Übel Blatt

Übel Blatt (which translates from German as "Evil Blade") is a dark fantasy manga and anime series. The original manga was serialized from 2004 to 2019, spanning 24 volumes. A sequel manga series titled Übel Blatt II: The Knights of the Deceased King began publishing in February 2024. A television anime adaptation produced by Satelight and Staple Entertainment premiered on January 10, 2025, and streams globally on Amazon Prime Video. Created by Etorouji Shiono, the story is a grim, action-packed revenge epic often compared to classics like Berserk due to its violent themes and serious tone.

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Core Premise

The story takes place in a medieval fantasy empire. Twenty years before the main events, the Emperor sent fourteen elite warriors to stop an invasion from a hostile land. Along the way, three died and seven of the warriors deserted the mission. The remaining four heroes pressed on and won the war, but the deserters ambushed and slaughtered them upon their return.

The deserters took all the credit, becoming known as the legendary "Seven Heroes," and rose to political power, while the true heroes were framed as the "Traitorous Lances". The strongest of the betrayed swordsmen, Ascheriit, narrowly survived by consuming the flesh of a fairy in his unconscious state. 

Reborn as a half-elf child-like hybrid named Köinzell, it took him nearly two decades to regain proper control of his new body. In this new form, he gains power under the moons and can wield four massive black swords. Köinzell then begins a bloody quest to hunt down and kill his former comrades.

Key Themes

Übel Blatt explores deep themes of vengeance, systemic corruption, and the blurred lines between hero and villain. The narrative follows Köinzell, a betrayed warrior seeking retribution against former allies who stole credit for saving the empire.

• The Corrupting Nature of Vengeance: The story analyzes how an obsession with revenge transforms an individual. Köinzell, originally a righteous hero named Ascheriit, adopts brutal, merciless tactics to butcher his targets, forcing the audience to question if his bloody crusade justifies the collateral damage.

• History Written by the Victors: False heroism and propaganda are structural pillars of the Szaalenden Empire. The "Seven Heroes" are worshiped as saviors by the public, but they are actually cowards who murdered the true heroes, the "Traitorous Lances”, to steal global glory.

• The Facade of Moral Righteousness: The series repeatedly exposes how highly revered institutions, such as religious orders and imperial rulers, use their pure public image to mask severe atrocities, human experimentation, and systemic cruelty.

• Trauma and Physical Fragmentation: The loss of identity is physically mirrored through body modification and trauma. Köinzell survives his execution only by mixing his flesh with a fairy, transforming into a half-human hybrid child. This loss of his original form represents the total destruction of his former life.

• Dark Fantasy and Moral Grayness: The world lacks absolute good. Protagonists and antagonists alike exist in a grim environment defined by graphic violence, sexual exploitation, and severe depravity, where surviving often requires committing evil acts for a perceived greater good.

Characters

The characters of the dark fantasy series Übel Blatt span a grim, medieval empire torn apart by betrayal, political corruption, and a brutal quest for vengeance. The story divides its massive roster between a vengeful protagonist, his travelling companions, and the corrupt ruling elite who betrayed him.

Köinzell’s Party

Köinzell (Ascheriit): The main character of the series. Originally known as Ascheriit, he was one of the empire's greatest swordsmen and a member of the "Traitorous Lances". After being brutally betrayed and slaughtered by his comrades 20 years ago, he survived by consuming a fairy, resurrecting as a powerful, youthful, half-human hybrid. Wielding massive black swords, his sole purpose is to slaughter the Seven Heroes who stole his glory.

Peepi: A young, elven-eared girl from the frontier. She is a survivor of a village raid who possesses basic magic abilities. She attaches herself to Köinzell and serves as his moral compass, reminding him of his remaining humanity.

Aht Kusharundo (Ato): A fierce, cross-dressing warrior princess of the Kusharundo clan. She initially crosses paths with Köinzell as an adversary but joins his cause out of deep respect for his peerless swordsmanship and inner honor.

Altea: A resourceful, tough-minded woman who runs an underground smuggling ring near the Imperial border. She assists Köinzell’s group in crossing major military blockades.

Geranpen: A massive, flamboyant soldier who, despite his eccentric appearance, is highly intelligent, kind, and fiercely loyal to his friends.

Vid: A cynical, opportunistic smuggler and close acquaintance of Altea. He helps smuggle Köinzell and Peepi across the border fortress into the Empire.

The Seven Heroes

Glenn (Envy): The primary antagonist and son of the Emperor. Driven by deep envy of Ascheriit’s superior swordsmanship, he orchestrated the original betrayal. He acts as the leading figure of the group.

Schtemwölech (Lust): A former thief who became a powerful regional count. He is consumed by a lust for immortality and slaughters women with fairy blood to stop his aging process. He is the first hero hunted down by Koinzell.

Barestar (Gluttony): The Chief of the Border Fortress who guards the empire’s frontier.

Lebelont (Pride): A high-ranking Marquis who becomes the de facto ruler of the Szaalenden Empire after Glenn's initial apparent death, using his immense pride to control politics.

Ischüdien (Greed): Known as the Dragon Jarl or Dragon Chief, he wields massive military influence and rules over the dragon riding forces.

Nirgenfeled (Sloth): One of the hidden pillars among the heroes who enjoyed the lazy comforts brought by their false status.

Güllengurv (Wrath): A member of the treacherous group who exercised violent martial force to protect their secrets.

The Traitorous Lances

Ascheriit (Köinzell): The legendary "Blatt Meister" (Master of Swords) and the central protagonist of the series. He survived the slaughter by feeding on the flesh of a high fairy, gaining a new elven body that stopped aging. Under the name Köinzell, he embarks on a bloody, relentless quest for revenge to systematically execute the false Seven Heroes.

Kfer: A proud, honorable warrior and the designated heir to the ruling Jebnaress clan of Jebr. He placed his knightly duties above everything else and was a close friend to Ascheriit.

Güsstav: A highly capable female warrior noted by her companions as having "more experience in war than anyone" else on the team. She came from a common, remote region rather than noble birth.

Krentel: A brilliant magic-wielding fighter who possessed a supreme and unparalleled knowledge of sorcery. Like Güsstav, he was a non-noble from a stranded frontier area.

Fake Kfer: A cruel, arrogant brute who terrorized locals, hoarded gold, and deeply cared only for his black stallion. He begged for mercy when the real Ascheriit outmatched him.

Fake Güsstav: A ruthless, sadistic warlord who took over territories, kept strong or beautiful captives as slaves, and experimented with dark magic. She was cut down after entering a berserker rage under the moonlight.

Fake Krentel: A short, bald man who heavily utilized stolen Wischtech magical tech and wore oversized gauntlets, acting as the group's technical expert. During the chaos, Fake Krentel was actually turned on and brutally murdered by his own Chimera before Köinzell finished off the monster.

Fake Ascheriit: An imposter leading the core remnants of the Black Wing rebels, who was mortally wounded by Köinzell after he tried to offer his army to Köinzell and begged for his life. Köinzell struck him through the heart because the Fake Ascheriit was staining the names of the real, fallen heroes.

The Precious Departed or The Three Who Were Slain

Elgunaha (Ergnach): He was a very close friend of Ascheriit (Köinzell) and the first of the Fourteen Lances to die on the mission. To separate and protect the world from the dark forces, he cast a monumental high-tier spell that created a massive, dividing barrier called the "Heaven's Lance". The spell had a fatal side effect that permanently turned Elgunaha's body entirely into stone upon completion. Centuries later, Köinzell visits his petrified remains to make his peace before destroying the wall.

Ediem: He perished to the natural dangers and hostile environment of the Forest of Death while advancing into enemy territory. While his specific battlefield exploits are less documented than Elgunaha's, he remained incredibly dear to Köinzell, who tears up decades later when remembering his lost friend's honor.

Lanbard: Much like Ediem, Lanbard fell to the extreme perils and vicious climate encountered during the early frontline march. He died alongside his comrades believing fully in the Emperor's mission, completely untainted by the political corruption and cowardice that later destroyed the remaining members of the Fourteen Lances.

Other Characters

Ikfes: A prodigy swordsman who holds the title of Imperial Blade Master, the same title Ascheriit once held. He is later revealed to be the son of Kfer (one of the betrayed heroes) and becomes Köinzell's ultimate rival.

Elsaria Rahnclave: An idealistic knight and the daughter of Imperial Elector Aleczalt Rahnclave. Initially tasked with hunting the "Hero Killer," she eventually uncovers the truth about the Seven Heroes' corrupt regime.

Rozen: A high-ranking officer of the Seven Lances who acts as a mentor figure to Elsaria. He possesses a strong sense of justice but is caught between his duty to the empire and the ugly reality of its rulers.

Schemlje: A skilled female knight and close attendant to Rozen who specializes in long-range combat using a heavy crossbow with explosive arrowheads.

Dariste: A brutal knight of the Lances who specializes in using chain- and rope-based weaponry to bind, torture, and tear apart his targets.

Vice Admiral Pago: A corrupt and cowardly commander of the Szaalenden aerial fleet who abuses his power on the frontier and clashes with Köinzell.

Chief Warrior Monk Lacheb: A ruthless religious military leader who uses the authority of the church to crush dissent and hunt down suspected rebels.

Gerold: A vicious local lord who terrorizes citizens under the protection of the Seven Heroes' massive political umbrella.