Welcome to Waifu Wednesday, Nicchiban’s new column where we talk about anime characters, their appeal, and a little on their history.

Today on Waifu Wednesday, Darkness from God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World! (KonoSuba). Darkness is a core member of the hero Kazuma’s party and a stalwart crusader with eccentric tastes.

Born Lalatina Ford Dustiness, Darkness uses a pseudonym both to conceal her noble lineage and also due to embarrassment surrounding her proper first name: Lalatina. Though in other circumstances embarrassment poses little problem for Darkness, as it’s revealed her role as a Crusader and “party tank” is merely a pretense for her masochistic urges.

Darkness also has the distinction of being the most developed of Kazuma’s party members, contrasting sharply with the petite Megumin and more average Aqua. The only semi-frequent cast member she loses to is the lich Wiz, but among the main cast Darkness surpasses the rest in physique.

Her urges frequently create either misunderstandings or trouble (sometimes both) for her and her party. But it’s this same attention-grabbing that makes her suitable as a tank as she’s often the target of monster’s attacks which suits her just fine.

Darkness reluctantly fills the mature archetype among Kazuma’s party, at least as closely as any of the main girls of KonoSuba can anyways. Despite her flaws, Darkness is unfortunately the most level-headed between the other girls in the party. But rather than be a reliable figure, she’s defined more by her masochism and inappropriate timing instead of the instances she’s able to flex her social acumen.

Her eccentricities make her a favorite among some fans and her unabashed and shameless profession of her desires sets her apart from more timid and soft-spoken characters. Darkness is able to stand out and fill a unique role as there’s few characters who come close to being quite like her.