TV-Series
Description
Amshel Goldsmith is a central antagonist and the primary orchestrator of the long-running conflict. He is Diva’s first and most powerful chevalier, having been transformed by her in the late nineteenth century, and his actions are directly responsible for much of the chaos in the story. Originally, he was a research assistant to Joel Goldschmidt I, a wealthy scientist who discovered the mummified remains of the original Chiropteran queen and her two egg-like cocoons. During an attempt to open one of the cocoons, Amshel accidentally cut his finger, and a drop of his blood fell onto them, triggering the hatching of the twin queens, Saya and Diva. After the death of Joel Goldschmidt I, Amshel took over the research, dedicating his long life to the scientific study of Chiropterans and chevaliers.
Physically, Amshel has the appearance of a pale-skinned, middle-aged aristocratic man of French background. He has jet-black hair, which is slicked back, and a well-kept mustache and beard. He is almost always seen wearing a purple suit and a thick silver ring with a sapphire stone, which he claims is a family heirloom he never removes.
Amshel’s personality is defined by a chilling combination of scientific curiosity and possessive obsession. He is arrogant, callous, and truly ruthless, willing to go to any extreme to achieve his goals. His primary motivation is not loyalty but a twisted form of love for Diva, whom he refers to as his little treasure. He confesses to Saya that he wishes she had never freed Diva from her tower, because then Diva would have remained his and his alone. For Amshel, Diva is both a prized experimental subject and an object of fixation. He treats the other chevaliers, whom he calls his brothers, as disposable tools, showing no genuine grief when Karl dies and ordering the execution of Solomon when Solomon’s loyalty shifts to Saya.
In the story, Amshel serves as the power behind Diva, acting as the head of the sinister pharmaceutical company Cinq Flèches. He uses this position to fund his research and orchestrate events from the shadows. He is responsible for the creation of the Schiff, artificial Chiropterans he raised as expendable child soldiers. He also oversees the Delta Project and conducts experiments on Diva, including one to determine if she can bear children, which ultimately leads to her pregnancy. His role puts him in direct opposition to Saya and her chevalier, Hagi. He initially tries to persuade Saya to join his side, but after she refuses, he becomes determined to exterminate her.
Amshel’s key relationships are marked by manipulation and control. His relationship with Diva is one of obsession and possession, where he isolates and controls her. With Solomon, his closest blood relative, he shows a rare moment of softness at the moment of Solomon’s death, but ultimately views him as an assassin and a tool. He has complete trust in his fellow chevalier James, entrusting him with important missions. His relationship with the flamboyant Nathan is more tenuous, with Nathan eventually openly threatening him, a threat to which Amshel responds with uncharacteristic silence.
Amshel undergoes a significant development as the series concludes. After dedicating centuries to Diva, his interest in her wanes when she no longer serves his purposes. By the end, he loses interest in her completely and shifts his obsession to her newborn twin daughters, intending to continue his experiments on them. This shift represents the ultimate expression of his nature, where even the queen he claimed to love is just another specimen. His final battle takes place in the skies of New York City against Hagi. In his transformed state, a large, purplish, demonic Chiropteran form with wings, he is impaled on the Chrysler Building and struck by lightning. He survives this and reappears, but is finally crystallized and killed when Hagi stabs him with a sword coated in Saya’s blood.
As Diva’s first chevalier, Amshel is immensely powerful. He possesses enhanced strength and speed far surpassing that of an average chevalier, capable of easily crushing Saya’s arm. He is one of the few Chiropterans to display telepathy, telekinesis, and the ability to shapeshift into other people, a skill he uses to impersonate characters like Liza and even Diva herself. In his full Chiropteran form, he can unleash a powerful vocal blast that manifests as a visible purple energy mass.
Physically, Amshel has the appearance of a pale-skinned, middle-aged aristocratic man of French background. He has jet-black hair, which is slicked back, and a well-kept mustache and beard. He is almost always seen wearing a purple suit and a thick silver ring with a sapphire stone, which he claims is a family heirloom he never removes.
Amshel’s personality is defined by a chilling combination of scientific curiosity and possessive obsession. He is arrogant, callous, and truly ruthless, willing to go to any extreme to achieve his goals. His primary motivation is not loyalty but a twisted form of love for Diva, whom he refers to as his little treasure. He confesses to Saya that he wishes she had never freed Diva from her tower, because then Diva would have remained his and his alone. For Amshel, Diva is both a prized experimental subject and an object of fixation. He treats the other chevaliers, whom he calls his brothers, as disposable tools, showing no genuine grief when Karl dies and ordering the execution of Solomon when Solomon’s loyalty shifts to Saya.
In the story, Amshel serves as the power behind Diva, acting as the head of the sinister pharmaceutical company Cinq Flèches. He uses this position to fund his research and orchestrate events from the shadows. He is responsible for the creation of the Schiff, artificial Chiropterans he raised as expendable child soldiers. He also oversees the Delta Project and conducts experiments on Diva, including one to determine if she can bear children, which ultimately leads to her pregnancy. His role puts him in direct opposition to Saya and her chevalier, Hagi. He initially tries to persuade Saya to join his side, but after she refuses, he becomes determined to exterminate her.
Amshel’s key relationships are marked by manipulation and control. His relationship with Diva is one of obsession and possession, where he isolates and controls her. With Solomon, his closest blood relative, he shows a rare moment of softness at the moment of Solomon’s death, but ultimately views him as an assassin and a tool. He has complete trust in his fellow chevalier James, entrusting him with important missions. His relationship with the flamboyant Nathan is more tenuous, with Nathan eventually openly threatening him, a threat to which Amshel responds with uncharacteristic silence.
Amshel undergoes a significant development as the series concludes. After dedicating centuries to Diva, his interest in her wanes when she no longer serves his purposes. By the end, he loses interest in her completely and shifts his obsession to her newborn twin daughters, intending to continue his experiments on them. This shift represents the ultimate expression of his nature, where even the queen he claimed to love is just another specimen. His final battle takes place in the skies of New York City against Hagi. In his transformed state, a large, purplish, demonic Chiropteran form with wings, he is impaled on the Chrysler Building and struck by lightning. He survives this and reappears, but is finally crystallized and killed when Hagi stabs him with a sword coated in Saya’s blood.
As Diva’s first chevalier, Amshel is immensely powerful. He possesses enhanced strength and speed far surpassing that of an average chevalier, capable of easily crushing Saya’s arm. He is one of the few Chiropterans to display telepathy, telekinesis, and the ability to shapeshift into other people, a skill he uses to impersonate characters like Liza and even Diva herself. In his full Chiropteran form, he can unleash a powerful vocal blast that manifests as a visible purple energy mass.