ONA
Description
Ba Thory is a character from the second season of the anime Bastard!! Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy, specifically the Hell's Requiem arc. He is introduced as one of the Twelve Sorcerer Shoguns, a group of powerful mages serving under the dark god Kall-Su. His title within this elite order is that of a polymancer, a wizard with a unique and unsettling magical specialization. His background establishes him as a formidable and dangerous figure within the series' hierarchy of villains.
In terms of personality, Ba Thory is characterized by a hot-tempered and bitter demeanor. He is prone to fits of anger and holds a particular disdain for his fellow Sorcerer Shogun, Yngwei von Mattström, whom he views as a rival. This rivalry is a notable aspect of his interactions, leading to frequent insults and clashes of ego. Despite his volatile nature and personal grudges, he demonstrates a deep and unwavering loyalty to his master, Kall-Su, prioritizing the goals of his leader above his own rivalries. His motivations are aligned with the Sorcerer Shoguns' overarching mission to locate the final seal of the destructive god Anthrasax and to build a new utopia under Kall-Su's rule, a cause for which he is willing to kill and fight fiercely.
Ba Thory's role in the story is primarily that of an antagonist who directly confronts the protagonist, Dark Schneider. He is first seen among his fellow Shoguns at Castle Judas, where he reacts with shock to intelligence regarding the survival of key figures among the Samurai, the story's group of heroes. He later participates in a violent assault on the Samurai castle, where he is responsible for killing many of its defenders. When Dark Schneider is resurrected, Ba Thory eagerly joins his comrade Maclalpine Toni Strauss in attacking the powerful wizard. This battle defines his role as he is severely injured by Dark Schneider, who then forcibly extracts Ba Thory's regeneration worms from his body to resurrect the very Samurai Ba Thory had killed.
His key relationships are primarily with his fellow Sorcerer Shoguns. He shares a professional, if tense, camaraderie with Maclalpine, often fighting alongside him. His relationship with Yngwei is defined by intense rivalry and bitterness. Most importantly, his loyalty to Kall-Su is absolute, defining his allegiance and actions. His interactions with the protagonist, Dark Schneider, are adversarial and brutal, showcasing the vast power gap between them. The character does undergo a form of development following his defeat. After a four-year time skip in the narrative, he is shown leading a group of refugees through a post-apocalyptic landscape alongside other Shoguns, suggesting a shift in his circumstances. When their group is attacked by demons and pulled into Hell, Ba Thory attempts to fight back, only to have his body transformed into a slug. He survives this ordeal, and his body eventually regenerates, placing him on the sidelines to witness the cosmic battles between Dark Schneider and angelic beings.
Ba Thory's most notable abilities stem from his nature as a polymancer. He is a living host to hundreds of millions of bugs, worms, and leeches that he keeps inside his own body and in a container under his cape. These creatures are rare species from remote marshlands and grant him a variety of grotesque powers. He uses Recycling Worms to enhance his physical strength and rapidly repair damage to his own body. For offense, he can project Carnivorous Leeches to infest and drain the blood of his enemies. His techniques include Entomo Liquefactor, where he launches the mass of worms comprising his arms at a foe, and the Power of the Centipede, which causes numerous tentacle-like appendages to erupt from his body as he leaps at an opponent. He can also create a Spell Bound that resists fire magic. Beyond his insect-based powers, Ba Thory is also a skilled swordsman, wielding a strange personal weapon known as the Earth Sword, with which he can perform an ultimate attack called Patriotic Mt. Fuji Mountain Destruction.
In terms of personality, Ba Thory is characterized by a hot-tempered and bitter demeanor. He is prone to fits of anger and holds a particular disdain for his fellow Sorcerer Shogun, Yngwei von Mattström, whom he views as a rival. This rivalry is a notable aspect of his interactions, leading to frequent insults and clashes of ego. Despite his volatile nature and personal grudges, he demonstrates a deep and unwavering loyalty to his master, Kall-Su, prioritizing the goals of his leader above his own rivalries. His motivations are aligned with the Sorcerer Shoguns' overarching mission to locate the final seal of the destructive god Anthrasax and to build a new utopia under Kall-Su's rule, a cause for which he is willing to kill and fight fiercely.
Ba Thory's role in the story is primarily that of an antagonist who directly confronts the protagonist, Dark Schneider. He is first seen among his fellow Shoguns at Castle Judas, where he reacts with shock to intelligence regarding the survival of key figures among the Samurai, the story's group of heroes. He later participates in a violent assault on the Samurai castle, where he is responsible for killing many of its defenders. When Dark Schneider is resurrected, Ba Thory eagerly joins his comrade Maclalpine Toni Strauss in attacking the powerful wizard. This battle defines his role as he is severely injured by Dark Schneider, who then forcibly extracts Ba Thory's regeneration worms from his body to resurrect the very Samurai Ba Thory had killed.
His key relationships are primarily with his fellow Sorcerer Shoguns. He shares a professional, if tense, camaraderie with Maclalpine, often fighting alongside him. His relationship with Yngwei is defined by intense rivalry and bitterness. Most importantly, his loyalty to Kall-Su is absolute, defining his allegiance and actions. His interactions with the protagonist, Dark Schneider, are adversarial and brutal, showcasing the vast power gap between them. The character does undergo a form of development following his defeat. After a four-year time skip in the narrative, he is shown leading a group of refugees through a post-apocalyptic landscape alongside other Shoguns, suggesting a shift in his circumstances. When their group is attacked by demons and pulled into Hell, Ba Thory attempts to fight back, only to have his body transformed into a slug. He survives this ordeal, and his body eventually regenerates, placing him on the sidelines to witness the cosmic battles between Dark Schneider and angelic beings.
Ba Thory's most notable abilities stem from his nature as a polymancer. He is a living host to hundreds of millions of bugs, worms, and leeches that he keeps inside his own body and in a container under his cape. These creatures are rare species from remote marshlands and grant him a variety of grotesque powers. He uses Recycling Worms to enhance his physical strength and rapidly repair damage to his own body. For offense, he can project Carnivorous Leeches to infest and drain the blood of his enemies. His techniques include Entomo Liquefactor, where he launches the mass of worms comprising his arms at a foe, and the Power of the Centipede, which causes numerous tentacle-like appendages to erupt from his body as he leaps at an opponent. He can also create a Spell Bound that resists fire magic. Beyond his insect-based powers, Ba Thory is also a skilled swordsman, wielding a strange personal weapon known as the Earth Sword, with which he can perform an ultimate attack called Patriotic Mt. Fuji Mountain Destruction.