Why Is Dante from Netflix's Devil May Cry So Weak?

Netflix's Devil May Cry Season 2 just hit us like a storm, and fans are concerned about one important factor: Dante keeps being treated like a ragdoll at best, or worse, sidelined by all other characters. Is he still the protagonist of the show? Guess some fans are concerned, and for a very good reason.

Long past are the times when Dante nailed combo after combo in a Sick display of skill, and now, he seems to be eating dirt at least twice per episode. Is this necessary character growth, or just a way to open the path for other characters to shine? Learn everything about this below!

Fans Are Concerned About Dante From Devil May Cry Being Constantly Beaten

Dante has changed a lot from Season 1 to Season 2, and some might guess that the time in cryo sleep gave him a complete makeover, including a notorious rhinoplasty (similar to a certain monster hunter series infamous recast). Season 2 brings a more 'mature' Dante, but only in his physical appearance; the rest of his capabilities are a bit lacking, to say the least.

Most of the fans remember Dante as Hideki Kamiya imagined him: Brutally powerful, slick, dangerous, and a master combatant. Getting totally beaten to a pulp on more than one occasion was probably not part of his vision for the character.

Season 2 reinforces the idea of Dante being "immature, weak, and too bound to his human side," while Vergil, on the other hand, is showcased as a seasoned warrior, forged in the fires of Makai (quite literally) and trained as Mundus executor and Sparda's successor. The problem in that disparity lies in the fact that technically, Dante already went through the same issues in Season 1, and going over the same trope to showcase some sort of character growth at the end (which didn't happen in the end) is pointless.

Fans are noticing this and have spoken their piece about it:

The general opinion is dissatisfied with Dante's lack of protagonism and his apparent weakness comparing him to other characters. Even Chi (Lucia) and the clones Arius uses as his private army beat him to a pulp: It makes no sense at all.

Even his Devil Trigger form seems a bit lacking in comparison to Vergil's (who, btw, has two different transformations). Their power levels are so unbalanced that the outcome of their fight was clear as day from the get go.

On the other hand, the myriad of secondary characters who constantly steal the spotlight and delay what fans have come to see (Dante slaying demons like a madman), is a repetition of what happened during Season 1.

If it were for the sake of character growth, then maybe it would make some sense. Unfortunately, you cannot have such a powerful character as Dante being sidelined and beaten to a pulp for two consecutive seasons without raising some eyebrows.

Now, if we're talking about future developments, Season 3 would be the perfect chance for this character to redeem himself. Pursuing Lady in his Quest for vengeance against Arkham (Jester), and why not, delving into Temen-ni-Gru (if fans remember the name of the place visited in Devil May Cry 3). But that must be taken with a pinch of salt, and in case you need to know about the season ending, watching Episode 8 might answer some of those questions.

Is Dante the Real Protagonist in Netflix's Devil May Cry?

Besides the annoying detail of his nose changing shapes from scene to scene, Dante also has the habit of playing at a disadvantage wherever he goes. In a total of eight episodes, he only had two awesomely slick moves (the Ebony & Ivory scene and the Medaglia Heist scene) and the rest was honestly quite lackluster.

On the other hand, Lady (Mary Arkham) stole the spotlight on more than one occasion, practically carrying the whole team throughout the entire plot. Vergil, of course, had to be there to deliver the promised storm and have his plastic chair moment made canon (yes, it truly happened).

Then, fans were quite surprised to see Lady and Dante developing a budding romance despite their turbulent relationship during Season 1. In more than one chance, Chi (another character who stole some spotlight) is pointing out at the obvious: "Lady has some schoolgirl infatuation with Dante," and honestly, hearing someone say that out loud sounds ridiculous, and it happens twice to boot.

Arius is another character that steals a lot from the spotlight: Mysterious, arrogant, and constantly moving two steps ahead of the Sparda siblings. But he couldn't be a more obvious villain. Every former player of Devil May Cry 2 knows who Arius is and what he attempts to do, so no surprises there.

Mundus and Argosax also occupy a large proportion of the screentime, being portrayed in flashbacks, and then the final battle scenes. If we had to do a ranking on which characters had more meaningful screen time, then the villains place in a higher spot than Dante himself.

So, the question: Is Dante the real protagonist of Netflix's Devil May Cry? Has two possible answers: Yes, he still is the protagonist, but he is a slow-cooking type of hero that needs to mature enough to finally become powerful enough to fend for himself and prove that he is the ultimate demon hunter.

The other answer, not many fans are going to like it. If Dante is not the protagonist, and Adi Shankar is trying to reforge the entire lore of DMC just because he wants other characters to shine, then most of the audience are going to feel quite disappointed. After all, what would it be of Devil May Cry without its main character? Let's hope it doesn't get Geralt's treatment in Season 3.