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This article is about the character Arthur Barma.
You may be looking for the memoirs he wrote recording the era of the Tragedy.
"I wish... it was all just an absurd fairy tale—"

—Retrace LXXIII: A note

Arthur Barma (アーサー=バルマ, Āsā Baruma) was a minor character from Jun Mochizuki's Pandora Hearts. He was the ancestor of the Barma Dukedom and had been the Duke over one hundred years ago, immediately after the Tragedy of Sablier occurred. He was one of Jack Vessalius's closest friends and thus helped with much of the disaster's aftermath, assisting in writing Jack's memoirs and sealing away the soul of Glen Baskerville. Jack volunteered his own body for this latter task, which was then used to created the Stone Seals that work to protect against Glen's return. Magicians personally selected by Arthur were tasked with protecting these Seals, and the duty passed onto their descendants.

Accounts of Arthur's experiences immediately following the Tragedy had been extensively written by the man himself in a series of his personal memoirs. One century after the Tragedy came to pass, the current Duke Barma Rufus discovers these memoirs after extensive searching and begins to decode their secrets.

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SPOILER WARNING!
This article contains plot and/or ending details for Pandora Hearts.
Read at your own risk.
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In truth the true instigator of the Tragedy of Sablier was Jack Vessalius, and Arthur Barma was the one who had helped him cover up the truth.

Quite some time before the Tragedy's occurrance, the Barma family lost a political struggle in their homeland and were exiled into the country where the story takes place. Despite his family's unimpressive status, Jack Vessalius, a very esteemed figure in the nobility, approached Arthur and became good friends with him. Arthur was instantly charmed completely, not figuring out until it was far too late that Jack befriended him solely to get in contact with his sister, Miranda. With Miranda's help, Jack went on to cause Tragedy of Sablier—he attempted to cast the entire material world into the Abyss, but failed and only succeeded in Sablier's fall.

In the aftermath, the Barmas were made into one of the Four Great Dukedoms. Arthur, now more enamoured than ever with his now heroic friend, agreed easily to help him seal away Glen Baskerville's soul using the cut up body parts of Oswald, the last incarnation of Glen and Jack's former best friend. After a number of years however, Jack discovered that his atrocities in the Tragedy had horrifying consequences; he was rejected from the Hundred Cycles and thus cursed to age circuitously, from an adult to an infant and then back again endlessly, until the remains of his soul burnt out. When he discovered this, Jack confessed the truth behind the Tragedy to Arthur. Though he was horrified by this revelation and now terrified by his friend, Arthur couldn't tell anyone lest his family lose everything they've gained from Jack's deceptions.

And so, Arthur agreed to help Jack gain complete control of the narrative surrounding the Tragedy, spreading the false ideal that Glen and the Baskervilles were responsible for the disaster and Jack was the noble hero who stopped their worldly destruction. He also helped Jack fake his death, not letting a soul know about his condition and persistence existence. However, from underneath Jack's nose, Arthur wrote the entire truth of the Tragedy within his own memoirs, hidden beneath double and triple ciphers and a deeply concealed location in the Barma estate. Sealed inside these writings of his were not only the truth of Jack Vessalius's nature but also a desperate wish for repentance and for another soul to share this knowledge. After completing these memoirs, Arthur quietly and fitfully passed away.

Appearance[]

Arthur Barma had gray eyes, thick eye browns and long red hair which is tied back with a black bow, though his bangs still fall over his face. Arthur wears an ascot of an unknown colour, as well as a black undershirt, a long overcoat, white pants and white gloves.

Personality[]

Arthur's personality is very recessive. He is timid, and often skiddish, as displayed when he panics after Jack embraced Lacie at Levi event for Arthur. Arthur also does not think highly of himself, as within his journal he had refered to himself as being dim-witted and bad with his words, and so whenever someone like Jack, who seemed to be of higher status than Arthur, would address him, Arthur would think that it was a mistake, and when Jack refered to Arthur as his friend, Arthur became very nervous.

History[]

Arthur was born as a part of a foreign nobility, born sometime before his younger sister, Miranda Barma. After reaching adulthood, his family lost a power struggle in their home country, and were exiled into the neighbouring country, where Arthur began 'kissing up' to the Glen Baskerville at the time, Levi . Arthur was to attend an event at the Baskerville mansion held by Levi in Arthur's honor. Arthur's sister,Miranda , introduced Arthur to a man who could play an instrument from their culture, a morin khuur, and would be willing to do so at Levi's event, as Arthur saw no harm in the matter, he accepted this and brought the man to the Baskerville estate with him.

During the event, the musician saw a Baskerville named Lacie and threw away his disguise and instrument to run and embrace Lacie from behind, stunning Arthur. Another Baskerville knocked the musician unconscious and Levi asked Arthur if he knew anything about this. Arthur feverishly explained that he didn't know the man and that his sister had just introduced Arthur to him. Levi then asked Lacie if she knew the man, and although she denied it, she did infact know the man as Jack Vessalius, whom she'd met eight years before hand. After Levi interrogates Jack, Oswald, Lacie's brother and the one who knocked Jack unconscious, tells the Baskervilles that neither the Barmas or the Vessaliuses would be held responsible for what had happened.

Arthur was skiddish by nature, but as Jack spent more time at the Baskerville estate, Arthur got to study him further. Arthur's overall impression of Jack was that he was like a person from another world to Arthur, and that he was bright, kind, witty, intelligent, abundantly popular and beautiful, generally the opposite of what Arthur thought of himself. So because of this, Arthur always thought it was a mistake whenever Jack called for him, and as they spent more time together, and Jack started refering to Arthur as his friend, Arthur's heart trembled. What Arthur hadn't realized until it was too late was that Jack was only using him to get to his sister, Miranda, and nothing more.

Arthur Barma

Arthur Barma next to Jack Vessalius and the 4 other Sorcerers.

After the Tragedy of Sablier, Jack had Arthur organize a group of four sorcerers, as well as himself, as the Barmas delved into sorcery 100 years ago, and played up that Arthur was going to divide Jack's dying body into five pieces to be created into Sealing Stones that would prevent the return of Glen Baskerville. Unbeknownst to the sorcerers, Jack had Arthur use Oswald's body instead.

Jack oversaw the writing of Arthur's memoirs to ensure that the events of the Tragedy of Sablier were chronicled the way Jack wanted them to be, making Jack seem like the hero, and Glen seem like the enemy. Arthur went against Jack and came clean about how Jack was the cause of the Tragedy of Sablier, as well as how he had sealed Glen's body rather than Jack's, in the last chapter of his memoirs. Arthur heavily encripted this section of his journal, possibly because he never intended for anyone to be able to read it, hiding it in the Barma family library in their newly located mansion within Reveil. At an unknown point after the Tragedy of Sablier, Arthur became recognized as the Duke of the Barmas and contacted numerous Baskervilles within the Abyss to obtain information about specific Chains, like Humpty Dumpty. Arthur also obtained Jack's own memoirs, explaining the existance of Alice and her odd behaviour, which he passed down through the Barma family, eventually reaching Rufus Barma.

While his memoirs were found 100 years later by his descendant, Rufus, many of Arthur's documents on sorcery and the Abyss were passed through the Barma's family, ending up in the hands of Rufus Barma's relative, Isla Yura. After the failed attempt to recreate the Tragedy of Sablier using the information from Arthur Barma as well as the guardian of the Sealing Stone whom had died prior to Yura's relocation in his mansion, Yura sent Rufus Arthur's volumes of Abyssal documentation. Sometime after this, Rufus uncovered Arthur's confession in the final chapter of his memoirs, defecting to the side of the Baskervilles after learning of their innocence.

Powers and Abilities[]

  • Varying abilities regarding sorcery - able to divide and seal a body to prevent a soul from returning to Earth.
  • Knowledgable of the Abyss

Relationships[]

Jack Vessalius[]

Jack and Arthur

Arthur was skiddish whenever Jack addressed him because he viewed Jack to be of a higher status than he was. Arthur's heart trembled when Jack began addressing Arthur as his friend, and at first Arthur had viewed Jack as someone from another world, though it seemed innocent enough. What Arthur couldn't see was that Jack was only using him to get to Miranda Barma, and that Jack didn't actually care about Arthur. Jack then proceeded to force Arthur to chronicle the events of the Tragedy of Sablier falsely and bind Oswald's soul. Rufus Barma viewed Arthur's confession in the last chapter of his journal to be more like a cry for help, hoping that someone would save Arthur from Jack.

Levi[]

Arthur was always kissing up to Levi, trying to get close to the Baskerville Dukedom because the Barmas had lost their noble status and been banished from their own country. Levi allowed this though, as he believed that experiencing another culture is good for a person, and he didn't seem to mind Arthur in general. Levi joked with Arthur, playing on his anxiousness, as shown when he teasingly asked Arthur if he'd known anything about Jack's intentions after Jack had embraced Lacie.

Oswald[]

Although Arthur was closer to Levi, Oswald didn't seem to mind Arthur. The two have yet to be seen interacting with one another, but when Jack brought both Arthur and Raymond up when meeting Oswald at the pond on the Baskerville estate, Oswald didn't argue when Jack spoke of them as their friends, although Jack did say that they never got to see the side of Oswald that Jack saw, implying that although Arthur was friends with Oswald, they were not overly close.

Quotes[]

  • "The soul that loseth its corporeal vessel doth become light, and in tandem with the wings of angels, doth travel the world covered in gold. And when a hundred cycles have elapsed, the journey cometh to its end and another journey doth begin anew."
  • "Jack Vessalius... was worlds apart from me. He was cheerful, kind and clever... and extrodinarily popular. But above all he was handsome. He was the exact opposite of a simple, tongue-tied man like myself. That's why... when he called out for me, I thought he had mistaken me for someone else. When he called me 'friend', I was taken aback. But the truth is... that he was only using me to get to my sister, Miranda. It's terrible! Terrible!! If only that nightmare, the Tragedy of Sablier was all a terrible lie..."
  • "Jack, he's a living ghost. In order not to be discovered by him, I will write down all I know of Jack's crimes within these pages. Just as Jack himself told me once. I wish all of this was just a ridiculous fairytale."

Gallery[]

Appearances[]

Manga Appearances
Omake Appearances

(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.

Trivia[]

  • "Arthur" is a name of either Latin origin, derived from the Roman clan Artorius, or Celtic origin, derived from "Artos" meaning "bear."[1]
  • Arthur is based off of the King of Hearts[2] from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[3] The King of Hearts is much more subdued and merciful compared to the Queen of Hearts, the inspiration for Miranda, but is meek in response to her authority.
  • He likes spending time alone. He dislikes himself.
  • He has no particular strengths or skills. He is weak when it comes to Jack and Miranda.
  • Mochizuki's comment on him is expressing pity for his truly horrible life, caught between a younger sister who loves collecting heads and a best friend trying to destroy the world.
  • Rufus Barma states that Jack's memoirs had been entrusted to the Duke of the Barmas three generations past, making Arthur Barma Rufus's great-grandfather.

References[]

Navigation[]

v - e - t Pandora Hearts
Characters

Main: AliceGilbert NightrayOz Vessalius
Vessalius: Ada VessaliusAda's CatsJack VessaliusMrs. KateOscar VessaliusRachel CecileSara VessaliusXai Vessalius
Nightray: Bernard NightrayBernice NightrayClaude NightrayEchoElliot NightrayErnest NightrayFred NightrayHansLeoMrs. FinnRaymond NightrayVanessa NightrayVincent Nightray
Rainsworth: EmilySharon RainsworthShelly RainsworthSheryl RainsworthXerxes Break
Barma: Arthur BarmaCalum LunettesGrunerMiranda BarmaReim LunettesRufus Barma
Baskervilles: CeliaDugFangGlen BaskervilleGlen Baskerville (♀)JuryLacieLeviLilyLottieNoiseOswald
Abyss: The Core of the AbyssThe Intention of the Abyss
Other: Flower GirlThe GeneralHarris WatsonHeadhunterIsla YuraJyantaMariePhillipe WestRytasTurnerWilliam West
Chains: AlbusB-RabbitBandersnatchCardsCheshireThe CookDemiosDodoDormouseDuldeeDuldumEquusFawnFlower Girl's ChainGrimGryphonHedgehog ChainsHumpty DumptyThe Intention's DollsJabberwockLacie's ChainLarsLeonMad BabyMad HatterMarch HareOwlRavenRocking-Horse-FlySnap-Dragon-FlyTove
Caucus Race: Dahlia GarlandGarland ButlerGeraldGreat MotherJosephineMarcelMia

Nobility Barma DukedomBaskerville ClanNightray DukedomRainsworth DukedomSinclair FamilyVessalius DukedomWest Family
Terminology Species & Factions: Black Winged ChainsChainsContractorsIsla Yura's CultPandora

Objects: Arthur Barma's Memoirs"Chains"Doors to the AbyssJack Vessalius' Pocket WatchKeys to the DoorsSilent Clock TowerStone Seals
Events: Coming-of-Age CeremonySuccession CeremoniesTragedy of Sablier
Miscellaneous: AngelsChildren of Ill OmenLacie (Song)Holy KnightStatice

Locations AbyssBarma HomelandCarillonDimensional PlaneÉbaucheHouse of FiannaLacie's TombLuca's GateLutwidge AcademyReveilSablierTower
Volumes IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIIIIXXXIXIIXIIIXIVXVXVIXVIIXVIIIXIXXXXXIXXIIXXIIIXXIV
Omake Maidora HeartsBumbling Sleuth BreakMagical Girl Ill-Omened❤LaciePandora Academy
Episodes 12345678910111213141516171819202122232425Special Episodes
DVDs IIIIIIIVVVIVIIVIIIIXBonus Story
Guidebooks & Artbooks 8.518.524 + 1Official Animation Guide〜Odds and Ends〜「There is.」
Light Novels 123
Drama CDs Pandora Hearts Drama CDNightmare of Vessalius Academy!Alice's Tea PartyAnimedia Radio SpecialRadio Special 1Radio Special 2Radio Special 3Retrace 42.5Another Story of A Promise Lost
Soundtrack OST 1OST 2Parallel HeartsMazeWatashi wo MitsuketeEverytime you kissed me
Character Songs Swear to...Kinjirareta AsobiTruth
Calendars 20102011201220132014
Extra Pandora HearchuMochizuki's MusingsTimelineReal-World References
Author Jun Mochizuki
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