Death Parade Character Analysis: Nona

By: Prince Lammy

❝Do you know what the most primitive emotion people have is? It’s fear.❞

- Nona

For some reason, Nona became one of my favorite side characters towards the end of the Death Parade series, and maybe that’s because she’s the sort of person that’d go against powers that are greater than hers, simply to put things in order, as she saw fit.

And while somethings about her brings to mind Captain Teletha Testarossa from Full Metal Panic, there are a few more points about Nona you probably missed in the anime.

Background

Just like all the other arbiters (asides Chiyuki), nothing is known about Nona’s background, asides that she’s been an arbiter for over 80 years. And considering that all the arbiters in the series are merely dummies, with no history or background to lay claim on, one can say her life (like the rest of the arbiters) started right after she was created by God (or whoever it was that made her).

Appearance

As much as arbiters do not age, it’ll hold that Nona has held her current appearance for more than 80 years. Her appearance is that of a small woman, as she has a small stature, even shorter than Clavis. She has a rather plain face, not as emotionless as Decim’s, but one that’s more endearing.

For the most part, what sets Nona apart is her small stature, pale white skin, light blue hair and purple eye, which are pretty big. Her hair is nicely braided to the back, with an ornament adorning it where it ends. She also adorns her ears with yellow oval earrings.

She likes to keep things simple in her appearance, opting for a white shirt with brown ribbon around her neck. She also just drapes oversized suspenders over her shoulder, which of course are attached to her pants. On her feet, are violet sandals, which just about matches her pants and ribbon.

Dressing aside, she wears a look that’s almost similar to Decim’s but also with a smile, and sometimes her eyes looking so relaxed as though she’s silently admiring someone, and other times having a menacing bit to it.

Death Parade Nona Playing Pool Billiards

Personality

Despite her small stature that’ll obviously fool anyone, Nona is a real-time smart-ass. But her most likable trait is the fact that she treats the arbiters under her watch like her children, always scolding them right when they make mistakes, and also always on the lookout for them.

80+ years as an arbiter does have its perks, especially for Nona. And unlike most of the other arbiters whose thinking is entirely like a program, she is the first to ever question the rules guiding the judgement process of the arbiters, thereby pioneering an experiment on Decim.

Her approach to management, as well as the fact that she is prepared to experiment with different strategies when evaluating people, contribute to the beauty of her character.

In Conclusion

Nona is many things, one of which is a revolutionist! And while thoughts may differ on what her experiment, and also who she chose to be her lab rat, it still feels like having arbiters use emotions also as a succinct measure when passing judgments on humans.

Well, we’ve reached the end of this post. Kindly share your thoughts about Nona in the comments section below, including your favorite and least favorite aspects. Until then, Sayonara!