TV-Series
Description
Carl, also known as the Phantom, is a character from the anime Blood+. His full name is Karl Fei-Ong in the original version, with Carl being the name used in the English dub. He is a Chevalier, a powerful type of chiropteran, and serves Diva. Carl is over one hundred years old but maintains the appearance of a handsome young Vietnamese man in his early twenties. He has long black hair, which he often partially ties back, and amber eyes. As the chairman of the Lycee de Cinq Fleches, a prestigious girls' school in Vietnam, he typically wears an ultramarine traditional Vietnamese ao gam tunic.
Carl suffers from a severe dissociative condition, manifesting two distinct personalities. In his public role as the school's chairman, he appears calm, mature, controlled, and polite. His second personality, known as the Phantom, is violent, sadistic, obsessive, and cruel. This maniacal behavior is a direct result of his traumatic past. In 1917, Carl was chosen by Amshel Goldsmith, a fellow Chevalier, to be a test subject for the Delta Project. His body was heavily modified through horrific experiments, including the repeated removal and replacement of his limbs. This trauma, combined with his forced conversion into a Chevalier and Diva's inability to return his affections, left him profoundly mentally unstable. Solomon Goldsmith, another Chevalier and the only one who could sometimes calm Carl, believed the root of Carl's problems was profound loneliness.
Carl's primary motivation becomes an all-consuming obsession with Saya, the series' protagonist and Diva's sister. After Saya destroyed one of his arms in Vietnam in 1972, Amshel replaced it with a spiked arm capable of firing crystallized blood projectiles. Disguised as the Phantom and wearing a tattered black cloak and a bat-themed mask, Carl kidnaps girls who resemble Saya in his desire to see her again and complete their fight. He comes to consider Saya both his hated enemy and his beloved soul mate, the sole reason for his existence. His actions are driven by a desire for revenge, but this evolves into a wish to die together with her. While he loves Diva deeply as her Chevalier and lover, and often spoils her by doing anything to make her happy, she begins to reject him as his mental state deteriorates, which only accelerates his downfall.
Within the story, Carl serves as a recurring antagonist. After his initial confrontations with Saya in Vietnam, during which he loses a leg, he later attacks the Red Shield headquarters with Diva, crippling a key operative. Ultimately, his obsession leads to his death. In London, after being outraged that another Chevalier, James, is ordered to kill Saya instead of him, he steals an army of corpse soldiers and attacks Saya at a friend's home. His plan to die with her is thwarted when Solomon cuts off his arm, freeing Saya. She then impales herself and Carl simultaneously with her sword, and his body crystallizes and is destroyed.
As a Chevalier, Carl possesses enhanced strength, speed, and accelerated healing. His unique abilities stem from Amshel's experiments. In addition to growing blades from his hands in his natural form, his modified right arm can crystallize his blood and fire it as sharp projectiles. He can also fly using wings located under his arms. His weaknesses are the same as all Chevaliers: the blood of Saya, decapitation, or complete incineration of the body.
Carl suffers from a severe dissociative condition, manifesting two distinct personalities. In his public role as the school's chairman, he appears calm, mature, controlled, and polite. His second personality, known as the Phantom, is violent, sadistic, obsessive, and cruel. This maniacal behavior is a direct result of his traumatic past. In 1917, Carl was chosen by Amshel Goldsmith, a fellow Chevalier, to be a test subject for the Delta Project. His body was heavily modified through horrific experiments, including the repeated removal and replacement of his limbs. This trauma, combined with his forced conversion into a Chevalier and Diva's inability to return his affections, left him profoundly mentally unstable. Solomon Goldsmith, another Chevalier and the only one who could sometimes calm Carl, believed the root of Carl's problems was profound loneliness.
Carl's primary motivation becomes an all-consuming obsession with Saya, the series' protagonist and Diva's sister. After Saya destroyed one of his arms in Vietnam in 1972, Amshel replaced it with a spiked arm capable of firing crystallized blood projectiles. Disguised as the Phantom and wearing a tattered black cloak and a bat-themed mask, Carl kidnaps girls who resemble Saya in his desire to see her again and complete their fight. He comes to consider Saya both his hated enemy and his beloved soul mate, the sole reason for his existence. His actions are driven by a desire for revenge, but this evolves into a wish to die together with her. While he loves Diva deeply as her Chevalier and lover, and often spoils her by doing anything to make her happy, she begins to reject him as his mental state deteriorates, which only accelerates his downfall.
Within the story, Carl serves as a recurring antagonist. After his initial confrontations with Saya in Vietnam, during which he loses a leg, he later attacks the Red Shield headquarters with Diva, crippling a key operative. Ultimately, his obsession leads to his death. In London, after being outraged that another Chevalier, James, is ordered to kill Saya instead of him, he steals an army of corpse soldiers and attacks Saya at a friend's home. His plan to die with her is thwarted when Solomon cuts off his arm, freeing Saya. She then impales herself and Carl simultaneously with her sword, and his body crystallizes and is destroyed.
As a Chevalier, Carl possesses enhanced strength, speed, and accelerated healing. His unique abilities stem from Amshel's experiments. In addition to growing blades from his hands in his natural form, his modified right arm can crystallize his blood and fire it as sharp projectiles. He can also fly using wings located under his arms. His weaknesses are the same as all Chevaliers: the blood of Saya, decapitation, or complete incineration of the body.