Couran is Ars’s ally, but their long-term goals differ. They fight on the same side in the struggle for control of Missian, yet they have different ideas about independence, war, and lasting peace.
In As a Reincarnated Aristocrat, I’ll Use My Appraisal Skill to Rise in the World, Couran’s support for Ars comes with political expectations. Understanding those expectations helps explain why their relationship combines respect with caution.
Spoiler warning: This article discusses events in volumes 11, 12, and 16 of the Japanese manga edition, including the outcome of Couran’s conflict with Vasmarque. It also discusses the later recruitment of Tomas and his reasons for helping Ars. Volume references are to the Japanese manga, not the light novels. Translated editions and the anime may cover these events at different points.
The featured image and illustrations below are AI-generated artwork, not official manga panels or anime stills. They are illustrative rather than exact depictions of the scenes discussed.
Table of Contents
Who is Couran, and why does Ars support him?
Couran is Vasmarque’s older brother and one of the leaders competing for control of Missian. Ars and his retainers fight on Couran’s side, helping his faction through their military achievements.
Their relationship is therefore more than a personal friendship. Couran stands above Ars in the political hierarchy, and Ars’s growing influence develops within the faction Couran leads.
Couran also recognizes talent. He listens to Ars rather than dismissing him because of his age, and he can see the value of people who have previously stood on the opposing side. This willingness to put capable people to work is one of his strengths as a leader.
Is Couran a good leader?
My reading of Couran is that he is a capable pragmatist. He recognizes useful people, but he also expects them to contribute to his political and military goals.
When his son treats Ars disrespectfully, Couran reprimands him. That moment matters: Couran does not allow family connections to excuse poor treatment of a subordinate.
In Japanese manga volume 11, his response to an assassination attempt also shows that he can react quickly and fight back rather than relying entirely on those around him.
Yet his competence has a downside. As Tomas points out, Couran is so capable that he tends to act personally, even near the front line. A leader who can do almost everything may still expose himself to danger by trying to do too much.
Does Couran distrust Ars? The snowball-fight conversation
A revealing scene appears in Japanese manga volume 12, chapter 100. During the snowball-fight sequence, Couran questions Ars about his intentions and what he might be hiding.
The atmosphere initially makes the conversation feel threatening. Couran later explains that questions about Ars’s ambitions and trustworthiness have arisen among his retainers, while also expressing his expectations for Ars.
My interpretation is that Couran values Ars without offering unconditional trust. The more capable Ars becomes, the more important it is for Couran to understand what he wants.
This does not establish that Couran is secretly Ars’s enemy. It shows that their alliance exists within a political world where talent can be both an asset and a potential threat.
What happens between Couran and Vasmarque?
In Japanese manga volume 16, Couran defeats Vasmarque following their decisive confrontation. Although Couran can recruit people who once opposed him, he has his brother executed.
Vasmarque’s final warning is that Missian will eventually fracture and head toward ruin under Couran’s leadership. This is a warning voiced by a defeated rival, not proof that the story has already confirmed that outcome.
To understand why that warning matters, it helps to look at the future Couran is trying to create.
Why does Couran want Missian to become independent?
In Japanese manga volume 16, Couran explains his ambition to make Missian an independent state. His thinking goes beyond winning the immediate succession struggle.
His explanation connects recurring war to the structure of the empire: when central power weakens, rebellion follows. Independence, in his view, could allow separate states to restrain one another through a balance of power.
But there is another concern. If the continent as a whole becomes too weak, it could be vulnerable to invasion from elsewhere. Couran considers that wider political and military picture, rather than looking only at the losses in the current war.
He also urges Ars to consider what war can bring as well as what it destroys. I read this as evidence of his pragmatism, rather than a reason to reduce him to a character who simply enjoys fighting.
Couran and Ars: two different approaches to peace
After hearing Couran’s plans, Ars discusses the future with his retainers. They set their sights on lasting peace and on Ars becoming emperor as a way to pursue it.
The important distinction is the political order each hopes to build:
| Point of comparison | Couran | Ars |
|---|---|---|
| Long-term goal | An independent Missian | Lasting peace, with becoming emperor as a goal toward that end |
| Approach to peace | A balance of power in which independent states deter one another | A future in which people no longer endure repeated wars |
| View of war | Considers its benefits as well as its losses | Seeks to reduce suffering and loss of life |
My view is that the contrast is not simply a wise hero opposing a foolish ruler. Couran is responding to the conflicts and power struggles of the world he knows. Ars, as someone reincarnated from another world, has a different frame of reference for imagining how society might work.
That does not make Ars’s goal easy or guarantee that Couran’s approach will fail. It gives them different answers to the same problem: how can people stop living through repeated wars?
Why does Tomas help Ars if Ars belongs to Couran’s side?
Tomas’s reasons for helping Ars add another layer to this relationship. His loyalty to Vasmarque and resentment toward Couran do not disappear just because he cooperates with Ars.
Strengthening Ars could also create a future opportunity to oppose Couran. For that reason, helping Ars should not automatically be read as wholehearted loyalty to Couran’s faction.
This gives Tomas an interest in the possibility that Ars and Couran may eventually take different paths. It does not, by itself, confirm that a future war between them is inevitable.
So, is Couran Ars’s enemy?
In the events discussed here, Couran is Ars’s ally, but their long-term goals are not fully aligned. Couran appreciates Ars’s talent while remaining attentive to the ambitions of a powerful subordinate.
What makes their relationship compelling is that respect and political tension can exist at the same time. Their different approaches to peace create the possibility of future conflict, but that possibility should be kept separate from a confirmed betrayal.
Read the original Japanese article.
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