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Jino Britts (ジノ・ブリッツ) (Gino Britz in the official light novel) is a swordsman of the Sword God Style hailing from the Sword Sanctum. He is the son of Sword Emperor Timothy Britz. Later on, he becomes the next Sword God succeeding Gal Farion, as well as the husband of Nina Britts (née Farion).
Appearance[]
In his youth, Jino had short, spiky hair that is light brown in color and waved to one side. He wears an obi with a long-sleeve shirt underneath typical for swordsmen and carries his sword by his hip, latched onto his sash. He had a plain face that showed signs of immaturity when confronted with an issue he cannot deal with.[1]
As an adult, Jino wears a coat similar to that of Gal Farion and is often seen with a carefree, unconcerned expression on his face (alongside his wife Nina).[2] Nevertheless, he can also express a stern, imposing gaze towards anybody who would put himself or his family in danger, as he did towards Rudeus Greyrat. According to Rudeus, Jino looks young and surmises he is around Rudeus' own age.
Personality[]
In his youth, Jino had an immature and naive way of thinking, seeing swordsmanship as a dull routine he simply did because it was natural to him, despite being praised as a prodigy. In fact, he actually didn't like sword fighting very much; he kept up his practice, but only because his parents made him do it without any desire himself. Neither did he feel happy when people praised him for being the youngest to achieve Sword Saint rank. He lived a life of complacency, doing things that would anger no one and bother no one.[3]
Being brought up in a sheltered environment, he had many preconceived ideas and expectations about life, initially fearing the outside world (in part due to Ghyslaine's stories) and feeling no desire to ever leave the Sword Sanctum.[3] The latter would continue on throughout his adult years. He had a vague idea of differences in philosophy but wasn't sure of specifics nor which was right until after his awakening.
His love for Nina Farion and desire to want "more" of his first time with her awakened him to the idea of a "goal" that both Eris Greyrat and arguably Nina failed to articulate to him correctly. With such a goal in mind, he could easily make the most out of his outstanding talent, with an unprecedented interest and effort in his swordsmanship. It was also around this when he finally understood his master Gal Farion's teachings, and thus became single-mindedly obstinate in his determination to live only for himself.[2]
After becoming the Sword God, Jino still behaves calmly and in ways that exasperate the former disciples of Gal Farion, ignoring rudeness and only paying attention to Nina, even groping her and smelling her hair in plain daylight. He has no attachment to his authority as Sword God or status as master, and has offered to leave the Sword Sanctum, not doing so immediately due to his children being too young. He would look unconcerned at his disciple's frustrations about upholding the honor of the Sword God Style, having a look that wondered what the disciple was going on about.[2]
While still respecting his former master and following his teachings, Jino bears no animosity toward Rudeus and Eris for his death, stating that if the former Sword God died by himself and for himself, then there is nothing to be resentful about.
Background[]
Jino Britts was born in the Sword Sanctum and into the Sword God Style. His family is a branch family of the Sword God Gal Farion: his mother is Gal's younger sister and his father is a Sword Emperor under him.[4] He is considered a prodigy by his fellow practitioners, being able to come up with outlandish battle theories as a child, and attained the title of Sword Saint at the tender age of 12 as the youngest Sword Saint ever. Of those around his age, only Gal's daughter Nina Farion was able to match his own sword skill and keep up with him.
Like almost every other Sword God Style practitioner in the Sword Sanctum, Jino has a great deal of respect for the Sword God. Eventually, Jino develops feelings for his daughter Nina and asks for her hand in marriage. When Gal refuses to give his approval unless Jino were to defeat him, it is with this motivation to marry Nina that beckons Jino's tumultuous awakening and dramatic rise in power as the next Sword God.
Power and Abilities[]
Jino is a Sword God Style swordsman of prodigious skill and talent, being both the youngest Sword Saint and Sword God in history. Despite his ambivalence about sword work, he was revered a genius by his peers; even as a child, he came up with somewhat outlandish battle theories, which would eventually enable him to see a path towards victory against the contemporary Sword God.[3] He was able to catch up to Nina Farion in no time after being motivated by both a desire to get stronger and his feelings for her. When he had a "goal" in mind, he is able to put in the "work" to hone his body and skills to perfection to best Gal Farion in mock combat. Jino displayed speed equal to Gal but able to react and retract his sword faster than Gal, enabling him to obtain victory like needling a thread into a needle.
As the Sword God, he is able to completely overwhelm Eris Greyrat in mock battle, breaking her arm and toe so fast nobody except God-tier fighters were able to notice what had happened. He is also able to defeat North God Kalman III (one arm sealed) in mock battle without so much as a single scratch. In the original timeline, it was Jino who defeated Kalman III, not Rudeus, which led the latter to become mature enough and eventually become a true hero.[5]
Due to never leaving the Sword Sanctum and making a name for himself, he is said to be the weakest Sword God in history and believed to have inherited the title only due to passing of generations. Yet out of all the Sword Gods, he lived the longest.[4] It is said that had he left Sword Sanctum, he might have defeated mighty foes such as Water God Reida Lia and Death God Randolph.[3]
『Sword God Style』[]
As a practitioner of the Sword God Style, Jino is able to use basic techniques such as Sword Cleaving and advanced techniques such as Longsword of Light. In his youth, he was able to regularly keep up with Nina Farion in skill, albeit he lost more times to her in training than not. However, with proper motivation he was always able to close the gap due to his prodigious talent.
After his "goal" awakening, he became fast enough to parry Gal's sword in a direct exchange of blows, something Water God Reida Lia could not do in her advanced age. As Sword God, while fighting mock battles simply for Nina's amusement, he proved his superiority over Eris Greyrat in a fast double strike to her dominant arm and leg, so much that it even made the proud Eris concede in frustration. He is able to intercept and pressure a one-armed Kalman III by landing countless hits on him without being struck back once, albeit it left him in a sweat. In fact, Kalman III was only able to keep up due to his demon regeneration. Rudeus notes that had it been real combat and with a scabbard for balancing his sword stance, Jino could have moved even faster.[2]
Quotes[]
- Gal: "What do you think makes the difference, Jino? Answer me."
- Jino: "Th-the ability to think logically, to move skillfully... uh, body strength... or m-maybe weapon quality...?"
- Gal: "Weapon quality?! How many years have you been training for, boy? You sure you don't need to go back and start from the basics?!"
- Eris: "You lost?"
- Nina: "Yes, before he challenged the Sword God, he told me, 'If I win, be mine.' I fought him without holding back and I lost."
- Eris: "That's a beautiful way to propose."
- Nina: "Isn't it?"
- Jino: "I will not work with you. I wield my sword for myself alone. Everything I do, I do for myself."
- Rudeus: "Even if your family were in danger, you wouldn't pick up your sword?"
- Jino: "I would. If I loved them, I would. Or are you saying you'll kill my family if I refuse to work with you?"
- "It is because you are such a man that I feel safe in saying that I will not work with you. My sword fights for me and those I love, and no one else."
Trivia[]
- Jino is the son of Gal Farion's younger sister, which makes his wife Nina his first cousin.
- In the original timeline, without Rudeus, Jino was the one who defeated Kalman III and set him on the path of becoming a true hero.
- According to Orsted, in his youth Jino may have been susceptible to the Mangod's teachings.
- Jino's sword theory, while fundamentally still Sword God Style, actually differs slightly in that it is not based on one-shot one-kill, but rather the quickness and precision to disable one's opponent before attacking them again in rapid succession. Much like Eris Greyrat and Ars Greyrat, he has created a variation of Sword God Style that overcomes some of the style's weaknesses.
[]
- ↑ Light Novel Volume 14, Extra Chapter
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Light Novel Extra Edition 2, The God Who Dwells in the Sword Sanctum, Chapter 2
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Light Novel Extra Edition 2, The God Who Dwells in the Sword Sanctum, Chapter 1
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Web Novel Redundancy, Chapter 20
- ↑ Light Novel Extra Edition Volume 2, Let's Make an Automaton!, Chapter 4