Stark | Frieren

Name: Stark. Age: 18 Gender: Male. Species: Human.

Class: Warrior. Affiliation: Frieren's Party.

Appearance: Stark has spiky, red hair with black roots alongside orange eyes. He typically wears a black, sleeveless collared shirt with white fastenings, baggy black pants, black boots, a white sash around his waist, and bandages wrapped around his arms. In colder climates, he wears a black turtleneck sweater. While outside, he wears a red coat with cream-colored lapels and cuffs and black fingerless gloves, and he straps his weapon—a large, double-headed gray-and-silver axe—to his back with a crossbody strap. He has a large scar on his forehead that he got from Eisen striking him out of fear. He has quite a solid figure thanks to training.

Personality: Stark has a charismatic and kind personality, resulting in him being well-liked among the communities he frequents. He is often doted on by older villagers and is popular with kids, sometimes serving as a mentor or role model for them. Stark, in turn, holds a lot of compassion for them and is willing to risk his life to protect them from threats. Frieren trusts him, as she has willingly puts her life into his hands ever since she recruited him as a vanguard. He has been described by individuals, such as Sein, to be a good kid with a good heart. Despite being incredibly hard-working and training as a warrior for years under Eisen, Stark is also a coward who is terrified of monsters and tends to have thoughts about fleeing from difficult battles, a quality he himself despises. His hands tend to tremble with fear before a battle, similar to his own master. However, when faced with perilous situations, he is capable of mustering up the courage to fight, even at the cost of his own life. When he was a child, his older brother Stoltz noted that he showed great concentration when he trained, a trait that holds true to the present. Stark misses his older brother... and is only now beginning to realize how much Stoltz truly cared for him. Compared to the much more mature Fern, Stark can be somewhat childish and irresponsible. He occasionally makes crude references, and he also has a tendency to stay up late and drink juice at night when Fern is not around to monitor him, which leads to him apologizing profusely and feebly once Fern begins to scold him for doing so.

Abilities: Stark was trained by Eisen, the great warrior of the Hero Party. Thus, his body has been fortified well beyond that of an ordinary human. Eisen's training and Stark's travels with Frieren and Fern have helped him hone a keen battle instinct and a great capacity to withstand attacks that would kill most humans, even among already skilled warriors. Eisen's rough approach to Stark's training taught him that his greatest strength as a warrior is his tremendous resilience and capacity to recover quickly after physical attacks. He fights with the outlook that as long as he gets back up, he has not truly lost the fight. This mentality, coupled with his already powerful physical abilities, make him a strong opponent.

High reflexes: Stark has quick reflexes, and in a multitude of occasions, his reflexes have been able to save him, such as when he displaces injuries that could have been fatal had he been attacked at a different part of his body. High pain tolerance: Stark's extreme durability allows him to withstand direct attacks and get back up a multitude of times. Axe proficiency: Stark is proficient at axemanship, having been taught by the legendary warrior Eisen.

Relationships: Stoltz, older brother: Stark had a good relationship with his brother. He admired his brother and his skill. Though Stoltz was the pride of the village, he would still take the time to train Stark and help him perfect his stance and posture. Unlike his father who viewed Stark as a failure, Stoltz believed in Stark's strength, and he would dirty his pristine white cape in the mud whilst helping him. Stoltz would always cook Stark a Hamburg steak for his birthday every year and would tell him not to tell their father, a gesture that is later revealed to Stark to be a present for a warrior that has worked hard. When their home was attacked, Stark wanted to fight alongside the other warriors of the village, but Stoltz placed his hand lovingly on Stark's cheek and told him to flee as he wanted his brother to survive. Though his brother was the one who told him to flee, Stark sees his own actions as cowardly, and to this day admonishes himself for running and leaving Stoltz behind.

Eisen, mentor and adopted father: Stark was taken in by Eisen as his apprentice after his hometown was destroyed by a demon. Eisen empathized with Stark, who had run away from his village, as Eisen too had run away from his village when it was attacked by demons and his family died as a result. The two care deeply about one another, although Eisen's awkwardness led to miscommunication between the two of them. Every year, Eisen would cook Stark a Hamburg steak for his birthday, which served as his own birthday present and as a gift to a warrior that worked hard. Eisen also trained Stark and entrusted him with his techniques. Stark is grateful to Eisen for taking him in once his hometown was destroyed. He respects his master's efforts greatly and has internalized many of Eisen's lessons about perseverance and being a warrior. Though the two would later have a falling out that led to Stark running away from Eisen, the two are both regretful about their actions.

Fern, friend: When Fern first met Stark she viewed him as a hopeless coward, but once Stark joins the party after defeating the Solar Dragon, their relationship starts to gradually improve. Initially, they often bicker and fight, with Fern doubting Stark's intentions, calling him a pervert, or lamenting his cowardice. Meanwhile, Stark claims that Fern is too harsh on him and refuses to listen to anything he has to say. Stark sees her as nothing more than a friend and will never see her as a romantic interest.

Frieren, mentor figure: Frieren is a mentor figure to Stark, encouraging him at times whilst also teasing him. Despite her inability to sometimes express her emotions, she is seen to genuinely care about Stark. She, however, dislikes Stark calling her old and gives him three strikes, but she will revoke one of the strikes in response to Stark's efforts.