For some action heroes, it's not enough to just save the world; they've gotta look good doing it.
Dante, the devil hunter. And Bayonetta, the Umbra witch.
Starting off the third season, Hideki Kamiya's signature gun-slinging anti-heroes come to blows. Wiz and Boomstick will compare a demi-demon and slayer of his own kind to a witch bonded to demons of her own, a durability that can withstand anything against a strength of cosmic proportions, for Dante and Bayonetta have faced foes of varying sizes and strengths, but for the first time, do battle with each, more alike than they may seem, to triumph in a death battle.
Beginning the episode, Wizard and Boomstick give a look at Dante, the child of a human woman known as Eva and a demon named Sparda. Long ago, Sparda single-handedly staged a takeover of Hell by defeating Mundus, the then-master of it, and sealing the gateway to the human and demon realms. To the eventual shock of Dante and his twin brother Vergil, the demons of Mundus would exact their revenge; Sparda's death was the catalyst for his demonic followers to murder Eva and Vergil (who didn't really die), leaving Dante alone in the world. His family shattered thanks to the demons, Dante would take it upon himself to exact his revenge against the monsters responsible for taking his life from him. Setting up a shop that specializes in demon-slaying alongside fellow devil hunter Lady, Dante would time and again do battle with demonic entities, his flippant, laid-back attitude seeing him through.
Though a dangerous idea to behave so nonchalant while battling demons, Dante is more than talented enough to prove his worth on the field. Many of Dante's abilities, such as a speed and agility unseeable by the human eye and a healing factor that allows him to recover from repeated impalement and even meteor strikes, are thanks to his demonic heritage, and coupled with an array of Devil Arms, the souls of defeated demons made manifest as weapons, Dante is never without options when having to face his hellish foes. His signature weapons are the twin pistols Ebony and Ivory, designed to fire bullets laced with Dante's demonic powers. Both are powerful enough to destroy demons in a single shot; and with them both specializing in different fields of gunplay, Ebony's long-range precision used in tandem with Ivory's quick draw and rapid fire, they have every right to be considered the crux of Dante's arsenal. That said, Dante still has several other weapons at his beck and call; these range from the swords Rebellion, a keepsake of Sparda's passed down to his son, and the dimension-warping Yamato, owned by Vergil, the three-ended cryokinetic nunchucks Cerberus, the Gilgamesh gauntlets that tremendously increase his strength, and even Pandora, a briefcase that can shift into six hundred sixty-six different forms. And as if Dante was not already a terrifying foe with just his traits inherited from Sparda and the vast arsenal acquired from his travels, he can shift fighting tactics on the fly with his Styles, acquired from defeating particularly powerful foes, and just as his demonic foes have bestowed upon him various Devil Arms, so too have they gifted him with multiple Styles, such as the time-slowing Quicksilver or the durable Royal Guard. Lastly, and arguably his most important tool of all, should all else fail, Dante can access his demonic lineage from Sparda with Devil Trigger, unleashing his true form as a devil and granting him powers of flight on top of becoming a tougher foe, courtesy of his enhanced strength and healing factor.
Dante is indeed a formidable foe for anyone to face, but not one without shortcomings. His trademark cocky attitude tends to prevent him from taking threats as seriously as he should courtesy of his durability and healing factor, and even he has limits as to what can be thrown at him. Those limits, however, are often seldom reached, as Dante himself is capable of handling problems from reaching that point. Even without the aid of allies like his Eva-designed demon companion, Trish, Dante is capable of destroying hordes of demons on his own, has survived impalement from multiple demons simultaneously, has ran down the side of a building until catching fire at speeds comparable to a spacecraft on re-entry, withstood a punch from the colossal statue known as the Savior, and has shown himself skillful enough to defeat foes of equal skills, like Vergil. Through all his adventures, Dante has proven that he has overcome the horrors of his bloodline, a demi-demon fighting his own kin, and never letting these troubles conquer him.
With Dante covered, the hosts move on to his opponent, Bayonetta, slayer of angels and demons alike, courtesy of her being one of the few remaining members of the Umbra Witches. Humans who made pacts binding them to demonkind, the clan of the Umbra Witches were embroiled in a feud with the Lumen Sages, those who allied themselves with light and the realm of Paradiso. An ancient prophecy forbade the two clans from interbreeding, as it would lead to the destruction of the universe itself, but there were those who would not heed these warnings and from these two clans would be the father and mother of an Umbra Witch known as Cereza. In the ensuing slaughter between the two factions, Cereza would spend her childhood as an outcast and one of two survivors on the Umbra Witches' side of the conflict; the other, an Umbra Witch known as Jeanne. Courtesy of the Umbra Witch who would become both a rival and her friend, Cereza was placed in a five hundred-year coma that sealed away her memories, so as to prevent the apocalypse. When she came to, Cereza embarked on a quest to find her missing memories, and in doing so, took on the mantle of Bayonetta.
As an Umbra Witch, Bayonetta can turn her hair into clothing, but more importantly than that, it allows her to summon the demon Madama Butterfly, with whom she has made the pact that grants Bayonetta all her powers. This technique of using her hair as a conduit to allow the demon into other dimensions to strike, is known as the Wicked Weaves, and like her foe, this is not the end of her repertoire, merely the beginning of a long line. With her Witch Time power, Bayonetta can slow down time to evade enemy attacks and grant herself enhanced speed, which she puts to good use combined with her own collection of devices. She too carries with her a vast array of weapons channeling the demons with whom she and her kin have aligned with; from gauntlets that possess the fire and lightning powers of the demon Durga, to Salamandra, a chainsaw with teeth of dragon scales, all supplemented by Love is Blue, a set of pistols which Bayonetta can fire both with her hands and, courtesy of her magic from Madama Butterfly, from the pistols attached to her ankles. Speaking of her magic powers, Bayonetta can unleash Madama's full potential with the Umbran Climax, which increases her own strength and lets loose the demon bound to her, with enough strength to destroy whole meteors.
Be it with or without her demon's aid, Bayonetta is an impressive figure. She is repeatedly shown as being able to knock massive figures such as skyscrapers and satellites vast distances and dodge over a dozen bullets fired almost directly in front of her without using Witch Time, a feat clocked as being performed in under one-thousandth of a second. And, aided by Jeanne, she was able to destroy Jubileus, the creator of the Bayonetta universe by punching its soul into the sun. Though that may have serious repercussions of its own later on; part of the pact with Madama Butterfly means that, should she die or not kill enough angels, Bayonetta is condemned to an eternity of suffering in Inferno, the realm of hell. In addition to this, Bayonetta's own powers and skillset are relatively inconsistent, as shown by her being caught off-guard by the demi-god Loptr and even Iustitia, a plant monster that managed to catch Bayonetta in midair. But at her best, Bayonetta is a foe no one, be they light, dark, or in-between, should consider facing.
- Bayonetta: Alright. Let's dance, baby.
Now that both combatants have been checked, they are clear to engage. It's time for a death battle!
The chapel set at the top of a massive clock tower sets the stage for the battle to come, as Dante arrives and finds his only company to be a doll of Bayonetta. Picking it up, a winab clad in white robes emerges, inquiring as to Dante's purpose in the chapel; the son of Sparda meets her question by informing her that he seeks something known as the Left Eye. The conversation falls into a lull before the figure lets loose shots at Dante, which he meets with gunfire of his own. The figure leaps out of her robes, revealing herself as none other than Bayonetta, informing Dante that should he be seeking the Left Eye, he is either an angel or a demon, both her enemies, and ones she is all too willing to defeat.
FIGHT!
The pair trade blows of the physical and firearm variety, Bayonetta taking an early lead by summoning Madama Butterfly to sweep kick Dante, toppling him onto the floor. Quickly recovering, the pair let loose flurries of gunfire once more, Dante in particular going out of his way to catch one of Bayonetta's bullets in his teeth, but once more he finds himself in her grasp, soon kicking each other away. The demon-slayers begin to show off the various weapons on their persons, Bayonetta arming herself with the Kafka bow. With his father's sword does Dante dodge and slice through the Umbra Witch's arrows, but using Witch Time, Bayonetta dodges a slice from Rebellion, taking her time to belittle Dante in the process. In the slowed time, Bayonetta continues to strike Dante, culminating in an uppercut and another kick from Madama Butterfly to knock him into an iron maiden, closing itself shut on him.
This is nothing that the demi-human can't handle, however. Breaking free from the torture device, Dante taunts his opponent only to find Bayonetta armed with the Rakshasa, a pair of chakra-infused swords. Dante sends off multiple waves of energy from Rebellion, but the only damage done is to the chairs in the chapel and the structure itself; Bayonetta has evaded every strike. With Witch Time once more active, the woman once known as Cereza charges at Dante, but to her shock, her foe is able to keep pace with after he activates the Quicksilver Style, and it is this Style that allows Dante to engage in a sword duel with Bayonetta, soon gaining the upper hand and using his surroundings to his advantage, catching Bayonetta off-guard with a chair. The ensuing onslaught of seats is soon negated by the Rakshasa, but thanks to the Trickster Style, Dante lands a clean hit on Bayonetta, teleporting behind her and throwing a chair at the back of her head. An interlude of Bayonetta using the Rakshasa on her heels with her arms now occupied with the Alraune whip ends with Bayonetta deciding to pull out her heavier firepower, summoning the demon Gomorrah. Staring down the monstrosity, Dante is thrust into the jaws of the draconic demon, but soon escapes and destroys it with but a few slices of Rebellion. Bayonetta meets this advance with one of her own, the hammer Takemikazuchi and swings it at Dante, but the Gilgamesh gauntlets catch the cudgel. The force between the two weapons sends the hunters down to the next floor of the clock tower, Dante going into Quicksilver for good measure.
The pair engage in a quick duel of Rakshasa and Rebellion, that ends in a stalemate; a Rakshasa pointed at Dante's neck, Ebony aimed at Bayonetta's temple. A third party arrives to cut short the ensuing banter; Trish, Dante's fellow demon hunter, entering the scene on motorcycle. Getting his attention, Dante leaps out the way as Trish kicks the motorcycle at Bayonetta, but yet the child of light and dark seems unfazed, and it turns out to be for good reason; Jeanne, her rival and friend, rushes from nowhere, to kick the motorcycle back to its rider, who, with the Sword of Sparda, cleaves it into its destruction. The stage is set for a two-on-two showdown. With Trish hurling the Sword of Sparda, now formed into a scythe, at Bayonetta, who counters with a hammer blow, the vessel of Madama Butterfly is distracted, leaving Jeanne to fend off Trish and Dante alone, a task she fares poorly at once Trish electrocutes Jeanne, leaving her defenseless against a divekick from Dante that sends her tumbling. Bayonetta, meanwhile, has taken out the Chernabog scythe, becoming locked in a clash against the Gilgamesh. To buy time for Trish's assistance, Dante soon counters the soul-stealing weapon with Agni and Rudra, a pair of serrated-edge sabers, to do battle with Bayonetta in a flurry of wind, fire, and darkness before the artificial demon knocks Bayonetta away. The battle becomes a frenzy of action, Trish and Dante trading places to fight Jeanne, now armed with the Angel Slayer cutlass. With Madama Butterfly's powers, Bayonetta transforms into a mob of bats to close the distance to force Trish and Dante away and regroup with Jeanne.
Now the fight reaches its climax, Dante letting loose Pandora in the form of a missile chair, Trish preparing runes that release bolts of energy. By the time the projectiles reach their intended targets, the Umbra Witches transform into demonic leopards, outspeeding missile and lightning alike. The four combatants, the clock tower succumbing to the destruction within, leap out into the surrounding skies, doing battle on one of the falling clock's faces. Trish and Jeanne get engaged in a duel with Mundus' creation able to knock Jeanne away from her barrier before she finds herself kicked off the clock, Bayonetta's companion following suit. A brief cry for his friend's safety is all Dante can muster before Bayonetta taunts him again. His attention refocused, Dante uses his brother's sword to fight and warp away from Bayonetta, momentarily being caught off-guard and struck with the Takemikazuchi. Now, the son of Sparda has had enough. Activating his Devil Trigger, Dante unveils his demonic form in front of Bayonetta, who allows Madama Butterfly to throw punches at Dante. Even after unleashing her Umbran Climax, an overhead strike from Madama Butterfly in her full form fails to leave a mark on the demi-human, who, with Yamato, warps across the demon, severing a leg before, in a single strike, beheading Bayonetta's hellish ally. The two demon hunters have no one around but the other as they engage in a final clash of swords, Dante' Yamato squaring off against Bayonetta's Shuraba. Trickster Style and demonic powers allow the two to warp and teleport across the battlefield as the blades' clashing echoes through the air before the two run each other through on the swords. Dante is forced out of Devil Trigger, Bayonetta dropping one of her pistols. Bayonetta bemoans her situation, whilst Dante, no worse for wear being impaled on the katana, prepares a collection of Lucifer swords, a countless amount of them impaling Bayonetta, who falls to her knees. With a moment's glance at a graying rose, tinged slightly red, the flower's toss at the swords is enough to let the Lucifers detonate, Bayonetta bursting into gore. The crumbling clock faces reach terra firma as Dante touches down and quips about his misfortune with women.
K.O.!
The time has come for Bayonetta to make good on her contract with Madama Butterfly, Infernal Demons dragging the Umbra Witch's soul to hell, all as Dante saunters off as if not impaled on a sword. While Boomstick shares that his personal conclusion as to the fate of Trish and Jeanne's conflict can be found on the side program DBX, Wizard brings the topic back to the core battle. Whilst Bayonetta's satellite throwing feat trumps any of Dante's feats of strength, it remains the only field in which she is his better. Their arsenals are equivalent and even summoning demonic horrors like Gomorrah and Madama Butterfly are nothing new to an experienced demon slayer like Dante. To further the point, Dante is more durable and able to brush off severe wounds, explaining why Bayonetta's fighting style relied more on evasion. Even with Witch Time factored in, Dante is naturally fast enough to create a temporarily clear space in a rainstorm during an early fight with Vergil, destroying upwards of over a hundred thousand raindrops a second, and with the Quicksilver Style, Bayonetta could do nothing to dodge Dante. Both demon hunters possess tremendous power, but Dante is more skilled in enough fields to make the difference.
- Boomstick: Well, you know what they say: "hair today, gone tomorrow."
Wiz: The winner is Dante!
* beat*
Dante: *sneezes*
Dante vs. Bayonetta contains examples of:
- Actually a Doombot: Bayonetta's Climax summons use her hair as conduits through which her demons can act, but the demons themselves don't actually manifest unless they break her control. Consequently, although Dante striking down Madama Butterfly definitely gets a reaction, Bayonetta's contract with Madama remains valid, as shown by her continued use of Wicked Weaves and her soul being taken to Inferno after the battle.
- Beat Them at Their Own Game: After getting chucked in a Iron Maiden through Bayonetta's use of Witch Time, Dante brings Quicksilver back from his adventures in Devil May Cry 3 to level the playing field.
- Big Damn Heroes: With the fight at a stalemate, Trish arrives to give Dante some backup, before Jeanne saves Bayonetta.
- Breaking Old Trends: A trend from the very beginning of the series is that every male vs. female fight ends with the female character winning; Dante's victory here marks the trend as being officially broken.note
- Brick Joke: All throughout Bayonetta's rundown, Boomstick is confused on if he should be attracted to her (as her clothing is actually her hair, he's concerned she's a monkey). His worries are promptly dashed once Wizard confirms she's 100% human, happily claiming dibs.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Statistical differences aside, Bayonetta's fighting style against boss-level enemies usually involves softening up her opponent to be finished off by her Climax summons. However, Dante makes a living out of killing demons like Gommorah, so these tactics don't do her any good.
- Combat Aestheticist: Dante and Bayonetta fights with flamboyance and flair as much as power and skill.
- Diegetic Soundtrack Usage: Dante briefly hums "Fly Me to the Moon", which is Bayonetta's theme song.
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: A mutual one between them. Dante just continues like it isn't even there, like he usually does in his own series, while Bayonetta isn't so lucky, getting even more courtesy of Lucifer.
- Is That the Best You Can Do?: Bayonetta manages to throw Dante into an Iron Maiden. He just casually breaks out of it and asks if that's all she's got.
- Ludicrous Gibs: Bayonetta bursts into a puddle of blood and flesh giblets by the fight's end.
- Mythology Gag:
- Bayonetta leaps up and wraps her legs around Dante in a shot for shot remake of what Nero does to Dante in their opening fight of Devil May Cry 4.
- The ending of the fight takes place on the remains of a crumbling clock tower falling through the air, akin to the opening sequence of Bayonetta's debut game.
- Similarly to her fights with Balder and Loptr, Bayonetta summons two different demons against Dante, only for him to shut them both down. He even breaks Gomorrah's neck the way Balder did.
- Now That's Using Your Teeth!: Dante catches a bullet in between his teeth.
- One-Winged Angel: Bayonetta's Umbran Climax, during which she fully summons Madama Butterfly (not that it helped her in any way) and Dante's Devil Trigger, which releases the full extent of his powers. He manages to No-Sell a punch from Madama Butterfly just by putting his arm in the way, although that may have been a nod towards his Royalguard Style, which allows him to No-Sell pretty much anything.
- Summon Magic: Going against series norms, Bayonetta is allowed to use outside help to fight Dante, summoning the demons Gomorrah and Madama Butterfly.
- Super-Speed: Dante in the Quicksilver Style, and also Trickster to a lesser extent, and still an example even without them. It plays a key role in his victory.
- This Cannot Be!: On two separate occasions does the normally-unflappable Bayonetta lose her cool: once when Dante manages to behead Madama Butterfly and again near the end after being set up for the killing blow while impaled on Yamato.
- Time Stands Still: Bayonetta is able to catch Dante off guard and land a good number of hits with her first use of Witch Time. He has Quicksilver ready every subsequent time to even the odds.
- Walking Arsenal: Both combatants are an example, with guns, swords, gauntlets, and more galore.
- Warrior vs. Sorcerer: Dante is a Human-Demon Hybrid who uses firearms and an assortment of melee weapons in tandem with his demonic powers. Bayonetta is a Magic Knight and Mage Marksman.
