OVA
Description
Astarte is a character from the Japanese light novel series Strike The Blood. She is an artificial life form, specifically a homunculus, created by the Lotharingian inquisitor Rudolf Eustach through experimental means. Her creation involved the implantation of a captive, pre-hatched familiar into her body, making her a unique and successful product of this dangerous process.
In terms of appearance, Astarte has long blue hair and matching blue eyes. Her demeanor is strikingly calm and unemotional, which is a direct result of her nature as a homunculus. She rarely displays outward feelings and typically speaks in a flat, report-like tone, often using the phrase command accepted. This robotic and emotionless behavior defines her early interactions, marking her as a being who was designed to follow orders rather than to think or feel independently.
Astarte's initial role in the story is that of a tool for Rudolf Eustach, who uses her to break the defensive barriers of Itogami Island in an attempt to retrieve a stolen holy relic. She is equipped with the ability to summon and control a powerful familiar, a feat normally reserved for vampires. This familiar is named Rhododactylos, also known as the Rose Fingers. In its initial form, it manifests as a pair of giant arms on Astarte's back that can absorb magical energy from other familiars and grant her superhuman strength. In a more advanced form, it appears as a white humanoid figure with Astarte suspended in a green orb within its chest, capable of using divine vibrations to negate magic and providing her with immense durability. However, using this familiar rapidly consumes her life force, giving her an extremely short lifespan.
Her motivations are not driven by personal desire but by programming and orders. She shows no personal malice when carrying out her missions, though she does express an internal discomfort with causing harm to others. After she is defeated by the protagonist, Kojou Akatsuki, her fate changes dramatically. Kojou drinks her blood, a symbolic act that forges a magical connection between them. This act brings her familiar, Rhododactylos, under Kojou's management as a fourth primogenitor. Consequently, when she uses her familiar's power, it no longer drains her own life force but instead draws on Kojou's vast magical reserves, effectively saving her from an early death.
Following this event, Astarte is placed under the care and protection of Natsuki Minamiya, a powerful wizard and teacher at Saikai Academy. As part of a three-year probationary sentence, she is assigned to work as an office clerk at the academy. Due to Natsuki's preference for maid attire, Astarte is dressed in a maid uniform and becomes Natsuki's personal maid. In this role, she takes on mundane tasks, such as brewing tea. Despite her expressionless nature, she takes pride in her work and is pleased when others, particularly Kojou, compliment her tea.
Her key relationships are central to her development. Her bond with Kojou Akatsuki is the most significant, as he is not only her savior but also the one who now shares the burden of her power. This connection makes her a frequent messenger between Natsuki and Kojou. She also shares a close relationship with Natsuki, who acts as her guardian. Another important relationship is with Yukina Himeragi and other members of Kojou's group, with whom she gradually begins to form a fragile social circle.
Astarte undergoes a subtle but meaningful development over the course of the series. She begins as a literal tool, a homunculus with no sense of self. Through her interactions with Kojou, Natsuki, and others, she starts to show hints of independent thought and emotion. She transitions from a being who only follows orders to one who begins to understand concepts like liking a job, feeling happy about a compliment, and even participating in mundane social activities like serving tea or eating with others. Her journey is one of slowly acquiring humanity, moving from the existence of a mechanical executor to an individual seeking her own place in the world.
In terms of appearance, Astarte has long blue hair and matching blue eyes. Her demeanor is strikingly calm and unemotional, which is a direct result of her nature as a homunculus. She rarely displays outward feelings and typically speaks in a flat, report-like tone, often using the phrase command accepted. This robotic and emotionless behavior defines her early interactions, marking her as a being who was designed to follow orders rather than to think or feel independently.
Astarte's initial role in the story is that of a tool for Rudolf Eustach, who uses her to break the defensive barriers of Itogami Island in an attempt to retrieve a stolen holy relic. She is equipped with the ability to summon and control a powerful familiar, a feat normally reserved for vampires. This familiar is named Rhododactylos, also known as the Rose Fingers. In its initial form, it manifests as a pair of giant arms on Astarte's back that can absorb magical energy from other familiars and grant her superhuman strength. In a more advanced form, it appears as a white humanoid figure with Astarte suspended in a green orb within its chest, capable of using divine vibrations to negate magic and providing her with immense durability. However, using this familiar rapidly consumes her life force, giving her an extremely short lifespan.
Her motivations are not driven by personal desire but by programming and orders. She shows no personal malice when carrying out her missions, though she does express an internal discomfort with causing harm to others. After she is defeated by the protagonist, Kojou Akatsuki, her fate changes dramatically. Kojou drinks her blood, a symbolic act that forges a magical connection between them. This act brings her familiar, Rhododactylos, under Kojou's management as a fourth primogenitor. Consequently, when she uses her familiar's power, it no longer drains her own life force but instead draws on Kojou's vast magical reserves, effectively saving her from an early death.
Following this event, Astarte is placed under the care and protection of Natsuki Minamiya, a powerful wizard and teacher at Saikai Academy. As part of a three-year probationary sentence, she is assigned to work as an office clerk at the academy. Due to Natsuki's preference for maid attire, Astarte is dressed in a maid uniform and becomes Natsuki's personal maid. In this role, she takes on mundane tasks, such as brewing tea. Despite her expressionless nature, she takes pride in her work and is pleased when others, particularly Kojou, compliment her tea.
Her key relationships are central to her development. Her bond with Kojou Akatsuki is the most significant, as he is not only her savior but also the one who now shares the burden of her power. This connection makes her a frequent messenger between Natsuki and Kojou. She also shares a close relationship with Natsuki, who acts as her guardian. Another important relationship is with Yukina Himeragi and other members of Kojou's group, with whom she gradually begins to form a fragile social circle.
Astarte undergoes a subtle but meaningful development over the course of the series. She begins as a literal tool, a homunculus with no sense of self. Through her interactions with Kojou, Natsuki, and others, she starts to show hints of independent thought and emotion. She transitions from a being who only follows orders to one who begins to understand concepts like liking a job, feeling happy about a compliment, and even participating in mundane social activities like serving tea or eating with others. Her journey is one of slowly acquiring humanity, moving from the existence of a mechanical executor to an individual seeking her own place in the world.