"The Rose King" is set in medieval England and depicts the "War of the Roses," a battle for the throne between the House of York and the House of Lancaster. Based on William Shakespeare's historical drama, the work is gaining attention for its upcoming anime adaptation, scheduled to air in January 2022. This time, we'll be introducing the top 10 most popular characters from the House of York and the House of Lancaster, as well as those associated with both families! Where does your favorite character rank? Read on and make your guess!
10th Place: Cecily
Ranked in at 10th place is Cecily. She is the mother of three brothers, Edward, George, and Richard, and the wife of the Duke of York. Because Richard was born with a special trait, Cecily despises him, calling him the "child of the devil." Cecily's derogatory words and actions eat away at Richard's heart.
9th Place: Prince Edward
Ranked 9th is Prince Edward. The son of Henry VI, he has a personality that is the polar opposite of his introverted father. Although he can be self-centered, he is strangely lovable. His encounter with Richard touches his heart, and his destiny changes.
8th Place: Queen Margaret
Ranked 8th is Queen Margaret. She was the wife of Henry VI and the mother of Prince Edward. She was a strong-willed person who considered her husband Henry VI incompetent and looked down on him for his aversion to conflict. She took command in the war against the House of York in her husband's place. The couple's relationship was not particularly good, and it seems to have become quite cold.
7th Place: Catesby
Ranked seventh is Catesby. He is Richard's caretaker, serving the House of York since his birth. He supports Richard and sometimes watches over him from behind the scenes, caring for him. He is one of the few people who knows that Richard is a hermaphrodite, possessing both male and female characteristics.
6th Place: Earl of Warwick
Ranked sixth is the Earl of Warwick. He serves as a strategist for Richard, Duke of York, and supports him in the fight against the House of Lancaster. He also plays a crucial role in working to ensure that the Duke of York's eldest son, Edward, becomes king.
5th Place: George
Ranked fifth is George. He is the second son of the House of York, Edward's younger brother, and Richard's older brother. While he has a straightforward personality, he can also be seen as thoughtless in his words and actions. However, unlike his mother, Cecily, he is also kind to Richard.
4th Place: Edward
Ranked fourth is Edward. He is the eldest son of the House of York and has two younger brothers, George and Richard. He charms those around him with his cheerful personality and good looks. He also has a weakness for women. His battle with the House of Lancaster leads him to reconsider his role as the eldest son. The Earl of Warwick is working hard to make Edward king, and as Edward begins to realize his role as the eldest son, he deepens his bond with Warwick.
3rd Place: Richard, Duke of York
Ranked third is Richard, Duke of York. He is the father of three brothers: Edward, George, and Richard. He was kind yet dignified, and treated Richard with love, even though Cecily despised him. Richard respected the Duke of York as a "light shining in the darkness." He resolved to fight, with the Earl of Warwick as his advisor, to reclaim the throne, which had been usurped by the House of Lancaster.
Second Place: Henry
Ranked second is Henry. A Lancastrian king, he is a devout Christian and hates fighting and killing. Perhaps because of this, his wife, Margaret, sees him as a failure. He dreams of becoming a shepherd, and meets Richard in the forest. They remain mysteries to each other, and they are drawn to each other without ever knowing each other's true identities.
No. 1: Richard
Ranked No. 1 is our protagonist, Richard. He was born the third son of the House of York. He was born with the unique condition of androgyny, possessing both male and female characteristics. Even his siblings were unaware of his androgyny. His mother, Cecily, hated Richard's unique condition and treated him with contempt, calling him the "child of the devil." This corrupted Richard's heart and led him to close himself off, but his father, the Duke of York, treated him with kindness and love. Richard revered his father and described him as a "light in the darkness." He had heterochromia and hid his left eye with bangs. While he excels in martial arts, he can only appear female when cross-dressing, which he sometimes uses to escape danger.
Character Relationships
"The Requiem of the Rose King" features many characters, including members of the York and Lancaster families and their associates. The image summarizes the relationships between the characters and includes characters who did not make it into the top 10 in this article. Even a cursory glance reveals the various connections between the various characters. The protagonist, Richard, is located slightly to the right of the center. While Richard deepens his friendship with Henry, Prince Edward is also interested in him, and it's not an exaggeration to say that he has romantic feelings for him. He's also beguiled by Joan of Arc, attracts Buckingham's attention, and is also involved with Catesby. Catesby knows the secret of Richard's body, so it will be interesting to see how this will affect the storyline. It's clear that Richard attracts the interest of many characters.
"The Rose King" Popular Character Ranking Summary
What did you think? We've introduced the popular characters in a ranking format. Where did your favorite character rank? Even if they didn't make the list this time, there are characters who play important roles in the story. If there's a character you're interested in, be sure to check out the character introduction on the official website! That's all for today. Thank you for reading.
