James Ironside

James Ironside was Diva's sixth and last Chevalier and used to be her favorite. He was in contact with the US military and also the leader of Corpse Corps.

Human Form
James is most likely of African descent and despite being over 70 years old, appears to be in his mid to late 20s. He has a dark complexion with neatly cut jet black hair and deep dark brown eyes. James being a soldier usually has a calm and serious look on his face an also seems physically fit due to his training as soldier. He wears a black naval officer's uniform (also called Service Dress Blue) with his military service ribbons pinned to his right breast for almost all of the series.

Chiropteran Form
In his chiropteran form, James' skin is a dark brown and much of his body is covered in spikes. He also has two horns protruding from his head and the sides of his jaw. His upper body is covered in armor-like skin, whereas his legs are the only vulnerable part as they are covered in fur. Like most chiropterans and chevailers, James' eyes glow a bright red in this form.

Attire
James was almost always seen in his formal naval uniform, usually with a service cap.

Becoming a Chevalier
Initially, James Ironside was born into a poor family, and as a child lost his mother. He became one of Diva's chevaliers in 1945 in Berlin, Germany during the second World War where he was a lieutenant colonel. He is the Cinq Flèches' contact with the US military, and later was appointed by Amshel as leader of the Corpse Corps and to take on the task of killing Saya. His undying devotion to Diva and her status as his "mother" are a result of the tragic lose of his real mother.

On Christina Island
When he lured Saya's group to Christina Island to eliminate Saya, he was struck by Saya's sword and fell into the trap he had set to bury her in. He was saved when Nathan retrieved him and Amshel had most of his body replaced with Schiff parts.

Death
Once Diva realizes that most of his body has been replaced with Schiff parts, she disapproves of it, and begins to avoid him. Towards the end of the series, James begins to lose his sanity due to his crumbling relationship with Diva, and he takes out his rage on the Schiff, whom he regards as inferior organisms to himself. In his final battle against Saya, James begins to succumb to the Thorn before being killed by Saya.

Manga Plot
James' first appearance in the manga is very brief as he and his other chevalier brothers are seen together raiding the Red Shield's base of operations with Diva. After Solomon goes to fetch Riku and Amshel disappearing elsewhere, James is left with Nathan and Diva to deal with Saya and Hagi. But when Diva starts singing, Saya goes into yet another berserk state, killing James with ease in the process. Nathan, shocked and distraught by his brother's death tries to remind Diva what happened, but she casually dismisses it to which the chevalier could do nothing but question her reaction.

It is revealed later on that he, along with Solomon and Nathan were nothing but mere pawns for Amshel that were only made into chevaliers because he wanted to, rather than Diva having any interest in them.

Manga vs. Anime
Unlike the anime where James is shown to have a significant role in the story and multiple battles with Saya, his role in the manga is very minimal and not much of his personality is explored as his very first appearance was also his last.

Personality
He was extremely devoted to caring for and protecting Diva. He considers her his beloved "Mama" and always carries her picture with him in a locket.

Amshel
Like most of Diva's chevaliers, James sees Amshel as an older brother and exhibits unfailing loyalty to him, believing that whatever his older brother does he must always have a very good reason for it.

Solomon
James and Solomon interact briefly a few times in the series, but from their first encounter, James is shown to be rude to his other older brother despite the latter's cheerful and friendly disposition. When Solomon questions Amshel's motives, James defends Amshel and becomes distrusting of his brother, musing if it is he who is actually the traitor. This attitude of course carries on later in the series, and James having been right all along vows to kill the one Solomon loves, believing that those who refuse to bow down to Diva deserve to suffer.

Nathan
When Nathan and James are first seen together, James is subjected to teasing from his brother to which he retaliates by slicing off a chunk of hair when he flicks a coin at him. He then tells Nathan to stop being a drama queen, much to the latter's chagrin. After saving his life on Christina Island, Nathan notes how his brother isn't himself when James talks to him about war being like art.

Karl
While James and Karl are rarely seen interacting, James dislikes his brother believing that he is not only unstable and irresponsible, but an overall detriment to Diva and Amshel's plan.

Diva
James is extremely devoted to Diva, calling her 'mother' and will do anything to keep her out of harm's way. Overprotective of her, James states that he is only interested in capturing the creature that is to mate with her. Later on when Diva wants to visit the theater in London, James fearing for her safety refuses, but soon finds it hard to resist her wish and has the driver change course. After Diva no longer approves of him following his near-death experience, James begins to lose his sanity, almost much like that of Karl.

Saya
Unlike his chevalier brothers who believe Saya to be their future bride, James deems her as a threat to Diva and his family and only wishes to kill her.

Skills
Military:  As a member of the U.S. Armed Forces, James not only knows the ways of a soldier but also has numerous connections due to his leadership role.

Marksman:  Possibly due to his military background, James has been shown to have near deadly accuracy when he flicks a coin at Nathan, slicing a lock of hair from the latter. This is also true of his chiropteran form when he fires sharp projectiles that always seem to hit their intended target.

Special Abilities
Armored Skin: In his chiropteran form, James' skin hardens to the point where it can easily withstand bullets and blades, making him a tough and formidable foe to defeat.

Strength: James's strength easily surpasses the Schiff. In his chiroptertan form, his physical prowess is even more deadlier as he has given Saya and her allies a considerable amount of trouble in battle.

Speed: Like other Chevaliers, James possesses an agility that far outmatches the Schiff.

Transformation: Unlike his brothers before him, James was always seen transforming into a full chiropteran whenever he faced off against Saya.

Projectiles: Following the military motif, James in chiropteran form can fire sharp spike-like projectiles from his arms at long distances.

Trivia

 * The name James means 'supplanter' in Old French and the dictionary definition of supplant is "to take the place of (another), as through force, scheming, strategy, or the like" which was to possibly coincide with the character's affinity for strategics.
 * He is named after the historical figure James Rothschild.