Dan Blackmore (ダン・ブラックモア?) is the Master of Archer in the Moon Holy Grail War of Fate/EXTRA. He serves as the second Master Hakuno Kishinami faces.
Profile[]
Background[]
Dan is a decorated soldier from England that is allied with the Harwey Plutocracy. He was formerly a sniper, but he is currently retired. Dan married his wife Anne but due to his occupation, he rarely saw her and her sudden death left Dan with great regret.
In the manga, he once encountered Twice H. Pieceman in a battlefield and he remembered his expression and opinions about wars.[2]
He was bestowed the title of "Sir" by the Queen and he is considered a close confidant of the Queen. The Queen was displeased with the allied Harwey organization. He was ordered by the Queen to win the Holy Grail and he believes the queen picked him so that no young soldier needed to be sacrificed in the process.
Appearance[]
Dan is an elderly gentleman with pure white hair, and a face weathered with the marks of aging. Despite his aged appearance, he does not seem the slightest bit frail, and rather than the mark of weakness, the way he wears his years is more like the way a tree's rings mark its growth. His scars over the years have become a solid core and tough bark that makes it impossible to see his age as a weakness.
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Personality[]
Blackmore is a serious man, who is polite and respectful; he is considered "knightly" by his peers. He chooses to face his opponents in honorable battles and frowns on cowardice. Blackmore can also be very compassionate, shown in his last moments when he speaks of his deceased wife.
Blackmore's interaction with his servant seems to be similar to a father and son as he restrains Archer from using dishonorable tactics from winning against an enemy; this ranges from scolding Archer to using a command seal to punish Archer as an extreme method of restraining him. Dan believes in Archer abilities without his extreme methods. Despite how the Moon Cell Holy Grail War is labeled a war, and while Blackmore was indeed a veteran sniper back in his days as an army soldier, Blackmore sees it more as a contest which is why he is mainly against Archer's seemly advantageous tactics to win before actually facing his enemies when they actually fight fairly.
He is a very devout man, and protective of the image of the Church even in the virtual world of Seraph where it is only used by Aoko and Touko to perform Alterations. He demands that Shinji leave its premises, claiming that the gates of heaven will remain closed to the unbeliever.
He is prepared to die should orders dictate it. He is a soldier that fights solely out of obligation rather than someone else who fights to win the prize for personal reasons. His whole life, he praised himself for giving up his personal feelings and aspirations like a good soldier. At the end, he has his own goals and he abandoned his military life.
He had doubts about the Holy Grail being legitimate until Leonardo B. Harwey confirms it, though he founds it to be an honor to partake. He claims that he entered on behalf of the Queen but he corrected himself saying he participated for personal reason. He secretly wishes to revive his deceased wife. After his defeat, he claims he still lacked experience and he doubted himself too greatly in this tournament. Having a reason to fight isn't the same as truly believing in the reason. However he is satisfied with his defeat for the first time and he is glad that there is someone with such youth has a bright future to grow. He realized that it was a silly delusion to bring his wife alive. In the end, he wonders what exactly was his wish, his wife or the person before he became a soldier.
Role[]
Fate/EXTRA[]
Dan is first seen encountering Shinji Matou outside of the Church. He chides Shinji for being too loud and having no dignity or respect, and he refuses to let him remain near the chapel. Claiming that it is a place for quiet reflection, someone like him is not welcome there no matter what god they follow. He had believed that the Japanese were polite, but thinks he must have been misled after encountering Shinji. He later encounters Hakuno during the second week, where it is confirmed that he is their opponent. The first remark he makes is that they're green and lack experience. The fact that they let their opponent's appearance shake their resolve is proof of their inexperience, and their eyes look completely lost to him due to their conflict over the death of Shinji. He tells them that they are beyond hopeless in that state, and that entering a battlefield like that will prove disastrous.
He is an elderly soldier working in service to the Queen of England. His absolute adherence to the chivalry puts him at extreme odds with Archer (who is capable of acting significantly on his own due to his very high rank in Independent Action, to the extent of using a Command Seal to forbid Archer from employing guerrilla tactics against Hakuno Kishinami (which is somewhat ironic, considering Dan was a sniper). Archer, in turn, often complains about Blackmore's so-called chivalrous behavior, calling him a sham of a knight on occasion, and for not understanding that Archer cannot win in a fair fight. Blackmore's ultimate goal is to attain the Holy Grail and use his wish to revive his deceased wife; in defeat, he realizes how selfish and petty this wish is.
Ultimately, when defeated, Blackmore accepts death with dignity and apologizes to Archer for not letting him fight as he wished; Archer, in turn, thanks Blackmore for "letting him feel like a hero for once". Blackmore then beseeches Hakuno to attempt to find meaning in the death they must inevitably cause, and to honor the fallen - including him - with victory. The Protagonist can come to look on Blackmore as a kind of father figure, depending on choices made in the game.
Last Encore[]
In Fate/EXTRA Last Encore, Dan's opponent during the Moon Holy Grail War is Suzuka Gozen and her unnamed Master. After the Master was injured and poisoned by Archer, Dan went to visit him in the Nurse's Office, similarly to Fate/EXTRA, when Hakuno was also poisoned by Archer. During the Elimination Battle, after Archer loses against Saber, Dan praises Saber's Master, and gives him some final advice before fading away.[3]
However instead of dying though, Dan finds himself sent to the Forest of Regret after the rules of SE.RA.PH were overwritten by Chakravartin. He then becomes the Floor Master of the second floor, and decides to continue pursuing battle. Stationing himself in the starting building of second floor entrance, he creates a strategy where he misleads his opponents into thinking that his sniping position is the clock tower with a ricochet effect on the tower's bells. If the Master were to survive the first shot, and run into the forest to hide, he sends Archer to kill them while supporting him. If the enemy still manages to survive, they will surely leave the forest, allowing Dan to shoot them more precisely. If again, the enemy survives and enters the clock tower, they'll fiind only a dummy of Dan, and are then killed by the explosives that he had set. Through this strategy, he has managed to kill many Masters and Servants.[3]
When Hakuno Kishinami and Saber arrive in the floor, he tries to kill Hakuno, but Saber blocks the bullet. As he continues to shoot them, they eventually escape into the forest, upon which he orders Archer to kill them. However, he reprimands Archer when he fails in his task, telling him that he won't have a second chance in the next battle and that they will ascend to the third floor this time.[4]
In his second confrontation against Hakuno, Dan shoots Rani VIII when she approaches the clock tower with Hakuno on her motorcycle. He then tries to kill Hakuno, but Hakuno activates his Dead Face abilities to escape the sniper fire and carry Rani to safety. Ultimately, Dan waits for Hakuno to enter the clock tower, so he can trigger the explosives there to kill him. But, after an explosion is supposedly triggered, he notices that Hakuno has disappeared, and that the wall was still intact. Realizing that Hakuno is still alive, Dan then finally notices that the only thing left was an Item Folder, and sees Hakuno equipped with a weapon and ready to fire. He fails to react quickly enough though, and is shot by Hakuno. As he dies, Dan hears the bells ringing, and remembers his past with his wife before fading away.[3]
Abilities[]
Nero Claudius notes Dan as a seasoned warrior that will force the Protagonist to hone their crude fighting skills if they wish to survive. Rin considers him someone far above the caliber of Shinji. Due to his time as a soldier, actions such as crawling over a mile or sniping an enemy commander are nothing special for him.
- gain_str(16); - A codecast that raises Servant's strength.
- add_regen(8); - A codecast that slightly heals the Servant's health at end of the turn.
Development[]
Reception[]
- In the Type-Moon's 10th Anniversary Character Poll, Dan was ranked 213th.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8
[] Fate/EXTRA material - Character Profile: Dan Blackmore, p.074 Dan Blackmore
- Height: 166cm
- Weight: 73kg
- Blood type: B
- Birthday: 10th October
- Image colour: Pea green
- Talents: Snipe
- Likes: Gardening, Japanese dance
- Dislike: Pest, Sweet things
- Enemy: El Draque
ダン・ブラックモア
- 身長:175cm
- 体重:73kg
- 血液型：B型
- 誕生日：10月8日
- イメージカラー：黄緑
- 特技：狙撃
- 好きな物：園芸、日本舞踊
- 嫌いな物：害虫、甘いもの
- 天敵:エルドラゴ
- Height: 166cm
- ↑ Fate/Extra Manga Chapter 6: "The Compensation of Foul Play"
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Fate/EXTRA Last Encore - Episode 05: The Bow of Prayer -Yew Bow-
- ↑ Fate/EXTRA Last Encore - Episode 04: Faceless King -No Face May King-