Waifu Wednesday: Miria (Claymore)

I have previously covered my two favourite characters of Claymore, so let’s make it into a top three. Since Claymore is chock full of brilliant female warriors, it makes it an easy go-to of a series to pick out yet another waifu for Waifu Wednesday.

It also helps that as my favourite manga, the appeal to do exactly that is always there for me personally. Here’s to a top gal from it then – arguably the strongest warrior in her own way, and one who deserved to be covered by us much earlier than now. Without further ado, here’s to Phantom Miria.

Minor spoilers mentioned.

Who is Miria?

Miria ranks as number 6 of the Organisation’s present day standing during Clare’s time. With the most notable and powerful of Claymore warriors earning a nickname for their unique talents, Miria’s was due to her impressive speed. She manages to vanish and go out of sight in a split second when she reaches her quickest speed with her Phantom Mirage ability. This resulted in her well-known nickname coming about: “Phantom Miria”.

Initially introduced to us as one of the most defining leader types of Claymore established across the series, we see much more of Miria compared to that of Galatea. While both are notable side characters, what with Galatea’s development coming from off-screen but still being impactful, Miria’s case is the opposite. We see how her natural talent in leading her comrades, thinking tactically in battle and her very personal motivations shape and build her up across the series and time skip.

Miria is a character you will love from the get-go, and she grows all the more impressive and iconic as time goes by. Because without Miria, the happy ending we got for Claymore would simply not exist.

Why you will love her

To get into some spoiler-free explaining for this part, Miria stands out as a Claymore warrior due to her early indications of setting up her character and who she eventually becomes – a beacon of hope and freedom for other Claymores. She feels true compassion and care for her allies, so much so that she will not abide to the Organisation’s rules if they go against the welfare of any number of her comrades. This even takes priority over her role and duty to protect towns and people.

Notably, this sensibility is even projected towards the weakest of Claymores. Upon the very first time the audience and Clare meet her, Miria’s attitude towards Clare is juxtaposed to that of their other two comrades, Deneve and Helen. While the latter is far more vocal in her disdain towards Clare due to her ranking as the lowest within the Organisation, Miria negates the brewing tension and chooses to challenge Clare to test her skills instead and looks out for her in the coming battle.

Soon after bonding over a narrow escape from death as their very first brutal ordeal together, Miria becomes a companion and friend for life to Clare. They promise to meet again after their joint victory, and upon doing so, Miria fully hones her natural talents and role of being the Claymore who makes all the difference in the grand scheme of things.

Spoilers mentioned below.

Why we love her

For what we know about Miria’s background during her time as a novice Claymore, it is a tragic one. This is mostly down to a certain life-changing event that truly solidifies the unnecessary evil of Ophelia’s character. This is related to another Claymore called Hilda, one of the earliest Claymores Miria bonds with, and someone she learned under as an unofficial mentor. As the previous number 6, Miria would go on to embody the kindness and humanity Hilda would always uphold even during her final moments. We also get to witness the gradual development of Miria in acting as a guiding voice to Clare, much like how Hilda always was to Miria.

As Miria takes on the knowledge and teachings of what Hilda once represented, she blossoms into being a true leader, which is best noted down in the Claymore Databooks. Her Leadership rank is A+ here, meaning that she ranks the highest of any Claymore in this department. This is best exemplified in the series in an early arc that was also in the anime adaptation of the Northern Campaign. How Miria decides to divide up the teams with low and high ranking Claymores to balance each one out and formulate a spontaneous backup plan for those who fall in battle shows just how resourceful and tactical she is even when under pressure.

Miria grows even more powerful in the latter section of the manga and remains a leader to her companions. She is determined to see her one and only goal through, and while being so driven to do so, she remains incapable of ever harming her fellow brethren even when coming face to face with them during her confrontation with the Organisation. However, this core attribute to her character is what not only saves her own life but also the Claymores around her at the time.

Not only is she a truly capable leader, she has the power and strength to fulfil her goal of protecting her kin until the very end, even when she was prepared to face the backlash and living nightmare all on her own for the sake of all Claymores, both past and present. When someone talks about inner strength and how it relates to Claymore, we should make this statement exclusive to Miria. She is an exceptional force of nature and the one who actually saves the day as the actual hero of the title.

Watch the show now on Crunchyroll.

Header art by Tea/Nakanashi. Original source no longer online.

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