Vandole

February 28, 2021

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but there’s very little to be found about an important character in Secret of Mana—in this case, Emperor Vandole himself.  While his motivations are vague, Vandole started a war with Pandora and Tasnica 15 years prior to Secret of Mana.  At some point, there was a standoff and he dismantled his forces but lately, he’s been meddling in the affairs of this alliance again.  The Emperor is never shown in action, but it seems he’s capable of some serious fighting himself.  The Mana Tree tells us of a battle between him and the Mana Knight, Serin:

MANA TREE: During the war fifteen years ago, [Serin] and the Emperor, who had obtained the power of Mavolia, traded mortal blows with one another.  [Serin sacrificed himself] to defeat the Emperor…

The Japanese-only Official Setting Material + Complete Guide, as well as external promotional materials, expand on this.  It was actually declared that an assassination was successful, but the citizens of the Empire were unaware of the identity of his assailant as well as the fact that he was resurrected by Mavolia.  This later becomes clear when his castle is found to be full of monsters.  Even in the present, there’s anxiety over the Emperor’s plans, as expressed by some citizens:

It seems that His Majesty the Emperor intends to start a war with all the countries of the world…They say that there’s no need to worry, but…

and

I wouldn’t say this out loud, but lately, the thought process of his Imperial Majesty…I can’t make sense of it at all.  He’s talking about unifying the world, but levying a heavy tax, and repeating the build-up of the army.  There’s a rumor that he’s gone as far as [assembling] an army of monsters…it’s said that the castle is full of monsters.

In addition to Serin, it’s implied that Krissie’s father Sagh, and possibly Mara’s husband, were killed by the Emperor himself.

On Turtle Island, we meet a relative of Vandole’s who describes the highbrow ways of Imperial life:

I was once part of the Imperial family (shared a blood relation with the emperor), but the Emperor and the people have really changed…Those who felt that their lives were in danger fled to this island.  Here, I finally feel safe.  I can’t forget our lavish way of life in the old days, but life is more important [than lifestyle].

A line cut from Turtle Island but still in the game’s memory implies that the Emperor is a fake, though this seems out of step with the plot as it is:

(An unfinished diary has been dropped here)  It’s no good, I’ve finally been found out…The Emperor’s a fake! A monster has become the Emperor, and…

And that’s the sum of what we can find out about Vandole.  Despite his prowess, he proves to be ineffectual as his henchmen pull the rug from underneath him, and eventually off him.  

Localization Notes

• Vandole’s title in Japanese is amusingly, “Imperial Emperor” or “Emperor of the Empire.” Any time he’s referenced by a subject, he’s referred to as, “His Majesty, the Emperor.”
• The Empire actually has a lot of redundancy. For instance, the soldier who greets you in Southtown literally says, “This is Southtown of the Empire. This is Southtown.” And in Gold City, “This is Gold City, on Gold Island in the Imperial dominion.”