The real life of... Dante Sparda
Our sensational (and monthly) look at a PlayStation icon

JARED LETTO ENTERED the world kicking, screaming and devil-punching his way past anyone stupid enough to try to sever the umbilical cord. Precocious, and with a head of freakishly white hair, Letto was often mistaken for another kid in his town, Jared Leto, who he also bared an uncanny resemblance to (something his father maintains is purely coincidence). Both had dreams of starring in Hollywood movies, and although Leto ultimately beat him to that goal, Letto finally got the chance to prove his abilities when he bagged the lead role as Dante Sparda in Capcom’s seminal Devil May Cry.

Assuming the role was easy, mainly because there was little for him to do: he looked exactly like the image Capcom artists had envisioned, which included that stupid hair. He was prone to spout lines equally as asinine as the character, and his pants were always two sizes too small (Capcom maintains his hiring had little to do with his uncanny resemblance to Jared Leto, or because he harboured desires towards his mother just as questionable as Dante’s). One might say Letto was born for the part – something reflected by him immediately changing both his name and his lifestyle to reflect the rock-‘n’-roll-loving demon slayer.

Released in 2001, Devil May Cry was a critical and commercial success, selling well over 4 million copies to date. World-renowned Play Magazine was so enamoured by Devil May Cry, it awarded the game 93% and regarded it as “Even better than your mum!” And with such a popular and promising franchise on its hands, Capcom was quick to spearhead a sequel. That game was Devil May Cry 2. And it was rubbish. Rushed into development to ride the first game’s massive wave of success, Devil May Cry 2 was shorter and far less in-depth. What followed was a ton of less-than-stellar reviews. Although this reflected badly on Capcom, no one took the hit worse than Dante.

From day one he was against a sequel, constantly making his feelings on the paper-thin story (that was written on paper-thin toilet paper by a Capcom executive during toilet break) well known. As such, the same executive saw fit to crowbar Lucia, a new character, into the story. As punishment for his further indignations, Dante’s dialogue was cut to a bare minimum – something many actually consider a good thing. Despite the horrible reviews, the game was successful. Dante saw the vitriol as perfect opportunity to turn the franchise around, and thus, Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening was the product.

“Devil May Cry 3 returns the franchise to the top of its game, proving, once again, that it’s still even better than your mum!” asserted Play magazine. Capcom couldn’t have been happier, and neither could Dante. He was back. And with talk of a special edition in the pipeline, as well as initial planning on the fourth, and mostly Jared Leto’s decision to leave films and concentrate on a music career, Dante couldn’t have been happier. He still fancies his mum.