"I'll keep my word. I'll bring you back safe. Whether it's to the Mystic Moon or to Allen, I'll bring you back safe" -Van Fanel to Hitomi Kanzaki
| |
| Van Fanel | |
|---|---|
| Age | 15 |
| Birthday | April 12 |
| Height | 5'5 |
| Weight | 112lbs |
| Voice | Tomokazu Seki (Japanese) Kirby Morrow (English; Bandai Dub) |
Van was born between the reigning king of Fanelia and Varie, a woman of the legendary Draconian race, the direct descendants of the Atlanteans. He has an older brother named Folken Fanel who disappeared right after setting off for the Dragon ritual; a quest where the prince must take a dragon crystal back to Fanelia to prove he is worthy to become king.
Because of his brother's disappearance, it now falls on Van to complete the ritual and become king of Fanelia. But as he is just about to defeat the dragon, he is taken to a strange world they know as the Mystic Moon, where he meets a girl with s strange power named Hitomi Kanzaki. He discovers that he must work together with Hitomi to not only save his beloved Fanelia, but the whole of Gaea as well.
His character is voiced by Seki Tomokazu in the Japanese version.
Personality
"Look, I don't need any woman to worry about me. I guess you want a reward then. Fine! Come to my castle, just don't get cocky. I apologize for involving you and your friends in my dragon slaying. Oh, and by the way, you didn't help me slay the dragon, you know." -Van Fanel
Van doesn't trust people he doesn't know, and is known to make rash and unwise decisions. He is very protective of the people he cares about. Van is mostly a loner, and he doesn't have very many people he can trust. He is often brash, impulsive, moody, arrogant, wildly brave, often risking his life by crashing forward and is very stubborn and sometimes can't control his temper, but in the end he has a good heart and would stop at nothing to protect this friends.
Appearance
Van Fanel has brown eyes and short black hair that covers his left eye. He wears a loose red tank top/shirt and has tan pants that cut off just below the knee. He wears black boots and has his sword and sheath almost always on him. His hands are covered by large brown gloves.
Early Life
Before the series Van was a carefree child, shown when he spread his wings after Merle dared him. He was close to his mother as shown by his name having two beginning names. After his father's death, Folken and his mother's disappearance, Balgus became a surrogate father to him as well as his teacher, mentor & trainer in swordsmanship.
In-Depth Information
Van Fanel is the young half-Draconian king of Fanelia who suddenly appears on Earth one day, fighting a Dragon. His life narrowly saved by Hitomi, a schoolgirl caught up in the battle, Van returns to his kingdom only to learn he must cope with drastic changes in his life after Fanelia is destroyed by Zaibach. He pilots Escaflowne, a Guymelef made by the mysterious Ispano tribe which can transform into a flying dragon. He earns his right to pilot Escaflowne through a blood pact which connects his body and soul to Escaflowne. Due to the blood pact and Hitomi's influence, Van becomes injured when the Escaflowne is damaged, and these wounds will not close until Escaflowne is repaired. Consequently, if Escaflowne is destroyed, Van will die.
His destiny and Hitomi's are linked, and he is initially dependent on Hitomi's clairvoyant abilities, which save his life more than once. He also holds a grudge against Folken for leaving his native kingdom of Fanelia for Zaibach and Dornkirk for his grand ambitions. Due to being half-Draconian, Van is able to manifest a pair of feathered wings which enable him to fly.
Trivia
- Van is right handed because of the way he holds his sword.
- Van was born April 12, making him an Aries in astrology.
- Van's name is very close to his mother's name, they both start with VA.
- During the anime's development, Van was initially named Dai Ginga.
- Yuuki experimented with some initial designs in which Van had one red right eye and one left green eye instead of two red eyes.
