Vermouth Character Analysis

[Detective Reaper 2]

This is my analysis on Vermouth, my favorite character, using facts and some speculations (not to be confused with a fanfic). Hope you like it!

 

The silence of the universe, the dormancy of the deepest sea level, the darkness of the basement, the peacefulness of the sky, and the tranquility of the moving breeze are undisturbed. When slightly touched, it becomes the explosion of the Big Bang, the rise of tsunamis, the dazzling gleam from the lights, the turbulence of Mother Nature, and finally, the boisterousness of the tornadoes. When the mysteries blacken the extremes from each end, we sense the vast arrays of mannequins lying in front of us upon entering the Void, with the question of picking the correct one. That correct version, at the end of the tunnel, is where all queries and mysteries are decrypted. The purpose of life, the true allegiance, the ulterior motives and most importantly, the face behind the mask make the fathom trip interesting and thought-provoking enough for any us readers. It all begins with the initiative of debunking the most mythical character to have ever existed, Vermouth. 

“A secret makes a woman woman.” Tilting her head slightly to the right, making a creepy yet omniscient grin, lighting up her eyes with a stunning stare that never leave the opposite in conversations and dilating her own pupils to relax all muscles, Vermouth perfectly keeps us in the vortex of confusion, amazement and silence. Boasting a curvaceous body with immaculate boob size, oval face, long hair, ludicrous height, long yet moderately meaty legs and a confident posture, Vermouth is a flawless creation of Gosho when it comes to physical appearance. Such a stainless figure seems outrageous and instigates rebellious fantasies within us, with the ability to shut down and unfreeze the most frigid mind. Immerged in the abyss of the immensely intricate outward appearance are the alternate layers of a multitude of charm that not only further perplex us but also carry thousands of messages to be understood. The soft core of one message is to garner more attention towards her, while the hard core of another message is to publicly display how Vermouth’s appearance can alter the entire structure of the atmosphere. And when our first feeling of being thoroughly impressed seems to peacefully drift, several layers of fatal thorns show up from the inside of Vermouth and begin to surface. 
Vermouth kills.

Cloaking the form of one of the most charming human being to have ever existed, now on the other end of the spectrum, Vermouth quietly shows multiple levels of taints that turn her into a morbid figure that is a strong embodiment of the Black Organization. The guise of a seemingly introverted lady with soul-absorbing eyes and skin-tearing grins is stripped off and a split of personality becomes present. In a tight black suit, collared shirt and mobile equipment for use, Vermouth now appears as a killer no one expects. Armed with high-trained gun use, superior intelligence, unprecedented sensitivity, quick-minded grasp of each situation, indomitable calmness of the soul yet fiery forces of vengeance, and on top of that the broad understanding of medical knowledge and the ultimate weapon, out-of-this-world disguise capabilities, Vermouth is a fearsome opponent on the field that is ready for pursuit and termination. The most fixated look and thoughts on her vanish and are now replaced with apparent fear yet mildly amusing satisfaction. Being murdered by one of the flawless creations in this world can even bring about what is called “bliss” in death of the preys. Each prey can at least somewhat feel the pain and torture when Vermouth begins reading the requiem (Shiho, Jodie), yet can also perceive the less tortured imminent death. Vermouth really kills in style, and she sends the most tranquil yet disturbing messages to the preys she is about to dispatch to another world. Now, another door opens up another riddle of Vermouth’s life, what does she live for? The answer is obvious yet incredibly obscure. 

Vermouth has everything in this world that the Creators have bestowed on her: impeccable charm, sparkling beauty with shining visage, overpowered disguise abilities, enhanced stamina, superb acting and even top-notched intelligence. She possesses everything that each girl wants. One noteworthy trait, is Vermouth’s notorious disguise skills. It is still a great riddle as to how she manages to turn herself into anyone she wants, virtually, regardless of shape and size in most circumstances. The tutelage of Toichi Kuroba is the main cause, but other than that, her ruses into bluffing her identity that no one in the surrounding suspects are unbelievable. Among thousands of identities that mask her, this is what makes Ver gain the upper hand not only in infiltration and combat, but also her improvisation and well-used anthems to dig into the exposed personalities of the exposing side. She understands everyone’s actions and motives, but, what inside her awaits her decipher. When one puts on too many masks at the same time, he eventually forgets who he really is. The real entity is gradually eclipsed by the alternate egos that have now ingrained in him. The same process is happening to Ver. Being under the guises of all Dr.Araide, the serial killer in New York, Jodie Starling, Shuichi Akai, Azusa, and various other characters, Vermouth’s seek for her true identity is much and much more arduous. Vermouth is an extremely capable actress, and her outlook on her own life strongly suggests that she considers her own life a gigantic play, with her being given a specific role to play. Her bemused manners even in danger not only show her utmost bravery but also further exhume her attitude of how she considers each scenario an act in a particular play so that when she decides to make a move, all preplanned thoughts and predictions will serve her well. Even in an evil organization, she is also a favorite of Anokata, the boss that rules all. This enormous advantage, as a result, shields her from countless unnecessary complications or even in real predicaments. Coupled with that is her eternal youth, being unable to age during more than 2 decades long. The cycle moves on infinitely for Vermouth, as long as she lives, she is enveloped by burning jealousy, guaranteed security, and ultimate pleasance. Her life continues to be unharmed, and harnessed by every potent force that ensures her safety. However, on the opposite side, a door is squeaking and finally burst open. The journey is not over yet, and another corner of Vermouth marks its existence. 

We wish to be normal individuals, with a normal life, go to school, find a job, get married, have children, and enjoy the beauty of the nature. This wish, though ordinary, has become, becomes, or will become a burden for a lot of people out there with tremendous odds against them, such as being mentally challenged, physically crippled, so on and so forth. Being a genius, while garnering all the spotlight of accolades, deep respect and unfathomable admiration from others, can also deal huge blows to one’s own life. The wish to become normal again becomes more and more unrealistic. What eventually arrives at the end of our life is what we want to pursue the most normal things that everyone is entitled to. Vermouth can also be considered a genius, when various different fields of study such as medicine (as Dr. Araide to pass on knowledge to subordinates), disguise and acting (instructed by Kuroba), weaponry (trained in Black Organization long time ago) and her amazing intellect (developed on her own) are absorbed in her mind. She is blessed with a variety of talents that a lot can only dream of, and in her reverie now Vermouth vehemently desires peace in her soul. The struggle that we are trying to touch the darkest layers of Vermouth is equivalent to the struggles that Vermouth has been putting up with through her entire life. Her Oscar award and roaring fame are only superficial, and at present, Vermouth is doing the job before time runs out for her. It is not the Itakura program that presumably accelerates her age to become normal or a family with children that dispel her loneliness. Vermouth is racing against time, to find out what is the most valuable assets in her life. No more fame or public attention is needed. No more money is desired. What we have seen so far is the intense wrestling that Vermouth has put on. While it is true to say that she has many enemies in her real life, her most formidable enemy that she will ever face, is her own self. 

 

 

This is my analysis on Vermouth, my favorite character, using facts and some speculations (not to be mistaken as a fanfic). Hope you like it!
Life is very fair and at a peak of a cycle is the initiation of a downfall for another reach to equilibrium. Vermouth’s life has been blessed with everything a human can basically ask for, and this suggests a new yet subtle trend that she realizes: The need to return to her natural self, not to become anyone else any more.

“No angels have ever smiled upon me. Not even once.” This confession of Vermouth, as Sharon at the time, truly means more than words. What has gone wrong with her personal life has made some sorts of things irredeemable. Vermouth, up to this point, has no relatives (possibly the boss, yet this is to be confirmed). Surrounded by her are merciless sharks that can devour her any time. The stoicism, the sternness, and the stress around her are becoming more and more burdensome. The favoritism she receives in Black Organization is less and less meaningful. She has more than once expressed her conviction that Conan is the Silver Bullet that will take down the organization. Rooted in evil and now climbing out of a filthy swamp for a better future, Vermouth becomes a different individual that we see the change in color. Her definition of justice has been holistically modified and her wicked belief system has been undermined as a whole from Conan’s sheer influence of how justice should be looked at. Her allegiance, though unknown at this point, has been split in halves and what she needs is someone who can guide her through this mess, dragging her to the good side and ridding all the evil remnants that have been with her for such a long time. The quest for the right and the fight continues as her life passes by. 

As a seasoned disguiser that has successfully masked herself with hundreds of disguises, Vermouth is meticulous in love affairs as well. Gosho has indicated that Gin is not the type of person to fall in love with anyone, and while Vermouth is also an experienced assassin, she is of a very different type. The rock solid love deep down her heart for Shinichi and Ran lays the foundation for her behaviors of a nurturing mother. Vermouth can look ruthless, as Jodie has claimed in rage, that “how can she be a good person with that smile?”, or Shuichi, who also said, that Vermouth is a “wilted, rotten apple from the inside”; nevertheless, that is quite a misunderstanding, even though their words are meant to be and suit the situations well enough. Here is what comes to mind of us readers. Shinichi took a different approach rather than taunting Vermouth like what Shuichi did. In the guise of a serial killer, Shinichi still saved the killer, and said that there was no necessary logic needed when it came to helping people. Evidently, this bold approach almost made Vermouth in disguise kill him still, but, she was definitely moved by his demeanor and thus refrained from causing any damage at that point. From this incident, it is wisely interpreted that Vermouth is not an evil character, and a magnanimous behavior like Shin can change the world. Violence can be used for good to represent how justice should be served, but peace is the ultimate solution that erases any grudges and hatred. Vermouth is bright enough to thoroughly grasp the gist of life and how things work with reasons behind each incident, and this perfectly captures how the seemingly cold heart of a character can be absolutely melted. 
It does not take long before Vermouth figures out that her most invaluable “treasures” in this world are Shinichi and Ran. Even though Ran saved her life in New York thanks to her quick reflexes, In Vermouth’s eyes Ran is still only a stranger, not a blood relative. However, the fact that she clings to, with a clear imprinted will to protect Shinichi and Ran no matter what truly emblazons Vermouth’s twisted mind of a serial killer. This is the trait that sets her apart from other black organization members, who are brutal assassins and have no heart. And as we have seen, Vermouth has shown insane progress in modifying her substance to display her unbeatable tendency to change and adapt to new concepts. She is still learning, and fortunately she is a quick learner. Against the black organization, it sounds exactly like you are being mind-controlled by an evil force but you just keep fighting to not be controlled into destruction. Vermouth is being trapped in the locked maze of the situations in which life and death are not much of a difference from each other. She deciphers her own puzzles that she has set up, as a way to gain freedom. The fact that she cares extremely deeply about the couple Shinichi and Ran already implies her potential sacrifice in the future or noble departure from evil. Whatever denouement awaits her at the end of the street, her throbbing heart begs for care, protection, love and embraces like what a mother can give to her beloved children. 

From the aforementioned point of view, how do we think of Vermouth as a female character in response to romance? We see that she has shown the true noble love for Shinichi and Ran, but when it comes to romance it is a totally different topic. Vermouth’s real age remains a big secret, as always. If we assume that she is at least 50 years of age, which sounds the most reasonable considering that she killed Jodie’s parents 2 decades ago, Vermouth’s concepts of romance can already be scrutinized. Being one of the most magnificently beautiful female characters in the entire series, it would be unreasonable to claim that Vermouth has never got married in the past in her whole life, as the fact that she likes Gin a lot is taken into account. She poses no gender issues, and on top of all, the romance is explicit. Indeed, Vermouth is one character that is decorated with romantic penchant. Her slight complaint about Gin’s abruption in the classic “martini” scene emphasizes Vermouth’s complex thoughts of how true romance should look like. Every single human being has his or her soft moments. We are humans, not machines. When we have our weak moment, what we want is peace. No throttling, no bashing, no any punishments. It has already been a bad day and we need to be alone for a while. Vermouth is a warm-hearted person when she really means it, even though her acting can somewhat set it up at ease. Vermouth treats her friends, including Yukiko and her daughter Ran and Shinichi in a friendly manner and with evidence to conclude that she is not an iron-hearted person, Vermouth can indeed fall in love, despite the fact that she has been single for a long time in the organization. She shows that she is totally capable of loving, caring and taking after of the one she dearly loves for that matter. There is also a notable trait in Vermouth’s mindset that she is very serious in the face of romance. Her psyche, while containing the impulses of a serial killer, is in fact vulnerable to the core. Her insecurity, high standard of choosing a real lover, or fear of responsibility as well as other resulting entanglement could make sense in Black Organization like a bomb ready to explode. Vermouth is a female character that can feel mental pain like many others – in the past she hoped Shinichi would not think bad of her and that she could prove her worth later on in the series. While Vermouth can be a cold member in the organization regularly when on mission, or meetings, etc, as a regular person we can feel the loneliness deep within her. No one in the organization understands her thoughts and her feelings at all. No one really care. Black Organization is a brutal place in which if one is born into it, he or she perishes in it, and along with it. It is a butchering furnace that does not hesitate to terminate senior members, like Pisco. There is no such thing as feelings in there. Now that Vermouth has been exposed to what is called “love” and “feeling”, she is sweltered every single day. There is no one in the organization currently that she can put her faith on as a love partner. She is sexy, charming and she knows it very well. She rejected Calvados easily because that is what a wise woman would do. Calvados is known to fall for her because of her physical appearance, and while it is a normal thing for guys to fall in love with girls with striking appearance, physical appearance deteriorates over time and then who knows, Calvados might ditch her then, right? Vermouth chooses to let herself develop romantic relationship with someone she trusts enough, not those who fall for her beauty because out of 100 men, all of them could easily snatch her. Her insecurity might have resulted from the decadent past with an abusive husband, which we cannot confirm right now, but what she has been through in her long life this far has formed a shell covering her from hurts and pains. She has suffered a lot more than we would expect, and she does not want any more dents in her soul. She is one character that rather than cursing her, we should sympathize, with all our respect. 

Vermouth has done a lot, and exerted incredible efforts in learning to be an ally, as well as searching for her true self over time, but whether she will make it in the end, to fully develop as a memorable character for the entire world to see, depends on a lot of variables and remains to be seen. 

 

[FBIAkai 1]

yeh true i kind of get a vibe she is good not sure why.

[Say My Name 0]

Like you, I also have deep fascination on Vermouth. While I'm no longer following DC's story progress (mainly because lost of interest, how long it's been last?), I keep looking back specifically at her as one of my all-time most favorite fictional characters. She's more than just pretty face, she stands out above many DC characters as a complex, very well-written character in literary standard.

 

It's hard to explain Vermouth without theorizing her unseen backstory. These are a very simple theory of mine, quite similar to yours. Maybe there's points that contradicts the anime/manga canon, idk, I'm just relying on my memory. I'm pretty much humanizing Vermouth ala Snape in Harry Potter, and got influenced by many fictions I've seen:

 

Spoiler

 

I believe that Vermouth actually feels suffered by her anti-aging effect, which probably she got from an APTX predecessor. She realizes that immortality cost freedom: she can't live as one identity (Sharon Vineyard) forever, she must keep jumping between different identities to hide the drug's effect. Eventually, she must stop pretending as Chris Vineyard and become someone else, it's an unending cycle.

 

This is why Vermouth hates Miyano's family with all her blood and vein. Their project, the APTX we all know, is aimed not only for anti-aging, but also to reverse the consumer's age back to youth. She doesn't want more people to suffer like her, but she's powerless to stop it.

 

In conclusion, Vermouth doesn't like the organization but also doesn't find the right way to escape. The organization keep holding her in place, no choice other than obeying them or death. Meanwhile, the FBI/CIA is all over the place, dismantling the organization slowly. If she doesn't leave quickly, then she'll be prisoned/killed. Of course she can just sell herself to the bureau, but nobody would understand her problem, especially Jodie who has personal grudge on her; I don't think Jodie will ever forgive Vermouth.

 

In one way, it's possible that the goal of Itakura's software is to erase someone's trace entirely from existance. Think of the "clean slate" program in The Dark Knight Rises that Catwoman pursues to erase her record. This allows the organization to further conceal their existance, but Vermouth sees the program more personal: it's a chance for her to leave the organization. Unfortunately Itakura never finishes it and Vermouth has to desperately find another way out.

 

This is the real Vermouth we're yet to see fully: a tired, broken, and confused woman who deals with the consequences of wanting to live forever. Her playful, sultry, and mischievous persona is just a cope mechanism, a perfect disguise to momentarily forget her inner conflict and tell everyone: "I'm alright."

 

Vermouth later finds another getaway: Conan Edogawa. "If he could reach my heart, maybe he could be our long awaited silver bullet," she's confident that Conan/Shinichi is capable of taking down the organization himself and can understand her personally. He had saved her life before, it's one step for Conan to see the real Vermouth's character is. I can picture a scenario near the final arc where she's finally alone with Conan. She threatens him to remove any tracking/eavesdropping gadgets, and after that, just broke crying, revealing everything to him and begging him to help her out.

 

If this really the case (which I'm optimist will), then she'll be without doubt, is the finest-written creation of Gosho.