Toska (トスカ) is one of the main supporting characters in Re:Zero Prequel: Loving the Days Gone By, a side story released with Re:Zero 2nd Season BD 5.
He lived during the era of the Witches, predating even the Great Calamity. When he was around 15 years old, Toska ventured to find the Witch of Wisdom, Echidna, to request her help in repelling an Blight Dragon attack and saving the life of his childhood friend, Remina. He died some time beyond the age of 150.
Appearance[]
Throughout most of Loving the Days Gone By, Toska was around 15 years of age. He was a relatively tall and handsome young boy with flaming red hair and sky blue eyes—characteristics that indicate a person's connection to House Astrea. He was usually seen dressed in rough clothes befitting of his family's profession as farmers, and was equipped with a rough satchel made out of fur. Around his waist, Toska wore a tawdry sword which was noted to look rather old and borderline useless.
Personality[]
Toska had a rather timid personality, but he was ultimately a very brave man. When his childhood friend Remina was set up as a sacrifice for the Blight Dragons, he wasted no time and darted towards the Palace of the Witch, overcoming numerous trials and obstacles just to reach it. When faced with two Artificial Spirits, he was able to retain his composure and voice his wishes, which in turn prompted both Beatrice and Puck to help him. Despite him being a meager 15 years old, he displayed immense courage, despite facing powerful beings such as Great Spirits, Witches and Dragons themselves.
He was also shown to be rather high-spirited and fun to be around with, once he got more familiar with the other party. He was even capable of cracking jokes and pranks on Beatrice, despite her being the Daughter of the Witch. His personality was rather in-tone with Puck's, resulting in them forming a rather friendly bond.
Toska is also shown to be easily influenced by others, as seen when he retold the story about his older brother telling him how he'll become stronger if he ate stronger beings. This resulted in him being prepared to eat an entire Guiltylowe, despite it tasting horribly and even being toxic for consumption.[1]
Furthermore, Toska was shown to be rather humble. Despite possessing inhuman strength, speed, agility and skills with the sword, he considered himself normal. Whenever the two Artificial Spirits complimented him, Toska's replied were always that of embarrassment and denial, stating he's slightly better than average, at best. One could easily surmise this self-dejection came from growing up in the shadow of the first Sword Saint Reid Astrea. This also lead him to underestimate his achievements, as shown when he called a aquatic witchbeast that had terrorized a nearby town for a while, "a fish".[2]
History[]
Toska was born in a secluded and tiny village called Carnattse, to his family, who were all farmers. When he was about 15 years of age, Toska's childhood friend Remina was chosen as a sacrifice for the Blight Dragons, due to them wanting to take revenge on Toska's brother's family, as his older brother had slaughtered their leader, Amangam. As running away with her would result in the destruction of the village, Toska opted for a different kind of salvation–seeking the Witch of Greed to have his wish granted.
Toska then started his journey, successfully managed to reach the Witch's palace at the top of a mountain, thanks to his powerful body and sharp determination fueled by his mighty wish. To his surprise, he was welcomed by the Witch of Greed's daughter; Beatrice, who back then had the task of acting as a proxy in stead of her absent mother. Toska's wish having been accepted by Beatrice, him, her and Puck then started their 9 days long journey to Carnattse in order to save Remina from the Blight Dragon.
Once the trio arrived at the village, Beatrice quickly made a plan after noticing that the villagers had no intent of fighting the Dragon. The plan ended up in Beatrice successfully killing the Blight Dragon by surprise but unfortunately for them, the Dragon they killed was actually under the orders of Fargall; the Dragon behind the sacrifice. Fargall was in fact scheming to slaughter all villagers of Carnattse in reprisal due to Toska's brother having killed a Dragon leader. A fight with Puck in his Star Beastification form, Beatrice and Toska then started against Fargall, who was finally defeated by Toska with the help of the villagers. However, as they were thinking they finally saved Remina and the village, an army of one hundred Silver Dragons appeared in the sky, determined to kill Toska and his kin. Toska, Beatrice and Puck, refusing to give up, were ready to fight the Dragons with all their might, until the Witch of Greed suddenly arrived, and with one single spell, managed to annihilate the Dragons as stars were falling down onto them. After Echidna's attack, only four Dragons remained alive, Fargall being one of them, they finally surrendered and complied.
Some time after Fargall's defeat, Toska and Remina's wedding was held, in which Echidna, Beatrice and Puck took part in. Once Puck left to start his journey, Toska made a vow with Beatrice, promising that he shall one day repay his debt to her. Later on, Toska and Remina had many children, who also had children, who then had children too.
More than a century after the trio's journey to Carnattse, Toska, now an old man, heard about Beatrice's everlasting solitude and decided to repay his debt by helping her. Roswaal D. Mathers then brought Toska to the Forbidden Library, in which he begged Beatrice to take his hand; he wanted her to leave so that she wouldn't feel lonely anymore. Unfortunately for him, Beatrice refused to give up on the contract and duty given by her mother, which resulted in her kicking Toska out of the library. After being kicked out, Toska lying on the ground, started to wail and cry while pleading for someone to save the kind hearted girl from solitude as he was wishing for her happiness.
Toska then died of old age an unknown amount of time later.
Abilities[]
Inhuman Strength: Toska's strength could only be described as inhuman. He was easily able to defeat a Guiltylowe and even compete with a Dragon. Despite that, it's worth noting that Toska is still vastly weaker to his older brother.[3] According to him, during their duels, he could not stop shaking out of fear–a feeling he'd later experience when facing off Blight Dragons[4]
Inhuman Speed: Toska was shown to easily be able to sprint at the speed of gale. He traversed the path down the mountain in mere half a day, when it would take over a day for a normal person to get back down to the Witch's Forest. To a bystander observing him run, it would appear as if Toska's legs are invisible.[5]
Swordskill: Toska was very skilled with his sword. According to Puck, his abilities were nothing short than monstrous.[6] He was easily able to cut down multiple Guiltylowe, and even referred to them as a "stupid dogs".
Trivia[]
- It's been heavily hinted that Toska is Reid Astrea's younger brother, and a member of the Astrea Family.
- It's been heavily hinted that the current members of House Astrea are in fact direct descendants of Toska, rather than of Reid.
References[]
- ↑ "It's not that I'm hungry...... It's just that, big brother had once earlier said that I'd get stronger if I ate strong creatures, so just out of habit." Re:Zero Prequel: Loving the Days Gone By Chapter 1
- ↑ "When I'm eating nothing but witchbeasts, you two have a grim look in your eyes at the time of campfire, so I tried catching fish in the river today..." Re:Zero Prequel: Loving the Days Gone By Chapter 1
- ↑ "Yes. I have an elder brother who is slightly older than me...... though he is so strong, you wouldn't believe he belongs to this world" Re:Zero Prequel: Loving the Days Gone By Chapter 1
- ↑ "Please stop, Puck-sama. You'll know once you see any actual Dragons... They're, not like this stupid dog. For my body to tremble non-stop during a confrontation, has happened for the first time ever since with big brother." Re:Zero Prequel: Loving the Days Gone By Chapter 1
- ↑ "His sprint was so excessively swift that to a bystander Toska's legs would appear as invisible..." Re:Zero Prequel: Loving the Days Gone By Chapter 1
- ↑ "Half a day since their departure from the Palace of the Witch, Toska's swordsmanship had exemplarily exited the montane forest and they had successfully escaped the mountain as well as the forest of the Witch. Nothing existed for Beatrice to draw a comparison with, but by Puck's word his accomplishment was akin to monstrous."Re:Zero Prequel: Loving the Days Gone By Chapter 1