Van and Allen

"'A samurai gives his life so that others might live. Never forget that.' - Allen" Van Fanel and Allen Schezar.

Van and Allen meet when Allen "rescues" Hitomi from the Mole Man. Van, thinking Hitomi is still in danger, draws his sword, and Allen knocks him out and takes both of them to his fortress, Castelo. Van antagonizes Allen at first because Allen captured them and took away Escaflowne. After fighting each other in their Guymelefs, Allen begins to respect Van because his fighting style resembles that of Allen's late master Balgus, and is impressed that Van manages to damage Scherazade. His respect for Van is continuous throughout the series.

Though they were both proteges of Balgus, Van and Allen clash over their conflicting ideals when Castelo is burning. Allen wants to retreat because the castle has fallen, whereas Van, not wanting to repeat his brother's mistakes or the tragedy of Fanelia, wants to remain and fight. Allen gives Van a lecture about the value of cutting one's losses, which makes an impression on Van, and Allen, helping Van escape, promises that he will never let Zaibach have Van or Escaflowne.

In Asturia, Allen and Van spar on the rooftop of the castle, and Allen thinks that Van might "get himself killed" if he doesn't keep improving. When Dilandau attacks, Allen distracts him so that Van, Hitomi, and Merle can escape. As the Crusade is heading toward Freid, Allen thinks about seeing Van again, and helps him in the battle against the Dragonslayers and Dilandau at the lake, getting injured in the process and causing Van and Hitomi to worry about his safety. When they arrive in Freid and Chid is disappointed that Allen is not the "invincible knight" his mother told him he was, Van defends Allen, telling Chid that he sacrificed his honor and left Asturia to warn Chid that Zaibach would come to attack his country.

Because of his inherently pacifist nature, after he murders the Dragonslayers in his battle against Dilandau, Van begins to have trouble bringing himself to fight, traumatized by the experience. Allen explains to Hitomi that this is a trial all swordsmen must endure, and that he experienced firsthand how "vanity and arrogance draw you into a haze of fear," reflecting on his first meeting with Balgus in which the master samurai told him that what makes a truly great swordsman comes from within. Allen continues to pass on Balgus' teachings to him to Van, both of them acting as living legacies of the master swordsman.

Van and Allen both fall in love with Hitomi. However, Van finds it difficult to voice or act on his feelings. When he walks in on Allen and Hitomi hugging and kissing, he is visibly hurt, but neither he nor Allen says anything, and they refuse to breach the topic directly with each other until Allen informs Van that he has proposed marriage to her. Allen is possessive of Hitomi and jealous of her budding relationship with Van, perhaps knowing that her true love is Van even as he grows to love her more. However, their shared feelings for her do little to drive them apart, and instead causes them to bond further, as both of them want only for Hitomi to be safe and happy. In the end, Allen accepts that Hitomi's place is with Van, and encourages her to return to him.

In the final battle, Van tries to kill Dilandau, who he believes has been the source of all suffering on Gaea, but Allen prevents him from doing so, telling him that "Dilandau is my sister." Emperor Dornkirk reveals that, as enabled by the Zone of Absolute Fortune, Van and Allen's greatest wish is to fight each other and tells Hitomi that their battle will not end until one of them is dead. During the battle, Allen comments on Van's improvement, and how much he reminds him of Balgus. Hitomi confronts Van and encourages him to stop, telling him that there is no reason to fight Allen. Van stops fighting Allen, allowing Allen to escape Scherazade and be reunited with Celena.

Trivia

 * In both their first and last duels Van and Allen fight in their Guymelefs (not counting their first encounter), Allen mentions Balgus.
 * Van and Allen are foils in both appearance and personality. Van is short, and has short dark hair and reddish brown eyes; Allen is tall, and has long blonde hair and blue eyes. Van is more outwardly emotional, hot-headed, and impulsive; Allen is more inwardly emotional, calmer on the surface, and less impulsive than Van. Regarding their relationships with Hitomi, Van hesitates to show any physical affection toward Hitomi or tell her he loves her; Allen has no discomfort with public displays of affection and comparatively little difficulty telling Hitomi he loves her.