Who Is Felt?

In the anime and light novel series Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World, Felt is a 15-year-old former thief raised in the slums who becomes a surprise candidate in the Royal Selection to lead the Kingdom of Lugnica. Known for her hatred of the nobility, she seeks to destroy the existing system. She is a core character introduced in the first arc of the story. 

Appearance

Felt is a 15-year-old girl (as of the current timeline in Arc 5+) known for her distinctive appearance, which strongly hints at some type of noble heritage. She is approximately 150 cm (4'11") tall with fair skin, medium-length golden hair usually tied with a black bow, and sharp crimson eyes. A notable physical quirk is her prominent "yaeba" (snaggletooth) that shows when she laughs.

Felt's wardrobe changes significantly as her status evolves throughout the story. Initially, she wears a black tube top under a small brown jacket with white fluffy trim, paired with tattered black leggings (incomplete on the left side) and brown shoes. She also sports a long red scarf and a belt with a sheath for her knife.

Upon being taken in by Reinhard van Astrea, she is forced into a formal, off-the-shoulder light-yellow gown. This outfit includes a black corset-like bodice with orange ribbons, long white opera gloves, and a red gem pendant that matches her eyes.

Later, Reinhard provides her with a more refined but practical outfit that suits her active personality. It features a black long-sleeved top that leaves her midriff exposed, a blue scarf, a leather vest, and brown leather shorts worn over black leggings.

Personality

Felt is a spunky, strong-willed girl whose personality was forged by her difficult upbringing in the slums of Lugunica. Her character is defined by a fierce sense of independence and a deep-seated hatred for the established social order.

Having grown up in poverty, Felt learned early on to rely only on herself. She takes immense pride in her survival and refuses to let anyone, even fate itself, dictate her life. She is often rambunctious, uncouth, and blunt, showing little respect for authority figures like the Council of Wise Men. Despite her rough exterior, she is remarkably quick-witted and possesses a street smart intuition that makes it difficult for others to deceive her.

Her primary weakness is her foster grandfather, Old Man Rom. She views him as her only true family and is willing to abandon her dreams of escaping the slums or even risk her freedom to ensure his safety. Felt’s main motivation in the Royal Selection is to win so she can dismantle the kingdom's corrupt systems and "burn down" the nobility to help the poor.

Underneath her cynical worldview, she can be playful and mischievous. She shares a unique, bickering dynamic with her knight, Reinhard van Astrea, and eventually develops a "little sister" bond with Subaru and Emilia, whom she affectionately calls "big brother" and "big sister".

Background

Felt is a former street thief from the slums of the Royal Capital who is revealed to be a primary candidate for the throne of Lugunica. While she initially appears as a minor character in Arc 1, her background is deeply tied to the kingdom's central mystery.

Roughly 15 years before the main story, Felt was found as an infant in the slums by Old Man Rom. Rom, a giant who was a sole survivor of the Giant Clan, took her in and gave her the name "Felt". He acted as her adoptive grandfather and is the only person she truly trusts.

Growing up in extreme poverty, she became a master thief and pickpocket to survive, eventually making enough money to hope for a life outside the slums. Her harsh upbringing made her strong-willed, abrasive, and deeply resentful of the nobility and the kingdom's corrupt system.

Felt's life changed when she stole Emilia's insignia. In the resulting chaos, Reinhard van Astrea noticed the insignia glow in her hand—a magical reaction that only occurs when held by a legitimate candidate for the throne. Reinhard subsequently took her into custody and declared her the fifth candidate in the Royal Selection.

As the story progresses, specifically into Arc 9, it is heavily implied and later confirmed by various characters that Felt is not a common orphan. If you aren’t looking to spoil details that have yet to be revealed in the anime, this is your spoiler warning. Ready? Okay.

Her birth name is revealed to be Filóre Lugunica. She is the daughter of Prince Ford Lugunica, who was the younger brother of the last king, Randohal Lugunica. She was kidnapped from the royal castle as an infant during the "Royal Abduction Incident" 15 years ago. The physical evidence to support this claim is that Felt possesses the signature physical traits of the royal bloodline: golden hair and crimson red eyes.

Powers and Abilities

Felt is primarily known for her extreme speed and agility, which are augmented by a rare but mysterious Divine Protection. While she initially appears to be just a skilled thief, her abilities evolve as her true heritage is explored.

Divine Protection

Felt possesses a rare, as of yet unnamed, Divine Protection that was initially mistaken for a "Divine Protection of Wind".

• Wind Manipulation: It allows her to move "fast as the blink of an eye" and releases a gust of wind whenever she stops moving.

• Advanced Mobility: She can use this power to run vertically up walls and buildings or dash upwards.

• True Nature: The author has clarified that while it manifests as wind-like speed, its true name and function are related to her lineage and remain a secret.

Combat and Other Skills

Felt’s combat ability revolves almost entirely around explosive speed and evasiveness. While she lacks the raw destructive power of other candidates' knights, she is a highly specialized fighter who uses her street-honed agility to outmaneuver opponents.

• Expert Thief and Parkour: Having grown up in the slums, she is a master pickpocket and highly accomplished in stealth. Her agility allows her to navigate urban environments with ease.

• Melee Combat: She is an adept fighter who typically uses a knife or short sword, relying on explosive speed to overwhelm opponents before they can react.

• Echidna's Meteor Staff: In later story arcs, she acquires a powerful "Metia" (magic staff) made by Echidna.

  • Al Shario: The staff fires an undodgeable blast of light that tracks a target's mana gate.

  • Power Level: It is strong enough to defeat a Sin Archbishop but completely drains the user's mana in a single use.

• Street Smarts & Political Intuition: Despite her lack of formal education, she possesses sharp intuition that allows her to hold her own in complex political discussions during the Royal Selection.

Goals and Reputation

Felt's journey has evolved from simple survival to large-scale political reform. Her original goal as a thief was to earn enough to start a new life away from the slums with her adoptive grandfather, Old Man Rom. With her place among the Royal Selection Candidates, she has succeeded in this goal. 

Felt is now focused on her ambition to abolish the class-based system and "invisible traditions" that lead to discrimination and neglect of those in the slums. She officially joined the Royal Selection primarily to save Old Man Rom from execution after he attempted to "rescue" her from the royal palace.

While she hates destiny, her hidden past is heavily hinted at and later confirmed to be connected to the Lugunica Royal Family, which places her as a legitimate heir, though her goal remains to tear down the very establishment she would inherit.

Fans often refer to the dynamic between Felt and her knight, Reinhard van Astrea, as "couple goals" or a unique "Princess/Knight" dynamic because Felt is one of the few people who treats the legendary "Sword Saint" like a normal person rather than a tool or a god. Reinhard's own goal is to support her candidacy, believing their meeting was fated.

Felt maintains a complex dual reputation in the world of Re:Zero, shifting from a lowly "rat of the slums" to a controversial Royal Candidate suspected of having prestigious bloodlines. In the Royal Capital's slums, she was known as a master thief, a lone wolf who was quick, street-smart, and fiercely protective of Old Man Rom.

As a Royal Candidate, she is infamous for her radical platform. She openly despises the nobility and has vowed to tear down the current kingdom. Additionally, her striking resemblance to the deceased royal family (golden hair and crimson eyes) has fueled rumors as to her origins among the Council of Wise Men and knights.

Among the fanbase, she is widely liked for her spunky personality but often considered "under-utilized" due to limited screen time in the anime's middle arcs. Fans generally enjoy her fiery, unladylike personality and her "niichan/neechan" relationship with Subaru and Emilia. 

However, she often ranks lower in popularity polls primarily because she disappeared for long stretches after Arc 1. A significant portion of the fanbase is deeply invested in the mystery of her origin. Recent novel developments revealing her "true name" have sparked a resurgence in her popularity among readers. 

Viewers often cite her as a "breath of fresh air" because she is one of the few characters who consistently calls out the corruption of the world and treats Subaru like a normal person.