Authorities (権能 Ken'nō) are various abilities used by the Witches, Sin Archbishops, and other rare individuals. The following article lists and roughly explains every known Authority in Re:Zero. For a more detailed explanation of each Authority, please visit the pages of the respective Authority owners.
Information
Authorities come from an entity known as a Witch Factor (魔女因子 Majo Inshi). Witch Factors are the antithesis of Od Lagna,[1] and the Authorities granted by them can be considered the backward compatibility of Divine Protections, according to Beatrice.[2] According to the author, no Divine Protection can overpower an Authority,[3] and the effect of a person's preexisting Divine Protection can be removed by a Witch Factor.[4] According to Echidna, Authorities grants oneself the right to interfere with the world.[5] Authorities themselves are derived from Witch Factors; those who possess them have the capacity to share a portion of their Witch Factors with other individuals, and those who receive a piece become known as Apostles (使徒 Shito).[6] This ability to share Witch Factors was formerly utilized by Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, who shared portions of his Factor—appearing as strange clumps of mana—to his "fingers".[7][8] However, this came at the cost of his own Authority's effectiveness, as it decreased the amount of Unseen Hands he could summon until more portions of his shared Witch Factor returned to him.[9] It is unknown if there is a limit on how many people an Authority user can bestow pieces their Witch Factor to.
The Witch Factors used by the Sin Archbishops originally belonged to the Witches of Sin and the Witches before them, and according to Rui, there is no real difference between the two as they're all just "good-for-nothings compatible with the Witch Factors" that are called different names due to being from different eras and their different positions. Furthermore, each Authority is shaped into existence based on a compatible holder's nature or desires,[10] though the hosts have no control over what kind of ability they receive despite reflecting an owner's cravings.[11] If a Witch Factor is forcibly inserted into someone incompatible with it, it will greatly alter their personality, as is what happened in the cases of Satella and Petelgeuse.
It's shown that there are different ways to receive the Witch Factors. Petelgeuse received his from a small black box which was said to have been made out of an unknown Sage's bones, entrusted to him by Flugel, while in Subaru's case, the Witch Factors of Sloth and Greed latched onto him as soon as their respective hosts died, which suggests that the Factors can manifest in a physical form (as black goo) or in a non-physical form (in Subaru's cases).
Users
Types
Authority of Sloth
The Authority of Sloth (怠惰の権能 Taida no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Sekhmet, later by Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti and currently used by Natsuki Subaru.
- Sekhmet's Authority of Sloth
- Sekhmet is seen manipulating an invisible force that allows her to hit and crush things without moving a muscle. This ability somewhat resembles an extremely advanced version of the "Unseen Hands" used by her "successor" Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, but it is far stronger as apart from being completely invisible, the force seems to have a bigger radius, a vastly superior speed and a bigger area of effect. This ability allowed Sekhmet to fight against the Divine Dragon itself, despite the Dragon coming out victorious. It should also be mentioned that despite her Authority not having been directly shown to take shape of a hand, it's somewhat safe to assume that it does as the Witch Factor of Sloth tends to materialise as a hand, by its nature.
- Unseen Hand (見えざる手 Miezaru Te) (Used by Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti)
- The Authority of Sloth allowed Petelgeuse to utilize a power he called the "Unseen Hands". The Unseen Hands were a technique that allowed Petelgeuse to summon numerous invisible hand-like appendages from his body that he could move and extend telekinetically. An Unseen Hand was strong enough to tear through flesh, bend and break bones, and shatter rock. The Hands could be combined together to create larger and more powerful hands. If the Witch Factor he used to make people into his fingers with, returned to his body, he was able to summon up to a hundred them. At his maximum potential, the Unseen Hands and the force behind each one was akin to a cannonball. Save for Subaru, Petelgeuse was the only person who could see the Unseen Hands. Petelgeuse also displayed the ability to propel himself forward through the air using the Unseen Hands, making it appear as if he's flying, though in reality, he's simply playing catch with his body being the thrown object.
- Invisible Providence (インビジブル • プロヴィデンス Inbijiburu Purovidencu) (Used by Natsuki Subaru)
- Unlike Petelgeuse who called his Authority the "Unseen Hand", after Echidna synchronised his body and the Witch Factor of Sloth, Subaru manifested an Authority of Sloth and chose to call his version of the Authority "Invisible Providence". Invisible Providence is a power that allows Subaru to summon a single invisible hand-like appendage from his chest that he can move and extend telekinetically. If Subaru focuses enough, he can make the hand of Invisible Providence phase through matter as though it wasn't there. Subaru's version of the Authority of Sloth is far less potent than both Petelgeuse's and Sekhmet's, as, although Petelgeuse for instance could summon roughly one hundred hands at his maximum potential with little effort, Subaru can only summon a single hand with minimal range and damage output.
Authority of Greed
The Authority of Greed (強欲の権能 Gōyoku no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Echidna, later used by Regulus Corneas and is currently used by Natsuki Subaru.
- Echidna's Authority of Greed
- Currently there are no concrete examples of Echidna using the Authority of Greed, nor did she ever mention how it works, however, it is hinted that her Book of Wisdom is connected to her Authority,[12] most likely being made with the usage of Echidna's special power.
- Lion's Heart (獅子の心臓 Shishi no Shinzō) (Used by Regulus Corneas)
- The effect of Lion's Heart allowed Regulus to stop the time of his own body, which stopped his heartbeat and prevented all physical phenomena from interacting with him, granting himself freedom from gravity, air resistance, and conservation of momentum. Moreover, he could also stop the time of objects, including anything he was wearing, touching, or even his breath, which in turn stopped the object's or thing's interference from the outside world, only allowing its interference outwards and even granting Regulus the ability to freely manipulate the objects' shape. However, it was difficult for Regulus to manipulate anything beyond his body if his other ability, Little King, wasn't active. It was an unrivaled power of attack and defense depending on how it was used, even having the ability to make him invincible as a result of having his own time stopped.
- Little King (小さな王 Chīsana Ō) (Used by Regulus Corneas)
- The effect of Little King allowed Regulus to share a small “Lion's Heart” to his wives, or in other words, anyone he believed to be a “subject” of his “little kingdom”. In order to circumvent the handicap given to him in form of the five second rule of Lion’s Heart, Regulus shared a small heart to any woman in his “little kingdom” who he considered to be his wife, while the time of his original heart was frozen with his body. By doing so, he effectively got rid of the time limit on Lion's Heart and the necessity to manually turn it on and off, as by merging his heart with his wives' hearts via Little King, their heartbeat would make his small heart beat, keep his invincibility activated, and it would last until a wife's heart was stopped.
- Cor Leonis (コル・レオニス Koru Reonisu) (used by Natsuki Subaru)
- Alternatively known as "Lion Heart". A reverse positive form of "Little King" which Subaru gained in Arc 6. As such it works inversely to how Little King does in which Subaru takes on the burdens of others, be it physical or mental by transferring them to himself temporary in-exchange for increases in their combat abilities. It only works on people Subaru has an emotional connection to whom he can sense by seeing them as points of lights when the authority is active. It can be used to derive the relative positions of everyone and their emotional states to himself. Using Cor Leonis's Second Shift (セカンドシフト, Sekando Shifuto), also called Division of Labour (負担の分配, Futan no Bunpai), he can also move the burdens to people other than himself if they are willing to take it.
Authority of Gluttony
The Authority of Gluttony (暴食の権能 Bōshoku no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Daphne and Lye Batenkaitos and is currently used by Roy Alphard and Rui Arneb/Spica.
- Daphne's Authority of Gluttony
- In the web novel, Daphne can be seen using her Authority of Gluttony and making people feel extreme hunger by touching or looking at them. Just one eye was enough to force Subaru to experience it, causing him to eat his arm and try to lick his own blood while ignoring everything other than the thought of eating. Despite this, Echidna described Daphne's left eye as "nothing much", stating that she was a terror if she used her right eye or if she "ate" him.
- Gluttony (暴食 Bōshoku) (Used by Lye, Roy and Rui/Spica)
- The user can eat the name and memories of their opponent. To eat a name, the user touches them with their left hand, then licks the palm of the same hand. Things such as experience, talent, and the likes and dislikes of human relationships serve as food for the user, allowing them to take advantage of any abilities or memories their opponents had. However, if the user eats a fake name, they are plagued with severe nausea, and the true name is not taken, leaving the victim unaffected.
- Those that have had their names eaten have their existences erased from the world, destroying any human relationships along with negating any contracts with spirits.
- Those that have their memories eaten become amnesic and any characteristics they may have had are reset, effectively making them into a different person.
- Those that have both their name and memories eaten simply become a shell, and although they live, they no longer eat, excrete waste, or age, putting them in suspended animation.
- The same person cannot be eaten twice.
- Killing the user will not result in the memories and names of all their victims to return back to their original owners in its entirety.
- The user can eat the name and memories of their opponent. To eat a name, the user touches them with their left hand, then licks the palm of the same hand. Things such as experience, talent, and the likes and dislikes of human relationships serve as food for the user, allowing them to take advantage of any abilities or memories their opponents had. However, if the user eats a fake name, they are plagued with severe nausea, and the true name is not taken, leaving the victim unaffected.
- Eclipse (蝕 Shoku) (Used by Lye, Roy and Rui/Spica)
- Eclipse is considered to be the trump card of Gluttony. It is divided into two types: Solar Eclipse (日食 Nisshoku) and Lunar Eclipse (月食 Gesshoku). However, as a result of her change in personality, Spica developed Astral Eclipse (星食 Seishoku), a new form of Eclipse.
- Lunar Eclipse allows the holder to use the victims' memories and harvest their skills and knowledge. Lye, for example, used Lunar Eclipse to boost his physical strength and perform numerous martial art techniques including The Palm of the Fist King and the Leaper technique. It is worth noting that by eating a person's name and using Lunar Eclipse, Lye, Roy and Rui/Spica do not gain their victims' Divine Protections, spiritual arts or Authorities.
- Solar Eclipse allows the holder to harvest his victims' names and transform their appearance accordingly. Rui, for example, transformed into Neiji Lockhart and numerous other victims she and her two brothers had eaten throughout the years, using her sibling's body. Both Lye and Roy dislike having Solar Eclipse used on them. According to them, Solar Eclipse made them feel as if their selves were being damaged, making it unendurable.
- Astral Eclipse is a new form of Eclipse that Spica developed. Its exact effects remain unclear, however, she has used it to combat the undead in Vollachia and prevent them from being resurrected.
- Eclipse is considered to be the trump card of Gluttony. It is divided into two types: Solar Eclipse (日食 Nisshoku) and Lunar Eclipse (月食 Gesshoku). However, as a result of her change in personality, Spica developed Astral Eclipse (星食 Seishoku), a new form of Eclipse.
- It should be noted that the Authority of Gluttony has the innate aspect of creation and witchbeast manipulation regardless of its user. Whereas Daphne utilized the creation aspect to create all existing witchbeasts, the siblings Gluttony have stated they could do the same yet choose not to. Likewise, they had free rein of control on an army witchbeasts.
Authority of Wrath
The Authority of Wrath (憤怒の権能 Fundo no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Minerva and is currently used by Sirius Romanée-Conti.
- Minerva's Authority of Wrath
- Minerva's Authority allows her to drain mana directly from the soul of the world to forcibly rewrite cause-and-effect making her capable of healing anyone or anything. So far in the series she can only be seen doing this by punching someone; however, the author has stated that as long as it is an action taken by Minerva it will have the same outcome. This ability has the side effect of taking mana from random places in the world causing natural disasters to occur effectively making it so she kills just as many people as she saves.
- Soulwashing (洗魂 Arai Tamashī) (Used by Sirius)
- The user can share or transmit their emotions and senses to others. After polarizing emotions such as anger or sorrow, the user can transmit it to any people in their vicinity, either taking control of them or resonating a certain emotion between a certain amount of people to raise it to the point of madness. Also, since the user can share senses such as distress or pain, if anyone dies within the effect area the user can force others within the same area to die the same way.
Authority of Lust
The Authority of Lust (色欲の権能 Shikiyoku no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Carmilla and is currently used by Capella Emerada Lugunica.
- Faceless Bride (無貌の花嫁 Mukao no Hanayome) (Used by Carmilla)
- Carmilla was able to captivate people, making them so absorbed in watching her that they wouldn't notice if someone stabbed them or if they were burning. She can also cause people to see and hear her as what they want to see and hear, such as when Subaru saw and heard her as Rem. She also seems to be capable of making people "understand feelings" like love, as seen in the Witch's tea Party when she used her Authority of Lust to help Subaru understand Satella's love for him.
- Transmutation and Transfiguration (変異・変貌 Hen'i Henbō) (Used by Capella Emerada Lugunica)
- The user can transform themselves or others into various things. This ability can also be used to heal by transforming damaged parts into uninjured parts, with Al mentioning that Capella was able to heal "after I cut her head off and crushed her heart", and any spare parts generated through healing dissolve on their own.
Authority of Pride
The last known user of the Authority of Pride (傲慢の権能 Gouman no Ken'nō) was Typhon. The current holder of the Witch Factor of Pride and the user of the corresponding Authority is unknown.
- Typhon's Authority of Pride
- Typhon was able to tell whether a person was good or bad within her own standards and break apart their body if she determines they were either bad or if they felt guilty of something. The concept is very subjective, making her one of the most dangerous Witches of Sin. If a person feels guilty, Typhon will deliver punishment and condemn them even if the deed itself isn't something the person should be punished for, though the ability has no effect on living things that possess limited or no capacity to such as Daphne's Centipede Coffin.
- If an opponent hits her, Typhon can activate her Authority and "destroy" the attacker as long as unknown conditions are met. The Authority works instantly but it does not nullify the actual damage, as seen when Minerva hit Typhon and her hands instantly crumbled to dust while Typhon was blown back by the sheer force of the attack.
- It is implied that Typhon takes the sinner's body parts as "compensation for their sins".
Authority of Envy
The Authority of Envy (嫉妬の権能 Shitto no Ken'nō) is currently used by Satella.
- Although the abilities of the Authority of Envy haven't been revealed, in the web novel, Minerva mentioned during the Witches' Tea Party that Satella might direct her jealousy (妬み Netami) toward her if she stepped in between her and Subaru, suggesting that it's something that affects people remotely. This ability has been removed from the Light Novel, hence should not be considered as canon.
Authority of Vainglory
The Authority of Vainglory (虚飾の権能 Kyoshoku no Ken'nō) is currently used by Pandora.
- Pandora can rewrite certain phenomena in her favor as many times as she wants, as long as the conditions are in her favor. Using this, she can negate her death, bury people into the ground instantly, remove people without leaving any trace of their actions behind, and change people's memories. Although she can't control the Black Serpent with her power, she is able to direct it to wherever she wants.
Authority of Melancholy
The last known user of the Authority of Melancholy (憂鬱の権能 Yū'utsu no Ken'nō) was Hector. It is unknown if the Witch Factor still belongs to him or not.
- Hector seems to be able to surround himself in an invisible force field that is able to crush both living things and magic alike. The more he closes his distance with the target the stronger and more disastrous the damage is. As Hector himself seems to be the very center of this force field, the damage has the highest magnitude when in direct contact with him; by simply jabbing his finger into Roswaal's chest, he shattered his bones, completely crushed his chest and organs and twisted and crumbled his limbs, completely destroying the mage's body beyond repair.
- Hector seems to be able to create force fields outside his reach by looking at a place or pointing his open palm towards it, as seen when he destroyed a hut in which Ryuzu was hiding, several tens of meters away from where Hector was standing.
Unknown Authorities
Unknown Authorities representing a corresponding unknown Sin currently belong to Clind, Al, and Natsuki Subaru.
- Clind's Authority (権能 Ken'nō)
- Clind possesses an unknown Authority that allows him to dissipate the space of an object or person, effectively making them vanish. Though the full extent to how he can use it is not known, in one instance, he was shown to use this technique of assault against someone through the action of spreading his hand and clenching it. As a result, their body was filled with holes and “devoured by space”, leaving no drop of blood or a trace of his existence behind. However, according to Clind, he is not required to use his hand to utilize his abilities.[13]
- Using his Authority, Clind possesses the power to instantaneously teleport to a place of his choosing within the Kingdom of Lugunica.[14] However, in order for Clind to teleport, it requires a "compensation" that only Roswaal has been shown to give him.[15] Clind completely disappears from view in a blink of an eye upon usage, and if necessary, he can teleport multiple people alongside him in an instant. While he can teleport to most places within Lugunica, it is difficult for Clind to reach a place such as the Pleiades Watchtower.[16]
- Al's Authority (権能 Ken'nō)
- Al has been shown to possess a yet-unnamed and unexplained ability which he himself calls an Authority.[17] In order to activate it, Al must meet unknown criteria. Once activated, space-time warps around Al, creating a range of sorts. Within it, the Authority is active and can take effect. Whenever Al or the target dies within it while the Authority is active, time within the area will reset back to a point in the past. He describes it as a metaphorical coin flip which decides the "“role” he plays while using his Authority, though he seemingly can not control which “role” he gets. He also suggests that the area of a location is important in activating it, as he needs to “wrap” it within a certain area.[18] Al has referred to his ability as a domain (領域 Ryōiki).
- Return by Death (死に戻り Shinimodori) (Used by Natsuki Subaru)
- Return by Death allows Subaru to return to an unspecified, unpredictable, and uncontrollable "save point" set some time before his death by an unknown process. It happens instantly after his life was taken, there's no lag between the point of death and the point of resurrection, and there is no known limit to how many times Subaru can "Return by Death", making this ability an effective way of seemingly permanently bypassing death as it currently stands.
Trivia
- According to the author, with the exception of Gluttony, it is impossible for Witch Factors to be split in any way.[19] The Witch Factor of Gluttony is a special case; the Factor is split between three different individuals, each of them share the exact same Authority, and it can be split into multiple parts.
- The author's claim that Witch Factors other than Gluttony cannot be split contradicts the ability that allows for a portion of a Factor to be shared with an Apostle, first referenced in Volume 9 and later in Re:IF Kasaneru. The Witch Factor of Gluttony, on the other hand, is unique in that it is the only known Factor that has been split without an Apostle's involvement.
- In the same statement, it is also claimed that there are only seven Witch Factors, likely referring to the main seven deadly sins. In spite of that, Authorities are said to derive from Witch Factors, and Vainglory is described as an Authority in Volume 14.[20] Considering that the author contradicted pre-established details about the splitting of Witch Factors in the same answer, it is possible that he made a second erroneous statement. If it was not a mistake, the origins of the Authorities in question are not from Witch Factors.
- At a talk show held on March 30, 2024, the author confirmed it is impossible to artificially create Witch Factors with technology within the series' world, and furthermore, that cursecraft was created to imitate Authorities.
- Clind used his Authority differently in the original Monthly Comic Alive release of Golden Siblings Part 2. In addition to clenching and spreading his hand, which Clind still performs in Tanpenshuu Volume 9, he uttered the word “melancholy” before using his Authority.[21] Its ability allowed Clind to crush Leonardo Baroness's limbs from a distance.[22][23] These distinct actions coincidentally resembled what Hector, the Warlock of Melancholy, executed during his fight with Roswaal A Mathers four centuries before the main events of the series.
- Although Stride Vollachia was the former Sin Archbishop of Pride, it is unknown if he possessed the Authority of Pride as he never demonstrated one. Despite that, he once claimed that he was a “sham” who managed to obtain an “Authority”.[24]
- According to a passage from the second section of Chapter 58 in Arc 5, the reason why both Petelgeuse's and Subaru's Authorities of Sloth take shape of a hand is because the Witch Factor of Sloth—by nature—manifests in form of a hand.[25]
- According to one passage from Chapter 58 of Arc 5's web novel, Satella's shadow hands and the Unseen Hands produced by the Authority of Sloth share the same properties such as being invisible and phasing through objects, but they are not the same ability.[26]
References
- ↑ “Witch Factors are the antithesis of Od Lagna, after all!” Arc 6: Chapter 75. Section 7.
- ↑ “Something like, the backwards compatibility of a Divine Protection, I suppose.” Arc 6: Chapter 68. Section 1.
- ↑ “It doesn't exist. Since Divine Protections can't beat Authorities.” January 2, 2019 Twitter Q&A
- ↑ “That’s not the case, however at the moment he possessed them, the effect of the Divine Protection would be removed by the Witch Factor.” November 5, 2014 AskFM Q&A
- ↑ “Authorities are the right to interfere with the world, but Divine Protections are things which were added in afterwards to pester us.” Re:IF Kasaneru, Chapter 2, Section 3.
- ↑ “Authorities come from Witch Factors... and there is a pattern of sharing them with their Apostles.” Re:IF Kasaneru, Chapter 3, Section 4.
- ↑ “It’s not so much stagnant Gates as having weird clumps of mana. I think the presence or absence of this sets the fingers apart from the regular cultists, and that the Sin Archbishop can only transfer into the ones with this planted in them.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 9, Chapter 3, Section 2.
- ↑ “It is YOU, an ideal believer, who should be truly exalted! With the favor so rich within you, should you intend to join the fingers. I shall bestow the Factor upon you without DELAY!” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 9, Chapter 3, Section 3.
- ↑ “As the Witch Factor you handed out comes back, the number of hands you can control increases.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 9, Chapter 3, Section 4.
- ↑ “An Authority will manifest an ability that corresponds to the longings of the Factor's owner, but the way that Subaru and Regulus-san's manifests is generally based on their nature.” January 4, 2019 Twitter TOS Post
- ↑ “It's not something that she desired to create, more that an Authority itself has a tendency to reflect the cravings of the holder of a Witch Factor, so it's more correct to say that it turned out like that even if she didn't want it.” January 24, 2018 Twitter Q&A
- ↑ "An imperfect copy of my Authority. This is the Book of Knowledge." Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 15: Chapter 7. Section 1.
- ↑ “I am truly sorry. My hand, is inconsequential. Error.” Re:Zero Tanpenshuu Volume 9, Golden Siblings, Section 10.
- ↑ “…That’s only possible within the kingdom,” replied Annerose. Stand by me Pleiades Part 1, Section 2.
- ↑ “Three…no, four magics is what I’ll provide in compensation. And so I wish to use your Authority.” Stand by me Pleiades Part 1, Section 2.
- ↑ “He said so himself that he couldn’t,” responded Annerose. “Something about the tower being hard to reach…but I’m not sure why that is.” Stand by me Pleiades Part 1, Section 2.
- ↑ “If you want time to run away, then I’ll make some. So give me my Authority back!” Arc 7, Chapter 57, Section 2.
- ↑ “Shit, I don’t know the width or the length of this place! I’m at a disadvantage, but can I wrap it in…...!?” Re:Zero Tanpenshuu Volume 4, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Section 8.
- ↑ I guess they think that because Gluttony is split into three. Gluttony is a special case. Basically, there are only seven Witch Factors in this world. There can’t be multiple versions of the same Witch Factor, and they cannot be split into parts or anything. Re: Zero 10th Anniversary Space.
- ↑ “Brandishing her flimsy, self-serving logic, she employed her power to ‘rewrite’ phenomena as she pleased. There is no question that it was the Authority of Vainglory that caused your warped memories.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 14, Chapter 3, Section 3.
- ↑ “This, is not the most desirable method. Melancholy.” Golden Siblings Part 2, Section 6.
- ↑ Then the young man, twisting in midair, reached out and clenched his five outstretched fingers. With that, Leonardo's left arm was flattened without a sound. Golden Siblings Part 2, Section 6.
- ↑ Leonardo's enlarged arm was crushed entirely at the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints. The same damage was also done to his right arm. It was all linked to the opening and closing of the young man's hand, a guaranteed kill. Golden Siblings Part 2, Section 6.
- ↑ “Unfortunately though, I am just a sham that managed to obtain the Authority and position.” Sword Demon Battle Ballad: Act 7, Section 3.
- ↑ "The nature of this power being similar to that of the madman’s, was because the Witch Factor of Sloth inherently held this nature." Arc 5 Chapter 58; Section 2
- ↑ "When the taboo was triggered, the witch’s magical hand easily passes through Subaru’s body and only hurts his heart. This was an application of that principle. Unseen Hand and the witch’s magical hand sharing that properly, was the only path left to gamble on." Arc 5 Chapter 58; Section 2
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