 |
This Article Contains Spoilers -
WARNING: This article contains major spoilers. If you do not wish to know vital information on plot / character elements in a story, you may not wish to read beyond this warning: We hold no responsibility for any negative effects these facts may have on your enjoyment of said media should you continue. That is all. |
  |
This article's content is marked as Mature The page contains mature content that may include coarse language, sexual references, and/or graphic violent images which may be disturbing to some. Mature pages are recommended for those who are 18 years of age and older. If you are 18 years or older or are comfortable with graphic material, you are free to view this page. Otherwise, you should close this page and view another page. |
Reid Astrea, also known as the Master Swordsman, the Hero, and Stick Swinger, is a major antagonist in the 2014 Japanese dark fantasy light novel series Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World.
Reid Astrea was the forefather of the noble House Astrea and a warrior with unparalleled skill who was heralded as a great hero for his part in the defeat of the calamitous Witch of Envy four hundred years ago. Despite his worldwide fame, Astrea's vile personality as a selfish, perverted, amoral brute was left mostly unrecorded in the annals of history. After death, his soul was used by the Sage Flugel as the guardian of the "Electra" trial in the Pleiades Watchtower.
Appearance[]
Reid Astrea was a tall man, standing a head higher than five feet and seven inches, with light skin and a considerably muscular build. Like his descendants, he had sky blue eyes, fiery red hair, and was considered very beautiful. His hair was long, straight, and unkempt, flowing unbidden down to the middle of his back and partially covering his face. Astrea wore a white sarashi around his waist, a worn crimson kimono with a black interior, and a pair of sandals. He neglected to put his right arm through its corresponding kimono sleeve, leaving the right side of his chest bare and his sleeve loose. His kimono was tied with a black belt from which his chopsticks and gourd bottle hung. He also wore a black eyepatch with an odd design over his left eye, although it was purely decorative as both of his eyes were in perfect condition.
History[]
Life of the Swordsman[]
Born in a small village, Reid Astrea possessed extraordinary strength and swordsmanship ability, the latter of which was entirely unrivalled. His younger brother, Tosca, was also extremely powerful, although not to the same extent as Reid. Deadly with any item, Astrea took to hunting and slaying powerful dragons with his wooden club. At some point, an entity known as the Sword God bestowed a great weapon upon Reid, which the swordsman would use to slay a thousand more dragons. In recognition of Reid's deeds, this sword would later be called the "Dragon Sword Reid." Overtime, Astrea gained a reputation as a headstrong and slightly unhinged womanizer who loved to partake in debauchery as much as he did heroism.
Eventually, Astrea met with several other key figures of his era in what would later become the city Flanders. They were the Sage Flugel and his apprentice Shaula, and the Holy Dragon Volcanica. It was Reid and these individuals who would stop the immortal Witch of Envy in her nigh-unstoppable rampage that decimated over half of the planet. Although the Witch couldn't be killed, Astrea was able to defeat her with a swing of the Dragon Sword and she was subsequently imprisoned for all eternity. For his legendary deeds in life, Reid Astrea was universally recognized as the "Hero."
Legacy[]
Reid Astrea was so well known that even after four hundred years after the defeat of the Witch, he was still a household name often brought up in various sayings and conversations. Astrea's descendants continued his warrior legacy in service to the Dragonfriend Kingdom of Lugunica. Each generation, one member of the bloodline would be selected at random by the Sword God to bear his blessing and wield the Dragon Sword Reid as the "Master Swordsman." Reid himself was considered the first of the Master Swordsman line, although he never possessed the Sword God's blessing during his life.
Challengers of Electra[]
Shaula fainting upon her reunion with Reid.
Around four hundred years after the Witch of Envy's defeat, a group of challengers activated the Electra trial. Though he was only supposed to be summoned purely as a mindless obstacle, Reid Astrea wanted to properly face opponents for the first time in centuries and so he overrode the system governing the trial with his willpower and regained conscious control over his body. Awakening, he saw a group of seven people: three beautiful women, two men, and two young girls. He didn't know where he was and although one of the three women was Shaula, he didn't recognize her because he hadn't met her at the age he had incarnated at.
Shaula fainted from shock upon seeing Astrea. One of the men, an elegant knight named Julius Juukulius, reminded Reid of his apprentice. Astrea tried to accost one of the women, a silver-haired half-elf named Emilia, but the other of the two men, a weakling named Subaru Natsuki, interjected and tried asking Astrea about the trial. He told the challengers that he wouldn't answer their questions or comply with their requests unless they could force him to move from his current spot. In response, Juukulius stepped up and challenged Reid to a fight. Astrea excitedly introduced himself as Stick Swinger, and the duel commenced.
Juukulius, wanting to have a fair fight, tossed Astrea the sword that was used to activate the Electra trial. Reid disregarded the weapon however, instead intending to fight with a pair of chopsticks he had on hand. Juukulius charged with his sword, though Reid easily blocked the attack and countered with a kick that sent the knight flying. Astrea pursued and launched a non-lethal strike at Juukulius. However, his attack was interrupted by the third of the three women present, named Anastasia Hoshin, who used light magic to protect Juukulius by projecting a beam of light at Astrea. Reid was able to react to and deflect the attack with his chopsticks.
Hoshin fired more beams at Astrea, though he avoided or countered all of them while simultaneously pummelling Juukulius with attacks from his chopsticks. Soon enough, the strain of overexerting herself made Hoshin fall unconscious. Reid was disappointed that Hoshin hadn't lasted longer, as he had been enjoying her attacks. Seeing the state that Hoshin was in, the resolve of the wounded Juukulius increased and he went on the offensive. Reid easily beat aside all of the knight's attacks and cut his sword in half using his chopsticks. Astrea then punched Juukulius in the face, rendering him unconscious and sending him flying.
Emilia asked Reid to give her and her allies a way of overcoming him, as she didn't believe any of them would be able to best the Stick Swinger. Astrea was reminded of Tricia by her amusing request, and so promised that if Emilia could make him move a single step then he would allow her to pass. Emilia began using magic to summon and project large volumes of deadly ice at Reid from afar. Without moving his feet, Astrea easily dodged and deflected the incoming barrage. Realizing they were in a stalemate, Emilia charged into close combat with handheld ice weapons and began unleashing powerful swings on Astrea which he easily parried.
When Emilia fell off balance, Astrea used his chopsticks to fondle her breasts. Reid expected Emilia to turn bashful, but instead she calmly summoned an ice glove and smashed him over the head. Having been taken off guard, Reid stumbled backwards and started complaining to Natsuki about Emilia's naïve nonchalance to sexual advances. Considering that his feet had moved, Astrea declared Emilia the victor and allowed her to proceed forward. However, despite the fact that the trial was supposed to be a team function, Astrea didn't allow the others to pass because he wanted more entertainment out of them.
Powers & Abilities[]
Powers[]
- Physical Augmentation: All human beings were born with a "Gate," a metaphysical apparatus within a person's body that autonomously absorbed the ambient magical energy that existed in the atmosphere and stored it in the individual's od (soul). A popular technique among noteworthy warriors was "Mana Flow," which consisted of an individual enhancing their physical capabilities by channelling their magical energy throughout their body. Using Mana Flow, Reid Astrea possessed an utterly immense amount of physical power, to the point that he completely eclipsed all but the mightiest in history in terms of raw strength.
- Superhuman Reflexes: Like the rest of his skills, Reid Astrea's natural reflexes were honed to perfection. He could perceive and react to movements that would usually be far beyond human comprehension. For example, he was able to react fast enough to counter beams of light magic, deflect entire volleys of projectiles, and keep up with the movements of other expert swordsmen without much effort. It was possible to strike Astrea by catching him off guard, though such an occasion was rare.
- Superhuman Speed: Reid Astrea was capable of moving so fast that even the greatest of warriors were unable to follow his movements.
- Superhuman Strength
Abilities[]
- Transcendent Swordsmanship: Reid Astrea was an unparalleled master when it came to wielding blades, to the point that not even his more powerful descendant Reinhard van Astrea could equal his skill. He showed great intuition when it came to predicting and countering the movements of his opponents, and was familiar with many styles of swordsmanship. Astrea was so talented that he could use other objects in place of a blade, such as a club or a pair of chopsticks, and still perform feats that no other known swordsman in history would be capable of. When he assumed a proper stance, the pure force of Astrea's slashes produced blinding light and powerful shockwaves capable of vaporizing most beings. In the most literal of senses he could slice through anything, including abstract targets such as magic, reality, light, and even concepts. His talent was latent as, impressively, it took him less than three months from first picking up a sword to reach his transcendent, utterly unrivalled, level of skill.
Equipment[]
- Dragon Sword Reid: Forged by an unknown blacksmith, the weapon that would eventually be called the Dragon Sword Reid was the strongest, sharpest, and most renowned enchanted blade in the world. Created with the finest of steel, the Dragon Sword was blessed by the entity known as the Sword God who also decided who would wield the blade. The sword could only be wielded by the greatest of warriors, and its blade would refuse to exit its indestructible sheath unless the opponent was truly worthy. Reid was the first known person to wield the unbreakable blade, and with it he was capable of sundering countless dragons and defeating the Witch of Envy. Upon his death, the blade was passed down to his descendants, meaning his manifested soul no longer wielded it in the Pleiades Watchtower.
- Chopsticks: While manifested as a guardian of the Pleiades Watchtower in the time after his death, Reid Astrea's weapons-of-choice were a pair of ordinary chopsticks used for eating. Despite the obvious lackluster combative potential of chopsticks, the eating utensils were deadly weapons in Reid's skilled hands that could withstand powerful sword strikes without chipping or breaking.
Gallery[]
Light Novel[]
Anime[]
List of Appearances[]
| Light Novel |
|---|
Ex Volume 2: The Love Song of the Sword Devil[]
Ex Volume 3: The Love Ballard of the Sword Devil[]
Ex Volume 4: The Great Journeys[]
Volume 3[]
Volume 5[]
Volume 7[]
Volume 12[]
Volume 15[]
Volume 20[]
Volume 21[]
Volume 22[]
Volume 23[]
Volume 24[]
Volume 25[]
Volume 26[]
|
| Anime Adaptation |
|---|
|
Trivia[]
- Reid Astrea's birthday was on the first of October, the same day as World Sake Day.
- Reid was the only known Master Swordsman to not receive the blessing of the Sword God.
- Every member of the Astrea bloodline descended from Reid inherited his fiery-red hair and sky-blue eyes.
External Links[]
- Reid Astrea on the Re:Zero Wiki
- Reid Astrea on the VS Battles Wiki
[]
 Villains
|
|---|
| Witch Cult |
| Capella Emerada Lugunica · Louis Arneb · Lye Batenkaitos · Pandora · Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti · Regulus Corneas · Roy Alphard · Sirius · Stride Volakia |
| Witches of Sin |
| Carmilla · Daphne · Echidna · Hector · Minerva · Pandora · Satella · Sekhmet · Typhon |
| Mabeasts |
| Black Serpent · Great Rabbit · White Whale |
| Mother's Organization |
| Elsa Granhiert · Meili Portroute · Mother · Roy Alphard |
| Holy Empire of Volakia |
| Balleroy Temeglyph · Eugard Volakia · Kurgan · Miles · Stride Volakia · Todd Fang · Yae Tenzen |
| Others |
| Bean Argyle · Melaquera · Reid Astrea · Roswaal Mathers · Sphinx · Ton, Chin, and Kan |