Zagato (ザガート Zagāto?) is the primary antagonist of the first season. His younger brother is Cail Lantis, and a high priest of Cephiro.
Personality[]
Zagato is a somber and composed individual with a strategic mind. As a powerful sorcerer, he demonstrates a ruthless edge in combat, driven by his calculated approach and unyielding resolve. When he is first introduced, he is seen as a terrible villain who has kidnapped the beloved Princess Emeraude, watching cruelly as Cephiro crumbles without its Pillar. However, this image is far from the truth.
History[]
High Priest to Princess Emeraude and Clef's right-hand man, Zagato fell deeply in love with the beautiful and kind Princess. Despite her best efforts to put Cephiro first and foremost, Princess Emeraude fell in love with Zagato as well. When Emeraude goes missing, Zagato came forth as having had kidnapped Princess Emeraude. In reality, Emeraude was so upset by her lack of will that she imprisoned herself in the water dungeon to avoid seeing Zagato (Note: The anime differs in that Zagato did abduct and imprison Emeraude in order to protect her and prevent her from summoning the Magic Knights, without success). Zagato does not reveal this to the Magic Knights or Cephiro's people, aiming to destroy the knights when they come after him and in turn, making everyone think and letting them believe he was the bad guy. Only Emeraude and Clef (and in the anime, Inouva) knew of his true intentions from the start.
Zagato
The reason Zagato is this way is because of his deep love for Emeraude and equally deep hate for Cephiro's Pillar System. The Pillar must devote every moment of their existence to praying for Cephiro and never seek happiness from anything except seeing the planet prosper. Zagato was tormented to see Emeraude chained down as such and even more so when she had to resist the love that had grown between them. He decides that instead of Emeraude returning as the Pillar and continuing to be a slave to Cephiro, he would rather have Cephiro cease to exist.
In the end of the first season, he is killed in battle by the Magic Knights in a final attempt to protect Emeraude, his last words to her being to "be free." His death caused Emeraude to give in to her own grief and rage, causing her to also be killed by the Magic Knights, who were forced to do so.
Abilities[]
Zagato is noted to be extremely strong. In his first appearance in the anime, he was able to sneak up on Clef and turn him to stone. While Clef did notice Zagato, it was a split second too late, and that it was only because it was Clef the Master Mage he attacked. Nobody else would have notice Zagato's presence at all. Further, He is noted to have been the one to turn Inouva (who is originally a magical beast) into a human, brainwash the captain of Emeraude's guards Lafarga, and most impressive of all, create something akin to a Rune God, allowing him to fight all three of the fully powered Magic Knights and their Rune Gods and dominate the fight for most of the battle. During his fight with Hikaru outside Rayearth's shrine, he used a white, blue-tinged blast of energy which both decimated Hikaru's defenses and strip her of her armor, which was in its penultimate state of evolution, in one strike.
Relationhips[]
Emeraude[]
Emeraude fell deeply in love with Zagato, and their mutual affection consumed her entirely, leaving her unable to fulfill her duties as ruler. As chaos engulfed the world, she summoned the Magic Knights, resolved to end her life so that a new Pillar could restore balance. However, Zagato opposed her decision, choosing to confront the Knights himself despite the world's unraveling. His defiance against Emeraude's choice and his battle with the girls reflect and his desire for his beloved to live.
Clef[]
Zagato was once Clef's talented student and his right hand, but their relationship turned strained and bittesweet, rooted in conflicting ideals. Their interactions are marked by deep-seated tension, as Zagato rebelling stances clashes with Clef’s commitment to maintaining balance and guiding the Magic Knights. Although Zagato initially turned Clef into stone, suggesting a desire to spare his mentor's life taking him out of the way, rather than lethal intent; their relationship remained fraught with conflicts. Clef’s efforts to oppose Zagato and protect Cephiro underscore the gravity of their discord and the high stakes of their ideological battle.
Lantis[]
Lantis, Zagato’s younger brother, departed Cephiro upon witnessing the destructive romance between Emeraude and Zagato, recognizing the turmoil it would bring to their world. His departure was fueled by his profound disillusionment and the sense of injustice he felt over Zagato's fate. Lantis’s lingering memories of his brother and the perceived unfairness of his destiny shaped his belief in abolishing the Pillar system—a stance embraced by Hikaru.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Zagato is the name of an Italian automotive design studio.
- Zagato is voiced by Jūrōta Kosugi, Lex Lang and Fábio Moura. (Zagato and Lantis share the same voice actor in Japanese, English and Brazilian Portuguese.)