Echidna
Echidna is the Witch of Greed in Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World, a scholar from 400 years ago who wanted to learn everything there was to know. She is best known for her tea party in the Castle of Dreams, where she offers Subaru a contract. She is voiced by Maaya Sakamoto in Japanese and Anairis Quiñones in English.
Profile | |
|---|---|
Full name | Echidna |
Age | 19 (Castle of Dreams form); mid-20s (original body); over 400 (soul) |
Birthday | January 24 |
Height | 164 cm (5'5") |
Race | Human |
Affiliation | Witches of Sin; the Sanctuary; Castle of Dreams |
Occupation | Witch of Greed; scholar |
Creations | Puck, Beatrice, the Ryuzu copies, Sphinx |
Magic | All six attributes (fire, wind, water, earth, yin, yang); Authority of Greed |
Voice actor (JP) | Maaya Sakamoto |
Voice actor (EN) | Anairis Quiñones |
First appearance | Light novel Volume 10 (mentioned in Volume 6); anime Episode 27 (Season 2) |
Appearance
Echidna has porcelain-white skin and long, straight white hair that reaches down her back, held by a butterfly hairpin that is black in the novels and jade green in the anime. Her black eyes are the most lively part of her. She wears a modest black dress that covers everything but her head, neck and hands. People who see her are struck by her beauty and, at the same time, by a deep sense of fear.
Personality
Endlessly curious: her thirst for knowledge defines her, and she calls it a form of love.
Polite and soft-spoken: on the surface she is gentle, understanding and even a little childish.
Messy and clumsy: the other Witches say she was bad at tidying up, and she once set a forest on fire while trying to keep warm.
Forgetful about daily life: she would forget ordinary tasks while absorbed in her research.
Knowledge comes first: she is fascinated by Subaru's Return by Death and wants to record every possibility it creates.
Background
Four hundred years ago, Echidna was a scholar known as the Witch of Wisdom and a member of the Witch Era Party. She lived in mansions she built in places no ordinary person could reach, including one on a floating island she created. She made several artificial spirits, including Puck and Beatrice, and taught the first Roswaal. She is the only Witch who was born a witch, and she was later called the Witch of Greed.
Spoiler warning: the rest of this section covers Arc 4 and later.
After her death, Echidna's soul watched over the Castle of Dreams in the Sanctuary, where she also preserved the souls of the other Witches of Sin. In Arc 4, Subaru enters her tomb, joins her tea party, and takes on the Sanctuary's trials. Fascinated by Return by Death, she offers him a contract to become his advisor. After the other Witches show him what she is really after, Subaru refuses. When Arc 4 ends, she takes over the body of Ryuzu Shima and becomes Omega, then sets out across the world with her own party, carrying the other Witches' souls in a glintstone.
Abilities
All six attributes: she can use fire, wind, water, earth, yin and yang magic.
Authority of Greed: the Witch Factor of Greed, the source of her title.
Book of Wisdom: a book that can show what will happen.
Castle of Dreams: a dream world where her soul and the souls of the other Witches lived on.
Creation of artificial spirits and bodies: she made Puck, Beatrice and the Ryuzu copies.
Relationships
Natsuki Subaru: she is fascinated by his Return by Death and offers him a contract, which he refuses.
Beatrice: her creation, who calls her "Mother".
Shaula: a daughter figure who calls her "Mommy-sama".
Emilia: Echidna openly dislikes her and calls her the "Witch's daughter".
Roswaal L Mathers: her former student, who calls her "Teacher".
Puck: the first artificial spirit she created.
Minerva: the Witch of Wrath, and the Witch she gets along with best.
Satella: the Witch of Envy, whom she resents.
Likes and dislikes
Likes:
Knowledge and the unknown
The color silver
Tea parties in the Castle of Dreams
Dislikes:
Satella, the Witch of Envy
Emilia
Trivia
Like most of the Witches, her name matches both an asteroid and a figure from myth. In Greek mythology, Echidna is the half-woman, half-snake mother of monsters.
Her birthday, January 24, is a pun. The numbers 1, 2 and 4 can be read as "i-ni-shi", like inishie, the Japanese word for antiquity.
The author has said she began to be called the Witch of Greed after killing a "certain Witch".
She is tone-deaf, just like Emilia and Beatrice.
There is one book she holds dear, which the author says changed her fate.
Frequently asked questions
Is Echidna dead?
Her original body died about 400 years ago, but her soul lived on in the Castle of Dreams. After Arc 4 she takes over the body of Ryuzu Shima and becomes Omega.
Why did Subaru refuse Echidna's contract?
Echidna wanted to become his advisor so she could study every outcome of Return by Death. After the other Witches show him that she values that knowledge above him, Subaru turns her down.
Is Echidna Beatrice's mother?
Echidna created Beatrice as an artificial spirit, and Beatrice calls her "Mother".
Who voices Echidna?
Maaya Sakamoto in Japanese and Anairis Quiñones in English.
Age 19 (Castle of Dreams), 400+ (soul)
Also known as Witch of Greed, Witch of Wisdom, Incarnation of the Thirst for Knowledge
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