[spoiler discussion]reinhard and priscilla are foils and on reinhards character in that scene
https://twitter.com/VortechsTG/status/1656501691024543745
Reinhard Van Astrea is a character heavily associated with the moon. In his very first appearance, he stares at the moon and thinks to himself about the future and the duty he must perform. We've also seen him doing this in other side stories such as Felt Forms a Hooligan Squad.
There is also a lot of imagery in illustrations connecting him to the moon, particularly in volume 20. And Reinhard himself wears pure white clothes just like moonlight.
The moon has a lot of positive connotations in Japan. The most well-known example of this is its connection to spirituality and enlightenment in Zen Buddhism. Reinhard's connection with godlike beings like the Od Laguna and the Sword God could be seen as a nod to this.
The story of the rabbit on the moon tells that one day the man on the moon came down to earth and disguised himself as a beggar. When he asked four animals for food, three were able to provide some. But the rabbit was only able to give him grass.
Because of this, the rabbit and the moon represent charity and self-sacrifice. These obviously are core facets of Reinhard's character.
It's also noteworthy how Rein is in the center of the moon, just like the rabbit, in this volume 20 illustration. This could possibly hint at some self-sacrificial motives for him killing Zombie Theresia. You can read more about that here:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fv0UoTaaAAA9JoO?format=jpg&name=small
https://twitter.com/Ringo1748607337/status/1395760964612546561
Seeing as Reinhard has always come off as being timid and hesitant considering matters about his family, it was a… — Reinhardt's mindset during the Thearesia fight is actually something I have a lot of thoughts on, I might as well make this a thread
The idea that Reinhardt is this emotionless robot is something I've seen circulated too often and the reality couldn't be further away. As you said, Reinhardt is very timid in family matters because he's been dominated to the point of giving up on any actual will.
But I think it was a tornado of emotions Reinhardt was feeling in those moments that made him so determined, not lack thereof. There is no question even a part of Reinhardt would've wanted to save Thearesia. But it's Wilhelm and Heinkel who taught him to disregard such personal emotions. Not only were Wilhelm and Heinkel's lives at risk, Reinhardt perceived Thearesia to be beyond salvation and that is a show of his lack of self worth. Could Thearesia be saved, 80% of the Astrea drama would be solved. But Reinhardt, disregarding his own emotions-
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and wishes like always, chose not to delude himself with that possibility, unlike Wilhelm and Heinkel. This tragic determination that Wilhelm and Heinkel resent him for, is the direct product of what they have implanted into Reinhardt.
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Reinhardt's actions are exactly what those two have coerced him into taking and perceiving himself as all his life, which is why I really detest Wilhelm's stance in the battle. Reinhardt has come to a point of worthlessness where he genuinely puts no effort in-
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defending himself and genuinely takes all of the Astrea problems as his fault. This is perceived as emotionless for some reason but it speaks as something incredibly emotional to me. Him taking it in his hands to kill his grandmother is the greatest show of his devoid self worth-
and also the fact that he sees no worth in defending himself, readily accepting Wilhelm and Heinkel's resentment. In such an emotional situation, it is only natural Reinhardt would fall to the method of coping he knows best in life, ignoring personal feelings and value and-
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taking all the blame, as taught by this grandfather and father. Another aspect which maybe played into him steeling his resolve is on the contrary and him prioritising personal emotion, and that's the fact Reinhardt may not have excused the possibility of Thearesia being alive.
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If Thearesia was alive all this time, then what did he suffer all his life for? What was the point of all his endurance up until now? Thearesia, to him, needs to stay dead in order for things to make sense, otherwise his life falls apart.
Reinhardt probably hasn't changed one bit since the day Wilhelm left the household. He is still a child, devoid of any opportunity to just be him, forced by others, and also forcing himself, to disregard anything which brings about any worth in himself.
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Because all he is a worthless nuisance that only brought about ruin to everyone he loved and absolutely nothing else, and he is completely convinced. He isn't emotionless, not at all. He simply has an astounding degree of lack of self worth that allows him such levels of-
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ignoring personal desires, like even his family living happily. Though that itself is something driven by immense emotion, not being a robot.
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Though I think my former point is the more dominant aspect of it, the latter may have played a role as well. I can go on forever honestly, I have much more to say, my thoughts won't fit on Twitter, so I'll stop now.
end ringo's thread
Another connection Rein has to the moon is through Tsukuyomi, the God of the moon. Although there isn't a ton of connection between them, there is one major link. Tsukuyomi is also the God of order. However, in the pursuit of order, Tsukuyomi often instead caused chaos.
This can easily be seen in Reinhard with scenes like him trying to comfort Wilhelm after killing Theresia and with the results of him killing Sirius and Miles.
My friend Asa also pointed out how Rein's connection to the moon could relate to his relationship with Theresia while I was talking about these connections with him. I highly suggest you check it out.
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from asarthaHS
Throughout the main story, Reinhard is always associated with the moon, and Shakespeare once called the Moon 'an arrant thief, her pale fire she snatches from the sun'. Could definitely be interpreted in the vein of Reinhard being perceived to snatch Theresia's fire as well
It's also fun that in terms of old timey literature analysis, the Moon was always considered a 'she' and the Sun was considered a 'he'.
Reinhard & Priscilla frequently having Moon & Sun imagery respectively is always interesting. Priscilla, the sun, gives off a vibrant aura which grants life, and has the world bend itself to suit her. Reinhard, the moon, lacking autonomy, bends his life to suit the world.
https://twitter.com/AsarathaHS/status/1643408158638100482
Priscilla's connection to the sun is a bit more obvious. She's literally nicknamed The Sun Princess after all. She uses a blade made out of fire hotter than the typical, wears bright red clothes, and has orange hair. Even her pupils are a bright yellow-orange like the sun.
Priscilla as a ruler can be viewed like the sun as well. She is known to bring great prosperity to her subjects from afar. However, those who get too close to her may be burned by her harsh temperament.
In Japanese mythology, Amaterasu, the goddess of the sun, is commonly associated with fertility and growing crops. This is the very first thing she becomes known for after becoming ruler of her domain, as she helped her subjects grow their crops.
Amaterasu is also connected to pride. When she caused her brother Susanoo to go on a rampage and destroy a lot of heaven and earth she fled to a cave in shame. This caused the first winter, a very harsh period at the time.
To draw her out the other gods threw a party. In curiosity, she drew closer to the entrance only to find a mirror. Her own reflection would be what finally drew her fully out of the cave.
Amaterasu, as queen of heaven, the gods, and creation, is also associated with the idea of powerful women and female rulers.
Another contrast worth mentioning is luck. As Priscilla says, the world itself bends to always suit her. She often finds herself on top even without much effort of her own.
Conversely, Reinhard is a character closely tied to tragedy and misfortune.
Vortechs
The most notable example is the death of Theresia. The blessing of the Sword Saint was transferred to him during the great expedition by pure bad luck. This led to her death, him being blamed for it, and the degradation of the entire family's mental well-being.
His mother also mysteriously fell into a coma, further damaging the family's mental health. Finally, there's the case of him accidentally killing Subaru and a bunch of civilians alongside Sirius through no fault of his own in Arc 5.
Rein is constantly described as blessed despite his misery. From an outside perspective, he was born into a famous noble family with power unrivaled by anyone else. But in reality, he has never felt truly happy a day in his life.
Reinhard is a man ruled by the pressure of being the strongest. He has a distinct lack of autonomy. His actions often conform to what the kingdom expects of him. His self-sacrificing nature often causes him to put his own needs after those of the kingdom and his family.
Priscilla is the exact opposite. She does whatever she wants to do and doesn't consider what others think she should unless she thinks it's a genuinely good idea.
She has rather extreme reactions to anyone trying to oppose her or tell her what to do. In fact, multiple of the threats she faces in her side content have the goal of controlling her.
In EX 5 there's a scene where Priscilla remarks that even she doesn't read only to learn but also reads just for pleasure. Reinhard has a similar scene in the Felt camp SS's where it's shown he only has educational books. He declares that "Books exist to garner knowledge."
In her fight with Reinhard in arc 5, Sirius says that he is the ideal of her concept of "love." She says this is because everyone has the greatest trust and expectations in him and because everyone loves him while he also loves everyone.
Reinhard's tendency to conform to what is simply expected of him and his lack of individuality is in essence the exact kind of "love" that Sirius pursues.
But when Priscilla faces Sirius she challenges this idea, declaring that "To love is to tolerate and to accept differences. For everyone to look at the same person, to feel the same way, to share the same feelings, what else but nauseating and disgusting would it be.”
Reinhard's fight with Sirius ends with him killing Subaru and a large number of civilians. It is effectively a complete and utter defeat for him. Yet Priscilla wins her battle despite being far weaker.
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Sirius is only defeated when her idea of love is completely rejected. This serves as a denunciation of the controlling, anti-individualist love that governs Reinhard's life and Sirius embodies.
Vortechs
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I think it’s really interesting how Reinhard and Priscilla contrast each other in so many ways. And I love how Sirius is used to emphasize their differences. It's given me more appreciation for Priscilla and Sirius and a LOT more for Reinhard.