Dante leans back, smirks, and crosses his arms. In each hand, he grips a massive semi-automatic .45. One is dark as a moonless night; the other shines like polished silver. You’ve seen them in every single game, from the pixelated PS2 origins to the photorealistic grit of the RE Engine. Ebony and Ivory Devil May Cry staples aren’t just tools for killing demons. Honestly, they’re the soul of the franchise. While other action heroes rely on generic assault rifles or mystical bows, Dante’s pistols are custom-built extensions of his personality. They don't just shoot. They juggle.
Most people think guns in a hack-and-slash game are for damage. That’s the first mistake. If you’re playing Devil May Cry and trying to kill a Hell Caina using only bullets, you're going to be there all day. It's boring. It's inefficient. Instead, these guns are the "glue" of the combat system. They keep the combo meter alive when you’re too far away to swing Rebellion. They hold enemies in mid-air, defying gravity, while you reposition for a devastating Helm Breaker. Without these twin pistols, the entire "Stylish Action" genre would probably look a lot more like a standard brawler.
The Lore Behind the Lead
These aren't off-the-shelf 1911s. According to the series' deep lore—specifically the Devil May Cry novel by Shin-ya Goikeda—Dante didn't just find these in a shop. They were crafted by Nell Goldstein, the "Gunsmith from Hell." Nell is a legendary figure in the DMC mythos, and her relationship with Dante is surprisingly touching for a game about stabbing monsters. She saw that Dante kept breaking normal guns because he fired them faster and harder than any human could. He needed something that could withstand his demonic power.
Ebony and Ivory were the result.
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Ebony is the black pistol, built for long-range accuracy and stability. It’s the "left brain" of the pair. Ivory, the silver one, is the "right brain," modified for rapid-fire bursts and short-range speed. If you look closely at the in-game models, especially in Devil May Cry 5, you’ll see the intricate engravings: "For Tony Redgrave, By .45 Art Wks." Tony Redgrave was the alias Dante used back in the day. It’s a tiny detail, but it grounds the supernatural chaos in a bit of human history. These guns have a heritage. They have a creator who cared about the guy using them.
Why the Design Actually Works
From a mechanical standpoint, the design of Ebony and Ivory Devil May Cry fans adore is genius. The slides are custom, the grips are ergonomic (featuring portraits of Victorian-style women), and the triggers are tuned for a half-demon's reflexes. In the games, Dante uses his own demonic energy to "charge" the shots. This explains why he never runs out of ammo. Can you imagine Dante stopping to find a 9mm box in the middle of a boss fight? It would kill the flow.
Basically, the infinite ammo isn't just a "video game thing." It’s a lore-integrated feature. By channeling his power into the guns, Dante can perform moves like "Rain Storm," where he spins upside down in mid-air and creates a literal curtain of lead. It’s ridiculous. It’s over the top. It’s exactly why we love it.
Mastering the Style: More Than Just Mashing Square
If you want to actually be good at the game, you have to stop thinking of Ebony and Ivory as secondary weapons. They are primary tools for "Air Hiking" and "Enemy Stepping."
In Devil May Cry 3, the introduction of the Gunslinger style changed everything. Suddenly, you weren't just shooting forward. You were shooting in 360 degrees. You were using "Twosome Time" to target two enemies at once in different directions. It felt like playing a rhythm game mixed with a John Woo movie.
- The "Charge Shot" Mechanic: Holding down the shoot button doesn't just make the next hit harder. In later games, like DMC4 and DMC5, it adds multiple hits of "flinch" to the enemy. This is crucial for bosses. When a boss is about to start a move, a Level 3 Charge Shot can sometimes stagger them, giving you a window to switch back to your sword.
- Honeycomb Fire: This is a classic Gunslinger move. If you mash the button fast enough during certain animations, Dante increases his fire rate to a literal blur. It’s great for building style points quickly, taking you from a "D" rank to a "B" rank in seconds.
- The Buffer: You can hold the charge for your guns while performing sword combos. This is the mark of a pro player. While you're busy slashing with Sparda or DSD, your finger is holding that gun button, ready to release a blast the moment the enemy tries to fly away.
The Evolution Through the Years
It’s wild to see how the guns have changed. In the original 2001 game, they felt heavy. Each shot had a distinct thud. By the time Devil May Cry 2 rolled around—arguably the weakest entry—the guns were actually too powerful. You could beat almost the entire game just by kiting enemies and shooting from a distance. It was safe, but it wasn't "Stylish."
Capcom realized this mistake.
In Devil May Cry 4 and 5, they rebalanced the damage. Now, Ebony and Ivory are perfectly tuned. They deal enough damage to be relevant but not so much that you stop using your melee weapons. The sound design also took a massive leap. In DMC5, you can hear the mechanical clink of the slides and the shells hitting the ground. Even the smoke trailing from the barrels looks more realistic than ever.
Comparisons to Other Weapons
Look at Nero’s "Blue Rose." It’s a double-barreled revolver. It’s slower, hits harder, and feels more "punk rock." Then you have Dante’s pistols, which are sleek, professional, and sophisticated. The contrast tells you everything you need to know about the characters. Nero is about brute force and grit. Dante is about finesse and showing off.
Some players prefer the "Coyote-A" (the shotgun) for its raw stopping power. Sure, the shotgun is great for clearing a path. But it lacks the surgical precision of Ebony and Ivory. You can’t juggle a small enemy across the entire screen with a shotgun. You just blow them away. The pistols allow for creativity. They allow for "art."
Common Misconceptions
People often say, "The guns do zero damage, why bother?"
That’s just wrong. If you look at the frame data (shoutout to the dedicated DMC labbing community), the pistols are essential for "hitstun." In high-level play, every frame matters. If an enemy is about to recover from a combo, a single bullet resets their recovery state for a fraction of a second. That fraction of a second is the difference between getting hit and starting a new 50-hit combo.
Another myth is that you only need them for the Gunslinger style. Even if you play almost exclusively in Swordmaster or Trickster, Ebony and Ivory are your primary tools for staying in the air. "Star Raving"—a high-level movement tech—often uses gun cancels to maintain momentum.
The Cultural Impact
Walk into any gaming convention. You’ll see a dozen Dantes. And every single one of them will be carrying some version of these pistols. They are as iconic as the Master Sword or the Hidden Blade. They represent a specific era of gaming where "cool" was the only metric that mattered.
The philosophy behind their creation—fast, fluid, and flashy—is what birthed games like Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising. Hideki Kamiya, the director of the first Devil May Cry, wanted a game that felt like an action movie where you were the choreographer. Ebony and Ivory were his primary brushes for that masterpiece.
Actionable Tips for New Players
If you’re jumping into Devil May Cry 5 today, here’s how to actually use these guns effectively:
- Don't mash. It’s tempting to just hammer the button. Instead, try to time your shots to fill the gaps between your sword swings.
- Use the "Jump Cancel." If you jump off an enemy's head, it resets your air actions. You can shoot, jump cancel, and shoot again to stay airborne indefinitely.
- Watch the Style Meter. If your rank is dropping, a quick burst from Ebony and Ivory will often "freeze" the decay for a second, giving you time to reach the next enemy.
- Experiment with Gunslinger. Even if you love the sword, switch to Gunslinger just to try the "Rain Storm" move. It’s the best way to deal with enemies below you while staying safe in the air.
The legacy of Ebony and Ivory Devil May Cry lore and gameplay isn't going anywhere. As long as there are demons to hunt and style ranks to chase, these two .45s will be in Dante's holsters. They are the perfect marriage of form and function. They look cool, they feel great, and they make the impossible look easy.
To truly master Dante, you have to stop seeing the guns as weapons and start seeing them as the rhythm section of your orchestra. The sword provides the melody, but the guns provide the beat. Without that beat, the music just doesn't work. Next time you're in the Void practicing, spend ten minutes just shooting. Notice the recoil. Notice how the enemies react. You'll realize pretty quickly that these aren't just pistols. They're the reason Devil May Cry is the king of action.