Talk:Garde Ritzberg/@comment-2001:8A0:6165:4601:F865:E259:3CE5:876E-20180510204300/@comment-3218221-20180510224216

Like the introductory paragraph says, Garde no longer remembers their gender. That's on me for not providing references (I'll edit in citations later), but here are a few relevant passages:

''The figure’s face was wrapped up in layers upon layers of black bandages, their wide-open right eye being the only feature exposed to the world. The rest of their body was also wrapped up in bandages, making them look very much like a black mummy. The only exposed parts of their body was their shoulder-length hair, which stuck straight into the air, and the area around their neck and bellybutton.'' This strange being spoke once more in a voice that did not sound particularly masculine or feminine. - From Vamp! II, very last page[s] before afterword).

Some might have been drawn to that strange appearance, but to be frank, it was difficult to even tell if the vampire was a man or a woman. ''How had Garde Ritzberg gotten through airport security? That was still a mystery, but they were now sitting in a seat in first class.'' ''“Mm... to Hamburg? Is it less than two hours to Hamburg?” They wondered to themselves, falling into thought.'' - From Vamp! III.

''By some unknown power, the woman’s voluptuous body suddenly changed to a mass of muscle. The fat over her chest disappeared, and an Adam’s Apple jutted out of the neck as the vampire took on the form of a man.'' ''Transforming into a somewhat androgynous but chilling man, the vampire pulled out his suitcase from by his feet and withdrew rolls of bandages. He wrapped them around his face. [...] At that moment, the tight, muscular frame rapidly dried out, giving way to the form of a bone-skinny person.'' - Vamp! IV

(Several lines later) "Anyway, is Garde a man or a woman?" "Apparently not even they remember anymore..."

''Gerhardt’s party member on a certain MMORPG. They possess formidable subjugation abilities, controlling everything from dead fish to their own cells. They seem to have no clear sense of morality. Because they are constantly wrapped in bandages, it is impossible to tell if they are a man or a woman.'' - Vamp! IV, Encyclopedia entry.

Obviously gender presentation doesn't necessarily equal a person's gender (it's worth pointing out that Valdred has appeared in male and female forms just like Garde has, but I'm pretty sure Val – despite being a plant originally – identifies as male?), so probably we ought to rely more on that line about them not remembering as a reference. That said, Narita emphasizes time and time again that Garde's gender [identity] is not obvious. He constantly presents Garde as an androgynous, ambiguous being and I'd say the line about Garde not remembering their 'original gender' is Narita's way of driving the point home: he only ever presents Garde's gender as ambiguous. Hence, 'they'.