Dante

Origin

After his father disappeared, he was raised by his human mother Eva, along with his twin brother, Vergil. But tragedy would strike when he was 8 years old as his dear mother would be taken from him, what became of his brother is unknown. Dante became a mercenary for hire, specializing in paranormal cases. He also became known as a devil hunter, continuing the legacy his father started.

Dante is the son of the legendary dark knight Sparda, a demon who over 2000 years ago turned and rebelled against his own kind in order to protect the human world. Sparda defeated the prince of darkness Mundus, and sent him and his demon army back to the demon world. Sparda then closed the gate between the two worlds. After that the story of Dante’s father is unknown, for 2000 years the events of his life remains some what of a mystery. It has been said that he ruled over the humans but there has yet to be enough evidence to support this claim. Dante’s mother was called Eva, a woman who fell in love with the Sparda. Eventually giving birth to Dante and his older twin brother Vergil. Dante’s relationship with his father would be short lived, as Sparda disappeared and is believed to have died. After that Dante and Vergil both received a gift from there mother. Each gained half of Sparda’s amulet, the same one used to seal the gate between the human world, and the demon world. Sometime after that event, Dante and his family were attacked by a group of demons, implied to have been sent by Mundus, in retribution for his humiliating defeat at the hands of Sparda. Eva was killed during the attack and Vergil went missing.

Creation

Dante was created by Hideki Kamiya, a video game designer for Capcom and the original creator of the Devil May Cry series. The character was created to be as stylish as possible, in both his appearance and personality. Dressed in a long red coat to make him “showy”, Kamiya has described Dante as

“a character that you would want to go out drinking with”, someone who wasn’t a show-off but instead would “pull some ridiculous, mischievous joke” to endear audiences to him.

Dante is also a non-smoker as Kamiya see this as more cool.

Character Evolution

The Devil May Cry timeline is somewhat confusing and convoluted. The games have not been released in chronological order and are as followed.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening

This is the 3rd game released in the series, but is the first story in the Devil May Cry timeline. Released in 2005 for the Playstation 2, the game serves as an origin story of sorts, dealing with Dante’s relationship with his brother Vergil, who is attempting to awaken the Temen-Ni-Gru, a portal to the demon world.

Devil May Cry

The first game in the series, it was released in 2001 on the Playstation 2 and is the second story set within the Devil May Cry timeline. The game is centered on Dante being hired by a mysterious woman named Trish, to stop the return of the Demon lord Mundus, who was defeated many years ago by Dante’s father Sparda, and who is also responsible for the murder of Dante’s mother Eva.

Devil May Cry: The Animated Series

An anime series based on the video games. It was first released in Japan on June 14 2007 and consists of 12 episodes. Dante was voiced by Reuben Langdon, who also voiced the character in DMC3 and DMC4. The series maninly focuses on Dante’s personal life, his relationship with other characters, and dealing with various paranormal threats.

Devil May Cry 4

Dante comes to Fortuna City and attacks the Order of the Sword, a band of holy knights. This contradictory behavior brings him into conflict with Nero, a young member of the order whom acts as a secondary protagonist, and he learns why Dante is fighting them.

Devil May Cry 2

The second game released in the franchise, but is currently the last game in the DMC timeline. The game shows an older and more mature Dante, who loses his trade mark flippant attitude, and witty comebacks. In the game Dante teams up with Lucia, who’s mother once fought alongside Dante’s father, Sparda, against the demonic armies of Mundus. Dante and Lucia battle against an evil industrialist who has access to demonic power and seeks to raise the demon Argosax, in an attempt to control the world.

DmC

An off-shoot of the series which doesn’t relate to Devil May Cry 1-4. In this re-imagining of the game, Dante is a young man that’s half-demon and half-angel whom has not yet come to fully explore his powers. He lives in Limbo City and the world is being secretly influenced by demons, he has detached himself from society and hunts those demons.

Major Story Arcs

Manga

The Devil May Cry Manga takes place roughly one year before the events of the Devil May Cry 3 video game, it detail’s the events leading up to that game, such as what Dante was doing after the death of his mother, how the feud between him and Vergil started and How Vergil came to form an alliance with the mysterious Arkham. It is also the first time when Dante’s demonic power began awakening. The Manga is split up into three parts.

Although only two have been released. The first part is called Code 1: Dante. The Manga opens with a man called Enzo, who is responsible for finding Dante work. Dante is offered $4,000,000 by Enzo to save a girl called . Not interested, Dante tells Enzo to leave but later on goes to look for him, to accept the job. Dante manages to find Enzo inside a brothel, just in time to save him from a demon attack. The chapter then skips to Vergil and Arkham before going back to Dante, who is standing outside what looks to be a deserted mansion. Dante enters the mansion through the second floor window, showing his incredible agility and balance. As he enters Dante finds the young sitting in a chair. As he goes to help reveals herself to be a demon and attacks Dante.

Dante kills the demon and determines that it was not the real . Dante then finds a picture of a young Mary, a woman who would play a big part in his future. Dante is then led to the true by a possessed doll named Rabi. As the bell tolls and team time s announced by Rabi. Dante meets a demon who resembles the mad hatter who says that is his and he will not give her back. The scene is like something from a horror version of in Wonderland. Dante then has brief talk with another demon whose head is resting on a platter. Dante proceeds to kill the demon. The mad hatter and Rabi tell Dante of Vergil’s return but when he shoots at them it is revealed to be an illusion. Dante then kills a cat like demon before Rabi reveals it was him who hired Dante to see the son of Sparda in action.

Dante then passes Vergil in the hall as he leaves but fails to notice his brother, until he disappears. Dante then is shown shooting at Enzo for spending his share of the money. After that the Manga shows Dante to be dreaming about the event where his mother was killed. Waking up Dante takes his equipment and leaves his office.

Chapter 2 is called Vergil and opens up with that character. Dante is not seen again until, volume 2 chapter 7, where he is shown taking out a group of demons with ease. Dante then visits a bar where the bartender tells Dante of the deaths that Vergil has been causing. Dante while eating a pizza is asked by Enzo t take on a job but he refuses and leaves. As Dante is heading home he yet again comes under attack but easily deals with the demons. As Dante is in his shop, with Lady hiding in the bathroom, he is attacked by Alice who steals his amulet and runs off.

Dante is next shown entering a church where he once again meets the mad hatter demon. After a brief conversation the floor gives way and crumbles. Dante falls to the basement where he is surrounded by blood and bones. Dante while in the basement meets one of the demon statues that attacks and seriously injures Dante. Dante escapes by awakening his demonic power for the first time, becoming faster and stronger. The mad hatter then tries to get Dante to give the demon a name but Dante is having none of it a pulls out his gun, but before any action can take place Vergil shows up. Vergil then gives the demon a name which is Sloth. The two brothers have a conversation, where ante believed his brother to be dead. Vergil shows Dante his half of the amulet which angers Dante to attack. Vergil easily takes care of his younger brother but returns the amulet saying he can take it at anytime he wants.

Temen-Ni-Gru

Dante had just opened his unnamed shop, when a visitor arrived. He introduced himself as Arkham, and says that he has an inivitation from Dante’s brother Vergil, which takes the form of a demon attack. Dante easily beats off the demons, and exits his shop. Suddenly, a massive tower sprouts from the ground, a hundred stories tall. Vergil is at the very top, and after another short battle, Dante goes off to the tower. Arriving, he defeats the massive gatekeeper, Cerberus, and claims his soul in the form of a new weapon. Dante is then attacked by a mysterious woman on a motorcycle, whom disappears inside the tower. Dante enters the massive tower, and runs into a being that looks and calls himself Jester. After several more battles, Dante finds himself at the top of the tower, which is called Temni-Gru. Dante battles Vergil, but is defeated by his brother. Vergil takes Dante’s half of the amulet there mother gave them. As a result of his defeat, Dante’s demon powers emerge, and he chases off after Vergil. Meanwhile, Vergil decides that he has no real use for Arkham anymore, and kills him. The mysterious woman shows up again, and it is revealed that Arkham was her father. She vows to kill Vergil. Dante catches up with Vergil in the tower’s control room, located in the basement. The two have another battle, and are evenly matched.

The woman appears again-who is now called Lady, as does Jester. Jester reveals that he is really Arkham, and that he was manipulating them all to reactivate the tower and open the demon world. He would then steal the Force-Edge, which holds Dante and Vergil’s father Sparda’s immense power in it. He defeats them all, reactivates the tower, and heads to the top. Vergil disappears in the confusion. Dante and Lady battle for the right to fight Arkham, and Dante wins. Arriving once more at the top, Dante battles with a super-powered Arkham, but cannot defeat him. Suddenly, Vergil reappears and the two brothers together defeat Arkham. Then they battle for a final time to the right of owning Force-Edge. Dante wins, and Vergil goes into the demon world with the rift between the two worlds closing behind him. Dante is affected by the loss of his brother. Lady catches him crying, but Dante says “It’s only the rain the rain”. To which Lady replies “The rain stopped a while ago” Dante: “Devil Never Cry”. Lady: “I see. Maybe somewhere out there even a devil may cry when he loses a loved one, don’t you think?”. This inspires Dante to name his shop, and the two go into a friendship and partnership in demon slaying.

Return Of Mundus

Later, Dante is attacked by a woman while in his shop. He brushes off her attack, and she introduces herself as Trish, and informs him that Mundus is returning. She leads him to a giant castle, and Trish disappears. Dante explores the castle, and battles several demons. Dante is suddenly attacked by a mysterious demon named Nelo Angelo. Dante is defeated, but flees when he sees the amulet that Dante is carrying around his neck. While exploring the castle further, the demon attacks again, and it is revealed that he is really Vergil. Dante defeats him, and takes Vergil’s half of the amulet and combines it with his half, forming the Sparda sword, the sword their father used. Dante meets Trish again, but she betrays him and reveals that she is really working for Mundus. However, when her life is in danger, Dante saves her, which he explains he did only because she looks like his mother. He warns her to stay away. Dante soons finds Mundus in the castle, who is about the kill Trish for her previous failure. Dante saves her again, and as a result, is severely weakened. Mundus is about to finish him off, but Trish takes the brunt of the attack instead. This act unleashes Dante’s full power, and he battles Mundus on the Plane Of Existence. Dante defeats him, and leaves his sword and amulet on Trish’s unconscious body before leaving. Mundus returns and corners Dante again, but now, not in the demon world anymore, Dante is at his regular power level. Trish likewise returns, and gives Dante her power. Dante defeats Mundus again, but he vows to return. Trish tries to apologize, but she begins to cry. Dante tells her that “Devils never cry…these tears, tears are a gift only a human can have”. The two form a partnership, and Dante renames his shop “Devils Never Cry”.

Heads Or Tails

Dante later is found entering a museum with a woman named Lucia. They are looking for an item called the “Medagalia”. The two battle demons in the museum, and afterwards, Lucia invites Dante to come with her to Dumary Island. He accepts, and she introduces him to Matier, who once fought alongside Dante’s father to defend the island. She asks Dante to help fight Arius, a businessman seeking to conquer the world through usage of dmonic power. Dante flips a coin, and when it lands on heads, he accepts. Dante leaves, and Lucia and Matier discuss the Arcana, which is the item needed for Arius to a powerful demon named Argosax. Later, Lucia confronts Arius, who tells her that he created her. When she tries to attack, he easily knocks her away. Dante meets up with Lucia, who gives him the Arcana before departing. Matier finds Dante, who he tries to give the Arcana to. She tells him to take the item and save Lucia who is fighting Arius. Dante flips the coin again, and it lands on heads, so he says yes. Lucia is defeated by Arius, who captures her. Dante arrives at the Uroboros Tower-which is Arius’s headquarters-, trades the Arcana for Lucia, and attacks Arius. He defeats him, but to escape, Arius forces Dante to choose to kill him or save Lucia. Dante saves Lucia, and Arius escapes. Dante leaves Lucia to think as he chases after Arius. Matier finds Lucia, and sets her mind at ease. They will find a way. Then she goes to join Dante in the battle against Arius. Dante interrupts Arius in the middle of his immortality inducing ritual. Despite the interruption, Arius completes it, and is turned immortal. Dante is unfazed by the ritual, and fights Arius, eventually finishing him with his pistols. While Lucia and him are leaving the tower, a massive stream of energy hits it and a portal to the demon world is opened. The two argue about who will fight Argosax, and Dante says that they will leave it up to chance. He flips the coin and it lands on heads once more, and Dante enters the demon world to go and battle Argosax, and he leaves the coin with Lucia. Lucia goes to battle Arius, who has risen anew with demonic power. Lucia battles him, and kills him, winning. Meanwhile, Dante battles to partially summoned Argosax and defeats him. Finding that the portal is closed behind him, he drives further into the demon world on his motorcycle. Matier comforts Lucia about Dante, saying that Sparda returned from a similar trip. Lucia examines the coin that Dante gave her, and finds that both sides had heads, to her surprise. Later in Dante’s shop, Lucia thinks about Dante. Suddenly, she hears a motorcycle stop in front of the shop, and goes to see if it is Dante.

Nero and the Order Of The Sword

Dante appears as a mystery man for the first part of the game as he attacks the Order of the Sword and fights with Nero. Dante leaves Nero and begins on his own way searching for his brother’s sword Yamato. Dante encounters and defeats Nero once again but lets him use the Yamato blade. Dante watches Nero get absorbed by the Savior and Credo getting slain by Sanctus. Dante honors Credo’s last wish to save his sister Kyrie and Nero. Dante travels the way back encountering the demons’ Nero faced killing them all and absorbing the Devil’s arms that powered the gates then destroying them. He encounters Agnus and kills him and finally reclaims Yamato. Dante sends Yamato into the Savior rescuing Nero. He faces off against the Savior while Nero defeats Sanctus and eventually the False Savior. Dante lets Nero keep the Yamato sword and leaves when Nero asked if they will meet again. Dante is later seen in his shop with Lady and Trish. Dante is offered a new job and all three head out to take it on.

DMC: Devil May Cry

In this universe Dante is a super powered being who has no memory of who he was, and the demons essentially control the world with Mundus on top. He than meets Kat, a Medium that warns him that the Hunter Demon has found him. It then drags him into Limbo and fights in the docks. After the fight Kat brings Dante to the secret HQ of the Order, a secret organization that fights against the demons. He then meets the Order’s leader, Vergil who reveals he is Dante’s brother and that both of them are the sons of the Demon Sparda and the Angel Eva. In this universe half Angels, half demons are known as Nephilim: the only thing in the universe that can kill the Demon King. Vergil sends Dante on missions to kill Mundus underlings such as the Succubus and Bob Barbas. However Mundus had known Dante for a long time, wanting to rip his heart like he did Eva and imprisoned Sparda. The Demon’s find the secret headquarters of the Order and attack. Dante is stuck in Limbo but helps either way, however Kat was captured while he and Vergil escaped.

In order to get Kat Dante kidnaps Mundus mistress, Lilith, and his offspring. However during the trade off Vergil kills Lilith and Mundus spawn. Doing this put Mundus in a fit of rage and gave Dante and Vergil a chance to infiltrate his tower. As Dante angers and takes on the Demon King Vergil cuts off his power by destroying the Hellgate. After an intense fight in the end both Dante and Vergil are victorious. However in the death of Mundus Vergil now has a chance to rule the Earth, to bring it back to glory. However Dante disagrees bringing the two to fight which ends with Dante winning and preparing to kill Vergil. But Kat pleads with him to let Vergil leave, which he does. Vergil leaves weaken and defeated, while Dante ponders who he is. Kat answers by saying he is Dante, nothing more and nothing else.

Powers and Abilities

Dante inherited much of his father’s incredible power. Dante possesses superhuman stats all across the board. Even in his young adult days, he was capable of smashing large chunks of stone with utter ease. As he grew older, his strength grew well beyond 100 tons. He was able to block a punch from the stone Savior as well as support the monstrous statue and toss it off himself without much effort. He is capable of moving so fast he appears to teleport and his reflexes enable him to dodge bullets from point blank after they have been fired. His attack speed is so great than when fighting his brother, they prevented pouring rain from touching the ground til they stopped moving. He has superhuman agility and his durability coupled with his healing factor make him extremely hard to kill. He has taken superhuman strength blows easily, bullets don’t penetrate his skeleton and he has survived and healing from being impaled through the chest multiple times. His accuracy is also top notch as he can line up multiple bullets from far away and he can fire multiple bullets as if they were being fired from an automatic weapon. He has superhuman Dante also possesses minor magic capabilities and is a skilled martial artist. Dante’s abilities are increased when he transforms into his demonic form. As Dante has gotten older, he can hold his demonic form for longer periods of time. It has been stated that his skill and power have surpassed even that of the Legendary Sparda himself.

Dante carries the sword his father left him, Rebellion. He also carries an amulet that his mother left him. These are keys that he used to used to obtain his father’s Sparda sword and power

To have devil blood flowing through one’s veins is to be blessed with heightened power, endurance and special abilities, the greatest of which being the Devil Trigger. Once enough damage has been taken from enemies, Dante can transform into a form hailing from his father’s side: The Devil Trigger. Characterized by a red aura surrounding him, the Trigger heightens Dante’s power even more as well as take on his true demonic form. It makes his senses more effective and his equipment can also gain special uses. Dante’s physical appearance in this form varies from game to game.

A few of Dante’s powers come from separate styles.

Quicksilver: Allows Dante to slow down time in an area to that of a crawl granting him the appearance of even greater speed.

Doppelganger: It allows Dante to form a shadow clone of himself. This shadow can use other weapons that Dante is equipped with.

Darkslayer: This style allows Dante to teleport in close distances. As well as wield his brother’s sword, Yamato.

Weapons

• Rebellion
• Ebony & Ivory
• Coyote-A
• Agni & Rudra
• Ifrit
• Gilgamesh
• Alastor
• Sword of Sparda
• Cerberus
• Nevan
• Beowulf
• Lucifer
• Kalina Ann (temporarily)
• Grenadegun
• Needlegun
• Missile Launcher
• Submachine guns
• Artemis
• Spiral
• Pandora
• Yamato (temporarily)

DMC: Devil May Cry Weapons

• Rebellion
• Arbiter
• Osiris
• Eryx
• Aquila
• Ebony & Ivory
• Revenant
• Kablooey
• Ophion (Hookshot)

Other Media

Trivia

• Dante is a big fan of pizza and strawberry sundaes.
• Dante doesn’t like olives. Despite him asking for them not to be on his pizza, they are always present.
• With the exception of Devil May Cry 2, Dante gets stabbed by his sword in every game: Trish pins him to the floor in Devil May Cry, Vergil stabs him with Rebellion in Devil May Cry 3, and Nero throws Rebellion at him in Devil May Cry 4.
• According to the anime, Dante is horribly in debt, since he owes the city money for property damage and he owes Lady a large amount of money.
• In modern world Dante is also know as Tony Redgraves.
• As shown in the Manga Dante loves Tomato juice

Video Game Appearances

Devil May Cry (first appearance)

Devil May Cry 2

Devil May Cry 3

Devil May Cry 4

DmC

Marvel Vs. Capcom 3 – Dante makes his fighting game intro in Marvel vs Capcom 3 using his Devil may Cry 3 Appearence and using a varierty of Devil Arms, guns, and his Devil Trigger. He was paired against Deadpool the Merc with the Mouth.

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

Viewtiful Joe (PS2 version)

Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble (PSP version)

Playstation All Stars Battle Royale (Reboot)

Project X Zone- Dante is a playable team character in the RPG game paired up with Demitri Maximoff a vampire and a noble demon from Darkstalkers series.

Cameos

Capcom Fighting Jam – Dante appear in Jedah Dohma‘s ending where Jedah has begun to unleash demons onto the world ( Q-Bee, Hauzer, etc) and during his victory laugh Dante appears to fight Jedah.

SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighter DS