength increases in conjunction with his magical power, as a single swing from his axe Rhitta upon transforming was enough to cleave Galand in two and swing it with a single arm whereas Meliodas has a hard time even moving it. Escanor's durability also increases with his magic as his muscles were durable enough to catch Meliodas' weapon when he attacked in Assault Mode and easily brushed off a series a slashes at his peak. Escanor's speed also increases with his magic as he could easily match Meliodas' speed in Assault Mode with his weapon and managed to block various attacks from the notably swift Ludociel with ease.

Abilities
Main article: Sunshine
Sunshine「太陽サンシャイン Sanshain」: Escanor's ability is one of duality. he is the weakest at midnight, but starting from dawn his power level begins to rise steadily from one hour to the next until it peaks at noon. During his fight with Galand, his power level was shown increasing by 5 points with seemingly every second and was measured at 50,060 while continuing to rise. At his peak, according to Merlin, he easily surpasses any of the other Sins. This cycle is marked by distinct differences in his abilities, personality and appearance.

Daytime: Beginning with the rising of the Sun at dawn Escanor begins to make a dramatic change, both physically and mentally. He grows much taller and muscular as time passes, with his clothes being ripped off him unless specifically tailored to his growth. In this state, his physical strength and endurance are incredible and his immense magic power casually radiates from his body as intense heat which normally reduces everything around him to ashes.[3] He seems to be able to exert some control over this, being able to prevent friends from being hurt or turning his power up at will to produce intense light and heat to capable of melting even stone. In this state, his normally skittish demeanor is replaced by one of confidence and a royal atmosphere.


Super Slash「微塵斬りスーパースラッシュ Sūpā Surasshu; literally meaning "Atom Slashing"」: Escanor delivers a powerful downwards slash with his axe that causes considerable damage that can be felt from several meters away.[4]
Night-time: With the setting of the Sun, Escanor returns to his original, skittish self. He's seemingly weaker than an average human, and his power level has been measured at 15.[5]


The One「天上天下唯我独尊ザ・ワン Za Wan; lit. "The Vainglorious Existence across Heaven and Earth"」: During noon, when his power is at its peak, for one minute he becomes the manifestation of power itself and his body dwarfs normal people. In this form, he is said to be invincible.

Divine Sword Escanor「聖せい剣けんエスカノール Seiken Esukanōru」: Escanor makes a downward swiping motion with his hand that can cut an opponent. [6] This attack was powerful enough to destroy Zeldris' Ominous Nebula. [7]


Divine Spear Escanor「聖槍せいそうエスカノール Seisō Esukanōru」: Escanor thrusts his index finger at his opponent with enough force to pierce them.


The One: Ultimate「“天上天下唯我独尊”ザ・ワンの極みアルティメット "Za Wan" Arutimetto; lit. "The Vainglorious Existence across Heaven and Earth's Ultimate"」: An extension of Escanor's "The One" form created by Escanor himself. After noon, when "the One" reaches it limit and begins to fade, Escanor circumvents it by converting his own life force into magic power in order to not only keep "the One" active, but also greatly enhance its already invincible power. This technique is Escanor's last resort and a double-edged sword, as using it will completely burning out his own life force, and eventually kill him.

Weapons
Rhitta: A giant, ornamental axe, named after a maiden said to be loved by the Sun. It is incredibly heavy and most of its weight is concentrated on the head, which makes it very off-balanced, yet in the day he is able to wield it with one hand.
Large Spear: A large spear Escanor possessed and was shown with briefly ten years ago before the Seven Deadly Sins were framed for Zaratras' murder. It appears to be not as heavy in comparison to his Sacred Treasure.
Magic Glasses: Given to him recently by Merlin, Escanor is able to suppress his daytime form. However, he will instantly transform into his larger self if they are removed.
Power Level
Due to his power, Escanor's power level is constantly fluctuating and cannot be accurately measured for an extended period of time. The lowest it has been recorded is 15 at an unspecified time during the night, and the highest it has been recorded is 114,000.

At high noon his power reaches its peak, and he becomes "The One," described as an "invincible incarnation of power" by Merlin, for a minute. In this form, he surpasses Meliodas' Assault Mode, indicated to have a power level of 142,000. Wielding the limits of "The One's" power strains Escanor's body, incapacitating him for some time due to expending years of saved up magical power to the point of nearly dying. Ultimately, Escanor damaged himself more than the target of his full power.

Relationships
Seven Deadly Sins
Merlin
Escanor is in love with Merlin, having fallen in love with her at first sight. This loves stems from her being the first person to not only not be afraid of him or his power but to be actively intrigued by it. In his own words, he never expected her to return his feelings and has accepted that, viewing her as the one to illuminate his path just like the Sun would.[8]

Due to his feelings, he has a very hard time expressing them and remains shy in her presence regardless of the time of day. Despite his pride, she is the only person he does not view as above himself. He regularly tries to impress her with his power, yet she usually responds respectfully towards his advances. Though Escanor has accepted if she never returns his feelings, Escanor remains saddened and slightly jealous over her relationship with Arthur Pendragon, as he secretly listened as she mentions him as her "hope", leaving him crushed. After Arthur was stabbed by his own sword, Merlin was left deeply saddened by this and Escanor, trying to cheer her up, listened as Elizabeth compares her feelings for Meliodas similar to Merlin with Arthur. Believing them to be a declaration of love, Escanor left heartbroken, unaware her relationship with Arthur is a master/pupil relationship.[9]

Though it is unknown if Merlin reciprocates his feelings, she cares and respects him. She also has a lot of faith in his skills, knowing he is the only one capable of stopping Meliodas in his assault form. She was also worried and slightly annoyed over how he tried to look tough in front of her despite Escanor barely able to stand after fighting Meliodas. Merlin also expressed interest in each version of Escanor (being night or day). She was also interested in letting him read the poem he wrote her. She also did not object in allowing him to give her a massage while she was taking a bath.

Moments before Escanor dies, he has a touching conversation with Merlin, letting her know that his love for her was not solely based on her resemblance to Rosa, but also because she interacted with him without any prejudice or discrimination. As his body smolders signaling the end of his life, Merlin disregards his warning to step back, to give him one final kiss to make up for never reciprocating his love, accepting the burns on her face as a symbol of "the one man who ever loved me", before Escanor vaporizes into ashes. [10]

Meliodas
Besides Merlin, Meliodas is the person Escanor respects the most. Meliodas is aware of Escanor's insecurities and feelings for Merlin and actively encourages him to gain more confidence and tell her, but he does so in a kind way befitting a leader.

Upon learning of Meliodas' curse, Escanor comes up with and recites a poem regarding both his and Meliodas' curses in an attempt to cheer him up, as he understands what it feels like to be cursed. Meliodas in return appreciates his efforts and thanks him with a smile.

Although Escanor in his day self seems to also respect Meliodas, as he obeyed when Meliodas ordered him to retreat when the Sins were declared criminals, his respect is considerably reduced due to his arrogance. While acknowledging Meliodas's power enough that he deemed himself the only Sin capable of taking him on after Meliodas reverted to his previous self and took it upon himself to fight him and stop his rampage, he also took this as a chance to prove that he's much stronger than him, but Meliodas mocked him refusing to believe a mere human could beat him, which Escanor responded in mocking stride. They viciously fought, with Meliodas toying with Escanor and dealing the latter serious wounds, but praised him for being impressive. However, once Escanor entered "The One" he easily defeated Meliodas with a single attack and mocked him, questioning how it felt to be looked down upon by a human. However, despite this, Escanor still considers Meliodas his old friend and desires to save him just like the other Sins.

Ban
Being both members of The Seven Deadly Sins, their relationship is that of comrades. As such both are concerned about each other's well being as demonstrated by Escanor aiding Ban, Jericho, and Elaine without hesitation from Galand and Melascula as well as Ban being fearful for Escanor's well being against Melascula's Antan no Mayu[13] and Gloxinia impaling Escanor [14]. At night, Ban tends to playfully make fun of Escanor.

That being said Ban is wary of Escanor during the day and does not trust him completely seen by him thinking he would kill Hawk, Jericho, and Gowther[15] and him being startled to see it was already day when being kept in the storage room[16]. In the day, Escanor sees himself as an authority figure to Ban as he orders him to stay where he is until nightfall.

Gowther and Escanor

Gowther
Escanor and Gowther seemed to have met soon after. Escanor considers a close friend despite Gowther not having a "heart" to truly understand what this would mean. Even when Gowther attempted to break Escanor's spirit, Escanor did not blame him, but the Ten Commandments for toying with Gowther's desires in the first place.[17] His faith in Gowther is so much that he doubts the latter's claim of being heartless.[18]

Gowther and Escanor

Gowther and Escanor

King
Escanor and King are both members of The Seven Deadly Sins, and as such, their relationship is that of comrades. Due to their limited interaction with one another, it is currently unknown how close they are compared to other members of the sins, however like Ban, King is very wary of Escanor during the day because of his power.

Diane
Escanor and Diane are both members of The Seven Deadly Sins, and as such; their relationship is that of comrades. Due to their limited interaction with one another, it is currently unknown how close they are compared to other members of the sins, however like Ban, she is very wary of Escanor during the day, and has even stated that she finds him scary when his power is active. However, Diane has also shown great admiration of Escanor and trust in his abilities, hailing him as the strongest man alive after he managed to defeat Meliodas and proclaiming he could handle anything.[19]

Royalty
Bartra Liones
Not much is known between Escanor and Bartra. However, Escanor's relationship with the King of Liones seems to be one of mutual respect, as when the Seven Deadly Sins were originally assembled, Escanor was more than willing to answer to the king and show loyalty to him as a knight of Liones. In turn, Bartra has just as much respect towards him as he does with the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins, perhaps even more so due to Escanor's power. During the Ten Commandment's attack on the kingdom, The king was among the many who were both surprised and happy at Escanor's arrival, and with his fight against Estarossa.

Elizabeth Liones
Escanor is the last of the sins to have met Elizabeth, meeting her shortly during the Great Fighting Festival in Vaizel, then being properly introduced to her after Meliodas' revival and the complete reunion of all seven Sins. Since then, the two have become quick friends with one another, with their friendship and trust in one another being surprisingly strong. Even after the revelation of her and Meliodas' past, the activation of both of their curses, and even after watching him fight to suppress Meliodas' Assault Mode, the two seem to be on good terms with one another, enough that Escanor is willing to fight to save her and Meliodas both from their respective curses.

Others
Hawk
Like Elizabeth, Escanor first met Hawk during the Great Fighting Festival in Vaizel, being partnered with him during the festival. Their first impressions of one another during the festival were poor. Hawk viewed Escanor as a weakling and Escanor, in turn, was both confused and frightened by the fact the Hawk was a talking pig. However, after seeing Escanor's true power during the festival, and after seeing Hawk's bravery during the events and how he carried him around for the remainder of the festival, the two quickly became close friends, though Hawk is still just as weary of Escanor's power as everyone else. Even in his Daytime form, Escanor is very fond of Hawk, to the point of holding the pig for his own protection during the Seven Deadly Sins' battle against Melascula. He even confides to Hawk about his feelings towards Merlin and asked him if he would see if she felt the same way, although Hawk did point out how shameless and forceful he was considering that he was asking for a favor.

Zaratras
Not much is known between Escanor and Zaratras. As his former, and only superior within the kingdom of Liones, besides Meliodas and the king himself, it can be implied that the two had a great deal of respect towards one another. To what extent, however, is currently unknown.

Arthur Pendragon
Escanor seems to harbor a degree of jealousy towards Arthur and his relationship with Merlin. This jealousy stems from his feelings for Merlin and how Merlin cares a lot about Arthur, misinterpreting most of their interactions as romantic. However, he does care for the boy, having been horrified by him stabbing himself under Cusack's control.

Parents
Escanor's relationship with his parents is unknown. Prior to his powers emerging his parents loved him very much. After his powers first manifested, they were horrified by his appearance and refused to believe such a monster was their son. They attempted to kill him after a soothsayer decreed Escanor was a curse on their kingdom, but he managed to escape. Even now Escanor seems to deeply lament his own family trying to kill him.

Daymond
Daymond is Escanor's older brother. The two did not get along as Daymond regularly bullied Escanor due to jealousy over how his parents paying more attention to him. When his powers first manifested, Escanor accidentally broke his brother's arm while attempting to defend himself from his brother's bullying, causing him to be hated by the rest of his family much to Escanor's regret.

Rosa
A mysterious woman from his past that saved him from being executed by his parents by placing him in a barrel to float to safety. In the anime it is implied that Escanor still remembers Rosa fondly, first thinking of her when he first met Merlin.[20]