History Characters / DevilMayCry

* [[Characters/DevilMayCryMain Main characters]]

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[[foldercontrol]]

! Main Characters (Heroes)

[[folder:Dante]]
[[quoteright:249:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Dante.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:249:"Heh, a sword? Time to go to work, guys!"]]
-->''"Ever since I was a child, I knew I had powers. There's demonic blood in me."''

The halfbreed son of the legendary dark knight Sparda (a powerful demon soldier), and Eva, his human mother. After losing his mother to demons when he was a child, Dante took it upon himself to search for the ones responsible for her death and make them pay. He becomes a "demon slayer" and runs his own devil-hunting business, called ''Devil May Cry''. He is never without his custom handguns, Ebony and Ivory, and the swords Rebellion and Force Edge, mementos received from his father. Being one-half demon, Dante is able to utilize his demonic blood in the form of incredible strength and dexterity, along with the ability to morph into a demon form that grants him increased power and healing factor. He often displays a cocky attitude but deep down he is quite compassionate and devoted to fight for the good of humanity. He is the younger twin brother of Vergil.

* [[CainAndAbel Abel]]
* TheAce: Moreso in ''[=DMC4=]'', where it would appear that his job is to upstage Nero at every turn. Not to mention [[spoiler:kill the bosses Nero couldn't fully eradicate, destroy the {{Hellgate}}s, and [[BigDamnHeroes save his life]].]] You could have argue that, despite being TheHero, he exhibits shades of this throughout the entire series.
* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: Him and Vergil.
* AngelsPose: Pulls this alongside Trish and Lady at the end of ''4''.
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes In typical fashion, he's all over the place.]] In ''3'', he's Type [[GoodIsNotNice III]] and gradually shifts into Type [[KnightInSourArmour II]] by endgame. This sticks for ''[=DMC1=]''. In the anime and ''4'', however, he goes straight ''back'' towards Type III. By the time of ''2'' Dante's back at Type II.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassBiker
** BadassCrew: With Trish and Lady.
** BadassLongcoat
** BackToBackBadasses: With both Lady and Vergil in ''3''.
** OneManArmy
** TookALevelInBadass: By the end of ''2'' the PhysicalGod TrueFinalBoss is little more than a nuisance to Dante. ''In his '''non'''-DT'ed form.''
* BlindingBangs: Depending on the game.
* BloodKnight: Heroic example; Dante ''really'' enjoys his job as a Demon Slayer.
--> '''Dante''': "Well bring it on! I love this! This is what I live for! I'm absolutely ''crazy'' about it!" (''cue CheshireCatGrin'')
* BottomlessMagazines: According to the manual for the first game, Dante's demonic powers actually ''create'' them.
* BringMyRedJacket: Red longcoat in every game, check. Constantly impaled, check.
* ButtMonkey: Surprisingly, he's shown to be this in the anime thanks to his financial troubles. Patty even quips that Dante has to be the unluckiest guy she's ever met.
* CallingYourAttacks: Subverted.
* TheCameo: Dante (in his ''[=DMC2=]'' form) [[{{Crossover}} makes an appearance]] in ''ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' (or to be specific, the ''[[UpdatedRerelease Maniax]]'' version that became the US and PAL release) as a boss encounter (twice) and an optional party member (in return, the series' demon artist Kazuma Kaneko designed the DT forms for Dante and Vergil in ''3''). He later is playable as a SecretCharacter in the [=PS2=] ports of ''ViewtifulJoe''. He also has a [[http://udoncrew.deviantart.com/gallery/471845#/drz2ct cameo]] in [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Jedah Dohma's]] ending in ''[[VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution Capcom Fighting Jam/Evolution]]''. WordOfGod (with a side dish of ExecutiveMeddling) states that the amount of times he's appeared outside of his native series is the reason that he's not in ''[[VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom Tatsunoko vs. Capcom]]''.
** Although he ''[[AndTheFandomRejoiced is]]'' in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]''!
* CatchPhrase: "Jackpot!" [[PhraseCatcher It sees its fair share of usage by Vergil and Nero as well.]]
** "Devils never cry" seems to be one as well, seeing as he's said those words to Trish, Lucia, and Lady near or at the climax of the first three games (in the first two instances, he was trying to comfort Trish and Lucia, while the latter was Dante trying to deny the pain he felt when he believed Vergil to be dead).
* CharacterDevelopment[=/=]HiddenDepths: Though his main persona is the same in each game, chronologically he matures quite a bit. Witness his change from thrill seeking (''[=DMC3=]'') to guilt ridden (''[=DMC1=]'') to cool-headed (''[=DMC4=]'').
** In terms of straight-up HiddenDepths, Dante also happens to be a music aficionado. His office contains a drum set (complete with a guitar in ''3'') and an antique jukebox, and Dante is shown to be a ''very'' accomplished musician when he obtains Nevan in ''3''. Dante himself {{lampshade|Hanging}}s this in the preview to the episode "Rock Queen" from the anime, where he notes that you wouldn't expect a guy like him to understand the deeper messages conveyed through music.
** Also, ''something'' happened between ''[=DMC4=]'' and ''[=DMC2=]'' to turn him from the wisecracking, flamboyant figure-of-fun of ''3'', ''1'', and ''4'' into a stoic PersonOfMassDestruction with TheQuietOne tendencies. Thankfully, he never loses his CrazyAwesome demon-hunting style, and still abides by the RuleOfCool.
* CharacterExaggeration: Suffers from it in the anime. The RuleOfCool that he adheres by in the games seems to have become the equivalent of air for him in ''The Animated Series'', to the point of DestructiveSavior tendencies.
** {{Flanderization}}: Ditto. And he's not the only one either. Take a good look at Trish's impulsive behavior or Lady bugging Dante for needing to repay his debt, for starters.
** CharacterizationMarchesOn: How Dante, Trish, and Lady were portrayed in ''TAS'' stuck for ''4''.
* ChekhovsGun: He comes across a few, but the best examples would most likely be his half of the Perfect Amulet (in both ''1'' and ''3'') and his lucky coin in ''2'', which is later used [[spoiler:to thwart the BigBad's plan.]]
* ChickMagnet: While he does play the role of HandsomeLech towards Lady at first, [[GirlOfTheWeek every single female lead of the first 3 games]] [[ShipTease became a viable]] {{love interest|s}} for him towards endgame, UnresolvedSexualTension and everything. It doesn't hurt that he has the air of TheCharmer about him.
** In the case of Trish and Lady, the romantic tension was dialed back for their joint-reappearance in ''4''. Here, it's obvious that Dante sees his ladyfriends at least as TrueCompanions; any non-platonic feelings are negated by Dante's [[CharacterDevelopment lack of]] ([[CantActPervertedTowardALoveInterest or suppression of]]) [[ChivalrousPervert perverted qualities]]. As for Lucia, canonically speaking, she's the last girl Dante meets (Trish's [[SecretCharacter appearance]] in ''2'' [[WordOfGod is non-canon]] and Lady hadn't been conceptualized at that point), [[LoveDodecahedron so]] [[HaremSeeker the]] [[LoverTugOfWar matter]] [[TenchiSolution of]] [[WillTheyOrWontThey Dante's]] [[FirstGirlWins love]] [[SecondLove life]] [[LastGirlWins could]] [[BettyAndVeronica take]] [[ThirdOptionLoveInterest one]] [[TheDulcineaEffect of]] [[LastMinuteHookup several]] [[StrangledByTheRedString different]] [[CleaningUpRomanticLooseEnds directions]].
* TheCollectorOfTheStrange: Has several demon skulls in his office as well as [[WallOfWeapons various weapons mounted on his wall]].
* CoolSword: Rebellion, which covers...
** AbsurdlySharpBlade: According to WordOfGod, it can slice through anything in the physical plane.
** AudibleSharpness
** {{BFS}}
** BladeAcrossTheShoulder
** CleanCut: Not as impressive as the Yamato, but still.
** DeadlyLunge: Stinger, which doubles as SprintShoes.
** EvilWeapon: If the grip's anything to go by...
** HeroesPreferSwords
** ItWasAGift[=/=]AncestralWeapon: Suggested to be another memento from Sparda.
*** Force Edge was the original gift, [[{{Retcon}} but...]]
** MeaningfulName: In contrast to Vergil's Yamato, it could refer to the Meiji Period, where the Japanese began to modernize like the Western world. Now look at Dante's clothing style and weapon preferences. It also works in contrast to Vergil's personality as well: where he adheres to the demonic "power is everything" style, Dante [[CaptainObvious rebels against it]] and chooses humanity.
** NamedWeapons
** RazorWind[=/=]SwordBeam: Drive, which involves Dante using a ReverseGrip [[ChargedAttack while charging up the move]].
** SpamAttack: Million Stab.
** SpinAttack: Prop Shredder.
** SwordDrag: Does this a few times with Rebellion while charging at Vergil.
** SwordSparks: While [[BladeLock dueling with]] Vergil.
** ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks: [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice Sword Pierce]] and [[PrecisionGuidedBoomerang Round Trip]].
* CryForTheDevil: He does so when Vergil falls into Demon World of his own volition. Then comes the TitleDrop...
* DarkIsNotEvil: Uses his demonic powers for the good of mankind.
* DesperationAttack: His [[SuperMode Devil Trigger]] Majin Form ([[FanNickname Desperation/Desperate Devil Trigger]] or [[FunWithAcronyms DDT for short]]) in ''2''. When Dante's health is critical, he can transform into a towering, [[NighInvulnerability invincible]] behemoth (complete with [[DualWielding two blades]] [[BladeBelowTheShoulder that protrude out of his arms]], [[KillItWithFire fireballs]], and a [[ChargedAttack chargeable]] [[YinYangBomb light-dark]] [[WaveMotionGun laser beam]]) and mow down his enemies with the greatest of ease. This ''includes'' the FinalBoss.
* DifferentAsNightAndDay: With Vergil, natch.
* DiscontinuityNod: ''The Animated Series'' uses Dante's alias of "Tony Redgrave" (the same name inscribed on his guns) from the (now) non-canon novelization.
** Those same engravings on Ebony and Ivory contain an inscription that reads "By .45 Art Warks". In another nod to the novel, .45 Art Works is a gunshop owned by a female proprietor named Nell Goldstein (who has a tendency to [[SpellMyNameWithAnS misspell]] the name of her shop as ".45 Art ''Warks''"). Goldstein apparently helped "Tony" construct E&I, as well as Sparda's Luce and Ombra (which bear the same engraving).
** In the [=PS2=] port of ''ViewtifulJoe'', Dante makes a {{guest|Fighter}} [[RuleOfFunny appearance]] as a SecretCharacter. In his story, Alastor is revealed to be [[AnthropomorphicPersonification the spirit of the eponymous sword]] Dante picked up in ''1''. Among other things, Alastor is seething that Dante that didn't bring him along to "Somewhere Island" (Dumary Island). Dante protests, "I don't remember that!" Seeing as the series was also originally helmed by Hideki Kamiya, the man responsible for the original game, this could also be a TakeThat.
*** His change in characterization for ''2'' was [[HandWave handwaved]] when Dante ([[{{Fanservice}} who is only clad]] [[{{Stripperiffic}} in a]] [[UnderwearOfPower speedo]] [[HenshinHero when not transformed]]) asks if Enzo stole his clothes again, suggesting that ''[[NotHimself it wasn't even Dante you were playing as]]''. Again, most likely another TakeThat from Kamiya.
** See "TrademarkFavoriteFood" below.
* DoubleEntendre: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf1Tq3xnp0U His interaction with Nevan]] and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5pWvKx1x1pk his acquisition of Lucifer.]] Both are cases of DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything and the latter is something of a BadassCreed.
* EscapistCharacter: If you had the chance to be ''this'' {{badass}}, wouldn't you [[JumpedAtTheCall go for it?]]
** ThisLoserIsYou: Not if you were stuck in PerpetualPoverty with two women driving you into even more debt.
** Three babes and a kickass devil-hunting business? Totally {{worth it}}.
* [[spoiler:FakinMacGuffin: How he plays Arius for a chump in ''2''. [[BatmanGambit All according to plan.]]]]
--> '''Dante''': [[spoiler:"A false coin, for a false god."]]
* FingerlessGloves: Traditional fingerless gloves in ''3'', sans-thumb-and-index-finger type in ''4''.
* FingerTwitchingRevival: The end result of "[[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice acquiring]]" Alastor.
** Subverted in ''3''. You see his fingers twitch, and Vergil [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice stabs him]] ''again'' without missing a beat.
* FiringOneHanded: Dude can fire shotguns and more supernaturally-empowered weapons with one hand. [[AWizardDidIt Must be that demon blood in him]].
* GangstaStyle: How Dante uses Ebony & Ivory.
* GenreSavvy: Dante showed some really strong hints of this in ''4'' (and considering all the crap he's been through up to then, this is understandable). Said hints include [[CuttingTheKnot outright]] ''[[CuttingTheKnot breaking]]'' [[SolveTheSoupCans an extremely irritating puzzle]], finishing off bosses to avoid rematches, and perhaps the best known example is [[spoiler:crashing into the Order of the Sword's church and [[CombatPragmatist immediately shooting]] the BigBad]].
** Also in ''2'', where he's much less playful towards his opponents (including a ShutUpHannibal towards [[GoddamnedBoss Trismagia]]) and [[spoiler:''plays that game's BigBad with a BatmanGambit before [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim shooting him out of a building]]'']].
* GoodThingYouCanHeal: ''Seriously''.
* GoshDangItToHeck: The infamous [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHWRTUdYimI "Flock off, featherface!"]] line from the first game. Doubles as an [[JustForPun intentional pun]], [[DontExplainTheJoke considering that Griffon was a bird.]] Later games and the anime avert this, and Nero is probably the most foul-mouthed character in the series.
* GunsAkimbo
** CoolGuns: Ebony and Ivory.
** DualWielding
** GunFu: While not the one most characteristic of it (that would be Lady), like for everything, he's the best.
** GunTwirling
** ImprobableAimingSkills: [[TwoWordsObviousTrope Three words]]: RuleOfCool.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Dante is [[HumanMomNonHumanDad 1/2 demon, 1/2 human]].
* HiredGuns: Although people like he, Trish, and Lady happen to be a different sort of mercenary breed.
* HunterOfHisOwnKind: Dante just so happens to be the [[Pantheon/{{Combat}} God]] of DemonSlaying.
* HyperspaceArsenal
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: This happens a ''lot'' in the series.
** CrucifiedHeroShot: So does this.
* ImplacableMan: [[CutscenePowerToTheMax Cutscenes only]], but Dante himself is a rare protagonist example. The opening mission of ''Devil May Cry 3'' has Dante impaled by no less than four different scythes, only to calmly walk it off, pulling the blades out of his body and tossing them around the room, destroying his attackers.
* IShallTauntYou: He's an ''expert'' on this!
* ItWasAGift: Rebellion was a memento from Sparda. There's also his half of the Perfect Amulet, given to him by Eva on his birthday.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold
* KamehameHadoken: While in his PhysicalGod form, Majin [[SuperMode Devil Trigger]], Dante has a massive laser beam as one of his special attacks, taking this trope to heart the attack can OneHitKill ''everything'', bosses that can actually be hit by it included.
* LargeHam: [[NarmCharm But we love him like that!]]
* [[spoiler:LaserGuidedAmnesia: In the first novel. Thoroughly justified (it's really denial all along) and an aversion of You Fail Psychology Forever.]]
* TheLawOfDiminishingDefensiveEffort: [[CutscenePowerToTheMax In cutscenes, at least.]] [[CutsceneIncompetence The rest of the time...]]
* LetsGetDangerous: His default face is usually a CheshireCatGrin, [[PerpetualSmiler or at least some kind of cocky smirk]]. The moment he loses it, [[OhCrap that is your cue to run]] (and pray that he's merely been overcome by boredom) because Dante is now '''''deadly serious'''''.
** In the fourth game, you fight him as Nero in a tutorial fight. After being impaled by his own sword [[OncePerEpisode again]], he admits to {{underestimating|Badassery}} Nero. The next time they fight, he doesn't hold anything back, and many players consider him to be ThatOneBoss.
** In ''3'', once Dante realizes what he should really be fighting for, just about ''everyone'', from Lady to Vergil, learns the hard way that Dante is ''not'' one to be trifled with. And who could forget that CurbStompBattle against Mundus in the first game?
* ManlyTears[=/=]SingleTear[=/=]SandInMyEyes: At the end of ''3''. Of course, "It's just the rain" because "[[MenDontCry Devils never cry.]]"
** He also sheds a few tears when [[spoiler:he believes Trish to be dead]].
* MirrorBoss: Plays this role to Nero. He's a WarmupBoss in the tutorial. The second time around, many see him as ThatOneBoss.
* TheMusketeer: A [[TheGunslinger Gunslinger]] and [[MasterSwordsman Swordmaster]].
* MrFanservice
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* NeverBeHurtAgain: The prequel manga for ''[=DMC3=]'' suggests that this might be what drove him to become powerful.
* TheNoseKnows: He can smell Dagon from a mile away, but intentionally screws around with him and pretends to fall for his tricks [[ItAmusedMe to humor himself]].
-->'''Dante''': "You can hide that body. But that ''smell'', woo!"
* OedipusComplex: Subverted in a weird way only befitting of the series. In ''3'', Dante outright ''denies'' that he has a father due to his hatred of his demonic lineage (one of the many factors leading to his mother's death). However, unlike Vergil, he never tried to match or outdo his father. By the end of the game, he has a newfound respect for Sparda which can be seen in brief flashes in later games, namely ''2'' and ''4''. On the [[FreudianSlip mother]] angle of things, Dante appears to be drawn to Trish ''solely'' on the basis of her resemblance to his departed mother, but nothing comes to pass. Later games scaled down the romantic context, and Dante seems to be slightly disturbed by Trish's appearance in ''The Animated Series''.
* OlderAndWiser: The most logical way to justify his characterization in ''2''. Given the way it keeps getting pushed back in the time line, it's possible that it takes place a ''long'' time in the future. Either way, Dante's quieter, more professional, and more composed, although no less TheTrickster. He's also at the height of {{badass}}itude.
* OrphansPlotTrinket: His half of the [[MementoMacGuffin Perfect Amulet]].
* TheOtherDarrin: His voice actor kept switching in every game. It wasn't until ReubenLangdon (Dante's InkSuitActor) voiced him in ''3'' that a VA stuck. Subsequently, Langdon went on to reprise his role in ''4'' and (a massive [[AndTheFandomRejoiced moment of Fandom Rejoicing]] when announced) ''[[Anime/DevilMayCryTheAnimatedSeries The Animated Series]]''.
* PainfulTransformation: His (chronologically) first [[SuperMode Devil Trigger]], judging by his howling.
* PapaWolf: As a babysitter for Patty.
* ParentalAbandonment: Although it's moreso implied than outright stated, [[DarkAndTroubledPast his childhood took a turn for the worse]] [[TearJerker after his eighth birthday]]. The disappearance of his father and death of his mother also doubles as the [[StartOfDarkness beginning of the major schism]] between Dante and Vergil.
* PatrickStewartSpeech: Gives one to Agnus in ''4'', and again to Sid in ''The Animated Series''.
* {{Patronymic}}: Son of Sparda, which could also work as a [[RedBaron Badass Nickname]].
* PerfectPlayAI: Yep, [[MookHorrorShow and it hurts]].
* PermaStubble: Has it in ''4''.
* PhysicalGod: It's implied that Dante has the potential to surpass his father (who also qualifies for this trope). By ''4'', he [[spoiler:can take a blow from The Savior and still be relatively unscratched]]. By ''2'', he [[spoiler:[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu slaughters]] [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Argosax the Chaos]], ''[[SealedEvilInACan King of the Demon World]]'', and the [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Despair]] [[GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere Embodied]] (its BishonenLine of a OneWingedAngel) ''[[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu with little visible effort]]''.]] And ''that's'' when he's in his normal form. [[SuperMode Devil Trigger]] ([[NighInvulnerability Majin]] [[DesperationAttack Form]]), anyone?
* PossessionImpliesMastery: If he picks up a weapon (no matter how [[ImpossiblyCoolWeapon cool]]), he will [[InstantExpert instantly know how to use it]] ([[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome complete with a flashy demonstration]]), ranging from being MusicalAssassin with [[InstrumentOfMurder Nevan]] to becoming an expert martial artist with [[PowerFist Ifrit,]] [[ArmedLegs Beowulf, and Gilgamesh]] to [[MasterSwordsman deftly using his own brother's]] [[KatanasAreJustBetter Yamato]]. This could be justified since his Devil Arms are actually demons subjugated to his will.
* PreAsskickingOneLiner
* PreMortemOneLiner
* RedEyesTakeWarning: In the first game, [[spoiler:having witnessed the death of Trish at the hands of Mundus]], Dante's eyes glow red as he gains a BattleAura. In a rare break from his wisecracking personality, he delivers both a DeathGlare ''and'' ShutUpHannibal. [[EleventhHourSuperpower His Sparda Devil Trigger then activates.]] [[CurbStompBattle Mundus gets trounced]].
** They're also present on the cover to ''2'', but that's about it.
* {{Red Oni|BlueOni}}: To both Vergil and Nero's Blue Oni. Nero is a bit of a oddball in this regard (see his entry), but Dante gets progressively more Red when alone in ''4''.
* RefugeInAudacity: Standard operating procedure. For instance: need to kill the leader of an order of holy knights [[spoiler:with demonic powers]]? Show up during one of the guy's sermons and [[WhyDontYaJustShootHim cap him in the face]].
* ReubenLangdon: InkSuitActor in ''3'' and ''4'', providing voice and MotionCapture in both games, voice in the anime and ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.
* SarcasticClapping: Does this after seeing [[spoiler:Sanctus unleash The Savior after Agnus opens the Hellgate to Demon World.]]
* ShirtlessScene: The beginning of ''3''. You can unlock that outfit (or lack thereof) [[AndYourRewardIsClothes upon beating the game]].
* ShoutOut: His personality is based off of the titular character of ''Manga/SpaceAdventureCobra''.
* ShowDontTell: In contrast with the OedipusComplex example above, the manga of ''3'' states that he "longs to step out of his father's shadow," and ''4'' pretty much says that he's surpassed Sparda in terms of power. Again, he isn't shown actually trying to match or outdo his father, so there's a problem with Capcom's writing.
* ShutUpHannibal: At least two; one to Mundus at the end of the first game, and another to Arius in ''2'' after your second fight with him. The second case is more flashy, as it was a ShutUpHannibal performed with ''bullets''.
** Actually, three, with another case from ''2''.
-->'''Trismagia''': "The Son of Sparda. You must repent your sins!"
-->'''Dante''': "Don't speak, [[DramaticDeadpan just die!]]"
* SinsOfOurFathers: This happens to him often enough that he lampshades the trope in ''3''.
* SmugSuper: In ''3'' and ''4'' (in ''1'' and ''2'', not so much). Especially in the latter, where he will lesson Nero, play the three big demons of the game while clearly holding back, and never seem the least bit shaken by the chaos occurring.
* TheStoic: Dante is eerily Vergil-like in ''2''. One of many possible reasons behind the FanNickname of Duntee.
* TeasedWithAwesome: Sparda [[spoiler:Devil Trigger]] in ''1'', Majin Devil Trigger in ''2'' since the conditions to trigger it are AwesomeButImpractical and this DT depletes ''very'' quickly, to top it off there's no Infinite DT unlockable for this game; also his obtaining of Lucifer and Pandora (right before switching back to Nero) in ''4''. At least you have NewGamePlus and Bloody Palace in the case of the latter...
* TellMeAboutMyFather: Averted. Dante couldn't care less about the fables revolving around his father (Lady apparently knows more about the legend of Sparda in ''3'' than Dante does). In ''2'', when Matier bribes him with a tale about Sparda as payment for his help, Dante passes up on the offer, coming to the conclusion that it parallels his own quest in the game.
* ThemeNaming: [[ToMakeALongStoryShort Long story short]], Dante, Trish, Vergil, Lucia, and Lady [[ShoutOutThemeNaming are named after characters from]] Dante Aligheri's ''Literature/TheDivineComedy''. [[RuleOfSymbolism And that's just]] [[FauxSymbolism the tip of the iceburg.]]
** ThemeTwinNaming: With Vergil, of course.
* TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential: Majin Devil Trigger. Nothing in the series so far dared to claim someone or something stronger than Sparda (and Mundus); when Dante attained his father's form it seemed that he reached the top of his game, then Dante apparently impersonated [[Manga/DragonBall Goku]] and got a more powerful form offscreen.
* TooManyBelts: In the first game and ''TAS''.
* ToshiyukiMorikawa: Seiyuu for the anime. This is notable for being the first time that Dante is voiced in Japanese.
** Morikawa reprises his tenure as Dante's Japanese voice in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.
* TouchedByVorlons: The bio for Dante's Majin Devil Trigger states that he attained this form by the Sparda's sword influence on his natural born demon energy, both powers fused in Dante's body triggering his accension into a being far more powerful than the sword's original wielder; coincidentaly it cemented a better reason for Dante never needing the sword again and leaving it permanently in Trish's hands.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Pizza! As well as strawberry sundaes in the anime (a DiscontinuityNod to a prequel novel meant to be the groundwork for the series, until ''3'' [[ContinuityReboot kicked it out of canon]]).
* TrashTalk
* TricksterMentor: To a small degree, he's like this towards Nero.
** It starts developing into a BigBrotherMentor complex near endgame.
* WakeUpCallBoss: After beating Son of Sparda mode in ''4'', some may step into [[NintendoHard Dante Must Die mode]] full of confidence since the first fight [[WarmUpBoss isn't that hard]]. If they are lucky, they will be woken up by Pandora's laser beam two seconds into the fight and die before knowing what's happening. [[DidntSeeThatComing Ouch.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: He was set to appear in ''[[SoulSeries Soulcalibur III]]'', but didn't quite make the roster. It's a shame, considering the {{Guest Fighter}}s in both previous and subsequent titles.
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy
* WhoYouGonnaCall: ''{{Ghostbusters}}''? All jokes aside, this is the reasoning behind Devil May Cry; he's the only one who can protect humans from demonic infestation.
* WillfullyWeak: It's perfectly clear that Dante never goes all out in any of his adventures, barring the fight against Mundus and arguably Vergil/Nero Angelo, mostly due his laid-back personality and that he likes to have fun hunting each demons personally (or because he's PassingTheTorch in Nero's case). This is most evident in his incarnations from ''[=DMC4=]'' and ''[=DMC2=]'', the former where it's stated he has surpassed his father in strength and the latter in which Dante has gone beyond that, rendering Sparda's powers ''useless'' to him by attaining the Majin Devil Trigger, basically becoming the top PhysicalGod in the series. Needless to say, he doesn't ''need'' to spend his time hunting demons in areas populated only by them when he could just blast the land away by flicking his finger.
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: Delivers one after his fight with Lady.
** He also gives one to Vergil [[LetsGetDangerous right before their final battle]] in ''3'', coupled with TheReasonYouSuckSpeech.
-->'''Dante''': "What are you gonna do with all of that power, huh? No matter how hard you try, you're never gonna be like father."
-->'''Vergil''': "You're wasting time!"
-->'''Dante''': "We are the sons of Sparda! Within each of us flows his blood, but more importantly, his soul! And now my soul is saying it wants to stop you!
* SiblingYinYang: Yang to Vergil's Yin.
* YoungestChildWins
* YouRemindMeOfX: In ''1'', Phantom, Griffon, and Mundus all remark on how similar Dante is to Sparda. Nevan also compares him to Sparda in ''3''.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Trish]]
[[quoteright:194:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Trish.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:194:"It looks like we have a winner."]]
-->''"... Five minutes."''

Trish is a mysterious dame that visited Dante in his office, and seemed to know about his "secret" history. She told him that Mundus is trying to break out of the Underworld again, and that Dante should head for Mallet Island to put a stop to it. For some reason or other, she has lightning powers and bears a striking resemblance to Dante's deceased mother... so who is she really?

The truth about Trish is that she's a servant of Mundus, who was ordered to lure Dante to the island. She was created in the likeness of Dante's mother, perhaps in order to persuade him better. When Trish and Nightmare fail to kill Dante, Mundus uses her as bait to lure Dante to his lair, upon which Trish throws herself in front of Dante to take the blow of Mundus' EyeBeams attack, and presumably dies doing so. This drives Dante in such a rage that he can now Devil Trigger with the Sword of Sparda, which had been dormant before. Dante mourns for Trish and leaves the Sparda with her and sheds a few "devil's tears". Desperately trying to escape from the collapsing island, Dante engages in yet another battle with a deformed Mundus. Exhausted, Dante somehow hears the voice of his mother and Trish appears, miraculously returned to life. She gives him a power boost strong enough for Dante to blow Mundus back to Hell and sealing him away again.

A very relieved Dante decides to take Trish with him and they make a final escape via the old biplane. He allows her to keep the Sparda and Trish is now an employee of Dante's demon-slaying business.

* AbsoluteCleavage: It's there if you squint. [[spoiler:''Definitely'' so as Gloria.]]
* ActionGirl
* AntiHero: [[SlidingScaleOfAntiHeroes Type]] [[GoodIsNotNice III]].
* [[ArtificialHuman Artificial Demon]]
* AtsukoTanaka: Seiyuu for the anime and the Japanese version of ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.
* BareYourMidriff
* BigDamnHeroes: Comes to Dante's aid and lends him her power to defeat Mundus.
** DeusExMachina: Anyone care explaining how Trish inexplicably came back to life?
*** ContinuitySnarl: ''ViewtifulJoe'' has Mundus stating that the amulet Trish was given (and still wearing) was haunted by Eva's soul, and that Eva was responsible for having brought Trish back to life. Her voice is heard just before Trish appears, anyway. Not a single word has actually been said about that in the series proper, however.
* BikerBabe: For a brief DynamicEntry in the first game. Trish's preferred method of transportation in the anime is also a motorcycle. She takes it up to CrazyAwesome [[BadassBiker levels]] in a [[http://www.capcom-unity.com/snow_infernus/blog/2010/09/09/new_marvel_vs_capcom_3_trailer_on_gamespot recent trailer]] for ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'', where she starts ''breakdancing'' on it.
* BlondesAreEvil: At first...
** HeelRealization: Is hit ''hard'' by this trope after realizing exactly ''how'' much emotional turmoil she's putting Dante through.
** HighHeelFaceTurn
** TakingTheBullet: More like Taking The AgonyBeam. [[IGotBetter She got better.]]
** RedemptionEqualsDeath
** BackFromTheDead: If it wasn't a DisneyDeath.
** HairOfGold: She's still flawed in certain areas, but overall, Trish is now a well-meaning person.
* BreakoutCharacter: She joins Dante in the ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' lineup.
* CombatStilettos
* CoolShades: For all of one cutscene. That same cutscene where she [[KickChick repeatedly kicks]] Dante, [[ShockAndAwe shocks him with electricity]], and then throws a motorcycle at him via SuperStrength... only for him to shake it off like it was ''nothing''.
** For her appearance in ''2'' as a SecretCharacter, Trish dons her sunglasses while [=DTed=].
* [[spoiler:DarkSkinnedBlond: As Gloria.]]
* DualWielding: [[spoiler:Uses two retractable knives as Gloria.]]
* EroticEating: She seems to enjoy eating pizza a bit more than most.
* FanservicePack: Trish was actually somewhat petite in the original game. You wouldn't know that judging by ''4'' and ''[=MvC3=]''.
* FemmeFatale: Prior to her HeelFaceTurn, although bits and pieces of this pop up again from time to time.
* GunsAkimbo: Luce and Ombra, as seen in ''2'' and ''4''.
* HellBentForLeather ''and'' OfCorsetsSexy: She's a {{whip|ItGood}} short of being a dominatrix.
* [[spoiler:HelloNurse: As Gloria, natch.]]
* [[spoiler:HimeCut: As Gloria.]]
* HotChickWithASword: At the end of the first game, she's seen wielding the Sparda sword. She doesn't actually get to use in the series proper, instead brandishing it in ''[[{{Discontinuity}} 2]]'' and ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3''.
* HeyItsThatVoice: In the first game, she was voiced by Sarah Lafleur. Western fans of ''SailorMoon'' might recognize her as Sailor Uranus.
* IdenticalStranger: For Eva. Dante is at a loss of words the moment Trish takes off her sunglasses in the first game and reveals that she looks just like his mother.
* ItAmusedMe: [[spoiler:Pretty much functions as the linchpin of ''4''[='s=] plot due to this trope.]]
* JigglePhysics: Her breasts seem to bounce somewhat arbitrarily. [[{{Fanservice}} Works just fine for the viewers, though.]]
* LuciChristian: Her voice in ''The Animated Series''.
* MsFanservice
* MurderousThighs: [[spoiler:As Gloria, no less. Given her status as the above trope, it's justified. It also was a wonder that [[GettingCrapPastTheRadar Capcom wasn't called out for that entire sequence]].]]
* TheOtherDarrin: Sarah Lafleur in the first game, Danielle Burgio in ''4'' and ''[=MvC3=]''.
* PaintedOnPants
* PaperThinDisguise: Subverted; [[spoiler:both Dante '''and''' Sanctus are immediately able to tell who Gloria is. Dante laughs when he sees her and Sanctus even mutters, "Oh, it's ''you'', Gloria" to Trish when ''she's not even Gloria anymore''. Yet Trish and Gloria look nothing alike, so that ''the fans'' couldn't tell who Gloria is until TheReveal and assumed she was a new character.]]
* RapunzelHair: She skirts the line.
* [[spoiler:ReverseMole: Hinted to be working for the Order in ''4'' to help out Dante. Of course, she doesn't actually bother to ''tell'' Dante that she's stealing the Sparda...]]
* SayMyName: Happens ''a lot'' between her and Dante in the first game.
* ShockAndAwe
* [[spoiler:TheSmurfettePrinciple: Gloria is the only female executive of the Order of the Sword.]]
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Natch.
* [[TallDarkAndBishoujo Tall, Blond and Bishoujo]]: In ''TAS''.
* TheUnexpected: Few people were expecting her to be included on the ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'' roster. [[AndTheFandomRejoiced Not that anyone's complaining...]]
* VaporWear: [[spoiler:As Gloria in ''4''. It actually makes her usual look seem ''conservative''!]]
* WomanInBlack: Mostly subverted, although she does exhibit a few traits associated with {{Femme Fatale}}s (especially in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'').
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lucia]]
[[quoteright:231:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lucia.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:231:"Till next time, son of Sparda."]]
-->''"Dante told me... devils never cry!"''

A red-haired woman that is part of a clan that protects Dumary Island from demons. She uses an array of throwing knives and daggers in combat, along with being able to transform into a white birdlike demon. She sees Matier as her mentor and mother-figure.

[[spoiler:Turns out that Lucia isn't human at all--she is one of Arius' "creations" and was left to die as Arius deemed her to be defective. Matier took Lucia in and raised her as her own, although upon learning this truth Lucia began to overwhelmed by panic and doubt as she feared she would go berserk and turn against the humans she only wanted to protect. She pleaded with Dante to kill her, because "it's his job to hunt devils" (which he refuses to do and gives her his coin to hold on to). Matier reassures her that their bond runs deeper than her circumstances of creation/birth. As Dante goes through the Demon Gate to fight Argosax, Lucia fights and kills a deformed, possessed Arius. She's last seen in Dante's office, waiting for him to return.]]

* ActionGirl
* AirplaneArms: While running in her Devil Trigger form.
* AnimalMotifs: Birds (see "WingedHumanoid" below). [[spoiler:Arius' Secretaries also share this motif, as seen by their bird-like eyes and {{Cool Mask}}s in the shape of beaks.]]
* [[spoiler:[[ArtificialHuman Artificial Demon]]]]
* AutomaticCrossbows: Like Dante in the first game, Lucia can use a rapidfire bowgun underwater. Her version has an angel motif.
* BadassCape[=/=]ScarfOfAsskicking: It's ''somewhere'' inbetween the two.
* [[spoiler:BadassInDistress: After finding out about her connection to Arius, she sets off to defeat him (and perhaps [[DeathSeeker take herself down]] [[TakingYouWithMe with him]]), but is captured merely because he is a more skilled combatant. Dante saves her, and she later gives Arius his just desserts.]]
* BareYourMidriff
* BraidsOfAction
* [[spoiler:CloningBlues]]: Subverted, [[spoiler:albeit not at first. By the end of the game, however, Lucia realizes that (thanks to Dante and ParentalSubstitute Matier) it doesn't matter if she's one of several artificially-created demons as long as she has close ties to her friends and family]].
* CombatStilettos: And unlike the other ladies, [[KickChick she actually uses them in battle]].
* DarkSkinnedRedhead
* [[spoiler:DeathSeeker: On the verge of a DespairEventHorizon and fearing that she'd loose control of her demonic nature and end up hurting her loved ones and other humans, Lucia ventures through the second half of her story with a suicidal depression. She even asks Dante to kill her before the final battle, although Dante's kind words help her cope with who she is.]]
* [[spoiler:[[DoNotCallMePaul Don't Call Me Chi]]]]
* DualWielding: Just about ''every'' weapon she uses.
* EverythingSoundsSexierInFrench: [[OohMeAccentsSlipping At least, that's what]] [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent her VA was going for.]]
** Which is strange because her VA (Francoise Gralewski) ''[[RealityIsUnrealistic is]]'' [[RealityIsUnrealistic French]] (well, [[ButNotTooForeign half-French half-Polish]]) and has been featured in several French-language dubs.
** Her accent is pretty consistent, whatever it is. It just stands out due to outrageous DullSurprise.
* ExoticWeaponSupremacy
* FingerlessGloves
* [[spoiler:FlawedPrototype: According to Arius, she's a defective. His BodyguardBabes are supposedly stronger than her, but Lucia goes on to defeat Arius himself when he's transformed into a full demon.]]
** [[spoiler:WhiteSheep: Ditto. A telltale sign between Lucia and the others is the lack of [[UhOhEyes malicious-looking]] [[HellishPupils bird-esque]] eyes.]]
* GaidenGame: Her story could be seen as this.
* GreeneyedRedhead
* [[spoiler:HappilyAdopted: It turns out that Matier isn't Lucia's birth mother, but she doesn't care because the love was real.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Upon getting TheReveal.
* HotChickWithASword: Two, in fact.
* KnifeNut: A heroic version. It's her ranged WeaponOfChoice.
* [[spoiler:TheLadysFavour: Subverted[=/=]{{gender flip}}ped. While it is Dante who ventures forth to fight Argosax, ''he'' is the one who [[ItWasAGift entrusts his lucky coin to Lucia, asking her to keep it safe for him]]. It is then that she discovers that it's a trick coin. Lucia is later seen flipping it in the epilogue, but leaves it behind as she fervently rushes out to reunite with Dante.]]
* [[spoiler:LukeIAmYourFather: She was created by Arius, the second game's main antagonist.]]
* [[spoiler:MarkOfShame: The χ-shaped symbol on her left shoulder, which Arius uses to pound home the fact that she's [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman nothing more than a]] [[ArtificialHuman "mannequin."]]]]
** [[spoiler:XMarksTheHero]]
* MoreExpendableThanYou: She says, [[MoreHeroThanThou but if anything, this actually made her more worth of living than himself in Dante's eyes]].
* PaperThinDisguise: [[spoiler:She infiltrates Arius' office disguised as one of his SexySecretary BodyguardBabes. Arius is not fooled.]]
** Subversion: [[spoiler:She and all of the clones look exactly alike, so a change of clothes would presumably be all that's needed to fool Arius. Him being able to see through the disguise anyway is impressive.]]
* PeekABangs
* {{Redheaded Hero}}ine
* SheFu: Her fighting style employs various acrobatic manuevers and [[DanceBattler dance-esque]] kicks.
* ThrowDownTheBomblet: Aside of her knives, she has access to compact bombs called Cranky Bombs, which can be either set or thrown. They're also one of two subweapons usuable underwater (the other being the bowgun).
* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: She has a complex with this after realizing [[spoiler:she's a demon]].
* WingedHumanoid: To contrast with Dante's more demonic visage while DT'ed, her Devil Trigger form is some sort of {{angelic|Beauty}} bird woman resembling a dove. Her wings are actually on her arms ([[AbnormalAmmo with her feathers being used as projectiles in place of her knives]]) and she doesn't gain wings to fly with unless she has the Aerial Heart equipped. Lucia's unlockable Secretary outfit is instead patterned after a {{raven|sAndCrows}}[=/=]{{fallen angel}}.
* UnresolvedSexualTension: Debatable, but Lucia definitely appears to warm up to Dante by the end of the game. It's mostly one-sided, though.
** ''Everyone'' warms up to Dante by the end of the game. It's only a matter of when their development will get dropped by the next installment. (I'm looking at you, Lady and Trish.)
** For what it's worth, Dante seems to warm up to Lucia as well. So, not totally one-sided.
* [[spoiler:YouAreNumberSix: Her original name was Chi (χ), the 22nd letter of the Greek alphabet. While it's unknown if Arius made at least 21 other demons like Lucia, he's shown to have at least a few around.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Lady]]
[[quoteright:178:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Lady.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:178:"Looks like we're gonna be busy for awhile."]]
-->''"Mary died a long time ago. My name... is Lady."''

First appearing in ''Devil May Cry 3'', Lady is one of Dante's allies. While she is a full-blooded human and therefore does not have the physical power of a (half-)demon, she is still a competent gunslinger and capable fighter.

In ''Devil May Cry 3'', Lady's goal is to kill Arkham, her father, and avenge the death of her mother (who Arkham killed). She encounters Dante multiple times, shooting or threatening to shoot him at least once each time. He is, after all, part demon (though she doesn't know this at first, believing him to be a demon who happens to look like a human), and she also plans to hunt down demons. During one of these encounters, when Dante asks her what her name is, she tells him that she doesn't have one and doesn't care what he calls her. Dante's response: "Whatever, [[AppropriatedAppellation Lady]]."

[[spoiler:In Mission 13 it's revealed that Lady being there is an important part of Arkham's plan. She happens to have been descended from a priestess whose blood was part of the Temen-ni-Gru's seal, keeping a portal to the demon world closed. There, Arkham shows his true colours, stabbing his own daughter in the leg to undo the seal.]] This strengthens Lady's resolve to kill Arkham; she only relents when Dante defeats her in battle. Even then, she eventually gets back up. [[spoiler:When Arkham falls out of the demon world and lays dying on top of the Temen-ni-Gru, he finds Lady waiting for him and pointing a gun at his head. Yes, Arkham dies at Lady's hand... and she cries over his death, after thinking she wouldn't.]]

Lady and Dante join forces and become friends at the end of the game. She plays a very minor role in ''Devil May Cry 4'' (which quite a few fans were unhappy about); she told Dante about the Order of the Sword, as well as their recent activities. In the secret ending she decides to come along with Dante on another job.

"Acrobatic gunslinger" would best describe how Lady fights; [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin she uses a variety of guns as well as acrobatics in battle]], most notably the rocket launcher Kalina Ann. She also carries various other ranged weapons such as throwing knives and [[ThrowDownTheBomblet grenades]], though these are only seen in the boss battle against her.

* AbsoluteCleavage: In ''4''.
* [[spoiler:ApocalypseMaiden: Is crucial to Arkham's plan with the Temen-ni-gru, even moreso than the Sons of Sparda.]]
* ActionGirl
* AntiHero: Type III, sliding towards Type II.
* AlmostKiss: With Dante.
* BadassBiker [[BikerBabe Babe]]: [[CoolBike It's a pretty snazzy ride to boot]] (complete with WeaponizedExhaust!). Too bad that Dante wrecks it.
* BadassNormal: Whether she's this or has CharlesAtlasSuperpower is hard to say, but she easily qualifies for either trope.
* BelligerentSexualTension: Her relationship with Dante in ''3''.
* {{BFG}}: Kalina Ann, a rocket launcher which she ''carries on her back, even while doing acrobatic manuevers''.
** BladeBrake: She uses the {{bayonet|Ya}} on Kalina Ann to stop her fall from the Temen-ni-Gru. How she manages to get down to the bottom safely is a mystery.
** MacrossMissileMassacre[=/=]{{Roboteching}}: Hysteric.
** SwissArmyWeapon
* CoolShades: In ''4''.
* CuteBruiser: She's 18 or probably ''less'' during her first appearance!
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Between her and Dante.
* DefrostingIceQueen: She's very tense and cold for most of the game. It's not until the above trope comes into play that Lady starts to lighten up.
* {{Determinator}}: See below.
* [[DoNotCallMePaul Do Not Call Me Mary]]
* [[spoiler:[[MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter Evil Jester's Beautiful Daughter]] and TheUglyGuysHotDaughter]]
* FumikoOrikasa: Seiyuu in the anime.
* GoodScarsEvilScars: Has a scar running across the bridge of her nose.
** Also at least one on one of her thighs.
* GunsAkimbo
* TheGunslinger: More so than the other heroes, if only because she carries even more of them.
* HeyItsThatVoice: Voiced by KariWahlgren in ''3'' and ''4''.
* HollywoodHealing: Played straight ''and'' averted at different times. You'd think that bayonet through the leg would have left a mark.
** It does end up leaving one in the anime. An [[XMarksTheHero X-shaped mark]].
* ICallItVera: Kalina Ann, her rocket launcher which she named after her [[DeathByOriginStory mother]].
* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: After her battle with Dante. Possibly justified in that [[CurbstompBattle Dante just walked over her the same way Muhammad Ali slugged out George Foreman]].
* IPromisedMyselfIWouldntCry: [[spoiler:Upon killing Arkham, her father.]]
* TheLadysFavour: Her temporary relinquishing of Kalina Ann to Dante in ''3'' [[spoiler:with the request to "save" her father Arkham]], minus the part about being a {{love interest|s}} ([[ShipTease possibly]]). And no, this was ''not'' JustForPun.
* MadeOfIron: Gets stabbed through the thigh with the giant bayonet on the aforementioned giant rocket launcher, has it wiggled around in a way that would normally cripple the leg for life ''if'' you didn't bleed out first, but she's back up for a boss fight shortly afterward. And ''then'' she climbs up the outside of a damn tower.
** Let it be known that she lacks the HealingFactor that the sons of Sparda have, yet manages to shake off almost as much as they do.
** Which should bug people when hearing of the outtake where she holds her own against Dante and Vergil before the plot reveal, because ''she shouldn't be that strong''.
*** It's simple. RuleOfCool and CharlesAtlasSuperpower.
* MaleGaze: Her introduction to the story in the 4th game? Dante's POV, aimed squarely at her cleavage, [[MyEyesAreUpHere before looking up]].
* MismatchedEyes
* MissingMom
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname
* PluckyGirl: Not even ''getting her ass kicked by Dante'' is enough to stop her. Her determination does pay off in the end--[[spoiler:she gets to kill Arkham after all]].
* ProgressivelyPrettier: Compare Lady in her debut to Lady at the time of ''4''.
** [[JustifiedTrope Semi-justified]] since she's several years older. And she wasn't exactly [[HollywoodHomely unattractive]] to begin with, as her fandom will attest.
* [[spoiler:SelfMadeOrphan: Although when your father is ''Arkham'', it ''has'' to be done.]]
* [[ThatManIsDead That Girl Is Dead]]: See the above quote.
* UnorthodoxReload: Approximately three guns at once, all of which spent some time in the air during their reloading process. While fighting in close quarters.
* VanHelsingHateCrimes: At first. [[CharacterDevelopment She later gets over it.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nero]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/NeroDMC.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"This baby sure can pack a punch."]]
-->''"From that day forth, my arm changed... and a voice echoed. '''Power... Give me more power!'''"''

Nero made his first appearance in ''Devil May Cry 4'', where he is one of two playable characters. He lives in the castle town of Fortuna, which is home to a Sparda-worshipping religion known as the Order of the Sword, and is a member of the Holy Knights, a group charged by the Order with the duty of hunting and killing demons.

Putting it lightly, Nero is ''very'' out of place in Fortuna for a number of reasons: he wears different colours to everyone else, holds little faith to the Order's beliefs, works alone, and--most notably--has white hair and an unusual arm. This arm, the Devil Bringer, has demonic powers, but also a demonic appearance.

In the game itself, he is sent by the Order to track down Dante after the Son of Sparda killed the Order's leader, Sanctus. Nero and his love interest Kyrie soon wind up in a mess (again, putting it lightly).

[[spoiler:It turns out that The Order is a CorruptChurch with plans to conquer the world. After finding this out Nero decides to get some answers, only for things to go wrong. Kyrie gets kidnapped, and an angry Nero goes after Agnus and Sanctus. Of course, this is what they ''wanted''. It's revealed that Nero is a descendant of Sparda (already hinted at in a number of cutscenes, including one where he gained Yamato), and the Saviour, a giant statue, needs a descendant of Sparda to power it. So Nero gets trapped inside with no way out.]]

[[spoiler:For a while. Eight missions later, Dante helps Nero escape, and the two work together to defeat Sanctus (which involves rescuing Kyrie). When the BigBad tries one last attempt to fight, Nero unleashes the full power of the Devil Bringer and kills him in a single blow. Dante leaves Yamato to Nero, and all in all it's a happy ending... well, except for the wrecked Fortuna. And the Scarecrows.]]

Nero's weapons include Red Queen (a sword with a motor in it which can be revved to increase damage), Blue Rose (a double-barrelled revolver which Nero apparently built himself), the Devil Bringer (his arm, which allows him to use a variety of powerful attacks), and later Yamato.

* AirGuitar: One of his more exterme taunts. If you stop and listen, there's ''actual'' music playing.
* BadassAbnormal
* BadassLongcoat: It's almost a BadassLongRobe, which makes him seem only ''slightly'' less out of place in Fortuna.
* [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni]]: Plays this role to Dante's Red Oni. However, there is a slight [[InvertedTrope inversion]], as Nero is more prone to emotional outbursts and {{hot blooded}} moments.
* BottomlessMagazines: During gameplay, anyway. [[AvertedTrope He has to reload during one cutscene]].
* BunnyEarsLawyer: First glances can be deceiving. ''Very'' deceiving.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: [[spoiler:Subverted.]]
* CoolSword: He actually got two:
** [[NamedWeapons Red Queen]]
*** {{BFS}}
*** CompanionCube
*** FlamingSword[=/=]HotBlade
*** ItRunsOnNonsensoleum[=/=]RuleOfCool: It's a sword with an ''engine'' inside of it, that Nero revs up and ignites using its bike-like grip.
*** ReverseGrip: For his High Roller technique.
** [[spoiler:Yamato]]
*** {{BFS}}
*** BladeBelowTheShoulder
*** EvilWeapon: Or at least dark.
*** GiveMeASword: Subverted. Nero asks to keep it to finish his mission. [[spoiler:Dante later [[ItWasAGift entrusts the sword to Nero]], knowing that it's in good hands.]]
*** KatanasAreJustBetter
*** SwordBeam
* CursedWithAwesome: Devil Bringer.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: Him and Dante, sorta.
* {{Expy}}: Casual and unrefined, but likes to fight (without caring about the cause)? Got into the good fight just to save a cute girl from the corrupted agents of her own cause? Dark, tunic-style jacket? Superpowered arm? [[GodHand Why, hello, Gene.]]
* FoeTossingCharge: Do ''not'' get between this man and his [[LoveInterests woman]].
* HalfHumanHybrid: Story details in ''[=DMC4=]'' hint at him being one-quarter devil.
* {{Hammerspace}}: The Devil Bringer is shown to absorb any upgrades or items Nero picks up along his adventure, along with the ability to call some [[spoiler:like Yamato]] back out for attacks.
* [[spoiler:TheHeretic: Goes against the Order of the Sword's teachings just to save the love of his life.]]
* HeyItsThatVoice: Nero is voiced by JohnnyYongBosch, [[InkSuitActor who also did the motion capture for the character]].
** RelationshipVoiceActor: And Kyrie is voiced by StephanieSheh.
** When coupled with the plethora of [[{{Expy}} similar character traits]], this led to the {{Fan Nickname}}s of Ichigo (Nero), Bankai (his Devil Trigger), Getsuga Tenshou (the shockwaves emitted upon DT-ing), Orihime (Kyrie), and ''{{Bleach}} May Cry'' (the game itself).
* IAmAMonster: Suffers with this complex for a bit, until Kyrie assures him that she loves him for who he is.
* InTheBlood: [[spoiler:Vergil's coolheadedness and aloof demeanor, uncle Dante's sense of humor, jocular attitude and flamboyance in battle. Interestingly, this makes him the complete opposite of Sparda, who was generally affable but highly focused in battle.]]
* IShallTauntYou: With a "[[BringIt Come on!]]"
* IWillProtectHer: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3We64paWJN0 Anything to protect her...]]
* ManlyTears: [[spoiler:Upon screaming out Kyrie's name while being absorbed into The Savior's core. He comes ''very'' close to a DespairEventHorizon.]]
* MrFanservice: [[spoiler:It runs in the family.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* ParentalAbandonment: His alleged dad is DeaderThanDead (and Nero never met him, outside of a brief exchange in Nero's mind during the novelization when he's activating his Devil Trigger), and his mother's identity is unknown.
* PatrickStewartSpeech: To [[spoiler:Sanctus]].
* PlotInducedStupidity: [[spoiler:He could have saved Kyrie with his Devil Bringer on at least two ocassions. The thought ''never'' crosses his mind.]]
** FridgeBrilliance: [[spoiler:The only things you use the Devil Bringer for in-game is as a grappling hook against non-corporeal targets or to lay the smackdown on the bad guys, neither of which requires a delicate touch, unlike saving Kyrie from the baddie. He does try and grab her using the arm at one point, but it's not using it's supernatural giant-grabbing-ghost-hand power. Perhaps the Devil Bringer is incapable of being used in a gentle manner?]]
* PreAsskickingOneLiner
* PreMortemOneLiner
* PunnyName: The Exceed version of Nero's Calibur is named EX Calibur, a play on {{Excalibur}}, [[PublicDomainArtifact the legendary and mythical weapon of]] KingArthur.
* PutOnABus: If the new game's previews are to be believed, we will never see this guy again. Which is a disappointment in and of itself.
** Not necessarily. ''[=DmC=]'' was [[FlipFlopOfGod originally]] a prequel to ''3''/reboot, but has now shifted firmly into a parallel universe with a different Dante. Given the {{Sequel Hook}}s thrown our way, there's a good chance we'll see Nero again some time in the future.
* [[RedRightHand Red And Blue Right Arm]]: His Devil Bringer.
** GrapplingHookPistol: One of its functions.
** GrievousHarmWithABody: Pretty much ''all'' of his Buster moves.
** RapidFireFisticuffs
** StrongAsTheyNeedToBe: Sometimes.
** WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer: Beats up {{Mooks}}, triggers ActionCommands, solves puzzles...
** YouWillNotEvadeMe: {{Mooks}}, meet Devil Bringer.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Upon activating his Devil Trigger for the first time, complete with ThemeMusicPowerUp, PowerEchoes, BattleAura, and a BadassCreed. It happens again when [[spoiler:Angelo Agnus escapes with Kyrie, leaving Nero to deal with some {{Mooks}}.]]
* RepeatCut: Can be done with the Devil Bringer's animation during [[spoiler:the final battle against Sanctus]].
* RevolversAreJustBetter: Blue Rose.
** ReallyBigGun
* ShoutOut: Several.
** Obviously, to [[StreetFighter Zangief]] as listed below.
** A demonic RedRightHand, wears a BadassLongcoat, works for an order of knights who hunt down and eliminate supernatural threats, wields a giant revolver... [[ComicBook/{{Hellboy}} remind you of anyone?]]
*** Take away the "works for an order of knights who hunt down and elimante supernatural threats" part, and you've got a pretty accurate description of [[Manga/{{Trigun}} Vash the Stampede]]. Also, consider his (English) [[JohnnyYongBosch voice actor]]...
** In the same vein as the above, Nero can easily be described as a "tall handsome man in a dusty black coat with a red right hand." Possibly a ShoutOut to NickCave?
** The Blue Rose bears a striking resemblance to another [[{{Killer7}} big, double-barreled revolver]].
** He has an attack called [[CrazyTaxi High Roller]], huh?
** [[VideoGame/GuiltyGear His sword has an engine built inside of it, thus allowing it to generate flames.]]
* SpinningPiledriver: [[SuperMode Devil Trigger]]-powered Buster performed on an [[BossInMookClothing Alto Angelo]] involves supplexing him twice before jumping and pulling off the Izuna Drop.
* SwordAndGun
* ThemeNaming: Many of Nero's attacks are named after gambling and/or card game terminology (Roulette Spin, High Roller, Streak, Split, Double Down, Shuffle, Maximum Bet, Showdown).
* UnorthodoxReload: Only done once, in a cutscene, but reloading for Nero basically means tossing the bullets and then spinning.
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Was originally going to be named Rodin, after the famed French sculptor who once created [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gates_of_Hell a motif of a]] {{hellgate}} mentioned in ''The Divine Comedy''.
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy
* WorldOfCardboardSpeech: A variant, as he had already decided on his motives; he was simply declaring it aloud.
* WrestlerInAllOfUs: Knows how to perform [[StreetFighter Zangief's]] [[MeteorMove Final Atomic Buster]] as well as [[DynamicEntry landing a dropkick]] on ''Dante'' of all people.
* YouRemindMeOfX: Berial gets some serious Dante vibes from Nero, better hinted at in the novelization.
[[/folder]]

! Villains

[[folder:Vergil]]
[[quoteright:250:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Vergil_Sparda.JPG]]
[[caption-width-right:250:"My sincerest apology, brother. I was so eager to see you I couldn't concentrate on preparations for the bash."]]
--> ''"Foolishness, Dante, foolishness. Might controls everything. And without strength, you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."''

The older of Sparda and Eva's twin sons, Vergil strongly resembles Dante... in appearance, and appearance only. When it comes to their personalities they are complete opposites: while Dante is hotheaded and cocky but ultimately fights for humanity, Vergil is cool and collected and out for his own gain.

In ''Devil May Cry 3'' and its prologue manga, Vergil joined forces with Arkham to release Temen-ni-gru and open the portal to the demon world. However, circumstances first led Vergil to kill Arkham (or so he thought), and then to team up with his brother to stop Arkham. After he was dealt with, the brothers fought over the Force Edge, with Dante ultimately winning. Vergil chose to stay in the Demon World, and decided to try and fight Mundus.

''Devil May Cry'' reveals what happened to Vergil afterwards: Somehow he had become a servant of Mundus under the name Nelo Angelo. After several more clashes with his brother, he was defeated and vanished. Whether he survived is unclear, though given various hints in ''Devil May Cry 4'', it seems unlikely.

In ''Devil May Cry 3'' Vergil wields Yamato, a katana he inherited from his father, and later dual wields it with the Force Edge. As Nelo Angelo, he wields a very large sword.

* TheAce: Yes, a ''villainous'' version of the trope. It's how he's presented at the beginning of ''3'', although this is later subverted, [[VillainForgotToLevelGrind as Dante later is able to fight him to a draw in their second fight and then finally outright defeat him at the end of the game]].
* AloofBigBrother
* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: Him and Dante.
* AntiVillain ([[SlidingScaleOfAntiVillains Type I]]): He's honorable enough to [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen seek out a fair duel with his opponents]] and know when to draw the line (i.e. [[EvilerThanThou Arkham]]), but not enough to prompt a true HeelFaceTurn.
* {{Badass}}
** BadassCape: As Nelo Angelo.
** BadassInANiceSuit: As Gilver. Interestingly enough, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen concept art]] for ''3'' depicts Vergil in a black suit with a ScarfOfAsskicking, not unlike that of Gilver.
** BadassLongcoat
* BandagedFace: As [[SignificantAnagram Gilver]] in the [[CanonDiscontinuity novelization]].
* BatmanGambit: In the first novel, he [[spoiler:sets Nell up to willingly perform a HeroicSacrifice on Dante's behalf, in order to awaken Dante.]] [[TheExtremistWasRight It worked.]]
* BeatThemAtTheirOwnGame: Inverted when he uses Sparda's other broadsword (Force Edge) to fight Dante at the end of ''3''. It doesn't work.
* BlackKnight: As Nelo Angelo. Fittingly so, his name (if Nelo was spelled as Ne'''r'''o) is Italian for "Black Angel".
* [[RedOniBlueOni Blue Oni]]: To Dante's Red Oni.
* BossBanter: Chock full of it in ''3''. The lines you hear depend on how you're faring, ranging from [[LetsGetDangerous "Now I'm motivated!"]] to [[IAmNotLeftHanded "Don't get cocky."]]
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: As Nelo Angelo.
* {{Cain|AndAbel}}
* CannotSpitItOut: [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental materials]] state that Vergil still has a great deal of respect for his younger brother. This is perhaps best seen at the end of ''3'', where Vergil tells Dante to not follow him and tells him to escape from Demon World before the portal closes.
* CharacterTics: His HairFlip, which gives his hair its characteristic spikiness and [[ShowTheForehead reveals his forehead]]. [[GoodHairEvilHair This is done to further differentiate himself from Dante]], as their hairstyles are identical when his hair is wet. In homage to his brother, when Dante obtains the Yamato in ''4'', he runs his hand through his hair in the same manner as Vergil while entering Dark Slayer style.
* CoolSword: Yamato, which covers...
** AbsurdlySharpBlade: To the point that it can tear through ''dimensions''.
** AudibleSharpness
** {{BFS}}: It has the length of a nodachi, which are long, two-handed Japanese blades. Additionally, there's Nelo Angelo's zweihander, [[OneHandedZweihander which is sometimes brandished with only one arm.]]
** ChekhovsGun: Factors ''heavily'' into the plot of ''4'' (including some Sparda-related backstory).
** CleanCut
** [[EvilWeapon Dark Weapon]]
** ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: "Ya-ma-to," not "Ya-MA-to."
** ItWasAGift[=/=]AncestralWeapon: Originally belonged to Sparda.
** KatanasAreJustBetter
*** IaijutsuPractitioner
** MeaningfulName: Yamato is a word used to refer to the Japanese ways of old. True to form, Vergil has a very samurai-esque code of honor, [[DoesntLikeGuns right down to his dislike of guns]].
*** AlternateCharacterReading: The full name of the weapon is 閻魔刀: 大和 or Enma Katana: Yamato. Literally "Devil Blade: Yamato." The 閻魔 (''Enma'', lit. "Devil") in 閻魔刀 (''Enma Katana'') can also refer to the judge of the afterlife, Yama, and 刀 (''Katana'', lit. "Blade") may also be read as とう (Tō). Thus, 閻魔刀 can technically be read as "Yamatō."
** NamedWeapons
** RazorWind: Judgement Cut. Taken UpToEleven in the final battle with his [[SecretAIMoves Judgement Storm]].
** SingleStrokeBattle: Rapid Slash.
** SpinToDeflectStuff: Doubles as BulletCatch.
** UnorthodoxSheathing
* CrypticConversation: The above quote, which led to a metric ton of AlternativeCharacterInterpretation.
* DeflectorShields: In ''3'', he'll put one up to signify one of his deadlier moves (Devil Trigger in the second battle, Super Devil Trigger in the third, Judgement Storm in the third, and, in Dante Must Die mode, Spiral Swords and its derived moves in ''all'' three fights).
* DifferentAsNightAndDay: Him and Dante. Guess why.
* DoesntLikeGuns: Is stated to think that firearms are [[LetsFightLikeGentlemen dishonorable weapons]]. He [[JustForPun gives them a shot]] near the end though.
** Let it be said that this does not stop Vergil from using his Summoned Swords, which have ''no'' difference in functionality from guns.
*** [[RuleOfCool They look cooler]].
* DualWielding: When he combines Yamato and [[{{BFS}} Force Edge]].
* EvenBadMenLoveTheirMamas: Notice that when he's finally defeated by Dante in ''3'', the first thing he reaches for is his half of the Perfect Amulet. It can also be inferred that Nelo Angelo's pain when seeing Dante's half in ''1'' is due to the memories of childhood with Eva and Dante.
* EvilAlbino: His CGI-rendered scans in ''3'' have Vergil significantly paler than his bro. Nelo Angelo's skin is also of [[UndeathlyPallor a ghastly pallor]].
* EvilSoundsDeep[=/=]PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep: As Nelo Angelo, complete with PowerEchoes.
* EvilTwin
* FinalBoss: In ''Devil May Cry 3''.
* FingerlessGloves
* FlashStep: Does this ''[[TeleportSpam a lot]]''. It loses some of it usefulness as Nelo Angelo, considering that he rarely uses it to his advantage and you can see where he's going.
* GoodHairEvilHair: His slicked back 'do. If wet, he looks exactly like Dante.
* HalfHumanHybrid: Half-human, half-demon, like Dante.
* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: The [[BattleInTheRain first fight]] against him in ''3''.
* HeyItsThatVoice: Voiced by Daniel Southworth in ''3'', better known as the [[SixthRanger Quantum Ranger]] from ''PowerRangersTimeForce''. [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBrdDjmQVdI Quantum Power!]]
* InstantDeathRadius: His Summoned Swords as Nelo Angelo and especially during ''3'''s [[HarderThanHard Dante Must Die]] mode. [[ThatOneAttack Hope that you wrote your will]].
* IsThatWhatHeToldYou: Inverted. [[spoiler:Lady is under the impression that Vergil is manipulating her father, [[BlatantLies Arkham]], and was the reason he murdered Kalina Ann. In reality, [[MagnificentBastard it's the other way around]]. Appropriately, Vergil calls her a foolish girl, and Lady begins to start piecing together the facts for herself.]]
* ItWasAGift: Same deal as Dante, only replace "Rebellion" with "Yamato."
* KilledOffForReal: [[ViewersAreMorons As if fans couldn't take the hint]] that a person ''exploding'' signifies their death, Capcom had to specifically state in ''4'' that the Angelos were made from Nelo Angelo's ''corpse''.
** FridgeLogic: Explosions that flashy ''do not leave corpses'', and neither should they when an ''entire island explodes in the same fashion''.
** If an explosion twice over doesn't cut it, ''[[WordOfGod The History of DMC]]'' states that Mundus destroyed Vergil's original body ''long'' before the first game even happened and put him in a construct body similar to Trish's (or that his body was destroyed and that Mundus skipped the whole "creation of a new one" thing, and took the soul and shoved it in an empty suit of armor), so... the Bianco Angelos were made out either of the corpse of a corpse, or a non-existent corpse, which again, completely disappeared upon explosion leaving ''nothing'' but an amulet. No, not even the sword was left, but the Order inexplicably found ''that'' mostly intact too. Have fun trying to make sense of it.
* LostInTranslation: Do ''not'' bring up the topic of [[SpellMyNameWithAnS Nelo Angelo vs. Nero Angelo]] [[FlameWar if you value your life.]]
* [[MalevolentMaskedMen Malevolent Masked Man]]: As Nelo Angelo. [[spoiler:And as Gilver, in the first novel ([[GoodAllAlong although]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy it's not entirely his fault]]).]]
** CoolMask[=/=]CoolHelmet
*** {{Helmets Are Hardly|Heroic}}... [[InvertedTrope Villainous?]]: The third battle with Nelo Angelo has him revealing his face before the fight.
* ManOfWealthAndTaste
* MirrorBoss: ''Especially'' as Nelo Angelo, where his entire moveset consists of stronger versions of Dante's moves with longer range.
* MrFanservice
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* [[LukeIAmYourFather Nero, I Am Your Father]]: And before you ask, ''YES'': [[http://www.capcom-unity.com/carbo/blog/2009/04/28/captivate_2009__devil_may_cry_news_no_new_game_unfortunately It's been confirmed!]]
* NoDoubtTheYearsHaveChangedMe: When Nelo Angelo reveals himself to be Vergil, Dante doesn't seem to recognize him. Most likely, this is chalked up to the series' AnachronicOrder.
** Or it could be chalked up to the {{retcon}} brought about by Dante having met Vergil in ''3''. Had they never seen each other since they were children (resulting in Vergil being Mundus' slave for twenty years as opposed to just nearly a decade), there would have been enough time for Dante to not recognize/forget about him/consider him dead and gone.
* OedipusComplex: Played straight: Vergil's entire goal in the third game is to gain power and be like/surpass his father, and he's stated in the manga to dislike Dante ([[YouRemindMeOfX as a substitute for Sparda]]) simply because he thought [[TheUnfavourite Eva favored him more]].
* OrphansPlotTrinket: Same as Dante.
* ParentalAbandonment
* PerfectPlayAI
* PowerGlows: Nelo Angelo's zweihander is surrounded by some sort of [[TechnicolorFire blue fire]] as he swings it, while his armor pulsates several different colors to show the player how much life he has left. The latter was removed for Vergil's DT in ''3: Special Edition''.
* RecurringBoss: You fight him three times in ''3''. Factor in his appearances as Nelo Angelo in ''1'' and you have a whopping total of six or seven battles against him, the most in the entire series.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: Nelo Angelo after his unmasking.
* SizeShifter: For some odd reason, Nelo Angelo grows to be about 1.5x the size of Dante when he unmasks and powers up for his final duel with Dante.
* TheSlowWalk: All part of his aforementioned PerfectPlayAI status. If Vergil is going to kill you, you had better believe that he's not going to actually ''run'' up to you. Teleportation is perfectly acceptable, though.
* SecretAIMoves: Obviously, the playable version is ''severely'' [[RedemptionDemotion toned]] [[OverratedAndUnderleveled down]].
* TheStoic
** NotSoStoic: During his brief VillainousBreakdown. "'''''Why isn't it working?!'''''", indeed. He cracks a few more times later on.
* ThemeNaming: In ''3'', his special moves with Beowulf are all named after astrological and celestial bodies (Starfall, Rising Sun, Lunar Phase, Meteor).
* UsedToBeASweetKid: The implications are everywhere, from his former sibling bond with Dante as children or the happy times he spent with his family in the past.
* VillainousRescue: In the second-to-last mission of ''3'', he shows up in the nick of time to help Dante battle against [[spoiler:Arkham]].
* TheVoiceless: As Nelo Angelo.
** VoiceGrunting: And an EvilLaugh. That's about it.
* WakeUpCallBoss: While he's only the boss of Mission 4 in the first game, Nelo Angelo is a tank and will crush players who think that they can aimlessly combo him to death. He also happens to be only a few missions after the fight with Phantom, the ''first'' WakeUpCallBoss of ''[=DMC=]''.
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy
* WildCard: Complete with the obligatory EnemyMine and HeelFaceRevolvingDoor.
* WorthyOpponent: Sees Dante as one. Subverted in several lines, especially when he Devil Triggers in the second battle ("You are not worthy as my opponent!"). As Nelo Angelo, Vergil seems to be motivated by the same general mindset to have a good fight with Dante above anything else.
* SiblingYinYang: Yin to Dante's Yang.
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: After Arkham opens the final gate in the Temen-ni-gru, Vergil offs him, saying that his services are no longer needed. [[spoiler:Of course, Arkham wasn't ''[[FakingTheDead actually]]'' down for the count...]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mundus]]
[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Mundusart.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:"So sad that humans will always be humans, no more. Has the Sparda blood been spoiled over the ages?"]]

--> ''"Again I must face a Sparda... strange fate, isn't it?"''

Two thousand... several thousand... ''[[OverlyLongGag a really long time ago]]'', the human and the demon worlds were at war, and the dark emperor Mundus was at the head of the demon side. His plan was to rule both worlds, but Sparda defeated Mundus, sealing him and a number of portals to the demon world away. Needless to say, the Prince of Darkness was not very happy.

He serves as the main villain of the first ''Devil May Cry'' game. Planning to use a portal on Mallet Island to return to the human world, he used Trish [[HoneyTrap to lure Dante there]] and sent his generals, particularly Nelo Angelo, to kill him. They all failed. Trish, too, failed him, but Mundus decided to try a trick instead of outright killing her.

Once Dante arrived in his lair, Mundus used Trish as a hostage (''"Blink, and she dies!"''), and took advantage of Dante being distracted to attack him. Trish took the killing blow for Dante, which wound up making Dante very unhappy.

So the two fought a legendary battle. As Dante was trying to escape Mallet Island afterwards, Mundus showed up again, this time falling apart. Trish then showed up, and helped Dante send Mundus back to the demon world. As he disappeared, he promised that he would return.

Mundus uses his considerable powers in combat.

Plot points throughout the first game and the series in general seem to imply that Mundus was the one responsible for the death of Eva, the mother of Dante and Vergil. Nothing has officially been disclosed.

* AdvancingBossOfDoom: Mundus, Round 3.
* AgonyBeam: If you're not up to par, expect to receive this.
* BeardOfEvil: His older form sports one.
* BigNo: Both after you defeat him the second time and when Dante seals him away with help from Trish.
* BlobMonster: His true form is implied to be a slimy orange mass with a lot of arms and eyeballs.
** Not just implied; his marble outer shell slowly but surely crumbles as you face him in mortal combat. By the time you'll vanquished him for good, most of his [[EvilIsVisceral grotesque, fleshy true form]]--nothing more than a writhing mass of living tissue, complete with three eyeballs dangling from their eyestalks and [[MultiArmedAndDangerous hundreds of arms]]--is exposed.
* EvilerThanThou: Some of the cast in ''[[VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom3 Marvel vs. Capcom 3]]'' like to deride his ability or diminish his accomplishments (that is to say, being '''The''' Devil in the ''Devil May Cry'' universe) by saying they've faced worse or ''are'' worse.
-->'''GhostRider''' (''intro to Trish''): "I eat demons like Mundus for breakfast."
-->'''[[{{X-Men}} Phoenix]]''' (''when beating Vergil'') "Perhaps if I'm not too busy, I'll take care of Mundus, too."
-->'''[[DoctorStrange Dormammu]]''' (''win-quote against Dante'') "As you can see, not all demons are created equal. Stick to fighting Mundus, boy!"
* EvilSoundsDeep
* EyeBeams
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: Besides [[AttackItsWeakPoint the eye-like core that is his weak spot]], there's the whole BlobMonster with three barely-connected eyes thing...
* ClippedWingAngel: The [[SequentialBoss third]] and ''final'' battle with him.
* FinalBoss: Of the first game.
* GrandpaGod: His old man form definitely invokes this, but he's really more like {{Satan}} than anything.
* HeyItsThatVoice: Wait a sec... Mundus (Tony Daniels) is [[WesternAnimation/{{X-Men}} Gambit's]] [[TheOtherDarrin second VA]]? And [[SailorMoon Wiseman and Jedite]]?! Considering [[EldritchAbomination the second]], it's ''very'' fitting.
* LargeAndInCharge
* LightIsNotGood: He looks like an angel (with [[ThirdEye three eyes]], but still), and even has his lair in what looks like a ''church'', for crying out loud!
* LoadBearingBoss: Defeating Mundus for the second time results in the gradual collapse of Mallet Island. Not that Mundus can take a hint to stay down...
* PhysicalGod: The best Sparda and Dante could do was kick his ass and then seal him away. [[WeWillMeetAgain Mundus proclaims vengeance]]; [[LampshadeHanging Dante tells him to give his regards to his son]].
* RedBaron: The Dark Emperor and The Devil King. In ''3'', Vergil also refers to him as [[{{Satan}} the Prince of Darkness]] before rushing in to face him in a hopeless battle. Inscriptions in the first game also call Mundus by the name of [[ClassicalMythology Pluto]].
* {{Satan}}: Unquestionably, he is the [[BigBad Biggest Bad]] to grace this series.
** Mundus harbors many parallels to {{Satan}}. He fancies himself as God in his throne room, which is filled with light and made of perfect white marble, and appears as a multi-winged angel who fell from the heavens. Of course, those images are a mask to his true BlobMonster form.
* SadisticChoice
-->'''Mundus''' (''holding Trish captive''): "Don't even think about it. Blink, she ''dies''."
* SealedEvilInACan
* ThirdEye
* YouHaveFailedMe: He kills Griffon for failing to kill Dante, and dialogue implies he's done the same to others that failed him in the past. Dante doesn't approve of this.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Phantom]]
-->''"Ack... argh... You... you're not just any ordinary human... What are you?"''

The first of Mundus' servants, he attacks Dante in a chapel in the castle at Mallet Island and later on the roof, as well as appearing as an AdvancingWallOfDoom in certain areas. He appears again for some reason in ''[=DMC2=]'' as a boss when you attempt to open the gate to the demon realm.

* AdvancingWallOfDoom: In some areas.
* BreathWeapon: He can shoot heat beams out of his maw.
* TheDragon: One of Mundus' generals and apparently his right-hand man. Whether or not he was CoDragons with Sparda before the demon knight's defection or became Mundus' general in Sparda's absence is unknown.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Has a deep, harsh voice.
** So deep and harsh, the game turns on a closed caption feature to make sure the player understands what he's saying.
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: In the second game he literally falls from the sky. And no explanation is given.
* GiantSpider: He's basically this. Made of stone and lava, that is.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: He eventually falls from the ceiling and gets impaled on the Knight Statue's spear.
* [[MagmaMan Magma Monster]]: He manifests via earth and magma.
* RecurringBoss: The most recurring boss in the series, second only to Vergil/Nelo Angelo.
* ScaryScorpions: He has pincers and can turn his fat back into a long scorpion-tail.
* TimeTravel: An exercept from the ''[[FictionalDocument Guidepost]]'' suggests that Phantom was brought through some "door to the past" for his appearance in ''2''.
* TheVoiceless: In ''2''. Possibly {{justified|Trope}}, as he was only there for one boss battle.
* WakeUpCallBoss
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Griffon]]
-->''"You! Are you the human, the son of Sparda, who challenges the Darkness Mundus?"''

The second of Mundus' servants to face Dante, appears as a huge demonic eagle which attacks Dante several times in his journey. He's eventually defeated and destroyed by an angry Mundus. His death prompts Dante to become more serious.

* CognizantLimbs: For your final battle with Griffon, he loses his left wing once he's down to about 1/3 of his health, permanently grounding him for the remainder of the battle.
* EvilSoundsDeep
* FeatheredFiend
* GiantFlyer: Emphasis on Giant.
* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: Is pinned to sacrificial pentagram by a giant pointy rock sent by Mundus when Griffon pleas for his master to aid him after Dante defeats him the final time.
* RecurringBoss: He attacks Dante three times.
* ShockAndAwe: With red lightning.
* YouHaveFailedMe: Mundus eventually fries him when he's defeated for the third time.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nightmare]]
A bionic demon-weapon built by Mundus who's sent after Dante. It appears as a large BlobMonster with a lot of nasty powers. Dante will require the help of some special platforms to make it solid and hurt his cores.

* [[AnIcePerson An Ice Blob]]: In "slime" form, Nightmare sends out little black slugs that latch onto Dante, freeze him, and explode into ice. In "solid" form, standing directly in front of it will prompt it to fire a high-damaging ice beam with a long duration from its "mouth."
* AttackDrone: Sends out several to cover its core, as well as make life for Dante hell in general.
* AttackItsWeakPoint: The cores.
* BlobMonster: The most obvious one.
* BossArenaIdiocy: Whenever he appears, there will be blue stones to keep him solid.
* CombatTentacles: Which can become spears.
* FrickinLaserBeams
* NighInvulnerability: Whenever it's a writhing pile of gloop. You have to activate the pedestals located in the room in order to force Nightmare to turn solid and reveal its weak point.
* NightmareSequence: If it absorbs Dante, he is trapped in a dream world (really just a smallish arena with floating skulls), and must beat a ([[DegradedBoss much weaker]]) hallucinatory version of a previous boss.
* NoSell: As the Nightmare-β was designed in a similar fashion to the real Nightmare, its lasers (which are [[GameBreaker game-breaking]] if even ''three'' runes of Dante's Devil Gauge are {{charged|Attack}}) are ineffective against its brother bioweapon. Presumably, the same applies for Trish's Nightmare-γ in ''2''.
* RecurringBoss: It's fought three times, all towards endgame (Missions 16, 18, and 20).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Arius]]
-->''"The world is already warped. Everything that belongs to the demons will eventually revert to its original form."''

The president of an international public corporation named Uroboros, he wishes to revive the demon king Argosax the Chaos and absorb his power. To complete this task, he travels to Dumary Island in search of the Arcana, magical artifacts necessary for breaking Argosax's seal.

[[spoiler:It is revealed that Arius is the creator of Lucia, a "defect" who he abandoned long ago.]]

[[spoiler:In the end, his ambition is thwarted by Dante's trickery, who [[UnwittingPawn sets up Arius]] [[FakinMacGuffin by switching the Arcana Medaglia with his own lucky coin.]] While defeated by Dante, Arius is revived as a demon... who is ultimately destroyed by his own faulty creation, Lucia.]]

* AffablyEvil: He's quite polite and refined... until the VillainDecay kicks in.
* [[spoiler:AGodAmI: At first. When the VillainDecay hits, it then pulls a 360 and plummets straight into DrunkOnTheDarkSide.]]
* BadassArmFold: Does a smug little one to signify his teleportation spell.
* BadassInANiceSuit: He wears some pretty snazzy formal clothes, with a [[FurAndLoathing fur-lined]] [[BadassLongcoat longcoat]] over that... with a [[BadassCape cape]] attached to ''[[RuleOfCool that]]''.
* BadassMustache
* BarrierWarrior: Can create a dark barrier to deflect attacks, although he only does this randomly.
* BeardOfEvil: That is one sinister goatee.
* BodyguardBabes: In your second fight against him as Dante, Arius is flanked by various women (according to files, these are his [[SexySecretary Secretaries]]). [[spoiler:They all happen to be [[ArtificialHuman artificially-created demons]] based off of the same template. Lucia also happens to be one of them.]]
* [[spoiler:BodyHorror: Possessed Arius and Arius-Argosax, ''especially'' the latter.]]
* BreathWeapon: [[spoiler:One of Arius-Argosax's attacks (besides his PrehensileTail) is ''puking'' on you. Eww...]]
* [[spoiler:ChestBlaster[=/=]FrickinLaserBeams: Possessed Arius has two varieties: a burst of several covering a large area in front of him and a longer-lasting beam that follows you. Both can be avoided pretty easy by running under Arius when he leviatates and flanking his side/back.]]
* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler:Upon somehow gaining some of Argosax's power, Arius returns to fight Lucia as a demon. He's bigger, vastly more powerful, and [[ImplacableMan resistant to most of your attacks]] ([[PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep and he gets a deeper voice, too]]), but he's also extremely clumsy and many of his attacks can be seen coming from a mile away, making them easily avoidable. [[SequentialBoss By the time you face his second form]], [[AntiClimaxBoss he's a painfully ridiculous and laughable cakewalk of a]] FinalBoss.]]
* [[spoiler:CombatTentacles: Possessed Arius has two.]]
* CorruptCorporateExecutive
* DarkIsEvil: See "EvilSorceror" below.
* DiabolicalMastermind
* EvilForeigner: Implied.
* [[spoiler:EvilIsNotAToy: Done in a roundabout fashion.]]
* EvilSorceror: Has magical prowess, having dabbled in the dark arts. Included in his arsenal are portals of dark energy that swallow up his enemies and send them crashing down to the ground in another location, spires of darkness, and--[[FlunkyBoss of course]]--his SummonMagic.
* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: The result of Lucia's battle with him. Dante's first fight against Arius subverts this as Dante is clearly the victor, but Arius gains a second wind, effortlessly dodges Dante's attempted deathblow, [[VillainExitStageLeft and then blows up his tower]].
* [[spoiler:HoistByHisOwnPetard: Lucia ends up being the one to finally vanquish him.]]
* HostageForMacGuffin: Demands that Dante hands over the Arcana in exchange for Lucia's life.
* LifeDrain: [[spoiler:Possessed Arius has an odd variation. One of his attacks has him slide across the ground and capture Lucia with the pulsating red orb found on his chest cavity. It drains Lucia's healthbar, but doesn't restore any of his own.]]
* LargeHam: Sweet Jeebus. Mission 17 of Dante's disc ''firmly cements'' him as this trope, complete with [[EvilIsHammy a bout of chewery-scening]] [[EvilLaugh laughter]], MilkingTheGiantCow ''numerous times'', and an odd squealing battlecry right before Dante fights him.
* [[spoiler:[[LukeIAmYourFather Lucia... I Mean "Chi", I Am Your Creator]]]]
* MadScientist
* ManInWhite
* ManOfWealthAndTaste
* RevolversAreJustBetter
* SmokingIsCool
* SummonMagic: Just loves to summon various {{Mooks}} [[FlunkyBoss during his]] BossBattle. It becomes grating when coupled with his BodyguardBabes for Dante's second fight. Also, he summons one of the game's bosses ([[ALoadOfBull Furi]][[PlayingWithFire atau]][[DropTheHammer rus]]) to fight Dante in his stead.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:He was already loopy by that point, but with lines like "Wheeeooooooooo!" and "I was meant to be the [[LargeHam KEEEEEEEEEEEEENG]] of the this world!", yeah... And then Dante [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome "crowns"]] him. When he returns as a demon to face Lucia, he's ''even worse''.]]
* VillainTeleportation: [[GetBackHereBoss Tends to warp around the field using portals of dark energy.]]
* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: [[spoiler:Subverted. He starts going insane ''before'' his ritual to take Argosax the Chaos's power even begins.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:The Servants of Arius]]
A series of powerful demons met by Dante and Lucia during the course of the game in many locations, they're powerful monsters serving Arius. The most noticeable are [[TheBrute Orangguerra]], [[StockNessMonster Jokatgulm]], [[DemonicPossession Infestant]], [[EldritchAbomination Nefasturris]], [[MagmaMan Furiataurus]], [[SeaMonster Tateobesu]], [[BladeOnAStick Bolverk]], [[BigCreepyCrawlies Noctpteran]], [[MacGuffinGuardian Tartarussian & Plutonian]], and [[ThatOneBoss Trismagia]]. [[spoiler:Nefasturris, Orangguerra, Jokatgulm, and Furiataurus reappear later merged in Argosax's body.]]

* AdvancingBossOfDoom: The Infested Chopper. It chases Dante [[BattleAmongstTheFlames through a burning building]] and [[RooftopConfrontation across several rooftops.]]
* AllYourPowersCombined: Trismagia's strongest attack is to [[FusionDance recombine]] and then fire a blast of powerful magical energy utilizing [[ShockAndAwe all]] [[AnIcePerson three]] [[PlayingWithFire elements]].
* ALoadOfBull: Furiataurus.
* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Nefasturris, which was brought to life from a ''skyscraper''.
* BigBadassWolf: Bolverk's [[FlunkyBoss pet demon wolves]], [[NorseMythology Freki and Geri]]. They're actually the [[{{Reincarnation}} reincarnated forms]] of [[BashBrothers his battle-mates]].
* BigCreepyCrawlies: Noctpteran and her larvae.
* BladeOnAStick: Bolverk's weapon of choice is an extendable spear with a huge blade. It also further cements his status as a ShoutOut to [[NorseMythology Odin]] (see "MeaningfulName" below).
* BodyHorror: Trismagia, Tartarussian & Plutonian, and Nefasturris. Trismagia, in particular, literally rips himself apart in order to separate (complete with blood splashing into the air). And then there's Nefasturris continuing the battle as the deformed head known as Nefascapitas...
* BossArenaIdiocy: To an extent, Trismagia. Every once in a while, the white head will summon four pillars of ice to land on the platform you're fighting on top of. Hacking away at and breaking these icicles is a good method for building your DT meter, which is the fastest way to shave off good chunks of health from his lifebar.
* BreathWeapon: Nefasturris can shoot a devastating laser beam. Orangguerra, Furiataurus, and Trismagia all can spit projectiles (or in Furiataurus' case, a jetstream of flames) from their mouth as well.
* TheBrute: Orangguerra.
-->'''Enemy File - Orangguerra''': "A giant and hostile monster that possesses prodigious strength and agility."
* BulletHell: Trismagia attacks randomly and without discretion, usually having his heads fire upon you in quick succession. Prepare to dodge... ''a lot.''
* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth: Noctpteran, who's more like a moth.
* CastingAShadow: Bolverk. Comes complete with [[BattleAura a dark-purple fume cloaking his upper body.]]
* CheshireCatGrin: Trismagia's blue head always sports this. Creepy is an ''understatement'' here, folks.
* CognizantLimbs: Target Orangguerra's arms and you can eventually lob them off. Jokatgulm's tentacles need to be eliminated from the equation if you want a clear shot at her head.
* ColorCodedForYourConvenience: Trismagia's heads: the happy one is blue and controls lightning, the angry one is red and controls fire, while the sad one is white and controls ice.
* CombatTentacles: Jokatgulm.
* DeathFromAbove: Orangguera will latch onto the ceiling to move around the arena and then pounce on Dante/Lucia with a [[RollingAttack rolling spin]]. Bolverk will also perform a diving slash if Dante tries to attack him while [[SpinToDeflectStuff he's deflecting bullets with his lance.]]
* DeflectorShields: Jokatgulm can errect one to protect herself should Dante or Lucia make it ontop of her belly. [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom It has a nasty habit of sending them flying across the room.]]
* DegradedBoss: Orangguera shows up as an enemy a few missions after your boss fight with it in Dante's disc. He also shows up randomly as a MiniBoss in a corresponding mission of Lucia's.
* DemBones: Bolverk's body is skeletal in appearence.
* DropTheHammer: Furiataurus' weapon.
* EldritchAbomination: '''Nefasturris'''. Nefascapitas isn't much better in this regard.
* EnigmaticMinion: Bolverk is an odd example in that he never speaks, so his personality and motives are very hazy. However, it's never clarified if he's actually a follower of Arius or just lurking around Dumary Island and Arius' HQ in wait for Dante.
* EpicFlail: Tartarussian and Plutonian have huge spiked balls in lieu of hands.
* [[EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys Everything's Worse With Monkeys]]: Orangguerra.
* EverythingsBetterWithSpinning: Tartarussian and Plutonian tend to flail their maces around in wide, sweeping arcs.
* EvilLaugh: Trismagia has a very creepy one.
* ExtraEyes: Orangguerra and Tateobesu. Four to be exact.
* EyesDoNotBelongThere: The Infested Tank and Infested Chopper, being techno-organic monstrosities, sport a single eye. [[AttackItsWeakPoint Naturally, these are the demons' weak points.]]
* FireIceLightning: Trismagia's powers.
* FlatCharacter: Unlike the bosses of the other games, they lack personality and charm, except maybe Bolverk and Trismagia.
* FlunkyBoss: Bolverk is backed up by Freki and Geri, Plutonian can summon Agonofinis demons to aid him, Orangguerra does the same with the Msira, and Noctpteran continually lays eggs that hatch into Larvae which continue to attack even after their mother's death.
* FogOfDoom: Jokatgulm tends to spew a poisonous mist that saps away your strength if you stay on her belly for too long.
* FrickinLaserBeams: Nefasturris and Nefascapitas, full stop.
* GatlingGood: Infested Chopper.
* GetBackHereBoss: Trismagia loves to hang back just outside the range of your firearms and only one of the three heads is vulnerable at a time.
* GiantFlyer: Noctpteran.
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Many of them, including Orangguerra, Noctpteran, Jokatgulm, and Nefasturris.
* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Tateobesu. It actually uses their glow to [[BlindedByTheLight temporarily blind Lucia before their fight.]]
* HornedHumanoid: Furiataurus, to complete its classic Devil-inspired look.
* {{Invisible Monster|s}}: Tateobesu is an odd variation. It can become invisible "by assimilating its body to water," [[VisibleInvisibility but you can still see it as clear as day.]] While in this state, however, you can't lock-on to it. Naturally, it's stuck in its invisible state in Dante Must Die mode.
* JustEatHim: Tateobesu tries this frequently as you battle it.
* KingMook: Orangguerra for the Msira enemies and Tartarussian and Plutonian for the Finis enemies.
* LaserBlade: One of Bolverk's more potent attacks is empowering his spear and then [[DeadlyLunge performing a Stinger-like attack]] where a blade of energy extends from his (already long) weapon.
* MacGuffinGuardian: Tartarussian guards the Arcana Spada and Plutonian guards the Arcana Medaglia.
* MakeMeWannaShout: Orangguerra can fire a bubble-like projectile of concussive force from its mouth.
* MeaningfulName: Nefasturris (Tower of Sin), Nefascapitas (Head of Sin), Furiataurus (Bull of Fury), Noctpteran (Night Wing), Trismagia (more or less, Three Mages; could also draw comparisons to [[TheBible the Magi]]). Tartarussian and Plutonian come from [[ClassicalMythology Tartarus and Pluto]]. Bolverk is an alias [[NorseMythology Odin]] once took while masquerading as a human, while Freki and Geri were two wolves who accompanied him in tales.
* MiniBoss: Infested Tank. You face three as Dante and one as Lucia.
* MismatchedEyes: Orangguera. Three are [[EyesOfGold yellow]], one is blue.
* MixAndMatchCritter: Jokatgulm. She has the head of [[ReptilesAreAbhorrent a cobra]], the body of a jellyfish, and the tentacles of [[EverythingsSquishierWithCephalopods an octopus]].
* MultipleHeadCase: Tartarussian and Plutonian.
* NonMammalMammaries: Perhaps the only way you can discern Jokatgulm is one of the few female bosses in the game.
* NoSell: Averted. Trismagia, whether whole or separated, is ''not'' immune to his respective elements.
* PlayingWithFire: Trismagia's red head and Furiataurus.
** {{Hellfire}}: Furiataurus is made of it; it even bleeds lava when attacked.
--> '''Enemy File - Furiataurus''': "Haunted by death, agony, and resentment of the condemned, its four limbs are still in flames."
* ThePowerOfHate: Bolverk, possibly. According to his enemy file, "his single eye possesses both knowlege and malice."
* PunnyName: Oranguerra is a play on orangutan and ''guerra'', the Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese word for "war."
* RecurringBoss: Bolverk and his wolves.
* ReligionIsMagic: Trismagia is the oracle of Demon World. Overlaps with EvilSorceror.
* RooftopConfrontation: Infested Chopper and Furiataurus.
* ShieldedCoreBoss: Jokatgulm subverts this. You ''can'' go straight for her head, but it's a lot easier without her tentacles in the way.
* ShockAndAwe: Trismagia's blue head. Plutonian can also call forth electric beams to shoot out of the walls in its arena in order to attack Dante and entrap him by limiting his area of movement. Tateobesu's PrehensileTail appears to be electrified.
* SpinToDeflectStuff: Bolverk.
* SurpriseVehicle: Infested Chopper.
* TakingYouWithMe: When drained of all his health, Trismagia reforms to deliver one final blast that bites a chunk out of your lifebar. You need to survive or (more preferably) dodge it so that Trismagia can finally die. If it kills you (and given the length and structure of the battle, you'll probably be low on health at the time), you have to fight him ''all over again.''
* TankGoodness: [[AvertedTrope Not exactly]] in the case of the Infested Tanks.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Trismagia gives one to Dante. Dante, unfazed, counters with a ShutUpHannibal (see his entry above).
* ThirdEye: All three of Trismagia's heads sport these.
* TrickBoss: Nefasturris --> Nefascapitas. Have fun.
* UnderwaterBossBattle: Tateobesu, exclusive to Lucia's disc.
* TheVoiceless: ''All of them'', barring Trismagia (who gets ''maybe'' three lines).
** VoiceGrunting: Bolverk at times. Jokatgulm also delivers a screechy wail as a death cry.
* TheWormThatWalks: Nefasturris is composed by swarms of lesser demons called "Nefasverminis" (Worms of Sin).
* WorthyOpponent: Bolverk fought Sparda in the past, and now he wants a rematch against his son.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Argosax the Chaos/[[spoiler:The Despair Embodied]]]]

The king of Demon World, Argosax is ancient demon who was defeated by Sparda with the help of the Vie de Marli and sealed using four magical artifacts. Arius seeks the Arcana to undo the seal, revive Argosax, and then absorb his power.

[[spoiler:Despite Dante and Lucia thwarting Arius' plans, the resurrection ceremony commences anyway, opening a portal to the Demon World. Ultimately, Dante volunteers to go forth and defeat him. Argosax then assumes a sleeker and more powerful form, The Despaired Embodied. After a long and tenuous battle, Dante is ultimately victorious, blasting the former Demon King to bits.]]

* [[spoiler:AmbiguousGender: The Despair Embodied is said to be a ''he'', but appears as an androgynous horned being made of fire whose sex changes depending on its WeaponOfChoice; the male uses a {{flaming sword}}, while the female brandishes a {{whip|ItGood}}.]]
* BackFromTheDead: This one shouldn't come as a surprise.
* BiggerBad: Is the cornerstone of the plot, but doesn't actually do much to affect it (being dead might have something to do with it). He only appears in the final chapter of Dante's story [[spoiler:and his influence possesses Arius in Lucia's final mission.]]
* [[spoiler:[[BishonenLine Bishonen/Bishoujo Line]]: The Despair Embodied resembles a transparent human with indistinct features. It is vastly more powerful than Argosax's base form.]]
* BlobMonster: When confronted by Dante, Argosax is presented [[BiologicalMashup as a macabre amalgamation of]] [[MonsterMash severals bosses faced by Dante previously]] (Phantom, Furiataurus, Nefasturris, Jokatgulm, and Orangguerra, [[MyFriendsAndZoidberg as well as Griffon]] from ''1'').
* EldritchAbomination
* [[spoiler:FlashStep: A specialty of The Despair Embodied is disappearing from sight and then blindsiding you with one of its attacks.]]
* [[spoiler:GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: Not the slightest mention was given to The Despair Embodied in the story. It simply bursts out of a cocoon that ejects from Argosax's withering husk and challenges Dante.]]
* [[spoiler:GlassCannon[=/=]LightningBruiser: The Despair Embodied has ''much'' less health than Argosax, but zips around the place and hits like hell.]]
* [[spoiler:HornedHumanoid: The Despair Embodied.]]
* MarathonBoss: Argosax has a ton of health, but most of its heads can be safely blasted with the rocket launcher from outside their attack range.
* MegaManning: See "BlobMonster" above. Notably, some of the bosses that comprise Argosax skip their TurnsRed phase and whip out their more powerful attacks from the get-go.
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast
* [[spoiler:NoIAmBehindYou: How Dante finishes off The Despair Embodied. He charges at the entity with his sword, and Dante's opponent counter attacks. When the dust clears, the Rebellion falls into the ground and Dante is nowhere in sight. The Despair Embodied then checks his surroundings. Cue Dante, standing ''right next to him'' with his gun pointed at the side of his head. Dante smirks and then pulls the trigger, right as The Despair Embodied gives an OhCrap reaction (well, as best as a being with [[EyelessFace no eyes]] can), and the shot shatters the Demon King into millions of pieces.]]
* PhysicalGod: Unlike Mundus, Sparda actually ''did'' manage to kill him, though.
* [[spoiler:PlayingWithFire: The Despair Embodied, albeit [[StuffBlowingUp in the form of combustions]].]]
* [[spoiler:PowerGivesYouWings: The Despair Embodied looks like a fiery angel. It even has an attack where it [[BeamSpam fires a volley of its feathers]] [[DeathFromAbove to rain down on you]].]]
* TheVoiceless
** [[spoiler:VoiceGrunting: The Despair Embodied. If you listen closely enough, the voices for The Despaired Embodied seem to be that of Dante (male) and Lucia (female).]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Arkham/[[spoiler:Jester]]]]
--> ''"Let's welcome chaos!"''

Lady's father, who helped Vergil release the Temen-ni-gru from confinement. He's well-versed in the knowledge of the dark arts, even going so far as to sacrifice Lady's mother to gain more power and knowledge for himself.

[[spoiler:He manipulates Vergil, Lady, and Dante, bringing them together, as all three characters were necessary to break Sparda's seal and open the portal to the Demon Realm. He often disguises himself as Jester in order to weaken them and keep all of them alive at the same time. He tries to claim Force Edge and Sparda's power, only to be mutated in a giant blob-like mass, which ''wasn't'' the power of Sparda, but in reality a reflection of the evil in his heart. In the end, after being severely weakened by the Sparda brothers and being thrown out of the demon realm, he meets his end by Lady's hand.]]

* AGodAmI
* [[spoiler:ArchnemesisDad: To Lady.]]
* BadassInANiceSuit
* BaldOfEvil
* BarehandedBladeBlock
* [[spoiler:BigBad]]
* BondVillainStupidity: [[spoiler:He goes into a ''[[JamesBond Bond]]'' villain-style monologue in Mission 13 detailing his plan in manipulating the twins and his daughter into spilling their blood to undo the seal. He undid the final part of the seal by stabbing Lady with her bayonet through the leg, but it was just as easy to stab her somewhere vital and kill her, which would have prevented her from getting up and turning her weapon on him... It also would have stopped her from killing him at the end, too.]]
* BulletDancing: [[spoiler:Inverted, and then mocked when Jester starts doing the Charleston. Jester does this frequently in his boss battle, too.]]
* CardCarryingVillain
* ConflictKiller: [[spoiler:Subverted as the Dante-Vergil sibling rivalry picks up ''immediately'' after [[RivalsTeamUp they]] [[EnemyMine team]] [[SiblingTeam up]] to kick his ass.]]
* DoubleEntendre: Calling the Temen-ni-Gru tower a "thick shaft that causes women to shudder."
* ILetYouWin: [[spoiler:The additional Jester battles in ''Special Edition''.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: [[spoiler:Rationalizes all of his evil deeds--including the murder of his wife--as necessary steps in his goal to become a god right before Lady kills him.]]
* [[spoiler:GagNose: '''Jester.''']]
* GoodScarsEvilScars: The burned, pulsating side of his face.
* [[spoiler:TheJester]]: Uses this guise to manipulate Dante.
* LargeHam: One of the hammiest characters in the ''whole series''.
* [[spoiler:LaughablyEvil: Jester.]]
* [[spoiler:[[MalevolentMaskedMen Malevolent Masked Man]]: Assuming it isn't a part of his anatomy as Jester.]]
* MismatchedEyes: [[spoiler:Used to hint both at Arkham's connection to Lady as well as the fact that he's Jester.]]
* [[spoiler:MonsterClown]]
* [[spoiler:NotSoHarmless: Seriously, you thought he was TheDragon to Vergil, didn't you?]]
* ObviouslyEvil: Does a guy with half of his face pulsating and one red eye look like a good guy to you?
* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:That [[BlobMonster blob thing]] he turned into.]]
* [[spoiler:PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep: Both his regular voice and his voice as Jester are reasonably pitched, but the moment he absorbs Sparda's power, his voice drops ''considerably''.]]
* [[spoiler:RecurringBoss: Both subverted and played straight. You're only required to fight him twice: once as Jester and once as his BlobMonster OneWingedAngel. The extra fights added in ''Special Edition'' are optional.]]
* AStormIsComing: Says this almost word-for-word.
* ShoutOut: To {{Batman}}. He shares his name with the famed mental institute in the comics, while [[spoiler:his [[SplitPersonality alter-ego]] is an {{expy}} of TheJoker]].
* TreacherousAdvisor: To Vergil and Lady. [[spoiler:Jester is something of a StealthMentor to Dante.]]
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: Arkham was originally going to go by the name of Hyne (pronounced Hai-neh), but ReubenLangdon (Dante) didn't think it would work in English and convinced Capcom to change it. [[spoiler:Jester was also named Joker early on in production.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Guardians of Temen-ni Gru]]
The various high-level Devils that guarded the Demonic Tower, a passageway between the human world and the demonic domain. Many of them fought Sparda in the past. All those who are defeated are turned into Devil Arms (or powers) for Dante to use. They are Cerberus, Agni & Rudra, Leviathan, Nevan, Beowulf, Geryon, and Doppelganger.

* AchillesHeel: Cerberus' heads, Leviathan's hearts, Beowulf's eye, Geryon's carriage (if you manage to hit both him and the wagon), and Doppelganger's aversion to light.
* AffablyEvil: Agni & Rudra and Nevan. The former pair muse about how they've been bad hosts for their visitor (Dante) and act quite cordial towards him. They only attack when Dante expresses his desire to pass through the gate they're guarding and then [[BaddieFlattery show admiration of his skills]]. As for Nevan, [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything well]]... [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf1Tq3xnp0U it sounds like she's working at a brothel and asking for Dante to invite her into his pants.]]
* AnIcePerson: Cerberus is covered in ice and can manipulate it.
* BareYourMidriff: Nevan.
* BoringButPractical: Having trouble defeating Cerberus? Stand in the corner and shoot him. Jump when appropriate.
* BossBanter: Nevan and Beowulf.
* BulletTime: What happens if you're hit by Geryon's time orbs.
* CastingAShadow: The Doppelganger. Bonus points for actually appearing from Dante's shadow.
* DanceBattler[=/=]SheFu: While most of Nevan's attacks use lightning to strike Dante, she has two attacks that send a dark wave of energy at the Son of Sparda: the first has her gyrate multiple times and while the second shows that Nevan is ''very'' flexible.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: With the possible exceptions of Leviathan and Beowulf.
* {{Doppelganger}}: Made of darkness, can replicate Dante's Devil Trigger at will.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim: Poor Beowulf.
* DualBoss: Agni and Rudra. When one is defeated, the other picks up his fallen brother's sword and resorts to DualWielding.
* EldritchAbomination: Leviathan, whose body is a living gateway to the Hell of Envy.
* ElementalPowers: [[AnIcePerson Ice]] for Cerberus, [[PlayingWithFire Fire]] and [[BlowYouAway Wind]] for Agni and Rudra, [[ShockAndAwe Lightning]] for Nevan, {{Light|EmUp}} for Beowulf, {{Time|Master}} for Geryon, and [[CastingAShadow Darkness]] for Doppelganger.
* EvilLaugh: Nevan has an epic, [[EvilIsHammy hammy]] laugh.
** As do Agni & Rudra during the [[BladeSpam Million Slash]] combo. As a CallBack to their agreement to remain quiet while traveling with Dante, Dante will yell [[BigShutUp "SILENCE!"]] as the combo finisher.
* EvilRedhead: Nevan.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Cerberus (who apparently uses some sort of {{telepathy}}), Agni & Rudra, and Beowulf. Nevan's voice is not that deep and the remaining demons don't speak at all.
* ExtremeOmnivore: In Leviathan's stomach you can find several ships, a bus, some ''skyscrapers'', and the remains of a bridge.
* EyeScream: Beowulf had his left eye sliced by Sparda, and after his fight Dante takes care of the right one.
* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: Beowulf attacks Vergil and ends up having his head bisected... trisected... ''[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YOXq01UJBBM diced]]'' by him.
* GiantFlyer: Leviathan is probably the largest boss of the whole series.
* GodivaHair: Nevan.
* HellishHorse: Geryon is a demonic horse wreathed in wisp-fire and pulls a large wagon.
* {{Hellhound}}: Cerberus.
* HornyDevils: Hi there, Nevan... (It should be noted that [[WMG/DevilMayCry she may be a]] [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leanan_s%C3%ADdhe Leanan-Sidhe]] or a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baobhan_sith Baoban Sith]] and ''not'' a succubus like most think; regardless, this she-devil still counts).
* HotWitch[=/=]{{Evil Sorcer|er}}ess: Nevan, most likely. Her title is "The Lightning Witch," and the profile for the mission you fight her in refers to Nevan as "the sorceress of the abyss."
* HyperspaceArsenal: Probably inside Geryon's carriage, since it can conjure and fire a large amount of missiles and spears.
* IllKillYou: One of Beowulf's lines as he TurnsRed.
* JustEatHim: Leviathan does this to Dante. Backfires when Dante sliced apart the heart of the behemoth from inside.
* KissOfDeath: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JbaRy21aEc Nevan has one]] that [[LifeDrain steals a sizable portion of your lifebar to heal hers.]] You should do your best to either avoid her or ''immediately'' Devil Trigger when she latches onto you, as its result tends to be ''[[ThatOneAttack fatal]]''.
* LightIsNotGood: Beowulf may wield the power of sacred light but is still a devil.
* LivingShadow: Doppelganger.
* MacGuffinGuardian: Most of them, if not all. Cerberus guards the main gate, Nevan stands between you and the Stone Mask, and Beowulf's room contains a fault generator you must take.
* MaryElizabethMcGlynn: The voice of Nevan... '''Suuuugar'''....
* MsFanservice: Nevan. A nice chest, {{Stripperific}} outfit, ShipTease[=/=]FoeYay moments with Dante both before ''and'' after their battle ([[LoveFatherLoveSon her comments imply that she also lusted after Sparda at some point in the past]]), and a ''very'' sexy voice.
* PuzzleBoss: The Doppelganger. You have to make him weak by turning the lights on as he approaches (if you're too fast he will step back and avoid the light blast; if you're too slow, all the lights will shut off automatically).
* QuirkyMinibossSquad: More like quirky boss squad, really.
* RedBaron: Cerberus the "Ice Guardian," Agni & Rudra "The Firestorm," Leviathan "The Great Beast," Nevan "The Lightning Witch," Beowulf "The Lightbeast," Geryon the "Time Steed," and Doppelganger "The Deathvoid."
* RedEyesTakeWarning: All them barring one of Cerby's heads and Rudra.
* RedOniBlueOni: Agni and Rudra. Moreso literally (complete with appropriate [[ColourCodedForYourConvenience color coding]]), as both are seen to be quite levelheaded and calm ([[TheBrute outside of battle, at least]]).
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Beowulf is simply ''pissed'' at Sparda for gouging out his eye.
* SadlyMythtaken: Let's see...
** Cerberus is still a demonic three-headed hound, but has ice powers (may be a nod to ''Literature/TheDivineComedy'')
** Agni and Rudra are no longer gods but two sentient scimitars held by headless brutes.
*** Also, while Rudra in Hindu mythology ''does'' have a secondary rubric in storms (and thus connected to [[BlowYouAway winds]]), his primary schtick is as [[TheArcher an archer]]. The Hindu god of wind is ''[[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vayu Vayu.]]''
** Beowulf greatly resembles [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazuzu Pazuzu]] or a little [[Literature/{{Beowulf}} Grendel]]. [[RuleOfCool Probably they thought that Beowulf was a cool name for a weapon]].
** Geryon is a fiendish horse, while in Myth he was a grotesque giant with three bodies.
* SinisterScimitar: Agni and Rudra.
* TimeStandsStill: Geryon's powers.
* TronLines: Beowulf has them.
* TurnsRed: Cerberus and Beowulf.
* TheVamp: Nevan, who is overtly sexual but also overtly nefarious.
* VaporWear: Much like [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Morrigan and Lilith]], Nevan's "clothes" are made from bats. [[ShieldedCoreBoss You actually need to carve through some of them in order to damage her.]]
* ViolationOfCommonSense: Beowulf has an attack where he fires the feathers from his wings at you. Dante needs to be ''close'' to Beowulf to avoid 'em.
* WakeUpCallBoss: If it's not Cerberus, then Agni and Rudra will do.
* WomanInBlack: Nevan, a much straighter example than Trish.
* WombLevel: Leviathan.
* YourHeadAsplode: We assure you that Cereberus will only have one head left when you defeat him.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Credo]]
-->''"You jest so lightly in a time of crisis?"''

The well-respected Supreme General of the Holy Knights of Fortuna, a position he gained through [[InformedAbility his incredible skill with a blade]] and his unwavering loyalty to the Order of the Sword and its ideals. Likewise, he holds the same loyalty for Sanctus and his teachings. He is the older brother of Kyrie and treats Nero as family, despite not agreeing with Nero's lifestyle habits. When demons attack Fortuna, Credo leaves the task of demon-slaying to Nero.

[[spoiler:Behind the scenes, he is plotting with Sanctus as well as overseeing the situation regarding Dante. He also expresses mixed concern behind the motives of Gloria. Eventually, he is charged with the job of defeating Nero. In the conclusion of their fight, Kyrie is kidnapped by Agnus, a move that shakes Credo's faith in the Order. He makes one final charge against Sanctus later on to free Nero, but things end bleakly. In his dying plea, he requests that Dante save Nero and his beloved sister.]]

* BadassBeard
* {{BFS}}
* BigBrotherInstinct: Towards Kyrie. Oddly enough, he's not vehemently against Nero and Kyrie's mutual attraction.
* BigBrotherMentor: It's implied that he plays this role to some degree in regards to Nero.
* [[spoiler:DisappearsIntoLight]]
* [[spoiler:ForgottenFallenFriend: No one, not even ''Kyrie'', mentions him by the game's close.]]
* HeroAntagonist
* HeyItsThatVoice: It's Credo, [[DeadRising he's covered wars, ya know.]]
* InformedAbility: His swordsmanship. [[spoiler:You ''do'' get to see it, but by that point, he's not even human.]]
* KnightTemplar: Shades of it. When ordered to go kill his friend Nero, he just goes and does it. Or tries, anyway...
* [[spoiler:LuckilyMyShieldWillProtectMe: Supposedly, the shield also symbolizes his willingness to remain loyal to the Order of the Sword.]]
* [[spoiler:MirrorBoss]]
* MrFanservice
* [[spoiler:NotWhatISignedOnFor: When he finally sees the folly of his actions, he denounces Sanctus. See "ThisIsUnforgivable" below.]]
* NotWhatItLooksLike: Used to dramatic effect in the aftermath of [[spoiler:his fight with Nero.]]
* [[spoiler:OneWingedAngel: Angelo Credo, [[RedBaron the One-winged Dark Knight]], who doubles as an {{Expy}} of Nelo Angelo, right down to a {{BFS}} and [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTjS1H4zxGU a similar sounding theme.]] For bonus points, he's a ''literal'' OneWingedAngel.]]
* [[spoiler:RedemptionEqualsDeath]]
* [[spoiler:TennisBoss: Complete with [[CatchAndReturn grabbing his swords and hurling them right back at him.]]]]
* ThisIsUnforgivable: Subverted. [[spoiler:While furious and appalled at how Sanctus used his sister as bait in his plans, thus shaking Credo's unwaivering loyalty to the Order, he utters this line ''after'' he was wounded by Sanctus. Things only get worse from there.]]
* [[spoiler:TheUnfought: His human form. See "InformedAbility" above.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Agnus]]
-->''"Humans, they are but stubborn and foolish. It takes a journey to Hell for them to accept and praise their God!"''

The Chief alchemist of the Order of the Sword, he is the one responsible for artificially creating several of the game's {{Mook}} enemies, such as the Cutlass, Gladius, Basilisk, and the Angelus Armors. He even takes credit for creating the Hellgates that the bosses and other enemies use to enter the human world (since he had to use many of their souls in the creation of the armors), but due to his shut-in behavior, few among the order know of his existence.

Deserves a mention for [[BigLippedAlligatorMoment that]] [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments scene]] where he tries to [[HamToHamCombat out-ham]] Dante.

* BarehandedBladeBlock: Against Nero. With [[AffablyEvil pinkies extended]].
* BigCreepyCrawlies: His demon-form is a humanoid insect.
* {{BFS}}: The Gladius Demons he uses as his swords are not exactly small.
* ChewingTheScenery: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cU6qlQCrFUw No, seriously...]]
* DirtyCoward
* EnergyAbsorption: One of his attacks.
* EvilGenius
* EverythingIsBetterWithSpinning: One of his attacks has him spin around on the battlefield while two Cutlasses are attached to his arms.
* FlunkyBoss: Puts a spin on it as his summoned creatures act as his weapons instead of attacking independently.
* LargeHam: Did we mention he tried to out-ham Dante? He had a good try at it, too, what with the posturing, and pausing every word or two...
* MadScientist: Everything he does is ForScience!
* MoeGreeneSpecial: How Dante kills him. With the added effect of destroying ''all'' of his written research.
* OneWingedAngel: Angelo Agnus, the One-eyed Dark Knight.
* VerbalTic: His s-s-s-stutter, which Nero naturally mocks.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Berial]]
The Conqueror of the Fire Hell, is a huge, centaur-like devil who's wreathed in flames from hell. He fights Nero in an abandoned mine village but is defeated. He later reappears but is stopped and slain by Dante. His Hell Gate was powered by the [[SomethingAboutARose Lucifer]] Devil Arm.

* {{BFS}}: In this case, F can also stand for {{Flaming|Sword}}.
* ContinuityNod: He's said to be the conqueror of the Fire Hell, from which the devil Furiataurus (met by Dante in ''2'') probably came from. (But remember, ''4'' takes place ''[[AnachronicOrder before]]'' ''2''.)
* EvilSoundsDeep
* FlamingHair: A [[Literature/TheLordOfTheRings Balrog-like]] mane.
* FlamingSword
* LargeHam
* PlayingWithFire: Obviously.
* RecurringBoss: He's fought three times in total.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: It's supposed to be "Belial" but is mispelled Berial.
* TakingYouWithMe: Attempted on Dante but failed.
** After sacrificing most of his body and using his flaming, flying head for one last DesperationAttack, Dante finishes him off [[CherryTapping with one pistol shot]].
* VillainousValor: He wanted to avenge all the fellow Devils slain by Dante (which, by now, are quite a lot).
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Bael and Dagon]]
Two twin devil toads from the coldest inferno. Bael attacks Nero in the castle on Fortuna but is slain by Nero. Later his brother Dagon assaults Dante but meets the same fate. Their Hell Gate is powered by the Devil Arm [[BriefcaseBlaster Pandora]].

* AchillesHeel: Their tongues.
* AlluringAnglerfish: Can use the pretty Rusalka demons on his feelers to lure his opponents. Of course, Dante is not fooled.
* AnIcePerson: They can use ice and conjure blizzards.
* BiologicalMashup: They look like a hybrid of a toad and an anglerfish.
* CombatPragmatist: Tend to lure in the darkness and use sneak attacks.
* FatBastard
* [[HalfTheManHeUsedToBe Half The Devil He Used To Be]]
* HeyItsThatVoice: KyleHebert, ladies and gentlemen.
* HornyDevils: The Rusalka twins.
* JustEatHim: Can try this on Nero/Dante.
* MesACrowd: For some reason, there are many Dagon-like demons.
* TwinThreesomeFantasy: The imagery the Rusalka twins give off, sensual embraces and everything. Dante, ever the cunning fox, decides to go along with it to toy with Dagon.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Echidna]]
A huge demon who has infested the forest on Fortuna Island. Appears as a huge serpent-like Dragon, but hides her true body in the mouth and can appear as a part woman-part serpent devil. She's laying a bunch of eggs which gives birth to the hellish Chimera. Her Hell Gate is powered by a Devil Arm, the [[ArmedLegs Gilga]][[PowerFist mesh]].

* AbsoluteCleavage
* GiantFlyer: She hovers over the forest the whole time.
* GreenThumb: She seems to have some relationship with plants.
* HeyItsThatVoice: MaryElizabethMcGlynn, who previously voiced Nevan in ''3''.
* JustEatHim: Attempted again on Dante.
* MamaBear: She gets pissed when Dante starts kicking her eggs around like footballs.
* MeaningfulName: Named after the monster from [[ClassicalMythology Greek myths]]. Echidna's name meant "she-viper," and she was the mother of various other monsters including the Chimera and (humorously enough) Cerberus. This explains her appearance and MamaBear tendencies.
* ReptilesAreAbhorrent: Her giant dragon form.
* SnakesAreSexy: Her humanoid form, maybe?
* VaginaDentata: It doesn't help that the mouth of her serpentine form folds back to resemble a Venus Flytrap when she reveals her true self.
* VillainousValor: She really cares for her children. And her forest.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Sanctus]]
-->''"2,000 years ago... the Dark Knight Sparda, turned against his demon bretheren and took up his sword for the sake of mankind. Though despite his brave efforts in our names, I fear some have forgotten the great truth of that great sacrifice."''

The Vicar of Sparda, Sanctus is the leader of the Order of the Sword (and by proxy, Fortuna). He is a kindly and benevolent man who is praised and loved by his subjects. In the middle of one his Sparda-centered sermons, Dante swoops in and kills him, setting off the events of the game.

[[spoiler:Shortly afterwards, he is revived via the Ascension ceremony. It is revealed that he is mastermind of the Order's plot [[TakeOverTheWorld to conquer the world]] using the vast power of The Savior. He lures Dante to Fortuna by using the Yamato to open up {{Hellgate}}s so that he can use Dante as The Savior's core, but switches his plans when he kidnaps Kyrie to instead goad on Nero. While he does gain immense power thanks to the Sparda sword, Dante and Nero work together to quell his goal of world domination.]]

* [[spoiler:AGodAmI: "A Savior is among you!"]]
* [[spoiler:BackFromTheDead: Thanks to the [[AppliedPhlebotinum Ascension ceremony]] which enfuses its participants with demonic energy.]]
* [[spoiler:BarrierWarrior: [[ShieldedCoreBoss One of the more frustrating tactics Sanctus employs during your battles with him.]]]]
* [[spoiler:ClippedWingAngel: As the [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever False Savior]].]]
* [[spoiler:CorruptChurch: And he's the head of it.]]
* CrystalDragonJesus: He's the head of a seemingly [[ChristianityIsCatholic Roman Catholic church]], resembles the Pope (and is even called "His Holiness"), and worships a statue in Sparda's image known as The Savior. [[FauxSymbolism Need we go on?]]
* [[spoiler:EvilCannotComprehendGood: See his merciless stabbing of Credo when Credo is pissed by the use of his sister in Sanctus' plans. The man's reply? "Love...? For a sibling? How foolish. All that is needed... is absolute power."]]
* [[spoiler:GetBackHereBoss: Ayup.]]
* HeyItsThatVoice: LiamOBrien. You can hear faint traces of [[Manga/{{Naruto}} Gaara]].
** This Troper thought he sounded more like [[TalesOfTheAbyss Dist the Reaper]], which makes for a bit of a [[RelationshipVoiceActor Voice Actor Relationship]] when you realise that Nero is also Guy Cecil.
* InformedAbility: ''His'' swordsmanship. You might be surprised to find the Data File of the game saying he used to be a Supreme General of the Holy Knights.
** [[FridgeBrilliance Why use swords when you have barriers and fire powers?]]
* [[spoiler:LightIsNotGood]]
* [[spoiler:OneWingedAngel: Sanctus [[MeaningfulName Diabolica]].]]
* [[spoiler:RedEyesTakeWarning: Briefly when he is revived. His eyes become red for good when he becomes Sanctus Diabolica.]]
* [[spoiler:TeleportSpam]]
* [[spoiler:VillainWithGoodPublicity: Is absoluted revered and adored by the inhabitants of Fortuna. Of course, this was probably made null around endgame, where the dwellers of Fortuna see him on top of The Savior, [[EvilLaugh cackling]] as demons swarm the city. According to the tie-in novel, some of the citizens had a hard time believing Nero's words about Sanctus's true nature until Kyrie vouched for him.]]
[[/folder]]

! Other Characters

[[folder:Sparda]]
-->''"In age of darkness, when the Earth was overrun with demons and humans were powerless under their rule... Humanity's hope lived in a demon named Sparda."''

The demon father of Dante and Vergil, he was revered as the "legendary dark knight", as he saved humanity from the demon horde that wanted to conquer the human world. His sword shares his name, and possesses incredible powers.

* AscendedDemon
* CoolSword: The Force Edge/Sparda itself.
** AwesomeYetImpractical: Is more powerful than the Alastor sword and provides a ''much'' longer range of attack, but it lacks a Devil Trigger, [[DoubleJump Air Hike]], etc., so most players should probably just stick to using Alastor and Ifrit. [[spoiler:When Dante ''does'' gain the Sparda's DT [[EleventhHourSuperpower for the battle with Mundus]], the sword becomes AwesomeYetPractical.]]
** {{BFS}}: The biggest of the swords when it is in its awakened form.
** [[EvilWeapon Dark Weapon]]: The most sinister/grotesque-looking of all Devil Arms when fully awakened, but it doesn't actually do anything ''evil''. It's more likely to help someone that's good of heart (such as Dante) rather than the bad guy ([[spoiler:such as Sanctus]]).
** DismantledMacGuffin: The sword's true form and power is only awakened if the dormant blade (the Force Edge) and Perfect Amulet (which was split in half and divied between Dante and Vergil) are brought together.
*** SealedBadassInACan: Sparda voluntarily sealed his power into his namesake sword because he realized ''[[StoryBreakerPower he had grown too powerful.]]''
** InfinityPlusOneSword
** [[spoiler:LaserBlade: In Round 2 of the Mundus fight, red streaks of energy extend from the Sparda blade during combos.]]
** MorphWeapon: See below.
** NamedWeapons: Named after the man... er... ''demon'' himself.
** SwissArmyWeapon: Can be [[HeroesPreferSwords a sword]], [[BladeOnAStick a lance]], or even [[SinisterScythe a scythe]] in its true form.
** SwordOfPlotAdvancement: In ''3''. [[spoiler:Arkham ends up getting it first. Vergil claims the incomplete Force Edge in the final mission. Dante finally obtains it after defeating Vergil, but doesn't use it until the events of the first game.]]
* DefectorFromDecadence: Sparda apparently saw the good in humanity and decided to rebel against the demon world. He beat the crap out of everyone, [[SealedEvilInACan sealed Mundus]], and stayed in the human world. He married a human woman and had two sons--Dante and Vergil.
* DisappearedDad: Did he die? [[HesJustHiding Is he just hiding?]] Who knows?
* GenerationXerox: Subverted/inverted; he's said to be like both of his sons in different aspects (Dante's playful banter and rebellious streak normally, Vergil's stoic ruthlessness in battle). This is [[RuleOfSymbolism symbolized]] by his color of choice, purple: the '''combination''' of red (Dante) and blue (Vergil).
* GlowingEyesOfDoom
* HighClassGlass: In human form.
* HotDad: ''[[MsFanservice Nevan]]'' [[HornyDevils lusted after him]].
-->'''Nevan''': "Your father was a handsome devil. But you're no slouch yourself."
** It's likely she lusted after his ''devil form'', which is [[{{Gonk}} considerably less hot]].
** Perhaps, but she was admiring a non-DT'ed Dante. Regardless, the fact remains that [[LoveFatherLoveSon she considered both father and son to be very delectable slabs of meat]].
* ManOfWealthAndTaste
* MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch
* [[OneManArmy One Demon Army]]
* PhysicalGod: Implied to be this at the height of his power (before he sealed it in his sword), as he had defeated at least two top-class demon lords who themselves qualify for this trope.
* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: In his human form, he appears to be in his twenties or thirties. He lived to be more than two thousand years old at the very least.
* RedBaron: The Legendary Dark Knight.
* ShroudedInMyth: So much that Dante [[LampshadeHanging comments]] that The Order of the Sword may have gotten a few of their facts wrong.
-->'''Dante''': "Well from what I can figure there's a lot of confusion surrounding him."
* ThemeSongReveal: Sparda's theme in the first game, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rB0x0IRm9Wo Super Public Enemy,]] was made very similar to [[spoiler:Nelo Angelo's theme, ([[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBGaQq1GZH8 Super]]) [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=atGcliA-HNw Ultra Violet]] to imply their relationship. An inversion, as you don't even get to ''play'' as Sparda until ''after'' you beat the game; thus, you already should have figured out the connection by then.]]
* UglyGuyHotWife: Only when in his true form. Otherwise, he and [[HotMom Eva]] avert it.
* WhiteHairedPrettyBoy: Only in his human form.
* WorthyOpponent: Is clear that many devils crossed his path in the past. A few of them have actually fought him on par, including [[KillItWithFire Berial]], [[BladeOnAStick Bolverk]], and [[LightIsNotGood Beowulf]]. The last one got [[EyeScream his left eye slashed out]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Eva]]
-->''"Vergil, Dante... Happy Birthday."''

Sparda's human bride, and the mother of Dante and Vergil. Shortly after the twins' eighth birthday, demons attacked their household, and Eva was killed in her attempt to save her children.

* AllThereInTheManual: Or rather, the Sound DVD Book, the non-canonical GaidenGame ''ViewtifulJoe'', and the novels. It's unknown if future games will use that characterization, but Kamiya and the author of the novels thought very highly of her.
** Given that Kamiya is no longer with the series he helped create, it's anyone's guess at this point.
* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Eva's color is gold, which associates her with the golden orbs. [[FridgeBrilliance This makes sense]], since [[spoiler:she's the one who brought not just Trish but Dante back to life.]] She also wears a red shawl over her clothing, as Dante wears a red coat over his, referencing how [[RedFishBlueFish he choose his mother's humanity over his father's power.]]
* ContinuitySnarl: The first game implied that Dante survived most of his near-fatal wounds through Eva haunting the amulet. That, and she had the power to bring Trish back to life. ''[=DMC3=]'' just makes Dante [[MeaningfulName really, really durable]], the amulet doesn't do much except open the demon world. Eva's involvement with Trish being revived isn't so much as thought of in the installments taking place after ''1''.
** ''ViewtifulJoe'', created by the creator of ''[=DMC1=]'' (Hideki Kamiya), stated that [[spoiler:Dante actually died during the initial attack, and was brought back to life by Eva's spirit in the amulet.]]
* DisposableWoman : The first game came out in ''2001'', and there is ''still'' no real backstory given to Eva aside from her being the wife of Sparda and mother of Dante and Vergil.
** In fact, it is ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' (another series helmed by Kamiya) that sheds more light on Eva than this series ''ever'' did. In a brief ShoutOut, Eva is depicted as an accomplished and powerful [[DarkIsNotEvil Umbra]] [[HotWitch Witch]] who was able to repel the forces of Inferno after making a [[MagicallyBindingContract contract]] with Sparda. Eva also apparently created the Bangle/Band of Time and presented it as a gift to Sparda.
* {{Expy}}: Two (or more) in-universe ones: Trish [[spoiler:is a deliberate one: Mundus meant to use his memories of Eva against Dante, and Nell in the first novel, a retired gunsmith who acts as a rather abrasive mother figure.]]
* GoThroughMe: Implied through the manga and the first game's [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments Crowning Moment Of Heartwarming]].
** Not just implied in the first novel: [[spoiler:Vergil caused Nell to perform a HeroicSacrifice specifically to remind Dante of Eva's.]]
-->'''Dante''' (''[[spoiler:lamenting over Trish's death]]''): "My mother risked her life for me, and now you too. I should have saved you. I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with ''[[{{Narm}} LIIIIIIGHT]]''!!"
* {{Guile Hero}}ine: In ''ViewtifulJoe'', Mundus considers her this, going so far as to rant, "The true enemy was you, Eva!" The game reveals that she's responsible for [[spoiler:basically all of the first game. If she hadn't brought Dante back to life, there would have been no one to stop Mundus, it's implied that it was the amulet that woke up Nelo Angelo and kept him from killing Dante, not to mention unsealing the Sword of Sparda]] and the [[spoiler:arrival of Trish in time to save Dante]], which seemed like a DeusExMachina, [[spoiler:was also her doing.]]
** In the also non-canonical second novel, [[spoiler:they visit an alternate universe where Eva took over [[LaResistance Sparda's army]] after he was killed by human traitors. The people who are still alive in that universe practically worship her memory, and it's implied her leadership after Sparda's fall was the only reason Mundus hadn't already finished conquering the place, since [[CrapsackWorld they had nothing else going for them]].]] After hearing that story, Dante comments something along the lines of "she's the same in every universe."
* HotMom: ''Trish'' was made in her image. Think about that for a sec.
* MamaBear
* MissingMom
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Matier]]
-->''"You must not worry my dear. I am sure that he will return."''

Lucia's mother and a member of the Vie de Marli, a clan of warriors who have the blood of demons in them. She is the one who sent Lucia to find Dante and informs him of Arius' machinations, bribing him with a story about Sparda. Despite the hardships Dumary Island faces, Matier remains cheerful and optimistic, sure that the "Son of Sparda" will eventually triumph.

[[spoiler:It is later revealed that Matier is not Lucia's mother, having found Lucia when she was cast away by Arius and subsequently raising her as her own. Despite this, the two remain a tightly-knit family.]]

* CoolOldLady
* HeinzHybrid: The percentage is unknown, but she does have the blood of demons in her.
* [[spoiler:InterspeciesAdoption[=/=]ParentalSubstitute: Although Lucia isn't aware of this until TheReveal. From there on, it turns into HappilyAdopted, as their ties are "bound by history and experience, which is much deeper than blood." Matier then outright tells Lucia [[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments "You are my daughter."]]]]
* RetiredBadass: In her prime, she and the other members of the Vie de Marli fought demons alongside Sparda. [[NeverMessWithGranny She could probably still kick your ass.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Kyrie]]
-->''"Nero, you're you and it's you I want to be with. I don't know anyone who is as human as you are."''

Nero's love interest/sister figure, and Credo's little sister. She gets kidnapped [[spoiler:as a power source for the Savior]].

* AlmostKiss: Her and Nero, thanks to the appearance of demonic {{Mooks}}. The cutscene after the credits reel [[OfficialCouple shows them]] {{holding hands}}, [[TrueLovesKiss implying that they kissed later]].
* ButYourWingsAreBeautiful: How she regards Nero and his Devil Bringer in the ending, mixed with BeYourself.
* DistressedDamsel
* DoubleEntendre: "She yearns for your touch." Who is Kyrie referring to: Red Queen or herself?
* {{Expy}}: Is it just me or does she looks suspiciously like [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Orihime?]]
* HeroesWantRedheads
* HeroicBystander: Puts herself in danger to save a small boy from a demon (which Nero quickly dispatches). YMMV as to whether she's shielding him with her body, trying and failing to push him down to avoid the blow, or just expects Nero will come save her when he might not otherwise have seen the kid in time.
* HeyItsThatVoice: StephanieSheh. [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Déjà vu]], [[{{Expy}} right?]]
* SayMyName: [[JustForPun Oh Lord]].
* SlipknotPonytail
* ThemeNaming: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus are, respectively, the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth parts of the Catholic Ordinary of the Mass, [[OminousLatinChanting a song traditionally sung in Latin]] (with the exception of the Kyrie, which is sung in Greek, the original language of the early church).
* WomanInWhite: More or less.
* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: To Nero.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Nell Goldstein]]
-->''Why should I be making weapons for a cold-hearted guy who drops the product of my blood, sweat and tears into a fire?''

A prickly, no-nonsense retired gunsmith in the first novel. She fixes guns, Dante breaks them by pulling the trigger faster than humanly possible, she calls him an idiot but fixes him up new ones anyway, rinse, repeat.

* AceCustom: She made Ebony and Ivory.
* BlindIdiotTranslation: Her personality is used to [[JustifiedTrope justify]] one of the few instances of it in the original game. (The inscription of Ebony and Ivory saying '45 Art W'''a'''rks, instead of '45 Art Works.)
* CoolOldLady
* GrandmaWhatMassiveHotnessYouHave: Debatable, but Nell's looking [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Dmc_nell.PNG pretty good]] for her age.
* EmpathicWeapon: [[spoiler:Technically, she temporarily ''is'' one.]]
* {{Expy}}: Of Eva.
* [[spoiler:HeroicSacrifice]]: She stayed in a burning building [[spoiler:to complete Ebony and Ivory for Dante. Vergil [[BatmanGambit knew that she would]] and set it up in order to trigger Dante's memories of Eva.]]
* HighClassGlass: [[{{Meganekko}} Wears glasses most of the time]], but a monocle while working.
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: Like practically everyone else in the novel.
* MementoMacGuffin: She made Ebony and Ivory [[spoiler:and haunted them at least long enough to perform the series' first chronological "Jackpot."]]
* ParentalSubstitute
* ReplacementGoldfish: For Eva, [[spoiler:not that "Tony" knows this]]. Dante, on the other hand, reminds her of her dead son.
* RetiredBadass: A lot of mercenaries really want her to make guns for them. She's not impressed by threats. Of course, [[spoiler:that may be because she's not all that attached to her life...]]
* UnwittingPawn: Debatable. She [[spoiler:died]], [[XanatosRoulette just as planned]], but it ends up [[JustForPun backfiring]] rather painfully for [[spoiler:Vergil]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Grue]]
-->''Don't be so dramatic. Do you really think I'd be silly enough to die and leave my daughters behind?''

A jaded mercenary in the first novel who takes [[spoiler:Tony]] somewhat under his wing. Not as hard-boiled as he tries to be. [[spoiler:And it kills him.]]

* BadassNormal: Fights and kills for a living.
* HotDad
* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]
* KnightInSourArmor
* PapaWolf: He does it all for his three daughters. [[spoiler:This gets extended to Dante later on.]]
* ParentalSubstitute
* PermaStubble
* ProperlyParanoid: He keeps saying that it's a business and people shouldn't get attached. [[spoiler:Vergil targets him because he's Dante's friend.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Jessica]]
Grue's daughter, who essentially holds the household together. And is a good cook. [[spoiler:And doesn't deserve what happens to her.]]

* [[spoiler:AndIMustScream: What happened to her.]]
* [[spoiler:BedlamHouse]]: With demons.
* KickTheDog: As if it wasn't already obvious that the novel's version of [[spoiler:Vergil was already well on the other side of the MoralEventHorizon.]]
* [[spoiler:ShootTheDog]]: Dante [[spoiler:is the one who has to put her out of her misery.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Enzo Ferino]]
-->''"Rumor says blue blood may be flowing in that guy's body. I tell ya, if he glares at a guy, even The Devil may cry."''

An informer who sets up Dante's jobs, he's mentioned in the booklet of the first game.

* CanonDiscontinuity: You see that above quote pertaining to Dante? That was the ''original'' TitleDrop of the series until ''3'' came along.
* IntercontinuityCrossover: A prominent character in ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'' also goes by the name of Enzo. Given that his manner of speaking is similar to his testimony in the manual to ''[=DMC1=]'' and he shows the same cowardice that characterized Enzo in the ''[=DMC3=]'' manga, it's implied that the creators intended for ''DMC''[='=]s Enzo and ''Bayonetta''[='=]s Enzo to be one in the same.
* LovableCoward: How he's described.
* [[spoiler:PlotArmor]]: He's one of the very few to [[spoiler:survive [[KillEmAll the novel]], since the booklet established that he's still alive as of the first game.]]
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Beryl]]
A red-haired human demon hunter in the second novel with a big gun. Sound familiar? [[hottip:*:The answer is [[{{Expy}} Lady]].]]

* ActionGirl: Duh.
* BadassNormal: And it actually affects her combat performance, unlike Lady. Although, what do you have to say to a normal demon hunter who actually helps Dante ''during'' the battle against the BigBad and actually punches a hole through its armor? For comparison, Trish only showed up after Mundus was sufficiently weakened, and Lady shot Arkham after he was crippled.
* DisappearedDad: Her father was killed years ago by Beast Heads, the [[MacGuffin artifacts]] the second novel revolves around.
* {{Expy}}: She has two, in the games that were made after the novel was written. Lucia shares her look (to an extent) and Lady's character is very clearly based on hers.
* FingerlessGloves
* HeroicBSOD: In the alternate universe, after learning that Sparda [[spoiler:was betrayed and killed by humans in that universe.]]
* {{Redheaded Hero}}ine
* PluckyGirl: Seriously, it takes guts to survive in an environment like hers.
* SmallGirlBigGun: She lugs around a rifle resembling the Spiral from ''3''. Again, she was an obvious precursor to Lady.
* SpyCatsuit: At the very least, the bodysuit she wears comes pretty darn close.
* TheTease: She makes a few flirty passes at Dante during the course of the novel. She even plants a kiss on his cheek at one point.
[[/folder]]

*** FlamingSword

* TheCameo: Dante (in his ''[=DMC2=]'' form) [[{{Crossover}} makes an appearance]] in ''ShinMegamiIIITenseiNocturne'' (or to be specific, the ''[[UpdatedRerelease Maniax]]'' version that became the US and PAL release) as a boss encounter (twice) and an optional party member (in return, the series' demon artist Kazuma Kaneko designed the DT forms for Dante and Vergil in ''3''). He later is playable as a SecretCharacter in the [=PS2=] ports of ''ViewtifulJoe''. He also has a [[http://udoncrew.deviantart.com/gallery/471845#/drz2ct cameo]] in [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Jedah Dohma's]] ending in ''[[VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution Capcom Fighting Jam/Evolution]]''. WordOfGod (with a side dish of ExecutiveMeddling) states that the amount of times he's appeared outside of his native series is the reason that he's not in ''[[VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom Tatsunoko vs. Capcom]]''.

** [[JustifiedTrope Semi-justified]] since [[SheIsAllGrownUp she's several years older]]. And she wasn't exactly [[HollywoodHomely unattractive]] to begin with, as her fandom will attest.

* SheIsAllGrownUp: She's pretty cute in ''3''; then ''4'' comes around. [[{{Fanservice}} Wow.]]

* ElementalPowers: [[KillItWithIce Ice]] for Cerberus, [[KillItWithFire Flames]] and [[BlowYouAway Wind]] for Agni and Rudra, [[ShockAndAwe Lightning]] for Nevan, {{Light|EmUp}} for Beowulf, {{Time|StandsStill}} for Geryon, and [[CastingAShadow Darkness]] for Doppelganger.

** As do Agni & Rudra during the Million Slash combo. As a callback to their agreement to remain quiet while traveling with Dante, Dante will yell, [[BigShutUp "SILENCE!"]] as the combo finisher.

** In fact, it is ''{{Bayonetta}}'' (another series helmed by Kamiya) that sheds more light on Eva than this series ''ever'' did. In a brief ShoutOut, Eva is depicted as an accomplished and powerful [[DarkIsNotEvil Umbra]] [[HotWitch Witch]] who was able to repel the forces of Inferno after making a [[MagicallyBindingContract contract]] with Sparda. Eva also apparently created the Bangle/Band of Time and presented it as a gift to Sparda.

** In the also non-canonical second novel, [[spoiler:they visit an alternate universe where Eva took over [[LaResistance Sparda's army]] after he was killed by human traitors. The people who are still alive in that universe practically worship her memory, and it's implied her leadership after Sparda's fall was the only reason Mundus hadn't already finished conquering the place, since [[CrapsackWorld they had nothing else going for them]].]] After hearing that story, Dante comments something along the lines of "she's the same in every universe".

* FridgeLogic: [[spoiler:In the form of a WhatTheHellHero for Sparda, several fans have wondered why exactly Sparda didn't leave his family with the Vie de Marli for safekeeping considering that he helped them kill an evil demon god (thus meaning that they probably owed him a favor) and that they were more than capable of warding off some measly demons sent by Mundus. The potential problem is never addressed in-game.]]

* {{Expy}}: Is it just me or does she looks suspiciously like [[{{Bleach}} Orihime?]]

* HeyItsThatVoice: StephanieSheh. [[{{Bleach}} Déjà vu]], [[{{Expy}} right?]]

* MementoMacGuffin: She made Ebony and Ivory [[spoiler:and haunted them at least long enough to perform the series' first chronological "Jackpot".]]

* VillainousValor: She really cares for her children.

* HeyItsThatVoice: LiamOBrien. You can hear faint traces of [[{{Naruto}} Gaara]].

* CannotSpitItOut: [[AllThereInTheManual Supplemental materials]] state that Vergil still has a great deal of respect for his younger brother.

** ItIsPronouncedTroPAY: "Ya-ma-to", not "Ya-MA-to".

*** AlternateCharacterReading: The full name of the weapon is 閻魔刀: 大和 or Enma Katana: Yamato. Literally "Devil Blade: Yamato". The 閻魔 (''Enma'', lit. "Devil") in 閻魔刀 (''Enma Katana'') can also refer to the judge of the afterlife, Yama, and 刀 (''Katana'', lit. "Blade") may also be read as とう (Tō). Thus, 閻魔刀 can technically be read as "Yamatō".

* EvilAlbino: His CGI-rendered scans in ''3'' have Vergil significantly paler than his bro. Nelo Angelo's skin is also of a ghastly pallor.

* ItWasAGift: Same deal as Dante, only replace "Rebellion" with "Yamato".

* PowerGlows: Nelo Angelo's zweihander is surrounded by some sort of blue fire as he swings it, while his armor pulsates several different colors to show the player how much life he has left. The latter was removed for Vergil's DT in ''3: Special Edition''.

* TheSlowWalk: All part of his aforementioned PerfectPlayAI status. If Vergil is going to kill you, you had better believe that he's not going to actually ''run'' up to you.

He serves as the main villain of the first ''Devil May Cry'' game. Planning to use a portal on Mallet Island to return to the human world, he used Trish to lure Dante there and sent his generals, particularly Nelo Angelo, to kill him. They all failed. Trish, too, failed him, but Mundus decided to try a trick instead of outright killing her.

* [[AnIcePerson An Ice Blob]]: In "slime" form, Nightmare sends out little black slugs that latch onto Dante, freeze him, and explode into ice. In "solid" form, standing directly in front of it will prompt it to fire a high-damaging ice beam with a long duration from its "mouth".

* NoSell: As the Nightmare-β was designed in a similar fashion to the real Nightmare, its lasers (which are [[GameBreaker game-breaking]] if even ''three'' runes of Dante's Devil Gauge are {{charged|Attack}}) are ineffective against its brother bioweapon.

* {{Invisible Monster|s}}: Tateobesu is an odd variation. It can become invisible "by assimilating its body to water", [[VisibleInvisibility but you can still see it as clear as day.]] While in this state, however, you can't lock-on to it. Naturally, it's stuck in its invisible state in Dante Must Die mode.

* ThePowerOfHate: Bolverk, possibly. According to his enemy file, "his single eye possesses both knowlege and malice".
* PunnyName: Oranguerra is a play on orangutan and ''guerra'', the Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese word for "war".

* [[spoiler:[[BishonenLine Bishonen/Bishoujo Line]]: The Despair Embodied resembles a transparent human with indistinct features. It is vastly more powerful than Argosax's base form.

* [[spoiler: BigBad]]

* DoubleEntendre: Calling the Temen-ni-Gru tower a "thick shaft that causes women to shudder".

* HotWitch[=/=]{{Evil Sorcer|er}}ess: Nevan, most likely. Her title is "The Lightning Witch", and the profile for the mission you fight her in refers to Nevan as "the sorceress of the abyss".

* RedBaron: Cerberus the "Ice Guardian", Agni & Rudra "The Firestorm", Leviathan "The Great Beast", Nevan "The Lightning Witch", Beowulf "The Lightbeast", Geryon the "Time Steed", and Doppelganger "The Deathvoid".

** TookALevelInBadass: By the end of 2 the PhysicalGod TrueFinalBoss is little more than a nuisance to Dante.

* TheCameo: Dante (in his ''[=DMC2=]'' form) [[{{Crossover}} makes an appearance]] in ''ShinMegamiTenseiNocturne'' (or to be specific, the ''[[UpdatedRerelease Maniax]]'' version that became the US and PAL release) as a boss encounter (twice) and an optional party member (in return, the series' demon artist Kazuma Kaneko designed the DT forms for Dante and Vergil in ''3''). He later is playable as a SecretCharacter in the [=PS2=] ports of ''ViewtifulJoe''. He also has a [[http://udoncrew.deviantart.com/gallery/471845#/drz2ct cameo]] in [[VideoGame/{{Darkstalkers}} Jedah Dohma's]] ending in ''[[VideoGame/CapcomFightingEvolution Capcom Fighting Jam/Evolution]]''. WordOfGod (with a side dish of ExecutiveMeddling) states that the amount of times he's appeared outside of his native series is the reason that he's not in ''[[VideoGame/TatsunokoVsCapcom Tatsunoko vs. Capcom]]''.

** "Devils never cry", seems to be one as well, seeing as he's said those words to Trish, Lucia, and Lady near or at the climax of the first three games (in the first two instances, he was trying to comfort Trish and Lucia, while the latter was Dante trying to deny the pain he felt when he believed Vergil to be dead).

** Also, ''something'' happened between ''[=DMC4=]'' and ''[=DMC2=]'' to turn him from the wisecracking, flamboyant figure-of-fun of ''3, 1, and 4'' into a stoic PersonOfMassDestruction with TheQuietOne tendencies. Thankfully, he never loses his CrazyAwesome demon-hunting style, and still abides by the RuleOfCool.

* ShowDontTell: In contrast with the OedipusComplex example above, the manga of ''3'' states that he "longs to step out of his father's shadow", and ''4'' pretty much says that he's surpassed Sparda in terms of power. Again, he isn't shown actually trying to match or outdo his father, so there's a problem with Capcom's writing.

* BabyGotBack: It's one of the first things you'll notice about her.

** [[spoiler:BlackSheep: Ditto. A telltale sign between Lucia and the others is the lack of [[UhOhEyes malicious-looking]] [[HellishPupils bird-esque]] eyes.]]

* [[spoiler:MarkOfShame: The χ-shaped symbol on her left shoulder, which Arius uses to pound home the fact that she's [[WhatMeasureIsANonHuman nothing more than a]] "[[ArtificialHuman mannequin]]".]]

In ''Devil May Cry 3'', Lady's goal is to kill Arkham, her father, and avenge the death of her mother (who Arkham killed). She encounters Dante multiple times, shooting or threatening to shoot him at least once each time. He is, after all, part demon (though she doesn't know this at first, believing him to be a demon who happens to look like a human), and she also plans to hunt down demons. During one of these encounters, when Dante asks her what her name is, she tells him that she doesn't have one and doesn't care what he calls her. Dante's response: "Whatever, Lady."

"Acrobatic gunslinger" would best describe how Lady fights; [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin she uses a variety of guns as well as acrobatics in battle]], most notably the rocket launcher Kalina Ann. She also carries various other ranged weapons such as throwing knives, though these are only seen in the boss battle against her.

** Which should [[FridgeLogic bug]] people when hearing of the outtake where she holds her own against Dante and Vergil before the plot reveal, because ''she shouldn't be that strong''.

* Expy: Casual and unrefined, but likes to fight (without caring about the cause)? Got into the good fight just to save a cute girl from the corrupted agents of her own cause? Dark, tunic-style jacket? Superpowered arm? [[GodHand Why, hello, Gene.]]

* InTheBlood: [[spoiler: Vergil's coolheadedness and aloof demeanor, uncle Dante's sense of humor, jocular attitude and flamboyance in battle. Interestingly, this makes him the complete opposite of Sparda, who was generally affable but highly focused in battle.]]

*** Take away the "works for an order of knights who hunt down and elimante supernatural threats" part, and you've got a pretty accurate description of [[{{Trigun}} Vash the Stampede]]. Also, consider his (English) [[JohnnyYongBosch voice actor]]...

** Also, ''something'' happened between DMC4 and DMC2 to turn him from a wisecracking, flamboyant figure-of-fun into a stoic PersonOfMassDestruction with TheQuietOne tendencies. Thankfully, he never loses his CrazyAwesome demon-hunting style, and still abides by the RuleOfCool.

* [[spoiler:ParentalSubstitute: For Lucia, although Lucia isn't aware of this until TheReveal. From there on, it turns into HappilyAdopted, as their ties are "bound by history and experience, which is much deeper than blood". Matier then outright tells Lucia "[[SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments You are my daughter.]]"]]

** Still, there are quite a number of fans who prefer the more mature and silent Dante to his younger, trash-talking self. YourMileageMayVary.

** [[YourMileageMayVary Maybe.]]
*** It was the original plan but was scrapped. There's also the little issue with Vergil only being 13 at the time Nero was supposedly conceived.
* NobleDemon: ... [[YourMileageMayVary Debatably]].

* [[spoiler:[[BishonenLine Bishonen/Bishoujo Line]]: The Despair Embodied resembles a transparent human with indistinct features. It is vastly more powerful than Argosax's base form and is perhaps one of the few ''[[YourMileageMayVary real]]'' challenges in ''2''.]]

* NeverBeHurtAgain: The prequel manga for DMC3 suggests that this might be what drove him to become powerful.

* OlderAndWiser: The most logical way to justify his characterization in 2. Given the way it keeps getting pushed back in the time line, it's possible that it takes place a ''long'' time in the future. Either way, Dante's quieter, more professional, and more composed, although no less TheTrickster. He's also at the height of [[BadAss badassitude]].

* TheOtherDarrin: His voice actor kept switching in every game. It wasn't until ReubenLangdon (Dante's InkSuitActor) voiced him in ''3'' that a VA stuck. Subsequently, Langdon went on to reprise his role in ''4'' and (a massive [[AndTheFandomRejoiced moment of Fandom Rejoicing]] when announced) ''[[DevilMayCryTheAnimatedSeries The Animated Series]]''.

* FreudWasRight: The ''entire theme'' of this character (specifically, the implication was that Mundus was using her as a HoneyTrap for Dante), but subverted. As said in OedipusComplex above, it doesn't work on Dante -- he's visibly disturbed by her appearance.

[[spoiler:In Mission 13 it's revealed that Lady being there is an important part of Arkham's plan. She happens to have been descended from a priestess whose blood was part of the Temen-Ni-Gru's seal, keeping a portal to the demon world closed. There, Arkham shows his true colours, stabbing his own daughter in the leg to undo the seal.]] This strengthens Lady's resolve to kill Arkham; she only relents when Dante defeats her in battle. Even then, she eventually gets back up. [[spoiler:When Arkham falls out of the demon world and lays dying on top of the Temen-Ni-Gru, he finds Lady waiting for him and pointing a gun at his head. Yes, Arkham dies at Lady's hand... and she cries over his death, after thinking she wouldn't.]]

* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: The result of Lucia's battle with him. Dante's first fight against Arius subverts this as Dante is clearly the victor, but Arius gains a second wind, effortlessly dodges Dante's attempted deathblow, and then blows up his tower.

* FlamingHair: A [[TheLordOfTheRings Balrog-like]] mane.

* IntercontinuityCrossover: A prominent character in ''{{Bayonetta}}'' also goes by the name of Enzo. Given that his manner of speaking is similar to his testimony in the manual to ''[=DMC1=]'' and he shows the same cowardice that characterized Enzo in the ''[=DMC3=]'' manga, it's implied that the creators intended for ''DMC''[='=]s Enzo and ''Bayonetta''[='=]s Enzo to be one in the same.

* TouchedByVorlons: The bio for Dante's Majin Devil Trigger states that he attained this form by the Sparda's sword influence on his natural born demon energy, both powers fused in Dante's body triggering his accension into a being far more powerful than the sword's orignal wielder; coincidentaly it cemented a better reason for Dante never needing the sword again and leaving it permanently in Trish's hands.

* [[spoiler:LukeIAmYourFather: She was created by Arius, the second game main's antagonist.]]

** Beowulf greatly resembles [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pazuzu Pazuzu]] or a little [[{{Beowulf}} Grendel]]. [[RuleOfCool Probably they thought that Beowulf was a cool name for a weapon]].

-->'''Dante''' (''[[spoiler:lamenting over Trish's death]]''): "My mother risked her life for me, and now you too. I should have saved you. I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with ''[[DarthWiki/{{Narm}} LIIIIIIGHT]]''!!"

** A demonic RedRightHand, wears a BadassLongcoat, works for an order of knights who hunt down and eliminate supernatural threats, wields a giant revolver... [[{{Hellboy}} remind you of anyone?]]

* WomanInBlack: Mostly subverted, although she does exhibit a few traits associated with {{Femme Fatale}}s (especially in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'').[[/folder]]

[[folder:Main Characters (Heroes)]]

!!Dante

!!Trish

* WomanInBlack: Mostly subverted, although she does exhibit a few traits associated with {{Femme Fatale}}s (especially in ''Marvel vs. Capcom 3'').

!!Lucia

!!Lady

!!Nero

[[folder:Villains]]

!!Vergil

!!Mundus

!! Phantom

!!Griffon

!!Nightmare

!!Arius

!!The Servants of Arius

!!Argosax the Chaos/[[spoiler:The Despair Embodied]]

!!Arkham/[[spoiler:Jester]]

!!Guardians of Temen-ni Gru

!!Credo

!!Agnus

!!Berial

!!Bael and Dagon

!!Echidna

!!Sanctus

[[folder:Other Characters]]

!!Sparda

!!Eva

!!Matier

!!Kyrie

!!Nell Goldstein

!!Grue

!!Jessica

!!Enzo Ferino

!!Beryl

[[/folder]]

----
<<|CharacterSheets|>>

* [[SiblingYinYang Yang]]

** FridgeLogic: [[spoiler:The only things you use the Devil Bringer for in-game is as a grappling hook against non-corporeal targets or to lay the smackdown on the bad guys, neither of which requires a delicate touch, unlike saving Kyrie from the baddie. He does try and grab her using the arm at one point, but it's not using it's supernatural giant-grabbing-ghost-hand power. Perhaps the Devil Bringer is incapable of being used in a gentle manner?]]

* [[SiblingYinYang Yin]]