Webtoon Spotlight

Spotlight#62: The Beauty of Noblesse's Raizel Knights

When you've watched as much tv as I have, you tend always to find it lying around. However, that team of individuals is so compelling and enjoyable that you can't help but love them. And while WEBTOON has given me great casts to gush about in the past, few can compare to noblesse's Raizel Knights: the lovable underdogs that became family. So please take a seat, dear viewers, because right now, I'm about to shine a light on the various main members of this particular group to find their beauty.

Note

I should mention that I'm going to focus on the main roster of the team, that being RK members 1-5 and 7 (Noblesse fans will know why).

Intro

Long story short, Noblesse takes place in the world where humans, werewolves, and a race of high-class vampires who protect the weak called Nobles all interacted with each other for centuries. In particular, the Nobles had a title that governed overall all other races. The Noblesse: a being honor-bound to protect the innocent at any cost forced into an 820-year long slumber. 

Cadis Etrama di Raizel resurfaced in the modern world and built a life for himself upon his reawakening. But, unfortunately, this new life gets threatened by the evil of the Union. So with that out of the way, read the series and enjoy.

The Modified Humans: M-21, Takeo and Tao

You might as well start with the team's founding members. While they joined at different times, they all shared the same fate in a sense. All 3 of these men were creations of the Union, made by various doctors to be nothing more than disposable soldiers with limited lifespans. 

M-21 in joining, Rai had lost all of his fellow brethren in the M-Series, a survivor amongst genetic trash. On the flipside, Tao and Takio were unwilling participants amongst the demolition team known as the DA-5. Despite their respective backgrounds, all 3 of these individuals had compassion that they had to force down to survive, doomed to a fate that would eventually lead to their meaningless deaths. Or at least, if it weren't for Rai and Frankie.

The three men were inducted over Raizel's protection through their influence, free to do whatever they pleased. This freedom was something that the three had never experienced before. And even though they did have the freedom to do whatever they wanted, they decided to adopt their master's beliefs and protect the weak, standing up to their former oppressors. 

Despite their weaknesses, slowly but surely, they all manage to get much stronger as, through Frankie's influence, they manage to realize their strength more than they've ever been. Raizel may have given them freedom, but Frankenstein gave them an opportunity to even up the playing field. 

This all came to a head during the fight with Kerberos as despite them losing, their strategy and resolve to pay off fully as M-21 delivers a savage beating to Yuri, Dr. Aris, and Mark. They all were closely related antagonists to the groups for over 300 chapters. Long story short, while the three modified humans are not the strongest of the group, they as human beings were the first to teach the group that life is precious, and so often, the little things get taken for granted.

Regis and Seira

Next up, we turn to the young nobles of Rk 5. Regis and Seira were like much of the nobles of the current day in the beginning. They were relatively young but still kept a cold and indirect effect on humanity. Regis, in particular, was very dismissive of M-21, thinking that he was nothing more than a selfish human who gave up his humanity for power. 

This is ironic since the more time the two spend together, the more they realize that, in truth, M-21 was the most human out of all of them. Over time though, the two young nobles learned more than they bargained for and gained perspective.

The path of the nobles is a hard one; they are effectively immortal beings tasked with sacrificing themselves over watching a largely inferior species—no wonder the other clan leaders wanted to rule over humanity. 

However, because of these interactions, Regis and Seira are given far more purpose in their lives, as they get constantly reminded of what they fight while at the same time just having fun with new experiences. What became discrimination became genuine camaraderie as the clan leaders decided to stay.

Rael

And now we end it on the most 'controversial" member of Rk-5. In the beginning, Rael was a prideful, arrogant, and homicidal maniac. He lusted over Seira and had a vicious hatred of all humans. After his continuing thrashing by RK and Frankenstein through his tune started to change by leaps and bounds. 

Through his intense love for Seira, Rael becomes more protective and cautious, with Regis being the one to hone his senses truly. Through the death of his brother Rajak Rael finally realizes that the humans he looked down upon were just as noble as he was and that instead of discriminating against them, he should be learning from them as equals. It is only through these interactions that Rael truly becomes superior as he noticeably matures into a more wise and fair character.

Epilogue

Despite their win record being abysmal and their limited importance Raizel's Knights are the group that had the most definitive growth in the series. All these characters were set into one path that they would've maintained for all their lives. Still, all that changed for the better upon meeting Rai and FrankiThethe young individuals could gain the freedom and opportunity necessary to become more than their fates through themes.

 They became a family, eventually evolving to become more mature and open people. At the story's beginning, M-21 sought to live on and get revenge for his comrades as they learned more of their identities. However, he moves beyond revenge by the end instead of seeking to protect those he has left.

 For he, like the rest of RK, realizes that despite their freedom and power, they have adopted their leader's philosophy. Noblesse Oblige believes that those with great power must protect those who are weaker than them. And these scattered souls follow it because they now know more than ever the preciousness of life. If that isn't beautiful, I don't know what it is.

At the very least, I hope that the anime can get more people to see the beauty of Rk. Much like the Halloween season itself, these "freaks" of various races found a place to call home, and that has always been their best qualities. But with their story closed, let's see what other horrors the light will show us next.