TV-Series
Description
The character known as Chat de Cheshire, or the Cheshire Cat, is a Chain from the Japanese manga and anime series Pandora Hearts. This entity was originally a simple black cat given to a girl named Alice by Glen Baskerville one hundred years before the main story. In that past life, the cat was a constant companion to Alice, who could switch bodies with her twin sister residing in the Abyss, a being known as the Intention of the Abyss. The cat grew to prefer this white-haired Intention over the black-haired Alice. His life as a cat ended violently when he was killed by Vincent Nightray, who acted out of hatred for Alice and gouged out the cat's eyes with a pair of scissors.
Following his death, the soul of the cat was taken to the Abyss, where the Intention of the Abyss, the white Alice he adored, saved him. She granted his wish for a form closer to humanity, remolding him into a Chain. Because his original eyes had been destroyed, the Intention could not restore his sight. She later gave him a new eye, the left one stolen from a man named Kevin Legnard, also known as Xerxes Break, because she felt its red color suited him. This act left Cheshire with a single red eye, his other socket remaining hollow. He retained some feline features in this new form, including pointed ears, fangs, and a white-tipped tail, and his body is marked by his large, sewn-together arms and clawed hands.
Cheshire's personality is driven by a powerful, obsessive love for the Intention of the Abyss. This devotion defines his entire existence, as he vows to protect her and destroy anything that might cause her sadness or pain. He refers to himself in the third person and operates largely on a simple, instinct-driven mindset that reflects his origins as a cat. This love, however, has a very dark side. His intense loyalty leads him to take extreme and seemingly contradictory actions, such as attempting to kill the black-haired Alice. He believes that by preventing her from regaining painful memories, he is sparing the Intention from further suffering. This makes him a complex figure who is neither a true hero nor a complete villain. Underlying his fierce protectiveness is a deep-seated envy of humanity, which was his original motivation for requesting a human-like form from his master. As a Chain, he can be cowardly, preferring to isolate and trap his enemies rather than confront them directly, but he will fight head-on when forced to do so.
Cheshire plays a significant role as an early and formidable antagonist. He creates a unique pocket dimension, a distorted space that traps intruders within reproduced memories. His primary objective in this part of the story is to guard the painful memories of the Intention and to eliminate the black Alice, whom he mistakes for B-Rabbit. He confronts Oz Vessalius and his party, proving to be a powerful foe who endures a lengthy battle against Xerxes Break, whose Chain, Mad Hatter, is specifically designed to destroy Chains. Though Break eventually defeats him and takes the bell from Cheshire's collar that contained the memories he was protecting, Cheshire does not truly die. Instead, he retreats into the gaps between dimensions to heal his wounds.
Throughout this time, he secretly observes the unfolding events. Later, driven by his unwavering need to protect the Intention, he re-emerges to directly interfere with Oswald Baskerville's plan to kill the woman who would become her, dragging Oswald into a past event to stop him. In these final moments, his primary relationships become fully clear. His entire world revolves around the Intention of the Abyss, the white Alice. In contrast, his relationship with the black Alice is hostile; he resents her and only grudgingly recognizes her as Alice after the Intention's power is drained from her. His relationship with Break is that of a deadly enemy, as Break is the one who steals the memories he guards and wounds him severely. Over the course of the story, Cheshire shows little development in his core nature, as his actions from beginning to end are all expressions of his singular, fanatical loyalty. However, his arc moves from being a direct, confused antagonist to a clearer ally, as he ultimately aids Alice in her final journey at the story's conclusion, choosing to disappear along with the Intention of the Abyss.
Cheshire possesses several notable abilities that make him a uniquely powerful Chain. He is one of the few Chains capable of leaving the Abyss without needing a human contractor. His signature power is the manipulation of space and time, allowing him to teleport, travel between dimensions at will, and create his own reality-warping territory. He also has shapeshifting capabilities, able to assume his original black cat form, a humanoid form, an ethereal form of black smoke, and a giant, monstrous true form. His physical attributes, including speed, strength, and endurance, are greatly enhanced, and he possesses a notable regenerative healing factor, evidenced by his survival after the intense battle with Break.
Following his death, the soul of the cat was taken to the Abyss, where the Intention of the Abyss, the white Alice he adored, saved him. She granted his wish for a form closer to humanity, remolding him into a Chain. Because his original eyes had been destroyed, the Intention could not restore his sight. She later gave him a new eye, the left one stolen from a man named Kevin Legnard, also known as Xerxes Break, because she felt its red color suited him. This act left Cheshire with a single red eye, his other socket remaining hollow. He retained some feline features in this new form, including pointed ears, fangs, and a white-tipped tail, and his body is marked by his large, sewn-together arms and clawed hands.
Cheshire's personality is driven by a powerful, obsessive love for the Intention of the Abyss. This devotion defines his entire existence, as he vows to protect her and destroy anything that might cause her sadness or pain. He refers to himself in the third person and operates largely on a simple, instinct-driven mindset that reflects his origins as a cat. This love, however, has a very dark side. His intense loyalty leads him to take extreme and seemingly contradictory actions, such as attempting to kill the black-haired Alice. He believes that by preventing her from regaining painful memories, he is sparing the Intention from further suffering. This makes him a complex figure who is neither a true hero nor a complete villain. Underlying his fierce protectiveness is a deep-seated envy of humanity, which was his original motivation for requesting a human-like form from his master. As a Chain, he can be cowardly, preferring to isolate and trap his enemies rather than confront them directly, but he will fight head-on when forced to do so.
Cheshire plays a significant role as an early and formidable antagonist. He creates a unique pocket dimension, a distorted space that traps intruders within reproduced memories. His primary objective in this part of the story is to guard the painful memories of the Intention and to eliminate the black Alice, whom he mistakes for B-Rabbit. He confronts Oz Vessalius and his party, proving to be a powerful foe who endures a lengthy battle against Xerxes Break, whose Chain, Mad Hatter, is specifically designed to destroy Chains. Though Break eventually defeats him and takes the bell from Cheshire's collar that contained the memories he was protecting, Cheshire does not truly die. Instead, he retreats into the gaps between dimensions to heal his wounds.
Throughout this time, he secretly observes the unfolding events. Later, driven by his unwavering need to protect the Intention, he re-emerges to directly interfere with Oswald Baskerville's plan to kill the woman who would become her, dragging Oswald into a past event to stop him. In these final moments, his primary relationships become fully clear. His entire world revolves around the Intention of the Abyss, the white Alice. In contrast, his relationship with the black Alice is hostile; he resents her and only grudgingly recognizes her as Alice after the Intention's power is drained from her. His relationship with Break is that of a deadly enemy, as Break is the one who steals the memories he guards and wounds him severely. Over the course of the story, Cheshire shows little development in his core nature, as his actions from beginning to end are all expressions of his singular, fanatical loyalty. However, his arc moves from being a direct, confused antagonist to a clearer ally, as he ultimately aids Alice in her final journey at the story's conclusion, choosing to disappear along with the Intention of the Abyss.
Cheshire possesses several notable abilities that make him a uniquely powerful Chain. He is one of the few Chains capable of leaving the Abyss without needing a human contractor. His signature power is the manipulation of space and time, allowing him to teleport, travel between dimensions at will, and create his own reality-warping territory. He also has shapeshifting capabilities, able to assume his original black cat form, a humanoid form, an ethereal form of black smoke, and a giant, monstrous true form. His physical attributes, including speed, strength, and endurance, are greatly enhanced, and he possesses a notable regenerative healing factor, evidenced by his survival after the intense battle with Break.