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Art | Gallery |
Art (アート Āto) was the superintendent of the Yokohama Police Department and a graduate of Facultas Academy, despite never actualizing a Minimum ability during his time there. He has known Nice and Honey since they were young.
After his tragic "death", he reappears as the main antagonist in the second season.
He is voiced by Hiroshi Kamiya (Ami Koshimizu voiced him as a child).
Appearance:
Art has been identified as an extremely handsome young man with short lilac hair and violet eyes, with a beauty mark under the left one. While working, he is seen wearing a dark purple suit, white collared shirt, red tie, and black shoes. The notes on Art's original character design detail him as having soft, elegant features, and smiling often.
In Re:_Hamatora, Art's outfit changes from his familiar purple suit to a more sketchy style. He wears a dark coat that has red stripes on the left sleeve, and a high collar that covers his mouth. The coat seems to be held closed with a single gold fastener on the right side. Under the coat he wears a dark colored tank top and dark grey pants paired with a white belt, and he wears tall, belted boots on his feet.
Personality
Art is generally calm, with a kind and protective demeanor. He typically uses formal, gentle speech, which becomes notably sharper when he is angered. His actions are guided by a strong sense of justice, and superior intellect and hard work enabled him to become police superintendent at a young age.
Despite his achievements, Art is shown to have an inferiority complex, saying that he has no right to be careful, and has also questioned his own worth as a non-Minimum Holder.
Art is seen to have a poor diet when committed to casework, but still holds a strong sweet tooth, putting as many as three sugar cubes into his tea cup during his first interrogation of Moral.
One time he got frustrated with the lack of communistic ideals in the police force and had an outburst, but other than the time he lashed out at Moral this is his only known display of anger.
Background
Art attended and graduated from Facultas Academy. Although he worked extremely hard, he never actualized his Minimum during his time at the academy. Even so, he graduated with outstanding results. In a short period of time, he skipped grades to graduate from university, and passed the professional examinations.
It is implied that he is a foreign national.
During his time at Facultas Academy, Art had been seen snooping around the research facility of Facultas somewhat frequently, in his path to actualizing his Minimum. It is during one of these times, he stumbles upon his brother by accident. There he sees Skill hooked up onto a machine, having some of his limbs replaced with wires and cables. With Art present in the same room, Skill asks Art to kill him as Skill no longer wanted to create any more "sin". Art tries to oblige to his wish and stabs Skill with the broken end of a glass bottle nearby. This was not enough and failed to kill Skill, rather unleashing Skill's Minimum and thus giving Art his Regeneration Minimum. It is from the shockwave of Skill's power being unleashed, part of Art's brain was lost resulting in memory loss of this day.
Relationships
Nice
Art is Nice's Best friend, dating back to their Academy days. Art sees Nice as a dependable person. Although their relationship is strained after Moral's analysis of Art's jealousy toward Nice's Minimum, it is shown that Art is willing to go to great lengths to protect Nice, including obscuring details about the serial murder case to Nice. This causes an argument shortly prior to Art's confrontation with Moral at the cemetery, with both sides intending but being unable to apologize before Art's "death".
Even after Art's change of heart, he still acts polite and friendly towards Nice, but maintains his objective of killing him. This is because Nice's heart was actually Skill's heart. Art is now doggedly trying to kill Nice in order to fulfill Skill's wish to die that day.
Moral
Art hates Moral all the way to his core not only because of his experiments and his killing of Minimum Holders, but also for psychoanalyzing his failure in not being a Minimum Holder. Some of Art's directed hate at Moral is due to Moral tempting him with the power of a Minimum Holder that he desperately wants, while Art's strong sense of justice prevents him from considering getting help from him.
Skill
Art loves his younger brother, but when Skill's Minimum was found, it was shown that Art was jealous of him since he had yet to develop his own Minimum. Because of this, Art doesn't pay attention when Skill is taken away to develop his Minimum. In the end Skill goes through the same procedure as Hajime.
After Nice and Hajime's escape diverts the attention of staff at the facility, Art discovers that Skill has been mutilated due to experiments carried out on him. Skill requests Art to kill him since his Mininium was the one that created those monsters.
Art eventually learns from Moral that he was the one who actually killed him (or at least attempted to). He recovers from the brain damage he received when he kills his brother (in which Skill's Minimum releases a burst that makes Art fly into a wall and hit his head) when his own Minimum (which he received from his brother) makes him resurrect. He then decides he will fufill his brother's wish (misconception) and to erase all ego and Mininium from everyone. This is the catalyst of Art's actions in the second season of Hamatora.
Powers & Abilities
During the first season, Art is said to have shown potential for having a Minimum, but was never able to manifest it during his time at the academy. However, he still graduated from Facultas and is said by Honey to be "the first and last graduate of the Academy who never manifested his Minimum". As proven by this, he possesses extreme determination and good physical ability and intellect, a result of all the hard work he put in.
Regeneration Minimum
In episode two of the second season it was discovered that he has the Regeneration Minimum, which activates when he receives a fatal injury to the heart. It seems to be able to bring him back to life, as well as regenerating lost limbs and curing injuries. It is revealed in Re:12 that this ability was given to him by Skill.
Minimum Stealing
He can also steal Minimums by extracting a liquid from Minimum Holders' necks (leaving the victim without powers) which then can be injected into himself to give him their power. It is unknown how much this lasts or if it affects his body the same way it did to Moral. However, it's suspected that Art loses the Minimums he injects each time he "resets" or dies and regenerates using his Regeneration Minimum. So far, he has injected these known Minimums:
Light Minimum
Used by Art in episode 2 to deceive Paper by creating an illusion of himself in order to take his Minimum and then escape. Also utilized in episode 3 where he uses it to fight Nice by tricking him into thinking he is within the 5 meter range of Nice's Sonic Minimum. Its original user was Hikaru.
Paper Minimum
Used in episode 3 in order to defeat a gang leader and take his Wind Minimum afterwards. Used to belong to Paper, Facultas Academy's defense master.
Wind Minimum
Used in episode 3 in order to wash away the paint on Samura's body by lifting water onto him, thus preventing his Minimum from activating. Art later intended to use it in his fight with Nice, but was attacked and overwhelmed by Murasaki, Birthday and Ratio, using it to retreat instead.
Plant Minimum
Used in episode 4 and 5. It allowed Art to grow gigantic plants from beneath the ground.
Water Minimum
Used in Episode 11, this Minimum allows Art to manipulate water and turn it into ice instantly. It is activated when the user whistles.
String Minimum
Used in Episode 11 and 12, originally belonging to Goda. It is activated by touching one's face. This Minimum allows the user to create and manipulate strings originating from the hand to their desire.
Gravity Minimum
Used in Episode 11 and 12, originally belonging to Masumoto. The user can create, shape and manipulate gravitation. It is activated by taking a deep breath.
Enhanced Jump Minimum
Used in Episode 11 and 12. It allows Art to achieve great rocket-like jumps, while having hassle-free landings. It is activated by touching one's own shoes.
Trivia
- According to the spoiler text during the Hamatora ending credits, Art's brother died in a bus accident as the result of a terrorist attack aimed at Minimum Holders.
- Art appeared riding a motorcycle in Hamatora's first PV. The idea was later scrapped, however, and Art is always seen driving around in a car instead.
- An acoustic version of Hikari played during Art's death scene.
- The grave belonging to Art's brother seems to spell "Art", so it's possible that this is his last name.
- Art's height is 178 cm just like Nice's.
- In Prince Animage Spring2014, Art's health is shown to have the statistic of 2/5, showing that he is actually very unhealthy.
- He likes sweets and hate vegetables (Hamatora Perfect File).