Udayan Das is back on the blog
with a character sketch of Dante from the Devil May Cry series. He touches on
the games as well as the manga and anime in this article. Devil May Cry is a
series very close to my heart and it is something both Udayan and I are very
passionate about. I hope you will enjoy this writeup as much as Udayan enjoyed
writing it for you to read.
The Bilge Master
Under the Red Jacket
Game. Literally, an activity engaged in for pleasure or fun. Specifically, one that involves some kind of challenge, which is either successfully overcome, or not, determining victory or defeat. In today’s world, video games are as valid a form of gaming activity as any other. With their immense popularity and the growing reach of technology, more and more people are entering the seemingly endless waters of video game world.
Video games however, do not begin and end simply as “sporting” activities. The appeal of a game is not truly limited to the having a goal, and overcoming obstacles to achieve it within a given set of rules. In other words, it isn’t all about gameplay. Video games stand apart from other forms of playing in their unusual ability to do one other thing.
Telling stories.
With the improvement in computer hardware, specifically processing and graphical power, games are capable of visually depicting so much, often with incredible degrees of realism. They are also much larger than they were in the past, large enough to contain an entire, self-sufficient story, from premise, to journey, to denouement.
Of course, in the end, gameplay still forms the core of what makes a “game”. Hardcore players will often refuse to play a title unless it provides adequate difficulty, and some will only play specific multiplayer titles because the thrill for them lies in besting another human being.
In this exclusivist, meritocratic community of skill-based players, some games are held in higher regards than others. Tekken, Street Fighter and Counter Strike come to mind. Arenas where the best of the best pit their wits, reflexes, dexterity and frame knowledge of their chosen sport against their peers. But of course, multiplayer games aren’t the only ones held in high regard.
Certain single player games, by virtue of their combat systems, challenge, mechanical depth, and overall sheer fun factor, are considered legendary. And nowhere is this more true than the hack ‘n’ slash genre. Combining massive hordes of aggressive enemies that do insane amounts of damage, with a strong lead character that’s as powerful physically as they are charismatic, a good hack ‘n’ slash game is the ultimate combination of power fantasy and actual challenge.
Needless to say, when one is playing as a certain Umbra Witch or super-powered Ninja, one is far more concerned about pulling off sick combos than such trivial concerns as “lore” and “plot”.
Right?
Well, I wonder.
Today, I’m here to analyse a game series that’s been praised since its inception for the brilliance of its combat system. For the intensity, pace and fluidity of its action and fights. For its cool lead character and uniquely monstrous bosses.
I’m talking about the undisputed king of the hack ‘n’ slash genre. It’s name?
Devil May Cry.
But I’m not going to talk about how deep its combo system is. How nearly all moves can be seamlessly transitioned from one to the other. How they can be cancelled in air to relentlessly attack in a symphony of button presses that will push the limits of your dexterity. How it rewards creativity in combat, and wants you to not only defeat your enemies, but look badass while doing it. I’m not going to talk about the brilliant AI and arena design. I’m not even going to talk about how downright beautiful Devil May Cry 5 looks (seriously, it puts most Hollywood movies to shame with those graphics).
No, I’m not going to talk about the gameplay or graphics at all.
I’m going to talk about what is simultaneously DMC’s most celebrated, and under-appreciated aspect. The single biggest factor behind its success, and arguably one of the greatest achievements of the video game medium as a whole.
Dante.
Under-appreciated? Dante is one of the most recognizable characters in the history of video games. With his trademark red jacket, two-handed sword, twin handguns and silver hair, he boasts a look that’s instantly stylish and memorable. Combined with his skills and attitude, he is the definition of what the playable protagonist of a character action game should be.
How then, can such an influential character, who is so often imitated but never replicated, be under-appreciated?
Well, the reason is that his design is actually too strong, to the point where most of the attention is focused on his external aspects, and not enough to what lies inside.
Everyone knows what Dante is.
Almost no one knows who Dante is.
So who is he, really?
Dante is one of the twin sons born to a demon father, Sparda, and a human mother, Eva. Sparda was an extraordinarily powerful being who single-handedly fought the armies of the underworld and defeated their ruler Mundus, thus protecting the human world. Closing the portal between demon and human worlds came at a price. Most of Sparda’s own power was sealed off as well. A weakened Sparda then settled down in our plane of existence, and later fell in love with a woman named Eva.
The two lived together for a while, raising their sons.
This is where DMC’s brilliantly subtle writing hides its power.
Almost nothing is said about this short period of time. Eight years to be precise.
What were those eight years like? What sort of a father was Sparda? Strict? Doting? Was he able to relate to his mortal children? What was Dante’s relationship like with him? Did Sparda ever personally train his sons? How did Eva handle being the link between three uniquely difficult people? What was it like for her to love a demon? Did she face discrimination and whispers? Was she treated as a heretic? What was it like for Dante, being the son of that demon? Did he have any human friends at all? Did he go to school?
We don’t know, and we likely never will.
Dante’s future is cruelly blighted when Sparda leaves the home.
This act wasn’t committed out of callousness: Sparda knew that the Demon Prince’s followers were still after him. So he left, intending to draw them away from his family, in order to keep them safe. Did Sparda survive? Is he alive now? Again, we do not know. At the very least, Dante has not seen him since, and it is always implied that he is dead.
This was the loss of a father figure in Dante’s life, a loss that would have a deep impact on anyone. But more on that later.
Shortly after Sparda leaves, the home is attacked by demons. Without him, there is no one to fight them off. Eva hides Dante in a closet to protect him, telling him to stay there. She also tells him that if she doesn’t return, he must run. Go far away, somewhere else, and start a new life, as someone else, with a new name. She then goes to look for her other son, Vergil, whose whereabouts are unknown at the moment.
Game. Literally, an activity engaged in for pleasure or fun. Specifically, one that involves some kind of challenge, which is either successfully overcome, or not, determining victory or defeat. In today’s world, video games are as valid a form of gaming activity as any other. With their immense popularity and the growing reach of technology, more and more people are entering the seemingly endless waters of video game world.
Video games however, do not begin and end simply as “sporting” activities. The appeal of a game is not truly limited to the having a goal, and overcoming obstacles to achieve it within a given set of rules. In other words, it isn’t all about gameplay. Video games stand apart from other forms of playing in their unusual ability to do one other thing.
Telling stories.
With the improvement in computer hardware, specifically processing and graphical power, games are capable of visually depicting so much, often with incredible degrees of realism. They are also much larger than they were in the past, large enough to contain an entire, self-sufficient story, from premise, to journey, to denouement.
Of course, in the end, gameplay still forms the core of what makes a “game”. Hardcore players will often refuse to play a title unless it provides adequate difficulty, and some will only play specific multiplayer titles because the thrill for them lies in besting another human being.
In this exclusivist, meritocratic community of skill-based players, some games are held in higher regards than others. Tekken, Street Fighter and Counter Strike come to mind. Arenas where the best of the best pit their wits, reflexes, dexterity and frame knowledge of their chosen sport against their peers. But of course, multiplayer games aren’t the only ones held in high regard.
Certain single player games, by virtue of their combat systems, challenge, mechanical depth, and overall sheer fun factor, are considered legendary. And nowhere is this more true than the hack ‘n’ slash genre. Combining massive hordes of aggressive enemies that do insane amounts of damage, with a strong lead character that’s as powerful physically as they are charismatic, a good hack ‘n’ slash game is the ultimate combination of power fantasy and actual challenge.
Needless to say, when one is playing as a certain Umbra Witch or super-powered Ninja, one is far more concerned about pulling off sick combos than such trivial concerns as “lore” and “plot”.
Right?
Well, I wonder.
Today, I’m here to analyse a game series that’s been praised since its inception for the brilliance of its combat system. For the intensity, pace and fluidity of its action and fights. For its cool lead character and uniquely monstrous bosses.
I’m talking about the undisputed king of the hack ‘n’ slash genre. It’s name?
Devil May Cry.
But I’m not going to talk about how deep its combo system is. How nearly all moves can be seamlessly transitioned from one to the other. How they can be cancelled in air to relentlessly attack in a symphony of button presses that will push the limits of your dexterity. How it rewards creativity in combat, and wants you to not only defeat your enemies, but look badass while doing it. I’m not going to talk about the brilliant AI and arena design. I’m not even going to talk about how downright beautiful Devil May Cry 5 looks (seriously, it puts most Hollywood movies to shame with those graphics).
No, I’m not going to talk about the gameplay or graphics at all.
I’m going to talk about what is simultaneously DMC’s most celebrated, and under-appreciated aspect. The single biggest factor behind its success, and arguably one of the greatest achievements of the video game medium as a whole.
Dante.
Under-appreciated? Dante is one of the most recognizable characters in the history of video games. With his trademark red jacket, two-handed sword, twin handguns and silver hair, he boasts a look that’s instantly stylish and memorable. Combined with his skills and attitude, he is the definition of what the playable protagonist of a character action game should be.
How then, can such an influential character, who is so often imitated but never replicated, be under-appreciated?
Well, the reason is that his design is actually too strong, to the point where most of the attention is focused on his external aspects, and not enough to what lies inside.
Everyone knows what Dante is.
Almost no one knows who Dante is.
So who is he, really?
Dante is one of the twin sons born to a demon father, Sparda, and a human mother, Eva. Sparda was an extraordinarily powerful being who single-handedly fought the armies of the underworld and defeated their ruler Mundus, thus protecting the human world. Closing the portal between demon and human worlds came at a price. Most of Sparda’s own power was sealed off as well. A weakened Sparda then settled down in our plane of existence, and later fell in love with a woman named Eva.
The two lived together for a while, raising their sons.
This is where DMC’s brilliantly subtle writing hides its power.
Almost nothing is said about this short period of time. Eight years to be precise.
What were those eight years like? What sort of a father was Sparda? Strict? Doting? Was he able to relate to his mortal children? What was Dante’s relationship like with him? Did Sparda ever personally train his sons? How did Eva handle being the link between three uniquely difficult people? What was it like for her to love a demon? Did she face discrimination and whispers? Was she treated as a heretic? What was it like for Dante, being the son of that demon? Did he have any human friends at all? Did he go to school?
We don’t know, and we likely never will.
Dante’s future is cruelly blighted when Sparda leaves the home.
This act wasn’t committed out of callousness: Sparda knew that the Demon Prince’s followers were still after him. So he left, intending to draw them away from his family, in order to keep them safe. Did Sparda survive? Is he alive now? Again, we do not know. At the very least, Dante has not seen him since, and it is always implied that he is dead.
This was the loss of a father figure in Dante’s life, a loss that would have a deep impact on anyone. But more on that later.
Shortly after Sparda leaves, the home is attacked by demons. Without him, there is no one to fight them off. Eva hides Dante in a closet to protect him, telling him to stay there. She also tells him that if she doesn’t return, he must run. Go far away, somewhere else, and start a new life, as someone else, with a new name. She then goes to look for her other son, Vergil, whose whereabouts are unknown at the moment.
Eva does not return. She is killed by demons. Vergil is still
nowhere to be found.
Dante is now without a family.
This is the precise moment when the worth of those eight years, which are never described in the series, is made clear.
Those eight years constitute the only period in Dante’s life where he was truly, completely happy. In the times to come, this untainted memory remains pristine in Dante’s mind, heart and soul, the only places where he can keep it safe.
Realizing this simple fact reveals a depth to Dante’s character that is unnoticeable at first. Suddenly, the light-hearted attitude, all the constant quips and banter are revealed as a front. Dante’s devil-may-care way of life is a result of the fact that on a personal level, he simply is not considered about his own safety. Without a family, he has no one to live for. The only thing that keeps him going is a lifelong grudge against the demons that took them away from him.
In the anime, Dante is stoic and passive in his office, often subdued in his solitude. In contrast, he is active and lively in the games, since the vast part of the latter has him in actual combat situations. Dante comes alive when he is fighting demons because it is the only time he feels alive. All his rage is condensed into vengeance, manifesting in a brutal fighting style that is as effective as it is reckless and beautiful.
Coming back to the sequence of events, however, a young, homeless Dante must now travel, trying to run and hide from the demons who are still after him. All while seeking revenge.
It is worthwhile to note that Dante’s superhuman strength, speed, healing factor, reflexes, senses and supernatural powers are the result of Sparda’s blood flowing through him. The manga implies that these abilities took time to manifest properly, and revealed themselves as he matured. They also manifest in response to immediate need. In the manga, Dante’s speed increases manifold when he is fighting demons that push him further than he has ever needed to go before. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that in addition to his nature, he needed the right stimulus to develop. From Dante’s movements (swordsmanship, hand-to-hand fighting, gunplay), it is clear that he possesses a very degree of skill in those areas. Since each successive game chronologically has him more powerful than the previous, it is likely his skills also develop with training and experience. His moves show good form, and several of them appear to be from actual martial arts. A fantastic example is what he does with various gauntlet/greave sets over the course of the series, showing a variety of techniques such as boxing jabs and uppercuts and kicks from tae kwon do and capoeira. This, of course, is mixed in with some good old fashioned brawling: double handed fists, ground slams, and more. In general, most of Dante’s fighting seems to be based on formal martial arts, but modified in keeping with his own experiences, and with his own personal flare added in.
This is interesting because my hypothesis is that Dante learnt to fight not by training under anyone, but by watching others fight, and using their moves in his own battles. His half demon body and demonic instincts would have helped him pick up the moves quicker and alter them to suit his own enhanced abilities.
Thus, the travelling Dante runs and hides, taking on foes when he feels he can win, and often even when he knows he will lose. Through a combination of skill and luck, he survives, and grows, getting stronger all the time.
A teenage Dante meets a woman named Nel Goldstein. At this time, Dante’s powers have surfaced to the point where regular guns cannot handle the stress he puts on them. He wrecks his weapons during every fight he gets into. Nel makes him a special pair of handguns, Ebony and Ivory, which are up to the task of handling his power, and they go on to become Dante’s signature prized ranged weapons. He is almost never seen without them in any game.
Nel Goldstein also dies shortly afterwards, and thus, Dante loses the second maternal figure in his life.
Dante is still in his teens at this point.
He has been killing demons in what seems like an endless war.
I often laugh when I see posts that call the original Dante edgy.
He was likely the most jaded teenager of all time. But there’s no time to feel sorry for oneself in a world where you either hunt or get hunted.
Converting his sorrow into rage, Dante continues on in his lone crusade. But he is cautious now. Behind his anger, the scars in his heart have hardened. He is afraid of getting close to someone, and losing them again. Thus, he armours himself in a shell of sarcasm and savage one-liners, a coat of self-deprecation and mocking jokes.
It is this weary late teenage Dante we meet in DMC 3, which is the earliest game in the series chronologically.
Of course, fate is not with the challenges she has in store for him.
His long lost brother, Vergil, is still alive, and has raised a tower in an attempt to open a gate to the demon world. His goal: to retrieve the blade in which Sparda sealed most of his power. To do so, he needs two things: his own half of the perfect amulet, and the one in Dante’s possession.
Dante has mixed feelings about his brother being alive.
They have not met in years, and their paths have made them vastly different, to the point where they are polar opposites.
If Dante is reckless, hot-blooded and devastating, preferring to overwhelm opponents with a barrage of sword swings and bullets, Vergil is calm, calculating and effective, choosing to methodically slice them to pieces with his signature katana.
They are the perfect foils for each other, and with their father’s power, and the fate of the human world at stake, they clash. Two different ways of life, two different souls at odds with each other, colliding.
This conflict is heartbreaking, since both those souls hold the same vision of perfect happiness.
Those eight flawless years they had as a family.
Gone, and never to return.
Those memories remain pristine in their hearts, but they have different ways of honouring it.
Vergil, consumed with regret at not being able to protect his mother, views his humanity as a weakness. He seeks his father’s power because he wants to become a full demon, thinking that eliminating his human emotion and replacing it with demonic power will finally allow him peace of mind.
Dante, on the other hand, has no clear goal other than vengeance. He hates his demon side, viewing demons as disgusting and hateful because they robbed him of his family. He also resents his father for leaving, going so far as to say at one point that “he has no father”.
During the events of the game, Dante meets a human woman, Mary.
Mary has family reasons of her own for being involved in the conflict. Her father, who also wishes to obtain Sparda’s power, had allied herself with Vergil. He had, in the past, killed his wife, Mary’s mother, in pursuit of demonic power, and Mart has come seeking the same thing as Dante: vengeance.
Through his meeting with her, Dante is forced to face all the things he had tried to close off his heart to.
In an amazing section of the game, you play as Dante as Mary, now christened Lady since she forsakes the name given by her father, fights Dante for the right to proceed further. Lacking the supernatural powers of her opponents, Mary must use an arsenal of weapons to keep up. But most importantly, she has cunning… and sheer, unyielding courage.
Dante is moved by her resolve, and for the first time, truly sees humanity as something other than a shackle.
Until now, having rejected his demon side, his humanity was simply the by-default remainder he was left with.
He now sees that there is worth in that humanity: courage, love and hope; the resolve to fight even when the odds are tough.
Dante embraces his humanity, and in doing so, finds a purpose that transcends vengeance.
Protecting humanity.
As he travels the tower, he faces opponent after opponent, many of whom had known Sparda. Having lost the first battle against Vergil, he was forced to draw on his demonic side’s power, achieving a full demon form for the first time. At this point, however, it is, to him, still a tool that he must use, and nothing more.
But his impression of his own father gradually changes from meeting the many demons who knew him.
Through their accounts, he can form a mental picture of the sort of person he must have been. A look at the Sparda he didn’t know.
And the moment he chooses to protect humanity, he realizes the significance of Sparda’s decision to do the same thing all those years ago.
He too had seen the worth of humanity.
This is when Dante inherits his father’s spirit. In finding, like him, something to fight and defend, he can relate to him. Being able to relate to the source of his demonic heritage means Dante can finally accept it.
Thus, when Dante and Vergil clash a final time, it is mature Dante who is unrecognizable from the tortured, angry teenager he was before. This is a Dante who has found a higher calling, has lived through trials and tribulations and developed a strong spirit. He has accepted his human emotions and his demonic power, and combined the strength of both.
He has already become the Legendary Dark Knight Dante.
Vergil, on the other hand, who started off more mature, has failed to grow.
In truth, his power was simply a way to protect himself. Desperately wanting family, and love, and having none of it, he compensates by desiring power, not allowing himself to acknowledge his true desire.
The heart-rending finale of the game has Vergil descend into the underworld. Having lost to Dante, he will not even allow himself to accept his failure. This is tragic when one realizes that this was a moment when Vergil could have simply gone back with Dante, and turned his life around.
Dante’s true goal, the perfect vision of happiness he has, is with Vergil, while Vergil’s own vision has Dante.
Years pass, and many things happen.
In the real world, fans of the series go through an eleven year wait for a game that seems it will never come.
But somehow, a miracle happens, and it does.
Devil May Cry 5 has an older Dante.
No matter the strength of his resolve, this Dante is simply tired of all the fighting.
His taunts are more subdued, his voice weary. Everything about his body language in the cutscenes shows that the years of taking on many burdens alone without having anyone he could truly relate to has taken its toll.
Here too, a miracle happens.
Somehow, Vergil has survived.
And the two have met again.
However, this time, Vergil has matured. Has learnt the value of his own humanity, and accepted his nature as both demon and human.
And there is now Nero to protect the human world.
At long last, Dante can pass on the burden to someone capable of carrying it.
And at long last, Vergil will allow himself to go after his true desire, and accept family and love, rather than thirst for power.
The game could very well have been called “Vergil’s Awakening”.
Both brothers have now ascended and inherited their father’s mantle and spirit, and are finally free to live together, in peace.
While still fighting all the time, of course.
Dante is now without a family.
This is the precise moment when the worth of those eight years, which are never described in the series, is made clear.
Those eight years constitute the only period in Dante’s life where he was truly, completely happy. In the times to come, this untainted memory remains pristine in Dante’s mind, heart and soul, the only places where he can keep it safe.
Realizing this simple fact reveals a depth to Dante’s character that is unnoticeable at first. Suddenly, the light-hearted attitude, all the constant quips and banter are revealed as a front. Dante’s devil-may-care way of life is a result of the fact that on a personal level, he simply is not considered about his own safety. Without a family, he has no one to live for. The only thing that keeps him going is a lifelong grudge against the demons that took them away from him.
In the anime, Dante is stoic and passive in his office, often subdued in his solitude. In contrast, he is active and lively in the games, since the vast part of the latter has him in actual combat situations. Dante comes alive when he is fighting demons because it is the only time he feels alive. All his rage is condensed into vengeance, manifesting in a brutal fighting style that is as effective as it is reckless and beautiful.
Coming back to the sequence of events, however, a young, homeless Dante must now travel, trying to run and hide from the demons who are still after him. All while seeking revenge.
It is worthwhile to note that Dante’s superhuman strength, speed, healing factor, reflexes, senses and supernatural powers are the result of Sparda’s blood flowing through him. The manga implies that these abilities took time to manifest properly, and revealed themselves as he matured. They also manifest in response to immediate need. In the manga, Dante’s speed increases manifold when he is fighting demons that push him further than he has ever needed to go before. Thus, it is reasonable to conclude that in addition to his nature, he needed the right stimulus to develop. From Dante’s movements (swordsmanship, hand-to-hand fighting, gunplay), it is clear that he possesses a very degree of skill in those areas. Since each successive game chronologically has him more powerful than the previous, it is likely his skills also develop with training and experience. His moves show good form, and several of them appear to be from actual martial arts. A fantastic example is what he does with various gauntlet/greave sets over the course of the series, showing a variety of techniques such as boxing jabs and uppercuts and kicks from tae kwon do and capoeira. This, of course, is mixed in with some good old fashioned brawling: double handed fists, ground slams, and more. In general, most of Dante’s fighting seems to be based on formal martial arts, but modified in keeping with his own experiences, and with his own personal flare added in.
This is interesting because my hypothesis is that Dante learnt to fight not by training under anyone, but by watching others fight, and using their moves in his own battles. His half demon body and demonic instincts would have helped him pick up the moves quicker and alter them to suit his own enhanced abilities.
Thus, the travelling Dante runs and hides, taking on foes when he feels he can win, and often even when he knows he will lose. Through a combination of skill and luck, he survives, and grows, getting stronger all the time.
A teenage Dante meets a woman named Nel Goldstein. At this time, Dante’s powers have surfaced to the point where regular guns cannot handle the stress he puts on them. He wrecks his weapons during every fight he gets into. Nel makes him a special pair of handguns, Ebony and Ivory, which are up to the task of handling his power, and they go on to become Dante’s signature prized ranged weapons. He is almost never seen without them in any game.
Nel Goldstein also dies shortly afterwards, and thus, Dante loses the second maternal figure in his life.
Dante is still in his teens at this point.
He has been killing demons in what seems like an endless war.
I often laugh when I see posts that call the original Dante edgy.
He was likely the most jaded teenager of all time. But there’s no time to feel sorry for oneself in a world where you either hunt or get hunted.
Converting his sorrow into rage, Dante continues on in his lone crusade. But he is cautious now. Behind his anger, the scars in his heart have hardened. He is afraid of getting close to someone, and losing them again. Thus, he armours himself in a shell of sarcasm and savage one-liners, a coat of self-deprecation and mocking jokes.
It is this weary late teenage Dante we meet in DMC 3, which is the earliest game in the series chronologically.
Of course, fate is not with the challenges she has in store for him.
His long lost brother, Vergil, is still alive, and has raised a tower in an attempt to open a gate to the demon world. His goal: to retrieve the blade in which Sparda sealed most of his power. To do so, he needs two things: his own half of the perfect amulet, and the one in Dante’s possession.
Dante has mixed feelings about his brother being alive.
They have not met in years, and their paths have made them vastly different, to the point where they are polar opposites.
If Dante is reckless, hot-blooded and devastating, preferring to overwhelm opponents with a barrage of sword swings and bullets, Vergil is calm, calculating and effective, choosing to methodically slice them to pieces with his signature katana.
They are the perfect foils for each other, and with their father’s power, and the fate of the human world at stake, they clash. Two different ways of life, two different souls at odds with each other, colliding.
This conflict is heartbreaking, since both those souls hold the same vision of perfect happiness.
Those eight flawless years they had as a family.
Gone, and never to return.
Those memories remain pristine in their hearts, but they have different ways of honouring it.
Vergil, consumed with regret at not being able to protect his mother, views his humanity as a weakness. He seeks his father’s power because he wants to become a full demon, thinking that eliminating his human emotion and replacing it with demonic power will finally allow him peace of mind.
Dante, on the other hand, has no clear goal other than vengeance. He hates his demon side, viewing demons as disgusting and hateful because they robbed him of his family. He also resents his father for leaving, going so far as to say at one point that “he has no father”.
During the events of the game, Dante meets a human woman, Mary.
Mary has family reasons of her own for being involved in the conflict. Her father, who also wishes to obtain Sparda’s power, had allied herself with Vergil. He had, in the past, killed his wife, Mary’s mother, in pursuit of demonic power, and Mart has come seeking the same thing as Dante: vengeance.
Through his meeting with her, Dante is forced to face all the things he had tried to close off his heart to.
In an amazing section of the game, you play as Dante as Mary, now christened Lady since she forsakes the name given by her father, fights Dante for the right to proceed further. Lacking the supernatural powers of her opponents, Mary must use an arsenal of weapons to keep up. But most importantly, she has cunning… and sheer, unyielding courage.
Dante is moved by her resolve, and for the first time, truly sees humanity as something other than a shackle.
Until now, having rejected his demon side, his humanity was simply the by-default remainder he was left with.
He now sees that there is worth in that humanity: courage, love and hope; the resolve to fight even when the odds are tough.
Dante embraces his humanity, and in doing so, finds a purpose that transcends vengeance.
Protecting humanity.
As he travels the tower, he faces opponent after opponent, many of whom had known Sparda. Having lost the first battle against Vergil, he was forced to draw on his demonic side’s power, achieving a full demon form for the first time. At this point, however, it is, to him, still a tool that he must use, and nothing more.
But his impression of his own father gradually changes from meeting the many demons who knew him.
Through their accounts, he can form a mental picture of the sort of person he must have been. A look at the Sparda he didn’t know.
And the moment he chooses to protect humanity, he realizes the significance of Sparda’s decision to do the same thing all those years ago.
He too had seen the worth of humanity.
This is when Dante inherits his father’s spirit. In finding, like him, something to fight and defend, he can relate to him. Being able to relate to the source of his demonic heritage means Dante can finally accept it.
Thus, when Dante and Vergil clash a final time, it is mature Dante who is unrecognizable from the tortured, angry teenager he was before. This is a Dante who has found a higher calling, has lived through trials and tribulations and developed a strong spirit. He has accepted his human emotions and his demonic power, and combined the strength of both.
He has already become the Legendary Dark Knight Dante.
Vergil, on the other hand, who started off more mature, has failed to grow.
In truth, his power was simply a way to protect himself. Desperately wanting family, and love, and having none of it, he compensates by desiring power, not allowing himself to acknowledge his true desire.
The heart-rending finale of the game has Vergil descend into the underworld. Having lost to Dante, he will not even allow himself to accept his failure. This is tragic when one realizes that this was a moment when Vergil could have simply gone back with Dante, and turned his life around.
Dante’s true goal, the perfect vision of happiness he has, is with Vergil, while Vergil’s own vision has Dante.
Years pass, and many things happen.
In the real world, fans of the series go through an eleven year wait for a game that seems it will never come.
But somehow, a miracle happens, and it does.
Devil May Cry 5 has an older Dante.
No matter the strength of his resolve, this Dante is simply tired of all the fighting.
His taunts are more subdued, his voice weary. Everything about his body language in the cutscenes shows that the years of taking on many burdens alone without having anyone he could truly relate to has taken its toll.
Here too, a miracle happens.
Somehow, Vergil has survived.
And the two have met again.
However, this time, Vergil has matured. Has learnt the value of his own humanity, and accepted his nature as both demon and human.
And there is now Nero to protect the human world.
At long last, Dante can pass on the burden to someone capable of carrying it.
And at long last, Vergil will allow himself to go after his true desire, and accept family and love, rather than thirst for power.
The game could very well have been called “Vergil’s Awakening”.
Both brothers have now ascended and inherited their father’s mantle and spirit, and are finally free to live together, in peace.
While still fighting all the time, of course.
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