Dante Shepard

Dante Shepard is the protagonist of the Devil's in the Details series. He is the Grandson of the Dark Knight Sparta, son of Joan and Raphael Shepard, and brother of Vergil Shepard. He runs the Demon Hunting business Demons Never Die. Dante is currently in his 50 but is only 5 in Demon Years. He was raised and mentored by Father Okamura and is close friends with Keith Iragori and Layla Kek.

## Biography

On the surface, Dante comes off as a very lazy and slobbish person. He leaves his garbage lying around as well as his clothes and weapons but deep down he is a very caring person. He will take any job if he feels it is for a good cause and will go out of his way to help someone in need.

He is very respectful to people when he feels its necessary. He will bow to a god whether it be Odin or the Jade Emperor and will not turn down food or tea even if he doesn't like it. He believes that being nice to people is the right thing to do and you shouldn't be an ass to someone for no go reason.

Dante does not believe in judging people or demons as evil just because he's told they are and will always give people a chance to explain themselves before a fight. His stance on beliefs and religion is, "If it doesn't hurt people then it's alright by me."

Dante is a long time fan of the show Devil's Cry and has many action figures from the show. He also has an extensive comic book collection which he is very proud of.  His favourite drink is a Blue Hawaii

## History

Dante grew up in a Demon Breed Church in England and was raised by Father Okamura who taught him everything he knows about martial arts and magic. He often enjoyed sparring with the fellow Demon Breeds growing up and had a fairly average childhood.

In public school, there was a group of three bullies that bullied everyone including Dante. He paid no attention to them and remembered what Father Okamura often said, "Demons never die no matter how hard we try. Fighting simply to destroy will lead to nothing but pain and suffering. It is only when you use it to help people that it is worthwhile."

He put up with them until one day in grade 6 when he was walking home from school when he saw the three of them beating up a kid after taking his money. The kid was already bleeding from his nose and was missing a few teeth but they wouldn't stop beating on him. Dante stepped in hoping to convince them to stop to no avail. The kid managed to escape which greatly angered the bullies who proceeded to beat him with no effect. They then started wailing on him with a variety of items scattered around the alley. After minutes of being beaten with garbage, wooden boards and a rusted pipe Dante felt his anger overwhelm him and at that moment he unconsciously activated his full Demon Trigger for the first time. As the one with the rusted pipe swung at him he punched him in the stomach with enough force that it collapsed the bullies stomach, another one charged at him which he pushed into the wall shattering his spine on impact. He then grabbed the lead bully by the throat and attempted to choke him to death. He had already shattered the kid's collarbone when he regained control of himself and stopped.

Realising what he had done he rushed to the nearest payphone and called an ambulance. As he stepped out of the pay phone he saw a woman chasing after a man who had just stolen her purse. He put out his foot and tripped the man. He gave the purse to the woman who thanked him and gave him some candy. It was at that moment that Dante truly understood father Okamura's words

After high school, Dante decided to become a Demon Hunter in order to help people and received his Hunter's Licence from Van Helsing Memorial College.

## Attributes

### Demon Breed

All Demon Breed's have enhanced strength, speed, reflexes and stamina as well as a healing factor. Their bodies are able to recover from any injury as long as their body has enough energy which is replenished from eating food. Demon Breed's also have enhanced senses which allow them to hear, see, smell and feel much clearer and sharper than ordinary humans.

Demons and Demon Breeds become stronger by acquiring Demon Blood. When a Demon is killed their blood automatically clings to whatever creature that killed them as a way to track their enemies but also a sign of rank. This blood can allow Demons to acquire new abilities and enhance themselves further.

### Demon Trigger

Demon Trigger is an ability that allows Demon Breed's to further enhance their abilities to two times their base power. The increased power causes demon breeds to become more aggressive and reckless to the point where they may unintentionally hurt others or cause unnecessary damage.

### Son of Sparta

Descendants of Sparta are born with greater reflexes than normal demons or angels which allows them to dodge attacks much easier. Being a son of Sparta provides them with greater magic abilities as well as great potential

### Nephilim Blood/ Nephilim Spirit

The blood/spirit of a Nephilim is much more powerful than normal beings and because of this can supercharge beings that gain their power from blood or spirit energy like Succubi or Vampires respectively. The blood and spirit can also overcharge a creature causing its power to spiral out of control and destroy itself. This power is especially effective against weaker beings like zombies who aren't durable enough to withstand the power increase. Nephilim are also immune to any disease given that their blood is a mixture of two opposing forces which tear apart any foreign pathogen.

### Demonic Magic

Dante's magic is linked to his demonic side and grows in power alongside his demonic abilities. Dante is well trained in fire magic which is his preferred type of magic. He is also skilled in a variety of charms as well as using magic to control his sword remotely

### Champion of Death

As a way to sweeten Death's bet with the Fool, it used its power to manifest Dante's hidden violent personality as its champion. In this form, Dante becomes a shadowy monster with razor sharp claws and teeth, that is able to move through shadows. Though much more violent he still retains his strong moral core.

### Demonic Summon

    After visiting the island home of the Order of the Flaming Star Dante befriended a low-class demon which joined Dante. Dante is able to call on him to provide support in battle, the demon appears as a doppelganger of Dante and will mimic many of his attacks while occasionally using some of its own.

## Weapons

### Uprising

Uprising is a double edge sword that belonged to the Dark Knight Sparta and has been passed down through the generations. It was forged in Inferno from the strongest metals and is capable of slaying everything even ghosts or the undead.

The sword has a tremendous amount of power sealed within it which is unlocked the stronger Dante becomes.

### Lucifer and Gabriel

Lucifer and Gabriel are a pair of twin pistols that belonged to Dante's mother. Gabriel is infused with a feather from the Archangel Gabriel. Because of this, it fires holy bullets which cause extra damage to demons and burns them while inside.

Lucifer is infused with a horn piece from Lucifer. When one of the gun's bullets enter someone's body the bullet will slowly begin to deteriorate their health while causing all sorts of side effects like blindness, bleeding, burning, freezing, necrosis, rapid ageing, bone decay etc. getting more severe the longer the bullet is in for

## Attacks

### Fireball

A basic fire magic attack where the user channels energy into a sphere and ignites it and fires it at an enemy. Though very common it is very useful in a fight given its ease of mastery and little cost on the user's energy.

### Fire Blast

Dante creates a fireball and then launches it at the ground causing a ring of fire to erupt around him damaging any enemy around him.

### Chili Peppers

Dante focuses his fire magic into the tips of his fingers and shoots small bursts of fire. It is especially useful against enemies unaware of magic or when Dante is unarmed.

### Uprising Strike

An attack he obtained from his grandfather after passing his test. Dante is able to fire a wave of energy horizontally or vertically which can cut through most enemies with ease. It is very hard to aim and can be easily dodged by fast-moving enemies.

## Summons

### Army of Cannibals

An army of cannibals in hell who join House Dante during his time in the Underworld. When summoned they rise from holes in the ground and act like zombies. Initially summons them using the dance from Thriller.

## Fighting Style

Dante's fighting style relies on aggressively pressuring the opponent and overpowering them with a flurry of slashes and gun-shots. When disarmed Dante will use fire magic to enhance his strikes though he will use it while still armed if he needs to clear an area or the situation requires more firepower. He will often throw his sword at an opponent in order to disorientate his opponent and provide him some time to get in on an opponent.