Gowther is a central character in The Seven Deadly Sins, originally created as a puppet by the legendary mage “Selfless” Gowther of the Ten Commandments and later known as the Goat Sin of Lust, a calm but dangerously powerful magic user who manipulates memories, emotions, and minds.
Although he appears as an androgynous young man, his true nature is that of a magically engineered doll who gradually develops a real “heart” and genuine emotions.
Name: Gowther
Alias: Goat Sin of Lust Gowther, “Selfless” Gowther (as a Ten Commandments member), “Armand” (false identity)
Gender: Male
Age: Around 3,000+ years old
Height: 175 cm (about 700 cm when wearing his giant armor)
Weight: 61 kg
Blood Type: None
Birthday: June 2
Place of Birth: Unknown
Affiliation: The Seven Deadly Sins, formerly Ten Commandments (as the puppet of Selfless Gowther)
Magic Power Level: 3,100 (Magic: 1,300 / Strength: 500 / Spirit: 1,300) → 35,400 after magic release
Sin: Lust (Goat Sin of Lust)
Commandment: Selflessness (“Selfless”) – originally belonging to the real demon Gowther
Voice Actor (Japanese): Yuhei Takagi
Hobby: Reading; when engrossed in books, he tends to act out roles and change his personality accordingly
Gowther appears as a slim, androgynous youth with semi‑long magenta hair and yellow eyes.
His eyes are round with long eyelashes, and his lips look constantly glossy, giving him a sensual, almost doll‑like beauty.
He usually wears glasses and clothes that expose his collarbones, combined with slim black pants.
In the later part of the series, he switches to a unique outfit reminiscent of a noble’s clothing, which tends to weird out people around him.
He once lived under the false identity “Armand” in Ordan Village, changing his hair length, color, and skin tone with a transformation ability (though he cannot change his height).
His performance skills are high: as Armand he acted as a timid, weak servant, in stark contrast to his true, emotionless demeanor.
In his normal state Gowther is expressionless, extremely calm, and operates at his own pace.
He tends to speak in a flat tone, with blunt, overly direct remarks that show almost no sense of social tact or “reading the room.”
He loves reading and completely immerses himself in stories, sometimes adopting the personality of the characters he reads about.
His speech is so monotone that it feels like narration, emphasizing his inhuman, detached nature.
At first he shows a kind of clumsy consideration for others, but as the story progresses his behavior becomes colder and less ethical, especially when he experiments on people’s memories and hearts.
After a long journey, confronting his past and others’ pain, his sense of morality improves and he starts to genuinely try to understand emotions.
Physically, despite his slim build, he has surprising physical resilience and durability.
He survives brutal injuries such as having his neck twisted, hinting strongly that he is not human and was “built” to withstand torture or abuse.
He often fiddles with his glasses, a small habit that further accentuates his quiet, analytical personality.
In-universe he is considered an overwhelmingly pretty boy and is even affectionately called “Gowther‑tan” by some male knights whose memories he tampered with.
In the spin‑off The Seven Deadly Sins Academy, he openly reads erotic magazines, drawing the ire of the student council.
There he joins the drama club and clashes with Slader over lead roles, while once again being the object of “moe” for certain boys thanks to his androgynous looks.
Gowther is not a natural human being but a magically created doll.
His creator is the original demon Gowther, a master sorcerer of terrifying talent, who served as a member of the Ten Commandments with the Commandment of Selflessness.
The demon Gowther was a wheelchair‑bound, exhausted‑looking man who disliked conflict but possessed enormous magical power.
Because the Commandment of Selflessness influenced even the Demon King himself and made Gowther too dangerous to leave free, he was imprisoned.
Yearning to see the outside world despite his confinement, the demon Gowther created a doll as his proxy and medium.
This puppet is the Gowther we know from The Seven Deadly Sins, who roamed the world for roughly 800 years.
Gowther’s appearance was modeled after his deceased lover, but given a male body to avoid stirring lust or romantic desire toward the doll.
The concept of same‑sex attraction is essentially absent in their world at the time, so this was meant to keep the puppet emotionally “safe.”
Over time, the doll Gowther evolved from a remote medium into someone with his own will and heart.
During the Holy War’s final phase, the demon Gowther imbued the puppet with self‑awareness and a “magic heart,” effectively granting him independent life and the name “Gowther” as a person in his own right.
The Commandment of Selflessness is a curse given by the Demon King to the original demon Gowther.
It punishes anyone within its range who bears desires such as greed, ambition, or lust.
Those who violate it have all their memories and emotions stolen.
Because this Commandment’s effect extended so far and even influenced the Demon King, its owner was eventually imprisoned, which indirectly led to the creation of the puppet Gowther.
After the events involving the demon Gowther, the Commandment of Selflessness is later possessed by Zeldris.
The puppet Gowther himself does not carry the Commandment but is deeply shaped by its consequences.
Gowther specializes in mental, emotional, and memory manipulation, along with powerful wide‑area control spells.
Although originally crafted as a doll, his magic power is on par with top‑tier fighters in the series.
Core Magic: “Invasion”
Invasion is Gowther’s primary magic that invades the target’s mind.
It allows him to read memories, insert illusions, rewrite recognition, and even seize control of the body.
He can, in principle, neutralize opponents without harming their bodies, but misuse or overuse can inflict serious psychological damage, including guilt, on himself.
Invasion also seems to allow his light arrows to ignore physical obstacles, as seen when his shots pass through thrown weapons to hit their mark.
Other Magic Techniques
Searchlight
Gowther fires small light projectiles that embed into a target, allowing him to read their memories and thoughts.
He can also draw out forgotten or suppressed memories, though the subject’s mental state can interfere with clarity.
Rewrite Light
This technique temporarily alters the target’s memories.
If the victim senses a strong discrepancy with reality, the effect breaks and the implanted memories vanish.
When used through his sacred treasure Harritt, he can fire volleys of Rewrite Light to affect many targets at once.
This is a cornerstone of his large‑scale memory manipulation.
Nightmare Teller
Gowther exposes the darkness in a person’s heart and traps them in a personalized nightmare.
While they are lost in this illusion, their body becomes effectively disabled in the real world.
Broadcast
He fires thin light arrows that pierce the heads of one or multiple targets without causing physical harm.
Information contained in the light is instantly transmitted into their minds, allowing fast, mass communication.
Blackout
Gowther momentarily shuts down the thought processes of all living beings with Spirit less than 400 within a radius of about 3 miles (around 4.8 km) for 10 minutes.
This is an extremely dangerous wide‑area crowd‑control spell.
Blackout Arrow
A targeted version of Blackout launched as a homing arrow.
It can instantly stop specific individuals, and is powerful enough to freeze even Escanor in his sacred treasure released state.
Jack
By embedding a light arrow, Gowther seizes control of the struck body part or the entire body.
He can also control autonomous constructs like golems, though he cannot override objects directly operated by another mind.
In later appearances, he shows refined control by piercing only the chest yet controlling the entire body while leaving the brain unaffected.
This lets him manipulate the body while still conversing with the target’s conscious mind.
Gatling Jack
A rapid‑fire version of Jack, spraying multiple control arrows.
It trades precision for sheer volume and is used when Gowther needs to seize numerous targets quickly.
Hijack
This technique lets him wrest control of an object already being manipulated by someone else.
By striking the controlled target with a light arrow, he overwrites the original controller’s influence.
Lost World
Gowther gradually erases a person’s memories from the most recent backward to a chosen point.
He used this on Diane, wiping her memories for a time, and it is implied he used a similar technique on himself to erase his own memories and emotions.
Secret Technique: Voice Mimicry
Gowther can perfectly imitate another person’s voice.
He once copied Merlin’s voice so convincingly that even Escanor was fooled and visibly irritated.
Breaker Off (Nerve Sever)
He temporarily severs the target’s nerves for 10 seconds.
This can completely immobilize the opponent and likely also cuts off pain and other sensory signals for the duration.
Sense Opener
He forcibly restores a target’s senses, waking them from unconsciousness or stupor.
This is essentially an emergency “wake‑up” spell.
Kaleidoscope
Using Harritt’s “range expansion” property, Gowther projects a wide‑area illusion.
This allows him to overlay vast spaces with hallucinations, misleading entire groups at once.
Kill Switch
Gowther forcibly cancels or disables the target’s magic.
This technique can shut down activated abilities and is very threatening to magic‑dependent opponents.
Playback
Gowther projects his own memories as glowing rectangular screens in the air, complete with sound.
It is unclear whether he can display the memories of others, but it is implied his memory powers could allow it.
Shit Storm (Self‑Destructive Inferno)
Despite the comedic name, this technique drives the target’s mind into confusion, pushing them toward self‑destructive actions.
He is seen using it in Four Knights of the Apocalypse.
Gowther’s sacred treasure is the Twin Bow Harritt, a weapon granted by the Kingdom of Liones.
It is embedded in his arms, so its original external form is unknown.
By releasing Harritt, Gowther forms bows and arrows of light on his arms.
These can be used offensively, defensively, or as carriers for his memory and control magic.
Harritt’s key property is range expansion, allowing Gowther’s spells like Rewrite Light and Kaleidoscope to cover wide areas.
Its light arrows have physical substance and can block attacks, as when they stopped Slader’s saw‑like strike.
The demon Gowther, known as the “Selfless Gowther,” was a genius mage who surpassed Merlin in magical prowess.
He disliked warfare and conflict, but his skills were so formidable that he was forcibly chosen as a member of the Ten Commandments.
Because his Commandment affected even the Demon King, he was eventually imprisoned.
From his confinement, he interacted with the outside world through his puppet and became a key player in ending the ancient Holy War.
Major Forbidden Magic
Creation (Magic Power)
The demon Gowther’s inherent magic was Creation, granting him the ability to construct beings and phenomena, including his puppet.
This power underlies his ability to craft a doll capable of developing a heart and complex emotions.
Unnamed Forbidden Spell (Identity Rewrite on Mael)
Gowther used an enormous forbidden spell on the archangel Mael of the Four Archangels.
He transformed Mael into the false identity “Estarossa,” rewriting the memories of countless goddess and demon clan members so that everyone believed Estarossa had always existed as a Ten Commandments member.
This spell required all of Gowther’s life force and magic, causing his death upon activation.
He did this partly to end the Holy War and partly out of revenge, since Mael had killed his lover Glariza during the war.
The revelation that Mael had been transformed and that some of Gowther’s motive was revenge later helped Mael regain himself and stop his rampage after absorbing multiple Commandments.
This forbidden spell is one of the most impactful acts in the entire setting.
Chrono Coffin (Cocoon of Time)
Another forbidden spell associated with Gowther is a time‑sealing technique often called Chrono Coffin.
This magic can trap targets in a temporal stasis or “cocoon,” effectively removing them from the flow of time.
Gowther is obsessed with understanding emotions.
As he says, “Memories are nothing more than information. They can easily be created or erased. What I want to know is the emotions beyond them.”
As a doll created to be emotionless, he initially treats feelings as data to be observed or manipulated.
His experiments—such as rewriting and erasing people’s memories—stem from this curiosity but cause real harm and moral conflict.
At one point, after a traumatic incident with Nadja Liones, he uses his own memory‑erasing magic to delete his emotions and memories, effectively resetting himself.
Later, when confronted with his past, friends, and his symbolic “magic heart,” he rediscovers that his heart has always remained within him and begins truly reclaiming his humanity.
Early Life and Nadja Incident
After being put to sleep beneath Liones Castle with a magic heart, the puppet Gowther is discovered decades before the main story by the then‑prince Bartra Liones and his older sister, Nadja Liones.
Nadja awakens him in a hidden underground chamber, and the two quickly form a deep bond.
Nadja is terminally ill, and eventually, the two fall in love and spend her final moments together.
When she peacefully dies in Gowther’s arms, he panics and attempts to revive her by cutting open her body and transplanting his magic heart into her.
The attempt fails, and Gowther, devastated, throws away his heart and erases his own memories and emotions.
From the outside, this is perceived as “from Lust, he seduced and violated the princess and then killed her in a gruesome manner,” leading to his official sin: the Goat Sin of Lust.
Joining The Seven Deadly Sins
About 16 years before the main story, Gowther joins The Seven Deadly Sins.
Before that, he had stayed with Merlin, who studied and interacted with him.
After the framed murder of Zaratras and the fall of the Sins, Gowther is badly injured and later found near Ordan Village by Pelliot.
To repay the boy’s kindness, he serves as his attendant while disguised as “Armand,” hiding both his identity and true form.
He later rejoins The Seven Deadly Sins at Elizabeth Liones’s request.
At this point, most knights only know him as the “armor giant,” and very few have seen his real face.
Growing Obsession with Hearts
During the battle in Liones against Dreyfus (possessed by a demon), Gowther senses the presence inside him and loses his suppressive armor created by Merlin.
Without the armor and shaken by what he perceives, he grows more interested in the mystery of human hearts and emotions.
This obsession drives him to morally questionable acts:
he alters the memories of Guila and other characters, and he erases Diane’s memories using Lost World just to test emotional dynamics.
These actions cause distrust, fear, and significant emotional damage within the group.
Gowther is later suspected of cooperating with the Ten Commandments and ends up jailed, missing the Liones defensive war.
Rekindling His Heart
After the Ten Commandments are temporarily driven away by Meliodas and his allies, Gowther is released.
He then meets the Gowther from the past (through time travel involving Diane and King) and learns what the demon Gowther and his doll truly intended.
Bartra presents him with the magic heart that was believed to have been discarded.
Shaken, Gowther attempts to erase his memories again, but Diane stops him, forcing him to face his past instead of running away.
It is revealed that the heart Bartra carries is merely a keepsake, and that Gowther’s true “heart” has always remained inside him all along.
Accepting this, he reclaims his emotions and resolves to fight as a true member of The Seven Deadly Sins.
From that point, he stands with his comrades through the remainder of the Holy War.
He also comes to terms with his role in reshaping history through his creator’s forbidden magic.
In the sequel series Four Knights of the Apocalypse, Gowther is the earliest Seven Deadly Sins member to show up (besides a partially concealed Meliodas).
He shelters fleeing demons and helps them build a village, acting as a quiet guardian.
When the village is attacked by Ardbeg, Gowther protects the child‑form party of Percival and his companions.
He also sends hostile magic toward Arthur Pendragon from afar, forcing Arthur to retreat and thus covertly assisting Percival’s journey.
In this era, Gowther casts illusions so that observers see him as an old man, maintaining a low‑profile persona.
At one point, he even does his trademark “cue‑pin” style pose in this elderly guise, resulting in a hilariously bizarre visual.
In the anime, this scene is voiced by Takaya Hashi in his older form, emphasizing the contrast between appearance and behavior.
Gowther continues to use illusions, memory tricks, and support magic to influence events while staying mostly in the background.
Pelliot is the boy who found the wounded Gowther outside Ordan Village.
Gowther, under the alias “Armand,” became his servant and protector, serving out of gratitude and a sense of duty.
Slader is the leader of the Liones knight squad Dawn Roar.
He attempted to defeat the “armor giant,” only to be stopped by the real Gowther, and eventually agreed to Gowther’s proposal, forming an uneasy cooperation.
Guila is a Holy Knight and a member of the New Generation of Liones.
When she was in danger during the capital invasion, Gowther saved her but later altered her memories for his own experiments, deeply impacting her life.
Fraudrin
Fraudrin is a demon and contemporary member of the Ten Commandments.
He knows of the original demon Gowther and holds him in high respect, treating the puppet Gowther as an extension of his revered master.
Nadja Liones
Nadja is the princess of Liones and the elder sister of Bartra and Denzel.
She was the first human to meet the awakened Gowther in the castle’s underground cave and became the person who gave him his first experience of love and heartbreak, leading directly to his Sin of Lust.
Merlin was Gowther’s mentor and caretaker before he joined The Seven Deadly Sins.
She studied his nature, and their relationship reflects a blend of curiosity, mentorship, and mutual respect as powerful magic users.
Meliodas and The Seven Deadly Sins
Meliodas, Ban, King, Diane, Merlin, Escanor, and Gowther form The Seven Deadly Sins.
Gowther’s actions nearly break their trust at one point, but through shared battles, confessions, and reconciliation, he earns his place as a true comrade.
Diane’s memories were repeatedly tampered with by Gowther for his experiments.
Later, a past‑era encounter where Gowther entrusts puppet Gowther’s fate to Diane, and her intervention to save his heart in the present, strengthen their bond and help him understand friendship.
Bartra Liones
Bartra, the king of Liones, discovered Gowther with Nadja years earlier.
He later brings Gowther the “magic heart,” forcing Gowther to confront his past and ultimately reclaim his emotions.
Gowther’s official charge as the Goat Sin of Lust is described as:
“From lust, he seduced and violated the princess, then brutally murdered her.”
In reality, the tragic incident with Nadja Liones was a desperate attempt to save the woman he loved.
He did not kill her; she died naturally from her illness, and he attempted a gruesome but well‑intended resurrection by implanting his magic heart in her body.
The resulting scene, blood and dissection, looked like a horrific crime to those who discovered it.
Gowther’s subsequent self‑erasure of memories and emotions meant he could not defend or explain himself, leaving the Sin of Lust as a permanent stain on his record.
Gowther’s unique speech style, emotionless delivery, and rectangular speech‑bubble aesthetic in the manga emphasize his artificial nature.
In spin‑off and comedy material, he is commonly used for deadpan humor, especially around his erotic reading habits and over‑serious “research” into love and lust.
His character arc is heavily centered on questions like:
What is a heart? Are emotions just data? Can a constructed being truly feel?
By the end of his journey, Gowther proves that even a doll can grow, regret, love, and choose, not simply follow programming.
His path from a heartless puppet to a genuine friend and comrade is one of the most thematically rich stories in The Seven Deadly Sins universe.
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