Ishmael
Ishmael (Hangul: 이스마엘, i-seu-ma-el) is designated Sinner #8 of Limbus Company's LCB department.
Ishmael is a straight-laced and dependable woman with a tendency for blunt words. She was previously affiliated with the Pequod and its crew, and subsequently spent a number of years working as a Fixer prior to joining Limbus Company.
She is the focus character of Canto V: The Evil Defining.
Appearance
Ishmael is a woman of average build with a fair complexion and wavy, fluffy and voluminous knee-length orange hair, and she wears a thick headband woven out of rope with white ribbons on either end, a memento of Queequeg and a recurring feature in nearly all of her Identities. She has hazel-colored eyes, at times appearing yellowish or orange, with sharp eyelashes and thin eyebrows, and a number of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Outis describes her hands as "coarse and rough".
Ishmael wears the standard Limbus Company uniform, although her coat that is torn at the waist, cutting off the last two letters of her name. Her employee ID is pinned to the coat's right breast.
Her weapon of choice is a flanged black mace made of numerous, vertical white stripes arranged radially, and she carries a circular shield with three bands across the face, branded with the word "HEARSE".
During her time as a sailor, Ishmael had chin-length hair and her uniform consisted of a gray sweater, thick overalls and black gloves. She also wielded a large harpoon.
Personality
Ishmael is first introduced as a calm, level-headed Sinner with an expectation for sound and reasonable judgement. She considers herself to be one of the more sensible members of the team, and is often one to sigh or scoff at the foolishness of those around her. This tendency for being critical extends to her superiors, as Ishmael is the type to prioritize rationality above formalities. Generally, Ishmael does well to back up her somewhat haughty attitude with competence, making a consistent effort to stay informed on the current mission and the right course of action. She is also portrayed as an overall intelligent individual with a staunch, reliable nature. Regardless of her aptitude, however, Ishmael's quips tend to lean into antagonism, sparking arguments with those who rise to her provocations.
While Ishmael is something of a doubtful and antisocial person, she's also shown to be willing to build on her relationships. Canto IV sees her taking a harsh blow for Dante, despite previous complaints about them and their managerial prowess. Additionally, Ishmael will sometimes bring up her Whaling experiences as a way to try to relate to others, as with Faust in Intervallo IV: Murder on the WARP Express, although typically, her sociable side comes through in the form of banter, such as cheeky competitiveness, teasing, and bragging.
Despite her values, Ishmael can be considerably impulsive herself. Her emphasis on efficiency and adaptability leads to compulsive behavior when forced into situations she deems unreasonable. Intervallo II: S.E.A. sees Ishmael fall into neurosis as she is made to return to the waters which cost the lives of her former crew, resulting in her ceaselessly dedicating herself to preparations and snapping at anyone who attempts to undermine her anxiety. This culminates in Canto V as Ishmael's greater propensity for frenzy comes to light, and she is shown capable of excessive anger, violence, instability, and obsession in the face of her greatest evil. These feelings go hand-in-hand with doubt and depression as Ishmael loses sight of who she is, instead beginning to behave in a way similar to her former Captain. Her desire to kill the woman she resents ultimately concludes with Ishmael realizing that detaching herself from this obsession is the only way for her to rediscover a feeling of freedom and control over her life.
Post-Canto, Ishmael enjoys a strong sense of independence from the trauma that used to bind her. She expresses that she still has the ability to grow sharp and hot-headed, but by her own inclination, rather than being dragged along by an all-consuming fervor. Similarly, her motivation for questioning her coworkers shifts as she looks for reason to trust them. Still, she maintains a moderately standoffish attitude, being an unchanging core of her personality. Nonetheless, Ishmael's earnest relationship with Queequeg also speaks to a more caring, sensitive side of her when around the right people.
With Limbus Company, Ishmael proudly remains set on her own sail even as she follows her manager's lead, maintaining the core of who she is as she finds autonomy and balance in a difficult world.
Mirror Worlds
- World of the LCCB
- In this world, Ishmael is an Assistant Manager of the Limbus Company Clearance Department Before Team, whose work is to assist the 12 Sinners aboard Mephistopheles, as well as Vergilius and Dante. She wears the standard LCCB uniform and her rope headband, without the ribbons, which are only visible in her sprites, and uses a Limbus Company ballistic shield and pistol in combat. This Identity mirrors Saude from the main story. She can be seen in her LCCB Assistant Manager Identity and appears in Ryōshū's LCCB Assistant Manager Identity Story.
- World of K Corp.
- In this world, Ishmael is a member of the Technology Liberation Alliance. She wears a Sloshing E.G.O Suit, appearing as a green armor with thin fairy wings, kept together by green slime which drenches her whole body, over a white collared shirt and red tie. She wears her headband, and her hair is partially dyed from the E.G.O, with the lower part of it appearing bright green. She wields the Sloshing E.G.O Weapon, a baton covered in slime. She can be seen in her Lobotomy E.G.O::Sloshing Identity.
- World of the District 21 Backstreets
- In this world, Ishmael is a Fixer of the Molar Boatworks Workshop, having previously worked at Molar Office before visiting the Library. Once she and the other members of Molar Office returned to their human forms, they opened Molar Boatworks and Ishmael began to use her combat skills as a Fixer to hunt Trash Crabs. She wears a full-body black wetsuit equipped with a leather utility vest and leg pouch, and wears her hair in a ponytail, tied back with dark rope, supposedly her headband, repurposed. She wields a harpoon-like drill designed to kill Trash Crabs. This Identity mirrors Olga from the main story. She can be seen in her Molar Boatworks Identity.
- World of U Corp.
- In this world, Ishmael is the Captain of The Pequod, consumed by her obsession for the Crimson Whale. She wears a white shirt and dark green pants and jacket, as well as a matching captain's hat. She wears a golden harpoon-shaped peg leg starting from her right knee, and always carries a pipe. Notably, she does not wear her headband, as Queequeg is not present in this World. She wields a harpoon capable of heating up. This Identity mirrors Ahab from the main story. She can be seen in her Pequod Captain Identity.
- World of Wuthering Heights
- In this world, Ishmael is a Butler for the Edgar Family, a Fixer contracted to the household, who takes care of the Edgar Family Heir, Gregor. She dons the Edgar Family Butler uniform, with her rope headband modified to be worn together with her Butler headband. In combat, she wields the Edgar Family broomstick and the knives carried in her Butler case. She can be seen in her Edgar Family Butler Identity and appears in Ryōshū's Edgar Family Chief Butler Identity Story.
- World of H Corp.
- In this world, Ishmael is a member of the Jia Family and a candidate during the Daguanyuan Family Hierarch Evaluations, accompanied by her servant Yi Sang. She wears a black cheongsam with gold detailing and long red sleeves, and a slit across the left side, and she wears her hair in an ox horn hairstyle, and tied in four braids that reach down to her knees, with two of her bangs dyed white. In combat, she uses a red fan. In this world, despite still wearing her rope decoration from Queequeg, Ishmael has never been to the Great Lake, with the significant variation from the main world temporarily distorting the course of her Identity Story. This Identity mirrors Jia Xichun from the main story. She can be seen in her Family Hierarch Candidate Identity and within The Lord of Hongyuan Hong Lu's Identity story, where she is killed by the latter after receiving the Xuanhang Anamnaworm.
- World of the House of Spiders
- In this world, Ishmael is the daughter and apprentice of the Middle Nursefather Outis. She wears an oversized white jacket and purple sweatpants, and she has shorter hair, decorated with her rope hairband and a white ribbon. In combat, she uses her two thermal blades and longsword. This Identity mirrors Kira from the main story. She can be seen in her Middle Apprentice Identity.
- World of the Former Library Guests - 3
- In this world, Ishmael is an representative of Jeong's Office, an Öufi Associate Office, and an observer to Gold-tier gambling in J Corp. She wears a dark outfit with a long trenchcoat, and she wears her hair in a ponytail, tied up with rope. In combat, she wields a katana tied with purple sageo. This Identity mirrors Hanafuda from Library of Ruina. She can be seen in her Jeong's Office Identity.
- World of Shi Association Southern Branch
- In this world, Ishmael is a Fixer from the Section 5 of Shi Association's Southern Branch. She wears a Shi Association uniform, consisting of a black sleeveless turtleneck and black slacks, and her headband. She appears heavily scarred over her arms and face, with her arms being bandaged in both arts. She wields a red katana. She can be seen in her Shi Association South Identity, and appears in Heathcliff's Shi Association South Identity Story.
- World of R Corp.
- In this world, Ishmael is a member of the Reindeer Team of R Corp.'s Fourth Pack. She wears the standard Reindeer Team armor, and wields a charged quarterstaff as her main combat weapons. She can be seen in her R Corp. Identity, and is featured in R Corp. 4th Pack Reindeer Hong Lu's Identity Story.
- World of Liu Association Southern Branch
- In this world, Ishmael is a Fixer from the Section 4 of Liu Association's Southern Branch. She wears the Liu Association uniform, including a red coat and dark gloves, and her headband, and she fights with Liu Association's traditional fire-enhanced hand to hand combat. She can be seen in her Liu Association South Identity and appears in Rodion's Liu Association South Identity Story.
- World of Zwei Association Western Branch
- In this world, Ishmael is a Fixer from the Section 3 of Zwei Association's Western Branch. She wears the Zwei West uniform, a suit of metal armor over a yellow shirt and blue tabard, and wears her hair in a long ponytail, tied back with her rope headband. She wields the Zwei shock-nullifying greatsword. She can be seen in her Zwei Association West Identity.
- World of Kurokumo Clan
- In this world, Ishmael is the thirty-fourth Captain of the Kurokumo Clan, having replaced Captain Sayo after her disappearance in the Library. She wears a loose-fitting dark kimono, and wears her hair in a bun, tied up with her rope hairband, and decorated with two hair sticks. In combat, she wields an ōdachi. She can be seen in her Kurokumo Clan Identity and appears in Heathcliff's Kurokumo Clan Identity Story.
- World of Zwei Association Southern Branch
- In this world, Ishmael is a Fixer from the Section 4 of Zwei Association's Southern Branch. She appears in civilian clothing, wearing an oversized white jacket and dark pants, and her headband. She appears in Faust's Zwei Association South Identity Story.
Trivia
- Ishmael's character icon represents a compass surrounded by a hank of rope tied at the ends with two white ribbons, referencing Ishmael's goal of finding a new life for herself, and Queequeg's memento Ishmael always keeps on her person, in the form of her headband.
- Ishmael is represented by the ⛪ emoji.[4] The church references a famous chapter of Moby-Dick, in which Ishmael and Queequeg, before boarding on the Pequod, visit the Whaleman's Chapel church of New Bedford. There, they attend a sermon on Jonah, a prophet who was swallowed by a whale, but whose faith did not falter, until God decided to save him; the story of Jonah foreshadows the events of the novel.
- Ishmael's particulars are listed as "suffers from an obsessive-compulsive neurosis",[5] while her associated color is #ff9500, Isolate Orange.[6]
- Ishmael is named after the eponymous character from Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick. Ishmael was a member of Captain Ahab's crew on his whaling ship Pequod and serves as the story's first-person perspective narrator.
- The title emblazoned on her shield, "HEARSE", references an event in Moby-Dick during which Fedallah, Ahab's harpooneer, speaks a series of prophecies regarding Ahab's fate: that Ahab will not have a hearse nor a coffin; that before his death, Ahab would see two hearses, one not made by mortal hands and the other made of American wood; that only hemp will kill Ahab. The prophecies all turn out to be true, as after Fedallah's death his corpse ends up lashed to Moby-Dick's back, thus making the whale himself the first hearse, and the Pequod ends up destroyed by the whale's attack, making the ship the second hearse. Ahab then throws a final harpoon towards the whale, but as the line gets tangled, the hemp rope loops around his neck, and drags him into the sea, where the captain meets his death.
- Ishmael's base E.G.O, Snagharpoon, further reinforces this connection, as it takes the form of a harpoon tied to Ishmael's via a rope of hemp, which Ishmael uses to defeat Ahab by destroying her purpose, killing the Pallid Whale during the final fight of Canto V.
- HEARSE might also reference Queequeg's coffin, an important prop both in Ishmael's backstory and in the book. In Moby-Dick, Queequeg suddenly falls very ill in the middle of the crew's voyage, and requests that a special wooden coffin be built for him to be sent out to sea in. Though Queequeg makes a miraculous recovery, the coffin is kept, and later ends up being fashioned into a replacement lifebuoy, which allows Ishmael to survive the destruction of the Pequod.
- Ishmael's introduction quote is the famous opening line of Moby-Dick. As Ishmael's character fades in the background as the story goes on, often seemingly disappearing and becoming a presence external to the narration while the most important events of the novel focus on Ahab, the line is relevant in establishing Ishmael as the central narrator. The concept of Ishmael struggling to assert his identity over Ahab's is reprised by their counterparts in Limbus Company.
- Like the other Sinners, Ishmael has voiced a "Document Excerpt" Youtube short.
- Ishmael's voice actress, Jang Ye-na, previously voiced Angelica in Library of Ruina.
- During HamHamPangPang's Limbus Company Pop-up theme, one of the available menu items was "Sinner Soul Food" which changed every week to be a different meal associated with one of the twelve playable Sinners. Ishmael's associated meal was Hot Dogs.[7]
- Before it got fixed, Ishmael's coat used to read No. 7, despite her being Sinner No. 8. As both Seven and Eight Association are based on English language numbers, this may imply her Sinner number used to be 07 in early development.
External Links
- Ishmael (이스마엘) - Korean page (Namuwiki)
- Ishmael (イシュメール)- Japanese page (wikiwiki)
- Ishmael (イシュメール) - Japanese page (wiki3)
- Ishmael (Измаил) - Russian page (Project Moon wiki)
References
- ↑ LCB Regular Check-up CG and Ishmael ID photo
- ↑ ID card released with the April 30th, 2025 update states her birthday is "8.8.(censored)".
- ↑ [ Limbus Company ] Ishmael Character Promo
- ↑ (Limbus Company Twitter) Ishmael Teaser Post
- ↑ Limbus Company Official Website
- ↑ Limbus Company TGS Trailer
- ↑ HamHamPangPang 2022 Limbus Company Pop-up theme menu
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