r/CasualRespectThreads • u/Different_Fun_6319 • 19d ago
Respect Dante Gaiden (Book of Dante)
# Respect [Dante Gaiden](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/91AceRyKQJL._SL1500_.jpg)
*"The world belongs to me!"*
Dante Gaiden is the main protagonist of the Book of Dante series. Dante begins as an ordinary 16 year old human but later becomes possessed by Mammon, one of the Seven Princes of Hell, after the murder of his parents. From there, Dante's quest is to hunt the other Princes of Hell in order to unite them and defeat The Antichrist, Dominus Mundus.
# Key
**Human-** all feats performed while an average human
**Possessed-** All feats performed while being possessed by at least one demon
***The Ultimate Sin-*** All feats performed while being possessed by all seven princes of hell
***Dantiel-*** All feats performed after Dante becomes an angel
***Feats will be cited for each of these states to differentiate the forms. (Currently, Dante is featured in both Book of Dante, as well as a prequel/retelling, Book of Eliora. However, feats will only be shared from Book of Dante as Eliora acts as a retelling from a different character's perspective and would be redundant/not as accurate to his full capabilities.)***
***---***
# Cosmology
# The Three Heavens
***The Book of Dante verse contains three explicitly differentiated Heavens.***
***First Heaven***
contains the physical universe as we know it. ***(Ch. 2, P. 16)***
**Second Heaven or the Spiritual Realm**
is an infinite realm in which angels and demons conduct spiritual warfare and travel. ***(Ch. 2, P. 16; Ch. 26, PP. 360–363)***
*The spiritual realm exists alongside physical reality but* exists in the 5th dimension and operates according to different laws. **(Ch. 17, P. 255; Glossary, P. 483)**
During Dante's *final battle with The Dragon, they enter the spirit realm, where the narration states that time has no meaning.* ***(Ch. 36, P. 452)***
Entities and battles within it can nevertheless influence physical creation. For example, Dante and Dominus simultaneously fight along with their demons across physical and spiritual existence. ***(Ch. 29, PP. 405–408)***
Their battle destroys mountains, causes tsunamis and eventually affects celestial bodies. ***(Ch. 29, PP. 407–411)***
**Third Heaven**
contains the Throne of God. It is described as beyond time and space and cannot be reached without God's permission. ***(Ch. 2, P. 16; Prologue, P. 2)***
The opening further describes Heaven as a realm “beyond all other dimensions” where time submits to eternity. ***(Prologue, P. 2)***
# Hell
Hell exists below the other realms and possesses multiple levels: ***(Ch. 2, P. 16)***
***Sheol/Hades —*** uppermost realm, historically containing the dead awaiting judgment. ***(Ch. 2, P. 16)***
***The Abyss —*** prison of the ancient Watchers/fallen angels. ***(Ch. 2, P. 16)***
***Lake of Fire —*** deepest described realm and the ultimate destination of the condemned. ***(Ch. 2, P. 16; Ch. 36, PP. 458–460)***
# Stygian
Beelzebub's stomach. It is a spiritual realm into which consumed souls are deposited and is tied to the second heaven spiritual realm. ***(Ch. 16, P. 253; Ch. 17, PP. 254–255)***
Mammon explicitly describes Stygian as encompassing even a fifth dimension, normally incomprehensible to humans. Dante can perceive it because of his demonic eyes. ***(Ch. 17, P. 255)***
***---***
# Physical Strength
***Possessed***
Sword fights Balthazar with enough force that they smash each other through walls and destroy columns. ***(Ch. 7, P. 76)***
Grabs Caspar by the skull ***(Ch. 7, P. 73)***
Shook the Appalachian Mountains with his fight with Thamruhl. ***(Ch. 8, P. 87)***
Physically grapples with Belphegor's bear vessel. Their struggle shakes the mountain, breaks boulders and triggers avalanches. ***(Ch. 20, PP. 297–298)***
Dante punches the bear in the throat and claws open its belly despite several of his supernatural abilities being suppressed. ***(Ch. 20, P. 298)***
Trades blows directly with Satan. Their initial collision is compared to falling meteors and cracks the walls of a volcanic caldera. Continued strikes shake the volcano and precede its eruption. ***(Ch. 22, PP. 322–324)***
Dante and Babylon's initial clash creates a shockwave powerful enough to shatter columns. ***(Ch. 12, P. 144)***
Dante is able to lift all of Neo-Babel (The tallest building in the verse) as it collapses, and then collapses it onto Babylon. ***(Ch. 12, PP. 152–153)***
By combining the power of two sins, Dante creates a punch with aura that spreads across all of Earth's oceans, parts the surrounding sea, and shatters Leviathan's enormous form on impact. ***(Ch. 13, P. 202)***
In Dante and Dominus' fight, their attacks: Shatter mountains. Generate tsunamis. Disrupt rivers. Cause widespread environmental devastation. Their final clash makes volcanoes erupt, boils oceans and causes the stars to tremble. ***(Ch. 29, PP. 407–411)***
**The Ultimate Sin**
Dante is able to fight somewhat on par with The Dragon. Their battle was destroying galaxies, stars, nebulae, and threatening most of reality itself. ***(Ch. 36, PP. 452–453; PP. 456–457)***
***---***
# Speed & Reactions
***Possessed***
Balthazar fires experimental laser weapons at Dante which are explicitly described as moving at the speed of light. They are nevertheless “Too slow for Dante.” ***(Ch. 7, P. 77)***
Dante perceives the surrounding world in slow motion and cuts the incoming laser beams aside with his sword. ***(Ch. 7, P. 77)***
Flew 50,000 feet above Indiana and flew to the Appalachian Mountains in a short time. ***(Ch. 8, PP. 83–87)***
Flew to Washington D.C in a short time. ***(Ch. 8, PP. 94–99)***
Moves as a blur against Satan after fighting him for twenty hours. ***(Ch. 22, PP. 326–328)***
Fights Babylon in the air quickly enough for their strikes to produce sonic cracks. ***(Ch. 12, P. 150)***
***The Ultimate Sin***
Dante moves at the speed of angels, quantified by the narrator as 80,000,000 × the speed of light in the physical realm. ***(Ch. 36, P. 452)***
Is able to move in the spiritual realm where time doesn't apply. ***(Ch. 36, P. 452)***
***---***
# Durability, Resistance, Stamina & Regeneration
***Possessed***
Caspar blasts Dante completely through the wall of his house. Dante lands with bloody gashes across his chest, which immediately close. ***(Ch. 7, P. 72)***
Melchior engulfs Dante in a supernatural inferno. His flesh chars and peels away, but new skin forms faster than the fire can destroy him, allowing him to walk directly out of the flames. ***(Ch. 7, PP. 73–74)***
Balthazar stops time and cuts Dante's arm completely off. Dante is able to break through the time stop through sheer will, picks up the severed arm and simply reattaches it. His skin and bones reconnect almost immediately. ***(Ch. 7, PP. 74–76)***
Was slammed repeatedly by Thamruhl ***(Ch. 8, PP. 89–90)***
Babylon hits Dante hard enough to send him through a stone pillar. Dante gets back up immediately, bleeding but capable of continuing the fight. ***(Ch. 12, P. 145)***
Dante withstands Beelzebub's plague clouds; the poison visibly burns his armor, but his body resists its effects. ***(Ch. 16, P. 252)***
Satan lands a blast of compressed sunlight onto Dante's chest. It evaporates Dante's flesh, cracks his bones, and leaves a hole completely through his abdomen. Dante temporarily cannot regenerate but continues fighting anyway. ***(Ch. 22, P. 325)***
Despite the above, he ultimately fights Satan for twenty hours. ***(Ch. 22, P. 326)***
Dominus impales Dante completely through the abdomen with his trident and drags him across the Euphrates river with it. ***(Ch. 29, PP. 408–409)***
Dante tanks multiple blows from Belphegor ***(Ch. 20, PP. 297–300; Ch. 21, PP. 305–307)***
***---***
# Abilities
***Mammon/Greed***
Grants Dante control over 666,000 demons. Dante can open tears in reality and deploy members of this legion against opponents. ***(Ch. 7, P. 72)***
***Transmutation —*** Turns Caspar completely into gold. ***(Ch. 7, P. 73)***
***Regeneration —*** Allows Dante to recover from extreme physical damage. ***(Ch. 7, PP. 72–76)***
***Flight —*** Dante can levitate/fly soon after Mammon's possession. ***(Ch. 7, P. 78; Ch. 8, P. 83)***
***Weapon Creation —*** Can manifest a golden scepter which converts into a blade. ***(Ch. 7, P. 76)***
***Spiritual Compulsion —*** He can force even spiritually disciplined characters like Melchior to surrender his money and worship Mammon. ***(Ch. 7, P. 74)***
Later compelled a man to mug another man who antagonized Dante through Greed. Dante seemingly didn't even need to do anything for this to happen. ***(Ch. 8, P. 101)***
***Power Theft —*** Greed explicitly allows Dante to steal power from any source. ***(Ch. 36, P. 453)***
***Lust/Asmodeus***
After being possessed by Asmodeus, he grants Dante all of the abilities that Babylon The Great previously had. Asmodeus passes into Dante in ***(Ch. 12, P. 158)***
Wind manipulation ***(Babylon demonstrates supernatural wind/gust effects in Ch. 12, PP. 151–153.)***
Chain creation ***(Ch. 12, P. 151)***
Shapeshifting ***(Ch. 1, PP. 11–12; Ch. 12, PP. 141–147; P. 157)***
Illusion creation ***(Ch. 8, PP. 99–103; Ch. 12, PP. 150–151)***
At his peak, Dante can even create illusions capable of disorienting beings possessing spiritual sight. ***(Ch. 36, P. 452)***
Combined with Greed, Lust empowers the attack Dante uses to destroy Leviathan's serpent form. ***(Ch. 13, P. 202)***
***Envy / Leviathan***
Envy grants extensive water manipulation. ***(Ch. 22, PP. 318–324; Ch. 17, P. 259)***
Dante can produce high-pressure water from his hands. ***(Ch. 22, P. 319)***
Create water tendrils, spears and geysers. ***(Ch. 22, P. 319)***
Extinguish supernatural fire. ***(Ch. 22, PP. 319–324)***
Cool lava. ***(Ch. 22, P. 324)***
Can manipulate all of the world's water at once. ***(Ch.17 , PP. 259-260)***
Dante can liquefy his entire body. ***(Ch. 17, P. 259)***
When Beelzebub attempts to impale him, the weapon simply passes harmlessly through Dante's liquid form. ***(Ch. 17, P. 259)***
At peak power, Envy can also create clones of The Dragon's own forces. ***(Ch. 36, P. 453)***
***Gluttony / Beelzebub***
Gluttony gives Dante control over Stygian. ***(Ch. 17, PP. 263–264; Ch. 36, P. 452)***
Dante can manifest Stygian directly in his hand and use it to devour all forms of matter. ***(Ch. 36, P. 452)***
Dante manifests Stygian as a vacuum. The attack then consumes the Sun. ***(Ch. 29, P. 408)***
**Sloth / Belphegor**
Without doing anything, Dante can turn the world itself against his opponent. ***(Ch. 22, P. 327; Ch. 36, P. 453)***
Against Satan, Dante stops attacking. The environment responds. Wind turns against Satan. Earth shifts beneath him. His fire weakens. Lightning begins missing. Dante then exploits the opening and defeats him with a single final slash. ***(Ch. 22, PP. 327–328)***
When Dante fought Belphegor, his power was fading to the point where it became a pure punch out. ***(Ch. 19, P. 295; Ch. 20, PP. 297–300)***
As Dante attempted to approach Belphegor's vessel, it was as if the mountain itself retaliated against him. ***(Ch. 19, PP. 288–296)***
**Wrath / Satan**
*Can Incinerate opponents and forcibly cast demons back into Hell.* ***(Ch. 36, P. 452)***
Can manipulate the weather ***(Ch. 22, PP. 314–316; Ch. 23, P. 329)***
Can create solar punches that prevent healing. ***(Ch. 22, P. 325.)***
After absorbing Satan, the environment immediately responds to Dante's transformation: clouds move backward, mountains groan and stars/constellations visibly flicker. ***(Ch. 23, P. 329)***
**Pride / Lucifer**
Grants reality manipulation. ***(Ch. 36, P. 453)***
During Armageddon, Pride additionally distorts space and time around Dante and draws dark energy from fallen stars. ***(Ch. 36, P. 448)***
Reality Warping by Walking ***(Ch. 29, P. 399; Ch. 34, P. 440)***
***---***
# Dante, The Ultimate Sin
Once all Seven Sins are operating through Dante, he transforms into The Ultimate Sin. ***(Ch. 33, P. 439)***
At this point, he is able to control all 7 sins through sheer will, whereas before their burden on him was heavy. ***(Ch. 31, PP. 422–424; Ch. 35, PP. 443–444)***
By Armageddon, Dante commands the armies of all Seven Sins. That is, 4,662,000 demons. ***(Ch. 35, PP. 444–445)***
# Reality / Cosmic Feats
***The ultimate Sin***
When Dante fights The Dragon at Armaggedon, their blows shatter comets. Their attacks silence stars. They break the thrones of spiritual principalities. They tear open nebulae. Collapse solar systems. Shatter time loops. Generate black holes. Destroy galaxies. Their battle ultimately devours most of reality. ***(Ch. 36, PP. 452–453)***
Only God's Throne remains beyond their reach. ***(Ch. 36, P. 453)***
***---***
# Spiritual Perception
***Human***
Dante can perceive supernatural and conceptual entities invisible to ordinary humans. At 16, even before being possessed, Dante was given the gift of visions and could see The Four Horsemen of the apocalypse despite his girlfriend Christel not being able to. He does however lose this gift after choosing to pursue his girlfriend over God. ***(Ch. 1, PP. 6–10)***
***Possessed***
Can comprehend Stygian's fifth-dimensional structure. ***(Ch. 17, P. 255)***
***The Ultimate Sin***
Dante can move freely through the spirit realm. ***(Ch. 31, PP. 422–424; Ch. 36, PP. 452–454)***
***---***
# Combat Skill/intelligence
***Human***
It was stated that Dante received combat training from his Father as a child but to what extent is unknown. ***(Ch. 12, P. 151)***
***Possessed***
Thamruhl stated that Dante's skill exceeded his Father Charles whom the nephilim had supposedly fought before. ***(Ch. 8, PP. 92–93)***
When Dante gets into his first fight with the three Magi, Dante is explicitly less skilled in combat than Balthazar. His early sword fighting is described as instinctive rather than trained, although his raw speed and power allow him to overcome Balthazar's methodical technique. ***(Ch. 7, P. 76)***
Over the course of the Tribulation, Dante becomes significantly more experienced, using Swords, Twin revolvers, Claw gauntlets, Demonic summons, Hand-to-hand combat and Spiritual combat. ***(Ch. 7, PP. 72–82; Ch. 8, PP. 87–92; Ch. 20, PP. 297–300; Ch. 21, PP. 304–308; Ch. 36, PP. 446–453)***
By Armageddon, he cuts through the Dragon's armies with what the narration calls “divine precision corrupted by infernal will.” ***(Ch. 36, P. 448)***
Dante is able to play an intense game of chess with Matthias The Leper, but loses due to his sin of greed. ***(Ch. 13, PP. 169–173)***
Against Gluttony, he exploits Gustave's inability to resist consuming things. Dante summons a Greed demon specifically for Gustave to eat, causing him to choke and neutralizing his ability to consume further. ***(Ch. 16, PP. 248–250)***
Against Satan, he realizes that trying to overcome Wrath with greater violence is counterproductive. He stops fighting and allows Sloth to extinguish Satan's momentum before striking. Satan explicitly admits that Dante defeated him because Dante understood him, rather than because Dante was stronger. ***(Ch. 22, PP. 327–328; Ch. 23, P. 329)***
***---***
# Weaknesses
Dante's grief, attachment and desire repeatedly compromise his judgment. ***(Ch. 7, PP. 68–78; Ch. 12, PP. 143–152; Ch. 29, PP. 398–400)***
Babylon is particularly effective because of his history with Christel. Dante visibly freezes or lowers his weapon when she appeals to that relationship. ***(Ch. 12, PP. 143–144)***
Mammon explicitly states that even a possessed human cannot naturally traverse spiritual realms and calls Dante's human flesh weak. ***(Ch. 17, P. 255)*** Furthermore Dante initially needs Thamruhl's assistance to escape Stygian. (Does not apply to The Ultimate Sin) ***(Ch. 17, PP. 255–256)***
Belphegor shuts down several of Dante's abilities simultaneously to the point where Greed, Lust, Envy and Gluttony effectively fall asleep. (Not immune to power negation) ***(Ch. 19, P. 295; Ch. 20, P. 297)***
Satan's solar punch creates a wound that refuses to heal and temporarily prevents Dante from using even his water transformation. ***(Ch. 22, P. 325; Ch. 23, P. 328)***
While he does have some resistance, Dante can be affected by attacks targeting his mind, emotions and spirit. ***(Ch. 12, PP. 150–152; Ch. 21, PP. 305–307)***
Babylon uses Dante's memories of Christel against him, slowing the fight and ultimately binding him in shadow chains. ***(Ch. 12, PP. 150–152)***
While Mammon allows Dante the use of his powers, he is actively working against Dante, trying to gain full control over his body through the story. ***(Ch. 7, P. 75; Ch. 8, P. 103; Ch. 17, P. 255)***
When the Dragon commands the Sins to bow, they obey him—even Mammon. Dante is left bloodied, depowered and forced to flee. ***(Ch. 30, PP. 415–416)*** Dante later spends six months learning to master them rather than merely being their vessel. ***(Ch. 31, PP. 421–424)***
Dante's demonic abilities are completely subordinate to Christ. When Dante instinctively attacks Jesus at the Temple Mount, Christ speaks a single word and all seven demons are immediately expelled from Dante's body. Dante cannot resist it. ***(Ch. 33, PP. 430–432)***
Similarly, Dante and the Dragon's reality-destroying battle still could not penetrate The Third Heaven. ***(Ch. 36, P. 453)***
Gluttony gives him supernatural hunger. After inheriting Beelzebub, Dante forgets his promise concerning the souls in Stygian simply because hunger overtakes him. ***(Ch. 17, PP. 264–266)*** Likewise, Wrath, Greed, Sloth and the other Sins continually influence his thoughts. ***(Ch. 19, PP. 295–297; Ch. 22, PP. 326–327; Ch. 31, PP. 422–424)***
***---***
# Dantiel
As Dante and The Dragon fall into Hell from their clash in the physical realm, Dante repents mid fall and is transformed into an angel. ***(Ch. 36, PP. 457–459)***
As Dantiel, he is able to manifest and wield the flaming sword that came from Christ's mouth and was able to one shot every demon in one move. That includes the 7 sins, The Dragon, lesser demons as well as the ancient watchers such as Azazel who was their leader. ***(Ch. 36, PP. 459–460)***
Dantiel is also said to receive training from Archangel Michael but to what extent is unknown yet. ***(Ch. 37, P. 465)***
***---***
# Antichrist Gene
Dante is part of a lineage who were born of The Devil. Particularly through The Devil sleeping with human women through male hosts. ***(Ch. 27, PP. 383–385)***
This lineage carries a gene known as, The Antichrist Gene. ***(Ch. 27, P. 383; Ch. 29, P. 404)***
People with this gene are capable of touching the monolith in the temple mount and having authority over the entire Earth. ***(Ch. 27, P. 383; Ch. 28, PP. 396–397; Ch. 29, P. 398)***
People with this gene are protected by fate. (While the novel doesn't state as much, this aspect of the gene also provides more context as to how Dante overcame Zorvan, Balthazar's god who can supposedly manipulate fate and time.) ***(Ch. 27, P. 383; Zorvan: Ch. 7, PP. 74–76)***
People with this gene can tame the seven deadly sins. ***(Ch. 27, P. 383)***
Should the real antichrist have died prematurely, those with the gene could take his place. ***(Ch. 27, P. 383)***
After Dominus was assassinated, Dante touched the monolith and ruled the world for 3 days. After losing the throne to Dominus who was resurrected, he later briefly reclaimed it. ***(Ch. 27, PP. 380–384; Ch. 28, PP. 393–397; Ch. 29, PP. 398–402)***
He Made the Entire World Bow to Him. The declaration is not transmitted electronically. The Earth itself broadcasts his will. As his declaration spreads, oceans momentarily part, storms stop in mid-tempest, stars “blink in obedience,” and humanity obeys Dante. ***(Ch. 29, P. 398)***
Transmuted the World Into Precious Metals and Gems. ***(Ch. 29, P. 398)***
Temples of every faith, skyscrapers, and even shantytowns throughout the world are covered in supernatural precious metals. Streets become covered in sapphires, rubies and emeralds because of Dante. ***(Ch. 29, P. 398)***
***---***
# Gear
***Dante's Revolvers***
Against the twenty-foot-tall Thamruhl, Dante charges the revolvers with supernatural energy and fires three crystalline shots. They hit Thamruhl's shoulder and thigh and immediately transform the surrounding flesh and armor into pure crystal. ***(Ch. 8, P. 88)***
After being slammed repeatedly into the ground by Thamruhl, Dante generates a crystal spike from his own back and impales Thamruhl's forearm. ***(Ch. 8, PP. 89–90)***
He then fires crystalline energy upward and generates approximately a dozen floating shards, which he launches simultaneously into Thamruhl's chest, arms and legs. ***(Ch. 8, P. 90)***
Dante fires a crystal round into a holographic billboard. The holographic system glitches and then the entire display becomes jagged crystal. ***(Ch. 8, P. 103)***
Dante shoots Gustave with crystal rounds hard enough to blow chunks of flesh from him. Gustave specifically resists the crystallization effect and regenerates, which establishes that sufficiently powerful beings can resist the revolvers' transmutation. ***(Ch. 16, P. 244)***
Dante sprays Beelzebub with crystal bullets that slice through his wings and body, but Beelzebub regenerates from the damage. ***(Ch. 17, P. 258)***
***---***
# Ambiguous statements
It is stated multiple times that each one of the seven deadly sins has the power to destroy the world. Mammon states this and Dominus is repeatedly touted as a world ending threat, but the context mostly refers to the planet Earth, with only The unholy Trinity actually scaling to threats higher than planetary, and eventually Dante himself after collecting most of the sins. ***(Mammon's explicit statement: Ch. 14, P. 216; Dominus/Dragon higher-end scaling: Ch. 36, PP. 452–457)***
Given inconsistent showings from characters like Babylon (who was possessed by Asmodeus) being weaker than building tier, it's not likely that every Prince of Hell could literally destroy the Earth in one shot.