dgray_man | Loyalty vs. Moral Issues? Link Discussion

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Loyalty vs. Moral Issues? Link Discussion

This may be a bit early but I was wondering about Link's character in recent chapters and how he feels about helping in creating these hybrids? That and I want to talk/read about Link (gives him fresh baked cookies).

Now Link, while a dedicated and strict worker, does have his own gumption and I believe he is a good person at heart.

He was willing to not only break the rules of Allen using the Ark during the Level 4 attack on HQ so that Allen and Bookman could save everyone on the other side, but he was the one who came up with the idea and was willing to take all responsibility for any punishment that came with it. He even saved Timothy at the risk of his own life more then once. Link also has a very strong sense of honor and duty to what is right. He was angry about Brokers and how they could sell out humanity/Church or whatever for money and he refused to wake up Lenalee even though it mean't she was getting in his way of work and having him sleep outside in the cold. Quite the gentlemen surprsingly, you would think he wouldn't care enough about formalities when it came to duty by how much he is about protocol.

I think Link has also developed a understanding of Allen. From little moments such as thinking about Allen not knowing himself to being one of the few people Allen actually confides in about deeper things. Link actually seems to worry about Allen beyond his job. Even though at a earlier time he broke the rules for the Ark use, a later time when during the Thief G arc with all of them including women and children in danger from a Level 4 he actually refused because it was against protocol and would worsen Allen's position more.

Now either Link lost some of that gumption from ealier, or I'm sensing some worry for his charge's wellbeing. X'p

They actually seem to have a genuine bond almost with Allen alternating between being more respectful and open to Link then he is to most people (he's the first person shown that Allen conversed casually about Mana to) to showing a certain amount playful ness. Allen also has shown quite the amount of concern enough to leave his back wide open for attack when he thinks something bad has happened to Link.

I'm not sure if Link has changed so much as he has relaxed. Being in such a stressful and important position all the time it's probably nice to be with someone closer to your age and brings out a more, not so harsh (can't find the word) atmosphere. Neither have forgotten why the are together, but I think they have more or less accepted the other for who they are and are fine for the time being with being together for who knows how long.

Now on to another, perhaps more complicated/unknown relationship. Leverrie is someone who is very important to Link. Perhaps even the most important of all to him. We don't know the history between the two, but it seems both have more then just a boss and yes-man relationship. Link actually seems to care about Leverrie and shows worry for his being by wanting to abandon his current assignment in favor of protecting him from possible threats. Heck when he thought he was going to die in the Thief G arc the last thought he was going to have was about his boss. Even the databook lists Leverrie as one of his biggest likes. =/
Leverrie also seems to trust Link a lot. He expects the most important missions to be carried out by him and he even confesses his innocence to Link about the nature of Cross's death to him (if Links just a yes man, he shouldn't care about what Link thinks about him should he?).

They even share a huge love for sweets, whether this is a influence from the other, I'm not sure but it's funny regardless. =D

But of course now Link has just witnessed some of the fruit of his labor in these hybrids and he does not seem happy about it.

I don't think he's going to dislike Lev or anything like that now, but I'm wondering how worried do you think Link will be? Link's character may go through a dilemma of sorts with his loyalty's and morals. Two things that seem very important to his character. He's going to have to decide where he stands as a follower of the church, subordinate of Lev, and a decent human being of doing what is right or wrong for humanity and those around him.

I'm thinking it might partly involve the influence that Lev and Allen both have on him to also his own sense of honor and what it means to be loyal to what you believe in most.

What he decides to do? I don't know. XP I'm hoping whatever it is it's something good.

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Certainly, Link will have to decide if he shall follow orders blindly, or take actions by listening to his morals, his true heart.

If Link continues to be unquestionably loyal, there will be conflict between him and those in the Order. Allen will understand, though may not necessarily be happy about that.

On the other hand, if Link begins to act on his conscience, it seems he may gain more allies on his side (since most of the exorcists have a strong sense of justice). He will likely to get support if he decides to do something about those akuma egg fragments.

Some upcoming situation I think Link will need to face and make decision on:

- conflict between the Vatican and the Order
- returning to Karasu or not
- Allen being possessed by the 14th
- (possibly) being turned into a third exorcist (half-akuma)

Speaking of the fragments of akuma egg, I wonder if all the shards are used up to change the Karasu members into third exorcists?

I was thinking perhaps Link has no family and that Leverrier is like... his benefactor? It would explain why Link is so loyal and has so much concern for him, as well as they're mutual trust and closeness. It also feels like the reason Link works so hard is to repay Leverrier for taking care of him. But at the same time Link shows a very different set of moral values than Leverrier which shows that he wasn't raised by him from a young age. They aren't a 'family' but they also aren't just a superior and a subordinate... it's like a young man being loyal to someone that did him a great service and got him to where he is today.

I don't know, that's just how it seems to me...

I'm sure Link doesn't approve of how humans were made into half-akuma, but he also has no authority to object to it so I don't think he'll actually do anything about it... more like, he'll be very wary of them and of the Order's intentions concerning them. I also think that if something were to happen between them and Allen, Link will ultimately stand his ground and do what he believes is right, i.e. protecting Allen who is an enemy of the Earl and an ally of... humanity.

I agree with the first part of your comment completely. That's always what I've thought. Leverrier, and maybe his colleagues in Crow, are the closest to family he has, but Leverrier is obviously special. I think he had to have had a lot do with Link when he was at a very impressionable age. I think that's why Link only likes to eat cake. X3

Actually, didn't the young Leverrier look sort of like Link? I thought so anyway. Maybe they're actually related?

(In response to kowaiki's comment)
1 : Well, there is definitely conflict brewing between the Vatican and the Order, IMO. Some of the edicts that have come from the Vatican seem a bit off lately, or rather that's the impression I'm getting from some people's reactions to said edicts.

2 : Did Link actually leave Crow to serve Leverrier (or however the hell his name is spelled... I've seen so many variations since I started researching... UGH! Pick a spelling folks!) or is he on detached duty? I have the feeling that Malcolm is associated with Crow as well somehow, so that would explain why he has a member of Crow serving as his assistant.

3 : The 14th - right now I think Allen being possessed by the 14th is still a concept to just about everyone except Lenalee and Kanda (maybe). Lenalee because of what she saw when Allen woke up (but will she mention it to anyone else is the question? I'm guessing not unless it's her brother maybe) and Kanda because of when Allen stabbed himself along with the akuma. But did Kanda realize what had happened (the sword triggering 14th memories and thereby affecting Allen's body) or was it just part of the fight?

4 : I don't think being changed is something Link has to worry about, however it's definitely given him something to think about. He was definitely majorly shocked at the site of Madarao at the orphanage and again when the other three were at HQ, so I'd say it's plain he wasn't in on the plan. Now that they've (the half-akuma) been revealed, I think their value as shock troops is over and these are all that can be made until or unless they have more egg shards. Although it is possible that there is some left, it was a pretty large piece after all.

(Now to the OP)
I agree with what you've said. Maybe Link is relaxing a bit more and feeling more comfortable with what he needs to do to observe Allen. Plus, he's not just being a tagalong making sure Allen doesn't break any rules, he's actively participating in recovering Innocence as well (remember the chess match?). Maybe some of it is seeing what the Exorcists actually do in order to fight the Akuma and protect Innocence is more clear to him and he realizes for someone to be an insider spy for the Earl, it would be almost impossible to do the Exorcists job and get away with being undercover like that. (Did that make sense?) I'm sure Link would have some idea of the stresses of being and Exorcist, but not the reality as well.

Also, I must not be looking in the right places, but I've found absolutely nothing official that states what Link's age is. I've seen one journal here on LJ say he's 19 (and that he told Allen his age) but I can't find any age stated anywhere. Where am I missing this data at? Either way, I would have pegged him at early to mid-20s anyways (not older than 25-26 max), but 19 just seems a bit too young even though I have no problems with Kanda and Lavi only being 18 themselves.

I'm almost sure he's 19 but I also can't remember exactly where I got that from... though I vaguely remember something about Link criticising Allen's eating habits, then Allen retorted something about Link only eating sweets, then Link replying that he's older so he doesn't have to worry about not growing or something... did he say his age there? x_x; I'm too lazy to go look for that... it was somewhere around the time when he was first assigned to watch over Allen...

Link is 19. It is written in black and white in the manga fanbook - Gray Ark. He is German; birthday 29th December; hobby is memorising things; likes discipline and Lvellie; dislikes jokes.

2: I don't think Link left, he just kind of took a leave temporarily to watch Allen 24/7. Me too get a feeling that Lvellie may be the head of the crow or at least have the authority over them.

3: With Lenalee, it is possible that she hoped who she saw back in Allen's room isn't who she thought it was, so much that she is scared to ask or tell anyone else. With Kanda...I can never tell with Kanda. At the moment I'm putting my bet on he actually felt the presence of the 14th for a split second. I can be wrong and he just stabbed the side of 14th's head as part of the fight.

4: Well, Link is extremely loyal, before meeting everyone else in the Order, perhaps he would have changed into half-akuma willingly without question, just like the rest of the Karasu. However, now that he understands more about akuma and exorcists, my guess is he will hesitate more about this matter.

P.S In the fanbook p.106, the official name of Lvellie is "Malcolm=C=Lvellie"
Is his profile ever scanned? I may contemplate scanning if I can get my lazy backside to the scanner and stay for an hour or so to scan anything not yet scanned from the fanbook.

Um, the 'hybrids' part is still a spoiler, so it would probably be polite to cut that?

Will edit this with a real reply in a second after I've properly read and thought over your post :)

Edit: Hmm, so. I definitely agree with you 100% about Allen and Link's relationship. Especially this part:

I'm not sure if Link has changed so much as he has relaxed. Being in such a stressful and important position all the time it's probably nice to be with someone closer to your age and brings out a more, not so harsh (can't find the word) atmosphere. Neither have forgotten why they are together, but I think they have more or less accepted the other for who they are and are fine for the time being with being together for who knows how long.

I think this captures their friendship/working relationship and how it's affected Link down to a T. They didn't like each other at first, but the longer they're stuck together/the more sides they see of each other, the more they seem to be like, "well, I wouldn't have chosen this arrangement, but I guess this person's pretty okay after all". I feel like the Link we're seeing now is probably more like he would be day-to-day in normal duty with his Crow comrades -- still a bit formal and a bit uptight, but undeniably human. He doesn't seem to feel the need to constantly have his guard up around Allen anymore, and he trusts Allen/the other Exorcists to have his back.

I definitely think that Rouvelier and Link have something nearly approaching a father-son relationship, or as close as you can get to that when the 'father' is a scheming military politician and the 'son' is a socially-maladjusted child soldier apparently raised to be Vatican cannon fodder. I think the fact that Link idolizes Rouvelier so much, down to studying the man's cookbok and learning to bake sweets with him, points to him really being the only thing resembling a parental figure in Link's life; it seems like (at least IMHO) Rouvelier has doted on Link as much as he's been allowed to within the strictures of the organization, whether out of genuine caring or with an eye to the very loyal subordinate he would one day have in the future. (My guess is a little of both...) I don't personally get the impression that Rouvelier works for Crow or directly commands them; to me it seems like he's probably part of whatever larger Vatican bureaucracy exists above and beyond the Crows, and happens to have the authority/influence to get Crow agents assigned under his command from time to time. If you look at it this way, Link might be one of his "ins" within the Crows, somebody who gives him more influence and acting power there.

I definitely think that Link's going to have to make a choice pretty soon, and I think it's most likely going to come down to a question of being loyal to Allen and his heart, or being loyal to Rouvelier and the rules (where we'll define 'the rules' as following Church teachings, obeying orders no matter what, etc). He may be conflicted about it for a while, but being that this is a Shounen Jump manga, I don't have much doubt that in the end he will side with Allen. I won't be surprised if he changes his mind about who's really in the right more than once before reaching that point, though; I could see him ending up doing soemthing that Allen and company viewed as a betrayal, and then having a change of heart and trying to atone for it.

Edited 2009-04-22 19:25 (UTC)

Well, the best way I can think to describe Link is that in the beginning he was very tightly wound and now he's starting to loosen up just a bit.

I think that he's really a caring person for people in general though he's also pretty detached. It's like he's willing to help them and will but if it goes against protocol he won't do it like during the Phantom Thief G arc when he didn't want Allen to use the arc, but he still gave his bes to protect all of the people,. Even going so far as to try and fight akuma when he's at a huge disadvantage CROW member or not.

I think that Allen's playful, friendly, and sometimes childish nature bring out Link's humanity so to say. Like how he yells about Allen eating the last doughnut and stuff like that. And I think Allen makes him curious, he's not a type of person you run into often and Link needs to understand him for his mission. Like during the move to the new HQ when he was watching Allen after the talk with Komui and Reever about the musicians song and how he seemed shocked that Allen didn't know. Their relationship is really something else. It's funny and serious at the same time. And with Allen talking about Mana around him even unconsciously that's something.

His faith and dedication to Leverrie may stem from the fact that Link is/was a member of CROW and it says that they're trained from a very young age so Lev may have found him after his family was killed by akuma or something to such extent. Though I think that this new development with the half-akuma is gonna put quite a bit of strain on their relationship; it may even shake Link's faith in the man(we can only hope this helps to open his eyes.) He did after all seem very shocked and upset over this understandably. After all these are probably the people he used to work with seeing as how he knows Madarao.

All in all he's really grown since when he first popped up. He was so stiff then. I'm glad he's started to warm up.

Nice exploration of Link. I feel that Link is gradually becoming nicer and a good addition (not to mention the comical parts) to the characters. It balances Lev's negativity.

I think that Link is so devoted to Lev because being in the Black Order and serving under Lev had been his whole world. Since Link was part of the Crow, he must have been recruited and trained from a very young age. There could be a possibility that Link was taken away by the Order, since Link could use spells (and I don't think anyone could use it just by training).

I think in the near future, Link is going to have a conflict between his duty and his morals. From what I'm seeing, he seems to know all the half Akuma - half Crows well(if not, he knows Madarao well enough).

He would probably feel guilty about recovering the egg fragment since he never knew that the fragment would be used to convert people he knew, or worked with before into half-Akuma.

Then he might just start questioning whether such a method is appropriate or needed, which would lead to conflict, possibly between Link and Leverrier, since I assume that Leverrier was the one who allowed such a experiment to happen.

Either way, I see potential character development.

Thank you everyone.

kowaiki: I do wonder of the nature of the relationship that Link has with Madaro and the other crows. Obviously they now each other, but do they have something more then just a working relationship or could they be considered even friends. The amount of akuma egg shards left (if there are any) is curious. It makes me wonder what else they will try to do with them if using it turns up good results regarding the crow hybrids.

tamariskw: Interesting theory about their history. Link is a loyal/hardworker. Lev, while I don't really view as a moral/good person like Komui or Bak, I don't think he's completetly evil. He just seems hardened and willing to put the possibility of victory over people. I'm guessing that would only make it harder for Link to have to think of him as bad enough to turn his back on.

rhyssafireheart: That's a good point about Link gaining better appreciation and understanding for the exorcists. I never really thought much about him perhaps attaining more respect for the horrors of the akuma because of his shadowing of Allen. How Link grumbles but always does his best at what he can to help others even if it's not much is one of the things I like most about his character.

Regarding the whole 14th and Kanda thing. I believe Kanda did notice something was very wrong, after all not only was Crown Clown was attacking him but he was getting all friendly with the akuma (though the latter could be debatable if he saw). He did take a headshot, and he was on orders to kill Allen if the 14th should pop up. But he gave Allen a chance to come out of it by yelling at him. My opinion anyway.

duelist: It is nice seeing Link so relaxed compared to how he was before. I think he just needn't to be sure Allen wasn't the bad guy here and is a pretty okay guy for him to not feel so tense about it all. I agree about you're point on the crows and Lev. Renee also has acccess to them so I think they are not so much just under Lev's command as they will/can serve under him.

konrankoneko: I agree. Due to the nature of his job he has to remain uninvolved on a certain level, but at the same time he is a well meaning person. I daresay he's even nurturing. Also it probably is nice for Link to be casual like that with someone who treats him like a equal in a non-work way. It's a nice touch for both since Allen brings out more refreshing reactions and feelings from Link with his views and Allen, gets someone to talk to who actually cares to listen and/or does not see him as a pillar of strength like the rest of his friends tend to do. Not saying he's a open book with Link but... Link's just there. He does not shower Allen with his feelings to make him uncomfortable (cause he's Link) XP like his other friends would. He just listens and says his opinions and leaves it at that. Something I think Allen appreciates with being so uncomfortable with expressing his inner troubles. It's actually kind of cute that Allen acts more human like that with intentionally or not talking to Link when he's mulling over issue's he wouldn't dare talk to anyone other then Cross with in a stable state of mind.

mittens_220: Oh yeah, Link deffinetely does not feel okay about what his actions birthed. I too sense some more development coming from him soon (whenever the manga comes back I guess anyway).

I think that Link didn't expect Allen to be such an honest and open person to the point where he leaves himself vulnerable. Like when Allen saw the 14th's reflection in that window (first time he met Link) and he reacted in open shock even though Link couldn't see anything. That and Allen's kind, compassionate nature have probably softened him towards him.

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Loyalty vs. Moral Issues? Link Discussion

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