How Claymore Nailed its Handling of Trauma

Claymore is a unique manga written by Norihiro Yagi and published for the west by VIZ Media that concluded in 2014. Thanks to its age and relative lack of traction in the western audience, I find that there are far too few people who've given the manga a chance. This is a shame, because it is also one of the best examples of how to do trauma right.

This article assumes that the reader has already completed the entire manga to explain and dissect the handling of trauma in Claymore properly. It will contain a discussion of arcs that were not covered by the anime and spoilers for this incredible story's conclusion. On its surface, Claymore looks like a simple story of revenge, but calling Clare's story "simple" is an insulting underestimation of a story that I have -- up until now -- not found a match for in terms of the quality of the plot, character development and relationships developments that take place over the 155 chapter run.

Claymore Chapter 30

Though not immediately obvious, Clare is a deeply traumatized character. The first character to point this out is Galatea, who mentions that "something happened in her past that caused her to shut down emotionally." There is no better line in the series that identifies Clare's relationship with emotion.

Clare's character development's first strength is her obvious blindness to the friendships around her and her suicidal march towards Priscilla, never being depicted as "brave" or "heroic." At worst, it is painted as childish and at best, it is painted as unhealthy and worrisome. Miria, Helen, Deneve and the other Ghosts are constantly saving her from herself, even while she runs wild without regard to their worry.

Clare's behaviour stems from a few key moments. Being the "toy" of a Yoma who used her to hide from Claymores is the first. It's implied that she remembers her family, but throughout the series, Clare thinks of them so rarely it can be inferred that her memories are not particularly strong ones. What this means for Clare is that her earliest memories and her most vivid memories of childhood are those in which she was "tormented in any way it liked" by the Yoma. Clare came out of this part of her life non-verbal, or "selectively mute" because of her trauma. 

This was only compounded when the bandits attacked Clare upon being left in a village by Teresa and again when she witnessed Teresa be beheaded right in front of her. Clare is left alone to process and deal with these traumatic events repeatedly, but all she knows how to do is repress it and keep moving forward, which is how she wound up with a suicidal devotion to killing Priscilla, where other comrades didn't. 

Claymore Chapter 24

Norihiro Yagi begins to dismantle Clare's relationship with her trauma in two key moments: the first encounter with Priscilla after the Destroyer's awakening and the conversation before the final battle of the Ghosts versus Priscilla.

After almost getting her friends killed, Clare cannot awaken to kill Priscilla, which she believes is her sole reason for living. Instead, what Deneve calls "Jean's Big Wedge" pulls Clare back over to humanity, saving her from awakening and giving Deneve and Helen just enough time to save Clare and escape. This is the first time that we begin to see that Clare has put value in life outside of her revenge, as it is Jean’s friendship and sacrifice that ultimately saves her. Moreover, Helen and Deneve prove in this moment that there are people alive who want to protect Clare and see her live on.

The second time is when Clare is just freed of the "blob" that had absorbed her. For the first time, Clare finally tells the Seven Ghosts what Teresa meant to her and that she believes her sole reason for living is to kill Priscilla. Miria, someone Clare looks up to as a "big sister" and has been saved by countless times, calmly asks if none of them matter to her. Her words to Clare, about what she means to them and her revenge have been replaced by their collective fight with Priscilla both surprises and frustrates Clare. Miria and the other Ghosts have decided to fight the strongest being alive together for themselves and for what she took from Clare.

Claymore chapter 130

 Clare is shown that her solo revenge is gone when she fails to awaken to kill Priscilla because of her friendship with Jean, and then it is shown that she has friends who love her and will fight to give Clare peace. Clare accepts their help and is granted life after Priscilla's death thanks to her friends. This is an outcome she had never expected for herself, but when her friends praise her and celebrate the battle they won, Clare is not upset to be alive.

She will have more to work through after the series is over; Norihiro Yagi never says that killing Priscilla cure's Clare's PTSD and Childishness, but she is not doing it alone. Claymore, at the end of the day, handles trauma in the best way possible. You do not have to fight your battles alone and pushing those who love you away will only cause both of you pain.

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Image source — DreamWorks Studios [Catra]

Caitlyn C

Hi! My name is Caitlyn, a 22 year old dreamer whose main interests include: crying over fiction at 1 in the morning (mainly She Ra and Claymore), babysitting kittens, reading, and ignoring the doctor recommended 8 hours of sleep rule. I’ve been writing as a hobby for as long as I can remember but had my first interaction with finishing my first (garbage) novel in 2014. Now, I am a Professional Writing student who works hard every day to make less garbage novels through practice, reading, and calling my obsessions “studying”.