TV-Series
Description
Ban Midou is one of the two protagonists of the retrieval service known as the Getbackers, serving as the strategic thinker who plans their operations. He is a young man of about twenty-one years of age with a slim but solid build, standing at approximately 175 centimeters tall. He has dark brown hair and deep blue eyes, often hidden behind a pair of sunglasses, which contribute to his initial appearance as someone rude, arrogant, and cocky.
His background is quite unusual. Ban is one-quarter German and the grandson of the woman known as the Last Witch of the 20th Century, from whom he inherited his unique powers. Because he was hunted by shamans in Europe during his childhood, he was forced to study fighting techniques, science, history, music, art, and magic from a very young age, which accounts for his vast and often surprising knowledge. Before forming the Getbackers, Ban was part of a group of transporters alongside Himiko Kudo and her older brother, Yamato. This partnership ended tragically when Yamato, fearing a curse would turn him into a mindless servant, asked Ban to kill him. Ban fulfilled this request, a moment witnessed by the young Himiko, which led to their separation.
Despite his outwardly cold and sarcastic demeanor, Ban is a deeply caring individual who shows a strong sense of loyalty towards his friends, a trait he shares with his father. He often masks his sentimentality with rudeness, giving unflattering nicknames to almost everyone he meets, including calling his partner a talking eel. He is also a very talented violin player and has a habit of parking his Subaru 360 car illegally, resulting in a constant stream of parking fines that contribute to the Getbackers perpetual state of being broke.
In combat, Ban is known as a genius of battles and possesses two primary supernatural abilities. His most famous power is the Evil Eye, an ability that forces anyone who makes eye contact with him to experience a highly realistic, one-minute-long illusion. This power has significant limitations: it can only be used three times per day, and it cannot be used on the same person again within a 24-hour period. Using it a fourth time in a single day would cause the user to vanish from the physical world and from the memories of everyone who knew them. His second ability is the Snakebite. As a descendant of the Witch clan born under the star of Asclepius, Ban has superhuman strength, specifically a crushing grip of 200 kilograms of force in each hand. This grip is strong enough to break open armored steel doors or punch craters into the ground. By reciting a specific incantation, Ban can draw even more power from Asclepius, with the full extent of this curse causing his right arm to transform into a demonic limb of immense power. Later in the story, Ban learns to transcend this curse and draw out his full potential on his own, which is symbolized by the manifestation of a single angel wing behind his right shoulder.
His most important relationship is with his partner, Ginji Amano. While Ban initially insisted Ginji was merely his sidekick, he gradually comes to acknowledge him as an equal as their partnership progresses. Their bond is exceptionally strong, with each able to sense when the other is in grave danger. Ban also has a complex connection to Himiko Kudo, as he later discovers he is her real half-brother, sharing the same father. He took on the role of protecting her after killing her brother Yamato, keeping his promise by coming to her aid when she is in over her head.
Throughout the narrative, Ban's role evolves as his skills grow by leaps and bounds due to his immense learning abilities. He develops new techniques such as Snake Kill, using his left hand in combat. A significant moment in his development occurs when he uses his Evil Eye a fourth time and requests a final duel with the deadly Dr. Jackal. In this fight, the doctor fakes Ban's death with a surgical scalpel, delaying Ban's disappearance just long enough for Ginji to resolve the underlying conflict and save him from being erased from existence.
His background is quite unusual. Ban is one-quarter German and the grandson of the woman known as the Last Witch of the 20th Century, from whom he inherited his unique powers. Because he was hunted by shamans in Europe during his childhood, he was forced to study fighting techniques, science, history, music, art, and magic from a very young age, which accounts for his vast and often surprising knowledge. Before forming the Getbackers, Ban was part of a group of transporters alongside Himiko Kudo and her older brother, Yamato. This partnership ended tragically when Yamato, fearing a curse would turn him into a mindless servant, asked Ban to kill him. Ban fulfilled this request, a moment witnessed by the young Himiko, which led to their separation.
Despite his outwardly cold and sarcastic demeanor, Ban is a deeply caring individual who shows a strong sense of loyalty towards his friends, a trait he shares with his father. He often masks his sentimentality with rudeness, giving unflattering nicknames to almost everyone he meets, including calling his partner a talking eel. He is also a very talented violin player and has a habit of parking his Subaru 360 car illegally, resulting in a constant stream of parking fines that contribute to the Getbackers perpetual state of being broke.
In combat, Ban is known as a genius of battles and possesses two primary supernatural abilities. His most famous power is the Evil Eye, an ability that forces anyone who makes eye contact with him to experience a highly realistic, one-minute-long illusion. This power has significant limitations: it can only be used three times per day, and it cannot be used on the same person again within a 24-hour period. Using it a fourth time in a single day would cause the user to vanish from the physical world and from the memories of everyone who knew them. His second ability is the Snakebite. As a descendant of the Witch clan born under the star of Asclepius, Ban has superhuman strength, specifically a crushing grip of 200 kilograms of force in each hand. This grip is strong enough to break open armored steel doors or punch craters into the ground. By reciting a specific incantation, Ban can draw even more power from Asclepius, with the full extent of this curse causing his right arm to transform into a demonic limb of immense power. Later in the story, Ban learns to transcend this curse and draw out his full potential on his own, which is symbolized by the manifestation of a single angel wing behind his right shoulder.
His most important relationship is with his partner, Ginji Amano. While Ban initially insisted Ginji was merely his sidekick, he gradually comes to acknowledge him as an equal as their partnership progresses. Their bond is exceptionally strong, with each able to sense when the other is in grave danger. Ban also has a complex connection to Himiko Kudo, as he later discovers he is her real half-brother, sharing the same father. He took on the role of protecting her after killing her brother Yamato, keeping his promise by coming to her aid when she is in over her head.
Throughout the narrative, Ban's role evolves as his skills grow by leaps and bounds due to his immense learning abilities. He develops new techniques such as Snake Kill, using his left hand in combat. A significant moment in his development occurs when he uses his Evil Eye a fourth time and requests a final duel with the deadly Dr. Jackal. In this fight, the doctor fakes Ban's death with a surgical scalpel, delaying Ban's disappearance just long enough for Ginji to resolve the underlying conflict and save him from being erased from existence.