Anise

Anise
Echoes of Mana screenshot Trials of Mana HD artwork Heroes of Mana screenshot Dawn of Mana artwork
First appearance	Legend of Mana (1999)
Latest appearance	Echoes of Mana (2022)
Title(s)	Tree Maiden (formerly)DoM The Great Witch Anise The Goddess of DoomHoM
Faction	Her own
Role	Antagonist
Gender	Female
Relatives	Granz (lover)DoM Gossamare (brother)EoM
Species	Human (formerly) Mavole
Other form(s)	Goddess of DeathHoM MedusaDoM Dragon AniseToM HD
Counterpart(s)	Lady MedusaSwoM
Voice actor(s)	Andromeda Dunker (Eng)ToM HD

Anise is a recurring character and major antagonist in the Mana series. She is the primary villainess in both Dawn of Mana and Heroes of Mana, and a major villainess in the remake of Trials of Mana and Echoes of Mana. She debuted in the World History Books found in Legend of Mana, as a powerful witch whose experiments shaped history, and was later retooled into the greatest evil of all the Mana metaverse.

History

Legend of Mana

“The Great Witch Anise was the first mage to go down in history. Anise bored a hole into the Mana Tree and built her laboratory there. The flow of Mana into both human and Faerie worlds was diverted. Anise constructed a jewel called the Eye of Flame using the vast amounts of Mana in her laboratory. The Firestone brought out the evil of whoever touched it.”

—In-Game Ecyclopedia

Anise never appears but technically debuts in this title as a minor character in the game's backstory. The Great Witch Anise was a human sorcerer who built her laboratory within the Mana Tree. There she created the Eye of Flame, an immensely powerful magical artifact, whose power was based off the Mana Stones given to the Moon Gods by the Mana Goddess.

The stone was said to have the power to bring out the evil within whoever touched it, and had powerful fire magic that was nearly uncontrollable. Other mages flocked to her to learn how to create their own stones, and these stones pulled the world out of balance, while ripping open holes to other worlds. The mages gained more power in this chaotic age and called it the Aeon of Uraklius.

Aion, the King of the Faeries, created an army and battled Anise and her mages. They were defeated and the survivors were forced to live in the realm of men. Though originally believing all humans to be evil, the Faeries soon learned that some men were good and could even see them. They banded together and again fought against Anise, which came to be known as the Holy War of the Mana Tree.

The Faeries prevailed with the good men, but the Mana Tree was burned to the ground. Aion was banished to the underworld, where he became the Lord of the Underworld because he refused to be reincarnated. Anise was slain by the power of the mysterious Seventh Stone the Faeries used. Her Eye of Flame became a much sought after artifact by wicked mages after the war and the stone led to much more suffering and hardship for the world.

Anise had a daughter named Elise (later known as Anuella), who inherited her talent. Anuella would become one of those who led the battle against Anise's and the mages' rule.

Dawn of Mana

Anise was once a tree maiden like Ritzia. She was possessed by the The Echoes of Mavolia that had accumulated within the Mana Tree to open the door to Mavolia, at the same time her lover Granz became a chosen hero of the Mana Tree.

It is unclear how this conflict was resolved but Granz indicates that Anise had a change of heart during the end of the conflict. Either way Granz managed to reseal the door to Mavolia and seal Anise inside, be it with her consent or not.

Many years later Ritzia is similarly compelled by Anise the Witch and Stroud to open the door to Mavolia.

Once she does so, Anise fully possesses her. Keldy, the game's protagonist, eventually faces her as the final boss of the game, where she takes a Medusa-like form and offers Keldy the choice to aid the Echoes possessing her or destroy them and Ritzia.

Keldy has no choice but to run his sword through Anise's and Ritzia's shared body, injuring Ritzia fatally. As they die Anise hears Granz's voice say that it is "time for her to go home" and she reaches out her hand as she fades away. Ritzia on the other hand becomes the new incarnation of the Mana Goddess together with Faye and the Mana Seed.

Heroes of Mana

“A great witch who brought darkness upon the ancient world, long before the Mana Goddess was born. She was defeated by the Guardian of the Tree, but her curse is said to live on, seeping through multiple realms and spreading to other worlds.”

—Notebook

In the world of Heroes of Mana, a prequel to Trials of Mana, legend has it that Anise was a witch that defied Mana out of envy and frustration about not being able to become a Goddess (a reference to the events of Dawn of Mana where the Mana Tree rejected her due to being possessed by the Echoes). It is also said that it was her curse on Mana that created the Mirror of Esina.

Throughout the game the military of Pedda, led by Cecilia Baxilios, summons dark mirrors in each country they have conquered. It is later revealed that these mirrors are reflections of the Mirror of Esina, resting in the Mirage Palace in Pedda. Very late in the game, it is confirmed that Esina's Mirror is actually Anise's Mirror and that she is the source of power Pedda used for their war on the world.

This version of Anise's hatred not only attacked her own world, but spreads like a virus and attempts to destroy all realities where mana exists, with the worlds of Heroes of Mana (where it manifested as Anise's Mirror) and Echoes of Mana (where she struck a bargain with the Mana Goddess's Sister Dema who like Anise was denied the position of Mana Goddess) being just two examples of her endless war on Mana.

The Mirage Bishop had been deluded into believing that Anise had chosen him to create a new world, but her true goal was to use Baxillos to destroy his universe.

After Anise is summoned by Baxillos, she fully possesses the general and turns her into the Goddess of Doom. After a long battle, her mirror is destroyed and this version of Anise along with it. Ironically, this invasion had left the other versions of Anise with a new enemy: as Roget and his group vowed to travel through the countless other worlds and destroy every version of her.

Circle of Mana

Anise makes a cameo appearance in the online game, along with several other characters from the Mana series. She appears in 3 set of cards.

Rank	Attribute	Name	Classes				Quote
SUR	魔	大魔女アニス	巫女を呼ぶもの	滅びの魔女	[光]古の巫女	[闇]妖魔の巫女	「……待っていた。待っていたぞ巫女よ。いにしえの誓い。果たされる日がついに来たのだ。」 "...I've been waiting. I've been waiting, shrine maiden. It was an ancient oath. The day to fulfill it has finally come."
SSUR	魔	大魔女アニス	巫女を呼ぶもの	滅びの魔女	[光]古の巫女	[闇]妖魔の巫女	「そして今宵……真の滅びが始まる……。」 "And tonight...the true destruction begins..."
SSUR	魔	大魔女アニス[妖蛇]	巫女を呼ぶもの	滅びの魔女	[光]古の巫女	[闇]妖魔の巫女	「さぁエルディ！おまえのしかばねから種子をえぐりだしてやろう！」 "Come on, Keldy! Let's dig the seeds out of your skeleton!"

Trials of Mana HD

See also: Anise (Trials of Mana)

She appears in the post game content of the HD remake as appearing in the Trials/Heroes of Mana world to her own confusion before realizing her exact location followed by opening a portal to Mavolia with the ultimate goal of unleashing Mavolia's power on Fa'Diel to obliterate it.

She is mentioned as being nearly equal to the Mana Goddess and having come from the same world as her despite merely being referred to as a Witch.

Anise returns due to the Goddess of Mana's death at the hand of the main villain, being fought as the post game enemy after the heroes destroy the regular final boss. The Grimoire in which the Great Archmage Grand Croix infused a copy of his mind awakes in the royal library of Valsena, and warns them of her threat, but she is so powerful that they need to reach the fabled Four Class to stand a chance.

Anise is fought at the very end of her own distorted world made from the memories of the people of Fa'Diel. Upon being defeated, Anise personally declares that she can never fully die and will be revived after the Heroes are long gone before dissipating.

Echoes of Mana

Anise is the overarching villainess of this mobile medley game, being revealed to be the one who tempted a young woman from the Mana Clan named Dema, after the Mana Tree chose her twin sister Nona as the next incarnation of the Mana Goddess instead of her. As Dema secluded herself, Anise's projected herself next to her, feigning concern and friendship to tempt her.

She offered her powers from Mavolia and planted her plan to replace her sister as the Goddess to erase and rewrite the metaverse. She offered a devastated world to recreate as her Sanctuary and even its two last survivors, dividing one soul between each of them. Dema later manipulated them to serve her cause, while Anise sent his younger brother Gossamare, to devour the Elemental Spirits.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Anise.

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  Anise^HoM

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  Anise portrait^{ToM HD}

Trivia

• The Vandole of Sword of Mana like Anise states that he will return as long as Mana exists.
• Anise physically manifesting when Mana becomes low in Trials of Mana is similar to the Mana Beast manifesting when Mana became low in Secret of Mana.
• Anise is similar in motivation to her ally Dema in that both were denied the position of Mana Goddess with Anise backing the latter's own bid for the title of Mana Goddess with the plan being to have Dema succeed where she failed while erasing the Worlds created by all former Mana Goddesses out of spite. Anise even uses her own younger brother for this goal and doesn't lift a finger to save him when he fails.

	Randi --"Whoa! What's a Rabite doing in a place like this?"
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