It's quite difficult to develop Oripathy if the necessary precautions are taken, but due to the nature of Arknights' world and how capitalism runs rampant, typical laborers have a high chance of getting infected.

A mysterious, coffin-like device built by the Predecessors–Doctor's race. Its original purpose was to keep their people in cryostasis. It's also capable of healing wounds via cellular regression.

The Doctor is a Predecessor, a race of human-like beings capable of and specializing in intergalactic travel. Having been threatened by an extraterrestrial race called "Observers", the majority of Predecessors were wiped out and the few that survived had been placed in cryostasis (hence why Doctor was resting in a Sarcophagus). As their sleep lasted for 13,000+ years, the races of Terra, the planet Arknights takes place on, had evolved to adapt to Originium, leading Terran lifeforms to develop immense physical capabilities far surpassing those of the Predecessors. As such, Doctor is the considered to be extremely weak compared to every other member of the cast and often requires special protection.

|––––– Welcome, Doctor. –––––|



General Setting

Dr. {nickname}, or "The Doctor", is the player-insert character for Arknights. Although they're meant to be a silent protagonist, à la Link from the Zelda series, they're unique in that they have dialogue options (though unvoiced) and do possess a personality, as is portrayed through the aforementioned dialogue options.

The world of Arknights is a cruel one. Taking place is an apocalyptic setting, Terra is plagued by the presence of an ore called Originium, which can potentially cause a disease called Oripathy if one isn't careful. This disease is fatal and eventually wears down the lifespan of those suffering from it, causing uninfected people to discriminate against the Infected. Even countries that have ensure good lives for its infected population often take advantage of them with unpaid labor or dangerous work environments, where stricter countries force Infected into slums, or even get away with murdering them quietly.

Doctor, Amiya, and Kal'tsit are the three highest-ranking personnel in Rhodes Island, a R&D pharmaceutical company that focuses on developing suppressants and a possible cure for Oripathy.

Doctor & Love

Here is where I begin the inevitable rant, huh? I've long introduced Doctor as my favorite character to fellow Arknights players, to which I'm often met with bewilderment. Out of the hundred+ characters, why do I like the self-insert so much...?!

To my long-time friends, I'm sure that it's no surprise at all. Some of my favorite characters of all time are silent (and even faceless, on occasion!) characters. When I began AK, I was told that Shalem would probably be my favorite, and he was for a brief time. Then I read Vigilo, which focuses on Doctor, and their–at the time–secret past. I was hooked...particularly after we got our first glimpse of Doctor pre-amnesia! They've always had a melancholic air about them ever since waking up from the Sarcophagus, but I was shocked to see how stoic they were before the game started.

When Babel dropped, I was, like everyone else, mindbroken...albeit for a different reason! While others were lamenting how evil "we" are (what the AK community often refers to Doctor as, considering their role as a self-insert), I was wrought with sadness at how unfair the situation was. Even typing about it now, my heart aches. I find it so incredibly compelling how Doctor's murdering of Theresa was brought about due to love, not hate. I think this is a detail many in the community overlooked. Theresa and Kal'tsit were the ones who had Doctor explore Terra to come to an understanding of the current state of (dire) affairs, and in their journey, they found Amiya...who taught them how to love.

Kal'tsit was afraid that Doctor's awakening would bring about destruction due to their nature as a scientist with the possibility of prioritizing progress over ethics, yet she held faith. In the end...it was love that tipped the scales. Their love of Terra was why they yearned to put everyone out of their misery...


What does Doctor mean to me? Even now, they're one of my favorite characters of all time. The heroism they showed in the Victoria arc when protecting Amiya despite their weakness really moved me. Even when Amiya expresses concern over not knowing who the person in front of her truly is, Doctor's love for her is unwavering.

I have a form of amnesia that causes my memory to range from unreliable to incorrect to nonexistent. There are hundreds of thousands of amnesiac characters, yet Doctor is the only one to truly grip me with how they're portrayed. Doctor often has to accept the consequences of actions they no longer recall, of words they've never spoken...and forgive those around them, who look at a person they've never been. It's all very poetic and respectfully written. I can definitely relate to a lot of it, so my love is quite deep!

Amiya and Doctor's found family relationship is also something very dear to me...after recovering Doctor from the depths of Chernobog, Amiya rushed to their side assuming they'd remember her--their family. Yet they don't, and she's immediately forced to suppress her emotions for the sake of the mission. Even though they're close again by the time Ch.14 rolls around, it's clear Amiya has lingering doubts and concerns regarding the various happenings in Babel, as well as if she trusts this new Doctor at all. They're both extremely selfless people to a fault, often bottling up their emotions until they no longer can...

In IS5's 5th ending, we learn that Amiya assimilated the entirety of Terra into Originium and became a godlike figure, believing it was the only way to end conflict...not unlike Doctor in Babel. They're so similar, in fact, that Amiya even becomes a doctor herself. They also both have a bad habit of ignoring their own personal needs and attending to those around them first. These similarities are seemingly lost to the two in question, however...

After all, you aren't my guest yet, nor should you even be here. She still needs you.

Of course, I enjoy Doctor's silly side as well! They're shown to be especially goofy in supplementary materials like 123, Rhodes Island & OPERATORS!, which are both noncanon. Still, they're really adorable...ahh...arrgh.

Oh, and their canon appearance! I love their design. There was a special amount of care put into keeping their outfit somewhat realistic, and under their outer layer of clothing is a laboratory coat. A-and they have white hair/white eyes in the anime, as well as a low ponytail in the artbook. And they have straps on their thighs?! My beloved Doctor is so gorgeous. While it's wrong to treat the anime Doctor as truly canon, I find it compelling that they appear exhausted/decrepit despite the Sarcophagus' ability to heal wounds, meaning that they've either always looked like that or it's been so long since they've appeared healthy that exhaustion is the norm. Considering Doctor doesn't take care of themself, as is shown in Babel when they begin to lose weight over stress, I'd say the latter is more likely?!

Mmm...I ended up rambling quite a bit. If you happened to read this far, thank you for sticking with me! I adore Doctor and could go on for hours about this love, but I'll stop myself here.



Artwork I commissioned! I just want them to be happy...TT

Would you like to return to the landship?