Alraune, also known as the Whisperer of Dementia in her initial form and the Whisperer of Insanity in her second, is the mysterious demon from Inferno who had managed to contain Jeanne's soul in captivity after being dragged into said realm to leech off of her power. Possessing a fierce rivalry and hatred for Madama Butterfly, she is later defeated and is made way for the creation of the infernal weapon, Alruna.[1] She is the secondary antagonist of Bayonetta 2, as well as a secret boss and summonable demon in Bayonetta 3.
Lemegeton's Guidebook[]
Bayonetta 2[]
Myth places her as the young daughter of a noble estate, but none of her past visage can be determined from her current demon form. She searches the bottom of hell for the most exquisite souls, then injects poison into their nerves to make them eternal "lovers" at her palace.
Insatiable desire and obsession have painted her heart so thickly that she will never know peace. Not even with the sacrifices of a thousand souls, or a million...
Bayonetta 3[]
Even after death, the poison continued to devour her soul and at the height of being consumed by delusions and hallucinations, she was at last reincarnated in Inferno as a demon.
With virulent poison coursing throughout her entire body, even a slight caress from her is said to mean certain death.
She constantly searches reality for the most beautiful creatures, be they human, angel, or demon, and then injects poison into their nerves to make them unmoving "eternal lovers" to decorate her palace.
Insatiable desire and obsession have painted her heart so thickly that she will never know peace. Not even with the sacrifices of a thousand souls, or a million...
Gameplay[]
As the major bossfight for Chapter XI, Alraune has a multitude of abilities at her disposal and has two major forms that must be fought in sequence.
In her first form, Alraune's primary attacks consist of using her sharp fingernails as claws, being able to lunge at Bayonetta, spin them in circular motions or use them in an aerial attack that slams into the ground. The nails have a long range due to their length but are telegraphed easily enough to trigger Witch Time. Alraune can also absorb Bayonetta's health piece by piece by attempting to rip the witch's soul out and can be escaped from by shaking the left stick, or by using a large vine to drain all of her life energy with a few seconds. Like the weapons that eventually gain her namesake, Alraune can also use a vine-like whip from her feet that can lash out during any of her other attacks on ground or in the air. She can place down large flowers around the battlefield that spew out a liquid which will restrain Bayonetta until she destroys them. Alraune will frequently transform into a flurry of flower petals during certain Wicked Weave attacks and negate them, similar to Bayonetta's own Bat Within ability.
In her secondary form, Alraune retains her upper body while her lower half becomes that of a reptilian-like creature. Due to this, she relies on her claws to lunge at Bayonetta from afar as her primary means of aggression. Alraune is also able to use Jeanne's soul as an energy source to deal magical attacks, during which the Umbran seal will appear on her abdomen as a cue. Jeanne's soul, however, is also her weak point and Bayonetta must tear open her friend's prison piece by piece throughout the battle.
Recommended Weapons[]
During the initial fight against Alraune, a similar approach to the Masked Lumen encounters must be used in terms of prioritising the triggering of Witch Time and speedy attacks before the demon either dodges or negates them. Because of this, weapons such as Rakshasa and even Alruna itself (only if the player has already won the battle before) are ideal to land quick hits whilst also maintaining the ability to dodge efficiently.
Alraune's second form is arguably more manageable due to her increased bulk and inability to negate Bayonetta's attacks as before. She is still fast, but less so than her initial form. Weapons such as Salamandra are ideal to dish out the maximum damage possible during this second phase of the fight, though the priority of Witch Time in order to do so safely must be upheld.
Appearance[]
Whisperer Of Dementia[]
Her first form is a humanoid demon with a rose motif, purple vines/tendrils, and sharp red nails, she has a grey skin that has a slightly purple tint to it. Her attire is similar to that of a dress made out of pinkish red petals complete with detachable sleeves, collar, and high platform heels.
Whisperer Of Insanity[]
Her second form is that of a giant lizard-like beast with skinny human-like arms and legs. She has a grey body with a pulsating purple bulge in the middle, a large, long tail covered in red spikes, a purple fearless egg shaped head and on top of the head Alraune's first form's upper half.
Personality[]
Alraune is shown as being vengeful and quick to anger, seen through how she reacts to Bayonetta's destruction of her domain. Despite this, she also displays that she is capable of mercy when she decides to initially forgive Bayonetta's trespassing of her palace, though it is seen how quickly that passes when Bayonetta further damages her palace to provoke her. Alraune also displays a side of overconfidence when she claims that with the power of Jeanne's soul, she felt that she could rule Inferno itself. She carries an air of poise and confidence that can be easily threatened by the defiance of another, especially if it is by her most hated rival, Madama Butterfly.
History[]
Allegedly born as a noblewoman, Alraune was once married to an unknown man. However, she took her own life with the use of mandrake poison as a way of getting her revenge on her husband. She was then reborn in Inferno as a demon and made herself known by abducting exceptional souls, consuming and dousing them with her own special poison to make them her "lovers".[2]At some point prior to the events of Bayonetta 2, she and Madama Butterfly had an altercation that left Alarune with complete and utter hatred of the latter.
Story[]
Bayonetta 2[]
As Inferno is a place where power means everything in terms of who rules over who, Alraune was quick to take a hold of Jeanne's soul when it entered her realm in order to make herself stronger. When Bayonetta forcefully enters her palace of vines, Alraune is initially angry at the witch for trespassing into her territory but gives her the option to leave immediately so she will be spared. Bayonetta, in no mood to parlay with the demon, responds by causing even more destruction with the help of Madama Butterfly. Alraune, realizing that Bayonetta is not only an Umbra Witch but that her pact demon is one that she has hated for millennia, quickly launches into battle to destroy the intruders.
After Bayonetta defeats her for the first time, Alraune curses her opponent before transforming into a secondary form using the power of Jeanne's soul inside her new body. Bayonetta fights her one more time and eventually rips Jeanne's soul free, defeating the demon. Before Bayonetta could get one final hit using Madama Butterfly, Rodin stops the punch from killing Alraune and insists Bayonetta takes care of Jeanne before sealing the demon inside one of his new creations: Alruna.
Abilities[]
Gameplay[]
Bayonetta 3[]
Skills[]
Special[]
- Bloom Of Desire ()
- Plants vegetation that attacks nearby enemies.
- Green Thumb
- Extends Bloom Of Desire plant lifespan.
- Green Thumb II
- Further extends Bloom Of Desire plant lifespan.
Punch[]
- Seeds Of Resentment (+)
- Spreads a field of thorny vines that stretches out in all directions.
- Consort's Favor (+)
- Causes giant thorns to shoot up beneath enemies and attack.
Kick[]
- Lady's Longing (+)
- Does a double tail sweep in two wide arcs.
- Madam's Ardour (+)
- Charges at enemies while spinning, ending with a jumping tail slam.
Shoot[]
- Sweet Nothings (+)
- Spews pollen that drains enemy vitality.
- Courtesan's Veil (+)
- Wraps up in thorns and shoots them out in all directions.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Alraune is the first known demon to be converted into a weapon by Rodin, but in an unexpected situation, as Rodin didn't require a golden LP or have to fight her to hold her captive.
- In the description of Alruna, it is revealed that Alraune shares her name with a particular type of flower that only blooms in the depths of Inferno.
- Alraune references the German novel from Hanns Heinz Ewers, Alraune, whose main character is a product of an experiment involving the artificial insemination of a prostitute with the semen from a hung murderer, a substance that is believed to grow the Mandragora plant. The plant is said to scream when uprooted, killing anyone who hears it, and was majorly used by witches and practitioners of magic in the Middle Ages, not unlike the crystallized compound found in the series for item creation. This connection is further enforced by the vine and flower motif that is apparent in the demon's design as well as her origins of being someone who killed themselves with mandrake poison.
- Alraune's name is spelled as 'Alarune' in the game's credits, most likely as a mistake.[3]
- Despite alluding to a hatred lasting millennium, Alraune's reason for her grudge against Madama Butterfly is never revealed.
- In the second game, Alraune is transformed (seemingly permanently) into the weapon Alruna by Rodin, yet can be encountered as a demon and subsequently contracted and connected to Alruna (presumably as a weapon separate from herself) in the third game. Though this might suggest the two Alraunes (and thus the events of the games and the Bayonettas they focus on) are Variants of each other, Viola's notes on her profile in the demon profile menu of the third game explicitly reference her attempt to devour Jeanne.[4] The third game provides no explanation for this.
- When idle during Demon Slave, Alraune will mimic Bayonetta's Dance.
References[]
- ↑ Bayonetta 2
- ↑ Bayonetta 2 - Alraune's entry in the Lemegenton's Book
- ↑ Bayonetta 2 Playthrough Part 25 (Credits)
- ↑ Viola: Stomach: "She slowly digests stuff in there... including Jeanne at one point! I absolutely do NOT want to see the inside!" (demon profile menu, Bayonetta 3)