View source for Griffon (Familiar)

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{{Youmay|the character in [[Devil May Cry 5]]|[[Griffon|the one]] in [[Devil May Cry]]}}
{{InfoCharacter
|name               = Griffon
|image              = V Familiar Griffon DMC5 Artbook Render.jpg
|caption            = 
|title1             = 
|alias1             = 
|katakana           = グリフォン(使い魔)
|romaji             = Gurifon (tsukaima)
|japname            = 
|affiliation1       = 
|former aff1        = [[V]] <sup>(Returned as [[Vergil]])</sup>
|occupation1        = 
|former occ1        = Familiar
|rank               = 
|species            = [[Demon]]
|status             = Deceased
|fam1               = [[V]] <sup>(Master)</sup>
|fam2               = {{C|Shadow|Familiar}} <sup>(Co-familiar; Deceased)</sup>
|fam3               = {{C|Nightmare|Familiar}} <sup>(Co-familiar; Deceased)</sup>
|significant others = 
|game1              = [[Devil May Cry 5: Before the Nightmare]]
|game2              = [[Devil May Cry 5: Visions of V]]
|game3              = [[Devil May Cry 5]]
|actor1             = [[Brad Venable]] <sup>(English)</sup>
|actor2             = [[Tomoyuki Shimura]] <sup>(Japanese)</sup>
|model1             = 
|mocap1             = [[Daniel Southworth]]<ref>[https://twitter.com/dan_southworth/status/1110966454197714944 @dan_southworth on Twitter]</ref>
|music1             = Grilled Tanoori Smoke
}}
{{QEpigraph|Okay Shakespeare. Just remember this: You and I like to exist. So get rid of those demons quick, 'cause killing them ain't my shtick! I got your back, 'cause dyin' is whack!|Griffon to [[V]] as they confront a group of demons and ready for battle|Devil May Cry 5}}
'''Griffon''' is one of [[V]]'s familiars. It is a manifestation of [[Nelo Angelo]]'s memories of the original [[Griffon]].

==Description==
Griffon is an avian demon roughly the size of a hawk with a dark blue plumage. His eyes have three golden pupils each, and his beak is unique in that it is several beaks in a mandible configuration. He specializes in ranged attacks, though he is also capable of close-range moves. [[V]] can use Griffon to double jump, or glide with him, though the gliding only last for a few seconds before V starts falling again.

==Personality==
[[File:GriffonTeasingV.jpg|thumb|180px|left|Griffon teasing V.]]
Griffon is an extremely talkative, foul-mouthed, and wisecracking bird who constantly insults other characters or makes digs at their expense. However, Griffon is also thoughtful, often questioning and acting as a voice of reason to the stubborn V about their course of action. Despite his obtuse attitude, Griffon has a kind side and greatly cares about his comrades, especially towards V. While not above playfully teasing V and playing pranks on him, Griffon constantly worries about V's health throughout the game and usually tries to talk him out of fighting when he doesn't have to.

Knowing he embodied Vergil's worse memories, Griffon doesn't begrudge [[Vergil]] for discarding him and understands why he did so. Though loyal to both V and Vergil, all three familiars recognize their continued existence will only bring him pain, so once they have outlived their usefulness, they intercepted and attacked [[Dante]], forcing him to kill them.

==Story==
===''[[Devil May Cry 5: Visions of V]]''===
{{Section-stub}}
[[File:DMC5 VoV Griffon & V Meeting.jpg|left|thumb|Griffon and V meeting]]
Griffon was 'born' alongside three other Familiars when Vergil impaled himself with the [[Yamato]] in an attempt to cast off the nightmares from his time as Nelo Angelo and the human flesh he felt was holding back his demonic power. When Vergil's two halves were split apart into the human half of [[V]], and the demonic half [[Urizen]], it was Griffon who saved V from Urizen by dragging him out of Sparda's mansion and dropping him into a pile of garbage, all the while mocking V and his lack of gratitude for the rescue. Griffon then proposed that they form a contract as thanks for saving V's life.

Griffon helps V steal some clothes from a punk by knocking the human out, still mocking V for his lack of gratitude and demanding he agree to Griffon's contract. A flashback reveals Griffon explaining the details of said contract, when V snatches his beak closed and demands to know what Griffon is and why he saved him. Griffon explains to V that he is one of Vergil's discarded memories, specifically one of his nightmares that Vergil decided to cast off along with his humanity.

Griffon expresses no real care for being discarded, explaining that no one wants to see nightmares, but also explains that "Dreams are only dreams when there's someone seeing them" and reveals he will disappear soon without a host body to survive in. Griffon also reveals to V that he doesn't have any other options of his own, as his own body is too weak and could disappear at any moment and the only way to avoid such a fate is to return to his [[Urizen|original body]], which is impossible at this time, since V lacks any real power and has no way to defeat his demonic half.

Griffon stresses that there is no other option for them and tells V that unless they work together, they will both die. Griffon is angered by V's flippant attitude towards him but eagerly complies when the human challenges him to kill the [[Empusa]] that suddenly spawns behind them, which Griffon seemingly does with a single blast of lightning. Griffon explains to V that because Urizen has the Yamato, the [[Red Grave City|city]] they're in will soon be overrun with demons and V decides to reluctantly agree with the demon bird that they should join forces.
[[File:VoV - Chapter 4 - Griffon Ooze.png|thumb|Griffon dissolving into a puddle]]
Before the two can seal their contract, the Empusa recovers and attacks the two, the Griffon carrying V out of the way while venting his frustration as he again strikes the demonic bug with lightning to no avail. Griffon collapses from using up all his remaining power, forcing him and V to take cover in an antique shop. Before they can hide, the Empusa bursts in after them, and Griffon uses the last of his strength to blast it again, giving V enough time to find a [[V's Cane|cane]] to use to finish the demon off.

As V collapses on an arm chair in exhaustion and confusion over the cane's ability to kill demons, Griffon explains that it was V himself who killed the demon, and realizes that because of his nature as a 'nightmare', Griffon has no real 'substance', explaining that even the worst nightmare can't kill anyone and that it will be up to V to deal the finishing blow. Griffon begins to melt away completely into a black liquid, explaining he is dying for real now and tells V he has to decide now. V agrees to work with Griffon and the two seal their contract, with Griffon's demonic essence tattooing itself over V's body, saving Griffon's life, who readily declares that they are now in this together.

Griffon snaps V out of a painful flashback of Vergil's torture at [[Mundus]]'s hands as he leads him towards another demon like himself, telling V it would mean more comrades and power for himself to keep him alive, explaining he felt at least three other of Vergil's discarded memories fly away, all the while warning V that they're still demons who may not want to die but won't just roll over and submit when they are attacked by [[Shadow (Familiar)|Shadow]] disguised as a human, who absconds with V's cane, with Griffon happy to see the feline demon and explaining that it stole the cane believing it could return him to the Demon World.

The two follow after Shadow and find the demon weakened in its core form, surrounded by bugs, as the monstrous [[Phantom (Nightmare)|Phantom]] familiar looms over them, musing over how to eat them, with Griffon expressing his disdain for the giant spider demon. After Griffon explains that a nightmare will die if its core is destroyed, he and V attempt to convince the Phantom to seal a contract with V to stop himself from dying, but Phantom mockingly refuses to submit to a 'weakling' and attacks them. As Griffon and V hide from Phantom, Shadow recovers and attacks V despite Griffon's efforts to talk him down, though V successfully sways Shadow to their side and the human and demon cat work together to finish Phantom off.

Though Griffon is disappointed that they had to kill Phantom, he doesn't consider the situation a total loss and chortles as he watches Shadow lick V happily, declaring the 'kitty' likes him.

===''[[Devil May Cry 5: Before the Nightmare]]''===
{{Section-stub}}

=== ''[[Devil May Cry 5]]''===
[[File:DMC5 Griffon Speaking With Nero.jpg|thumb|180px|Griffon speaking to Nero.]]
Griffon is V's only familiar that can speak and appears the most frequently alongside V throughout his story in the main game. Griffon accompanied V through the [[Qliphoth]] as they held back the Empusa demons to allow [[Nero]] to get to [[Dante]] and [[Urizen]] in a vain effort to slay the new Demon King. When Nero was defeated, Griffon panicked, believing it to be all over and Urizen triumphant when Dante recovered and bought time for the three to escape.

[[File:Griffon Mocking Nico.jpg|thumb|180px|left|Griffon mocks Nico.]]

A month later, Griffon aids V and fellow familiar Shadow in slaying [[Goliath]] after the colossal demon lost his battle against Nero, and accompanied the two with [[Nico]] in Nero's van. Griffon mocked Nico for declaring herself an artist but backed off when she threatened to cook him and joined V when he and Nero split up to cover more ground. During V's hunt for the [[Sparda (Devil Arm)|Devil Sword Sparda]], Griffon frequently commented on the various powerful demons they encountered, mocking [[Nidhogg]] as nothing but a parasite and later warning V to steer clear of the demonic witch/bird hybrid [[Malphas]].

[[File:V&GriffonFindsDante.png|thumb|180px|V and Griffon finds Dante.]]

As their hunt for the Sparda continued, Griffon discovers a group of [[Nobody|Nobodies]] dancing and leads V to their location, asking V along the way if he was thinking of his [[Eva|mommy dearest]] and even pulling a prank on him after he called Nico by swiping his cane and flying around with it. When V arrived at the Sparda's location and slew the Nobodies 'worshiping' the sword, V discovered the sword was 'too much' for him, with Griffon agreeing that V had heart but was a 'sissy' in the strength department when Shadow draws their attention to Dante's comatose body.

As Griffon expresses his disbelief and jubilant glee over Dante's survival and luck, the bird demon begins panicking as V drags the Sparda over to Dante's prone body and threatens to kill the unconscious devil hunter with his father's own blade, though this was simply a ploy to awaken Dante from his coma, which succeeds. Griffon urges Dante as the hunter stretches out his sore arms to get a move on while revealing Nero is gunning for Urizen, only to get snatched by the neck and tossed aside for his efforts.

[[File:DMC5 Griffon Carry Nero.jpg|thumb|180px|left|Griffon carries Nero to safety.]]

Griffon catches up with Dante when he arrives at his ruined home and witnesses Dante impale himself with the broken hilt of his [[Rebellion]], watching in awe as Dante absorbs it and the Sparda to unlock his true power, his [[Sin Devil Trigger]] before confronting Urizen. Griffon absconds the scene with Nero's unconscious body, all the while cheering for Dante to win against the Demon King.

As a dying V ventures further into the Qliphoth while being carried by Griffon, the bird familiar himself lost his strength and drops V to the ground, later desperately pleading with him to rest before V found himself caught in a trap set by Malphas, who ripped the three familiars from his body and placed all of them in a pocket dimension. The dimension healed V enough for him to regain the strength needed to reclaim his familiars and escape, arriving at Malphas personal lair, with Griffon reminding V that they lack the power to defeat her.

After Nero saves V from Malphas and brings the dying V to Urizen and Dante, where V and Urizen re-merge into [[Vergil]], Griffon waits for Dante near the top of the Qliphoth alongside Shadow and [[Nightmare (Familiar)|Nightmare]], where he reveals their true nature as Vergil's discarded thoughts from his time as Nelo Angelo and declared they would kill Dante before he reached Vergil, with Griffon being the first to fight the legendary hunter solo before retreating and later joining Shadow in to battle Dante again, and facing him for the third and final time alongside Shadow and Nightmare, where all three were defeated and left dying.

[[File:DMC5 Griffon Dying.jpg|thumb|200px|Griffon dying.]]
Griffon reveals to Dante that they knew they couldn't defeat him but wanted to die to free Vergil from his nightmares as Nelo Angelo by not returning to his body and restoring his memories from his time as Mundus' slave. Griffon warns Dante that if he struggled against them, he was not ready to face Vergil, before bidding the hunter a genuine farewell and dying alongside Shadow and Nightmare.

==File==
;''Devil May Cry 5'' promo site<ref>[http://www.devilmaycry5.com/us/character/v.html CAPCOM: ''Devil May Cry 5'' Official Site, Character - V]</ref>
:'''The Familiars''' 
:'''Shadow & Griffon'''
: ''V's combat potential is practically nonexistent, so he relies on these demons to lay waste to his foes—Shadow for close combat, and Griffon for ranged attacks. Once these two lay on enough pain, it's up to V to put his enemies to rest with his trusty cane.''

:'''Griffon'''
:''The avian monstrosity can always be found somewhere around V, usually flapping its beak with some inappropriate jab. Griffon brings the thunder with electrified long-range attacks, or can give V a lift if close by.'' 

;Nico's Character Report - Griffon
:''One of the demons V has at his beck and call.'' 

:''Apparently this chatty bird-thing specializes in shock and awe— it hits everything with lightning strikes.'' 

:''Now, my demonology texts show some references to a demon just like this one, but it was defeated by Dante years ago.''

:''Just a coincidence, I guess... I sure as heck can't find out anything more about this pecker.''

== Movesets==
{| class="wikitable" width="100%"
|- bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
!Action
!Command
!Description
!Preview
|-
|'''{{a|Bullet}}'''||Press {{button|x|xbone}}||Shoot balls of lighting from Griffon's maw||[[File:Griffon_Bolt.gif|thumb|right|150px]]
|-
|'''Blockade''' ||Hold and release {{button|x|xbone}}|| Use Griffon's power to launch a pillar of lightning at foes.
|-
|'''Blockade 2'''||Hold {{button|x|xbone}} longer, then release||{{Orb|Red|5}}2500<br />Power up Blockade to summon three pillars of lightning at once.||[[File:Griffon_Waves.gif|thumb|right|150px]]
|-
|'''Blockade 3'''||Hold {{button|x|xbone}} as long as possible, then release||{{Orb|Red|5}}15000<br />The strongest version of Blockade, calling five pillars of lightning onto the battlefield.
|-
|'''Flank Attack'''||Press {{button|rb|xbone}} + LS forward+{{button|x|xbone}}||{{Orb|Red|5}}7500<br />Griffon charges at enemies, launching them into the air.||
[[File:Griffon_Flank_Attack.gif|thumb|right|150px]]
|-
|'''Double Check'''||Press {{button|rb|xbone}} + LS back to forward + {{button|x|xbone}}||{{Orb|Red|5}}5000<br />Use Griffon's power to fire an electric shock that slams into enemies.
|-
|'''Double Check 2'''||Press {{button|rb|xbone}} + LS back to forward + Hold and release {{button|x|xbone}}||{{Orb|Red|5}}12000<br />Power up Double Check to shoot two electric shocks in a row.||[[File:Griffon_Double_Check.gif|thumb|right|150px]]
|-
|'''Double Check 3'''||Press {{button|rb|xbone}} + LS back to forward + Hold {{button|x|xbone}} longer, then release {{button|x|xbone}}||{{Orb|Red|5}}40000<br />The strongest version of Double Check, firing three electric shocks in a row.
|-
|'''Round Robin'''||Press {{button|rb|xbone}} + LS back + {{button|x|xbone}}||Move Griffon near V and unleash electric shocks across the area.||[[File:Griffon_Carousel.gif|thumb|right|150px]]
|-
|'''Round Robin 2'''||Press {{button|rb|xbone}} + LS back+ Hold and release {{button|x|xbone}}||{{Orb|Red|5}}2500<br />This Round Robin upgrade rains even more electric strikes on foes in the area.
|-
| '''Round Robin 3'''|| Press {{button|rb|xbone}} + back+ Hold {{button|x|xbone}} longer, then release||{{Orb|Red|5}}15000<br />The strongest version of Round Robin, pouring on even more electric strikes.
|-
|'''Griffon Vigor'''|| Passive ability||{{Orb|Red|5}}20000<br />Increase Griffon's defense, allowing him to take more hits before getting stalemated.
|-
|'''Griffon Vigor 2''' ||Passive ability||{{Orb|Red|5}}45000<br />Increase Griffon's defense even further.
|-
|'''Griffon Vim'''|| Passive ability||{{Orb|Red|5}}8500<br />Reduce the time needed for Griffon to recover after getting stalemated.
|}

== Strategy ==
{{main|Devil May Cry 5 walkthrough/M18|l1 = Mission 18: Awakening}}

==Appearances in Other Media ==
===''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2]]''===
Griffon is one of V's Passive skills, when a member of V's party deals damage with a Regular Attack, Griffon will inflict Almighty (Mag) damage 4 times on random enemies. Griffon's animations are taken from ''Devil May Cry 5'', and when he attacks, he always says his voice line "All right it's my turn now!".

===''[[TEPPEN]]''===
Griffon makes an appearance in ''TEPPEN'' with its "The Devils Awaken" card pack.

==Trivia==
[[File:DMC5 Griffon Perching.png|thumb|180px|Griffon perching on V's arm.]]
*If you hold the Shoot button outside of a fight and while Griffon is not yet summoned, he will perch on V's arm until the button is released. He even has a couple of idle animations in this state, preening himself or ruffling his wings.
*Griffon's theme ([[Devil May Cry 5 Original Soundtrack|Grilled Tandoori Smoke]]) when Dante fights him in Mission 18 is a remix of Griffon's theme ([[Devil May Cry Original Soundtrack|FLOCK OFF!]]) in ''[[Devil May Cry]]''.

<spotify uri="spotify:track:6iWnThHwv0PFiQaH2XPNj6" height="80" width="300" />
<spotify uri="spotify:track:65dovao84z0ZYBiqxDEJ3A" height="80" width="300" />

==See also==
* [[Griffon]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DMC5}}

[[ru:Грифон (фамильяр)]]
[[Category:Devil May Cry 5: Before the Nightmare]]
[[Category:Devil May Cry 5: Before the Nightmare characters]]
[[Category:Devil May Cry 5]]
[[Category:Devil May Cry 5 characters]]
[[Category:Devil May Cry 5 Bosses]]
[[Category:Devil May Cry 5 weapons]]
[[Category:Demons]]
[[Category:Deceased]]