Welkin Gunther Husbando

Welkin Gunther is the son of a great war hero from the First Europan War (EWI). He is the main protagonist of Valkyria Chronicles and the main male protagonist of its anime adaptation. His official rank is 2nd Lieutenant. As the commanding officer of Squad 7 during EWII, he has the ability to issue Orders to units under his command, provided he has access to his tank's radio. Welkin is also the only multi-class unit in the videogame Valkyria Chronicles, being both a tank commander and a Scout, albeit the only Scout in the game with no Battle Potentials. Welkin is very much a 'father to his men', a fact he himself notes when he designates himself as the 'dad' in the family of Squad 7. He is a kind person who is always concerned about his squad's morale, and is determined to make sure they get along, particularly Isara and Rosie, who are often at each other's throats due to the latter's hatred of Darcsens. Initially, Welkin was reluctant to become a soldier, believing it to not be his thing, but after the Empire attacked and captured Bruhl, he changed his mind, and was granted leadership of Squad 7 due to his intelligence and determination. Welkin is, for the most part, very confident in his abilities; this is shown when he makes a bet with Largo and Rosie to take back the Gallian bridge within 48 hours, the penalty being that he would resign from his post in the event that his plan failed and hand over command of Squad 7 to Largo. He is called out on this by Alicia, who describes the promise he made as insane. Nevertheless, Welkin remains a humble person who is well-aware of his shortcomings, describing himself as woefully inexperienced and saying that while he's the son of a legendary hero, he's still just himself. One of Welkin's most defining traits is his passion for studying natural science. He gets so into studying it at times that he often forgets where he is or that someone might be watching him, a flaw he's well-aware of, and all of his strategies are inspired by nature in one way or another. His love for nature borders on the obsessive at times, and Faldio even states that he has a one-track mind. Because of this, he occasionally delivers insensitive remarks, such as when he tells Alicia that she looks like a rhinoceros beetle and doesn't understand why she gets annoyed by it. Welkin's love of nature comes from his father; while the First Europan War earned General Gunther respect and admiration, it also cost him his wife (Welkin's mother), who died as a casualty of the war, and he often wondered what he fought the war for. However, whenever he took Welkin on a trip to collect bugs or swim, he was always so bright and happy; Welkin suspects the reason he fell in love with nature is because it always managed to make his father smile in spite of his losses. Appearance-wise, Welkin is a tall young man in his early twenties with messy brown hair and grey eyes. He is usually seen wearing the Gallian militia uniform, complete with a blue cap on his head.