"Lives entwined, a tapestry woven anew each dawn, every thread a part of the whole."
— H'aanit, after defeating the Ghisarma.
H'aanit is one of eight playable characters in Octopath Traveler. She is a hunter who resides in S'warkii and is one of the last descendants of the people who live in the forest. When her master, Z'aanta, goes missing, H'aanit sets out in search of him. She is always accompanied by her snow leopard companion, Linde.
Profile[]
Appearance[]
H'aanit has messily-braided light brown hair and green eyes. She wears the grayish skin of a beast's fur around her neck similar to a scarf. She is clad in a beige animal skin dress, black pants, gray boot-warmers, and brown gloves on both arms. H'aanit also sports feather earrings and a leather belt to which her quiver is strapped. Her arrowheads, belt buckles, bow, and knives are made of bone. In a conversation with Primrose, it is mentioned that she wears a necklace with two rings attached, which are from her deceased parents.
Personality[]
H'aanit is a cool-headed hunter with a strong moral compass who dedicates herself to helping her clan after her master leaves to hunt the beast Redeye. She rarely loses her cool in dangerous situations, proving her experience, maturity, and pragmatism—a foil to that of her master, who is only serious about hunting and takes life in stride. H'aanit tends to remain oblivious towards evidence of affection, as evidenced in her interactions with Alaic.
Despite being a level-headed individual, H'aanit also tends toward a scolding attitude, especially towards Z'aanta's gambling. She also dislikes the idea of killing for pleasure or for sport, believing that it disturbs the natural order of the forest and must be quenched at once. She holds to the ideals taught by her mentor and affirms that all living beings should be respected; in a conversation with Primrose, H'aanit expresses outrage at the idea of creating a play to mock someone's life. However, she is also shown to be flexible when it comes to misdemeanors, particularly those committed by allies, as in a conversation with Therion she claims that she can put aside her prejudices for comrades.
In the English version of the game, H'aanit speaks in a very particular (and fictional) dialect that borrows some particularities of speech from Middle and Old English. This stylized speech is absent in the Japanese version.
History[]
"Your name is H'aanit, and you are a hunter. One of the last descendants of an ancient clan that calls the deep forest home, your prowess with the bow is unmatched. Your master left home one year ago, summoned to hunt a dread beast, and you protected the village while awaiting his return. Then, one day, the return of an old friend gives you cause for concern, and you strike out on a journey of your own."
— H'aanit's description when selecting her.
Prior to Story[]
H'aanit is one of the few people who has been taught the ways of hunting by the clan that makes their home in S'warkii. When she was an infant, her parents passed away. Z'aanta, a talented hunter of some renown, decided to raise H'aanit and made her his apprentice. A year before the events of her story, Z'aanta left the village in pursuit of a fearsome beast named Redeye. H'aanit was asked to remain as the village guardian until her mentor's return from his hunt with the Knights Ardante.
Chapter 1[]
A year had passed since Z'aanta's departure and all H'aanit has of him is a letter mentioning his whereabouts. One day, an official herald from Lord Ciaran arrives and asks H'aanit to hunt and kill Ghisarma, which has fled from its native habitat and settled in the forest near the town. H'aanit notes that the beast has killed for sport rather than for survival when she sees the slaughter brought upon previous hunters, whose corpses she comes upon in the Whisperwood. After promising to tend to the bodies, H'aanit confronts the monster and kills it.
Upon her return to S'warkii, she is approached by Hägen, Z'aanta's direwolf companion. He is visibly agitated, and H'aanit senses that Z'aanta is in danger. She sets off to Stonegard to save him.
Chapter 2[]
At Stonegard, H'aanit meets with Natalia, an old friend of Z'aanta's. H'aanit informs her of Z'aanta's disappearance and admits that she sees him as a father figure. She then departs for The Spectrewood, a forest guarded by animate trees. She is confronted by the Lord of the Forest and defeats it in battle.
She finally happens upon Z'aanta, who has been turned to stone. She notices a note attached to an arrow he had fired, which explains that Redeye had petrified him and that she must speak with a seer named Susanna to find a cure.
Chapter 3[]
In Stillsnow, H'aanit realizes that she must first get past Alaic if she wishes to see Susanna. After besting Alaic in a duel, Susanna explains that Redeye must be defeated if Z'aanta is to be cured. H'aanit must find the Herb-of-Grace in the Whitewood to resist Redeye's petrification.
H'aanit ventures into the Whitewood before realizing it is the nest of a legendary Dragon. She is able to slay the beast and take the herbs, which Susanna uses to create an Herb-of-Grace potion.
Chapter 4[]
H'aanit travels to Marsalim to hunt Redeye. She meets with Eliza of the Knights Ardante, who has worked with forces from Marsalim to fend off beasts from Grimsand Ruins, where Redeye has settled. H'aanit promises King Khalim that she will defeat Redeye.
H'aanit ventures into the catacombs and finds Redeye, who has petrified several Marsalim soldiers. She notes that, unlike with other beasts, she cannot read Redeye's heart. She slays Redeye, freeing the soldiers and Z'aanta.
Relationships[]
Z'aanta[]
He is the mentor of H'aanit. A gambling addict who only takes hunting seriously, he is rather laid back, which makes H'aanit worry for him. They seem to share a close kinship with one another, with H'aanit making jabs at the older man while he tries to deflect them with poor excuses. He is the one who taught H'aanit how to hunt and about the laws of nature.
Despite their banter, H'aanit still cares for her mentor to the point that she decides to embark on an extensive journey in search of him. H'aanit admits to Natalia that she sees Z'aanta as a father figure as she did not have the privilege of meeting her own parents, but would prefer Z'aanta not know that as he would never let her live it down.
Battle[]
H'aanit is a Hunter and, as such, can equip axes and bows and has access to a single-target lightning-elemental spell. She is tied with Olberic for the highest physical attack among the party, but while Olberic also has the highest HP and physical defense, H'aanit trades those for the highest critical and accuracy stats instead. H'aanit's HP stat is below-average and her physical defense is low, but she is capable of remarkable versatility with the use of her unique talent, Capture.
Capture allows H'aanit to catch and store enemies to be used later. She will always have at least one option available to her and can capture up to 6 more monsters for a total of 7. Every captured beast can be used a set number of times before they are automatically released and perform a single attack or ability. Depending on the monster, this can be a weapon or elemental attack useful for exploiting weaknesses or an effect, such as healing and buffing. If the selected monster's action is single-target, it will be chosen at random.
With Capture, H'aanit can have access to attacks and abilities beyond her kit that cover her shortcomings, giving her the edge in battle.
Her Path Action, Provoke, allows her to enter into battle with NPCs. However, she herself cannot attack. The only command available to her in these duels is Capture, forcing her to depend on her current roster to see the battle through. If unprepared, she may not have the correct weapon-type or elemental monsters to break her foe and, as it is a rogue Path Action, the player's reputation takes a hit if she loses.
- To improve on H'aanit's physical prowess, Warrior provides the most obvious benefit with two additional weapons and powerful weapon abilities. With this combination, H'aanit has access to the four most common weapon weaknesses, allowing her to break most enemies.
- Thief is also a powerful option, providing two additional weapon types plus another elemental spell. The Thief's attack and defense debuffs combine well with her native Leghold Trap ability, giving H'aanit many ways to weaken the enemy alongside breaking enemy weaknesses. HP Steal and SP Steal also make H'aanit a more self-sustaining character and are powerful attacks in their own right. The biggest weakness of this combination is that H'aanit must rely on her Divine Skills for multitarget damage.
- While each repeats a weapon already available to H'aanit, Apothecary offers a strong axe attack and reliable sustain, while Merchant offers another weapon and a useful evasion buff. Of particular relevance to H'aanit, both give her another element and increase her elemental attack stat so as to keep Thunderbird viable for a while longer and give her more survivability (through First Aid and Sidestep) without sacrificing too much of her physical attack power in the manner that Cleric or Scholar would.
While some may consider Olberic to be the best choice for Warmaster, H'aanit is also one of the strongest contenders due to the fact that she is tied with him for the highest physical attack stat among the travelers. She also excels in accuracy and critical and, unlike Olberic, renders fewer of her native skills redundant once learning Warmaster skills. With high-level gear and equipment, her damage output is stellar.
Recommended support skills for H'aanit include: Saving Grace, Hang Tough/Fortitude, SP Saver, Summon Strength (early-game), Surpassing Power (late-game), Eye for an Eye, Incidental Attack (because of Leghold Trap), Second Serving, Patience, BP Eater, Stronger Strikes, and Physical Prowess.
Due to the flexibility of subjobs, any character can fill any role with the right equipment and skills. With proper planning, any of the travelers can perform decently on any subjob.
Hunter Skill[]
| Skill | SP | Damage Type | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rain of Arrows | 8 | 
|
Attack random foes 5 to 8 times with a bow. |
| True Strike | 10 |
|
Deal critical damage with a bow to a single foe. |
| Thunderbird | 7 | 
|
Deal heavy lightning damage to a single foe. |
| Leghold Trap | 6 | Cause a single foe to act at the end of the turn for 2 turns. | |
| Mercy Strike | 4 |
|
Attack a single foe with a bow. Otherwise lethal attacks will instead leave the target with 1 HP |
| Arrowstorm | 24 |
|
Attack all foes 5 to 8 times with a bow. |
| Take Aim | 8 | Increase all allies' critical rate and accuracy for 2 turns. | |
| Draefendi's Rage | 30 |
|
[Divine Skill] Unleash a highly powerful bow attack on all foes. |
Support Skill[]
| No. of Skills Unlocked | Total JP | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 130 | Heighten Senses | Gain an increased chance of attacking first in battle. (Equipping this skill with multiple characters will have no added effect.) |
| 5 | 630 | Eagle Eye | Increases the equipping character's critical rate by 50. |
| 6 | 1,630 | Second Serving | Gives the equipping character a 50% chance of attacking twice when performing a standard attack. |
| 7 | 4,630 | Patience | The equipping character will gain a 25% chance of acting again at the end of a turn. |
Subjobs:[]
Below are the sprites and appearance changes for H'aanit with each Subjob:
Each time a subjob is selected, the appearance of the character will also change. The first sprite is the appearance with no Subjob equipped.
Quotes[]
- "The hunt is on." —When selected from the main screen
- "And so I must do my duty and hunt the beast.Thine offer is a generous one. Yet the path ahead is fraught with danger. How curious. Linde judgeth thee worthy. It is not often she warmeth to strangers. I shalle accepten thine offer. Lenden me thy strength in battle. The monster hath been sighted in the Whisperwood. It is there that we must go." —Joined the Party
- "Linde and I are ever ready to hunt beside thee. Thou needest but say the word." —Tavern Dialogue
- "Standest thou against me? Then be hunted." —Start of battle
- "Come, letten us hunten." —Start of battle
- "Comen, if thou darest." —Turn
- "Letten the hunt beginen." —Turn
- "Letten my arrow flyeth true." —Turn
- "What next?" —Turn
- "Rainen arrows upon them!" —Rain of Arrows
- "Aimen carefully, shoot true!" —True Strike
- "Lightning, done my bidding!" —Thunderbird
- "Better than a snare." —Leghold Trap
- "Everything but your life." —Mercy Strike
- "A torrent of arrows!" —Arrowstorm
"Never miss." -Take aim
- "Coweren before the huntress!" —Using Draefendi's Rage
- "The hunt endeth." —Battle end
- "Thou didst fight with courage." —Battle end
- "I honor thee, my quarry." —Battle end
- "I'm sorry..." —Defeated
- "It seemest these people care not for my company." —When attempting to Provoke with damaged reputation
Gallery[]
Etymology[]
The name H'aanit comes from the Hebrew word חֲנִית ḥanit, meaning "spear."
Trivia[]
- H'aanit's sprite shows her wearing red clothes rather than the pale clothes in her art, giving her a better outline on the overworld map.
- The two rings that she wears as a necklace are actually the wedding bands of her deceased parents.
- The travel banter Rituals and Superstitions reveals that H'aanit touched the two rings during her first hunt. Since then, it has become a habit of hers to do the same thing every time she goes hunting.
- H'aanit has a talent for acting, as stated by Everhold's Impresario during the side story Star of the Stage. However, the Impresarion tells H'aanit that she'd need to find the right role, as her vehemence could prove terrifying to the audience.
- H'aanit explains in the Animal Companions travel banter that when she was a baby, a fortune teller gave Linde to her as a gift. She does not consider Linde to be a pet, but rather a comrade and companion.
- During the Culinary Competence travel banter, Cyrus and Ophilia learn that H'aanit is a good cook after tasting her sweetdough, which H'aanit notes is a popular treat in S'warkii.
- In the A Business Proposal travel banter, H'aanit reveals that she mostly eats what she hunts.
- During the Shall We Dance? travel banter, H'aanit admits she cannot dance well and is embarrassed to do so in front of others.
- Her lack of skill in dancing is seemingly on par with Cyrus's own incapability.
- Primrose comments that both H'aanit and Cyrus are a disaster when put together, to the point that their dancing is like "watching despair in motion."
- During the For Women's Ears Only travel banter with all four female travelers, Primrose asks them all what kind of men they like. H'aanit's answer was a man who is stronger than her, to which the other women point out that there aren't many who can best her in terms of strength.
- During the travel banter Chapter 3: Therion & H'aanit, H'aanit confesses that she envies Therion's speech skills, stating she was never very good with words, unlike her master, Z'aanta.
- In the main series, H'aanit is one of only two characters (the other being Ochette) whose main chapter bosses are all bestial in some form.
- Although H'aanit's name derives from the Hebrew word “spear”, she herself cannot wield spears. Only Linde's Pounce attack can.
- In Octopath Traveler, H'aanit is one of only two travelers, the other being Primrose, to kill every boss in their story (although it's left ambiguous if the Lord of the Forest is mortal or a guardian spirit).
- Likewise, both are the only characters who don't use their Path Action in their final chapter to complete their story.
- H'aanit is the oldest of the four female protagonists, being 26 years old. She is the second oldest female character overall within the main series, with Castti from Octopath Traveler II being 29 years old.
- H'aanit is the only playable character in Octopath Traveler who can encounter Caits before completing their Chapter 1, on the Path to the Whisperwood.
- H'aanit starts the game with a beast roster containing Linde, Forest Fox x5, and Mossy Meep x5.
- Throughout the game, H'aanit swears by "the spirits," suggesting she follows a religious tradition apart from that of the Sacred Flame.
- The text that closes H'aanit's Chapter 2 contains a typo: "Her new quest: to save Z'aanta from his pertrified fate."
- During her banter with Olberic, H'aanit reveals that she dislikes lizardmen, as they are "wary, mistrustful creatures" who attack anyone that enters their domain.
- In travel banter with Tressa, H'aanit reveals that she knows next to nothing about commerce, despite her master's frivolous spending habits.
- In the To Err Is Human travel banter, H'aanit explains that she often writes letters, since putting her thoughts to paper helps clarify them.
- According to a developer interview, H'aanit's sprite was particularly challenging to create, as her fur tended to look spiky rather than soft.[1]
- None of the bosses in H'aanit's story begin with minions. Instead, the Lord of the Forest summons minions during the fight. Her story shares this trait with Ophilia's.
- H'aanit was designed to be "a strong and beautiful woman at once with nature." [2]
- According to concept artist Naoki Ikushima, H'aanit was easy to conceptualize, and her direction came together quickly. Her wolf-fur greaves were intended to add volume to the silhouette of her legs. Additionally, her concept art reveals that: [3]
- H'aanit carries a bone knife with a leather grip, which she uses for dissection.
- None of her clothes or accessories use metal. Instead, her arrowheads are carved of bone, and her buckle and rawhide fasteners are made of horn and animal bone.
- She wears no shiny or noisy adornments, since these would get in the way of her hunting.
- An alternate proposal for H'aanit's official artwork depicted her and Linde in battle, with H'aanit loosing an arrow and Linde springing forward to pounce. This proposal, however, was rejected in favor of the more down-to-earth proposition, drawn in accordance with the concept that H'aanit has spotted prey in the distance.[4]
- Naoki Ikushima testifies that as soon as H'aanit's concept took shape, the snow leopard he'd sketched out was adopted as her partner just like that. Thus, Linde was born, springing from his love of large felines.[5]
- Sprite designer Shizuka Morimoto took great delight in giving H'aanit's sprites pink hair. In his own words, "My favorite pink hair is here! It really lit a fire under me to get her hair color just right." The pink elements of her clothes were added to help the hunter job stand out, despite being a color that hunters wouldn't normally wear.[6]
- Maintaining a natural stance for poses that don't require movement comes quite naturally to H'aanit, which made her a tough character to plan sprite poses for.[7]
- One piece of concept art depicts a bird of prey on H'aanit's shoulder, suggesting that she may have been designed as a falconer at one point.[8]
- H'aanit was conceived as a cool and dignified woman with pink-gold hair, who lived in a cultural sphere far removed from the other protagonist. Her clothing was modeled after the clothing of the Vikings, Saxons, and Normans of Europe, combined with a Matagi or falconer image.[9]
References[]
- ↑ Octopath Traveler devs on character origins, visual style, initial HD Rumble plans, much more. (Date Posted: Nov. 3, 2018).
- ↑ The Art of Octopath Traveler 2016-2020, page 38.
- ↑ The Art of Octopath Traveler 2016-2020, page 39.
- ↑ The Art of Octopath Traveler 2016-2020, page 39.
- ↑ The Art of Octopath Traveler 2016-2020, page 40.
- ↑ The Art of Octopath Traveler 2016-2020, page 43.
- ↑ The Art of Octopath Traveler 2016-2020, page 43.
- ↑ The Art of Octopath Traveler 2016-2020, page 63.
- ↑ The Art of Octopath Traveler 2016-2020, page 63.