Amshel Goldsmith

Amshel Goldsmith was the assistant of the original Joel Goldschmidt. He was Diva's first chevalier.

Appearance
Like the Goldschmidts, Amshel comes from a French background and attains the appearance of a middle-aged aristocratic man. He has pale skin, jet black, slick-backed hair and mustache and beard. He always dons a purple suit and wears a thick silver ring with a sapphire stone possibly representing his loyalty to Diva.

Personality
Amshel is a truly evil character with twisted ambitions of experimenting to satisfy his scientific curiosities. He can go to any extent to reach his goal. Diva is nothing but an experimental object to him. He refers to Diva as his "little treasure", later revealing that he was completely obsessed with Diva, which he feels is the "ultimate form" of love for her. He once tells Saya that he wished she hadn't freed Diva because then Diva would still be his and his alone.

Despite referring to his fellow chevaliers as his brothers, he seems unaffected when Karl dies and grows increasingly disgusted with Solomon's love for Saya and orders his execution. He also ordered the death of Diva's third chevalier, Martin Bormann, who is only seen in photograph form in the series.

Diva
Amshel always looked upon Diva as nothing more than an experimental subject. He was obsessed with attaining immortality and gaining knowledge on chiropteran evolution. Diva was his main research material. However, he fawned over Diva and was the only one who could make Diva listen to his words.

Solomon
Although his blood kin, Solomon is used more like a pawn by Amshel. He uses Solomon to execute many things.

Nathan
He is the only one amongst brothers whose movements Amshel cannot control or predict. This is probably due to Nathan in fact not being one of Diva's chevaliers.

Skills
Amshel is beyond doubt an adept top-notch researcher. He assisted Joel I while they were in the Zoo researching origin. He also witnessed Saya and Diva's birth. After Joel I's death, he takes over experimenting on chiropterans. He creates the Schiff, brings specimen for creating each chevalier, looks after the delta project and also exerts his efforts for Diva to mate.

Special Abilities
Enhanced Strength & Speed: Amshel was Diva's first and most powerful chevalier. Amshel possesses superhuman strength and speed. He is faster and stronger than the average chevalier, having easily caught Saya's arm and crushed it when she attacked. His power is shown when he saved Diva from being stabbed when Solomon threw a dagger at her.

Telepathy: He was able to perform telepathic communication with other chevaliers.

Telekinesis: Amshel is shown to be able to use telekinesis to extents like breaking things with a wave of his hand.

Shape-shifting: Amshel was the only one to show this ability apart from Diva. He shape-shifts multiple times, the first time impersonating Elizabeta on the train, then again taking the form at Solomon's mansion in Paris and lastly in a research lab with Julia around. He also impersonates Diva to stop Saya from hindering the original Diva.

Transformation: He fully transforms during the battle with Hagi. His chiropteran form is purplish, demonic-looking with wings. Although he was impaled and thunder-struck, Amshel managed to revive and return.

Vocal Blast: Amshel in transformed state can use his voice as power blast. It is emitted as a visible purple energy mass.

In the Zoo
Amshel assisted Joel I and was present during the birth of Saya and Diva. He was responsible for bringing Diva food and taking care of her basic needs while she was locked in the tower.

Becoming a Chevalier
In 1883, after Diva's release from the tower, Diva spares Amshel during her murder spree and turns him into a chevalier.

Russian Revolution
After Joel I's death, Amshel continues the research of chiropterans and chevaliers. During the Russian Revolution, Amshel brings his relative Solomon for Diva to turn into a chevalier. He kills Solomon to resurrect him with Diva's blood. When Diva approaches hibernation and Saya follows her trail to a Russian village, Amshel escapes taking Diva in a carriage.

On the Trans-Siberian Railway
Amshel is generally seen as the leader of Diva's chevaliers and is the head of Cinq Flèches. After Saya's awakening, Amshel initially tried to bring her to their side. In Russia, he killed the Red Shield contact Liza and took her place during a train ride to Ekaterinburg. He reveals to Saya her true nature as a chiropteran and that she is killing her own kind with her sword. When Saya remains determined to fight and kill Diva, he decides she must be exterminated.

Death at the Opera
Knowing that Saya will come to fight Diva, Amshel shapeshifts to look like Diva in order to hold her off until Diva's song ends. Hagi engages to a battle with him, when they find out the real Diva is out singing. Before fighting, Amshel removes his ring, to which he had claimed was a family heirloom and that he never takes off, and places it between a mannequin's breasts. During the fight with Hagi in the skies of New York City, Amshel is impaled on the Chrysler Building and struck by lightning. He was presumed dead, but reappears in a half human-half chiropteran form, intent on taking Diva's newborn daughters. Hagi stabs him with Saya's blood-covered sword, crystallizing him, moments before the opera house collapses on top of them both. However Hagi survives Amshel's attack and his whereabout is unknown after that.

Blood+
The manga Amshel follows similar plot like the anime with the exception of shooting Solomon a special bullet to nullify his regeneration ability before he himself stepped on to facing Saya who went after Diva on the stage.

Trivia

 * The name Amshel means 'fortunate' or 'blessed' in Hebrew.
 * He is named after the real life Amschel Rothschild.