Dante (Devil May Cry)

Dante is one of the half-human, half-demon sons of the Dark Knight Sparda and the main protagonist of the Devil May Cry video games.

Personality
In the beginning, Dante’s most notable trait was his flippant attitude, generally enjoying mouthing off and rubbing people the wrong way, even the most terrible of demons. He matures as time goes by, but his attitude has never truly left him. No matter what the situation, Dante never loses his cool, even when under attack by the Seven Hells in his office or when swallowed by an enormous demon. He maintains a fairly laid-back attitude, never failing to use a taunt or comeback, but becomes serious when need be. Dante can even seem uncaring or callous, but his sense of justice is very strong and always fights fairly. He always does the right thing, even if he is sarcastic the whole way through it and while he has issues with his demon side, has no trouble accepting demons that turn good, such as Trish. Dante has stated that humans can often be worse than demons, but refuses to kill a full-blooded human for any reason. He also cares greatly about his family and friends, even his brother, Vergil, despite their differences. Dante tried to save him from the Demon World, despite the two having fought all throughout Devil May Cry 3, and even shed a tear for him after losing his brother. Dante is willingly to perform a mission solely for the good of it, despite constantly complaining about being in debt and rarely ever forces poor clients to pay him. He typically turns down any job that he dislikes, even if the pay is good and would take on any paranormal case, even with little to no pay, especially ones that involve demon hunting. Dante’s clients often take advantage of his generous nature and leave bills for damages that occur during the mission instead of actually paying him. He is forced to often borrow from Lady or use gambling to try and repay his debts, but he has bad luck at anything not involved with demon hunting. Dante has a great fondness for pizza and hates having olives on it, but he constantly ends up with them anyway. In the animated series, he also enjoys strawberry sundaes and has a habit of getting drunk. In the first volume of the manga, he mentions getting so drunk he proposed to a mop.

Early Life
Sometime before their eighth birthday, Dante and Vergil were each given half of the Perfect Amulet. When Sparda died, Eva and the two were left alone, but when the twins were eight, they were attacked by demons. Dante and Vergil survived and were separated, but Eva was killed and Dante came to believe that Vergil had been killed as well. Some time after this, he met Enzo and started a demon-hunting business under the name, Anthony “Tony” Redgrave.

Devil May Cry 3 manga
Dante was given a job at a brothel by Enzo, where he found a host of demons and killed them. He found a leaflet, offering four million dollars for the return of a girl named Alice and after arguing with Enzo, he set out to find the girl. Dante went to a castle, only to be forced to fight his way through a host of demons and eventually found out that Alice had ran away with a demon called “Rabi”, who had possessed her rabbit doll. Rabi told Dante that the human world was crooked and Alice had run away because she had neither beauty nor strength, something a person needed to be recognized in the human world. However she did have purity, which demons valued and after stripping Alice of her purity, Rabi gave her beauty. Alice started to flirt with Dante, saying that she knew her prince would come, but the half-demon said that dreams can quickly become nightmares. She transformed into a demon and bit Dante on the neck, which caused him to transform into a shadowy form similar to his Majin Form then knocked Alice out. After he returned to his human form, an impressed Rabi told Dante that he was the one who gave Dante the job, which annoyed the half-demon, until Rabi told him that he had already transferred 4 million dollars to his account. Dante asked him why he had done all of this, Rabi stated that he wanted to see the legendary Son of Sparda in action. As he was leaving, Rabi asked to buy his half of the perfect amulet, but Dante refused the offer and left.

Devil May Cry 3
Dante had just prepared his yet-to-be-named shop, when Arkham came to invite him to the Temen-ni-gru on the behalf of his brother, Vergil. He sent a few Seven Hells demons to attack Dante, but he dispatched them without much trouble and headed for the tower so as to find some interesting way to kill some time. He eventually found out that Vergil was attempting to reopen the demon gate in the Temen-ni-gru so as to gain the powers of their father, Sparda, through his demon-forged sword, the Force Edge. Dante fought his way through the demonic gatekeepers sealed within the tower, gaining most of their souls as weapons and fighting styles, and encountered the demon hunter, Lady, who was after Arkham, her father. Dante also had a number of encounters with Jester, a strange demon clown who taunted him, but also guided him through the tower. After first confronting Vergil on top of the Temen-ni-gru and losing, Dante’s Devil Trigger activated. He confronted Vergil again in the bottom of the tower and succeeded in matching him in combat. Lady arrived and was soon followed by Jester, who was revealed to be Arkham, who wanted Sparda’s power for himself. After he activated the tower, Dante, Lady, and Vergil were knocked off of it and Dante set out to stop him. The half-demon fought Lady in the library to see who had the best chance of fighting Arkham. Dante went into the demon world and battled Arkham, but seemed unable to defeat him until Vergil arrived and together, they beat Arkham and took Sparda’s powers from him. The two then fought for the powers of their father and Dante emerged victorious, taking the Force Edge, Sparda’s sword, but Vergil stayed behind in the Demon World. This loss matured the half-demon greatly and he decided to start his new demon-hunting business with a greater sense of purpose, after taking inspiration from Lady’s bravery and commitment towards her family. Dante named his shop, “Devil May Cry”, a reference to what Lady told him to try and comfort him about the loss of his brother, “Maybe somewhere out there even a devil may cry when he loses a loved one.”

Devil May Cry
Dante was sitting in his office, when he was attacked by a mysterious woman. However he easily brushed the attack off and told her that he hunted devils so as to find out which were responsible for the death of his family. Dante told her that she was the first to know he was Sparda’s son and reckoned he had to be getting closer. The woman told him that it was a test, revealing her name was Trish, and that the dark emperor, Mundus, was planning to make his return on Mallet Island. Dante and Trish went to the island’s castle, but she quickly disappeared, leaving the half-demon to explore on his own, fighting his way through lesser demons. Eventually, Dante was confronted by the fiery spider demon, Phantom, who he managed to defeat, only to be chased through a hallway by him. Later, the half-demon came across a dark demon knight known as Nelo Angelo, who challenged him to battle. In the ensuing fight, Dante was pinned to the wall by the dark knight, but he retreated upon seeing the half of the Perfect Amulet that the half-demon wore. He continued on throughout the castle and had a final confrontation with Phantom, who was killed when he crashed through a glass floor, impaling his body on a statue. Dante also had another confrontation with Nelo Angelo and several encounters with Griffon, an enormous bird demon with the power to control lightning. After the half-demon defeated him the final time, Griffon asked for Mundus to help him but the dark emperor responded by destroying him while Dante watched. The half-demon later had one last confrontation with Nelo Angelo and asked him why an honorable warrior like him would serve Mundus. The dark knight only removed his helmet and attacked Dante, only to be defeated and disappear in a burst of blue flame. Upon finding the other half of the Perfect Amulet which Nelo Angelo had left behind, the half-demon realized that the dark knight had been his brainwashed brother, Vergil. The two amulet halves joined with the sword, Force Edge, and transforming it into its awakened form, Sparda. Dante then ventured into the demon world where Trish lured him into a fight with the bio monster, Nightmare. She revealed that she worked for Mundus and aided the bio demon in fighting Dante by blasting him with lightning. However the half-demon slew the monster and in the ensuing chaos, the room fell apart, almost crushing Trish, but he saved her. He told her it was solely because she resembled his mother so much and then demanded that she stay out of his way. Dante confronted Mundus, who was about to slay Trish for her failure and he took the dark emperor’s attack. The demon emperor was about to finish off the half-demon, but Trish got in the way of the attack, seemingly killing her. The tragedy filled Dante with enough emotion to unleash his full powers, making him take the form of his father. The half-demon and Mundus battled each other on a new plane of existence, with Dante emerging the victor in their struggle. He left the Sparda and the Perfect Amulet with Trish’s seemingly lifeless body and found his way into the castle’s hangar, before being attacked by Mundus again. He had Dante cornered when Trish appeared and lent the half-demon her power, allowing him to seal the dark emperor back into the demon world. Before this however, Mundus swore that he would return and Dante told him to give his son his regards. Trish attempted to apologize only to begin crying, making the half-demon tell her that she had become something more than a devil, since “devils never cry”. The two then escaped on a plane, becoming partners and renamed Dante’s shop, “Devil Never Cry”.

Devil May Cry: The Animated Series
Dante was later hired to escort a young girl named Patty Lowell to her late father’s house where she would receive her inheritance, dealing with demons at the same time. She was revealed to be a decoy for the true heir and took to living with Dante until her mother could be found. During that time, the half-demon took on a number of other missions, such as taking down a motorcycle demon and proving a murder had been the work of a devil. Eventually Patty found her mother, who as it turned out was the descendant of an alchemist that had sealed away a powerful demon named Abigal, who had rivaled Mundus himself. However a minor demon named Sid, who Dante had had a few encounters with before sought to claim the power of Abigal. He had spent time gathering mystical items and only needed an amulet in the possession of Patty’s mother. Sid obtained it and performed a ritual that granted him Abigal’s power. Dante went into the demon world and tried to bring him down, but was defeated and impaled on Rebellion. However Patty managed to follow him and get him back on his feet, allowing Dante to take on Sid and strip him of his powers, then kill him.

Devil May Cry 4
Things got interesting for Dante again when Lady came to his office to offer him a job. A group called the Order of the Sword in the town of Fortuna that worshipped Sparda. The half-demon found this surprising and Lady told him that the demon knight had been lord of the city long ago. While there was nothing wrong with peaceful worship, the members of the Order had begun hunting demons and gathering Devil Arms, interfering with her missions. Trish, who’d been listening to the conservation, took the Sparda sword and went to Fortuna, leaving a note saying “See you there”. So Dante went to Fortuna and found out that the Order’s actions were to activate a titanic artificial demon they’d created, the Savior. To activate and control it, they needed Sparda’s blood and sword. They’d created three smaller versions of the true Hell Gate, located underneath Fortuna, which were powered by the Devil-Arms they’d gathered. The gates would serve a dual purpose of harvesting demons to power the Savior and drawing Dante to Fortuna. The half-demon made his presence known in the city by crashing through the roof of the Opera House during a sermon and shot Sanctus, the vicar of Sparda and leader of the Order’s plot, in the face. A number of Holy Knights attempted to subdue Dante, only to be slain and he then took on Nero, a member of the knights who’d been enraged that his love interest, Kyrie, had been endangered by the half-demon’s actions. Nero kept Dante busy while Credo, the Holy Knights’ leader, went to get reinforcements. He managed to impale the half-demon on a statue with Rebellion, but Dante pulled himself free and revealed that the slain knights were demons, before leaving. Credo sent Nero to track the half-demon down and caught up him with at the entrance of Mitis Forest. Dante got away again by jumping off a cliff, but he and Nero confronted each other again in the Orders’ headquarters. However Nero didn’t want to capture the half-demon anymore due to his having been betrayed by the Order earlier. Dante challenged him for possession of the sword, Yamato, which Nero had. In their battle, Nero managed to get the upper hand but Dante just pushed him off, causing him to realize that the half-demon had just been playing with him all along. Dante explained that Yamato was the key to the demon world, but let Nero keep using it since he needed the sword to rescue Kyrie. However Nero was absorbed by the partially awakened Savior, under the control of the demonically revived Sanctus. Credo attempted to stop the vicar of Sparda, only to be mortally wounded while Agnus took Yamato to open the true Hell Gate. With his last breath, Credo begged Dante and Trish to save Nero and Kyrie, so the half-demon went to stop Sanctus while Trish went to escort the citizens to safety. Along the way, Dante slew the demons, Echidna, Dagon, and Berial, then destroyed the lesser Hell Gates, at the same time taking the Devil Arms powering them. The half-demon then found his way to the Opera House, where it all began, and fought and killed Agnus. Dante took Yamato and closed the true Hell Gate, getting Sanctus’ attention. He attempted to kill the half-demon with the Savior, but he managed to weaken it enough to drive Yamato into its body, returning it to Nero and reawakening him. Dante continued to hold the Savior’s attention until Nero killed Sanctus and broke free of the Savior’s body, with Kyrie and the Sparda. However the Savior wasn’t done yet, merging with Sanctus’ remains to become the False Savior, a far weaker version. Nero handed Dante the Sparda and finished off the Savior, crushing its head with his Devil Bringer. With the battle over, Nero thanked Dante and attempted to hand Yamato over to him, but he told Nero to keep it and left without a word, after Nero asked him if they’d meet again. After the half-demon returned to his shop with Trish, Lady thanked them for their help and handed them a suitcase containing their payment. However it only contained a few notes and when Trish tried to protest, Lady pointed out it was her fault things got out of hand. Dante broke up the fight, saying that they took what they could get, when the phone suddenly rang. Trish informed the half-demon that it was a customer in the vicinity, who knew the password. Lady offered to come with them and she, Trish, and Dante headed out.

Devil May Cry 2
Dante met a mysterious devil hunter, Lucia, who he aided in taking on Arius, a businessman who wanted to claim the power of the demon, Argosax. He met her mother, Matier, who told Dante that if he would help, then she would tell him a story about his father. The half-demon managed to gather all of the Arcana, the items needed to grant Arius Argosax’s power. Dante succeeded in getting them all, but Lucia went to confront Arius on her own, after learning that she was an artificial demon he had created. Dante brought the Arcana to Arius’ headquarters and traded them for Lucia, then took on the businessman. However he forced the half-demon to decide between defeating him or saving Lucia. Dante went to take Arius on again in the middle of his ritual to gain Argosax’s power and defeated him. However the ritual managed to open a portal to the demon world, which either Dante or Lucia had to enter to stop Argosax from escaping. The half-demon flipped a coin, which he’d been using to decide whether or not he would help Lucia and Matier, and it came up heads, meaning he was going to go. Dante then flipped the coin to Lucia, which she realized was heads on both sides, meaning the half-demon had been helping them not just out of luck, and went inside the portal, where he faced off against Argosax. However Dante had no way back and headed deeper into the demon world on a motorcycle. Later Lucia was sitting in Devil May Cry, when she heard a motorcycle pulling up outside and rushed out to see who it was. It was believed it was Dante, but this is not confirmed.

Powers
Dante possesses superhuman strength enough to punch through stone with little effort and overpower demons much larger than him. His speed is so great that he can move faster than the eye can see and his agility is at a superhuman level, allowing him to perform feats such as jumping great heights and balancing on a moving rocket. Dante can channel his demon powers into objects, such as his guns or even the air itself. He can instantly heal from almost any wound, surviving being stabbed throughout most of his body by the scythes of a group of Hell Prides. Other examples include when he is impaled by his sword and when Lady shot him point-blank in the head, which mildly irritated him. Dante’s half-demon nature allows him to release his demonic powers fully through his Devil Trigger, which increases his speed, grants him regeneration, and grants him new abilities, usually flying. In the first and third games, the appearance of this form differed depending on what Devil-Arm Dante had equipped, but in the second and third games, he had a single form, which is believed to be his true demon form. The half-demon has also used a number of demon fighting styles. These include the Swordmaster Style, emphasizing mastery of Devil-Arms and their elemental powers, Trickster, which focuses on quick dodging and maneuvers, Gunslinger, which emphasizes mastery of firearms and their techniques, Royalguard, which focuses on blocking and countering enemy attacks, Doppelganger, which creates a dark clone of Dante that aids him in battle, and Quicksilver, which slows down time around the half-demon while allowing him to move at ultra fast speeds. It is believed that Dante’s power comes not just from his demonic blood, but due to his will to protect other people. He implies when he is speaking with Agnus that the reason Agnus lost was because he gave up his humanity. This may mean demons can reach their full potential by having the ability to love and care for another, but this may only be for Dante, Vergil, and Nero due to being part human as well as part demon. Dante has proven capable with a large variety of weapons, which he has gathered throughout the games. His primary weapon are his broadsword Devil-Arm, Rebellion, and two handguns, Ebony & Ivory. In the first game, Rebellion was replaced by the Force Edge and he has used numerous other fire-arms, including shotguns, Artemis, a gun that can fire energy based arrows, and a missile launcher.

Dante’s Devil Arms
This is a list of all the Devil Arms Dante has used. Devil Arms are powerful, demonic weapons that are a manifestation of a demon’s soul or power and can take the form of anything from swords to gauntlets to (in one rare case) a briefcase.


 * Alastor – A sword that grants the wielder great speed, aerial combat skills, and lightning powers. In his Devil Trigger form, he can fire lightning blasts and fly.


 * Ifrit – A pair of gauntlets that can charge the possessor’s strikes with fire and even send out fire blasts.


 * Cerberus – A triple nunchaku that grants the wielder a technique icy cool to the core and stretch to great lengths. It allows the user to use ice powers, such as sending out a path of icicles.


 * Agni & Rudra – A pair of scimitars that grant the technique of gales and flames, possessing fire and wind based powers. They can be combined to send out a combination of fire and tornado like gusts and can also talk, though Dante took them on the condition they wouldn’t.


 * Nevan – A guitar capable of changing into a scythe using a technique charged from the heavens. It generates hordes of bats and blasts of lighting when Dante plays on it. The Devil Trigger form allows Dante to fly and fire lightning blasts, similar to Alastor.


 * Beowulf – A set of claw-like gauntlets and greaves with a technique blessed with the sacred light. It boosts the wielders abilities for close combat and can use chargeable light based attacks.


 * Gilgamesh – A set of gauntlets, greaves, masks, and back armor that are made of a demon metal that absorbs organic material and transform it into steel. Its attacks can be empowered by thrusters on the gauntlets and greaves.


 * Pandora – A demonic briefcase that can transform into 666 calamitous devices. These forms include a bazooka, a gatling gun, and a mobile missile battery. It can also be opened to unleash a wave of dark energy.

Trivia

 * One recurring event in the games (except for Devil May Cry 2) is that Dante is stabbed through the chest by his own sword.


 * His voice actor, Reuben Langdon, also voiced Ken from the popular Street Fighter series, and did the motion capture work for Chris Redfield from the Resident Evil games, both also made by Capcom.


 * Dante appears to have skill with rock instruments, since he demonstrated the ability to play an intense solo from “Taste the Blood” on Nevan and has a set of drums and a guitar in his office.


 * Recently in an interview, Dante’s creator, Hideki Kamiya, was asked who would win a battle between Dante and Bayonetta, another character he created due to the similarities between them. He said that “No man can overwhelm Bayonetta”.


 * Dante is often compared to Ragna the Bloodedge, a main protagonist of the fighting game series, Blazblue, due to their similar appearances, personalities, and abilities.


 * In an episode of the animated series, Dante racks the slide on his gun the same way Alucard cocks his gun in the first episode of the anime, Hellsing, using his teeth.