.Dan was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. In 1973 following Harman Smith's defeat against Kun Lan in a game of chess, he and Curtis Blackburn established and reinforced control in Seattle as part of Harman's forfeit. Dan goes on to work alongside Blackburn as a member of the Seattle Self-Defense Department, where he is instructed by Blackburn in the field of assassination. Dan is later set up by Pedro Montana, who gives Blackburn the impression Dan has betrayed him, and in 1975 Dan is murdered by Blackburn during an encounter on a basketball court. Dan is resurrected and assimilated by Harman, and given a high-ranking spot in the Smith Syndicate, however the entire group is slain by Emir Parkreiner at Union Hotel. Before being shot to death, Dan manages to speak to Parkreiner at length. When Dan concludes his philosophical speech, he and Parkreiner draw their weapons, and after a brief standoff, Parkreiner shoots first, killing him. The Smith Syndicate personae are assimilated into Parkreiner, who himself becomes a member of the group when it re-emerges. When Dan returns, he does so with higher caliber bullets for his Colt .357 revolver.

Dansmith
Dan Smith at Restaurant Fukushima.
During the "Encounter" chapter of killer7, the Smith Syndicate learns that Blackburn and Montana entered the organ trafficking trade, where they have secretly operated since 1987. The assassins tail Blackburn to his home, where Dan challenges Blackburn to a gun draw in a laboratory beneath the house. Blackburn fails to kill Dan this time and attempts to commit suicide, but Dan triggers a switch, activating a device formerly used on Blackburn's victims which empties and stuffs his body.

In the Smith Syndicate's next mission, Dan breaks into Trevor Pearlharbor's studio and confronts the madman, only to have him summon Handsome Black of The Handsome Men. Black fires at Dan, who dodges, and the shot connects with and kills Pearlharbor; Dan's retaliatory shot kills Black in turn. Handsome Red then appears, challenging the Smiths to a showdown against The Handsome Men at Broadway. In this skirmish, Dan succeeds in killing his opponent, Handsome Blue.

Dan is killed for the third and possibly final time, by a Black Smile at Coburn Elementary School.

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Dan prepares to use a demon shell against a red weak point to retrieve a soul shell
Appearance and personalityEdit
Dan wears a simple blue suit, likely a holdover to his days as a police officer. When at rest, he holds his revolver over his shoulder in a similar fashion to a small briefcase. Dan has a tattoo on his left shoulder, seen in a flashback to his death at the hands of Parkreiner. Dan is shown to be extremely nervy in even the most pressing of situations. He is also rather cocky, exclaiming "This is too easy!" when he connects a critical hit on Heaven Smiles. Dan hates Harman, shares an intense rivalry with Coyote Smith and is disliked by Con Smith.