The newly-announced addition to the Tales series, Tales of Berseria, is about pirates. But with a clearer scan of the protagonist and a few more details revealed, I have to ask: is Velvet a vampire?

Let’s take a good look at Velvet.

Last week, when Velvet was revealed, some fans expressed skepticism about her clothing. Namely, that there isn’t much of it. You have to admit, her outfit doesn’t exactly scream “pirate.”

On the other hand, would it really look that out of place on a vampire? The primary colors are red/pink and black (the coloring is actually pretty similar to Gaius’s outfit in Tales of Xillia 2) and it’s skimpy in a torn-up way that makes it look “edgy.” Her black choker and what looks like a jewel on the front of her top also fits a vampiric image.

After the initial reveal, I noticed something else about her attire. Although it was difficult to be sure due to the low quality of the early images, the new scan makes it clear: Velvet wears a black cape.

Her armored boots also caught my attention, but I completely missed what’s going on with her left arm. Wrapped up in bandages like that, with the end coming undone, it evokes a definite sense of horror–especially when combined with the color scheme.

And while your attention is on the bandages, compare them to her skin. She’s so pale, the difference between her skin tone and the white bandages is tiny.

Let’s step away from her appearance for now. The original Tales of Berseria announcement at the Tales Festival included a quote from Velvet:

“I will not give up. No matter how much I have to, I’ll devour them.”

Devour? That already sparked some curiosity about what sort of protagonist she was. It’s not the sort of thing you expect the hero of a story to say. But when Anime News Network posted the new scan today, they had a slightly different translation:

“I won’t give up. I’ll bite them as many times as it takes.”

O-okay then…

New details are also given about Tales of Berseria’s world. It’s set in the Kingdom of Midgand, which has vast climate differences, archipelagoes, and an emphasis on shipbuilding and sailing. As for Velvet, her “life took a complete turn after a certain incident” three years ago.¹

She is also “an existence that greatly shocks the world.” An existence? What does that mean, if not to imply she’s unnatural?

To summarize, Velvet:

• …is scantily clad in red and black clothes, a choker, and at least one jewel
• …wears a tattered black cape
• …has one arm entirely wrapped in bandages
• …is extremely pale
• …either devours or bites people
• …suffered some sort of “incident”
• …and shocks the world through her very existence.

If she isn’t a vampire, I’d bet she’s at least some sort of dark or undead being. This also fits with my theory that the name “Berseria” comes from the word “berserk.” Vampire bloodlust could lead a character to go berserk, after all.

Do you think Velvet is a vampire? Let me know in the comments!

^1:While my source also says she woke up due to the incident three years ago, Gematsu and other sources translate it as “in the wake of an incident” instead. The original appears to be a mistranslation.