The Fatui in Genshin Impact have always been one step ahead of the Traveler. Mondstadt fell under their influence at the very beginning of the game, and in Liyue we met one of the Harbingers, and in Natlan the antagonists from Snowy were already scattering their spies before the main character arrived.
Fatui was not without in the region of wisdom – Sumeru. There we met a mysterious man in a long pointed bird mask. His name is Dottore (or Il Dottore), and from the very appearance in the plot he instilled fear in players. Behind the mask of a mad scientist hides a heap of thoughts and you can never guess his next step.
Dottore’s appearance
Dottore’s appearance varies depending on where he appears. In the manga, Dottore wears a long white coat, which emphasizes his status as a scientist. Underneath the coat, a white dress shirt is visible. A pink bow tie adds a bit of contrasting chic to his formal appearance. A striped vest completes this style. Dark pants complete the look.
This appearance of Dottore gives the impression of a man from high society, who is not afraid to get his hands dirty in experiments. In the comics, he appears less sinister than in the game or teasers, but still remains a mysterious and cold character, emphasizing his obsession with science.
Dottore in the game, unlike his manga counterpart, has a more sinister and sophisticated appearance that emphasizes his status as one of the Harbingers. We first meet him in the trailer for “Lazzo on a Winter’s Night.” His long bangs add drama, and the pointed black mask that covers his eyes adds mystery. This mask also refers to his dark character and scientific obsession. As does the flask with a strange liquid in his hand, also glimpsed in the trailer.
The doctor wears a white coat with silver inserts, which gives him a formal and stylish look. Under the coat, a blue shirt is visible, which matches the elements of his suit. Black loose trousers complete the image, making it more relaxed and functional. Another memorable detail is the black fur on the right shoulder, which is fastened in such a way that it resembles a plague doctor mask.
Of particular note are the numerous black belts and blue inserts on the clothing. These details are reminiscent of Hydro or Cryo elements, which may symbolize his connection with elemental research or experiments on them. Or a potential eye of God. Although I don’t want such a character to have the power of an Archon, otherwise the whole of Teyvat will not be envied.
Dottore’s personality
When starting a conversation about Dottore’s character, it is necessary to clarify which version of the character we are talking about. During the events of the manga and the game, he behaves slightly differently. Let’s briefly run through these personalities.
In the manga
In the manga, Dottore is a diplomat from Snezhnaya who comes to Mondstadt to negotiate on behalf of Fatui. The official purpose of his mission, according to Krupp, was to request a small army from the city. However, Fatui’s true intentions were to kidnap humans for illegal, deadly research. After negotiations failed and a confrontation with the “Midnight Hero”, who turned out to be Diluc in disguise, Dottore loses interest in cooperating with Mondstadt and leaves the city.
Returning to Snezhnaya, he learns of the Black Flame incident caused by Kollei, which resulted in the death of two Fatui diplomats. However, Dottore does not care, and assigns one of his subordinates to deal with the aftermath. In Chapter 16 of the manga, Dottore reappears, annoyed that his guards missed the “Midnight Hero”.
In the game
The Doctor is first mentioned in the quest “One-Eye’s Adventure!”. Tartaglia takes his younger brother, Tevkr, to the Toy Research Institute, which turns out to be Dottore’s research facility in Liyue. From there, he researched the Ruin Guardians, but when he left the ruins, he did not seal the entrance. Thus, the Guardians produced would spread throughout the surrounding area, attracting the attention of the Millelites.
As a character, Dottore is first introduced in Volume III, Chapter III: “Dreams, Emptiness, and Deception” when the Traveler, Paimon, and Nahida attempt to learn the Academy’s plans through Setaria. Dottore manipulates the Akasha terminals and forces the people of Sumeru to make the Traveler believe him to be a hero. Although Nahida manages to help the Traveler escape, her nature is revealed and Dottore traps her consciousness while Katerina’s body is destroyed by the Deserters.
Before leaving Sumeru, he attempts to take Hypasia to Snezhnaya, but is refused by Tignari. He later lures the Traveler and Dehya into a trap by sending Fatui soldiers to kidnap Hypasia, and sails to Snezhnaya.
After defeating Scaramuccia and purifying Irminsul, Dottore reappears at the Surastana Temple to speak with Nahida. In exchange for the God Heart Electro, he agrees to destroy all of his segments, and in exchange for the God Heart Dendro shares the secret of the “false sky of Teyvat”.
Origin of Dottore
As we know, Dottore was originally a student at the Sumerian Academy. However, they did not favor the ambitious scientist Zandik, as he was previously called. We do not know what darshan Zandik belonged to, but his interests were not limited to a certain direction. With his speculations and attitude towards people as complex mechanisms, he earned the reputation of a monster among his classmates.
He was famous for his remarkable interest in all areas of science and took part in research expeditions. In one of them, in the Gyurabad desert, according to the scientists of the Academy, he had a hand in the death of the dastur Sohra, who joined the darshan of Amurt.
The girl was attacked by the Rishboland tigers. Dottore was nearby, but could not help, which is why the dastur died. For this and a couple of other misdeeds during the expedition to study ancient mechanisms, he was excluded from the article that the Academy was writing.
After exhuming Sohre’s body and examining it, they found a broken hyoid bone, which is impossible to break on your own. All suspicions fell, of course, on Zandik, who was nearby at the time. Therefore, the version of death only from an animal attack disappeared.
Experiments in the Apam Thicket
Zandik was involved in a medical study in the Apam Forest. However, at some point, all the children involved in the experiments mysteriously disappeared. Zandik believed that this was due to the intervention of Aranara, a mystical being who could control dreams.
This situation led him to a radical idea: he proposed that by capturing Aranara and using his abilities, human intelligence could be greatly enhanced. In his opinion, this would enable humanity to “go beyond the limitations of Earth.”
In parallel, Zandik experiments with those who are supposedly sick from Eleazar. Removing damaged limbs, he implants pieces of skin and limbs into four subjects. Only one survives, but it was enough to plant the idea of creating an Archon in the doctor.
However, his methods and views on science caused great resentment among his colleagues and teachers. He was eventually expelled from the Academy, despite the fact that he considered it a necessary place to conduct his research.
Dottore joined Fatui after being exiled for his ruthless experiments. According to the manga, he was rejected by society due to his obsession with research that went beyond morality. His experiments involved modifying humans, which shocked those around him and made him an outcast.
During his exile, Zandik met Piero, the leader of the Harbingers, who saw great potential in him. Piero offered him a place among the Fatui and access to resources that would allow Dottore to continue his research without restrictions. Thus, Dottore became one of the most valuable members of the organization due to his genius. His scientific achievements strengthened the position of the Fatui, and he himself was given unlimited freedom in his experiments.
Dottore and the Fatui Experiments
Well, a mad genius got his hands on the mad budgets of the Queen’s region. The author of the text is already uneasy about this situation. And some characters we know and love agree with this. Under the leadership of Dottore, the Fatui conducted research related to Eleazar. One of the victims of these experiments was Collei, whose parents gave her to the Fatui for “treatment”. However, Dottore used the “remains of the gods” in an attempt to suppress the effects of the disease, which almost led to a catastrophe.
Under the alias of Escher, Dottore infiltrated Tatarasuna under orders from Piero to sabotage the local kiln as part of Fatui’s plans involving Inazuma. He installed the kiln and provided the materials that caused it to malfunction. When Niwa Hisahide attempted to repair it, Dottore killed him, removed his heart, and hid it in a box.
Later, the vessel containing the withered heart was given to Kabukimono, the future Scaramuccia. Dottore falsely claimed that Niwa had escaped and killed an innocent man, which enraged Kabukimono. Dottore and Piero became interested in Kabukimono, seeing great potential in him.
When Scaramuccia entered Fatui, Dottore modified him, enhancing his abilities beyond the original capabilities of Ei. Later, in an exploration of his own nature, Dottore created segments of himself at different ages to study his life stages.
After Diluc left Mondstadt, Dottore defeated the Ursa dragon, for which Mondstadt became indebted to Fatui. He used this to recruit the city’s inhabitants for his experiments, and also launched a project that he planned to test during Ludi Harpastum.
Playable Dottore
He is not currently a playable character, but he has already made his mark in the story and left his mark as one of the most memorable villains. During a massive data leak of the game, back in the days of version 3.1, players saw that the files and placeholders for Dottore were labeled as “two-hander”, which could indicate his potential weapon in the game.
However, at the time of writing, Dottore has not appeared in the story of Genshin Impact. The writers have not figured out how he will apologize for all his misdeeds, cry on the Traveler’s lap, and join him on this confusing journey. Who knows, maybe one day he will become available, and we will be able to learn even more about him!
For now, that’s all the information we know about the character Dottore. The main plot is still far from over, and Snow herself hasn’t even been introduced to us. So we’ll be eagerly waiting and watching not only the Second, but all the other Harbingers as well.