UMVC3/Dante

Overview Combos Strategy/Counterstrategy Resources Data

Introduction

A half-demon and son of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda, Dante works as a demon hunter, taking on jobs at his personal shop to investigate and destroy the forces of Hell. Dante uses "Devil Arms", powerful equipment made from the souls of defeated demons, as his primary weapons. The Dante in this game is based on his appearance and movelist from Devil May Cry 3.

In UMvC3, Dante is a highly technical character sporting the longest list of special moves in the game. This versatility allows him to support a variety of playstyles and fulfill a variety of roles, although he does not particularly excel at any one thing. His staggering 23 special moves gives him access to the tools he needs to get the party started.

Strengths

Weaknesses

Support: Provides top-class support to almost any team. His Jam Session assist is one of the best in the entire game, with excellent coverage and lockdown potential. Devil Trigger (214XX) provides characters with a quick, safe DHC option, and Million Dollars is an excellent hyper for both DHCs and THCs. Range: Excellent range and disjointed hitboxes on almost every normal give Dante an edge in neutral. Large Moveset: Massive list of 23 Special Moves and 20 Command Normals gives Dante tools for a huge variety of situations. Dante has several ways to solo-extend his own combos, with OTGs, Ground Bounces, Wall Bounces, and a variety of cancel options. Bold Cancels: Bold Move (X+S) gives Dante the mostly unique ability to cancel many of his attacks into a jump, opening up new combo routes and pressure options. Zoning: Can play a very solid keepaway game using his multiple projectile tools, including Air Play (j.236M), Hysteric (236H), and Acid Rain (236L~L). Devil Trigger: Devil Trigger (214XX) is a fast cancel option on any grounded attack, heals Dante's red life, and enhances his gameplan with additional moves and mobility. TAC Infinite: Due to his low damage scaling, Dante's TAC infinite can take an agonizingly long amount of time to kill opponents. This makes it amazing for building meter and timerscam.

Damage Scaling: Dante has some of the worst Minimum Damage Scaling in the game, at 5% for both Normals and Specials. Only Strider scales more harshly. Despite having a huge array of options for extending combos, Dante faces very hard upper limits on his damage output outside of X-Factor. Poor Throw Conversions: Dante's throw conversions are very bad, with almost no way to convert a grounded throw, and very inconsistent routes for converting airthrows. This pokes a large hole in Dante's entire offensive gameplan, since his responses to Chicken Blocking are not particularly scary. Slow Normals: To compensate for their long range, Dante's normals are much slower than average, with his fastest attack being 8f startup. To make matters worse, Dante's 5L and j.5L cause so little hitstun that they basically cannot confirm into a combo, forcing Dante to rely on the even slower M normals.

Health	900,000
Invulnerable Reversal(s)	623XX
Grounded Magic Series	Unique
X-Factor Damage Boost (1/2/3)	30% / 50% / 70%
X-Factor Speed Boost (1/2/3)	10% / 20% / 30%
Air Movement Options
Air Actions	Air Jumps?	Air Dash?	Flight?	WallJump?
1(2)	Yes	2-Way	Yes	No
Minimum Attack Scaling
Normals	Specials		Hypers
5	5		40

Move List

Assists

Jam Session
Assist A

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
14,000 x10	37	41	119, 89
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	, Priority: Low, Beam Durability: 3 per frame for 10 frames
THC Hyper: Million Dollars. Recommended assist. Dante slides onto the stage playing his guitar, which causes a pillar of lightning to erupt into the sky. Jam Session has infinite vertical reach, and is consequently one of the only assists in the game that can threaten an opponent at superjump height. It also provides an enormous amount of lockdown, keeping an opponent trapped in blockstun while the point character repositions or sets up an offensive. Jam Session's high active frame count also makes it good for combo conversions or extensions, although the last hit pops enemies quite high into the air, which can sometimes be awkward to continue from. Because Dante is completely surrounded by a projectile hitbox with a massive 30 total durability points, he is very safe from retaliation from anything less than a hyper. Jam Session hits a total of 10 times, which is quite high by assist standards, and therefore applies a large amount of Damage Scaling to the following combo.

Crystal
Assist B

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
35,000 x4	49	40	98 68
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	Invuln (as Crossover Counter) frames 1-???, , Priority: Low, Durability: 3 per shard
THC Hyper: Million Dollars. Dante smacks the ground with his nunchucks, causing 4 shards of ice to sprout up in front of him. Has a very fast assist cooldown, and can hit OTG, but is otherwise entirely outclassed by Jam Session in terms of coverage and lockdown.

Weasel Shot
Assist Y

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
25,000 x4	40	23	103, 73
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 1 per bullet
THC Hyper: Million Dollars. Dante leaps backwards, firing his pistols a total of four times. Would be a strong assist choice if it were on another character and not competing with Jam Session; some players even do choose to use this assist. In practice it functions similarly to popular beam assists, although it's maximum range is only about 3/4 of fullscreen distance, and it has poor projectile durability compared to the more popular options.

Ground Normals

Stand Light
5L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
43,000	8	3	13
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-2	-3	Mid	-
Disjointed sword normal with incredible range for a Light attack (although it is also slower than most character's 5L). Causes very little hitstun, especially if hitting an airborne opponent, such that even chaining directly into 5M is inconsistent.

Stand Medium
5M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
55,000	10	4	17
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-2	-3	Mid	-
Dante swings his sword upwards. Like almost all of Dante's normals, it has a large hitbox and is completely disjointed. Advances Dante forward about half a character length.

Stand Heavy
5H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
70,000	13	3	23
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-3	-4	Mid	-
Dante swings his sword downward. Has great range against grounded opponents, and is decent against jump-height opponents as well. Dante steps forward a little over a character length during this attack, then walks most of it back during the recovery - which can be avoided by canceling the attack. This allows Dante to confirm 5H > 6H > Bold Cancel even from the outer edge of its range. 5H also has two special follow-up attacks: Scat Shot and Weasel Shot, by inputting 5H or 4H respectively during the attack. See Command Normals for more details.

Crouching Light
2L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
40,000	8	3	11
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
0	-1	Low
Dante pulls out a pistol and shoots the ground. Does not actually fire any projectile, only creates a small hitbox on the ground a short distance ahead of Dante. Because the hitbox of this attack is so small, and does not actually connect to Dante himself, it will actually whiff completely at point-blank range against certain slimmer characters such as Strange, Storm, and Morrigan if they are standing still. This doesn't occur if the opponent is crouching or moving, so it is unlikely to occur in a real match, but is indicative of how limited the range of this attack really is. As Dante's only reasonably fast low, it is important to throw out occasionally to make opponents respect his Box Dash pressure.

Crouching Medium
2M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	11	2	20
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-3	-4	Low	-
Dante sweeps his sword across the ground. At max range, this attack will not properly chain into 5H (and 2H sucks), so you need to go into 6H directly instead. Unfortunately for Dante, though, this leaves him out of range for bold cancel volcano, forcing you to actually use million stabs to convert.

Crouching Heavy
2H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000 + 10,000 per extra stab (2 ~ 17) + 60,000	15	1(7)4~34(21)4	39
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-21	-21	Mid	(last hit), mashable
Note: Not a low. Dante thrusts his sword, then stabs with it several more times. You can add additional stabs by continuing to mash H. Dante then finishes with one large stab, which knocks down. 2H has decent range, but it's nothing special by Dante standards. Due to its long, multi-hitting nature, it adds additional Damage Scaling and Hitstun Deterioration on a character who already struggles with both. Additionally, the knockdown on the last hit makes confirming into 6H Stinger, which is Dante's primary combo route, much less consistent for no real benefit.

Launcher/Special
S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	11	3	28
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
Launch	-9	Mid	, (except Clay Pidgeon)
Dante swipes his sword upward, acting as a fairly standard launcher with good range. 5S can not be directly canceled into most actions, which is typical for 5S launchers. However, Dante has a special follow-up attack to his launcher, "Clay Pidgeon" done by inputting H after 5S makes contact. See Command Normals for more details.

Aerial Normals

Jumping Light
j.5L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
40,000	8	2	19
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+12	+11	OH	(in Devil Trigger)
Causes catastrophically little hitstun. Without the bonus 5 frames of hitstun granted from superjump, this attack doesn't chain into j.5M at all. (Unless Dante superjump airdashes as this gives him the fixed 5 frames of superjump hitstun, this way he is able to option select into airplay and continue into a combo)

Jumping Medium
j.5M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
58,000	11	3	22
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+17	+16	OH	(in Devil Trigger)
Fantastic sword normal with great range and speed, and a surprisingly deep cross-up hitbox. j.5M is the primary choice of attack for Dante's Box Jump pressure. Use 28L+H~M to perform a superjump into a very quick airdash off the ground, while attacking with j.5M. This sequence has great frame advantage, is fairly resistant to being pushblocked, and can open up opportunities to break the opponent's defense with a cross-up or surprise 2L.

Jumping Heavy
j.5H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
70,000	13	3	23
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+18	+17	OH	-
Another long-range sword normal comparable to j.5M. It can be used in place of j.5M for Box Dash pressure, or as a general neutral tool. j.5H is slower than j.5M, and its downward angle gives it slightly less vertical range, but it causes more hitstun and is thus easier to hitconfirm from. When using this attack, consider buffering Air Play (j.236M). Dante can cancel j.5H into specials even on whiff, and this cancel makes Dante much safer on whiff/block while also potentially letting him convert into a combo on hit via j.5H xx j.236M, j.236L.

Jumping Special
Helm Splitter
j.5S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
90,000	23	Until grounded	20
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-6	OH	, , (narrow window)
Dante pauses in the air for a moment, then begins to fall straight down, slamming his sword downwards in front of himself. In terms of animation and hitbox, it is comparable to Vergil's infamous Helm Breaker. However, it is much slower than Helm Breaker, and does not option-select a throw. Although it is Dante's j.5S Air Combo Finisher, it is rarely actually used this way. Due to its lengthy startup, it does not consistently combo from j.5H. Additionally, it knocks the opponent very far away from Dante when used as an Air Combo Finisher, making it more difficult to continue the combo. It is typically replaced by Killer Bee (j.236L) or Hammer (j.236L~L) which accomplish the same goal while being easier to combo into and keeping Dante closer to the opponent for further extensions. Instead, j.5S has several other useful properties. First, it is fairly unique among j.5S attacks because it causes a Hard Knockdown on hit, even when used outside a Launcher combo. In fact, this Hard Knockdown is better than the Air Combo Finisher, because it keeps the opponent close to Dante as they fall instead of knocking them away. Dante has multiple OTG tools to capitalize on this Hard Knockdown, so it represents a fairly strong threat. j.5S can also be canceled into air specials at any point, including on whiff or even kara-canceling during the startup. This can be utilized in multiple ways: Canceling the startup of j.5S into j.236M or j.236[M] Air Play allows Dante to stall in the air for a significant amount of time. This can be combined with other moves that keep Dante airborne, such as Rainstorm (Mash H), Killer Bee (j.236L), airdashes or a second j.5S, in order to stay airborne and avoid threats on the ground. Note that Dante is limited to one Air Play per jump, and thus can not stall this way twice in the same jump state. Hammer (j.236L > L) is another falling attack which causes a Hard Knockdown, and also has some invincibility that makes it difficult to challenge. Consider inputting the Hammer cancel backwards - j.5S xx j.214L~L. If done this way, Dante will automatically cancel Helm Splitter into Hammer if the opponent dashes underneath him, which is a common way to attempt to whiff punish the attack. Since Dante is effectively protected by Helm Splitter and Hammer on both sides, this allows him to land very safely. J. 5S is not subject to hitstun deterioration. There is a very small window right as j.5S reaches the ground where Dante can cancel the attack into a dash or into Bold Jump/Bold Cancel. This timing is very strict and difficult to perform consistently, but is also very powerful. These cancels allow j.5S to effectively be plus on block, instead of minus on block, and open up some new combo routes that are not otherwise possible. The Bold Cancel option is particularly useful for setting up Dante's TAC Infinites.

Command Normals

Stinger
6H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	14	6	24
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-2	-3	Mid	(except Bold Move and Million Stab), (vs airborne), (Medium Priority)
Dante steps forward and thrusts his sword. Has immense range, connecting from over half of fullscreen distance away. This gives Dante a way to potentially pick up off his many long-range normals and specials. It is a standard part of Dante's hit confirms from any grounded hit. Although Stinger is tagged as No Cancel, it can be canceled into Bold Move, which allows Dante to indirectly cancel Stinger into most specials using Bold Cancel. This is most commonly used to cancel Stinger into Volcano (623M) on hit, or into either Teleport (22S) or Drive (236S) on block. See "Bold Move" in Special Moves for further information on Bold Canceling. Stinger also has a unique follow-up, Million Stab, done by repeatedly pressing H during the move. It sucks. Stinger is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Cold Shower
3HH

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
25,000 per shot	11	5 ~ 15	22
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
0	-1	Mid	, , mashable, Priority: Low, Durability: 1 per shot, scales by 0.9
Dante whips out both of his pistols, and fires at the ground, hitting OTG. This is one of the fastest OTG attacks in the game, and allows Dante to easily confirm off the Hard Knockdown caused by j.5S or Hammer. Requires a minimum of two inputs to fire two shots, but mashing H will cause Dante to fire up to two additional shots. Can Chain into: Stinger Lvl2, Prop Shredder Cold Shower is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Rain Storm
j.HH

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
25,000 per shot	16	8 ~ 68	Until grounded
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-2	-2	Mid	, , mashable, Priority: Low, Durability: 5 per shot, scales by 0.9
Dante floats upside-down in the air, firing his pistols directly down, which can hit OTG. It can be useful for picking up after airthrows, when paired with an assist call. Rain Storm is also a method for stalling in the air if needed. Its "Until Grounded" recovery can be mitigated by canceling it into Killer Bee (j.236L). Requires a minimum of two inputs two fire to shots, but mashing H will cause Dante to fire up to eight additional shots. Can Chain into: Killer Bee Rain Storm is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Scat Shot
5H > H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 per shot	(18+)17	7	16
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+9	+7	Mid	, mashable, Priority: Low, Durability: 1 per shot, scales by 0.9
Cancel window: Frames 18-29 of 5H Dante whips out both of his pistols, and fires directly forward. He holds the pistols quite high, and so most characters can safely duck underneath the bullets. It would be a relatively useful zoning tool if it did not require throwing out 5H in order to access it. By default, Dante fires two shots, but mashing H can allow him to fire up to two more shots. Can Chain into: Stinger Lvl2, Prop Shredder Scat Shot is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Weasel Shot
5H > 4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 per shot	(14+)16	7~39	12~10
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+14 ~ +17	+14 ~ +17	Mid	, mashable, Priority: Low, Durability: 1 per shot, scales by 0.9
Cancel window: Frames 14-15 of 5H Dante leaps back and fires at a shallow downward angle with his pistols. Works as a solid pressure and keepaway tool, especially since Dante can call assists while firing to cover himself. It can not be ducked the way that Scat Shot can, but it doesn't quite reach fullscreen distance before hitting the ground. By default, Dante fires two shots, but mashing H can allow him to fire up to four more shots. It is possible to cancel 5H into Weasel Shot even on whiff, but the narrow cancel window makes this difficult to perform consistently. Weasel Shot is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Clay Pidgeon
5S > H

An opponent being juggled by Clay Pidgeon

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
25,000 per shot	(12+)11	5 ~ 49	21
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+1	+0	High	, mashable, Priority: Low, Durability: 1 per shot, scales by 0.9
Cancel window: Contact to frame 40 of 5S Dante whips out his pistols and fires upwards, (hopefully) hitting the opponent who was just launched into the air by 5S. Unlike Scat and Weasel Shot, this follow-up requires Dante to actually make contact with 5S, and does not work on whiff. Clay Pidgeon is often preferred to actually superjump-canceling 5S. It deals solid damage on its own and gives Dante easy access to both Prop Shredder and Stinger Lvl.2. Dante can press S again during Clay Pidgeon to cancel into Prop Shredder. However, if Dante waits until Clay Pidgeon has recovered to press S the second time, he will get his normal 5S launcher instead. He can then chain that launcher back into a second Clay Pidgeon. Juggling the opponent high enough to repeatedly loop Clay Pidgeon back into 5S launcher is the foundation for "Clay Pidgeon Loops", which are a high-damage combo route. By default, Dante fires two shots. Mashing H during Clay Pidgeon will cause Dante to fire up to 8 additional shots. Can Chain into: Stinger Lvl2, Prop Shredder Clay Pigeon is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Prop Shredder
(During Scat Shot, Cold Shower, or Clay Pidgeon) > S

An opponent being juggled by Prop Shredder.

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
25,000 x5	(20+)10	40	26
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-10	Mid	, , , scales by 0.85
Cancel window: Frames 30-38 of Scat Shot Frames 20-36 of Cold Shower Frames 24-35 of Clay Pidgeon Dante spins his sword rapidly in the space in front of himself. Hits five times, with the final hit working as a Launcher similar to a standard 5S. Dante can superjump-cancel Prop Shredder on hit the same way he can with his regular 5S, and it starts a Launcher Combo. The final hit of Prop Shredder, which is the launching hit, is liable to drop. The opponent will tech out if they are being juggled too high by Prop Shredder (common if Clay Pidgeon is canceled too early), or if done too late into a combo. Besides superjumping up to start an air combo on the opponent, the superjump cancel can also be used to indirectly cancel Prop Shredder into grounded specials via a Tiger Knee input. A common route using this technique is 5S (Prop Shredder) xx 2369L~L in the corner. This will cancel into Acid Rain, which hits the opponent on the way up for heavy damage.

Stinger Lvl.2
(During Scat Shot, Cold Shower, or Clay Pidgeon) > 6H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	(20+)19	6	24
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-2	-3	Mid	(vs airborne), except Bold Move and Million Stab, (Medium Priority)
Cancel window: Frames 30-38 of Scat Shot Frames 20-36 of Cold Shower Frames 24-35 of Clay Pidgeon Dante stabs forward with an animation identical to regular Stinger, but with slightly slower startup. Level 2 Stinger's advantage is that it causes a Wall Bounce when hitting an airborne opponent. This is the primary way for Dante to utilize Wall Bounce in combos. Like with regular Stinger, it should be Bold Canceled on contact for better follow-up potential. Bold Canceling into Teleport: 6H xx 2X+S~2S, j.5S allows Dante to follow-up the Wall Bounce from midscreen. While close to the corner, simply canceling into regular Bold Move: 6H xx X+S, (airdash,) j.5S works just as well. Can chain into: Million Stab

Million Stab
(During Stinger or Lvl.2 Stinger) > Mash H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
5,000 per hit + 40,000	(17+)3	10 ~ 39(21)5	40
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-23	-23	Mid	, mashable, (last hit), scales by 0.9
Cancel window: frames 17-23 of Stinger/Lvl.2 Stinger Dante stabs repeatedly with his sword as a follow-up to the initial Stinger stab. Works similar to 2H, and is similarly terrible, making most of the otherwise great combo options from either version of Stinger harder/worse for little benefit. By default, Dante performs 4 small hits followed by the larger final hit. Mashing can add up to 11 extra small hits. Sees extremely niche use after 2M canceled into stinger at max range, as volcano will whiff.

Special Moves

Bold Move
X+S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	-	-	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-	-
Dante hops forward, acting as a special Command Jump. He is airborne on frame 4, and on frame 16 he completes the jump animation and is able to attack/block. Even before factoring in Bold Cancel and Bold Block, Bold Move is a powerful pressure and mobility tool for Dante. He can cancel his normal attacks on hit, block, or whiff into Bold Move to quickly get airborne, then airdash towards the opponent to continue pressure, or airdash backwards to escape to safety. Bold Cancel: As with a normal jump, Bold Move has three "pre-jump" frames where Dante is not yet airborne. Also like a regular jump, these prejump frames can be canceled into special moves. This means that any attack which can be canceled into Bold Move can effectively be canceled into any grounded special at roughly the same window. Notably, Stinger (6H) is not special-cancelable, but it can be indirectly canceled into special moves by using Bold Move as a bridge. This is called a Bold Cancel. Common Bold Cancels to learn include: Cancel Stinger into Volcano 6H xx M+S~23M jc. j.5H This is a standard hit confirm against grounded opponents. Cancel Stinger into Air Trick (Teleport) 6H xx 2X+S~2S which when paired with an assist call can create a simple cross-up. Cancel Lvl.2 Stinger into Teleport 6H xx 2X+S~2S (same input as above), to pursue the Wall Bounce from midscreen. Cancel Stinger into Crystal (236M) or Drive (236S) 6H xx X+S~236M/236S which is plus on block. Bold Block: Dante can not block during the airborne frames of Bold Move before frame 16. However, he can block during the 3 pre-jump frames. This allows Dante to cancel many attacks into grounded blocking, in the same way that he can Bold Cancel into grounded specials. This is most commonly used when an opponent tries to whiff punish one of Dante's whiffed normals with a hyper. Buffer a Bold Move input during the super flash, and Dante will cancel into Bold Move once the flash ends, giving him a 3-frame window where he can attempt to block the attack. Note that this window is quite small, and thus may require manually adjusting the timing depending on the specific attack. For example, when trying to Bold Block Spencer's Bionic Lancer hyper at point-blank range, instantly bold jumping as the flash ends will work. But if Bionic Lancer is done from halfscreen distance, Dante needs to manually delay the Bold Jump slightly, or he will miss his block window and get hit out of the air. Video Example (from Vanilla MvC3 but still works the same way)

Multi-Lock
236L

Multi-Lock will flash every time an additional charge is built.

Dante fires a fully charged Multi-Lock.

At long last, the projectiles become active and attack.

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000 per shot	30+10	-	35
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-5	-6	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5 per shot
Dante pulls out his weird energy gun, Artemis. By holding down L, this attack can be further charged. While charging, Dante can move around and call assists, but can't block or otherwise defend himself without losing the charge. Every 40 frames of charging, Artemis will pulse, indicating that another projectile has been charged. When L is released, Dante will fire the gun, releasing a minimum of one shot if uncharged, up to five shots if fully charged. The shots hover in semi-random places in front of Dante for 60 frames, then become active, tracking the opponent anywhere on the screen. This is Dante's worst keepaway tool, and probably his worst move overall. It is extremely slow, with a bare minimum 100 frame gap between when the move is first input and when any active hitbox is created. During this time, Dante is extremely vulnerable, and if he is hit by any attack, all of the projectiles created by Multi-Lock instantly disappear harmlessly. If you do manage to protect Dante long enough to fire even a single one of these shots, your reward is a very average projectile with standard durability and damage, and no special properties. It is mostly notable as a means to access its follow-up move, Acid Rain, by canceling the startup to skip Multi-Lock entirely.

Acid Rain
236L > L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
30,000 x3 (rising) + 25,000 x5 (raining)	(5+)30	11	25
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid	, , Priority: Low, Durability: 5 per shot
Cancel Window: frames 5-24 of Multi-Lock Dante fires three bursts of energy from Artemis directly upwards. After 35 frames, the projectiles burst into smaller lasers, which rain back down towards the ground all around Dante. Although it is somewhat slow and does not have huge range, Acid Range is a solid defensive tool for Dante's keepaway game, and helps to discourage flight-based opponents from approaching Dante from above. Additionally, it is a great mixup tool by taking advantage of the rain's delayed hit. Activate Acid Rain as an oncoming opponent enters the stage, then teleport or dash behind the opponent for a simple left/right mixup. If Acid Rain hits on the way up - usually by superjump-canceling from Prop Shredder - it deals good damage and can be used as an extra optimization tool for corner damage. The rain can also hit OTG as it falls, but this is almost impossible to set up, and essentially useless when compared to Dante's multiple superior OTG options. Tron is a character that Acid Rain can self-OTG. Acid Rain has RNG. It is unclear how many variations of Acid Rain exist but RNG is certain. Acid Rain is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Crystal
236M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
35,000 x4	25	-	30
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+9	+8	Mid	, Priority: Low, Durability: 3 per shard
Dante strikes the ground with his nunchucks, causing 4 shards up ice to sprout up from the ground, stabbing the area in front of him. The shards remain active for 42 frames. It is a solid neutral tool, which covers a large area and has good frame advantage.

Million Carats
236M > M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
130,000	(5+)18	23	25
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-26	Mid	, , Priority: Medium, Durability: 5
Cancel Window: frames 5-21 of Crystal Dante punches the ground with his nunchucks, causing ice to erupt into the air all around him. This is a situational, but very useful move. It is a solid anti-air, a great OTG to use as an alternative to Volcano due to its high base damage, and its Medium Priority means it will protect Dante from almost any non-hyper projectile for the duration. If you have meter to spare, canceling Million Carats into Devil Trigger will negate its terrible frame advantage. Million Carats is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Hysteric
Missiles
236H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 per missile	30	15	36
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-14	-15	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 1 per missile
Dante stabs the ground with his rocket launcher, Kalina Ann. It then fires 8 small missiles, which spin around erratically while also generally tracking the opponent. Hysteric is fairly slow to start up, but is a nice keepaway option if you can find opportunities to get it off safely. Although the individual missiles have poor durability, the fact that they spread out and move semi-randomly makes it difficult to destroy them all with any one projectile move. Thus, Missiles are useful for counter-zoning characters like Doctor Doom. Even if Doom attempts to use his own beam attack to blow through the missiles, he will miss one or two and be counterhit by them.

Grapple
236H > H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
60,000	(15+)15	19(14)	26
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-37	Mid	, forward, Priority: Low, Durability: 5
Cancel Window: frames 15-27 of Hysteric Dante plants Kalina Ann, as if he was going to fire Hysteric Missiles, but instead shoots a grappling hook from the weapon. The grappling hook travels horizontally across the screen, taking 18 frames to travel to fullscreen distance. If it hits an opponent, they are placed into a Capture state where they are pulled to the air immediately in front of Dante. Dante can follow up Grapple with a 5S launcher to continue the combo. However, Grapple is more commonly used to end combos as a reset tool. If the opponent is not hit by any attack after being Grappled, they fall to the ground and are forced to tech roll forwards into Dante. Alternatively, Dante can tap the opponent with a 5L and bold cancel, forcing the opponent to Air Recover into a strike/airthrow mixup. Grapple is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Drive
236S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000 (sword swing) + 70,000 (projectile)	32 (sword swing) + 4 (projectile)	6	13
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+5	+4	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5
Dante scrapes his sword across the ground. This is a physical hit, and also creates a projectile that travels forward along the ground. Dante steps forward slightly while swinging. If Dante stands directly underneath an oncoming opponent and hits them meaty with Drive, it can ambiguously cross them up as they enter. This starts a full combo on hit, and is advantageous on block, so it creates a simple but effective mixup option. Both hits of Drive are subject to hitstun deterioration (HSD) but even at max HSD, it is possible to chain both hits.

Twister
623L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
15,000 x10	13	30	23
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+5	+4	Mid	, , Priority: Low, Beam Durability: 5 per frame for 10 frames.
Dante spins his twin elemental swords, Agni and Rudra, creating a tornado of fire which surrounds him. It is primarily useful for its fast OTG hit, allowing Dante to solo pick up from airthrows at certain heights. Twister is not subject to hitstun deterioration, however, Tempest is.

Tempest
623L > L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 x10	(15+)18	20	30
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-10	Mid	, Priority: Low, Beam Durability: 3 per frame for 10 frames.
Cancel Window: frames 15-54 of Twister Dante continues to spin his twin swords, causing the fire tornado created by Twister to become even larger. Dante is also airborne for most of this attack.

Volcano
623M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
100,000	15	10	41
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-22	-29	Mid	, , , (Medium Priority)
Dante strikes the ground with his gauntlets, Beowulf. This creates a small shockwave at the point of impact, which hits OTG. This is a critical combo tool for Dante, as its Jump Cancel property is useful for confirms early in a combo, and it is a very fast OTG, which can be taken advantage of with its Beehive follow-up attack. The shockwave also destroys Low and Medium priority projectiles on contact, but it is very niche.

Beehive
623M > M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
15,000 x8 + 50,000	(5+)3	50(19)4	15
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	+3	Mid, OH (Last Hit)	(last hit)
Cancel window: frames 5-16 of Volcano Dante kicks repeatedly with Beowulf, ending in a large axe kick which causes a Ground Bounce. Volcano > Beehive > Million Dollars is Dante's standard combo ender, but this move has limited use outside of combos. Take note of the cancel window, which is very early relative to the startup of Volcano. When trying to end a combo with OTG Volcano into Beehive, it is possible to cancel too early, preventing the OTG hit from occurring. Beehive is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Jam Session
623H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
14,000 x10	13	41	27
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
0	-9	Mid	, Priority: Low, Beam Durability: 3 per frame for 10 frames.
Dante slides forward, jamming on his guitar, which causes a pillar of lightning to shoot up into the air. Not as powerful as the assist version, due to a lack of ways to capitalize on the hitstun/blockstun. It can still sometimes be used as a check against opponents who try to flee to superjump height. In X-Factor level 2/3, this attack combos into itself in the corner. This gives Dante access to a slow, but easy, touch-of-death infinite he can use off most hits. Jam Sessions is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Reverb Shock
214L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 x5	8	10(1)4	27
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-9	Mid
Dante slides forward, jamming on his guitar. Creates a shockwave effect directly in front of him. It is very fast to start up, and so it can be thrown out at mid range to randomly get a quick hit against opponents who aren't blocking. Its negative frame advantage can be completely mitigated by canceling into Fireworks on hit, block or whiff. Can chain into: Fireworks, Crazy Dance Reverb Shock is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Revolver
214M

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
30,000 x5	18	37(3)3	20
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-1	Mid	, on last hit
Dante leaps into the air, twirling his nunchucks around himself. The final hit slams the opponent down for a Ground Bounce. This move is extremely niche, as both Killer Bee and Beehive can spend Ground Bounce while being much easier to combo into. Can chain into: Fireworks, Crazy Dance Revolver is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Jet Stream
214H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 + 30,000 x4 + 70,000	20	20	46
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-48	Mid	(last hit)
Dante charges forward with his twin swords, rushing across the entire screen. If the first hit is blocked, Dante will not perform any of the additional attacks at all, making this disastrously unsafe on block. At the peak of Dante's run, he is moving extremely quickly, comparable to very optimal plink dashes, so this move can sometimes be used while the opponent is at superjump height to quickly flee to the opposite end of the stage. Can chain into: Fireworks, Crazy Dance Jet Stream is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Fireworks
(During Reverb Shock, Revolver, or Jet Stream) > H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
10,000 x26	(20+)13	40	18
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+4	+2	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 5 per shot;
Cancel Window: Frames 20-21 of Reverb Shock Frames 58-59 of Revolver Frames 42-43 of Jet Stream Dante rapidly fires his shotgun, which creates bursting projectiles in the area in front of him. It has great advantage and so it is fairly safe to throw out after Reverb Shock or Jet Stream. Fireworks is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Crazy Dance
(During Reverb Shock, Revolver, or Jet Stream) > S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
20,000 x3 + 30,000 x2 + 20,000 x4 + 70,000	(22+)10	7	14
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Mid probably	, ,
Cancel Window: Frames 22-23 of Reverb Shock Frame 57 of Revolver Frames 45-46 of Jet Stream Has a very strict timing window, which lacks the forgiving buffer of Fireworks, and only works on hit. If successfully executed, Dante pulls himself and his opponent into an absurd animation where he beats them up, ending in a Soft Knockdown. This move is extremely difficult to effectively combo into, Dante does recover quick enough to be able to Devil Trigger and DHC out of crazy dance leading to the DHC glitch knockdown, it is also possible to snapback out of. Consequently, this move has few niche uses but can be useful to avoid assists like missiles since both Dante and the enemy are invulnerable to any assists during crazy dance. Crazy Dance is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Killer Bee
j.236L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	18	Until grounded	18
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	+1	Mid
Dante pauses in the air, then dives down at a shallow angle. On hit, it causes a Ground Bounce. It is faster than j.5S, and therefore often used in air combos in place of that move as it combos more easily. Because it brings both Dante and his opponent down to the ground, it provides a consistent air-to-air confirm route. Killer Bee is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

The Hammer
j.236L > L

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
90,000	(5+)19	3	Until grounded+5
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	+16	OH	Invuln frames 11-20,
Dante swings downwards with his gauntlets. Has fairly short range, but because it has some invincibility frames and a solid hitbox, it tends to beat other attacks very cleanly. Dante can cancel a (whiffed) j.5S into Hammer in order to fall very safely. On hit, it causes a Hard Knockdown regardless of whether the opponent was grounded or airborne. Dante can then pick up with an OTG 3HH or 623M to continue the combo. Avoid spamming this move to abuse its invul frames, the startup is slow enough for most characters to get jumping normals or get air grabs if it gets predictable. Attempt cancelling to Devil Trigger if the opponent chicken blocks since Dante loses the +16 frame advantage and is punishable. Hammer is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Air Play
j.236M (or [M])

Hold down M to charge the projectile.

Uncharged projectile

Fully charged projectile

Level 1 +	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	50,000	9+6	-	14
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	+3	+2	Mid	Priority: Low, Durability: 4
Level 2 + [ ] (25 frames)	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	35,000 x3	25+6	-	19
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	+27	-1	Mid	Priority: Low, Beam Durability: 3 per frame for 3 frames
H + [ ] (41 frames)	Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
	30,000 x5	41+6	-	23
	On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
	+25	-3	Mid	Priority: Low, Beam Durability: 3 per frame for 5 frames
Dante floats in the air, strumming his guitar. If the M button is held, Dante will continue to charge up the attack. When M is released, or when it has been fully charged, Dante will fire a ball of lightning at a down-forward angle. Air Play is charged in three distinct stages, with higher stages firing a larger projectile that deals more damage and has higher durability. Charged Air Play also causes a very long "stagger" hitstun animation if it hits a grounded opponent, although all versions of Air Play have good frame advantage except at point-blank range. Air Play is a very strong neutral and keepaway tool, as it is very fast and covers a useful angle. Because it is the only of Dante's air specials that doesn't cause him to fall to the ground, it is useful for stalling in the air, or for adjusting Dante's height during combos. The projectile travels slowly enough for Dante to throw out Air Play and then dash up behind it, covering his advance. Air Play Level 1 is subject to hitstun deterioration on both standing and airbourne opponents. Air Play Level 2 is not subject to hitstun deterioration on standing opponents but is on airbourne opponents. Air Play Level 3 is not subject to hitstun deterioration. On standing opponents it will cause the intended stagger and on airbourne opponents it provides increased hitstun into soft knockdown where it is possible to connect a move after. j.5M > (j.5H >) j.236M, j.236L is Dante's standard superjump height confirm, taking advantage of Air Play's strength at adjusting height.

Sky Dance
j.236H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
30,000 x2 + 15,000 per falling hit + 50,000	18	5(3)3(9)Until grounded + 5	16
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	+1	OH	(every hit except for the last one), (ending hit)
Dante initially floats in the air, then begins to fall straight down, swinging his twin swords all around himself. The number of hits depends on height. Sky Dance is interesting as a tool for optimizing combos due to its unique interaction with Ground Bounces. Most hits of Sky Dance cause a Ground Bounce, which is forced and thus circumvents the one-groundbounce-per-combo rule. However, if Sky Dance hits at the correct height, the opponent is juggled high enough that Dante can catch the opponent before the reach the ground and are bounced by its effect. This does not just circumvent the Ground Bounce limit, it resets the limit, allowing Dante to perform additional Ground Bounce attacks - such as Beehive - later in the combo. Dante can abuse this to perform several Ground Bounces in the same combo by going Beehive -> Stuff -> Sky Dance -> Beehive -> Stuff -> Skydance -> etc. You can see an example combo here. Sky Dance is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Air Trick
22S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	11	-	11
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-	Invuln frames 11-15
Dante teleports, disappearing from his current location and reappearing in the air immediately above and behind the opponent, wherever they are on screen. This is often used to pursue opponents who are knocked around by Dante's attacks, such as chasing after the Wall Bounce of Lvl.2 Stinger 6H xx 2X+S~2S, or to chase down the Launch from Prop Shredder in certain combos 5S (Prop Shredder) xx 228S. Because Dante can only teleport to one location, he does not necessarily have the mixup potential of characters who can teleport both in front of, and behind, and opponent. However, you can still catch opponents by calling an assist and ambiguously teleporting either before or after the assist hits. It also helps to whiff a normal and cancel into Air Trick, which masks the "teabag motion" that otherwise telegraphs Dante is attempting a teleport. If Dante teleports behind a cornered opponent, he will still appear behind them, and the opponent will be pushed slightly out of the corner to compensate.

Hyper Combos

Million Dollars
236XX

"Jackpot"

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
15,000 x27 ~ x54 + 50,000	10+1	137(58)1	35
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-14	Mid	Spinout into (second-to-last hit), mashable Priority: High, Durability: 1 per shot, 5 on final shot
Dante whips out both pistols and rapidly fires bullets directly forward. The last regular bullet juggles the opponent high into the air, and Dante uses the opportunity to charge up a large final shot, which hits for even more damage. Million Dollars is Dante's standard combo ender and - due to the enormous gap between the minimum damage scaling on his regular attacks and his hypers - is responsible for a large chunk of his damage output. It is also very fast, comparable to Dante's normals, and can be used to punish certain long-range attacks on block, or to snipe assist calls on reaction. However, this hyper is much more unsafe on block than the frame data suggests, as the gap between the last two shots provides a very large opportunity for the opponent to rush in and attack Dante. This hyper is excellent for DHCs in both directions. Because Million Dollars quickly reaches across the entire screen, the vast majority of the game's hypers can DHC into it for (almost) full damage, and so having Dante in the second slot is a good way to secure a kill. When DHCing into Million Dollars, try to time the DHC so that Dante kills the opponent with the final shot, if possible. This greatly increases the time that Dante has to set up an oncoming mixup afterwards, compared to killing the opponent early. In the other direction, the very large Spinout caused by the second-to-last shot provides some very unique opportunities. Many characters have hypers fast enough that they can be brought in and whiff their attack on purpose, recover, and still hit the opponent before they reach the ground to recover. Common hypers to make use of this include Frank West's "Survival Techniques", Spencer's "Bionic Maneuvers", and just about every Install hyper in the game. In a similar vein, Dante can cancel this hyper via X-Factor during the Spinout, teleport to the opponent with Air Trick (22S), and continue the combo himself. Million Dollars also has excellent THC synergy due to its long total duration. If a point character that has a fast THC hyper activates THC with Dante in the backline, the point character will recover and be free to act while the opponent is still trapped by Dante's gunfire, hit or block.

Devil Trigger
214XX (1 bar)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	4	-	4
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-	Invuln frames 3-4, 600 frame install hyper
Dante powers up into his Devil Trigger form for 600 frames (10 seconds), granting the following effects: Global 15% attack damage bonus, stacking with the damage bonus from X-Factor if both are active. Passively regenerates red health at a rate of roughly 200 health per frame (12,000 per second). This stacks with the health regen from X-Factor or from being tagged out (but not both). Dante gains access to a second aerial movement point, typically called a "Triple Jump". He can now Double Jump twice in the same jump, or Airdash twice in the same jump, or perform both a Double Jump and Airdash in the same jump. Dante gains access to three new moves detailed below - Air Raid (Flight), Thunder Bolt (an aerial beam attack), and Vortex (an air attack with a large amount of invincibility) Dante does not build meter for the duration. Because of Devil Trigger's extremely short startup and recovery, it is also useful as a general purpose cancel tool for Dante or his teammates. Dante can casually throw out attacks which are unsafe or have poor recovery, such as Killer Bee or Hysteric, then cancel the recovery into Devil Trigger to retain advantage. If Dante's teammates are on point, they can activate almost any level 1 hyper in the game and then DHC to Devil Trigger in order to safely tag out. Many characters have unsafe, but invincible, hypers which they can throw out at basically any time, and then DHC into Dante on block (or hit) to avoid punishment. Like most install hypers, Dante can tag out while Devil Trigger is active, which will prevent its duration from depleting and allow him to gain its benefits as an assist character. However, he cannot activate Devil Trigger while already transformed, so doing this means you lose access to Devil Trigger as a fast DHC option.

Devil Must Die
623XX (3 bars)

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
440,000	10+2	10	68
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-56	Mid	Invuln until frame 21,
Cinematic level 3 hyper. Dante stabs forward with his sword - similar to Stinger - but with large amounts of invincibility. On hit, he pulls the opponent into a cinematic where he stabs them repeatedly, dealing heavy unscaled damage. It can be used as a combo ender in most places that Million Dollars works, to guarantee a kill. It is also useful to throw out on reaction to an opponent's hyper, in order to blow through it with invincibility. The cinematic ends with the opponent in a Hard Knockdown a short distance away from Dante. With good timing, it is possible to catch the opponent with an OTG Cold Shower (3HH) or Volcano (623M) before they recover, either can be extended off of into full combos if the super was used early in the combo or as a reversal.

Devil Trigger Moves

Air Raid
Flight
214S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
-	11	-	0
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	-	, 170 frame flight mode
Standard flight mode, which Dante gains access to while in Devil Trigger. Dante floats in place in the air, and can perform airdashes or aerial specials an unlimited number of times, but cannot block or double-jump. Air Raid is fast enough that Dante would benefit from canceling most of his normals into it in terms of recovery, but this is rarely worth modifiying his non-DT blockstrings and combos, especially since he already has Bold Move.

Thunder Bolt
j.236S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
23,000 x8 (including the damage boost from DT)	10	25	6
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
+13	-1	Mid	, Priority: Low, Beam Durability: 1 per frame for 8 frames
Dante fires a beam of energy from his hand. It travels at the same angle as his regular Air Play (j.236M) special, and acts somewhat as an enhanced version of that move. Thunder Bolt is very fast and covers an annoying part of the screen. It also has the unique property of disabling the opponent's pushblock on contact. This move can not be pushblocked at all, so if Dante catches an opponent in one beam, he can continually fire more to deal significant chip damage and be generally annoying. Dante would normally be limited to only 3 Bolts per jump state, but by utilizing his Air Raid flight mode, he can fire many more than that. Thunder Bolt is also an OTG, and links into itself when hitting this way. A simple way for Anchor DT Dante to kill an opponent is to activate Air Raid over a knocked down opponent and rapidly shotgun them with Thunder Bolts. Thunder Bolt is not subject to hitstun deterioration.

Vortex
Psycho Crusher
j.623S

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
34,500 x5 (including the damage boost from DT)	14	20	8
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	+10	Mid	Invuln frames 10-38,
Dante spins while charging forward through the air. This attack is not invuln frame 1, but does have a massive amount of total invincibility through most of its duration. It is almost impossible for the opponent to contest and has quick recovery, allowing Dante to escape to the opposite side of the screen almost risk free. As with Thunder Bolt, this attack can not be pushblocked. It also has fixed hitstun duration making it so that the move fully hits everytime, however the spinning state the enemy recieves after the move ends is prone to hitstun deterioration.

Universal Mechanics

Ground Throw
6H, 4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Throw
Dante grabs the opponent with an animation similar to Weasel Shot, jumping back and shooting them to cause a Hard Knockdown. This throw is infamously difficult to combo from, making it much less threatening than most character's throws. It is technically possible for Dante to pick up after this throw, if Dante is cornered and performs a forward throw, the corner will prevent him from jumping back too far, and he can catch certain wider characters with dash-up Cold Shower (3HH). You can see an example here.

Air Throw
j.6H, j.4H

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
80,000	1	1	-
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-	Airthrow
Dante "grabs" the opponent by repeatedly hitting them with his sword, finishing by spiking them directly down into the ground. Similar to his ground throw, Dante's airthrow is notoriously difficult to combo off of, although he does actually have some useable options. If Dante throws an opponent low enough to the ground, he can land and immediately OTG with Volcano (623M) or Twister (623L) to pick up. If Dante has access to a helpful assist (only available off a normal jump throw, not a superjump), he can mash Rain Storm (j.5HHH) to OTG the opponent while calling an assist, then cancel into Killer Bee (j.236L) as the assist hits.

Snap Back
+/

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
50,000	2	4	22
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-4	Mid	Snapback
Animation and hitbox based on 5H.

Hard Tag
Hold 14f /

Damage	Startup	Active	Recovery
30,000	-	21	34
On Hit	On Block	Guard	Properties
-	-17	OH
-

Team Position

Dante is at his best as a support character, either Mid or Anchor. He is, in rare cases, played as a point character and while this can work it is not utilizing his greatest strengths. He is inarguably among the three best support characters providing damage, a fantastic assist, safe DHCs, THC Extensions, TAC Infinites, and overall flexibility to a team.

Whether a team runs Dante Mid or Anchor will depend primarily on the point character and secondarily on the other character. For many point characters Dante Mid can act as a damage engine via his THC Super, Million Dollars, which holds opponents in place for a long time while doing tons of damage enabling very efficient kills. Even without the THC his DHC Super is among the highest damage in the game and he has access to TAC Infinites. Additionally, the other character on the team may not benefit as much from Dante as he does from them, in this case Dante second is often a better option.

In some cases, like when a point character doesn't need or can't use Dante to kill he is run anchor. His assist Jam Session is one of the best in the game and it's often smart to keep it as an option as long as possible by placing him anchor especially when both other characters use it well. As an anchor he has strong options on incoming due to having an airdash and a air jump and can kill an entire team with XF3 and good routing. He does however sometimes struggle to mount a comeback as outside of XF his solo options for offense are lackluster.

Notable Shells

Dante is difficult to select only a few example shells for. He is arguably the second best support character in the game and as such he goes well with the vast majority of the characters in the game. As such this section will primarily focus on other support characters he pairs particularly well with and a selection of two-way synergy, unblockable enabling, and point character pairings.

The DMC Brothers may be rivals in their own series but in UMvC3 they go together so well they form the (in)famous "May Cry" shell. Besides being two of the best support characters in their own right these two form an ideal team with any point character that doesn't need a fast horizontal assist to function. For Vergil Dante provides an assist to cover the air where Vergil's options are not as threatening while also being easy to convert. Jam Session is also a great assist for enabling Vergil to convert off stray hits like throws and Helm Breaker.

For Dante Vergil's Rapid Slash assist is another layer to his keep away game while also providing easy, high damage extensions. Vergil is also very functional as a damage engine for Dante enabling easier Dante routing to kill with Vergil's Sword Loops.

The two together provide damage, horizontal and vertical neutral assists, top tier DHCs, flexibility in team order, and much more to a team. In addition to being supports Vergil point on with Dante behind him is also a strong option.

Replay Theater Footage

Players to Watch

Name	Team	Region	Status	Notes	Matches
Evasion		???	Active	One of the strongest players in the world. Most matches will end with a clean sweep from his extremely optimized and threatening Zero. When that doesn't occur he will display mastery of the brothers as he seamlessly flows between them.	Evo 2023 vs KaneBlueRiver ECT 2023 vs RayRay
KBrad		???	Semi-Active	A multi-game competitor K-Brad is a real threat in this game an several others. He plays the full DMC team showing off what Vergil has to offer as damage engine and what the brothers can bring to a team even supporting characters that aren't top tier.	Texas Showdown 2023 vs Prophete

Players to Watch

Players to Watch

Players to Watch

Players to Watch

Players to Watch

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