"Without anger, without sadness, without love--the truth cannot be seen."

This is the single, most important quote in terms of describing Beatrice. Her entire being consists almost entirely of those three emotions; to understand Beatrice, and in the end, Umineko itself, you must look at it from those three angles separately and then all together. From the first moment we meet her, and, ultimately throughout all of the Question Arcs, Beatrice appears to be a cruel, fickle witch, infamous for her savagery in both Heaven and Hell. During the thousand years she has existed, her acts of cruelty have not been rivaled; (or so she claims). Manipulating people for her own purposes, trampling upon men and reducing them to mere puppets, she even went as far as to create a cannibalistic banquet for Rosa, consisting of her sibling's limbs, innards, and blood, topped off with her daughter being put in the oven! She acts like the personification of the malignant being known to most as a 'witch', whom fattens children only to cook them in an oven whilst still alive. Between ruthless slaughtering and utter disregard for the dead, her sadistic tendencies ultimately seal the deal on this: Beatrice’s actions can only be considered that of a witch’s.

After all, isn't that the point of her game?

Her apparent purpose in her games is to make Battler submit to her, submitting to the idea that she is indeed a witch. Would acting like the whimsical, temperamental woman she is convince him that she is the real monster she claims to be? For the sake of winning the game and being accepted, she'll pretend to be cruel. He, who lacks a sixth sense, cannot fathom the idea of a 'kind' witch, so she must act like someone from a fairy tale. In the end, this is not who Beatrice truly is, although it is most definitely part of her personality.

"… I have been told not to break vases… But that’s why I wanted to break them… Then I gained the Endless Magic… When I knew that I could fix it back to normal no matter how badly I broke it… I was surprised at how fun it was to break a vase…"

As the games go on, we learn that most of her innate cruelty had been sparked by morbid curiosity. It’s a morbid curiosity all humans share, whether it be breaking an expensive antique, or the murder of an important person. While learning about the Endless magic, it came to her attention that she could play all she liked - recklessly or otherwise - and not have to cry over any broken toys. This is the basis for her careless nature when it comes to other people, for they can easily be repaired. It’s easy to assume this is where her twisted personality came from, but, unlike her successor, Beatrice holds another reason for it.

She, who has never been allowed to step out of Rokkenjima, caged, forgotten, and lonely; is she truly the sadistic sovereign she claims to be? If we look deeper, we see a naive child who is simply waiting for an answer. The truth is that Beatrice is angry and, above all, hurt. All throughout the Question Arcs and EP 5, Beatrice is tormented by feelings she does not understand, feelings that weren't even hers to begin with. To understand it better, we must go back six years in time to a particular event in Rokkenjima.

"Please, take my feelings that went unfulfilled… my feelings that I couldn't hold back… and make my wish come true."


The reason Beatrice was born is because of the pitiful wish of 'Yasu', also known as, Shannon and later on, Kanon. On that fateful day six years ago, Battler promised something to Shannon, something that impacted her greatly to the point of making her fall in love with him. For six, lonely years, Shannon nurtured this seed of love, until its roots were fettered deep within her heart and it was too late to forget him. The heartbreak and pain she had felt at being left behind by the man she loved was becoming too much for her, to the point where she was about to break. In her despair, she found a single escape.

That escape was Beatrice.

Yasu had already created Beatrice at this point. However, she's not the same one we see today, nor was she meant to serve this purpose, although she was the basis for Beato. Nonetheless, she was the only one who knew of Shannon's situation, and was at a loss on what to do for her grieving friend. Shannon refused to stay in the golden land, so what more could she do? Suddenly, she was struck with an idea. What if she could take Shannon's place?

"From this day forward, you are no longer the Rokkenjima ghost that loves only to play pranks. From this day forward, you will become the master of this island and wait for the day that he comes to fulfill his promise."

Beatrice decided to take it all from her. Shannon could finally free herself from those painful, confusing feelings. She wouldn't be the eternal torture that was that trial of love. After turning Beatrice into the blonde, foreign beauty that Battler had expressed desire in , the look she is known for now, she gave her feelings of love and agony to her, freeing herself of the shackles of her torment.

Now we clearly see where her disdain for romantic love comes from. We see that she has often manipulated the feelings of couples, including Shannon and George, and Natsuhi and Krauss. She brings them together, only to rip them apart without relent, laughing as they shed angry tears. They're happy and in love, they have everything they want! She's happy for them, yet there's a sort of confused jealousy inside. Why should she aid them in their love troubles if she had to do it all on her own? Can't they do anything for themselves?

This is the motive for the Rokkenjima murders, and why Beatrice is such a violent person. She's nothing but a confused kid, lashing out because it hurts, because she's lonely, because the man she loves doesn't rememberanything. Not even that anything between them ever existed. She must get Battler to remember his promise, and once and for all, decide between staying or ending it all. Even if he did not love her back, as long as her feelings get returned in some way, Shannon will be truly at peace, and, in turn, Beatrice. It is an innocent wish, fueled by the purest form of love (or delusion at this point). The words of her mentor and predecessor describe Beatrice very well: she is but a naïve child.

"No, she's like a tomboy princess, so her voice is a mix of formality and rudeness."


Beatrice is quite juvenile in reality. Chortling or throwing tantrums whenever things do not go as she expects, she who speaks rudely and plays tricks on unsuspecting people; this side of Beatrice could almost be called her 'real' self, the one who lurks behind the brutal witch. Although we cannot discredit the other either, they are almost like two sides of a constantly flipping coin. If we were to take away the severity of her actions, she would amount to nothing more than a bully who enjoys teasing and playing pranks. She can butt into other people’s business (not without haughty cackles and laughter), or she can enjoy the company of friends with nice, warm tea.

There is also the softer, more feminine side of hers; the kindness and love it takes to forgive one who killed her when she was but a baby, and the patience and understanding it requires to wait for someone who might never come. She is also fairly agreeable, seeing that she does not harm those who respect her. There is also one other person who is of great importance to Beatrice.

"I'm grateful to Maria. Marriage Sorciere has eased the burden on my heart so much"

That person is Maria, the youngest of the Ushiromiya cousins. Playing with her, studying simple magic, drinking tea and laughing; in these events, she no longer bears the burden of a love that has been forgotten, nor is she the ruthless witch who murders for enjoyment. She is the kind, beautiful witch who makes candy fall from the sky. In fact, she often gives Maria a gentle death, perhaps in silent apology for breaking her promise of taking her to the Golden Land, or simply out of respect for her apprentice and fellow friend. However, the fact is that without Maria, Beatrice would've spiraled out of control much, much sooner.