#shit rant

In short, this entire throne drama is one big disrespect to Armand's memory. Dude literally died for his country, for Amalia and Aurora's safety... and not even half a year later, those two women are trying to murder each other. ~M... great... just great.

Yeah, and another thing that really bothered me is that it wasn't Armand who made the decision to marry Aurora—it was his father who made a deal with Osamodas... Which makes no sense at all and strips the characters of their personalities, and Armand of his agency.

This moment feels like it was deliberately created to "whitewash" Armand in the eyes of the viewer. Because Tot couldn't allow Armand's CONVENIENT new "Jesus" image to be tarnished by that VILLAINESS Aurora. It's because of fucking decisions like this that people get the impression that Armand is being "redeemed." WHICH HE DOESN'T NEED AT ALL.

...

Honestly, I wouldn't even be mad if it turned out Aurora actually does have a claim to the throne—like, if Armand left a will or some agreement back in season 4 when Amalia went missing. (Not because Aurora schemed for it). But because Armand was carrying all that pent-up resentment toward his sister? or thought she was unreliable?? or maybe even assumed she was dead??? That would've been such a good layer to their conflict—actual consequences for two heirs who never really bothered to understand or support each other.

Okay, I went overboard...

With the current level of character writing, Armand would probably have been portrayed as some generic villain in that situation anyway. But I'm really talking about the miscommunication between characters and the genuine, human feelings—the resentments that weighed them down for so long, and then before they even knew it, they'd already lost all that precious time.

There was such a tiny gap between them making up and Armand dying that he might not have even had time to change his mind. And that would explain those sudden agreements between the Osamodas and the Sadida Kingdom that somehow override direct bloodline succession to the throne. Armand would have remained an independent character, still self-sacrificing, but complex and not exactly convenient. And their old family conflict would have carried more weight, since Tot wanted so badly to play with politics. Like, even if the Sadida Kingdom was always technically Bonta's, that fact did absolutely nothing for the entire show. So it just reads as a lazy excuse for lazy writing.

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The entire Great Wave is nothing but a desecration of the past, the characters, and their development. It reads like cheap emotional manipulation—zero interest in telling an actual coherent story. And watching them try to reshape Armand into this convenient little martyr?

As a fan, it's just insulting.

ToT, don't act like you actually give a damn. We know Armand died to free up the throne—he made that pretty damn clear himself with that «as long as I live, no Eliatrope will rule our land».

And then there are those pathetic attempts to hide the Brotherhood's plot armor... Amalia was the first to say she's «above all a defender of the kingdom, and Armand can't die because the people can't lose their king». Yet in the end, it was Armand who sacrificed his life to protect the people... We already know how selfless Amalia is. They just said it out loud for the audience, like they think we're blind kittens. In the end, it just felt like a cruel joke.

Ah, Ankama once showed us the heroic death of a main character...

But times have changed. They decided to get away with minimal casualties, but figured Armand was so unlikable and uninteresting that they absolutely had to turn him into a cuuute little guy.

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I don't need those saccharine lines in the Great Wave anymore, about what a "GOOD RULER" Armand was. Cheap emotional manipulation. Especially since earlier they showed us a little girl crying «I want Amalia! Mom, where's Amalia? AMALIA!»

And I don't need a posthumous fresco, knowing they didn't even show us a single minute of his funeral—prioritizing a rushed wedding instead. Not giving Amalia even a moment to be with her family or simply grieve in peace.

I watched two people dear to Armand beat the hell out of each other! And now I'm forced to entertain the theory that Aurora isn't pregnant—or if she is, it's not Armand's. Because that's literally all I have left of my favorite character...

And this isn't REDEMPTION. This is straight-up MOCKERY. The force of Armand spinning in his grave could power an infinite energy engine.

As for his leadership, the series gives us plenty of reasons to respect Armand as a king.

1. In the game, he's just a teenager and already handling the kingdom's defenses while their dad's drowning in grief. And he's so cute being proud of himself... 🐸🐸🐸🐸

2. In season one, he straight-up admits his people aren't ready for a war with Nox. He lets dad monitor the forest while he focuses on troops and strategy. 🐸🐸

Although, considering Eva's remarks, Armand seems inclined to handle things on his own and could've gone to fight Nox alone (I think she means without involving father).

Also, Eva said something like Armand is very aggressive. But maybe his aggression is only aimed at Dally, Joris, and Yugo. Does he just find short guys that annoying? HAH. As for your dumb little stunt trying to pick a fight with the Bonta ambassador—that'll be "three shrimp" for you, Your Highness 🦐🦐🦐

3. Another beautiful detail: during the battle with Nox, Armand refused to give up so desperately, even when everything was hopeless. 🐸🐸🐸

4. Oh, and at the beginning of season 2, they mentioned that Armand was busy with a military inspection. (Sounds important, of course. But I feel like he just enjoys doing it and that working with the troops actually relaxes him.) 🐸

5. Armand took the situation the most seriously when Adamai and Yugo stole the Eliacube from under guard and used it despite being completely inexperienced. It really was reckless of them, considering how much the kingdom had just suffered from Nox's attack. The fact that the artifact rightfully belongs to them doesn't justify the boys deciding to use it on foreign territory without any idea what the outcome would be. Everyone calls Armand a ungrateful asshole for what he said, but I just see a guy being reasonably careful. 🐸

6. Still, Armand was on board with bringing the eliatrope kids back and was actually the first one to bring up making preparations. Which, honestly, makes him look way more responsible. Later on, we see him helping Oakheart set up the council—servants would report to him, and he'd relay everything to his dad. 🐸🐸

7. I also personally like the little scene where Armand literally springs from his seat during the council to rudely respond to accusations and remind Brakmar that peace was established long ago between them and Bonta. They just gave us a few frames to show the tension in his hands. (Back when Ankama actually gave a damn about details like that). 🐸

8. In the OVA, without waiting for the results of Amalia's marriage and not hoping for a miracle, Armand continued to oversee the construction of the dam. 🐸🐸🐸

To be fair, there was also a scene where Armand spoke disrespectfully about Persedale in front of the children, for which he got slapped. However, he did it after the Iop had shown disrespect toward the king. Dally turned his back on Oakheart, who was begging for help on his knees, even though the issue was about saving an entire people. Considering Armand was watching his kingdom die, his reaction to Persedale's behavior was actually quite restrained. 🦐

9. Later in the OVA, during the meteor shower, while Amalia was consumed by grief and Oakheart as king was forced to hide in a bunker, it was Armand who was shown on the front lines of defense. This was a situation just as dangerous as what happened in season 4. The only difference is that Armand didn't die then, so no one ever remembers it. 🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸

10. As was expected of him, Armand married for political gain. Despite the fact that this widened the gap between him and his sister, he tries to support Aurora and the idea of strengthening the alliance. In his eyes, this is the right set of priorities, if the purpose of this marriage is to help his people. 🐸🐸🐸

Ah, if only they'd shown us even the minimal reasons and benefits of this marriage, there'd be no questions at all... But considering the state the kingdom was in after all the attacks and the flood, they clearly needed support from other rulers. The real issue is that ToT ignored the usefulness of this marriage and decided to squeeze some stupid, poorly written drama out of it instead.

11. Finally, there's a very controversial moment at the beginning of season 3 that shows Armand's character. When he's displeased that Amalia is spending too much time at their father's bedside. Yes, Amalia perceives this negatively. But the point is that Armand is genuinely used to pushing aside his own feelings when his kingdom needs support. And either he's angry that the "little daughter allows herself the luxury of being close to their father" while the "eldest son has to think about politics", or he's angry that Amalia hasn't "grown up" enough in his eyes to act with the same cold calculation as he does. Nevertheless, Armand is very rude to her... And this was a good conflict that could have been developed much further. 🐸🐸🦐

(That is, if we don't take into account the old concept sketches of his character, where he was genuinely only interested in gaining power. Because in the end, they abandoned those).

12. Sooooo uuuhhh I need a twelfth point to round things out nicely. So I'm gonna say—my boy finally started caring about how he looks in front of the people and fixed his nasty breath in season 4. SO PROUD.

🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸🐸!!!

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So, Your Majesty, we've rated the quality of your rule at 37 out of 60 "frogs"🐸 and 5 "shrimp" 🦐 for your rude behavior. You've definitely got room to grow! Too bad we won't get to see it...

In short, Armand really is a good ruler. Someone who spent his whole life preparing for his role and sacrificed not only family relationships but also his own life. In the end, he barely had time to officially be king, but we saw enough throughout the series.

So I don't buy that in season 4 he "UNEXPECTEDLY became a good king" and thus supposedly "FINALLY earned redemption".

Sometimes it really bothers me that Armand's victimhood is framed as "REDEMPTION", even though in my opinion, he doesn't have sins that would genuinely warrant DEATH. And it also fucking upsets me when people dismiss his negative inconvenient behavior, as if it's no longer part of his character.

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First, his so-called "deadly sins" — the ones constantly contrasted with his season 4 self (aka Saint ArmanT).

1. Mmm, my favorite: the fight in episode 19 of season 1. Sooo~ here's my opinion, which you're free to disagree with, because it's a really controversial moment. Both Armand and Persedale are equally to blame for the fight. They were thinking exactly the same way. Their main goal was to show off in front of Evangelyne and humiliate each other as much as possible. In the end, they both lost their temper. Armand was ready to feed Dally to the flytrap, and Dally, in his fusion form, was ready to kill Armand.

~Stupid hysterics

Neither of them is a saint. That was the whole point of the episode—to highlight Persedale's weaknesses, to show what pushes him over the edge and literally transforms him into a monster, both physically and morally. To demonstrate his irresponsibility when it comes to self-control. When it's about fighting for his pride, he just can't help himself, even if it means risking the Brotherhood's reputation and endangering others (like when he hurt Eva).

Armand is just a supporting character in this arc. I enjoyed watching Armand as this petty little antagonist stirring up conflict—he did it beautifully. Later, we got that funny scene at the beginning of season 2 with all the conflict participants and the mint candy. And in season 4, there's that same ironic dialogue between two long-grown-up idiots who've let bygones be bygones and are now genuinely happy to see each other and exchange friendly jabs. They emphasized that a lot of time has passed since that fight, so the change in Armand's attitude toward Persedale feels completely natural. It's not some sudden benevolence.

We should take this more simply and lightheartedly... Just imagine that Armand's whole arc was just so that one day he could finally make a joke about Dally's bad breath.

~Fanny idiots

2. The second most terrible sin Armand is often accused of is his """DESIRE FOR POWER""" and the strained relationship with his sister that stems from it. Even though it's just a classic "siblings" or "fathers and children" type of conflict, where everyone's position is very easy to understand. (If only ToT didn't see politics as "the ultimate EVIL" and equate ambition with immorality).

~Little brats

Because, yes, Armand is more focused on his duty to the kingdom and tends to push aside resolving conflicts with his sister. I think this is relatable to many older brothers and sisters... Sometimes our responsibilities and the desire to be the best or the favorite in our parents' eyes can outweigh our interest in the younger children of the family.

Nevertheless, it was Armand who understood his sister's feelings and convinced their father to let Amalia go on her journey. But that help with the escape was a one-time thing, because little Amalia was suffocating under overprotection and Armand saw that. However, all her subsequent disappearances from home, at a more conscious age, are naturally perceived by Armand as her avoiding royal duties. His reaction in the manga to his sister's year-long disappearance is pretty understandable... And even, I'd say, quite restrained.

Of course, he showed understanding toward Amalia, but that doesn't negate his own deep worries about his sister's life. Nor his completely natural confusion when he has to fill in for his father time and time again while still not being an experienced enough ruler. That's where, for example, Armand's jabs at Amalia in episode 19 come from: «while you were having fun, Father and I were worrying about the health of the Tree of Life».

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So here's my take on who he actually is:

Armand lost his mom when he was old enough to understand, but still just a teenager. From the game screenshots, based on his lines, you can tell that he took on way too much work while his father was in mourning. As a result, by season one, now as an adult, Armand is torn between wanting to be an "important ruler"—sitting on the throne, scolding others for irresponsibility—and being a "dumb guy" who wouldn't mind letting off some steam and picking a fight with someone equally willing. (Which is why the conflict with Dally feels so off—they act the same way despite the age difference).

And Armand never really changes. Still the same self-sacrificing workaholic—anxious, rude, blunt, and painfully proud. So proud that when the Goddess Eliatrope gave her little speech, he took it as her trying to school him on ruling. In the end, he lost his temper, carelessly said something like «Eliatrops won't rule our land», and brought death upon himself. (And now we have jokes about Armand being a racist. GREAT.)

Armand never again acted like an unhinged bastard, only ever hot-tempered and arrogant. I like that—he feels alive and always true to himself. But despite all his unpleasant behavior and careless attitude toward his sister's feelings, he calmly makes decisions to protect the people. And he seems designed precisely to contrast with Amalia's actions as the main heroine. In the early seasons, they let us feel that subtle difference between Amalia's and Armand's priorities. And Amalia had an example—not only in the person of their father, who adores her and is proud of everything she does.