Rather tellingly, the King and Queen pieces in the show's chess set were explicitly modeled on Lelouch and C.C. Shura explicitly says that Mephisto "seems to be enjoying himself, manipulating everyone like pawns on a chessboard" with a picture of Mephisto playing a game of chess with a grin on his face (though this scene is imaginary.) Whether he is a Magnificent Bastard or a Guile Hero is uncertain at this point, but he certainly shows plenty of Trickster and Chess Master tendencies. Chapter 15 of the Blue Exorcist manga includes one of these.The anime has more of this later in the series, including some in the new opening animation with Sebastian kneeling on a large chess board before a black King piece that turns to dust to reveal Ciel. Not to mention that the series has chess-based imagery throughout it. Ciel is a Chess Master who refers to himself as the King and Sebastian as his Knight. On the other hand, Bertolt is overly cautious and sets up a defensive to protect himself while waiting to act. A fan's reconstruction of their game reveals Reiner playing recklessly, leaving his King undefended while automatically throwing his most powerful pieces into the game. They very neatly fit into the role of the Pawn, heading out into enemy territory to accomplish their mission while not actually being significant enough that their loss would harm their side. The metaphors extend further, as Reiner confesses to having not really understood things when he began his mission and Ymir later referring to the pair of "small fries" when she warns Eren that killing them won't accomplish anything. Then we learn that Reiner is guilt-ridden and struggling to remain focused on their mission, while Bertolt is far more committed to their purpose and willing to put aside his personal feelings to accomplish goals. Reiner is the white side, and preoccupied in conversation with the others, while Bertolt is playing the black side and intensely focused on their game. Reiner and Bertolt are playing chess to pass the time. Attack on Titan: Used for a subtle bit of Foreshadowing in Chapter 34, which sees several of the recruits during downtime.And heroes they are, for that L-shaped movement is something even the Queen can't do, giving the Knight a niche that is something other than "the Queen, but worse" and making the Knight the only piece that can threaten a Queen without putting itself at risk much like how a clever and crafty hero can bring a seemingly-invulnerable villain down. But the Knight in Shining Armor imagery clings to them yet expect them to be bold and daring heroes, if ultimately dispensable for the sake of their sovereign. Knights are less predictable still they can only move in L-shaped directions, for Pete's sake. To extend the metaphor, the Rooks/Castles will be the straightforward, stoic, unmovable lines of defense, while the Bishops are less predictable, more mystical, moving according to divine diagonal direction. ![]() ![]() Also common are the Queen ( less honored to the casual observer, but the most powerful and versatile character on the board by far) and the King (not an efficient piece, but his implied capture ends the game). ![]() Sometimes this is done directly by the author other times by the characters themselves (by, e.g., having a conversation about a war over a chess match, using chess as an example).Ī very simple such analogy is the Pawn - the expendable, powerless, nameless foot soldier who may, if his actions are brave and his heart is true, become a Queen (although someone more practised at the game may note that the pawn is really a symbol of why you should never overlook apparently powerless people). As chess is one of the oldest and most famous Turn-Based Strategy games in the western world, games of chess are often used symbolically in media in order to represent war, battles of wits, and similar events.
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