Merle is Van's childhood friend and is very overprotective of him. She refuses to let any other females come close to Van, and will try to scare them off. In the beginning, Merle is very wary of Hitomi, as she feels she will steal Van away from her, and they seem to argue a lot, but throughout the story, Merle shows that she does care about Hitomi, and grows to see beyond her initial jealousy.
Unlike many other anime characters in the same situation, when Merle glomps Van, he does show affection to her. Van cares for Merle a lot, as they are very good friends, and have been together for a long time. Merle and Van are both alone in the world and have only had each other for most of their lives.
Merle grows up to become mature, smart, and caring after the adventures in Escaflowne, and becomes less protective of Van. She even encourages him to tell Hitomi how he feels near the end of the show. After the battle with Zaibach is over, Merle is seen helping people rebuild their homes and towns.
Age: 13 years old
Seiyuu: Ikue Ohtani
First Episode: Episode 2 (Girl from the Visionary Moon) Does not appear in the Vision of Escaflowne manga
Birthday: Orange, 30th moon (June 30th)
Birthplace: Irini, a town in Fanelia
Weight: 30 kg
Height: 150 cm
Eyes: Bright Blue
Millerna, Moleman, Hitomi, Van, Merle and Allen
Merle glomping a very shocked Van
Merle holding onto Van as Dryden talks
Merle giving Van advice about Hitomi as she holds onto him
Merle holding tightly to Van as he helps Hitomi
