Maiza Avaro

Maiza Avaro (マイザー・アヴァーロ, Maizā Avāro) is one of the 1711 Advena Avis immortals, and the contaiuolo of the Martillo Family. As the one to summon the 'demon' Ronny Schiatto, he is the only immortal from the ship who knows the summoning method and the method with which to make the Grand Panacea.

Maiza's decision to seal the immortality liquor's formula would ultimately result in the deaths of his younger brother Gretto Avaro and seventeen more comrades at the hands of Szilard Quates, outraged by Maiza's selfish secret-keeping and greedy for knowledge. Wracked with guilt and grief, Maiza spends the next two centuries driven by a need and duty to see Szilard dead and a desire to die himself after the deed.

This deathwish is strong enough that Maiza asks Firo Prochainezo to devour him following Szilard's death in 1930. a request which Firo refuses and Maiza abandons. While Maiza is only tangentially involved in the Mist Wall incident of 1933 and the Alcatraz-Chicago chaos of 1934, he is ambushed by Melvi Dormentaire's men in 1935 and one of the attendees at the Runorata Family's party at Ra's Lance.

In the 1970s, Maiza hands over his contaiuolo position to Firo and sets off on a road trip with 1711 immortal Czeslaw Meyer to find and inform their fellow survivors of Szilard's death. They manage to locate Nile and Sylvie Lumiere over the next two decades, and the quartet's search for Elmer C. Albatross leads them to the Northern European Village at the end of 2001. Maiza and Czes leave the village and return to New York in Summer 2002.

Appearance
Maiza is a handsome brunet of tall stature who is said to take after his mother in looks. He wears square glasses in the 1930s onward, favors brown business attire, and is usually depicted with his eyes shut. While he was in his mid-to-late twenties at the time of becoming immortal, it is not easy to discern his age at a glance.

During his rebellious phase in the early 1700s, he grows out his hair and does not wear glasses. This phase comes to an end once he begins studying under Dalton Strauss in 1707, after which time he wears round pince-nez. As an aristocrat, he wears clothes of rich make and color (including a striking blue coat with gold trim); on the Advena Avis, he is seen wearing a simpler outfit comprised of a brown vest over a white shirt, brown breeches, and stockings.

Personality
As the Martillos' contaiuolo in the 1930s, Maiza is soft-spoken and polite to friend and foe alike. To some of the younger Martillo associates, his mild-mannered mien and general avoidance of violence paint him a tenderhearted coward; in truth, Maiza simply prefers to use violence only as necessary rather than always rely upon it, and his shrewd wisdom, careful eloquence, firmness when pressed, and wry humor often serve him well.

When the time for violence comes, Maiza knows it and does not hesitate; with the a gangster's flinty coldness, he can and will fight with a brutality that would shock any unsuspecting associate. Regardless, his sincerity and gentle goodwill toward his fellows-in-arms have earned him the loyalty and affection of the Martillos in turn, whom he holds in enough esteem to regard as a surrogate family and to shed tears for when he witnesses them fall to Szilard's bullets.

Maiza as he is in the 1930s onward is utterly unlike the Maiza of 1705. As a early twenty-something, Maiza was rebellious, quick-tempered, and not only liberal in rudely reprimanding his younger Rotten Egg peers but in doling out insults to the likes of Begg Garott. He was openly scornful towards whatever displeased or offended him, and was open in his disdain for his own class. This was an incredibly bitter young man, cynical toward the aristocracy and his own heritage—inherited from a nasty, severe father he no longer respected—and toward the corruption of Lotto Valentino and it common citizenry.

Though bitter, brash, and belligerent, the young rebel was not devoid of his future self's kindness: he warned Monica Campanella and Elmer C. Albatross not to get involved in the drug trade infecting the city; and was gentle towards young Czes and Niki—the latter having noted that Maiza was one of the only people to ever treat her as human. He was cautious when in control of his temper and preferred to avoid violence (despite his famed prowess with knives), choosing not to fight Zank Rowan and Denkurō Tōgō even though they had hurt his peers.

Maiza would undergo a total reformation after becoming the alchemy pupil of Dalton Strauss in 1707, reforming in hairstyle, posture, demeanor, and attitude. He is, in 1711, closer to the Maiza of 1930, with neatly cut hair and much more respect and maturity than his self of four years prior, albeit fixated on the challenge and promise alchemy brought him, and initially willing to leave Lotto Valentino's problems to Gretto to fix in his stead.

1705: The Ironic Light Orchestra
Maiza is first seen coming to the aid of his crew after they get into a fight with Zank Rowan and Denkurō Tōgō. The members of the Rotten Eggs, are much more confident that they can win now that Maiza is here. However, Maiza ends up scolding them for making a scene instead of jumping to their defense. He than notices Niki, and is dismayed to find that she has been bought as a prostitute. He manages to settle the dispute peacefully and walks away with his followers. His interference is what ultimately allows Elmer C. Albatross and Niki to escape the square.

He later confronts Elmer and Monica and warns them to not get involved with the drug market. Elmer notes that Maiza is a good person since a malicious person would not have warned them in the first place. Throughout the narrative thus far, Maiza is referred to as "Aile."

Zank mentions "Aile" to Dalton Strauss, and Dalton does not recognize the name despite the fact that he is familiar with many people, implying that there is more to Aile than it might seem.

In the epilogue, Maiza and Begg Garott converse about a certain drug. Begg tells him that he is not to blame for what has happened and let's Maiza know that he (Begg) will be taking care of the recently orphaned Czeslaw Meyer. As Begg leaves, Maiza wonders if all alchemists are like him and insults the man in the process.

Moments later he is greeted by his younger brother Gretto, who calls him Maiza and not Aile. At first, Maiza is angry at Gretto for using his real name but he ends up forgiving his little brother fairly quickly. Maiza comments him that he hopes Lotto Valentino will change for the better after what has happened.

To be revised.

1710-2002
(To be added).

Abilities
As a complete immortal, Maiza cannot age, fall ill, be permanently injured, or die via conventional means.

Maiza is adroit in both mind and body, though as a contaiuolo he is—even by some of the Martillo associates—often assumed to only be the first of the two. He is excellent with numbers and accountancy, and like other alchemists has a keen aptitude for scholarly pursuits; for many strangers and friends alike in the 1930s, this leads them to either underestimate or entirely discount his potential as a fighter.

However, Maiza's raw strength alone is more than one would think at a glance; when he is ambushed in 1935, he is able to support and spring himself off the ground by the strength him his arms alone. Moreover, he has proven not only extremely capable in unarmed combat but capable of brutal violence at that; in the same fight, he dislocates a man's jaw with just the heel of his hand, and rips off another's ear in a single, forceful stroke.

For all his skill in a brawl, Maiza is better known for his extraordinary skill with a knife. This skill was first recognized as exceptional as early as his rebellious youth years, where it was on sole account of his knife-wielding prowess that his peers chose him to lead the Rotten Eggs in the early 1700s. Over two centuries later, Maiza's wizardry with a knife is so respected by the Martillos that a knife duel with Maiza is the last ritual executive candidates must face in their promotion ceremony (with the candidate having to duel another executive in the event of a loss); notably, Maiza remained undefeated for years until his match with Firo in 1930.

While Firo at the time was convinced he would have lost if the rules had not limited them to targeting arms, Yaguruma is of the mind Firo's knife-fighting practices with Ronny may have given him the edge on Maiza in knife-wielding ability. However, where the two may be neck and neck in knife-wielding, Yaguruma is confident that Maiza is better than Firo in a brawl "multiple times over."

Trivia

 * Maiza's surname, Avaro, means 'miser' or 'miserly' in Spanish and Italian. His first name sounds very similar to the English word 'miser' (while Gretto's first name is Italian for 'cheapskate'/stingy', a synonym), and for this he hated his name so much as a youth that he seriously considered disowning the name entirely. As Maiza is a contaiuolo, he is effectively "Mr. Miser Miser the the Miserly."
 * In the years leading up to 1930, Maiza had earned or saved enough money to be able to afford a house on the "outskirts of Manhattan." However, ever on the alert for Szilard Quates, he was constantly moving from apartment to apartment instead of staying in one place. However, with the death of Szilard in 1930, he was finally able to settle down in one place. In 1935-B, we learn that he has being living in his particular apartment for five years.
 * Maiza not only did not want to live in a big house because it would be far too enormous for one person to live in, he did not want to live in an 'unnecessarily' big house because it would inevitably remind him of his family manor in Lotto Valentino.
 * Maiza's eyes were revealed for the first time in the twenty-first light novel (1935-C), in which Enami Katsumi illustrated the scene in which Maiza threatens one of his assailants with his eyes open.
 * The second instance of one or more of his eyes depicted open occurs in Chapter 018 of the 2015 Manga, when he confronts Szilard in the Alveare. His right eye is open, and his left is hidden by the light reflecting off his left glasses lens.
 * These two instances are the only known depictions of his open eyes to date.