Potemkin is from South Asia region and he's probably Indian. That's why his song's break down has a sitar and echoes "nirvana", also during his super Hindu gods show up in the background.
Yeah Potemkin's soldier outfit is a bit divisive compared to his previous look- but I think it fits his character's story- He was actually born as a slave soldier in the Empire of Zepp, which is a flying nation (mostly descended from people of India, hence the Indian influences with Potemkin) that isolated itself from the rest of the world. Potemkin was a pacifist and refused to fight, not wanting to be a human weapon, but since he was born with a rare mutation that made him very powerful, he was kept around anyway, just in case. His life turned around when his superior, Gabriel, revealed he was actually planning to overthrow the Zeppian dictatorship and free the slaves. Potemkin joined Gabriel in this effort, and together they turned Zepp into a democracy, with Potemkin being Gabriel's loyal soldier ever since. What I like about Potemkin's story is that "defeat the evil government" is not the end of the tale, it's just the beginning. Zepp has had to deal with things like trying to get accepted by the UN etc., and Potemkin has to grapple with the fact that in the end he did become a human weapon after all, and if that's okay because he found a good cause for it, and if he can even achieve lasting and meaningful change in the long run.
It was actually very interesting for a Russian to find a Japanese made char with Russian name. Potemkin’s name is actually a reference to real ironclad Potemkin (named after a duke Potemkin, who organized Russian Black sea fleet and Crimean territory during rule of Ekaterina II), that revolt at 1905 against the current situation at Russian Empire and lead to February and October revolution. (Yeah, there was two of them) His whole story is pretty similar to history of this uprising and it is very cool. Potemkin is my main and I love him!
Everyone always says he looks like a nazi but he's a big sweetheart 😔 despite how he looks he's completely human, but he has a genetic condition that causes his muscles to grow infinitely. As he is now his strength poses the risk of causing world ending catastrophy if used halfhazardly, so he wears limiters as gloves and shoes to control his power. He was born a slave in the country of Zepp which exists entirely within a massive airship, and is mostly comprised of Indian descendants (Potemkin himself is Indian). Zepps whole thing is defiance of magic, preferring to hold onto old technology. One day Potemkins commanding officer Gabriel was staging a coup and asked for Potemkins help, and together they toppled the dictatorship and liberated Zepp. Gabriel became the president and Potemkin serves him loyally as one of his closest friends. Despite Potemkin looking like just a big muscle guy he's super intelligent emotionally and intellectually, and his hobbies include drawing and painting (with pencils and brushes specifically built to not snap between his fingers lol). He's just a good boy who fights for peace and equality and would rather be a pacifist at the end of the day.
There's a cool thing some Japanese artists do on some songs being made with "double-meaning verses" by making it sound like it could be two different things. Armor-clad Faith, especially with how Naoki is singing it, also sounds like "I'm a Clown of Faith" and considering the lines in the chorus of "I'm a fool" and the irony of being put in a position of power like his oppressors makes it an intentional line. The song itself is all about struggles that he and the people went through during Zepp's age of facism until he and his friend overthrew that government for a democratic one with his friend and also mentor became the new leader who is even stronger than Potemkin despite being a middle-aged general with a huge mustache. However, Potemkin is just this big dude who is a loving pacifist that's way too humble and considerate of others despite his strength. He LOVES drawing and wishes to find a pencil that he could hold without breaking it.
Smell of the Game ✔ Find Your One Way ✔ The Roar of the Spark ✔ The Disaster of Passion ❌ Out of the Box ❌ Play the Hero ✔ Armor-clad Faith ✔ Alone Infection ❌ Love the Subhuman Self ❌ Let Me Carve Your Way ❌ Necessary Discrepancy ❌ Hellfire ✔ What do you fight for ❌ Trigger ❌ Rock Parade ✔ Requiem ❌ Crawl ❌ The Kiss of Death ❌ Perfection Can't Please Me ❌ Drift ❌ Mirror of the World ✔ Like a Weed, Naturally, as a Matter of Course ❌ The Town Inside Me ❌ The Hourglass ❌ The Circle ✔ The Gravity ✔ Just Lean ❌ Extras ✔ Symphony ✔ Ups and Downs ❌
