Clevatess: The King of Magical Beasts, the Baby, and the Corpse Hero

Clevatess is a dark fantasy manga and anime series about a powerful "Lord of Dark Beasts" who adopts a human baby after destroying an entire kingdom. Driven by curiosity, he revives a hero he had slain to help him raise the child and observe human nature up close.

Core Premise

Clevatess, a fox-like dark beast, is one of the Four Lords of Dark Beasts, ancient and immensely powerful beings who rule over territories surrounding the human kingdoms. These territories essentially prevent the human land of Edthea and the people living there from ever expanding or exploring beyond their borders. 

Due to this feeling of confinement and the curiosity of knowing just how big their world really is, the people of Edthea seek to defeat the Lords of Dark Beasts to break free and go beyond their existing land. This is the driving force behind the hero, Alicia Glenfall, taking up her sword Regalia to battle Clevatess.

But for Clevatess, it has been a millennium since he last encountered humans. When the group of 13 heroes, including Alicia, attacks his territory, Clevatess effortlessly slaughters them. Concerned that attacks on his home will continue in the future, he sets out to Hiden, the nation that made the Regalia weapons and sent the heroes to his domain. Clevatess then kills the king of Hiden and damages much of the capital city. 

Amid the kingdom's rubble, a dying man begs Clevatess to save a human infant, the last hope of the kingdom's royal family. Intrigued, Clevatess adopts the child, names him Luna, and decides to raise him as an experiment to determine if humanity is worth sparing.

To help care for Luna, Clevatess resurrects Alicia Glenfall, one of the heroes he killed. She is an unwilling servant bound to his will by his dark ichor. Despite this, Clevatess mostly gives her the freedom to act on her own in most situations, and through this second life Alicia comes to understand what it truly means to be a hero, not just a hired sword to hunt down the Lord of Dark Beasts.

Key Themes

The series explores the journey of this unusual trio—a cold, indifferent dark beast lord, a resentful undead hero, and a human baby. Along the way, it examines several key themes that breathe life into the world and characters.

• Prejudice Between Races: Not only is there existing animosity and prejudice between the dark beasts and the humanoids of Edthea, but there is significant prejudice between the various nations of Edthea and the people that live within them.

• The Definition of Humanity, Goodness, and Evil: Clevatess explores what it truly means to have humanity, while examining the balance of good vs. evil and how the actions carried out by an individual can fall along different parts of the spectrum from good to evil based on the various perspectives of those making the choices and those affected by the choices.

• Whether People Can Change Their Fundamental Nature: Fate, destiny, and fundamental natures set the scene for the main premise behind the story. A hero fated to fall, a baby destined to be king, and a lord of dark beasts set on destroying humanity but tempted to delay this act by a desperate plea to save a child. 

• The Consequences of Ambition and Prophecy: Prophetic legacy charts a course for the ambition of the heroes and kingdoms of Edthea, only to lead them into ruin time after time. Yet, a simmering discontent and growing fear that something has been concealed from the people by the kings of Hiden sparks a completely different type of ambition to destroy the traditions of old. The series explores the benefits and drawbacks to both paths and seeks to carve a new future that does not choose one or the other.

Characters

The primary characters in the manga and anime series Clevatess are the Lord of Dark Beasts Clevatess, the resurrected hero Alicia Glenfall, and the human infant Luna. As they travel, they encounter a variety of other individuals and factions, including secondary and recurring characters.

Main Characters

Clevatess / Clen: One of the Four Lords of Dark Beasts, Clevatess reigns in the southern region bordering the lands of Edthea. After easily killing the heroes sent to defeat him, he raises the infant Luna and resurrects the hero Alicia. He can assume a human form, he named Clen, to blend in with others.

Alicia Glenfall: One of the thirteen heroes sent to fight Clevatess. She is killed, but Clevatess resurrects her to help him with the human infant he adopted. She must serve Clevatess and wander the land with him.

Luna: A human infant whom Clevatess saves from the capital he destroyed. Luna is a pure-blooded heir to the Kingdom of Hiden, which makes him a target for various individuals. 

Secondary Characters

Nelluru / Nell: A young woman who becomes Luna's wet nurse after being rescued and resurrected by Clevatess. Following her resurrection, she gains superhuman strength from the troll flesh used to heal her.

Drel: A general who serves the antagonistic nation of Boelate and the primary antagonist of the first story arc. He is secretly working for the Lord of Dark Beasts Vordein and is responsible for killing Alicia's father.

Maynard Swan: An antagonist who serves Boelate and commands swarms of insects with his magic.

Naie Chiffonritz: A magic user with the ability to manipulate magnetism, she also serves Boelate alongside Maynard.

Rhode Royes: A captain who leads a military expedition to the capital of Hyden.

Mikel: Rhode Royes' second-in-command, he accompanies his captain during the expedition.

Princess and Queen Dowager Toara: Luna's birth mother and the princess of Hyden. 

Other Characters

Vordein: An ancient and powerful Dark Beast Lord in the form of a dragon. He is the true puppet master behind Drel's actions.

Zaftier: The Dark Beast Lord of the Western Lands. Zaftier is female and an accomplished illusionist.

Margo Glenfall: Alicia's deceased father and a former hero who had been friends with Drel.

Vroko: A greedy and malicious bandit leader who initially controls Nell and her fellow captives.

Gart: A dark Beast who serves Zaftier.