| “ | Well, no matter. | ” |
–Ronny's catchphrase. | ||
Ronny Schiatto (ロニー・スキアート Ronī Sukiāto) is the enigmatic entity who bequeaths the Grand Panacea to the thirty passengers of the Advena Avis in 1711, and many centuries prior to a previous generation of immortals that included Dalton Strauss, Renee Parmedes Branvillier, and Archangelo. Though he is a formerly complete homunculus, humans tend to view him as a 'demon' or 'devil.'
Ronny joins human society after Elmer C. Albatross amends his wish for Ronny to smile by asking Ronny to in the interim serve as Maiza Avaro's companion after the death of Maiza's younger brother. Ronny has claimed that he stayed by Maiza's side out of curiorsity rather than obligation to Elmer's wish. Nevertheless, he currently works as the Martillo Family's chiamatore alongside Maiza.
Appearance[]
Ronny's human form comprises a young man with brown hair—dirty blond in the anime—and distinctive almond eyes that give him a "fox-like air." He is usually seen wearing business suits and a trench coat when out and about.
Personality[]
Like Huey Laforet, Ronny is difficult to read and understand. Though he does not actively hide information on himself or his past, he will not volunteer said information unless asked, which he rarely is. The same applies to his powers, which he does not go to any particular lengths to hide. He is often considered an enigma to not only those who do not know him, but those who do.
In 1711, Ronny is shrewd and direct in his address to the alchemists yet also methodically extreme: he proves the truth of the Grand Panacea by severing Szilard's head.
In the Prohibition Era he acts as a mentor to Firo Prochainezo (maintaining his mysterious gentleman guise), and acts as a warm and amiable person to approach within the Martillo organization. He is loyal to the Martillo Family and treats its members with great respect, and is kind and polite to the Gandors as well.
Ronny possesses a keen curiosity streak, and deliberately chooses not to interfere in certain events so that he can observe the outcome as an outsider. He is also somewhat vain and prone to smugness.
Chronology[]
To be expanded.
300 B.C. – 1711 A.D.[]
In Egypt in 300 B.C., a metallurgist 'sorcerer,' henceforth known as Ronny I, and his disciples create a "complete homunculus" in Ronny I's likeness by using their combined blood as a medium. This complete, omniscient homunculus begins observing the metallurgists out of curiosity and a touch of envy.
Some time after the homunculus' creation, the ruler of Egypt orders Ronny I to surrender the homunculus. Ronny I refuses and is stabbed while the homunculus watches. The homunculus calls Ronny I an idiot; Ronny says that when he dies he will go to a place that the homunculus does not know, and asks if he envies him. The homunculus insists he does not, arguing that his intellect would be lost if he broke the flask and left.
Ronny asks him if he had not considered 'giving up the future.' He had not. And so in order to leave the flask in which he is kept, the homunculus gives up his ability to see the future and becomes incomplete, assuming a human form. The homunculus admits that he is anxious, but Ronny I simply directs the homunculus to inherit his name, home, and studious pursuit of the Grand Panacea, an immortality elixir. Thus does the homunculus gain the name Ronny Schiatto. Ronny I abruptly sits up and announces that the homunculus does not have to do anything if he does not want to. Roaring with laughter, he reveals that he is coated in chicken blood and declares that the homunculus is now his disciple. Despite the homunculus' confused and angry refusal, he declares there are now two Ronny's: Ronny I (the metallurgist) and Ronny II (the homunculus).
Only then do the disciples hiding nearby reveal themselves. Ronny II testily informs Ronny I that there is a great white behemoth under the Arctic ice, and he wonders if Ronny I has seen it. He has not. The story claims that Ronny II snaps his fingers and transports them both there, where they "spend the next fifty years" and Ronny II "finally laughs."
Over the centuries, Ronny II becomes known as a 'demon.' He grants a generation of ten alchemists, including Dalton Strauss, Renee Parmedes Branvillier, and Archangelo complete immortality in either the 1400s or 1500s, and responds to a summoning in approximately 1608.
A hundred and three years later, Maiza Avaro summons Ronny on board the Advena Avis during its transatlantic crossing circa 1711 in the hopes of gaining immortality. Ronny agrees to grant the alchemists immortality and, after explaining immortality's parameters, elects to only give Maiza the secret of the Grand Panacea. Twenty-nine out of thirty passengers become complete immortals that night. Ronny witnesses Szilard Quates' subsequent massacre aboard the ship.
An alchemist called Elmer C. Albatross attempts to attract Szilard's attention only to fall overboard in the process; as he drowns, Ronny—finding him interesting—decides to grant Elmer one wish. Elmer initially first wishes for Ronny to smile, but when Ronny proves unable to grant his request, asks that Ronny instead stay by Maiza's side until Maiza someday smiles once more. Ronny, at some point, assumes his human form in no small part due to his own curiosity.
1930s[]
By the 1920s, Maiza has joined the Martillo Family as its contaiuolo and Ronny as its chiamatore; Ronny mentors Firo Prochainezo—a young Martillo associate—in knife-fighting during this decade. On a certain day in November 1930, Ronny has a brief conversation with Maiza but does not tell him he senses Szilard has returned to New York City; later that evening, he attends Firo's initiation as a Martillo executive. During the after-party, he witnesses the Martillo executives, the Gandor brothers, and Isaac and Miria consume the Cure-All Elixir immortality elixir before Szilard's assault against the Martillos. He chooses not to intervene, despite realizing what they were drinking. He concludes this new group of immortals will be able to muddle through eternity.
Ronny cameos with a description of the Daily Days, elaborating on their omniscience and information acquisition abilities.
- 1933—The Slash
Ronny and Ennis arrive.
In September 1933, Maiza calls upon Ronny to negotiate with Jacuzzi Splot and his gang, who have been bootlegging and conducting other illicit activities on Martillo turf for the past year. Elsewhere in Alveare, an unhappy tête-à-tête between Firo and Isaac and Miria results in the couple fleeing the building. Ronny says he will try to entice the couple to return should he encounter them while out; Ennis decides to join Ronny out of worry for her friends.
Ennis follows Ronny to the Genoard manor on Millionaires' Row, and the two enter the front hall to find several factions already present: Isaac and Miria; Jacuzzi and his gang; Tick Jefferson, Maria Barcelito, and Chané Laforet; and Tim, Adele, and the Larva/Lamia. Lying prone on the floor are Jacuzzi—who has fainted—and Dallas Genoard, a temporary corpse. Ronny demands an audience with Jacuzzi regarding his turf interference. However, Chané and Maria inadvertently interfere with negotiations by dueling each other, a duel that Adele soon joins. Ronny impatiently uses his reality-warping powers to teleport Maria's katanas and Adele's spear into his hands, thereafter setting the three weapons onto the floor. Not long after, Nice ignites a smoke bomb and all factions scatter.
Ronny seizes the blades.
Within the next half hour, Ronny teleports a 'ransom letter' made by Isaac at the latter's request to Alveare, which causes Firo to panic and find the missing duo. Ronny and Ennis spend the night with Isaac and Miria at the Empire State Building, having decided to cooperate with Isaac and Miria's plan to kidnap them.
During their little escapade, the group wonders how they can convince Jacuzzi to discuss their dispute. Ronny has a premonition that events will take a turn for the worse. Noting Ennis' distress over Adele, he advises she head to Mist Wall—Nebula's headquarters—where he suggests she will find Firo and the answers she seeks concerning the Lamia.
The next morning, Ronny, Isaac, and Miria jointly arrive at the Babel Restaurant on Mist Wall's top floor. There, they follow a Sham waiter to a table occupied by Jacuzzi, Dallas, Nice Holystone, and Donny, and join them for lunch. Firo approaches the table when he subsequently arrives, though the later arrival of Christopher Shaldred and Adele is what properly obstructs Ronny's negotiation efforts. The timely arrival of Felix Walken, Chané, Tick, and Maria causes further turmoil; Tim arrives not long after.
During said turmoil, Ronny notes Maria's lack of confidence and prompts her to question whether she needs his assistance to "set things right." Tick warns Ronny to not interfere and to allow her to believe in her skill, forcing Ronny to apologize; when Maria does overcome her doubts, overpowering Adele and raising a katana to the sky as if to part the clouds, Ronny literally parts the clouds on her behalf. He compliments her, and says she did well.
Once Ronny is finally able to speak with Jacuzzi, Jacuzzi insists his gang will not ally with the Martillos—however, Jacuzzi will concede to providing financial tribute. Satisfied with the arrangement, Ronny escorts his associates: Firo, Ennis, Isaac, and Miria back to Alveare.
In the aftermath of these events, Ronny teleports to Alcatraz to speak with Huey Laforet in his special cell; there, they discuss their desires and differences. Huey wishes to create or for himself to become a 'demon' like Ronny, whereas Ronny wishes to see what humans and immortals are capable of, hence his sharing of the Grand Panacea. After small talk, Ronny warns Huey that a hitman intends to transfer to Alcatraz in order to kill him.
1934—1935[]
To be added.
2001 The Children of Bottle[]
Ronny and Elmer's discussion in 1711 is revealed in full: as Elmer drowns, he wishes for Ronny to smile. When Ronny proves unable to fulfill Elmer's request, Elmer allows him to put the request on hold on the condition that he accompany Maiza in the meantime.
2002—2003[]
in the summer of 2002, Ronny apprehends Bobby Splot's gang and recovers the camera they stole from the unnamed Japanese photographer. Firo recounts the events of 1930 to the photographer while they wait. When Ronny returns, Firo takes the camera into the back room to appraise it. The photographer, suspecting Ronny's true nature via Firo's story, casually thinks, If you're a demon, show me proof. The photographer does not remember the next few minutes that transpire, but retains a deep fear of the 'demon.'
Powers and Abilities[]
Although a formal ritual to summon Ronny exists, and Ronny is obligated to answer that summoning ritual, a simple thought of his being is enough to summon him.
Ronny gave up knowledge of the future when he emerged from his flask, and in exchange retained a significant amount of his reality-warping abilities. He is capable of "traveling through space," i.e. appearing wherever he wants à la teleportation. He can also teleport objects, as evidenced when he sends Isaac's letter to Alveare and 'seizes' Adela and Maria's weapons in 1933. He also appears to be capable of telepathy, as he has indicated he can hear words which reside in humans' heads; this supposition is further supported when he puts “mental restraints” on those who drink the immortality elixir, and the fact that he can speak directly and implant knowledge into a person's mind, such as when he imparts the elixir's formula to Maiza.
Moreover, Ronny possess some degree of control over matter. He is able to reform a shattered glass bottle into its intact state; whether his manifestation of the Grand Panacea on the Advena Avis is the result of teleportation or truly creating matter from nothing is unclear. He can identify the Grand Panacea simply by looking at it. Meanwhile, he is also capable of granting individuals a host of abilities such as stopping time or mind control.
Ronny enjoys the benefits of immortality while lacking as least some of its restrictions, as he is able to introduce himself with false identities; he is also capable of devouring other immortals, though he has yet to do so. He has informed Elmer that he is capable of rewriting the rules of immortality for individuals; he can even remove an immortals's ability to devour and be devoured, thereby granting the immortal truly perfect immortality.
As Ronny was Firo's primary knife-fighting instructor, he is presumably highly skilled with a knife.
Trivia[]
- To leave his flask, Ronny gives up his ability to see the future and thus becomes incomplete. One can suppose that Rosetta, his nominal kin, made a similar choice when she left her flask in which she chose to see the future at the expense of seeing through space. Of all the formerly complete homunculi whom Ronny is aware of, he is the only one who chose to give up the ability of setting the future and retain all other powers.
- While there is a ritual to summon Ronny, he refers to it as a tedious ritual, and that the thoughts of other bring him into their midst. It is possible that Ronny made the ritual just to see if the Advena Avis alchemists were brave enough to attempt to summon him, or that the ritual had another purpose that has yet to be revealed. Another possibility is that Ronny was already in their midst, but it was the ritual that allowed him to be seen gained solid form or something to that extent.
- "Ronny Schiatto" is a name that he claims he gave himself.
- Ronny may be aware of Celty Sturluson, a main character from Durarara!! Both characters share similar traits: both are non-human beings capable of superhuman and supernatural abilities; both have lived for a long time without aging; and both have allied themselves with the human criminal underworld, with Ronny is a member of the Martillo Camorra, while Celty is a courier who provides services for several underground organizations. However, Ronny's awareness may not necessarily be true to canon proper; it could be limited to the short story from which it originates.
- It is possible that memories of Ronny are not passed along when devoured, as Firo could not discern any memories of Ronny from the memories of Szilard Quates and Szilard's victims. However, it is suggested that Szilard may not have noticed or even cared given his single-minded obsessions.
- The spelling of his full name has varied per translation and per dub. The anime has used both Ronnie and Ronny when crediting/referencing him, and for a long while 'Ronnie' was the preferred spelling. Much debate also occurred over the spelling of his surname, which had alternatively been spelled as "Schiatto" and "Sukiart." The official English translations of the 2015 manga and The Rolling Bootlegs have spelled his name as Ronny Schiatto, and so the wiki has been updated to reflect that spelling.
- Ronny's catchphrase, "Well, no matter" is translated as "Well, never mind" in the Yen Press translations.