Kiyo's Answer Talker eyes
The Answer Talker power (答えを出す者 （アンサー・トーカー）, kotoe o dasu mono (Ansā Tōkā), lit. The one who gives answers) is an ability held by Dufort and Kiyo Takamine. While it has not been confirmed, fans believe that Dr. Riddles, Kafk Sunbeam, and Elly may possibly hold some version of this power too, based on the similar eyes and their unusually keen judgment.
Ability[]
Dufort activating his own abilities in the anime, which is more akin to generic ESP and telekinesis).
The Answer Talker power grants the user the intuitive ability to instinctively know the solution to any question, problem, or situation that they would otherwise eventually be able to solve with a lifetime of thought and research. The user immediately arrives at the solution to any question, problem or situation they happen to face that is within their ability to solve, and automatically formulates how to overcome any obstacle. Since the power makes the user understand the mechanics behind any issue or concept they face within human limitations and know what must be done to solve the problem. It is easily identified by the concentric circles in the user's irises. The Answer Talker ability can be used for a variety of actions, including, but not limited to, research, training, skills, and combat. Kiyo and Dufort mainly utilize the power for combat purposes, where they can instantly learn weaknesses, strengths, special abilities, and other useful information during a battle. Kiyo used it to translate languages, even dead languages, and Mamodo World script. He immediately became fluent in those languages as a result. Users permanently retain the knowledge they gain and can instantly recall it whenever needed. Using the Answer Talker power for more complex problems can push the user's mental storage and analytical capacity to the breaking point, so if left untrained, the mental strain of instantaneously solving something that could normally take them years to do can leave the user feeling overwhelmed and exhausted by the sudden overload of information.
Receiving the Answer Talker Power[]
As already mentioned, the Answer Talker ability does not come instantly to anyone as if it were available for everyone. Dufort says that the ability awakens when a human "dies and returns to life." Whether this means a physical death, severe emotional trauma, or anything of the sort is somewhat unknown; Dufort obtained this power in the years that he was experimented on by a mad scientist, and it is speculated that Dr. Riddles may have attained a variation of it by dying mentally upon a failed surgery he performed (assuming that Kido revived him when he came into the doctor's life). Kiyo, however, experienced a physical death in his fight with Riou, but was resuscitated by Zatch, and made a full recovery thanks to Tia's Saifogeo and Faudo's technology.
It should be noted that in the anime, the Answer Talker ability doesn't exist. In the anime, Dufort's abilities are generic psychic powers that he was born with. Also, Kiyo never dies nor is he resurrected, and he never receives the ability.
Limits[]
While it is stated that the Answer Talker power can answer any question that the user has, it has been shown that this is an exaggeration; it appears that the user needs to have some sort of observable stimulus in order to gain an effective answer (as demonstrated when Dufort could not determine the precise nature of Clear Note's "Left Hand" spell without having met Clear himself), and it is possible for there to be a situation that has no possible answer (though miracles are not counted among possible answers). Also, the user must be consciously aware in order for the answer to come to them; distractions such as pain and concern for others can deter the ability's effectiveness for an inexperienced user. It should also be stated that Dufort has mastered the ability and can use it casually as much as he wants without putting strain on his mind. Despite this, he was unable to arrive at an answer to how he could change his worldview because he failed to realize that he wanted to improve his outlook on life. Instead, he sought to literally change the scenery and see different parts of the world to fill that void. This implies that he misinterpreted the answer he came to and thought from a logical perspective instead of an emotional one, because all he'd ever known was a cold, cruel world. This means that while the ability can provide the answer, it is still possible for the user to be unable to comprehend that answer if they are incapable of doing so.
Trivia[]
- In the manga, Kiyo lost his access to the Answer Talker power in a strange dream. Professor D'artagnan tells him that he didn't have enough fun in his life and that he needs to loosen up and be silly once in a while. This loss of access was most likely because his brain couldn't handle the strain from the Answer Talker ability, but this was eventually circumvented after training the ability with Dufort's guidance.
- While it is never expressly stated in the series, there are reasons to believe that Dr. Riddles has the Answer Talker power. He claims to know everything, including knowledge about the Mamodo World. Some possibilities for why he could have the Answer Talker ability would be because of the mental trauma he went through from when he was a doctor. This is also supported by the fact that Dr. Riddles has the same concentric circular pattern in his eyes as Dufort and Kiyo have when they gain the power, and that Dr. Riddles knew that Kafk Sunbeam was Ponygon's human partner and located him against all odds with apparently no clues to go on.
- Sunbeam and Apollo also have abilities; Apollo has a form of extrasensory perception and uses that insight to elude danger and read other people, whereas Sunbeam has excellent battle sense and an almost priest-like ability to gauge a person's heart. Whether these abilities are variants of the Answer Talker power is never explained.
- It's believed that Elly was able to activate the "Answer Talker" power in the battle against Faudo's heart mamodo, as she was able to continuously advance, predict and dodge his movements in the climax of the fight. The reason for this might be that she has a very serious illness, and lost her will to live until Arth came into her life and reignited that fighting spirit within her.
- Other fans believe that the series author (Makoto Raiku) draws characters with these eyes simply to show that they have sharp instincts, and that the concentric circles are not a guaranteed indicator of the Answer Talker power at work, but simply a byproduct of a character in the series engaging themselves with keen awareness and excellent judgment that is so astute, it can be considered to border on the supernatural.
Gallery[]
