Echidna

Overview

Echidna is a character from Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World. Known as the Witch of Greed, she is one of the seven Witches of Sin who shaped the world four centuries prior to the main story. Although physically deceased, her soul remains bound within a tomb in the Sanctuary, allowing her to interact with Natsuki Subaru and others by summoning them into her spiritual realm known as the Tea Party.

Appearance

Echidna has very long, pure white hair with bangs and sidelocks, white eyelashes, and purple eyes. She wears a simple, layered long black dress paired with a matching black capelet and black high heels. A distinctive butterfly-shaped ornament rests in her hair.

Personality

Echidna identifies as the embodiment of curiosity, driven entirely by an unquenchable desire to acquire all knowledge, which she equates with love. Referring to herself with the pronoun boku, she maintains a calm and chatty demeanor. While she displays charming quirks—such as pouting or blushing when interacting with Natsuki Subaru—her underlying nature is highly pragmatic and emotionally detached, often treating others as subjects to satisfy her intellectual pursuits.

Abilities

Echidna carries the Witch Factor of Greed and commands high proficiency in all six elements of magic, possessing magical aptitude comparable to Roswaal L. Mathers. She holds the Book of Wisdom, an artifact that continuously records global truths, and created the Gospels capable of charting accurate future outcomes. Within her constructed realm, the Tea Party, she can preserve and manifest the souls and memories of others. However, her physical capabilities are remarkably weak.

Background

Four centuries ago, Echidna wielded immense influence across the world, offering her intellect to royalty before being struck down alongside the other Witches of Sin by Satella, the Witch of Envy. Following her death, her spirit was preserved inside a tomb in the Sanctuary through the magic of Roswaal L. Mathers and the dragon Volcanica to serve as a countermeasure against Satella. From within this domain, she created the Trials required to dispel the Sanctuary's barrier.

Relationships

Echidna harbors intense interest in Natsuki Subaru due to his unique background and Return by Death ability, positioning herself as a knowledgeable guide and business partner. She holds deep hatred toward Satella for causing the downfall of the other Witches of Sin—Minerva, Sekhmet, Daphne, Typhon, and Carmilla—whom Echidna considers cherished friends. She also shares significant historical relationships with Roswaal L. Mathers, Beatrice, and Puck.

Trivia

Echidna's name derives from Greek mythology's mother of monsters and the celestial body of the same name. During one of Natsuki Subaru's trials, she manifests wearing a Japanese school uniform reconstructed from his memories. The beverage she serves during her Tea Party is composed of her spiritual bodily fluids and grants those who ingest it the status of an Apostle of Greed, allowing them to take the Sanctuary's Trials.