a single spark of passion can change a man forever. the ninety ninth floor.

persona "Dante? Ah, he is the handyman of the Underworld. As fits his business, he looks like a dangerous thug, but there's no other like him. First, he's unbelievably skillful. The other day, yeah, he goes up against a gang with guys packing Uzis. He cuts his way through with this weird sword. Bullets pass an inch from his nose, and this guy doesn't raise an eyebrow. To top it all off, he's a bizarre piece of work. If he doesn't like a job, he won't take it if you offered him$100 bills stacked to the ceiling. But some ghost-hunting, devil-killing job? Or other dirty work come along and he'll jump on it and do it practically free! Rumor is that blue blood flows in this guy's body. This guy eyes you, you can bet even devils may cry." —Testimony of informant Enzo Ferrino
Taking the easy road, and saying that everything Capcom did was intentional, there are quite a few things that we can say about Dante. First off, Capcom seemed to want to create a "cool" character. There are those who'll tell you that Dante is the sexiest thing on two legs, and rant about how he's a bad-ass—and then you have the others who believe that he's nothing except a dork. Well, in my opinion, it's a little of both.
devil may cry 3 He's cocky, arrogant, and a bit of a womanizer. Above everything he seems to be an attention-whore in Devil May Cry 3. He's careless, selfish and uncaring of anyone or anything else. Though when he is selfless, he's selfless to the point that he's almost suicidal. He faces Vergil on the notion that Vergil had raised Temen-ni-Guru for him, and that Vergil has quite a "party" planned for him. He seems both pissed and disappointed when he's proven wrong and his amulet is stolen. He had been so disconnected with his brother for the last few years (or perhaps longer) of his life, that he dared to hope that Vergil did anything for him, and just assumes so. He disregards Beowulf when the beast faces him and says that he stinks of Sparda, and regards Beowulf as "Daddy's mess" that he is forced to clean up. It's the same situation with Arkham, Dante thinks of it as "Daddy's mess", showing that he has little respect for his father and his father's actions. He struggles to step out of his father's shadow, and for others to stop compared them. It's through the influence of Mary, and her own struggle to take responsibility for her father, that he realizes what's important to him, and what he needs to do. It's for that reason that he faces Vergil a third time. It's not until Vergil is taken from him that he realizes how much he cared for him, and even sheds tears for his fallen brother.
He definitely follows the stereotype of a 'little brother', bounding after his 'big brother' and falling directly into position without any complaint. He submits completely, regarding himself as such when he speaks to Vergil. Being the 'little brother' means that you have someone that you look up to, an older sibling that you always think as better than you. This, of course, is the reason Dante is constantly challenging his brother, even when he claims that he "doesn't care". He has lived with family for so long, that any hint of brotherly affection is jumped upon. While he falls into battling Vergil, he also seems almost confused to Vergil's actions occasionally. After Vergil mysteriously reappears after their mother has been dead for about five, six, or even seven years after Dante thought he was dead—he almost seems like he's at a loss, and of course, follows Vergil's lead in their battles for that reason. He follows Vergil the first time on Arkham's invitation, and then the second time on his own accord, demanding that his 'big brother' drop whatever he was doing (which happened to be opening Hell, at the time) and 'pay attention to him.' Vergil doesn't help by immediately obliging to Dante's wishes when Dante asks for "a quick little game." They take joy in tussle and in battle, and it seems to be one of the only ways that the two of them are able to connect. Though it's probable that's how Dante deals with most of anything.
While he enjoys attention, he doesn't seem too keen on anyone else receiving the same attention that he's getting. Which, perhaps, is another reason that he hounds Vergil, as Vergil seems to be more talkative and animated with his brother. To shut Agni and Rudra up after he gets them, he tells that he'll only take them with him if they keep their mouths shut. Of course it's Agni and Rudra doing Dante a favor, and not visversa. He tells Jester to shut up many times, telling him that he "hates anyone with a bigger mouth than him." He even accuses Vergil of stealing the spotlight when Vergil comes to aid him in the fight with Arkham.
devil may cry In Devil May Cry one he's bent on getting revenge for his mother. Trish regards him as: "The one who lost a mother and brother to evil twenty years ago." He tells her that he figures if he keeps going, that he'll kill all the demons and hit the "Jackpot"—an endearing term that he shared with his brother in Devil May Cry 3. So by killing all the demons, Dante figures that he'll eventually end up killing the one that killed his mother and stole his brother. He's a little more toned down in personality in this game, perhaps due to his maturity level rising. Snort. He takes on missions with fierce determination, and only takes the most dangerous of ones. He lives for fighting and battle, and even announces it at the end of Devil May Cry 3, surrounded in demons he cries "This is what I live for!"
Right off there are a few things that we can say about him directly: He follows Trish without question, he darts past bullets without flinching, he's somewhat easy going (considering the condition of his office), and he's quite whipped for any woman who flies his way. In both instances of Trish and Lucia, he decides to help them without question—though it's debatable whether or not Dante follows Trish because of her warning, or because she resembles his mother. He's also very fond of his mother, and despite all the crap he keeps in his office—pizza boxes, liquor bottles, demon skulls, and pornographic posters—he has a photograph of his mother on his desk, and seemed to have a good relationship with her. Thus, he has a deep respect toward women, and wants to help them whenever he can. He catches Mary by the foot, with intention to help her, he ends up hitting on her and she shoots him in the face.
Along with other things, he also seems obsessed with the supernatural, as he is part of the 'supernatural', himself. He takes only the most dangerous jobs. Perhaps because it thrills him, or perhaps for satisfaction in knowing that there are other things out there to justify his own existence. A lot of the time he comes off as uncaring about things that don't directly involve him, and sometimes even about things that do involve him.
In the comic he is extremely aggressive and competitive; bragging to Griffon that there was no one that was better than he was. This wasn't just something that came with age, as he openly attacks Vergil when they're dueling outside when they're children. He has a complex with being better than everyone else.
devil may cry 2 In Devil May Cry 2 his personality is far more subdued, he's quieter and doesn't seem as apt on talking as he does through the other two games. He's rather quiet, but on the contrary holds himself very differently. Instead of the sort of teenage-slump and cocky attitude in DMC3, we get a more matured Dante who seems to be happy being silently pretentious. Being the Son of Sparda does wonder for his ego, especially after he's come to terms with it. One could argue that it's also the backlash of losing his brother. He becomes more solitary, focused and quiet because he doesn't have anyone to show off to, anymore. Vergil is gone, thus fighting and missions become the focal part of Dante's life.

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