Banana Fish, also known as "B1" is a drug central to the Banana Fish series. It is directly responsible for the effects that befall Ash's brother Griffin, and it returns to affect numerous other people as it plays key roles in the events of the show.
Background[]
Banana Fish was created by Alexis Dawson, Abraham Dawson, and a former medical school classmate. The three had set up a drug lab to sell narcotics as a way to help their dire financial situations. However, at some point during their manufacturing, they created Banana Fish by accident. Alexis had seen the potential danger that could come from Banana Fish if ever it fell into the wrong hands while his brother Abraham saw it as a way to fame, fortune, and power.
During the testing to see what it was capable of, their classmate had tried it but died soon afterwards.
Appearance[]
It takes the form of a white, powdery substance similar in appearance to cocaine. It also comes in a liquid form that can be injected via syringe.
Contents[]
It is similar to LSD, consisting mainly of psilocybin and lysergic acid diethylamide. A key material was an unidentifiable inert alkaloid.
Yut-Lung discerns that Banana Fish had been made as a result of a spontaneous mutation of Brugmansia, an alkaloid hallucinatory plant. Symptoms of a non mutated specimen include induced auditory hallucinations, acute dementia, and erratic behavior.
Ash also speculates that Banana Fish is not a pure chemical synthesis and suspects that a plant is partially involved. Namely suspecting that a cactus called peyote found in Mexico serves as the active constituent that causes hallucinations can be extracted from that. The alkaloid part of the drug damages the brain's neural pathways.[1]
Effects[]
Affecting both humans and rat test subjects, Banana Fish induces multiple effects including:
- Sporadic behavior
- Savagery
- Aggression
- Destructive behavior
- Increased blood pressure/pulse
- Pupil dilation
- Sudden self-destructive behavior
Role in Banana Fish Story[]
Unknown to Max or anyone else at the time, it was Abraham Dawson who tested the Banana Fish drug on other soldiers and most notably Griffin Callenreese which resulted in him massacring his squad members.
Abraham would come to work for Golzine where he developed the drug further before a complete sample was stolen by Steven Thompson. Steven was then targeted for death but not before coming across and giving the sample to Ash along with an address before dying.
Ash took the stolen sample to Dr. Meredith to identify and run some tests on rats. He learned of its effects and that it was unlike any known drug. With its importance in mind, Golzine ordered both Marvin and Arthur to take back the sample, but not in a manner so as to pique Ash's interest.
Banana Fish came into further focus when Ash was in prison. His cellmate Max had been investigating Banana Fish for years to no end. After getting out of prison, Ash and Max, along with Eiji, Ibe, and Shorter, travelled to Los Angeles to the address the information Steven had given them to delve further into what Golzine had seemingly placed great importance.
What was at first believed to be a code name for a person, Banana Fish was later found out to be a drug in reality. Dino Golzine shared that it's true purpose was to serve as a poison for assassinations. This was done indirectly as Banana Fish was more akin to a mind control drug. Reducing a person to a state where they would comply with any orders enabled them to target even friends and loved ones for murder.
Golzine would use it as leverage to further infiltrate the U.S Government. They hoped to use it to help topple hostile governments in other countries and turn them into puppet states.
Quotes concerning Banana Fish[]
- "Banana Fish is no human, it's the name of a drug".
Gallery[]
Known Characters infected with Banana Fish[]
- Griffin Callenreese
- Shorter Wong
- Lee Hua Lung
- Alexis Dawson
- The prisoners
- The Secretary
- Adam Owen
- Unknown patients
Trivia[]
- According to Abraham, the effects of Banana Fish take place within 5-10 minutes of injection. If taken orally, it could take up to 20 minutes.
References[]
- ↑ Banana Fish Episode 17