Well I guess so, as you said, ten whole years passed between 3 and 1 after all.
However the point I was making is that throughout 3, as the plot goes on, you can see him taking seemingly similar situations with recurrent characters more and more seriously each encounter, which leads to him slowly gain the kind of attitude he has in the first game.
It applies to both Vergil and Lady encounters but take Vergil for example. The first time is all fun and games, a big party. Then, after he gets pummeled, he meets his brother a second time and you can see how even though he still jokes a little, he takes the fight well more seriously than he previously did, with actual determination this time, surely triggered (see what I did there?) by his defeat at the hands of Vergil, as his will to have "one more game" with him shows.
And then, as he confronts him for the third time (which, by the way, has a pretty disheartening effect after seeing the two team up just a moment prior), he starts off joking and bantering before turning serious and sincere as the situation calls for it (something that he already did with Lady several times before).
See what I mean? Maybe I worded it incorrectly, maybe it came across as if I said that by the end of the game Dante is exactly the way he is in 1, but I meant to use that particular final scene with Vergil (could have picked another couple before that one that show similar traits in Dante's character but being the climax, I thought that one with Vergil was most appropriate) to tell you that that particular scene symbolizes his growth to be the Dante he is in the opening of the first game, you know what I mean?
Maybe I should have elaborated in greater detail then, but I had stuff to do, and I thought a short post was enough to make a simple point but I guess the dowside to a short post is that it's easier to not make your point come across as effectively as you'd like. Sigh. The thing is that I've grown to hate writing long posts more and more so I tend to avoid doing that, so I hope you appreciate the effort of me writing this one just to clarify myself with you, LOL. I also hope you understand what I fully meant now. If I didn't butcher English in any major way, that is.
No, no, I see it, that's exactly what I mean.
ToF says she was Eva's living copy and that's why he followed . Only later she gains a soul for her own, according to same found.There was an interview that described their connection as being of siblings, but never that deep, since she was only a murderess who quickly converts and asks to go with him.
Not only that: he doesn't know what he will do with his life, DMC3 happens, Lady reassures him of his humanity, he promises that he will help her wiping demons and (apparently) she help him open the shop and grows at his side. As much the strong relationship with Trish only existed in Kamiya's proto canon.
Do you you have the interview or do you know where can I find it?Not doubting of you, but the all this is very bizarre and novelty for me:
The guy that follows a "living copy of his mother"(according to ToF)EXACTLY because of that, only accepting she is now a different person in the end of game, but has a soulmate connection with her, so deep that it's almost divine, but they can't be together because of that, but Trish is the most sweet person of the face of the world, so she ships Dante with Lady hard ( she does that in anime and in DMC4SE).
This is pure fanfiction coming from someone's headcanon. This does not makes sense.Now the only thing is missing is that Dante made a celibate vote .
Okay c'mon man, you're overestimating my opinion of Trish at least a little bit. All I'm saying is, there are reasons why she might intentionally set up a situation to get Dante into trouble.
Just like I said before: not only DMC is grey and characters have a grey moral, as its own media can contradict each other. The guys at Capcom approve things without any kind of criteria or verification.
UPDATE:
Ladies and gentlemen, Sparda isn't dead. He sealed himself in the underworld according to this: ( yes, this is official and its from DMC3Se, PC Version and can be found in Library Files, under "Character files"
So, Sparda's status is officially unknown.Now, let's welcome chaos!
Well that's pretty interesting, but at the same time I feel like it's something we should have already known, given how Devil Arms work.
I suppose. But I know plenty of games whose narratives thrive through readables and in-game text, rather than any emoting of characters or cinematic establishing…Dark Souls for one. And you won’t hear a single person peep about the ineffective storytelling of THAT series.
Well, the storytelling bit can be argued, but it does amazing lore.
I would presume Zobek’s status as a Lord of Shadow would grant him insight to Gabriel’s mind while he’s still a human. Carmilla was able to read his mind with a glance, if you remember, and Zobek’s supposed to be the most powerful of the three.
Or I dunno. Maybe MercurySteam needed Patrick Stewart to provide something to the game in addition to just voicing a main character. The guy can’t be cheap to get ahold of.
Carmilla was also a vampire, they're known to read minds. I vaguely suspect it was the latter.
Weird, no. Cliché? Painfully. Most of their exchanges are literally just the two of them making googly-eyes and calling out each other’s names. I’m long desenstitized by anime romances literally playing out and functioning exactly like this. I’m just surprised Kyrie and Nero’s interactions didn’t have the shimmering artificial effects or the sweeping cherry-blossom trees in the background.
That’s literally all those scenes were missing.
I'm talking more about how they were raised as brother and sister.
Given that they're both
very awkwardly aware of their feelings but don't want to straight up say it, I can see why they'd stick to names rather than titles.
Shamefully as it is to admit, I’m actually not privy to much of DMC4’s concept art. I’ve been meaning to snag a copy of the 3142 Art Book, but I’ve been putting it off for years. I’d love to see what a game like this looked like in development.
Some of it is very good.
Admittedly it also makes me a bit sad, because it outright shows that Nelo Angelo was supposed to be in the game.
I’m not sure how one can "get over" a mental deficiency like a subconscious block or traumatic memory fragmentation. Unlike Dante’s seemingly-willful dismissal of his own core-establishing motives in DMC3, the mental status of the Dante in the novel is probably something he can’t help.
But again….that isn’t canon anyway, so it’s not like it affects Dante’s characterization in any way.
Sure, but having gone over it again, it is definitely something he was willfully doing.
His mother's death played out behind his eyelids again. It was one of the prime reasons he had chosen the dangerous path of a mercenary, honing his body and mind.
It’s simple, really. Just look into the dialogue in the opening sequence for DMC1, and you’ll see what I mean. Dante’s reliance on campy lines and corny jokes wanes the longer he talks to Trish, as he becomes more aware of what’s going on.
That very human ability to shift tones according to the situation…it’s called being a character. Something that, quite gratingly, DMC3 Dante almost never does.
His characterization is set to "hyperactive man-child one-liner machine" 99% of his time on screen, regardless of the tension or mood of the accompanying scene…which in literary terms, is called being one-note.
First of all I'm not entirely sure of that, and secondly, for DMC3 Dante, he is literally
acting in character the vast majority of the time.
Ah, it would appear you’re correct. I just skimmed some older threads concerning Dante’s age, and I was mixed up. My humblest apologies…it would seem that it’s not just my fingers that these long posts are starting to fatigue.
It's fine, they are pretty long. I haven't had time for a while to write anything up.
Yes. Call me crazy, but I don’t find most of their interactions "familial" in any sense, especially given how the bulk of their role in the story is to aid him in each of his hunts, to provide support as allies...support that, by the novel’s own construction, Dante doesn’t appreciate until it’s too late.
It’d be like assigning Lady and Trish to familial roles based on how they interact with Dante. Comrades, sure…but family? To me, that’s a bit of a stretch.
I'm not sure that's a stretch at all. But moreover, the passage I quoted from the book shows that Dante makes that connection between Nel and his mother very directly. The same with Grue's family, Dante even went to his home and ate with them multiple times.
The evening was a brief stab at normalcy. For Tony, who had no family, this was the closest he got to finding out what those small moments were all about.
Moreover, even the
Demons understand their relationship, like when they specifically target Jessica.
"It doesn't end here. We will do this to everyone you know." The demon fired off a staccato laugh. "You always hurt the ones you love. What could drive someone to despair more than their own family?"
When a scene like that has already such inconsequential impact on the character it was trying to develop to the point where its removal changes nothing about the character or story, it has already failed beyond comprehension.
Except that's utterly wrong. Dante's defeat at the hands of Vergil and the subsequent awakening of his Devil Trigger is the turning point of the game's narrative, after which Dante begins to understand what's at stake and starts to shift towards battling his way through the tower for actual reasons rather than just a brotherly grudge.
To put it simply, Alucard’s judge of character and motivation are confounding even to his own allies, to the point where he’s often questioned for "why he killed this person" or "why he decided to spare this one." We never really understand the exact workings of the Count’s deranged inner workings, only mere glimpses of what makes him tick, and what thin strands of sense or rationality make up the interior of his psychotic head.
What you're telling me here is that you're expounding on Alucard's character in a way that is almost identical to what you deride people doing towards DMC characters.
He even berates Anderson for using Helena’s Nail as a quick way out, precisely because he’s doing it for the same reasons: because of being unable to face his own inadequacy, as someone/something weaker.
And yet if he hadn't done that, Alucard simply would have killed him anyway.
It’s not Anderson’s status as human or inhuman that wins Alucard’s respect…it’s his determination, his unbridled and frothing will, one so characteristically-human despite his inhuman body, that wins Alucard’s admiration.
Which makes no sense, because Anderson was taking those risks full in the knowledge that he wasn't human and wouldn't simply die as a human would.
Additionally, Alucard sobering on Anderson for him taking the "easy way out" is insane in and of itself. What about humans that use guns or bombs? Aren't they also just taking the easy way out? Or what about swords and armor, isn't that
also an easy way out? The only kind of human that wouldn't be utilizing a huge advantage, something which would enhance their own will by it's mere usage, would be someone trying to beat him to death with his bare hands while naked.
And in the confines of Alucard’s mind, even with his new set of powers, he still believes that someone out there, someone with the endearing, human and inconceivable qualities that disarmed even someone as powerful as him so many years ago, may yet exist to bring him the poetic end he so desires.
In that event Alucard is simply an
insane person, and nothing short of Christ himself descending from the heavens would ever stand a chance against him.
And even then, Alucard would likely kill him too and say something about how divine abilities mean he didn't have the heart of a human being.
As mentioned previously above, it’s not the use of the supernatural he detests, but the reasons his unworthy opponents use them.
But that makes
even less sense. Anderson turned into a monster in order to extract justice upon Alucard, how is that any less honorable than Alucard turning Seras into a vampire because she wished to avenge her parents and not save her own life? Anderson didn't want glory or eternal life or anything so petty, he wanted to defeat Alucard because he believed it was his duty and drive, something just as selfless as Seras' mission.
And when a solitary mangaka under the pressure of a weekly magazine is turning out a better characterization than a team of writers working for a conglomerate with the prestige and budget as Capcom, I’m not going to be generating a whole lot of sympathy for the latter…especially when they’re in a far better position, have three times the budget and resources, and are five times less competent at doing the same job.
Without the slightest doubt, I can say Bingo has the worse job. The more people involved in a project, the harder it is for a writer to deliver their ideas.
Arguably, yes. But I’d argue also that many of the story elements I and many other fans formulate are grounded enough to be believable. I never once count them as canon or sufficient for the lack of coherent writing in the actual games….because it isn’t my job to do so.
It’s Capcom’s job to generate the writing, not the speculative efforts of fans.
But Capcom
does generate the writing, and the fact that you prefer to simply call the story and characters bad is the fault of your failure to pick up cues, not their failure as writers.
I wasn’t aware any English versions of Trinity of Fates even existed, as the only official version is Japanese. If you can read Japanese, or have scans, would you mind posting them somewhere, or directing me to where I can access them somewhere online?
Trinity of Fate was translated
nine years ago, in 2008.
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/devil-may-cry-trinity-of-fates-translations.160251140/
Highlights include confirmation that Dante is intentionally playing up his behavior,
all of 3's main themes and allegories, Dante and Vergil's relationship and similarities as characters, and in particular the fact that Vergil
also loved and wanted to protect his mother, and that her death is what put him on the road he walked.
Regardless, even if the narrative elements you claim to exist really do have a basis in the writers’ intentions, all that does is showcase that they can’t execute even a fraction of what they intend for the characters or story in the actual game.
Crucial and character-defining attributes something that has to be offered to fans through spin-off or bonus material, instead of the confines of the game they’re expected to inject them into.
If that’s not a colossal literary failing of the worst kind, I seriously don’t know what is.
But, again, these
aren't things that they failed to execute. People
did pick up on almost
all of this.
The problem lies with you.
"Probably" isn’t really substantial enough to warrant or confirm such an integral part of Dante’s character. With the way that scene was handled and with how paper-thin the likelihood of any "tragic undertones" the writers were trying to implement through a gun-kata pose, Dante whooping about his love for fighting, and finishing off with hot-blooded metal music…it’s not hard evidence to support anything of the kind.
It’s a nice idea…but not factually plausible or relevant based on anything we see at that moment the game. For all we’re told and shown, Dante switches from showing anguish to reverting back to his jolly, fun-loving self, without alluding or suggesting anything else.
And really, that’s the only factual evidence you, me, or anyone can take from this scene, regardless of any personal interpretation.
To be frank - And, I do
not mean this as an insult to your character - I feel as though you're a bit dense. Based on everything that they had done to that point and the entire basis of Dante's character, that scene was blatantly him using the violence he's so accustomed towards to deal with and cover up his emotions about failing to stop Vergil.
That justifies Dante’s risk-taking and lack of acknowledging the danger involved in the fights he does. It does NOT, however, explain even marginally the depressed or emotional undertones you claim are hidden under that nature, everything relating to Dante wanting to meet his end where, really, that’s never once implied or established.
Did you not consider what exactly happens at that point? Sid "defeats" Dante and impales him with his own blade. But, Dante's gotten up from that a dozen times over easily, and he still seems down for the count. It's only when Patty begs for him to wake up, in the same way he begged for Eva to wake up, that he returns. The only reason he didn't before was because he
wanted to let it go and die.
Again, yes, I never contested his blind overconfidence and willingness to disregard risk and harm to himself….but that doesn’t establish anything intentionally-suicidal or emotionally off-balance ABOUT Dante.
Generally when someone can be described as "dangerously suicidal", they're not entirely there.
Even after Sparda was brought up, he kept on looking for excuses to write it off as something not worth his time. That lazy, reluctant disbelief that the threat is as serious as Lady’s claiming….it really seems to grind against with this whole tense, emotionally-stimulated connection between Dante and Trish you’re proposing, or the notion that he snapped from being lazy to being attentive.
When Dante initially questions the Order's Sparda-worship, that's when Trish makes her move, because the situation has been shown to involve and interest him on
some level. But it's only when Lady elaborates and pushes on the Order being a threat does Dante shift from a "no" to a "yes" almost right away.
If you have your own interpretation of how Dante operates mentally—be it these theories about him being “suicidal” to satisfy some “emotional emptiness”, or having these interactions with Trish that are never occur or are implied to occur off-screen, or any other one of your previous assertions—that’s fine. But until they’re confirmed, or have any factual basis in the game or reference material, they’re just assertions.
I feel as though aspects of his mentality has at least
some basis throughout the canon. I've seen too much of Dante acting strangely, beyond just his crazy upfront personality, to just think that's all there is to him. The thing leading me to this specific line of thought is simply how his character changes throughout each game, something that I know is certainly not planned (At least not for 2), but that could be explained very well.
I think previous contributors in this thread made the very justifiable request that the series step up its barebones and inconsistent writing quality, which, in all honesty, is all I’ve ever asked for and could easily resolve half the stuff you and I are discussing at great detail.
It should be Capcom’s job, not ours, to substantially provide this franchise with the narrative angles and character depth it really needs.
Well, I think they did do just that in 3, what they need to do is continue it forward and bring things out fully.
I’m not sure I understand. Are you saying that his constant, rebellious nature is somehow supposed to be what characterizes his appreciation and affection for the human spirit?
Rather, I was talking about how that "lecturing and talking down", specifically to Vergil at the end of 3, Sid in the anime, and Agnus in 4, is all showing his mindset which was developed in 3. I mean you can make an argument for his rebellious attitude sort of coming from that in a way, but I don't think that's quite right.
Anyway, my larger point here is that to move forward with Dante as a character, that mindset should be challenged.
So in the anime, Sid makes that observation. In DMC3, Lady expresses that observation about humans being crueler than demons, as does Nero to some mild extent in DMC4…
…but never once Dante himself.
It stands to reason that Dante himself also understands the idea, even if he hasn't expressed it - At the very least because other characters
have told him so directly. Though, Dante does make a few observations in the anime suggesting he's well aware of how bad humans can be.
Again, even if you don't think this has any real foundations, can you think of a
better way to go forward with Dante as a character, to give him a real conflict?
And really, you telling me how often Capcom re-uses this as a main crux of their narrative doesn’t at all dislodge the point I’m making about them being uncreative or lacking narrative nuance. It only compounds it.
To be fair, they do change it up often enough.
In 1, with Dante fully inheriting his father's power, that wasn't so much a duality thing as a realization of potential thing. For Trish it was only half(?) duality, more like a monster-becomes-human type of thing, though they're very similar. For Lucia in 2 you've sort of got the Trish story again, except there it's more of a twist, human-becomes-monster-becomes-human idea. It's a bit more depth but the execution failed because DMC2 and no amount of sexy/bad French accents could save that.
3 is where they really double down into it, and Vergil's inclusion pushes it much farther, showing the alternate path. But at the same time you have these two characters reflecting on each other, you see how alike they are even with all their differences, it sort of touches on that core narrative change from 1 I talked about before. This includes the manga, and again the book touches on this but from DMC1's perspective.
The anime references the idea maybe three or four times, mostly it's the music though, which is a reoccurring theme about choosing which path Dante should take. With 4 it's sort of a turn on Lucia's story, where Nero becomes more aware of his demonic nature, but rather than reject it for humanity like Lucia did he more accepts it and is in turn accepted by Kyrie.
What I'm saying is, the series deals with the same basic ideas and concepts, but changes them around quite a bit. Given it's a series that's basically about demonic halfbreeds and a demon who rejected demonkind I think they should stick with the duality thing, especially because there are more ways to explore it still.
Exactly. And it’s precisely why, with his persona and mannerisms, in addition to the author’s refusal to make him take anything seriously or have him dial down the corn or cheese in serious situations, that Dante works far better as a side-protagonist, and not the solo-protagonist.
This is why I’m more inclined to anticipate Nero’s return as the main character, and not Dante’s. Developing Dante on the side, as apart of someone else’s story, seems to work better for him. His role in DMC4, and ^THAT scene in particular, was a gleaming example of that.
Now, I do think that Dante should be a side-protagonist, but at the same time I think it's not really fare to relegate him to that role without a proper sendoff. I know you're referencing that scene and Dante's mannerisms as a negative thing, but I do think they're reasons why Dante could act as a very strong narrative third act and climax in another game.
As much as I’d love for elements of the novel to remain canon, we can’t really pick and choose what stayed canon from the novels just because of some mild, non-factual evidence. Not if we want to be intellectually-honest as fans. What you or I “believe” or “want to believe”, no matter how superior it may be to the narrative failings of the actual canon, are irrelevant.
Just because that was an idea in the novel doesn’t mean it has any canon relevance, and can’t be used as some means of explaining Dante’s character for his actions or portrayal in-game.
I’d be surprised if Bingo Morihashi or the rest of Capcom’s current writers even know those novels exist.
I'm almost certain they're very aware of those novels, given how early on when taking over DMC Itsuno was almost desperate for Kamiya's approval with his version of the franchise.
Additionally, the books were never officially decanonized. As far as I'm concerned everything that doesn't directly contradict with the future series (IE, Vergil) is canon.
Ruining Sparda’s character? What does that have to do with anything?
I presume you read my other posts, so you can see why Sparda's involvement would be touchy.
Again. CAN be. Not IS.
Fact versus interpretation. The distinction is not only useful, but necessary.
As I posted above with the ToF, I'm fairly certain that interpretation is the factual one, and what they were going for, insofar as both comedic and serious commentary simultaneously. Actually, Itsuno has directly stated that he loves the idea of doing silly things seriously, I believe in the Devil May Cry 4 SE interviews with Shimomura.
Given how few details we’ve been given on Sparda’s character, and the exact nature of Eva’s death, that could work as a really good dynamic rift between him and Dante. I would love to see Eva’s death, the one thing that gave Dante motivation to take up arms in the first place, being used against the world he’s sworn to protect.
That kind of dramatic and ironic twisting of one of DMC’s central themes would be an excellent way to develop Dante, and revisit an aspect of his character he’s been fairly mute about since the aftermath of the first game. In fact, revisiting such a pivotal portion of the series’ lore and facing it full-front sounds like it’d be used for the final game, or even an Anniversary game, to send off or celebrate the series properly: tackling the topic and event that started it.
That's exactly it, and I don't think I could have phrased it much better either. It could sort of be like a touchstone bringing things full circle. Of course I also vaguely think that it's not really a game that Dante should come out of, it might be the place to end his story completely.
Answering the enigma that is Sparda’s defense of the human race, and some of his other reasons for protecting them, is pretty high on my list for future plot-revelations in the series. We know Eva has nothing to do with it, since the Demon War was almost 2000 years before he met her, or wedded her. I’d like for them to really shed light on his motivation to do that as a character, outside of these vague, noble and righteous reasons for doing it.
At it's core, I almost think that's something which could come down to naiveté, or additionally a belief in some higher cause. Because Devil May Cry is a universe with only demons and humans, and no angels, it could be Sparda wanted some kind of a higher ideal, and not finding it in his own kind he turned to humans.
As for the rest, about centering around the contrast and comparison between humans and demons…thaaaaat’s where I disembark. As I’ve stated somewhere above, I’m really not a fan of retreading this narrative theme for the umpteenth time. Your spin on it is certainly a good one, but we’ve revisited the actual topic so many times, it’s left me with nauseous levels of fatigue. Your idea would’ve been nice two or three games ago, but now….I’d rather the series just rely on it less and move on, already.
I think in order for the series to move on, it really is something they need to put to rest properly.
I mean if you didn't want to touch on the themes of them being similar and having similar natures, you could also go the opposite route of their differing natures. If you've played Skyrim (And I really, REALLY hate to reference Skyrim, so please bear with me), you might remember the part where Paarthurnax says, "What is better - To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?".
In DMC you could sort of take that concept and spin it, asking, "What is worse - To be born evil, or to abandon your good nature through choice?" An argument could easily be made that humans are worse than demons, because they are intrinsically good and yet decide to perpetrate evil themselves.
What I'm saying is there's a number of ways they could do a Sparda-turning story like that.
Two things, though: Is this straight from the TokyoPop translation? The version I read may be fan-translated, so it might not be accurate...might also explain why I never found this line.
I have the physical book, it is indeed in there, right around when he's in the run down hospital going after Jessica.