Santana (サンタナ) is a secondary antagonist featured in the second part of the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure series, Battle Tendency. His real name is unknown, since Rudol von Stroheim names him based on the winds of Mexico.[1]
Santana is a member of the ancient Pillar Men race and is first introduced hibernating inside an Aztec ruins discovered by Robert E. O. Speedwagon. After being intercepted by the Nazis, he awakens from his slumber and wreaks havoc on their research facility until Joseph Joestar arrives and challenges him.
Appearance
Santana is a tall, physically imposing humanoid being of smooth, glossy complexion[6] with wavy light hair down to his shoulders. His eyebrows are bushy and two small horns stick out from his head. Aside from a loincloth he is fully naked. In the anime, a crenelated marking covers his lower left eyelid.
While inside the pillar, Santana was covered in material resembling armor consisting of shoulder pads, a cuirass which is curved inward on the sides, spiked forearm guards, and knee pads. A column of several protrusions resembling bones is embedded on the center of his armor from his chest down to his stomach. After he awakens, this material breaks and falls off.
Color Schemes
Personality
Santana is a calm, observant, and highly intelligent Pillar Man. He is adaptable and inquisitive about how the world has changed while he was asleep. Although Stroheim initially assumes that Santana is a primitive creature due to him slipping on water and then scratching his body and hair for a while, Santana proves that his knowledge is far beyond what humans are capable of.[1] He quickly learns to become fluent in another language shortly after hearing the Nazis speak, easily discovers how to escape from the shelter he was locked inside by contorting his body to escape through a vent, and is capable of disassembling a gun in seconds which would normally take humans hours of training to learn.[7]
Like the other Pillar Men in Kars's group, Santana is vicious and detached toward humans. After being awoken, he brutally kills nearby Nazis for disturbing his sleep.[8] He initially ignores Joseph's introduction and shows disinterest, taking the time to examine his surroundings instead. However, when Joseph's probing begins to annoy him, Santana loses his composure and instantly attempts to kill him. After witnessing Joseph's Ripple, Santana inquires as to whether humans have evolved or if Joseph is just special.[7] Nonetheless, Santana lets Joseph attack him so he could learn how the technique works.[9] Even when exposed to sunlight, Santana is unconcerned and enters Stroheim's body as a shield against it.[10]
Abilities
As a Pillar Man, Santana is capable of performing the most basic abilities of one. While much younger and not as experienced, Santana has demonstrated several techniques similar to ones used by those in Kars's group, as well as some of his own.
As an advanced being, Santana's senses are much higher than that of a human. During his initial emergence from the pillar, he was seen using his nose to scout out the area.
Santana possesses a higher form of intelligence and is able to figure out most things simply by studying them for a brief moment. Given a short amount of time, Santana can quickly learn and become fluent in any language, and was able to dismantle a gun almost instantly, a feat which would have taken several hours for a trained soldier to learn. Despite these feats, Santana's intelligence is likely inferior to his Pillar Men brethren as his prowess in battle is less sophisticated, and it took longer for him to fluently speak modern language.
As with all Pillar Men, Santana is capable of freely manipulating his body structure. Doing so allows him to fit into small spaces such as sliding through the grate of an air vent or the orifice of a human body and thus controlling them from the inside. Because the properties of his body are much like "rubber" as Joseph puts it, his body, including typically human vital areas such as his eyes or groin, tends to absorb attacks and can freely phase through objects, as well as shoot objects he just absorbed, like bullets.
The cells that constitute Santana's body release a potent digestive acid that melts anything organic on physical contact while making it appear the Santana is absorbing his victim into his body. Santana also displayed this ability through forcing himself into a person's body, controlling their movement while gradually eating them from the inside-out. Only those who use Ripple are immune as the cells recognize the threat the energy poses to them. Due to the psychoactive toxin produced by the Pillar Man's cells during this process, those whose bodies are invaded by Santana describe the sensation as wonderful.
Also called Open Ribs (露骨な肋骨, Rokotsu na Rokkotsu), Santana is able to control his ribs. Each of them are capable of spinning and moving in any direction. Having a maximum length of 132 cm (4.33 ft) and a maximum pressure of 825 kg (1,819 lb) per centimeter squared, Santana can use them to either crush or impale his opponents.
Also called Malevolent Meat Morsels (憎き肉片, Nikku ki Niku-hen). Aside from the standard method of absorbing humans or vampires via his body, Santana can release chunks of his flesh in the shape of leeches, which latch onto and absorb his opponent's blood.
History
Background
Santana was originally born somewhere within the American continent. After Kars's rampage and slaughter of their clan, the infants Santana and Wamuu were taken away, adopted and trained by Kars and Esidisi. Santana was later left behind in Mexico by Kars, who deemed him only useful as a guard dog, while he and the others left for the old world to find a flawless Red Stone of Aja.[3] As a result, Santana would be unaware of the energy called Ripple which the other Pillar Men learned and developed defenses against. Eventually, claiming that it was because he used too much power, Santana entered a 2000-year-long[11] rest by fusing himself into a pillar underneath a pyramid that was one of the proponents for Kars' Stone Mask project.
Battle Tendency
Santana is discovered in a Mexican pyramid in 1938 by an expedition team led by Robert E. O. Speedwagon that is later betrayed by Straizo. However, Straizo notices that Santana had been absorbing the spilled blood and to prevent Santana from awakening, dumps the bodies of the men he attacked into a nearby river. Santana is then excavated and studied by a team of Nazis in an underground laboratory. The team, led by Major Rudol von Stroheim, conducts live human experiments with the Stone Mask to try to strengthen the Nazi Army. The blood from multiple prisoners causes the Pillar Man to awaken, Stroheim naming the being "Santana" while he and the rest observe him. When one of the vampires created is brought into the chamber, Santana allows the creature to attack so he could absorb the vampire and gain nourishment. Despite the Nazi's initial opinion that he was a dim-witted savage rather than an Übermensch, Santana catches everyone off guard further by uttering Stroheim's full name once he finished his meal.
Santana, sensing hostility within the iron, fortified room, breaks many of his own bones to squeeze himself into the 4-by-20 cm ventilation outlet of the room, doing so at a speed faster than human eyes can perceive. By the time Stroheim realized what occurred, Santana reached the observation room while entering the body of a German who was too close to the vent. After absorbing the host and getting shot at, Santana fires the bullets inside his body from his fingertips, killing almost everyone in the room. Joseph Joestar (disguised as a Nazi) protects Speedwagon, Stroheim, and himself from Santana's attack by channeling the Ripple into Stroheim's hair and using it to shield them.
Toying with the Pillar Man, Joseph assumed Santana killed the Nazis out of self-defense before being attacked. Santana, expressing annoyance at Joseph's antics, realized he could not absorb the human and attempted to do the same with Speedwagon out of assessment. This enrages Joseph as both learn that ripple was preventing Santana's cells from digesting him. Using this to his advantage, Joseph allows himself to be absorbed by Santana and then unleashes the ripple from the inside, splitting the Pillar Man in half. As Santana's body begins to regenerate, his torso is dragged by Joseph to be exposed to sunlight and turn into stone again. After a struggle involving Stroheim sacrificing one of his legs, the door to the outside is open and a fully regenerated Santana is exposed to the light. But the Pillar man quickly forces himself into Stroheim's body to escape the sun while attempting to hide in a well, forcing the Nazi to sacrifice himself to leave Santana into the open.
Desperate, Santana charges Joseph as the two go flying down the well. Santana realizes too late that Joseph allowed him to enter the well as it was exposed to the sun's reflection, turning the Pillar Man back to stone with some damage caused by the fall. Santana's remains were later taken to the Washington headquarters of Speedwagon Foundation, the Pillar Man kept immobile by UV lights and revealed to still be alive. Santana's ultimate fate is never addressed.
Chapters / Episodes
Manga Appearances- Chapter 46: Joseph Joestar of New York, Part 2
- Chapter 48: Straizo vs. Joseph, Part 1
- Chapter 52: Straizo vs. Joseph, Part 5
- Chapter 53: The Pillar Man
- Chapter 54: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 1
- Chapter 55: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 2
- Chapter 56: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 3
- Chapter 57: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 4
- Chapter 58: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 5
- Chapter 59: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 6
- Chapter 60: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 7
- Chapter 61: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 8 (Retired)
- Chapter 62: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 9 (Mentioned only)
- Chapter 63: Joseph Joestar of Rome (Mentioned only)
- Chapter 64: The Red Stone of Aja (Mentioned only)
- Chapter 66: Ultimate Warriors from Ancient Times, Part 2 (Mentioned only)
- Chapter 67: Ultimate Warriors from Ancient Times, Part 3 (Mentioned only)
- Chapter 68: Ultimate Warriors from Ancient Times, Part 4 (Mentioned only)
- Chapter 80: Flame Mode Esidisi, Part 3 (Mentioned only)
- Chapter 85: Stroheim's Unit Strikes Back, Part 3 (Mentioned only)
- Chapter 86: Light Mode Kars, Part 1 (Mentioned only)
- Chapter 112: The Man Who Became a God (Flashback)
Anime Appearances- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 9: The Final Ripple! (Stone)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 10: JoJo of New York (Stone)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 11: Master of the Game (Stone)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 12: The Pillar Man
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 13: JoJo vs. the Ultimate Being (Retired)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 14: Ultimate Warriors from Ancient Times (Stone)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 15: A Hero's Proof (Mentioned only)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 17: Laying a Deeper Trap! (Mentioned only)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 19: Race Toward the Cliff of Death (Mentioned only)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 25: The Birth of a Superbeing!! (Flashback)
- JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Episode 26: The Man Who Became a God (Flashback)
Quotes
Quotes- “This... is new... to... me... I've never seen it before! What... is... th...is...tool?!”—Chapter 58: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 5
- “Are all humans... in this age... like that? Hmm... it seems... that he's special after all... It seems... humanity... has evolved... slightly...”—Santana about Joseph, Chapter 60: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 7
Video Games
Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden (NES)
Santana appears as a Boss in Area 4. The player faces him in a one-on-one battle using only Joseph Joestar.
Due to the game's release date, Part 2 had only reached prior to Esidisi's battle against Joseph. Thus, only Santana and Esidisi appear as the enemies faced during the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure part of the game, instead of Kars or Wamuu. By appearing in this game, Santana is the first antagonist of the series to ever appear in a game, alongside Esidisi.
Heritage for the Future (Arcade/DC)
Santana is mentioned by Joseph Joestar in Challenge Mode when a high score is achieved.
All-Star Battle (PS3)
Santana is briefly mentioned during the dialogue in Part 2's Story Mode. For the Western version of the game, he was renamed "Santviento" to match the Crunchyroll subs. Initially, his name was "San Tan" in a press release from Bandai Namco Games Europe.[2]
Stardust Shooters (Android/iOS)
Santana is one of the several Part 2 characters who possesses a Metal Striker for the game. His Finish move has him fire bullets from his fingertips at the defeated opponent (similar to his retaliation against the Nazis), and his second special ability allows him to counterattack any Metal Striker enemy who attacks him by using his Ribs Blades.
Diamond Records (Android/iOS)
Santana (サンタナ) appears in Diamond Records as a playable character in both the Action Battle and Tactical Battle game modes. He has a few unlockable statues between the 'Courage' and 'Solitary' types, ranging from 3 stars to 6 stars
Santana's moveset in both game modes is comprised of various attacks inspired by the anime using his body manipulation abilities. As a pillar man, Santana constantly regenerates health, but has a weakness to attacks from ripple users. Playing as him will force any outdoor stages to take place at night. Unlike most characters, Santana has multiple unlockable blue skills that you can choose between.
3-star
(Courage)
Max LVL Stats: 6150 HP/2091 ATK/2214 DEF
Max LVL Tree Stats: 14550 HP/3291 ATK/3564 DEF
4-star
(Courage)
Max LVL Stats: 9900 HP/3366 ATK/3564 DEF
Max LVL Tree Stats: 25200 HP/5016 ATK/5514 DEF
4-star
(Solitary)
Max LVL Stats: 7920 HP/3762 ATK/4158 DEF
Max LVL Tree Stats: 11820 HP/5412 ATK/11808 DEF
5-star
(Courage)
Max LVL Stats: 14850 HP/5049 ATK/5346 DEF
Max LVL Tree Stats: 38550 HP/7899 ATK/8646 DEF
6-star
(Courage)
Max LVL Stats: 18774 HP/9834 ATK/7599 DEF
Max LVL Tree Stats: 31374 HP/23334 ATK/17499 DEF
JoJo's Pitter-Patter Pop! (Android/iOS)
メキシコに吹く熱風 ver.
Cooldown: 60
Cooldown: 60
Cooldown: 55
Cooldown: 55
Cooldown: 50
Gallery
Santana slumbering in the pillar
Awakening from the pillar
Fighting a Vampire Prisoner
Eating the vampire
Killing the vampire
Close up of Santana
Manipulating his bones
Emerging from a soldier's body
Ribs Blades
Analyzing a gun
Attacking Speedwagon
Absorbing Joseph into his body
Torso chained up by Joseph
Final attack against Joseph
Santana petrified by the sun
Santana being monitored in a petrified state by the Speedwagon Foundation under UV lights
Chapter 54 Cover
Chapter 55 Cover B
Chapter 57 Cover B
Chapter 60 Cover A
Chapter 60 Cover B
Chapter 61 Cover
Chapter 62 Cover
Santana slumbering in the pillar
Santana awakens from his sleep
Scratching his head
Full appearance after waking up
Killing a Vampire Prisoner
Santana staring at Stroheim
Stuffing himself through a 2-inch tall ventilation shaft
Finger bullets
Encountering Joseph Joestar
Joseph greets Santana
Unamused with Joseph
Analyzing a gun
Ribs Blades
Attacking Joseph with his Ribs Blades
Absorbing Joseph into his body
Kicking Joseph
Final attack against Joseph
Weak to sunlight
Survives after Stroheim's explosion
Petrified from the sunlight
Santana in BLOODY STREAM
Santana in the ending credits
Main appearance body
Main appearance face
Slumber appearance up close
Slumber appearance full reference
Santana's introduction From The Part 3 OVA Timelines Video
Santana appearing in a flashback whilst Straizo is talking to Joseph Joestar
Full shot of Santana Asleep In The Pillar (Part 3 OVA Timelines)
Santana Awakens from his Slumber (Part 3 OVA Timelines)
Santana During The Aftermath Of His Shooting Of The Nazis (Part 3 OVA Timelines)
Satana about to attack Joseph (Part 3 OVA Timelines)
Santana Being Chained Up By Joseph (Part 3 OVA Timelines)
Santana Being Exposed To The Sun (Part 3 OVA Timelines)
Super SP Skill
Using Meat Invade
Team intro screen
Stage completion screen
Santana as an Area Boss
Santana and Joseph in Story Mode
Model
-
3-star statue
-
4-star statue (Courage)
-
5-star statue
-
6-star statue
-
4-star statue (Solitary)
Gacha profile card (5-star)
Icon
Stand-up Icon
Idle
Stretching
Blocking his face from the sun
Squeezing inside a vent
Looking outside the vent
Charging to Attack
Win Pose
Chara Heroes; Part 2
Sentinel White Ver.
Sentinel USB
Sentinel Decoration Stickers
Ichiban Kuji Long Towel
Anime 10th Anniversary Exhibition Masking Tape
glamb Gray
glamb Black
Adventure Battle Card; Santana
Santana's Return
Mexico Test Site
Slumbering, Santana
Santana of Mexico
Real Paint Sheet; Santana
Crusade; Santana
Santana
The Pillar Man
JoJo 6251 (Inside Illustration)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Chapter 54: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 All-Star Battle - Bandai Namco EU Press Release
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Chapter 64: The Red Stone of Aja (said to have lived only around 1/10 of the lives of the other Pillar Men)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Chapter 112: The Man Who Became a God (Was present during the genocide ~10,000 years ago.)
- ↑ Chapter 101: The Wind, the Chariot, and Wamuu, Part 7
- ↑ Chapter 54: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 1 p. 8.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 58: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 5
- ↑ Chapter 57: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 4
- ↑ Chapter 59: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 6
- ↑ Chapter 61: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 8
- ↑ Chapter 62: The Pillar Man, Santana, Part 9