History VideoGame / DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening

* YourHeadAsplode: Happens to Cerberus whenever you damage one of his heads enough. The death of one head prevents him from using a specific attack, but destroying all three is required to kill the demon.

* BulletCatch: Vergil's spinning Yamato move allows him to catch bullets mid-air and launch them back at Dante like a makeshift sling.

* ContinuityNod: When Arkham visits Dante's shop in the beginning, Dante assumes he wants to use the bathroom and tells him "the toilet's in the back." [[CallForward He makes the same assumption about Trish when she storms the shop in the first game]], [[AnachronicOrder several years later]].
** Vergil's summoned swords are the same weapons he uses as Nelo Angelo in the first game, and in this game he breaks them out as a boss as well on Dante Must Die.

* GameBreakingBug: Due to a (highly possible) memory leak issue, playing the game for an extensive amount of time could result in a Vergil player data leaking into all of Dante's save data, corrupting them almost entirely. All of Dante's Devil Arms and Style upgrades are gone (with the game incorrectly giving him Darkslayer Style, which is exclusive to Vergil), he is stuck T-Posing, and depending on how far you got with him on repeat playthroughs, then Dante's mission progress will be all messed up. The only way to counter this is to reset the game entirely in between missions if you want to continue or switch characters. Thankfully, this has been fixed for the Nintendo Switch version.
** The PlayStation 3 release of the game also has, for unknown reasons, Kalina Ann's grapple not work most of the time, as well as the fact that the game will randomly crash on menus and cutscenes, forcing a hard reset of the console itself.

''Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening'' is a StylishAction HackAndSlash video game for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2, developed and published by Creator/{{Capcom}} in 2005. The game is the second {{Numbered Sequel|s}} in the ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry'' series after 2003's ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2''.

* AirborneMook: Bloodgoyles are flying enemies that come to life when blood touches one of their statues in Temen-ni-gru. They generally stalk Dante from up above, swooping down occasionally to attack.
* AlmostKiss: Lady turns her head and her lips get really close to Dante's. She probably wasn't very inclined to kiss a guy who just beat her in combat.

* AlreadyUndoneForYou: For most of the game, Dante tries to reach Vergil and Arkham who are already at the top of the tower, yet all obstacles and puzzles are untouched.

->''"You've heard of it, haven't you? The Legend of Sparda? When I was young, my father would tell me stories about it. Long ago, in ancient times, a demon rebelled against his own kind for the sake of the human race. With his sword, he shut the portal to the demonic realm, and sealed the evil entities off of our human world. But since he was a demon himself, his power was also trapped on the other side. I've never believed it. I always thought it was just a child's fairy tale. But I discovered that this so-called legend wasn't a myth at all. Sparda existed. How do I know? Well... I met the sons of Sparda... Both of them. Although the same blood of their father flowed through their veins, the two battled each other fiercely like arch-enemies. It seemed as if they derived some sort of twisted pleasure from this brotherly fighting. But in the end... only one was left standing."''

* AdamSmithHatesYourGuts: Every time you purchase an item, the price goes up. After five or so buys, the price will freeze.

* ApocalypseMaiden: Lady. [[spoiler:She is desperately trying to stop her father's schemes, but her blood is the final key he needs to break Sparda's seal and open the gates to the demon world]].
* ArmedLegs: Vergil - and then Dante later - wields these with the Beowulf Devil Arm.

** Cerberus' heads are the only part of his body that can be damaged.

* AwesomeButImpractical: [[ThePowerOfRock Nevan]] sure is awesome, but ridiculously difficult to use, mainly because most of its attacks involve moving the left stick in a precise direction (not just forth or back as with other weapons). Since Dante's position constantly changes, that makes things quite tricky. It is also complex and rather unclear in terms of holding and releasing buttons.

* BigBad: In a curious application, [[spoiler:Arkham]] is the villain with the evilest ambitions...but he cedes the actual FinalBoss position to [[spoiler:Vergil]].

* BottomlessMagazines: Though she is often shown reloading in previous cutscenes, Lady plays this straight during [[spoiler:Mission 16 when Dante picks a fight with her]].

* ButtonMashing: "Crazy combos" are activated by button mashing during the execution of certain moves. All of them are variations of "hit it two dozen times per second."

* CapeWings: Dante's Devil Trigger with Nevan does this with his coat.

* ChargedAttack: The 'Hold' type, where Dante in his Gunslinger mode can charge his guns for extra damage.

* CombinationAttack: Dante and Vergil hack away at Arkham, then repeat with ''each other's swords'', and then blast the hell out of him with a WaveMotionGun attack from Ebony & Ivory.

** During that fight, the game creates Vergil using the basic mechanics of the Doppelganger style. Since the style requires Devil Trigger to create the Shadow, the player can't use it during the fight. However, there's still no in-game justification for it.

** Dante must defeat the Devil Arms before he can use them as weapons. Agni and Rudra in particular are very enthusiastic about this trope, practically begging Dante to take them with him.

** Hell's Vanguard, the boss of Mission 2, reappears as merely a strong mook later and loses the lifebar, though it does gain potential Devil Trigger ability.

* DoesntLikeGuns: Vergil doesn't view guns as weapons of a true warrior. He instead uses his Summoned Swords, which function ''exactly'' like a gun.

* GunFu: Dante's [[TheGunslinger Gunslinger]] style and Lady's entire arsenal emphasize their proficiency with firearms.

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: After Lady is beaten, she shoots several more times at Dante but is wide off the mark, probably as a result of having just been defeated in combat.

* TheLadysFavour: Lady handing Kalina Ann to Dante [[spoiler:with the request that he "free" her father]] is this minus the whole love interest thing.

* AlreadyUndoneForYou: For most of the game, Dante try to reach Vergil and Arkham at the top of the tower, yet all obstacles and puzzles are left untouched.

* GameBreakingBug: Due to a (highly possible) memory leak issue, playing the game for an extensive amount of time could result in a Vergil player data leaking into all of Dante's save data, corrupting them almost entirely. All of Dante's Devil Arms and Style upgrades are gone (with the game incorrectly giving him Darkslayer Style, which is exclusive to Vergil), he is stuck T-Posing, and depending on how far you got with him on repeat playthroughs, then Dante's mission progress will be all messed up. The only way to counter this is to reset the game entirely in between missions if you want to continue or switch characters.

* GameBreakingBug: Loading up Dante's save file from Vergil's Mission Select menu after playing a few missions will sometimes brick your Dante save permanently. All of Dante's Devil Arms and Style upgrades are gone (with the game incorrectly giving him Darkslayer Style, which is exclusive to Vergil), he is stuck T-Posing, and depending on how far you got with him on repeat playthroughs, then Dante's mission progress will be all messed up. The only way to counter this is to reset the game entirely and load your save file after booting it up again if you want to switch characters.

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Dante finally triumphs over Vergil, but is unable to save him from plunging into the abyss of the Demon World or from his own ambitions of power. Lady finally works up the courage to [[ThatManIsDead proclaim herself free of the name Mary]] and [[SelfMadeOrphan shoots her own father]], avenging one parent by killing the other. If you kill a hundred enemies during the credits, you get a cutscene where Vergil appears in the Demon World, with three glowing [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] arranged like [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 Mundus]] leering over him, before [[BolivianArmyEnding Vergil rushes into battle, screaming.]] If you've played the first game, [[ForegoneConclusion you know how that battle ends poorly for him.]]]]

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Dante finally triumphs over Vergil, but is unable to save him from plunging into the abyss of the Demon World or from his own ambitions of power. Lady finally works up the courage to [[ThatManIsDead proclaim herself free of the name Mary]] and [[SelfMadeOrphan shoots her own father]], avenging one parent by killing the other. If you kill a hundred enemies during the credits, you get a cutscene where Vergil appears in the Demon World, with three glowing [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] arranged like [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 Mundus]] leering over him, before [[BolivianArmyEnding Vergil rushes into battle, screaming.]] If you've played the first game, [[ForegoneConclusion you know how that battle ends poorly for him.]]

* GameBreakingBug: Loading up Dante's save file from Vergil's Mission Select menu after playing a few missions will sometimes brick your Dante save permanently. All of Dante's Devil Arms and Style upgrades are gone (with the game incorrectly giving him Darkslayer Style, which is exclusive to Vergil), he is stuck T-Posing, and depending on how far you got with him on repeat playthroughs, then Dante's mission progress will be all messed up. The only way to counter this is to reset the game entirely and load your save file after booting it up again.

* GameBreakingBug: Loading up Dante's save file from Vergil's Mission Select menu after playing a few missions will sometimes brick your Dante save permanently. All of Dante's Devil Arms are gone, he is stuck T-Posing, and depending on how far you got with him on repeat playthroughs, then Dante's mission progress will be all messed up.

* GameBreakingBug: [[https://youtu.be/beTa_t_e_Wk The Nintendo Switch version has a real nasty one thanks to the Co-Op Bloody Palace mode.]] If Player 1 is Vergil and loads up Dante's file for Player 2, then Dante will not only be unarmed, but his top half will be stuck in a T-Pose position when locking on, with his legs repeating the last action performed. Sounds funny at first, until you realize that this bug basically bricks your Dante save permanently. All of Dante's Devil Arms are gone, he is stuck T-Posing, and depending on how far you got with him on repeat playthroughs, then Dante's mission progress will be all messed up.
** This seems to be a unintentional carry-over from the other remastered releases on the HD Collection, as loading up Dante's save file from Vergil's Mission Select menu will cause Dante to suffer the same effects.

In 2019, Capcom has announced a Nintendo Switch port that is due in February 2020. However, rather than being a straight port like its predecessors, ''Devil May Cry 3'' for the Switch will contain new added gameplay features like Real-Time Style Switching and the Irregular Full Custom Weapon Switching, features that wouldn't be introduced until ''4'' and ''5'', as well as the addition of Local Co-Op Bloody Palace with Dante and Vergil, a first ever for the series.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is the first game with [[StanceSystem Styles]], which work differently here than in later titles. In ''3'', only one Style can be used during a level and skills are acquired through grinding for experience. In ''4'' and ''5'', Styles can be switched during missions and skills can be bought before missions or at Divinity Statues. The Switch version adds Style Switching, which works similarly to ''4'' and ''5''.

* PercussiveMaintenance: Dante to his jukebox in the beginning, [[RelityEnsues although he does leave a dent in it]]. Later, he needs to operate a machine to open the cage containing the next plot coupon. The machine's key is actually an ornamental spear. So he stabs the machine with the spear and, when nothing happens, kicks it. It works.

** Taken a step further with the Nintendo Switch port which adds the ability for Dante to freely switch between all of his styles as he's able to in subsequent games.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: This is the first game with [[StanceSystem Styles]], which work differently here than in later titles. In ''3'', only one Style can be used during a level and skills are acquired through grinding for experience. In ''4'' and ''5'', Styles can be switched during missions and skills can be bought before missions or at Divinity Statues.

In 2019, Capcom has announced a Nintendo Switch port that is due in February 2020. However, rather than being a straight port like its predecessors, ''Devil May Cry 3'' for the Switch will contain new added gameplay features like Real-Time Style Switching and the Irregular Full Custom Weapon Switching, features that wouldn't be introduced until ''4'' and ''5''.

* ActionBomb: Hell Wraths.
* ActionGirl: Lady is every bit as capable at demon-slaying as Dante is, despite being [[BadassNormal a normal human]].

* AffablyEvil: Agni & Rudra are quite friendly, even though as guardians of Temen-ni-gru, it is their duty to kill all trespassers.
* AirborneMook: Bloodgoyles.
* AlmostKiss: Lady turns her head. [[spoiler:She probably wasn't very inclined to kiss a guy who just beat her in combat.]]
* AloofBigBrother: Vergil.

* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: Dante and Vergil.

* AnotherSideAnotherStory: Vergil Mode in the UpdatedRerelease. He plays surprisingly different from Dante, considering their blood relationship.
* ApocalypseMaiden: Nearly everyone involved.

* AttackItsWeakPoint: Beowulf's eyes and Cerberus' heads.

* BackToBackBadasses: Lady and Dante, as well as Dante and Vergil at the conclusion of mission 19.

* BarehandedBladeBlock: Done three times:

** Finally, performed by both Dante and Vergil ''to each other simultaneously'' (leaving both with bleeding hands).

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Dante finally triumphs over Vergil, but is unable to save him from plunging into the abyss of the Demon World or from his own ambitions of power. Lady finally works up the courage to [[ThatManIsDead proclaim herself free of the name Mary]] and [[SelfMadeOrphan shoots her own father]], avenging one parent by killing the other. If you kill a hundred enemies during the credits, you get a cutscene where Vergil appears in the Demon World, with three glowing [[RedEyesTakeWarning red eyes]] arranged like [[VideoGame/DevilMayCry1 Mundus]] leering over him, before [[BolivianArmyEnding Vergil rushes into battle, screaming.]] If you've played the first game, [[ForegoneConclusion you know how that battle]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy turns out]].]]
* {{BFG}}: Kalina Ann and Spiral.

* BlobMonster: [[spoiler:Arkham, when the powers of Sparda overwhelm him.]]

* BloodKnight: Technically it's his job, but Dante does seem to enjoy his work a ''little'' more than normal.

* CallForward: There are many calls to the original game.

* ConflictKiller: [[spoiler:Arkham]]. The conflict picks up ''immediately'' after [[spoiler:the RivalsTeamUp]].

* DeathByOriginStory: Lady's mother, Kalina Ann.

** Hell's Vanguard, the boss of Mission 2, reappears as merely a strong mook later and loses the lifebar, though it does gain potential Devil Trigger ability. It does, however, return to boss status late-game.

* DenserAndWackier: While the game as a whole is probably darker than ''1'' and ''2'', Dante himself really begins to showcase his now-trademark irreverent sense of humor in this game, likely as a response to ''2'' where he was constantly dead-serious. Compared to ''1'', where he mostly had a few one-liners, ''3'' features scenes such as Dante [[ItMakesSenseInContext fighting off demons shirtless while eating pizza, riding a missile like it was a skateboard, and using a motorcycle like a set of nunchucks to fight demons while riding up the side of a tower]].

%%* DifficultySpike: The most difficult in the entire series.
* DoesntLikeGuns: Vergil. He instead uses his Summoned Swords, which function ''exactly'' like a gun.

* DualBoss: Agni and Rudra.
* DualWielding: Dante with Agni and Rudra, and Vergil with Yamato and Force Edge.

* EnemyMine: Dante and [[spoiler:Vergil against Arkham]].

* FingerlessGloves: On both Dante and Vergil.

* FlamingSword: Agni, wielded with the wind sword Rudra (fun fact: properly applying wind to fire makes the fire ''bigger'').

* GlowingEyesOfDoom: Beowulf, as befitting a [[LightIsNotGood light elemental]].

* GoForTheEye: The other eye on Beowulf, as Sparda had permanently taken off the other years ago.

* GunFu: Exemplified in Dante's Gunslinger style and Lady's entire arsenal.
* TheGunslinger: Again, Dante's Gunslinger style, as well as Lady.

* HellishHorse: Geryon.
* HeroKiller: As per their in game description, Abysses. Along with [[EldritchAbomination lurking in realms far beyond hell]], these SuperpoweredMooks are nasty combinations of the best strengths of the 7 Hells jailers: they can counter when knocked back, lunge forward like Hell Lusts, can fling off their scythe blades to attack from afar, have a teleporting scythe throwing aerial attack, and come in groups, demanding some NintendoHard defying reflexes and dexterity. They are even put in the climatic Demon World GimmickLevel stages, making the trek through a defining experience of hellish.
%%* HighSpeedMissileDodge[=/=]RocketRide: Surfing on a rocket. Plus the scene where Dante basically playfights with Lady, spinning through the air while she shoots at him, hitting only his coat.

* InstantDeathRadius:
** Vergil with Spiral Swords, only on DMD, will lay on the hurt if you let Dante get hit by them. Inverted with Beowulf, whose feathers of light will punish you for staying too far.
%%** You can damage enemies when you activate the Devil Trigger, but this is less of an instant death radius and more of an instant minor annoyance with very little knockback radius. However, this technique can be charged so that the resulting explosion deals considerable damage. At max charge, it IS an InstantDeathRadius for most [[ContractualBossImmunity non-boss]] non-[[TurnsRed Devil]] [[SuperMode Triggered]] enemies.

* KeystoneArmy: Averted. Dante And Lady spend an untold amount of time mopping up all the demons left after the BigBad is defeated and the gate to hell is sealed up again.

* LifeDrain: [[HornyDevils Nevan]] is [[KissOfDeath quite]] [[VampiricDraining fond]] of this in her final phase.

* MirrorBoss: Though Vergil's Yamato moveset shares no similarities with Dante's Rebellion, the two battle on perfectly equal ground regardless. In the second duel, Vergil does use moves with Beowulf that Dante can use when he picks up the gauntlets later. In the third duel, Vergil wields Force Edge alongside his Yamato, which allows him to pull off, at the very least, a Helm Breaker-to-Stinger combo very similar to Dante's moves.
%%** There's also the literal Doppelganger boss.

* NotSoHarmlessVillain: Jester; introduced as a nuisance to Dante, [[spoiler:he is later revealed to be Arkham and masterminded the MeleeATrois between Dante, Vergil, and Lady]].

* ThePowerOfRock: Nevan, who turns into a [[ShockAndAwe electric]] guitar.

* RedOniBlueOni: Dante and Vergil, naturally. There's also the ''literal'' example of Agni and Rudra, two talkative demon swords wielded by headless demon bodies, one red and one blue, though they both seemed the same.

* {{Retcon}}: This game changes a few details that ''1'' supposedly explained.

** Dante's speech to Trish in ''1'' implies that he and Vergil never actually knew Sparda, and all the twins had to go by were the stories Eva would tell them of him. Vergil apparently reminds Dante of Sparda, but [[CainAndAbel the kind]] [[NobleDemon of guy]] [[WorthyOpponent that]] [[AloofBigBrother Vergil is]] just makes that comparison mind-boggling.

** Also, Geryon, in Greek mythology, was a hideous giant that looked like [[BodyHorror three men fused into one]]. In [[Literature/TheDivineComedy Dante's]] ''[[Literature/TheDivineComedy Inferno]]'', he is a serpent-like creature with wings and a human face. There's never been a depiction of him as a horse.
* SandInMyEyes: "It's only the rain." said by Dante after [[spoiler:losing his brother]].
* SealedBadassInACan: Sparda's power, which both Vergil and Arkham try to obtain.

* SequelEscalation: Prequel, technically, but the moves are flashier, the controls are better, and the stakes are literally sky-high.

* SevenDeadlySins: Hell Prides, Hell Wraths, Hell Envies, etc.

* SharedUnusualTrait: Lady and Arkham have heterochromia, which indicates [[spoiler:that they're related, and that relation pretty much is why she is even ''there'']]. Similarly, [[spoiler: Jester and the moon face in his boss fights also having heterochromia foreshadows his relationship to Arkham. The moon face even has similar burn scars to Arkham.]]

* ShirtlessScene: The first mission has Dante fight without his jacket, This outfit can be unlocked later on.

* {{Shoryuken}}: One of Beowulf's moves is literally named Rising Dragon. Curiously, though, Dante only [[CallingYourAttacks shouts "Rising Dragon!"]] for a ''different'' move.

* SteamPunk: Clockpunk for Temen-ni-Gru.

* SuperMode: Devil Trigger, which Dante and Vergil both have.

* TenMinuteRetirement: Lady.
* ThatManIsDead: Lady rejecting her previous name of [[spoiler:Mary]].
* ThemeNaming: The Seven Hells, although the semblance is spotty at best.
* ThemeTwinNaming: Dante and Vergil.

* TryingNotToCry: Played straight with Lady [[spoiler:after she shoots and kills Arkham]]. Also done with Dante.
* TurnsRed: Most bosses pull this, most notably Cerberus ''literally'' turning red.

* UpdatedRerelease: In the form of a "Special Edition," that renamed the difficulties, added the Bloody Palace gauntlet and a Turbo mode that sped the game up, added three successive boss battles with Jester, and added Vergil as a playable character.

* WakeUpCallBoss: Cerberus, as the game's first proper boss battle, is no pushover.

* WorthyOpponent: Vergil.

* YouWillNotEvadeMe: Kalina Ann has such a move in Gunslinger style.
* YoungestChildWins: Dante against Vergil. Yes, they are twins, but conversations and in-game information seems to indicate Dante is the younger twin.
* YourHeadAsplode: Happens to Cerberus whenever you damage one of his heads enough.