Can I talk about Raphael for a second because everyone insists on doing my boy dirty. He's perfect, I love him. And he stands out in the series, everyone seems to be dealing with some sort of trauma or insecurity and dealing with it poorly at that. But then there's Raphael who is nothing but jolly, and it's not a front. I know that's why people think he's boring but it's why I think he's interesting. He has his trauma, but he's healed. He's let go of anger, sadness, and blame. (1/?)
What I found fascinating about his and Ignatz's paralogue was that when he got information about his parents' death being instigated by Count Gloucester, part of the staged accent of Claude's uncle, he just stops everyone right there and makes clear he doesn't want to know
Like, he outright rejects any opportunity of revenge as completely as Dimitri throws himself into it and it's super interesting to watch, especially when you then follow it up by his supports with Dimitri
Raphael puts a lot of effort into everything he does, his training and his work and his outlook on life too, while Dimitri always kinda had things fly at him. He's strong through his Crest, he let's the Tragedy of Duscur define most of his life choices etc
It's really interesting and it's unfortunate that Raphael, like so many others, isn't utilized more. I mean, it makes sense, he can die at any point, but still