| “ | I'll kill you... every last Vampire... I'll slaughter you all!! | ” |
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Introduction
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Astolfo Granatum (アストルフォ・グラトゥム, Asutorufo Guranatumu), formally known as Astolfo of Garnet (
This article contains plot and/or ending details for The Case Study of Vanitas.
Read at your own risk.
Firstborn son of the House of Granatum, a long line of Chasseurs since the time of the War, Astolfo was raised by his father to continue their family's legacy. However as a child Astolfo hated conflict, a trait praised by his mother as kind, which led him to helping and befriending an injured Vampire he found. Though initially the friendship built through secret meetings between the Vampire and the Granatum children encouraged Astolfo's childhood dream of peace between races, this only ended in tragedy. The Vampire and his companions raided the Granatums' home, torturing the family for days on end. After being Marked against his will over twenty times, his parents and younger sister killed, Astolfo was saved by Roland.[1] This led to Astolfo idolizing, near worshipping the man who would go on to be assigned his trainer.[2]
Immediately following his rescue by the Chasseurs, Astolfo was unstable and suicidal. First Paladin and the Chasseurs' Commander Charles personally fostered Astolfo's hatred for Vampires and encouraged him to step up as a Paladin,[1] intent to use the tragedy Astolfo survived and his growth from it as a symbol to gain public favor. As Astolfo was raised by Roland to gain Paladin rank, the former's hatred festered while the latter searched for salvation for the boy he took in. This escalated during a mission to storm the site of a Vampire-run human trafficking ring. Astolfo, assigned to rescue the survivors, found that they sympathized with the Vampires whom they called their saviors and friends and thus were hostile to the Chasseurs. Astolfo slaughtered every survivor there for being Vampire-sympathizing "heretics."[2]
Roland was enraged by this and denounced Astolfo for his excessive violence towards victims who could still be forgiven. Astolfo then broke down and confessed his hatred for Vampires and subsequent violence was only misdirected from a hatred towards himself, revealing he still desired punishment and death for his family's murder. Roland broke down in despair as well realizing that Astolfo was beyond salvation. Roland resigned as Astolfo's trainer to let the boy to believe he was abandoning him, intent to redirect Astolfo's hatred from himself to Roland. In time, Astolfo was promoted to Paladin, his violent hatred for Vampires and betrayed contempt for Roland stronger than ever as he dedicated himself to killing every last Vampire.[2]
Appearance[]
Astolfo is a short, slender boy with fair skin and androgynous features. His face is round, with a small chin and nose, thin, arched eyebrows, and large, pink, upturned eyes with long eyelashes. Adding to his androgynous presentation is his hair, dark pink in color and very straight. Parted in the middle, his hairstyle is long for a boy's, cut straight just beyond his chin so as to cover his ears. Long bangs fall into the center of his face, but do not cover his eyes.
He wears the standard chasseur's uniform, including black pants, a cassock, a pale harness, a ribbon-like belt, white lace-up boots, and a rosary. As accessories, he wears a pair of earrings which resemble vampire fangs. His hands are protected with fingerless gloves.
Personality[]
Astolfo is the first of the chasseurs to be depicted as wholly malicious- he states outright that it is not the job of chasseurs to protect humans, but to kill vampires. He holds little regard for human life and takes apparent joy in causing harm to others, going out of his way to inflict unnecessary suffering on his victims. His temper is extremely quick, and he flies into a rage with little provocation. In particular, he hates being mistaken for a woman, being touched without consent, and being compared to Roland Fortis.
Violent, obsessive, egocentric, and sadistic, Astolfo wishes wholeheartedly for the genocide of vampires, and is unwilling to hear words to the contrary. Despite Noé's initial attempts to negotiate with him, he soon realizes Astolfo does not care about the feelings or humanity of those around him. Nonetheless, Astolfo believes himself to be "justice"- he sees himself as a deserved punishment upon vampires, going so far as to name his weapon the Pillar of Justice, Louisette- "Louisette" being another name for "guillotine," the device famously used to execute King Louis XV. When Astolfo becomes determined to eliminate a target, he will pursue them to the point of self destruction, thoughtlessly overdosing on the chasseur's steroids in an attempt to kill Noé.
Prior to his family's deaths, Astolfo was far more timid and empathetic. He showed kindness towards a wounded vampire boy, in spite of his Catholic upbringing. As a consequence, he blames himself for his family's demise. Though openly hateful towards Roland, he still appears to rely on him for comfort. Noé questions how much of Astolfo's genocidal passion is genuinely his own will, and how much was implanted in him by the Church. Small traces of Astolfo's gentle persona remains, despite being aloof towards even his comrades. He is shown to be particularly gentle and affectionate towards small children.
Powers and Abilities[]
- "Pillar of Justice," Louisette (“正義の柱 "ルイゼット", Seigi no Hashira "Ruizetto") is a spear that serves as Astolfo's primary weapon. In its default position, it is about the length of Astolfo's body, with a long, mechanized spearhead, its shape angular and shallowly curved. While most of its shaft is black, pale wrapping precedes the head of the spear, and its end is white and pointed. Like the weapons of the other paladins, it has specialized capabilities fueled by Astermite.
- Astolfo is able to extend Louisette's head and thus change its length, confusing his enemies and forcing them to adapt to unpredictable weapon lengths.
- After a few seconds of charging, Louisette can be made to "burst," its head splitting open and creating an explosion.
- Chasseurs' "Tonic": Astolfo carries injectable steroids manufactured by the Catholic Church. These improve his combat performance, but can have severely detrimental health effects if taken in excess.
- Aegis: Like all chasseurs, Astolfo carries specialized flashbangs caused "Aegis." These flashbangs are specifically intended to blind vampires, making them unable to alter the World Formula.
- Proficiency in Combat: Though said by Noé to be weaker than Roland Fortis, Astolfo displays considerable strength in combat. While lacking in physical strength, and thus unable to deliver powerful individual blows, he is noted to be agile and clever. His combat style relies on speed and dexterity, dealing his opponents continual blows while goading them into leaving themselves open to more effective attacks.
Relationships[]
Marco[]
Coming soon!
Roland Fortis[]
It is suggested that Roland is often the one to spend time with Astolfo, as when Roland attempts to forgo the ideals of the Chasseurs, Olivier appeals to his responsibility towards the teen. However, Astolfo harbors a natural hatred for Roland, becoming increasingly infuriated as Vanitas taunted him about his inferiority to the older Chasseur, and being unable to accept the Paladin's skill.
Roland saved Astolfo from the vampires who killed his family. As a result, Astolfo came to worship Roland as a perfect being and was inseparable from him. At some point, Roland committed an unknown act that caused Astolfo to feel betrayed, leading to his current animosity towards the elder paladin. Despite this, Astolfo is incredibly knowledgeable of Roland's behavior.
Noé Archiviste[]
Coming soon!
Unnamed Mother and Father[]
Astolfo watched his parents be murdered by a group of vampires as a very young child, scarring him for life. His mother was violated in front of his father, and his father had his head split open. Astolfo honors his parents and wishes he could have protected them. He goes berserk when anyone insults them for any reason.
Unnamed Younger Sister[]
Just like with his parents, Astolfo watched his sister die in front of him. Both of them had their blood drunk by the vampires who attacked his family, and he held her hand as he felt her warmth leaving little by little. Astolfo is very fond of her, and he was always protecting her and playing with her when she was alive.
Quotes[]
- “We Chasseurs will hunt them all to extinction!”[3]
- “You seem to have the wrong idea. A Chasseur’s job isn’t protecting humans. It’s hunting Vampires.”[4]
- “Come! Offer your head to my ‘Pillar of Justice,’ Louisette!”[4]
- “Don’t you dare!! Insult my father!!”[5]
- “There’s a Vampire I failed to end right in front of me. I can’t ignore that, can I?”[6]
- “Vampires… and those who take their side—I’ll slaughter every last one of them.”[6]
- “Vanish. Vanish. Vanish. You Vampires… need to vanish from my world, every last one of you!!”[7]
- “Vampires should never have been born in the first place. Filth that doesn’t have permission to exist. That’s what you are!!! And so I—we… have to wipe out the Vampires and make the world clean again!!!”[7]
- “I’ll kill you. The Vampires. Every last one of you. I’ll be the one to do it!!”[8]
- “I’ll never forgive you. You Vampires. Never, no matter what. I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.”[9]
- “Lord… knight. I beg you… please, save my sister. I don’t care what happens to me, just… It was my fault. It was all my… all my fault they…!”[9]
- “When my father gave this dagger to me… I was so young that ‘death’ was just something I’d read about.”[1]
- “I’m scared. Hurting somebody. Getting hurt. I’d hate that.”[1]
- “They took from us… so we should take everything from them!!”[2]
- “No matter how I prayed, no hand reached down to save me. The one who did save me was—Roland. Roland Fortis. My God.”[2]
- “Forgiveness? There’s no need for that. There can’t be. I mean… forgiving these people… meanings forgiving myself!! Something like that should never be forgiven!! I won’t allow it!!”[2]
Appearances[]
- Mémoire 18: Dos à Dos — The Shape of Salvation (Mentioned only)
- Mémoire 23: Au Pas Camarade — Pace (First Appearance)
- 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 30: Strascinando — Tremolo*
- Mémoire 33: Cauchemar — Rumble
- Mémoire 34.5: Jean-Jacques — The Vampire of the Chastels (Part Two)
- Mémoire 35: Louisette — Pillar of Justice
- 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 45: Mal d'amour — The Incurable Illness (Part Two)*
- Entracte: Jours Bruyants — Tales of Lost Children
- Extra: The Case Study of Vanitash!!!! —Expanded Edition— (Non-Canon)
- Mémoire 58: Observation — The Darkness in Between
- Mémoire 59: Fuga — What the Organist Plays
- Mémoire 12: Deux Ombres -Point of Departure- (First Appearance)
- Mémoire 13: Forêt d'argent -Chance Encounter-
- Mémoire 14: Château de Sorcière -The Witch and the Young Man-
- Mémoire 16: Chasse aux Vampires -The Beast-
- Mémoire 17: Vengeance -Hands Upon a Nightmare-
- Mémoire 18: Avec Toi -Just the Two of Us-
- Mémoire 19: Canorus -Snow Flower-
- Mémoire 20: Mal d'amour -The Incurable Disease- (Mentioned only)
(*) - Denotes that the character did not appear physically, but as a part of another character's memories.
Trivia[]
- Astolfo is based off of one of the Knights of Charlemagne from The Song of Roland,[10] one of the three cycles of the Matter of France,[11] a body of literature containing legends that have defined the history of France. In particular, he is based off Astolfo,[12] a character with a minor role in the overall narrative of the epic poem.
- While the other known Chasseurs (Roland, Olivier, and Gano/Ganelon) are based off fairly prominent characters within The Song of Roland, Astolfo is fairly obscure. It is quite likely Astolfo is a reference to the character Rider of Black (true name Astolfo), part of the fate/ franchise, of which Jun Mochizuki is an open fan. Like fate/'s Astolfo, Astolfo Granatum has pink hair, a feminine, youthful appearance, and is a paladin for the Catholic Church.
- Astolfo shares this eponymic origin with all Chasseur Paladins.
- Although the official romanization of his name is "Astolfo," his name is sometimes written as "Astolphe" in official merch and some of Jun Mochizuki's drawings.
- Original name of Astolfo's prototype from French Chanson de geste was Estout. Astolfo is an Italian version of name (as Orlando for Roland), used by Renaissance poets Matteo Maria Boiardo ("Orlando innamorato") and Ludovico Ariosto ("Orlando furioso"). In Renaissance poems Astolfo is a cousin of Roland and one of the main characters. In "Orlando furioso" he has traveled to the Moon where gets Roland's wits, hidden in a bottle, to help Roland, whom become insane because of love, return to his senses.
- "Granatum" is the Latin word as well as the scientific term for the fruit pomegranate.[13]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Mémoire 58: Observation
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Mémoire 59: Fuga
- ↑ Mémoire 23: Au Pas Camarade
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mémoire 25: Endroit Approprié
- ↑ Mémoire 26: Dissonance
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Mémoire 34.5: Jean-Jacques (Part Two)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Mémoire 35: Louisette
- ↑ Mémoire 40: Avec Toi
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Mémoire 42: Encore une Fois
- ↑ Wikipedia: Song of Roland
- ↑ Wikipedia: Matter of France
- ↑ Wikipedia: Astolfo
- ↑ Wikipedia: Pomegranate