Zelgadiss Greywords

Looks: Not at all bad, if you like the type. And it's a highly specialized type. You must like oddly colored skin covered in small stones, for example, and pointy, metallic hair. (Zel's human form, for reference, can best be described as "homely".)

Smarts: Excellent but overspecialized. On a purely intellectual level, he can be quite brilliant, with the drive to learn anything that might possibly be useful. On the other hand, Zel has been known to display some downright stupid strategies in battle- he really needs to think things through before acting on a practical level. And his intelligence is too much directed into his ultimate goal of becoming human again.

Personality: Obsessive and driven, although he becomes less so as the series progresses. Still enough to be very difficult to live with, and enough to put most things (although no longer his friends' lives) below his cure in importance. Even if he does cure himself, he will remain that way and find another thing to fixate on, so get used to it. Also arrogant and demanding, and has problems showing any positive emotion. On the other hand, when the chips are down, he will be very loyal. He has certain ideals, and can even prove himself to be kind and sympathetic when he thinks that nobody is looking.

Cooking: Never really demonstrated in the series, although likely not much. Mostly, the Slayers cast eats out, and when they don't, it's your basic cooking-the-fish-over-the-fire job. Zelgadiss is also not much of a big eater, and would probably likely as not choose skipping a meal over cooking it.

Fighting skills: This is Slayers- of course they're superhuman. A tolerable to good swordsman, although not through practice like Gourry -- Zel relies on his chimeric form for strength and speed, and often leaves huge openings for his enemies in the certainty that they won't get through his skin. In other words, if he weren't cursed, it would be nothing much. His magical skills rely on it in the same way, and are extremely strong, but could not rival Lina's in a fair fight. Like his intelligence, his magic is concentrated on just a few fields with one big specialty, and so it can be useless in some situations. (Admittedly, both of these have improved greatly since then, but so have everyone else's).

Special abilities: Tons. He plays the guitar, can use a nautical sextant, carves stone, is an excellent pistol shot, picks locks, knows his physics and trig...it's all in Slayers TRY, if nobody believes me.

Competition: Ameria Wil Tesla Saillune, who although hotly contested by Slayers fans really seems to be Zel's intended love interest. Also, you'd be up against his own emotional issues (he has the entire set) and his driven obsessiveness to make everything about himself better. Not to mention a few thousand screaming fangirls.

In-Laws: Zel's immediate relatives are assumed to be either dead or totally disinterested in his eventual fate. His only other relative is Rezo, who is also dead. No problems there.

Economics: Zelgadiss makes a living as a mercenary, but he also (far more in the manga and novels than in the anime) has quite a criminal background from when he was working with Rezo. With his regular pay as well as whatever he has squirreled away from those days, there will be no problems there.

Sex: Let's see, I'm not going into graphic details here...but given his constant need to be in control of all aspects of his life, I feel sorry for the poor girl. (Insert many, many standard fangirl quips about Zel's chimera body as it relates to sex).

Overall: A challenge. Admittedly one which can pay off. But if given your choice, fall for Gourry.

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