Bantu

"You there. Have you come across a young girl, one by the name of Tiki? She must be found, boy! Tiki is the last of the Naga, the divine-dragon clan."

- Bantu in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon.

Bantu (バヌトゥ Banutu, Banutu in the Japanese version) is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi, Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem, and their remakes.

Profile
Little is known about Bantu's background outside his history with Tiki and his strong resistance to madness, unlike other Manaketes.

Prior to the events of Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi and its remakes, Bantu took pity on the Divine Dragon Tiki, who was sent to sleep in the Ice Dragon Temple by her father to protect her from lapsing into insanity. He then chose to, against Gotoh's strict instructions, rouse her from her slumber and thereafter explore the human realm with her. At some point of time during his travels with her, the two were separated. When Marth visits the Lefcandith village that he later takes up temporary residence in in Chapter 7, Bantu, in a state of panicked agitation, urges him to aid him in locating Tiki. The pair is reunited in the Fane of Raman in Chapter 19, where he is instrumental in freeing her from the spell of hypnosis that Gharnef had placed on her. After the end of the War of Darkness, Bantu seals the power of the dragonstones and takes Tiki to live a life of tranquility in the Dolunian countryside.

Some time preceding the events of Book 2 of Mystery of the Emblem and its remake, Bantu and Tiki are separated yet again, as Gotoh makes the decision to return her to sleep in the Ice Dragon Temple. When Marth later encounters Bantu in the eastern village on an island by Cashmere Bridge in Chapter 8, Tiki's fate is made known to him, and Bantu thereafter chooses to enlist in his army. Bantu will then aid Marth in bringing the War of Heroes to an end, and after abandoning his Firestone, sets out for parts unknown. Some light on the nature of these lands is shed in his final base conversation with Tiki in Shin Monshō no Nazo, where it is revealed that they are inhabited by Manaketes who have been relentlessly persecuted by mankind, and that he intends to provide moral support to them in their desolation.

Personality
Bantu can best be perceived to be in possession of a gentle, docile disposition, a fact made evident through the mild register that he employs in his speech. An example illustrating this is that of the second recruitment conversation with Marth, where, despite being aware of the ongoing chaos outside the village he has taken up residence in, he still speaks in an affable manner nevertheless.

Further bolstering Bantu's personality is the fact that he is rather tender-hearted, where he uses his heart as a moral compass more than he does his mind. This is proven through his taking pity on Tiki's plight, electing to defy Gotoh's orders by rousing her from her slumber and taking her away from the Ice Dragon Temple to explore the human realm. Bantu's interactions with Tiki also reveal an inclination to be patient, one that he exercises in obliging to her whims. His first base conversation with Tiki, for one, sees him not reprimanding her for having broken Marth's mirror, choosing instead to calm her down and coax her into believing that she had been forgiven by Marth.

In spite of his forbearing countenance, Bantu evidently wields a very strong will; one that is strong enough to resist being driven to madness like the bulk of his kin was.

Recruitment

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Growth Rates

 * 10%
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 * 10%
 * 0%
 * 10%
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Recruitment

 * -|Book 1=


 * -|Book 2=


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Base Stats

 * -|Book 1=


 * -|Book 2=

Growth Rates

 * 10%
 * 0%
 * 10%
 * 0%
 * 10%
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 * 0%
 * 3%
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Recruitment

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Growth Rates

 * 40%
 * 20%
 * 10%
 * 20%
 * 10%
 * 10%
 * 10%
 * 0%
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Support Relationships

 * Supported by


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Recruitment

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Growth Rates

 * 40%
 * 20%
 * 10%
 * 20%
 * 10%
 * 10%
 * 10%
 * 5%
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Support Relationships

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Support Bonus

 * Supports


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Supported by


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Overall
Bantu can be a decent Manakete to use for combat, but his horrible base stats and growth rates mar his usability considerably, causing him to be of lesser use when compared to Tiki or Nagi. Bantu's reappearance in Book 2 of Mystery of the Emblem does not see any of his flaws ironed out, and further adding on to these flaws is the fact that he is unable to use the Ice, Wyvern, and Magestones. This is changed in the game's remake, where Bantu can use these dragonstones for combat purposes.

In the later stages of the games that he appears in, Bantu's mediocre growth rates makes him rather weak when compared to the rest of the playable cast. In spite of this fact, it is an absolute necessity for him to be utilised in order to recruit Tiki at a later stage in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi and its remakes.

An advantage to Bantu in the original Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi is that his Firestone has infinite uses, allowing him to be used as an effective tank against enemy units.

Shadow Dragon
Fire Dragon

Bantu sealed the dragonstones’ power and disappeared, but his wish was to live out his years in the Dolunian countryside.

Shin Monshō no Nazo ~Hikari to Kage no Eiyū~
Tiki's Guardian

"Bantu left after discarding his dragonstone, his whereabouts unknown."

Death Quotes
"Tiki...I'm so sorry..."

- Bantu's death quote from Shadow Dragon

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)
Bantu is illustrated in the trading card game Fire Emblem Cipher with the following card:

Trivia

 * Bantu's portrait is an edited version of Gharnef's in Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi.
 * Bantu is the only playable male character of the Manakete class. Additionally, Bantu is the only non-Divine manakete to support Marth and the Akaneian League.
 * Bantu is randomly mentioned in Awakening by Nowi in passing when she stands on an Event Tile, where she erroneously refers to him as "Banter".