Dish Culture/Abilities

General

History

Culture

**Abilities**

Original

## Biology

Dishes as a race are very secretive about their biology. The reason for this is because they have a magic system that Cannikin claims is "both a part of our bodies but also a part from our souls". Thus, Dishes keep their biology a secret so that no one can figure out how it works in order to take advantage of their abilities (Ch 218)

### Physical Appearance

Notably they are identified by their heads or bodies appearing as everyday kitchenware. Cups, plates, utensils, pans, pots, containers, and so further. Their skin is similar to the materials of these items, but not exact. For example, Cuphead and Mugman look as if they are made of porcelain but in actuality their skin is about as strong as a normal toons and is just stiffer so it cracks instead of splits (Ch 100). How similar their skin is to the material it is impersonating depends on the individual, which can make certain members of the race fragile while others are robust. This is not the only noticeably unique feature of the Dish race. Much of the Dishes biology is secret, but it is known that they possess an amazing immune system. Disease is a rare phenomenon for the younger island people. They are resilient against most poisons as well. It is also important to note that Dishes age slower than your average toon. The average natural lifespan of a Dish is about a hundred and fifty to two hundred years, though Cannikin mentions that there are rumors of Dishes living up to three hundred years (Ch 218).

### Specialty Cells

Dishes, unlike other toons, have two additional cells in their system that seem to act as a kind of magic immune system (Inky Extra's Ch 73) The first cell is a cylinder shaped cell with two thin lines running down the length of it and two pairs of circles attached to either end. They are very active in the bloodstream as they seem to move among other cells though are apparently too small for Holly to see what they were doing when she was investigating them. When White Egret, an angelic flower with healing properties, was introduced into the bloodstream these cells acted as a "defense", taking the crescent cells described below towards the potion. After the potion was absorbed these cells moved any damaged cells towards the crescent cells to be healed. When ink from an ink attack was added to the blood stream these cells pushed the crescent cell towards the ink. Once the ink began liquifying cells, these cells attempted to protect other cells by keeping all but the crescent cells away from the ink.

The second cell is a crescent moon shaped cell that travels in groups of 4-12. When White Egret was introduced into the bloodstream these cells encircled part of the potion and absorbed it. Holly describes this as a upgraded version of a white blood cells response and claimed these were the "offense" of the magic immune system. After absorbing the potion these cells began secreting a substance that went around to all other cells and repaired them. When ink from an ink attack was introduced into the blood these cells were the first response and absorbed the ink. However, the ink still caused these cell's to liquify. These cells are also what make up the bubble-like hair some Dishes have.

### Children

Due to the secrecy surrounding their biology Dishes would normally prefer to marry within their own race but given their low population, especially in recent years, that's not exactly a realistic expectation. When it comes to children from interracial marriages there are no "in between" kids, one is either born a Dish or they're not. Despite this fact there are some non-Dish children from interracial marriages who are able to use some of the Dish spells that do not require the liquid magic system (Ch 218)

## Powers and Abilities

Dish magic is cosmically aligned with Order and Destruction.

Due to their unique biology and magic system Dishes have a variety of useful abilities. For instance, Dishes can have amazing heat/flame resistance if they choose to actively develop the skill. Once fully developed legends describe this ability to surpass even the Angels and approach that of a Phoenix. A Dish who has mastered this ability is said to even be able to lounge in flames without issue, though the current limits of ability are currently unknown (Ch 307).

### Soul Power

The Dish race has a magic that is solely theirs. Magical blasts and potions that can only be used by them. They have runes and weapons much like other races, but Dishes are the only race that have developed a way to weaponize their very souls. It is well known that magic comes from the soul and that every being has its limits in casting spells and magics. Dishes don't appear to have such a limit (Inky Extra's Ch 98). They can fire magic continually for days. Any limit that's been demonstrated has only been in the body. The need for food and sleep. There is no sign of magical exhaustion or strain. This is contributed to their unique biology. It should be noted that not all Dishes can wield magic, only a subsection of Dishes that are related in one way or another to types of containers. These Dishes have some form of liquid magic. Many theories have been suggested that this liquid magic is a second source of magic besides the soul, others suggest that it works in correlation with the soul as a larger system than is traditionally known for other magical beings. Regardless of the unknown details, this magical system have granted these Dishes great depths of magic that can rival that of Demons and Angels.

### Death and Ghosts

Dishes have a relation to the soul and in extension ghosts and the dead. They are one of the few beings that can physically interact with spirits at will. They can banish spirits to the other realm with a simple attack (Ch 188) Dishes also can linger in spirit form, surprisingly this ghost form can retain much of the original personality and reasoning of the living individual. Normally ghosts are known to fade to basic emotions and instincts with time, but this doesn't appear to be so for Dishes. A Dish ghost can also be resurrected by a fellow living Dish as long as they still have their souls (Ch 184). Black Hat describes this as a layering of a Dishes soul. Once they die, the "outer layer" of their soul takes on their ghostly form while the inner "core" of their soul turns pink in their chest. When another Dish sparks their core with magic the Dish's physical form is restored (Ch 282).

It is believed that Dishes figured out this ability along with being able to use their souls in battle around the same time. The meaning of such an ability renders Dishes practically immortal if it weren't for one factor: time. Dishes age, slower than a common toon, but the body does give to old age. When a Dish is resurrected, they are returned to the body they had when they died. This means if it was something such as heart failure, that weakness and possibility will still exist for the revived Dish. Many Dishes will eventually stop seeking resurrection from their fellow Dishes when their bodies start to fail in such ways. According to Cannikin, and as mentioned above, this usually happens around the hundred fifty to two hundred year mark, though there are rumors of certain Dishes living up to three hundred years (Ch 218). Still, it is amazing to know that Dishes are virtually unkillable as long as there is another living Dish that can wield magic. There may be factors or specifics to resurrection that are unknown, but regardless, it makes the Dishes a formidable force to consider.

It has also been shown that an individual adept at magic of the soul is able to force a Dishes ghost back into their heart shaped soul against their will. Seeing as a Dish ghost can not separate themselves from their souls at will if some being actually catches a hold of the soul and forces their ghosts back inside of it they are essentially helpless to fight against it. However it would take an extremely powerful and talented magic user in order to do this (Ch 221)

### Bullets

After ingesting one of a variety of special potions Dishes have to ability to shoot one of many magic bullets from their fingers. Every bullet has it's own potion and it is unknown exactly how many different types there are, though they all fall under the light magic category. Cuphead theorizes that each Dish island had it's own unique collection of these potions (Ch 273). Each bullet obtained from these potions has it's own unique properties and abilities.

In order to switch between bullets the Dish mentally chooses which bullet they wish to use before using an action to switch between the bullets. For example, the Cupbros snap their fingers to switch bullets because "Snappin’ is a good way for me to feel like I’m shiftin’ from one bullet type ta another.” but it may be possible for a dish to use a different action to switch between bullets (Ch 259). The majority of the bullets so far have been shown to leave smoking burns or scorch marks behind, meaning that they are usually very hot unless their abilities directly relate to their temperature such as the Snap-Frost Bullets.

#### Peashooter Bullets- Blue

The "standard" bullet and the one most often used by the Cupbros. This is the bullet that automatically appears first when a Dish is about to shoot, all other bullets must be swapped in by the shooter. Peashooters are powerful laser like bullets that has been shown to be able to blast through various objects such as doors and shooting range targets (Ch 133) It also seem to be possible to adjust the power of these bullets, as a blast Mugs hit Dot with was only "enough to kill a bird" (Ch 20) while the Peashooter bullet that accidentally hit Mugs was strong enough to almost kill him (Ch 53) The emotional state of the shooter also seems to effect the power of these bullets as Cuphead stated that rage made his bullets brighter and hotter (Ch 79)

EX Move- Mega Blast

When using this blast the Dish draws their fists in close to their body, where they begin to collect blue and purple magic energy. Once fully charged they thrust their fist out in front of them as if they are throwing a punch, This causes the collected energy to shoot forward to wards their target in a powerful blast. As an EX move this blast is very strong, as we have seen it can demolish a rock wall (Ch 78)

#### Spread Bullets- Red

Arrow shaped bullets that shoot out in multiple streams at once to create an instant barrage. Strong enough to destroy one of Wakko's mallets in a fight, however they burn out at a shorter distance then the peashooter bullets (Ch 33)

EX Move- Eight-Way

This move shoots out eight giant spread bullets in a circle around the shooter, making it virtually impossible to dodge at short distance. However, it does take time to charge up the energy needed to perform this move, which can leave the shooter vulnerable during the charging time (Ch 194)

#### Roundabout Bullets- Sea Green

Curved blade like bullets. When fired they travel a short distance forward before turning and coming back like a boomerang, traveling further backwards than forwards. Often used to cut things in battle, such as when Cuphead used them to chop apart a tree monster (Ch 90)

EX Move - Jumbo Roundabout

#### Lobber Bullets- Purple

Round, bouncy bullets. When fired they bounce across the floor like a bouncy ball does. Can be used as a distraction, such as when Mugman used it to distract a three-headed dog (Ch 92). Lobbers are heavy bullets that fall quickly over longer distances. Cuphead equates firing one of these bullets to throwing a bowling ball (Ch 252).

EX Move - Kablooey

This move shoots a giant lobber bullet from the shooters fist. While it does take a couple moment to charge, it seems like it can be shot fairly quickly for an Ex Move. It is also very strong, as when it was shot in close quarters between Cups and Popeye it slammed Popeye back hard enough to send him smashing into a pile of crates while Cup was slammed back into the wall behind him hard enough to knock him out. Popeye, who is a zany renowned for his toughness, even mentions how much the blast actually hurt him (Inky Extra's Ch 105)

#### Chaser Bullets- Lime Green

Slow-moving star-shaped bullets. While often laughed at by opponents for their slow speed, they lock onto the closest enemy target without the need to aim. The bullets not only count living beings as enemies, but also any magic that may impede the Cupbros or their friends, as seen when Mugs chaser bullets destroy the Runes keeping Bendy pinned during the fight with the Voodoo Queen (Ch 41). This makes them almost impossible to dodge. However, they are not very strong bullets and will not seriously damage most opponents outside of some small burns (Ch 165). They can also form a protective shield of sorts around the one who shoots them. If the bullets are unable to identify any enemies in the area when fired they will slowly circle around the head of the shooter (Ch 244).

#### Charge Bullets- Orange

Flame bullets described as explosions by Felix (Ch 165) Set anything they touch on fire and are very effective at fighting Demon shadows. Needs time to "charge" to fire at full power, leaving a window of time where the shooter may hesitate in shooting in order to give the bullet time to charge. As it charges, the shot becomes brighter and brighter. Shown to be incredibly strong and lethal to the point where the Cupbros refused to fire them directly at Bendy during training despite his feral state (Ch 165)

#### Snap-Frost Bullets- White

Ice bullets that can freeze a maximum three-foot radius. Like the charge shot above the amount of damage these bullets do depends on how long the user charges the shot for. When first lit this white bullet sits on the end of the finger with small snowflakes swirling around it. As it charges the snowflakes grow larger to show the shot becoming more powerful. Once shot the bullet is fired it flies forward in a white streak with snowflakes continuing to fall from it, curving downwards in the same way a thrown baseball might as it heads towards its target. As demonstrated by the curve of the shot this bullet does have some weight, as when it was fired into the earth it kicked up dirt when it hit. It also makes an odd twang sound, likened to that of a chord struck underwater, when it hits it's target. The more powerful the shot fired, the louder this twang is. On it's lowest charge this shot will simply cover it's target in frost while a fully charged shot covers the full three-foot radius with ice with spikes of ice growing up out of the radius (Ch 252). When shot towards something it can freeze it solid to the nearest available surface, leaving the item or target trapped for as long as the ice remains. This ice is far stronger than normal ice, able to handle strong blows and pulls on it without shattering. While it will eventually slowly melt naturally it can be melted away faster using other Dish bullets (Ch 308). It should be noted that while using this shot the user feels a cold sensation equivalent to sticking their hand in ice water. The more powerful the shot, the colder the shot feels and, though the cold stops when the user stops using the shot, it can take a little while to shake off this sensation (Ch 252). If held long enough the shooter will even begin shivering and frost will appear on clothing items close to the hand with the bullet (Ch 308).

The potion for the Snap-Frost is contained in a icicle-shaped vial that glows a pale blue with a snowflake symbol on the label. Upon first ingestion of the person a strong chill races down the spine of the user, causing them to shiver. Goosebumps cover the user's skin and if they breathe during this time it will cloud in front of them like it would in winter air regardless of the actual surrounding temperature (Ch 252).

#### Bludgeoning Bullets- Yellow

Seen briefly being used by Cannikin in Inky Extra's Ch 121 these are yellow square shaped bullets that each divide into four sections, hit the target and then "bounce" back to hit the target again. As their name implies these bullets don't seem to cut into their targets but instead just beat them. Due to these bullets only being seen once there is not much known about them.

#### Impact Bullets - Color Unknown

Shown incredibly briefly during Inky Extra's Ch 121 these bullets appear to wrap around the hand of the Dish who uses them, adding extra power to their hits/punches while they are fighting an opponent in close combat. Very little is known about these bullets due to their brief appearance in the story as of this point in time.

In Inky Extra's Ch 121 there is also a brief mention of "slasher bullets", a "lance shot" and the appearance of an unknown lime green bullet during the battle that seems to be related to electricity or lightning. There has also been an unknown lavender bullet shown. These lavender bullets are square in shape and burst once they hit a target, seemingly raining burning acid down on anything unlucky enough to make contact with it (Ch 289).

### Supers

Dishes have only a few known "Supers", incredibly powerful magical abilities that only Dishes can use, shown so far in the IM story. Though Black Hat mentions that there are other Supers that have not been revealed as well that can favour either side of the dark or light magic spectrum (Ch 150). It is unknown exactly how Dishes gain access to the use of Supers, but it is currently assumed to be from a potion of some kind. There is a Dish folktale that tells the supposed origin of the first 3 Supers, but it is unknown how accurate this story is (Inky Extras Series Part 4)

The First Super is the only one that has currently been shown in use in the main IM storyline as it is currently the only Super the Cupbros have access to. Out of the two brothers Cuphead is the only one able to use this ability. With this Super a Dish is able to unleash a powerful blast of liquid magic from their head, compared to a strong waterfall by Yakko (Ch 33), by jumping up and spinning in the air so they are horizontal with the ground. As the only Dishes that have been shown to use this Super have all been Cup-based Dishes it is unknown how it would function for a Dish with a different appearance or if it is even possible for other forms of Dishes to use it. In the folktale detailed in Inky Extras Series Part 4 this Super was gifted to the main hero by a Micco sorcerer so that he may turn his own bravery into protective power.

The Second Super allows the user to become invulnerable, although the exact limits of this invulnerability are currently unknown. In Inky Extras Series Part 4 this Super is gifted to the main hero by an Angel as thanks so it may protect him from the weapons of his enemies. This same chapter also showed the hero using this Super to deflect swords and arrows.

The Third Super allows the user to use the power of their very soul to fight. In Inky Extras Series Part 4 this Super is gifted to the main hero by a Demon so that he may show the world the true power within him.

Notably, each of these Supers is attributed as a gift to the Dishes from one of the three other magically proficient cultures.

There is also the Lost Super, which Black Hat reveals the existence of in Chapter 150. This powerful ability is supposedly what defeated The Devil at the end of the Angel-Demon War, but then knowledge of it was hidden from the world. According to the scroll Hat found this Super is angelic in nature and thus it demands sacrifice from it's user. This Super allows the user to completely wipe out any darkness around them by burning their own soul as a power source. This means that this Super is one time use as the user will die while using it without any possibility of bringing them back. Hat also seems to imply that the stronger the individuals soul, the stronger this Super becomes as he states that Cuphead is strong enough to "take the devil with you (when he dies)" Hat also notes that the potion needed in order for a Dish to gain access to this super needs some rare ingredients to create it.

Later on in the series Cannikin uses yet another super, which seemingly allows him to transform his soul into a large magical barrier (Ch 228) The super creates the barrier around a large area by using a combination of immense soul power and Dish runes/glyphs weaved by the user into a web-like barrier. This involves an massive amount of magic and Canni describes the power of this super burning both him and his soul as it powers up (Inky Extra's Ch 121) The resulting barrier is an incredibly thin structure that can't even been seen by the naked eye. When Alice feeds power into it to have the barrier reveal itself it shows a large structure that is too big to discern it's true shape, with thread-like lines of magic weaved together in seemingly random spiraling lines, connecting the various runes throughout the barrier together. While the magic may seem delicate Alice mentions how intricately woven the whole thing is and how it certainly doesn't feel weak (Ch 173) Seeing as how this barrier was strong enough to trap magic as powerful as the Labyrinth and the Night Terror for years this does in fact seem to be an incredibly powerful form of magic (Inky Extra's Ch 121) The barrier also seems to choose what it allows in and out seeing as many people were able to come in and out of Fairmont while the barrier was up with only the faint feeling of walking through cobwebs as they went through the barrier but the Labyrinth and all it's magic was trapped inside. Even those from magical races such as Bendy (Ch 168) and Alice (Ch 173) barely felt anything more than a subtle magical buzz and the feeling of cobwebs when passing through the barrier. While, as stated above, the Dish using this super must sacrifice their soul in order to do so their ghost does need to stay within the boundaries of the barrier in order to keep it up for whatever the required amount of time happens to be. However, after the barrier is released the caster's spirit will immediately fade away into the spirit realm (Ch 232) While inside the ghost of the caster can also tell if there's any danger to the barrier, such as the magic it is containing becoming to powerful for it to hold back any longer (Ch 185) This barrier is magic resistant to both dark magic (ex-the Labyrinth) and light magic (ex- Angel magic) (Ch 187) When this barrier is finally released there is a notable change of atmosphere in the area the barrier was incasing, described by those there as "The world around them seemed to take a breath, power fading away from the earth around them.". The barrier itself bursts into full view in bright golden light before shattering into pieces and falling to the ground like glittering rain (Ch 232)

### Charms

Charms are yet another classification of abilities Dishes are able to obtain, although how exactly this process works is currently unconfirmed. Mugman describes them as magical tools that Dishes can use and that they don't really work for non-DIshes. Despite this, they're powerful abilities are still talked about in the modern day even by normal toons (Ch 272). Much like bullet potions, each of the different Dish islands have their own unique charms (Ch 273).

The charm showcased most commonly in IM would be Mugman's "Dodge". This move allows Mugman to disappear in a puff of smoke and reappear a short distance away. He is even able to pass through solid objects with this move, such as when he used it to cross to the other side of a chain link fence to escape some thugs (Ch 82). When using this charm Mugman claims that he imagines where he wants to go, after which he feels a rush of magic through his body before teleporting to the desired location (Ch 190). While using his Dodge Mugman is also able to carry one other person (Ch 203). While the exact range of this move is unknown Cuphead is shown to be able to avoid Mugman while he is using the move because he "knows how it works" so this ability does have it's limitations (Ch 135). Mugs has also claimed that he is not able to use this ability when he feels trapped (Inky Extra's Ch 81).

### Potions

Potions are the Dishes magical specialty. While all the bullets Dishes use come from potions there are also potions that grant other abilities besides bullets. It is unknown exactly just how many different Dish potions there are or what they all can do as it's likely that each of the islands created their own collection of unique potions. There even used to competitions between potion makers on who could make the best new potions. The winners of the competitions would have their magic incorporated into the knighthood of the island, granting honor and a steady paycheck for the future. In modern day cheap/weaker Dish potions are easy to find at tourist traps on Dish islands as they are often sold as harmless souvenirs since only Dishes are actually capable of using their magic. However, there are stronger potions that are deemed to dangerous and are kept as guarded secrets by the Calix Animi and the potion makers themselves (Ch 273).

### Spells and Runes

Dishes can also use a variety of spells and runes. However both of these have their limits. Some of their spells require the Dish to have the liquid magic system while others do not. As for their runes, while powerful, they are nowhere near as versatile as Micco runes (Ch 218). Dish runes have a very distinct appearance, being much bulkier and having more sharp edges than other runes. Experienced magic users can identify them as light runes at a glance even with no previous knowledge of Dish runes, implying that they would have some similarities to Angel runes (Ch 173). For an example of Dish runes, please see the runes section of the magic page.

### Weaponry

Dishes also have magic weaponry that can be used even by those Dishes without the liquid magic system. For instance, there are glowing bows that instead of using physical arrows uses magical ones. When the line of the bow is drawn back, a golden light appears notched into the bow. When fired this magic arrow will sail into the air where it then splits into multiple golden arrows that rain down upon their enemies. it is currently unknown if this is the only type of magic arrow used by the Dishes or if there are others. Dishes have also been shown to use runed swords and magic spears that can send flashes of magic towards their enemies (Ch 221) Dishes also seem to have special potions that they can use as weapons in battle (Inky Extra's Ch 121)

## Weaknesses

A Dish's weakness is, ironically, their own incredibly powerful bodies. A Dish's magic is deeply tied into their biology and the way their bodies work. As such, if anyone figured out exactly how their bodies functioned they could take advantage of it in order to use a Dish's power for their own ends. For this reason all Dishes are raised from birth to be secretive and vague about their bodies and their culture in order to protect themselves from those who would take advantage of them (Ch 218).