The Rebellion is Dante's trademark sword appearing in Devil May Cry 2, Devil May Cry 3, Devil May Cry 4, and Devil May Cry: The Animated Series. Though it has the form of a standard claymore[1], it is a magical blade[2] given to him as a keepsake from The Dark Knight Sparda, and it serves as both a physical manifestation of his power[3], and through its name, meaning "resistance", a symbol of his spirit.[4] The blade's power originally laid dormant[5], but through contact with Dante's blood it was awakened.[6]
Description
Rebellion is a massive broadsword with a heavy double-edged blade, notched on both sides near the tip. In its dormant form, the pommel is a single spike, but after awakening it splits open into several. The grip is plain, but the guard is skeletal, with a skull-face on each side leading to the rib cage from which the blade emerges. Dormant, the crosstree is folded in against the ribs, but extends when awakened.
History
Prelude
The Rebellion once belonged to Dante's father, the Dark Knight Sparda, and was given to Dante as a keepsake.
Dante's weapon
The Rebellion as seen on the anime
Dante uses it as his primary weapon in all appearances, barring the first Devil May Cry (where he uses the Force Edge). Dante usually carries the sword on his back, but in The Animated Series, he carries it hidden in a guitar case, so as not to attract unwanted attention.
Awakening
At the end of Dante's first battle with Vergil in Devil May Cry 3, Vergil impales Dante with the Rebellion, inadvertently awakening Dante's demonic nature and granting him access to his Devil Trigger. At this point, the sword also awakens, opening up the crossguard and the handle's end is split and points outside rather than one big spike.
Power
It is unknown if Rebellion has a special purpose like the Yamato and Sparda, which can open or power Hell Gates.
Movesets
Devil May Cry 2
Sword
| Action | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 3-hit Combo | Direction +  , , |
Dante slashes twice, follow by a sweeping slash that hits all enemies around him. |
| 4-hit Combo | , , , |
Dante slashes forward four times. |
| 5-hit Combo | , , , Direction + , |
Dante slashes forward three times, follow by a helm-breaker style slash and an upward slash, sending enemies flying. |
| 6-hit Combo | , , Direction + , , , |
Dante slashes forward five times, follow by a sweeping slash that hits all enemies around him. Also moves Dante forward significantly. |
| Helm Breaker | (mid-air) |
Overhead slash down on top of an enemy below. |
| Aerial Combo |  + + (mid-air) |
Kicks twice mid-air, followed by a helm-breaker. |
| Stinger | ++ |
Powerful thrust unleashed after stepping forward. Unlike in other games, Dante does not slide forward, making stinger much shorter ranged. |
| High Time | + + |
A powerful attack that launches an enemy skyward. |
| DT Million Stab | , , Direction + (Devil Trigger) |
Quickly stabs the enemy with blinding speed. The longer the last attack button is held, the longer it last. Drains DT gauge faster, but deals incredible damage. |
| Air Raid | (mid-air, Devil Trigger) |
Become airborne and be capable of performing aerial attacks. |
| DT Aerial Round Trip | (Air Raid) |
Spins the sword like a boomerang around Dante, damaging all enemies near Dante at his altitude. |
Devil May Cry 3
Devil Arm
| Action | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rebellion Combo I | ,, |
A quick 3-hit combo. |
| Rebellion Combo II | ,—,, |
5 part combo which knocks back nearby enemies before slashing down on foes directly in front of you. |
| Helm Breaker | (mid-air) |
A devastating overhead attack with enough power to shatter even the sturdiest of manmade armored helms of demonic skull bones. |
| Stinger | ++ |
A high speed lunge attack towards the enemy that skewers them through the center. Level 2 does more damage and has even greater range. |
| High Time | ++ |
Lunge forward and slice the enemy upward into the sky. |
| Million Stab | Crazy Rebellion Combo II[7] | Quickly stab the enemy with blinding speed creating enough momentum to blast them backward. |
| Drive | (hold and release) |
A lightning quick sword swing that sends a powerful shockwave towards enemies. |
| Air Hike |  (mid-air) |
By concentrating magical energy into the area under your feet, you are able to perform a double jump to reach higher, more strategic locations. |
| Glide | + (mid-air, Devil Trigger, hold) |
After transforming into Demon form, you can spread out demon wings to glide to the ground (not in the library). |
Swordmaster Style
| Action | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | ||
| Prop Shredder |  (ground) |
Spin your sword at high speeds to slice and dice the enemy to bits. |
| Aerial Rave | (mid-air) |
Perform a multiple sword strike combo in mid-air doing major damage to the enemy. |
| Level 2 | ||
| Sword Pierce | ++ |
Hurl your sword at the enemy, skewering them with it. (Press the combo again to recall the blade.) |
| Thrust Kick | (Sword Pierce, ground) |
Kick while Rebellion is skewered in a foe |
| Unnamed | (Sword Pierce, mid-air) |
Perform a diving kick at the enemy. |
| Level 3 | ||
| Dance Macabre | ++, (rapid) |
Fire off a massive number of sword slashes at breakneck speeds to obliterate the enemy. |
| Crazy Dance | Crazy Dance Macabre | Plant your sword into the ground and spin around it, kicking all enemies in the immediate vicinity. |
Devil May Cry 4
Sword
| Action | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Rebellion Combo A | ,,/ ,, |
A quick succession of three slashes. |
| Rebellion Combo B | ,—,,/,—,, |
Damages not only the enemy in front of you, but also those who wish to blindside you. |
| Helm Breaker | / (mid-air) |
A devastating overhead attack powerful enough to shatter the sturdiest of armored helms or demonic skulls. |
| High Time | ++/ + + |
A powerful attack that launches an enemy skyward. By holding down /, you will follow the enemy up into the air.
|
| Stinger | ++/+ + |
Skewer an enemy at high speed with an attack sure to send them flying. Level 2 is a powered version that has even greater range. |
| Million Stab | Crazy Rebellion Combo B[7] | A blinding whirlwind of stabs with enough momentum to blast an enemy away. |
| Round Trip | / (hold and release) |
Hurl Rebellion at an enemy. The impaled blade will shred the enemy until called back by pressing .Or if not called back after a few seconds it will automatically return.
|
Swordmaster Style
| Action | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Prop | / |
Spin Rebellion at propeller-like speeds and earn your opponent some frequent flier miles. |
| Shredder | / (Prop) |
After launching an enemy with Prop, slice and dice your foe with the rapidly spinning blade. Hold / to extend the duration of the attack.
|
| Aerial Rave | ,,,/,,, (mid-air) |
A multiple sword strike combo that deals devastating damage to airborne enemies. |
| Drive | ++/++ |
A lightning quick swing of the sword that sends a powerful sword-induced shockwave toward enemies. Great for hitting far away foes. Holding / powers up the attack.
|
| Quick Drive | +/+ |
A Drive attack born from a slash. While the speed at which it is unleashed is admirable, it does have a limiting effect on power. |
| Over Drive | / (Drive) |
Adds an additional two shockwaves to the Drive attack. |
| Dance Macabre | ++/++ (Rapid) |
Unleash a streaming barrage of sword slashes that dance around their doomed targets with breakneck speed. |
Background
A rebellion is a refusal to obey a certain order or obedience.
The name may also reference the infamous rebellion led by the fallen archangel Lucifer, who led a third of the heavenly host to rebel against God (much like how Sparda rebelled against his former master Mundus).
Gallery
Other Appearances
The new Rebellion appearing in DmC
- Dante also wields Rebellion in Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne as one of his default skills.
- In Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Dante has several attacks with the Rebellion.
- Rebellion is one of the few weapons that gains a new move outside of the Devil May Cry series, along with Beowulf.
- Rebellion returns as Dante's sword in DmC: Devil May Cry, but it gains the ability to change its shape, much like the Sparda.[8]
Trivia
- The Rebellion has appeared in every segment of the series besides Devil May Cry, though a sword resembling the awakened Rebellion can be seen impaled through a demon's head in Dante's office.
- Interestingly, the sword alludes to Dante's half-demon heritage: the skull on one side of the hilt is human, while the other has a pair of horns. However, this design does not appear on the Devil May Cry 2 version of the sword.
- Among all the weapons in the series, the Rebellion has the third-highest number of known wielders with 5 (Sparda, Dante, Vergil, Lady and Nero). It's right below the Sword of Sparda and the Yamato, wich shares 4 wielders (Sparda, Dante, Vergil and Nero).
Notes and references
- ↑ Devil May Cry 2, Weapon File — Rebellion: "A standard sword for Dante."
- ↑ Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Combat Adjudicator — Rebellion: "I am the combat adjudicator. Only a technique imbued with magic essence can move me."
- ↑ Devil May Cry 4, Dante's Arms File — Rebellion: "A memento given to Dante by his father, this large magical blade is the physical manifestation of Dante’s power."
- ↑ Devil May Cry 3, Code: 1 — Dante, Dante's Weapons — Rebellion: "A keepsake sword from his father. Its name means "resistance."
- ↑ Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Devil Arms File — Rebellion: "A keepsake sword from Dante's father. This magic blade's true power hasn't fully awakened."
- ↑ Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Devil Arms File — Rebellion: "A keepsake sword from Dante's father. Dante's blood has awakened the blade's true power."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 This attack can also be initiated using Stinger, by releasing the Left Analog Stick and pressing
.
- ↑ Ninja Theory website