Race
The world of Arknights is populated by various races.
Overview
Terrans resemble the Homo sapiens of Earth, but that's where the similarities end as nearly all of them possessing the physical traits of various animals, legendary creatures, and mythological beings, and could be humanoid or bestial.
- Humanoid Terrans appear similarly to Earthlings, albeit with bestial ears and a non-prehensile tail (although some Terrans do not have either of them), as well as additional features based on their race (e.g. horns, feathers). They are better known on Earth as kemonomimi.
- Some humanoid Terrans have rounded ears in place of bestial ones.
- Some humanoid Terrans actually have two pairs of ears; the bestial ones and rounded ones. Interestingly, all four ears are functional,[1] but how this affects hearing is unexplained.
- Bestial Terrans are bipedal, sapient versions of the animal/creature they are based on. They are better known on Earth as furries.
Whether or not a Terran is humanoid or bestial does not correspond to their lineage, as attested to by the bestial Rat King having a humanoid daughter (Lin Yühsia). It is unknown if Terrans are related in some way to Earthlings due to their superficially similar appearance.
In regards of reproduction, Terran races have no differences with the Earthlings. All female Terrans reproduces via giving birth (i.e. viviparity). While many Terrans are divided with many races with distinct traits, interracial relationship is common in Terra. If a couple is of similar race (i.e., both being Forte), their offspring will inherit similar traits. But if the couple is of different races (i.e., a Savra with a Forte), their offspring will always inherit the traits of either parent. In the case of children of a Sankta and Sarkaz parent, children with the traits of both Sankta and Sarkaz will be born. Nevertheless, since the Aslanian Conquest, race-mixing has been evolved to a political concept where they seek to keep their bloodline's purity, especially among the ruling class.[2]
The term human and its derivatives are typically used to refer to the Terran races as a whole, with specific titles reserved for use in technical circumstances.[3][4]
Groups
Natives
Terra has been inhabited by several sapient races long before the advent of the Ancients and Elders.[5][6]
| Race | Based on |
|---|---|
| Elf | Elves in fantasy works |
| Feranmut | Majestic, god-like mythological creatures |
Teekaz
For millennia, the Teekaz are Terra's most dominant race, even going as far as calling it their homeland.[5] But since the arrival of the "First Civilization", their domination came to an end as they became scattered across Terra and their lands being taken over by the Ancients and the Elders. To make matters worse, the Teekaz are not fully united as internal strife has caused an ultimate split of the race.[7]
Currently, only the Sarkaz continue to carry on the Teekaz's sorrowful legacy; such name was originally a derogatory collective term that refered to any non-Ancient and non-Elder races but was used to justify their vengeance as a rally cry.[8] They deem rebuilding Kazdel — the "Promised Land" of the Teekaz — is the only way to "return to their roots." Whereas the Sankta, Anasa, Durins, and Oni, who originated from the Teekaz, have chosen different routes to rebuild their homeland.
| Race | Based on |
|---|---|
| Anasa | Asuras and rakshashas in Hindu-Buddhist mythology |
| Durin | Dwarves in fantasy works |
| Oni | Oni in Japanese mythology |
| Sankta | Angels in Abrahamic religions |
| Sarkaz | Demons in Abrahamic religions |
| Banshee Sarkaz | Eponymous entities in Celtic folklore |
| Cyclops Sarkaz | Norns in Norse mythology |
| Damazti Sarkaz | Shapeshifters and Slimes in mythologies and fantasy works |
| Diablo Sarkaz | Fiery demons in mythologies and fantasy works |
| Djall Sarkaz | Deceitful demon in Islamic eschatology |
| Gargoyle Sarkaz | Eponymous stone fiends in fantasy works |
| Goliath Sarkaz | Goliath in the Bible |
| Lich Sarkaz | Eponymous undead creature in fantasy works |
| Nachzehrer Sarkaz | Ghouls in Arabic folklore |
| Vampire Sarkaz | Eponymous bloodsuckers in mythologies and fantasy works |
| Wendigo Sarkaz | Eponymous evil spirit in Algonquian folklore |
Aliens
Ancients
The Ancients is an umbrella term for a large group of Terran races that made up the bulk of Terra's civilization which are actually alien to Terra; they were among the "outsiders" brought by the First Civilization when they arrived on Terra.[5][6]
While the Ancients' origin remains a mystery, Trevor Friston the Preserver refers to them as "humanoid creatures",[note 1] implying that Ancients are animals that underwent neo-Darwinian evolution into their current form.[9] This is likely to be the case, as Mephisto somehow regressed into an avian monster that the Doctor, a First Civilization survivor, recognized[10] after using the Sarcophagus.
| Race | Based on |
|---|---|
| Aegir | Aquatic animals |
| Anaty | Musteloids |
| Anura | Frogs |
| Archosauria | Crocodilians |
| Aslan | Lions |
| Caprinae | Goats and sheeps |
| Cautus | Leporids |
| Cerato | Rhinoceroses |
| Elafia | Deer and giraffes |
| Feline | Feliforms except lions |
| Forte | Bovines and camelids |
| Kuranta | Horses |
| Liberi | Birds and bird-like mythological creatures |
| Lupo | Wolves |
| Manticore | Manticores in Persian mythology |
| Perro | Dogs |
| Petram | Chelonians |
| Pilosa | Sloths |
| Pythia | Serpents |
| Rebbah | Hyenas |
| Savra | Lizards and salamanders |
| Ursus | Bears |
| Vouivre | Lesser dragons, prominently wyverns |
| Vulpo | Foxes |
| Zalak | Rodents, opposums, and moles |
Elders
The Elders are an umbrella term for a small group of Terran races who were formerly the ruling class of Terran nations, but today are equal to, if not in a higher status than the Ancients, and like them, were among the "outsiders" brought by the First Civilization when they arrived on Terra.[5][6]
The Elders possess superior abilities lost to time such as elongated lifespan that could surpass many Ancients, and unimaginable Arts that are exaggerated in many legends (e.g. weather control and spiritual communication). Due to these unique traits, many Elders see themselves as "pure-blooded", hence distinguishing themselves from the rest politically. Most Elders are racially distinct from the Ancients, but some are the subrace of (or more appropriately, related to) certain Ancient races.
During their time as Terra's bourgeoisie, the Elders implemented rigid, racist, and unfair inegalitarian policies. Their dominance came to an end after the Ursi took over Hippogryph Empire (now the Ursus Empire) following their failure to protect the Ursi from the Nightzmoran horde.[11]
| Race | Based on |
|---|---|
| Cerberus Perro | Eponymous three-headed dog in Greek mythology |
| Draco | European/Western dragons |
| Hippogryph Liberi | Eponymous bird-horse legendary creatures in European mythology |
| Kitsune Vulpo | Nine-tailed fox in Japanese mythology |
| K'uk'ulkan | Feathered/Plumed Serpent in Mesoamerican mythology |
| Kylin | Qilin |
| Lung | Chinese/Eastern dragons |
| Nightzmoran Kuranta | Mares |
| Pegasian Kuranta | Eponymous winged horses in Greek mythology |
| Unicorn Kuranta | Unicorns in European mythology |
- While classified as Reprobas, members of the Tulla family from Long Spring, Sargon, which includes Picale and Drudge Tulla, are Elders.
Other races
| Race | Based on |
|---|---|
| Ageless | Human immortals |
| Beast Lord | Intelligent beasts; land/animal spirits |
| Chimera | Biological/artificial hybrids? named after the eponymous creature from Greek myth |
| Collapsal | Malevolent extradimensional entities capable of possessing and corrupting living beings |
| Seaborn | Aquatic hivemind creatures |
Robots
Though not considered as a race per se, Terran robots are more advanced than those in our world despite their simplistic design, and are fully autonomous, operated by a self-aware artificial intelligence with masculine or feminine programming depending on their models.
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Artificial intelligences
Though not considered as a race per se like robots, Terran artificial intelligence (A.I.) are also more advanced than those from Earth. They may be self-aware and have masculine or feminine programming.
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Unidentified
The following Terrans are not (yet) classified into any known race, whether due to a lack of information, their traits making their exact race difficult to identify, or because they are an organization of various races.
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Notes
- ↑ "Animals" in original CN text
Trivia
- With the introduction of Honeyberry as the first Ancient based on marsupials, monotremes became the only vertebrates that are not yet represented by the Ancients.
- During an interview, Hypergryph confirmed that Homo sapiens did not exist in Terra.[12]
- Hai Mao confirmed that each race have their own lifespans with a completely different process of maturity than the humans of our world, which is the reason why characters' ages are not stated in-game.[13]However some characters like Coldshot and Ho'olheyak have their age indirectly addressed.
- For unknown reasons, the official English localizations of certain story texts omit any references to the Elders:
- The original Chinese text of Suzuran's Archive File 3 refers to her as "the daughter of an Elder," which was changed to "inherited the sacred bloodline" in the localization.
- The original Chinese text of Tola's statement in Near Light's third Epilogue states "...pedantic Elders...", which was changed to "...pedantic wisemen..." in the localization.
References
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