DmC - Dante

With the phenomenal success of video game Devil May Cry 4, the white-haired demon hunter Dante was in more demand than ever. However, parent company Capcom and Ninja Theory felt the original Dante’s trademark attitude had grown stale. So they went back to the drawing board and came up with an even more extreme game: DmC: Devil May Cry. Does DmC Dante live up to the game’s hype? Read on.

The original Dante was known for his trademark cockiness, his love of dangerous stunts, and the unflappable attitude that led him to mouth off to any monster no matter how large (and they can get really, really large). DmC Dante traded his counterpart’s white hair for a side-shaved, black mohawk, but he’s no less awesome. Everything the classic Dante was, DmC Dante cranks those traits to 11 and doesn’t let go.

DmC Dante’s extremist attitude is directly related his horrible childhood. After his mother Eva was murdered, his father Sparda wiped his memory and placed Dante in an orphanage. What Sparda didn’t realize was the orphanage (and the resulting chain of places Dante was kicked out of) was run by the very demons Sparda tried to shield his son from. From that day forth, DmC Dante’s life was a constant stand to survive.

In fact, the constant abuse is a major influence of DmC Dante’s personality. Since he’s had demons breathing on his neck his entire life, Dante came to the conclusion that each day might be his last. It’s the typical scenario for terminal patients: if you knew today was your last day on the planet, what would you do?

Dante’s answer: If it’s his last day, then there are no consequences. If there are no consequences, then nothing is off-limits. Hence the drinking and the fornicating and the suicidal fights.

This “last day” mindset also shapes his relationship with the demons who secretly rule the world. With his supernatural powers (thanks to demon father Sparda and angel mother Eva) he could easily bring down Demon King Mundas’ empire.

But Dante’s not a hero. He doesn’t have the time to think in the long-term. Dante’s there for the shock value. Anything he can do to mess with the demons’ heads, Dante will do it. He’s the man versus the mountain, and he gives the mountain the finger while he’s at it.

So clearly DmC Dante isn’t the first choice for being a hero. Yet little by little he changes (in large part because of Kat, his partner/love interest). The Grand Order he’s recruited into (led by his long-lost twin brother Vergil) starts to mean something to him. By the end of the game, he’s changed enough to realize that Vergil’s plan to rule the human populace is no different than Mundas’ empire.

In the face of that final hypocrisy, he actually states that “the world is under my protection now.” At the game’s start, Dante wouldn’t even give a second thought for humanity’s safety. And yet...here we are.

Dante’s unflappable attitude and constant trash-talking are the core of who he is. But after four games, Capcom feared those traits were being neglected.

So they took everything that made the classic Dante a badass and took it to an even higher extreme. The result is a Dante with no boundaries. If each day could be his last, then Dante’s determined to live it in the most debauchery way. It’s just who he is.