Ranta (ランタ, Ranta) was the Dread Knight of Haruhiro's party and is one of the main characters of Hai to Gensō no Grimgar series.
Personality
According to the rest of the party members, including Haruhiro, Ranta is a self-boasting, loud and rude member who seemingly is oblivious to his own behavior. He has no quints in making crude comments towards the party and yet seemingly not making any serious advances. Haruhiro constantly compares him to an annoying child.
Ranta is fully aware of his actions, his bad attitude being a wall to keep people from seeing and judging him for the person he is. His appearance is a farce that masks his emotional needs; usually after suffering a horrible predicament with the team, he would go out drinking on his own.
Appearance
Ranta is somewhat scrawny, but appears to possess a wiry strength as a Dread Knight. He has unruly deep red-auburn hair, red/brown eyes, and a near permanent smirk or sneer on his face. The curliness of his hair becomes a running joke.
Plot
Before Grimgar
Prior to his life in Grimgar, Ranta was born from a rich yet dysfunctional family; his father, who rarely showed up at home due to his workaholic habits, scarcely noticed his existence; his two older siblings (a brother and sister) were immensely successful in their careers but never showed care for Ranta; and his mother was occasionally found at home with the tv on and drinking wine, often bitter toward him. His parents usually fought against one another, and Ranta believed that one of them was having a secret affair.
His life at school was merely a getaway from his home. He played basketball, and had classmates who only spent time with him for his money. He hated going back home.
Volume 8
Ranta betrays the party and joins Jumbo's team, Forgan.
Volume 9
Ranta flees Forgan, leaving a note to Takasagi, asking him not to look for him.
Volume 11
Takasagi, after a long chase and a fight between the two, ultimately lets Ranta escape.
Abilities
Ranta serves as a second tank to the party. Being lightly armored, the Dread Knight makes use of the terrain and the reach of his own weapon to position himself out of the enemy's striking range while using sword-skills to strike back. Uses the Dark Arts of Battle sword skills that all Dread Knights use.
- Streetwise: Allow purchasing items at bargained price. Gather information from unsavory sources that are otherwise unavailable to Haruhiro and party.
- Demon Call: A passive supernatural skill that summon a demon. Depending on the number of vices being sacrificed, the demon will perform questionable abilities ranging from telling jokes, to physically stunning the enemies. That is, if the demon is in the mood to do so.
- Propel Leap: A backward jumping escape skill that immediately puts space in between the dread knight and the enemy
- Anger Thrust (Anger): A sudden forward leap and one-hit kill that thrust the long sword into the enemy throat.
- Juke Stab (Avoid): A upgrade version of the Anger Thrust.
- Hatred's Cut (Hatred): A diagonal slashing attack.
- Dark Terror (Dread Terror): A spell that instills the fear of the Black God Skulheill into an enemy and robs them of rational judgement. Its incantation is "Come, darkness! O, Skullhell! Bring an infinite horror upon those who resist! Dread Terror!"
- Expel Frenzy (Reject): A defensive skill used to create distance, involves locking swords with an enemy to shove them before leaping backwards. Lethal when paired with a follow-up attack.
- Dread Aura: A spell that causes a blackish purple haze to envelope the Dread Knight and gives them a general power boost. It's incantation is "O Darkness! O Lord of Vice! Dread Aura!"
- Leap Out: A jumping attack skill that delivers a powerful slash to the enemy. Can decapitate enemies.
- Slice: A sword skill that moves in a figure eight-like pattern that slices the enemy.
- Missing: A dark fighting skill. Utilizes strange movements to confuse the enemy, possibly an illusion.
- Dread Wave: A spell. It's incantation is "O Darkness! O Lord of Vice! Dread Wave!"
- Blood Venom: It is a spell that used Skullheill's miasma to weaken the target's body. An aura leaves the Dread Knight's body and envelopes the enemy.
Equipment
Volume 1
- After his Dread Knight training, Ranta was given hard, leather armor with a skull design branded into the chest area and an old longsword.
Volume 5
- Wears a skull helm, a helmet that has a visor with a skull design.
- Wields a longsword that he named Betrayer which is of decent quality and has a blackish hilt. Ranta throws Betrayer away once he acquires Thunder Sword Dolphin.
- Thunder Sword Dolphin: a unique sword that Ranta picked up from one of their assailants in Dusk Realm. It has an ability of temporarily paralyzing its victim that was cut or stabbed by it, but only works in Dusk Realm.
Volume 6
- Bought a new sword called Betrayer Mk. II.
Volume 7
- Bought a new set of armor that is lighter and more ominous looking that he calls his "Death Armor".
- Bought a unique two-handed sword with a long ricasso that is light enough to be wielded in one hand. He named it RIPer. Ranta also bought a pair of armored gauntlets to better hold the ricasso of his new sword.
- Gave Betrayer Mk. II to Kuzaku.
Volume 11
- After losing RIPer, picked up the katana and a sheath to it, left by Takasagi.
Relationships
Haruhiro
Ranta and Haruhiro have a complicated relationship. The two often bicker and argue but a majority of it is harmless. As much as he pretends not to, Ranta does seem to care for Haruhiro as he's the one to save Haruhiro when he was in trouble. After joining Forgan and the fight between the two, Ranta ponders about their relationship and states that they were comrades, despite the hate, which Ranta believes to be mutual.
Yume
Yume and Ranta have a complicated relationship. Ranta is far too loud, abrasive, and misogynistic to be liked by Yume who calls his actions out. However Ranta does seem to care about her, quite possibly even liking her as shown by him being upset with Haruhiro when Shihoru is mistaken in thinking Haruhiro and Yume are together. This is further hinted later on by his apparent care for Yume, which led Haruhiro to believe that Ranta might actually like Yume.
Shihoru
Shihoru and Ranta rarely talk, Ranta having scared her off in the first few times with his perverted antics. However, Shihoru does stand her ground against him, often managing to make good comebacks.
Moguzo
Ranta and Moguzo spent a fair amount of time together, drinking and shopping. Shortly before Moguzo's demise, the two decided to once open a ramen shop together. Even now Ranta reminisces Moguzo with warm feelings, calling him "partner".
Manato
Manato and Ranta din't spend much time together. However it's apparent that Ranta did care for Manato by the way he reacts to his death. Ranta is the one to suggest mouth to mouth to save him. After the funeral and sitting until dawn, Ranta gets up to leave in silence. Yume calls him an idiot and Ranta leaves without making a comeback which Haruhiro's thinks is unlike him.
Mary
Ranta seems to be intimidated by Mary. Mary gets Ranta to address her as Miss Mary. Mary seems to really dislike Ranta while she actually does like the rest of the party.
Kuzaku
Ranta considers Kuzaku his junior, he would always telling Kuzaku off, whenever he failed to do his job as a tank. After Ranta joins Forgan, Kuzaku considers him a traitor.
Zodiac
Zodiac is Ranta's summoned demon. The more Vices that Ranta collects the more powerful Zodiac becomes. He constantly insults Ranta and tells him to die. Despite that Ranta really does love Zodiac and summons him every chance he gets.
Trivia
- According to Ranta the Dread Knight's Guild forces him into a life of abstinence. It is unknown whether all Dread Knights are abstinent, it is for beginner members like Ranta, or simply when on guild turf. Also, given how Ranta was willing to go to a brothel afterwards, suggests he isn't worried about any consequences.
| Haruhiro's | Haruhiro, Merry, Yume, Shihoru, Kuzaku, Ranta, Moguzo†, Manato†, Setora, Kiichi† |
|---|---|
| Renji's | Renji, Ron, Chibi, Adachi, Sassa† |
| Tokkis | Tokimune, Inui, Tada, Mimori, Anna-san, Kikkawa |
| Soma's | Soma, Kemuri, Shima, Pingo, Lilia Sturm, Zenmai, Nino† |
| Typhoon Rocks | Rock, Kajita, Moyugi, Kurou, Sakanami, Tsuga |
| Team Akira | Akira, Branken, Gohho, Miho, Kayo, Tallow |
| Michiki's | Michiki†, Ogu†, Mutsumi†, Hayashi±, Merry± |
| Iron Knuckles | Max, Aidan |
| Berserkers | Dakki |
| Wild Angels | Kajiko, Kikuno |
| Others | Hiyomu, Brittany, Choco†, Honen, Kimura, Kuzuoka, Yorozu, Undying King |