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Monte Cristo
The Count of Monte Cristo aka Edmond Dantès
Voiced by: Joji Nakata (JP), Jamieson Price (EN, as Taylor Henry), Russell Wait (EN, Animax)
An eccentric aristocrat who, one day, just arrived on Luna and began acting as if he owned the place. Within a few years, he practically did.He meets Albert during Carnival, and manages to rescue him from bandits.Shortly after this meeting, he calls upon the favor Albert owes him, and is introduced to Parisian society. From there, he sets a plan into motion that will change the face of the entire human empire.
- Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: The Count shares many quiet moments with Haydée and Albert.
- Adaptational Villainy: While most versions of the story show the Count in an entirely heroic light, and while he was arguably featured as heroic even in Dumas' novel, it's hard to deny that the literary Count is a morally ambiguous
Magnificent Bastard, given that his machinations ruin far more innocent lives than just those who wronged him. THIS version, however, shows as he would seem to those innocent bystanders... which is absolutely satanic. - A Father to His Men: One of the few ways he is nicer than the count of the book is in how he treats his servants. The way he treated Ali in the book is how he treats all of them here. When he is sure he will die, he leaves his fortune evenly split between the survivors of his gang.
- A Glass of Chianti: Typical of the era and his station, often seen with a glass of red wine within reach, though he is no heavy drinker. His unique constitution implies there's very little in it for him besides the taste.
- Anti-Villain: Unlike most versions of the tale, the Count's plots are shown without the filter of the story being told from his point of view, which means they're presented as twisted, manipulative, and downright psychotic actions with no regard towards innocents caught in the wake. Then again, the three direct targets of his wrath completely deserve it, so you can't help but root for him when those exact people get their just-desserts.
- Beard of Evil: Dantès was clean-shaven, while the Count has a beard.
- Becoming the Mask: In the beginning The Count only pretends to like Albert when in reality he only views him as a tool for his revenge. However, as time goes on, he finds himself developing genuine affection for Albert which causes him lots of angst and heartbreak, but it ultimately saves his soul in the end.
- Big Damn Heroes: Coupled with Villainous Rescue when he saves Albert in Episode 2, and played straight when he saves him again from a crazed, gun toting Gérard in Episode 14.
- Big Entrance: His arrival at Albert's home right after the lights go out.
- Card-Carrying Villain: Once his plans come to fruition he tries to act like he's pure evil with saying Albert was foolish for ever trusting him, how Haydee was just a pawn in his game, and trying to kill Albert. Ultimately his internal struggle with being cold-hearted and inability to become a complete monster are what save him.
- The Chessmaster: He planned nearly everything.
- Darker and Edgier: While the Count from the original novel was at least a little heroic, here's he's undoubtedly a Villain Protagonist, and is much more devious and ruthless with some of his tactics. That probably has a lot to do with the Deal with the Devil this adaptation brings along.
- Deal with the Devil: As it turns out, he (perhaps inadvertently) made a deal with a demon of sorts called "Gankutsuou" (known as The Ruler of the Cave in the American version). While Edmond begged for someone to kill him, Gankutsuou heard his cries and recognized the future Count's potential and instead, granted him the strength and means to gain revenge - as long as Edmond 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, and giving him blue skin, as well.
- Death by Adaptation: Dies at the end, unlike the novel, where he lives Happily Ever After.
- Death Glare: He pulls off a few; particularly noticeable during his last meeting with Jullian.
- Dramatic Unmask: He does this in Episode 10 when confronting the investigator sent by Gérard whom he catches rifling through his things. The accompanying music only serves to make the scene more awesome before he kills the intruder.
- Duality Motif: He has a red eye and a green eye. This symbolizes not only his moral ambiguity and inner conflicts, but also the fact that he is part-human, part-monster, part-alive, part-undead and part-earthling, part-alien through his symbiosis with Gankutsuou. The duality symbolism is also present in some representations of his crest, a stylized heart divided into two clear compartments with different colours to represent his remaining human feelings and the fact that he is gradually turning into a cold-hearted monster.
- Easily Forgiven: In spite of the Count's making Albert's life hell in his quest for vengeance against the men who wronged him (up to trying to kill Albert) Albert forgives him and saves his soul.
- Empowered Badass Normal: Dantès was a soldier, the Count is supernaturally powered.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: His father, Louis Dantès. The main reason for his rage and revenge are because his father died of a broken heart, penniless and alone as a result of Edmond's imprisonment.
- Although he claims that he only used them, he loved Haydee and Albert.
- Even the Guys Want Him: Just look at how Albert worships him, while not showing any attraction to other men. Even Franz comments how different Albert has been acting ever since he met the Count.
- Evil Is Deathly Cold: His first handshake to Albert feels cold.
- Facial Markings: The "eyes" on the Count's forehead are a manifestation of his power, and are only visible when he's using it.
- These facial (later full body) markings are a Homage to Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination (aka Tiger! Tiger!), one main source of inspiration for the writer.
- False Friend: To Albert, but with some Becoming the Mask.
- Fate Worse than Death: What he received after being wrongfully imprisoned, used as part of the Wetware CPU for the Chateau d'If. The agony was such he actually would have died purely from the pain alone had the same system not been forcibly keeping him alive. Also, what he wants to do to those that wronged him.
- Also what will happen if he dies while possessed by Gankutsuou.
- Fiction 500: Even accounting for 3000 years of inflation, the figures we hear make it obvious the Count would still be a trillionare by today's standards. Beauchamp notes that his Big Fancy House alone is basically made up of solid 24-karat gold for no reason other than to show off to the other nobility.
- Functional Addict: An adaptational subversion. In the original novel, the Count kept a stash of hashish in a hollowed out emerald to dull his chronic pains after his tenure at the Chateau d'If, but was by all accounts by other characters an Erudite Stoner. In this series, the Count still carries the hollowed out emerald as a Genius Bonus, but here it contains the pills he needs to sustain himself in lieu of being possessed by the Gankutsuou, and keep it at bay, though these begin to fail him in the final arc.
- Go Mad from the Isolation: With no Abbe Faria in this story and Chateau d'If essentially being a giant wetware CPU, the experience of being locked up there drove him up against, and arguably through, a mental wall.
- Good Hair, Evil Hair: Not only his goatee, but his long, curly, dark hair can be unsettling, as well as a stark contrast to everyone else's.
- He Who Fights Monsters: The further along the series goes the more it becomes apparent that the Count is not much better than the men who betrayed him.
- If It's You, It's Okay: Pretty much Albert's feelings for the Count since he doesn't show any attraction to other men. Also, Albert is seen blushing around him more than once.
- Karmic Death: He dies from a piece of the sword lodged in his heart during the duel where the Count mercilessly murdered Franz, after his source of Immortality is rendered moot by The Power of Love.
- Man of Wealth and Taste: This is one of the things that draws Albert to him.
- Ominous Opera Cape/Pimped-Out Cape: Somehow manages to have both of these.
- Our Vampires Are Different: Technically not a vampire, but looks like one, and is compared to one in more than one occasion as a Shout-Out to the original novel, where he is briefly compared to Polidori's Lord Ruthven, one of the earliest examples of suave gentleman vampires in fiction.
- Redemption Equals Death: Zig-zagged. He dies, but got his revenge and turns back into the man he used to be, albeit seemingly still full of hatred, in his last moments.
- Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: Gankutsuou was sealed away for a thousand years in the Chateau d'If, but has been residing within the count since the two escaped together. If the count dies with Gankutsuou still inside him, then Gankutsuou will finally be free to wreak havoc upon the galaxy.
- Slasher Smile: He does this more than once, and when he does...
- The Spook: Played straight for half the series, as no one has any concrete data about anything earlier than when he arrived on Luna. While all of his documents are totally valid and legal, no one knows how he got them or who he was beforehand. When Albert's politician friend tries to investigate him in the Royal Archives, his (extremely high level) clearance only gets him the vaguest hints about who The Count is.
- The Unfettered: In the manga, Albert waxes poetic about how "free" he seems.
- Unusual Ears: The Count has pointed ears.
- Villainous Friendship: type 3 with all of his servants, occasionally a type 1 shows through.
Giovanni Bertuccio
Voiced by: Kouji Ishii (JP), Beau Billingslea (EN, as John Daniels)
- Battle Butler: Looks and acts the part.
- Big Damn Heroes: Near the end, Baptistin gives Albert a communicator, unbeknownst to the count, and he has Bertuccio drive their ship right into Fernand's ship as it attacks Paris, disabling it. The two then rush in, save Albert and his mother and rehabilitate them.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: The Count is way more powerful than he is, but his function is to fight so the count doesn't have to.
- The Dragon: Possibly Co-Dragons with Baptistin, but he appears in the position more often, directly accepting orders and carrying them out.
- Limited Wardrobe: Odd considering every other character (even Ali) changes clothes at least once. Subverted in the final episode.
- Ramming Always Works: He drives the much smaller and heavily shielded ship at the Fernand's, he doesn't ram the ship itself, but hits the more fragile anti-gravity/fuel tank, and that brings the ship down. His ship is still able to fly at a limited capacity after that.
- Sinister Shades: Mostly Opaque Lenses, and sometimes his eyes show through, usually when he shows a softer side. Near the end, when struggling with a moral choice shooting Albert one is opaque, one is clear.
- The Tragic Rose: He opens up the final episode with his throwing it into the pit where the Count's house once was, and where he died.
- Undying Loyalty: Mentions he'd follow his master into hell, though in the end he defies him when he realizes that the count's gone too far. After that he serves under Haydée, calling her princess.
- Unusual Ears: He has a pair, coupled with a matching pair of fangs - neither of which he had before joining the Count's team.
- Villainous Rescue: Episode 2, he and Baptistin rush in and save Albert from Luigi's gang.
- Wrestler in All of Us: Opens up his fight in episode 2 with a clothesline move.
Baptistin
Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (JP), Kirk Thornton (EN, as Sean Roberts)
- Battle Butler: Serves drinks, chauffeurs the count, steers his boat, fences with him, and subdues his enemies.
- Big Damn Heroes: He gives Albert a communicator, and when Albert is in trouble on Fernand's ship, Baptistan and Bertuccio ram Fernand's ship with their own.
- Bodyguarding a Badass: He and Bertuccio fight so the count doesn't, to hide the fact that he's so powerful.
- Co-Dragons: Though Bertuccio seems to be the more active of the two.
- Faux Affably Evil: His facial expressions and tone give off the idea that he's mocking other people.
- Limited Wardrobe: Pretty noticeable when everyone else always wears different clothes.
- Only a Flesh Wound: He tries to pass getting shot in the shoulder off as one, but he immediately goes down, and Bertuccio has to try and stop the bleeding with a cloth. He survives, but provides no more use in the scene, and must be carried out.
- Pet the Dog: When he finds Albert asleep at the counts door, he wakes him up and sends him off instead of attacking him. The determination inspires Baptistin to give him a communicator when Fernand attacks Paris, and he and Bertuccio save Albert and his mother.
- Taking the Bullet: When the count shoots at Albert and Bertuccio, he jumps into the bullets path and takes it in the arm.
- Undying Loyalty: To the count, up until the end, where he defies him, after that he serves Haydée, calling her princess and even trying to buy her some jewelry, though when he sees the model is Peppo he chooses not to.
- Walking Shirtless Scene
Haydée
Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (JP), Stephanie Sheh (EN, as Jennifer Sekiguchi)
A mysterious woman who is seen alongside the count after his debut in Paris. While all of his servants adore him and he returns the respect, none are dearer to him than Haydée.
- Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: She has a quiet moment with the Count on more than one occasion.
- Dragon Ascendant: She wasn't The Dragon, per say, but at the end of the series, she's in charge and the other three servants willingly follow her.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Spent years as a slave, lost her parents, and was a pawn (or so he says) in the Count's quest for vengeance, but ultimately finds him redeemed and is restored to her rightful place as the ruler of Janina.
- Faint in Shock: She does this twice: first near the end of Episode 6 which crosses over to Episode 7 after she sees Fernand Mondego, and again Episode 23, when Gankutsuou takes control of the Count, and he transforms into a literal monster right in front of her.
- Happiness in Slavery: Happy as the count's servant, as there are far worse fates, and he treats her well.
- Harp of Femininity: She plays the harp, which emphasizes her graceful and feminine demeanor.
- Morality Pet: Serves as this to the Count up to a point, especially during their quiet moments together; it's also hinted that she's the one makes sure that he takes his medicine, and looks after him when he's ill.
- My God, What Have I Done?: In spite of her grudge against Fernand Morcerf, Haydée feels no satisfaction from publicly humiliating him and is instead guilt-ridden, realizing she's just ruined the lives of his wife and son who were innocent of anything and that the Count is destined for nothing but regret if he continues with his plans.
- Pimped-Out Dress: In episode 6 she sports one hell of a fancy dress with fabric that seems to be as brilliant as her abundant jewelry with some Gainaxing to boot.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives one to the man who put her in her position Fernand and exposes him as a fraud.
- Spanner in the Works: She threw one into Fernand's bid for presidency, and accused him of War crimes, just like the Count planned.
- Tragic Keepsake: She has a knife that her mother gave her when she died, telling her to use it to commit suicide should a master ever attempt to violate her.
Ali
A mute alien slave kept by the count, and who seems to be one of the few people whose company the count actually enjoys. He is extremely skilled at both medicine and horse riding.
- Healing Hands: When the count is shot, Bertuccio and Baptistin take him to Ali, and tell him to do his thing, Ali both heals him and extracts the bullet.
- Pet the Dog: When the Count's lair collapses, he takes Héloïse's and her son's hand and gets them to safety.
- Race Lift: Of the human race variety.
- Scary Black Man: He was one in the book, now he's a green skinned alien.
- The Voiceless: Just like in the book, and in contrast to the Count's other servants.
- Walking Shirtless Scene: Sometimes.
Andrea Cavalcanti aka Benedetto
Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki (JP) Liam O'Brien (English)
A beautiful but mentally unhinged socialite who is one of the last members to join the Count’s entourage. He has a secret history with a certain hanging judge…- Bastard Bastard: He is the bastard child of Gérard and thoroughly rotten to the core.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: He briefly seems to be a highly cultured fop and a decent guy, and continues to put on that persona, but he's really a total psychopath.
- Brother–Sister Incest/Parental Incest: Does the first by Attempted Rape and the second consensually and probably knew what he was doing in both cases (certainly in the second).
- Freudian Excuse: He was the bastard child of Gérard, something the man tried to hide by burying a young Benedetto alive only to be saved by a servant and then live his life in an orphanage before turning to various crimes.
- Karma Houdini: Benedetto escapes from prison amidst the confusion of the bombardment of Paris, and is last seen in the Distant Finale having become a notorious master criminal.
- Luke, You Are My Father: It is revealed that he is the bastard child of Gérard and Victoria, something Benedetto confronts his father about during the laters trial.
- Mask of Sanity: He is able to put up a decent front but it doesn't take much for him to reveal himself as a dangerously unstable individual.
- Token Evil Teammate: While the rest of the Counts crew are Anti-Villain's at worst, Andrea is dangerously unstable and cruel with even the Count clearly having little love for the guy, only keeping him around for being useful.
- Uncanny Family Resemblance: It's not called attention to, but he looks a lot like another character Eugenie, his half-sister, except for his Hellish Pupils.
Morcerfs
Albert de Morcerf
Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (JP), Aya Endo (JP, young), Johnny Yong Bosch (EN, as Kevin Hatcher), Wendee Lee (EN, young)
The main character, a young nobleman who finds himself overcome with a sort of ennui regarding how pre-planned his life is. An attempt to break the monotony with a trip to Luna’s Carnival has unexpected consequences when it introduces the Count, and his plot of revenge, to Paris.
Albert is naive, and somewhat spoiled, but underneath it all he inherited his fathers bravery and his mothers kindness.
- Big Damn Heroes: He pulls one near the end of Episode 13 which crosses over to the beginning of Episode 14 when he stops a crazed, gun toting Gérard from killing the Count; the Count returns the favour a few seconds later.
- Break the Cutie: He really goes through the wringer throughout the story as his ideals around those he loves are shattered with the hardest hitting being the betrayal of the Count and the death of Franz.
- Character Development: The show's best example. Goes from an immature brat to a brave, generous person who borders on a Messianic Archetype.
- Childhood Friend Romance: He's known Eugenie since they were kids, but initially they aren't happy about their engagement and bicker constantly. However, it's frustration born of their parents deciding it out of convenience instead of letting them choose. When he starts to care of his own free will Albert is willing to fight for her.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: Suffers humiliation, heartbreak, betrayal, and the loss of his father and best friend due to the sins of his father and the Count's machinations. However, he ultimately forgives the Count and saves his soul, is freed from the sins of his father, and is finally reunited with Eugenie, the woman he loves.
- Even the Guys Want Him: His best friend Franz loves him. Also, depending on the version, Peppo.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Franz. Though the "hetero" part apparently only applies to Albert as Franz is pretty obviously in love with him.
- Horrible Judge of Character: One of his biggest flaws is that he simply cannot imagine someone is evil until it's rubbed in his face. Sometimes even then.
- Idiot Hero: With tragic results.
- If It's You, It's Okay: A possible interpretation of his feelings for the Count, given that he doesn't show attraction to any other men.
- The Matchmaker: Albert becomes this for Valentine and Maximilien, frequently acting as a mediator between them and attempting to coach Maximilien on how to win her over.
- Oblivious to Love: Three times! Towards Eugenie's attraction to him, and Peppo and Franz's as well.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: To Eugenie, although Albert initially isn't in love with her. It's only when their engagement is broken off due to the scandals surrounding Albert's father that Albert realizes just how much she means to him.
- Took a Level in Badass: Albert goes from chafing at slight inconveniences to being an extremely courageous young man. he even walks through the streets of Paris while his father is sacking the city and slaughtering dissidents, instead of running away
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Dresses as a bridesmaid to sneak into Eugenie's wedding contract signing.
- Would Hit a Girl: He kicks Theresa in retaliation for violently tossing Peppo aside - while yelling at her to leave Peppo alone.
Mercedes de Morcerf
Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (JP), Karen Strassman (EN, as Mia Bradly)
Albert’s mother, a proper noble lady with whom he is extremely close.
While known for her refined attitude and kindness, anyone who spends time around her easily notices she is hiding a deep sadness within herself.
- Ambiguously Brown: Is a lot more tan than everyone else in Paris due to being Catalan instead of ethnically French.
- Break the Cutie: Goes through a lot of emotional damage due to the collapse of her husband's reputation as well as the fact that her old flame Edmond has returned. She nearly has a breakdown when she thinks Edmond is trying to kill her son.
- Femme Fatale: Downplayed. She dresses every bit like an overly rich Femme Fatale but her personality is fairly innocent. She's the only one of the parents who isn't a selfish asshole or committed heinous crimes and as such is the only one who gets a good ending.
- Good Parents: Is a kind and loving mother to Albert.
- My Greatest Failure: She holds a hidden sadness inside herself. She blames herself for Edmonds false imprisonment and the death of his father, who she helped take care of. She cannot tell anyone about it since she has to hide her past as a commoner, so it simply keeps eating away at her. By the end of the series when all her families secrets have been revealed, she seems much happier
- Proper Lady: played with as it’s implied she feels somewhat stifled by the etiquette of nobility, but does her best to follow it. This is because she’s actually a commoner, so it’s understandable she feels stifled
Fernand de Morcerf aka Fernand Mondego
Voiced by: Jurota Kosugi (JP), Paul St. Peter (EN, as Francis C. Cole)
Lead General of the Empire’s army and one of the “three corners of power” in Paris. Fernand is a war hero beloved by his family and his people. Though he does not recognize The Count it soon seems he has a hidden past with the mysterious noble.- Adaptational Badass: In the books, he was a Paper Tiger with charisma through and through. Here, he throws the proverbial gauntlet at The Count in a dueling mech suit and gives him a run for his money.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When the Count orders Albert's death Fernand immediately begins begging mercy for his son and offers his own life in exchange.
- Anti-Villain: The most sympathetic of the Three Corners of Power.
- Becoming the Mask: An odd example. Though it seems he falsified his original war record to get higher in the ranks, by the time of the series it’s shown he’s become an exceptional general and soldier in his own right who deserves his position in terms of skill, though maybe not in terms of morality. He’s not only able to orchestrate a coup that effectively topples an interstellar empire in just a few days, but he goes toe-to-toe in combat with the supernaturally empowered Count despite having not been a frontline soldier for many years.
- Broken Pedestal: He's one to Albert when it's revealed his aristocracy was bought and he committed various atrocities during his time as a soldier.
- Driven by Envy: A lot of his past actions were ultimately the result of a hidden sense of envy he held towards Edmond and not wanting to be caught in his shadow.
- Driven to Suicide: He chooses to end his own life once he realizes how he has ruined the lives of everyone around him.
- Dying as Yourself: He seems to realize how far he’s fallen in his final moments, and even apologizes to the Count now that they’ve irreparably ruined each-others lives
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: Unlike Gérard and Jullian who are in loveless marriages and think of their children as little more than tools to become wealthier or more powerful Fernand genuinely loves his wife and son.
- Fake Ultimate Hero: A lot of his war record is falsified and he has committed war crimes in the past. However, he is a capable soldier as shown with his battle against the Count.
- The Generalissimo: Late in the series, he pulls off a coup and becomes a ruthless and self absorbed military dictator. Thanks to his highly lavish uniform he even looks the part.
- Heel–Face Revolving Door: The fact he fights his worst urges makes him the most sympathetic of the villains, but it also results in this. Started as a noble sailor, his heart went cold and he became a conniving war criminal after betraying Dantès, then regained his moral compass and went back to being a face as a beloved and moral general after he married his love and his son was born, then went back to heel when all that getting taken away drove him off the deep end and became a military dictator, then went back to face in his last moments when his own son confronts him and makes him realize how far he has fallen.
- If I Can't Have You…: Morcerf shoots his wife and son when he realizes he has lost everything.
- I Just Want to Be Loved: He sold out Edmond because he was deeply in love with Mercedes.
- Large Ham: The further the series goes on, the more operatic he becomes.
- Love Makes You Evil: Fernand's Start of Darkness (I was tired of living that loser life) was being pushed over the edge partly due to his being on the losing end of the Love Triangle between him and his best friend Edmond for Mercedes, which he attributed in large part to the fact that he was poor and struggling in his own profession while Dantès was rich and successful in his career.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: Or rather send him to prison to spend the rest of his life.
- My God, What Have I Done?: He realizes his actions and selfishness have hurt everyone he ever loved and apologizes to the Count for what he did to him.
- Never My Fault: At the height of his Sanity Slippage he starts to blame everything on Edmond, never taking any responsibility for his own actions. It is only once is faced with the prospect of losing his only son at the hands of the count that he snaps out of it and stop making excuses.
- Parents as People: Even discounting the villainous traits, he clearly is torn between his duty and training as a general and trying to be a better father. He often gives Albert fatherly advice while practicing at the Chateau’s shooting range so he can multitask.
- Redemption Equals Death: Dies by his own hand at the side of Edmond, his best friend who he betrayed years ago.
- Sanity Slippage: After his crimes are exposed his sanity start to deteriorate rapidly as everything he has worked for comes undone, eventually culminating in his shooting both his wife and son.
- Second Love: To Mercedes, though as the series goes on there are signs she still loves Edmond, even if she's clearly ashamed of it.
- Start of Darkness: Of the three men who betrayed Edmond Dantès, Fernand is the most sympathetic, just wanting to be more than a lowly dock worker at Marseilles and to be loved by Mercedes. Unfortunately it meant he had to reveal the presence of a letter to the authorities and betray his best friend. He's also the only one to accept and show regret for his actions and genuinely apologizes to the Count.
- Villainous Breakdown: After Haydee exposes him as a war criminal and a fraud he increasingly becomes unhinged, culminating in him laying siege to Paris and shooting his wife and son out of despair.
Danglars
Eugenie Danglars
Voiced by: Chie Nakamura (JP), Michelle Ruff (EN)
The strongwilled daughter of the Danglars, who has grown disgusted with money after seeing what it has done to her parents. She is arranged to be married to Albert, but she doesn’t seem to be too excited by the prospect since it’s blatantly a political union.- Adaptational Sexuality: Rather annoyingly as one of, if not THE, first lesbian characters in modern literature, she is shown as nothing but straight here.
- Drives Like Crazy: In a subversion, she’s actually very good at driving, but driving like a maniac is one of the few sources of danger and adrenaline she can find in her rigid life.
- Gilded Cage: She seems to view her life, and aristocratic life in general, as this especially going by her comments about the walls around Paris.
- Perfectly Arranged Marriage: With Albert, since Eugenie was revealed to have always been in love with him and was more upset her choice had been taken away by her parents. When her family political estate collapses and it becomes solely her choice alone who she marries, she happily chooses Albert.
- Promoted to Love Interest: In the original novel she detested Albert (and all other men for that matter) and ran away to have a lesbian relationship with her piano instructor. In Gankutsuou the instructor has been cut out and Eugenie's been changed to something similar to a Tsundere.
- Runaway Bride: Eugenie becomes this towards Andrea, who was forcing her to marry him.
- Sheltered Aristocrat: Sees herself this way; near the beginning of the show she reflects on what a privileged upbringing she's had, and how ignorant she is of the world outside her wealthy surroundings. She turns out to be much more level-headed than most examples of this trope, though.
- Stepford Smiler: Her home life leaves her deeply depressed but she tries her best to hide it.
- Tsundere: Her behavior towards Albert at first makes it seem like she genuinely dislikes him like her book counterpart. That ends up not being the case even remotely. She hates arranged marriages and hates that the parents who barely care for her are getting their way. When her marriage arrangements get changed so she’s set to marry Andrea, and therefore choosing Albert goes against both that and her parents, she happily picks Albert without hesitation
Baron Jullian Danglars
Voiced by: Shinpachi Tsuji (JP), Doug Stone (EN)
The richest man in the Parisian empire. A cutthroat banker who thinks money is everything. His neglected family don’t seem to like him very much.
- Death by Materialism: The Count designed him a King Midas-like fate, as he is left to die aboard an abandoned spaceship with nothing but gold bars, which he's shown rolling around in like a giddy, greedy pig until he expired from a lack of water or oxygen, whichever did him in first.
- Driven by Envy: His original motive. Edmond was set to live the life Jullian wanted, and Edmond didn’t even have to cheat to get there. This spurred on his betrayal
- Fat Bastard: Although he was skinnier and better looking as a young man (but always a bastard). Of the three men who betrayed Edmond Dantès, Jullian is also the least sympathetic, just wanting Edmond thrown in jail because he was caught embezzling funds.
- Greater-Scope Villain: In a way. While all of the conspirators were equally guilty, it was ultimately Jullian who came up with the plan to frame Edmond and pull the other conspirators into the whole scheme. In a way, he put the whole plot into motion.
- Greed: He wants all the money in existence and then some. Out of the three targets he is laughably easy for the Count, for whom money is no issue, to manipulate.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: His wife’s attempts to seduce him only annoyed him enough that he actually hooked her up with Lucien simply to get her to stop. It was absolutely nothing but a distraction to him.
- Nouveau Riche: His title was basically bought due to his financial connections.
- Scary Shiny Glasses: Sometimes angles his shades down when scheming, resulting in this.
Madame Victoria de Danglars
Voiced by: Naoko Matsui (JP), Mari Devon (EN, as Jane Alan)
Jullian' wife. Her husband’s emotional neglect and her daughter's cold distance have left her desperately seeking companionship.
- Awful Wedded Life: While a bad marriage always involves two people, she is far more emotionally hurt by it than her borderline sociopath husband who seems to have shrugged it all off.
- Gilded Cage: She is trapped in a loveless marriage by her own greed, wanting to leave Jullian but being unable to because she got a taste of the high life and is unwilling to give it up. Many of Eugenies anxieties about noble life come from seeing how her mother ended up.
- Really Gets Around: We see two of her affairs on screen, and it’s implied she has had even more.
- Sympathetic Adulterer: She has a lot of unpleasant traits, but the show doesn’t vilify her for seeking companionship outside her marriage considering how neglectful and crooked her husband is, and how he seemingly only married her to use her as a status symbol and to produce heirs he could use as political pawns.
- Trophy Wife: Baron Jullian does not seem to particularly like her as anything more than a status symbol, and now that she’s getting older, does not even seem interested in her sexually either.
Villeforts
The Villefort Family in General
An aristocratic family of barristers, lawyers, and other men of the law. In recent years they suddenly went from a respected if quaint Parisian line to one of the "three corners of power" in Paris, making their patriarch, Gérard, one of the most powerful men in the human empire.
Valentine de Villefort
Voiced by: Junko Miura (JP), Dorothy Elias-Fahn (EN)
The reclusive eldest daughter of the Villefort family, born to Gerard's late first wife. While she seems like the ideal parisian lady, her health has prevented her from interacting with noble society in any meaningful way.
- Arranged Marriage: Has been set up to marry Franz since they were both children. She seems to be alright with it, but Franz can't think of her as anything but a friend.
- Gilded Cage: Trapped in her beautiful mansion complex by a mixture of bad health and a worse mother.
- Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: With Maximilien.
- Uptown Girl: To Maximilien who is considered unsuitable for her due to his lower class.
Crown Prosecutor Gérard de Villefort
Voiced by: Yosuke Akimoto (JP), Tom Wyner (EN, as Abe Lesser)
The Crown Prosecutor and an infamous hanging judge. In spite of his unforgiving personality, he has risen through the ranks thanks to his unshakable loyalty to the empire. He is married to his work, and is emotionally cold to his family.- Armor-Piercing Question: During his ultimatum to his murderous wife after her crimes are exposed, he drops an absolute steamroller of a line on any attempted verbal defense of hers;"Are you so weak you can only kill others, but not yourself?!"
- Ambition Is Evil: Due to his family name being on the letter revealing the conspirators who killed the Prince, Gérard had Dantès convicted as a scandal surrounding his family would have damaged Gérard's chances of ascending higher in the government and society.
- Antagonistic Offspring: It's implied he's somewhat responsible for his father's condition. Partially it was due to the pressure of living up to his family name with his father working in the Ministry of the Interior.
- Hanging Judge: Even called one by a civilian.
- I Was Quite a Looker: Flashbacks show the young Gérard to be handsome with a much friendlier expression. It's suggested that being evil along with age gave him his current appearance.
- Scary Shiny Monocle
- Pay Evil unto Evil: Sadistic hanging judge he may be, but when he presents the ultimatum of suicide or life in an asylum note to his murderous, backstabbing wife large parts of the audience cheered.
Héloïse Villefort
Voiced by: Kumiko Watanabe (JP), Julie Ann Taylor (EN)
Gerard Villefort's second, less respectable, and much younger, wife. Not helping her image in Parisian society are the rumors that she beats her children, or at least Valentine, but no one has ever caught her in the act.- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She presents a demure front, but even before she attempts to poison her stepdaughter, another character says there are rumors that she beats Valentine regularly.
- Dissonant Serenity: Casually laughs at the idea that her father-in-law fell of his chair and could die, as if it was a joke.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Being a second wife to a man much richer than her, and who will leave her son nothing after his death due to inheritance laws, has left her extremely bitter.
- Master Poisoner: Subverted: it was the Count who gave her the poison ring she tries to use to kill her husband and stepdaughter.
- Masturbation Means Sexual Frustration: Héloise is shown masturbating while thinking about her the Count and the poison ring he gave her after he seduced and did her (with a voyeur in Albert, mind you!) in her poisonous flower garden. Fan Disservice or Fanservice depending on one's view, as Héloïse is one of the most attractive women in the show, but it's also the start of a Sanity Slippage.
- Sanity Slippage: Starts it very early, but becomes more and more unhinged and murderous as the story continues. It culminates in her Villainous Breakdown upon being caught where she goes irreversibly insane. Even after the Count rescues her from the asylum, the damage is done and she seems to be barely aware of anything anymore.
- Second Love: To Gerard, just like in the novel, except somehow even more resentful about it here.
- Soft-Spoken Sadist: You wouldn't expect someone so demure to be such a monster.
- Villainous Breakdown: Upon being found out by her husband and her plan being ruined, she goes completely insane
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Nothing about her or her son Edouard is even mentioned in the Distant Finale.
Noirtier Villefort
Voiced by: Hirotake Nagata (JP), Tony Oliver (EN)
A wheelchair bound old man, Nortier lived an eventful life only to be struck by a paralyzing illness in his golden years just as things in his family began to take a turn for the worse. Out of the Villefort, it seems he is the only one who actually loves Valentine.- Cool Old Guy: The only other adult besides Mercedes who isn't a selfish asshole.
- The Voiceless: Suffered a stroke years ago and is bound to a wheelchair and respirator as a result.
Luigi's Gang
Luigi Vampa
Voiced by: Tamio Sobami (JP), William Frederick Knight (EN)
One of the most infamous mafia bosses on Luna, Luigi Vampa has become greatly feared for kidnapping rich tourists and ransoming them off for astronomical amounts of money. A fan of punctuality, he expects the same adherence to schedules from his "clients" that he shows them.
- Adaptational Villainy: In the original book, Vampa was a Noble Demon Father to His Men who kept Rome "safe" by killing any bandit leader morally worse than himself (especially rapists, whom he absolutely despised) and was in-fact a Friendly Enemy to Franz and Albert. In the book he was so greatly impressed by the latter's bravery that they part with no hard feelings between them. In Gankutsuou, not so much.
- Berserk Button: He is a stickler for schedules, and will kill people over it. Even if you get the ransom together, he won't accept it a minute late and will execute the prisoner. Being punctual is more important than making money.
- Blade Enthusiast: Guy loves knives and loves throwing them at people. He even uses them as bookmarks, for some reason.
- Eye Patch Of Power: How he appears later after the event below.
- Eye Scream: What the count does to him in their first encounter.
- Good Scars, Evil Scars: Has a large scar on his face.
- Starter Villain: The antagonist of the first arc of the show, who sets the rest of the plot in motion.
Peppo
Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (JP), Carrie Savage (EN)
- Ambiguous Gender: The anime never confirms if Peppo is really male or female. Peppo was confirmed to be male by the manga adaptation, as well as originally being a boy crossdressing as a girl to seduce Albert in the novel.
- Dude Looks Like a Lady: Peppo is a very feminine-looking man.
- The Imp: He's not outright malicious, but he LOVES screwing with Albert's naiveté.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: The reason he gives for helping Albert crash Eugenie's wedding. And from the look on his face as they drive away, he's not just messing with him this time.
- Love Redeems: Implied to be the reason he ultimately helps Albert.
- Meido: After the fall of Luigi's bandit group, Peppo begins working as a maid instead.
- The Mole: Was the Count's spy.
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Peppo is a wholesome guy who crossdresses. He seems to recognize that he's a male, as in episode four he instructs Albert to "keep his secret [sic]".
Other Characters
Franz d'Epinay
Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (JP), Ezra Weisz (EN, as Ethan Murray), Dave Bridges (EN, Animax)
Albert's best friend and a member of the aristocracy, the two have been inseparable since Albert and Franz met at the funeral of Franz's father. Due to only belonging to a minor family, he is a lot more grounded than the rest of the nobility.
- Adaptational Sexuality: In love with Albert here, which is never even hinted at in the novel. He seems to be bisexual, as he almost slept with a female noble on Luna.
- Bury Your Gays: He is secretly in love with Albert, but is killed in a duel that he never even takes part in in the novel as a direct consequnce of said love.
- Death by Adaptation: Killed in a duel with Count. In the novel, this duel is interrupted before it begins and doesn't even involve him in the first place.
- Determinator: Despite getting his ass handed to him by the Count in a Curb-Stomp Battle, Franz keeps going until the Count gets in close for the coup de grace.
- Hypercompetent Sidekick: Let's face it: Franz is a lot brighter than Albert is.
- Impoverished Patrician: Reveals later on that this is why he's expected by marry Valentine, who is new money, but wealthy.
- Incompatible Orientation: His love for Albert.
- Valentine also loves him. While Franz genuinely cares about her, he can't see her as anything more than a friend.
- I Wished You Were Dead: As a child, said this to his father, who died right afterward, and he's been feeling guilt for that ever since.
- Magical Queer: Could definitely be seen this way.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: To his father. Not only did he not say goodbye, he also told him he hopes he never comes back. Oops.
- Spanner in the Works: Franz becomes this to the Count when Franz decides to participate in the duel instead of Albert and gets killed. This not only derails the Count's plan to get rid of his Edmond Dantès part of soul completely but also hands him Karmic Death in the end.
Maximilien Morrel
Voiced by: Tetsu Inada (JP), Tony Oliver (EN)
Born in the small fishing town of Marseilles, Maximilien finds himself suddenly inducted into the social circles of the elite after saving the life of the blueblood officer Raoul de Château-Renaud. Due to his status as an outsider, he is able to see aristocratic life for what it is.
- Berserk Button: About the only thing that can make him mad is wasteful displays of wealth. The sight of Counts solid gold manor ticks him off enough towards Nobility in general that he ends up fighting Albert due to getting into an argument with him about the wastefulness having the sheer amount of gold, and thus money, on display instead of using it for a good purpose.
- Gentle Giant: Despite his physique and training, he is sweet as a lamb unless pushed by all the corruption and nefarious things happening around him.
- Good Is Not Dumb: Many of his friends are Innocently Insensitive as they assume he isn’t sophisticated or educated enough to understand the forces at play, but he arguably understood it better than most of the rest of the cast.
- Huge Guy: To Valentine.
- Second Love: To Valentine.
- Space Marine: Was one, and still has the Super-Soldier physique.
- Super-Strength: In the original novel, Maximilien manages to dislodge the group's carriage from a ditch. Here he does the same with a huge and much heavier sports car. Luckily he completely subverts Does Not Know His Own Strength.
- Super-Soldier: Maximilien is essentially one, having been given muscle enhancements during his time in a special forces unit.
Raoul de Château-Renaud
Voiced by: MIKI (JP), Yuri Lowenthal (EN)
Maximilian's superior officer, and the individual who is sponsoring Max's introduction into high society, like Albert is with the count. After having his life saved by Maximilian, he vowed to help the impoverished soldier and his family. He up-keeps automobiles as a sort of hobby.
- Cool Car: Is a fan of them
- Fantastic Racism: Despises aliens due to his experience fighting against them in the war.
- Hidden Depths: He's one of the least seen of Albert's group of friends, only serving to introduce them to Maximilien, and helping them rescue Valentine. However when Albert is beaten unconscious by a group of guards, Raoul saves him, subdues the guards, and get's his bike back off-screen (he was a soldier). After that, he has a surprisingly deep conversation with Albert, saying he likes cars more than people because their easier to understand, and despite that he volunteered his car to be the getaway vehicle when rescuing Valentine (it got shot up). He also begins crying at Franz's death.
- Older Than They Look: Looks like a young teenager but is actually an officer in the military.
Lucien Debray
Voiced by: Jin Domon (JP), Doug Erholtz (EN)
Out of the friends Albert has, Lucien has made it the highest in society so far. Using his charm, affability, and good looks, he has managed to advance fairly far in Parisian government at a remarkably young age.- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: You wouldn't know he was a competent, and (relative to other nobility) honest politician from the way he acts.
- The Dandy: Played up in the English dub, but elements of it were there in the original dub as well.
- Ethical Slut: It’s implied that his affair with Mrs. Danglars is not his first, and that trading sex for favors and alliances is his way of getting ahead without having to resort to the more destructive and sociopathic methods other nobles are shown using.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He might be having an affair with Eugenie's mom, but he takes no pleasure in it as her husband seems to have put him up to it just to shut her up. He also doesn't hesitate when his friends are in trouble and is more than happy to help Franz uncover what Gankutsuou is.
Robert Beauchamp
Voiced by: Tetsu Shiratori (JP), Erik Davies (EN, as Jack Bauer)
A reporter for a Parisian newspaper, Beauchamp is equally infamous as famous for his articles, which pull no punches.- Deadpan Snarker: His job of sifting through the royals' dirty laundry has made him bitterly cynical, and he has the sense of humor to match.
- Immoral Journalist: Albert jokingly calls him this, which Beauchamp doesn't seem to mind. Played for Drama when Albert makes the accusation again late in the series. That time, Beauchamp takes it much more personally and lays out exactly how insulting he considers it.
- Intrepid Reporter: Takes his job as a journalist very seriously as he wants to make sure the public knows the truth. This is in spite of him unfortunately having to write a piece on Albert's father.
- Knight in Sour Armor: He's a sarcastic cynic who frequently pushes the limits of acceptability by defying the wishes of the various royal guests that he visits with. He's also passionate about the truth and is dedicated to keeping the public informed on the corruption of the elite class, no matter the personal cost.
Gaspard Caderousse
Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (JP), Kirk Thornton (EN, as Sean Roberts)
A poor drunkard from Marseille, Gaspard seems connected to some of the most powerful men in the Empire, though obviously not through any choice of their own. He seeks to take by force what he feels life owes him, though he never resorts to murder. Actually one of the four who had Dantès imprisoned, he blackmails the others out of a mixture of remorse and avarice.
- Adaptational Heroism: Still not a "hero" by any means, but compared to the murderously greedy Gaspard from the book, this slimy con man comes across as a far better person. After all, the people he is extorting did far, far worse.
- Adaptational Personality Change: As mentioned above, in the book Gaspard was someone who would murder others if he thought it would get him even slightly ahead. In Gankutsuou he never even contemplates this, and seems to have genuine remorse over his role in Edmund Dantès imprisonment
- Adaptational Relationship Change: He seems to be a drunkard loner in Gankutsuou, as his wife and family from the book are never mentioned.
- Asshole Victim: It is hard to feel bad for those he is extorting once you know their pasts.
- Gonk: He's an ugly, dwarfish man.
- Jerkass: A greedy, vindictive slimeball who is clearly getting a kick out of blackmailing Fernand and the others.
- Karma Houdini: He's the ONLY one of the four men who got Dantès jailed that doesn't get the hammer dropped on him. Though considering how miserable and lonely his life is, perhaps the Count thought that Karma had already beat him to the punch.
- Spared by the Adaptation: As he isn’t a murderer like his book self is, the series of events that lead to his demise never happen.
Gankutsuou
A mysterious entity associated in some way with the count. Apparently the spirit of a dead Space Pirate, who, due to his immense strength, became... something else entirely... after death.- Adaptational Villainy: AND HOW!!! The closest thing to him in the novel is Abbé Faria, an honest priest and innocent prisoner who helped Edmond to get out of his prison and guided him to a secret treasure. Here, he is a monster from outer space who fueled him with poisonous wrath.
- Came Back Strong: He was already an infamous space pirate before his death. But whatever he turned into after wasting away is strong enough to rip apart the Chateau d'If once given a human vessel to channel his power through.
- Composite Character: Takes the place of Abbé Faria, the treasure and Edmond's motive from the novel.
- Deal with the Devil: An interesting take in that he makes it abundantly clear what he will take from you, but most who make pacts with him are desperate enough that Cessation of Existence sounds preferable to whatever they are going through.
- The Dreaded: The government of France (and thus Earth) has actively tried to erase him from existence. See TheGhost.
- The Ghost: In an effort to contain knowledge of his existence, any information the government could get their hands on was either destroyed or sealed away deep in the government archives. The well connected Luigi Vampa didn't even think Gankutsuou existed, and even Lucien's high level clearance can't get him anything more than the thinnest sliver of information. Even at the end of the series, we still know barely anything about Gankutsuou that doesn't involve his interactions with the count.
- The Heartless: Gankutsuou might be this as it is content to simply walk away once the Count's soul is in its possession.
- Narrator All Along: It is eventually revealed that the narrator is none other than Gankutsuou itself.
