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Guilty Gear -Strive- Official Artworks- Short Story "Retrace the Path of Glory" (English Translation)
This will be a full English translation of the short story "Retrace the Path of Glory", written by おさかな人間ベラ (Osakana Ningen-bera)
It’s the third out of four new short stories written to be included in "Guilty Gear -Strive- Official Artworks"- an artbook released in April 2026, containing concept art for Guilty Gear -Strive- prior to version 2.0.
In the book itself, the story also features illustrations by 北薗勝一 (Shouichi Kitazono)
―
Retrace the Path of Glory
It was a beautiful sunny day.
On a gentle hill with a stunning view of the outskirts of town, a man stood all by himself. He knelt respectfully, and set down a white bouquet. His hands were careful, as if he worried about damaging the delicate flowers. Though it showed signs of age, the gravestone before him was well taken care of, and the sight alone filled him with nostalgia.
He closed his eyes, thinking back to his old mentor—only to feel a presence behind him, causing him to turn around.
"…Oh dear, looks like someone is already here. I'm not interrupting, am I?"
Standing there was a figure resembling a grim reaper—smiling at him, their glossy, jet-black hair dancing in the wind.
―
"Do you actually come here every year?"
"Yes. Although, there have been years where my duties didn't allow me to."
As Ky Kiske rose to his feet, the grim reaper stepped forward to stand beside him.
With genuine admiration, they muttered:
"How considerate of you. Being king, I imagine you must have many responsibilities, and yet, you still go out of your way to visit."
"I can tell you frequently come here, as well."
"Yes, sometimes… When I find myself recalling the past, and feel like talking about it."
Ky thought using the word "sometimes" seemed slightly disingenuous, considering the pristine state of the gravestone before them, but he wasn't so tactless as to point it out.
"Coming here always brings back all sorts of old memories, doesn't it?"
"Heheh, so it's the same for you?"
"I do owe so much to Sir Kliff. I know he treated me favorably, despite how narrow-minded and stubborn I was back then… The fact that the man right next to me was an utterly unlikeable, foul-mouthed rube might've had something to do with it, too."
A smirk spread across Ky's face, like a little boy who got caught being naughty. Testament was quietly astounded to see such an expression coming from him, of all people.
"I wouldn't wonder. That's just the kind of person he was. Straightforward when confronting others, appearing self-centered, yet always putting everyone else first. A man of the pure ideals which the Crusades gave rise to."
Without pause, the grim reaper continued on, as if reciting a poem.
"Whoever they were, whether they disagreed with him or not, it didn't matter, everyone was captivated by him.
Just as he was loved by all, he was the one to lead them all.
And that's why I wanted to live up to his expectations, to do right by him, no matter what… Of course, that didn't work out in the end."
The grim reaper smiled bitterly as they reflected on their past.
There was a brief silence.
Until it was broken with a quiet soliloquy by the former Commander of the Holy Order.
"I'm sure you're well aware, but he possessed… overwhelming strength. One that no one could rival."
"Of course. Anyone could tell you that."
"The power that would allow mankind to stand up against the Gears. The pride of the Sacred Order of Holy Knights. However, during the Crusades, those things could only be found in the heat of battle.
Sometimes, when we were resting in our tents, enjoying moments of leisure before we'd head to sleep, or when we stood in the wreckage after a battle had come to an end…
He would just get that look in his eyes, like he'd given up on finding something he was desperately searching for-
Like a string being stretched to the breaking point had finally snapped."
"…"
A sudden gust of wind blew past them, obscuring the grim reaper's face from Ky Kiske's view.
In turn, his own expression was invisible to them, as well.
"I didn't pry about it, either.
But, after the Second Holy Order Selection Tournament…
I learned about you and Sir Kliff."
"…I see."
A monotonous response. Ky continued, slowly, yet determined.
"I won't presume to know whatever words and feelings the two of you might have shared in the past. Still, even as I succeeded him as Commander of the Holy Order… Even as I slew countless vicious Gears…
I could tell there was something the Commander- something Sir Kliff longed for, that I could never give him."
"He cared deeply for you, huh?"
"Yes. As a fellow member of the Order, as a comrade-in-arms, as a subordinate. I was so happy back then."
Ky fell silent. The grim reaper decided to give him a moment.
They had a hunch that they would most likely be the only person to ever hear this supposedly infallible man make his confession.
"It's not right for me to feel like I was simply a replacement for someone else. A hero of the Crusades should know better."
Ky uttered the words with his usual composure, as if it was just an offhand remark.
"Heheh. It's clear you've chosen your idol."
They couldn't help but chuckle. Even Kliff himself probably would've never expected him to come out and say any of these things.
Still, they didn't think it was too late for it now.
And it was only natural that Kliff Undersn would have had such a significant impact during the Crusades.
"Well, to be perfectly honest…" Ky continued, "If you were to ask me if I ever envied you—I wouldn't know how to answer."
"I understand. Had I been in your position, I probably would have felt the same."
"Right. That's why I visit his grave every year to express my filial devotion, if only for a short moment. He may not have been my father, but he was like a father to me."
They both looked down to the bouquet of flowers he placed before Kliff's grave.
White lilies, wrapped up prim and proper.
Not too few and not too many, and the packaging was fashionably simple and beautiful. Why did Ky Kiske always have to behave like a perfect model citizen?
Almost at a loss for words, Testament held onto the brim of their hat and lowered their gaze.
"…For crying out loud. Did you even think about how saying that would make me feel? Now I look like a fool for showing up empty-handed."
"I could arrange something for you, if you'd like. It would take a little time, but there is a store close to-"
"No, thanks. If I were to pawn this one off on you, I really couldn't sink any lower."
Their comment was meant more as a joke, but given how serious that man was, they knew it might fly over his head.
"But…"
"I will pick some from around here. I've taken an interest in the language of flowers lately. And most importantly…"
"Yes?"
"I want to think about which ones to choose myself. Reminiscing about the past is another one of life's pleasures, is it not?"
"…My apologies. I will be taking my leave, then.
See you again. Perhaps next year, or some other time."
No sooner than he had said those words, Ky walked away resolutely, without another look back.
"…What a truly delightful man. I can't stand it."
The grim reaper was left to take in the hill's scenic view alone.
―
"Alright, here we are. I said I've taken an interest in this, but I still don't know that much about it.
I suppose I could arrange them a bit more the way I would prefer. There's no harm in treating myself a little, right?
Forgive me, Father."
A mismatched bundle of wildflowers was gently placed next to the pure white bouquet. Colorful petals swayed in the wind, bidding the grim reaper a silent farewell.
I am happy to announce the Guilty Gear Wiki is having the Vastedge XT machine free to play at Frosty Faustings. Please be kind to our beautiful machine!
We did an hour long test stream of the machine just because digital capture has been a bit difficult in nature at the moment this has about 3-4 runs but no win scenario achieved, pretty scuffed not the best but worth watching if you want an idea of what playing vastedge is like
Genuinely thank you for all your work. Nearly cried from hearing Baldias' voice. It's amazing all that you've contributed. Thank you.
No problem! hopefully we'll have even better quality soon but I try to periodically post some of the footage I collect here or other social platforms ^^ I have had a Baldius win but I've never had such an entirely weird loss so I decided to post
Here is another clip he kills me dead + infocard, it is really hard to actually win because once you hit blast drive alot of your rolls are predetermined rng, it seems what attacks he uses are a little different everytime though.
Some rough footage to offer since the capture card set up is still in progress but progressing as smoothly as reverse engineering it's insides and diy electronics can go it's taken longer than I wanted but it's alright
Would random corrective edits on pages help? Eg, minor spelling or grammatical error fixes. I always find wikis to be holy ground so I'm asking before doing.
That would be super duper ultra awesome and helpful!
Has there ever been a source that directly cited Rosette Christopher from Chrono Crusade as an influence for the final design of Bridget? Action nuns in anime are fairly common, yet the general time frame for these two characters are pretty close. And it's even more curious now because the director for the anime adaptation of CC is currently directing Dual Rulers, which makes one wonder if he was picked because of his prior work on that. It's the strongest link the two franchises have currently.
There doesn't seem to be, no. The designs are incredibly similar though:
I'm going to be quoting from translated Japanese articles a lot for this response. Translated quotes will be followed by "(JP)".
Bridget's Pixiv Encyclopedia (unofficial fan wiki) page^1 mentions Rosette's similarity to Bridget, stating that, "There are rumors that [Rosette] was the inspiration for Bridget's design, but there is no clear source for this" (JP). Seesaawiki (another unofficial fan wiki) includes this on a page for possible inspirations/allusions for characters too, "Is [Bridget] modeled after Rosette Christopher, the main character in Chrono Crusade?"(JP)^2
This idea definitely exists in both English and Japanese spaces. Occasionally one language's side of the community will think one thing about a character and the other something different, but it seems they're in agreement on this.
Normally when Daisuke Ishiwatari talks about his inspirations for characters, he'll unsubtly hint that he may have borrowed inspiration from another artist's work, like the few times he's mentioned having been inspired by Kazushi Hagiwara's Bastard!! manga.^3 From what I've been able to dig up, it doesn't seem like he's done that with Bridget, and that her inspirations were drawn from real people and original concepts.
Here's a quote from an interview with TBS News Dig: "When we started releasing Guilty Gear (1998) in arcades, I had an acquaintance who was the best in the world at yo-yo, and was asked to make a new character modeled after them."(JP)^4
And Daisuke's commentary from Character Designer issue 1, Sept. 26, 2003:
At first, I was working on a completely different character, but then I was unexpectedly asked if it would be possible for a yo-yo to be used as a weapon. I was only aware of the yo-yo’s long reach and use as a projectile weapon, but the yo-yo’s unique traits include the ability to stall in place low to the ground, and also to return back to the user. Because of that, it was employed since it could work in an interesting way within the two-dimensional game system.
The finer details came later, and I decided what I wanted to include as a theme. Similarly to Dizzy, Bridget was a character “born into inequality,” and I wanted to express that in an immoral design. Dressed like a nun, with a dangling manacle. It gives an impression like, “This person is horribly held back by something,” don’t you think?(JP)^5
I wasn't able to find much else that didn't repeat what either of these quotes say, focus on Bridget's gender stuff, or talk about how novel a weaponized yo-yo is.
So, it's not impossible that Rosette Christopher may have inspired Bridget, but it honestly feels unlikely. Blue is often used as a replacement for black (the traditional color of nun clothing) in older anime/manga, and yellow/blonde contrasts well with blue. Nuns that fight were also relatively popular in the early 2000s. Daisuke may discuss his inspirations in more depth some day, but for now it's safe to say that the similarities are simply uncanny coincidence.
As for the Dual Rulers connection: Its production is currently too unknown. Maybe on its release we'll get an interview that explains why Shigeru Morikawa was chosen as the director, but I'm not entirely sure it was something Daisuke would have had input on.
The Jellyfish Pirates is a place where people seem to have a lot of fun. But since I don’t often have a chance to draw what exactly they do, I drew this picture of them. They are lovers of adventure. They’re also chivalrous bandits, but they also get involved in anything that looks like fun and create a great spectacular drama! (in my head).
Poster included with Artworks of Guilty Gear X 2000-2004. Scan and caption from Artworks of Guilty Gear X 2000-2007 by Daisuke Ishiwatari.
With my recent discovery of this concept sketch of Ky from the 10th Memorial Book, as well as discussion about it, I actually wanted to talk about some of the misconceptions had with Ky's eye and its relation to his Gear Cells.
Long story short, we know very little about it.
The first time we hear about any issues regarding his eye is in Sol's Overture Material Collection short story. The eye patch is mentioned once, but never directly explained. It's also stated to be on the opposite eye in this image and that his Dragon Install is on.
There's a claim that Ky's short story mentions a training accident that explains the eye patch, but it doesn't. The eye patch is only mentioned in Sol's, with no explanation. (Thank you @solradguy for these translations!)
The other main theory is what I kindly dub the "Eye Swap Theory." Basically, people believe Ky has one of Sin's eyes. This one is a bit weird in all honestly. The main reason people believe it is because of a line added in the English GG World text for Dragon Install
The Japanese text says pretty much the same as the first paragraph of the English text. A very very rough translation through DeepL:
"A technique in which Sol removes the Gear Cell Suppressor and activates the Gear's original power. It can produce extremely powerful power, but Sol hates using it in the dark because it makes his emotional suppression ineffective. Also, each time Sol uses this technique, the growth of the ‘seed’ that lies dormant inside him accelerates, and changes appear in his appearance and abilities."
Regardless, it does not have that second line about Sin or Ky that the English text has. I have no good explanation to why it was added only in the English localization. It is not present in the Korean text either. I haven't check other languages.
In my personal opinion, it’s hard to say that this factually the cause due to it only appearing in some translations.
The only actual reasoning we are given for Ky's Gear Cells is a vague answer from Daisuke in a Famitsu Q&A where he is specifically asked about Ky's Dragon Install, and specifically asked if Sin was involved. Daisuke responded:
" この場でお話することはできないのですが……。ディズィーとカイの関係が影響しているのは間違いありません。これ以上はご勘弁を（笑）。"
Basically, he says he can't talk about it here, but "The relationship between Dizzy and Ky is definitely an influence."
In conclusion...we really don't know much about Ky's Gear Cells or his Dragon install haha... We know he wore an eye patch prior to Overture. We know he exhibits a red eye, regenerative abilities, and inhuman strength by Xrd. We know by strive he has a partial Dragon Install and claims to have the "Blood of Juno."
No exact reasoning for any of these is fully given and information is confusing. Honestly, it seems like many plans were changed, or rewritten, but its hard to say. The 10th Memorial book does not mention it to my knowledge. It's fun to speculate though!
