Warrior Nun: 5 Times We Felt Sorry For Ava (& 5 Times She Got What She Deserved)
Warrior Nun is one of the most famous manga-inspired TV shows. The plot revolves around Ava Silva, a quadriplegic orphan who wakes up one day with an angel's Halo in her back and considerable superpowers that come along with it. Seeing Ava come to terms with her destiny is just one of the reasons why this action-packed fantasy is well-worth watching.
Her journey from a self-centered girl to a responsible team member was pretty rocky. There were times our hearts broke for her, but sometimes, she got herself into a mess all by herself.
10 Felt Sorry: Being Labeled As A Sinner
Even though Ava didn't believe in God, she wasn't a sinner either. Before becoming a Halo-bearer, she lived in an orphanage, destined to spend the rest of her life in a wheelchair. She had no friends or family and was treated horrendously by Sister Frances. It is later on revealed that her caretaker killed her, but everyone thought that she committed suicide. Since that is a mortal sin, Ava was considered unworthy by Mother Superion.
Ava told her that she didn't kill herself, yet the strict sister didn't believe her. It's absolutely tragic to see her being mistreated after being through so much abuse and neglect in her life. Luckily, Ava gets closure about her death: she realized that Sister Frances murdered her, as she did many other children before her.
9 She Had It Coming: Sneaking Into ArqTech
"Proverbs 31:25" introduced another major player in the series: Jillian Salvius and her tech giant ArqTech. She claims to have found a portal to another dimension, a dimension without death or illness. Ava, JC, and his friends sneak into the headquarters to enjoy a gala event. As if that's not exciting enough, they break into private rooms and play with gadgets they find there. Ava expressed respect towards ArqTech and science when they first came to the party, but she seemed to have forgotten about it as soon as she violated Jillian's privacy.
Jillian soon realizes there are trespassers lurking around. Everyone manages to escape except for Ava. Her presence caused a Tarask to appear and if it wasn't for the OCS, she would have been taken by him or worse yet, killed.
8 Felt Sorry: Her Training With Lilith
In "Ephesians 6:11", Ava gets a tour of the church by Father Vincent and then begins her training under Mother Superion's watchful eye. She is tasked with fighting Sister Lilith, a girl who abhors Ava simply because she took her spot as the next in line to be a Halo-bearer. Ava is doing great, despite being frightened. She realizes she doesn't even feel Lilith's blows, but the jealous sister keeps battering her anyway.
How was Ava supposed to feel welcome around members of the OCS when some of them acted so hostile around her? Later on, Lilith tricked Ava into thinking that they were under attack. Poor inexperienced Ava gets stuck in a wall and she gets no help at all.
7 She Had It Coming: Being Stopped By Mary And Lilith
In yet another attempt to run away from the OCS, Ava wanted to skip town with JC and head to Morocco. Shotgun Mary and Sister Lilith were both tasked to bring her back. Lilith was willing to kill her in the process since the Cardinal only wanted the Halo back. Ava didn't tell JC what is going on, so she automatically put him in danger as well.
The highly competent warriors soon caught up with the ship and confronted Ava. Ava would have none of it and kept on running. The chase ended with Tarask showing up and taking Lilith to Hell. Even though it's heartbreaking to see Ava's freedom being taken away from her, she should have stopped running when she put others in danger.
6 Felt Sorry: She Has Never Tasted Freedom
Not only did Ava lack agency and freedom before being murdered in the orphanage, but she also is not that free in her second life either. Instead of enjoying her life for a while, she is immediately tasked with incredibly demanding responsibilities. She was so happy when she went out for the first time, walked, danced, and befriended strangers, but it was all taken away from her when the OCS caught up with her. The Order had zero understanding of Ava's desires. Once Ava realizes how serious the situation is, she seems to forget about JC pretty fast.
It was hard at first, but by the season finale, Ava embraced her calling in life and assimilated well into the OCS.
5 She Had It Coming: Being Put Down When Trying To Escape ArqTech
If it wasn't for the OCS showing up at ArqTech's event, Ava would probably be dead or kidnapped by a Tarask. The OCS and Father Vincent give her a fairly warm welcome, but she wants to walk away from it all. No wonder, she was probably frightened and in shock. However, she could have at least said thank you and asked them what is going on, since they definitely had answers.
The OCS had no choice but to put Ava down and take her back to their base without her consent. After all, for as long as she had a Halo in her back, she was a walking target not just for Tarasks, but for other members of the Church as well.
4 Felt Sorry: Cardinal Duretti Suggested Lilith Murders Her
Even though it was Lilith who would do the killing, she was highly encouraged to do so by Cardinal Duretti. Not only is it twisted that a servant of God doesn't have a problem with murdering teenagers, but he also tasks another person to do the job. Even though it turns out he is not the villain who ordered the death of the previous Halo-bearer, he remains one of the biggest antagonists of the series.
Apart from Father Vincent and Beatrice, no one believed in Ava. Hopefully, she will prove them wrong in season 2 and that Duretti loses the power he holds within the Church.
3 She Had It Coming: Getting Hurt In Episode 7
In "Ephesians 4:22-24", Ava comes back to the church and teams up with the girls to confront the people who the Cardinal just placed there. Even though they are not their direct enemies, they act very aggressively. The OCS has no choice but to fight them, which results in some epic fight scenes and suspenseful action.
Ava decides to take the lead for the first time and tells her enemies: "I will kick the ever-loving s*** out of you because I am the goddamn Warrior Nu-" and then gets shot by a crossbow arrow. Even though she is seriously injured, it's hard to feel sorry for her in this scenario. She acted foolishly and irresponsibly.
2 Felt Sorry: She Was Manipulated By Adriel
The season finale was the best episode of the entire season. She was willing to give Adriel his Halo back in order to put an end to warrior nuns dying. That was very brave, considering that giving the Halo back would mean that she dies or becomes a quadriplegic again. However, Adriel is no angel and Ava realizes it when a sequence from Areala's life slashes before her eyes.
It turns out that Adriel was the main antagonist all along, not Cardinal Duretti or Mother Superion. He became a central part of many fan theories and is now free to roam the world.
1 She Had It Coming: Being Called Out By Beatrice
Sister Beatrice is a tender and kind soul who welcomed Ava better than anyone else. They shared several moments alone, talking about their past and the history of the Order. Beatrice is always nice to Ava, but she criticizes her when needed nonetheless. In "Ephesians 6:11", she calls Ava thoughtless and self-centered. In "2 Corinthians 10:4", she also gives her a lecture about teamwork after Ava fails to do her job right.
Even though it's probably hard to hear it, Beatrice only wants to help Ava and she needs to hear the truth in order to become an invincible warrior.