Dante

All-star overview

Ninja Theory’s version of this cocky young demon hunter may look like a fresh face, but this iconic Capcom All-Star has over a decade of digital demon-slaying development history behind him, boiled down to its purest combo-fueled essence in his All-Star incarnation. Beginners beware: mastering Dante is going to require fast fingers, crackerjack timing, and many Practice Mode sessions in order to perfect his unique Bold Cancel mechanic. Dante excels at getting in the face of a single opponent for a relentless beat-down, but due to his long attack animations and lack of crowd control options, it can be a struggle to deal with groups of characters at once. Your main goal with Dante is to force an enemy into a one-on-one situation and use Bold Cancel Combos to build up the 150AP required to activate his Level 1 Super, Overdrive.

WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO FOCUS ON A SINGLE ENEMY AND OVERDRIVE?

• Dante’s Attacks are his primary AP generators, but they can leave him locked in lengthy animations on whiff. It’s much easier to dodge a single opponent this way than a pack.
• Overdrive has a short start-up, decent range, and ends with an energy blast that can extend past platform edges.
• Dante’s Level 2, Stinger, stops at platform edges. At 400AP it is an AP-inefficient scoring method on any stage that doesn’t have a long, flat area.

HOW ARE YOU GOING TO SINGLE OUT AN ENEMY AND BUILD ENOUGH AP FOR OVERDRIVE?

• Use Dante’s Parry ( ) to set up big Combos.
• Dante’s BnB combo generates 80AP, putting you at your goal in two Combos.
• Use Dante’s unique Bold Cancel mechanic to cover distance quickly or carry an opponent into the open air.
• Find areas in the environment to begin a big combo where other adversaries cannot interrupt Dante easily.

Becoming a master of this notorious demon hunter is going to require a lot of practice. You must have a firm understanding of his mechanics and Attacks so that you can adapt to the current situation in the blink of an eye. It’s a long road for those who are dedicated to Dante. Don’t worry; he’s brought enough bravado to see you though.

AT A GLANCE

Costumes

SUPER ATTACKS

OVERVIEW

Overdrive: At 150AP, Overdrive is an easy Super attack for Dante to acquire. With a start-up time of just under a second, this Super consists of a series of three slashes and ends with a fireball that travels roughly five character lengths—covering about a quarter of the screen in total. It’s easy to catch multiple foes that are busy fighting one another with this attack, or strike players attempting to flee off the edge of a platform with the fireball produced by the final sword swipe. It’s a much more AP-economical Super than Stinger, especially on levels with many platforms.

Stinger: One of Dante’s signature Attacks since the first Devil May Cry, Stinger sends Dante straight across the screen with his sword, Rebellion. This Super should be your go-to on levels with long, flat surfaces like Metropolis, Dojo, or Stowaways. However, since Dante comes to a complete stop if he reaches a wall or the end of a platform, it’s a waste of AP to use on more confined, platform-heavy environments. On these levels, once you reach Level 2, if you have the time, it’s probably best to save the Meter and try to earn enough for his Level 3 instead. However, don’t hesitate to activate it if an opportunity arises for a multi-kill!

Devil Trigger Unleashed: Dante’s Level 3 Super is expensive at 750AP, but it’s also one of the most useful transformation-based Supers in the entire game. Upon activation, Dante regains his original incarnation’s signature white hair, red coat, and a slew of buffs: increased movement speed, every attack can kill, and all adversaries are placed in a float state. The float state only lasts for six seconds, so quickly melee any nearby opponents and use Attacks to catch foes farther away. Enemies return to normal gravity after a respawn, but with Dante’s increased movement speed, it’s not uncommon to get five or six kills during the 13 seconds of Devil Trigger Unleashed.

THROWS

OVERVIEW

Name	Command	AP Penalty	Properties	Hit Effect	Notes
Pay Off	Right stick	15%	Unblockable; 30AP of super armor	Lift	Combo starter

Pay Off: Dante’s upward throw should be the one you use most often during a match, thanks to the lift it inflicts on a foe and the combo opportunities it creates. After the throw, the enemy is too high for you to land a full Hacker combo, but you can easily score that first attack and then immediately cancel into (hold) to start the air combo of your choice.

Name	Command	AP Penalty	Properties	Hit Effect	Notes
Kicker	Right stick or	15%	Unblockable; 30AP of super armor	Eject tornado	—

Kicker: This throw is used for when you need to get an enemy away from Dante in a hurry. Dante spins around with a kick that sends the opponent flying away in an eject tornado state, freeing you up to have him focus on another enemy. Dante can’t handle multiple Attacks at once easily, so don’t hesitate to use this throw to make some breathing room.

Name	Command	AP Penalty	Properties	Hit Effect	Notes
Hammer Punch	Right stick	15%	Unblockable; 30AP of super armor	KD	—

Hammer Punch: The Hammer Punch forces an opponent into a kneel state before Dante springs off of their back, landing with a punch that leaves them in a knockdown. Much like with the Kicker throw, Hammer Punch can buy you some time when dealing with multiple opponents at once. However, since the adversary is right under Dante’s feet, you should probably have him get out of there before they wake up and put the pressure on you again.

: SQUARE ATTACKS

GROUND ATTACKS

#	Name	Command	AP Gain	Properties	Hit Effects	CI	Notes
1	Hacker 1		5	Bold Cancel OK on hit	—	, ,	—
-	Hacker 2	,	5	Bold Cancel OK on hit	—	, ,	—
-	Hacker 3	, ,	10	Bold Cancel OK on hit	Crumple; unique slow spin KD (aerial foe)	, ,	Aerial foe spins in place and descends slowly until grounded
-	Hacker 4	, , ,	20	—	Eject roll; eject tornado (aerial foe)	—	—
2	Karma 1		10	Bold Cancel OK on hit	Butt-drop		Hits foes behind Dante on the backswing
-	Karma 2	,	4~20	Bold Cancel OK on hit	Lift		—
-	Karma 3	, ,	30	—	Eject tornado	—	Cannot Bold Cancel
3	High Time		20	Bold Cancel OK on hit	Full launch	Any (in air)	Hold to follow enemy in air
4	Tremor		20	Bold Cancel OK on hit	Lift	—	—

Dante’s Attacks mainly revolve around the use of his signature sword in DmC, Rebellion, and these Attacks are his core AP generators. On the ground, Hacker is your main combo starter, as the first three hits can all be canceled into High Time ( ) and Tremor ( ), or any on hit via Bold Cancel. Note that all can only be Bold Canceled on hit; if you miss or the attack is blocked, you’re out of luck. The full Hacker combo isn’t too bad, generating 45AP, but all four Attacks have lengthy animations that can leave Dante wide open on whiff. Be prepared to cancel to in that situation, as it’s the quickest option to recover swiftly.

Should you confirm a hit with Hacker, then vast arrays of combo options open themselves up to you. Try to make it to the third hit, which leaves your opponent in a crumple state and offers the most combo options. The recovery time is too slow to activate a Super, but you can easily continue into another attack or have Dante make an escape if other opponents are getting too close. High Time is an excellent option at this point. Hold as you perform the attack to follow Dante’s attacker into the air and begin any of Dante’s many air Combos for massive AP gain.

On its own, this attack can also serve as an excellent escape option if another All-Star is trying to ruin your fun; just take your current victim into the skies where the other character cannot quickly follow.

A weapon of angelic design, the Osiris Scythe offers Dante’s only ground-based crowd clearing attack, Karma ( ). With each part of the attack string, Dante swings Osiris all around his body, enabling him to capture foes on either side or multiple foes to his front. The first swing results in a butt-drop, where you can either continue the attack string or Bold Cancel to a attack for a -based finisher. The next swing is a multi-hit attack that lifts the opponent into the air, which you can again Bold Cancel into , immediately followed by into an air combo.

Tremor rounds out Dante’s ground Attacks. This demon axe slams into the ground and puts those caught in the impact into a lift state. Your combo option at this point is limited to a neutral Bold Cancel, and to link anything after that requires the swiftest of fingers. Try practicing , (BC) , (BC) x (hold) to perfect the follow-up.

AIR ATTACKS

#	Name	Command	AP Gain	Properties	Hit Effects	CI	Notes
1	Aerial Rave 1	Air	5	Bold Cancel OK on hit	—	, ,	—
-	Aerial Rave 2	Air ,	5	Bold Cancel OK on hit	—	, ,	—
-	Aerial Rave 3	Air , ,	30	—	Eject tornado	—	Cannot Bold Cancel
2	Hunger 1	Air	5	Bold Cancel OK on hit	—		—
-	Hunger 2	Air ,	5~10	Bold Cancel OK on hit	—		Hits foes behind Dante on the backswing
-	Hunger 3	Air , ,	20	Bold Cancel OK on hit	Lift; butt-drop (grounded foe)	—	—
3	Roulette Spin	Air	10, 10	Bold Cancel OK on hit	Lift (second hit)		—
4	Helm Breaker	Air	10	Active until grounded	KD	—	Cannot Bold Cancel

Dante has as nearly as many combo options in the air as he does on the ground! The Aerial Rave series of Attacks function similarly to Hacker; each hit can cancel into , , or Bold Cancel Attacks on hit. Aerial Rave doesn’t suffer from long animation times, making it a fairly safe combo option in the air or a useful tool when you’re trying to land an attack before the opponent recovers. You rarely want to trigger the third hit if you don’t have to, as you can generate more AP by one of the cancel options.

Hunger may not cover as wide an area as its grounded counterpart, but it has the reach you need to catch foes that are just out of Aerial Rave range. This three-hit string can’t be canceled into anything but itself or , so you should commit to all three hits when possible. The last hit is Bold Cancelable, but since the lift effect carries the enemy just out of most attack ranges, you have to use to close the gap.

When the Roulette Spin makes its appearance, the end of an air combo draws near. This two-hit attack is Bold Cancelable on hit, and it lifts your opponent even higher into the air. Follow-up options vary depending on Dante’s spacing, but the two most typical enders after Roulette Spin are a neutral Bold Cancel immediately followed by , or a simple Helm Breaker ( ) to bring them back down to earth.

The bane of many marvelous demons, the Helm Breaker is a simple attack with a lot of potential. On activation, Dante holds Rebellion in a powerful double-handed grip and brings it crashing to the ground. The attack is active until he hits the ground, and any enemies caught by the blade are instantly put in a knockdown state. Helm Breaker serves two primary purposes: to have Dante finish off aerial Combos and land safely on the ground, or to shut down any adversaries directly below Dante’s position. Remember to hold while it’s active if you want to catch All-Stars hiding under thin platforms!

: TRIANGLE ATTACKS

GROUND ATTACKS

#	Name	Command	AP Gain	Properties	Hit Effects	CI	Notes
1	Ebony and Ivory Quick Shot 1		1~4	Auto targets; Bold Cancel OK	Twitch	, , ,	cancels into Rushdown 2nd
-	Ebony and Ivory Quick Shot 2	,	1~4	Auto targets; Bold Cancel OK	Twitch	—	—
2	Ebony and Ivory Rushdown 1		1~4	Bold Cancel OK	Twitch	, , ,	—
-	Ebony and Ivory Rushdown 2	,	1~2	Bold Cancel OK	Twitch	—	—
3	Rainstorm		1~5 per shot	Bold Cancel OK; AP value increases as shots spread	Twitch	—	Forces Dante into aerial state
4	Gun Flurry		1~3	Bold Cancel OK	Twitch	, ,	cancels must occur between first and second shot

Dante’s twin guns, Ebony and Ivory, are as iconic to the Devil May Cry franchise as the man himself. In PlayStation All-Stars, all Attacks revolve around these two little death dealers, and just as in the original game, their primary purpose is solely to extend combos. Every single attack has a twitch effect on enemies, meaning that they generate AP, count as hits toward a combo, and slow down your adversary slightly, but they have zero effect on an opponent’s ability to act. Never rely on to stop an attack; think of this attack button as a means to adjust positioning and transition from to Attacks. To compensate, all Attacks are immediately Bold Cancelable, regardless if the shots hit or not.

Ebony and Ivory Quick Shot ( ) is a perfect example of a transition attack. Dante stands in place to fire his guns and auto-targets enemies above or below his line of sight. The first shot is cancelable into any other ground attack. The first part of this attack allows you to make the split decision of performing a Bold Cancel, or canceling into another attack to adjust Dante’s positioning before continuing the combo. On a second press of , Dante is locked in place and your only option is to Bold Cancel. Gun Flurry ( ) functions similarly, except that Dante fires to either side of his position. It is possible to cancel into another if you need to adjust your position, but the input window is strict: the cancel must occur between the first two shots.

Ebony and Ivory Rushdown ( ) causes Dante to advance forward while firing, closing the distance between himself and his adversary. Its two Attacks mirror the abilities of Quick Shot in that you can cancel the first part into any of the other Attacks. Rainstorm ( ) rounds out the ground , causing Dante to leap into the air while firing his pistols in a spiral. Its primary function is to serve an aerial transition, which can come in handy to avoid an incoming enemy or attack, both inside and outside of combos. This ultra-fast transition can then be Bold Canceled into another attack or to to make a daring escape.

AIR ATTACKS

#	Name	Command	AP Gain	Properties	Hit Effects	CI	Notes
1	Aerial Ebony and Ivory Quick Shot	Air	1~4	Bold Cancel OK	Twitch	, ,	—
2	Aerial Ebony and Ivory Rushdown	Air	1~4	Bold Cancel OK	Twitch		Dante flips forward before firing
3	Inverse Rainstorm	Air	1~6 per shot	Bold Cancel OK; AP value increases as guns spread	Twitch	—	Dante jumps upward before firing
4	Aerial Descending Rainstorm	Air	1~5 per shot	Bold Cancel OK; AP value decreases as guns join	Twitch	—	—

The air versions of Ebony and Ivory’s attack set serve an identical purpose and should not be used as a primary offensive attack. Air positioning can be a tricky and variable thing in PlayStation All-Stars, but dividing any gaps is simple for those with quick reflexes.

Aerial Ebony and Ivory Quick Shot should be used when you don’t need to change Dante’s position and only wish to transition to a attack immediately. Aerial Ebony and Ivory Rushdown causes Dante to perform a forward flip before firing. This attack is perfect for bridging small gaps between Dante and his foe, like after landing the third hit of Hunger, which would normally put the opponent just out of reach for follow-up Attacks.

Inverse Rainstorm and Aerial Descending Rainstorm are two sides of the same coin, adjusting Dante’s position in the vertical plane. The first causes Dante to spin upward while firing, perfect for catching foes just beyond his grasp. Aerial Descending Rainstorm sees Dante gradually bringing his guns together as he quickens his fall. It’s not the perfect solution for jumping in on enemies, but having the ability to immediately Bold Cancel into his counter ( ) can sure come in handy.

: CIRCLE ATTACKS

GROUND ATTACKS

#	Name	Command	AP Gain	Properties	Hit Effects	CI	Notes
1	Parry		20	Counter; active instantly	Butt-drop; lift (aerial foe)	—	—
2	Angel Boost		—	Dash forward; cancelable immediately	—	Any or	Neutral F cancel becomes Hacker 4 if Bold Canceling into
3	Shredder		3~20	—	Full launch	—	—
4	Flush		20	Projectile rolls off platforms and is destroyed if attacked	Lift	—	—

Dante’s attacks contain his finishers, counter, and main traversal options into the mix. The road of the Bold Cancel ends here. The Parry ( ) is an instantly active counter that results in a butt-drop on hit, allowing you to turn any opponent’s melee attack into a punishing combo. Like most counters in the game, the Parry has a very long recovery on whiff, so be on the alert for challengers trying to bait it out of you. While it can prevent you from taking a hit from a projectile, using Dante’s counter against a ranged attack can leave Dante just as vulnerable as misjudging a melee encounter. Always be ready to counter when you’re not attacking, but be wary of its shortcomings.

The Angel Boost serves many purposes, as it is key to getting across a level quickly, finishing off big combos, or even starting new ones. On input, Dante dashes forward, passing through any opponents in his way. It can be canceled by any or attack (except itself) immediately. If it’s the first input in your attack string, you can get Dante in on an opponent quickly to start the combo of your choice, but if you Bold Canceled into Angel Boost, the attack results in a finisher when canceling into neutral or . This move isn’t invulnerable either; be on the ready to cancel into Parry should an adversary attempt to knock Dante out of the dash.

The Shredder sees the return of Osiris, causing Dante to spin the angelic scythe in front and above his position. It can serve as a good anti-air option, or to catch foes just after a full launch or lift with a quick series of Bold Cancels. The resulting full launch effect gives Dante just enough time to jump and continue the attack once it has recovered, but you must be aware of Dante’s spacing. You may simply have Dante jump and attack in a corner, but on the open field, you must use either Angel Boost or Hunger to close the distance.

Finally, Flush brings the demon axe into the mix as Dante THROWS the weapon along the ground. The projectile has a 1.5-second lifespan, resulting in a lift effect on hit. During that time, it can bounce off of walls or roll off platforms to catch enemies at varying levels.

AIR ATTACKS

#	Name	Command	AP Gain	Properties	Hit Effects	CI	Notes
1	Parry	Air	20	Counter; active instantly	Full launch	—	Invincible during counterattack
2	Aerial Angel Boost	Air	—	Dash forward; cancelable immediately	—	Any or	Neutral cancel becomes Aerial Rave 3 if Bold Canceling into
3	Aerial Shredder	Air	3~20	—	Full launch	—	—
4	Aerial Arbiter Hurl	Air	20	Projectile rolls off platforms, bounces off of walls, and is destroyed if attacked	Lift	—	—

The air versions of all Attacks are exact copies of their grounded counterparts in terms of general usage, with a few caveats. The air Parry also has a long recovery on whiff, with the exception that the recovery period is canceled the second Dante touches the ground. Should you see an adversary attempting an anti-air as Dante jumps in, immediately press and go in for the counterattack once he lands.

Air Angel Boost is used to cross the gap in air Combos or to traverse the stage quickly. It suffers from the same setbacks as the grounded version, and only one Air Angel Boost can be performed until Dante character touches the ground again or is forced into an air recovery by an attack.

Shredder is an exact replica of its grounded version, but its primary function is as a combo finisher. Since you’ve probably used all of Dante’s jumps by the time this attack needs to be used, you won’t be able to continue skyward for more follow-up Attacks.

Air Arbiter Hurl sends the demon axe downward at a 45-degree angle but otherwise follows the same rules as Flush. It has a really long recovery time, but you can take advantage of the “action OK once grounded” rule to drop an axe on your enemies and start up a combo to really rake in the AP!

COMBOS

MAIN COMBOS

Note: All combos assume your character is facing the right side of the screen.

I. Against grounded foe: , , x (hold), (air) , ,

80AP; (with Parry) 100AP +30AP IAS Bonus

Dante’s bread and butter combo is very easy to perform, only requires one attack button, and doesn’t require any knowledge of Bold Canceling to earn an easy 80AP—putting you over halfway toward the Level 1 Super threshold. This combo also serves as a foundation for many Bold Cancel combos, as any of these Attacks can be canceled to on hit and branched into a new string of Attacks. If any of the first three hits are blocked or whiff, immediately cancel into to end your assault. Tremor recovers much sooner than High Times, giving you the opportunity to have Dante dodge roll or Angel Boost away from the opponent before they exit blockstun. Try using this combo after a successful Parry for a whopping 130AP.

II. Against grounded for: , (BC) (BC) x (hold), (air) , ,

74AP

This combo serves as your introduction to Dante’s Bold Cancel mechanic and using Attacks to close distances quickly, as well as illustrating the speedy input times you need to master in order to unlock his full potential. The second hit puts the opponent in a lift state, allowing a quick cancel followed immediately by canceled into (hold) to bring the target into the air. The trick to putting all these together is to practice inputting Attacks as fast as possible. Done correctly, Dante won’t even get a chance to fire his guns before you’ve Bold Canceled into Angel Boost and High Times. Finish them off with a full Aerial Rave series to complete the job. Once you can do this combo in your sleep, you’re ready to experiment with more of his advanced options.

III. Requires corner: , , (BC) (BC) , land, (hold), (air) , x (BC) (BC)

104AP +30AP IAS Bonus; (with Parry) 120AP +30AP IAS Bonus

When you’re comfortable with Bold Cancels and Dante’s Attacks, the above combo serves as an example of the creativity possible with his unique mechanic. Combo III requires a corner to execute successfully, as normally, the Aerial Arbiter Hurl would push the opponent too far away to connect with High Times consistently. Each instance of successive Bold Cancels requires you to input the second attack immediately to strike your adversary before they have a chance to recover. If started after a Parry, this can earn you a full Level 1 Super in a single combo!

COMBO APPENDIX

Combo	_+AP	Notes
(BC) (BC) x	53	Simply combo starting with Tremor, you go to cancel when an attack whiffs. Easy AP generator with many escape or extension options.
(air) , , (BC) (BC) x	61	Air BnB combo that ends in an eject tornado. For an extra challenge, and 71AP, cancel Angel Boost into another Roulette Spin followed by (BC) (BR) .

ADVANCED STRATEGIES

Dante is an advanced rushdown character that requires precision timing to pull off his highest AP-generating combos with deliberate execution of each attack. Button mashers need not apply; random inputs are going to get your character killed over and over again while you wonder why you can’t string attacks together. By mastering the Bold Cancel system, Dante’s combo options are endless and limited only by your imagination, execution ability, and the Infinite Avoidance System. The basic concept behind the Bold Cancel mechanic was stated in the Spotlight Mechanic tip at the start of this section: attacks instantly cancel into attacks, which instantly cancel into attacks. In practice, however, there are a few underlying rules you must keep in mind when building new combos.

Cancel into if your attack fails to hit…

…and dodge roll to safety before your opponent can react.

First, you may only Bold Cancel in linear progression and cannot skip inputs. For example, Attacks cannot Bold Cancel into Attacks, but you can start with a attack and cancel into a attack.

Attacks can only be Bold Canceled on hit. If the opponent blocks, or the attack misses, Dante is committed to finishing the entire attack animation unless another cancel option is available, such as . Ebony and Ivory Attacks ( ) can all be Bold Canceled instantly, and they are primarily used as a tool to transition between and Attacks while adjusting Dante’s position and continuing the combo. Finally, Attacks cannot be Bold Canceled and effectively end a combo. There is an exception to this rule, as Dante can continue a combo using the instant cancel abilities of Angel Boost ( ).

Angel Boost is a command dash that can be performed on the ground or in the air. It has the ability to instantly cancel into any or move, making it an invaluable tool for continuing Combos after you’ve run through a full Bold Cancel rotation. Dante is only allowed to perform one ground Angel Boost and one Air Angel boost in a single combo, and he must touch the ground or be forced into an air recovery before he may perform another. In addition, if you used a Bold Cancel to execute Angel Boost and produce the final hit of their respective combo strings. To extend Combos after hitting the Angel Boost limit, cancel the dash into instead followed by the attack of your choice.

With so many options at your fingertips, spatial awareness and an intimate knowledge of Dante’s full attack suite are essential for success on a wide variety of maps. Since Dante works best in one-on-one situations, his ideal levels contain areas where it’s hard for opponents to reach him. This can include smaller stages like Black Rock Stadium and its ever-changing configuration, or wider stages such as Invasion or Stowaways. Basically, anywhere Dante can attack an opponent without worrying about another foe sneaking up from behind before you’ve finished your combo.

Adapting to your environment is also key to deciding if you should focus on activating Super Level 1 or Super Level 2 during a match. Since there is only a handful of levels with large, flat areas that maximizing the killing potential of Stinger, Overdrive is going to be your go-to Super in most cases. It’s inexpensive at only 150AP, which you can earn in one or two Combos (see Combo I or III), and its final hit produces a short-range fireball that can catch foes beyond the end of a platform. If you acquire a Level 2 Super on a level where it’s less effective than a Level 1, save your AP if you have the time and try to get enough energy for Devil Trigger Unleashed.

Dante’s Level 3 Super has amazing killing potential, thanks to his increased movement speed and the six-second float state enemies are forced into after activation. The faster you can kill your adversaries, the sooner they respawn for you to kill again. Maximize your score by waiting to activate Devil Trigger Unleashed until all opponents are relatively close together, and then kill them all in one or two blows. The sooner a challenger dies, the sooner they respawn to taste your blade again.