A Theory for Dante's Powers

[Railazel]

I was just looking back at some moments from DmC and, when I looked at the Poison fight, I started thinking of things from a more scientific point of view. That's when I started noticing some patterns on how Dante interacts with his environments and enemies.

The first thing I noticed was how weird Dante's uppercut to Poison was. It wasn't anything special, just your average comic book mistake where the physics was off. Normally, if Dante uppercutted Poison, Poison's chin would crack and Dante's arm would break from the reactionary force. However, he sent her flying and knocked her out. Of course, there is also a classic comic book remedy for this. Dante just manipulated his momentum so that he continued upwards. This indicated that he could control his own inertia but that's not all. When he pulls on Poison's tongue, the tongue should snap from her mouth considering how much force he's pulling on it, but she goes along with him. Another comic book remedy, he can control his opponent's inertia.

I started noticing the same pattern with his other powers. For example, when if you demon pull a Tyrant, unless it is just absolutely solid, the spine of his back should have broke off. Instead, the Tyrant falls on his back. Or just the mere act of Angel Dashing, which pushes him forward and cancels out his upward momentum.

However, the need for it to be physics- based theory is unnecessary, it can be simply stated that Dante has control over physics while in Limbo, possibly due to his Devil heritage. However, his demon powers seem to be more centered on manipulating his surroundings (Devil Trigger making his enemies levitate, Demon Pull being able to pull down Tyrants) while his angel powers are more focused on him (Angel Dash pushing his momentum forwards, Angel Evade being a sudden acceleration change). We can see this in Vergil who is able to make parts of his environment and his enemies teleport towards him or he teleports to them.

 

[DragonMaster2010]

Uh...wow. That's...pretty scientific.

 

[Railazel]

Uh...wow. That's...pretty scientific.

I assume you're saying that that's not usual for fan- made theories?

 

[darkslayer13]

your theory makes sense but it isn't necessary to explain the lack of injury to Dante and his enemies. Demons and Nephilim are naturally far more durable then humans. so the simplest explanation for a lack of injuries in situations like that is that they are durable enough that the forces involved are insufficient to cause significant injury.

 

[Chancey289]

I just chalk it up to Dante being a superhero and call it a day.

 

[V's patron]

Well im wondering how the human world is affected by limbo coming down.

Are the laws of physics easier to manipulate now that the wall came down? Are humans being mutated in order to deal with the excess spirit energy?

 

[Railazel]

Demons and Nephilim are naturally far more durable then humans. so the simplest explanation for a lack of injuries in situations like that is that they are durable enough that the forces involved are insufficient to cause significant injury.

That's actually not true. Your skeleton is designed to support your weight, that's a sort of rule for all animals with skeletons. If Demons and Nephilim have skeletons, then any force stronger than their weight is liable to cause damage to their bones, although this is more of a "size" problem than a force one. Dante's fist is about averagely- sized, which would make it too small for Poison to whip back her head like she did. Put your fist to your chin. Notice how it is about the same size, if not a little bigger or a little smaller, as your chin. This is the reason why your head is pushed up because the force of the uppercut is spread across your chin and the fist pushes the head up after the initial impact. It should also be noted that your fist can only take so much of the force you dish out in a punch. Boxers used to get injuries because they would punch their opponent too hard.

It would be a much different outcome for Dante uppercutting Poison, because his fist is much smaller than her chin. Instead of her chin being pushed up, it will be cracked by the pressure. In return, because Dante is punching with a force greater than his own weight concentrated in the area of his fist, his fist and, probably his arm, would break.

Well im wondering how the human world is affected by limbo coming down.

Are the laws of physics easier to manipulate now that the wall came down? Are humans being mutated in order to deal with the excess spirit energy?

Maybe, we would need a sequel to see that.

 

[darkslayer13]

That's actually not true. Your skeleton is designed to support your weight, that's a sort of rule for all animals with skeletons. If Demons and Nephilim have skeletons, then any force stronger than their weight is liable to cause damage to their bones, although this is more of a "size" problem than a force one. Dante's fist is about averagely- sized, which would make it too small for Poison to whip back her head like she did. Put your fist to your chin. Notice how it is about the same size, if not a little bigger or a little smaller, as your chin. This is the reason why your head is pushed up because the force of the uppercut is spread across your chin and the fist pushes the head up after the initial impact. It should also be noted that your fist can only take so much of the force you dish out in a punch. Boxers used to get injuries because they would punch their opponent too hard.

It would be a much different outcome for Dante uppercutting Poison, because his fist is much smaller than her chin. Instead of her chin being pushed up, it will be cracked by the pressure. In return, because Dante is punching with a force greater than his own weight concentrated in the area of his fist, his fist and, probably his arm, would break.



Maybe, we would need a sequel to see that.

for normal animals in our world all of that applies but to demons and nephilim it does not. it is clear from the beginning that they have greater strength and durability than an animal of the same size and shape would. if that didn't apply to their bones as well Dante would break every bone in his body just by normal (for him) movement.

 

[TWOxACROSS]

Anyway, don't think too far into it. I mean, this is a game where you can stay aloft simply by hitting things

 

[Meier]

One thing to consider is that the laws of physics that we know of are true for our universe. Keep in mind that one of Dante's prime powers is the ability to shift through different planes of existence or dimensions. Phineas explains that the nephilim are special because they can jump from one reality to the next. Dante is still new at it, so he can only truly manipulate space and time for short bursts while he has tons of adrenaline (basically the Devil trigger). Time travel isn't possible (so far) in the DmC universe so Dante can only slow time down, but the concept is basically the same. Anyways my point is that there are multiple planes of reality in DmC: limbo, the human realm, and purgatory (where Dante gets his upgrades) are all shown in DmC. There may be more, but this is what is presented.

With that said you have to take into account that real science is based upon our reality. The laws of physics are relative to our state of being on Earth with measured constants and laws. A different universe like limbo can have any law of physics changed, completely removed, or replaced. What Dante does is combine this unknown element with what we are familiar with. So when you see Dante performing outstanding feats that are impossible in our real world, its basically because of his inherent ability to tap into the physics of another dimension.


Side note: This concept is totally legacy from the original Devil May Cry. Think back upon the old castle on Mallet Island. Dante throughout the game basically uses items to manipulate the atmosphere and allow him into the demon realm to challenge Mundus. You even see the weak point of that universe intersection early on in the room where you fight Phantom the first time. Same concept here with DmC, only that Dante himself has that power of manipulation (well his amulet from his mother amplifies that too as hinted in Vergil's Downfall).

 

[TWOxACROSS]

Apparently, what you think is Purgatory is really just either a) in Dante's head, since he's unlocking his DT through it, which is an inner conflict, or b) according to the Chronicles of Vergil, just portions of Limbo that Vergil had purified.

 

[Meier]

It was called purgatory in the design document (I worked on the game. QA lead to be specific) . Now how that is interpreted or presented is another thing. Keep in mind that this was only a reference point to talk about something in development and really has no bearing on what it actually is in the DmC universe. Now I wasn't at Ninja Theory nor did I have input or conversations about the plot itself, so what I'm saying here is my interpretation. What I think that purgatory realm is is basically Dante looking inward and manifesting a new reality for himself. He has powers to jump through different universes so he is basically creating a new one on his own. Whether you interpret that as his mind or an actual place really doesn't matter, because it only reflects on Dante. So the effect is the same. He is looking inward at his own insecurities and past to discover more about himself, thus he unlocks more of his own potential.

 

[TWOxACROSS]

Ho sh!t ,well then. I'll take your word for it

Great interpretation, too :3

 

[Meier]

It could still be portions of limbo purified. Don't let my thoughts deter that theory (plus I totally forgot about some of the plot in the comics).

 

[TWOxACROSS]

Well, the comics are still just such a weird portion to the canon, especially considering Dante is very clearly unlocking something personal (abilities and his DT) in this area, so it stands way more to reason that this Purgatory/Lost City is an internal thing.

Maybe the space itself does in fact exist within the dimensional limbo like stated in Chronicles of Vergil, but is also some sort of natural home dimension to Nephilim, so Dante manifests a version of it in his head while unlocking abilities, and Vergil's purification of Limbo causes those portions to revert to what seems like a much more middle ground - what you called purgatory.

Man, so many questions I'd love to ask Tameem, just to get more insight on those smaller details in DmC!

 

[mrrandomlulz]

You know? This thread made me wonder what the Aftermath of the game is?

Demon 1: Hey, now that we have no reason to hide, wanna just go around killing defenseless humans?

Demon 2: But What about that Dante guy? Won't he stop us?

Demon 1: Well technically, he's just one guy, as long as we just gather up all the remaining demons to freaking gang up on him, he's pretty boned

Demon 2: Okay, let's do it.

 

[VOLPE]

You know? This thread made me wonder what the Aftermath of the game is?

Demon 1: Hey, now that we have no reason to hide, wanna just go around killing defenseless humans?

Demon 2: But What about that Dante guy? Won't he stop us?

Demon 1: Well technically, he's just one guy, as long as we just gather up all the remaining demons to freaking gang up on him, he's pretty boned

Demon 2: Okay, let's do it.

LMFAO yeah thats a plot hole alright i guess dante would just spend his days fighting hordes of demons

 

[ef9dante_oSsshea]

aquila makes numbers irrelevant muhuhaha

 

[TWOxACROSS]

Humans are sorta able to fight back though. They may not be on Dante's level, but...it gives rise to devil hunters in general, really.

It certainly changes the landscape of the battlefield, but it also adds way more players to the fight.

 

[Railazel]

One thing to consider is that the laws of physics that we know of are true for our universe. You have to take into account that real science is based upon our reality. The laws of physics are relative to our state of being on Earth with measured constants and laws. A different universe like limbo can have any law of physics changed, completely removed, or replaced.

Oh, of course, I know that. Think of it as me explaining things in terms of our universe's physics and that there's no real need for it to have it's own rules. Personally, it adds a bit more realism to it, you know? It makes things seem like they are possible.

Anyway, don't think too far into it. I mean, this is a game where you can stay aloft simply by hitting things

And now we have a reason why he's able to do that.

for normal animals in our world all of that applies but to demons and nephilim it does not.

Nope, it would still apply, it's just a matter of saying that Limbo's physics are different from our's. So, for example, the Tyrant wouldn't be able to walk in our gravity but, if Limbo's gravity was lighter than our's, than it would be able walk, run, and even jump. This would also explain stuff like why the Stygians are able to balance with those weapons attached to their arm and why the Bathos and Pathos are able to fly with their wings that size.

So when you see Dante performing outstanding feats that are impossible in our real world, its basically because of his inherent ability to tap into the physics of another dimension.

Well, now that I'm noticing this, I might as well just tell you that I said the same thing.

it can be simply stated that Dante has control over physics while in Limbo, possibly due to his Devil heritage.

Maybe the space itself does in fact exist within the dimensional limbo like stated in Chronicles of Vergil, but is also some sort of natural home dimension to Nephilim, so Dante manifests a version of it in his head while unlocking abilities, and Vergil's purification of Limbo causes those portions to revert to what seems like a much more middle ground - what you called purgatory.

I believe that Limbo runs on a psychological link it has with its inhabitants, so it would make sense that there are certain areas that a person can access mentally while being in a totally separate place.