Clare (Claymore)

Clare is the main protagonist of the manga/anime series Claymore. She is a Claymore, the only known one to have taken the flesh and blood of a fellow Claymore (namely, her mother figure, Teresa) rather than that of a Yoma, making her 1/4 Yoma, as opposed to 1/2 human like the other warriors. This was allowed to happen as an experiment to attempt to create a stronger warrior. This experiment was considered a failure, as she was considered weak and was given the last rank of No. 47 in the 150th generation. Her ultimate goal is to hunt down and kill Teresa's murderer, the Awakened Being Priscilla.

She is voiced by Houko Kawashima in the Japanese version of the anime and Stephanie Young in the English version, the latter of whom also voices Olivier Mira Armstrong, Kazehana and Nico Robin.

Appearance
As a child, Clare appears thin and frail. She has straight, light brown hair in a long "hime" (princess) style, much like Galatea's, though shorter, and green eyes. Her scarred body reveals abuse from the Yoma that used her as a cover and a toy.

Her hair is cut in a pageboy and is now light blond. As a trainee, she wears it in the same style as when she was a child. When ambushed by a Yoma during her final test, she cuts off 2/3 of her hair to hang out a window as a decoy, (Extra Scene 4). It has remained short ever since. Her eyes are silver and her body scars are gone, except for the stigmata on the front of her torso. Her body appears wispy, disguising her supernatural strength. She is considered to be quite attractive, as commented by both Sid and a knight passing by her at an inn in Rabona.

When Clare loses her right arm in a fight with Ophelia, Irene gives her her own arm as a gift so that Clare can use the Quicksword more proficiently. Although Yoki-suppressants are supposed to return a Claymore's eyes to their natural color, Clare's eyes appear brown in the anime, not green, when she takes these pills in Rabona (possibly a directional continuity issue). She is right-handed and stands at 170cm tall.

Personality
When first introduced, Clare was a very cold warrior who prioritized her duties over everything else; this is shown when after saving Raki from a Yoma, she told him that she had to get it into a position in which she could kill it easily, implying that she cared more about killing the Yoma than saving his life. Despite this, she was still willing to take Raki with her until they found a new village for him to settle in. She insisted to Raki that she was not a kind person and that, if he tried to find kindness in her, he would only find disappointment. However, he refused to believe that due to what she had done for him and, in time, she defrosted due to his influence- ironically, she had previously done the same thing to her mother figure, Teresa.

Even from childhood, Clare's enormous willpower was apparent when she would persistently follow Teresa despite the dangers. While with Teresa, she was initially mute, but later on was able to speak again. Her determination to kill Priscilla made her take Teresa's flesh and blood into her body and become a Claymore. She had an immense desire to kill Priscilla, to her claim, it was the reason for her being alive. Hence she was an offensive type Claymore. Killing Priscilla became her sole reason for existing, hence her initially cold, calculating attitude.

Although she may look composed on the surface, her emotions can break out very easily, such as when she immediately rushed to Rigardo in anger when her companions were killed. Her burning passion is one of  the reasons why she wasn't able to master the Quick Sword in her condition and repeatedly risks her life to save others. Because she often lets her emotions get the better of her, Clare will tend to ignore all warnings, rushing into any situation, regardless of danger. She can also be rather blunt as shown in the first episodes in the anime.

Following seeing Raki wounded by Priscilla, Clare became ashamed that she no longer wished to throw her life or her humanity away in order to vanquish Priscilla. Conflicted at the desire to live, Clare's turmoil was only settled by Helen's remarks and she then decided to win to see life ahead with her friends.

Trivia

 * Clare is frequently considered by fans to be the female equivalent of Guts. Sure enough, both have unshakable wills (which they had even when they were children), both have similar jobs (Clare is a Claymore, who are essentially bounty hunters, while Guts is a mercenary) and both have a dark side that keeps attempting to take them over.
 * Clare is also similar to Shana from Shakugan no Shana. Both are members of an organization of warriors (the Claymores and Flame Hazes, respectively) who fight a hostile species of monsters prone to preying on humans (Yoma and Crimson Denizens). Additionally, both are introduced as cold warriors who prioritize their duties over protecting the innocent but gradually defrost through continued interactions with Raki and Yuuji Sakai, respectively.