Escanor

is a member of the Seven Deadly Sins and is known as the Lion's Sin of Pride. He is renowned for gaining immense power during the day, and gradually becoming weaker with the setting of the sun, leaving him frail and submissive at night. His Sacred Treasure is the Divine Axe Rhitta. His inherent power is named Sunshine.

Appearance
Currently Escanor's appearance is largely the same as his appearance in Vampires of Edinburgh, with the addition of a mustache and pair of glasses. Escanor's attire is a suit commonly worn by bartenders and although slightly baggy, does appear to fit his non-sunshine form far better than his previous attire. He temporarily wore spectacles during his first formal appearance in the plot.

Ten years ago, he wore a suit of full body armor with a unique helm (which may be too large to fit him properly in the early morning or night, and conversely too small to fit him during the sunlight hours, particularly noon).

Escanor was revealed during the Vampires of Edinburgh side story to be a very meek and weak looking young man, with short-cut hair and a set of clothes that seemed too large to fit him. His clothes were made to be intentionally loose so that they fit him properly.

In the wanted poster, Escanor is depicted as a middle-aged man with a beard and a ponytail hairstyle.

His lion symbol is on his back.

Personality
Escanor's personality changes drastically along with his strength between day and night. At night, he is skiddish, submissive and unfailingly polite. Whereas in the day he is arrogant, boastful, and domineering, he also takes it upon himself to deliver judgement to those he feels have sinned, such as those that toy with feelings. Both personalities seem to be truly him and he remembers everything he does in either, though at night he has chastised himself for losing control during the day.

Despite the great contrast, there are some personality traits he retains day or night, such as his feelings for Merlin and fondness for writing poetry. Even with his prideful personality he still cares for his comrades, but in his own way. Pretending to annihilate Gowther, and instead attacking the two Commandments for toying with people's hearts. But at night he cares very deeply for his captain and comrades, not wishing to harm any, even those he only recently met.

Escanor also doesn't particularly desire anything, as when competing in a tournament for any prize he desires, he simply stated he would like to deliver alcohol for that tournament and not compete, despite his power.

He is also accustomed to others calling him a monster for his unique body changes after suffering a bad childhood when his power first manifested. Even the likes of demons refuse to believe he is a human.

During the day Escanor's pride and attitude is such that he never holds hatred in his heart to anyone, even Demons, as he doesn't hold hatred to those beneath him, he only pities them. This quirk has given him immunity to a Commandment. His pride is also unfailing as when his own blow got reflected to him with greater power, he isn't surprised he got injured by his own attacks.

History
Escanor was born 40 years ago, the prince of the Castellio Kingdom. When he was a child, his older brother Daymond used to pick on him, until one day his power awakened and he accidentally broke his brother's arm. His parents disowned him because of what happened and his strange unexplained appearance, and soon the Kingdom's forces mobilized to kill him. He was rescued by a kind woman named Rosa, who hid him in a barrel and set it a drift at sea. He survived but wherever he went, people called him a monster even when he helped them. That is, until he eventually meets Merlin and Meliodas who asked him to join their knightly order.

12 years ago
With a clan of vampires having taken over the Kingdom of Edinburgh and threatening the Kingdom of Liones and all of Britannia with impending war, the Seven Deadly Sins, including Escanor, were deployed to deal with them and recapture Edinburgh Castle. King and Dreyfus are noticeably unnerved with his inclusion in the mission.

When the mission started, Meliodas had Escanor released from a special containment room whilst the former was dragging the latter's Sacred Treasure. The Lion's Sin of Pride apologized to his captain and reminded him that he would like to be back by morning, if possible. After Meliodas explained that Merlin had made a portal for them, Escanor was reassured and declared his resolve to do his best.

Both Meliodas and Escanor were teleported to the Castle using Merlin's Magical Gate. After being encouraged by Meliodas to have more confidence, Escanor apologizes for being born and starts crying. After that, the two get separated and Escanor is confronted by the Vampire King, Izraf, who demands to know his reason for coming to his castle. He then attacks the Sin of Pride with telekinesis-controlled debris, which Escanor evades with ease. Their fight continues until dawn, when suddenly the Sin stops dodging and faces Izraf. He easily lifts his Sacred Treasure, which he had previously been unable to move, and orders the Vampire King to fight at full power. He then demands an apology from him for being born into his world.

During his Fight with Izraf, Escanor showed his power by easily dispelling the Darkness of the Vampire King with his sheer presence. He then used his Sacred Treasure to lazily cleave the Vampire King's torso, which quickly regenerated, but having come into contact with Escanor's axe, began to burn him. Escanor then read a poem about Merlin that Izraf thought was an incantation, angering Escanor as he proceeded to incinerate Izraf with Sunshine, but not before telling Izraf he had changed his mind about killing him, despite the latter desperately apologizing and pleading for his life. After destroying the castle and killing Izraf, Escanor was approached by Merlin, who he was pleased to see. As she distracted him, he was hit by Gowther's Blackout Arrow, which Merlin had amplified to knock him unconscious until his power depleted. He was then brought home by Merlin. Back at the castle, Escanor was scolding himself for losing control and that his poems aren't worthy of Merlin's ears. Merlin then entered his chamber and asked if she could hear his poem.

10 years ago
Escanor, along with the rest of the Seven Deadly Sins, was summoned to a castle to meet the Great Holy Knight Zaratras after a mission in which they defeated the Troll Queen and caused the accidental destruction of the Great Druid Altar. After they found him dead there, all of them were ambushed by the Holy Knights. When Meliodas ordered everyone to disperse and regroup later, Escanor obeyed and went into hiding.

Introduction arc
Escanor's wanted poster is displayed on a board in the Boar Hat.

Ravens arc
Escanor's is first introduced into the main story when, as the owner of bar, My Sweet Glutonny with his Rhitta embedded on the wall, he is stumbled upon by a wounded Jericho carrying Elaine and Ban who had fled from the deadly pursuit of Galand and Melascula. Welcoming them, Escanor asks who they are and seemingly recognizes Ban of the three, asking Jericho if she's a Holy Knight however, Jericho informs him that the Seven Deadly Sins are now considered heroes not villains, much to his relief. He then asks Ban about Merlin which the bandit ensures him she's safe with Meliodas before asking him to hide them, which Escanor gracefully obliges to by hiding them in a cooler behind him.

With the Ten Commandments arriving now at the scene, a terrified Escanor is sniffed out by Galand who gets distracted by the booze and immediately commences drinking along Melascula. Admiring how the booze has gotten better over the course of 3000 years, Escanor explains its content which Melascula credits him for knowing much about it. Escanor asks who they are and the due respond that they're the Ten Commandments of the Demon King. Surprised, Escanor is challenged to a Galand game, with each of them delivering a blow to the other and the first one to die loses. Despite Jericho and Ban's advice, a terrified Escanor accepts the game and is patted in the back by Galand, but the force Galand used caused the secretive sin to pass out. Before they noticed it, morning had already arose, and as Galand attempted to carry the Rhitta, Escanor snatched it from his hand and told him that mere demons cannot hope to wield this axe. A surprised Galand wonders whether he is human or not and Escanor responds that he is indeed human, but he is the very pinnacle of the human species, introducing himself as the The Lion's Sin of Pride, Escanor of the Seven Deadly Sins.

With Galand surprised of Escanor's audacity, to demonstrate his strength, Escanor slices the commandment in half with a mere swing of his axe. However, just as Melascula remarked, Galand was far from defeated as he casually reattached himself, which Escanor noted him for if he would be done in so easily it wouldn't be very fun. Escanor then proceeds to provoke Galand by telling him to continue their game and hit him, which Galand responds to by activating his Critical Over ability to maximize his physical strength, which shocked Escanor greatly. Galand then swings his spear and delivers a land-shattering blow to Escanor's shoulder, in hopes of defeating the Lion's sin but to no avail, as the commandment's most powerful attack only barely bruised the brute. Escanor shows his disappointment, saying that it is now his turn, releasing an intense aura of supremacy, so great that Galand broke his own oath and subliminally tried to escape, but was petrified due to breaking his oath while Escanor proceeds to sigh in disappointment.

After musing about the effect of Galand's Commandment, Escanor tells Melascula that she can either run or stay and die. Melascula sarcastically thanks him for the offer and freeing her from Galand, and uses her Antan no Mayu to trap Escanor and proceeds to remove and eat his soul. However, Escanor's soul contains too much power for her to handle, escapes from her mouth and destroys her cocoon. As Melascula screams in agony as she is consumed in flames, Escanor answers her question of what his power is, replying Sunshine. After defeating them, he tells Ban that he needs to speak to him on important business and orders him to stay there and wait for him as it was almost noon. Ban agrees and waits for the man who returns at night in his Night form, much to Jericho's dismay, Escanor asks Ban how the rest of the group are doing and Ban tells him that he's left them for a while, but knows they are on the move. The Lion's sin then tells him that he is planning on returning to the group, but he cannot do so before finishing one last job as the barkeep of his bar, asking Ban to help him with it. It was then that King showed up.

Great Fight Festival arc
Escanor is later seen as part of the Great Fight Festival when Gowther arrives and lands on top of him. He politely asks him to get off his back and as Gowther recognizes, Escanor notices his glasses are broken and panics. He is then instantly impaled by a vine from Gloxinia but restored right away. After being forced to participate in the fight, and being paired with Hawk, a worried Escanor is then shocked to see a talking pig behind him.

Abilities and Equipment
As a member of the Seven Deadly Sins, Escanor is very powerful and is widely considered to be the strongest human.

Abilities

 * Escanor's ability is one of duality, he is the weakest amongst all holy knights at midnight but starting from dawn his power level begins to rise steadily from one hour to the next, until it peaks at noon. During his fight with Galand, his power level was shown increasing by 5 points with seemingly every second and was measured at 50,060 while continuing to rise. At his peak, according to Merlin, he easily surpasses any of the other Sins. This cycle is marked with distinct differences in his abilities and personality.


 * Night-time: With the setting of the Sun, Escanor returns to his original, skiddish self. He's seemingly weaker than an average human, and his power level has been measured at 15.


 * Daytime: Beginning with the rising of the Sun at dawn Escanor begins to make a dramatic change, both physically and mentally. He grows much taller and muscular, with his clothes being ripped off him unless specifically tailored to his growth. In this state, his physical strength and endurance are incredible and his immense magic power casually radiates from his body as intense heat which normally reduces everything around him to ashes He seems to be able to exert some control over this, being able to prevent friends from being hurt or turning his power up at will to produce intense light and heat to capable of melting even stone. In this state, his normally skiddish demeanor is replaced by one of confidence and a royal atmosphere.


 * The One: Around noon, Escanor grows to a colossal size and starts exuding steam through his body symbolizing his increasing temperature. His irises also change to that of a suns' corona. It's at this stage that his physical strength reaches its zenith and it lasts for a single minute. Merlin calls it the "invincible incarcantion of power".

Weapons

 * Divine Axe Rhitta: A giant, ornamental axe, named after a maiden said to be loved by the Sun. It is incredibly heavy and most of its weight is concentrated in the head, which makes it very off-balanced, yet in the day he is able to wield it with one hand.


 * Large Spear: A large spear Escanor possessed and was shown with briefly ten years ago before the Seven Deadly Sins were framed for Zaratras' murder. It appears to be not as heavy in comparison to his Sacred Treasure.


 * Magic Glasses: Given to him recently by Merlin, Escanor is able to suppress his daytime form. However, he will instantly transform into his larger self if they are removed.

Power Level
Due to his power, Escanor's power level is constantly fluctuating and cannot be accurately measured for an extended period of time. The lowest it has been recorded is 15 at an unspecified period of time, and the highest it has been recorded is 50,060. During his fight with Estarossa, whose power level is 60,000, he was eventually able to easily overpower him with there still being more than half an hour until noon.

During his fight with Meliodas, his power level rose to 114,000, although it wasn't high noon yet. Meliodas was still able to overpower him, though Escanor's power peaks at high noon and was able to beat Meliodas, for one minute only he became "The One".

Merlin
Escanor is in love with Merlin. This loves stems from her being the first person to not only not be afraid of him or his power, but to be actively intrigued by it. In his own words, he never expected her to return his feelings and has accepted that, viewing her as the one to illuminate his path, just like the Sun would.

Meliodas
Besides Merlin, Meliodas is the person Escanor respects the most. Meliodas is aware of Escanor's insecurities and feelings for Merlin and actively encourages him to gain more confidence and tell her, but he does so, in a kind way befitting a leader.

Upon learning of Meliodas's curse, Escanor comes up with and recites a poem regarding both his and Meliodas's curses in an attempt to cheer him up, as he understands what it feels like to be cursed. Meliodas in turn appreciates his efforts and thanks him with a smile.

Ban
Being both members of The Seven Deadly Sins, their relationship is that of comrades. As such both are concerned about each other's well being as demonstrated by Escanor aiding Ban, Jericho, and Elaine without hesitation from Galand and Melascula as well as Ban being fearful for Escanor's well being against Melascula's 'Gloom Cocoon' and Gloxinia impaling Escanor. At night, Ban tends to playfully make fun of Escanor.

That being said Ban is weary of Escanor during the day and does not trust him completely seen by him thinking he would kill Hawk, Jericho, and Gowther and him being startled to see it was already day when being kept in the storage room. In the Day, Escanor also sees himself as an authority figure to Ban as he orders him to stay where he is until night fall.

Gowther
Escanor and Gowther seemed to have met soon after. Escanor considers a close friend despite Gowther not having a "heart" to truly understand what this would mean. Even when Gowther attempted to break Escanor's spirit, Escanor did not blame him, but the Ten Commandments for toying with Gowther's desires in the first place. His faith in Gowther is so much that he doubts the latter's claim of being heartless.

Vampires of Edinburgh

 * Escanor vs. Izraf: Win

Ravens arc

 * Escanor vs. Galand & Melascula: Win

Great Fight Festival arc

 * Gowther & Jericho vs. Escanor & Hawk: Inconclusive

Defensive Battle for Liones arc

 * Escanor vs. Estarossa: Win

Current arc

 * Seven Deadly Sins vs. Melascula: Win
 * Meliodas vs. Escanor: Win

Trivia

 * In Arthurian legend, there are two characters with the name 'Escanor' including: "Escanor le Grand", who was raised by a giant and a witch and is said to be a very large man, and "Escanor le Beau", the nephew of the first Escanor, who was a handsome young man and eventually retired to a life of hermitage. Escanor is based on the first, who was said to grow stronger until noon when his strength began to diminish and was eventually defeated by Sir Gawain, whom he shared both this power and birth date with.
 * According to the databook(s):
 * Special skill is unknown
 * Hobbies are unknown
 * Daily routine: napping and writing poetry
 * Favorite food: meat during the day, vegetables during the night
 * Charm Point: his shyness
 * He is his own complex
 * The people he respects the most are Merlin and Meliodas
 * Has no one he would mind making an enemy of.
 * Weak Point: Being super weak at night
 * Birthplace: Castellio Kingdom
 * Dream/Hope: Opening up a store with Merlin
 * Regrets: Being born
 * The most embarrassing thing in his life: His noon-self - always
 * What he wants the most right now: Controlling his powers
 * Favorite animals: cats and lions
 * Favorite scent: Wildberry
 * His power level cannot be measured
 * The Sin of Pride is usually symbolized with a horse and the color violet.
 * Escanor dislikes going out in the daytime due to his personality change.
 * He has the largest symbol, in proportion to his size, which is located on his back.
 * At night, he is known to have the lowest power level of not just all of the Holy Knights in Britannia, but lower than anyone else's recorded value at only 15.
 * Escanor has made no official appearance in the anime; however, in the newest anime release Nanatsu no Taizai: Seisen no Shirushi, he makes a cameo when the opening theme is playing.

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