The Sword of Sparda and its unawakened form, the Force Edge[1](also known as the Sparda Sword or simply the Sparda), is the beloved and indestructible demon-forged sword[2][3] wielded by the The Dark Knight Sparda himself[4], and magically imbued with his power.[5] Throughout the series, the sword is recognized as a source of god-like power, and in both Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 4, it is the main objective of the villains. It is Dante's default weapon in Devil May Cry, and Trish's in Devil May Cry 2.
Biography
Prelude
The Sword of Sparda was originally wielded by Sparda himself both during his time in service to Mundus and during his rebellion, but when he closed the gate between the Human and Demon Worlds, he also sealed his demonic power within the blade in order to ensure the strength of the seal. Sparda also created the Perfect Amulet from it, causing the sword's own natural powers to fall asleep and become the less-powerful Force Edge.
Devil May Cry 3
Many centuries later, however, Arkham conspires to obtain the sword, and thus, Sparda's power, which he would use to rule the world as a god. He manages to manipulate Dante, Vergil, and Lady into allowing him to obtain the Perfect Amulet and opening the gate to the Netherworld for him, thus allowing him to both acquire the sword and awaken its power. After drawing the sword, he takes the physical form of Sparda, but because it does not resonate with him both due to him not having the blood of Sparda and also because of the corruption in his own heart, he is unable to control its immense power and mutates into a hideous, blob-like form[6], which is quickly slain by Dante and Vergil. As Arkham's demonic form dissolves, the Force Edge and Perfect Amulet fall deeper into the Netherworld, and Dante and Vergil both dive after them. They fight over the weapon, and though Vergil is defeated, he keeps his half of the amulet with him. Dante returns to the Human World with the Force Edge.
Devil May Cry
Dante takes up the Force Edge as his own sword, and takes it with him to the castle on Mallet Island in the place of Rebellion. There, he periodically encounters the demon Nelo Angelo, who is mysteriously shaken when he notices Dante's part of the amulet. After Nelo Angelo is finally defeated and revealed as Vergil, Dante obtains the other half of the amulet and the Sparda is reawakened. It later allows him to take Sparda's form in the final battle with Mundus. Afterwards, Dante plants the sword as a memorial to the seemingly dead Trish, but Trish is later revealed to be alive, and Dante allows her to use the blade as her own.
Devil May Cry 4
Years later, Dante and Trish hang the Sparda on the wall of Dante's shop. After Lady explains the problems she is having with the Order of the Sword to Dante and Trish, Trish takes the sword and leaves without asking Dante's permission. She disguises herself as Gloria, and gives the Sparda to Sanctus in order to win his trust and infiltrate the Order. Sanctus later uses the weapon against Nero, though his inhumanity does not allow him to fully control it. After Nero defeats Sanctus and rescues Kyrie, he gives the Sparda back to its rightful owner, Dante.
Other Appearances
Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds and Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3
The awakened Sparda is used by Trish and the dormant form is used at the same time by Vergil.
Sengoku Basara
Sanada Yukimura's sixth weapon is two Sparda swords. Along with the Sparda, Yukimura is equipped with the Ifrit as arm guards.
Summoned Swords
The Summoned Swords in Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3 appear as spectral versions of the Force Edge.
Gameplay
Devil May Cry
The Force Edge is Dante's default weapon in Devil May Cry. It is relatively weak compared to the Alastor. When awakened, the Sparda has the uncanny ability to shift forms, from sword to spear to scythe. The Sparda changes into a spear when using Stinger or Million Stab, and it changes to a scythe when using Round Trip.
Devil May Cry 2
In Devil May Cry 2, the Force Edge replaces the Rebellion for Dante's Devil May Cry costume. It behaves exactly the same as the Rebellion.
Devil May Cry 3
In the Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Vergil uses the Force Edge in conjunction with the Yamato. Dante does not get to wield the Force Edge or Sparda in his scenario, but the Force Edge replaces the Rebellion for Dante's Devil May Cry and "Legendary Dark Knight" costumes. It behaves exactly the same as the Rebellion, except that it changes all of Dante's Devil Trigger forms to that of Sparda.
Devil May Cry 4
Sparda is wielded exclusively by Sanctus during his final fight against Nero in Devil May Cry 4. During the fight, he will use the Sparda as a shield, to slash at Nero, or to charge at Nero. The charging attack is the most powerful, but it can be countered with Buster.
Movesets
Devil May Cry
Action | Command | Description |
---|---|---|
Sparda Combo I | ,, | A quick 3-hit combo. |
Sparda Combo II | ,,-,, | Quickly slash the enemies in front of you 4 times before you slash down with great power. |
Million Stab | ,,—, (rapid) | Rapidly stab the enemy with blinding speed creating enough momentum to blast them backward. |
High Time | ++ | Swing the sword in an upward rising motion, bashing up enemies into the air. Continue holding to jump, and again to slash down. |
Round Trip[7] | (hold and release) | Throw the sword like a boomerang. |
Round Trip Combo[7] | , , (Round Trip) | A right-left punch followed by a torso kick and kick 13. |
Stinger [7] | ++ | With lightning speed, plunge the sword into enemies. Level 2 plunges the sword from an even further distance. |
Meteor[7] | + (ground, Devil Trigger) | Shoot fireballs from the fists. Holding increases the power of the attack. |
Air Raid[7] | (mid-air, Devil Trigger) | Become airborne and be capable of performing aerial attacks. Press / to strike fireballs. |
Vortex[7] | (Air Raid) | Damage enemies with an intense spinning body attack. |
Spectral Dragon[7] | (Air Raid) | Emit a giant spectral dragon which resembles Sparda. This attack consumes all of your DT Gauge and its power varies depending on how much the gauge was filled when summoned. |
Devil May Cry 2
Sword (Trish)
Action | Command | Description |
---|---|---|
Sparda Combo I | , , , | A quick 3-hit combo. |
Sparda Combo II | , ,-, , | Quickly slash the enemies in front of you 4 times before you slash down with great power. |
Million Stab | , ,—, (rapid) | Rapidly stab the enemy with blinding speed creating enough momentum to blast them backward. |
Helm Breaker | (mid-air) |
Overhead slash down on top of an enemy below. |
Stinger | ++ | A powerful thrust attack that helps close the distance between you and the enemy. |
High Time | ++ | Slash an enemy up into the air. |
Round Trip | (hold and release) | Throw the sword at enemies like a boomerang. Allows you to use barehand combos while sword is flying. |
Sword Planting | L2 + (hold and release) | Plants the sword onto the ground, allowing you to use barehand combos until it is recalled. |
Sword Recall | L2 | Recalls the sword from either round trip or from the ground. |
Barehand Combo | , , , (barehand) | A right-left punch followed by two kicks. |
Kick 13 | ++ (barehand) | A quick but powerful flaming back roundhouse kick, its impact will drive the enemy back. |
Magma Drive | ++ (barehand) | Charge power and release it in the form of a magma uppercut. |
Aerial Kick | (barehand, mid-air) | A downward dive-kick performed in mid-air. |
Air Raid | (Devil Trigger, mid-air) | Become airborne and be capable of performing aerial attacks. |
DT Aerial Round Trip | (Air raid) | Spins the sword like a boomerang around Trish, damaging all enemies near Trish at her altitude. |
Devil May Cry 3
Devil Arm (Vergil)
Action | Command | Description |
---|---|---|
Force Edge Combo | ,,, | A flurry of strikes which links multiple hits from the sword and sheath into one deadly combo. |
Helm Breaker | (mid-air) | A powerful swing that comes crashing down on the enemy's head. Level 2 is a quicker version. |
Stinger | ++ | A powerful thrust attack that helps close the distance between you and the enemy. Level 2 is a stronger version that is quicker and covers more distance. |
High Time | ++ | Use Force Edge to cut the enemy into the air. Hold to jump in the air for a possible follow-up attack. |
Round Trip | (hold and release) | Hurl the Force Edge at a locked on enemy. You are limited to Yamato attacks while Force Edge is out of your hands. |
Gallery
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Trivia
- In the epilogue cutscene of Devil May Cry, Trish is shown wielding the Sparda at the same time Dante wields the Force Edge.
- According to Enzo Ferino in the Devil May Cry manual, Dante calls the Force Edge "Woozy."
- The awakened Sparda bears a strong resemblance to the demonic sword Soul Edge from the Soul Calibur series.
- Among all the weapons in the series, the Sparda has the highest number of known wielders (Sparda, Arkham, Vergil, Dante, Trish, Sanctus, and Nero). It is right above the Yamato.
- In the prologue cutscene of Devil May Cry 4, Nero's shadow on a wall while carrying the Scarecrow blade closely resembles the shape of The Dark Knight Sparda wielding the awakened Sparda sword.
See Also
Notes and references
- ↑ Devil May Cry, Devil Arms — Force Edge: "A memento of Dante's father, Sparda."
- ↑ Devil May Cry 2, Weapon File — Sparda: "The Dark Knight's beloved sword."
- ↑ Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, Combat Adjudicator — Force Edge: "I am the combat adjudicator. Only a demon-forged blade can move me."
- ↑ Devil May Cry, Devil Arms — Sparda: "It's the true form of the Force Edge, the sword wielded by the Legendary Dark Knight, Sparda."
- ↑ Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, Devil Arms File — Force Edge: "A sword magically imbued with Sparda's power. A powerful sword with great hidden potential."
- ↑ Devil May Cry 3, Vergil: "You should come to realize you cannot control the power of Sparda."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 This action is only available to the Sparda.
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