Teresa

"This little girl, who's not even half my size... taught me that tears can flow even from these silver eyes."

- Teresa of the Faint Smile, about Clare.

Teresa is the 182nd Claymore of the 77th generation in the Organization, formerly ranked as No.1. She is among the eight No.1 warriors capable of surpassing the original Abyssal Ones, considered even to be the strongest ever created. She is also regarded as the most powerful character in the series for her unparalleled combat ability, Yoki perception, and Yoki reserve; even against an awakened Rosemary or a near-awakened Priscilla, a mere ten-percent energy release was enough to overpower them.

She was nicknamed "Teresa of the Faint Smile" (微笑のテレサ, Bishō no Teresa, lit. "Smiling Teresa") for the faint smiles that graced her face as she effortlessly slaughtered her enemies.

Etymology
"Teresa" is a transliteration of the Japanese "Teresa" (テレサ, pronounced "te-re-sah" or "te-re-zah").

In the West, "Teresa" was originally a 4th-century Spanish name, confined to Spain and Portugal, until the 17th century. The word "Teresa" was possibly derived from the Greek θέρος, meaning "heat" or "summer," or θερίζω, meaning "to harvest." It could also have been derived from Θηρασία, an island in the volcanic island group of Santorini in the Greek Cyclades.

In the series, Teresa is depicted as one of the Twin Goddesses of Love, the other being Clare.

Human
In a dream, Teresa remembered her once-black hair, which she had considered to be her best feature, and black eyes. She lost both after joining the Organization.

Claymore
Teresa had long, wavy, pale blonde hair parted down the middle, which she wore loose. She had silver eyes like all other Claymores, and wore the standard uniform. Teresa was also considered to be beautiful; several of the bandits who attacked her and Clare in the forest commented lewdly that she was very attractive.
 * Height: 180 cm (5 ft 10.86 in)

Awakened Being
Teresa's awakened form is unusual compared to other awakened forms, as it is nearly identical to her human form. She sports two pairs of wings—a pair of larger ones arising from her upper back, and a pair of smaller ones at her lower back right above her buttocks. The wings are reminiscent of the traditional depiction of the twin goddesses Clare and Teresa. The other change is that the medial aspects of her thighs and legs have exposed muscles, the surrounding skin forming a scalloped edge. Galatea describes Teresa's awakened form, as seen under her "sight," as the very form of the twin goddesses.

Personality
As a trainee, Teresa always attempted to escape. She was known as a "problem child."

Before Teresa met Clare, she was a merciless, solitary killer who would accept any assignment without complaint. She seemed to enjoy intimidating the townsfolk and made it sound as if the Organization was responsible for sending Yoma to the towns that failed to pay the required fees. However, despite her initial violent nature, she does possess a kind and caring side. When Teresa met Clare, she obstinately tried to prevent the little girl from following her around and even physically hit and kicked her away. When Clare did not give up following her, however, she opened up her heart, and her formerly cold personality changed as she became very attached to the young girl. They grew a bond like a motherly, daughter bond and lived together from then onwards until Teresa's death by Priscilla.

In Irene's opinion, being with Clare had softened Teresa's toughness as a warrior and eventually led to her death when she chose to spare the lives of her executioners. However, Irene theorized that Teresa had found true happiness in her last days because of Clare and would not have changed her actions if she were to relive her life. This conclusion was indeed proven to be true as confessed by Teresa after her revival from within Clare. As such, she thanked God, if He ever existed, for having met Clare.

Acute Yoki Sensing
Teresa possesses extraordinarily acute Yoki-sensing abilities. She can detect the most minute changes in the Yoki flow of both Yoma and Claymores alike, accurately predicting their every move. This skill allows Teresa to judge the strength, speed and direction of an attack before her enemies can act. As a child, Teresa was also able to track down Rafaela, who had completely erased her aura after the incident with Luciela, in the woods. Irene concludes that Teresa's adeptness in this area was the main reason why she was the top warrior of her generation.

Teresa uses this skill in combination with her peerless strength to copy Cassandra's unique fighting style and movements, after only encountering the former No. 1 in battle once. During the final battle against Priscilla, Teresa further demonstrates use of virtually all the techniques Clare encountered throughout the series, including Miria's phantom-speed, Rafaela's combat style, Jean's Drill Sword, Ophelia's Rippling Sword, Helen's limb expansion in combination with Flora's Windcutter, and Irene's Quicksword.

Her sensory abilities are so advanced that she could predict exactly where to strike Priscilla, despite the latter being faster than Hysteria's awakened form, so fast that she was virtually invisible.

After Teresa's 'death', Clare inherited this gift by taking in her flesh.



Physical Prowess and Unrivaled Yoki Power
While hunting Teresa down for her betrayal of the organization, Irene told Noel and Sophia that each member of their party outclassed Teresa in her respective specialty, believing that Teresa's only strengths were her Yoki perception and her smile. Her stats in Claymore Databook 1 reflect Irene's analysis. However, the unmatched power she demonstrates in combat against the Awakened Rosemary, the fully-enraged and Beyond-Abyssal Priscilla, and the slayers sent to kill her, reveals that Teresa was likely hiding her true abilities (or simply never bothered to use them). It is worth noting that Irene is struck with the realization that she had underestimated Teresa again, after she and the other executioners were easily defeated.

After her revival from within Clare, Teresa demonstrated both the strength to immobilize two of an Awakened Cassandra's heads with her bare hands, and the speed to easily match the movements of Miria's Phantom Mirage (using only a ten-percent Yoki release). Augmenting these already superior physical qualities was her enormous Yoki. Unleashing a mere ten-percent was enough to frighten and dispatch an Awakened Rosemary, who was a former No. 1 and would theoretically be on par with an Abyssal One. It also enabled her to defeat a near-Awakened Priscilla, the legendarily powerful No.2 warrior of Teresa's generation who became the strongest character in the series subsequent to Teresa´s death.

Organization Rating
From Claymore Databook 1.
 * Yoki: EX (Special Level of Ability)
 * Agility: A+
 * Muscular Strength: A+
 * Spirit: A+
 * Perception: EX (Special Level of Ability)
 * Leadership: B-

Early Life
Teresa's early life is vague. She guessed that her parents named her after one of the Twin Goddesses of Love. In her dreams, she remembered having black eyes and hair, which she believed was her best feature. At some point, she was sold to the Organization by the people she trusted. It is unclear who exactly she was referring to (family, the people of her hometown, etc.); whatever the case, this betrayal haunted her for the rest of her life.

During her Claymore training, she was labelled a "problem child" for her routine escapes from the Organization. It was during one of these attempts that she met Rafaela in a Yoma-infested forest.

As a Claymore, Teresa was a cold-blooded killer who cared for no one, performing her assignments in a blase manner, and loved to frighten clients with horror stories. She was outwardly obedient, but not above keeping secrets from her superiors, harboring suspicions about their dubious actions.

Her handler was Orsay.

Rockwell Hill Massacre
Teresa was immediately ranked as a single-digit warrior upon completing her training. She participated in the mission on Rockwell Hill to slay Hysteria, the No. 1 at the time who had reached her limits, but never sent her black card, likewise resisting execution. Hysteria, with her unmatched speed, slaughtered the many warriors sent to kill her. Teresa, however, managed to critically injure Hysteria, taking away her speed advantage. Hysteria was eventually slain by Rosemary, who was No. 4 of that time.

Battle with Rosemary
Some time later, Teresa overtook Rosemary as Claymore No. 1. Since then, Rosemary held a grudge against Teresa and secretly plotted to kill her. Rosemary Awakened and then sent her black card to Teresa via Orsay in an attempt to lure her to a secluded location and then finish her off. Despite her initial confusion as to why the former No. 1 warrior would send her black card, Teresa went to Godahl Plateau to meet up with Rosemary. Rosemary's intentions immediately became clear to Teresa and the two engaged in battle, with Rosemary assuming her Awakened form and apparently gaining the upper hand. However, Teresa easily wrenched herself free from her grasp and proceeded to release 10% of her Yoki. Rosemary briefly faltered at the size of Teresa's Yoki, but she was unable to dwell on it as she was immediately slain.

On her way back, Teresa encountered Orsay and lied about the events that took place, saying Rosemary did not Awaken and died a splendid death worthy of a former No. 1.

Time with Clare
In the village of Theo, Teresa sensed the Yoki of seven Yoma. After killing six, she spotted the seventh hiding behind a young girl. After killing the Yoma, Teresa discovered that the girl was kept as its prisoner and toy for quite some time.

Despite rebuffs to the mysterious girl's attempts at affection, the girl persisted. She followed Teresa through the wilderness and despite Teresa's initial annoyance, she eventually became fond of the young girl. Teresa named the girl Clare, after the Twin Goddesses of Love, Clare and Teresa, and Clare mutely affirmed that it was indeed her name.

A few nights before, Teresa had a run in with some bandits, and she accidentally cut off one bandit's hands while trying to protect Clare. The rest of the bandits soon revealed themselves afterwards, where the leader stated the cardinal rule: "that Claymores couldn't kill humans," implying that they could do anything to her without fear of being killed. Teresa then smiled, asked them: "Is that all?" and proceeded to show them her terrible wound, telling them she would gladly "have fun with all of them," though the state of her body ultimately drove them away.

The bandit who had his hand cut off later tracked down Teresa and attempted to rape her, but Teresa stated that he saw her body and that he wouldn't gain any pleasure from his actions. However, the bandit then replies it was simply to humiliate her, and made to continue. Suddenly, Clare appeared and attacked the bandit with a wooden stick, only to be beaten. At that moment, Teresa intervened and enlightened the bandit concerning the rule that Warriors cannot kill humans or they will be hunted down by the Organization: ultimately, it was up to Teresa to decide whether or not she would kill the bandit - there was really nothing to stop her from doing so. The bandit became afraid and quickly ran away afterwards, and Clare's subsequent display of concern and empathy towards Teresa awakened the warrior's lost compassion, leading Teresa to say:

"This little girl, who's not even half my size... taught me that tears can flow even from these silver eyes."

From that point onwards, Teresa began openly displaying her affection for Clare without holding back. However, she decided to leave Clare with foster parents in Rokut, believing a normal life would be best for the young girl. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, the village was raided by a group of bandits, the same group that was encountered outside of Theo. Teresa rushed back to save Clare and, seeing the latter's bloodied form, flew into a fit of rage. She killed all the bandits, breaking the cardinal rule that a Claymore should never kill humans, no matter what the circumstances.

Battle with Priscilla
By breaking the Organization's cardinal rule, Teresa became a target for execution. At the execution site, instead of accepting her punishment, Teresa disabled all five of the Claymores tasked to slay her. She calmly said that she had found a reason to live—Clare.

Priscilla (Soon to be No. 2), Irene (No. 2), Noel (No. 4) and Sophia (No. 3) were then summoned to execute Teresa. Teresa defeated them easily but considered killing Priscilla, noting the monstrous potential the younger Claymore possessed. However, Clare had softened her warrior heart. Thus, she spared Priscilla and left the town with Clare in tow.

Priscilla, her idealist views shattered, went into a fit and pursued Teresa, seeking revenge. Priscilla released over 80% of her Yoki and attacked in blind rage. However, she still lost to Teresa, who released a mere 10% of her Yoki. Priscilla then passed her limit and begged Teresa to euthanize her before she fully Awakened. Teresa sympathized with her and agreed to end her suffering. Priscilla, however, saw that Teresa had let her guard down and took this as a chance to attack, cutting off Teresa's hands before decapitating her. This cast some doubt as to whether Priscilla deliberately lured in Teresa to strike her down when she was least expecting it. After this, Priscilla completely Awakened.

Clare later decided on using the Organization as a means of revenge. She carried Teresa's head back into town and wandered, searching for a man-in-black. Upon meeting/finding Rubel, she demanded that Teresa's flesh and blood be put inside her own body, thus, beginning Clare's quest for vengeance.

Return of the Faint Smile
Several years later, Clare finally reaches her last stand against Priscilla who, after sustaining grievous injuries from a prolonged battle, has assimilated the remains of the Awakened Cassandra the Dust Eater, Wild Horse Octavia, and Chronos. As Clare tries to fight the monster by releasing all her Yoki, she realizes, thanks to Rafaela's cryptic advice, that another person had been helping her take on her Awakened form before. Moreover, this same someone has been trying to Awaken from inside the young warrior all along. After these revelations, there is a burst of Yoki, and Teresa of the Faint Smile appears before Priscilla in Clare's place.

In Rabona, the warriors pause as they sense Teresa's Yoki. Galatea describes it as mighty but peaceful, then goes on to say that its power level is difficult to assess, as it seems as if all they could sense was the surface of a tranquil sea.

Teresa chats with Raki a bit, saying she is annoyed at the prospect of a brat like him claiming Clare's chastity, but later goes on to say that Clare had chosen good friends and a good man.

Within the shared body's mind, Clare, reverting to childhood, finally reunites with Teresa. Teresa tenderly says Clare was still such a crybaby, but offers to listen to everything Clare had to tell her regarding all the events that had happened since her demise at Priscilla's hands. In the real world, Teresa's eyes are closed as she concentrates on Clare's words inside her head. Cassandra's tentacles attempt to take advantage of this, but Teresa easily slams two of them onto the ground with her bare hands, urging her opponent to stay silent. The half-Awakened warriors gasp at the display of power. Amidst the dust and rubble, Priscilla sees Teresa's visage and mutters in disbelief. Teresa snidely comments how ugly Priscilla had become, then vows to pulverize her.

Back inside Clare's mind, Teresa listens to Clare as the latter tells her about her comrades. When Clare becomes sad after remembering the deaths of so many of her friends, Teresa tells her that she has become strong. When the girl tries to protest, saying that she could never be as powerful as Teresa, the former No. 1 tells her that power and techniques alone do not always amount to strength. She then admits that Clare achieved something she herself could never do: fighting alongside companions that Clare could trust. The former No. 47 then reverts back to an adult, and Teresa tells her that they should fight together using the strength Clare has gained through her life's experiences. She also says that said strength is what sustains her heart.

On the outside, Teresa throws both of Cassandra's heads back at Priscilla. She then addresses the assimilated Abyssal One directly, asking how long she will allow Priscilla to use her and telling her to remember her pride of being a Number 1. After Teresa challenges her to a one-on-one match, Cassandra breaks free from Priscilla's control and regenerates her body, and Teresa asks Deneve to loan her an extra claymore, which she then tosses to Cassandra. The No. 1s engage in battle, and Teresa soon chops off her opponent's right arm. Though she gives Cassandra the option of using the high speed regeneration technique she inherited from Priscilla, Cassandra reveals that she is left-handed and quickly attacks again, scoring some glancing blows. Teresa eventually slashes her shoulder, commenting on the Dust-Eater's strange movements, and admits that if she had not been using her Acute Yoki Sensing, she would have been hit many times. Soon, Cassandra surrenders and asks Teresa to end the fight, saying she is satisfied with being able to use her full strength, and Teresa, after thanking the former No. 1 for a fun battle, effortlessly cuts her to pieces. The strongest No. 1 then stands before an enraged Priscilla.

As Priscilla recovers from the loss of her assimilations, Teresa returns Deneve's claymore and thanks her. When Helen calls Teresa out on not taking the chance to finish Priscilla while she is weakened, Teresa replies that it wouldn't suit her to defeat such an opponent until the monster has recovered. After remarking on Helen's "nasty mouth", she then says that Priscilla is not as weakened as the Ghosts think and will regain full strength depending on her emotions.

In the meantime, Teresa calls Raki to her and asks him to elaborate on his past with Priscilla and Isley. He does so, revealing Priscilla's wish for death to the Claymores, and he also concludes that the one opponent who could possibly grant her wish is Teresa herself. After Raki finishes, Priscilla regenerates her body, releases her Yoki, and begins to walk towards Teresa. While the other warriors are shocked and afraid at the One-Horned Monster's regained power, Teresa is not, saying that since Priscilla's base of power is hatred - specifically, the hatred for the one warrior who almost struck her down - her strength will rise without limit. Additionally, her desire to kill Teresa will more than likely overpower her desire to be killed herself.

Before beginning the battle, Teresa announces that, in the grand scheme of the battle between Priscilla, the Ghosts, and Raki, the warriors are ultimately victorious and should be proud. She also says that the incoming creature is no longer the true Priscilla; it carries her name only, and is nothing more than the final throes of hatred - nothing more than pure madness. Then, Teresa gives each individual Ghost a message from Clare, revealing the depth of Clare's bond with them all and stating just how much the warriors have aided Clare's personal growth.

Teresa then turns to Priscilla and, upon remarking how it has been a while since she last went all out, releases ten percent of her Yoki. She charges Priscilla, slashing at her and missing, and easily evades an incoming blow in a manner that the Ghosts compare to the Phantom Technique - though for Teresa, it was nothing more than ordinary movement. The No. 1 and the One-Horned Monster continue to trade blows, and the former soon cuts off the latter's right arm. When Priscilla regenerates multiple arms and attacks, Teresa, while blocking, remarks on how Priscilla's hatred has gone out of control and that to be hated so much is not so different from being loved. Then, through sight-based memory alone, Teresa copies Cassandra's Dust Eater technique and slices off one of Priscilla's legs, though it is soon regenerated into a stronger form. When Priscilla attacks again, Teresa evades by slamming her hand into the ground and jumping.

Teresa fends off Priscilla's right arms, slicing them off and going on the offensive. Unhappy with her right leg, Priscilla destroys it to grow a stronger one. With her stronger legs, Priscilla rushes across the battlefield at such speed that she appears invisible. Miria exclaims disbelief in the fact that Priscilla now surpasses even Hysteria's in her Awakened form. Unperturbed, Teresa raises her sword and accurately impales Priscilla through the chest. Teresa then proceeds to slice off Priscilla's left arm despite Deneve's warning that whenever a part of Priscilla is destroyed, the latter simply forms a stronger appendage. True enough, Priscilla instantly grows a much larger arm and slams down on Teresa, who retaliates by crushing the arm with her foot. As Teresa does this, she comments how Clare must have picked this bad habit up from Rafaela.

Priscilla grows multiple left arms, but Teresa destroys these effortlessly along with her wings. The Awakened Being then sprouts a multitude of grotesque humanoid appendages comprised of legs and feet, torsos, and arms and shoots them out at tremendous speed, forcing the other warriors to back off to a safe distance. Teresa not only survives the onslaught but manages to slice Priscilla's head and chest. Priscilla survives, the sliced-off portions hovering while held together by tentacle-like masses, and continues attacking. Teresa blows off chunks from Priscilla's left flank, only for those same appendages to sprout from the concavity and attack her.

Eventually, Teresa decides to Awaken. The ground shatters beneath her as she releases her Yoki and Galatea comments how it seems as if the world is being swallowed by a vast sea. When the dust clears, Teresa looks upon herself and expresses surprise at how she didn't change much despite Awakening—her legs only seeming lighter and her back becoming a little heavier because of two pairs of wings.

The Awakened Teresa uses all of the techniques Clare has experienced throughout the series to annihilate Priscilla, ending the latter with a Quicksword used at 100% of its potential to overcome Priscilla's unmatched regeneration. After thanking her for her kindness in allowing her consciousness to resurface, Priscilla disintegrates, finally perishing for good. As Clare's body begins to return to normal, within her mind, she begs Teresa to stay. However, she cannot as she is nothing more than a culmination of residual longing and the force of Clare's emotions, rather than having outright returned to life. The older Claymore then praises her former charge's passion, stating that Clare's experiences combined with her belief in Teresa's abilities, whether real or percieved, were what gave her such tremendous strength. She claims that her power alone would have been insufficient in securing such a quick victory.

Teresa once again assures Clare that she will always be with her in her heart, and that she already has plenty of other friends to live alongside as well. She then asks of her one last smile before they part, and kneels down, extending her arms for an embrace. A tearful Clare reverts to her child form again and leaps into Teresa's arms. Clare confesses that she's happy that she could see her again, to which Teresa responds by telling her that she is also happy to see her all grown up. Clare tells her that they will always be together, giving her savior the best smile she can muster. An amused Teresa notes that her smile is covered in snot, but is a wonderful one nonetheless. When the physical Clare opens her eyes, Teresa is gone.

Clare
At first, Teresa was irritated by Clare's persistence in following her. Eventually, she became attached to the young girl and the two eventually developed a deep familial love and affection for each other. Teresa also comments about how Clare taught her true love and how the two forged an unbreakable bond. After her resurrection, Teresa still affectionately sees Clare as the young crybaby she'd known years before, and is eager to listen to everything that has happened since her untimely death.

The Ghosts
When Teresa Awakens from within Clare, she is told all about Clare's relationships with Miria, Deneve, Helen, Tabitha, Cynthia, and Yuma and how close the Ghosts have become with one another. While never having met them before her revival, she speaks to them with ease and familiarity, and tells them that they are ultimately victorious against the One-Horned Monster. She also gives them personal messages from Clare that reveal the younger warrior's feelings towards them - how they have helped her grow as a person - and, afterwards, Teresa personally thanks them for their kindness.

Irene
While Irene showed familiarity with Teresa at the start of the battle, it was unclear what sort of friendship, if any, existed beforehand. Nonetheless, the two had some measure of respect for each other. Irene, in particular, saved and mentored Clare due to her youki's similarity to Teresa's, and urged her to live on as proof Teresa had ever existed. Similarly, when Teresa realized whose arm Clare had taken on, she thanked Irene for supporting Clare up until now.

Priscilla
When confronted with the warriors sent to punish her disobedience, Teresa expressed both wariness of and disdain for Priscilla. The No. 1 felt that the girl was naive for blindly complying with the Organization's demands but, at the same time, sensed Priscilla's innate strength. However, Teresa found herself, out of mercy and compassion, unable to kill her, though she was willing to heavily wound her during their second match. Also out of mercy and pity, Teresa offered to behead Priscilla when the young warrior surpassed her limits and began to Awaken. Unfortunately, it was this mercy that allowed Priscilla to strike and behead the No. 1.

During Clare's time as a warrior and afte*r the seven year time-skip, Teresa has become an object of obsession for the Awakened Priscilla. She sees Teresa as evil for killing humans, /and during her battle with Dauf, she regains her memory of the incident with Teresa and expresses delight that she would be able to kill her again. When Teresa is finally brought forth from within Clare by the Soul-Link technique, the strongest No.1 expresses disdain for the monster Priscilla has become and vows to defeat her once and for all. More than that, however, the remnants of Priscilla's human heart seeks out Teresa in an attempt to find someone or something that can finally overcome her power and regeneration to grant her death.

At the end, Teresa disintegrates Priscilla by using the quicksword at 100% of its potential. When Priscilla asks why Teresa didn't end things earlier, when Priscilla was weakened, Teresa replies that it sucks to have your life end without knowing what's going on. At the last moment, Priscilla thanks Teresa and says she's sorry. True to her character, Teresa responds that there are no hard feelings between "comrades who cross Claymores together."

Behind the Scenes
Teresa has a song on the Claymore Intimate Persona CD called "Tensei" meaning "Reincarnation".

Teresa's story in the anime is almost identical to the original one from the manga, except that she appears at the end of the anime saying goodbye to Clare after her final fight with Priscilla.

Yagi said in an interview that if he would have resurrected Teresa that would throw off the whole plot of the manga and story. (Although he may have said this at the time since he himself wasn't sure how to bring Teresa back to the story, as evidenced by the latest chapter, where Teresa reappears by switching places with Clare.)