Clarice

Clarice was Claymore No. 47 of the last generation of Claymores. Unlike other Claymores, she retained most of her original hair color. She was only assigned because the Organization had a personnel shortage.

Etymology
"Clarice" is a transliteration of the Japanese クラリス (pronounced "ku-ra-ri-su").

"Clarice" is a form of "Clara," a Late Latin, feminine form of the word, "Clarus" meaning "bright, shining, clear" (a post-classical name made famous by the 13th century Saint Clara ( Clare) of Assisi). Related to the British-Irish last name, "Clare."

Appearance
Clarice has short, brown hair and is susceptible to cold weather, something unusual among Claymores. This implies a low Yoki level. Nina calls Clarice a "failed experiment." However, Clarice does have silver eyes and wears the standard Claymore uniform.

Image gallery

Personality
In many ways, Clarice is more human-like than most Claymores, going beyond her hair. She has a little problem talking to normal people, but can have difficulty relating to her aloof fellow Claymores, and gets defensive when her limited strength gets called into question or she's asked if she's really a Claymore, even though she realizes how much stronger the other Claymores are compared to her.

Clarice is a perceptive person, and would relay her observations on situations to the Organization. Clarice begins as something of a conformist, obeying orders without question, even if they seem unusual, but she changes after the Agatha incident, being forced to choose between what she thinks is right and executing Galatea, deciding in the end what she feels is right is more important.

Not by nature a brave fighter, Clarice is often intimidated by the combat situations she finds herself in, and considers running away and leaving Miata to battle Agatha.

Clarice proves adept at taking care of the child-like Miata, able to keep her in line with a stern word and looking after her like a parent or big sister, and the two form a very strong bond, though she herself often wonders about how weird the situation is considering Miata's insane strength, which even scared her at first.

Abilities
Clarice has exceptionally low skills and strength due to the fact that she was a "failed creation". At times, she was not able to sense Yoma aura and her shallow attacks weren't enough to kill the creatures. However, Clarice shows a little improvement in the battle of Rabona. Eventually, after tutelage, she is able to synchronize her Yoki with Miata's and control it with Galatea's help, and she may be able to use this ability to influence memories.

Early Life
Like most Claymores, Clarice was orphaned at some point in time, but she also had to endure life as a beggar. At some point, the town she was living in was destroyed by Awakened Beings - though this event did not grieve her - and she was brought to the Organization. When she became a warrior whose hair still retained its color, it was then, for the first time in her life, that she felt that she had become something special.

Employment as a Claymore
Seven years after the Northern Campaign, Clarice joins an Awakened Being Hunting Party in Alphonse. When she meets the party, led by No. 9 Nina, they all immediately dislike her. Later, the party is ambushed by Awakened Beings. All four Claymores go down.

Upon awaking, Clarice finds her comrades recovering and all the Awakened Beings gone, leaving only huge bloodstains. She wanders off and finds the swords of the Claymores who died seven years earlier in the Northern Campaign but counts only 17 swords instead of 24.

Unobserved, five of the seven survivors watch Clarice—Miria, Deneve, Helen, Cynthia and Tabitha. The secret rescuers debate on what to do about Clarice's snooping, but decide to do nothing.

Clarice reports her findings to the Organization, but her report is ignored and she is reassigned to help No. 4, Miata. Later, satisfied with Clarice's "control" of Miata, the Organization sends them to assassinate Galatea.

Battle in Rabona
Clarice and Miata find Galatea, but Agatha interrupts them. When Miata is severely wounded by Agatha, Clarice starts to flee but returns to rescue Miata, knowing that she will most likely be killed. However, Clarice and Miata are saved by the appearance of the Seven Ghosts. After facing her moment of truth, Clarice decides to desert the Organization. Both Clarice and Miata are currently staying with Galatea in Rabona. She is later seen assisting the troops alongside Miata when the city is attacked by yoma, after Miria decides to attack the Organization's Headquarters. Sensing the Yoki of the several Awakened Beings and Yoma, the Seven Ghosts arrives the city and help the troops during the fight. After discovering about Miria's possible death, the survivors of the Northern Campaign decides to go and find out if their captain is still alive. Clarice, along Miata and Galatea, see the deserters leaving, and wishes them the best.

The Upcoming Abyssal One
After the Claymores' Rebellion, in which The Organization finally saw the end at the hands of Miria, the Seven Ghosts return to the Holy City when they realize that there's where the new Abyssal One, Cassandra, was heading. Seeing Miria alive, Clarice start crying, happy to see her captain. When Miria suggests Clarice and Miata to leave the city and save them from the upcoming battle, Clarice refuses, saying that she owes a lot to the city and her citizens. She is later seen standing with the other warriors of the Organization when Europa makes to attack Rabona and dine upon its remaining people.

During the battle with Europa, Clarice aids Galatea in synchronizing their Yoki with that of Miata's so the latter may safely Awaken to combat Europa. She soothes Miata as the younger warrior undergoes the Awakening process, and it appears the three's efforts are successful. However, the process appears to have taken some toll on Clarice's body, for, shortly after Miata advances on Europa, the brown-haired warrior's right eye begins to bleed.

When Miata begins to lose control of her Yoki aura, Clarice's body further deteriorates, with blood now seeping from her nose and mouth. Eventually, she collapses from exhaustion as Miata starts succumbing to her Awakened Being instincts. However, before Miata can taste human flesh, Clarice forces herself to rise to a kneeling position, and then she reveals how she formerly believed herself to be a "special" warrior with great potential because her hair remained brown after becoming a Claymore. Then, sometime after her birth as a warrior, she discovered the truth behind her creation and how the Organization would've disposed of her had they not been shorthanded at the time. This disposal, according to Clarice, involved allowing a "colored's" Yoki to run wild. In this scenario, the creation would be unable to resist the urge to Awaken and their bodies, incomplete and weak, would be immediately destroyed by the ensuing release of energy. It is this act that Clarice plans to use in order to prevent Miata from becoming a full Awakened Being, and she subsequently releases her Yoma energy.

As the battle with Europa rages on, in order to bring back Miata's consciousness, Clarice risks it all to try synchronize her Yoki with Miata's, while her body starts to take damage from the process. Even when Galatea tells her to not go further, Clarice tries to reach Miata's human mind, and her body starts to rip apart. Finally, Europa is destroyed, with Awakened Miata dealing the finishing blow. In this moment, Clarice, with all her remaining power, and with the help of the other Yoki synchronizing Claymore, manages to bring back Miata to her human form. Miata runs to Clarice and sees she is missing an arm. After being asked what happened to it, Clarice says it doesn't matter, and she tells Miata how she always made her feel special and encourages her that she will be strong, even on her own. Clarice tells Miata to close her eyes as she will cast a good luck charm on her. With her final words of love to Miata, Clarice's body disintegrates, leaving behind Miata.

After Clarice's death, it appears that Miata no longer possesses any memory about her adoptive mother. This sudden and drastic amnesia leads Galatea to theorize that the "charm" placed upon the younger warrior actually made her forget all about Clarice. Galatea also deduces the purpose of the induced amnesia: that Miata would not be driven mad over Clarice's death and, subsequently, lose herself to Awakening and attack the other warriors and the soldiers of Rabona. However, Miata seems to have some residual grief over the death of her "mama," even if she doesn't remember Clarice and believes herself to be talking about her birth mother, and breaks down in tears in Galatea's arms. Silently, Galatea praises Clarice's strength and remarks that her heart will be remembered among the other warriors.

Miata
Mother - daughter relationship. Clarice discovers that Miata, despite being No. 4, only has the mental capacity of an unstable child. This leads her to question the true purpose and origins of the Claymores. However, by allowing Miata to mimic breast feeding with her, she is able to calm the younger warrior. In order to maintain their peace, Clarice sometimes scolds Miata like a parent and/or threatens to take away privileges (i.e. not allowing the younger warrior to nurse or sleep in the same bed as her.)

Despite her initial fear of Miata, Clarice seems to have formed an attachment to her, even risking her life to help her against Agatha. This bond eventually becomes deep enough to allow the two to perform a successful Soul-Link with Galatea's help, and when Miata begins to lose her human consciousness, Clarice is willing to sacrifice herself to save her adopted daughter by exceeding her own limits (which gradually destroys her body.) Before her death, Clarice blesses Miata and reveals the full depth of her affections, which are identical to those of a mother towards her only, now fully-grown and independent daughter.

Behind the Scenes
{C}Clarice shares several parallels with the former No. 47 Clare: Clarice is the only known Claymore to keep her original hair color.
 * Both are ridiculed for their low rank.
 * Both traveled with much younger companions (Clare rescued Raki, while Miata is assigned to Clarice).
 * Similarities in names.
 * Atypical Claymore warriors (Clarice's hair color remains unchanged, while Clare is only 1/4 yoma)

Clarice Clarice