The unnamed gangster, identified by his appearance as Servant Izou (以蔵?), is a character appearing in the Grand Orders of Fate/Grand Order.
Profile
Background
Izou was a late 19th century gangster who was involved in an auction held by Sieg and masterminded by James Moriarty. Within the An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory singularity, the auction and the proceedings of a Subcategory Holy Grail War are mixed together, so the exact events are not fully depicted.
Personality
Appearance
Through a phenomenon that affects Ritsuka Fujimaru during some rayshifts, they subconsciously substitute Izou's name and appearance upon the gangster to avoid the overwhelming visual stimulation that would come from the experience.[1]
Role
Fate/Grand Order
Event: An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory
Izou is the leader of a gang of longshore workers who three years ago complicated matters for Diarmuid and Yan Qing’s gangs who recently put an end to their years of turf wars. Though Izou’s gang is the smallest and weakest, their control of the docks made it impossible for the others gangs to eliminate them as the city’s industry depended on the docks. All three gangs then entered a stalemate, ever at the odds with one another.[1]
With the stalemate, Izou became concerned about how the growing marine transport industry would encroach on his business. Then one day Sieg invited him and the other gang leaders to bid on his family’s relic, the bloodstained linden leaf, convincing them acquiring the relic would break the stalemate between them.[2] They all accepted his invitation and were each contacted by a different mage who each sought to acquire the relic for the upcoming Subcategory Holy Grail War. Izou agreed to sponsor Vlad III for the auction, believing whoever wins the Grail War will control the city.[3]
Arriving at Sieg’s mansion for the auction, Diarmuid expresses disappointment in Sieg for disgracing himself with Izou’s company. Izou insults Diarmuid about his age, saying he’s the one who doesn’t deserve to be at the mansion. Yan Qing tries to break it up by reminding them Sieg invited all of them. Izou is slightly annoyed with Yan Qing when he deflects Diarmuid's insult calling him a hyena. The gang leaders then go their separate ways to wait for the mages to arrive.[1] Later that night, they each privately tell their men that they’re going to kill the others once the Grail War is over.[3]
When the mages arrive the next day, the gang leaders accompany their sponsored mages to see the relic. Sieg implores the mages to pay handsomely for a chance to own the leaf, as it is the perfect catalyst to summon Siegfried. However, only one of them may own it since dividing it would comprise the catalyst’s effectiveness. Vlad demands from Izou his entire fortune to pay for the relic, threatening to make Izou indebted to him for the rest of his life if he fails to acquire the relic. Sieg says the auction for the relic will be held tomorrow, with only Alexander, Prince of Lanling, and Vlad being allowed to bid. This arrangement will not change, even if other mages hear about the auction and enter a higher bid. He then adjourns the meeting, saying they’re free to relax or gather the money they need until tomorrow.[3]
On the day of the auction, however, everyone finds the relic has been stolen. It wasn’t left anywhere a regular thief could reach it, so the only possibility would be a mage. But regardless of how it was stolen, the catalyst’s defenses should have sounded an alarm throughout the mansion. Sieg claims he doesn’t know how his family’s security spell works, as he isn’t a mage. Vlad accuses Alexander and Lanling of the theft as stealing the catalyst without triggering the alarm would require two skilled mages working together. Alexander, however, suspects Sieg of faking the theft, so he could keep his heirloom for himself. Sieg replies he only saw the relic as a burden, affirming he has no emotional attachment to it. Yan Qing accuses Diarmuid of cutting a deal with Sieg ahead of the auction, given that they’re old friends. Izou also finds Diarmuid the most suspect. Alexander and Lanling plead their innocence and accuse Vlad since he had the least money to spend, unlike them. Sieg stops Alexander and Vlad from fighting and suggests everyone makes their case to someone impartial. He wants RItsuka and James Moriarty to be the judges and determine who can be ruled out as suspects. Moriarty agrees but on condition that a mage from an opposing faction is present as a silent observer during questioning, so he and Ritsuka aren’t accused of bribery. Everyone agrees with his condition.[4]
That evening, Izou overhears Diarmuid admitting to Ritsuka, whom he only knows as an apprentice bartender, that he plans to retire. Izou calls it a joke because once Diarmuid retires, the city will turn into a battleground as the gangs fight for control of it, only for an outsider to come in and take it instead. He says the city will only expand, so they can’t go closing it off from the outside world. He can’t blame Yan Qing’s gang for going wild sometimes, recalling people have complained to him about them. Ritsuka asks Izou if he doesn’t want to reconcile with Yan Qing. Izou admits he wishes it was that simply, though those in organized crime never take the peaceful approach seriously. He then leaves, wishing the world was simpler. He comes back, though, with the other gang leaders having heard gunshots. Moriarty advises them not to get involved as the situation will only get worse. They agree and leave.[4]
The next day, in Sieg’s office, Moriarty reports his findings. He explains the gang leaders seek to break their stalemate between them by acquiring the relic. But they do not care which mage gets it as the stalemate will be broken regardless, thus none of them had any motive to steal the relic but a motive not to steal it. With the current state of affairs, none of them can risk moving large sums of money, whether from selling the relic or anything else, because whoever does would automatically be suspect. Izou admits he's expecting a nice bit of cash soon, so if he stole the relic, he'd only be giving everyone more reason to suspect him. Each gang leader had their reasons for wanting the auction to proceed. None of the mages could be the thief either, because they would still need to wait for auction results first if they were to engage in foul play. The guests had their honor on the line, but the culprit feared losing the relic more than the theft because losing it even once meant losing everything his family passed down for generations. That would remain the case even if he stole it back, so the relic leaving his possession was the one thing the culprit couldn’t allow. For those reasons, only Sieg could be the culprit. Sieg confesses and explains he wanted to keep the relic from being tainted by the Grail War. He hoped the bidders’ suspicions of one another would prompt them to wipe each other out. He would then use the ensuing gang war as a cover to disappear with the relic. At Yan Qing’s behest, Izou attacks Sieg from behind, only for Sieg to admit he was lying about not being mage and reflects Izou’s attack back on him. Sieg then jumps out the window, not wanting to damage his collection of artifacts and books with his magecraft. Everyone follows after him.[2]
Diarmuid ends his friendship with Sieg and orders his men to open fire on him. But Sieg blocks the bullets with a barrier and kills Diarmuid’s men. Diarmuid prepares to engage in close combat, but Yan Qing and Izou tell him that will be useless. Alexander, Vlad, and Lanling decide they’ll fight Sieg, with Vlad declaring the winner of the battle will claim the relic. Moriarty joins in the battle as well.[2]
Moriarty defeats all four mages and claims the relic. When Diarmuid disagrees, Moriarty tells him and the other gang leaders that they’re at advantage now they don’t need to spend a fortune on the auction. He also advises them to discuss ending their stalemate, saying that while it keeps the peace, it also makes them vulnerable to outside forces. Izou is the first to agree to put an end to the stalemate with the others following suit. After the mages leave, Yan Qing and Izou agree with Diarmuid in hoping they never see Moriarty again. The gang leaders all then leave.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory, Section 1: A Little City's Tiny War
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory, Section 5: Old Spider
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory, Section 2: Triangle Gang
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Fate/Grand Order: Cosmos in the Lostbelt - An Old Spider Spins Webs of Memory, Section 4: Triangle Magus