Personality
Merlin is the very definition of calm and collected. She’s highly intelligent, and honestly, always seems to be five steps ahead of everyone else. From the moment she appears, it’s clear she’s not driven by emotions like many other characters. Her decisions are purely based on logic and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge. That emotional detachment can make her seem cold or uncaring at times, but really, she’s just focused on her bigger goals.
Her “sin” of gluttony has nothing to do with food. Instead, it’s all about her endless hunger for knowledge. She’s constantly chasing the next discovery or secret of the universe, no matter what it takes. This craving for understanding is both her greatest asset and her biggest flaw because she doesn’t really worry about the moral consequences of her actions as long as she’s feeding her intellectual curiosity.
Despite how detached she seems, Merlin does care about the Sins and is fiercely protective of the people close to her. But even then, there’s always this sense that her personal goals come first. Her loyalty is genuine but complicated, and her actions are often driven by her own mysterious objectives.
Merlin’s Story
Born over 3,000 years ago in Belialuin, the capital of wizards, she was a magical prodigy right from the start. Her real name? It’s this ridiculously long, complicated thing, but let’s be real, everyone just sticks with “Merlin,” and that works just fine.
Belialuin was a neutral city during the huge war between the Demon and Goddess clans, but Merlin’s birth kind of stirred the pot. She was born with an insanely powerful ability called “Infinity,” which lets her spells last forever. Naturally, both the Demon King and the Supreme Deity wanted her on their team, offering her all kinds of power and knowledge to get her to side with them.
But Merlin, being as sharp as she is, pulled a fast one on both of them. She tricked them into giving her power and knowledge from both sides without actually committing to either. Sure, it didn’t win her any friends in high places, but it made her one of the most powerful beings around.
Her obsession with knowledge didn’t stop there, though. She kept studying, mastering more and more types of magic, eventually becoming the most powerful mage in all of Britannia. When she joined the Seven Deadly Sins as the Boar’s Sin of Gluttony, it wasn’t because she had a thing for food, it was all about her endless hunger for knowledge.
Motivations
What really drives Merlin is her hunger for knowledge. Unlike other characters who are motivated by things like love, revenge, or a sense of duty, Merlin’s goals are purely intellectual. She wants to uncover the secrets of magic, the universe, and existence itself. That’s what sets her apart from the rest of the Sins, whose motivations tend to be a lot more emotional and personal.
Throughout the series, Merlin’s actions can sometimes seem pretty morally ambiguous. For example, she’s the one pushing Arthur Pendragon to become the King of Chaos, which raises a lot of eyebrows. Is she doing it for the greater good, or is she just curious to see what happens when the powers of Chaos are unleashed? It’s this gray area that makes her so compelling. Merlin’s motivations aren’t cut and dry, she’s always working toward a bigger goal that only she really understands.
Merlin and Arthur
Merlin’s relationship with King Arthur is a mix of mentorship, admiration, and a bit of motherly care. She sees Arthur not just as a king, but as someone with the potential to be a great leader, worthy of his legendary name. It’s clear she genuinely believes in him, often guiding and protecting him when he’s in over his head. Despite her usual aloof and enigmatic nature, around Arthur, Merlin shows a softer side, almost like she’s nurturing him to become the person he’s meant to be. Their dynamic is special because it’s not just about power or duty; it’s about Merlin’s hope for Arthur to reach his full potential and become a beacon of hope in a chaotic world.
Merlin awakens the Chaos
Merlin’s decision to awaken Chaos was one of the biggest, most game-changing moves in The Seven Deadly Sins. Always driven by her endless curiosity and thirst for power, Merlin saw Chaos as the key to unlocking limitless possibilities in magic. To do this, she needed a host, and who better than Arthur Pendragon, the destined “King of Chaos” himself? After the Demon King was defeated, Merlin seized the moment and used her magic to transfer the essence of Chaos, which had been sealed inside Hawk’s mother, into Arthur.
This didn’t just bring Chaos back; it transformed Arthur into a being with the power to reshape reality itself. Merlin’s decision wasn’t just about power, though, she genuinely believed Arthur, with his strong sense of justice and leadership, was the one who could harness Chaos to bring about a new era of peace and prosperity for Britannia. Of course, this had huge consequences. Arthur, while incredibly powerful, struggled to control this new force, and Merlin’s actions threw the world into chaos (literally), shifting the balance of power and forcing everyone to deal with the fallout of Chaos’s unpredictable return. This pretty much set the stage for the sequel, The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse, where Arthur’s the main villain of the story.
Merlin’s Combat and Magical Abilities
When it comes to raw magical power, Merlin is in a league of her own. Let’s break down some of her key abilities and how they give her the upper hand in combat.
Infinity
Merlin’s defining magical ability is Infinity. This spell allows her to cast any magic once and keep it going indefinitely, without having to maintain it. Imagine casting a fire spell that never burns out or creating a barrier that stays up forever. That’s what Infinity does. Once she casts a spell, it stays active for as long as she wants.
In combat, this gives Merlin a massive advantage. She can set up long-lasting defenses, traps, or spells that run in the background while she focuses on other things. She never has to worry about running out of energy mid-fight because her magic never really stops working.
Elemental Mastery and Versatility
Merlin is incredibly versatile when it comes to using elemental magic. She’s shown to manipulate fire, ice, lightning, and even dark magic with ease. This means she can adapt to almost any combat situation. If one element doesn’t work, she can quickly switch to another.
For example, if an enemy is resistant to fire, Merlin can freeze them solid or rain down lightning strikes.
Perfect Cube
One of her standout defensive spells is Perfect Cube, which creates a nearly indestructible barrier around a chosen area. This cube can block even the strongest attacks, giving her and her allies time to regroup or plan their next move without fear of getting hit.
She can also use Perfect Cube offensively, trapping her enemies inside an inescapable prison. In battle, this lets her control the pace of the fight, deciding who stays in or out of the action. And thanks to Infinity, she can leave the cube up as long as she wants.
Teleportation
Merlin’s control over space is another powerful aspect of her magic. She can teleport herself and others instantly, which gives her incredible mobility in combat. This ability isn’t just about dodging attacks, it also lets her outmaneuver opponents and relocate to more strategic positions.
Teleportation allows her to constantly dictate the flow of battle. She can send enemies into traps she’s already set or quickly gather her team in the middle of chaos. This level of spatial control makes her a master strategist on the battlefield.
Absolute Cancel
One of Merlin’s more terrifying abilities is Absolute Cancel, which lets her dispel any magic. Essentially, she can erase her opponent’s spells from existence with a thought. This makes her a nightmare for other magic users, as no matter how powerful their spell, Merlin can just wipe it out.
Exterminate Ray
While Merlin is known for being a genius, she’s not lacking in raw destructive power. Exterminate Ray is one of her go-to offensive spells, a concentrated beam of magic that obliterates anything in its path.
Aldan
Merlin’s Sacred Treasure, Aldan, is a floating crystal orb that enhances her spells and serves as a medium for her magic. With Aldan, she can multitask during battles, allowing her to cast multiple spells at once, keep up defenses, or launch attacks from different directions.
Aldan is like an extension of Merlin’s mind and magical ability. It amplifies her powers and gives her even more flexibility in how she controls the battlefield.
