Raki

Raki (ラキ, Raki) is a human whose family was eaten by a Yoma and was saved by Clare. He was allowed to travel with her after this happened, and become very close to her, wishing to fight with and protect her as she had done with him. After the seven-year time skip, he was reunited with Clare and became one of the Ghosts.

Appearance
When the series begins, Raki appeared as a pre-adolescent with short light-brown hair and a trademark scar above his left eyebrow. Seven years later, now an adult, he is taller than Clare and much more muscular. He also sports a longer version of his former hairstyle.


 * Image Gallery

Personality
Raki is easily trusting, as shown in his friendship with Clare who was feared by the rest of the villagers. In his own words, Raki expected Claymores like Clare to be scary (as he had never met one before her), but found her to be no different than a normal girl. 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. Raki, unlike most humans in the series, is not judgmental of Claymores or even Awakened Beings as shown with his friendships with Clare, Isley, and Priscilla.

Something Raki is good at is seeing into the hearts of others. He could see Claire's true self-hidden under her trauma-induced icy demeanor. Raki also figured out Priscilla desired death. Despite the hardships he's been through, Raki never lost his kind heart; though seeing inhumane and cruel things like the Organization's actions will cause Raki to show less restraint and forgiveness. He is also a voice of reason among groups of hot-headed or judgemental people.

Relationships

 * Clare: Raki is Clare's friend and is shown to care deeply for her. He accompanied her as a cook after he was banished from his village and she saved him from a Yoma disguised as a Claymore. As he traveled with her, he discovered the hardships she and other Claymores suffered. Before the two were separated, Clare kissed Raki and vowed that she would live and find him, no matter what. After training for seven years so that he won't be a burden on her, he continuously searches for her and is overjoyed when they are reunited.


 * Priscilla: Raki and Priscilla share a bond, but it is not similar to the one Raki has/had with 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 she gives him a piece of her flesh to suppress the Destroyer's parasitic spines. Chronos later implies to Raki that Priscilla may have held back her power upon being freed from the Destroyer's seal out of concern for him getting caught in the battle. However, this hypothesis is negated by Priscilla herself when Raki meets her in combat; she claims that she has held back only because it is fun to toy with him.


 * Isley: After finding Raki in the north, Isley takes him in and becomes 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, but like with Priscilla, Raki eventually finds out Isley's true identity as an Awakened Being. Raki shows his loyalty by continuing to travel with Isley despite his true nature, and, eventually, when they discover Priscilla's yearning for death, Isley trains Raki in a comprehensive plan to grant her wish.

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.


 * Master Swordsman: Raki first begins practicing 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 as he has dreamed. Raki becomes the only known human in the series who can slay a Yoma. Though Renee does mention it's not unheard of, just extremely rare to hear of. He was able to duel two Claymore trainees evenly with a practice sword, although he did note them as holding back. Both noted that his fighting style was similar to their own. He is capable of seriously wounded the Organization's guards with a blunt sword.


 * Physical Condition: Even before being officially trained, Raki had remarkable endurance. He managed to withstand multiple cuts from Ophelia's blade without faltering. After seven years of training under Isley, Raki's abilities have grown greatly. He is fast enough to cross a moderate amount of distance and strike a yoma before it could react and is strong enough to deflect its attack with an armed guard. Raki is also quite acrobatic now. He managed to flip over a Claymore trainee and steal the sword of another before either could stop him.

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 as a cook. 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. Then he was exiled because the townspeople thought he could be a yoma. He was then found by Clare dying in the wilderness and was brought to a nearby town of Egon(エゴンの町).

He was tricked by a Yoma disguised as a Claymore 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 became 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(黒の書). 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 raising any suspicion. At Rabona, Raki carried a statue that had within it Clare's Claymore. While Clare search for the human identity of the Yoma, Raki was waiting at the baptismal room where the true Yoma actually was. He is saved by Clare, Galk and Sid, which did not go well as Clare was injured.

In the battle, Raki throws to Clare the 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. It is assumed that the case was that Raki expressed so much humanity and care for Clare and Clare couldn't ignore it her humanity became stronger. What made her able to revert back. As they are leaving the city, Galk gives his holy sword to Raki, telling him to become stronger in order to look after Clare. He carries the sword 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 reattached her legs (which Ophelia had severed), she would fight Raki, increasing her skill level as every single minute that past, 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 unaware of their true identities as Awakened Beings. Priscilla was 'saved' by Raki from a large number of falling stones (collapsing rubble in the anime), and she hangs on to him because he smells like Clare. Isley says that Raki should "keep her (Priscilla) company for a while". Raki then begins to study swordsmanship under Isley's care.

Stirrings in the South
Raki reappears after the seven-year time skip, traveling with a regressed, child-like Priscilla. Raki is shown wearing Claymore-like Armour and wielding a Montante-type 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.

The Ashes of Lautrec
When Rafaela is killed 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: the Destroyer. 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 the 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 embedded 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's headquarters, bound with chains, only the front of his body is visible. Dae then steps inside and see something of interest on Raki's back, which is revealed to be one of Priscilla's arms. After Raki became infected, she revealed that the only reason she had been traveling 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.

The Warriors' Rebellion
Shortly after the Warriors' revolt started, Raki was awake in his cell and holding onto the bars. Analyzing the situation, he tells himself that since there are no more Organization men around that he should escape; however, the closest wall near him is suddenly destroyed. As he looked, he sees one of the twins that would've replaced Alicia and Beth standing where the wall was crushed. Wondering if she is really helping him, he tries to make sense of what is going on, but she attacks him. Raki reacts quickly, dodging every blow and taking a training sword out of the hands of a trainee. He dodges the attacks of both twins with ease and could win more or less in the end without hurting anyone. After that, the twins ask him where he had learned their type of swordsmanship, and Raki only answers that he had his master, who taught him the ways of the sword. Later the twins get into a battle with the Abyss-Eaters, helping the current warriors and telling them about Raki. They also explain he would use the sword like all warriors. Now, Raki takes on the Organization's men who are guarding the trainees inside the headquarters. After brutally injuring one man, he states the Organization's men are weak because they always had others who fought for them.

Raki is next seen with Raftela, who is still alive but greatly injured. Raki insists that she lie down to save her strength, but Raftela refuses and asks him to let her join the battle as the Warriors' comrade. More guards appear to kill Raftela, and as the trainees form a protective circle around her, Raki tells her to let little trainees support her. Then, Raki easily breaks the men's spears as they attack and tells them that fighting him will just end up in them throwing their lives away.

After the Claymores' Rebellion against the Organization ended, Raki is seen with the trainees who appear to greet Miria and the others. He is surprised to see familiar faces amongst the Claymores like Helen and Deneve. He then asks of Clare's whereabouts and is told about her being trapped in the Destroyer's cocoon with Priscilla.

To the Last Battle
At the departure from the Organization's crumbled remains, he goes with Miria's team to Rabona by ship, which saves them ten days of traveling, with the intention of pulling out Clare from the cocoon before Cassandra arrives. Near the city, he notices that there are several people observing Rabona, but Deneve cautions him to not step any closer to them, for they are Awakened Beings (mostly former single digits.) Upon their entry into the city, Galatea and some knights, including Galk and Sid, greet the party, and the two knights remark on Raki's growth and his well-being, happy to see him alive.

The following morning, Miria and the others immediately take Raki to the Destroyer's cocoon. Raki then walks towards the cocoon's base and calls out to Clare. Tentacles from the cocoon appear and pierce several parts of Raki's upper body, causing the Claymores to step forward to help him, but he shouts that Clare is the one doing this - she is merely investigating his presence. His calls for her to come back yield results when Clare's body manifests out of the cocoon at the sound of his voice. The Claymores quickly treat her open wounds, and when she regains consciousness, the first thing she sees is the very boy she has been looking for through the past seven years. Raki soon breaks into tears of joy and hugs her, proclaiming his happiness at seeing her again. Clare's surprised face soon also flows with tears as she hugs him back, thus completing their reunion.

The War of Rabona
When the Ghosts and the other warriors begin their battles after Cassandra's appearance, Raki watches them from the city walls. Suddenly, Chronos and Lars approach him, curious as to what someone like him was doing at the battle. However, they also have some questions for him. They notice that his body has been trained in the same manner as the male warriors from long ago. Raki shows no shock at their conclusions, though, and reveals that his teacher was none other than the former No.1 Claymore of the male generation, Isley, which intrigues Chronos. But, before he can ask Raki the questions he had been looking for, the Ghosts interrupt them. Chronos then leaves Raki with the statement of, "If you get the timing right, you might become a stronger blade than anyone else here."

Versus Priscilla
Outside the city and after Priscilla destroys the Riful-like Being, Raki engages Priscilla in combat. Priscilla realizes that Isley taught Raki a fighting style to beat her, under the presumption she would fight at human level because she cared for Raki. However, she states that she will fight as a human, not for that reason, but because she enjoys toying with him. Eventually, she cuts him down just as Clare and the other Ghosts arrive.

Sometime later, when Clare and Priscilla finally square off, Raki takes Priscilla by surprise by stabbing her through the neck from behind. He reveals that being cut down was a key part of Isley's training. Isley correctly predicted that once Priscilla had cut Raki down, she would no longer consider him a threat and thus would not expect a surprise attack. The shock Priscilla feels at the surprise attack leaves her frozen, allowing Clare to slice her to pieces with the Quicksword.

When Priscilla reappears, having assimilated Cassandra, Raki tries to protect Clare after she is severely injured. However, the assimilated Cassandra and, later, Octavia try to devour him, and this forces Clare back onto the battlefield. In the midst of the chaos, Raki watches as Clare tries to Awaken, only to use the Soul-Link to bring forth Teresa.

Return of the Faint Smile
Raki is surprised at Clare's apparent change in appearance, for he does not know or recognize Teresa. While he is stunned, Teresa pats him and then hits him on the head, remarking that she is annoyed that "such a man" might have been able to take Clare's chastity. However, she also says that Clare has been blessed with good friends and a good man.

After she destroys Cassandra, Teresa approaches the Ghosts and addresses Raki, asking him about his relationship with Isley and Priscilla. He then reveals his past to all of them, speaking of his training with Isley and his revelation that Priscilla, in truth, wishes for death and, subconsciously, has always looked for the person who could kill her. He then says that he believes that person is Teresa, whose scent Priscilla tracked within Clare.

After Priscilla was defeated Raki traveled with Clare to return Irene's arm to her. As they walked up to her home Clare spoke of how Irene managed to fool her attacker into thinking she was dead. When they arrived Clare was pleasantly surprised to find Irene waiting for them with a regenerated arm.

Trivia

 * Deneve was the first woman whose bare breasts Raki saw. Although this was only to show him the stigma Claymores have, so he wouldn't fear the sight of it when they rescued Clare.
 * Fittingly enough the only woman he saw completely naked was Clare, whom he deeply cares for; she emerged from the Destroyer cocoon unclothed with her stigma opened. Raki held it shut with Helen's help while Deneve sewed it closed.

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.