This respect thread is dedicated to handsome whitehaired devil hunter with hot demonic blood running through his veins. An expert fighter, swordmaster and gunslinger, the legitimate heir of power of the strongest demonic warrior, who has surpassed his legendary father, becoming thr strongest demon of the universe Dante is driven by revenge.
Demons have killed his mother and separated him from his twin brother, so he decides to kill all the demons so eventually he'll take his revenge on those who's responsible for killing his family.
His mastery with weapons (most part of his arsenal are hell-forged weaponry with supernatural mystical powers, so called Devil Arms) seems supernatural itself, but he has wast number of superhuman powers to add in there. Even in human form he demonstrates incredible healing factor (Wolverine turns green with envy and Hulk doesn't turn green just because as he's already green), superhuman speed (both in terms of movement and reaction speed) and agility, as well as a degree of superhuman strength. While awakening his demonic powers (Devil triggering) he gets access to even more powers- his whole body changes, turning him into powerful winged demon who is able to channel mystical powers of his Devil Arms into himself, becoming thr demonic embodiment of certain elemental powers.
According to chronology, the earliest depiction of Dante is DMC3 version which presents us 19years old Dante.
In that game you have 6 styles to use: 4 basic (Swordsmaster, Gunslinger, Royal Guard and Trickster) and 2 unlockable (Quicksilver & Doppelganger).
Trickster
Focuses on dodging and agility. The techniques are best used both for evasion and for closing in on faraway enemies.
* Dash - A quick dash in any direction. At higher Trickster levels, this can be done up to three times in a row.
* Wall Hike - Run up or across a wall, then kick off.
* Sky Star - A mid-air dash.
* Air Trick - Disappear and reappear above an enemy's head, ready to strike.
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Comments on the style: This style shows us Dante's ability of combat telepotration, as well as superhuman speed during all the moves, especially Sky Star when you move at speed close to supersonic if not supersonic.
Swordmaster
Focuses on techniques for the Devil Arms.
* Rebellion Abilities
o Prop Shredder - Spins the sword, repeatedly striking whatever's in front of Dante.
o Aerial Rave - Slashes an enemy in mid-air up to four times, during a jump.
o Sword Pierce - Throws the sword at an enemy; without the sword, Dante fights hand-to-hand.
o Dance Macabre - Unleash a massive number of slashes at breakneck speeds.
o Crazy Dance - Stick your sword into the ground during Dance Macabre and spin around it, kicking all enemies near you.
* Cerberus Abilities
o Flicker - Whirl the flail around, hitting enemies in the immediate vicinity. Can be used in mid-air.
o Crystal - Thrust the flail into the ground to create huge ice pillars.
o Million Carats - Thrust the flail into the ground to create a huge ice glacier surrounding Dante.
o Ice Age - Encases Dante in a thick shield of ice, protecting him from all attacks.
* Agni & Rudra Abilities
o Crossed Swords - Destroy enemies with an X-style sword slash.
o Sky Dance - Swing both swords in mid air, then descend to the ground, spinning like a saw blade.
o Crawler - Plunge your swords into the ground, unleashing a carpet of flame in the enemy's direction.
o Twister - Spin your swords to create a vortex of fire and wind.
o Tempest - Generate a flame vortex that burns everything in its path.
* Nevan Abilities
o Slash - Attack enemies with the bladed section of your guitar.
o Air Slash - Attack enemies with your guitar's blade while in mid-air.
o Feedback - Whirl your guitar around your body, hitting nearby enemies.
o Crazy Roll - Generate electricity while slashing enemies with your guitar.
o Distortion - Attack enemies with a barrage of bats and blasts of lightning.
* Beowulf Abilities
o Zodiac - Emit a charged ball of energy from your fingertips.
o The Hammer - While in mid-air, smash your enemies to the ground.
o Volcano - Slam the ground with your fist to create a small super-nova.
o Real Impact - A highly focused, incredibly powerful uppercut that obliterates enemies.
o Tornado - Knock the enemy into the air, then follow them, kicking hundreds of times at lightning speeds.
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Comments on the style: there's also basic properties of each Devil Arm.
Rebellion --> Sword,memento from Sparda. Its true power is awakened when he tastes Dante's blood in hands of Vergil and becomes true Devil Arm, allowing Dante to Devil Trigger for the first time.
Cerberus --> Those senchacku (three-headed) nunchacky are demonic embodiment of ice, allowing Dante to channel the elemental power of ice when using them.
Agni and Rudra --> Dual scimitars which are demonic embodiments of fire (Agni) and wind (Rudra). Dante can channel the power of those elements into himself when using them.
Nevan --> Soul of the vampire goddess Nevan in form of electric guitar/axe. Allows to summon hordes of electrified bats as well as electricity waves. Devil triggering with that (just like with other electricity-based weapons) grants Dante ability to fly on high speeds (Air Raid, Vortex as theexample of speed) and shoot bolts of mystical lightning at his enemies.
Beowulf--> Gauntlets and greaves hosting the soul of superstrong demon Beowulf, who had light-related powers as well. Gives extra force and speed to all Dante's hand to hand attacks.
Gunslinger
Focuses on techniques for firearms.
* Ebony & Ivory Abilities
o Twosome Time - Fires pistols in two different directions.
o Wild Stomp - Fires pistols at a downed enemy, then kicks it away.
o Rain Storm - Jumps into the air, blasting pistols down in circular motion, knocking down all enemies.
o Charge Shot - Charges weapon, then fires off a magically imbued burst.
o Rapid Shot - Quickly clicks off a large number of shots in a short period of time.
* Shotgun Abilities
o Fireworks - Swings the shotgun around like nunchaku, firing in different directions.
o Charge Shot - Charges weapon, then fires off a magically imbued burst.
o Rapid Shot - Quickly click off a large number of shots in a short period of time.
o Gun Stinger - Rams the shotgun into an enemy and fires a concentrated burst of buckshot.
o Point Blank - Fires the shotgun while standing right next to the enemy, doing massive damage.
* Artemis Abilities
o Multi-lock - Locks on to a single enemy and fires several lasers at them.
o Sphere - Fires a giant orb of laser energy.
o Acid Rain - Shoots multiple laser beams into the air which come raining down on enemies.
* Spiral Abilities
o Trick Shot - Ricochets bullets off walls to hit multiple enemies.
o Sniper - Targets an enemy's weak point and fires a high-damage shot.
o Reflector - Fires a bullet that ricochets off nearby surfaces, then hits the enemy for massive damage.
* Kalina Ann Abilities
o Hysteric - Fires a barrage of mini-missiles at the enemy.
o Grapple - Fires the bayonet at an enemy, impaling them, then pulls them towards you.
+ N.B.: By using Hysteric immediately after Grapple, the enemy drawn close will be stabbed by Kalina Ann's bayonet.
Royal Guard
Focuses on absorbing enemy strikes and projecting the energy back. If properly used, it can redirect even environmental damage (spikes, electrified floor, Beowulf's thunderclapping attacks), making Dante nearly invulnerable. Ultimate move allows him to create a forcefield around himself allowing him to convert enemy's attack into extra energy.
* Block & Charge - Block enemy attacks, building up anger and adrenaline.
* Just Guard - By blocking at the precise instant just before an enemy's attack hits, Dante suffers no damage and gains more rage for release.
* Release - Release pent-up anger charged from blocked enemy attacks, dealing great damage.
* Just Release - By releasing at the precise instant just before an enemy's attack hits, Dante executes a counter attack that deals approximately three times more damage than a normal release.
* Air Block - Block in mid-air.
* Air Release - Release in mid-air.
* Ultimate - Block enemy attacks and convert the energy into health for yourself.
Doppelganger
Allows Dante to utilize a shadow to double attacks.
* After image - Spawns a second shadow version of Dante who will mimic your attacks as you perform them, and can be set to attack simultaneously, or with a delay of half a second or one second. Like Quicksilver, this drains Devil Trigger energy at a slow rate. When active, this also allows a second player to control the shadow version of Dante for as long as the effect lasts, if desired. Inserting a second controller and pressing Start will enable two-player mode.
* This is the same with Quicksilver's Time Lag. Super Legendary Dark Knight makes the effects last forever.
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Comments on the style: Doppelganger shadow double is invulnerable to any attacks.
Quicksilver:
Ability to stop time (though in gameplay it's shown as true timestor only in cutscene, while in gameplay Time Lag is just slowing down enemies to 1\10 of their speed while Dante moves on his normal speed).
Consumes Devil Trigger which can be negated with Super Legendary Dark Knight (costume which gives Dante high demonic aura from DMC1 (that aura is part of DMC canon)).
Most of Dante’s powers are not fully explored in the games, and the true extent of each power is generally unknown. Dante is naturally gifted with superhuman strength and speed, and he has incredible endurance stemming from his uncanny regeneration ability. Dante's wounds heal almost instantly. In fact, his flesh begins to seal as soon as it is cleaved, making it nearly impossible to dismember him. He has demonstrated this ability on several occasions. For example, when his hand had been pierced by a sword, Dante was able to pull and twist his hand around until he was holding the sword's blade, without losing any fingers. Dante's brother Vergil, who possesses the same ability, was clearly sliced in half in their final battle, and yet managed to remain whole. Dante has survived gunshots to the head and stomach, multiple stab wounds from scythe blades, being smashed into the ground by a heavy demon, being impaled by a sword (on more than one occasion), and various other acts of grievous bodily harm that would have been fatal to a human. However, Dante's ability to regenerate does not mean that he is totally invincible. He can be worn down by continuous attacks, and when he is tired and/or consistently/badly wounded, his ability to regenerate slows down significantly, leaving him easily susceptible to damage (for example, after his lengthy, tiring battle with Vergil, a single stab wound was enough to floor him). If he is exhausted and beaten, Dante can be killed by virtually anything that is fatal to a normal human.
In addition to his natural abilities, Dante has a plethora of combat skills and techniques; so many in fact that in DMC3 his move list had to be divided into specific "styles" due to RAM issues and the difficulty of putting everything into a single controller (could also be a representation of Dante still learning and developing his various skills). He is apparently an accomplished martial artist, as he shows several impressive hand-to-hand attacks during the opening cutscene that can be attributed to various fighting styles. His great, sometimes excessive acrobatic abilities and Trickster style could be a form of ninjutsu. His Royal Guard stance and the philosophy behind it (redirection of energy, using the enemy's attacks against them) is likely a demonic adaptation of the Aikido style of martial arts. Most significantly, when fighting with Beowulf's Gauntlets and Greaves, Dante's stance and techniques seem to be a personalized Jeet Kune Do fighting system, with influences from western boxing in the straight punches and uppercuts, while the ax and side kicks appear to be Taekwondo. Vergil uses an identical stance and shares some of Dante's moves when equipping Beowulf, and seems eager to fight Dante with the gauntlets only a few minutes after acquiring them; thus, one can hypothesize that if Dante was taught Jeet Kune Do, it was done so alongside his older brother, who modified his own style with a emphasis on aerial kicks rather than Dante's preference for punches.
Aside from hand to hand combat, Dante is incredibly skilled with a variety of melee weapons such as the broadsword, katana, nunchaku, and dual scimitars, among many others. It is unknown if Dante actually received traditional training on these weapons, in which case his superhuman abilities and natural knack for battle would have allowed him to master each one at a much faster rate than normal; or if his demon lineage can somehow allow Dante to instantly master any weapon he comes across and use it to its full extent with no prior experience. Either way, Dante does indeed have a very unique and adaptive fighting style, and he often makes use of his powers and skills in very inventive ways. This is evident in DMC3, were he seemed to enjoy playing around with his abilities, and using them in totally over the top, sometimes even silly, ways. The special moves associated with each weapon, however, are not Dante's, but that of his equipment. Dante uses “devil arms”, weapons that either were once demons themselves, are charged with demonic powers, or contain a demon. Dante had to earn these, either by defeating the demon, or enduring a test, as generally in order to use a devil arm, you must first prove yourself worthy to the demonic presence in the weapon. Dante's demonic blood means that he can not only wield these weapons, but he can also access and channel their powers. When using them, he can be granted a selection of new skills.
Unlike his more traditionalist brother Vergil, Dante has a distinct affinity for firearms, particularly those with a high rate of fire or a satisfyingly loud report (he has used a sawed-off shotgun, a rocket propelled grenade, and an anti-tank rifle, etc.). In fact, the only weapons he has been seen to use in all his game appearances are his handguns Ebony and Ivory. Dante never appears in gameplay or cutscenes to need to reload any firearm he uses. It's explained by theory that Dante creates ammo for his weaponry from his own demonic energy, which allows him to regulate power of shots and fire shots as strong as he wishes- from shots that give bursts of speed to his sword or snooker balls to basically energy beams used during famous Jackpot move when he channles all his demonic energy in his guns.
Dante's charging ability can be used not only on guns/swords. In anime Dante charges his bike with demonic energy, giving it an extra burst of speed.
Dante's signature power is, most likely, his ability to assume a demonic form (called a "devil trigger," or DT). When Dante activates his Devil Trigger, he is considerably more powerful. He is stronger and faster, takes much less damage, and even recovers lost health. Dante usually requires a devil arm to DT, channeling the demonic essence in the weapon through him using his demonic blood. This means that depending on the weapon he is using, the DT will look different, and have different powers, reflective of the devil arm itself (Devil triggering with electricity-based weapons, for example, gives him ability to fly and fire lightning bolts at his opponents). However by DMC2, Dante has obtained a "universal" DT, and can access it without the use of devil arms. This has yet to be fully explained, although it could be assumed that this form is Dante's own DT, since it does not depend on outside influence such as a devil arm (although its abilities can be enhanced and/or altered with magical amulets). Dante can only stay in this form for a short time, as it costs him considerable demonic power, and is rather draining. Also in DMC2, Dante has what appears to be a "desperation devil trigger". When his health is dangerously low, Dante is able to assume a new demon form which closely resembles that of his father Sparda (high demonic form or Sparda/Super Sparda form). This form is ridiculously powerful, but extremely short-lived. When Dante's DT gauge empties, he returns to normal. Dante demonstrated the ability to assume this form in the final battle of DMC1 (although at that time he required the aid of the Sparda sword) as well.
From descriptions (though I'm going to return to them when I'll write detailed description of Dante's arsenal) to feats.
An opening cutscene from DMC3, where a bunch of unfortunate demons breaks into Dante's office to meet their death. Dante shows his fighting skills and great abilty to improvise, as well as incredible healing factor (wounds heal almost instantly, and that's just young 19years old Dante who hasn't even awakened his demonic side) and high perfect aim with interesting ricochet stuff releted to snooker ball- that's not showing of "weak shots" by the way, since Dante a)is able to regulate power of his shots; b)shots the ball from close distance.
Anime version is one huge disappointment. No devil arms, demonic form is only shown for a couple of minutes in the last episode. The only good stuff is a little more spotlight on his charging abilities (speeding up the bike in episode 2).
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Some more DMC3 stuff.
Dante's first fight with Vergil on top on Temen-Ni-Gri tower where Vergil (a halfdemon himself and a little better swordsman than his brother (though when Dante gets serious and fights with determination to win, Vergil eventually loses) seriously wounds Dante, thus awakening his demonic power. The brothers literally play tennis with bullets (bullets get deflected\cut in midair), as well as fight so fast that they slash raindrops around them.
After that fight Dante desides to pursuit his bro. First he destroys a column with a Kenshiro-style punch ,making it explode from inside (though he uses his demonic energy instead of regular chi), then he runs down the wall demonstrating great agility, skills, smart fighting, as well as his best running feat in human form (runs faster than a speeding bullet in human form, probably at Max2-3 as air around him starts burning because of friction). In the end he almost flies... and gets swallowed by demonic flying whale Leviathan, so he has to travel through the behemoth's body from his stomach to his heart and kill him from inside.
Dante isn't just about fighting. He's an expert guitar player as well and pretty decent motorcycle rider (that trait of his got a spotlight in amine as well). Here Dante shows off with Nevan guitar (though the voice of singer doesn't match the voice of actor, but I forgive the creators of the game that little flaw).
I absolutely love tomato juice myself. By the way, that's what happens when you try to stand between Dante and his pizza. No impressive feats (just shows how quick Dante is as a gunfighter), but funny:
Quicksilver (notice how stones look suspended in the air, it's true timestop and in the gameplay it just slowing time for balance purpose so you still kill enemies and not statues)
Doppelganger (notice that Dante's invulnerable shadow double looks just like him)
He has, of course. But spoiled moment is priceless...and he definetely bought another one, his sence of taste and manners are good enough not to eat one in which stepped that demon
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Sep 16th, 2007 09:59 AM
