One thing I've always wanted to do is check out the colors for Rowen's armor and see how it relates to his personality and behavior. I found a lot of stuff, especially with certain emotions and ideologies. I've bolded the ones that I think fit Rowen the best and emphasized the ones that also have some meaning based in his personality. Rowen's Armor is blue with yellow accents - these colors are specific to him (well, he shares gold accents with Sage, but all the ronin share white and black).
| Color | Traits |
| Blue | Peace, tranquility, cold, calm, stability, harmony, unity, trust, truth, confidence, security, cleanliness, order, loyalty, sky, water, technology, depression, appetite suppressant. integrity, tactful, reliability and responsibility, conservatism and perseverance, caring and concern, idealistic and orderly, authority, devotion and contemplation, being rigid, deceitful and spiteful, too passive, self-righteous, superstitious and emotionally unstable, old-fashioned, predictable and weak, unforgiving, aloof and frigid. manipulation, unfaithfulness and untrustworthiness. |
| Yellow | joy, happiness, betrayal, optimism, idealism, imagination, hope, sunshine, summer, gold, philosophy, dishonesty, cowardice, jealousy, covetousness, deceit, illness, hazard and friendship. optimism, cheerfulness, enthusiasm, fun, good-humored, confidence, originality, creativity, challenging, academic and analytical, wisdom and logic. being critical and judgmental, being overly analytical, being impatient and impulsive, being egotistical, pessimistic, an inferiority complex, spiteful, cowardly, deceitful, non-emotional and lacking compassion. |
Since yellow has less presence within Rowen's armor, I want to cover that first. In general yellow is described as a color that symbolizes the mind or intellect. This is absolutely perfect for Rowen as his virtue is knowledge. His hobby is studying which also plays into increasing his intellect. I might even argue this is why the majority of yellow accents on his armor are on his head. In addition, yellow tends to love intellectual challenges, Rowen finds joy and solace in studying. This fits well into also "inspiring original thought and inquisitiveness". It is practical versus a dreamer which also fits with Rowen's no nonsense approach at dealing with the dynasty. I've said it several times, but Rowen tends to be a to the point critical thinker, realizing the group must go through certain instances to grow and succeed. Yellow also serves as an uplifting or illuminating color and I believe this is why his weapon is featured in yellow, as well as why his rivals are ultimately changed from evil to good. While yellow symbolizes thinking, analysis, and methodology it can also be impulsive. Rowen races off to find the guys to create a bridge to save Ryo's life despite the fact that it might hurt Sage, Cye, and Kento. (Hey Rowen, why are we using the guys to assist?) Despite some of his impulsions, Rowen is considered a warrior that can handle his own battles. When he is presumably captured by Dais, Ryo and Cye are initially worried. They quickly decide that the battles are way too easy, especially for Rowen. Despite being an archer Rowen is an extremely skilled and independent fighter. He is, in fact, considered the most clever and dangerous warrior by Talpa's warlords.
Yellow can also be spiteful; this fits with Rowen's initial desire to fight the dynasty. He insists that all the he wants is an eye for eye. This leads to a sort of unforgiving nature which focuses on stopping the dynasty. Where others struggle with the fact that some of their opponents are human, Rowen pushes through with the idea that the dynasty must be stopped. He also tends to be self-righteous seeing the ronin's way as the correct way and that anything opposing them is inherently evil. Fighting Anubis despite knowing he is human does not seem to bother Rowen at all. His inability to sympathize in this regard make him seem aloof and cold.
Blue enhances the wisdom of the intellect, very fitting for Rowen. Most frequently, blue is associated with the sea and sky. In Ronin Warriors, there are two blue armors; Rowen's is darker and is associated with the sky/heavens. Blue symbolizes depth and stability, as well as wisdom, confidence, and intelligence. Rowen is actually quite confident in his abilities. He is assured he's quite capable of taking care of things and often throws himself head first into battles because of confidence in his skill. This relates to how we meet him in which he seems very nonchalant (and almost flippant) when he saves Ryo.
Blue is also the color of trust and responsibility. Although I feel that both attributes fit Rowen, of the two I feel that responsibility fits him more. He tends to take matters into his heart and mind and finds the quickest ways to sort through them. He makes it his responsibility to look after Ryo when they are separated from the others. In general, the guys find Rowen to be very reliable and this leads also to the idea that he is a very capable warrior. Even when Rowen was alone, the only reason they worried was because they thought he might be over powered eventually. One aspect I like is that in difficult times, you can always count on blue to take control and do the right thing. Something that Rowen does often, most notably when he runs from a battle to bridge a gap between Ryo and the missing ronin summon the white armor. To win, to save everything, he chose to help summon the white armor rather than let Ryo die. Blue also symbolizes a need to think and over analyze things, Rowen often lacked time but he shifted through decisions and thoughts very quickly. This made him a very welcome ally and a very dangerous enemy.
Over all, I feel that the armor of strata colors suit Rowen very well. What can I say? Rowen is a blue and yellow guy through and through - positive and negative! As complete side notes, I find it hilarious that yellow is supposed to increase appetite and blue suppresses it. Although Rowen is rumored to have or match Kento's appetite it is rarely shown within the anime. I also find it interesting that yellow is impulsive while blue is predictable. Although Rowen can be slow and steady, when angered and annoyed he can be impulsive. I wonder if this is balanced by less yellow, yet the traits that should be softer within him tend to be more dominate despite it being the accent color of his armor.
Sources: What do colors symbolize?, The Color Blue, The Color Yellow, Color Wheel Pro - See Color Theory in Action
