The Purist Faction, also known as the Purebloods or simply Purists, are a political and military faction within the Holy Britannian Empire that opposes the system of honorary citizenship, claiming that neither Britannian society nor its military should be sullied by foreigners. They would also use underhanded means in order to support their system. The most notable example was of how Suzaku Kururugi was used as a scapegoat in regards to the murder of Prince Clovis.
Organization Outline[]
The Faction's main political ideals are that Britannia should abolish the system of "Honorary Citizenship" in which subjects of conquered colonies can apply to become second class citizens and gain some basic human rights, they are particularly against the idea of these citizens having the ability to serve within the military forces (even though they are mostly used as inferior Irregular troops) and that such important roles within the empire should only be upheld by those bred with Britannian nationality and bloodlines.
This ties into their "PureBlood" identity, as this term is used to describe groups of highly elitist Britannians who are descended from the original British aristocrats that fled to the new world of North America, which became the foundation for the homeland of Holy Britannia. As such, members of the Purist Faction are shown to hold high ranking with the Britannian military and aristocracy hierarchy, with most of its members being Knights (honorary title) or holding some form of Nobility to their name (for example their leader Jeremiah held the title of Margrave) Members of the Purist Faction are identified from regular military personal by a red armband worn on their right arm, and a unique red winged pin badge on the lapel of their uniforms.
Organization History[]
Purist Faction is shown to be an established military group with a large number of members by the beginning of Season 1, with Jeremiah Gottwald seen acting as the faction's current leader. Their exact date of formation is unknown.
Prior to the death of Area 11's Viceroy Prince Clovis, the Purists held rather minimal status within the Britannian social hierarchy, and didn't appear to be having much success in pushing their anti-Honorary Citizenship policy. They are shown to be just another unit within the main military, with only a few known regiments: the G.G.D.C.F. 5th Regiment, the "K" Powered Task Company, the Knightmare "B" Platoon, and Squad #733. They are seen leading the military forces during the operation to eradicate the Shinjuku Ghetto. However, after the murder of Prince Clovis in the midst of the skirmish, the Purist Faction leader, Jeremiah Gottwald, takes over as Area 11's Acting-Consul and the Faction uses this opportunity to push for "PureBlood supremacy" in Area 11. In attempt to completely be rid of Honorary Britannians within the military, the Purists attempt to frame Pvt. Suzaku Kururugi (a Japanese citizen and Honorary Britannian soldier) for Clovis's murder, thereby casting aspersions on Honorary Brittanians in general. The Purebloods, leading the investigation, were able to conduct a show trial using fabricated evidence while deeming inadmissible any evidence and testimony in Suzaku's favor. (Additionally, Suzaku was equipped with a device that interrupted any attempt at speaking by delivering an electric shock.)
Pursit Sutherlands during the Orange Incident
The parade to the execution grounds was interrupted by Zero, who claimed responsibility for the killing of Prince Clovis. Zero bluffed by implying that Gottwald wanted to keep something known as "Orange" a secret, then used his Geass on Gottwald, forcing him to assist them in rescuing Suzaku. Jeremiah obeys this and directly orders all members of the Purist Faction and soldiers to stand down, leading to their ultimate escape with Suzaku. This made it appear as if Jeremiah was blackmailed into assisting Zero. After this humiliating incident, dubbed the Orange Incident by many, the Purists' name and reputation was tarnished, and Jeremiah was demoted three ranks. The faction devolved into in-fighting, with some members leaving the faction entirely. Despite all of this, Jeremiah remained the Faction's leader.
Kewell Soresi and other Purists members prepare to deal with Jeremiah
Soon afterwards, Kewell Soresi, a dedicated Pureblood and someone who once held respect towards Jeremiah, conspires with other members of the Purists to remove Jeremiah as the leader. Leading Jeremiah far out to the Shinjuku Ghetto Stadium with false reports of Zero being spotted in the area, Kewell leads a squad of Purist Knightmares who attempt to kill Jeremiah. They nearly succeed but are stopped by Suzaku, who was piloting the Lancelot, and Euphemia who orders the Purists to stand down once she reveals herself as the Third Princess of the Empire. The Purists do not attempt mutiny again, but still distrust and disrespect Jeremiah, often referring to him by his hated nickname of "Orange".
Kallen finishing whats left of the Faction
After the Orange Skirmish, the reputation of the Purist faction had fallen so far that they were no longer allowed into active combat; they were only placed on standby or assigned to the rear guard. Additionally, many of the Faction's members had left or been transferred to other Areas, leaving the Faction with a petty amount of members. As Kewell Soresi described it, the incident effectively ended their careers. The Purist Faction was last seen assigned to the rear guard during the Battle of Narita. As the battle progressed, the Britannian forces learn that it is not just the JLF they are fighting, but also Black Knights being lead by Zero. This information leads Jeremiah, obsessed with defeating Zero to reclaim his honor, to disobey orders and pursue Zero. On encountering Zero, Jeremiah charges forward recklessly but is stopped by Kallen piloting the Guren Nishiki. While his subordinate Purebloods caution Jeremiah to not engage this unknown model of Knightmare, he ignores them and assaults it and is destroyed by its Radiant Wave Surger. His obsession with Zero was so great that he refused to manually eject from his Knightmare, despite its imminent destruction. The effect of the Radiant Wave Surger caused Jeremiah severe injuries, including significant brain damage, before the auto-eject system activated. After the battle, the only surviving member of the Purists was believed to be Villetta Nu, and with their leader Jeremiah having gone missing and presumed dead, the Faction was effectively dissolved on a.t.b April 2nd 2017, and has not been known to have re-emerged since.
Leaders and Members[]
| Leader/Member | Image |
|---|---|
| Jeremiah Gottwald (Leader) - (Former) | 
|
| Villetta Nu (Member) - (Former) | 
|
| Kewell Soresi (Member) - (Deceased) | 
|
| Purist Officers (Personnel) |   |
Knightmares[]
A Purist Faction Sutherland
Most members of the Purist Faction were considered to be elite Knightmare Frame pilots. Being apart of the main military, they are seen piloting the RPI-13 Sutherland, Britannia's primary Knightmare for the army. The Sutherlands used by the Purist Faction are distinguished by their custom colors of the FactSphere head cover and shoulders which have a red maroon color. It also seems that their Sutherlands are among the few that use jousting lances for combat or ceremonial purposes, and Stun Tonfas for close-quarters combat or self-defense, as seen when the Purists led by Kewell Soresi attempted to kill Jeremiah Gottwald at the stadium in the Shinjuku Ghetto.
Trivia[]
All members of the Purist Faction had serial numbers:
- Jeremiah Gottwald - Serial #: 4097112-5508
- Kewell Soresi - Serial #: 5431023-5626
- James.Z. Machlin - Serial #: 4097322-6784
Gallery[]
