Lacus Clyne

Infobox animanga character
name = Lacus Clyne
series = Mobile Suit Gundam SEED


caption = Lacus Clyne in the "Gundam SEED" OVA
first = "Gundam SEED" episode 7
last = "Gundam SEED Destiny" "Final Plus" episode
creator =
voiced by = Rie Tanaka (Japanese)
Chantal Strand (English)
Jillian Michaels (English singing voice)
alias =
age = 16 [GS] cite web |url=http://www.gundamofficial.com/worlds/ce/seed/characters/chara_lacus.html |title=Lacus Clyne "Gundam SEED" profile |accessdate=2007-07-30 |publisher=GundamOfficial]
18 [GSD] cite web |url=http://www.gundamofficial.com/worlds/ce/destiny/characters/chara_lacus.html |title=Lacus Clyne "Gundam SEED Destiny" profile |accessdate=2007-07-30 |publisher=GundamOfficial]
born = February 5
death =
nationality = PLANT [GS]
United Emirates of Orb [GSD]
relatives = Siegel Clyne (father)
occupation = Leader of the Clyne Faction [GS]
Co-Leader of Terminal [GSD]
PLANT Supreme Council Member [GSDSE]
divider = yes
paux1 name = Genetic type
paux1 = Coordinator
aux1 name = Allegiance
aux1 = Clyne Faction [GS]
Three Ships Alliance [GS]
Orb Union [GSD]
Terminal [GSD]
PLANT [GSDSE]
aux2 name =
aux2 =
aux3 name = Mobile weapons
aux3 = ZGMF-X19A Infinite Justice [GSD]

nihongo|Lacus Clyne|ラクス・クライン|Rakusu Kurain is a fictional character from the anime series "Gundam SEED" and "Gundam SEED Destiny". She is a popular female vocalist and becomes the co-leader of the Clyne Faction. Apart from her prominent role in the original series, Lacus is a playable character in the video game "Gundam SEED Destiny: OMNI vs ZAFT II" and she also appears in Super Robot Wars Alpha 3, Super Robot Wars Judgement and Super Robot Wars W as captain of the Eternal. She currently holds the record of being elected the most popular female character at Animage's Anime Grand Prix four times: in 2002, 2004, 2005, and 2006.

Her name, "Lacus" means "lake" in Latin. In "Gundam SEED", Lacus is nicknamed "Pink Princess" and "the Songstress". In "Gundam SEED Destiny", the name "White Queen" is often used to describe her, as she appears to be represented as such on Gilbert Durandal's chess board. She is referred to in the title of episode eight of "Gundam SEED" as the "The Songstress of The Enemy Forces". [ [http://www.gundamofficial.com/worlds/ce/seed/story/index.html GundamOfficial :: Cosmic Era :: Gundam Seed :: Story :: Episodes ] ]

Gundam SEED

Lacus Clyne is the daughter of PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegel Clyne. She is a Coordinator whose career as an idol singer has brought her enormous popularity in the PLANTs. She is engaged to Athrun Zala mainly out of political expediency, although they do get along well. As the Bloody Valentine War goes on, Lacus meets and falls in love with the protagonist of the series Kira Yamato.

Meeting Kira Yamato

When she is dispatched on the civilian space vessel Silverwind to the ruins of Junius Seven, her vessel is attacked by an Earth Alliance "Nelson"-class battleship led by information by Kenav Luchini to believe that the vessel is actually a military ship. A fight breaks out, but a lifepod with Lacus on board makes it out because of the efforts of Junk Guild tech Lowe Guele in his MBF-P02 Astray Red Frame. Her lifepod is subsequently rescued by the GAT-X105 Strike and brought to the "Archangel".

Even though they are technically enemies, Lacus is kind and respectful towards everybody on board the "Archangel", and most of them treat her the same way. (Sai Argyle does question whether the reason she has such a lovely singing voice is due to her genetic alterations.) However, Flay Allster refuses to shake hands and scorns her kindness because she is a Coordinator.

Later, when Flay's father's escort is attacked by ZAFT forces, Flay drags Lacus to the bridge at gunpoint and says that she will kill Lacus if ZAFT does not cease their attack at once. Before anyone can react her father dies when his ship, the "Montgomery", explodes. Lacus' expression shows compassion towards Flay, despite being threatened by her. As the ZAFT forces continue their assault, Natarle Badgiruel informs them that the "Archangel" has Lacus on board, thus prompting them to withdraw. When Kira nearly has an emotional breakdown on one of the observation decks due to Flay's abusive words, Lacus does her best to comfort him and learns they both share a friendship with Athrun.

Kira later smuggles Lacus off the "Archangel" and returns her to Athrun, who once again beseeches him to join ZAFT. As before, Kira turns him down because he wants to protect his friends on board the "Archangel". This saddens Lacus; she knows that Kira and Athrun are both good people and are forced to fight one another because of this war. As Athrun returns to the "Vesalius" with Lacus, Rau Le Creuset launches in his ZGMF-515 CGUE to begin an assault on the "Archangel". Lacus quickly picks up the intercom and orders him to stop his aggression at once, due to her being a memorial representative of Junius Seven. When Athrun visits Lacus at her home in PLANTs, they discuss about Kira and she mentions to Athrun that she is "fond" of Kira.

Second meeting with Kira

Late in the war, a wounded Kira is brought to Lacus' home by Clyne family friend Reverend Malchio. Lacus nurses Kira back to health with the help of her father and Malchio, and assures him that he's welcome to stay as long as he wants and that he's safe in the Clyne home. However, when Siegel Clyne receives word that the Earth Alliance base JOSH-A is about to be attacked by the bulk of ZAFT's forces, Kira wants to return to Earth to save his friends aboard the "Archangel". In response, Lacus provides Kira with a ZAFT Red uniform and helps him steal the ZGMF-X10A Freedom. Lacus also grants Kira "her strength" by means of a kiss to his cheek, showing him that he has her support and affections.

Because of her helping Kira, Lacus and her father Siegel are declared as traitors. As part of the Clyne Faction, Lacus and Siegel try to inform the people about the genocidal ambitions of Patrick Zala, and Siegel is gunned down by ZAFT soldiers under Patrick Zala's command. While in hiding, Lacus meets with Athrun, and her views of the war help lead to his final decision concerning who he wants to fight for. Just then, soldiers of the PLANT radical faction try to assassinate her but she and Athrun are saved by members of the Clyne Faction, notably Martin DaCosta.

Three Ships Alliance

Near the end of the Bloody Valentine War, she leaves the PLANTs with her stolen support ship "Eternal" and joins the Orb Union-owned "Kusanagi" and the recently defected "Archangel" to form the Three Ships Alliance, a group dedicated to stopping the war. Upon seeing Kira again, she tells him about the death of her father and weeps bitterly. In the manga, when the Junk Guild vessel ReHOME joins the Three Ships Alliance as a tender ship, Lacus finally meets the man who saved Kira's life (as well as her own), none other than Junk Guild tech, Lowe.

When Kira discovers his origins as the product of the Ultimate Coordinator project and is depressed; Lacus comforts him by saying that meeting him has made her so happy despite all the sadness she has endured up to this point. Lacus finally admits to Kira her love for him when she gives him a ring before the final battle at Jachin Due and tells him to come back to her safely. Kira thanks her for this and seals his promise with a kiss to her cheek. During the battle, Lacus tried to persuade both sides to cease firing the weapons of mass destruction, but failed.

In episode 49, Lacus reveals her ability to go into SEED mode: her pupils become dilated, like characters who go into SEED mode, after she gives a discourse about war and death, but no accompanying seed explosion is seen; the same dilation is seen in episode 50 of "Gundam SEED Destiny", again with no seed explosion.

Gundam SEED Destiny

Life at Orb

At the start of "Gundam SEED Destiny", Lacus is living with Kira at Reverend Malchio's orphanage in the Marshall Islands until a disaster forces her, Kira, the Reverend, and their charges to move in with Andrew Waltfeld and Murrue Ramius at their shared mansion in Orb. Meanwhile, PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Gilbert Durandal, in need of political clout, showcases Meer Campbell as Lacus, using her to influence the populace. The real Lacus is almost killed in an assassination attempt by Coordinators from the "Coordinator special forces", [cite web |url=http://www.gundamofficial.com/worlds/ce/destiny/story/page2.html |title=PHASE-13: RESURRECTED WINGS |accessdate=2008-02-06 |work=GundamOfficial |publisher=Bandai America Incorporated |pages=PHASE 11-22 |quote=But their plans are disrupted when their home is attacked by Coordinator special forces who have been sent to assassinate Lacus...] but Kira fights off the assassins with the Freedom. She, along with Murrue, Kira, Andrew, Cagalli Yula Athha, and most of the "Archangel"'s crew reunite hoping to stop the new war. Lacus acts as the CIC officer for the "Archangel" until Cagalli takes over. (Ultimately, Kira's old friend Miriallia Haw would take over this position.)

Return to space

Lacus, along with Andrew later hijacks a shuttle to go into space, to see what the situation is at the PLANTs. They rejoin the crew of the "Eternal" and the Terminal factory satellite. In the Special Edition, the scene is edited so that Kira begs her to let him come along. Despite her personal feelings for Kira, she tells him he must remain on Earth to help Cagalli and the "Archangel". In the original "Gundam SEED Destiny", Kira made the choice of staying back himself. After the shuttle is found, Durandal declares that she is an impostor.

When Lacus and the crew of the "Eternal" are discovered and attacked by ZAFT again (due to an intelligence-gathering error made by Martin DaCosta), she and the ship try to deliver the newly-built Strike Freedom and Infinite Justice mobile suits to Kira and Athrun on Earth. Kira arrives in space via Cagalli's Strike Rouge and is nearly killed when his mobile suit is severely damaged.Andy uses his ZGMF-X88S Gaia to provide Kira enough cover to retreat to the "Eternal", where his new mobile suit is awaiting. Aboard, Kira and Lacus are reunited and share an emotional embrace and words of happiness at seeing each other again. Lacus then takes Kira to his new mobile suit, the Strike Freedom; once again, she wears a worried expression, much like she did when Kira wanted to pilot the Freedom to save her in Orb. After Kira saves her and the "Eternal", she takes the Infinite Justice to Orb herself, giving Kira the freedom to participate in the already-heated battle in Orb. She lands on the "Archangel" and her words again help Athrun decide on what he wants to do concerning the second war.

Ending the confusion

Lacus reveals her presence and the fact that Meer is an impostor when Meer interrupts Cagalli's television broadcast following the Second Battle of Onogoro. Most people are shocked, including the Joule Team and the "Minerva" crew, and even Durandal himself is perplexed that Lacus is in Orb. In her broadcast she also denounces Chairman Durandal's agenda and also said she does not support Lord Djibril either. She says that the war is the responsibility of everyone for they created this type of world. After the broadcast, the world and the PLANTs argue over who is the real Lacus.

Later, Lacus and Kira reveal to the crew of the Archangel that Durandal intends to assign behavioral genes to every human being in order to render war and conflict obsolete. By doing this, no one can make a decision if their future was planned. Terminal vows to stop Durandal from implementing his radical "Destiny Plan."

After the sudden attack on PLANT by Lord Djibril's Requiem, Lacus goes back to space aboard the "Archangel". She joins Athrun, Kira, and Meyrin Hawke in information gathering on the Moon, where they are contacted by Meer. Even though Athrun and Meyrin think it is a trap, Lacus chooses to meet Meer.Lacus tries to convince Meer to stop working for Durandal; however, they are attacked. Athrun, Kira, and Meyrin deal with the attackers, but Meer ends up dying in Lacus' arms after taking the shot that was originally meant to kill Lacus. After a funeral on the "Archangel", Lacus and the others read Meer's diary and are visibly moved. When Durandal appears on a television broadcast, Lacus looks at him with a expression that was never before seen on her.

During the final stages of "Gundam SEED Destiny", Lacus leads Terminal and the bulk of the forces that stand in the way between Durandal and the implementing of the Destiny Plan. She once again tried to convince the ZAFT forces to stand down and remind them of the principles of humanity. However, they believed she was a fake and part of Logos and attacked.

After the death of Chairman Durandal, Lacus Clyne is invited back to the PLANTs to serve as a mediator between ZAFT and the other nations. At the end of "Gundam SEED Destiny" "Final Plus", she is shown walking towards the PLANT Supreme Council. It is still unclear whether she is a still just a mediator, a member of the Council, or the leader of the PLANTs (Chairwoman). In final installment of the "" reveal Kira, in a ZAFT commander uniform reuniting with Lacus on PLANT. They share a romantic embrace showing their love and affection.

Relationship with Kira Yamato

During "Gundam SEED", Lacus entrusts Kira with her ring during later episodes, followed by a kiss from Kira on Lacus' cheek.

In the short "aftermath" OVA following the end of "Gundam SEED", Lacus and Kira are clearly shown living together and they continue to do so in "Gundam SEED Destiny". The two are often shown embracing and holding hands. Lacus is shown to be uneasy whenever Kira goes off to battle. When she hijacks a shuttle (with the help of Andrew Waltfeld) to go into space; Kira chases the ship telling Lacus to be careful on her journey as the communication cuts out.

The final installment of the "Gundam SEED Destiny: Special Edition" shows Kira, in a ZAFT commander uniform reuniting with Lacus on PLANT where they share a romantic embrace.

Haro

Lacus is usually accompanied by a pink Haro (Mr. Pink, Pink-chan in the original Japanese version) given to her by Athrun Zala, who has a penchant for making small robotic contraptions (such as Kira’s Birdy). Over time Athrun made her more Haros in many different colors. Mr. Pink is usually there to keep her company when everyone else is away, and she often talks to it despite the fact that Mr. Pink has a very limited vocabulary. After the Bloody Valentine War, it held the two keys to the Freedom's secret hangar. Haros are considered to be the mascot of "Gundam", appearing in several other series in the Universal Century timeline, but Athrun's Haros are visibly smaller than the Universal Century originals.

References