[Anime Theory] Witch from Mercury - Suletta is the Gundam Lfrith?

Episode 14 of Witch from Mercury finally revealed the secret of Aerial that most hardcore Gundam/GWitch enthusiasts have already guessed: she is actually Ericht Samaya and our protagonist Suletta isn’t the same girl from the prologue. However, another mystery still exists, a mystery that still leaves even the most hardcore fans scratching their heads: Who or what exactly is Suletta Mercury?

While the Eri = Aerial story has been a rather well-developed and foreshadowed twist, the secret behind Suletta’s true identity has been rather well-hidden… that is if you haven’t been paying as much attention and scrutinizing more of the oddities in the story and character of Suletta.

Based on my own observations and scrutiny of everything we’ve been shown so far in GWitch, I’ve come to the theory that Suletta is neither an “enhanced” orphan surgically modified to look like Eri, nor a “clone” which has implicitly been stated to be impossible as a technology in the Ad Stella universe at this point, nor a cyborg since she was captured and vetted in episode 2 already by the school. 

No, Suletta isn’t an irrelevant vessel when Eri is the real protagonist. In fact, Suletta might actually have been with us all along since the prologue: she’s actually the Gundam Lfrith. Let’s look at the supporting evidence.

Suletta and Infantilism

It is quite common for anime shows to feature klutzy and shy female MCs. Especially for yuri pairings, the “dumber but strong girl x sophisticated smart girl” dynamic is pretty much a genre classic. It's easy to dismiss her shyness as part of a trope; however, for a show as densely packed in nuance and mystery as WfM, Suletta's “social awkwardness” might be more than just a character quirk for a fish-out-of-water MC or a common yuri partner trope.

I think it’s not wrong to say that many viewers were… a bit taken aback by just how awkward Suletta was in episode 1, if not just due to the sheer level of tonal shift compared to the prologue. Even when you take into account the short prequel Cradle Planet, which states that Suletta was essentially neglected by Prospera since childhood and has been doing rescue missions on a planet full of scornful elders, which contributes to her social awkwardness, low self-esteem, and need to be useful. However, it’s not a stretch to say that Suletta’s behavior and mindset seem more like an extreme exaggeration of a naive sheltered teenage girl, almost infantile.

Let’s look at some specific examples:

In just a few minutes into episode 1, we see Suletta kneeling on the ground moments when she was bombarded with questions by two rather pushy schoolgirls. 

Later, while the scene itself is a moment of bravery for the timid Suletta, the girl literally, spanked Guel in the butt for his bad behaviour in Miorine's greenhouse while ironically berating him with her iconic "Didn't your mother teach you" catchphrase when she was retty much acting like his "mom".

The infamous “Suletta doesn’t know how to hold a spoon properly” moment in episode 2 that has been pointed out by observant Japanese fans.

Maybe I’m going crazy but the way Suletta puts on clothes in episode 3 also feels… childish. And I don’t believe it’s because of the difference in gravity compared to Mercury considering this was the only scene that shows Suletta’s awkward movements like this.

In episode 4, Suletta basically experienced a mental breakdown when being sabotaged in the makeup exam. While it was certainly a scene that pulls at the heartstrings, it was a rather… strong reaction for a 17-year-old, and how it ended - Suletta walking back to the starting line as she continued to cry - while comedic, further leans into this child-like behaviour of Suletta. In fact, the voice actors revealed that they were directed to act like a parent-child scenario of a kid being lost in the supermarket…

In episode 7, aside from Suletta’s extreme naivety and gullibility around Elan which is understandable as he was last smiling and confiding in her somewhat, we have pretty much one of Suletta’s most child-like moments that is rarely talked about. When tricked into “exposing” Aerial as a Gundam by Peil and “Elan” onstage, Suletta cried out for her mother in public like a desperately lost child.

Also, there is a small moment in episode 9 where she keeps on repeating “support” when running around to look for pilots to help out with Shaddiq’s team duel. Could just be a harmless character quirk of course; but coupled with her previous displays of immaturity, it could be something worth noting.

A bit on-the-nose but Shaddiq remarked the same thing about Suletta in this episode.

In episodes 13 and 14, Suletta couldn’t comprehend it when Norea and Sophie quite literally said they were intending to “kill” Suletta and Miorine. It’s getting a bit absurd, quite frankly.

Remember that in the prologue, Elnora was trying to “teach Lfrith all sorts of stuff” and ultimately, it was Eri who finally “awakened” the sleeping infant. And the show is keen on portraying Suletta in the fetal position.

Also, a small semantics detail: “Ano ko” (that child), is a phrase used to refer to Lfrith throughout the prologue, and she was considered to be “the daughter of everyone at the Vanadis Institute”. Later in episode 11, Prospera also used this term to refer to Suletta. Prospera considers both Eri and Suletta her “daughters” and even Belmeria remarked that Suletta was “another daughter”.

Interestingly enough, in episode 12 Suletta also referred to Lfrith Ur and Thorn, the Gundams ridden by Sophie and Norea which are upgraded versions of the Lfrith Pre-Production Models in the prologue, as “ano ko”. In one of the interviews prior to the premiere of season 2, Sophie’s voice actor was teasing fans with “the reason why Sophie considers Suletta her big sister”. Intriguing, to say the least.

Also, there have been theories floating around about Suletta being one of the many clones of Eri, due to her referring to Aerial’s GUND Bits as “everyone” and how episode 6 showed multiple silhouettes of Eri “spawning” from the Bits in Elan’s vision, as well as Aliya’s fortune telling scene that where Suletta’s “sibling” stone landed on number 12 (though she only said “a sibling”. However, it’s also important to note that according to the latest episode, there is only 1 Eri inside Aerial and Belmeria only acknowledged that Prospera had two daughters. Not to mention that Lfrith, which is very likely the Gundam model (or even body) that Aerial was based on/came from, already had Bits.

Lastly, there has been much debate on whether or not Suletta is “brainwashed” or an “agent sleeper” due to her mother’s motto “Move forward gain two”. The show and voice actors also added to this debate with their word choice, with the cast calling Prospera’s words over her daughter a “spell” and Suletta comparing her mother to a “gentle magician”, which could really just nudging at the idea that she is a “Witch”. However, it could be me reading too much into it, but Prospera seems to speak to Suletta in conditionals, almost like speaking to a robot.

“Move forward = gain two, run away = gain one”. “Going out with someone you don’t know that well = learn about someone you hardly know”. “People are fearful of the Gundam Aerial who is your sister = people are fearful of my prosthetic arm that is made using the GUND format which is just the same arm to you as always, Suletta”. “You only think your friends don’t trust you with anything they never said it themselves = you’re caught up in your own worries". “If I never killed those terrorists they would’ve killed you = you must ride Aerial to save Miorine and everyone”.

And so far, frankly speaking, none of her “advice” to Suletta has been wrong - they’ve all lead to desirable outcomes which is the safety of everyone. It is only the framing of Prospera in her scenes, which has been a mix of angelic and ominous, as well as the fact that she’s the only “Char clone” of GWitch’s story so far that casts a shadow over her words and actions, giving people the assumption that she does not mean well. If Oukuchi is sticking this story to the Shakespearean influence that he has been known for, it’s likely that Prospera isn’t even the real big bad if she truly is the “Prospero” of the story.

Why This Theory Fits The Story Better Than The Rest

This is far from the most prominent theory about Suletta’s origin, as the most popular one is still that Suletta is a clone of Eri especially because of the aforementioned details in episodes 5 and 6, as well as the new ED of season 2 showing multiple Sulettas (Eris?). The fact that Peil, pretty much the most advanced mobile stuit company in the Benerit Group, still has to give orphans plastic surgery to become Elan’s body doubles, seem to indicate that cloning technology isn’t quite possible yet in Ad Stella verse. However, with the upcoming revelations about Miorine’s late mother Notrette, who was involved in tomato breeding which could hint at experience in genetics, the clone theory is not yet out of the picture. However, I’d like to discuss the merits of the Suletta = Lfrith theory from a storytelling and narrative thematic perspective.

There is an element in GWitch’s story that is often forgotten by viewers: the original idealogy behind the GUND format, which is to improve lives and help people live in space. Perhaps it is often forgotten because people are more interested in the personal stories of conventionally attractive-looking young anime characters instead of the fascinating underlying corpo-political drama of this universe. People remember GUND-ARM as the symbol of Miorine’s great love for Suletta while forgetting its purpose and how Miorine was inspired by Cardo Nabo’s vision to continue her legacy with her own company. People remember Prospera’s speech to Suletta in episode 8 as her first on-screen brainwashing session of Suletta, instead of how her words hauntingly remind you of the horrors caused by Delling’s actions in the prologue. 

And yes, people are especially quick to forget that Delling was the one who started all of this, with his coup 21 years ago and him quite literally pimping out his daughter since the very first episode of the show until Suletta came to school and became the Holder. And soon, another Rembran figure, one who is/was(?) even more ruthless than Delling, might be involved in the root cause of all this.

If Suletta is a clone made possible using GUND technology, what does it say about the GUND technology even if Suletta eventually “becomes her own person”? What would it make Prospera’s speech to Suletta in episode 8 mean? What effect would it have on your view of Suletta as the supposed protagonist of this story? These are the areas I believe the “Suletta = Lfrith” theory can better address for more satisfying storytelling and a more cohesive narrative.

Specifically, Suletta being Lfrith means that she has always been with us since the start as a protagonist, as the show literally begins with Elnora trying to awaken Lfrith, and it was thanks to Lfrith being awakened that key characters like Prospera and Eri/Aerial/Suletta are alive today. Not to mention Lfrith was the first Gunpla of the show to be made available for sale! Additionally, making Suletta an actual “sibling”, one who has been with Eri through ups and down from the very beginning 21 years ago, would give their relationship much more emotional weight instead of being a clone which is more like a projected vessel of Eri who has ceased to exist in the physical world. 

And last but certainly not least, Suletta being Lfrith instead of an Eri clone would be living proof of the ultimate good that the GUND format can bring about for the world, and that a Gundam can be used for the good of humankind instead of simple machines of war and violence. And it’s not like this would “whitewash” Prospera either, as there is still plenty the writers can do in this scenario to make her culpable, similar to the Shakespearean character she is likely based on. Through the character arc of Sophie, it seems clear that GWitch isn’t content with simply portraying the disenfranchised as purely irredeemable villains that the protagonist must strike down. They are victims of their circumstances and serve to drive home the themes and messages of the show while challenging both the protagonist as well as the viewer. 

And it’s also important to note how cleverly yet also subtly enough the show’s OPs and EDs have been foreshadowing its core conflict and mysteries. The reveal of “Eri = Aerial” has been heavily hinted at since the beginning through the OP of season 1 and so far, season 2’s OP and the show itself have yet to portray Prospera’s feelings towards her daughter(s) as malevolent. At the end of The Tempest, Prospero renounced his magic and relinquished control over the Ariel (heh) after the fairy helped Ferdinand (Miorine) and Miranda (Suletta) fall in love, and this has also been visually hinted at in the ED of season 2. I have hopes that GWitch won’t fall into the same trappings as many other shows that direct the protagonist and viewer’s antagonism towards those who were originally victims of abuse instead of addressing the real underlying problem and perpetrators of the show’s setting.