Dante’s Wild Ride: Top 5 Epic Game Cameos You Can’t Miss!

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In an innovative fashion, the game Devil May Cry revolutionized action games, introducing captivating action sequences and combos that served as a blueprint for numerous subsequent titles. Consequently, it was only natural that the protagonist, Dante, would appear in various other games, often represented by special costumes. Many Eastern players may recognize Masamune Date donning a Dante costume in Sengoku Basara 4, but most Western fans might be unaware of this Capcom-produced game that bears similarities to the Musou genre.

Although they may be familiar with the game “Street Fighter” and its latest edition, “Street Fighter 5: Arcade Edition,” which added a Dante costume to Ken’s character, having costumes isn’t as exciting as actually playing or receiving support from the genuine article – Dante. Instead, let’s explore significant guest appearances that Dante has made throughout history.

5. Monster Hunter Frontier G

Monsters Are Basically Demons, Right?

  • Developer: Capcom
  • Publisher: Capcom
  • Released: April 17, 2013 (Japan)
  • Platform: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U, PS Vita

As a devoted fan, I can’t help but reminisce about the thrill that Monster Hunter: World brought me last year. It was simply amazing how Capcom seamlessly integrated characters from their own games like Street Fighter and Mega Man, not to mention the collaboration with Sony’s Horizon Zero Dawn.

But what truly sent shivers down my spine was the appearance of Dante during a special Event Mission called Code: Red. And no, it wasn’t about Mountain Dew’s flavor! Successfully completing the challenges rewarded me with an armor set that mirrored Dante’s own design, complete with the Charge Blade weapon and even his Devil Sword.

Although the cosmetic upgrade came with some enticing stat bonuses, nothing could compare to the excitement of actually becoming Dante himself. Ah, if only I could have stepped into his shoes for real!

Western gamers might not recognize “Monster Hunter Frontier Online,” a more MMO-oriented installment that initially released in Japan for PC and Xbox 360 back in 2010, with subsequent updates and ports following. One of these updates introduced “Monster Hunter Frontier G” in 2013, which featured a unique mechanic called Rastas. Rastas were AI-controlled companions that players could hire for missions, similar to the Support Hunters in “Monster Hunter World.” Interestingly, characters like Dante and Lady from another series were included as Rastas, making it possible for them to join players on hunts. This crossover promotion was more successful than what “Monster Hunter: World” managed.

4. Project X Zone 2

A Tactical Crossover

Project X Zone stands out as one of the most remarkable cross-over games for the 3DS, hitting North American shelves in 2013. Characters hailing from Sega, Capcom, and Bandai Namco join forces to combat evil forces, engaging in tactical gameplay. Instead of a traditional grid movement system, players can move their characters across the screen, with encounters triggering a switch to a 2D hybrid of fighting game mechanics. In the initial game, Dante teamed up with Demitri Maximoff from the Darkstalkers series, while Lady operated independently.

In simpler terms, most characters in the game were matched with another character, but lone characters could team up with anyone as a third. The original game featured Dante and Lady, but in Project X Zone 2, the collaboration between Dante and his brother Vergil from Devil May Cry was improved. This game was another title for the 3DS, launched in North America during 2016. Who wouldn’t enjoy a strong sibling duo?

3. Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne

Gotta Have A Demon Hunter In The Apocalypse

In 2004, the game “Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne” was launched for PlayStation 2. Interestingly, it had been released in Japan a year earlier. The North American edition of this game came with an exclusive bonus – Dante, a character previously known as an enemy, could be recruited as a temporary party member initially, and later joined permanently. Players first encountered Dante as an adversary, but he eventually became a permanent ally. In the original version, Dante was a notable exception because the unnamed protagonist was the only humanoid character.

In the updated version of the game, this main character might opt to ally with demons for his turn-based squad. A new character added in the re-release is Raidou, the hero from the unconventionally titled spinoff, “Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army.” In the latest release, “Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne HD Remaster,” both Raidou and Dante are available, but as downloadable content rather than being part of the main package – an aspect that longtime fans found frustrating. Dante also appeared in another “Shin Megami Tensei” game through “Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2,” a mobile-exclusive RPG that also linked to Nero and V as a means of advertising “Devil May Cry 5.

2. Ultimate Marvel Vs. Capcom 3

Capcom’s Ultimate Crossover

In 2000, the game “Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes” made a big splash in arcades and on home consoles, becoming incredibly popular. However, it wasn’t until 2011 that Capcom released a sequel – “Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds”. This delay allowed Capcom to introduce new characters from their series into the crossover fighting game genre, such as Dante and other notable characters like Wesker from “Resident Evil” and Amaterasu from “Okami”. Using Dante in the game was a lot of fun, as his combo system fit perfectly with the fighting game mechanics, although he did require some restraint.

Originally, Trish, who was also a part of the scene, was included in the game as well. Later on in the same year, there came out a special edition titled “Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 “, which retained the original characters and introduced new ones like Vergil. However, by 2017’s “Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite“, both Trish and Vergil were no longer present, but Dante continued to feature prominently in the game as a major character and his scenes from the story are definitely worth watching online.

1. Viewtiful Joe

The PS2 Gets An Exclusive

In 2003, the action game “Viewtiful Joe” made its debut on the GameCube as part of Capcom’s initiative called the Capcom Five. This plan aimed to produce exclusive titles for the system. However, due to the cancellation of one title, “Dead Phoenix,” and the porting of three games to the PlayStation 2, only one game, “P.N.03,” remained exclusive to the GameCube from this project. For those who may be interested, “Resident Evil 4” and “killer7” were the other two games included in the Capcom Five.

A year following its initial release, the PlayStation 2 port of Viewtiful Joe came with an extra feature – Dante was included as a character that could be unlocked. Given that Hideki Kamiya, the director, was behind both this game and the first Devil May Cry, it seemed fitting to merge the two series. While they were both action games, Viewtiful Joe had a more playful, humorous tone compared to the other. Dante also featured in the fighting platform game, Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble, but only as a playable character in the PSP version.

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2025-04-08 13:04