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The Marionette is the most common lesser demon in Devil May Cry. Marionettes were once puppets created to resemble the occupants of the castle, but have been possessed by evil spirits that serve Mundus.

Description[]

The Marionette is a lumbering wooden puppet dressed in medieval-style clothing, somewhat bigger than Dante and with oversized arms almost as long as it is tall. Puppet strings are visible above it as it moves. Marionettes are dressed in either green, blue, purple or red, with the red puppet referred to as a "Bloody Mari" and having its own enemy file.

They have the ability to manifest weapons in their hands: either two crescent-shaped blades, two throwing daggers resembling fictional depictions of Japanese kunai, or a shotgun similar to the one Dante can acquire. Those with blades are able to throw them, and can create an infinite supply of these weapons.

A more powerful version said to not be created by human hands, the Fetish, also exists.

Behavior[]

Marionettes usually hang from the ceiling by their strings until approached, whereupon they will drop to the ground and attack. They may also be encountered sprawled on the ground. The attacks for Marionettes differ, depending on their armament. Their equipment is often randomized. Marionettes should not be underestimated: while slow and ungainly, their size means they have a lot of reach and they will often attack from multiple angles at once.

File[]

The Marionette and Bloody Mari have their own enemy files: they are largely the same, but must be unlocked separately.

They are low-class evil spirits that borrow the bodies of puppets in order to exist in a physical state. (Encounter enemy)
Sometimes they use guns to attack. They have a habit of twirling their wrists before firing, which make spinning sounds. (Have a shotgun-equipped Marionette fire its gun)
The daggers they throw travel in a straight line. If you can see the enemy preparing to attack, you should be able to avoid being hit. (Have a dagger-equipped Marionette throw its daggers)
They will also throw crescent-shaped blades that curve round obstacles to attack you. Keep a sharp eye and watch their movements. (Have a crescent blade Marionette throw its blades)
If they catch you, they will not let go easily and will try to slash and gash at your neck. Wiggle the Left Analog Stick to shake them off. (Get hit by a Marionette's grapple attack. Devil Trigger must be off)
They will make a screeching evil war cry to immobilize those near them. If you become immobilized, quickly move the Left Analog Stick back and forth to free yourself. (Get caught by a Marionette's stun attack. Devil Trigger must be off)
Since they exist as physical entities, they can be destroyed by physical means. Use guns, swords and other ways to scatter them to oblivion! (Defeat a Marionette)

They are low-class evil spirits that borrow the bodies of puppets in order to exist in a physical state. Their red outfit dyed with human blood somehow increases their evil powers. (Encounter enemy)
Sometimes they use guns to attack. They have a habit of twirling their wrists before firing, which make spinning sounds. (Have a shotgun-equipped Bloody Mari fire its gun)
The daggers they throw travel in a straight line. If you can see the enemy preparing to attack, you should be able to avoid being hit. (Have a dagger-equipped Bloody Mari throw its daggers)
They will also throw crescent-shaped blades that curve round obstacles to attack you. Keep a sharp eye and watch their movements. (Have a crescent blade Bloody Mari throw its blades)
If they catch you, they will not let go easily and will try to slash and gash at your neck. Wiggle the Left Analog Stick to shake them off. (Get hit by a Bloody Mari's grapple attack. Devil Trigger must be off)
They will make a screeching evil war cry to immobilize those near them. If you become immobilized, quickly move the Left Analog Stick back and forth to free yourself. (Get caught by a Bloody Mari's stun attack. Devil Trigger must be off)
Since they exist as physical entities, they can be destroyed by physical means. Use guns, swords and other ways to scatter them to oblivion! (Defeat a Bloody Mari)

Strategy[]

Marionettes are the most basic enemy in the game and are highly prone to hit-stun, launches and knockdowns, making it easy to deal with them one-on-one. The main problem is that they almost always fight in groups, requiring the player to pay attention to what the rest of the group is doing while focusing on one of them. Their thrown blades can deal a lot of damage and shotgun Marionettes even more at close range, so it is vital to listen out for the whirring "tell" that they are about to use one of these attacks. They have the following abilities:

All Marionettes

  • Fast move: The Marionette lifts up on its puppet strings and glides rapidly along the ground. This move is of a fixed duration and the Marionette cannot cancel out of it, meaning it will spend some time rubbing up against Dante if it starts doing it at close range.
  • Stun: The Marionette's eyes glow and it lets out a scream which forms a spherical "bubble" around it. If Dante is in this bubble, he will be strung up on puppet strings and briefly rendered helpless. Wiggle the left analog stick to break free faster. Dante is immune to this attack while Devil Trigger is active.
  • Slash/strike: The Marionette performs one or two highly telegraphed overarm slashes with blades or strikes if it has a shotgun.

Blade Marionette

  • Projectile attack: The Marionette spins its arms with a distinctive whirring sound, then throws its blades. A dagger Marionette will throw the daggers straight at Dante at virtually the same time, while one with crescent blades will throw them in a one-two fashion in a curved arc, aiming to intersect on Dante's current position. After the throw, they have to briefly pause to renew the weapons.
  • Grapple: The Marionette pounces on Dante and hacks at him with its blades: after a while Dante will shake it off, grab it by the neck and throw it to the ground. Can turn into a death animation if Dante is at critical health. Like stun, Dante is immune to this attack while in Devil Trigger mode.
  • Spin: The Marionette extends its arms and starts to spin on the spot, then spins towards Dante, collapsing at the end of the move.

Shotgun Marionette

  • Shoot: The Marionette spins its arm before unleashing a broad hitscan blast of buckshot towards Dante: this will also damage and knock down other Marionettes if it hits them. They only seem able to fire horizontally, and stop tracking a short time before firing.

Bloody Mari

All of the attacks of a standard Marionette with its weapon, plus:

  • Block: The Bloody Mari blocks with its weapon. If it has blades, it then counters with an overhead swing.

The color of a Marionette's outfit determines its defense: green is the weakest, followed by light blue, purple, and finally the red "Bloody Mari." The Bloody Mari is signficantly tougher than a regular Marionette and deals slightly more damage. If a Bloody Mari blocks, it is best to roll or jump away to avoid its counterattack.

They have no air moves and cannot escape juggles, so it is possible to kill one by just knocking it into the air and juggling it with Ebony & Ivory.

In Dante Must Die mode, Marionettes gain both a damage and defense boost when they DT, with the Bloody Mari getting an even larger defense boost. While in DT, they are immune to being launched, knocked down or stunned unless Dante enters DT himself.

Background[]

ZombieMarionettes

Concept art showing zombie versions of Marionettes.

Marionettes are puppets controlled by a puppeteer using strings. They are used for performance in theaters and are enjoyed mostly by kids. Marionettes were widely used in Italy during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance period.

"Bloody Mari" is a marionette-based pun on the term "Bloody Mary".

During Devil May Cry's early development, they were originally designed as masked zombies with grotesquely elongated arms, controlled by puppet strings: concept art of this form can be seen in the "Vault" section of Devil May Cry HD Collection.

Other Appearances[]

Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble (PSP)[]

The Jester Marionette is an alternate costume for Bianky.

Bayonetta[]

The "Immortal Marionette" accessory from Bayonetta, another game directed by Hideki Kamiya, is designed after the Bloody Mari.

Gallery[]

See also[]

References[]

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