Yamato

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Yamato
Name information
Katakana	閻魔刀
Romaji	Yamato
Real-life information
Appearances	Devil May Cry Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Devil May Cry 4 Devil May Cry 5: Before the Nightmare Devil May Cry 5

The Yamato is Vergil's trademark dark-forged blade based on a katana appearing in Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 3, Devil May Cry 4 and Devil May Cry 5. It is a legendary sword that was once wielded by his father, Sparda, and was left to Vergil as a keepsake.

Description

Yamato's concept in Devil May Cry 5.

Yamato is a katana with an ornate bronze guard; the exact details of how it looks change throughout the series. In the first Devil May Cry, the Template:Translation has the traditional gold wrapping, with black ornaments, and the Template:Translation is octagonal. In later installments, the guard is an oval, and the tsuka-ito seems to be braided from white and dark blue material. The blade features several intricate ornaments, most notable is a relief of a dragon at the endpoint of the hilt. The inside and back of Nero's Devil Bringer mimic the design of the blade's hilt.

In Devil May Cry 5, the handle wrapping became more realistic, sporting a vaguely infinity symbol-like pattern, giving it the traditional diamond shape in the negative space. There is no longer a dragon on the pommel. The hilt is now gold and blue, shaped like two hexagons. The top and bottom the hilt are decorated with gold rings, inside of which are various circles in clusters of three, arranged in triangular patterns.

The scabbard is black, made of traditional lacquered wood, and features several metallic ornaments on its far end. In Devil May Cry 3 it also features a yellow sageo, the cord used to tie the katana to the waist. In Devil May Cry 5, Sageo color is dark blue.

In Devil Trigger, Vergil and Nero have different, but similar designs for the scabbard. For Vergil, it alters to appear similar to the sheath of a Kris, an Indonesian traditional dagger and is colored dark blue. It attaches to an additional appendage on his left arm, and it can adjust the position to allow Vergil to draw or sheathe his sword quicker and thus leaves Vergil's left hand free to wield the blade or other weapons. For Nero, the sheath appears to be more segmented, but it is otherwise identical.

Despite having a scabbard, Yamato is only occasionally worn on the waist; Vergil and Dante carry it with their hands during battle (though Vergil has been shown to wear it on his waist when not in use), Nero absorbs the Yamato within his Devil Bringer, and Sparda used to strap it to his back when he was alive.

Powers

“

That sword was used to separate our world from the demons.

”

—Dante, Devil May Cry 4

File:Vergil4a.jpg

A cloaked Vergil using Yamato to open portal.

Yamato is far sharper than ordinary blades, and is imbued with tremendous demonic power. The sword is said to be able to cut through anything, even the very fabric of space itself. The only things capable of stopping Yamato's strikes are objects powered by demonic energy comparable to the user's, such as the Rebellion or individuals powered by the Sword of Sparda. However, when the user is weakened, the sword's ability to cut through most mundane objects fades. This was seen when Lady was able to block Yamato with Kalina Ann (a mundane rocket launcher with no demonic power) at the end of Mission 13.

Vergil utilizes an ability called Judgement Cut in which he swings so fast that Yamato doesn't appear to even leave its sheath. It creates a distortion in space that engulfs his target which is sliced multiple times by the blade in very rapid succession. The ability is capable of hitting any enemies that are within the rather large distortion radius.

Dante attempts to imitate this move in Devil May Cry 4 and the result is a similar ability called Slash Dimension but it lacks the precision and potency of Judgement Cut due to Dante's inexperience with wielding Yamato, unlike Vergil. Both abilities are able to strike far away opponents. Dante and Vergil demonstrate Yamato's ability to cut far away enemies with normal swings as well. Vergil, during Dante's battle with Arkham where Vergil appears and slices Arkham's handoff from atop a pillar a good distance away, and Dante, when he uses it to destroy the Hellgate with a single swing from a great distance away in Devil May Cry 4.

Similar to Dante's Rebellion, the Yamato is able (to an extent) to bring out its wielder's true potential. This is shown in Devil May Cry 4 during Mission 7. As Nero was about to die as the hands of Agnus' Bianco Angelos, his Devil Bringer resonated with the broken Yamato and restored it, which was something not even Agnus could do. The sword awakened Nero's power, allowing him to access a Devil Trigger of his own.

Similar to the Sword of Sparda before it, Yamato was used to seal a pathway to the Demon World—in this case, the Hell Gate on Fortuna. The gate is reopened by the Order of the Sword using Yamato but was later destroyed by Dante, who was using the same blade.

In Devil May Cry 5, Vergil was able to use Yamato in a manner his father did to separate the Human World from the Demon World; but instead, he used it to separate his Demon-half resulting in the birth of Urizen and Human-half resulting in the birth of V in order to defeat Dante. As Urizen, Yamato transformed into a large human-sized crystalline structure that served as his shield, flying around to block attacks from any side.

Story

Yamato once belonged to Vergil's father, Sparda, and according to the Order of the Sword, it was used to seal the "true Hell Gate". It was eventually given to Vergil as a memento, and he used it as his primary weapon. Devil May Cry 4

Vergil uses Yamato as his primary weapon while he attempts to reactivate the Temen-ni-gru. When his attempts fails, Vergil falls into the Demon World with Yamato, where he is found by Mundus. Vergil attempts to defeat the demon king like his father, but is defeated and reborn as Nelo Angelo. Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

At some later point, Yamato was found by the Order of the Sword - albeit in a shattered state. It was kept in Agnus's Containment Room within Fortuna Castle but is restored and taken by Nero when his dormant powers as an heir to Sparda emerge. From then on, Nero is able to use the sword while in Devil Trigger. However, it is taken back from him by Sanctus when he is absorbed into the Savior and is then used by Agnus to reopen the Hell Gate. After slaying Agnus, Dante retrieves Yamato from the gate seal and uses it to destroy the gate, after which he wields it while in his Dark Slayer Style. While fighting the Savior, Dante uses the blade to free Nero and sends it back to him so that the youth can finish the fight against Sanctus. After the battle, Dante charges Nero with keeping it. Devil May Cry 4

Yamato would remain in Nero's possession for an untold period, remaining in his Devil Bringer arm as the young hunter continued his career in hunting demons. Unfortunately, Nero would lose possession of Yamato after getting ambushed by Vergil, effortlessly ripping the Devil Bringer from Nero and reclaiming his lost sword. When he became Urizen, the Yamato took on the form of a reddish-orange crystal that prevented any attacks from reaching him. When the Qliphoth fully revealed itself, he calls the shield away, briefly reverting back into its original form for only a second before vanishing. After reforming, Vergil would then use the Yamato to battle both Dante and Nero before descending into Hell to cut the roots of the Qliphoth tree. Devil May Cry 5

Gameplay

Although Yamato is said to be able to cut through anything, this aspect does not carry through to gameplay for obvious reasons. Enemies with shields, such as Dullahans, are still invulnerable, and background objects are not affected.

Dark Slayer Style

Main article: Dark Slayer Style

Yamato is intimately linked to Vergil's signature Dark Slayer Style, which he uses in Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition and which Dante homages in Devil May Cry 4. As a warrior fallen from grace, Vergil can use the power of darkness to obtain new weapons and skills by leveling the style, and it interacts with his Yamato, Summoned Swords, Beowulf, and Force Edge. The style itself performs much like Dante's Trickster Style. In Devil May Cry 4, Dante obtains this style after receiving Yamato, but instead of being based on teleportation, it allows Dante to imitate Vergil's skills with Yamato.

Devil May Cry

In Devil May Cry, Yamato is only used for Dante's "Legendary Dark Knight" costume. It behaves exactly the same as the Alastor, even to the point that Sparda carries it on his back when not in use and wields it as a broadsword rather than using the Iaido technique. When Sparda enters Devil Trigger, Yamato transforms into the Sparda sword.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

Vergil is the only character to use Yamato in Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition. When Vergil fights with Yamato, he uses both the scabbard and the blade in the Iaido style. When the Force Edge is equipped, Vergil fights with the Force Edge in place of the Yamato's scabbard. For Vergil's "Corrupt Vergil" or "Super Corrupt Vergil" costumes, Yamato transforms into Nelo Angelo's zweihänder when in Devil Trigger. This may also be related to how Yamato was broken between Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 4.

Devil May Cry 4

Both Dante and Nero wield Yamato in Devil May Cry 4. Nero's use of Yamato is limited to when he is in Devil Trigger, and even then he only has a few attacks with it. While in Devil Trigger, Yamato also grants Nero the ability to use Summoned Swords. In contrast to Vergil and Dante's use of the Iaido technique, Nero wields Yamato without its scabbard.

When Dante obtains Yamato, he gains access to Vergil's signature Dark Slayer Style.

In the Special Edition of Devil May Cry 4, Vergil wields Yamato once more, and has by far the most extensive and relentless arsenal of moves, incorporating both sword and scabbard in a refinement of the Dark Slayer style, including his infamous Judgement Cut.

Moveset

• Devil May Cry
• Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition
• Devil May Cry 4

Action	Cost	Command	Description
Yamato Combo I	N/A	,,	A quick 3-hit combo.
Yamato Combo II	N/A	,,-,,	Quickly slash the enemies in front of you 4 times before you slash down with great power. When using Devil Trigger, this replaces Yamato Combo I (in other words the need to pause between the second and third inputs is negated).
Million Stab	N/A	,,—, (rapid)	Quickly stab the enemy with blinding speed creating enough momentum to blast them backward.
High Time	N//A	++	Swing the sword in an upward rising motion, bashing up enemies into the air. Continue holding to jump, and again to slash down.
Air Hike	4,000	(mid-air)	Double jump in the air.
Round Trip	1,550	(hold and release)	Throw the sword like a boomerang.
Round Trip Combo	N/A	, , (Round Trip)	A right-left punch followed by a torso kick and kick 13.
Stinger	Level 1: 350; Level 2: 1400	++	With lightning speed, plunge the sword into enemies. Level 2 plunges the sword from an even further distance. If performed near an edge, the Stinger will continue into the air and become a long jump.
Vortex	Level 1: 1,150; Level 2: 2,400	(Air Raid)	Damage enemies with an intense spinning body attack. Level 2 keeps attacking as long as DT gauges last.
Air Raid	750	(mid-air, Devil Trigger)	Become airborne and be capable of performing aerial electrocution attacks. Press / to strike electrocution.

Action	Command	Description
Yamato Combo	,,	A slick three hit combo. Vergil sheaths his sword after the combo is finished.
Aerial Rave	(mid-air)	An aerial attack, that can be used continuously in rapid succession.
Rapid Slash	++	Quickly charge towards an enemy, thrusting your sword deep into them. Level 2 is an even more destructive version.
Upper Slash	++	Unsheathe your sword then quickly slash an enemy, launching them into the air. Press again to follow up with a downward slice.
Judgement Cut	(hold),,	Unsheathe your sword with blinding speed to cut through far away enemies. Level 2 repeatedly skewers an enemy up to three times, with proper timing.

It is worth noting, that after executing Yamato Combo, Upper Slash or Force Edge Combo, if Vergil is able to successfully complete the sheathing animation, he will gain a Devil Trigger Orb and a small increase to Style points as well.

Also, performing a taunt with Yamato equipped, while there are enemies around, will cause Vergil to emit a black aura after a few seconds, that will replenish his Devil Trigger gauge on its own, as long as he is unharmed and stays in the taunting stance.

• Nero
• Dante
• Vergil (Special Edition)

Action	Command	Description
Devil Trigger	/	Summon the power of Yamato to unleash the devil within Nero. Depletes the D.T. Gauge.
Summoned Swords	/ (Devil Trigger)	Summon a magical blade and fling it towards a foe, piercing the enemy through sheer force of will.
Maximum Bet	+++/+++ (Devil Trigger)	Yamato and the Red Queen combine to blow through enemies like a powerful wind. Holding, then releasing the buttons will dramatically increase attack strength.
Showdown	+++/+++ (Devil Trigger)	Nero himself unleashes Yamato with an omnipotent barrage of slashes.
Trigger Heart	Passive	While Devil Trigger is active, the depletion of the D.T. Gauge will be reduced.

Action	Command	Description
Yamato Combo S	,,/,,	Execute the standard 3-hit combo used by Vergil.
Aerial Rave V	,/, (midair)	Execute aerial 2-hit combo used by Vergil.
Slash Dimension F (Far)	++/++	Dante will slash at a blinding speed while pillars of light will come out and break, damaging anything caught within the radius (long ranged)
Slash Dimension C (Close)	++/++	Dante will slash at a blinding speed while pillars of light will come out and break, damaging anything caught within the radius (Short ranged)

Action	Command	Description
Yamato Combo A	,,,/,,,	Four hit Yamato combo used by Vergil
Yamato Combo B	,, — ,/,, — ,	Send an enemy flying, then follow-up a Summoned Sword attack.
Yamato Combo C	, — rapidly /,,, — rapidly	Annihilate your enemy with a countless number of slashes.
Aerial Rave A	,,/,, (mid-air)	A multiple sword strike combo that deals devastating damage to airborne enemies.
Aerial Rave B	,,—,,/,,—,, (mid-air)	Carve up an enemy with a spinning slash, then send them crashing down.
Upper Slash	++/++	Launch enemies into the air with an upward strike from Yamato.
Upper Slash 2	++ hold /++ hold	After launching the enemy, hold down / to follow them up into the air.
Rapid Slash	++/++	Dash forward, relentlessly slashing everything in your path.
Rising Star	Hold / after Rapid Slash,	A spiral cut that lifts both you and your opponent into the air.
Judgement Cut End	+/	Slash your enemies to shreds with super speed. Can only be done while in Devil Trigger with maximum concentration.

Background

The Yamato's Japanese name is written as Template:Translation, referring to the Japanese name for the Hindu and Buddhist judge of the afterlife, "Yama". This means that the Devil Arm's name can be idiomatically read as "Yamatō".

The term Template:Translation itself is a Japanese term originally used to refer to the Yamato Province of Japan. It was eventually extended to the entire nation of Japan, and is now used to refer to the unified people and traditional nationalistic spirit of Japan. As such, it symbolizes Vergil's aesthetic and commitment to tradition and his supernatural heritage, to complement Dante's retaliatory attitude symbolized by the Rebellion.

In keeping with Nero's theme of attacks being named with gambling terminology, his Devil Trigger attacks performed with the Yamato, "Maximum Bet" and "Showdown", are also gambling terms.

See also

• Summoned Swords
• Yamato (DmC)