About
Name: Baron Ghost
Other Names: Baron de Ghost, Baron DeGhost, Byron, Barone, 발론 드 고스트 (Balon deu goseuteu)
Gender: Male
Species: Human; Great Devil in the film.
First Appeared: The Baron appears in the 3rd Chapter – The Cat on the Broomstick (Part 1) of the June 1977 issue of Sanrio’s Lyrica Magazine.
Baron Ghost (ゴースト男爵 Gousuto Danshaku) is an antagonist that appears in both the manga and the first animated film.
Voice Actors
Japanese Voice: Makio Inoue
Czech Voice: Jiří Klem
English Voice: Dave Mallow
German Voice: Thomas Petruo
Hungarian Voice: Sebestyén András
Italian Voice: Walter Rivetti (2022 dub)
Korean Voice: Kwangsoo Lee (이광수)
Spanish Voice: Luis Varela
Physical Appearance
In the manga, the Baron is an attractive man with light brown hair with lighter streaks of blond and orange and blue eyes. His blue suit with gold buttons and trim illustrates his regal status. Under his jacket, he’s wearing a formal white ruffle shirt with a gray waistcoat and white breeches. In the anime, he has dark green hair and red eyes. He wears a red suit with gold buttons and trim, a white ruffle shirt, black undercoat, and light yellow breeches. Baron Ghost’s skin tone also changes when he’s channeling his abilities, turning from a normal complexion to a ghostly blue. His massive demon form shares the dark green color scheme and red eyes, with a massive bony jaw and horns on top of his head. While it appears the body is skeletal, he wears a massive cloak that covers him. He wields a massive scythe to take down Unico.
Personality
In the manga, the Baron Ghost is quite evil and enjoys killing animals not only because he enjoys hunting, but because he hates them. To him, the only worthwhile animals are the ones that serve him. He also has a total disregard for humans and views human Chao as nothing but entertainment. While still evil in the anime, the Baron has a sinister and supernatural feel. He’s cold and uses the forest as he wishes, controlling animals and the land. It’s unknown what he would have done to Chao, but we know it isn’t good.
Abilities
- Skilled hunter/killer
- In the movie, he’s able to infuse the berries in the forest to control the animals.
- Emits a high pitch sound or evil energy that knocks Unico away.
- Turns into a Great Devil toward the end of the film.
- Controls the forest and makes the ground move and trees come to life.
- Spews red bats to attack Unico.
Timeline of Appearances
| Date | More Information |
|---|---|
| 1977 | Baron Ghost first appears in the 3rd Chapter – The Cat on the Broomstick (Part 1) of the June 1977 issue of Lyrica magazine. He shows up as a ghostly figure on a horse while Chao is fetching water, but rides off. After Chao asks Unico to make her look more stylish. Unico warns she shouldn’t get close to human men, but agrees to make her stylish. As Chao is out picking flowers and singing, the Baron reappears and compliments her voice. He introduces himself as the ruler of the forest and invites Chao to his estate. That same night, the Baron rides through the forest, killing several animals. Families, couples, it didn’t matter. Worried the man Chao was speaking with is the hunter, Unico refuses to turn her human. They decide to investigate the estate and find nothing suspicious. When Chao asks Unico to turn her human so she can enjoy the feeling of being in the vast mansion as a girl. Unico agrees and Chao is once more human and begins singing. As she singes through the estate, she comes upon the Baron, who suddenly speaks up. Glad she could make it, he tells her to come with him. After mentioning he shot the gatekeeper dead and showing Chao his hunting trophies, she was afraid. He mentions needing a trophy of a cat because he despises them the most, then orders her to sing for him. After getting Chao drunk, he puts her to bed and orders his three hawks to kill the elderly woman Chao was living with. The effects of Unico’s spell wear off and the Baron discovers Chao is missing, but sees a cat instead. After Chao and Unico escape, Baron Ghost rides out to capture human Chao. While Unico defeats the birds that attacked the elderly woman, Chao goes out to find catnip to help. The Baron finds and captures her. Unico turns the forest animals human and they all run toward the estate as an angry mob and pull the Baron out from his home. They take him away and it’s unsure what really happened to him. |
| 1981 | In the first theatrical film, the Baron appears similar to the manga. While Chao is singing by the river, he shows up and invites her to his castle. Smitten by the attractive man, Chao agrees. That night, the Baron rides through the forest, tainting the berries and food. When the animals eat the food, their eyes glow as they fall under his spell. When Chao sees the berries the next day, she tries some and falls under the same spell. In a drunken state, she finds the Baron’s castle with help from the land moving and carrying her in the correct direction. Once she enters the castle, the Baron greets her almost immediately. As she sings for him, the Baron offers her wine and slips the tainted berries into her drink. It dissolves quickly, and she drinks the wine without thinking. After Chao passes out, the Baron places her in a bed but is interrupted when he hears the organ down below. Unico rescues Chao, but not for long. The Baron shows up and defeats Unico and kidnaps Chao once more. He straps Chao to the top of a tower and fights Unico once more. After getting hurt, he cries out and falls to his supposed doom. While the others escape, the Baron’s body changes and swallows up the castle to form a massive devil. Wielding a giant scythe, lava pours out from the ground. Unico must now defeat this evil creatures before it destroys everything. |
| 2010 | The fourth episode in the second season of Adventure Time titled Blood Under the Skin which aired on November 1, 2010, features a character named Sir Slicer who resembles the Baron. When Sir Slicer arrives to make fun of Finn, crows fly up and we hear an eerie tune playing. Sir Slicer sits upon a pink horse in the same fashion the Baron does while leaves blow in the background. While the character may not look like the Baron, his hair still resembles the original Unico character from the film. |
| 2024 | The Kickstarter that began in 2022 to create a retelling of “The Cat on the Broomstick” chapter from the original manga called Unico: Awakening was a success. Scholastic picked up the series and the first volume will be released on August 6, 2024. The Baron’s name will be Byron in this version. |
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