WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Episode 8 of The Vampire Dies in No Time, currently streaming on Funimation.
The Vampire Dies in No Time once again shines the spotlight on a minor character in Episode 8 -- this time it's Sotetsu's turn. Sotetsu is a vampire hunter with a metal arm, muscular body and scarred eye belie that his understated, humble personality. His striking design makes him look like a main character, but he's usually in the background of many Hunters' Guild scenes.
Sotetsu expresses jealousy over Ronaldo's fame, considering himself "hopeless." Ronaldo reluctantly offers to let Sotetsu "have some," and what he means is only revealed when Draluc appears in the bar, describing himself as his "one-day rental Draluc." The fact that Ronaldo feels like Draluc is his to lend and that Draluc is apparently fine with this is an example of their bizarre relationship and how it works for them. Ronaldo seems to accept Draluc as a sidekick, and Draluc is happy to fill that role.
Draluc calls Sotetsu "arm guy," likely because Ronaldo interrupted their introduction in Episode 3. Draluc calling Sotetsu this makes him sound like a viewer who can't remember the character's name, making it easier to understand why Sotetsu feels like a background character even in his own life. Guild Master Gosetsu receives a phone call alerting him to a vampire and asks Sotetsu if he is up for the job. Draluc naturally sees this as an opportunity for Sotetsu to stand out more.
At the park, they meet a pink-haired vampire raising grey, baby-like "ghouls" from the ground. The uncannily creepy figures seem genuinely disturbing at first -- some have skull-like faces, others have red pupils that glow from deep eye sockets. But, in true The Vampire Dies in No Time fashion, the vampire soon reveals their ridiculous purpose: "breaching etiquette." The vampire, literally called "Etiquette Breacher," is rebelling against the "silly rules" of humanity and acting out. One would expect a vampire to say this in reference to a profane corruption of natural law, but Etiquette Breacher just wants his ghouls to litter and stomp on flower beds.
Etiquette Breacher's modus operandi is so funny because his crimes are so absurdly mundane. With a dastardly grin, he sets a can of juice on a park bench arm, "Right where it'd spill if you hit it with your elbow!" He then gets his ghouls to "pants" Sotetsu, revealing elephant print boxers underneath. This prompts Draluc to call Sotetsu "Mr. Elephant Pants," but it also prompts John, Draluc's armadillo familiar, to don an elephant costume and make trunk noises. Given John's caring personality, perhaps this is his well-meaning but unsuccessful way of trying to make Sotetsu feel better.
One of Etiquette Breacher's worst but funniest crimes is when he encourages his ghouls to "Click your tongue when you run into him!" A ghoul runs playfully into Sotetsu's side, but then tuts loudly when he brushes past him. The way the ghoul's expression changes from happy to annoyed after bumping into Sotetsu emphasizes the artificiality of the contrived slight. Sotetsu is impulsively compelled to apologize even though he knows the ghoul bumped into him. Nearly everyone has had to face the injustice of being bumped into and unfairly blamed at one point or another, making this breach feel like the most personal of all.
When the ghouls start mixing Draluc's dust with gravel, John starts indignantly thumping Etiquette Breacher's leg, leading him to kick the armadillo. As explained in Episode 8, however, John has a great many fans, and putting him in harm is never a good idea. Sotetsu springs into action, grabbing Etiquette Breacher by the scruff of his neck, threatening to split his head in half. Draluc is bewildered by this sudden aggression, enough to graduate to calling Sotetsu by his name...almost, calling him "Satetsu." Draluc evidently gets closer to calling Sotetsu by his name the more he stands out.
Sotetsu is embarrassed, and calmly and politely asks Etiquette Breacher to come with him away from the park. The vampire quickly acquiesces, either because he is still terrified by Sotetsu's threat or because he is disarmed by his sudden politeness. If the latter is true, then Sotetsu's quietness is actually a strength. The reason for Sotetsu's apparent boringness and why he doesn't stand out comes into sharp relief -- he is overcorrecting for a life of being a delinquent. Back in the Hunters' Guild, Ronaldo laughs about Sotetsu's history. Interestingly, this image of a bandaged-up, delinquent Sotetsu features him with a regular-looking human left arm, but Ronaldo's memory doesn't reveal what might have happened to it.
Ultimately, Sotetsu does stand out, as a photo of him in his elephant underwear appears in a magazine. The following segment implies, however, Sotetsu's quest to stand out more is not finished. Despite this, perhaps in a world with obsessed nudist vampires, sentient vegetables and cursed games of yakyuken, being boring isn't so bad after all.
