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: Monshō no Nazo, and their remakes.

Little is known about Bantu's background outside his history with Tiki and his strong resistance to madness, unlike other Manaketes. He is an elderly Manakete who took pity on the Divine Dragon Tiki, who is forced to constantly sleep otherwise she would go insane. He decided to free and travel with her, keeping her sanity intact. He was separated with her, and joins up with Marth to save her.

In the second book, he is once again separated with Tiki by Gotoh's orders and he eventually meets up with Marth to help him again in the eastern village on an island by Cashmere bridge, when theft stole his dragonstone. In his ending he abandons his Firestone and leaves for parts unknown.

Base Stats

 * Manakete
 * 1
 * 18
 * 2
 * 3
 * 4
 * 1
 * 2
 * 3
 * 0
 * 6
 * Dragonstone
 * }
 * }

Growth Rates

 * 10%
 * 0%
 * 10%
 * 0%
 * 10%
 * 0%
 * 0%
 * 3%
 * }

Base Stats

 * Manakete
 * 3
 * 18
 * 2
 * 3
 * 4
 * 1
 * 2
 * 3
 * 1
 * 5
 * Dragonstone
 * }
 * }

Growth Rates

 * 10%
 * 0%
 * 10%
 * 0%
 * 10%
 * 0%
 * 0%
 * 3%
 * }

Base Stats

 * Manakete
 * 1
 * 20
 * 2
 * 0
 * 3
 * 4
 * 1
 * 3
 * 1
 * 6
 * Dragonstone
 * }
 * }

Growth Rates

 * 40%
 * 20%
 * 10%
 * 20%
 * 10%
 * 10%
 * 10%
 * 0%
 * }

Base Stats

 * [[File:Manakete FE12 Map Icon.png]]Manakete
 * 3
 * 18
 * 2
 * 0
 * 3
 * 4
 * 1
 * 3
 * 1
 * 6
 * Dragonstone
 * }
 * }

Growth Rates

 * 40%
 * 20%
 * 10%
 * 20%
 * 10%
 * 10%
 * 10%
 * 5%
 * }

Support Relationships
Supports Supported by
 * Tiki
 * The Avatar
 * Tiki
 * Nagi

Recruitment
In FE1/11, You can find him in a village to the south inside some walls during the chapter Lefcandith Gauntlet. He starts out with no weapons and looks for his Firestone, which can be obtained by visiting a village during Champions of Aurelis.

He can be a decent Manakete to use in battle, but has bad growth rates and is statwise considered of lesser use when compared to Tiki or Nagi. Bantu rejoins the army in Book 2 of Monshou no Nazo, and has statiscally not changed much. For reasons unknown, Bantu is not able to use the Ice, Wyvern, and Magestone at all in the original Monshō no Nazo. This has changed in the remake where Bantu can use those dragonstones.

In the later stages of the game, Bantu's growth makes him fairly weak compared to most of the other characters, but he is required to recruit Tiki at a later stage in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon.

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

- Death quote from Shadow Dragon

Trivia

 * His portrait is an edited version of Gharnef's in Fire Emblem: Ankoku Ryū to Hikari no Tsurugi for the Famicom.
 * Bantu is the only playable male of the Manakete class. Additionally, Bantu is the only non-Divine manakete to support Marth and the Akaneian League.
 * He is mentioned in Fire Emblem Awakening by Nowi when she steps on an Event Tile on maps.