Shantotto/Dissidia (PSP)

Shantotto is an extra character in Dissidia Final Fantasy and Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy. A hero who fought in the Crystal War, Shantotto is a famous professor of magic from Windurst. She is well-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 better than her. In battle, she fights using powerful spells that level up and become stronger as she gains Bravery. As an extra character in the game, Shantotto has no impact on the main storyline and has no villain opposing her.

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.

Attire
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 "Silk Robe Set" in the game.

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 in this outfit 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 dark 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.

Shantotto's Manikin version, Lady of Antiquity, is brown.

Story
At an unknown point prior to the events of Dissidia 012, Shantotto is safeguarding Order's Sanctuary until Gabranth arrives, with Shantotto driving him off to protect Cosmos. When Prishe, who had been charged with securing the perimeter, returns, Shantotto chides Prishe for not doing her job before the girl runs off on her own. When Prishe returns with the Warrior of Light in tow, Shantotto agrees with bringing him over to their side, if just so she can use him as a test subject, since he managed to appear in their realm without being called by one of the gods.

Dissidia 012
In her brief appearance in the Dissidia 012 opening cinematic, she is seen standing upon a large white pillar, performing her signature laugh.

Destiny Odyssey
After Warrior of Light's storyline ends, with the warriors all obtaining their crystals, Cosmos remembers the confrontation between Shantotto and Gabranth before her champions arrive.

Distant Glory
In Distant Glory The Lady of Legend, the player begins by confronting Shantotto at a sanctuary where victors of previous wars are allowed to live peacefully after winning their battles. The sanctuary has recently been invaded by Manikins, and Shantotto recruits the player to defeat them for her while taunting them, frequently calling them a "loser." During the course of the story it is revealed Shantotto gathered the Manikins herself to test the player's power, and they got out of control. When the player vanquishes all of them, Shantotto "rewards" the player with a "private lesson" and battles them. Once defeated, Shantotto departs to duel with Gabranth (though she cannot remember his name).

In Dissidia 012, in the Confessions of the Creator scenario, this storyline is found at the Curses and Hopes of Yore Gateway near the Cavern of Earth, at the Sage's Cave.

Battle
In battle 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 is able to chain up to three of her HP attacks, 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. However, unlike most magic-based characters, Shantotto is one of the most agile characters in the game, and she is fast enough to be able to chase down speedy characters such as Tidus or the Onion Knight with very little difficulty. In addition to this, she is the smallest character in the game, making her extremely evasive and very difficult to pin down with attacks. However, 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.

Attacks
Bravery attacks

HP Attacks Bravery attacks

HP Attacks

EX Mode
Play Rough pidzPFVD5zI Shantotto's EX Mode is called Two-hour Ability, where she equips the Cobra Cloche Set, an armor set for mages in Final Fantasy XI. While in EX Mode Shantotto 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 still drops to zero after dealing HP damage, but her Bravery recovers back to its base value instantaneously.

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 twice in order to cast them to attack the opponent with Ancient Magic. To execute the EX Burst perfectly, the player must cast the spells in the following order a moment after she finishes laughing: Flare, Flood, Burst, Quake, Tornado, and Freeze. Using the spells in this order will maximize the Brave damage done before Shantotto delivers the final blow, consuming the opponent in a rainbow-colored burst of energy.

Equipment
Shantotto is able to equip the following: Rods, Staves, Hats, Hairpins, Ribbons, Clothing, and Robes. In Dissidia 012 Shantotto can also equip Poles.

Allusions

 * If faced against Zidane in Dissidia, Shantotto will say "A male Mithra? Or perhaps not..." referencing 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, are a reference 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 are references to Full Swing and Howling Fist, Weapon Skills from Final Fantasy XI. However, only Monks and Puppetmasters can use Howling Fist, and thus normally Black Mages like Shantotto cannot, even if she had taken either of the two as a subjob.
 * The sound made when the player casts a spell during Shantotto's EX Burst is the same sound heard in Final Fantasy XI when the player casts a spell or uses a special skill.
 * Shantotto's EX Burst "Skillchain: Fusion" links together 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 is a reference to a special event battle in Final Fantasy XI where the player can battle Shantotto. However, when they win Shantotto turns into a doll, and another Shantotto emerges and reveals that the "Shantotto" the player just defeated was simply 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 in the game; their Mythic Weapon and Relic Weapon, respectively.
 * Shantotto's usage of the "loser" insult in her dialogue is a reference 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 that players can earn if certain choices are made in the "Curses, Foiled A-Golem?!" quest, which is given to them by Shantotto.
 * The amount of AP required to master Shantotto's HP attacks 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.
 * The jewel on Shantotto's staff changes color according to the spell she casts. This in reference 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: "He/She will serve as my shield, should things go wrong." She may be referring to the Warrior of Light's similarities to Final Fantasy XI's 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 quote when fighting herself, "What a well-made automaton," is a reference 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 Final Fantasy XI's 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.

Trivia

 * Shantotto only uses Skillchain: Fusion, which she casts in her EX Burst. However, Prishe has access of eight Skillchains.
 * Shantotto is the only character who has access to all her HP Attacks from the start.
 * Prishe was supposed to fill in the role of the representative of Final Fantasy XI in the game, but was later rejected in favor of Shantotto. However, she gains a role in Dissidia 012.
 * The damage inflicted by Bio after the initial usage counts as an attack. Thus, Bio will count towards activating abilities like Counterattack and Magic Shield, and is capable of causing a Break on the opponent if it depletes their Bravery. Another side effect of Bio is that if it depletes bravery during a chase sequence before the attacker strikes, it could interrupt the sequence entirely.
 * When fighting Gabranth, Kefka mimics Shantotto by saying "Hah! Just another loser," in a high-pitched voice.
 * Exdeath's High Block will counter all but Shantotto's highest tier spells.
 * Being a secret character, Shantotto initially did not have an arena based after her; however, she is usually associated with Cosmos' stage Order's Sanctuary. In Dissidia 012, Final Fantasy XI gains the arena Empyreal Paradox as its signature stage.
 * Shantotto's highest tier Thunder spell, Burst, is the only spell in her repertoire of HP attacks that appears exclusively in Final Fantasy XI.
 * Shantotto is the only character to speak if the player is idle long enough. When standing still for a long enough time, Shantotto yawns and says "Oh, how dull."
 * Shantotto is the fastest among all the magic based characters, running at a speed similar to that of Zidane's.
 * Character dialogues imply that Shantotto is, story-wise, the strongest Warrior of Cosmos. This is debatable however, as some of the character dialogue is dubious. Garland and the Emperor's encounters with Shantotto are notably out of character. In Dissidia 012, this was subverted to an extent, where most of the cast mock her for her arrogance or small stature.
 * In the battle tips Penelo states that Shantotto has learned a new jamming move, however Shantotto has not gained any new attacks. This could be based on her using the "bio" attack as an assist character, which makes it so that attempting to trigger EX mode results in instantaneous EX break.
 * Shantotto is one of three Warriors of Cosmos to carry her weapon on her at all times, the others being Firion and Lightning. In Shantotto's case, she carries her staff on her back.