Lore
Breakdown
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening is the third game in the Devil May Cry series. It is a prequel to the first Devil May Cry game, making it the first game in the series chronologically. Dante's twin brother, Vergil, and a man named Arkham release the ancient tower of Temen-ni-gru from below a modern city and conspire to use Dante to unlock the gate to the demonic realm. While working toward confronting his brother, Dante encounters Lady, a fellow devil hunter, and the mysterious Jester, an enigmatic clown that aids Dante throughout his journey.
Devil May Cry 3 is a prequel to the original Devil May Cry, detailing the origins of the protagonist, Dante, and the rise of his demon bloodline. Here’s a rundown of the key events from beginning to end:
Acts 1-5
1. Prologue (Dante's Shop)
The game begins in a city where Dante, the son of the demon Sparda, runs a small demon-hunting business. One day, a mysterious tower called the "Temen-ni-gru" suddenly appears, and a strange man named Arkham shows up to invite Dante to whats athe events thats about to happen and to see his brother this sets as Dante's new objective to see what vergil is up to and stop him. The two brothers share a complicated history, and this encounter sparks the events that will unfold.
2. The Temen-ni-gru Appears
A massive demonic tower rises from the ground, and strange events start happening. Dante’s shop is destroyed by a demonic force that comes from the tower. During this, Dante discovers that he has inherited his father’s demonic abilities, but he is still learning to control them.
3. The Awakening of Sparda’s Power
Dante’s shop is destroyed, but his sense of purpose is reborn. He learns that his father, Sparda, was a legendary demon who rebelled against the demon king Mundus to protect humanity. The tower is a demonic structure meant to serve as a gateway to the demon world, and the source of this threat is connected to Dante’s past.
Dante is challenged by various demonic enemies, each bringing him closer to discovering the true extent of his powers and abilities. Throughout the game, Dante becomes more and more attuned to his father’s legacy.
4. The Arrival of Vergil
Vergil, Dante’s twin brother, seeks to obtain Sparda’s power by unlocking the full potential of the tower and tapping into the demonic forces. Vergil is driven by the desire to acquire more power, and his motivations are tied to his past, where he believes that humans are weak and should be ruled by demons. He believes that unlocking the tower’s power will allow him to become more powerful and achieve his vision of the world.
Dante and Vergil’s relationship is tense, as Vergil criticizes Dante for embracing his human side while he himself rejects it in favor of embracing his demon nature fully. Vergil’s attitude leads him to clash with Dante repeatedly throughout the story.
5. Dante vs. Vergil (First Fight)
The game builds to a confrontation between the two brothers. Vergil challenges Dante to a battle to prove who is the stronger, more worthy son of Sparda. This fight reveals a lot about their differing personalities: Dante values human emotions and connections, while Vergil seeks ultimate power through his demonic heritage.
Vergil defeats Dante in this first battle by ramming Dantes sword through his chest, but the sword like Vergils is a weapon passed down by their father holding there fathers power inside and it awakens Dante's latent power within and he gains for the first time his devil trigger, Vergil determined to gain more power leaves before hand not knowing of Dante's new found power being unlocked.
Act 6-9
6. The Temen-ni-gru’s Secrets Revealed
As the story progresses, Dante learns more about the true nature of the Temen-ni-gru and its connection to his father’s rebellion against Mundus. The tower holds the key to unlocking the demonic power that can either save or destroy the world and also open the portal to the underworld and that sword is the key that keeps the underworld seal away from the human world.
Arkham, who has been manipulating Vergil and Dante as Jester behind the scenes, reveals his true intentions: he has been working with Vergil to unlock the full power of Sparda’s sword, which would allow Arkham to become the new ruler of the demon world.
7. The Final Showdown (Vergil vs. Dante)
In the final act of the game, Dante and Vergil face off once more, this time in a more climactic battle at the summit of the Temen-ni-gru. The fight between the brothers is emotional and intense, as Vergil is driven by his own beliefs about power, while Dante fights not just for himself, but for humanity and the future.
8. Dante’s Victory and the Opening of the Devil May Cry Shop
Dante ultimately defeats Vergil, but Vergil does not die—he is lost in the demon world, leaving Dante with the bittersweet knowledge that his brother has chosen a different path. After the battle, Dante comes to terms with his heritage and the legacy of his father. He takes up the name "Devil May Cry" for his shop, a name inspired by his mother’s words and the complexities of his identity.
9. Post-Credit Scene
In a post-credit scene, a mysterious figure (Mundus) appears in front of Vergil who is in the underworld, Vergil seeing this charges at him in battle and references the events of the game, teasing that the story is far from over and setting up the events for Devil May Cry 1.