Analysis of Ganji Gupta
Ganji was born in India during a time when Britain still ruled over it.
Britain came to India after a sea route connecting Europe to India was found, and Britain initially came due to the economic prospects of trade, but eventually this turned into the desire to acquire territory.
The British presence in India began with the establishment of the British East India Company (the British government having no authority over them at this time). Initially, the focus was trade and acquiring goods such as silk, cotton, spices, and more. Trading posts were established and British communities developed, but eventually they started to meddle in Indian politics and transformed from a trading company to a ruling one. It was at this point that the British attitude towards Indians degenerated (a sense of superiority vs inferiority formed, biased views regarding non-western cultures arose, British disdain increased, and so on). Racism, frustration from the British forcing their own way of doing things (including the English language) on them, policies benefiting the British, and so on contributed to the Indian Rebellion of 1857 (aka Revolt of 1857, First War of Independence, or Sepoy Mutiny).
As a result of this rebellion, the British East India Company was replaced by the British Raj, which was when the British Government took direct control from the East India Company, with Queen Victoria later proclaimed Empress of India. Britain continued to focus on profit and change beneficial to themselves, which led to subjugation and exploitation, and their views of Indians did not improve (still viewed themselves as superior, believed in stereotypes as well as believed Indians were in need of British guidance and governance to civilize them and bring them modernity).
This background is important for Ganji as it is clear this is what he experienced, especially due to Ganjiâs 1st letter.
Ganji we know grew up with a talent for cricket, which was the âBritish national sportâ.
 His 2nd deduction implies he was a âprodigyâ, with many people who knew him recommending him to participate in the regions âopen tournamentâ. We know from Ganjiâs trailer that he received âLove, Happiness, Hope and Prideâ from playing cricket, showing how much he enjoyed the sport and how much it meant to him.
According to this same deduction, combined with Ganjiâs backstory, we knew he was a âkind, obedient, and friendlyâ person, âmild-manneredâ (aka gentle and not given to extremes of emotion, which is curious considering later on in Ganjiâs story), quiet, and well-behaved. One of Ganjiâs backstories states this event (where he was recommended to participate in the Open) took place when he was 16 years old.
During this competition, we know he was skilled enough to earn 12 consecutive wins. The next game after those 12 was a semi-final with the British Royal team. It does not say if Ganji won or lost that match, nor if he won the competition in general, but we do know he was skilled enough to receive an invitation from the Royal team to join them and an offer to help him train. As the deduction uses the word âexceptionâ and applauds him for his performance, Iâm assuming he did manage to at least defeat the British team and couldâve won the competition too, but itâs impossible to say for sure right now.
We do know that Ganji saw this invitation as a âgood chanceâ and he âlooked forward to a better futureâ. As a result, he left India with the British Royal team, where he stayed at the Queenâs Guardâs manor. Unfortunately for Ganji, it isnât until he has arrived that he realizes the truth: âhe discovered that no one here cared about him at all, and that he was just a toy that was called away for entertainment when the Guard had a little fun. No one knew where he came from, and no one had seen his family. He was struggling alone in this strange placeâ.
This was echoed in Ganjiâs trailer, which says: âYet when I was brought here I finally realized, These gentlemen simply needed a proper toy to play with. The funny thing is they were far from gentlemanly themselves. All they longed for were our submission and servitudeâ.
The terms âsubmission and servitudeâ tell us how Ganji was treated while in Britain at the Queenâs Guardâs manor. This is further emphasized by Ganjiâs deduction 5, which states Ganji was only given 1 day to train, while 2 others (Oliver and Willie) were given 3 days to train. As that deduction says, despite how Ganji hoped for a better future from this opportunity, the âother sidedâ ended up only being a âmirageâ.
Considering Ganjiâs earlier invitation and how he is now being treated combined with only being given 1 training day, it seems the British didnât want Ganji to be outstanding, which potentially could relate to the feelings of superiority discussed earlier. They didnât want to feel inferior to someone like Ganji, and thus could further explain why they didnât give him much training time. In the trailer, we see him picking up balls, and if this was all he was allowed to do, thatâd further hurt his ability to train and improve. Lastly, Ganji was only allowed to train on Sundays, and back then, this was seen in Britain as a day of rest, when people didnât work. This couldâve included cricket as well (there are instances of people being prosecuted for playing cricket on Sunday), which shows how much the Royal team tried to hinder Ganjiâs ability to train, meaning he likely wasnât being trained very professionally.
(If the room we see Ganji in before the fire in his trailer is the one he was given upon arriving at the manor, the state of the room could further show how the Royal Team felt about Ganji. The only identifiable items in the room are the cricket ball, as cricket is what he enjoys, and a blurry picture that we can see Ganji in, which could potentially have been of his home and thus ties to his desire to return to it.)
This fits with Ganjiâs design notes which say âhis social status and the agenda of politicians did not allow him to have obvious extraordinary talentâ. It is because of this the design notes say Ganjiâs gentle personality was forced to change into âa personality that takes strong measures to fight against fateâ. (It is also right after this that it mentions Ganji being âmanicâ.)
Going to Ganjiâs 1st letter, it further reveals how people thought and felt about Ganji and others like him. The part where the author says they need to âtake the lead so that the rest of us may get the chance to educate the foolishâ fits with how we earlier discussed the British felt they had to govern and civilize the people of India for their own good. This is emphasized with how later the letter says âIf it weren't for your insight, he would have spent his life in the mud without ever being touched by the empire's lightâ and Ganji getting âthe chance to lead a civilized life��.
This letter describes Ganji as a âgiftâ with his âonly desirable qualitiesâ being his âaverage cricket skills and humble personalityâ. Their sense of superiority is clear hear considering they call Ganjiâs skills âaverageâ, yet we know he was talented considering he at least managed to receive 12 consecutive wins in the competition, while the comment about Ganji being âhumbleâ could tie in to how Ganji in his trailer says they just wanted âour submission and servitudeâ.
Despite how badly Ganji was treated, the one exception was the son of the owner of the Queenâs Guardâs manor. We know he was friendly to Ganji based on Ganjiâs deduction 6, which is title ârelievedâ and shows that the kid thought Ganji was âbrilliantâ and asked Ganji to play with him. It is possible Ganji is the one who feels ârelievedâ, and that could be due to actually finding someone friendly in this place. In the JP and CN versions, it potentially has the kid use the term âbig brotherâ for Ganji, so altogether, the kid was likely being honest about his feeling regarding Ganjiâs skills and honestly just wanting a real playmate (rather than a toy like the others saw Ganji as).
In this same deduction, it mentions a âwell-made boardâ that has Ganjiâs name carved in it. As this is the deduction that involves the son of the manor owner of the Queenâs Guard, it is possible this board was a gift from that kid, and that board may have actually been a bat for cricket.
Going back to Ganjiâs 1st letter, it mentions a âDuke Elginâ and a âViscountâ. Based on the mention of âthe Viscountâs prominent fatherâ and how this Viscount âdemandedâ Ganji to âtake classes with him instead of just playing cricket with himâ, itâs possible the âViscountâ could be the son of the owner of the Queenâs Guardâs manor. We know this boy asked Ganji to play cricket with him due to how cool and talented he thought Ganji was, so it could also fit he might also ask Ganji to take classes and spend other time with him. Iâd like to imagine Ganji enjoyed spending time with the boy, as taking classes and playing cricket with him was likely much better than being treated as a toy by the others or languishing along in his poor room.
Ganji continues to play cricket, despite his anger, though he does form a relationship with this boy. If Ganji was 16 during the Open when he was invited to join the Royal Team, and Ganji is at least 21 in game (as he can drink Demiâs dovlin), he was likely subjected to the mistreatment of the Royal Team and owner of the Queenâs Guardâs manor for a fair number of years at least. As we know, he was never able to meet his family while he was at that manor and he was forced to âstruggle alone in this strange placeâ. The âlast strawâ came one day when he received news âbad newsâ about his hometown, with his deduction 7 saying heâd received a letter saying âGo home and save them!â
It is soon after this that a fire breaks out and burns down the manor of the Queenâs Guard. The only survivor was the ownerâs son and Ganji.
This is also the same time that in his backstory trailer it says âStop being nice to everyone. I need a new identity. I want to go home. Perhaps that is the only place where there's still hopeâ.
This matches with Ganjiâs last deduction, which is âa letter to homeâ that he wrote to his mother, saying that âeverythingâs fine with me. Iâm coming home soonâ.
Right after the fire starts in one of his backstories, it says Ganji became a âmanic patient, often falling into uncontrollable irritabilityâ, so it seems the fire and around this time is when he is first said to be manic. His deduction 9 has a diagnosis saying âMania, easily irritated. Avoid looking at fire. Suggest locking all windows and doors and staying at home aloneâ. It is because of his worsening mania that is says people stayed away from him and called him a âthugâ, but Ganji only cared about going home.
Once again returning to Ganjiâs 1st letter, the end of it talks about getting info on Ganjiâs âhometown and the extraordinary spice extractionâ. The mention of spices fits our earlier discussion on Britainâs interest in India in part for its spices. This info about Ganjiâs home and spice extraction is apparently helpful to whoever this âsirâ is and an âupcoming missionâ he will be going on. This same âsirâ is apparently someone responsible for the idea to bring Ganji to England (though for now Iâm thinking he isnât the Queenâs Guardâs manor owner, who I think is the Viscountâs father).
Considering the talk about Ganjiâs hometown and the obvious interest in its âspice extractionâ, this could mean this âsirâ is someone behind whatever âbad newsâ came from Ganjiâs hometown, and likely the âbad newsâ and âupcoming missionâ had to do with their clear interest in its spices. And if they wanted info on Ganjiâs hometown, that could mean one of the few reasons they invited Ganji over was for that info so they could exploit his hometown for the âspice extractionâ.
(One side note about Ganjiâs 1st letter, but in the CN and JP versions, it says this âSirâ is someone who is recovering their health in âDelhiâ, which further shows itâs not the owner of the Queenâs Guardâs manor, who we know was in Britain. Itâs possible, if this is someone capable of going on missions and is mentioned regarding âwe need⌠people like you to take the leadâ that this âsirâ is someone higher up in the government regarding rule of India, who could order a mission to Ganjiâs home for itâs âspice extractionâ).
Next is Ganjiâs 2nd letter, which unlike his 1st (which happens before the fire) his 2nd happens after the fire. We hear he tried to board a freighter. Likely he was attempting to stowaway to return home, but he was caught and taken away by someone working for Duke Elgin. Ganji was placed in a detention center, where he was examined. They mention a âstrange scar on his foreheadâ, which potentially came from the fire that burned down the Queenâs Guardâs manor. We do see Ganji with the ownerâs son while the fire burns the manor, so if he had to go in to rescue him, that could have been when.
Considering how they say Ganji, besides his scar, seems âas strong as everâ to me kind of feels like theyâre still talking about him like an object or one of their possessions.
After this, the letter mentions how Ganji would be âquiet during the dayâ but would go âmadâ at night, with him âeither holding his head between his hands while slamming it against the wall with a pained expression plastered across his face or attempted to snatch the candles used by the guards to keep the place lit up. He only settled down once we locked him in the darkness of the dungeon. But once the next day arrived, he was back to normal againâ. It was due to this behavior that the author states he went to purchase âstrong sedativesâ (to be used on Ganji if he went out of control). During this time while the author was away, Ganji was able to escape despite the guards around him. Despite this, the author believes Ganji will return as they still had several of his possessions, including âmedical records, an invitation, and that "treasure" of his.
It says the part with the signature had been âburned offâ. If Ganji was messing with candle fire while in the detention center, itâs possible he did something similar to this letter if he got ahold of it (unless itâs nothing important).
The mentioned âtreasureâ is likely the note from home that reads âCome home, childâ. Considering it says âchildâ, thereâs a chance this couldâve been written by his mother. We know Ganjiâs written to her himself before, so him receiving correspondence from her would make sense.
Another treasure we know Ganji owns is his accessory Cozy Fleece, which is a sheep toy âgiven to Ganji when he was youngâ and said to be âone of the several treasures in his luggageâ. This was likely another item given to Ganji by his mother, when he was still home, and thus why he treasures it. Another potential treasure could be Ganjiâs bansuri accessory, which has the description that mentions its music helps to recall his hometown.
As for the medical records, it says that the patient is suffering âsevere homesicknessâ and displays âimpulsive behavior during times of extreme depression or anxietyâ. This means that Ganjiâs âmaniaâ is caused by his âsevere homesicknessâ in moments when heâs suffering from âextreme depression or anxietyâ. That could mean, with Ganji already being homesick for years before the day the fire started, Ganjiâs âlast strawâ when he received bad news about his hometown now makes sense why the fire likely started then. That âbad newsâ triggered his anxiety and severe homesickness, depressed him when he realized he was stuck at this manor with no quick way home, before then making him impulsive and âmanicâ in his desire to go home as soon as possible. Whether or not it was on purpose or an accident, it is possible one of his âimpulsesâ resulted in the fire starting, or a confrontation that triggered his irritation causes it to accidentally begin. Maybe a bit of sanity returned to him afterwards, and that could be when he rescued the boy as we see him with the boy during the fire in Ganjiâs trailer. But for now, information is scant on the specifics of this event.
Potentially after escaping detainment could be when we see him living by himself like in his other backstories. Itâs possible he was in hiding from those that had captured him. We donât know for sure whether he returned to them for his treasure (itâs possible with how important his note from his mom likely was). We know from Ganjiâs backstory that it says he âlived in a cold room with little furniture for yearsâ and âseldom stepped outside during the yearâ. He had no friends, always looked solemn, and people found it âdifficult to get to know himâ. Ganji is described as âpeculiar and lonelyâ, and someone his neighbors âloved to gossip aboutâ.
His backstory mentions ârandom loud noises coming from his roomâ, which could tie to the behavior he displayed at night in the detention center, when heâd hit his head against a wall.
Regarding Ganji hiding in his room all the time, this connects back to his deduction 9, the diagnosis that suggested âlocking all windows and doors and staying at home aloneâ.
The part about âavoid looking at fireâ implies, whether or not he did it and whether it was on purpose or accident, it implies heâd been deeply affected by the fire that burned down the manor. Maybe because of all the feelings (and irritation) he had from how long he spent there, being mistreated and never being allowed to train. Maybe because of the boy heâd formed a relationship too and how this fire took away his home and family, just like Ganji was without his home and family. Maybe any conflict he had if he was somewhat responsible, whether accidentally or on purpose, as his trailer does mention wanting those âgentlemen to repent for their sinsâ but also because this was a place heâd had such high hopes for regarding his future and now itâs turning to ashes, as well as was a place heâd suffered alone, away from his family, for a long time, but more conflict because Ganji was deep down still a âkindâ person (and maybe regretted not saving more people, or regretted if he had a fit of anger and its consequences that day that causes all these events). Just another boy, like the son of the owner of the Queenâs Guard crying at the sight of his home on fire, that was crying out for his family and home as it was threatened or attacked but Ganji unable to do anything about it.
The backstory continues by saying he kept his appearance âhiddenâ whenever he went out, which could relate to if he was in hiding from the people whoâve been trying to capture him in his letters, or to the mistreatment he potentially receives if people knew where he was from, or to hide the scars on his face from people if he knew how theyâd react upon seeing it (as they did describe his face as âhorrifyingâ). It also fits with how his trailer said he needed a ânew identityâ.
Despite how they treated him, Ganji was said to give âsoftly spoken words of appreciation to the neighborsâ trivial kindnessâ, which seems to connect to Ganjiâs original personality (as he was described as kind, friendly, and mild-mannered before he came to Britain).
Others debated the reason for Ganjiâs behavior, suggesting âregretâ (tied to the fire that ended his training with the Royal Team, as other people wouldnât know the full truth about his feelings towards the Royal Team) or âcautiousnessâ (from living in a foreign country). Unfortunately for Ganji, everyone decided that Ganji had âa lot of secretsâ and âmight bring trouble to the town and decided to stay away from himâ.
The last thing we hear about Ganji is he still dreamt of returning home, and eventually received an invitation from the manor, offering a âhuge rewardâ, enough for Ganji to use to go home, and he âdecided to take the riskâ.
Side note regarding Duke Elgin.
I couldnât find any âDukeâ Elgin, but I did find an âEarlâ of Elgin. The 9th Earl of Elgin, Victor Bruce, was the Viceroy of India.
I donât think this is the exact same âDuke Elginâ but it could be a basis for the character (for Netease when designing this).
These were individuals appointed by the British monarch. They represented the British government in India and exercised authority over British India on behalf of the British crown. Victor Bruce served as Viceroy during 1894-1899m which was a particularly troubled period in Indiâs history, and his tenure was not seen as a successful one. During his administration, there was economic and social unrest, a famine, bubonic plague, and the Tirah campaign (Afridi Frontier Rising). This campaign took place in Northwest India and involved the British seeking to restore control over the area after an uprising occurred (with 1 of the challenges they faced being the mountainous terrain).
I donât think this is exactly where Ganji is from, but this event, as well as all the other issues occurring at the time, could relate to or be a sort of basis (to Netease) for whatever did actually happen to Ganjiâs hometown.
Apparently the âbansuriâ is a flute connected to north Indian music (with the venu being connected to the south), which could mean (with how the Tirah Campaign happened in the Northwest) Ganji could be from somewhere in the North part of India.
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