Gowther

Lore & Background

Gowther is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the strongest and most menacing order of Holy Knights in the Liones Kingdom, composed of seven brutal criminals from various races who were branded with symbols of beasts to symbolize the sin that motivated their crimes. Each member of the group had the highest Holy Knight ranking, Diamond, and each possessed a unique weapon known as a Sacred Treasure that was given to them by King Liones. Ten years before the series began, they were branded traitors for having allegedly assassinated Zaratras, captain of the Holy Knights, in an attempted coup d'état. The Seven Deadly Sins are eventually absolved of their crimes after liberating Liones from rule of the Holy Knights.

In Their Own Story

The prototype design for Gowther was that of a warlock named "Jeema", who represented the sin of sloth and who was one of the Seven Deadly Sins whose job it was to secretly protect Meliodas. He eventually evolved into a giant clad in armor, before Suzuki felt that would be boring and changed him into the final version of a glasses-wearing youth. The author modeled Gowther's appearance on a girl he had a crush on, but always drew him as male.

Reader's Guide

Gowther is a member of the Seven Deadly Sins. The prototype design for Gowther was that of a warlock named "Jeema", who represented the sin of sloth and who was one of the Seven Deadly Sins whose job it was to secretly protect Meliodas. He eventually evolved into a giant clad in armor, before Suzuki felt that would be boring and changed him into the final version of a glasses-wearing youth. The author modeled Gowther's appearance on a girl he had a crush on, but always drew him as male.

Did You Know?

• Gowther's prototype was a warlock named 'Jeema' who represented the sin of lust.
• The prototype Jeema's role did not include secretly protecting Meliodas.
• The giant armor design was a separate early concept, not directly for Gowther.
• The claim that Suzuki modeled Gowther's appearance on a girl he had a crush on is a fan rumor and not confirmed.
• Gowther is one of the characters referenced from Arthurian legend (along with Meliodas, Diane, Ban, Harlequin, Merlin and Escanor).

Character Conception and Design Evolution

The prototype design for Gowther was that of a warlock named "Jeema", who represented the sin of sloth and who was one of the Seven Deadly Sins whose job it was to secretly protect Meliodas. He eventually evolved into a giant clad in armor, before Suzuki felt that would be boring and changed him into the final version of a glasses-wearing youth. The author modeled Gowther's appearance on a girl he had a crush on, but always drew him as male.

Thematic Integration and World Building

Set in a fictitious Britannia in a time period akin to the European Middle Ages, the story references various traditions, including Christianity (e.g., the Seven Deadly Sins, the Ten Commandments) and Arthurian legend (e.g., Meliodas, Diane, Ban, Harlequin, Gowther, Merlin and Escanor). This is frequently done in ironic or contradictory ways, such as in the emergence of the title group as the protagonists and the group of "Holy Knights" as the antagonists of the series. The five major clans in the series are Humans, Giants, Fairies, Goddesses, and Demons, all of which possess powerful abilities and magical powers.

Narrative Function and Group Dynamics

Suzuki said he always made sure to show the subtly different relationships between the members of the titular group of knights. For example, he said that while Ban is Meliodas' best friend, King is only a teammate with whom he does not talk. All seven have such relationships, which the author called realistically human. Because he felt it would be too convenient to have seven enemies oppose the Seven Deadly Sins and fight them one-on-one, Suzuki decided on having ten with the Ten Commandments. This way, characters could fail and there would be another who can defeat many by themselves, making it unpredictable for readers.

Visual Identity and Artistic Choices

The final version of Gowther is a glasses-wearing youth. The author modeled Gowther's appearance on a girl he had a crush on, but always drew him as male. In order to distinguish between Jenna and Zaneri, the former wears a miniskirt and has a combative look, while the latter wears a long skirt and has downcast eyes.