Alexander "Alex" Row is a major character from the anime series Last Exile. He is the captain of the battleship Silvana which opposes the rule of the Guild, though is not directly affiliated with either Anatoray or Disith. Though he comes across as cold and emotionless, he is regarded with the utmost respect and loyalty by his crew. He is the last character to die in the series.
Japanese Voice: Toshiyuki Morikawa
English Voice: Crispin Freeman
History[]
In his early life, Alex Row had attended the Anatoray Military Academy and had found love with the daughter of Anatoray's Prime Minister, Euris. After leaving the academy, he became a vanship pilot and courier with Euris acting as his navi. He became close friends with the fathers of Claus Valca and Lavie Head, Hamilcar and Georges, and flew with them on several missions. On their final flight together, they were tasked with delivering a peace treaty to Disith and were required to fly through a fierce area of the sky called the Grand Stream. During the mission, the couriers vanships were sideswiped by a Guild battleship carrying Maestro Delphine herself. Hamilcar and Georges' vanship was lost and Euris' safety harness became unbuckled and she was thrown from her seat and killed. Alex saw Delphine watching from an observation window, smiling as she watched Alex's friends and lover die. It was also then that Alex witnessed Exile, a gargantuan vessel believed to be a mere legend.
After returning to Anatoray, Alex visited Claus' home in Norkia for the last time, delivering the news of Hamilcar and Georges' deaths to Justina. When he left, he left his vanship behind which Claus and Lavie would keep as their own. He would return to the Military Academy to complete the upper-courses and five years later would be given command of Anatoray's latest model of battleship, the Silvana.
Though built by Anatoray, the Silvana was not officially affiliated with the kingdom. Equipped with a modified variant of the Claudia Units found on all warships, the Guild would be unable to recall the Silvana's unit, making the ship instrumental in undermining the Guild's tyrannical reign over the skies.
As the series begins, Alex, as captain of the Silvana, entered into combat during the Third Battle of Minagith against the Disith's warships. Sinking a number in the Grand Stream, he flew to Minagith and helped Duke David Mad-thane's retreat.
When news of the Duke's retreat reached the Imperial Capital, the Emperor ordered that Alvis Hamilton should be transported immediately to the Silvana for fear of the Disith taking her. Ralf Wednesday, with Gita Rjuna as his navigator, were to take the Alvis to a group of ruins on the outskirts of Norkia. Alex would pick up the girl for safekeeping. Unfortunately, both Ralf and Gita died in their mission and instead the son of Hamilcar Valca and the daughter of Georges Head stood before Alex with Alvis: Claus Valca and Lavie Head.
Although Alex was given Alvis for safekeeping, he had his own plans. Upon leaving the ruins, he left for Walker Palace. Walker told Alex of a black market auction that would be happening at Horizon Cave. The last item up for auction would be the "Key to Exile," an object that would open the door to Exile. Learning this piece of information and as he left, Alex was cornered into a duel with Charles Knowles and defeated him spectacularly using the Silvana's secret weapon. Walker witnessed officially from his casino.
Upon arriving at Horizon Cave, Alex had Tatiana Wisla, Alister Agrew, Claus Valca, and Lavie Head entered into The Horizon Cave Eight Race. Tatiana and Alister would, at a key power junction, drop explosives that would knock out power for all of the cave at precisely midnight. It would be Alex's job to stall the auction once the Key was brought out by bidding higher and higher bids. Once the power went out, Alex would steal away with the Key from the seller. The plan was almost foiled by Duke Henry Knowles, the father of Charles Knowles, who had brought with him armed guards. Upon learning of his son's death, he went to the auction at Horizon Cave hoping to confront Alex and take him down.
Alex escaped successfully and met with the seller who was in fact Graf, the steward to House Hamilton, the Guild house Alvis was a part of. Alex learned from Graf that the Key was no key at all but set of riddles. These riddles, once spoken to Alvis, would unlock Exile. It was here that Alex learned his first Mysterion. Shortly after leaving Horizon Cave, Alex learned his second Mysterion from Dio Eraclea.
When the Emperor learned that Alex seemed to want Alvis all for himself, he sent Vincent Alzey to confront him about it. The two met at Carmel Lighthouse over warship coffee and when Alex refused to give the Hamilton Mysterion and Alvis up, Vincent challenged Alex to a duel at the Dragon's Fangs. The Silvana and the Urbanus engaged in combat and the Silvana was sunk but was not destroyed.
As ship-wide repairs were underway, Claus Valca met with Alex over the contents of a ten-year-old photograph. The photograph, showing Claus' father, Lavie's father, and the man and woman that Claus had known from young childhood, shocked Claus and he demanded Alex explain himself. Alex revealed that he was the young man in the photograph and that the vanship that Claus and Lavie believed to be their's was in fact Alex's. This conversation led Alex to reveal what his plans for Exile have been all along: its destruction. Alex would learn his third Mysterion from his chief engineer, Recuise Dagobert.
Soon after, Alex attended the coronation of Sophia Forrester to Empress of Anatoray from afar. The Maestro Delphine also came to pay her respects by blanketing the area in rose petals. Alex, upon learning of the Maestro's appearance, went into a frenzy, ordering his bridge officers to fire at will at the Maestro's ship. Arthur Campbell, the Silvana's Second Officer, belayed the order, stating the captain was not himself. Alex returned to his quarters and, in a fit of rage, trashed the room.
When Sophia came aboard the Silvana after her coronation, she told Alex of her plan to take Exile from the Guild. Alex pointed out where he had seen Exile all those many years ago and the Silvana and the Urbanus began probing the Grand Stream with sonar torpedoes. Not soon after discovering Exile's location, Maestro Delphine and some of her Guild Agents board the Silvana, capturing Alex, Alvis, Claus, Dio, and Lucciola.
Maestro Delphine, now that she knew where Exile slept, tied Alex to a cross with genetically engineered vines. The vines oozed a liquid that, once entering the blood stream of someone who has been pricked by its thorns, acted as a truth serum. Alex would speak all four Mysterion to Alvis and Exile would be in complete control of Delphine. As Alex recited the Mysterion, he stopped on House Bassianus', the Guild house of his fiancée. He had not committed it to memory. In fact, he had sealed it in a letter to Sophia with the other Mysterion.
Death[]
In the final episode "Resign", Alex is still bound and crucified by Delphine's vines. She taunts him as they watch the battle for Exile unfold, but Alex, in a fit of rage, frees one arm and strangles Delphine to death. Moments later, the Silvana unleashes its final attack and a volley of cannon fire destroys Delphine's flagship and Alex along with it.