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“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 is a playable character in Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light, 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 Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light and its remakes, Bantu took pity on the Divine Dragon Tiki, who was sent to sleep in the Ice Dragon Temple by her mother 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 Shadows, Bantu seals the power of the dragonstones and takes Tiki to live a life of tranquility in the Dolhrian 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 this journey is shed in his final base conversation with Tiki in New Mystery of the Emblem, where that he seeks to find, and help other kindhearted Manaketes similar to himself, who are viewed more then ever with fear, and loathing by mankind in light of Dolhr's actions in the past two wars. Bantu explains he intends to provide moral support to those Manaketes in their desolation, and show to humanity that not all Manaketes are bad. Before this journey, Bantu promises to return by the time Tiki is a little bit taller, roughly his height.

Apparently, Bantu has lived and endured long enough to meet Nowi, a Manakete born 1000 years after the events of the War of Shadows and Heroes.

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. Bantu is shown to possess a strong moral compass, and unlike many of his kind, refuses to hate humans.

In-Game[]

Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light[]

Recruitment[]

Name Class Chapter Affiliation Recruit
Bantu Manakete 7 None Visit the southern Village enclosed within the circular mountain range.

Base Stats[]

Starting Class
FE1 Manakete Map Sprite Manakete
LevelHPStrSklSpdLckDefResWlvMov
11823413026
WeaponStarting Items
Dragonstone-

Growth Rates[]

HP Str Skl Spd Lck Wlv Def Res
10% 0% 10% 0% 10% 0% 0% 0%

Overall[]

Secret Book (Artwork)
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.

Bantu is an interesting unit; he possesses extremely low growths and seemingly low base stats, but his unique weapon makes him a powerful unit for much of the game. When wielding his exclusive weapon, the Firestone, Bantu gains a massive 12 stat boost to his Defense, giving him 15 defense. Bantu's massive defense makes him a perfect tank, able to shrug off attacks from the majority of enemies in the game, with magic users being the only regular threat to his scaly hide.

Not only does the Firestone give defense to Bantu, the weapon has a might of 16, significantly higher then silver weapons and thus allowing Bantu to deal significant damage to enemy units throughout the game. The Firestone has a very low weight of 3, giving Bantu opportunities to Follow-Up Attack. Best of all, the Firestone is entirely unbreakable, meaning the player can use it to their hearts content.

In chapter 19, Bantu is able to recruit fellow Manakete, Tiki, a powerful unit and one of the only two units to possess a higher base defense then Bantu (the only other unit with a base defense above 15 is General Lorenz).

Due to Bantu's low growth rates, it is advisable not to let Bantu deal too many finishing blows on many enemies, instead it is best to use other units deal the coup de gras on Bantu's foe for the EXP. If the player needs another unit for the lategame, Bantu does well when given statboosters to further empower him, a single Speed Ring allows him to keep up with the other lategame units.

All in all, Bantu is a unit that shouldn't be overlooked.

Mystery of the Emblem[]

Recruitment[]

Name Class Chapter Affiliation Recruit
Bantu Manakete 6 None Visit the southern Village enclosed within the circular mountain range.

Name Class Chapter Affiliation Recruit
Bantu Manakete 8 None Visit the Village located near the vantage point.

Base Stats[]

Starting Class
Manakete

FE3 Fire Dragon Map SpriteFire Dragon
LevelHPStrSklSpdLckDefResWlvMov
118

36
2

10
34

2
13

14
1

5
25

7
WeaponStarting Items
Dragonstone-

Starting Class
Manakete

FE3 Fire Dragon Map SpriteFire Dragon
LevelHPStrSklSpdLckDefResWlvMov
318

36
2

10
34

2
13

14
1

5
25

7
WeaponStarting Items
Dragonstone-

Growth Rates[]

HP Str Skl Spd Lck Wlv Def Res
10% 0% 10% 0% 10% 0% 0% 3%

Overall[]

Secret Book (Artwork)
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.

While Bantu's growth rates remain some of the worst in the game, his base stats as a Fire Dragon are higher than most Enemy Dragons in the early to mid game. Bantu's Fire Breath ignores enemy defense, his considerable stats for the period allow him to kill, or greatly weaken enemy units with ease early on, allowing others in your army to finish off the weakened enemies for the EXP.

Like all Dragon units, Bantu has his defense taken into account when attacked by breath weapons, this allows him to act as a tank against enemy dragons, and block dragon reinforcement points. Bantu's fire breath is extremely effective against enemy Ice Dragons, killing them in one attack, or weakening them enough for others to finish them off.

As mentioned, Bantu's stats are extremely poor, if Bantu is close to leveling, and no one else is in need of it, Starsphere Shards can be used to considerably boost his growths. Due to how dragons work in the game, it is recommended to give Bantu shards that increase Defense such as the Cancer shard (increases defense growth by 50%).

Unless Bantu has grown particularly well with Starsphere shards, it is recommended to retire him by the time Tiki is recruited. Unlike Tiki, Bantu is unable to use the Ice, Wyvern, and Magestones. While Bantu does gain higher stats when using the Firestone, it is not enough to keep up with Tiki.

Shadow Dragon[]

Recruitment[]

Name Class Chapter Affiliation Recruit
Bantu Manakete 7 None Visit the southern Village enclosed within the circular mountain range.

Base Stats[]

Starting Class
FE11 Manakete Map SpriteManakete
LevelHPStrMagSklSpdLckDefResMov
12020341316
WeaponStarting Items
Dragonstone-

Growth Rates[]

HP Str Mag Skl Spd Lck Def Res
40% 20% 10% 20% 10% 10% 10% 0%


Support Relationships[]

Supported by
Character Initial points Total points for
C B A
Tiki 5 5 8 10
Nagi 5 5 35 35
  • To increase support levels, characters must participate in chapters together
  • One support point is gained for each chapter they both participate in
  • Support levels that require 35 chapters cannot be reached normally
  • Characters must be within a three tile radius of each other to receive support bonuses

Bonuses per level:

Overall[]

Secret Book (Artwork)
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.

Bantu has relatively high attacking power and accuracy at base level, but those are largely it for his good points. He has lost many of the strong traits that he possessed in earlier games, while his weaknesses of nigh-nonexistent growth rates and reliance on his Firestone remain. He lacks range, his somewhat high Defense is counteracted by poor HP, and he has no ability to reclass. What is more, the Firestone has no unique attacking advantages aside from its power, and it consumes a use whenever Bantu enters combat, meaning he can have it drained simply by enduring a ranged attack, which is very problematic when the Firestone is also extremely rare. Generally, the most Bantu can manage is chipping an opponent with high Might; only Barst with a Devil Axe or an effective weapon-user outclasses him in damage at his join time.

New Mystery of the Emblem[]

Recruitment[]

Name Class Chapter Affiliation Recruit
Bantu Manakete 8 None Visit the Village located near the vantage point.

Base Stats[]

Starting Class
FEDS Manakete (M) Map SpriteManakete
LevelHPStrMagSklSpdLckDefResMov
31820341316
WeaponStarting Items
Dragonstone-

Growth Rates[]

HP Str Mag Skl Spd Lck Def Res
40% 20% 10% 20% 10% 10% 10% 5%

Support Relationships[]

Number Importance Name Chapters Needed Reward
175 * Bantu and Kris 1 3 -
176 * Bantu and Kris 2 6 -
177 * Bantu and Kris 3 10 Defense Bond
334 * Bantu and Tiki 1 3 -
335 * Bantu and Tiki 2 6 -
336 * Bantu and Tiki 3 10 Magic Bond
  • To obtain the conversations, characters must participate in chapters together
  • The requirements for unlocking support conversations are separate from the support bonus system

Support Bonus[]

Supports
Character Conversations Total points for
C B A
Tiki 1, 2, 3 3 6 10

Supported by

Character Conversations Total points for
C B A
Kris 1, 2, 3 5 10 16
Tiki 1, 2, 3 5 10 -
Nagi None 2 - -
  • To increase support levels, characters must participate in chapters together
  • One support point is gained for each chapter they both participate in
  • A hyphen (-) indicates the support level cannot be reached
  • Characters must be within a three tile radius of each other to receive support bonuses

Bonuses per level:

Overall[]

Secret Book (Artwork)
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.

Bantu is commonly considered the worst unit in New Mystery of the Emblem, an accomplishment for a game with such a massive roster, and possibly one of the worst units in the series as a whole. His bases even with his Firestone are pathetic, to the point of being wholly outclassed by units that share his join time or even join well before him. On standard Hard Mode, he can be doubled by the faster enemies in his join chapter, and on Maniac, he can be killed in a single blow by some of them. Even on Normal Mode, where many melee characters can easily withstand multiple rounds of combat, Bantu struggles to survive more than two hits. Bantu's growths, as ever, are some of the worst in the game, to the point that even a level 30 Bantu averages around 11 Speed with his Firestone. Where his base attacking power was once unusually high, it is now barely above-average, with most B-rank weapon users being on par or outclassing him with silver weapons. He has no ability to reclass, leaving him stuck as a manakete with mediocre movement and only one wieldable weapon with no unique traits, no range, and limited supply. In exchange, he offers no special utility or benefit barring combat that is unimpressive at best and moribund at worst. To make Bantu a viable unit tends to require investment on the level of giving him every single available stat boosting item, including the Secret Shop and Lunatic statboosters, and even afterward, he tends to be barely on par with his fellows.

Fire Emblem Heroes[]

Tiki's Guardian
A manakete of the Fire Dragon clan, and Tiki's guardian. He released Tiki from the Ice Dragon Temple, where she had been kept hidden away. Appears in Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem.

Base Stats[]

Rarity:
✯✯✯
Heroes Bantu spriteTitle
Tiki's Guardian
Group
Heroes Infantry Infantry
LevelHPAtkSpdDefRes
1
40
15/16/17
38/41/44
8/9/10
27/30/33
4/5/6
21/24/27
7/8/9
28/31/34
5/6/7
20/23/26
SkillsWeapon
FEH skill offense Fire Breath+FEH Fire Breath Breath
✯✯✯✯
Heroes Bantu spriteTitle
Tiki's Guardian
Group
Heroes Infantry Infantry
LevelHPAtkSpdDefRes
1
40
15/16/17
39/42/45
9/10/11
29/32/35
4/5/6
22/25/28
8/9/10
30/33/36
5/6/7
21/24/27
SkillsWeapon
FEH skill offense Dark Breath
FEH skill special Dragon Gaze
FEH Fire Breath Breath
✯✯✯✯✯
Heroes Bantu spriteTitle
Tiki's Guardian
Group
Heroes Infantry Infantry
LevelHPAtkSpdDefRes
1
40
16/17/18
42/45/48
9/10/11
31/34/37
5/6/7
24/28/31
8/9/10
32/35/38
6/7/8
23/26/30
SkillsWeapon
FEH skill offense Dark Breath+
FEH skill special Dragon Gaze
FEH Fire Breath Breath

Skills[]

TypeNamePrerequisiteDefaultUnlocked
FEH skill offenseFire Breath---
Fire Breath+-FEH Star Rarity 3-
Dark Breath-FEH Star Rarity 4FEH Star Rarity 3
Dark Breath+Dark BreathFEH Star Rarity 5FEH Star Rarity 5
Wizened Breath-FEH Star Rarity 5-
FEH skill specialDragon Gaze-FEH Star Rarity 4FEH Star Rarity 3
Dragon FangDragon Gaze-FEH Star Rarity 4
AFEH Fierce Stance 1 Fierce Stance 1--
FEH Fierce Stance 2 Fierce Stance 2FEH Fierce Stance 1 Fierce Stance 1-
FEH Fierce Stance 3 Fierce Stance 3FEH Fierce Stance 2 Fierce Stance 2FEH Star Rarity 4
CFEH Savage Blow 1 Savage Blow 1--
FEH Savage Blow 2 Savage Blow 2FEH Savage Blow 1 Savage Blow 1-
FEH Savage Blow 3 Savage Blow 3FEH Savage Blow 2 Savage Blow 2FEH Star Rarity 5

Overall[]

Secret Book (Artwork)
Subjective: The following part of this article is based upon the editor's personal experiences and opinions, and therefore may not be applicable for all readers.
Base Set[]
Counters[]
Skill Inheritance[]

Meet Some of the Heroes[]

Tiki's Guardian Bantu
Bantu tikis guardian pop01 You know, I kind of wish I had an amiable old grandfather figure around. Someone like, say… Bantu, the kindly old man who looked after Tiki, princess of the Divine Dragons!
Bantu tikis guardian pop02 Bantu used to look after Tiki in the Ice Dragon Temple. Apparently, he'd even sneak her out sometimes to show her the outside world.
Bantu tikis guardian pop03 Now, Bantu might look like an ordinary old man at first glance, but when it's time for battle, that's when he reveals his secret power! Bantu is a manakete, and his true form is that of a fire dragon, complete with fiery breath to wipe out his foes!
Bantu tikis guardian pop04 I guess he can be a bit scary when he's in his dragon form, but he's normally very kind and friendly. I hope he'll be there to protect and look after Tiki forever!
Closely Associated Characters
Tiki A young Divine Dragon once put into a timeless sleep to keep her dragon impulses in check. Now longs for human company. Bantu is as good as family to her.

Quotes[]

Death Quotes[]

“Tiki...”
—Bantu's death quote from Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light
“Tiki...I'm so sorry...”
—Bantu's death quote from Shadow Dragon

Heroes[]

Bantu/Heroes Quotes

Endings[]

Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light[]

Put away his firestone. Spends his time in the countryside of Dolhr.

Shadow Dragon[]

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

New Mystery of the Emblem[]

Tiki's Guardian
Bantu left after discarding his dragonstone, his whereabouts unknown.

Non-Canon Appearances[]

Fire Emblem 0 (Cipher)[]

Bantu is illustrated in the trading card game with the following card:

Choose Your Legends Placement History[]

Trivia[]

  • Bantu's portrait is an edited version of Gharnef's in Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light.
  • Bantu is the only playable male character of the Manakete class. While Xane and Gotoh are both manaketes, they have discarded their dragon powers and taken other classes. Additionally, Bantu is the only non-Divine manakete to support Marth and the Archanean 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" and "Banta", hinting that he might still be alive during Awakening's time period.
    • Additionally, he is also mentioned by Nowi once again on her Summer Scramble with Sully where he told Nowi the story of the old manakete king.
  • He shares his English voice actor, Joe J. Thomas, with Pallardó from Three Houses, Deen and Randal from Shadows of Valentia and Tibarn in Heroes.
  • Bantu is depicted with red eyes in Mystery of the Emblem, but has blue eyes in Shadow Dragon and New Mystery of the Emblem.

Gallery[]

See main article: Bantu/Gallery.
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