Dante - Limbus Company

Bus Driver: Charon: The driver of Mephistopheles, the bus where the LCB department of Limbus Company reside. And the silliest girl. Formerly known as Lapis, she was a headstrong young woman raised by Vergilius' orphanage. Due to the Ring's experiments with the glass window, Lapis' own personality was overwritten with an Identity of herself from another Mirror World. This process left this Identity calling herself "Charon" trapped in what was Lapis' body with her 'real' personality only retrievable on Faust's and Limbus Company's promise to Vergilius.

Bus: Mephistopheles: Often referred to as Mephi by Charon, is an invention made by Faust. And is a semi-living being, with it's main fuel source being the parts of the vital organs of the human body.

Sinner #9: Rodion: Rodion is a gambling veteran who knows what she did and is owning up to it. She is generally a mood-maker and acts like a big sister to the younger Sinners. Rodion's relationship with Dante is generally supportive. She is a reliable member of the team and has a good rapport with him and others. Sinner #11: Emil Sinclair: Sinclair is a timid Sinner with a great deal of potential power. His sin is tied to a traumatic past that he struggles to overcome. When pushed, he is capable of great violence. Sinclair is initially distrustful of Dante, but this changes as Dante helps him confront his issues and guides him. Dante helps him to stand up for himself and use his power when it matters. Sinner #12: Outis: Outis is a strict and disciplined individual, often acting like a drill sergeant. Her lore is linked to her past as a strategist and her sense of duty. Outis is very loyal to Dante and the mission, even standing up to others for his sake. She has a desire to do what's best for the team and for Dante. Sinner #13: Gregor: Gregor is a man who survived a brutal conflict known as the "Smoke War." He has a monstrous, prosthetic arm that is a result of his experience. Gregor is a veteran who is more experienced than most of the Sinners. He is a reliable ally, but Dante's relationship with him is more of a peer-to-peer relationship than a mentor-mentee dynamic. Guide, The Red Gaze: Vergilius: Though formerly an independent Fixer running his own office, Vergilius currently works as the guide of Limbus Company and caretaker of Charon, rarely showing his true strength as a Color. Despite typically acting in a cold way, Vergilius cared very deeply for those he lost. He pushes people away and puts up a cruel and uncaring front, purposefully inciting distaste for him. It's possible that this is both because he's lost everyone close to him and his struggles.

Sinner #5: Meursault: Meursault is a silent and stoic Sinner. His sin is linked to a senseless act of violence against an innocent person. He is generally characterized as a dependable, though emotionless, individual. Meursault is quiet and gives Dante more respect and attention than he does to most of the other Sinners. He often follows Dante's orders without question, which may be his way of trying to show he is a trustworthy and dependable ally. Sinner #6: Hong Lu: Hong Lu is a carefree and innocent-acting Sinner from a privileged background. Despite his seemingly simple demeanor, he has been through "hellish training" and has a secret behind his eye. Hong Lu is often described as a "puppy" who enjoys everything he sees. He has learned to read the room and is a generally pleasant and amiable presence for Dante and the rest of the crew. Sinner #7: Heathcliff: Heathcliff is a violent hothead, with a rough exterior. His lore is connected to a brutal story of love and revenge. Heathcliff has shown a great deal of concern and care for Dante, even asking if he is okay after a fight, something few other Sinners do. This shows a deep sense of loyalty and a growing friendship with Dante. Sinner #8: Ishmael: Ishmael is a straight-laced, dependable, but blunt woman who survived a horrific experience at sea with a "maniac's ship." Her sin is linked to the trauma of this experience and the all-consuming fury it instilled in her. Ishmael is one of the Sinners who comes to respect Dante a great deal. Dante is shown to be very proactive in helping Ishmael deal with her trauma, even taking a harpoon for her and talking her down from the edge during a climactic moment.

Sinner #1: Yi Sang: Yi Sang is a quiet, melancholic genius who was once part of a group called the "League of Nine Littérateurs." His sin is rooted in inaction and despair, which led to the ruin of his group and left him grief-stricken. At first, he is silent and withdrawn, but after confronting his past, he becomes warmer and more open to Dante and the rest of the crew. He expresses that he now has a new sense of hope. Sinner #2: Faust: Faust is a brilliant and enigmatic Sinner who knows a great deal about "The City" and the various technologies and factions within it. Her lore is tied to the deal she made with the devil and her potential for great power and knowledge. Faust is loyal to Limbus Company and acts as a key source of information. She has a number of solitary interactions with Dante, often advising him and revealing her awareness of his importance. Sinner #3: Don Quixote: Don Quixote is a cheerful and eccentric Sinner with a strong sense of justice, often seen acting like a "hero" from a fantasy story. Her wrath is directed in what she perceives as a just direction, but she remains intemperately wrathful. Don Quixote is aware of Dante's importance and shows appreciation for him through her behavior. She sees Dante as a figure of authority and is generally enthusiastic in following his orders. Sinner #4: Ryōshū: Ryōshū is a violent, combative, and foul-mouthed artist who uses a sword. Her sin is tied to an inadvertent act that led to a tragic outcome for her daughter. She has a great deal of combat experience and has worked with various organizations. Ryōshū is generally difficult to deal with, but she has shown some small moments of a more relaxed demeanor. She is still very much her own person, and her interactions with Dante reflect her no-nonsense attitude.

Etymology:

Dante is based on the protagonist of the 14th-century epic poem Dante’s Inferno, and subsequently the rest of the Divine Comedy. Both Dantes are named after the sobriquet of the Divine Comedy’s author, Dante Alighieri.

Dante is a hypocorism of the name Durante, their in-game call sign and the baptismal name of Dante Alighieri — born under his full name, Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri. 'Durante' derives from the Latin proper name Durans or Durantis, both of which originate from the Latin verb dūrāre (“to endure”), in reference to becoming resilient, tough, or hard. Likely reflected in-game with Dante metaphorically and literally 'enduring' the pain and sins of their fellow Sinners, along with their ability to revive the fallen back from death as a ever-'enduring' group. The Italian word ‘durante’ also derived from ‘durare’ can mean “during” or “in the course of”, as well as “long-lasting” in Cebuano. Also likely tying in to Dante's clock motif and ability to "turn back the clock" for the Sinners.

Anatomy and Abilities:

Dante's own head had been replaced by a prosthetic clock serving as their new face, which seemingly gives them powers comparable to absurd technologies such as Singularities.

The Sinners recruited by Limbus Company were specifically chosen because they could "resonate" with Dante's abilities, forming the "contract" with them to gain the boon of Dante's powers.

• Golden Bough Resonance: Dante is able to sense where the Golden Bough are through resonating with them, able to perceive their location by "following their star". This gives Dante the visions of the Boughs as shining stars in a swirling sky; Dante can also share these visions with the Sinners through their telepathy.

• Telepathy: Dante can only commune through a ticking sound, which they can alter the frequency and intensity of. Only the Sinners and a few others can understand the intended speech behind the ticks. When angered, Dante's speech may include bell chimes.

• Distortions: Dante can also understand the speech of Distortions that lost the ability to communicate using human language, this understanding extending to their subordinate entities as well. Dante can thus act as a interpreter for Distortions, relaying invaluable information to the other Sinners to achieve their missions. Faust speculates this is possible due to Dante resonating with the Golden Boughs they collected.

• Turning back the clock: After Faust had Dante bind the Sinners into a "contract", Dante is capable of healing their injuries and reviving the Sinners from death, at the cost of physically feeling how they died. With cases like death, Dante undergoes a vision of themselves opening a foreboding door filled with the wails and lamentations of unknown sufferers, as they pull out the hands of the Sinners from the gateway. When doing so, Dante feels the sins and pain caused by them wriggling through their body as the Sinners revive with their wounds physically reversing.

Dante also has a light-hearted side, sometimes cracking jokes about their clockhead to lighten the mood, even in a serious situation. They can also be somewhat mischievous and cunning, as to some of their thoughts about some of the side characters the team meets.

It is unknown, as of right now, how Dante acted prior to their amnesia and transformation. They are described as being a 'big-wig' in the past, which possibly implies a degree of affluence and/or influence, with matching personality traits. However, as of yet, there has been no direct story evidence regarding this subject.

Dante is unable to communicate normally with the only sound he can make being the ticking of the hands of the clock, and the chimes of a grandfather clock, only being able to telepathically talk to the sinners, while non-sinners only hear the ticking of Dante's clock, Dante doesn't usually touch their own head.

Personality: As a manager, Dante is initially quiet, passive, and rather spineless. They rarely make any real attempts to control the Sinners or talk to them about their problems, while occasionally lamenting their inability to get the Sinners to listen to them due to their own physical weakness (being likely the only person on Mephistopheles without any combat experience, likely due to amnesia). However, as time moves on and Dante discovers their own ability to act as a guiding star for the Sinners, they increase in pride as the Manager of the group and begins to assume the position of actual leadership over the sinners.

Due to their initial incompetence, they had to rely on some of the Sinners to maintain some degree of control over the group's actions. Ishmael and Outis in particular provided some amount of help in management of the other Sinners during this period. However, their authority is consolidated as they earn the respect of several Sinners after their focus Cantos, and this in turn earned them the trust of the entire group.

Dante's lack of confidence contributed greatly to their passivity in earlier Cantos, though it has since abated with the aforementioned rise in confidence. They were also shown to be fearful to certain Sinners with violent tendencies, particularly Heathcliff.

Dante's improvement can be seen clearly as the Cantos progress: in Canto I, Dante is shown to be slightly more than a bystander, occasionally asking questions but otherwise acting only as an "infinite life" charm, or compared to a "walking box of bandages" by come in later Cantos. By Canto V, however, they can be seen guiding Ishmael and leading her out of her destructive obsession with killing her former Captain.

Appearance:

In place of their original head, Dante's current head was replaced with a prosthetic red clock which protrudes unusually colored flames from its top. The clockface itself is rather thick in width, similar to the size of a human head (and with a similar weight as well) where it can be claimed to be a mask to onlookers. The flames appear to burn from two ridges that ring around the clock down to the point of Dante's neck.

Initially on the Prologue, their minute hand on the face of the clock rests at 9. As of the end of Canto IV, it had moved by half a minute, residing between the position of 9 and 10. Their uniform is notably distinct from the Sinners, their coat being a mix of red, yellow, and white, likely due to their role as Executive Manager. 'NO. 10' is written on their coat near the lapel, along with 'DAN TE' near the end of it. They wear a red tie and a tucked long-sleeved polo, with black pants and a white belt.

Name: Dante

Common pronouns: They/Them, He/Him, Dante/Manager

Basic Information: Dante, designated Sinner #10, had their memory wiped and head replaced with a prosthetic clock as a precaution for data leakage prior to becoming the Manager overseeing the Sinners in Limbus Company's LCB department.