Azan

Azan is honorable, earnest and deeply committed to traditional chivalry. He believes a knight should protect the weak, respect worthy opponents and conduct himself with dignity regardless of orders or personal convenience.

His principles sometimes place him at odds with the institutions he serves. Azan is capable of recognizing honorable behavior in an enemy and objects when cruelty or humiliation exceeds what he considers acceptable conduct.

He can also be comically rigid. His formal manner and booming sense of propriety often contrast with the less disciplined personalities surrounding Guts.

Azan is an exceptional quarterstaff fighter. He wields a heavy staff with enough speed and force to repel multiple attackers and can use its reach both offensively and defensively.

His Bridge Knight reputation comes from an earlier feat in which he held a bridge against a large group of opponents. Whether every detail of the legend is exact or embellished, Azan's actual combat performances establish that he is an unusually capable human warrior.

He possesses considerable strength, stamina and battlefield experience but no supernatural powers.

Azan serves as Farnese's second-in-command when the Holy Iron Chain Knights capture Guts. Although loyal to the order, he recognizes Guts's extraordinary ability and occasionally acts as a moderating influence on Farnese's more extreme behavior.

At Albion, Azan becomes involved in the escalating supernatural catastrophe surrounding Casca and the Tower of Conviction. His conventional understanding of religion and warfare is tested by events that cannot be explained through either.

Following Albion's destruction, Azan becomes separated from Farnese and eventually falls into poverty as a wandering knight. He unexpectedly reappears in Vritannis, where circumstances bring him back into contact with Guts's group.

Azan subsequently travels aboard the Seahorse with the party and helps Isidro with combat training, becoming a recurring member of their extended company.

Farnese de Vandimion is Azan's former commander in the Holy Iron Chain Knights. He respects her position while often providing the practical experience she lacks.

Guts begins as Azan's prisoner and opponent. Azan nevertheless recognizes his martial ability and later becomes an ally.

Serpico serves alongside Azan within Farnese de Vandimion's entourage and shares his involvement in the events surrounding Guts.

Isidro receives combat instruction from Azan during their later travels, with the veteran knight attempting to impose genuine technique and discipline on the young swordsman.