Violet Evergarden

Violet Evergarden is the titular protagonist of the Violet Evergarden anime and light novels.

Violet is a former child soldier who happens to be an orphan; she was enlisted in the Leidenschaftlich army and fought in the war, where she was treated as nothing more than a weapon because of her extraordinary fighting capabilities. After the war, Violet became an Auto Memories Doll at the CH Postal Company, seeking to understand the meaning of the words "I love you," which was told by the person she holds dearest, Gilbert Bougainvillea, during the War's final leg.

Appearance
Violet is described as a very beautiful and attractive young woman, being almost doll-like in appearance, with light-blue eyes, a fair complexion, and a slender frame. She is noted for her womanly semblance. She has waist-length golden hair with locks that frame her face. She either has her hair untied, in a low ponytail, or, after becoming a Doll, pulled up into two braided buns with two red ribbons. Due to losing her arms in the war, Violet received maneuverable prosthetic arms made of metal. After the end of the war and on normal occasions, Violet is often seen wearing a white blouse, a green skirt and a pair of heeled brown boots.

After becoming a Doll, she is often seen in her working attire which consists of a white ribbon-tie dress with a Prussian blue jacket. She also wears a white, pleated silk skirt and an emerald brooch on the middle of the ribbon-tie, which is a gift she received from Gilbert. She also wears brown gloves, and heeled, long leather boots which are of a deep brown. When she goes on longer trips, Violet also carries a brown bag-case and a blue parasol with her.

Personality
Growing up as an orphaned child soldier in the army who was treated as a mere tool, Violet was not socialized like a regular human being and did not understand human feelings well. She was raised and grew up as a person who had feelings but couldn't perceive or express them. For this reason, she could be mistaken as emotionless. Even before she was found and taken into the army, she couldn't speak or understand speech, only understanding orders to kill. She did not possess any sense of right or wrong from the start; she didn't understand what could be considered righteous or erroneous. She merely chased after the adults who gave her orders. She followed the idea of "kill or be killed," thus she could kill countless people without feeling guilt or remorse. She did anything that was asked of her and always followed orders, which was a trait from her life as a soldier. Even after the war ended and she was discharged from the military, Violet had a habit of using words back from her life as a soldier; saluting, disliking being defenseless, and doing tasks without taking any breaks. She also continued to think of herself as a "tool" and believed that it would be appropriate to discard her if she can no longer be used as a weapon.

However, the one who showed her the life outside of the military was Gilbert. He was the one taught Violet speech, writing and many other things which made her into a slightly more expressive person. Violet is seen to be a persistent, dedicated, and dignified girl, and she is described as someone who is likely to not back away no matter how much others urge her. She has also always been very selfless and determined, which is shown when she refused to leave an injured Gilbert behind, even when she had lost both of her arms. She is shown attempting to drag him up a flight of stairs with her teeth before he tells her to stop. This is also seen when she shielded Dietfried with her new prosthetic arms, losing one of her arms, and removing a bomb on a hijacked train with only one arm, sacrificing her other arm in the process. Gilbert and Violet had a special bond; she treasures Gilbert very much, which made her want to learn what his words, "I love you," truly meant. In order to do so, she became an Auto Memories Doll, amanuenses that transcribe people's thoughts and feelings into words on paper, being moved by the notion. In doing so, Violet made her own decision and followed her own path for the first time in her life.

Initially, Violet didn't fully understand other people's feelings and emotions in general, which is why her actions sometimes came off as eccentric and lacking in tact. Although she is polite, careful and deliberate in her actions, Violet came off as insensitive when it came to her job as an Auto Memories Dolls, taking her customers words too literally and formulating their letters in a way that comes off as insulting. She is also blunt and honest, unafraid to speak her mind. She is never above correcting people when they are wrong and always strives for the right answer. According to Cattleya, Violet is a secretive, straight-laced, and expressionless person; a woman made of iron who never hesitates when she does something. She describes her as a person whose speech is polite, yet she never flatters anybody. With that, she put a distance between herself and others but does not show any signs of despising loneliness. But Violet actually knew that she was inexperienced in understanding human emotions, which is why she is constantly trying to find ways to improve her empathy. As a Doll, she always addressed people politely, even when they say bad things to her. She displays a calm, elegant, and firm attitude.

Violet is also aloof, expressionless and is said to have the attitude and the presence of a doll. Her expressions are mostly deadpan, so it is hard to tell her mood changes. This is why she sometimes has trouble expressing her own feelings and comes off as expressionless, which makes it difficult to get through her, but she will give a smile from time to time. Through her work as a Doll where she helps people write heartfelt letters, she slowly learns about human emotions, leading her to become more skilled at writing letters and conveying her clients' feelings, as well as becoming understanding of others. She is proven to be a good listener and someone who always thinks about other people's happiness.

Due to meeting clients with unique characteristics, Violet began showing new and different emotions more. It is also thanks to her work as an Auto Memories Doll where she came to understand that people's most sincere feelings can be conveyed through writing and letters. This is why she began feeling that no letter deserves to be undelivered, as she herself feels happiness when receiving letters. After growing to understand human emotions, Violet began feeling guilty about having killed so many people in the war. She feels that it's wrong for her to be alive when Gilbert had supposedly died in action, and wonders if it's even okay for her to be alive. Violet also began to understand the words Hodgins told her: that she is on fire and has many burn marks, words that referred to the actions she took in the war. This made her become more apologetic to people close to her, as well as more aware of people's suffering, in which she turns into a much more empathizing and helpful person who does her best to help other people and her clients no matter the difficulties. She feels guilty for people's pain and suffering even though she wasn't the one who caused it.

She also came to value the human life a lot, and she made a pledge to never kill anyone else again since she knows that anyone she kills will never be able to convey their feelings to their families and loved ones again. She never wants to go back to being a tool and deems that she doesn't need anyone's orders to live her life anymore, which was a wish that Gilbert had deeply wished for. Towards the end of the series, Violet becomes a fully capable Doll. She also comes to understand the phrase "I love you", as well as her own and others emotions and feelings much better, to which she becomes a significantly expressive and happier person.

Abilities
Violet is highly capable and skilled. As a former soldier who was trained from a young age, Violet excelled in combat, and her fighting abilities and strength on the battlefield made her seem more like a "weapon" than a human being. She had no problem killing countless others if given the order to do so. Due to her strength and actions taken during the war, Violet came to infamously be known as "Leidenschaftlich's Soldier Maiden."
 * Fighting Skills and Strength - Violet's combat capabilities are monstrous and described to be far beyond what a human is capable of. Even as a child, she was capable of massacring numerous adults (soldiers, prisoners) with ease. Her combat knowledge and skills were from before Dietfried found her, as she already displayed her prowess when she first met him.


 * Violet, as seen when she fought in the war, has exceptionally high stamina and speed. She is agile, has fast movements and can easily dodge other peoples attacks while attacking others. She doesn't react very strongly to pain and can endure her pain while attacking others and helping her comrades in the army. She is strong to the point where her skills are even more impressive than Gilbert’s, who had been trained in battle and martial techniques as well as wielding weaponry in the military. She can defeat and/or kill several adults one after the other in a short period of time.
 * Use of Weapons - Violet is noted to be very proficient in the use of weapons, be it guns, swords, or bows. Whatever weapon she has nearby, she can use it flawlessly and kill other people; the stronger the weapon, the better. She is noted to have killed people in disturbing manners with the use of different weapons. Violet is skilled at shooting with great accuracy, as she can, while moving, shoot and kill several people from a distance. Her intuition is also great as she can find out her enemies sly attacks in a matter of seconds. Violet also carries a massive battle axe called Witchcraft. Though it is too heavy for ordinary people to carry, Violet wields it with ease.


 * Martial Arts - Although she is proficient at using weapons, Violet is talented in minimizing the advantages of larger, stronger opponents through kicks, punches, throws, holds and other techniques.undefinedAfter the war, it is also seen that Violet is skilled at using self-defense, and will do so when the situation calls for it. After vowing to never kill anyone again, Violet began using techniques to gravely wound her enemies without killing them.


 * Typing - Although Violet has difficulty writing with a pen due to her prosthetic arms, she is exceptionally talented at typing with typewriters, which comes in handy with her job as a Doll. She can write without making any mistakes when it comes to spelling or grammar, and her vocabulary is very well-developed. She can write at a very fast pace, as she was able to write two hundred characters per minute. When she attended the Auto Memories Doll Training School, she was the only one who always gets top grades in the class. When Violet is in a situation where she doesn't have a typewriter with her, she can commit a letter to heart by typing away at the air.

Trivia

 * Violet's name, given to her by Gilbert, comes from the name of a mythological flower goddess named Garnet Spear.
 * Violet often bites things as a way to test out the sensation that things give off.
 * Violet's exact age is not known due to being the only survivor of an unknown island.
 * In the anime, Violet is estimated by others to be 14.
 * In the light novel, people estimate that she is in her late teens. Gilbert estimated that she was 10 when they first met and 14 in the war's final battle. When Aidan met Violet, he thought she was the same age as him, 18 years old.
 * The green brooch Violet wears is a gift from Gilbert; she requested it because the color reminded her of his eyes, which she thinks is beautiful. It is her most precious item.
 * Violet is not very good at cooking.
 * The frilly blue parasol Violet occasionally carries with her was a gift from Oscar.