Argonaut (アルゴノゥト) is a character in DanMachi ~Memoria Freese~. Known as the Hero of the Beginning, Argonaut is a famous hero who began the Age of Heroes. After losing his memory in his supposed death he became one of the three great poets and adopted the name Navis (ナヴィス). He is Bell Cranel's past life.
Appearance
Argonaut had long white hair swept to the right which covered part of his forehead and bangs that framed his face. He had striking red eyes. As for his clothes, he wore a brown tunic with only the left sleeve and gold outlines as well as black wrappings on his right arm.
He used skin-colored pants tucked into below knee-length socks with gold rings, small white strips and black shoes that exposed his toes. He had brown cloth exposing his right thigh with gold outlining and a unique flower design on the left side which was kept secure by a red strip of cloth. He also wore a long black cape like a scarf on his neck.
Personality
Argonaut was very carefree and casual, letting his sister clean up after him and take the blame for things he did, and acted nonchalantly to her afterwards. He had a habit of pretending he was a hero and fighting imaginary monsters, such as pretending a windmill was a giant. Due to his behavior, he was often called a clown. He tried to show off in front of beautiful women but failed due to his lack of skill. He also had a habit of writing events down in his "Hero Journal", though he sometimes glorified said events.
However, he later showed that his attitude was more of an act, actually being educated, prescient, and very determined. Likewise, his goal of being a hero was with the intention of motivating others to become heroes as well by showing that even a "clown" like him could do it. Due to this he used to deny any glimpse of his true personality or his past, claiming to be an ordinary person.
He was concerned about the future of the world and believed that through union people were capable of achieving anything.
History
Argonaut was born in the city of Elcos, presumably as a member of the royal family. One day the city was attacked by monsters and, although he was unable to save anybody else, he managed to save Feena. After the city perished the two began traveling together from town to town, eventually forming a bond of brotherly love.
When he was seventeen years old he traveled to Lakrios with his sister after learning that it was recruiting heroes. Having passed the initial test, he was horrified to learn that the guardian of the capital, the legendary General Minos, was actually a monster. Objecting to letting princess Ariadne be sacrificed to the beast, which was necessary to keep the monster under control, the king ordered he was hunted down and framed him for kidnapping her.
With the help of Crozzo, a friend he made along the way, Argonaut found a Spirit with whom he formed a contract. After clearing his name, and with the help of his friends, the aspiring hero entered the labyrinth where the Minotaur laid. Argonaut faced it in a fierce battle and finally defeated it with Ariadne's assistance.
It is said that some time later, in his next adventure, he died facing a lion. However, he actually managed to survive the encounter. Thanks to his Sword of Thunder he was able to kill the animal, but at the cost of losing all his memories. Unable to remember his previous life, he took the name Olna suggested he used, Navis.
20 years after his feat as Argonaut he assisted the alliance of kingdoms interested in reaching the Dungeon, going to see Epimetheus and convincing him to help them face the monsters in their path.
His identity under the name Navis would go down in history as an important figure, being known as one of the three great poets, while his story as Argonaut would become known as a fool's comedy, in accordance with his desires, and consequently he would be remembered with less glory than his contemporaries. In the current era, it is uncertain if he even ever existed.
Abilities
Speed: Despite his lack of ability and power, Argonaut possessed great speed, being quick to evade and escape, even managing to dodge an attack from Garms.
Intelligence: Argonaut was skilled in the art of deception and persuasion, managing to deter others with his acting and crafting simple but effective distractions, as well as being capable of employing limited items to create compelling stories, having managed to make the entirety of Lakrios believe him.
Spirit: Argonaut was contracted with the Spirit Jupiter (ジュピター), a Spirit of Zeus.
Equipment
Sword of Thunder (雷霆の剣): The Sword of Thunder was the weapon form of Jupiter. In exchange for becoming a weapon, Jupiter lost all sense of self, and was therefore just a strong sword.
Using the sword he was able to defeat various monsters by himself. In addition to that, using the lightning power of the sword he could greatly increase his power, managing to fight on par with the Minotaur Minos. However, doing so reduced his lifespan and severely damaged his body, which ultimately ended up rendering him blind.
Fire Magic Sword: The Fire Magic Sword was a magic sword Argonaut received from Crozzo before their battle against the Minotaur. The sword could take down multiple monsters in a single attack, with Argonaut believing it to be even more powerful than his Sword of Thunder.
Crozzo called it Minotan because it was created to defeat the Minotaur, however Argonaut preferred to call it a Fire Magic Sword instead.
Trivia
- Argonaut's birthday is on May 22, which was a suggestion made by a fan that Oomori accepted.[1] The proposal was based on the fact that the day is known as Argonaut Day (
英雄願望 の日) since it was when the eighth episode of the first season of the anime premiered. The episode is titled Argonaut, hence the name, and is the one in which Bell faces the Minotaur from the 9th Floor. - Contrary to his name, Argonaut is based on Theseus, who is known for fighting the Minotaur with Ariadne's help. However, Theseus was considered to be a part of the Argonauts.
- Argonaut shares a lot of similarities with Don Quixote, such as fighting windmills believing they are giants, exaggerating their exploits, and having a person with common sense that follows them despite knowing their personality.
References
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