Allen Walker

Allen Walker is the main protagonist and a reference to the D.Gray-man anime and manga.

Allen is a former Exorcist and member of the European Branch of the Black Order. He is the adoptive son of Mana Walker, the elder brother of Nea D. Campbell, and the former apprentice of Exorcist General, Cross Marian making him part of the Marian Unit. Allen is usually seen with Timcanpy by his side.

In the AWA fics, Allen is a student at the AWA Academy.

Appearance
Allen is a male teenager of average height (though Kanda often teases Allen about his height, Yu Kanda himself is a tall individual, so Allen's height is actually common for his age) with a lean, muscular physique which, over the course of time, has become heavily marred with scars. He has medium-length gray/white hair that has now grown to shoulder-length, silver/gray (purple in the Hallow anime) eyes, and his skin is somewhat pale. His eyebrows and eyelashes are the same color as his hair. Allen has an unusual scar on the left side of his face that starts as a pentagram on his forehead, trailing down in a line that severs his eyebrow and mars his eyelid, and hooks slightly at his cheekbone and follows his cheek down close to his chin. It also has an extra line of scar tissue that runs parallel to his lower eyelid. This scar was given to him by Mana Walker, after Allen turned him into an Akuma. The scar is also the source of his Cursed Eye, which allows him to detect Akuma and see the human souls bound to their bodies.

Allen's parasitic type Innocence takes the form of the entirety of his left arm, from his shoulder down. Originally, it was red and quite veinous, but after he invoked his Crown Clown for the first time, the skin became much darker and more scale-like, his fingernails turning black and growing out and arrow-shaped markings forming along his shoulder blade. When his arm evolved further, the skin seemed to smooth out more.

Because of his odd hair color and his strange arm, Allen has a tendency to cover his hair with hats and hoods, wearing gloves and long-sleeved shirts to keep people from seeing his arm.

Allen's Exorcist uniforms often consist of concealing jackets and gloves, as well as pants and heavy duty boots, though Allen's latest uniform features a shorter jacket and capri-like pants. He always asks for gloves to be included so he can keep his hand hidden, though recently Allen has gotten more comfortable with showing his hand when he is around his comrades.

Allen's natural hair color was reddish-brown; his hair turned white from the shock of reviving Mana as an Akuma and destroying him. Allen revealed to Timothy that he had tried to dye it numerous times, but eventually gave up as it would return to white in no time.

When in his Noah form, Allen has the typical dark-skin tone and stilted amber eyes. So far only a glimpse of his stigma was seen. Unlike the other Noah his hair seem to remain white like Wisely's.

Personality
Allen usually portrays himself as a kind, generous, and very polite young man. He refuses to accept gifts of other that he estimates he didn't earn. He tends to be very self-sacrificing, often willing to let his body and emotions take devastating blows for the sake of others; this trait is something that has angered several of his comrades and friends, most noticeably Yu Kanda and Lenalee Lee. Allen also has an unassuming and borderline naive appearance, despite the troubled life his master, Cross Marian, forced him to live. Because of his Cursed Eye, which allows him to see the human souls bound to Akuma, Allen considers Akuma to be just as important to him as humans, swearing his left arm to saving Akuma and his right to saving humans. Kanda believes him to be too idealistic for his own good and doesn't hesitate to tell him this, saying an Exorcist is simply a destroyer and that they'll never be anyone's savior, though Allen claims that they can be both, pushing him to be, as he once put it, "a destroyer that saves".

Over time, Allen's personality has seen a shift. Several times, his "dark side", which is a result of him perfecting his poker skills to pay back Cross's debts, has shown itself, frequently shocking and scaring those around him. He is an expert at cheating in poker, which is shown for the first time when he brought Tyki Mikk (disguised as a human) and his two friends down to their underwear without any of them noticing what he was up to. He has also begun using less formal speech around his close friends, something noted by and encouraged by Lenalee and Johnny Gill. The one person who can consistently make Allen break his polite mold is fellow Exorcist Yu Kanda. Their differing views but similar "darkness", as it is described by Noise Marie, lead to them conflicting and arguing almost constantly, sometimes over menial issues. He also has a strong hatred for the Millennium Earl due to their history.

As a child, Allen was abandoned by his family because of his 'abnormal' left arm and sold to a circus. He was taken in by Mana Walker, a retired circus clown and began travelling with him. Mana later died, and the desperate Allen was tricked by the Millennium Earl into bringing him back. A furious Mana then cursed Allen, slashing at the left side of his face. Allen's arm, which is actually a piece of Innocence, then activated without his consent and started chasing after Mana. After Mana told Allen he loved him and begged to be destroyed, Allen's arm exorcised Mana's Akuma, killing him a second time. After this ordeal, Allen's hair turned white from shock, and his left eye is cursed to perpetually see the suffering souls bound within Akuma, leading to his decision to live for their sake.

Originally, Allen was a rough and embittered child, speaking rudely and being very brash, probably due to his suffering at the hands of the greedy Ringmaster and the violent clown, Cosimo. In a stark contrast to the gentlemanly older Allen, he honestly shows his strong emotions. He also refrains from getting attached to others and considers friends unnecessary, as he hopes to one day leave the ruthless circus and lead his own life, though he later came to love Mana dearly as they traveled together, considering him his father.

Following Mana's death, after spending over a month in a lifeless, unresponsive state, he resurfaced bearing Mana's personality, becoming much more polite. Cross seems troubled by this development from the start, and has expressed that he prefers Allen's 'dark side' because it was closer to how he used to behave. He often refers to Allen as wearing Mana's "mask", though the furigana actually reads 'memories', hinting that even now, Allen kept the memory of Mana alive through his own personality in order to cope with the loss.

Allen seems to believe in God's existence (once referring to his arm as "the crucifix of God that lies within me"), though he has stated he doesn't care about 'such a thing'; Allen had come to consider the Order and his comrades his second "true home" after Mana, but he is not simply fighting in the name of God, but rather for the vows he made to Mana, his friends and himself. He is also shown to greatly resent Suman's Innocence after its judgment cruelly left Suman alive but without a mind. After the truth of the Second Exorcist Project is revealed to him, he openly defies the Order by letting Kanda and Alma escape, due to his disdain with the Order's higher echelons and their questionable methods. He is also greatly disgusted with the idea of joining with Apocryphos after learning what it has done to Cross.

Allen is a big eater. He is seen taking tons of plates for his meals. This is a trait shared by all parasitic type accomodator but in Allen's case this is even more extreme. Fellow parasitic-type Arystar Krory thinks that Allen uses this as an excuse to eat so much which hides other issues...

Allen has shown some shades of pride, refusing to run away from a Noah even when cautioned by Komui (which nearly led to his Innocence's second destruction). Tyki Mikk called him arrogant for believing he could deprive him of his Noah without hurting him.

Abilities
Physical Prowess: Due to his Innocence being largely used for close combat, Allen is noted to be above normal human standards in terms of physical fitness, making him able to perform in seemingly physically impossible workouts and hold back Akuma attacks that are known to take out walls. His physical abilities are only increased when his Innocence is activated.

Amateur Swordsmanship: After Allen receives his Sword of Exorcism, he begins training with Kanda to develop his swordsmanship skills, though after losing in a spar he reverted to physical brawling.

Martial Skills: He can hold his own against Marie during a sparing match. Allen was able to fight a level 3 akuma without his innocence and with only one arm for a little while.

 Innoncence 
 * Cross - Cross is a parasitic type Anti-Akuma Weapon that is centralized in the cross-shaped, stone-like Innocence embedded in the back of Allen's left hand. The Innocence has caused Allen's entire arm to be taken over by Innocence, so his arm from the shoulder down is actually "foreign" tissue that his body symbiotically accepts as part of himself. Originally, Allen's arm was quite veinous and red, but over time its color has darkened and the skin has smoothed out, taking on a slightly more normal appearance. In terms of its naming, "jūjika" is a term for the type of cross rack used for crucifying, different from the usual usage of cross and/or cruciform.


 * Cross α (alpha) - The first and most basic form of Allen's Innocence augments his left arm into a monstrous adamantine claw with a supernatural glow at Allen's scapula-joint. At this phase, his Innocence is capable of manipulating its size and shape even to extreme ends, such as when it grew enough to grab the entire body of the mountain-sized Fallen One, Suman Dark. While very durable against Akuma and Dark Matter, it can easily be damaged by Innocence, shown by the dents left on it when Kanda sliced it with his Mugen and the bites that Krory left on his hand.


 * Cross Grave - At the first level of invocation, the Innocence's power can be channeled into one powerful stream, capable of destroying multiple Level 1 Akuma simultaneously, and leaves a cruciform of energy behind on each of its targets (hence the name should Allen defeat a group of Akuma with it).


 * In the games Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars, Cross Grave is instead a palm-slamming smash attack with the Innocence that causes a shock wave, but also has an effect of breaking guards (being unblockable as well; it is outright unblockable with no guard-break effect in JSS). The energy stream from the attack is able to emit from whatever surface Allen strikes/impacts with it, and the cruciforms appear as usual (only if Allen hits anything with it).
 * Minor versions of this attack can be used as Allen's Punt Attack in Super Stars. In both Superand Ultimate, his 4 Koma version Cross Grave's shockwave is blue-colored. While in Super Stars, his 5 Koma Cross Grave is red-colored and covers a large area in front of him. The attack was greatly nerfed in Ultimate Stars among several moves (in terms of shock wave size and power), and the 5 Koma version is instead colored yellow.
 * Cross β (beta) - This evolution takes a more offensive approach, in the form of a massive arm-cannon with his fingers becoming energy spikes. This form is capable of both ranged and melee combat, but tends to use up more energy initially.
 * Cross Paling - At its second phase of invocation, Allen's Innocence is capable of firing volleys of rod-shaped energy palings; these laser stakes are made of hard-light Innocence energy, which enables them to picket the ground and fence in the adversary, or to pile upon them.
 * In the anime, the laser stakes are colored yellow along with his β version fingers. Jump Super/Ultimate Stars instead colors the stakes green and his fingers to be grayish white (same color as his arm cannon).
 * Cross Spear (, Kurosu Supiā?, lit. Cross Stand's Spear): Also in its second phase of invocation, Allen is capable of focusing the barrel of his Innocence-cannon to generate a spear-like energy paling, which can then be used like a sword.


 * Crown Clown - After Allen's Cross was nearly destroyed by Tyki Mikk, who crushed it and reduced it to particles, the Innocence particles hung around Allen, keeping him alive by healing a hole in his heart. When it was discovered that Allen's Innocence was still viable, Allen began to work hard to attempt to synchronize, though his initial efforts were all failures. It was only while battling Thread and gaining a new, strengthened resolve that Allen was able to properly reconnect with his Innocence, at which point it evolved.
 * When invoked, Crown Clown acts as a body-armored Innocence, forming a white-hooded cowl and sleeve of Innocence energy which covers his shoulders and right arm, while his left arm and hand become slender and black, clad in armor and razor sharp claws. A masquerade-style mask is always affixed to the cowl, which takes on various configurations and appearances. This transformation also changes Allen's usual hairstyle from flat to a spiky rear. As before, his Innocence possesses a certain degree of sentience, such as when Crown Clown is able to manipulate Allen's entire body like a marionette when incapacitated, or simply assisting in evasive tactics. When not activated, his arm is black and meets with his shoulder in a spiraling pattern that ends with tattoo-like emblem.
 * Cross Grave - Much more powerful than its previous incarnation, Allen can crucify targets simply by etching a cross upon them with his left hand, effectively annihilating even Level 3 Akuma with a single talon. It can now also be used defensively, generation a shield by drawing a cross on the air.


 * Clown Belt - The cape of Allen's cowl is released as a webbing of Innocence-energy that can be used to grasp objects, immobilize opponents, or form hardened spikes to impale enemies. It can also be released from the sleeve and glove on Allen's right arm. The ribbons of energy were once used by Crown Clown itself to wrap around Allen's limbs and control him like a puppet when Allen was too injured to move by himself.


 * Crown Edge - A projectile attack which unleashes a barrage of crown-shaped rings from the clawed fingers on Allen's left hand.


 * Edge End - A swipe of raw destructive power dealt with Allen's fully-invoked claw.
 * In Jump Ultimate Stars, Allen instead fires the claw forward like an energy beam blast.

 Sword of Exorcism 
 * Self manipulation - By wearing Crown Clown and commanding it with his mind Allen can force his own body to move even if it is too physically damaged to move normally.
 * Sword of Exorcism - When Allen's synchronization rate exceeds 100%, he is able to transmute his entire left arm into a large broadsword with a cross emblazoned on the faces of the blade. In doing so, his left shoulder is capped with a cross-shaped emblem, and his cowl usually forms a cloak to cover the missing arm. Once invoked, the blade can exorcise evil from any vessel it strikes, though it does not harm humans; this means that Allen can damage the inner Noah of members of the Noah family without killing their human bodies. If used against Level 1 to Level 3 Akuma, it vanquishes them in the same effect as the Cross Grave attack, leaving a residual glowing cross crest in the wake of the defeated Akuma. However, in the case of a Level 4 Akuma the sword carries a diminished effect. Allen is shown with the ability to telepathically recall the Sword to himself, should it be separated from his body. It is noted by Lero that the design of the sword is the same as the sword of the Earl of Millennium except for the inverse color.

 The Cursed Eye 
 * Death Orbs - Called Death Ball in the original translation. When using the Sword of Exorcism, Allen can create a series of large explosions. This technique heavily exhausts Allen.

In addition to his Innocence, the reverse pentacle that scars his left eye curses Allen with the power to see the souls trapped inside Akuma. Allen received the cursed scar from Mana, who lashed out and cut Allen's face when he realized Allen had brought him back as an Akuma. Allen has said that it's "just like an Akuma" in the way that it evolves. The Earl, who was angered by the abilities of Allen's eye, has managed to develop seals that prevent the eye from activating. Sometimes, the pentagram section of the scar is drawn as the Sigil of Baphomet, the official insignia of the Church of Satan and an associated symbol of other organizations aligned with Satanism and the Left-Hand Path.
 * The Cursed Eye Level 1: The first incarnation of the curse is a black and red ringed eye which is automatically activated whenever Allen is near Akuma. It allows him the power to see the souls trapped inside Akuma. When Allen witnessed the self-destruction (under Road's orders) of the Level 2 Akuma and the disintegration of the soul powering it, his cursed eye bled in pain.


 * The Cursed Eye Level 2: During the vampire incident involving the Eliade-Akuma and Arystar Krory, Allen's curse grew stronger, resulting in his eye undergoing some dramatic changes. Resembling a sort of cogwheel monocle, this new cursed eye enables Allen to pinpoint an Akuma's position even when they are not visible to the naked eye, regardless of obstacles, from a distance of up to 350 meters away. But the most astounding change is that others close to Allen are able to see the lost souls trapped within Akuma as well. After witnessing Allen's 'world of black and white', Lavi comments that 'the world that Allen sees is Hell.' However, the cursed eye appears to lust for the destruction of Akuma, often causing pain to Allen in the middle of the night by self-activating, as though "it is a sin to be sleeping instead of destroying Akuma". The eye also seems to activate itself even when no Akuma are nearby as long as dark matter is being used, such as when Allen is caught in the Noah Tyki Mikk's vacuum.


 * The Cursed Eye Level 3: Advanced Cursed Eye: During the fight against Alma Karma, it was shown that Allen's eye has become more advanced, his pupil gaining instead of the red circles, a reverse pentagram.

Trivia

 * Allen is the first character D.Gray-man to be introduced in the AWA fics.


 * It is known that Allen can get lost very easily as seen when he was in Mater. Some people also constantly remind him to not get lost.


 * In the one-shot Zone it is shown that the beta for Allen was originally Robin. A 'female' Akuma turned by Cross by being fused with an Anti-Akuma weapon. Robin is the name of the body she is in, which was her brother's (both name and body).


 * Allen's favorite food is mitarashi dango and his hobbies are making money, acrobatics and eating. He likes Tim, food, poker and Mana and dislikes people who don't know how to appreciate money.
 * One of the 1st things Allen does when waking up in the morning is counting money.
 * According to Hoshino, Allen is ambidextrous. This is likely because his left hand was unusable when he was very young and he had to learn to use his right hand instead.


 * Allen can see very well in the dark, almost like "night-vision" he described from training with Cross.


 * Allen is bad at drawing.


 * Allen's best clown trick is acrobatics. Because of the lion and cage incident in Reverse he is scared to do any wild-animal taming performance.


 * Allen has rather poor reading and writing skills as he didn't think they would be useful before joining the Order. Krory provided some lessons to him.
 * Allen spends a lot of time in the bath. But he spends more time polishing Timcanpy than washing his own body.
 * Allen's hobbies are polishing Tim, hoarding money and acrobatics. He likes Tim, food, poker and Mana. He dislikes people who don't know how to appreciate money. His necessities are Timcanpy, Akumas, Mana's words and his promise to Lenalee.


 * Allen displays numerous similarities with Edward Elric the main protagonist of Fullmetal Alchemist. They are both 15 years old at the beginning of the story. They both lost a parent that they tried to resurrect and failed horrifically. They also both have a special arm.
 * When he is embarrassed, Allen has a habit of rubbing above his mouth with his index finger.