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Because Gaddes is such a minor character in Escaflowne, there's a lot we don't know about him. When and where was he born? Is Gaddes his first name or his last? What does he do in his own time, and what was his life like before he knew Allen? This is only a tiny sample of the kind of questions the series leaves unanswered, which is why it's such a rich and fertile field for fanfiction.
My own major effort at fanfic came about because I wondered what would happen to Allen and - um, sorry, I can't tell you who without making a really big spoiler for people who haven't seen the whole thing - after the end of the series. Gaddes ended up playing a pretty big part in the story - I attribute this to the fact that my crush on him was growing while I wrote *^.^* So if you have seen the whole series, in which case you may be wondering the same thing I was, you might like to read my continuation of the story. It's l-o-n-g but people tell me it's worth it. (I spelled his name Gadeth then; don't let the inconsistency worry you, it's meaningless.)
Scars On the Heart - an Escaflowne continuation
Another piece of Gaddes-centric fanfic, but not one which is suitable for readers under 18 years of age (you've been warned, don't tell me I'm a naughty bad person if you're underage and read it anyway), is my little Romance of Gaddes and Allen. Yep. Highly speculative, that one. Also not suitable for anyone offended by the notion or depiction of men inclined to fall in love with other men.
In Disgrace With Fortune - mostly an Escaflowne prequel
Attention: The following paragraphs are out of date, but have been preserved for their historical interest. (Also, if I got rid of them there would be virtually no Speculations page.) Once you've read them, you may like to click the link that follows to compare speculation with how things eventually turned out.
The other rich source of speculation for Gaddes fans at the moment is the forthcoming movie, Escaflowne: A Girl in Gaea. They're going for that not-a-sequel-but-an-equal thing here - the movie staff is pretty much the same as for the series, and it uses most of the same characters and concepts but tells a somewhat different story. The movie is due out in Spring 2000, and is scheduled for international release as well as distribution in Japan.
At this stage (I'm writing in September of 1999), not much information beyond this can be confirmed. Pictures of the character designs for the movie have come out in some anime magazines, sparking a storm of controversy among people who really liked the distinctive art style of the series and feel that their favourite characters have deteriorated visually. (I'd particularly say this about Van - he's lost his adorable combination of wiriness and vulnerability, becoming more husky, and they gave him spiky Dragonball hair!) Flyers and posters have also been distributed at anime conventions in the USA.
Why does this matter for Gaddes fans in particular? Well, one rumour I've heard is that Allen Schezar is not going to appear in the movie (although a new design picture of Allen did appear in Animage magazine) and that Gaddes is going to have a bigger role. Here's what he will, apparently, look like in the movie:
Hmm...
not bad! Although it has to be said - that man has
far more knives than any reasonable person needs.
He seems to be kind of a hybrid of Gaddes and that
shaven-headed Crusader (called Oruto, I'm told) who
fought by throwing knives - and had a tendency to
put blades in his mouth. *wince* The
costume design shows the overall more hard-edged,
less shoujo style of the movie material
released so far. Although what it mainly shows is
just plain Gaddes *^.^* well built, isn't
he? When
I look at this picture I immediately think 'Han
Solo' - I don't know if it's the swaggering
attitude or the messy brown hair or the tight pants
*^.^* So Gaddes gets to remind me of David Duchovny
and the young Harrison Ford all in one
go. This
also makes me wonder a lot about what kind
of role Gaddes will have in the movie. I've long
thought that Escaflowne is the true Star
Wars of my generation (and it's a darn sight
better than The Phantom Menace) and if A
Girl in Gaea becomes an international hit, who
knows? I'm not expecting to like it as much as the
series (I love the series) but I'm looking
forward to seeing how it turns out - or at least to
ogling the new Gaddes *^.^*
To see how close these speculations were to the truth, go
on to the At
the Movies
page.
For more information and pictures relating to the movie, visit the excellent, nay, encyclopaedic, Tsubasa no Kami.