"You meisters. The great Lord Death plays by his own rules. Its those rules that decide what evil is. You all follow the reaper so blindly. What gives him the right to decide how the world should be run?! He trains you to hunt down souls he believes are unworthy. A soul like mine wouldn't be safe from him, but I for one am not going to accept that kind of future! I REFUSE!! It's my turn now! I'm going to be the judge! I'm not going to play by his rules ANYMORE!!" |
Template:Character (Werewolf)
Free (フリー, Furī), also known as The Man with the Demon Eye (魔眼の男, Magan no Otoko) and the "Legendary Wolfman" is the immortal individual who was imprisoned for stealing the Grand Witch's eye. After being freed by the witch, Medusa, he then called himself "Free".
Personality
Despite his impressive power and viciousness in combat, Free is actually silly and reasonably comedic in his thoughts and actions. During his escape from Witch Prison, he explained to Eruka that while in jail he had devised a plan to escape: dig a tunnel under the cell's wall with a spoon. Free came up with this idea out of inspiration from movies he had seen, to which he had always had thought that the concept was very "cool". This plan, however, is foiled on account that the prison would only serve food that only required chopsticks to eat with, never providing Free with the spoon he so desperately needed. Free is also reasonably foolish and even he acknowledges it, stating that he is isn't very good at coming up with ideas. When Eruka suggested that Free could have escaped Witch prison by urinating on the prison bars so they would corrode and rust over time, Free, upon realization of how simple the concept was, bashed his head against a nearby tree, calling himself an idiot. However, he has shown he is capable of being cunning. During the attack on Shibusen he used an illusionary duplicate to delay Kid and Black☆Star. He has also managed to steal one of Maba's eyes, implying he was previously much more skilled than he is at current, likely due to his 200 year incarceration.
He also has been shown to have an incredibly bad sense of direction. During Operation Charge Baba Yaga's Castle, Free was assigned to destroy a Lock in Baba Yaga's castle's second tower, but instead, ended up in tower 8, the tower on the complete opposite side of the Castle. Free responds to the realization in much the same way as he had done when Eruka had mentioned another cliche for Free to escape prison, holding his head and shouting, frustrated with himself.
Free, overall, doesn't seem to like when others draw attention to his mistakes. When he fought against Maka and Soul in London, he accidentally hits himself with his own attacks on two occasions as a result of not having fought in over 200 hundred years. He tries to avert the attention of his opponents by saying that everything is okay, and that there is nothing of interest to see.
He takes pleasure in actions against DWMA or enemies of Medusa, noticeably smiling when he is responsible for any kind of successful action against either force. When he successfully tricks Kid and Black☆Star into thinking that they were actually fighting him during The Eve Party Nightmare while they were actually only fighting an image of him, he is shown laughing at the duo after they discover the truth.
When he feels as if he is in debt to someone, Free always likes to repay the person he believes he is in debt to. Upon first meeting the Witch Medusa, Free almost immediately asks Medusa how he can repay her for breaking him out of prison. At first, Medusa purposefully tests Free, saying that he doesn't have to repay her, to which Free persists in asking that he do so.
Relationships
Main:Free/Relationships
Appearance
In his human form, he is a tall, attractive man with a rather muscular build, apparently seeming to be in his thirties, with some facial hair unkept. On his right shoulder he has a tattoo of unknown form, which resembles an eye. HIs left eye is removed and replaced with Maba's own Demon Eye. Above this Demon Eye is not an eyebrow but instead a tattoo of the words, without spaces, "NOFUTURE." This eye also shows no pupil or iris, instead it has a magical array.
Despite his escape from the Witches' Prison, Free still almost always wears his prison clothes, complete with a ball and chain on his left leg and black and white striped prisoner pants. Although generally the top half of the outfit is tied around his waist, he also wore a simple white t-shirt instead. Later he is shown with the same shirt, but with an inverted color scheme.
In his werewolf form, Free's appearance is that of the typical depiction of a werewolf. It features mostly dark fur; with his chest area, abdomen, hands, face and ears all being gray. This form used to include a long tail when Free first revealed himself as a werewolf, however, after it was cut off by Maka's Witch-Hunt Slash it is yet to be seen again. He also has both extended sharp claws and fangs.
Free's soul is large, its diameter much longer than he is tall. Free's soul changes shape depending on the form he assumes. When assuming his more humanoid form, his soul includes spikes along the top resembling his tufts of hair and decorated with the same array as his Demon Eye and his "NOFUTURE" eyebrow tattoo. When transforming into his Werewolf form, Free's soul expands and gains two spikes at its top, resembling his wolf ears.
Magic & Abilities
Magic
As a Werewolf and part Witch via the Demon Eye, Free is able to perform magic.
- Ice Magic: His signature magic is the ability to manipulate element of Ice. He seems to have ability to create Ice himself and use it to enhance his already great combat prowess. He's also able to produce a large quantity of it in quick instances. He can also seemingly manipulate water and freeze it.
- Ice Cone: Free summons cones of solid ice to shoot out of the ground in order to skewer his enemies. He often miscalculates and forgets where he places them, sometimes ending up skewering himself.
- Ice Sphere: By encasing his iron ball in ice he uses it increased size and mass too use it as an effective weapon.
- Ice Shackle Bullet: Following Ice Sphere, Free swings it towards his enemy like a cannon ball.
- Ice Spindle: After using Ice Sphere he jumps up and adds on to "Ice Sphere" creating a giant stalactite shaped pillar of ice to ram down and pierce his foe.
- Ice Pillar: Causes a pillar of ice to appear behind the enemy, normally trapping them.
- Ice Bind: Encases enemies feet in ice.
- A Vasili: Frigid Jailhouse: By freezing water around his enemy, he can encase the foe in ice.
- Ice Fist: By encasing his fist on ice, he can deal greater impacts when he punches.
- Spatial Magic: In addition to performing Ice Magic and because of the Demon Eye, Free has access to the powerful capabilities of Spatial Magic, a magic which manipulates space. His mastery of it allows him to contain powerful individuals as well as numerous opponents, create illusions, and even teleport.
Free using Spatial Magic.
- Spatial Magic: Independent Cube: Using the magic of his left eye Free creates a magic cube that will isolate whatever is inside in another dimension. He needs both Eruka and Medusa to use Arithmetic Magic (Magic Calculation), so he seals only what he needs to seal. He claims to be able to hold it for an hour, but only manages to keep it up for forty minutes. This shortened duration could have been due to attempting to imprison Shinigami, though he says it was manly embellishment.
- Spatial Magic: Forwarding Vision: Free casts an illusion which perfectly projects a reproduction of the actions that he conducts.
- Soul Protect: Due to becoming part Witch via his possession of the Demon Eye, Free can neutralize his soul's wavelength, effectively camouflaging it and making it appear as if it were a normal human soul.
- Forwarding Protect: A spell in which the Soul Protects of other witches is 'torn away' and redirected to another being. Seen during the war on the moon.[1]
Abilities
- Human/Werewolf Transformation: As a Werewolf, Free has the ability to change form at will. In his werewolf form, his physical abilities and wavelength expand, making him a much more powerful opponent. He also has sharp claws, in which he could extend to attack his opponent.
- Inhuman Conditioning: In his human form, Free's physical ability is above that of humans, which has allowed him to fight against powerful meisters and monsters. His height and muscular build make him a formidable threat. In his werewolf form, his physical ability is much higher. He is much stronger and able to move faster. This has been seen sufficient enough to cause trouble for the likes of Maka Albarn.
- Immortality: Perhaps his most acclaimed abilities is his immortality. Because of his immortality, he can instantly heal any wound.
- Martial Way Expertise: Free is proficient in martial arts, sporting his own style which combines the great physical prowess of his abilities along with his immortality ability to overwhelm opponents. His skill was enough to kill many of his jailers and outclass Maka Albarn, despite her usage of Tsubaki Nakatsukasa's Demon Shadow Weapon Krusigrama form.
- Fighting Wolf Fist
- Wolf Tail Wall: He simply enlarges his tail and holds it in front of himself for a protective barrier.
Paraphernalia
- Demon Eye: Having implanted the left eye of the Grand Witch, Maba, Free has access to not only Spatial Magic, but also has the ability to performs spells due to the capabilities of the eye itself such as the Demon Eye Cannon.
- Demon Eye Cannon: Free starts charging energy into his left eye, then he fires it. In the form of a green energy blast.
- Spatial Magic: Thanks to the Demon Eye, He is able to utilize the same magic as the Grand Witch, Maba.
Weaknesses
When first escaping from prison, Free struggles to reacquaint himself with his abilities. At the time, Fighting Wolf Fist threatens his safety and his own life, as he misplaces various ice barriers he summons around himself—or stabbing into himself. He would later get over this flaw.
Free is also subject to exaggeration, underestimating or overestimating the duration and distance of his techniques, especially dangerous in Spatial Magic. He incorrectly place his ice magic, stabbing himself with an icicle he meant to stab into Maka Albarn, then misplacing an Ice Pillar around himself rather than below himself to aid in leaping upward. His overestimating means that his Independent Cube around the Death Weapon Meister Academy reception area concludes earlier than expected, allowing the release of Death who proceeds to attack the fleeing Asura. Free also overestimating the distance he uses to help Death the Kid and Franken Stein escape injury on The Moon, accidentally sending them back down to the Earth. When confronted by Eruka over his failure to estimate properly, Free blames his mistake on being a man, who he claims tend to exaggerate.
Despite his immortality, Free is not impervious to injuries from the Great Traditional Techniques of the Scythe-Meister or those who possess the Anti-Demon Wavelength. While the Witch-Hunt Slash was shown to give him injuries he could not heal, any other attacks such as the Devil-Hunt Slash have the possibility of killing him.
In addition, his Demon Eye can be inhibited. Maba ensured to cover his Demon Eye with blindfold covered with magical symbols to prevent the usage of his powerful magic within his arsenal. Due to the danger of his magic, most of his jailers even placed binds on his hands and legs to prevent easy movement.
Free's size, appearance, and personality also make it difficult for him to be covert during missions. Due to his manner of dress, his height, and his over-the-top personality, even with Soul Protect, Free was easily spotted by Shibusen security when he attempted to break into the Death Weapon Meister Academy to rescue Eruka Frog. Even his escape from the Witch Prison was compromised by his loud shouts in the surrounding forest, as he slammed his head against a tree and cursed so loud that his prisoners were able to locate him within minutes of his escape.
History
Imprisonment
Free rails against chopsticks
Two hundred years ago, Free stole the Grand Witch Maba's eye. He then fought the Grand Witch, which is when Maba discovered that no matter how much effort she put into it, she could not successfully kill Free on account of his immortality. Maba, however, used an alternate strategy in defeating Free, and instead of killing him, she was able to restrain him and have Free locked up in Witch Prison for life. Free became famously known among Witches as "Prisoner 13, The Man with the Demon Eye". In order to ensure Free never escaped, Maba personally kept the key to Free's cell in her room.
Experiment
Free's appearance comes in turn when Medusa finds an interest in Soul. She plans to test the Black Blood that is present in his body. Free was released from the witch's jail on account of Medusa's plan. He is called "Demon Eye" by her, he states that everything was taken from him, including his name. So on account of his recent freedom, he named himself "Free". He naturally allied himself with Medusa, based on the fact that they both don't like Shibusen. He is then sent out to London where he engages in battle with Black☆Star, and Maka as part of Medusa's "experiment". After fending off Black☆Star, he then reveals that he is a part of the Immortal Clan and is a werewolf. After transforming he gains the upper hand until Maka and Soul use the Witch-Hunt Slash and is tackled after, sending him off the bridge. In an attempt to get back on the bridge, he mistakenly freezes himself.
The Eve's Fight to the Death
During the celebration of Shibusen's anniversary, Free appears alongside with Medusa, Eruka, Crona and Mizune. He was given the job to put up a barrier around the area where all the Shibusen attenders were located. He used the power of his left eye to cast the Independent Cube spell with the help of Eruka's Magic Calculation, and trapped everyone in. The barrier was supposed to hold up for an hour, enough time to give Free and Eruka enough time to get to the Kishin, which was buried under Shibusen, and inject the Black Blood into the sack which he was in, thus reviving the Kishin, she set herself first after the gate. If anyone where to come in, she would be the first one they meet. If anyone where to get past her, the next person they would meet is Crona. Eruka and Free were assigned to head straight for the Kishin, with the Black Blood. Stein, along with the main trio, Kid, Black☆Star, and Maka also entered the underground layer.
Stein was left behind with Medusa while the rest advanced. Kid was to go straight after Free and Eruka, Maka was to advance with Kid for back-up, and Black☆Star was to hold up Crona. Disobeying orders, Maka fought Crona while Black☆Star went on to catch up with Kid. Noticing that Kid was catching up, Free decided to setup a diversion. He uses his Forwarding Vision spell to create an image of himself, then uses his Demon Eye Cannon at Kid to support the fact that the image is real. Kid attacks numerous times at the image, but as he believes that it's immortal, he finds himself in a bad situation. Black☆Star then arrives and begins to engage in battle also. Being that he is a close-range fighter, he goes straight to the image and attacks, not knowing that every attack he does goes straight through the image. Kid notices this and exposes Free. But by the time they realized this, Free and Eruka were already so close to the shrine in which the Kishin was sealed in.
Free and Eruka then enter the shrine, feeling the presence of the Kishin the moment they open the door. Upon entering, the madness begins to take its toll on Eruka as she imagines frightful things happening to her. Free notices this and returns to aid her but finds himself being pulled in the madness also. They shortly break free before killing themselves and proceed on with the mission. When they finally reach the Kishin, they are confronted by Kid, who has now caught up with the two. In an attempt to destroy the Black Blood, Kid initiates a continuous fire at Eruka. Free steps in the field of fire taking advantage of his immortality and giving Eruka time to inject the blood. As she was trying to inject it, Black☆Star appears and seemingly destroys the container of the blood, but in reality, he actually mistakenly attacked the statue above, thus failing in his original intentions. The Kishin then awakens and blows back Black☆Star after a his failed attempt in use Big Wave attack and takes Kid out too.
Operation: Capture Baba Yaga's Castle
Before the operation began, Free was shown to have infiltrated Arachnophobia in preperation for Medusa's movements. He was shown several times but does nothing that can be considered noteworthy. When Medusa's plan to confront Arachne goes into effect, he was supposed to go to tower 1 but due to a complete lack of any sense of direction, went instead towards tower 2. However, in the end he ended up at tower 8, where he met up with Death the Kid. Since he recognizes Mosquito's strength, he contributes his messing up to fate and decides to help Kid, even though having to fight alongside a shinigami 'kinda pisses him off'. The pair agree that destroying the locking aritfact at this tower takes priority over their feelings for each other and Free comments that they must be great comrades to be able to desert each other without the slightest hesitation.
Mosquito easily disables Free
Kid and Free assault Mosquito, and Free's physical strength combined with his use of ice magic proves to be too much for Mosquito's form from 100 years ago to handle. Kid sees a chance to get past Mosquito but Free's subsequent attack knocks Mosquito in this particular direction, causing Kid to call him a fool. Mosquito goes back to his form from 200 years ago, resulting in Mosquito gaining the upper hand for a short while, as even his current speed can not stand up to Free's strength. Free manages to regain his footing and swings Mosquito through a wall along with himself and Kid. In this new area, Mosquito has far more room to move than the hallway they were previously fighting in, meaning Kid is unable to hit him. Free however creates some Ice Pillars to restrict Mosquito's movements, providing Kid with a chance to inflict damage in close combat. Free then proceeds to use his Ice Bind to increase their advantage even further, Kid knocks Mosquito out of his current predicament and onto the floor. Free then uses A Vasili to completely encase Mosquito in Ice, transforming into his werewolf form and firing a Demon Eye Cannon simultaneously with Kid's Death Cannon.
Mosquito survives with heavy damage and goes on revert to his form from 400 years ago. In less than a second he manages to cut Free in half and cut Kid's left arm off. Brew activates within Kid not much later, allowing Free to use him as a distraction and conduct Forwarding Vision, to trick Mosquito into thinking he was still there while he goes off to destroy the Lock. Once it is destroyed Mosquito leaves to protect Arachne, and Free is not seen again in the arc.
Battle on the Moon
Shibusen captures Free
Free is next seen, or rather heard, outside Eruka's cell door in Shibusen; claiming he is there to rescue her. Eruka is overjoyed to see him when the door opens, but is disappointed to see that Free has merely been captured as well, his size apparently having hindered his infiltration.
Free joins Kid, Eruka, Kim, Risa, and Arisa to go to the Witches' Realm to negotiate with Maba and the witches about an alliance against the Kishin—only to be caught and put on trial. As an immortal, Free is sentenced to death one-thousand times, an amount that dwarfs his witch allies' single- to double-digit number of death sentences, yet itself is dwarfed by Kid's sentence to death one-million times. Fortunately, Kid is able to negotiate a different outcome, earning the opportunity to leave the Witches' Realm and leave Kim to conclude negotiations.
Dark Side of the Moon
Aftermath
Free's last appearance in the manga
A few weeks after Asura's defeat, Free is seen with the other witches at Kid's ceremony. As Eruka says that peace between witches and Shibusen may not be so bad, Free seems to agree.
Trivia
- Suitable for his status as a wolfman, Free is prone to making references to fairy tales involving the Big Bad Wolf: When he battled the DWMA students for first time on Tower Bridge, he said he would blow down every kind of house just to find them (stated in manga only), a reference to "Three Little Pigs", where the wolf character blows with his breath the houses in which the pigs were hidden, though he couldn't destroy the solid one. He also makes a reference to Little Red Riding Hood, saying that Maka would look good as the Red Riding Hood.
- Free's English voice artist, Travis Willingham, is married to Maka Albarn's voice artist, Laura Bailey. Willingham and Bailey also played characters on opposite sides in the English dub of Fullmetal Alchemist, with Willingham as Colonel Roy Mustang and Bailey as the Homunculus Lust.
- Although Free wears the chain and ball on his left leg, on the cover to Volume 6 of the manga Soul Eater, the chain and ball is on his right leg.
References
- ↑ Soul Eater Manga: Chapter 101