The Drode is evil, and is often sent on missions for his master Crayak. He appears to the Animorphs several times, playing mind games with them, and seems to hold a special "fondness" for Rachel due to her viciousness and drive (similar to Crayak's particular obsession with Jake , out of revenge for what Jake did to his Howler shock troops). He and the Ellimist often appear opposite each other, sniping at each other verbally and arguing with each other in attempts to draw one or more of the Animorphs to their side. Interestingly there seems to be no good equivalent to the Drode on the Ellimist's side, though the Ellimist, with his almost unlimited power, probably doesn't need one. (For that matter, there is no known reason why Crayak would need a servant either; presumably Crayak simply would rather send a messenger than directly show himself, as the Ellimist does.)
Though very powerful, the Drode has certain restrictions on what he is allowed to do, defined by the rules of Crayak and the Ellimist's "game." In '','' for example, he says he is not allowed to destroy a sentient life form, including intelligent animals such as Whale s (it is unknown if he means for that particular mission or at all). However, he is able to find loopholes to these cosmic laws, such as destroying the Chee (who, while sentient androids, don't count as "life forms"). Within this book he acts (as Rachel describes him) like a puppetmaster, manipulating the characters to do his will.
The Drode is similar to the Trickster character in many legends, in that he has great powers and often uses them to amuse himself; however, unlike many tricksters, he is also truly evil, and has been known to express his desire for carnage and viciousness. Nevertheless the Drode seems to enjoy his trickster personality, and acts almost like a cartoon character at times---for example, pulling a giant watch out for comic effect, while giving the Animorphs a few minutes to decide the fate of the world.
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