The Flair of Dante

Dante Quick Navigation Links:
Character Breakdown: Dante
The Dante Workout
The Skills of Dante
The Flair of Dante

Let’s start out by stating the obvious.  Dante doesn’t give a f#*&.  Like, seriously, zero f$*%s given.  He knows how strong he is.  He knows how powerful a bloodline he comes from.  He doesn’t care how strong you are, how scary you are, or what level of hell you hail from.  This gives him something of a laid back, almost cynical or apathetic attitude towards things.

What do you do when you’re as strong as he is?  Well, you find ways to entertain yourself.  Dante spends a lot of his time mocking, inciting, or aggravating incredibly powerful foes.  He also cracks really corny jokes and one-liners.  In search of challenging fights, he’s even been known to limit his strength in some battles, to give his enemies a fighting chance.

What gets past this tough guy, doesn’t give a care in the world exterior, though?  What does Dante actually care about?

Well, for one, he cares about family.  Avenging the death of his mother is one of his main motivators.  Additionally, he cares deeply for his brother, Vergil, and doesn’t like seeing him walk the path of the abyss.  In fact, the loss of his brother to the corrupting influence of hell moved him to the point of tears, causing Lady to utter the famous words, “Maybe somewhere out there even a devil may cry when he loses a loved one. Don’t you think?”

Dante also cares for the innocent, helping out people in trouble for little or no pay(though he may grumble about it).  Hand in hand with this is his belief in redemption for other demons and half-demons, if they prove themselves.  Learning, understanding, and feeling compassion is what made his father, Sparda, the strongest of all demons, and it gives Dante strength as well.

So what do we take from all of this?

Well, for starters, maybe you need to chill out a bit.  Seriously, we spend a lot of our lives worrying about problems, large and small.  We’ve talked before about taking action on the things we can, and putting away the things we can’t take action on, and this philosophy still holds true.  But, even moreso, you should try to let go of your fears and inhibitions about some things.  Maybe you shouldn’t be as scared of your boss, or as nervous about social situations, or feel as awkward around the opposite sex.

I mean, barring situations where physical violence is a possibility, what’s the worst thing that can come of dumping your everyday anxieties a bit, and stepping outside of your comfort zone?  You can only learn, and grow.  If fear is holding you back, then try being like Dante, and just don’t give a s$*& about what you’re afraid of.

That said, apathy is a little farther than we want to go, and, like Dante, we still need things to believe in, and motivate us.  Care about your family, and the people around you that are important to you.  Take care of yourself, and remember that to do right by other people, you need to do right by you, first.  Remember that there are things worth fighting for, and fighting hard.  If Dante gives into his inner demon and loses his compassion, he loses what makes him strong, as well.  Use your inner demon to banish your own fears and limitations, don’t let it use you.

With that, we are done with Dante.  That’s all for this week, as well.  Next week is a non-character week, so we’ll be getting two grab bag posts instead.  Also, I’ll see you on Sunday for our weekly journey update.  Until then, remember to live boldly, change the world, and continue to be awesome.

Dan “DaRatmastah” Wallace