Loco

"Really, when you become old, you only think about the past."

―Loco

Loco
Japanese	ロコ
Rōmaji	Roko
Gender	Female
Age	32
Status	Alive
Birthday	June 5th
Team	Chess Pieces
Class	Rook
ÄRMs	Ring Dagger (her weapon as a Pawn) Negzero Cursed Straw Doll, Spike & Hammer Animal Chain (anime-only supplement)
Seiyū (Japanese)	Sawa Ishige
Voice Actor (English)	Sandy Fox

Loco (ロコ, Roko) is the strongest ranking Rook of the Chess Pieces.

Appearance

Loco's child appearance is often a common center of jokes throughout the series. An omake segment in the manga comically tries to guess the contents of Loco's suitcase, which had yet to be revealed at that point. During her battle with Nanashi of Team MÄR, Nanashi wonders if there are toys in her suitcase, while Dorothy is more concerned with Loco's "perfect skin" (due to her young body) and how Loco makes her look old rather than the actual battle. Loco is often endearingly treated as a child by Chaton. After being aged back into a baby, the baby Loco has trouble communicating with others, particularly Chaton, something she is angered by. Her hair is blonde in the anime and light blue in the manga.

Personality

Loco is one of MÄR's most mysterious figures. Acting emotionless at all times, except for the rare show of surprise, Loco finds little importance out of the happenings around her, and prefers to do anything that is seemingly the most successful path to take at the time. Loco's dark personality can also make her cruel at times. Unlike most other Chess Pieces, Loco does not wear her mask on her face (except at Phantom's revival), keeping it on her head's side instead. Loco is intelligent and wise, often being able to deduce problems quickly others find difficult or simply unsolvable. Loco also apparently doesn't enjoy sitting in the background doing nothing when given the chance to fight. Despite constantly being under her Darkness ÄRMs' curse, Loco sees little significance of her reversed aging, instead taking more concern with outside matters. Despite her young appearance and rather emotionless cover, inside she is still a mature woman. Loco also has a crush on the high-ranking Knight Halloween, keeping with her a small doll of the powerful Knight, as seen in the anime.

Loco is also a friend of the Bishop Chaton. Chaton is a loyal friend to Loco and is willing to do anything to help Loco. Despite this, Chaton's perkiness is quick to annoy Loco. Chaton still remains unaffected by Loco's coldness, or rather doesn't seem to understand how Loco is annoyed by this. Despite seeming emotionless on the outside, Loco does have a caring side.

Etymology

Loco is named after a loa of the same name, who was patron of healers in the religion of Voodoo, a reference to her ÄRM Straw Doll (Spikes and Hammer).

History

First Great MÄR-Heaven War

At age 26, Loco, then a Pawn, was given the order to participate in the attacking of an unknown town. While fighting, Loco's only ÄRM the Weapon ÄRM Ring Dagger, was broken, leaving her defenseless.

Loco receiving her Darkness ÄRMs in the first war.

While stumbling throughout the battling village, Loco crossed paths with a small, cloaked figure carrying a large suitcase. The cloaked person asked Loco if she wanted strength, to which she answered that she only wanted power to survive the war. The cloaked person, before vanishing, gave Loco the suitcase, telling her it was a set of seven Darkness ÄRMs, the cost of using being reversed aging. The seven ÄRMs include:

1. Negzero
2. Straw Doll
3. Hammer
4. Four Spikes

Using the Darkness ÄRMs, Loco eventually was promoted to the Rook Class, and was recognized as the strongest of them. However, the side-effects of her Darkness ÄRMs gradually transformed her young adult body back into a young child's by the Second Great MÄR-Heaven War.

Second Great MÄR-Heaven War

Loco's first appearance is with many other Chess Pieces, including the Knights and Ian, during the resurrection of the no. 1 Knight Phantom. Both Ian and Loco are then given the orders to capture the princess of Lestava, Snow, who had frozen herself in an attempt to escape the Chess. Once they reach her, the two meet Ginta Toramizu, Jack, and Edward, who had come to rescue the princess. Ian and Ginta have a short battle, during which Loco constantly warns Ian to not take Ginta lightly and asks Ginta why he doesn't simply transform his ÄRM, Babbo. Although Ginta manages to wound Ian's arm, he is only saved when Alan awakens from inside Edward and easily flings away Ian. Loco, realizing what little chance they have of coming out alive, suggests to Ian a retreat, when Halloween appears, under the orders to bring all Chess Pieces to Lestava Castle, and the three leave Snow.

Loco then reappears during a meeting of the Chess Pieces at Lestava Castle, where it is planned their second invasion of MÄR-Heaven. Loco is paired with the Knight Rolan and attack an unnamed town. During the attack, Alviss shows up and fights Rolan, though the battle is quickly cut short by an order to retreat.

War Games

During the War Game battle between Ginta and the Bishop Garon during the first round, Loco, along with Ian and Halloween, watch to see how strong Ginta has become.

Round 2

Loco herself enters in the War Games by participating in the second round with her fellow Chess Pieces, Fuugi and Maira. While observing the first match from the sidelines, Loco comments that all Snow used to do was run away and was capable of nothing. She claims that the one who brought out this change in her was clearly Ginta who has also changed since they last met.

After Fuugi loses his match against Princess Snow, Loco steps forward to battle against Nanashi. Nanashi begins the round by offering Loco the first move saying "ladies first". Annoyed that she wasn't being taken seriously, she declares the fight will be over in the first attack. She drops the suitcase she always has with her and opens it up revealing her Darkness ÄRM, Negzero. It curses Nanashi and seals his movements, keeping him from being able to move. She then takes out her chained straw doll from her suitcase, her next Darkness ÄRM, Straw Doll, along with her Hammer and Spikes. Loco takes the first spike and using the hammer drives it into the left arm of the straw doll. As soon as she does Nanashi cries out in pain. Dorothy mentions that Darkness ÄRM place disaster on not only the target but the user as well. Loco explains that her Darkness ÄRMs do not physically harm her as the cost for using them is a loss of age, and that despite her childish appearance she is actually 32 years old. She then drives the next spike in the opposite arm of the scarecrow once again causing Nanashi extreme pain. She compliments Nanashi as most people die from the second spike from shock. She hammers in the third spike into the straw doll's chest once again causing Nanashi great pain.

Snow hollers to Nanashi, telling him to give up or he will die. He responds that he'll surrender on the condition that Dorothy removes her clothes for him to see. Dorothy angrily refuses, so he does not surrender. Nanashi's arms begin to tremble and in the next second he breaks free from Negzero's curse with sheer will power. She quickly hammers in the fourth spike as Nanashi beings to move his arm towards Loco. Loco comments that Nanashi is a monster due to the fact he's taking the damage and broke a Darkness ÄRM without the use of a Holy ÄRM. She quickly hammers the fifth and final spike. Immediately after the final spike is used Nanashi uses his Electric Eye to strike the straw doll with a bolt of lightning and burn it. He comments that the lightning isn't meant for her but Peta. He then passed out from all the damage he's taken from Loco. Pozun declares Loco as the winner of the match, but she acknowledges that she should've lost, as not only did Nanashi manage to survive her Darkness ÄRMs and break free of them, but that she could've been electrocuted to death had Nanashi intended to kill her.

During the next battle, Loco is also the first to realize that Dorothy's eyes are the same as Diana, the Queen of the Chess Pieces.

After this point, Loco makes very few appearances in the manga, most of which are background, though the anime greatly increases her role. She becomes an important ally to Team MÄR, and helps Ginta and Jack find Alibaba, who had kidnapped the Princess of Reginlief, and it is with her help the princess is rescued. During the night before the final round of the War Games, Chaton and Loco speak with Halloween about his upcoming battle with Alan. Loco wishes Halloween luck, although he comments that she is angry she can't fight anymore, while Chaton wishes that Halloween will lose.

During the two's battle, Loco and Chaton make several comments about the battle, with Loco wishing for Halloween's victory and Chaton for Alan's. Loco uses her rather threatening personality to get Chaton to root for Halloween against her will, and worries about Halloween once he is thrown into the sky to unknown whereabouts. After Phantom's defeat to Ginta, Loco leaves Reginlief Castle along with all the other Chess Pieces to save Chaton and Pozun.

After the War Games

Loco later reappears with Chaton, the two on a trip through the desert, when they reunite with Team MÄR. Both groups are suddenly attacked by the Ghost Chess, under the orders to capture Team MÄR, accidentally taking Loco and Chaton with them. Teaming up, they all manage to escape from the Ghost Chess.

After leaving Chaton and Team MÄR, Loco heads to Kapel Meister's laboratory to research through his books regarding the "Ultimate ÄRM" located in the Misty Castle, Clavier. She then heads for the coliseum on the islet adjacent to Pultgayin Island. Seeking to use the ÄRM to restore her body to her true age, Loco hides her presence as she takes notice of Team MÄR confronting the Ghost Chess blocking the stairs. Once the fighting breaks out between the two groups, she makes her move to get a head start and beat both Alviss and Kapel Meister up to the top.

The Flat Sisters activate Rotkäppchen Waltzer to stop Alviss from ascending up the stairs to Clavier. They leap into the air to drop Apple Bombs upon all of their opponents. Chaton dodges the bombs in front of her by backflipping, but is caught in the explosive force of a bomb behind her, sending her flying across the ground. Loco looks back, and comments that it's divine retribution, before deciding to keep going up. As she ascends, she reflects on how lonely she was before Chaton entered her life and stops, sighing as she has a change of heart. Turning her attention back to the bottom of the coliseum, she sets down her suitcase and opens it up. Rotkäppchen Waltzer attempts to step on Chaton with its spiked shoe, Loco casts her Negzero to paralyze it, and uses her Straw Doll, Hammer, and Spikes one last time to save Chaton.

Chaton finding Loco as a baby again.

When Chaton wakes up in Alan's arms, she initially assumes he saved her, but he gives credit to Loco as they both look up to where she stood. Realizing what Loco did in spite of the consequences of her Darkness ÄRMs, she ascends the stairs to find Loco's clothes and open suitcase. Fearing the worse, her hand shakes as she slowly lifts up the dress, and thankfully finds Loco still exists, albeit having been reduced to an infant. Unable to contain her emotions, she cries as she holds Loco in her arms. Alan tries to comfort her from her guilt over Loco's sacrifice, but she quickly changes her mood at the thought of her and Alan becoming Loco's new parents, much to Loco's dismay.

When the Flat Sisters reactivate Rotkäppchen Waltzer to fight back against Dorothy's Rock Giant Golem, Loco looks over Chaton's shoulder to observe. She realizes that the curse from her Negzero was still in effect on the Ghost Guardian, and now that she was de-aged back into an infant, was unable to remove the curse and noted that the girls trying to move while under the curse would be extremely dangerous. Nonetheless, the girls struggle, only to be forcefully ejected from Rotkäppchen Waltzer and deactivates, leaving the sisters in critical condition.

At the end of the series, Chaton and Alan live together, taking care of the baby Loco and taking custody of Babbo.

ÄRMs

Loco is the strongest of the Rooks, making her a formidable opponent in battle, though against stronger opponents, such as Nanashi, her attacks are ineffective. Loco keeps all of her ÄRMs in the suitcase strapped on her back. Her ÄRMs are:

• Ring Dagger: A ring Weapon ÄRM, transforms into a dagger. Loco had this ÄRM during the First Great War, but it was broken just before she gained the Darkness ÄRMs.
• Negzero: A pendant Darkness ÄRM that paralyzes the target, the side-effect is to reverse its user's aging.
• Cursed Straw Doll, Spike & Hammer: A Darkness ÄRM in the shape of a straw man. Five metal stakes are hammered into ringed points on the straw man's body to damage the enemy in a Voodoo doll fashion. Using this ÄRM causes the user to decrease in age.
• Animal Chain (anime only): A torc ÄRM that metamorphoses people into animals which came into Loco's possession for a short period of time.

Additionally, Loco has five unknown Darkness ÄRMs that she has never been shown in action. It is unknown if using the Darkness ÄRM causes permenant de-aging, though more likely an age decrease through every use. If that's the case, the cost is a benefit by possibly increasing life span.

Trivia

• Loco is stronger than half of the Bishops. Her being remaining as a Rook was likely due to the drawbacks of her Darkness ÄRMs.
• Likely due to her being one of the senior members of the Chess, Loco is privy to information only reserved for the Higher ranks of the Chess, such as the identity and physical appearance of the Queen.
• Loco has a rare wardrobe change during Halloween’s and Alan’s fight where, Charon gives her a school swimsuit to wear and she eventually accepts due to the overwhelming heat.

Gallery