Since his debut in 2001's Devil May Cry, Dante has amassed quite the arsenal of weapons. From long-range firearms like the Kalina Ann to close-range Devil Arms such as the Cerberus, Dente's weaponry expands with each new adventure and defeated demon. While Dante himself shows no particular preference for any one weapon as long as it gets the demon-slaying job done, the Devil May Cry games always provide him with well-balanced main weapons.
These weapons - the Force Edge, the Rebellion, the Devil Sword Sparda, and the Devil Sword Dante - offer more than just a means for Dante to defend himself. Each weapon is a reflection of Dante's growth from a half-devil, half-human caught in the shadow of his father to becoming a bona fide living legend. For the sake of continuity, these weapons will be examined in the chronological order they appear in the Devil May Cry series. Spoilers ahead.
Dante As a Young Rebel
Being a prequel to the first two games, Devil May Cry 3 stars a younger, brasher Dante who wields the Rebellion: a giant sword that was passed down by his father Sparda. The sword was created when Sparda sealed his power to sever the demon world from the human world to protect humanity. In its dormant state, the Rebellion has a single spike on its pommel and a crossed skeletal design on its guard. One side of the sword has a human skull on its visage, while the other has a demon skull. This motif was meant to signify the two worlds Sparda divided, but it also represents his son Dante's half-human, half-demon nature.
Upon being stabbed with the Rebellion by his brother Vergil, Dante's blood awakens the sword's true form. The pommel splits into multiple spikes and the crossed skeletal design opens up. The awakened Rebellion also unlocks Dante's Devil Trigger form - a powerful transformation that grants Dante increased strength, health regeneration, and a new demonic look. The Rebellion's name was initially given to denote Sparda's retaliation against his demon brethren, but it has since represented Dante's brash nature and rebellion against his demonic nature. It is later revealed in Devil May Cry 5 that the Rebellion can bring together human and devil - a power which eventually allows Dante to acquire the Devil Sword Dante.
Praise To My Father
One cannot talk about Dante without mentioning the Force Edge. Rather than using the Rebellion in Devil May Cry, the game starts Dante with the sword he fought to attain in the prequel. The Force Edge is a plain-looking greatsword with four skulls on its pommel, a spike on the hilt, and a "W"-shaped guard. The guard hints at its true wielder: The Dark Knight Sparda. The Force Edge is one of the swords created when Sparda sealed away his power, being the weapon he kept for himself. Dante takes up the sword at the end of Devil May Cry 3 as a way of honoring his father's wish to protect humankind, no matter the adversary. It also shows his acceptance of his heritage.
Sparda's True Power
As Dante battles the minions of Mundus in Devil May Cry, he happens upon the corrupted form of his twin brother, Vergil. Despite being under Mundus' control, Vergil (now known as Nelo Angelo) still has enough of his former self to hold onto his half of an amulet provided by their mother, Eva. After defeating Nelo Angelo and setting his brother's soul free, Dante combines both halves of the amulet and unleashes the Force Edge's true form: the Devil Sword Sparda.
The Devil Sword Sparda looks almost nothing like a sword. It adds a large, curved blade on one side of the Force Edge, and its blade becomes a spine that connects to the Sparda's blade. Both blades are then held together by organic material which allows the Sparda to transform according to the wielder's needs (Dante turns the Sparda into a scythe when performing his Round Trip move and a spear when executing a Stinger attack). In addition to Dante fully accepting his heritage and the power of his father, the transformed Sparda is also a physical manifestation of an unspoken promise Dante makes with his brother to defeat Mundus - the Prince of Darkness who managed to kill most of Dante's family.
Making His Own Mark
By the events of Devil May Cry 5, Dante has grown as strong as Sparda in his prime. This is when the Demon King Urizen appears. The manifestation of Vergil's demonic side, Urizen easily defeats Dante and shatters the Rebellion. After discovering that his brother's heirloom, the Yamato, can cleave man from devil, Dante realizes the true power of the Rebellion lies in uniting man and devil. He stabs himself with the broken Rebellion while carrying the Devil Sword Sparda on his back, which allows Dante to absorb both swords into his being and create his own Devil Arm: the Devil Sword Dante.
As one might guess, the Devil Sword Dante combines the powers of both the Rebellion and the Devil Sword Sparda. It is a manifestation of Dante's true power and allows him to unlock a brand new form: the powerful Sin Devil Trigger. Physically, the sword looks like it's made of lava and has talons for a guard, able to split down the middle and generate a blade made of fiery energy. The Devil Sword Dante can also generate red magical swords similar to Vergil's blue Summoned Swords. Named after its wielder, the Devil Sword Dante shows Dante has finally stepped out of his father's shadow and surpassed him to become his own legend.
Now that the Devil Sword Sparda and Rebellion have been absorbed by Dante, Devil May Cry 6 will no doubt outfit the Legendary Devil Hunter with his new namesake weapon. It will be hard to balance the Devil Sword Sparda because of the amount of power it provides to the wielder, but it will also be interesting what new stories this Devil Arm can tell about Dante as he continues his demon-hunting escapades.
Devil May Cry 5 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
