Raki

Raki is a human boy whose family was eaten by Yoma and who was saved by Clare. He is allowed to follow her and was very close to her, wishing to be able to help her fight Yoma. After the seven-year time skip, he is an accomplished swordsman.

Appearance
When the series begins, Raki was smaller than Clare, has short light-brown hair and a trademark scar above his left eyebrow. Seven years later, now an adult, he is much bigger and more muscled.

Early life
As a young boy, his family were murdered by a Yoma, which then takes the form of his older brother, Zaki, as a disguise, unbeknownst to Raki. He and Zaki stayed with a relative's house where Raki was given the job of cooking for them. It is unknown how old he was when this happened. He first met Clare when she came to his village to hunt down the Yoma. Fascinated with her, Raki was the only one who was not afraid of her and tried in vain to engage her in friendly conversation. When he returned home, he found that his relatives were slain and discovered that Zaki was the Yoma.

He tried unsuccessfully to attack the Yoma and was about to be eaten himself when Clare intervened. He was initially glad to see her but began to fear her when he saw her Yoma-like golden eyes. He witnessed the Yoma being defeated and went into shock. When he recovered, he thanked Clare for defeating the Yoma and finally found out her name. It is not clear if he is actually exiled or voluntarily searching for Clare. Either way, he was found by Clare dying the wilderness and was brought to a nearby town.

He was tricked by a Yoma disguised as a Claymore though and was taken hostage. Clare saved him at the price of her being wounded.

Traveling with Clare
Clare only offered to take him with her until he finds a village he wishes to live in, but she too got attached to him. During this time Raki also cares very deeply for Clare, and protects her without hesitation from anyone; even another Claymore. Officially, Raki was a 'cook' for Clare. While traveling with her, he learns more of the customs of Claymores, like the Black Card. He watches Clare cut down Elena, which he is distraught over.

He goes with Clare to the holy city of Rabona disguised as Clare's little brother so she could do her job without being suspicious. At Rabona Raki carried a statue that had within it her Claymore. While Clare search for the human identity of the Yoma, Raki was waiting at the baptismal room were the true Yoma actually was. He is saved by Clare, Galk and Sid, which did not go well and Clare was injured.

In the battle, Raki throws to Clare her Claymore that she used to defeat the Yoma in the end. However, she passes her limits in battle and begs Galk to kill her. Raki would not allow it, however, throwing himself in the way, saying that he wanted to stay with her forever. When she managed to miraculously come back, he was crying with joy. When they were leaving the city Galk gave him a holy sword which he carries from then on.

Fight with Ophelia
During a hunt for an Awakened Being, Raki was separated from Clare, against his will. The Organization's #4, Ophelia proposed a game: While Clare reattatched her legs (which Ophelia had severed a while earlier), She would fight Raki, increasing her skill level little by little, until she had cut him to shreds. Ophelia stated openly her surprise and was slightly impressed by Raki's skill, determination, and (mostly) his durability. Clare managed to use the appearance of the Awakened Being to her advantage and escaped with Raki while Ophelia fought. There, Clare separated with Raki in hopes that he would have a chance at survival while she lured Ophelia away. Meanwhile, Ophelia disposed of the Awakened Being, with ease, and immediately attempted tracking Clare and Raki.

In the North
Soon after Raki is separated from Clare during her fight with Ophelia, he is captured by slave traders and sent to the North. He escapes the slave traders and arrives under the care of Isley and Priscilla, although he is not aware of their true identities as Awakened Beings. Priscilla was 'saved' by Raki from a large number of falling stones (and, in the anime Priscilla likes his smell because Raki came from the south). Isley says that Raki should "keep her (Priscilla) company for a while". Raki then begins to study swordsmanship under Isley.

Seven Years Later


Raki reappears after the seven year time skip, travelling with a regressed, child-like Priscilla. Raki is shown wearing Claymore-like Armour and wielding a massive broadsword. He easily defeats a Yoma pointed out to him by Priscilla and displays remarkable reflexes and speed. It is unknown how powerful he is in relation to Claymores or Awakened Beings, though he is shown wielding a sword somewhat larger than the ones wielded by the Claymores one handed and easily deflected the yoma's attack using his forearm armor.

Raki's dialogue reveals that he now knows Priscilla's true nature. Raki also mentions that Priscilla's small frame is probably due to the fact that she has not eaten any human flesh for a few years, although she is probably "at her limit". He says that, should she submit to her hunger, he will attempt to stop her but acknowledges that he will probably fail and be eaten.

He stills appears to be searching for Clare, as when he runs into Renee the first thing he asks is if she knows about Clare's whereabouts.

It is later revealed that Isley had severed ties with Raki and Priscilla when he was chased by the Abyss Feeders to protect them. When Rafaela was beaten by Clare, Raki stops when Priscilla notices the strong burst of Yoki. The town he is in is then attacked by the combined Luciela and Rafaela Awakened Being. He is unaware of the spikes raining down on the town until Priscilla pulls him out of the way of one, saving his life.

Later, a Retrieval group from the Organization discovers that decimated town, Raki and Priscilla were in. They discover an injured Raki and comment that he appears to be the only survivor. Raki has two small projectiles imbedded in his shoulder and the Retrieval team marvel at how he has managed to resist being corroded by them. The leader of the group, Dae, plans to take Raki back to the Organization, believing that being infected by the awakened projectiles may yield some interesting results.

Later, he is found inside a cell within the organization, bound with chains, only the front of his body being visible. Dae then steps inside and see something of interest on Raki's back, which is revelaed to be one of Priscilla's arms. After Raki became infected, she revealed that the only reason she had been travelling with him was to find the source of the smell that had attracted her to him and that she no longer needed him to find it. Instead of killing him, she pierced him with her arm and severed it, sealing off the infection as a parting gift before abandoning him. His fate after having the arm removed is unknown.

Personality
Raki is easily trusting, as shown in his friendship with Clare who was feared by the rest of the villagers. He is capable of forming strong attachments with people, as shown with Clare and Isley. Raki is also very protective over those people he loves and desires to become stronger to be able to protect them, shown when he sticks up for Clare when she was being mocked by Helen and Deneve and when she was attacked by Ophelia.

Abilities
Cooking: He mentions first to Clare that he was in charge of cooking in his uncle's house before the Yoma struck. Clare allows Raki to travel with her on the pretext of him being her cook.

Swordsmanship: Raki first begins practising with blades when he is given a holy blade from Rabona. He tries to use this to defend Clare with minimal success at first. However, under Isley's teaching, he becomes an accomplished swordsman like he has dreamed. Raki becomes the only known human in the series who can slay Yoma.

Clare
Raki was immediately attached to Clare, saying that she looks just like an ordinary girl and actually thanks her for defeating the Yoma that killed his family. He is extremely devoted to her and admires her skills. He is also very protective of her, despite being the weaker of the two. He protested angrily at the thought of separation but reluctantly went at her command. Even after seven years of separation, he continued to search for each other never giving up hope.

While it is not certain if their bond is romantic, it is certainly possible in the future, and indeed probable, as Clare kissed Raki upon leaving him, and later referred to him as "a loved one".

Priscilla
Raki and Priscilla share a similar bond to Raki and Clare. He continues to travel with her, letting her help him with finding Clare and identifying Yoma. While he knows she is an Awakened Being, he shows his ability to give unconditional love by allowing her to travel with him despite the risk. She later revealed that her concern for him was a ruse to track down Clare's scent, but rather than eating him gives him a piece of her flesh to suppress the Destroyer's parasitic spines.

Isley
Isley is Raki's teacher and mentor. Raki is in awe of Isley's skills, calling it a waste that he 'gave up fighting'. Isley becomes more of a father figure to Raki during the Seven Year Time-Skip.

Etymology
It is uncertain where Raki's name originates but it may have come from 'rak', which is an Poland surname meaning 'crayfish'.

Alternately, "Rakki" is a common way of transliterating the English word "Lucky" into Japanese.

Behind the Scenes

 * Raki's Japanese voice actor is Motoki Takegi while his English voice actor is Todd Haberkorn.
 * In the anime, events are slightly different. Raki travels with Isley and Priscilla and discovers Priscilla's true nature when he catches her eating guts. He is terrified at the idea but is also saddened by the fact that she cannot turn back into a human. He ventures into Pieta when he hears that Clare might be there. He witnesses Clare's partial Awakening and becomes terrified by it. He is encouraged by Jean to go after Clare when she goes to fight Priscilla. He reaches the volcano where Clare is just about to kill her but Raki stops her, saying that there has to be a way for Priscilla to atone for herself. After the battle, Clare and Raki begin their travels together.

Appearances

 * Claymore Manga Chapter 1
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 3
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 4
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 5
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 6
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 7
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 8
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 9
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 10
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 25
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 26
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 31
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 32
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 33
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 34
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 55
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 56
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 57
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 61
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 80
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 81
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 92
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 93
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 94
 * Claymore Manga Chapter 96
 * Claymore Anime Episode 1
 * Claymore Anime Episode 2
 * Claymore Anime Episode 3
 * Claymore Anime Episode 4
 * Claymore Anime Episode 9
 * Claymore Anime Episode 10
 * Claymore Anime Episode 11
 * Claymore Anime Episode 12
 * Claymore Anime Episode 19
 * Claymore Anime Episode 20
 * Claymore Anime Episode 21
 * Claymore Anime Episode 22
 * Claymore Anime Episode 23
 * Claymore Anime Episode 24
 * Claymore Anime Episode 25
 * Claymore Anime Episode 26