Shantotto/Dissidia (PSP)

Shantotto is an extra character in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. She also appears in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT and its arcade version. A hero who fought in the Crystal War, Shantotto is a famous Tarutaru professor of magic from Windurst in Final Fantasy XI. She is known for her high-pitched, haughty laughter and overall arrogant nature. Shantotto is respected for her great power, but she refuses to admit it when she finds someone who could be superior. She fights using powerful spells that level up and become stronger as she gains Bravery.

As an extra character, Shantotto has no impact on the main storyline and has no antagonist opposing her, although she's had a long-standing rivalry with Gabranth. In Dissidia Final Fantasy, Shantotto is unlockable by completing the Distant Glory - The Lady of Legend storyline and purchasing her as a playable character in the PP Catalog for 1,000 PP. In Dissidia 012, she is available as a purchasable character at the PP Catalog from the start and costs 100 PP.

Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Shantotto's outfit is based on her original design in Final Fantasy XI: a robe with black and white stripes, gold linings, and two gauntlets, known as the "Tactician Magician's Cloak Set". She has almost the complete set, except for the head gear that goes with it. Her EX Mode outfit is the "Cobra Unit Robe Set", also from Final Fantasy XI.

Shantotto's first alternate outfit, "Wizard's Coat", is the Wizard's Attire, the Black Mage Artifact Armor from Final Fantasy XI. She wears a faded blue and brown robe with gold buttons. Her EX Mode is the Sorcerer's equipment set, the Black Mage Relic Armor, a black robe with bright purple linings.

Shantotto's second alternate outfit is the "Black Cloak," player-crafted garments fundamental to the wardrobes of Black Mages in Final Fantasy XI. She wears a black cloak with a hood and red linings, a silver design on the front and a sash around the waist. Her EX Mode grants her a pair of glasses and a robe in various shades of brown and yellow, the vestments of a Windurstian Minister, the position Shantotto occupied before her retirement. It is identical to what Apururu wears, albeit with her cowl down and gloves on.

Shantotto's DLC outfit, "Wedding Dress", is a set of armor worn by females during weddings. It features frilly white clothing and a Lilac Corsage in her right pigtail. Her EX Mode is based on the Goetia Armor Set, a set of powerful Black Mage armor consisting of a long black coat with several golden accessories. Shantotto's use of the armor is based on her museum profiles in Dissidia and Dissidia 012, which state she regrets she never married.

Shantotto's manikin counterpart, Lady of Antiquity, is brown.

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

 * Default
 * The Federation's Fiend I - Default coloration. Shantotto's facial features and clothing can be replicated by the player when creating their main player character when starting off in Final Fantasy XI.
 * The Federation's Fiend II - 1st alternate coloration. Recolors her dress cream with black patterns. Based on Belle Shantotto from Final Fantasy XI: A Shantotto Ascension.
 * The Federation's Fiend III - 2nd alternate coloration. Recolors her dress black with brown and black patterns. Based on Domina Shantotto, also from A Shantotto Ascension.


 * 1st Alternate costumes
 * Ministerial Vestiture I - Default coloration. An updated version of her "Black Cloak" EX Mode attire from Dissidia 012, and Apururu's attire from Final Fantasy XI.
 * Ministerial Vestiture II - 1st alternate coloration. Recolors her robes light blue, her hood yellow, and additional white patterns across.
 * Ministerial Vestiture III - 2nd alternate coloration. Recolors her robes and hood maroon, and additional white patterns across.

Shantotto equips staves:
 * Weapons
 * Iridal Staff - Default weapon. Wielded by her in the PlayStation Portable Dissidia games, the orb at the tip no longer changes color when casting its associated elemental spell.
 * Plenitas Virga - 1st alternate weapon.
 * Claustrum - 2nd alternate weapon.
 * Laevateinn - 3rd alternate weapon.

Shantotto's staves can be equipped by the player character in Final Fantasy XI, though she never uses staves in-game.

Shantotto's default player name is Nameless Matron, and her manikin counterpart is renamed Matron of Antiquity.

Personality
Although seemingly frail and helpless, Shantotto's aggressive, cunning, destructive, and unpredictable nature, coupled with her unsurpassed magical prowess, gained her a reputation both from warriors of Chaos and Cosmos alike as the most fearsome of them all during her time as an active warrior. Shantotto is a proud and arrogant Tarutaru, fighting to test out her powerful magic against her foes. In the English version, Shantotto has a habit of speaking in rhyme.

In Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, she is disinterested in the war between Materia and Spiritus, and spends her time in trying to find a way out of the conflict.

Early cycles
Shantotto was not bothered by being Cosmos's pawn, and was loyal to her. She often battled as an excuse to research and perfect the "ultimate spell." She guarded Order's Sanctuary singlehandedly while Prishe went out to explore World B under the pretense of "patrols." Shantotto battled Gabranth when he came to Order's Sanctuary intending to kill Cosmos and end the cycles of war.

When Prishe finds the Warrior of Light and brings him to Cosmos's throne, Shantotto helps Prishe convince Cosmos to endow the Warrior with her power and turn him into a champion of Cosmos.

Light to All
When the warriors have obtained their Crystals, a flashback shows the confrontation between Shantotto and Gabranth. In a Report in Dissidia 012 the flashback is expanded to show duel, players taking the role of Shantotto to fight Gabranth.

In Dissidia's Distant Glory The Lady of Legend, and in Confessions of the Creator in Dissidia 012 at the "Curses and Hopes of Yore" gateway, the player can find Shantotto. Shantotto resides in another realm cut off from the cycles, and the manikins she has been using as test subjects in her magical experiments have begun to run wild. Shantotto tasks the player with dispatching them, and in return grants them a "private lesson" and battles them. Once defeated, Shantotto departs to duel with Gabranth, though she cannot remember his name.

Official Quests
Several official quests elaborate on Shantotto's role in the early cycles and her fate once she escaped them. In "Gilgamesh's Quest 000: From the Interdimensional Rift", Prishe reports to Shantotto about her encounter with Gilgamesh, and how Prishe saw him being engulfed by a portal to the Rift. "Gabranth's Quest 000: One Who Faces Hell" reveals that Gabranth left his duel with Shantotto when he attacked Order's Sanctuary, telling Shantotto to ask Cosmos about the cycles and purification of fallen warriors.

In "Shantotto's Quest 000: The Seeker's Destination", Shantotto is now aware of the true nature of the cycles and decides to leave Cosmos as her amnesia hinders her magical studies. Wishing Cosmos luck with the cycles, Shantotto departs Order's Sanctuary and destroys a gateway rather than just freeing it. Garland finds her and questions this act, and Shantotto explains she wishes to escape the cycle of war. As the gateways are unstable space that act as portals to other worlds, destroying one may open a portal to the Rift.

An enraged Garland tells Shantotto escape is impossible and attacks her. In the aftermath, a portal appears as Shantotto suspected, and Garland warns there is no escape from the Rift if she enters it. Shantotto laughs, saying he said the same about the cycle, and leaps into the portal. The ending narration alludes to the gateway in Confessions of the Creator, stating Shantotto was never seen in the cycle again, but fluctuations in space occasionally allow a portal to open in World B, allowing others to cross over to the dimension she came to reside in after her escape.

Rebirth of the Cycles
Shantotto returns to World B after being summoned by Materia as one of her chosen warriors. Upon arrival, Shantotto watches as Kefka passes by in jubilation, closely followed by the Cloud of Darkness and Sephiroth. After being briefed by Materia of the new cycle and their goal, Shantotto is disinterested and instead plans to find a way back home. After leaving Materia's domain, she enlists Firion and Tidus to help with her endeavours.

Along their travels, Shantotto scolds Firion and Tidus for gossiping behind her back as they pass through the Narshe gateway. Soon after, they encounter Exdeath, who readily attacks them. Shantotto manages to deflect his attack, and together with Tidus prepares a counterattack. They are interrupted, however, when Kefka appears and snatches Tidus and Exdeath into the Pandaemonium gateway. Giving chase, Shantotto engages in a verbal dispute with Ultimecia before battle commences.

The energy born from their fight creates a gateway to the Rift, and Shantotto seizes the chance to escape with Tidus and Firion by blindsiding Ultimecia, Kefka, and Exdeath. However, their efforts are in vain, as the planesgorgers descend upon the realm and block their exit. Shantotto begins to speculate another way out, however a portal opens up beneath her and she accidentally falls in. Shantotto winds up in Alexandria, where Cloud and Bartz are waiting for help to arrive.

Shantotto offers to lead them back to Materia's realm, wanting to inform her of the planesgorgers sapping the life force of this world. Upon arriving at her domain, Materia initially dimsisses their concern and asks why they don't simply destroy the planesgorgers themselves. Shantotto, bothered by Materia's ignorance, initiates communication with Spiritus's domain, where the Warrior of Light, Cecil, and Noctis are waiting. Shantotto, Cloud, and Bartz bear witness to the gods agreeing to set aside their differences for the greater good.

A final clash is orchestrated, and Shantotto assists by defending Terra and Y'shtola from a combined magic attack from Ultimecia and the Cloud of Darkness with a more powerful spell of her own. The battle awakens Shinryu, who descends upon the battlefield. The opportunity at hand, Shantotto and the others unleash a direct assault against the dragon god, and after a hard-fought battle finally claim victory. With the threat finally gone, Shantotto departs from this world, leaving behind a crystal imbued with her essence for Materia to use in her stead.

Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy
Shantotto is a Chainspeller. Her HP attacks are unique in that they change in power depending on her Bravery, each tier having higher power and larger areas of effect. Shantotto can chain her HP attacks up to three times, increasing the Bravery damage dealt before damaging the opponent's HP. Her second tier Firaga, Thundaga and Blizzaga spells stagger opponents, and her third tier spells crush all guards, even Exdeath's High Block and Jecht's Jecht Block.

Unlike most magic-based characters, Shantotto is one of the most agile characters in the game, and fast enough to chase down speedy characters such as Tidus or the Onion Knight. Shantotto is the smallest character, making her evasive and difficult to pin down with attacks. Most of her Bravery attacks inflict status ailments, like Paralysis or Poison, and her attacks are slow and have a long recovery time. It is best to use Shantotto's attacks after paralyzing the opponent with Bind, or blocking and attacking them while they stagger.

In Dissidia, Shantotto's attacks level up to their second tier versions when she has at least 3000 Bravery, and reach level three at 6000 Bravery. In Dissidia 012, her spells reach the second tier at 2000 Bravery and third tier at 4000 Bravery.

Boss
In Dissidia, Shantotto is faced as a boss at the end of Distant Glory and Inward Chaos. In Dissidia 012, Shantotto is faced at the bottom of the "Curses of Hopes and Yore" gateway in Scenario 000.

Bravery Attacks

 * DFF2008
 * Dissidia 012

HP Attacks

 * DFF2008
 * Dissidia 012

EX Mode
Shantotto's EX Mode is Two-hour Ability, where she equips the Cobra Unit Robe Set, an armor set for mages in Final Fantasy XI. She gains the ability "Manafont", the Two-hour ability for Black Mages in Final Fantasy XI. In Dissidia, this causes Shantotto to retain her Bravery after landing an HP attack, even when using her EX Burst and performing its final blow. In Dissidia 012, Shantotto's Bravery drops to zero after dealing HP damage, but recovers back to its base value instantaneously regardless of its amount.

Shantotto's EX Burst, Play Rough, has her execute "Skillchain: Fusion" using the Weapon Skills Heavy Swing and Howling Fist, then attacking with a Magic Burst. A menu appears, and the player must select the spells and press once to execute the attack. The player must cast the spells quickly in this order after Shantotto laughs: Flare, Flood, Burst, Quake, Tornado, and Freeze. If successfully performed, Shantotto will deliver the final blow, consuming the opponent in a rainbow-colored blast of energy. Flare won't always be the first spell.

Equipment
Shantotto can equip Rods, Staves, Bangles, Hats, Hairpins, Ribbons, Clothing, and Robes. In Dissidia 012, Shantotto can also equip Poles and Headbands.

Exclusive weapons

 * DFF2008
 * Dissidia 012

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

 * Type: Marksman - Shantotto becomes enraged when her HP drops below 2,500, causing her bravery attacks to deal consecutive hits. She will stay enraged until being incapacitated. Shantotto's movement speed also increases slightly when enraged.
 * EX Skill: Colossal Shantotto - Grow in size and unleash a shockwave at the opponent. Shantotto is invincible while doing so.

Gallery

 * Dissidia and Dissidia 012

Allusions

 * If faced against Zidane in Dissidia, Shantotto will say "A male Mithra? Or perhaps not..." referring to the similarly-tailed race from Final Fantasy XI.
 * The order in which the player can chain Shantotto's HP attacks, and enters her attacks during her EX Burst, refer to Ancient Magic, a unique set of spells available in Final Fantasy XI. In addition to the massive amount of damage each spell can deliver, Ancient Magic gives the target an elemental weakness to the spell's "weak" element, allowing other spells to do more damage. The order Shantotto's attacks are chained in is as follows: "Fire - Water - Thunder - Earth - Wind - Ice".
 * When Shantotto begins her EX Burst, she strikes her opponent with her staff and lets loose a burst of wind from her hand. These two attacks refer to Full Swing and Howling Fist, Weapon Skills from Final Fantasy XI. However, in Final Fantasy XI only Monks and Puppetmasters can use Howling Fist.
 * The sound made when the player casts a spell during Shantotto's EX Burst is the sound heard in Final Fantasy XI when the player casts a spell or uses a special skill.
 * Shantotto's EX Burst, "Skillchain: Fusion", links Full Swing and Howling Fist as Weapon Skills, then executes a Magic Burst. This is identical to how Skillchains work in Final Fantasy XI: two Weapon Skills are used in quick succession, increasing the damage done and allowing allies to execute a certain type of elemental magic as a Magic Burst. The name of the Skillchain, Fusion, results in Fire or Light-aligned Magic Bursts in Final Fantasy XI, which is why Shantotto must first cast Flare in the chain of spells following the Skillchain.
 * When Shantotto is defeated, she turns into a doll. This refers to a special event battle in Final Fantasy XI where the player can battle Shantotto. When they win Shantotto turns into a doll, and another Shantotto emerges and reveals the "Shantotto" the player just defeated was a puppet the real Shantotto had brought to life.
 * Shantotto's emblem, seen as the symbol of Distant Glory - Heroes, is the flag of the Federation of Windurst. The music used on the board in her Distant Glory is "The Federation of Windurst", the city's main theme used in most of its areas.
 * Shantotto's exclusive weapons are named after staves available in Final Fantasy XI. Specifically, the last two are the two most difficult Black Mage staves to acquire; their Mythic Weapon and Relic Weapon, respectively.
 * Shantotto's use of the "loser" insult refers to her statement in the Vana'diel Tribune about enjoying the antics of "Total Loser" adventurers, whom she often berates in her manor. "Total Loser" is also a title players can earn if certain choices are made in the "Curses, Foiled A-Golem?!" quest, which is given by Shantotto.
 * The amount of AP required to master Shantotto's HP attacks in Dissidia is the same as the order in which Black Mages learn the same spells in Final Fantasy XI: Stone, Water, Aero, Fire, Blizzard, and then Thunder. This is changed in Dissidia 012.
 * The jewel on Shantotto's staff changes color according to the spell she casts. This refers to a popular practice used by Black Mages in Final Fantasy XI where different elemental staves are equipped to provide a boost to spells of the corresponding element. The colors are as follows: green for Aero, cyan for Blizzard and Bind, red for Fire, yellow for Stone, blue for Water, purple for Thunder and Stun, and black for Bio as well as her EX Burst. The staff also changes color whenever Shantotto blocks (yellow), dodges (green), or attacks regularly (purple), referring to the weapons' additional enhancements to defense, evasion and critical hit rate respectively.
 * Shantotto's quote to the Warrior of Light, "You would make a good shield," echoes a comment she makes about the player during the Treasures of Aht Urhgan: "S/He will serve as my shield, should things go wrong". She may be referring to the Warrior of Light's similarities to the Final Fantasy XI Paladin class, also known as Knight in the Japanese version. Common strategy in many MMOs consist of sending defensive melee characters into battle first to act as a "meatshield" and draw damage and attention away from other characters with lighter defenses, such as a Black Mage like Shantotto; Paladins are exceptionally good at this at high levels. The quote may also be a pun on how the Warrior of Light uses his own shield offensively.
 * Shantotto's line when fighting herself, "What a well-made automaton", refers to the Automatons of Final Fantasy XI.
 * In Distant Glory, Shantotto warns the player's character "To beware of Cavernous Maws". Cavernous Maws are used in the Wings of the Goddess expansion and its Abyssea add-ons to travel through time and between realities.
 * One of her entrance lines for a weaker opponent, "Ohoho, a marvelous joke", is taken from the beginning of a quest: "Curses, Foiled A-Golem". Before this line is spoken the player has to choose a line of dialogue asking if s/he is "worthy".
 * In Dissidia 012 when facing The Emperor, Shantotto says, "Though you may disagree, the world is here for me", alluding to her doppelgangers in A Shantotto Ascension that try to conquer the world, and the true Shantotto's joking suggestion she team up with them to do so.
 * In the Dissidia 012 opening, Shantotto is standing above the war between Chaos and Cosmos's warriors, laughing, referring to a similar scene in Final Fantasy XI.
 * In Dissidia 012, with Bartz as the opponent, Shantotto will say, "Stupidity: Impossible to gauge!" This refers to the check system from Final Fantasy XI, where players receive messages based on the level difference from players to monsters. 'Impossible to gauge' is the message players receive when facing Notorious Monsters.
 * In Dissidia 012, when facing Jecht, he says "Oops, thought you was a ball!" referring to a joke among Final Fantasy XI fans about "Tarutaru punting".
 * Her use of Retribution may be due to the player needing to complete a quest to unlock that weaponskill, Shantotto being the quest giver.
 * When facing Yuna, Shantotto says, "A summoner, you say? Let's see a display". This refers to summoning being a forbidden school of magic in Vana'diel, due to the possibly life-threatening strain it puts on the summoner's body.
 * In the arcade reboot, Shantotto is the only base character whose alternate costumes aren't just re-colors: they are the outfits worn by Belle Shantotto and Domina Shantotto, respectively.

Trivia

 * Shantotto is the only character to know all her HP attacks initially.
 * Prishe was initially intended to fill in the role of the representative of Final Fantasy XI in Dissidia, but was later rejected in favor of Shantotto.
 * Shantotto shares her Japanese voice actress with Andoria Kaya Tranka Fam Forturio from Final Fantasy Type-0. She shares her English voice actress with Lucil, Dona and Pacce from Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2.
 * The damage inflicted by Bio after the initial use counts as an attack. Thus, Bio will count towards activating abilities like Counterattack and Magic Shield, is capable of causing a Break on the opponent if it depletes their Bravery, and if used by Shantotto as an Assist in Dissidia 012 it will cause an EX Break, even if the opponent enters EX Mode after the initial hit. If a Chase occurs while a character is poisoned by Bio, the damage it does may interrupt the Chase.
 * Shantotto's highest tier Thunder spell, Burst, is the only spell in her repertoire of HP attacks exclusive to Final Fantasy XI.
 * In Dissidia 012, when an Assist Shantotto inflicts Bio or Bind on the opponent, the opponent may flinch continuously every time Bio does damage or every second while under the effect of Bind, pinning the opponent down and possibly disrupting HP attacks. It is likely that this is a glitch.
 * Shantotto's models include the texture for the Light Staff, though she never uses it.

Shantotto (Dissidia) Shantotto/Dissidia Shantotto (Dissidia) Шантотто/Dissidia