To Protect Us
It's not a long-shot to say that 1 is quite possibly the most abrasive, difficult to get along with of the core nine. The eldest stitchpunk living in the clock tower, he feels he is the wisest and the most suited to keep things running smoothly... a decision many of the others don't necessarily always agree with.
There is a great deal of controversy surrounding his original leadership. When the first eight were surviving on their own in the Emptiness, he preferred keeping everyone close and "caged" to letting anyone roam, which caused he and 7 to clash repeatedly, despite his early physical interest in her. When she denied him in favor of 5 and left the tower to live on her own, he began bullying 5 frequently, using 8 as something of his tool.
Even more tension existed between 1 and his "brother," 2. It was after 7 and the twins had left that 2 finally was fed up, telling his brother to cease his nonsense before things got out of hand. 1 refused, and thus 2 departed as well. To keep control, 1 told the others he had sent 2 to scout, and the situation came to a head much later, after the group met the recently awakened young stitchpunk, 9.
He and 9 butted heads even more than he had with 7, but despite his consistent efforts to keep the others listening to him, one by one (with the exception of 8), they fell to 9's influence. In the end, he was the last to die, slow realization dawning on him that his actions had been just as foolish as everyone had continually told him they were. He sacrificed himself so that 9 could retrieve the talisman.
During the events of A Chance to Say Goodbye, 1 was the second stitchpunk to be revived when 9 discovered the truth of the Talisman. Shortly after everyone was revived and moved into the Clock Tower, he finally allowed himself to settle into an actual romantic relationship with 8. They have three living children (18, 81, and 818) and one daughter who died young (181), not to mention numerous grandchildren. He remains persnickety and difficult to deal with, but time and a family have softened him... a little.
Relationships[]
Multiple. He sees himself as a leader, and as such, "presides" over the rest of the stitchpunks in the tower. He gets along with very few... at least on a "friendly" level. The closest he gets to a true friend is 2, and he has an obvious soft spot for 8. His relationship with his children is rocky, save for 818, who he has been treating more like his own offspring than he did any of his previous children, mostly because of his previous experience, watching 181 die after how he had treated her most of her short life. 18 and 81 often clash with him, with the prior hating how he was constantly saddled with being groomed to succeed 1 and the latter resenting how he was seen as worthless growing up.
With the others, it's hit or miss on who he gets along with. He is wary of newcomers after Infinity and 519, and as a result, tends to treat strangers rather... harshly.
Personality[]
"A bitter old pill." 1 is easily the most difficult to get along with. While he is rather smart, and he really does have everyone's best interests at heart, he has a pretty rough time actually showing it. He's got his softer side, and can be a gentle father and a calm, collective mind, but he often lets past experiences cloud his perception of events to come. This creates something of a hostile environment more times than not.
Voice Actor[]
Christopher Plummer
Theme Songs[]
"Will Not Bow" -Breaking Benjamin
"Cry for the Moon" - Epica