Narsus (ナルサス Narusasu? ) is one of the main characters of the anime series based on the Arakawa manga. He is one of the members of the Camp of Arslan that fights against Lusitanian invasion. He is Arslan's adviser, Daryun's close friend and the former chief adviser in the court.
Appearance
Narsus is described as a man with good looks. He has violet/blue eyes in the 2015 anime and light blonde (almost white looking) hair that goes up to his shoulders. However, his hair is usually kept as a low ponytail that covers up most of his right eye.
He is well known for his swordsmanship and has a stature that goes along with those abilities. He is tall with broad shoulders. He also has muscles well above what the average person may have.
Personality
While he may be a slightly proud and narcissistic individual (usually and especially when it comes to his mystifying artwork), Narsus is also calm and incredibly composed even in the midst of plights. He has a formidable intellect, probably the highest among all characters in the works, and is capable of anticipating and thinking his way out of any tight spot, regardless of how impossible it may be to break through, making him a valuable strategist to Arslan's company.
Despite his rationality, resourcefulness, and composure, Narsus is quick to take offense when his painting is insulted or looked down upon, though these moments are usually depicted to be comical. Despite his formidable intellect, he sees himself as an artist first before anything else, and treats his capacity as a strategist to be merely convenient.
While still being respectful, he is also shown to be a headstrong man who is willing to speak against those who do not share his beliefs, seen how he was removed from his office for standing firm on the subject of slavery.
Narsus is also shown to be a kind individual, and has also been shown to be a wise man for his age, which was the very root of his disgust for slavery, as well as choosing to stay as a hermit after being removed from office, for despite his ability to read through schemes and trickery, he hates having to deal with them on a daily basis. Many situations have shown his patience and care for the people he cares about, especially those who are younger than himself such as Arslan, Elam, and Alfreed. Beneath his soft and intellectual facade, Narsus is surprisingly also an incredible swordsman.
In Japanese, first-person singular pronoun he uses is "私 Watashi", "おれ Ore" (in a bit casual conversation), and "ぼく" (when he was a student).
History
Narsus' father Teos had several concubines in addition to a wife. Narsus' mother was one of these concubines. Upon his birth, he and his mother were sent to live in Ecbatana where he studied until the age of 10. Upon the realization that he did not have a male heir, Teos called for Narsus to return to Daylam. Narsus is the only male of 9 half-sisters.
Narsus was once a chief adviser and tactician under Andragoras, but because he found that there is no chance for him to clean up the corruption of the society in the government at that time, he left his office and become a hermit.
Relationships
Elam
Elam is the son of two slaves that Narsus had freed when he became master of the house. The two slaves in his debt, asked Elam to watch over Narsus and be his personal servant. Elam agreed and has hence forth been serving under Narsus since. Narsus cares very much for Elam which can be shown when he wanted to originally leave Elam in the care of a merchant as to not make Elam fight in a war. This thinking of his was quickly refuted with Elam speaking up about how Narsus can not do anything by himself, Daryun complimenting Elam's skills as an archer, and Prince Arslan asking who would make the meals if Elam was gone. But it is clear to know that Narsus cares very much for the boy and wishes the best for him.
Daryun
Daryun and Narsus have been friends since their childhood and they remained friends even after Narsus' exile from the kingdom. They maintain a deep sense of respect for each other one seeking counsel from the other. Narsus however is the more level headed of the two and a master strategist.
Arslan
In exchange for his loyalty, Arslan wants to compensate Narsus handsomely. Not with money nor power, he is willing to - although Arslan saw Narsus painting abilities first hand - make him court painter[2], once he becomes the King of Pars. Despite initially being skeptical of Arslan's merit, Narsus eventually grows to be incredibly loyal to him.
Trivia
- Like many characters in the story, his name originates from a historical figure, Narseh who was a Persian king and whose name is often spelled "Narses" or "Narsus." The historical figure was known for his religious tolerance.
- Narsus was also the name of a late Ancient Eastern Roman General.
- Additionally, it might be a reference to Narcissus.
- Narsus holds a grudge against Daryun for a thing he has done in Gilan: when Arslan and others are questioning a captured pirate, Daryun threatens him by saying that he will let Narsus paint the pirate’s portrait, after making up Narsus’ career as a master of sorcery of Serica. He mentions that if Narsus paints a person’s portrait, his or her vital energy will be soaked into the painting, and the person’s body will become like more than 100 years old. As the pirate happens to be superstitious and it was just after he saw Daryun’s bravery in the battle, he believes it and tells everything he knows. After that, Daryun is praised and teased by others except Narsus, who gets sulky. (Novel)
- Narsus has many half-sisters.
- When he arrived the capital city at the age of 21, his own army included 2 thousand cavalry, which was 2 times larger than one led by Daryun at that time.