Dante (Fullmetal Alchemist)
Dante is a female anime and manga villain who features in Fullmetal Alchemist.
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Biography
Dante (Japanese: ダンテ, Hepburn: Dante) was a female human who was born around 400 years ago where she learnt the art of alchemy. At some point, she also encountered a man called Hohenheim who became her lover. At some point, they had a son but the boy died from mercury poisoning at a young age. In grief, Hohenheim attempted to bring him back to life through transmutation but created the Homunculi Envy. In their time together, Dante and Hohenheim created the first Philosopher's Stone that was created from those condemned as witches or those dying from plague with these subjects used as a human sacrifice. During the transmutation, Hohenheim was nearly killed but Dante saved him by attaching his soul to the body of another man and as a result the two lovers discovered the secrets to 'eternal' life. Thus, through such means, they lived near immortal existences by constantly transferring their souls into a new younger body with the power of the Philosopher's Stone. It was through this means that Dante managed to survive across the centuries and escape death. Their actions also led to the destruction of two ancient cities with one being where Amestris resided and the other being a fabled lost city in the east that was Hohenheim's home. At some point, the city was pulled underground to hide this atrocity with the capital of Amestris later built over it with only a few aware of the existence of the city underneath. Their actions were not known to others and it was instead believed that both cities mysteriously vanished overnight. In reality, the people were used as ingredients for the Philosopher's Stone with the buildings being pulled underground as a result of alchemy. At some point, Hohenheim left Dante and twenty years ago he met Trisha Elric where he fell in love with her.
In the aftermath, Dante continued to operate by herself in the world where she used the Stone in her possession to move through bodies. By her side was the Homunculi Envy that was her and Hohenheim's son. Envy had long desired revenge against his father as he felt betrayed by Hohenheim for abandoning him. She was responsible for later creating the Homunculi Pride that took the identity of King Bradley. He was considered her greatest creation of Dante as he was a Homunculi that was capable of ageing. Afterwards, she created another Homunculi that became known as Greed. Greed, however, turned against Dante and went rogue forcing her to imprison him in a sealed cell for a century. Dante arrived at Hohenheim's residence when Trisha Elric had died and was subjected to a human transmutation by her children Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric. The Elric brothers believed they had failed in their attempt at resurrecting their mother with Dante finding the newborn Homunculi. She took Trisha with her and fed her Red Stones to allow her to gain her senses. Dante had Pride shelter Trisha Elric who became known as Sloth of the Homunculi. Many years ago, she met Izumi Curtis where she became Dante's apprentice and through her she learnt everything she knew about alchemy. Dante in her role as a civilian later took Izumi Curtis as her apprentice but her student wanted to be among humans in the city eventually leading to her leaving her mentor. In time, she became known as a world renowned pharmacist and it was this element that led to her being consulted by Izumi Curtis for medicine due to her medical condition. At some point, Lyra entered into the service of Dante and began to learn from her as an apprentice in the hope of becoming a fully trained alchemist.
Izumi Curtis sent Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric to the home of Dante in order to get much needed medicine along with learning more about the Philosopher's Stone. As they arrived, they were greeted by Lyra and taken to Dante where she warned against seeking the Philosopher's Stone. At that moment, her home was attacked by the renegade Homunculi Greed and his minions that managed to capture Alphonse Elric. Dante's former student Izumi Curtis later appeared and asked about the location of the Elric brothers where she gave the answer to her old pupil. She also added that the search for the Philosopher's Stone was a quest filled with ruin and that Izumi should stop the Elrics from seeking it. Dante stated that warfare was something that consumed mankind until they were taught to let it go. However, Izumi stated the world did not see the same as Dante and that she along with her mentor were different people with different alchemy. As she departed, Dante bade her farewell and said that she doubted that they would see each other again. Afterwards, Greed's forces were decimated by the Amestrian military and he sought to confront Dante. Unknown to anyone, Dante had decided to abandon her current human body and transferred her soul into Lera whereupon she left her former host with fatal wounds on the ground. As Greed arrived, he was greeted by Lyra who seemed very familiar on the Homunculi's history. She tricked Greed into entering a transmutation circle near his human body's remains with this forcing him to disgorge a large quantity of his life force thus severely weakening him. Dante had then disappeared as Edward Elric arrived where he mistakenly believed Greed had killed Dante leading to a battle between the pair. Greed was ultimately killed and in his final moments he told Edward the weakness of Homunculi when in the process of their human remains. In the aftermath, Izumi Curtis attended the burial of her mentor alongside the Elrics with the two unaware that Dante was alive within Vera's body who had fled the scene.
She later travelled to the town of Reole where she became a confidante and ally of Rose. The people of the town were being attacked by the State Military who had aggressively taken it over and were searching for the rogue Ishvalan Scar. Edward and Alphonse Elric later arrived at the town where they sought out Scar. Once there, Edward encountered 'Lyra' and was unaware that her body was taken over by Dante. 'Lyra' claimed that after Dante's death, she had fled and did not know what to do until she arrived at Reole. Upon arriving, she saw the plight of the towns people and decided to help them. During this time, Edward Elric helped the town people escape with 'Lyra' seemingly taking Rose with her newborn child to safety. The Reole people were scattered with 'Lyra' taking Rose to an apparent safe spot that was situated at an underground church. Once there, her true nature as Dante was shown along with her being the hidden master of the Homunculi. Rose who was traumatised by rape by the State Military was in a constant dazed state where she followed Dante's commands. Meanwhile, Dante kept Rose as her future host body and her child was needed to open the Gate of Truth. In the underground city beneath the capital, Hohenheim of Light arrived in order to confront Dante. She attempted to get him to join her again but he refused and told her why their bodies kept on rotting after moving to new hosts. During the battle between the two, the Homunculi Sloth arrived who was born from Hohenheim's wife Trisha Elric. This provided the distraction that allowed him to be defeated whereupon he was sent through the Gate of Truth formed from Rose's child.
Gluttony then arrived where he demanded to know about Lust with Dante telling him to ask Edward Elric. Edward confirmed that List was dead which left Gluttony in a distraught state. He would continue to ask Dante about List with her growing tired of his questions and her telling him that Homunculi did not have feelings. To get Gluttony to follow her commands, Dante used her power to blank the Homunculis mind turning into a simple minded beast that was only consumed with satisfying his hunger. With Edward dead, Dante intended to proceed with her plan at creating the Philosophers Stone by having Gluttony slowly consume Alphonse's body. However, Al defied Dante and arose from the transmutation circle where he used his alchemy in an effort to bring back his brother. In the process, Envy was dragged into the circle as he attempted to stop Alphonse but ended up going through the Gate of Truth. Alphonse himself also disappeared with the Stone as he sought to bring his brother Edward back to life. As a result, the Philosophers Stone was lost thus depriving its use to Dante who decided to flee. She lamented the loss of the Stone as her body continued to decay but sought to escape the underground city. Whilst in the elevator, Gluttony eaten his way into the lift from the floor with Dante demanding to know what the Homunculi wanted only to remember that he had lost his mind. Instead, she attempted to placate him by saying she would find him something to eat but Gluttony was incapable of being reasoned with in this state. Instead, he turned on Dante with her attempting to use alchemy to defend herself but she was apparently consumed by the Homunculi in his mindless hungry mindset.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Dante was a female human whose form changed varied over the years as she long ago used alchemy to switch to younger bodies when the previous ones grew too old for her use.
When asked, she at one claimed that she became an alchemist for a number of reasons with the most important being to help people. She stated that humans needed alchemy more than they knew and that it could provide valuable relief for those that need it. As such, officially told others that she enjoyed making people happy and rewarding them for their hard efforts in life. Dante stated that she provided a balance with this ultimately being about equivalency. Dante felt that in the real world the blaze of conflict was fed by malice and it consumed all that came into contact with it. She felt that such blazes smouldered until people put an end to all the fighting. She saw no need to love any human being as she viewed them all as ignorant and egotistical beings beyond any redemption. She cited that the moment they discovered gunpowder that they used it for war and thought that them understanding alchemy would lead to a terrible future. Dante believed that humans could not handle using the Philosophers Stone as its power was greater than any weapon forged and mankind would abuse it as they were ruled by their sins. Though she acknowledged destroying cities, she said that humans would destroy the world. Thus, she believed the humans killed by her were necessary martyrs with Dante claiming that they were killed to save mankind from itself. Dante saw herself as the guardians and the shepherd of sins with her claiming her existence was needed to live on in order to prevent humans from doing something foolish with the Philosophers Stone. Ultimately, Dante did not consider herself human anymore.
In her home, there was one name that was stated that was not to be spoken in front of her with his being Hohenheim of Light. She stated that she knew Hohenheim of light very well. Dante still desired him and asked him why he had thrown away their immortal life together. In Lera's body, he even attempted to tempt Hohenheim into enjoying it together but he refused. She scoffed when he said he had a wife as she said she had many husbands in her life with each of them she abandoned as she grew older. To prevent discovery, she was forced to leave each of them. Dante tended to choose a life of isolation where she lived in woods and saw no one. Despite her views, she kept a love letter that Hohenheim had sent her around 400 years ago. One of her plots that she was looking forward to was taking over the body of the girl Rose and being loved by the son of Hohenheim.
To enlist the Homunculi's aid, she promised that once the Philosopher's Stone was used to transfer her to a new body that she would turn them human. However, she stated that this largely depended on their performance and how well they followed her orders. Despite these allies, she showed little acknowledgement of their emotions such as dismissing Wraths grief of Sloth as his adoptive mother where she stated that Homunculi had no mothers. With Gluttony, she told him to stop grieving for Lust as Homunculi had no feelings. In an effort to get Gluttony to conduct his duty, Dante used her power to blank his mind of human emotions this turning the Homunculi into a being with the singular desire to eat. The only family she had was the Homunculi Envy who was based on her and Hohenheim' son.
It was known that she had been the alchemist mentor to Izumi Curtis.
Dante was shown to dismiss the law of equivalent exchange that was believed by alchemists. She called it a naïve theory that was a beautiful story told to comfort the oppressed and make children do their lessons. She felt that the law of equivalency was a lie and that equal effort did not always lead equal gain. Instead, she felt the truth was far less desirable with the world being a cruel and random place with the chaos being beautiful. As such, she saw equivalency as a myth and a contrived order that attempted to make sense of a world that had none.
For a time, she lived an isolated manor in the woods away from human civilization. However, her primary base was the secret underground city located beneath the capital of Amestris.
Powers and abilities
Originally, Dante was an ordinary human female but one who came to gain great skill in alchemy. She along with Hohenheim of Light developed the means of immortality through the Philosophers Stone. Through the Stone, she was able to attach both her soul and that of Hohenheim onto another body. Constant use of the Stone in this manner meant that it gradually degraded over time which necessitated the need for the creation of a new Philosopher's Stone. Her body also had a distinct smell that was the same scent around Hohenheim. Though a form of immortality, each body began to slowly decay and die forcing her to find a new host body. After Hohenheim left her, Dante lacked the necessary knowledge to create a new Philosophers Stone. As explained by Hohenheim, this was because the transference from each body meant that a piece of their soul was left in their old form. As such, no matter how many new forms were taken, the flesh of the body would slowly decay and rot.
Dante was highly skilled in alchemy allowing her to conduct transmutation without a circle. With it, she was able to achieve fears such as shaping and animating stone into statues that attacked her enemies. Dante was able to create a transmutation circle array that were designed to deal a Homunculi with these requiring the human remains of the Homunculi. She was also able to affect a Homunculi by wiping their human mind and devolving them to singular personality traits such as Gluttony consumed by his hunger. Such was her reputation that Lyra called her the best alchemist. It was this skilled that allowed her to make medicine for others. Officially, she claimed to be a great alchemist from a long line of alchemists. Within her home were a great number of books that covered alchemy. She was extremely thorough in hiding her knowledge of alchemy and was a master of encrypting such information.
Through a newborn child, Dante was able to open the Gate of Truth where she could imprison her enemies or get them attacked by its tendrils.
Notes
- Dante was created by Shō Aikawa where she featured in the setting of the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist universe.
- She was an original creation of the first anime series as she never appeared in the Manga and replaced the role of Father.
In other media
Television
- In Fullmetal Alchemist, Dante made her first appearance as an original creation of the 2003 anime television series where she was voiced by Japanese actress Kazuko Sugiyama and by English actress Cindee Mayfield in the dubbed series.
Appearances
- Fullmetal Alchemist:
External Links
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