Ophelia

"Because there is something you have to protect, because there is a reason you can not die that enables you to live on, those are foolish fantasies of the weak." - Rippling Ophelia

Ophelia is Claymore No. 4 of Clare's generation. She is first introduced as an antagonist but later becomes a supporting character, for a short time. Despite the Organization forbidding the killing of humans, Ophelia hints that she may have done so. In Japanese, she has the nickname 血塗られた凶戦士, Chinurareta Kyōsenshi, or Blood-Smeared Wicked Warrior.

Her self-invented nickname is "Rippling Ophelia" (漣のオフィーリア, Sazanami no Ofīria), after her trademark sword movement.

Etymology
"Ophelia" is a transliteration of the Japanese "Ofīria"(オフィーリア, pronounced "o-fi-ri-ah").

"Ophelia" derives from Greek for "help." It is the name of a character in Hamlet who loses her sanity and drowns. Possibly alluding to the Claymore Ophelia's madness. Also, her body floats in a lake as in the Shakespeare play.

According to Italian Origin, Ophelia means help and serpent. The image of a serpent is shown in Ophelia's awakened form.

Claymore
Ophelia has pale, silvery blond hair, which she wears in a long plait. Her hairline is a widow's peak. Her eyes are silver, like all Claymores and she wears the standard Claymore uniform. Similar to Irene, she has elf-like ears.

Height: 175 cm (5 ft 8.89in).

Awakened Form
She has light green skin, golden eyes and greenish hair. Blades grow from her back and from the end of her hair and her elongated arms end in sharp claws. Her lower body is a long, scaled, snake's tail.

Personality
With the possible exception of Priscilla herself, Ophelia is the most psychologically unstable, and most sadistic, Claymore seen thus far in the series. She displays a large number of psychotic and sociopathic traits, including deceit, sadism, obsession, lack of empathy, no respect for life or the suffering of others, and the inability to understand the noble urges of other people, as well as a low threshold for frustration and an explosive temper. Although Ophelia initially seems to be charming and whimsical, Ophelia is, in fact, highly sadistic, obsessive and immoral and delights in toying with and mutilating her prey until she loses interest and decides to kill it. It is hinted that she killed humans in order to satisfy her insatiable bloodlust. Her quick temper is shown when she instantly becomes angered that Irene interrupted her "playtime" with Clare in the forest and doesn't hesitate to attack her. This inability to control her rage is also the biggest factor in pushing her over her limit after her defeat by Irene. She also displays a certain level of vanity when she tells Clare that she's just "back-up" for their mission and that the Awakened Being would be well within her ability to defeat, despite the fact that she ended up being the one defeated. Ophelia is also obsessed with Awakened Beings, due to traumatization after Priscilla killed her older brother. She insists on killing only Awakened Beings, while ignoring normal Yoma, and even tries to encourage other Claymores to awaken when they are seemingly approaching their limits, such as in the cases of Hilda, Miria and Clare.

Claymore
Ophelia shows not only remarkable speed and strength, but resilience as well. Despite the female Awakened Being twisting Ophelia's head 180 degrees around, Ophelia survives and is shown to be able to twist her head back to normal without the use of her hands.

Rippling Sword
Ophelia invented a technique that involves swift undulation of her sword arm so her sword appears to be rippling. The optical illusion it creates makes blocking, countering and yoki "forecasting" extremely difficult. She uses this technique to avoid her attacks being blocked by Clare, but this ability was not effective against Irene's Quicksword.

Organization Rating
From Claymore Databook 2.


 * Yoki: A
 * Agility: A
 * Muscular Strength: A
 * Spirit: C
 * Perception: B+
 * Leadership: C

Awakened Being
Ophelia uses her claws and the retracting blades on her back as her main weapons. She can also relocate her vital "core" to any part on her being, as shown when she moved all of her "human parts" to the end of her tail.

Organization Rating
From Claymore Databook 2, as Awakened Being.


 * Yoki: SS
 * Agility: SSS
 * Strength: SS
 * Invulnerability: S (Special Level of Ability)
 * Intelligence: SS

Early life
Ophelia's parents are unknown, but her older brother is killed and eaten by Priscilla as he protects Ophelia. This begins Ophelia's obsession with Awakened Beings. She vows to "to kill the One-Horned Demon."

Employment as a Claymore
Ophelia became very powerful and ascended to No. 4. She invented a move involving swift undulation of her sword arm so her sword has the appearance of rippling. Mocking the other Claymores with nicknames, she pretends to Clare to call herself "Rippling Ophelia." But adds that no one or almost no one who has seen it has lived.

During her time as a Claymore, she gained the reputation of being vicious and monsterous. She hints that she has killed humans in the past.

She also displayed immoral tendencies toward other Claymores. When Hilda was about to awaken, she asked Ophelia to give her Black Card to Miria. However, Ophelia ripped it up, condemning Hilda to awaken. She was in the Awakened Being hunt that was sent to kill Hilda and so was Miria. When Miria discovered when it was Hilda she had slain, Ophelia showed signs of interest when she began to Awaken from the shock. This was the reason that spawned Miria's dislike of Ophelia.

Awakened Being Hunt with Clare
On meeting Clare, she proceeds to physically torment Clare, till Raki intervenes. Ophelia cuts off Clare's legs and mock-fights Raki, seeing if Clare can reattach them before Raki is killed. The Awakened Being interrupts the scene.

Clare flees with Raki, as Ophelia fights the Awakened Being. Despite having her head turned 180 degrees, Ophelia kills the Awakened Being and pursues Clare. After cornering her on a cliff-face, she proceeds to battle her.

Ophelia has the upper-hand due to her Rippling Sword, which cuts off Clare's right arm. When Clare fell down the cliff, Ophelia follows her, suspicious that she kept a hold on her arm. When Clare attempts to reattach it, Ophelia cuts it to shreds, realizing that Clare is an offensive type warrior and thus preventing her from regenerating it. After another battle, Ophelia manages to cut off Clare's other hand and would have killed her while she was disarmed and helpless. Despite her own vow of vengeance, she mocks Clare for her resolve to live on.

Irene interrupts Clare's impeding execution. Angered, Ophelia attacks, but is defeated by the Quicksword.

Awakening and Death
After her defeat, she remains scared of what happened and begs for her older brother to save her. However, she spitefully rebukes herself for being weak and, in her rage at Irene, she unwittingly awakens. She soon comes across Clare and proceeds to battle her. Realizing that she is not good to devour, she tries drowning Clare in the lake. Ophelia only realizes she has awakened when seeing her reflection in the water.

Stricken and distraught at having become the very thing she hated, she strikes out at Clare. After Clare severs both her arms, she gathers her human core at the end of her tail. Ophelia then introduces another game: if Clare can use the Quicksword to shred her body up to her human part, Ophelia will let Clare kill Priscilla for her. If Clare awakens before she can get to Ophelia's human core, she "loses."

Ophelia only makes one attempt to stop her but then remembers her brother's sacrifice and allows Clare to continue. In the end, Ophelia allows Clare to euthanize her. Her body is later discovered by the Organization.

Brother
Ophelia was close to her older brother, who protected her fatally from Priscilla. On his death, she vowed to avenge him by 'slaying the one-horned monster'. She never shows these feelings outwardly, however.

Other Claymores
Ophelia is not shown to have close relationships with other Claymores. She appears to prefer working alone.

Hilda
Ophelia knew Hilda only briefly. She met Hilda in the woods having picked up on her yoki where she found Hilda somewhat blindly searching for Miria (as she was on the verge of awakening). Having a fondness of fighting awakened beings and looking for good sport - Ophelia took the card and tore it up defiantly. As a result of shredding up the Black Card Hilda gave her meant for Miria, she condemned Hilda to awaken.

Miria
Miria was sent on a hunt to slay Hilda and it was only after she was slain did Miria realize that it was her friend. In her shock, she began to Awaken. Ophelia showed interest when this happened and it is probable she prevented the Black Card reaching Miria simply for her to Awaken.

Clare
It is an open question why Clare is assigned to the Godal hunting party.

At their first meeting in Godal, Ophelia knows or knew that Clare is partially awakened. Clare is slated for death. Ophelia toys with Clare and Raki, until interrupted by an Awakened Being. After killing the Being, Ophelia pursues Clare. Clare loses her right arm and left hand in the ensuing fight, but Irene rescues Clare with the Quicksword. Ophelia is disabled. Later, Ophelia unknowingly awakes.

After Clare recovers, she meets Ophelia in the forest. They battle in a lake. When Ophelia realizes what has happened to herself, she allows Clare to kill her and "puts her resolve" to kill Priscilla in Clare's hands.

Behind the Scenes

 * Ophelia has a song sung by her voice actor on the Claymore Intimate Persona album released while the anime was being recorded. This song is called "Full Lyrics for Zouo", translated as "Hatred."
 * Luci Christian also voiced similar looking characters (the Black Snake from Black Blood Brothers and Medusa from Soul Eater).

Anime and Manga differences

 * Miria warns Clare especially not to meet Ophelia even if this means to make the Organisation suspicious. In the Manga we see in Chapter 31 Miria regretting not to have told them about Ophelia in more detail.