DanMachi: The Xenos threat, explained

Important takeaways

• Xenos in DanMachi are intelligent monsters born from the Dungeon with immense strength comparable to top adventurers.
• Although they want peaceful coexistence, the Xenos possess tactical advantages and knowledge that can pose a serious threat.
• The future of the Xenos in DanMachi remains uncertain, with possibilities ranging from peaceful integration to devastating war.

IN DanMachiA product of continuous extermination by adventurers in the tower, the Xenos are known as a group of sentient and intelligent monsters who wanted to coexist with humans. Despite such wishes, it seems that the people do not accept them in their community, and with good reason. What if the Xenos one day turn against humanity?

Although they preach coexistence, Xenos are stronger than or as strong as any top adventurer, powers that could be used against humans in the future DanMachi. While few, like Bell Cranel, believe they can coexist peacefully, others speculate that their very existence may one day spark a power struggle between humans and monsters, perhaps even challenging the authority of the gods.

Who are the Xenos in Danmachi?

Monsters born through death

Xenos are a set of monsters born in the dungeon with human intelligence and personalities. Unlike other monsters, they can speak, reason and even show emotions. They can form friendships, show empathy, and have desires beyond mere survival. Physically, they look no different from the average monster, yet are much stronger than the average monster. Their intelligence enables them to use elaborate battle tactics, defend themselves skillfully, and even retreat – a thought far beyond mindless monsters. They are also capable of ingesting magic stones from defeated monsters to increase their strength exponentially. These, combined with their natural monster abilities, make them beasts not to be messed with. Some Xenos, such as Lyd the Dragon and Asterius the Minotaur, boast strength that rivals even the strongest adventurers and can become very dangerous if threatened.

Despite such power, Xenos only want to see themselves on the surface and live in peaceful coexistence with humans. After facing death time and time again, Xenos reincarnate while retaining some of their memories from their past lives. It is from this memory that they yearn to reach the surface and live peacefully among humans. Nowadays, most of them live in places deep inside the dungeon called Hidden Villages, where they believe the dungeon was created to protect them. First contacted by the Fels some 15 years ago, the Xenos had always existed in secret, with few people knowing of their existence until now. They are peaceful now, but the strength combined with the tragic memories they have through constant cycles of death and rebirth raises a certain question: will they always be peaceful?

Xenos and their impact on Orario's society

Shaking Orario's foundations

Everything that was once held true in Orario's society is shaken with the arrival of the Xenos, their emergence sparking different types of reactions among the main characters. Many see the Xenos as a threat, an enemy. Adventurers have been properly trained from time to time to defeat monsters like them, and even ordinary monsters do not accept them, always quick to attack them. Coexistence is not easy, even for most of them. Their immense strength and intelligence, even down to their ability to regain memories of their past lives, heightens the fear that they may one day become a serious threat. Some people believe that the Xenos use peace as a pretense to infiltrate society and overthrow humans, while others, like the adventurers of the Ikelos Familia, treat them as nothing more than commodities.

However, not everyone sees them as dangers to society or as nothing more than goods to be sold. Xenos are seen by gods like Ouranos as another kind of life that should be given the same rights and benefits as humans. Adventurers like Bell Cranel even support them.

Bell Cranel's role in the Xenos crisis

Mediator between humans and monsters

Bell Cranel is at the center of the fight in the Xenos Crisis and has enormous influence in possibly closing it. His contact with them began when he met Wiene, a young Xenos, and instead of killing her like any other adventurer, he chose to protect her. This set him apart from the rest, as the adventurers had been trained with these creatures as targets. His concern for Weine raises the idea that the Xenos are more than just stronger monsters with blood in their eyes, and he even advocates for them. Defying the adventuring system, where hunting monsters is the foundation of Orario, has made Bell an enemy to many, including some adventurers who see him as a traitor. Despite this, Bell fights for the rights of Xeno life, even against his own species.

Bell also serves as a bridge between the humans and the Xenos. He tries to create an understanding between the feared creatures and the adventurers who have been trained to kill them, trying to make them understand that the Xenos think the same way they do. He sincerely believes that they can coexist, as he is always ready to defend the Xenos.

The big question: threat or ally?

Can the Xenos really coexist, or is their danger too great?

Although the Xenos desire nothing more than peaceful coexistence with humans, the dangers they pose to humanity are so immense that they may well be the end of them. The strength of the Xenos, combined with their high intelligence, is that of level three and level four adventurers, even the elite of the elite. Their strengths are beyond normal monsters, monsters that adventurers already have some trouble dealing with, and they also have memories of their past lives, which combined with their superior intelligence gives them the tactical advantage in the battles they would engage in It there is also their ability to absorb the magic stones from monsters they defeat. Upon absorption, their strength increases significantly. Considering that the dungeon will spawn monsters endlessly, the power that Xenos can achieve is limitless.

It's not just about strength. Xenos possess knowledge that humans do not have. Because Xenos are born in the dungeon and have lived there for so long, they have extensive knowledge of the dungeon's structure and layout, the tactics adventurers use, and the inner workings of the dungeon. This knowledge gives them the edge in any potential conflict. They could easily start a rebellion, and humanity would be defenseless against them. Xenos as Asterius are also not to be forgotten. Asterius is a prized threat at level seven, currently obsessed with a rematch with Bell, and with his skill, unleashing him would be disastrous.

The future of Xenos in DanMachi

Unity, war or seclusion?

The future of Xenos i DanMachi is very uncertain. As sentient, thinking monsters, Xenos go completely against the notions that have existed for a long time in Orario regarding the roles of adventurers and monsters respectively. That they want to live in peaceful coexistence with humans goes directly against the system of adventurers that involves hunting and killing Dungeon monsters. Despite this, the likes of Bell Cranel, Ouranos and Fels still provide that glimmer of hope that Xenos can one day rise above and coexist peacefully with humans. If this were to become a reality, Xenos would gradually integrate into human society and change how monsters are viewed in general. But such endeavors require people to overcome their mentality that monsters are nothing more than threats.

But worse things can happen. Xenos may take a dark turn in history. If they continue to remain accepted and hunted, their resentment may grow. Weak animals backed into a corner are said to show their true strength. What else can strong and intelligent monsters already do? Desperation may compel them to seek revenge, forcing their niche onto the surface and potentially drawing humans and monsters into a devastating war. They may even become pawns in the hands of scheming gods or other powerful factions willing to exploit them for their own cause, further complicating their future. Insulation is also a possibility. Xenos may decide to retreat to the dungeon for good and live as they always have in secret.