Gaiyas Yasuto

About
Gaiyas Yasuto was a captain of the Helman Third Army during the 7th Leazas-Helman War.

A long-serving veteran soldier, Gaiyas acted as a loyal right hand to his commanding officer Thoma Lipton during the Leazas occupation. Gaiyas deeply respected Thoma, and loyally fought by his side regardless of the circumstances. In return, Thoma deeply trusted Gaiyas, and often turned to him as an advisor and confidant when he required someone to vent to about his frustrations with the direction their country was taking.

During the decisive Battle of The O, Gaiyas led a unit of 2000 soldiers against the Leazas Liberation Army, but was severely overpowered by the destructive force of the Tulip No.3 and was forced to retreat. Later, he fought by Thoma's side during his final battle against the Liberation Army in the city of North, where he was killed.

Personality and Appearance
While Gaiyas lacked a unique character portrait in Rance 03, instead simply sharing his portrait with the generic "Helman Great Knight" enemy type, he was given a distinct physical description by the game's narration. He was described as being a large-bodied middle-aged man who wore a small pair of glasses and always maintained a stern gaze.

A loyal patriot of Helman, Gaiyas shared most of his opinions about the recent decline of the nation with his commanding officer, believing that it had decayed substantially since Stessel Romanov was appointed prime minister. Despite these feelings, Gaiyas continued to serve in the Helman's military without hesitation, claiming that it was his duty as a knight to fight for his country regardless of his own personal feelings.

He was exceptionally close with Thoma Lipton, to the point of rarely straying far from his side throughout the entirety of the Helman Army's occupation of Leazas. While speaking with Thoma, Gaiyas revealed a surprisingly empathetic and thoughtful side, encouraging him to speak up about his feelings. The ease at which Thoma was willing to reveal his most personal thoughts and concerns to Gaiyas reflects the amount of trust he had in him. Gaiyas' devotion to Thoma further proved itself during the battle in North, where he expressed pride at being able to fight alongside him to the end of his life, showing no regret or hesitation at the possibility of dying.

Abilities
While very little is known about Gaiyas' abilities, he was able to attain the rank of captain in the Helman 3rd Army, suggesting that he was skilled as a military leader. This skill was further suggested during the Battle of the O, where he was entrusted by Thoma to command an army of 2000 soldiers compared to the armies of only 1000 soldiers led by the other captains. Besides his ability as a leader, as an able-bodied Helman knight, Gaiyas was individually an exceptionally strong warrior in terms of both offensive and defensive power.

Trivia

 * He has a number of similarities with Karl Ojizan, who was mentioned to have served as the trusted second in command to Thoma Lipton prior to Thoma's death.
 * Gaiyas' name appeared in the original Rance III as the name of one of the six enemy commanders during the Battle of the O alongside Darum, Sylvia, Nabio, Desutora and Sepia. Beyond having the highest number of human troops in his army, however, he received no characterization and did not appear onscreen at all.