Characters / Legend Of The Galactic Heroes The Lohengramm Dynasty

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The reformed ruling system of the Galactic Empire beginning after Reinhard takes power.

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As always, please beware of spoilers. Humans are only human after all.

The Lohengramm Dynasty

Reinhard von Lohengramm

Kaiser Reinhard von Lohengramm

"Do you think that what was possible for Rudolf is impossible for me?"

Voiced by: Ryō Horikawa (main series, prequel series), Hikaru Midorikawa (Golden Wings), Mamoru Miyano (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Aaron Dismuke (Die Neue These) (English)

"There is great satisfaction in fighting for the sake of gaining power, but it’s joyless to fight for the sake of maintaining it."

A young noble whose family had fallen on hard times, Reinhard von Musel was nevertheless content, with his best friend and older sister providing him with all the happiness he needed. This changed when he found out that his sister Annerose had been taken to the Imperial Palace as a concubine for the Kaiser. This abuse of authority drove him to swear a lofty oath: he would fight and eliminate anyone who stood in his way to rescue his sister, or die in the attempt. Along with his friend, Siegfried Kircheis, he abandoned his father and entered the Imperial military academy in the Imperial capital. With the patronage of Kaiser Friedrich IV he rather quickly rose to the rank of Admiral and was later inducted into the high nobility with the title of Count Lohengramm.

Reinhard von Lohengramm possesses a strategic genius evident both on and off the battlefield, and perhaps even more importantly, a keen eye for human talent. His nigh-unfaltering confidence, personal charisma, and refusal to cater to those with noble lineage garner him a significant power base among common soldiers and dissatisfied nobles alike. He has also earned himself quite a few enemies among in the more conservative nobility for these very qualities, but he is in many ways protected both by his military reputation and the Kaiser's favor.

When Reinhard took to the field personally, it was aboard the white battleship, Brunhilde.

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• The Ace: The youngest, greatest and last fleet admiral of the Goldenbaum dynasty.
• Adaptational Heroism: In the light novel and new anime series, he accepted the idea of allowing the nobles to nuke Westerland to gain overwhelming PR over them and to end the war more quickly. In the OVA series, he objected to the idea and it only happened thanks to his indecisiveness and Oberstein maneuvering around him.
• Agent Peacock: More subtle than most examples. He is the only Fleet Admiral to wear different kinds of cloaks. Guys like Rudolf, Muckenberger and Reuenthal stick to one cape, but Reinhard has at least 6 throughout the series.
• Aloof Leader, Affable Subordinate: The aloof leader to Kircheis' affable subordinate. Reinhard oozes charisma, but his presence alone intimidates people and as a result people tend to admire him from a distance.
• Ambiguously Bi: On the one hand, early on in the series Reinhard shows no interest in pursuing women and is only shown to care about two people: his sister Annerose, and his childhood companion Siegfried Kircheis, with whom he shares a very intense and intimately personal bond. Even if there's no sexual attraction, it's clearly at least a romantic friendship of some kind. After Kircheis's death he appears to grow fond of his young aide Emil von Seele as well, possibly as a sort of Replacement Goldfish. On the other hand, later on Reinhard does conceive a child with Hildegard von Mariendorf, whom he eventually marries, so it isn't as if he's incapable of finding women attractive. In the books, some speculate that Reinhard may even be essentially a Celibate Hero; he simply has a much greater passion for war and conquest than he does for sex and romance.
• Animal Motifs: Lions, fitting for a ruler. His banner is a golden lion on a red field. When he becomes Kaiser and grows his hair out even further, it even somewhat looks like a lion's mane. To add to that his dynasty is called Goldenlowe (Golden Lion).
• Antagonist in Mourning: He does not take Yang Wen-li's death well.
• Anti-Hero: Is the closest thing to a hero this series has, but he is no saint. He glorifies war, can't find any peace in well...peace, is haunted by Kircheis' death up until the end of the series, once executes kids above 10 years old and is responsible for countless deaths. That being said, he also reforms the empire for the betterment of the people, is generous and grateful to the people who help him, courageous, a benevolent ruler and has countless other virtues that lead him to improving billions of lives for the better. (One of the biggest points of contention for many of the more virtuous FPA members, though, is that his empire is still an empire, and that's why the likes of Yang, Bucock etc. oppose him to the bitter end.)
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He seems to believe this.
• Badass Boast: Spoken to a group of hesitant mutineers holding him at gunpoint.
  Reinhard: Shoot me! There is only one Reinhard von Lohengramm, and there is only one man whose name will be remembered for killing me. Who wants to be that man?
• Berserk Button: Just try to insult and threaten to do anything her older sister in his face. Not only will it never end well, but he ensures a fitting punishment for doing so. Olvesser learned the hard way.
• Best Served Cold: How he deals with Ovlesser when he insults and threatens Annerose. He first has the guy captured so that he can release only him to the enemy. Then, he has the nobles he swore to serve wrongfully accuse him as a traitor without giving him a chance to prove his innocence.
• Big Brother Instinct: In this case, little brother instinct. Endanger or harm his sister in any way and Reinhard will make you pay with your life.
  • High Admiral Ovlesser at one point starts tossing one insult after another Reinhard's way. He insults Reinhard's accomplishments, his background, his character and capabilities. None of these do anything. Then he brings up Annerose and an enraged Reinhard orders Reuenthal and Mittermeyer to drag the vulgar bastard in front of him.
• Blood Knight: "A sword has no reason to exist except as a sword."
• Byronic Hero: A charismatic, larger than life character who displays arrogance and pride.
• The Call Knows Where You Live: He is definitely not a Reluctant Warrior, but he was content with a simple life until his sister was taken away to be the Emperor's concubine and his father did nothing to prevent that.
• Calling the Old Man Out: Reinhard never forgave his father, Sebastian von Musel, for offering his sister to the Kaiser out of desperation. Tellingly when he's granted special permission to assume the long-defunct noble name of "Lohengramm", Reinhard accepts it without hesitation, severing all ties he had with his father forever.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: Even after gaining enough power, he neither goes against Kaiser Erwin Josef II nor Klaus von Lichtenlade immediately, in order to buy time and cement his own legitimacy. He even joins forces with Lichtenlade in an alliance of convenience. Once the Lippstadt Rebellion ends, however, he decides to do away with the charade altogether, taking out Lichtenlade in the process.
• The Chains of Commanding: Not in the same way as Yang, but he mourns the deaths of several admirals under him, especially Kircheis. Moreover, the costs of his ambitions do come to weigh heavily on him as time passes, learning the hard way that seizing the universe is not without deep sacrifices.
• Character Development: Probably undergoes the most personal changes out of all the characters. Starting out ambitious yet cocky, his experiences and losses over time lead to become more cautious, considerate and introspective especially as Kaiser.
• Character Tics: Later in the series, Reinhard develops a habit of clutching a medallion (actually a locket containing a lock of Kircheis's hair) during key moments.
• The Chessmaster: He employs arguably the best one as his Chief of Military Affairs, but Reinhard himself is a brilliant one as well. It's how he ends up disposing of political obstacles, crippling enemy fleets, gathering more power and conquering planets.
• Cruel Mercy: The Treaty of Ba‘alat signed with Reinhard's approval following the Empire's victory isn't just designed to secure Imperial hegemony, but is purposefully intended to maximize the odds of the Alliance buckling under its own weight to meet said treaty's conditions, thus requiring the Empire to finish the job.
• Death Seeker: In the second half of the story, Hilde starts suspecting that this is a good part of the reason why he's so obsessed with chasing down Yang Wen-li.
• Deliberate Values Dissonance: In-universe. Upon having Duke Lichtenlade apprehended for death over possibly bogus charges, he has all male relatives over 10 years old executed, per Goldenbaum law. His decision to have the women and children spared, however, is considered merciful by the Empire's standards.
• Democracy Is Bad: One of the key elements of his political philosophy, and one of the most prominent distinctions between him and Yang. He holds that democracy just leads to constant bickering and red tape, and prevents driven, capable individuals from making a real difference. His knowledge of Imperial history, and his later dealings with FPA politicians, further reinforce this disdain though not enough to object to an eventual transition to a constitutional monarchy after his death, if Hildegard considers it prudent.
• The Dreaded: Yang describes Reinhard as the greatest enemy to the Democratic Republic, not out of hatred or disgust, but fear that Reinhard actually is a benevolent dictator. Much to Yang's horror, Reinhard does in fact manage to completely dismantle the Freedom Alliance with little bloodshed to boot. To add insult to injury, the Alliance citizens as a whole welcome the change with little resistance due to having grown disillusioned with the corruption of the Alliance government.
• The Emperor: Aspires to topple the Goldenbaum dynasty and reunite humanity under a rejuvenated, meritocratic New Empire. He manages to do just that, but dies before he can see the fruits of his labor fully mature.
• Enfant Terrible: When he was a child, Kircheis had to stop him from beating a bully to death. Apparently it wasn't the first time, just the first time Kircheis didn't show up in time to stop Reinhard before he could make the bully bleed...
• Establishing Character Moment: His dressing-down of the admirals serving under him at Astarte. The admirals are afraid to lose and mask their fear with apparent rationality. They believe that because they can convince Reinhard to retreat, because they're more experienced and because there are 5 of them against just him. It doesn't work. Instead, Reinhard lays down the law, reminds them that this is not a democracy, makes it clear that he won't even consider a retreat and then tears into their plan with his own, which is better constructed. It conveys to the audience that Reinhard is a frightening combination of high intelligence, charisma, and intimidation.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • While Reinhard is willing to do what it takes to bring down the Goldenbaums, he's not going to resort to blackmail or killing children if he could help it.
  • He personally considered the Lippstadt League's nuclear strike on Westerland to be horrifying upon learning of the plan from Oberstein, and even after goading himself into seeing the necessity of the Westerland Massacre, still couldn't quite believe it entirely.
• Exact Words: Reinhard tells Hilda in Die Neue These: Episode 31 that he will not assassinate the seven-year-old Emperor Erwin Josef II because "I would never assassinate a young child." Given that he ordered all the male relatives of Duke Lichtenlade aged 10 and above to be executed on false charges of treason, as per Goldenbaum-era law, both Erwin Josef II and his successor, the baby Katharin Kätchen, got lucky by virtue of their age.
• Expository Hairstyle Change: Grows his hair out after becoming emperor.
• Extremely Protective Child: As the younger brother of Annerose, his goal in his military career was to protect his sister and end the tyrannies of the Goldenbaum dynasty that constantly put her life in danger. He would later defeated the Free Planets Alliance and Earth Cult for her sake as well.
• Fatal Flaw: If Yang's fatal flaw is his ideals, Reinhard's fatal flaw would be pride. At a certain point Reuenthal and Mittermeyer offer to take on Yang for him, but Reinhard declines as he feels like he has to take on Yang himself.
  • Another one is internal politics. Reinhard understands the military, economics, foreign policy, diplomacy and administration just fine, but he often seems unaware of the clashes within his administration. This is partially what leads to Heydrich Lang creating problems, which leads to further intrigue and Reuenthal's rebellion.
• Flaw Exploitation: Reinhard's pride was seized by Yang in hope of defeating Reinhard once and for all. Unfortunately, Yang did not expect Hilda.
• Foil: Reinhard and Yang are polar opposites, yet have quite a lot in common. Reinhard is a very ambitious, though rather morally ambiguous person who seeks power to make his dreams a reality while Yang is a morally strong individual, yet has no ambition whatsoever. Both of them strongly believe in different philosophies and forms of government (democracy for Yang, monarchy for Reinhard). Both of them despise a certain kind of people (Reinhard hates those who believe that they are owed respect and power simply because of their genes, Yang hates those who hide in safety and yet glorify war and patriotism). Both of them suffer from a Fatal Flaw (Pride for Reinhard, idealism for Yang) that were exploited during the series. Both of them are brilliant tacticians, strategists and military leaders, though Reinhard is a Blood Knight who has no qualms about using violence while Yang is a Martial Pacifist who dislikes war and violence. Reinhard fits the Byronic Hero archetype (arrogance, pride, willingness to use and glorify violence, bloodthirsty in the earlier episodes) while Yang is more the Ideal Hero (humble, caring, strong morality, abhors violence and war). Both of them are aware of the corruption in their respective nations, though while Reinhard actively works to reform the Empire's society and conquer the galaxy, Yang does little to nothing to reform the Alliance due to his unwillingness to disobey his superiors.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Began life as the son of an Impoverished Patrician in the lower ranks of the Imperial nobility. After his father sold his sister to the Kaiser, he embarked on a secret quest for revenge that saw him swiftly climb his way up the ranks to become one of the Empire's most skilled and feared admirals. He eventually overthrows the Goldenbaum dynasty and has himself crowned Kaiser.
• Galactic Conqueror: Aspires to unite humanity under a single banner in the name of progress. About midway through the series, he succeeds... mostly.
• Happily Married: With Hilda. They're really quite happy together.
• The Hero Dies: At the end of the series, he dies from an undiscovered disease.
• Heroic BSoD: Happens twice; once after Kircheis' death, and again when a would-be assassin calls him out for his willingness to sacrifice Westerland.
• Hot-Blooded: It's rather unusual that he manages to be both this and extremely conniving.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Reinhard surrounds himself with these by gathering the most talented men in the Empire. Though Reinhard is incredibly competent in all fields, it could be argued that he has subordinates that excel him in the field they are working for (except warfare, though Reuenthal and especially Kircheis may be equal). For example, Hilda is a smarter politician than him. Reinhard relying on their superior abilities is what makes him such a supreme leader.
• I Did What I Had to Do: While very contemptuous of the Goldenbaum Dynasty and Kaiser Rudolf for the oppression and corruption they represented against commoners and low-nobles like him, he proves himself capable of engaging in similar actions, even if he takes no pleasure in nor excuses himself for much of them:
  • The only time he actually makes an excuse is explaining to Kircheis about his inaction and eventual decision to allow the nuking of Westerland and its 2 million innocent lives by the cruel Duke Braunschweig for a political advantage and to end the war quicker, which is more pronounced in the novels and Die Neue These. After this point, he never made excuses for his decisions again.
  • Despite his disdain for spiteful turncoats like Arthur Lynch, Reinhard agrees to send him back to the FPA, knowing that this would instigate a violent coup that would not only keep the Alliance too preoccupied to intervene in the Lippstadt Rebellion, but also cripple it long enough for the Empire to get back on its feet.
  • He has his political opponent Klaus von Lichtenlade arrested on possibly false charges of plotting against him when the true man responsible for Kircheis' death, Ansbach, acted alone to try and fulfill his promise to his master. As if that weren't enough, by Goldenbaum-era law, he then has all of Lichtenlade's male relatives ages 10 and above executed for treason.
  • In order to gain more power for himself, he goes along with Fezzan's plan to have the young Emperor Erwin Josef II kidnapped and then have him handed over to the Free Planets Alliance so Reinhard can use that as an excuse to invade the FPA and depose the Goldenbaum Dynasty once and for all.
• Impoverished Patrician: Reinhard comes from a noble background, but by the time he was born, his family had fallen on hard times. From the perspective of the High Nobles, especially, he's seen as little better than a commoner, which would further fuel his resentment towards them.
• Internal Reformist: One of the three main reasons he wanted to climb the ranks of military. The first was to get his sister back, the second to kill the Kaiser, the third was to transform the Empire by instituting a government where leaders are appointed on the basis of merit and not class privilege. He already starts off as a rebellious entity when he takes Reuenthal and Mittermeyer into his service, leading to a lower noble and a commoner making it all the way to vice admiral, but as soon as he becomes fleet admiral he adds several commoners to his admiralty and later on one more lower noble. This in a system where the higher ranks tend to go to high nobles and commoners have a snowball's chance in hell of becoming a vice admiral.
• Irony: The High Nobility considers him nothing more than a lowborn peasant who has no business being among the elites of the nobility. The whole point of nobility in real life was that they were the warriors who would defend the common people in exchange for subservience. In other words Reinhard is what an actual noble is supposed to be and the High Nobility are the pretenders.
• It's All About Me: Downplayed, and if anything, played for drama. Reinhard does have a select group of friends that he's willing to open up to, and he doesn't allow his ego to get so large that he won't take honest criticism or disagreement. However, even before becoming Emperor, Reinhard put himself on a pedestal above everyone else, completely convinced in his own singular ability to rule, and refusing to accept any scenario in which someone is not under his aegis. This got worse after Kircheis' death, where his inability, or simple unwillingness to open up to anybody else leads him to getting progressively more isolated and ruthless. Even after Yang's death (and while reflecting on Kircheis') Reinhard chiefly laments about them leaving him behind, instead of living for his sake.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Reinhard is a brave and noble Internal Reformist but also hindered by his immeasurable pride and his warlike nature. At the end of the day, Reinhard is a very complex character. His actions saved, freed, and bettered the lives of countless billions, and billions more to come. But he also condemned millions to die to achieve such an end.
• The Leader: A titanic combination of Charismatic and Mastermind.
• Legacy Character: After a fashion. Reinhard becomes the latest to be granted the "von Lohengramm" name, originally carried by a noble house known for military accomplishment and playing a key role in taking down arguably the most evil emperor in Imperial history.
• Let No Crisis Go to Waste:
  • Reinhard already had plans to have the young Kaiser Erwin Josef II deposed one way or another following the death of Friedrich IV. The boy's abduction by Goldenbaum loyalists and their subsequent escape to Heinessen both give him an ideal rationale to finish off the Alliance and dramatically accelerates said plans to do away with the dynasty altogether, without actually having to dispose of the boy Kaiser himself.
  • During his time on Heinessen, his residence is blown up as a result of a gas leak. However, Reinhard uses the opportunity to scapegoat the Patriotic Knight Corps. Considering they suppressed peace politicians and supported the warhawks who sold out their nation, and was additionally a cell of the Earth Cult, the former Alliance citizens saw this as another reason to admire him.
• Lonely at the Top: He achieves his goals, but his best friend is dead, his sister is not talking to him, and he never got to truly have his final clash with Yang. Eventually gets better as he gets closer to Hilda and Emil.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He looks like a male version of Annerose once he grows his hair out.
• Meaningful Name: In German, the name Reinhard means mighty, brave and strong judgment. All aspects that fit him to a t.
• Meaningful Rename: When Reinhard (still known as von Musel) is 18 years old, Kaiser Friedrich IV tells his prime minister that he plans to bestow the countship of Lohengramm on the young rear admiral when he becomes 20. The Lohengramm name came from a family that earned its prestige through military accomplishment and was instrumental in taking down arguably the most evil emperor in the history of the Empire. For that act, Admiral Konrad Heinz von Lohengramm was made Fleet Admiral, then given a position as a military chief of staff, followed by cabinet positions and the title of Marquis. Reinhard's path reads like a more extreme version of Konrad's.
• Mirror Character: To Rudolf Von Goldenbaum. Reinhard is often compared to him and they do have some things in common. Both rose up through the social ranks with their military achievements first, then using that reputation to achieve political power and creating imperial dynasties. Reinhard often claims that he doesn't want to become like Rudolf, but it could be argued that had it not been for Kircheis, Oberstein and Hilda constantly reminding him of his duties to the people, he would have become exactly the same.
• Missing Mom: Reinhard's mother was killed by a reckless driver, throwing herself in its path in order to get Reinhard and Annerose to safety. Since the driver was a high noble, he was never prosecuted, even though he was clearly at fault.
• Modest Royalty: Even before becoming Kaiser, as a duke he shuts down most parts of the Imperial Palace and orders that celebrations be less extravagant, as they are tacky and a waste of the people's money.
• My Greatest Failure: Failing to prevent the Westerland Massacre. Sure, Oberstein got him to hesitate and lied about the timing so when he tried, the ships were too late, but he still considers himself guilty, and never gets over it.
  • It's more on the point in the novels where there was no manipulation by Oberstein, Reinhard made the decision not to intervene by himself.
• Nepotism:
  • In his early career, he was hounded by rumors that he was a "petticoat admiral" who only got promoted because his sister happened to catch the Kaiser's eye. Given how rampant and blatant nepotism was among the high nobility, and how it was one of the things he held them in contempt for, the sheer hypocrisy of these accusations rankled him immensely.
  • On the opposite end, Reinhard doesn't hide the fact that Kircheis is his closest friend, and has a habit of treating him with favor in front of the rest of the fleet. After the Imperial Civil War, Oberstein calls Reinhard out on this pointing out that continuing acting this way will set a bad precedent.
• Nerves of Steel: Reinhard is a very confident man and is rarely, if ever, scared of other people.
• No Challenge Equals No Satisfaction: Has a deep-seated hunger for challenges to overcome and fights to win, both in military and state affairs, and he doesn't appreciate victory that he doesn't feel he's earned for himself.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Ends up lining up to quite a number, actually.
  • Could be seen as a stand-in for Frederick the Great, the King of Prussia (1712-1786). Military and tactical genius? Check. Talented politician? Check. Childhood companion who was both best and only friend? Check. Witnessing said friend's death at a young age before coronation? Check. Affectionate older sister? Check. Frugal in regards to personal affairs but lavish in warfare? Check. Sexually ambiguous? Check. Loner? Check. Wore nothing but military uniforms through entire lifetime? Check. Saved by a miracle during a battle? Check.
  • Also, of Alexander the Great. Ascended to military power at a very young age, began many social and economic reforms, conquered all they saw before them, and both died at a young age.
  • Likewise, of Napoleon Bonaparte. Given that he embarked on risky campaigns, sought for reforms, becoming Emperor himself and even daring dissident soldiers to shoot him, much like Napoleon did.
  • Count Franz von Mariendorf (Hildegarde's father) compares Reinhard to Charles XII of Sweden and without knowing it, he was foreshadowing Reinhard's fate. A military genius who passed away in his 30s, wasn't much for carnal interactions and while talented in one area was largely deficient in another (in this case, the count talked about Reinhard sharing his feelings). 30s aside, it describes Reinhard to a T. To add to that, Charles' army fell because he got wounded. Reinhard ended up giving the Iserlohn Republic a draw, even though he could have won, because his own body failed him. Had he stayed healthy, he would have annihilated Iserlohn's military.
  • Has some similarity to Yamagata Aritomo. Both started off as the lowest forms of noble (Samurai for Aritomo, Reichsritter for Reinhard), both gained power through military service. Both established military power blocks which they used to take down the old order (which just happened to be landowning and court nobles) and both became military dictators. The first courtly rank Aritomo got was Count, just like Reinhard.
• No Sense of Humor: Reinhard has a difficult time understanding humor, jokes or comedy. This is noted by Julian when he spent sometime with Reinhard near the end of the series. Julian found himself constantly explaining jokes and humorous situations, only to receive more questions as to why they should induce a smile or laughter.
• Not So Invincible After All: He ends up dying of a congenital disease.
• The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Over the course of the series, Reinhard develops a very personal rivalry with Yang (at least on his side), and gets progressively more driven to defeat him as the war drags on. Even after he wins the war, the fact that he never actually managed to beat Yang in battle rankles him deeply, leading him to jump at the chance to do so when Yang becomes active again, and when he dies by another's hand, Reinhard doesn't take it very well.
• Pretty Boy: The guy's actually famous for his looks in-universe.
• The Protagonist: Reinhard's ambitions to rule the galaxy and bring change to the entirety of the Galactic Empire are the main driving forces of the story.
• Proud Warrior Race Guy: The Empire's soldiers are this in general, but Reinhard takes the cake. When Yang has his victory over Reinhard secured, but suddenly surrenders, Reinhard is pissed that Yang doesn't kill him.
• A Real Man Is a Killer: This belief is one of his few real character flaws, but its existence — and its manifestation in the belief that conflict or combat are the only means of determining a belief's worth — have galactic-scale consequences.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: He consistently tries to be one, though he progressively becomes better at it by the time he becomes Emperor.
• Restrained Revenge: Rather than kill or exact punishment on the last Goldenbaum monarch, the eight-month old Katharin Kätchen, following her abdication, Reinhard instead opts to spare her life. He even goes so far as to grant her a lifelong annuity alongside her father's elevated titles. He instead settles on trying to be a better Kaiser than the Goldenbaums ever were.
• Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: Reinhard considers treason, particularly of the self-serving kind, to be cowardly conduct which has no place within his Empire. He notably has the FPA soldiers who killed Chairman João Rebelo executed rather than affording them a trial, legal representation, or clemency for finishing off the Alliance's leadership. In contrast, he has the Heinessen bureaucrats who'd been engaged in civil disobedience against the new Imperial administration pardoned and praised for their courage, as if they had been in power the Alliance would have never fallen.
• Rule of Symbolism: His early cloak◊ offers two counts of this in regards to Rudolf. Whereas the other prominent fleet admirals wear their cloaks where the front is completely exposed, Reinhard wears it where the front is partially, assymetrically covered. The color he picks for his cloak is white. The color of the uniform Rudolf wore when he was a fleet commander was white and when he wore a cloak as emperor (and was making sweeping changes, similar to Reinhard as prime minister) he wore it the way Reinhard did after he became a fleet admiral. It serves as a symbolic reminder that for all of his intentions, Reinhard is always in danger of becoming similar to Rudolf.
  • Germanic-naming aside, the Galactic Empire is based on Imperial China. In Imperial China it was forbidden for anybody but the Imperial family to wear yellow. Although there are plenty of other blondes in the series (such as Mittermeyer and Evangeline), Reinhard and Annerose are the only ones who have bright yellow hair.
• So What Do We Do Now?: He falls into a state of ennui after becoming Emperor and defeating the Free Planets Alliance. He's never really satisfied unless he has a Worthy Opponent to test his wits.
• The Starscream: To Friedrich. Reinhard deeply hated him for having taken his sister as a concubine, although this link to the royalty gave him the necessary clout to rise high in the ranks. When the Kaiser dies of natural causes, Reinhard seethes, stating that he had hoped to kill the man with his own hands one day.
• Took a Level in Kindness: Bloodthirsty, ruthless, and exploitative in the first few seasons, he eventually calms down, shows mercy to his enemies, and starts dealing with his subjects as human beings instead of expendable human resources. Bittenfeld and Reuenthal wonder if this is Badass Decay.
• Tragic Keepsake: Wears a locket with a lock of Kircheis's hair around his neck constantly after Kircheis's death.
• Tragic Bromance: Shares a close personal bond with Siegfried Kircheis. The latter dies at the end of the first season while protecting Reinhard from assassins.
• Trauma Button: The Westerland Massacre, and to a lesser extent the possibility that he could become like Rudolf or the corrupt nobility, often sends him spiraling. While its certainly part of his personal ethics that these implications hurt him, its heavily suggested that its more to do with how his final days with Kircheis were spent arguing about the morality of the Westerland incident.
• Übermensch: A surprisingly sympathetic and fallible example.
• The Unfettered: Reinhard will get his sister back and take over the galaxy no matter what it takes.
• Unknown Rival: To Yang Wen-li. Yang has an immense respect for Reinhard's abilities but has no idea that Reinhard takes their encounters so personally.
• Victory Is Boring: After his conquest of the Free Planets Alliance, he falls into a state of ennui, wondering if he's truly cut out for pursuits other than war. When he gets another opportunity to fight Yang Wen-li afterward, he throws himself into the campaign with renewed fervor.
• Villain Protagonist: This is one of the major possible perspectives on the man, especially if you are (like many Anglophone viewers especially) inclined to take Yang and the Alliance's side on the conflict. Ultimately, it's what the story is about: this is a story of how a war-weary democracy saw a chance to end its long conflict and "destroy" its longtime opponent, but the way this was done only resulted in the entire country being obliterated. However, by the end, the majority of the Alliance heroes are dead, including the Alliance protagonist; therefore, the story focuses on and is told through the lens of Reinhard, because just as important to the story of the FPA's destruction is the story and background of the guy doing the destructing on the other side, and why he's able to succeed where others failed.
• Warrior Prince: A minor aristocrat from an impoverished house who manages to climb his way up the ranks of the Imperial military. He eventually seizes the throne himself by force.
• Workaholic: Is at one point the Space Fleet Commander, Chief of High Command, Minister of Military Affairs and Prime Minister of the Galactic Empire all at once.
• We Have Reserves: Zigzagged. While Reinhard is more than willing to put his own life on the line next to his men, he sometimes expresses this view of his subordinates. When Hilda says it would be a shame if Admiral Kempff died in the upcoming Geiersburg Operation against Iserlohn, Reinhard simply says "If he died doing that, it would mean that was all there was to him. No matter how long he lived, he wouldn't be very useful." After Kempff indeed dies during the failed mission, Reuenthal criticizes Reinhard in a private conversation with Mittermeyer by invoking this trope, expressing his viewpoint that Reinhard views all of his soldiers as disposable pawns to be used and thrown away with the exception of the late Admiral Kircheis.
• Well-Trained, but Inexperienced: Early on in the series, and especially in the prequel spinoffs, Reinhard is shown to be incredibly talented but often thrown on a loop due both inexperience and unforeseen circumstances. Kircheis, however, is there to help him stay focused and learn from such moments.
• What You Are in the Dark: Away from prying eyes, Reinhard expresses doubts about whether he's doing the right thing as continually seeks Kircheis' advice even after his death, as well as that from both Oberstein and Fräulein later Kaiserin Mariendorf.
• Worthy Opponent:
  • While Yang doesn't get nearly as worked up over their apparent rivalry as Reinhard does, he clearly holds Reinhard in high regard as a dangerous opponent worth taking seriously. He also expresses admiration for Reinhard's ability to inspire loyalty, admitting that had Yang been born an Imperial himself he likely would have been swayed to Reinhard's cause himself.
  • Reinhard also holds a begrudging respect towards FPA bureaucrats and citizens who have held steadfast to their commitment towards democracy, despite his own misgivings towards it. Even admitting that had they, rather than their erstwhile superiors and peers, ran the Alliance, the fate of both sides would have been very different indeed.
• Would Hurt a Child: He orders all of Duke Lichtenlade's male relatives aged 10 and above executed, as per the law of the Goldenbaum-era Empire, after having the man himself forced to commit suicide.
• Young Conqueror: He's already a renowned admiral by the time he reaches 20, and he conquers Fezzan and the Free Planets Alliance soon afterward. Like Alexander the Great, he dies young after essentially conquering the known world.

Hildegard von Mariendorf

Kaiserin Hildegard von Lohengramm

Voiced by: Masako Katsuki (main series), Kana Hanazawa (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Brittany Lauda (Die Neue These) (English)

Uncommon for the daughter of an old noble family, Hilda took a keen interest in politics and statecraft from a young age and distanced herself from the social maneuverings of the other ladies at court. As the rest of the family prepared to support Duke Braunschweig in the Lippstadt Rebellion, she intervened and bartered with Reinhard von Lohengramm for protection of their holdings in exchange for switching sides. When Reinhard rose to power he appointed her as his personal secretary and she served in this capacity through most of the war. Fräulein Mariendorf was not only an efficient worker but astute in both politics and strategy, often advising the regent and later Kaiser in an informal capacity. She would not hesitate to intervene if she thought it was in his best interests and more than once, she was able to save Reinhard from certain defeat by outmaneuvering her opponents in the political arena while he was fixated on the battle in front of him. Throughout the series she tried to convince him to focus on consolidating his power rather than chasing after Yang Wen-li but was very rarely able to dissuade him.

Though officially only Reinhard's consort, she became sole regent of the Empire after his death and remained so until Alexander came of age. She was also instrumental in instituting democratic reform within the Empire and pushing it along the path to becoming a constitutional monarchy.

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• Brutal Honesty: She's not afraid to confront Reinhard with uncomfortable truths that he doesn't necessarily want to face, though she does learn to tone down the bluntness a little after one incident where she crosses a line by being a little too frank.
• The Chains of Commanding: While Hildegard leads no military forces of her own, she nonetheless understands the severity of her decisions and advice, knowing that the best course of action is not necessarily the most moral or bloodless.
• Combat Pragmatist: Though she's rarely involved in military matters, when she does offer her advice, Reinhard comments that her plans can be just as underhanded as Oberstein's.
• Commonality Connection: Downplayed. Despite Hildegard's higher-born background, echoing Reinhard her family had been sidelined by the Goldenbaum Dynasty for its push towards change and reform, to the point that while her father is ostensibly a High Noble, he only has the middling rank of Count and had nearly been killed amidst the Castrop Rebellion.
• Daddy's Girl: She's very close to her father, who lets her pursue her interest in politics.
• Dirty Business: Her solution of winning the war consist of her exploiting Yang's moral conviction and good hearted nature, turning it all against him by putting him in a situation in which he will have to either betray everything he stands for, or lose the war. She fully acknowledges that it is a despicable thing to do, but necessary for winning the war and saving Reinhard's life.
• Flaw Exploitation: Mariendorf takes advantage of Yang's inflexible ideals in order to win the war.
• Good Is Not Soft: She's kind and affectionate, but beneath the surface can be as cold and calculating as Oberstein.
• Happily Married: With Reinhard. They're quite fond of each other.
• The Heart: She urges Reinhard to show mercy to his opponents and to pay more attention to his subjects' well-being. Doesn't mean that she's naïve or unwilling to take the necessary actions.
• Heroic BSoD: Suffers a minor one when her sickly cousin turns out to be involved in a plot to assassinate Reinhard.
• The High Queen: At the end of the series after Reinhard's death. He gives her all the power, allowing her to make the decision to bypass their son and move on to democracy if the boy isn't fit to rule. The narrator informs us that she does bring the Empire to prosperity and is instrumental in building a constitutional monarchy.
• Honest Advisor: She always tries to guide Reinhard to do what is right/most practical rather than follows his will.
• Hot Consort: Several characters remark upon her beauty, but this is not really played up.
  • This is played up more in the novels, where Reinhard is intrigued by her combination of good looks and political savvy from their first meeting onward.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: She favours the notion that it's more efficient to find experts to work for you rather than trying to be proficient at everything. And she herself is one to Reinhard when it comes to politics.
• I Owe You My Life. Downplayed. She shows gratitude towards Kircheis, and to an extent Reinhard, for saving her father during the Castrop Rebellion, but otherwise refuses to allow personal feelings to cloud her judgement as much as possible.
• Iron Lady: Downplayed. She's a tough negotiator and a shrewd politician, and she has the knowledge and skills to back her words up with concrete results. That being said, even when honest, she is still overall a kind person. She doesn't insult people, but rather offers Constructive Criticism.
• Mirror Character: To Oberstein, at least in term of what they think Reinhard should do. They both want to steer Reinhard from military conquest to concentrate on governing. And Reinhard comments that her tactics can be just as ruthless as Oberstein's.
• More Deadly Than the Male: Her tactics to defeat the Free Planets Alliance is more efficient than Reinhard's and ultimately it is her who brings decisive victory to Empire side.
• Motherly Side Plait: Wears her hair like this after giving birth.
• Nothing Personal: She consistently makes a point to keep personal feelings and misgivings to an absolute minimum when it comes to crucial decision-making, and generally avoids insulting people directly.
• Power Hair: Her typical hairstyle, as befitting an Iron Lady.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: She comes from among the handful of noble houses that actually uphold the ideal of Noblesse Oblige, and her actions show it. The Mariendorfs become one of the only surviving High Noble families in Reinhard's Empire and by the end of the series, she becomes Kaiserin-Regent.
• Silk Hiding Steel: It doesn't take long for Reinhard (and viewers) to realize that Mariendorf is one of the boldest and most intelligent characters in the entire show. She correctly deduced that Reinhard would lose the Battle of Vermillion and his life, if alternative measures were not taken. The plan to take Heinessen to force the Alliance to surrender was hers, Mittermeyer and Reuenthal just carried it out. Reinhard couldn't bring the Alliance to it's knees, his future wife could.
• Spanner in the Works: Her plan to have Mittenmeyer and Reuenthal take Heinessen and force the Alliance's military forces to surrender is what ruins Yang's entire plan to kill Reinhard by taking advantage of his moral code, being completely aware that he would never disobey the orders of the democratically elected government.
• Sleeping with the Boss: While serving as Reinhard's executive secretary, she ends up sleeping with him. 9 months later, Alexander is born.
• The Smurfette Principle: The only woman in Reinhard's group.
• Squee: An unusual example. It pleases her greatly that her father allows her to handle their family affiliation during the Lohengramm faction vs Goldenbaum old nobles conflict, as she's very interested in politics and thus she can observe an interesting age and interesting people.
• Women Are Wiser: Mariendorf is much more practical than the glory-seeking and stubborn men who surround her.

Annerose von Grünewald

Grand Duchess Annerose von Grünewald

Voiced by: Keiko Han (main series), Maaya Sakamoto (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Amber Lee Connors (Die Neue These) (English)

"Reinhard, when you are weary, please come to see me. But you must not be weary yet."

Originally Annerose von Müsel, she was Reinhard's older sister, the one thing he cherished more than anything else in the world, and the entire reason for his quest to overthrow the Goldenbaum Dynasty. Her beauty had captured the attention of Kaiser Friedrich IV and he made her one of the Imperial consorts with the title of Countess von Grünewald, much to the envy of other ladies at court. Through it all she never lost her kindness and consideration for those around her even when they were plotting to stab her in the back. She charged Kircheis with standing by Reinhard and protecting him always, a task that he was only too happy to accept.

Needless to say, her withdrawal from Reinhard's life had a considerable impact on him and he would later remark that his triumphant ascension to the throne was made hollow and bitter because the two people he cared for the most were not around to share it with him. It would be a long time before they would see each other again.

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• Damsel in Distress: A long-term case, in that she spends most of the early series trapped in the Imperial Palace. On the other hand, when an assassin comes in to kill a pregnant Hilda, Annerose's reaction is to protect Hilda and kill the assailant with a small statue. She's Reinhard's sister, alright.
• Gilded Cage: As the Kaiser's beloved concubine, she has access to almost anything she could ask for — except the freedom to live her own life.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: She has golden hair, and is one of the kindest, most forgiving people in the whole galaxy.
• Hermit Guru: A rare female example.
• Hidden Depths: She's not exactly as fragile as she appears to be.
• Living Memory: She sees herself as this.
• Modest Royalty: Even moreso than her brother. She could have whichever vast mansion she wanted, instead she asked Reinhard to find her a small house somewhere.
• Morality Chain: She's Reinhard's primary motivations for his rise to power and one of the few things keeping his conscience in check. Unfortunately, she's simply not equipped for the role and chooses to withdraw from his life.
• My Greatest Failure: She knows it was at her behest that Kircheis became Reinhard's most loyal follower, and so blames herself for his death.
• Parental Substitute: Takes care of young Konrad von Modell after the boy lost the rest of his family. She also served as the closest thing to a parental figure that Reinhard had, as their mother was nowhere to be found and their father was a neglectful drunk. She also goes out of her way to tend to a dying Reinhard in his final days.
• Proper Lady: Kind and compassionate and wholesome; she'd fit right into the imperial court if the others were not jealous of her position.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: The second she's free from the Kaiser and the Empire isn't in the middle of a civil war, she immediately abandons the political nightmare of the Empire and retires to the countryside.
• Small Role, Big Impact: She was just a timid woman who just wanted to be left alone, and didn't have much time on screen. However, her being taken by Kaiser Friedrich IV as his consort was what both enraged her younger brother Reinhard into seeking more power for himself in order to save her and jump started his military career. Ultimately resulting in the fall of the Goldenbaum Dynasty, the destruction of the Free Planet Alliance, the rise of the Lohengramm Dynasty, and the unification of humanity. Hilda outright referred to her as the mother of the Neue Reich in her inner monologue, and said that history would have been very different if she was never born at all.
• Starcrossed Lovers: Kircheis was in love with her and in episode 26, Reinhard asks her if she was in love with him. 103 confirms that she was.

Fleet Admirals

Siegfried Kircheis

High Admiral Siegfried Kircheis ^note Was Reinhard's highest-ranking admiral and vice space fleet commander at the time of the civil war. Hence his position in this folder.

Voiced by: Masashi Hironaka (main series), Takehito Koyasu (Golden Wings), Yuichiro Umehara (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Clifford Chapin (Die Neue These) (English)

"Please, Lord Reinhard, promise me that you will conquer the universe."

If Reinhard von Lohengramm was the light that would lead the Empire into a new age, then Siegfried Kircheis would have to be the shadow that followed directly behind. Kircheis and Reinhard became close friends at a young age, and even then, Reinhard insisted on calling him by his surname Kircheis because he felt that Siegfried was too common a name for such an extraordinary person. Kircheis adored both Reinhard and Annerose, so much so that when Annerose was taken away and Reinhard swore to rescue her and asked for his assistance, Kircheis promised to follow and help him in any way he could. He joined military school and rose quickly through the ranks alongside Reinhard. Along the way he made another promise, this time to Annerose — to protect Reinhard and guide him on his way to power.

Even though Kircheis' talents rival those of Reinhard himself, Kircheis does not share in his ambition, drive, and charisma. He is deeply devoted toward his friend, and possesses a wisdom, composure, and sense of morality that Reinhard occasionally lacks. Reinhard fully recognizes his friend's talents and depends heavily on Kircheis' advice and direction, if only in private.

As a military commander, Kircheis is as kind and benevolent as he is brilliant, often demonstrating his preference for avoiding as much bloodshed as possible. He directs his forces aboard the red flagship, appropriately named Barbarossa.

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• The Ace: A military genius capable of making Yang sweat, expert marksman, good enough in combat to go toe-to-toe with Schenkopp, balls of steel... All while also being incredibly kind and acting as Reinhard's conscience. Quite deliberate considering he dies very early on and everyone spends the rest of the entire story mourning his death.
• Adaptational Personality Change: The OVA version of Kircheis is very warm, friendly, approachable and unassuming. He even speaks politely with military men of a lower rank. His DNT version severely downplays these aspects, to the point where you forget he has them. He is still very friendly to Yang and Julian (outside of off course Reinhard and Annerose), but that's about it.
• Almighty Janitor: Starts off as a simple Captain. He quickly gets the opportunity to show what he's capable and a little over a year later he is a High Admiral.
• Aloof Leader, Affable Subordinate: The affable subordinate to Reinhard's aloof leader. Kircheis is more down-to-earth and approachable than his boss/best friend and as a result he can diffuse tensions quite easily.
• Animal Motif: A dog. In the animated short Teikoku Momotarou he's the dog to Reinhard's Momotarou, and can only say "Yes, Reinhard/Annerose-sama!"
• Beware the Nice Ones: The nicest, most humble and deadliest of Reinhard's admirals.
  • Don't harm innocent people, else he will have you executed.
  • In the Silver-White Valley prequels, a treacherous subordinate decides to not just attack Reinhard, but also to insult Annerose. Reinhard turns to Kircheis and asks him what he should do with the soldier. Kircheis basically tells him to kill the bastard, just for talking shit about Annerose. He doesn't even mention the murder attempt.
• The Confidant: One of the few people Reinhard has ever truly opened up to.
• The Conscience: He is this for Reinhard. Possibly for the audience as well.
• The Consigliere: Reinhard's most notable advisor on combat matters. The influence he wields is incredible. Even after death.
• Dead Guy Junior: Reinhard names his son Alexander Siegfried von Lohengramm.
• Fiery Redhead: Completely inverted. Kircheis hates killing and is very slow to anger, occasionally being the only one who can calm Reinhard down.
• Formal Characters Use Keigo: As opposed to Reinhard who rarely uses keigo and when he does he's mostly sarcastic about it (unless he's talking to Annerose), Kircheis habitually uses it with everyone, even with people who are way below him in rank. It emphasizes his humble, unassuming personality.
• Good Is Not Dumb: Many in the Imperial military circles tend to overlook Kircheis' political and military importance for his gentle nature and total submission to Reinhard. Unfortunately for them, Kircheis is a brilliant and observant man in his own right. Out of all of Reinhard's admirals, Kircheis' political insight is second only to Oberstein's.
• Good Is Not Soft: As with Good Is Not Dumb above. Just because he's usually the kinder, gentler Foil to Reinhard's haughty ambitions doesn't mean he's incapable of killing when he has to.
• The Heart: His presence early on helps to humanize Reinhard and to remind him that toppling the Goldenbaums has a higher purpose than just a personal vendetta.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Dies while protecting Reinhard from a Lippstadt League assassin sent to kill him under false pretenses.
• Hunk: Kircheis is over 6 feet in both the OVA and Die Neue These, but he is gigantic in the Fujisaki Manga.
• Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Kircheis is known to all as an honest, upright, and incorruptible officer and a gentleman. His devotion to Reinhard's cause is unquestioned.
• Large and in Charge: Kircheis is Reinhard's highest-ranked admiral (at the time of his death) and at 6'3 he rivals Kempf for the title of Reinhard's tallest.
• Living Emotional Crutch: His positive, idealistic, and comforting presence helps to calm Reinhard's inner turmoil. This almost crosses over into Spirit Advisor territory after his death, though we don't have any evidence of these appearances being anything more than the product of Reinhard's memories and imagination.
• The Lost Lenore: For Annerose. Turns out the romantic interest was mutual.
• Mirror Character: He dislikes Paul von Oberstein and has many philosophical differences with him, but they share more than a few similarities.
  • Neither of them are truly warriors, in the sense that they don't care for military glory or meaningless battle, unlike most of the other admirals.
  • They are Reinhard's principal advisors.
  • They both achieve great gains under Reinhard. They each start off as Captains and within about 18 months go up 5 ranks to High Admiral. To add to that, they are unique in that they each get double promotions twice over. Kircheis from Captain to rear admiral and then from vice admiral to High Admiral. Oberstein from Commodore to Vice and from Vice to High Admiral.
  • They each start off as the lowest-ranking flag officer of Reinhard's admirality. Kircheis as the only rear-admiral among vice-admirals and Oberstein as a commodore among vice-admirals.
  • They each remind Reinhard that his job is to do what is best for the people and they are the only admirals willing and unafraid to call him out on his flaws.
  • In the OVA and 2 of the mangas, they are the only Admirals who actually do something when Ansbach attacks. Oberstein survives, Kircheis does not.
• Morality Chain: For Reinhard. When he dies, Reinhard becomes colder and more ruthless. DNT also makes it clear that he seeks to fight Yang and the FPA to fill the void left by Kircheis and to a lesser extent Annerose.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Jean Lannes was Napoleon's favourite marshal, a personal friend, the only one allowed to address him in informal fashion, was used as (among other things) a diplomat, given a detached wing to command, was renowned for his heroism and daring even in comparison to the other marshals and his death caused Napoleon to break down crying. Sounds familiar.
• Number Two: He acts as Reinhard's second in command. Oberstein has a problem with it.
• Our Ghosts Are Different: Even though Kircheis' spirit doesn't manifest itself in any sort of supernatural way, his very lack of presence is in itself profoundly haunting. Him appearing in Reinhard's dream even leads to a truce between Reinhard and Yang!
• Precocious Crush: He has been smitten with Reinhard's sister Annerose since he was very young.
• Present Absence: The phrase "If only Kircheis was still alive." is uttered by multiple characters several times over the course of the story and every implication is made that Reinhard wouldn't have had nearly as much trouble if Kircheis hadn't died.
• Rank Up: Notable in that he might have the most insane rate of ranking up of all. At Astarte, he is a captain. About a year later, he is a high admiral. That is 5 ranks within a year.
• Sacrificial Lion: Dies right before the end of the first season despite being established as a major character in his own right.
• Subordinate Excuse: He's way more than happy to serve Reinhard for this reason.
• Too Good for This Sinful Earth: A rare adult and male example, both in the narrative and in-universe. Kircheis's death defending Reinhard from assassins is both exalted as an example of true loyalty and lamented as a sign of the perversity of the universe. In a meta sense, Kircheis even seems to come across as part of the price Reinhard pays for his ruthlessness in dealing with Westerland.
• Tragic Bromance: With Reinhard. He ends up Taking the Bullet for Reinhard twice in one incident, which kills him.
• Underestimating Badassery: In overture to a New War, the Military chiefs decide to leave Reinhard without the commanders of his wings (Reuenthal and Mittermeyer), his chief of Staff (Mecklinger) and even the captain (Steinmetz). They don't even spare Kircheis a thought, but part of the reason Reinhard can crush the Alliance at Astarte, is because Kircheis knows exactly what Reinhard wants and can thus write up orders very quickly, which leads to the expedition fleet quickly smashing two fleets. Simply put, they took away Reinhard's commanders, minus arguably the most important one of all.
  • Reuenthal admits that when he first saw Reinhard in the flesh that he knew the blonde rear admiral was formidable, but he figured that Kircheis was nothing special. Later on he admitted that he was very, very wrong on the latter.
  • In DNT, Bittenfeld wonders why a guy like Kircheis gets an imperial order and Lutz wonders why Reinhard would associate himself with Kircheis. After Kircheis takes care of the Castrop rebellion in 10 days, both of them are in awe.
• Undying Loyalty: To Reinhard. It began when Annerose told him to look after her brother for her, but Kircheis also grew to develop a close bond with Reinhard himself as well.
• Walking Spoiler: It's really hard to discuss the series without revealing that he dies a little under a quarter of the way through, given the profound impact this has on the subsequent plot.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Unlike a true subordinate, he has no qualms whatsoever on calling Reinhard out for unwise or immoral decisions. The fact that Reinhard is perfectly willing to be directly influenced by Kircheis makes it clear that, in their minds, they are on equal terms.
• Worthy Opponent: Yang Wen-li himself considers Kircheis to be an exceptionally worthy one believing that had he lived, lasting peace between the Empire and Alliance could have been achieved.

Oskar von Reuenthal

Fleet Admiral Oskar von Reuenthal

Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto (main series), Yuichi Nakamura (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Ricco Fajardo (Die Neue These) (English)

"That's right. I should have never been born. But since I was, I'll live to my fullest potential."

The man with the Bewitching Eyes, Oskar von Reuenthal, was an exceptionally talented and capable individual, almost as much as Reinhard, and reasonably popular among the lower classes and the common soldiers. When he was born, his mother attempted to kill him (by gouging out his brown eye) because he was a constant reminder of her infidelity but could not bring herself to do it and killed herself instead. His father always held him responsible for that and began drinking heavily while telling him that it would have been better if he had never been born. Eventually circumstances lead to him joining the military where he met Wolfgang Mittermeyer and the two became fast friends, fighting together as common soldiers, then in the Panzergrenadiers, and finally in fleet actions as commanders where their exceptional coordination earned them the title of Twin Stars of the Empire.

Reuenthal's continued service and his friendship with Mittermeyer lead him into the service of Reinhard von Lohengramm where his achievements allowed him to rise to the rank of Fleet Admiral and later, to Governor-General of Neueland. Although he was never able to truly match wits with Yang Wen-li, Reuenthal was still highly capable and proved instrumental in recapturing Iserlohn Fortress for the Empire. In the end it was his pride that caused his downfall, though even in disgrace he still remained loyal to the Lohengramm Dynasty.

Reuenthal's preferred command ship was the Tristan, an Ace Custom with less firepower but a greater sensor range and speed.

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• Abusive Parents: His mother tried to kill him shortly after his birth when she saw his Mismatched Eyes (thinking it was proof of her infidelity), but was caught in the act and took her own life instead. After this incident, his father turned to drink and bluntly told Oskar to his face that he wished he had never been born.
• Adaptational Nice Guy: When Kempff dies in the books, Reuenthal basically says "serves him right for being incompetent". The OVA version doesn't say this.
  • In the DNT version, this is mixed. While he says that he doesn't particularly sympathize with Kempff, he is critical at Reinhard for throwing Kempff into a useless battle as a pawn which resulted in Kempff's death.
• Anti-Hero: He's openly ambitious and misogynistic, but he's also intensely loyal to his one true friend and A Father to His Men with a strong (if somewhat warped) sense of honor, and he has one hell of a Freudian Excuse. Most of the drama in his character arc comes from seeing whether or not he can overcome his inner demons and find true peace.
• And Then What?: An ambitious man, he strives to achieve as much as he can... but what happens when he seems to have succeeded?
• Animal Motif: Eagle. Together with Mittermeyer's wolf, they're the eagle and the wolf who guard Valhalla in Norse Mythology.
• Berserk Button: Is utterly disgusted by the concept of inherited power.
• Better to Die than Be Killed: Part of the reason he chooses to refuse the treatment that could save his life is even if he does survive, he would certainly have been dishonorably executed later for treason.
• Blood Knight: As much as Reinhard himself. This ends up putting them on opposing sides.
• Brainy Brunette: He is a brunette, Mittermeyer's tactical equal and Reinhard's best admiral in terms of operational planning and strategizing, which is why he is appointed Chief of High Command and later on governor-general of Neue Land.
• Broken Ace: Reuenthal is brilliant, loyal, and highly competent- but many of his personal decisions indicate a trainwreck of a psyche. The fact that he's doomed to be second best to Reinhard von Lohengramm only makes things worse.
• Byronic Hero: He's an intensely proud man who feels driven to strive for greatness and live according to his nature without compromise, even if it kills him.
• The Casanova: Infamous in-universe as a womanizer who keeps getting into affairs with women then abandoning them after a short time. However, it's not him who seeks out these relationships, it's the women who approach him despite his bad reputation.
  • During Mittermeyer's wedding, all the young women (minus Eva herself) start to blush once Reuenthal comes walking in to kiss Eva's hand.
• The Chessmaster: How he wins battles. He doesn't use lightning-fast maneuvres like Mittermeyer, but outthinks them and methodically ties them in knots.
• Cold Ham: He rarely raises his voice, but his melodramatic speaking style means that he rarely has to in the first place.
• Dark and Troubled Past: He was literally unwanted from birth. His mom tried to kill him the minute she saw his heterochromatic eyes. Afterwards she killed herself instead. After that his alcoholic father would repeatedly tell him "I wish you were never born".
• Deadpan Snarker: So deadpan that no one seems to realize when he's joking except Mittermeyer. It doesn't help that his witticisms revolve around things like misogyny, self-destruction and high treason. Often elicits Dude, Not Funny! responses from those around him.
• Death Seeker: Increasingly so in the second half of the story.
• Deconstructed Character Archetype: Reuenthal is a deconstruction of the Anti-Hero and the Broken Ace. In most stories we see the Anti-Hero grow up, slay his enemy and then the story ends. In the case of Reuenthal, we see what happens to that person after he achieves his goal. Reuenthal swore to help Reinhard achieve his goals of becoming the Kaiser and the most powerful man in the universe, but Reuenthal himself just wasn't built for a quieter life or, indeed, a long one. Once Reinhard is seated on the throne, all of the qualities that made Reuenthal immensely successful in life, start to put the newly-minted, blue-cloaked Fleet Admiral on the path to ruin.
• Destructive Romance: His relationship with Elfriede von Kohlrausch starts off ominously enough, with him catching her in his home trying to kill him and talking her into his bed apparently just for the hell of it. It ends with her entrusting their infant son to Wolfgang Mittermeyer(though after affectionately wiping Reuenthal's sweat-covererd forehead). Given how screwed up the entire relationship is and how little love both sides have for one another, calling it a "romance" at all is perhaps overly generous.
• Determinator: Once he made up his mind to rebel, there's no stopping him. It's pointed out numerous times how easy it would've been to avoid tragedy, but Reuenthal has refused every single chance he got — leading to the suspicion that he regarded the rebellion as a grandiose form of suicide.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: His ambition is often compared to that of an alcoholic's inability to quit drinking. It doesn't matter how often he fights and what he achieves, he is never fulfilled or satisfied and this emptiness within is one of the main reasons for his downfall.
  • In the first manga adaptation by Michihara Katsumi he gets a very fitting line: "I don't want to die - that's why I'm always looking for a reason to live."
• Dramatic Irony:
  • Reuenthal wanted to become the most powerful man in the universe. The only thing he had to do to achieve that goal, was stay loyal. Reinhard died within a year after Reuenthal's rebellion. Had he stayed loyal, he would have been the commander of a fleet 50.000 strong, with political power over multiple planets. In effect, he would have had a mix of direct political and military power that nobody could match, not even Hildegard.
  • Julian muses that Reuenthal is the type of leader who would've excelled at fixing policies established by a previous Keiser and that his one shortcoming was being conservative in his ideals compared to the more revolutionary Reinhard. As noted, had Reuenthal not let his ego get the best of him, he likely could have been just that type of successor to Reinhard.
• Duality Motif: His mismatched eyes (one brown eye, the other blue) hint at both his sordid parentage and the inner conflict between his loyalties and ambitions.
• Even Evil Has Standards: While whether Reuenthal is not evil per se, he's definitely one of the more morally dark characters in the show. Nevertheless, even after his rebellion, he kills Trunicht himself when the latter admits that he's perfectly willing to pander to, manipulate, and ultimately destroy Kaiser Reinhard to save himself as he had already done to the Free Planets Alliance.
• Eye Motifs: His heterochromia stands symbolic for his inner conflicts. He wants to be loyal and rebel, be a good friend and meet that friend across the battlefield, live recklessly and meticulously. Yeah, the man's a trainwreck, alright.
• Foil: To his best friend, Wolfgang Mittermeyer. Reuenthal is a relatively cold brunette, a womanizer, comes from nobility, had a pretty awful childhood, takes a methodical approach to combat, never marries and manages to conceive a child. He ends up dead before the end of the series.
  • To Reinhard himself. Both are ambitious men, low-class nobles and military geniuses with a not-so-great family past (involving an alcoholic dad) who confide in only their more down-to-earth best friends who also serve as their conscience and are prone to favoritism (Reinhard with Kircheis, Reuenthal with Bergengrun). The difference is that while Reinhard had Annerose to at least have a female positive effect on him, Reuenthal had nobody good around him, plus a hateful mother to boot and it ended up making him a misogynist on top of his other issues, whereas Reinhard for all HIS issues is more than willing to bring capable women like Hildegard into his inner circle. They each end up becoming a Death Seeker when they're separated from their best friends. When Reuenthal heads to Reinhard for help in saving Mittermeyer and makes it clear that he will do whatever it takes to do so, Reinhard looks at Kircheis and then stares back at Reuenthal. He realizes that he is essentially looking at himself.
• Freudian Excuse: Most of his issues with women stem from the fact that his mother hated him and tried to kill him as a child. He even compares Elfriede to his mother.
• He-Man Woman Hater: Although he's more of a run-of-the-mill misogynist. When Hilda is given a position on the level of a Vice Admiral, Mittermeyer is delighted, whereas Reuenthal is displeased.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He's fatally wounded in his final battle when falling debris spears him clean through.
• In Vino Veritas: Reuenthal says some pretty self-incriminating things under the influence that he probably wouldn't otherwise. Luckily, it's usually only Mittermeyer who listens to them.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It's significant that for all his misogynistic, womanizing ways, Reuenthal never tries to take undue advantage of or has an unkind word to say about Wolfgang and Eva Mittermeyer, hinting that he doesn't want to spoil true happiness for those who have genuinely found it and are content with it. He even trusts them to care for and raise his illegitimate son as though it were their own, giving the Mittermeyers the child they've always wanted and his son the stable, loving environment he himself was denied as a child.
• Like Parent, Like Child: Reuenthal's mom was a proud, sexually promiscuous woman who eventually went mad and killed herself. Guess what becomes of Reuenthal.
  • His father loved his alcohol and had a tendency to say crazy things when drunk. Sounds familiar.
  • Reuenthal later arranges to have his own illegitimate infant son adopted by the Mittermeyers in a deliberate effort to defy this trope.
• Major Injury Underreaction: Gets a spear through the torso. It eventually killed him, but didn't stop him from deadpan snarking about it and going about his business almost as if there was nothing wrong with him.
  Reuenthal (to his officers): Stop panicking. It's me who is wounded, not you.
• Master of All: Is mentioned by Mecklinger to be the most balanced admiral between Reuenthal himself, Reinhard, Yang and Mittermeyer. As we learn during his rebellion, he is just as good at putting up unbreakable defensive lines as he is on inflicting a monstrous amount of damage, almost forcing the Black Lancers to retreat and coming very close to killing Wahlen. He is not quite as sound defensively as Yang or as strong offensively as Mittermeyer and Reinhard, but he is great at both.
• Meaningful Name: "Reuenthal" can be, rather appropriately, translated as "Valley of regrets" (in German "reuen" means "to regret" and "thal" in place names means valley). His flagship's designation is "Tristan" which is related to the French word "triste" meaning "sad".
  • Reuenthal also has some curious parallels with his flagship's namesake, the classic Tragic Hero Tristan.
    • In Wagner's Tristan and Isolde when the main characters first meet, Isolde tries to kill him in revenge for her fiancé, but in the end she can't do it. Later on she tries to kill him again with poison that turns out to be a love potion making them fall in love. Compare this with Reuenthal's relationship with Elfriede who tries to kill him out of vengeance for her family, but in the end she never follows through with it, and they develop a rather twisted relationship.
    • In the opera Tristan then proceeds to betray his liege lord (by continuing his relationship with Isolde), without offering any justification for his actions or pleading for mercy. Similarly, Reuenthal betrays Reinhard even though he knows he's being set up, and refuses to beg for mercy.
    • In other versions of the story, Tristan then marries another Isolde, Isolde of the White Hands. Reuenthal at least once remarks on Elfriede's beautiful white hands (noting that they're just like his mother's).
    • In most versions of the story Tristan is fatally wounded by a poisoned lance, but tries to stay alive until Isolde's arrival, only to die of grief when he thinks Isolde is not coming. Reuenthal is fatally wounded by a long, suspiciously lance-like ceramic shard. He tries to hang on so he can see Mittermeyer for one last time, but in the end dies before Mittermeyer arrives.
• Nerves of Steel: The steeliest of Reinhard's admirals (well, outside of Kircheis). The only time he really loses his cool and is shaken◊ is when he gets a report in that Mittermeyer has died. Luckily it turns out to be false. Fighting against the combined might of Mittermeyer, Wahlen, Bittenfeld and Mecklinger on the other hand? No big deal. Fighting an armoured Walter Von Schonkopf while not being armoured himself? Cool. Getting a spike through a lung and dying painfully? Eh, it's all good. While in unimaginable pain from a fatal wound, he is handing out precise and calm orders like usual.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: Shares similarities with Joachim Murat and Louis-Nicolas Davout.
  • Like Murat he is a dashing womanizer who ends up getting a ton of extra military and political power because his emperor favors him one way or the other. Both men ended up turning against their emperors.
  • Like Davout he hails from a minor nobility and is known for his iron discipline, competence in all areas and for not making mistakes.
• Nobility Marries Money: His mom had a distinguished name, but no money. His dad was rich, but barely qualified as a noble. The marriage was a disaster because both parties only cared about what the other could do for them, rather than doing right by eachother.
• Noble Demon: Cunning and ruthless, yet he generally refrains from taking advantage of the genuinely innocent and absolutely despises those who take the Evil Is Petty approach.
• Not So Stoic: He rarely ever loses his composure, but he's visibly shaken when he hears that Mittermeyer has been killed in action. (Fortunately it turns out to be misinformation.)
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Discussed by the narrator and Julian with regards to him — he would have been a brilliant ruler of his own right if not for the fact that he was born in the same era as Reinhard von Lohengramm.
• Love at First Punch: More like "Intense And Possibly Sadomasochistic and Maybe Even Incestuous Sexual/Emotional Interest At First Assassination Attempt"; he tries to seduce a woman who tried to kill him. This goes about as well as can be expected.
• The Paragon Always Rebels: The Fleet Admiral who was at that point Reinhard's most brilliant vassal (being a great tactician, strategist and statesman), ended up rebelling against him. Reuenthal took millions of soldiers with him.
• The Peter Principle: Averted and mentioned as a plot-point. Merkatz mentions that one of the things that makes Reuenthal so dangerous, is that the more authority he gets, the more competent he seems to become.
• Pretty Boy: Aristocratic, very handsome and having mysterious mismatched eyes, he's acknowledged in-universe as a very attractive man with female admirers ranging from teenage girls to middle-aged women. When he showed up to Mittermeyer's wedding Mittermeyer's father was worried Evangeline would find him more attractive than Mittermeyer.
• Pride: Like a true Tragic Hero, this proves to be the character flaw he struggles the most with. It's mentioned numerous times that Reinhard is the only person he's ever willingly bent a knee for and accepted as his superior.
• Properly Paranoid: Of Oberstein, Truniht, Lang, and the Ministry of Internal Security, all of whom he believes are conspiring against him. He's right.
• Psychotic Smirk: On occasion. Inverted rather disconcertingly that he only does it when he's in the one in trouble.
• Red Oni, Blue Oni: Played With, in that the two have more depth than usual examples. Reuenthal is the Blue to Mittermeyer's Red. Reuenthal is more cold and calculating in his work, but also more reckless in his private life. Mittermeyer is more likely to get mad, but if you manage to get Reuenthal angry, he is far scarier. Reuenthal is cleverer, but Mittermeyer is wiser. Mittermeyer is more likely to beat you up, but Reuenthal is more likely to actually kill you. Mittermeyer is more passionate, but Reuenthal more ambitious. Mittermeyer is traditionally heroic, while Reuenthal is an Anti-Hero, but at the same time, Reuenthal is more likely to slay the dragons.
• Red Right Hand: Reuenthal is a deconstructed example, as he was stigmatized because of his heterochromia (a sign of both genetic "impurity" in the eugenics-obsessed Empire and of his mother's infidelity) already as a child. This resulted in a highly dysfunctional upbringing and a general attitude that if he was going to be treated like a bastard anyway, he might as well enjoy it.
• Satanic Archetype: Downplayed and subtle, but it's there, only in this case "God" is not his father, but his military superior. Reuenthal's arch mirrors many of the stories of the Devil. He was the very first admiral to pledge loyalty to Reinhard, being a rear admiral at the time, mirroring Lucifer often being the first son. He is charming, highly capable and charismatic, but his pride and lust for power constantly has him leaning towards rebellion. He is at that point in the story the admiral that Reinhard favours the most, what with giving him the power over all the former Alliance territories, plus 50,000 warships, which effectively means he is the second-most powerful man in the Empire. He is also called Reinhard's most brilliant admiral and when it's time to put him down, Reinhard sends the classically heroic Mittermeyer, who effectively plays the Archangel Michael role, being the Space Fleet commander and Reinhard's chief ass-kicker. Another aspect of the story is that Reinhard would gladly take Reuenthal back, if only Reuenthal would explain his actions and talk things out between them, but Reuenthal is simply far too prideful.
• The Starscream: Somewhat. He is loyal to Reinhard, but also highly ambitious on his own. Reuenthal himself lampshades this every single chance he gets. Ironically, his eventual doomed rebellion only comes about when his hand is forced by other scheming factions in the Imperial government, not by his own conscious decision.
• Strong Family Resemblance: Reuenthal is just a masculine version of his mother, down to having the same haircut.
• Tall, Dark, and Snarky
• Tempting Fate: After Yang dies and Julian becomes the new military leader, Reuenthal says that the Republic will crumble from within. Instead that was the start of Reinhard's Empire taking heavy hits due to internal politics and schemes. High Admiral Cornelius Lutz died due to an assassination plot against Reinhard, Reuenthal gets set up as a traitor leading to his death, Oberstein kicks the bucket at the end of the series and Mittermeyer is the only Fleet Admiral left.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: His final break with Reinhard comes about through circumstances beyond his control, but the animosity he feels for fellow subordinate Oberstein and his own pride keep him from trying to mend the breach.
• Tragic Bromance: With Mittermeyer. The last days of his life are spent knowing they're going to have to face one another in battle. Reuenthal loses the battle and his life, but his only real regret is that Mittermeyer couldn't arrive in time to hear his last words.
• Tragic Hero: Reuenthal has many admirable qualities that lead him to great success and all of them lead to his downfall. He is a born warrior, but he can't find any happiness or contentment in peace. He is ambitious and like a compulsion he has to keep climbing higher and higher. He is a Chick Magnet who embraces danger head-on and it leads to him having an affair with a woman whose greatuncle he killed (and who swears that she will be around to see him die). He is prideful, which means that he would not be happy with being accused of a crime he didn't commit and that he and Oberstein could never see eye to eye. He is a loyal and wonderful friend, but emotionally he falls out of balance once he is separated from his 2 closest ones. He is charismatic and the result is that tens of millions end up dying fighting their own countrymen, out of loyalty to him. Tristan, indeed.
• Verbal Tic: A deep, slow "Oh".
• Would Hurt a Child: Reuenthal executes all of the male relatives of Duke Lichtenlade aged 10 and above. And unlike Oberstein, he didn't even bother to question Reinhard on the necessity of such an action.

Wolfgang Mittermeyer

Fleet Admiral Wolfgang Mittermeyer

Voiced by: Katsuji Mori (main series), Daisuke Ono (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Josh Grelle (Die Neue These) (English)

"Do not think that Wolfgang Mittermeyer would back down on his word!"

A commander best known for his efficient and fast movements in space combat, Mittermeyer earned the nickname Gale Wolf even before entering Reinhard's service. The man Reinhard most often put in command of the vanguard. He was born to a commoner family and although his father wanted him to take up a profession, he decided to enter the military instead where he climbed through the ranks with hard work and determination. Mittermeyer came to know Reinhard von Lohengramm after he executed a noble-born subordinate under his command for raping a civilian. To make things worse, the man was a relative of Duke Braunschweig, the most powerful of the high nobles and so he was scheduled to be tortured and then executed. Reuenthal appealed to Reinhard on his behalf and he agreed to intervene in order to save Mittermeyer's life. From then on the four of them — Reinhard, Kircheis, Reuenthal and Mittermeyer — became comrades in arms and eventually became the most powerful men in the Empire.

Mittermeyer had a loving, devoted wife named Evangeline, arguably one of the brightest spots in a series that became increasingly sad as time went on. The only sad part was that they could not have children. He also became extremely concerned for Reuenthal as he saw his vices catching up with him little by little.

His flagship was of a similar design to the Tristan, an Ace Custom built for speed and a greater effective firing range. Its designation was the Beowulf.

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• Animal Motif: A wolf. It's a play on not just his own name, but his epithet "The Gale Wolf" and the Norse symbolism of the Wolf and the Eagle (Reuenthal).
• Beware the Honest Ones: As at least one subordinate with powerful family connections found out.
  • And some others as well, who were executed in public for robbery and rape. Their superiors appealed to Mittermeyer to save them, but his only reply was that he's not going back on his word.
  • Reuenthal makes his decision to rebel knowing from the outset that his friendship with Mittermeyer would take a backseat to his integrity, and that they will almost certainly fight to the death.
• Beware the Nice Ones: He is one of the nicest characters in the show, but he has executed his own men for robbery and rape of civilians. He also snaps spectacularly when he finds out that his friend Reuenthal was framed and comes very close to murdering Heydrich Lang in cold blood for it.
• The Confidant: Mittermeyer is the only person Reuenthal confides in.
• A Father to His Men: Mittermeyer's troops are fiercely loyal to him, and Mittermeyer in turn is devoted to his men. This is in part due to how he's a commoner just like them, who understands their plight and ends up being a major deciding factor in why he is able to so decisively defeat Reuenthal. Reuenthal was unable to rally the same type of loyalty in his rebellion that Mittermeyer could with his men.
• Foil: To his best friend, Oskar von Reuenthal. Mittermeyer is a blonde Nice Guy, Happily Married, a commoner, had a loving childhood, is known for his lightning-fast maneuvers, while he and his wife are unable to have children. He is alive and well by the end of the series.
• Gut Feeling: Mittermeyer is a very intuitive judge of characters and situations; a talent which enables him to always act swiftly and rightly, though not always cleverly.
• Happily Married: To the love of his life, who's also a distant relative. They were each others' first love, and while their inability to have children casts a slight shadow on their happiness as a family it puts no strain on their love for one another.
• Humble Hero: He is almost certainly one of the top five admirals in this series, but you'd never hear it from him. Going to near the end of the series, Hildegard even refers to Mittermeyer as the "Pride of the Navy" something which embarrasses Mittermeyer since he considered Kircheis and Ruenthal to be his superiors as strategists.
• Irony:
  • Mittermeyer is the admiral that is most protective of women. His best friend is a heartless womanizer and a misogynist.
  • Despite his status as a commoner, Mittermeyer also proves to be more of a dignified nobleman in all but name than the decadent High Nobles who once looked down on him.
• Large Ham: Downplayed. In contrast with his best friend, Mittermeyer is this kind of ham. Whenever he speaks he sounds like a romantic hero come to life.
• Last-Second Chance: He offers it to Reuenthal.
• Lightning Bruiser: Mittermeyer is Reinhard's best offensive admiral. He uses lightning fast strikes, excellent maneuverabily and brilliant tactical ability to inflict unspeakable amounts of damage. For this reason he is eventually made Chief of the Space Fleet. He is capable of both landing and taking a punch.
• Living Emotional Crutch: To Reuenthal. He seems to be the only person keeping Reuenthal's head straight. Every time Reuenthal talks about gainig more power for himself or doing something reckless, Mittermeyer talks him out of it and it works. Until Reuenthal ends up framed and on the other side of the galaxy.
• Knight in Shining Armor: Famous on all sides for his battle prowess and his upstanding character.
• Morality Chain: The strong bond of friendship he shares with Oskar von Reuenthal is perhaps the only thing keeping the latter from walking down the path of self-destruction. It's notable that Reuenthal's rebellion only occurs after the two have been kept out of close contact by their respective duties for some time.
• My Significance Sense Is Tingling: A side effect of his intuition.
• Names to Run Away from Really Fast: Wulf der Strum or "The Gale Wolf." Mittermeyer earned the moniker for how swift and brutal his frontline strategies were.
• Nice Guy: He's loyal to his comrades, a proud and faithful husband and father, and generally congenial and open-handed off the battlefield. But he's far from boring — he's also an intelligent and immensely capable soldier, commander and leader. In this sense he's probably the most balanced character in the main cast on the Empire side.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed: It may just be a coincidence, but his lightning fast, aggressive maneuvers, reputation as foremost a tactician, honorable personality, frontline leadership and animal-based nickname are reminiscent of Erwin Rommel.
  • He is quite similar to Heihachiro Togo, an Imperial Japanese Grand Admiral, known for his daring, tactical brilliance, humility and disdain for politics. Togo led the combined-fleet, sided with the Navy General Staff (the operational element of the Navy) and opposed the Navy Ministry (The political branch). This mirrors Mittermeyer's siding with Reuenthal and opposing Oberstein.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Doesn't get mad often, but when he gets mad, you know it's because some serious shit went down.
• Officer and a Gentleman: After Reinhard becomes the Kaiser of the Empire, Mittermeyer holds this reputation amongst the public of Reinhard's inner-circle. Mirttermeyer himself actually embraces this as he has no ambitions of making power grabs of his own to rule, his greatest ambition is to serve and fight for the Empire.
• Pintsized Powerhouse: He is the shortest of Reinhard's admirals, but at the same time he is one of their biggest ass-kickers and the Chief of the Space Fleet.
• Please Spare Him, My Liege!: Pleaded to Reinhard to give Reuenthal another chance, offering to return all his accolades as exchange. Sadly, it was more complicated than that.
• Red Baron: Is known as "The Gale Wolf" because of his swift attacks.
• Red Is Heroic: Of the Twin Pillars of Reinhard's admiralty, Mittermeyer with his red cape is closer in personality to a passionate Ideal Hero, contrasting with the cold, pragmatic, morally conflicted Reuenthal, who wears a blue cape.
• Red Ones Go Faster: The OVA version of Mittermeyer is associated with the color red (red trim on his flagship and a red cloak as a fleet admiral), and he has a reputation as Reinhard's lightning-fast "Gale Wolf." His flagship is explicitly built to be fast and agile.
• Reports of My Death Were Greatly Exaggerated: During the eleventh battle of Iserlohn, it is reported that his flagship was hit and he died at the front. Only the first part of this turns out to be true.
• Sadistic Choice: Take down his best friend himself, or step aside to let his Kaiser do it?
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: The rules he breaks tend to be more societal than legal, however.
• Self-Made Man: Mittermeyer's swift rise to admiral before the series proper begins was all the more unusual because he was born a commoner. Under Reinhard, he becomes one of the most powerful men in the galaxy. His underlings muse that under the old regime he may have never gotten so far, due to his commoner background.
• Shipper on Deck: Appears to be this for Reinhard and Hilda; in Episode 58, when everyone's going on about marriage, he mentions to his wife that he feels that Hildegard is the only woman deserving of being Reinhard's consort, and that a child the two had would be bound to be brilliant.
• Skyward Scream: Unleashes a loud, upward and pained "Reuenthal!" when he finds out his best friend declared a rebellion against the Empire.
• Sole Survivor: Not counting Hilda, of Reinhard's original inner-circle, Mittermeyer is the one Fleet Admiral to survive through the end of the series.
• The Women Are Safe with Us: He's known to have an especially strong hatred for violence against women, and he's willing to execute his own men for rape.
• Tragic Bromance: With Reuenthal. Despite their friendship, Mittermeyer goes into battle knowing the entire affair can only end with one of them coming out alive. After Reuenthal's death and giving a final tribute to his friend, he weeps for him openly on the bridge of his flagship.
• Undying Loyalty: To Reinhard. Part of the reason he accepts Reinhard's order to defeat Reuenthal, is because he knew that if Reinhard killed one of his most trustworthy retainers, it could cause political upheaval that could undermine him.
• Up Through the Ranks: As a commoner, Mittermeyer worked hard to make his way through the Imperial ranks. Even before meeting Reuenthal and Reinhard, he had already made a name for himself as rising star among the officer corps.

Paul von Oberstein

Fleet Admiral Paul von Oberstein

"Without fail, in light, shadows must follow."

Voiced by: Kaneto Shiozawa (main series), Jun'ichi Suwabe (Die Neue These) (Japanese), J. Michael Tatum (Die Neue These) (English)

"All heroes have established their thrones atop not just their enemies, but a large quantity of allied corpses as well. There are no monarchs with clean hands."

Originally assigned to Iserlohn Fortress, Oberstein was a deeply unsettling man who wanted nothing more than to destroy the Goldenbaum Dynasty and all of its descendants. He was born with a birth defect that left him blind and had to have his eyes replaced with cybernetics. Oberstein was grateful to have been born under the current regime, as he would have been put to death under the Inferior Genes Exclusion Law in Kaiser Rudolf's day, but nonetheless believed that any government that was capable of passing such laws was not worthy of his support. After surviving the battle for Iserlohn, he returned to Odin to offer his services to Reinhard and became one of his top advisers.

What set Oberstein apart from the Twin Pillars Reuenthal and Mittermeyer was his utterly ruthless personality. He would not blanch from any task that needed to be done to ensure the security of Reinhard's power and continued to perform his duties flawlessly even though it made him unpopular with the rest of the admirals. Many of the officers felt that Oberstein's decisions had indirectly caused Kircheis' downfall. Because he kept mostly to himself, no one truly knew if he was directing all of this antipathy away from Reinhard intentionally or he simply did not care.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: In the original novels he had dark hair, extremely pale skin and light brown eyes.
  • His Die Neue These look is back to brown eyes, with dark hair.
• Ambiguously Evil: His highest concern is ultimately the greatest good for the greatest number, but he's not averse to putting fundamentally good and decent men through hell or killing them outright if that's what it takes. While there's nothing directly tying him to the two biggest murders in the series, those of Siegfried Kircheis and Yang Wen-li, some fans speculate that, at the very least, he knew what was going to happen and stood by and did nothing to stop them.
• Animal Motifs:
  • Snakes. Not only is he compared to a snake by other high admirals (Bittenfeld especially), but he has the sneaky, coldblooded aspects down pat. He is often referred to as venomous and unfeeling.
  • Dogs, due to his Undying Loyalty to Reinhard even with his most unscrupulous methods of which he actively protests. He even keeps a dog as a pet, which is the only thing who likes him.
• At Least I Admit It: Oberstein's very upfront about what he does and their ramifications, no matter how cold or cruel they are. He also doesn't take kindly to those who wrap up their own evil, incompetence or recklessness under hollow pretensions of honor.
• Badass Bureaucrat: This becomes his job halfway through the series, as Chief of Military Affairs. He is really good at it. Even before that, he is a staff officer who steps in front of an assassin's rocket launcher to protect Reinhard.
• Bad Guys Do the Dirty Work:
  • After basically purchasing his life from Imperial High Command, Reinhard makes it clear that it's Oberstein's job to deal with the darker, less heroic aspects off the battlefield, such as political and imperial court struggles. He expects Oberstein to use unending deceit and murder if necessary to get the job done.
  • Oberstein, for his point, invokes this in order to convince Reinhard to take him in when he's about to be Court Marshalled. He argues that Kircheis is too noble of a person to do the "dark work" Reinhard requires to take over the Empire and is more than willing to do it himself.
• Better with Non-Human Company: It's telling that the only time we hear about Oberstein being warm and friendly, it's when it concerns his dog.
• Brutal Honesty: Aside from his underhanded scheming, another reason why Oberstein's despised by his colleagues is because of how blunt he can be even to Reinhard if the situation calls for it. Conversely, this was also why Reinhard genuinely respected him, even if he didn't like him as a person.
• Can't Kill You, Still Need You: He keeps Heydrich Lang around for his skills and connections, despite his personal distaste for the man. The moment Lang stops being useful enough, however, Oberstein wastes little time disposing of him.
• The Chessmaster: He is probably the most formidable one in the story.
• Chessmaster Sidekick: Despite being terrifyingly ruthless and competent, Oberstein has little in the way of personal ambition. He's content to remain in the shadows as long as he deems those in the limelight are worth his respect.
• The Consigliere: A picture-perfect example. He is Reinhard's principal advisor and he tells Reinhard what he needs to hear, not just what he wants. Other admirals fear Reinhard's wrath, but not Oberstein. It's one of the main reasons he rises through the ranks as quickly as he does.
• Consummate Professional: He never lets personal relationships get in the way of his duty, though this is in part due to him being a very reserved man to begin with.
• Crazy-Prepared: When the Terrarists destroyed most of the Empire's data in the Navigation Center, the data was easily restored since it was already backed up by Oberstein the previous year.
• Creepy Monotone: Oberstein never raises his voice or emotes when he speaks.
• The Creon: He prefers to operate from the sidelines under Reinhard's aegis, as he realizes he doesn't have the charisma to be a respected leader himself.
• Democracy Is Bad: Implied on what he believes from his means of keeping those one step below Reinhard in line and handling the Alliance territory after Reuenthal, as democracy gives too much power and leadership to too many people, just as a tempting Number Two who is popular with the people is ultimately detrimental in an organization.
• Didn't See That Coming: Downplayed. Oberstein evidently didn't anticipate Kircheis' death to be one of the consequences of his advice. Neither did he foresee Yang's assassination by the Terraists in his attempts to curtail republicanism nor expect the same Terraists to stage a prison riot that winds up killing many of the Alliance POWs intended to be used as bargaining chips against the Iserlohn Republic. That said, he's quick to adjust his plans and acted accordingly when things don't go as intended.
• Electronic Eyes: This is a necessary augmentation to overcome his congenital blindness.
• Enigmatic Minion: He says that everything he does is "for the good of the Empire." It's hard to believe that anyone with his power and means might not have more personal motives, but at the same time, we never see anything that really contradicts his stated motive.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Even he considers brainwashing to be too tasteless, especially for someone like Ovlesser. Besides, a good old Paranoia Gambit takes much less effort to pull off.
  • As nonplussed as Oberstein is when it comes to the costs of his actions, he draws the line at needless casualties. He notably chastises three high admirals on their lust for glory due to how wasteful and pointless their quest for honor can be in the name of advancing the Empire's interests.
• Evil Chancellor: Is not an actual chancellor or premier, but he is a fleet admiral who is also part of Reinhard's cabinet. Combine that with a reputation for scheming coupled with power moves and the result is that people in and outside of the empire end up talking about him like he is this. Indeed, he actually has more influence in the Empire than the premier before Reinhard, Lichtenlade, ever had. When Reinhard orders an expedition from Fezzan to the Free Planets Alliance territories, he hands over civil affairs to Oberstein and the Chief of Civil Engineering, further enforcing that Oberstein is this trope in practice, if not on paper.
• Evil Virtues: Even if you subscribe to the idea that he is evil, you have to admit that he is also resourceful, brave, responsible, selfless, diligent, honest and patient.
• Face Death with Dignity: At the end of Legend of Galactic Heroes, Oberstein knows that his wound from the terrorist attack is fatal, so he refuses to be hospitalized in his final moments.
• Foil: A clear one to Kircheis.
  • Kircheis is a warrior, Oberstein is a bureaucrat.
  • Kircheis is affable, whereas Oberstein is cold.
  • Kircheis is upfront, Oberstein's a schemer.
  • Kircheis is the youngest of Reinhard's original flag officers. When Oberstein joins up, he is the oldest.
  • Reinhard loves Kircheis, whereas he doesn't like Oberstein.
  • The admirals speak fondly of Kircheis, they speak ill of Oberstein.
  • Kircheis dies early on., Oberstein doesn't die until the end of the series.
  • Kircheis is compassionate, Oberstein is a utilitarian.
• The Friend Nobody Likes: Oberstein is the most loathed of Reinhard's confidants, having next to no genuine allies among the other admirals and high-ranking officials. It is implied, however, that he's intentionally positioning himself as this, to make the future Reinhard envisions shine all the brighter.
• Hidden Depths: Little is known about his past before meeting Reinhard, but is shown to have a burning hatred for the Goldenbaum Dynasty and the nobles. It's implied this personal grudge comes from experiencing discrimination due to his physical condition.
• Honest Advisor: Oberstein is quite blunt and Reinhard does not like him, yet has this to say about him.
  "I’ve never once liked Oberstein as a person. But when I think back, it seems I’ve followed his advice the most. It’s because that man’s arguments are so right that they leave no room for debate."
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Reinhard von Lohemgramm may be a brilliant and ambitious fleet commander, but his personal sense of honor and lack of interest in most civilian affairs give him certain blindspots. Oberstein, a ruthless schemer, covers those weaknesses quite well.
• It's Personal: The one thing that he takes personally is how the Goldenbaum dynasty treated people like him. The Inferior Genetics Exclusion act was created to kill people like him, purely because they were born a certain way. He makes it clear that he hates the Goldenbaum dynasty just as much as Reinhard does.
• Jerkass Has a Point: Despite being rather immoral and dishonorable, most of his advice and actions are the quickest way to get the job done.
  • While it's left vague whether Oberstein's claims that Lichtenlade really was actively plotting against Reinhard to solidify his own power are true, or if he's making that up to justify eliminating the last real hurdle to seizing power after the Lippstadt rebellion's end, the other high admirals (and Reinhard himself) find it logical. As whichever way, Lichtenlade would remain a threat so long as he's still in power.
  • Even his advice that indirectly caused Kircheis' death was originally meant to suppress favoritism. Episodes 89 (him giving an explanation for his decision-making while Reinhard, Hildegard, Lutz and Kesler look on in utter horror) and 103 (chewing out three high admirals on their lust for glory) are fantastic examples of Oberstein's cold and calculating thinking.
  • Oberstein's scheme of rounding up scores of former Alliance politicians and high-ranking military officers to use as leverage in negotiations with the Iserlohn Republic is meant to disarm further republican reprisal and hasten a peaceful resolution, instead of wasting more lives in "honorable" combat. It's rendered moot, however, thanks to the Terraists foiling Oberstein's plan by staging a prison riot that kills many of said captives.
• Let No Crisis Go to Waste: Oberstein is also known to see opportunity even in chaos.
  • He exploits the growing instability in the Alliance following its failed invasion by setting the pieces in place for the Alliance Civil War. Both to cripple the Alliance further and to keep it distracted while the Lippstadt Rebellion is ongoing.
  • He sees the political turmoil at the end of the Lippstadt Rebellion as a perfect opportunity to have Lichtenlade, the last high-ranking obstacle to Reinhard, removed.
• Loyal to the Position: Oberstein proves to be as loyal to the institutions being remade in Reinhard's image as with the man himself.
• Major Injury Underreaction: His fatal wound after the Terraists' bomb his room and he lies dying is ghastly. Oberstein is as calm as ever.
• Mirror Character: His lack of friends aside, he is in many ways a dark mirror of Yang Wen-li.
  • He is introduced to us as a strategic advisor to a pig-headed admiral and that admiral not listening causes disaster.
  • He quickly achieves one rank after another once he is released from that admiral. He is a captain when he meets Reinhard, a commodore once he enters his service, a vice admiral during the Lippstadt Rebellion (skipping rear admiral) and a high admiral afterwards (skipping admiral). He jumps from Captain to Fleet Admiral in the space of 3 years, with months to spare. The only other guy to accomplish that is his boss.
  • Has a great understanding of war and it's politics (moreso than any admiral, save for perhaps Yang himself), but is nonetheless not a warrior at heart, unlike other admirals.
  • Neither really gives a damn about fame or glory and see themselves as protectors of the people, rather than as conquerors.
  • Both men are far more socially awkward than the people they work with.
  • Both can be cold and calculating. It's easy to forget but Yang (rightly) advised his commanding officer to abandon a fleet encompassing over a million soldiers, because that fleet would be destroyed before they could do anything.
  • Both believe that government should work in the best interest of the people, not for the ones holding power.
  • Neither of them believe they are suited to be the man at the top and don't have a very high view of themselves.
  • They're the only admirals known to have pets. We constantly see Yang (and Julian's) cat, while we often hear about Oberstein's dog.
  • They both die due to Terraist assassinations and they both die alone, in a sense. Oberstein had people at his side, but they didn't actually know him. Reinhard and his main admirals weren't there when he died.
• Morton's Fork:
  • How he carefully rationalizes the need to have Lichtenlade disposed of as the Lippstadt Rebellion ends. Whether or not Lichtenlade was really plotting to kill Reinhard, he's certainly a major threat to any future plans going forward.
  • He similarly devises the Treaty of Ba'alat following the FPA's surrender to the Empire to play out in such a way the no matter what the Alliance does, there's a strong likelihood for Reinhard to intervene in some manner, effectively finishing the job. As it turns out, he's proven right.
• My God, What Have I Done?: Has this reaction when his advice causes Kircheis' death, as while they don't really get along he recognized his valor and importance.
• Necessarily Evil: Which he pretty much admits himself. He knows that his actions and policies are reprehensible, but considers taking them necessary in order for Reinhard and other more noble figures to achieve their goals.
• The Needs of the Many: At his core, this is what Oberstein is all about. He will sacrifice a million to save a billion without batting an eye. He will also sacrifice himself to ensure the survival of Reinhard's dynasty.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed:
  • Like Talleyrand, Oberstein is loyal to his vision of what the empire could and should be, rather than a ruler. Both men would prefer that their emperor would work to consolidate his gains rather than head off to war. The difference is that Oberstein never works to undermine Reinhard (despite what some Imperial admirals think), whereas Talleyrand did try it with Napoleon.
  • The fans call him Cyborg Machiavelli for a reason. Reinhard even compares his thinking to that of Machiavelli.
  • The guy is in many ways what Maximilian Robespierre would have been like had he been reined in....To a degree. Their ruthlessness and utter commitment to their ideal of government is comparable, but Robespierre was famed for his intensely charismatic oratory, whereas Oberstein... isn't. (And of course, more superficially, Robespierre was a dedicated republican, while Oberstein clearly prefers Enlightened Despotism.)
  • Shares similarities with Marshal Louis-Alexandre Berthier, one of Napoleon's most renowned commanders. Berthier was Napoleon's chief of staff and later Minister of War and not renowned as a battle commander, but could execute the emperor's commands to the minutest detail. Berthier supported Napoleon's coup, but also worked against policies that he didn't agree with.
• No Place for Me There: Another interpretation behind Oberstein's actions is that he carries out the dirty work needed to make Reinhard's vision for the Empire come to pass so that there would be little need for people like him in the future.
• No Social Skills: Perhaps best demonstrated by the one time he interrupted a wedding — and Reinhard's own, no less — to bring Reinhard's attention to some pressing matter of state. Time and place much?
  • It's possible he did it on purpose, to remind Reinhard once more that government business must always precede everything else.
• Non-Action Guy: Oberstein is no warrior and doesn't lead any fleets, with his rank being more of a formality than anything else. That said, he is very skilled administrator and spymaster.
• Pet the Dog: In a rather literal application of the trope, Oberstein takes an old stray dog into his home for no reason other than simple humanity. As Bittenfeld remarks: "So people hate him, but dogs like him? I guess dogs tend to get along."
• The Peter Principle: Played With. When Oberstein is tasked with restoring order in Heinessen alongside Bittenfeld and Müller, he proves to be a very pragmatic yet competent administrator even putting side his plan of rounding up scores of former Alliance politicians and high-ranking military officers to use as bargaining chips against the Iserlohn Republic. On the other hand, his acerbic criticisms of his colleagues and decision to put Bittenfeld under house arrest for insubordination show that he's well outside his element. Had Müller and Wahlen not intervened, it would have led to a bout of needless infighting.
• Plausible Deniability: Oberstein has Duke Lichtenlade framed for being complicit in killing Kircheis, and by extension attempting to kill Reinhard himself. Whether or not Lichtenlade really was actively plotting, it helped that Goldenbaum-era law not requiring solid proof makes such charges believable.
• Psycho Supporter: Played with. His modus operandi certainly fits, his loyalty to Reinhard as to the key figure in his plan is indisputable.
• Pragmatic Villainy: His methods are often reprehensible, but they work, and they often cost less time and effort in the long run to implement. He even accepts the responsibility for them himself which include letting the Westerland Massacre happen, so as to deflect the criticism from falling on Reinhard and derailing his vision of a galactic system built on order and merit.
• Psycho Sidekick: Reinhard Doesn't like Oberstein, but keeps him around for this.
  • Token Evil Teammate: Nobody likes Oberstein (perhaps aside from his aide Ferner) — but it's heavily implied that he wants people to view him as this. Behold, the other admirals' feelings personified in one picture◊.
• There Can Be Only One: Why he sees Democracy Is Bad and justifies indirectly getting rid of Kircheis and Reuenthal, as he believes only one central leader is necessary and extra people of competitive power is outright detrimental.
• The Quiet One: Not to Eisenach levels, but Oberstein still doesn't talk much.
• Realpolitik: Oberstein is an ardent practitioner of this, being as willing to manipulate enemies as he is exploiting his own allies. That said, even at his most calculating and amoral, he consistently keeps the Empire's best interests to heart.
• Red Right Hand: His bionic eyes have a way of creeping people out. It doesn't help that his original blindness came from a genetic condition, which in the Empire is still seen as a mark of inferiority; Oberstein himself has noted that, in the bad old days of Kaiser Rudolf, he'd probably have been killed outright under the Inferior Genes Exclusion Act.
• Riddle for the Ages: As the narrator himself muses, just how much did Oberstein know and was otherwise aware of? Whatever the answer, he took it with him to the grave.
• Rule of Symbolism: His fleet admiral cloak is gray, fitting as you can never quite tell where Oberstein stands on the moral spectrum.
• Secret-Keeper: Befitting a spymaster and intelligence officer of his caliber, Oberstein was privy to various secret plans, schemes, and conspiracies, advancing or countering them in the Empire's interest as he saw fit. Yet due to his reclusive nature rather than any ulterior motive, he never discussed much of these to anyone other than perhaps Reinhard or his own subordinates. With his death, the full extent of what he knew would remain a mystery.
• Sparing Them the Dirty Work: Oberstein willingly takes up the unenviable task of overseeing, and executing, the wetwork he believes to be necessary for Reinhard's dream to become reality.
• The Spock: He places a premium on acting logically and not being swayed by emotional appeals. Next to the rest of Reinhard's admirals, this makes him appear especially ruthless.
• The Spymaster: In an official capacity, his duties as a staff officer include gathering intelligence on the enemy and making sense of the reports. Unofficially, while he never acts as head of a security agency, he keeps his ear close to the ground on any matters that involve subterfuge... including taking actions to dispose of rebellious admirals if he deems it necessary.
• The Stoic: He keeps his emotions hidden from those around him.
• Taking the Heat: When a would-be assassin breaks through Reinhard's security cordon and confronts him over the Westerland Massacre, Oberstein steps forward to take full responsibility, while also explaining in detail why allowing the nuking of two million people saved 10 million more lives and prevented the Lippstadt Rebellion from becoming a much worse bloodbath. While it initially doesn't seem to work on said assassin as he's dragged away it's later revealed that he committed suicide in his cell upon realizing what Oberstein meant.
• This Is Unforgivable!: He's the one who allowed the Westerland Massacre. As expected, it shattered the morale of the Lippstadt League's troops, firmly swung the public opinion against them and shortened the Imperial Civil War, but at the price of letting the League nuke two million people, with the very act of using nuclear weapons against a world being considered unforgivable.
• Totalitarian Utilitarian: He's unapologetically ruthless about destroying anyone who could pose a real threat to Reinhard or his vision within the Empire, even if only hypothetically, but he justifies this on the basis that it ultimately saves lives in the bigger picture. At one point, in an uncharacteristic display of exasperation, he outright declares that he finds the other admirals' willingness to sacrifice their men's lives at the drop of a hat simply to satisfy their honor as wasteful and pointless.
• The Unfettered: There are very few means he won't consider when eliminating a threat — and most of those he won't are more a matter of Pragmatic Villainy than any sort of ingrained revulsion.
• Verbal Tic: Take a shot every time he says "desu ne" and make sure you call an ambulance.
• Vicariously Ambitious: Oberstein has precious little in the way of personal ambition, but he works to support and elevate Reinhard because he sees him as the Empire's best chance for a strong, enlightened despot.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: His goal is to replace the Goldenbaum Dynasty with one that will not produce monsters as rulers, and unite Mankind under a powerful but just government. His methods are amoral and dishonorable at best.
  • The Extremist Was Right: His methods work, as shown multiple times, starting from that time he overstretched the supply lines of the Alliance Liberation Fleet (and exposing a large chunk of their transport fleet to a devastating attack) by taking all the food from the planets in its path (as soon as the overstretched supply lines were cut off, the invasion collapsed).
• What a Senseless Waste of Human Life: Chews out Reinhard's admirals and even Reinhard himself (though not to his face) for wasting human lives for the sake of glory.
• Zero-Approval Gambit: It is suggested that Oberstein takes on the role of an dirtyhanded schemer so Reinhard can remain a popular, heroic figure. This may also have been to relieve tension between some of Reinhard's highest subordinates by giving them someone to hate. (And hate him they do, especially Bittenfeld and Mittermeyer.)

Reinhard's Fleet

Neidhardt Müller

High Admiral Neidhardt Müller

Voiced by: Yuu Mizushima (main series), Yūto Uemura (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Michael Sinterniklaas (Die Neue These) (English)

"Command promises to return all of you home alive. Guarding our pride and discipline, shall we not follow the road home in good order?"

The youngest of Reinhard's admirals (besides Kircheis). At the Battle of Vermillion his tenacious defence of Reinhard earned him the nickname "Iron Wall Mueller". From then on his fleet was charged with the final line of defence, protecting Reinhard whenever he took to the field. In all other theaters of war, Müller proved to be a capable Admiral and commanded respect that was second only to the three Fleet Admirals themselves.

Although he suffered defeat at the hands of Yang Wen-li, he saw the miracle-worker more as a rival and always itched for another opportunity to try and defeat him. During a lull in the fighting, he was even able to go to Iserlohn and pay respects as the Kaiser's unofficial envoy.

Müller's command ship was the Lübeck until after Vermillion, where it was destroyed. Afterwards he was promoted to high admiral, alongside the other admirals and he was given the Percival to commemorate his new title. Reinhard offered him a promotion to Fleet Admiral after Müller helped save him from assassins, but he turned it down, believing that the fallen Lutz was the real hero.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: Brown haired in the original series, his hair is greenish on Die Neue These.
• Adaptational Late Appearance: In the OVA, he was one of Reinhard's fleet commanders during the Lippstadt Rebellion, whereas in DNT he only appeared after Reinhard was already the prime minister.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Overall he is among the kindest, friendliest admirals, but when a doctor says they can't do anything for Reinhard's health until they research his disease, Müller is ready to rip the medical team's heads off.
• Big Damn Heroes: When Reinhard was about to be obliterated by Yang in the Battle of Vermillion, Müller came charging in and created a wall between the two armadas, saving Reinhard's life. He does this again later on in the Battle of the Corridor. Iron Wall, indeed.
• Cool Ship: His second flagship, the Percival had very smooth lines and was the most advanced ship in the Imperial Navy at the time of its commissioning.
• The Determinator: At Vermilion Yang's ships shot down his flagship from under him three times. He found another every time, and continued fighting.
• Friendly Enemy: Acts like this towards Yang Wen-li when the latter boards the Brünhilde and towards Julian when paying respect at Yang Wen-li's funeral in Iserlohn. Not bad for the man who had taken an oath in Odin's name to kill Yang Wen-li after Admiral Kempff's death. He also stands out among the admirals in that he is often chosen by Reinhard as his representative in diplomatic work with the Republicans.
• Humble Hero: Very humble, he even calls Julian "Herr Mintz", long before Julian attains his supreme commander rank.
  • This is the only way Mueller could address him politely. Herr Mintz is simply the equivalent of "Mr. Mintz" in German; and being an Empire officer, Mueller would never call someone he just met by their first name only.
• Jack of All Stats: What he starts off as, being an all-around solid combat admiral, but not particularly great at anything.
  • Master of All: What he becomes around halfway into the series. It's not so much that he learns from his own mistakes, because he barely makes any. Rather he learns from the mistakes of his colleagues (Kempf in particular) and his humility allows him to see things rationally. All of this ends up giving Yang quite a bit of headaches. He ends up becoming Reinhard's best admiral after Mittermeyer and Reuenthal. Learning from experience can go a long way.
• Meaningful Name: The name of his ship is Percival, which is inspired by a story of a knight who embodies not just heroism, but also compassion and humility, a perfect description for Müller himself.
• Nice Guy: Rivals Kircheis for sheer kindness. He treats enemies who surrender with respect as well and even comes to genuinely respect Julian while attending Yang Wen-li's funeral as the Empire's representative.
• Overshadowed by Awesome: Even earlier on, Müller is shown to be a proven and competent commander in his own right, as well as a generally honorable paragon. It's just that he's overshadowed by Kircheis in almost every way, and it's only after Kircheis' death that he gets his time to shine.
• Please Spare Him, My Liege!: Tried to plead for Reuenthal when Reinhard promised to do anything he asked. Unfortunately, that was the one thing Reinhard could not do.
• Rule of Symbolism: The admiral most similar to Kircheis ends up getting the Siegfried Kircheis battle honor medal.
  • He is always standing next to Mittermeyer, with Reuenthal on the other side. In a sense he is the noble friend, whereas Reuenthal is the troubled friend with occasionally evil ways. Being one year younger than Mittermeyer, whereas Reuenthal is one year older adds to it.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Played With. He is considered one of the Empire's greatest stars, has an experimental ship with a unique design, uses plain tactics rather than specializing in anything, is very protective of Reinhard (even more so than the other admirals), is humble, kind, the youngest of Reinhard's admirals and the guy Reinhard tends to send on diplomatic missions. All the things that used to describe Kircheis. It's Played With because he was already part of Reinhard's admiralty when Kircheis was still alive, but he doesn't become a prominent character until after Kircheis' death. Matter of fact, he goes from barely saying anything to suddenly being talkative afterwards. To add to that, he basically takes Kircheis place among the trinity of Reinhard's most competent fleet commanders(Kircheis, Reuenthal, Mittermeyer).
• Took a Level in Badass: Starts out as a relative unknown and after the Battle of Vermillion gains a serious reputation that lasts the rest of the series. When offering to relinquish his position as Space Fleet commander to get Reuenthal back, Mittermeyer recommends Müller as his replacement.
• Underestimating Badassery: In the first half of the series, he is constantly overlooked. Kempf often ignores his advice and just calls him a brat, rear admiral Sombart and vice admiral Thurneysen thinks he only got his admiral rank due to war causing chaos in the ranks and Yang doesn't consider him a factor at Vermillion until the very moment Müller appears to pull off a Big Damn Heroes.

Fritz Josef Bittenfeld

High Admiral Fritz Josef Bittenfeld

Voiced by: Keiichi Noda (main series), Tetsu Inada (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Austin Tindle (Die Neue These) (English)

"Either way, the chronicles of our lives are written in blood, no matter which page we turn to. Even if we were to put a thick foundation of humanism over them we can't erase the color of blood there, can we?"

Bittenfeld was always infamous for his temper and desire to be in the thick of battle. His fleet, the Black Lancers, inherited these traits and earned considerable renown for their fast, devastating charges. Though his timely intervention turned the tide of battle for Reinhard on more than one occasion, Bittenfeld's hotheadedness could cause problems for the Imperials. He was the most aggressive of even the offense-minded Admirals and easy to bait into traps. Even when the noose was closed around him he still believed he could break through. Nonetheless, Bittenfeld was still a capable commander and knew to retreat when the situation could still be salvaged.

His ship of choice was the all-black Königstiger, emphasizing speed and firepower above all else.

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• Adaptation Name Change: He is named "Wittenfeld" in the novels and that is the intended spelling, but is named "Bittenfeld" in all English translation of adaptations, stemming from a spelling error in the OVA.
  • Actually, the intended spelling remains unknown (unless we have a Word of God for it). Both Wittenfeld and Bittenfeld are spelled the same in Japanese (with the first letter ビ, bi), and both are existing German surnames. The Gineipaedia has his name as "Bittenfeld".
• Animal Motif: He has 2. Bittenfeld and his fleet are compared to wild boars quite frequently, but the man himself is clearly meant to resemble a tiger: orange hair, golden eyes, muscular build, brave and vicious in battle. And the official Momotarou parody cartoon portrays him as a tiger.
• Attack! Attack! Attack!: His default strategy in space combat, and that of the Black Lancers. To quote Attenborough, even the pretense of running away from him becomes a matter of life and death. That being said, he is also known for losing the most ships and troops among Reinhard's admirals. For Bittenfeld to truly be effective, he needs somebody to give him orders, which is why Reinhard tends to use him in a support role, rather than placing him in command of a wing.
• Beware the Silly Ones: He is the source of most of the comedy on the Imperial side and he is not a great tactician, but a couple of things need to be kept in mind to understand why he is part of Reinhard's High Command and a superb commander in his own way.
  • He was the one who ruined Bewcock's plans at Rantemario. Bittenfeld's fleet charged through an energy current that most admirals wouldn't dare approach and blew up the old admiral's formation. This was not something Bewcock counted on.
  • He crippled Yang's fleet at the corridor, as Yang assumed that Bittenfeld would be demoralized and fatigued after their prior engagements. Instead Bittenfeld kept on coming and battered the 13th fleet, killing Fischer.
  • When it looked like Reuenthal was about to destroy the Black Lancers at Rantemario II (and thus expose Mittermeyer's flank), Bittenfeld rallied them again, got them back into position and charged towards Reuenthal with crazed zeal.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Loves space battles and commands his forces with barely contained glee. He's also one of the few admirals to always stand on the bridge, not sit in a commander's chair, because it gives him more space to make broad and expressive gestures.
• Born Lucky: His recklessness leads to his fleet suffering more losses than any other over the course of the series and he suffers plenty of defeats.....yet Bittenfeld himself (and his flagship) is never so much as scratched and he makes it to the end of the series, alive and well. The man simply has the devil's luck.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He's not an idiot by any means, but he's so aggressive you can be forgiven if you mistake him for an idiot. But when there's someone telling him when and where to attack he will break through any opposition.
• Determinator: Just days after losing half his fleet to Yang, he went on to inflict critical damage to cripple Yang's fleet in the battle of Iserlohn Corridor.
• Dumbass Has a Point: Played with. He's not actually dumb by any means, but damned if he doesn't make everyone forget sometimes. It just makes it a little shocking every time he expresses a valuable (i.e. sensible) opinion or does something sensible in combat. In fact, he'd probably be one of the smartest admirals in the series if it weren't for his out-of-control aggression. In episode 28, he mentions that Reuenthal and Mittermeyer should lead the operation to take out Iserlohn with Geiersburg Fortress, instead of Kempf and Mueller. On another occasion he advocates taking Heinessen to force Yang Wen-li to surrender, an option that Yang would have been able to do nothing about. The other admirals dismiss it as unworkable...but this is largely the option Hilda takes to save Reinhard from being blasted into space dust at the Battle of Vermilion. The difference being that Hilda demanded their surrender, whereas Bittenfeld wanted to destroy it, which would have martyred the alliance and given Yang the political advantages necessary to revive it.
• Fiery Redhead: His temper is as fiery as his hair; notably, he was one of the very few characters in the show to drop an Atomic F-Bomb (or what counts for one in Japanese).
• Frontline General: Even more so than the other admirals because he always personally leads the charge with his flagship.
• Hair-Trigger Temper: It doesn't take much to make him lose his temper.
• Hidden Depths: While he's rather blunt and doesn't seem to be much of a thinker at a first glance, he can make surprisingly deep and thoughtful observations, see the quote. See also Dumbass Has a Point.
• Honor Before Reason: He won't even hear about vile and dishonest ways of waging war, even if they are effective — one of the reasons why he hates Oberstein so much.
• Hot-Blooded: Aggressive, impatient and easily provoked. Oberstein uses this once to provoke Bittenfeld into physically attacking him and places him under arrest for assaulting a superior officer.
• In the Blood: In his own words, a fierce temper and a penchant for melodrama seem to run strong in the Bittenfeld line.
• Large Ham: Very expressive and loud. Bittenfeld will make his presence known as often as he can.
• Leeroy Jenkins: Unusually, for a Leeroy, he is capable of recognizing when he has been outmaneuvered and retreating. Well, eventually at least.
• No Historical Figures Were Harmed:
  • If Reinhard's admirals are Napoleon's Marshals, then Bittenfeld is Michel Ney. A charismatic, daring and aggressive commander whose boldness unfortunately caused quite a bit of problems for him.
  • On the other side, his Prussia-inspired background, unyielding nature, aggression, hotheadedness and ability to inspire incredible devotion from those under him strongly make him resemble Gebherdt von Blucher, who delivered a crushing blow to Napoleon's forces at Waterloo similar to how Bittenfeld did to Yang at the corridor.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Closest to one in the show on the Imperial side.
  There’s a tradition in the Bittenfeld family! When you praise someone, you do it loudly; when you denounce someone, you do it even louder!
• Red Baron: Not him as an individual, but his fleet. Whereas other fleets simply have the name of their commander, his is always called The Black Lancers.
• Spanner in the Works: Singlehandedly ruined Yang's plans by killing Edwin Fischer in the battle of Iserlohn Corridor.
• Too Dumb to Live: Averted. He even becomes more restrained with time, surprising his enemies by not falling for obvious traps and he eventually lives. Which is quite surprising in a series like this. Yoshiki Tanaka notes that he did plan to kill Bittenfeld off, but somehow he kept surviving. We did mention the man's devil's luck, didn't we?

Adalbert von Fahrenheit

High Admiral Adalbert von Fahrenheit

Voiced by: Show Hayami (main series), Ryota Takeuchi (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Daman Mills (Die Neue These) (English)

A coolheaded admiral who shared Bittenfeld's preference for offensive tactics. Farenheit originally fought on the side of the nobles during the Lippstadt Rebellion. He shared Merkatz's opinions of the nobles but, unlike his superior, he did not flee when the war ended. He received a pardon from Reinhard and was promoted to the rank of admiral when the regent recognized his skills. He clashed with Merkatz on several occasions during the war with the Free Planets Alliance.

His flagship was the Asgrimm, the only ship shown to possess a Wave-Motion Gun.

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• Berserk Button: Is openly angry when Rockwell tries to justify his treason by comparing it to his own surrender and changing of sides.
• Blood Knight: He may not act like one, but he certainly enjoys a good fight. This is the reason his fleet is one of the best at charges, only behind the Black Lancers.
• Defector from Decadence: Rather than flee to the Alliance or Fezzan as the Lippstadt Rebellion winds down, Fahrenheit instead opts to side with Reinhard the moment an opportunity opens itself.
• Everyone Has Standards: Is openly disgusted and offended when Rockwell cites him as an excuse to justify his own treachery.
• Face Death with Dignity: After a brief reminiscence of his life, he orders the last survivor of his crew, a young boy, to evacuate quickly and to live on, and dies on the burning bridge.
• Foil:
  • To Merkatz. Notice how they both deal with Braunschweig's stupidity and what they do afterwards. Merkatz acts like the obedient soldier and just says "he's a noble, he can't help it" whenever Braunschweig does something utterly idiotic and after the war he remains loyal the Goldenbaum dynasty, corrupt nobility and evil practices be damned. Fahrenheit tells Braunschweig You're Insane! to his face and joins up with Reinhard at the first opportunity, working to make things better for lower nobility and commoners.
  • He's also one to Rockwell, his parallel of sorts in the Alliance. While Rockwell similarly served with distinction yet tried to get into Reinhard's good graces following the Alliance's collapse by killing Chairman Rebelo in cold blood, Fahrenheit joins Reinhard with his principles intact and without disposing anyone outside the battlefield. Fahrenheit also doesn't defect out of cowardly self-preservation or disguise that under lofty pretenses, unlike Rockwell, who pays for that with his life.
• Heel–Face Turn: Surrenders to Reinhard at the end of the Lippstadt Rebellion. Reinhard gives him a pardon and a place in his admiralty.
• Ignored Expert: The only admiral in the Lippstadt League (other than Merkatz himself) who was worth his salt as a military professional. Braunschweig ignores his warning not to leave the fortress for a final battle and disaster ensues.
• Impoverished Patrician: A low-ranking and impoverished nobleman, Fahrenheit joined the military simply to eke out a living.
• Loyal to the Position: Fahrenheit is loyal to the Empire as an institution and initially sided with the Lippstadt League out of the belief that its High Noble leaders did too. This is also in part why he ultimately sides with Reinhard.
• Only Sane Employee: Like Merkatz, he's one of the few officers in the Lippstadt Rebellion with common sense and actual tactical knowledge. Hence his survival after all the other nobles fail.

Ernest Mecklinger

High Admiral Ernest Mecklinger

Voiced by: Takaya Hashi (main series), Mahito Ohba (Die Neue These), Aaron Roberts (Die Neue These) (English)

"It just shows how irredeemable we are."

Also known as the Artist Admiral, Mecklinger was a well-known patron of the arts even during the last days of the Goldenbaum Dynasty and was known to have composed many of his own works, even winning prizes for his paintings and piano playing. Mecklinger was Reinhard's Chief of Staff, before becoming a vice admiral in Reinhard's admirality. He did not take to the field as often as the other admirals but was always picked by Reinhard to manage the Empire's supply lines during long campaigns.

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• Boring Yet Practical: His job of managing the supply lines.
• Beware the Nice Ones: While normally the most even-tempered of the admirals, he basically tells a doctor to thoroughly investigate the Kaiser's illness or there will be consequences.
  • When he finds out that Grillparzer withheld information from Reuenthal and indulged in schemes that helped to start a rebellion which lead to the death of millions, Mecklinger makes it known that he is PISSED, afterwhich Grillparzer is taken away, probably to be executed.
• Cultured Warrior: And it shows. On more than one occasion he supervised the recovery of looted artwork.
• Nice Guy: Very personable and one of the least enthusiastic for battles among the admirals. That being said, as the quote shows, he still does like a fight now and then.
• Officer and a Gentleman
• The Philosopher: Of Reinhard's faction. He sometimes pondered about the future not unlike Yang did and it is mentioned that he recorded the events of his time.
• Porn Stache: Of the "paragon of manliness" sort; Legend of Galactic Heroes was first conceived during the style's heyday, and Mecklinger's 'stache was meant to be a visual shorthand for his Cultured Warrior status. Die Neue These gives him a more modern goatee instead.
• Renaissance Man: He's accomplished not only as an admiral, but also as a painter, a pianist and a poet, and another character even compared him to Leonardo da Vinci (to his credit, Mecklinger didn't consider himself on Leonardo's level). Even as a soldier he's capable in two very different fields: organizing the supply lines and directing the battles (even if he's better at the former).
  • His flagship is named Kvasir, after the Norse deity of knowledge and poetry.

Ernst von Eisenach

High Admiral Ernst von Eisenach

Voiced by: Masane Tsukayama

"Checkmate."

Stoic admiral famous for being almost completely silent. Distinguished himself via rearguard duty, diversion operations and land battle support. Commanded through hand signals.

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• Badass Fingersnap: Some of the gestures he uses to communicate involve this. It's Played for Laughs in one scene, where the narrator reveals that he gets a double dose of coffee each morning during one campaign because one of his orderlies mixes up the gestures and Eisenach is too proud to break silence to correct him.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: He is quiet and well-liked by his fellow admirals, but especially ruthless towards his enemies. Is ultimately the one who kills Merkatz via an especially vicious order. The order in question? "Deploy the fleet in a fan formation between 6 and 9 o'clock and fire on the ships that run away from the Black Lancers."
• Bunny-Ears Admiral: Is one of the best admirals in the Imperial navy, despite the fact that he communicates almost entirely through hand gestures.
• Cold Ham: Manages to be a dramatic presence in any scene he's in despite the fact that he so rarely speaks. The one word he says over the course of the entire series is so apropos for the situation that everyone else in the room is stunned into silence from shock.
• Elective Mute: To the extent where almost everyone of his fellow high-ranking colleagues were shocked when he finally muttered a word late in the series. It was even lampshaded by the narrator, who helpfully provided the time and date of that occurrence. His flagship is named after the Norse god Vidar, Odin's son who was famous for never speaking.
  • Mittermeyer could not help but to wonder how he managed to communicate with his family.
• Nerves of Steel: Has a reputation for being practically unflappable.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Aside from the one line he gets on camera, during one battle the narrator mentions off-handedly that he had to break his silence to whisper a command to retreat, since he didn't have a gesture for it.

Cornelius Lutz

High Admiral Cornelius Lutz

Voiced by: Katsunosuke Hori (main series), Hirofumi Nojima (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Brandon McInnis (Die Neue These) (English)

Commanded the Iserlohn garrison fleet until the Yang fleet recaptured the station. Was injured and hospitalized during a terrorist attack on Fezzan. Volunteered to stay behind to delay attackers during the attempt on Reinhard's life on Urvashi and was killed by them.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: In the original series he had brown hair, but in Neue These he has pale blond hair.
• Florence Nightingale Effect: He fell in love and proposed to a nurse named Klara who attended him after the terrorist bombing in Fezzan.
• Heroic Sacrifice: Gave his life to save Reinhard and Müller.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: He actually helped Reinhard in getting the hang of conventional firearms long before Reinhard rose through the imperial ranks.
  • And during his final stand, he shoots dead almost all the attackers with deadly accuracy, right until he was blinded by a lucky shot.
• More Hero than Thou: Pulls seniority on Müller to be the one who gets left behind on Urvashi.
• Technicolor Eyes: He has purple eyes which even change shade when he's excited or anticipating something.
• Tempting Fate: "There's no way I'll die before that Oberstein". He dies 18 episodes before Oberstein, though not because of him.
• Those Two Guys: Downplayed, but he is this with Wahlen. They are often paired together and the fact that early on they almost look like◊ twins◊ and that their ships look almost identical adds to it.
• You Don't Look Like You: Die Neue These redesigned pretty much all of the admirals, but Lutz got changed the most◊, with not just different hair and skin colors, but he also looks much younger(at the start of the story, he is supposed to be in his early 30s).
• You Shall Not Pass!: Stayed behind during the attack on Uruvashi to fight off Reinhard's assailants and allow him a chance to escape. He died in the ensuing firefight, but he took a few enemies down with him.

Karl Gustav Kempf

Admiral Karl Gustav Kempf

Voiced by: Tesshō Genda (main series), Hiroki Yasumoto (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Robert McCollum (Die Neue These) (English)

Overall commander of the Imperial fleet during the first attempt to recapture Iserlohn. He commanded both the flagship Jotunheim and Geiersburg Fortress. He died when that same fortress was destroyed.

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• Ace Pilot:
  • While far from Poplin's level, during the Sixth Battle of Iserlohn he shot down two Spartanians and survived a scratch to his fighter.
  • In Die Neue These, he overrides Geiersburg's flight systems after its engines are damaged by Yang's Fleet, effectively turning the fortress into a gigantic fighter. He dies, however, before he could get close enough to finish the job.
• Adaptational Heroism: In Die Neue These, he manages to work with Müller to evacuate Geiersburg before starting his ramming attack. He arranges to have direct manual control of the fortress so he's the only person aboard during the attack. He even manages to partially compensate for the engine the Yang Fleet destroyed, and fire Geiersburg's Wave-Motion Gun several times as a last resort before being killed.
• A Death in the Limelight: Unfortunately, the episodes where we get to know him better, are precisely the ones that lead up to his death.
• Big Ol' Eyebrows: Die Neue These gives him some prominent eyebrows, making him look even more severe.
• Family Man: Had a devoted wife and two young sons who adored him. Lead to a Tear Jerker when it fell on Mecklinger to deliver the bad news of Kempf's demise.
• Fatal Flaw: Is ultimately insecure about not being at the level of Reuenthal and Mittermeyer (both High Admirals at the time). Rather than simply smashing Geiersburg Fortress into Iserlohn, he wants to use it as his personal base. He doesn't listen to Müller's information stating that Yang is not in Iserlohn. He is too focused on what he could personally earn from the operation, rather than on it's actual succesful completion.
• Hereditary Hairstyle: Die Neue These shows his two sons Gustav Isaak and Karl Franz inherited the same spiky hairstyle as their father.
• Meaningful Name: The largest of the admirals, his flagship is named Jotunheim, after the Norse homeworld of the giants.
• Younger Than They Look: He looked rather old for being only 36. His Neue These counterpart looks fittingly younger.

Helmut Rennenkampf

High Admiral Helmut Rennenkampf

Voiced by: Takeshi Watabe

"Don't count on me valuing my life so much that I'd deal with you!"

Reinhard's former superior. Appointed Imperial representative to the FPA after the Treaty of Ba'alat. Was captured by the Rosenritters in conjunction with them breaking Yang out of jail.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: Black haired in the original series, light brown hair in Die Neue These.
• Crippling Overspecialization: Merkatz mentions that while he's an excellent fleet commander, outside of that, he really isn't good at anything else. As a result when he becomes consul, he ends up making boneheaded decisions.
• Didn't Think This Through: Even if he had succeeded in getting Yang to Odin or having Yang executed, Reinhard would have just severily punished him for it, as he would have been enraged at the dishonorable way Yang would be treated. In Reinhard's mind, killing off political schemers is one thing, but ignoble murder of a respected warrior is another.
• Dragon-in-Chief: Rennenkampf, on top of being Reinhard's representative as Imperial consul, also is shown to have more actual power on Heinessen than Chairman Rebelo, the nominal head of the Alliance.
• Driven to Suicide: Hangs himself in his cell after allowing himself to be captured during Yang's escape from Heinessen.
• General Ripper: Is so convinced that Yang must be up to something that he accepts extremely suspect evidence as irrefutable confirmation that he is.
• Manly Facial Hair: If there's something that characterizes him on both versions is his impressive mustache, and is as manly and commanding as they come.
• Of Corpse He's Alive: Played seriously. After Rennenkampf's suicide, Yang and Frederica did whatever they could to sell the idea that he was still alive while the corpse was with them. They later returned it to the Empire by leaving it in a space capsule, alongside a note explaining the circumstances of his death.
• The Peter Principle: Much like Lobos for the Alliance, Rennenkampf falls victim to this trope, going from a competent and respected fleet commander to a disastrously ineffectual administrator who's unable to adapt to the demands of his new task.
• When All You Have Is a Hammer…: Rennenkampf soon tries compensating for his lack of administrative talents by using blunt military force, which only exasperates the situation in Heinessen and unwittingly leads to Yang's escape.
• Younger Than They Look: He is about the same age as Fahrenheit, yet he looks at least a decade older. The books mention that he looks middle-aged as well.

August Samuel Wahlen

High Admiral August Samuel Wahlen

Voiced by: Masaaki Okabe (main series), Hisao Egawa (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Brandon Potter (Die Neue These) (English)

"Losing something I lost before does not inconvenience me at all."

Served as Reinhard's executive officer, when the latter was a commander. Commanded the expedition against the Terraist headquarters on Earth after their first attempt on Reinhard's life. His left arm had to be amputated after a cultist stabbed him with a poisoned blade.

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• Artificial Limbs: His amputated arm is replaced with a cybernetic prosthetic. Later in the series it's injured again, giving him the opportunity to make a rather dry quip about the whole thing.
• Enemy Mine: He was not aware of Julian and co. being on the opposite side, assuming that they were just Fezzani merchants, but they helped him in his mission against the Terraists.
• Hollywood Genetics: He is a redhead, but both of his parents are blonde.
• Leave No Survivors: He orders his men to eradicate every trace of the Earth Church they could find. Unfortunately, they weren't quite thorough enough.
• My Greatest Failure: Regrets not thoroughly wiping out the Terraists after the survivors killed Silberberch and Yang.
• Nerves of Steel: Gets his artificial arm torn by a direct hit of an enemy gun and makes a calm remark, see the quote. He also stopped the unrest between Bittenfeld's and Oberstein's men just by parking his armored car between them and giving a Death Glare.

Ulrich Kesler

High Admiral Ulrich Kesler

Voiced by: Shūichi Ikeda (main series), Wataru Hatano (Die Neue These) (Japanese), Jonah Scott (Die Neue These) (English)

Originally a military lawyer, Reinhard appointed him Superintendent of the Military Police, which in the Empire also functioned as a general State Sec service. Credited with reforming this corrupt and oppressive organization and generally improving the Imperial Justice system. Risked his own life in order to rescue Hildegard and Annerose during the Terraist attack on the Imperial residence.

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• Adaptational Late Appearance: In the OVA he was seen as a commodore before the Battle of Amritsar and served as a fleet commander during the Lippstadt War, while in Die Neue These he only joins the group after Reinhard has become Prime Minister and has dealt with the High Nobles.
• Always Lawful Good: Stopped Mittermeyer from personally murdering Lang for what happened to Reuenthal because justice only comes with law. He is not kidding, once Lang confesses to his crimes and Kesler has all the information he needs, the High Admiral has Lang executed.
• Big Damn Heroes: really, was it necessary for the superintendent of police to personally break into a burning building?
• Commissar Cap: One of the few admirals who actually wears one by virtue of being the new head of the Military Police.
• Good Is Not Soft: While he's most of the time a lawful and genuinely nice person, he and his men are not above using questionable methods such as torture when interrogating dangerous suspects.
• Meaningful Name: Not him, but his flagship. Forseti was the Norse god of justice.
• Meet Cute: How he met Marika, his future wife.
• Reassigned to Antarctica: Subverted. Due to his connections with Richard von Grimmelhausen, Kesler resigns himself to being sent off to frontier postings by corrupt High Noble superiors, only for Reinhard to pull rank years later and reassign him to a position much more befitting his abilities.
• Secret-Keeper: Kesler is entrusted with Richard von Grimmelhausen's personal memoirs, which contain detailed accounts of various High Noble abuses recorded during his life. While meant to be used at Reinhard's discretion, Kesler's instead tasked by Reinhard with safekeeping the material until the former gets a more appropriate position in the Military Police, ultimately revealing its contents once the High Nobles lose the power to rewrite history in their favor.

Karl Robert Steinmetz

High Admiral Karl Robert Steinmetz

Voiced by: Hiroya Ishimaru

First helmsman of the Brünhild, later promoted to admiral. Was killed shortly after Fahrenheit in the Battle of the Corridor, the final battle commanded by Yang.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: Black haired in the original series, blonde in Die Neue These.
• Celibate Hero: Played With. He has a girlfriend, but swore he would not marry her until Reinhard married someone first.
• Heroic Sacrifice: At the battle of the Corridor, Yang was about to blast away at Reinhard, so Steinmetz intercepted it with his fleet, leading to his death.
• Out of Focus: He's the least prominent of all of Reinhard's admirals.

Alfred Grillparzer

Admiral Alfred Grillparzer

Voiced by: Shunsuke Sakuya

A former member of the Rennenkampf fleet and later Admiral of the Eistia.

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• Didn't Think This Through: As Mecklinger points out, he could have achieved a promotion in due time, but instead he concealed information that could potentially absolve Reuenthal so he could have the glory of betraying and putting down a traitor. Not only Knappstein gets killed in battle and he's forced to fight for his life, when he does betray Reuenthal, he figuratively shoots him in the back, marking himself as a coward. In his short-sighted desire for glory and recognition, millions of soldiers lost their lives, his reputation is tarnished beyond repair, the empire lost one of its most competent admirals and he will almost assuredly be executed for treason.
• General Failure: Is overall a pretty lousy fleet commander. We see him lead a fleet in 2 battles and he looks like a fool in both.
• Glory Hound: Wanted nothing more than to stand out and gain military achievements, so he and another reckless admiral were sent as vanguard during the Battle of Marr-Adetta. This desire for glory is what made him frame Reuenthal for conspiring against the Kaiser.
• Laser-Guided Karma: Framed Reuenthal and was the one who fatally shot him, but once interrogated by Mecklinger, he's found guilty of mutiny, murder and concealing evidence, meaning he will be stripped of his admiralty and probably get executed (in the books he's forced to commit suicide.)
• Ordered to Die: Reinhard orders him to commit suicide in the books upon learning of his role in Ruenthal's rebellion.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He was sent to Urvashi to investigate the plot to assassinate Reinhard where Reuenthal was the main suspect. Hoping to fan the flames of war and gain military achievements, he concealed evidence of Reuenthal's innocence. Reuenthal, frustrated with constant false accusations, eventually rebelled.
• Underestimating Badassery: He and Knappstein thought Bewcock was nothing more than an old man, only for that same old man to inflict the heaviest casualties to their fleets during the Battle of Mar-Adetta.
• Ungrateful Bastard: Reuenthal saves his life in battle, yet Grillparzer still betrayed him.

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