“ | Dhams’ only allies are other Dhams! | ” |
Introduction
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Dante (ダンテ, Dante) is a supporting character from Jun Mochizuki's The Case Study of Vanitas. As a Dhampir, Dante belongs in neither human nor Vampire society. And so, he makes his living off working as an information broker alongside his coworkers and brethren, Johann and Riche. One of his most regular customers is Vanitas, to whom he sells information regarding curse-bearers and related incidents. Because of this, Dante is primarily where Vanitas and Noé find their direction on where to go next in their quest to cure every curse-bearer they can.
Appearance[]
Dante is a young man of muscular stature with short, messy, red- brown hair and bright red eyes inherited from his Vampire parent. A small beauty mark situated on his left cheek also embellishes Dante's eyes. While working as an information broker, Dante wears a black suit decorated with a cross-stitch pattern, ornate golden buttons, and sleeves ending in different material -- a seemingly universal uniform among information brokers. Underneath, he sports a dark-colored vest speckled with small white polka dots, a white undershirt, a tie, and a matching pocket square.
Personality[]
Dante tends to be rather carefree when dealing with Vanitas - though he is easily annoyed by his employer and partner - particularly when Vanitas addresses him as "Baldy." The two often take jabs at each other playfully, though in reality they enjoy each other's company. In relation to Riche, however, Dante takes on a much more serious, parent-like role. While he is willing to accept her attempts at distancing herself from a childlike perception, Dante also often condemns Riche when she adopts more reckless behaviors, showing that he is very protective of those closest to him by nature.
Dante is scared of dark and creepy places, like the catacombs and the forest, as well as stereotypically scary animals like bears and wolves.
Dante, unlike Johann, hates the discrimination and hatred he receives from both humans and vampires, and genuinely wants to be accepted by a group other than his small Dham family.
History[]
Dante was born to one vampire parent and one human parent. It’s suggested that he was not close and/ or spent very little time with his parents. Dante spent the entirety of his early life being ostracized by both vampires and humans, and had no home in either group.
Dante is shown to have been abandoned by a women who seems to be his mother.
At some point before the events of the manga, Dante met Vanitas, Riche, and Johann.
Plot[]
Parisian Excursion Arc[]
Dante aided Vanitas in his attempt to cure the curse-bearer, Amelia Ruth, on La Baleine. Using a gun, he helped fend off Amelia once she had fallen victim to Eglantine.
Dante later reunited with Vanitas outside of the Galerie Valentine where he sold Vanitas and Noé information about the "Nine-Fold Murderer," Thomas Berneux, telling the two to follow one of his bats to a friend who was tailing the murderer. Afterwards, another of Dante's colleagues, Johann, arrived with news that Lord Ruthven's Bourreau had entered Paris. When Johann learned that the friend following Berneaux was Riche, he reprimanded Dante for putting her in harms way, and the pair set off to find her. After doing so, the three observed the battle between the Bourreau, Noé, and Vanitas, viewing Vanitas's threats toward Jeanne with distaste.
Hunters of the Dark Arc[]
Dante brings Vanitas a chasseur’s button with six wings on it that he snatched off someone who attempted to kidnap a cursebearer. Vanitas, Noé, and the dhams visit the catacombs under Paris, where Dante gets into an argument with Riche after she trips and ends up in Noé’s arms.
Dante and Riche search the catacombs for a secret tunnel leading to the chasseurs’ hideout. Riche tells Vanitas about Dante’s fear of dark, creepy tunnels; which sparks an argument between Vanitas and Dante.
Beast of Gévaudan Arc[]
Dante is the first person to inform Vanitas and Noé that the beast of Gévaudan has returned. He is visibly disturbed when Noé confusedly suggests that he would like to eat the beast.
Dante and Johann, on orders from Marquis Machina, meet up with Noé and Vanitas in a small village between Paris and Gévaudan. The group completes the rest of the journey together and enter the forest of Gévaudan. Dante is terrified of the possible wolves and bears in the forest, which Johann teases him about. Noé gets separated from the group, but before they can search for him it begins to snow and Dante and Johann learn of Vanitas’s extreme weakness to cold.
The remaining group quickly find themselves in a strange world, surrounded by both 18th century soldiers and chasseurs. Dante and Vanitas find Noé fighting the chasseur Astolfo. During the ensuing battle Naenia appears and surrounds Dante and Johann in a circle of black, misty figures. The Book of Vanitas is knocked out of Vanitas’s hand, and the ensuing release of energy causes an avalanche that separates Dante from the group.
Dante notices Noé and the Book of Vanitas lying in the snow, but sees them being approached by two figures and hides in the woods. He guesses that the people approaching Noé are the Silver Witch Chloé D’Apchier and a bodyguard or servant. Dante spends the rest of the night searching for Johann and the rest of the group. In the morning he sees smoke and finds the cabin where Vanitas and Jeanne spent the night. Dante is reunited with an ecstatic Johann, who cuddles and kisses him much to Dante’s dismay.
The group makes their way to Chloé’s castle. Vanitas rushes ahead, leaving Dante and Johann to hurry after him. When Queen Faustina awakens Dante is shown scenes from his past in which people insult him for being a dham and tell him he has no home anywhere. We are then shown his first meeting with Vanitas, in which Vani tells Dante that he doesn’t care if he’s a dham or a vampire or a human.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Enhanced Speed, Strength and Endurance - given his Vampiric parentage, Dante possesses some level of higher physical prowess. He’s shown lifting a large log and using it as a baseball bat with a chasseur’s head with very little trouble.
Quotes[]
- “Dhams don’t care what happens to humans or Vampires.”[1]
- “I mean, this is you we’re talking about. After things got ugly back there, I figured you’d just split up.”[1]
- “Hey, your sugar daddy’s a pretty brave guy.”[1]
- “Don’t give me that crap!! Every last one of you! Poking fun… at me—at Dhams!!”[2]
- “No way I could cut him loose and run in a situation like this!!”[2]
- “‘Don’t leave me.’ If I’d been able to tell her that… would it have changed our future somehow?”[3]
- “…Are you implying… that we’re accepting this because we’re fine with it!?”[4]
- “‘Someone’? Who exactly… is ‘someone’? Who’d show up for us? This place… This world treats us like it can’t even see us…”[5]
Appearances[]
- Mémoire 1: Vanitas — In the Event of Rusty Hopes (First Appearance)
- Mémoire 3: Jeanne — The Hellfire Witch
- Mémoire 4: Femme Fatale — Love
- Mémoire 5: Archiviste — Fangs That Reveal Blood
- Mémoire 6: Altus — Other World*
- Mémoire 13: Glissando — Glissando
- Mémoire 14: Catacombes — Where the Dead Sleep
- Mémoire 15: Chasseur — Those Who Hunt Crimson (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 16: Galop — At the End of the Riot (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 17: Cicatrice — No. 69 (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 21: Serment — Promise (Part Two)
- Mémoire 22: Hurler — A Calling Voice
- Mémoire 23: Au Pas Camarade — Pace
- Mémoire 24: Forêt d'argent — Chance Encounter
- Mémoire 25: Endroit Approprié — Melee
- Mémoire 26: Dissonance — Creaking Laughter
- Mémoire 27: Cage de Neige — Dregs
- Mémoire 28: Dal Segno — Question Mark
- Mémoire 29: Château de Sorcière — The Witch and the Youth
- Mémoire 30: Strascinando — Tremolo
- Mémoire 33: Cauchemar — Rumble
- Mémoire 34: Jean-Jacques — The Vampire of the Chastels (Part One)
- Mémoire 34.5: Jean-Jacques — The Vampire of the Chastels (Part Two) (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 37: Vengeance — Hands That Touch a Nightmare
- Mémoire 38: Naenia — She Who Harbors Death (Part One)
- Mémoire 38.5: Naenia — She Who Harbors Death (Part Two)
- Mémoire 39: Poupée Fissurée — The Essence of the Witch
- Mémoire 40: Avec Toi — Alone Together
- Mémoire 41: Canorus — Snow Flower
- Mémoire 42: Encore une Fois — Love
- Mémoire 43: Encens Restant — Lingering Scent of the Dream
- Mémoire 46: Un Autre — Scar
- Entracte: Jours Bruyants — Tales of Lost Children
- Mémoire 51: Tempest — A Silent Scream
- Extra: The Case Study of Vanitash!!!! —Expanded Edition— (Non-Canon)
- Mémoire 55.5: Après la pluie — His Wish (Part Two)
- Mémoire 56: Faire un gâteau — Bittersweet
- Mémoire 57: Au Revoir — Again, Someday
- Mémoire 58: Observation — The Darkness in Between (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 61: Jeu de paume — Court Tennis (Part One)
- Mémoire 61.5: Jeu de paume — Court Tennis (Part Two)
- Mémoire 62: Bourdonnement — Wingbeats of Scattered Thought (Part One)
- Mémoire 62.5: Bourdonnement — Wingbeats of Scattered Thought (Part Two)
- Mémoire 63: Quelqu'un — Someone
- Mémoire 1: Vanitas -In the Event of Rusty Hopes- (First Appearance)
- Mémoire 2: Noé -In the City of Flowers-
- Mémoire 3: Archiviste -Fangs that Lay Bare Blood-
- Mémoire 8: Catacombes -Where Death Slumbers-
- Mémoire 11: Serment -Promises-
- Mémoire 12: Deux Ombres -Point of Departure-
- Mémoire 13: Forêt d'argent -Chance Encounter-
- Mémoire 14: Château de Sorcière -The Witch and the Young Man-
- Mémoire 15: Oiseau et ciel -The d'Apchiers' Vampire-
- Mémoire 16: Chasse aux Vampires -The Beast-
- Mémoire 18: Avec Toi -Just the Two of Us-
- Mémoire 19: Canorus -Snow Flower-
- Mémoire 21: Un Autre -Scars-
- Mémoire 23: Pleuvoir -Tears like Rain-
- Mémoire 24: Après la pluie -His Wish-
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Trivia[]
- "Dante" may possibly derive from Dante Alighieri,[6] who famously wrote the Divine Comedy,[7] a three-act narrative poem of the author being guided through all three aspects of the afterlife as understood in Christianity: hell, purgatory, and heaven.
- Mochizuki believes she is drawing him to look his age, but people are always startled when they find out he is only eighteen.[8]
- Dante is an excellent cook and baker. Making sweets is his specialty, and he often goes shopping at his favorite sweets shops.[9]