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| “ | Two millenniums ago, there was a war. Between the human world and the other... the Underworld. But somebody from the Underworld woke up to justice, and stood up against this legion, alone. His name was Sparda. Later, he quietly reigned the human world, and continued to preserve harmony, until his death. He became a legend. The Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda. | „ |
| ~ The story of Sparda, as told by the narrator in Devil May Cry (2001). |
Sparda, also known as the Legendary Dark Knight, is the overarching protagonist of the Devil May Cry franchise. He is the father of Dante and Vergil, and the grandfather of Nero. He was a mighty demon under the command of Mundus, until he rebelled against the forces of Hell in favor of fighting for humanity.
Quick Answers
What led to Sparda's rebellion against Mundus in Devil May Cry?
How does Sparda's legacy impact his sons Dante and Vergil in the DMC series?
What is the significance of Sparda's title as the 'Legendary Dark Knight'?
How does Sparda's power compare to other demons in the Devil May Cry franchise?
Who is Sparda's grandson, Nero, in the Devil May Cry series?
History[]
Sparda was an extremely powerful demon, and was once one of Mundus most loyal generals. At some point, Sparda grew disillusioned with his master's tyranny and cruelty, and rebelled against him, fighting for humanity. Sparda managed to defeat the hosts of Hell and even Mundus himself, whom he sealed in a marble vault. Sparda proceeded to seal off the ways between the demon and human worlds, spending the vast majority of his demonic powers in the process.
Sparda's activities after his rebellion are shrouded in mystery, though it is known that he ruled over humanity for some time before mysteriously vanishing. He would reemerge in the twentieth century, falling in love with a human woman named Eva, who bore him twin sons; Dante and Vergil.
Devil May Cry 3[]
Under the guidance of the human-turned-demon Arkham, Vergil sought to open the Temen-ni-gru, the pathway to hell that Sparda had sealed off, in order to claim Sparda's power. Dante sought to stop him, and both of them were manipulated by Arkham, who managed to claim the power for himself. Arkham was unable to contain Sparda's powers however, devolving into a mass of demonic ectoplasm, and was killed by Vergil and Dante. The two fought a final duel, with Dante winning. Dante returns to the human world, sealing away Temen-ni-gru, while Vergil refuses to go with his brother and falls deeper into the netherworld, encountering and fighting Mundus himself.
Devil May Cry[]
Mundus re-emerges, having enslaved Vergil. Dante fights to stop Mundus, and eventually unlocks the true power of Sparda's sword; the Force Edge, unlocking Sparda's power.
Devil May Cry: The Animated Series[]
Sparda's legacy in the human world lives on, with a statue of him present in the park of the town where Dante lives. It is revealed that Sparda had two apprentices, twin brothers Baul and Modeus.
Devil May Cry 2[]
During his first meeting with Matier, Dante learns that Sparda once fought alongside the Vie de Maril clan. Dante mentions that Sparda once crossed in to the Demon world and returned, even after sealing it off.
Devil May Cry 4[]
The Order of the Sword, a group of demon hunters who worship Sparda as a god, begin a plot to harness demonic power for their own purposes. One of the members; Nero, is a blood descendant of Sparda, Confirmed in Devil May Cry 5 to be the son of Vergil, making him Sparda's grandson.
Appearance and Personality[]
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Sparda's Human Form
In his human form, Sparda was tall, handsome and blue-eyed, with a young face and slicked-back white hair. He's known to have worn a purple Victorian suit with a white cravat, a monocle over his left eye, and the Perfect Amulet (used to seal the Temen-ni-gru) around his neck.
His true demonic form is slightly insectoid, and slightly larger than an average human. He has clawed hands, an scaly hide, two downward facing ram horns, chiropteran wings hiding beetle-like wings underneath, hooves, and reptilian spines protruding from his back. His hands, arms, chest, shoulders and back were marked by golden veins, he had a red diamond eye-shaped gem on his forehead, skull-shaped golden knees, and elbow guards with small horns. His eyes were slit-like, glowed red, and did not have pupils. He is often shown wreathed in fire, though whether he was impervious to it, or summoned it, is unknown.
Not much is known about Sparda as a person. He was said to have shared Dante's rebelliousness and Vergil's level-headedness. He was honorable and very wise. He was revered and respected by many other demons for his heroism while serving Mundus, and consequently reviled as a traitor after his rebellion. Human legends speak of his courage, righteousness and justness. Sparda's human wife Eva described him as a noble fighter with courage and a righteous heart. The teachings of the Order of the Sword claim that Sparda's emotions and love was the source of his great strength.
Legacy[]
Sparda would pass down two of his swords to his sons. Dante was given the two-handed great sword Rebellion and Vergil was given the katana Yamato, as well as his demonic power. The two brothers would become divided over their attitude to their legacy, with Dante rejecting his demonic half and Sparda himself, and Vergil embracing his demonic half, seeking to emulate Sparda and acquire even greater power. The two sons also received one half of the amulet Sparda used to seal off the demon world each.
Powers and Abilities[]
- Supernatural Powers: As an Ascended Demon who was able to challenge the Demon King Mundus, the true extent of Sparda's powers remain unknown. Only legends do speak of Sparda having surpassed the opera held by the greatest demonic being of the time; Mundus, the "Prince of Darkness" and the combined forces of his demonic armies. Sparda's powers have a fiery aspect, and his true form is partially corporeal and partially smoke and shadow. Most claim that Sparda's powers were akin to divinity, and that he only unlocked the full extent of his powers by embracing humanity. Nero even went on to explain that the power of Sparda only gifts the weirder with extreme levels of power off they posses the capacity to love and show mercy, something that would explain why the multitude of demons and evil humans who have tried to harness his power for their own have been unable to use it to its full extent. While most of his powers are just legend, some of his powers are shown in Modern Times, such as;
- Immortality: Sparda had defeated Mundus over 2000 years ago prior to fathering Dante and Vergil during Modern Times. This indicates, that despite missing a lion's share of his true power, Sparda is still immortal and has not aged in the human world, long after the day he had defeated Mundus.
- Shapeshifting: Sparda has some shapeshifting abilities, since he was able to alter his true demonic form and taken on the form of a human male to live in the human world after his rebellion.
- Near Omnipotence (formerly): It was believed that that while Sparda was already an immensely powerful demonic swordsman, but since his disillusionment with Mundus and his rebellion against him, his powers had grown to have surpassed the near omnipotent Demon King himself. Sparda eventually lost his near omnipotence when he sealed a lion's share of his powers into three swords.
- Demonic Magic: Sparda was able to create powerful supernatural seals to lock away the Underworld's access to the human world. Since he could not kill Mundus due to the latter's immense power, he was forced to seal away the Demon king instead.
- Demonic Artifact Creation: After realizing his power had grown too much he decided to remove a massive share of his powers and forge them into three separate demonic swords. These Swords are;
- The Sparda, which contains the largest share of his powers and is his namesake.
- The Rebellion, which contains a share of his powers and symbolizes retaliation.
- The Yamato, which contains a share of his powers and symbolizes a god of death.
- Supreme Combatant: The stories of Sparda suggest that Sparda was a very accomplished swordsman, and is known to have wielded two swords; the two-handed great sword Force Edge and the katana Yamato. Sparda also possessed a sword called Rebellion, which he passed down to his son. He had passed on the katana Yamato to his other son, Vergil.
- Superior Weapons User: It has been mentioned that he was also a competent shooter and highly capable with weapons technology developed by mankind, using two pistols Luce and Ombra, which he hand-crafted himself. After losing the lion share of his demonic abilities when he had sealed off the Hellgate, he would wear a suit of armor fashioned in the likeness of his demonic form into battle.
- Indomitable Willpower: The stories suggest that despite standing alone against the vast demonic armies and even Mundus, a near-omnipotent demon himself, Sparda did not give up and fought on until slaughtering all of Mundus' armies and sealed off Mundus in the Underworld.
- Charismatic Leadership: It was noted by Nevan and Matier that Sparda was much more handsome, charismatic and levelheaded that both his sons were.
Gallery[]
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