- This page is about the character of Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo. You may be looking for the novel created by Alexandre Dumas.
| 《 | Our own lives are pieces that are toyed with as part of someone else's game. | 》 |
–The Count of Monte Cristo | ||
Edmond Dantès (エドモン・ダンテス, Edomond Dantesu?), a.k.a. The Count of Monte Cristo (モンテ・クリスト伯爵, Monte Kurisuto-Hakushaku?, Fr: Le Comte de Monte-Cristo), is the main antagonist of Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo alongside Gankutsuou himself.
A self-proclaimed "Country noble of the Eastern Universe," he has great wealth and tremendous power. With his knowledge and elegant demeanor, he suddenly became a star of Paris society.
He was voiced by Jouji Nakata in the Japanese version of the anime and by Jamieson Price in English.
Appearance[]
Physical Appearance[]
Edmond was formerly a tan man with a long, dark brown hair. During his time in Chateau d'If, Edmond would eventually get a beard, which eventually turned into a goatee. When he was possessed by Gankutsuou however, his facial features which includes his goatee turned dark blue, his skin also became light blue. His eyes also changed during this transformation, how having red and yellow eyes respectively. The Count's ears are also now pointy, along with his teeth.
The manga explains the Count's appearance, affirming that his body was reformed after his fusion with Gankutsuou. His blue skin is a result of this, so that his body would not require air - a necessary part of their escape from Chateau D'If. It is also implied that demon and Edmond have separate consciousness that occasionally blend into one.
Attires[]
In terms of clothing, each episode, the Count sometimes changes his outfits. But however, he is most commonly dressed in a black tuxedo, and his hands are sometimes covered by white gloves to hide his see-through, crystalline body parts. Much of his torso has become see-through, especially around the area of his heart. A man driven by nothing more than cruelest revenge on those who wronged him, the Count's costumes appear somber, but underneath reveal much about his character.
This is the Count's daily outfit, wearing black suit with a fire-like design on the sleeves. Maeda stated that he designed the Count's jacket this way as an image of flaming revenge. Subdued Menace, aside from the iconic flames traveling from his hands up his sleeves on his jacket; also has a white cravat, and in the inside, a white, long-sleeved shirt.
This is the most symbolic of the Count's various understated costumes. On the surface, he is wearing a formal, sedate cloak, but when he walks and moves his arms, the movement reveals a swirling explosion of red, passionate colors- much as the Count's calm exterior hides a mass of emotions inside. Maeda states that just as with the fire band on his sleeves, the Count hides his true intentions and his anguish inside. The Count, mostly in this outfit, also wears a top hat and cape, and he also holds a gold cane with a green, glowing jewel at the top.
The Count, all dressed to attend the opera, again displays his calm exterior with plain, black tuxedo. Underneath though, there are swirls of pale color- softer than the interior of his cloak, which reflects his desire for a simple evening of entertainment with his consort, Haydée, and maybe even a quiet, domestic life.
Personality[]
Before his transformation, Edmond was merciful and kind towards other people, Baron Danglars being a prime example when he was caught embezzling. His naïve nature made it difficult for him to question the intentions of others, ultimately making him fall for traps set by those who would betray his trust.
The Count is extremely charismatic, instantly charming Albert and making a quickly making a star of himself in Parisian society. He also has the loyalty and devotion of Baptiste, Bertuccio, Ali, and Haydée, all of whom express their great admiration for him on many occasions.
While initially coming off as a gentlemanly sort of fellow who has good intentions when Edmond was the Count of Monte Cristo, this was only to keep up appearances, especially to Albert, who he was merely using as a tool to set up more of his revenge scheme. In truth, the Count was a manipulative sociopath who cared very little about those around him, be they ally or enemy. Incredibly vengeful, his mind is fixated on vengeance only, with everyone around him being mere pawns to be used to get that revenge. It is heavily implied (and then eventually revealed) that he was also emotionally manipulative to Haydee, purposefully bringing her to the opera house knowing that she would see General Morcerf, which in turn would lead to her eventual sabotage of the general's presidential campaign, just as the Count intended. When her purpose was served, she was simply cast aside like she was nothing at all.
However, he is also shown to be concerned for those around him. Even after Héloïse de Villefort ceases to be of use to him, he continues to keep her and Edouard with him, as in her state of madness she is unable to care for herself. (This may be a nod to his character in the novel, where her and her son's death are the first events to cause Edmond remorse, although he ultimately pushes on.) Likewise, he treats Haydée as a daughter, and although it can be argued it was so she would not abandon him until he could use her against Morcerf, his many dotings indicate genuine affection. Haydée herself mentions that Gankutsuou consumed him over time, and his affection for her seems to wax and wane with its influence upon him. At times the Count struggles to hold off its power, during which he is more like the past Edmond Dantés, often showing regret, sadness, and loneliness. Other times he embraces it, and becomes more demonic in appearance and nature.
Noirtier de Villefort informs Franz that Gankutsuou is slowly changing the Count's body to crystal, trying to remove all emotions. In order to savoir his revenge, the Count resists this change over his heart.
Ultimately, Edmond escapes Gankutsuou's influence, and they split into two beings once more, revealing the discord between the joined personalities that made up the Count.
History[]
A mysterious nobleman living in luxury, The Count approaches and befriends Albert in Luna as the first step in his plan of revenge against the people who once betrayed him. The Count's previous identity was Edmond Dantès, a sailor who worked for the Morrel family's shipping company. Edmond fell in love with Mercedes Herrera and married her, until he was framed and imprisoned in the Château d'If on false charges, and it was there that he met Gankutsuou (known as The Ruler of the Cave in Animax's English adaptation). In exchange for the strength and means to gain revenge, he allowed the cold-blooded demon to possess him. Because of Gankutsuou, he is afflicted with an odd condition which causes his body to be crystalline, revealing his bones and internal organs.
After years of Machiavellian scheming that ruins the lives of his three targets and their families, the Count finally loses control of Gankutsuou, and is about to leave without completing his vengeance. However, at the spurs of Albert, who shows him that his so-called self-made destiny is just under the control of the demon, the contract is somehow revoked and the demon flees Edmond's body. Without his influence, however, the Count succumbs to the wound he suffered in the duel with Franz, and the shard of sword lodged in his heart leads him to bleed to death. His last desire was for Albert and Haydée to remember him as Edmond rather than Gankutsuou, and he, along with Mondego, are buried under the collapsing roof of his artificial sky.
Abilities[]
Due to Gankutsuou's influence over him, the Count's body has begun to crystallize, making him nearly invulnerable on those crystallized areas. As a direct result of the fact that his body is unhealthy due to the effects of Gankutsuou possessing him, he needs a special type of medicine to keep Gankutsuou at bay, thereby allowing him to remain sane and physically healthy enough to properly fulfill his goals. He is an expert fencer, often practicing with his henchman Baptistin. The Count also has his own uniquely designed battle suit, which greatly resembles fencing gear, especially in regards to its head/cockpit. The Count is also a very skilled manipulator, capable of bringing the three most powerful families in Paris to their knees with his schemes alone.
Concept and Creation[]
When Matsubara was given Maeda's draft design for the Count, the character looked like a typical villain; as Matsubara created the final design, he softened the villainous aspects and added noble and sarcastic elements to the Count's expressions. Due to the chosen animation style, Matsubara could not put excessive rumples and creases into clothes as they would be camouflaged against the underlying textures. Maeda initially intended the Count's character theme to be the Manfred Symphony from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Burnel had already composed an original character theme, and the rest of the production staff successfully overruled Maeda to keep Burnel's work. The Count's theme mixed original music with samples from Tchaikovsky's Manfred Symphony, Robert le diable by Giacomo Meyerbeer, and Gaetano Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor.
When reworking the Count, Maeda drew from descriptions from Dumas's text of the Count's coldness being attributed to his being one of the undead; his appearance was also influenced by works associated with the circle of Lord Byron, who contributed to both Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein and early writing about vampires and whom Maeda assumed Dumas had been inspired by when writing about the Count. Early drafts of the Count had him as a far more eccentric character, with his alien nature being more overt and unsettling.
Differences from the Original Novel[]
It is notable that the Count of Monte Cristo isn't the protagonist of this adaptation like he was in the original story. This role goes to Albert de Morcerf instead. Rather, the Count is the main villain of the series. In the original book, the Count collected a large fortune that was discussed to him by a fellow prisoner. This fortune was located in Monte Cristo, hence his title. However, no explanation was ever given for why he chose the name "The Count of Monte Cristo" in this adaptation. In the accompanying manga penned by the series creator, however, it is explained as a small planetoid made of gold in the East System that is used by the clergy - specifically the Cardinals - as a secret source of wealth. Gankutsuou takes Edmond Dantès there and declares it "more than could be spent in a lifetime." This is also where he acquires his ship, the "Espada" or "Sparta" (depending on the translation).
Trivia[]
- What Gankutsuou gains from Edmond's revenge is unclear, though in the manga it suggests dissatisfaction with Edmond's desire to live in the past, instead wishing he'd use the wealth it'd given him to live in the moment. Edmond's thirst for revenge and his remaining humanity is hinted to be what keeps him from joining fully with the demon, leading to his apparent "illness."
- His appearance bears some resemblance to Kambei from Samurai 7 with the only difference being that the Count of Monte Cristo is an antagonist while Kambei is a protagonist.
- He also resembles Dracula.
- His physical appearance, charismatic persona, and past share a lot of similarities with Doryu of Rave Master.