There are many wonderful moments to enjoy in Legend of Arslan: Dust Storm Dance (Arslan Senki: Fuujin Ranbu), but the opening fight between Gieve and Hilmes stole the premiere episode for me and affirmed my opinion that Gieve, is indeed, the most overpowered guy on Team Arslan.
When we’re talking about combat skill, Daryun might be the one with the reputation that precedes him, but it’s Gieve that’s got the timing of heroics down pat down to an art that rivals his lauded virtuoso and archery skill.
Gieve might not have Daryun’s supernatural strength or Narsus’s uncanny luck and strategic prowess to foresee every single enemy movement, or Farangis’s extrasensory djinn perception, but he has something else far more valuable–artistry and that alone arguably makes him the most competent character in Legend of Arslan. Gieve’s battle repertoire is easily the most well-rounded and diverse–he’s skilled both in long and short range warfare, has good battle tactics, and is incredibly agile, and good with people (particularly women). A jack of all trades who just happens to be the near master of all, Gieve is Arslan’s Renaissance warrior. Though his archery and swordsmanship skills are top-notch, Gieve’s most deadly weapon is not his bow and arrow, but his way with words. He is a master of reading hearts (though ironically, he cannot seem to read his own); as a storyteller and musician by trade, Gieve understands that language and verbal wit can cut down men just as easily as a sword can, and that while a soldier can strike fear by conquering half an army via brute force, an artist can do so by conquering a single heart. Gieve’s versatility as a warrior and artist reflects the perfect harmony that exemplifies the ideal hero.
Or perhaps not so ideal, but we can’t help but begrudgingly respect the guy with the best lines.
Anime Monographia 