Not like the differences between the two Dantes need any saying, but maybe some analysis on those differences might lead to some insight on the upcoming game and possible changes to the new Dante's design in the future.
#1. Influences
Naturally, character designs are usually influenced by something since most designers draw their inspiration from various parts of different cultures. In our case, the Dantes are influenced from parts of two different cultures. The new Dante takes from punkish roots with his black hair and laidback but hardcore clothing as well as taken his supernatural lineage from what seems like Christianity. The older one was influenced by popular culture and myth in Japan which is represented in his love of red coats and his white hair.
The new Dante's punk look isn't much surprise when considering that his creators outright stated that they were giving DmC a new punk interpretation. The most noticeable feature of this look is his short- cut, black hair with side- swept bangs. I assume its a small allusion to the popularity of the color Black in Punk culture considering that its the only black thing in Dante's wardrobe so far. I guess that gives a semi- good explanation for why they changed his hair color. Maybe its dyed? Dante seemed to not like his demon lineage back in his teens, so maybe he dyed his hair at one point to hide it?
His coat is leather, like always, but its blue with red lining/insides. It seems that the designers have taken aspects of Nero in this case since he worn something similar. However, Nero's design was to suggest his connection to Sparda, maybe they are taking that route with the new Dante? Then there's the rest of his clothing- a plain white T-shirt, black, tight- fit jeans, and boots- which is a nod at the hardcore- casual look of Punk fashion. And there's his necklace which alludes to the Perfect Amulet Dante wears.
The biggest and one of the most controversial changes is his lineage. He is now half- Angel and half- Demon, both sides being represented in his weaponry and ablities. Whether this is actually his lineage or maybe some additional powers is unknown so far, but if it his lineage then the angels in DmC are Archangels and the demons are the typical, gross-you-out monsters though his father might be our forever- loved Sparda (re- designed, of course).
The older Dante took some inspiration from parts of Japan's popular culture. Dante's affiliation with red comes from the Super Sentai series, which is a popular kids show in Japan that was Americanized into the Power Rangers series and was the basis for other shows like the Kamen Rider series. In the Super Sentai show, the main hero wore red. Now this isn't that big of a suprise because Kamiya has done this in Okami when he designed (Ushi)Waka after another kid's show. His white hair is an allusion to his demon lineage. In Japan, white hair is a sign of demonic possession. He changes outfits in each game so I'm not going to go any deeper than this.
As his hair suggests, Dante is half- Demon and harbors a demonic soul. However, the demons in DMC are Western- based instead of being influenced by the Oni and Youkai of Japanese myth.
#2. Style
The thing about video game characters is that they practically shape the gameplay. Their original way of fighting becomes the basis of the game's overall mechanics. So its always important to consider a character's originality when designing the game. For Dante, he was the pioneer of "stylish" combat, making it the player's goal to get as high a rank as possible and becoming the first game with "advanced combat" techniques developed by players. However, he and his reboot counterpart use two different styles of fighting. The original Dante was more accurate and strategic in his fighting, having a limited moveset yet pulling off a chain of combos like a pro. The new Dante isn't as focused in his fighting style, his moves seem more easier to connect, getting rid of the flashiness and the challenge of combining a high number of moves without stopping.
The older Dante's moveset, though it grew as you played the game, didn't have a high number of moves. However, those moves were versatile in nature so it was easy to connect them into a nice combo. The Rebellion's main moveset consisted of Combo A, Combo B, Stinger, Million Stab, High Time, Drive, and Helm Breaker. Ebony and Ivory's consisted of Twosome Time, Rain Storm, and Charge Shot. A pro can get up to SSS rank with these moves alone, showing off how easily these moves can be connected with practice.
Furthermore, he has been show to be over-the-top when he fights or can show off of a weapon's abilities like a pro even though it would be his first time using them. DMC3's opening would be a good example of the former. His handling of Cerberus' soul after his fight with the beast is a great example of the latter.
The new Dante isn't exactly as flashy. Even though his moveset consists of some of the original Dante's moves, he has a very unprofessional style of fighting. With his sword being able to change shape seemlessly, being able to chain moves together is no longer that much of challenge. And he seems to be a lot more reserved in his fighting than Dante. It is safe to assume that Nero had alot of influence over this new Dante's combat style Though some people think of DmC's preservation of fast- paced combat as a relief amongst the changes in the reboot, its actually quite a step backwards. Distance is a hefty factor in combat and provided a good challenge in the original series since Rebellion was one of the few weapons that could cover it well (it becomes less of a challenge in DMC4 after Nero learns Snatch. With the Grab mechanic that is presented in the new Dante's sword's shape- changing abilities, distance is no longer a challenge and you can easily chain combos together without worrying about covering the distance between you and your opponent. So even though it looks fun, I would suggest not to put too many expectations on how challenging the combat is. Anyway, it seems that NT really were serious when they said they would show a much more down-to-earth Dante. His combat style obviously shows that not only him being less experienced but also a bit more straight- forward and definitely heck- bent on getting rid of his foes as quickly as possible.
#3. Weaponry
Weapons are important in any action game and a good character always has to have his trademarks. So its no surprise that Dante would have weapons suited only for him. This new Dante is showcasing some redesigned versions of said weapons. I wonder who can use them better?
The old Dante is a character of many trademarks, two of them being his prized guns and sword. Rebellion was a sword Sparda had wielded at one point and then gave it to Dante as a keepsake. Embodying his soul, Rebellion has been a standard sword for Dante since its debut in DMC2. Ever since then, its hard to ever see Dante without it. Its standard claymore with a skull designed to represent Dante's half- human, half- demon lineage. It wasn't awakened until DMC3 where it had to taste his blood in order to awaken not only itself but the devil inside Dante as well. In DMC1, he doesn't use it for some reason though he uses it alot in the Anime. In DMC4, nothing really special happens with it. In DMC2, it seemingly goes through a change in appearance, becoming alot thinner and more subtle in appearance.
Ebony and Ivory, on the other hand, have been with Dante possibly throughout his demon- hunting career. Personally customized by him, these guns are perfectly suited for firing at rapid speeds- a necessity for a half- demon man who can push the trigger at inhuman speeds. However, they don't serve any story- focused purpose, so they're just your normal customized pistols.
The new Dante has the Ebony and Ivory as well, but they have gone through a redesign as well. They now have a longer barrel with a curved handle. I can't really see why they would change Ebony and Ivory since they were fine on their own in terms of design. Maybe Dante will re- customize later in life.
He also boasts a strange sword on his back, possibly (hopefully not) a re- hashed Rebellion. Much like the Rebellion in the original series, this new sword represents Dante's soul. It changes shapes to personify his angel and demonic blood. His angel half is represented as a scythe (for some odd reason) which is used for wide, quick, circular attacks. His demon half takes the form of an axe which is used for heavy strikes. As we all know, it also hosts the ability to grab enemies from afar. NT has said there will be more weapons associated with each side, maybe the sword has other forms? If it turns out be the Rebellion, it might make a change in appearance some time later in the game.
#4. Personality
An absolute necessity in any character. This basically the make-it-or-break-it factor in character design that either cause love for the character or outright hatred for it. For DMC, Dante's personality has gone through some shifts but he has always captured our hearts. From the careless, wild, party- loving Dante from DMC3 to the silent, strong, cool Dante in DMC2, Dante has always found away for us to title him as "cool." This new Dante has just appeared but the bits of info we have gotten about his personality already leave a small impression. His debut in his first trailer, showing off a reckless wildman definitely didn't leave a good impression on fans, but his recent changes and some info from NT has left us a better one so far, giving us an image of a much more serious, down-to-earth kind of guy compared to the beloved original.
The original Dante has had quite a ride when it comes to character consistent. Capcom had made the bad decision to cut off Hideki Kamiya as its director and gave the role to someone new. This ended up messing up Dante's personality really bad. In DMC1, Dante was a cool dude all- around. He was proud of his demon lineage and wasn't afraid to show off the perks of his bloodline in a fight. In fact, some demons would tremble in fear before they die as they saw the resemblance between him and his father. And then there were the signs of his compassion which he showed when Trish died. This took a complete 180 in DMC2. Instead of the heroic Dante of DMC1, he became alot more silent and almost cold. If it wasn't for the fact that his coin was double- headed, I would've had a fit with his personality. Which made DMC3 a blessing for alot of fans. We see a less mature Dante that would become the DMC1 Dante as he matures, becoming more proud of his demonic blood and taking life a little more seriously. DMC4 didn't really do much for Dante in terms of character change or progression, in fact its kind of hard to make up what was going on through his mind. He wasn't as straight- forward as he usually is and almost seems to be just a mature version of his DMC3 persona. In fact, it almost seems like he retracted back to that state considering that he oddly brings back the fighting styles that he presumably threw away in DMC1. But still, despite the wild ride, we love the guy. So much that most of us reacted harshly towards the Reboot.
Now to try and make out the new Dante's personality, he seems to have gone through some changes already. In his debut, he was absolutely beastly, and not in a good way. He just rushed in to a fight and did as much damage as he could. He also seemed to be quite sadistic and merciless, definitely traits that wouldn't belong to the original. In fact to stray so far away is definitely a risk, I've never heard of a reboot/parallel universe where the alternate version of a character was nothing like the original. However, after some months of redesigning, NT had changed him so that he's more likable. He seems to be alot more goal- oriented than the DMC3 original, which would be quite switch if he's to turn into the original Dante. The best way I can describe him is that he's a much less angry Nero. He's serious and focuses on his target, like Nero, but he retains a calm about it, a testament to the fact that Dante is calm in any situation, though this could change if he's ever in a desperate situation, though I think knowing the fact that the entire city's out to get him makes his situation pretty desperate.
#5. All in All...
With that much info given, what kind of predictions can you guys make about the game as a whole?
