Ebony & Ivory (2024)

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Ebony & Ivory are Dante's trademark pair of personally customized,^[1] semi-automatic pistols, designed to rapidly fire bullets instilled with his demonic power,^[2][3][4] and are one of the several firearms to appear in every Devil May Cry game series. The left-handed black gun, Ebony, has been modified for long-distance targeting and comfort,^[5] while the right-handed white gun, Ivory, was custom built for rapid firing and fast draw times.^[6]

Design[]

Ebony & Ivory are both M1911-style handguns chambered for the .45 ACP round, and boast a plethora of customized features:

• Both pistols have been modified with pivot-style triggers as opposed to the 1911's usual straight-pull trigger, this modification resembles the Browning Hi-Power pistol.
• Both feature custom sight systems; Ebony uses a set of target sights, while Ivory uses a pair of combat sights
• Both feature ported muzzle compensators that reduce recoil and counteract muzzle flip. Both barrels are extended through the compensators and are ported to match the cuts in the compensators.
• Both use custom slides that have been noticeably thickened and reinforced along the slide travel rails and around the chamber and firing mechanism. The result is a slide that bears a resemblance to SIG-Sauer's M1911 line.
• Rails have been bolted to the forward portion of both frames. These rails are used to hold the compensators in place.
• Both guns feature slam-pads
• Both have gold-plated magazine releases, hammers, safety switches and triggers.
• Ebony features a hooked, two-handed trigger-guard, while Ivory uses a more traditional rounded trigger-guard.
• Both weapons use ergonomic wood grips which are inlaid with portraits of Victorian women; as befits their names, Ebony's is dark-haired, and Ivory's is fair-haired.
• Ebony's ejection port is located on the left side of the weapon, as opposed to the right side (as Ebony is meant to be used left-handed, this causes spent brass to be ejected away from Dante.)
• Both weapons have an outside extractor, resembling Browning Hi-Power pistols.

In addition, several customized features are inconsistent between the various games:

• In the original Devil May Cry, Ebony utilizes an extended thumb safety and a spur hammer. Ivory uses a standard length safety and a ring hammer. In other incarnations, both feature spur hammers and standard length safeties, save for Devil May Cry 5 where the two have different hammers but the same standard-length safety.
• For Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 5, Ivory's frame and slide are both completely left-handed, with all of the controls being mirrored from their normal positions.

The inward-facing side of each weapon's slide (Ebony's right and Ivory's left) is engraved with "Ebony & Ivory" in a cursive script along with the unique design of piano keys, further alluding to its name. The outward facing sides (Ebony's left and Ivory's right) are engraved with a dedication to Dante which is explained in Devil May Cry novel to be from Nell Goldstein:

For Tony Redgrave

By .45 Art Warks

Oddly enough, this engraving also appears on Luce & Ombra, a similar set of pistols belonging to Dante's father and used by Trish which Ebony & Ivory are modeled after.

Hideaki Itsuno has mentioned on twitter that engravings on Ebony & Ivory were wrong and in Devil May Cry 5 it has been corrected to:

For Tony Redgrave

By .45 Art Works

The model used for the Ivory within Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening gameplay is simply a recolored copy of that used for the Ebony. The spent shells still behave as though the ejection port is pointed outward, appearing out of thin air above the gun and falling to Dante's right side. Dante tends to cross the guns when firing them.

On the grips of both Ebony & Ivory, a portrait of the gunsmith who made the guns, Nell Goldstein, can be found.

Gameplay[]

In most entries, Ebony and Ivory have the lowest damage output but provides the highest fire rate and mobility out of any firearm. They primarily serve to juggle enemies and extend combos if an enemy is out of melee range. Ebony and Ivory temporarily slow Dante's descent, and when used in tandem with their juggling abilities, can allow the player to reposition themselves.

Devil May Cry[]

In Devil May Cry, Ebony & Ivory are Dante's only ranged weapon at the start of the game. They have no moveset beyond simply firing them in the air or on the ground.

After Dante acquires Alastor, Ebony & Ivory gain the ability to fire shots charged with demonic energy while either Alastor or Ifrit is equipped as Dante's Devil Arm. Every bullet the guns fire while in Devil Trigger mode will be charged, and the player can also manually charge them by holding the shoot button for a short time until energy crackles around Dante's hands. The latter will allow a short period of firing charged shots without using the DT gauge. Charged bullets of both types take on the qualities of Dante's equipped Devil Arm, crackling with electricity for Alastor, and trailing fire for Ifrit. Force Edge and Sparda do not allow use of charged bullets of either type while they are equipped, in the latter case save during the Mundus 2 fight in the air during DT or using manual charging outside it. In this situation, the effect is similar to the fire trails of Ifrit, but color-shifted to dark red.

Charged bullets boast increased damage, improved hit-stun, knockdown and impact effects, and offer a superior boost to the Stylish Rank over normal gunfire, removing the normal "stale" cap and allowing the player to hit Stylish from gunfire alone. The downside is that the game engine tracks charged bullets as projectiles (as opposed to normal gunfire, which appears to be hitscan) and so they can more easily miss mobile enemies, particularly at long range.

Devil May Cry 2[]

In Devil May Cry 2, Ebony and Ivory can no longer be charged. This marks the first appearance of Twosome Time, where if correctly positioned, Dante will shoot Ivory in another direction if an enemy is nearby. Devil May Cry 2 also introduced Rain Storm, by shooting right after pressing the jump button, Dante will flip upside down and fire on enemies below.

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening[]

In Devil May Cry 3, Ebony and Ivory are only capable of shooting on their own, and they are also the only weapons that can be used during Free Ride. Using Gunslinger unleashes their full potential, allowing Dante to shoot faster and giving him access to Charge Shots, this time not expending Devil Trigger and not affecting accuracy or bullet speed. The pistols can be used to fire in two different directions, allowing the player limited control of enemy positions. (For an exploit, one can mash and alternatively, cancelling both Rapid Shot and Twosome Time at rapid succession, enabling an extremely high rate of fire). While in the air, Gunslinger grants access to Rain Storm, to rapidly fire on the enemies below. Mashing the will cause Dante to continue Rainstorm until he reaches the ground. When standing over a downed enemy, firing repeatedly will make Dante hold the enemy down with his foot while firing Ebony and Ivory in a coup-de-grace fashion, before kicking the enemy away.

Devil May Cry 4[]

Ebony and Ivory function largely the same as they did in Devil May Cry 3. Rain Storm is slightly easier to execute, needing only to hold the Style button to extend the technique. Charge Shots can be used regardless of what Style is active, and will be fired automatically while in Devil Trigger. Twosome Time can be now cancelled into Honeycomb Fire: disposing the multi-directional attacks in favor of the increased rate of fire.

Devil May Cry 5[]

Ebony and Ivory have been upgraded to be more powerful and have a faster firing rate. Charge Shot, while still available to be used regardless of style, is now charged automatically while in Gunslinger style whenever Dante is not firing. The speed of this automatic charge increases as Gunslinger is levelled up.

In addition, Devil May Cry 5 is the first game to have mechanics acknowledging the different builds of the two guns. This only occurs in Gunslinger mode: while in this mode, pressing the normal shoot button will fire three-round bursts from Ivory, while the Style button fires high-powered single shots from Ebony which have a strong stagger effect on enemies. When charged, Ivory's shots will pierce through multiple enemies, while Ebony's bullets will explode on impact.

Entering Twosome Time is done by pressing one gun's fire button and the other quickly, then repeatedly pressing the second button. Dante will fire the first gun straight ahead, while the movement stick can be used to aim the other in the four cardinal directions. Honeycomb Fire is no longer tied to Twosome Time, instead performed by a back-to-forward input.

Rainstorm has been reworked: the player can now control Dante's descent rather than the move only going straight down. At the beginning of the animation, Dante shoots outwards, then brings his guns together to shoot directly below him. The animation stops at just about Dante's standing height. Due to the longer start-up and earlier end to the animation, Rainstorm is better initiated further from the ground.

Movesets[]

• Devil May Cry

• Devil May Cry 2

• Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening

• Devil May Cry 4

• Devil May Cry 5

Action	Command	Description
Gun Attack	PS: +/+ XBOX:+/+ PC:	Fire your gun. Continue holding or to charge your next shot with demon power.

Action	Command	Description
Twosome Time	PS: +Any direction+ XBOX: PC:	Simultaneously shoot in different directions.
Rain Storm	PS: (after Air Hike, Wall Hike or Kick Jump) XBOX: PC:	Shoot at an enemy right below you while airborne.

• Standard

• Gunslinger

  See Also

  Devil Bringer

Action	Command	Description
Normal Shot	PS: (repeatedly) XBOX: PC:
720°	(during Free Ride, repeatedly) PS: XBOX: PC:	Shoot around yourself while riding a grounded enemy.

Action	Command	Description
Level 1
Twosome Time	PS: (ground) XBOX: PC:	Fire your guns simultaneously in any chosen direction.
Wild Stomp	PS: Rapid Shot (near downed enemy) XBOX: PC:	Plant a foot down on an enemy that has been knocked over and hold them in place while you riddle off a barrage of bullets, then kick away their battered body.
Rainstorm	PS: (repeatedly, mid-air) XBOX: PC:	Rain hundreds of bullets down upon unsuspecting foes that lie waiting below you.
Level 1-3
Charge Shot	PS: (hold and release) XBOX: PC:	Focus energy for a brief time then fire off a super-charged magically imbued burst. Levels 2 and 3 increase the number of bullets fired.
Rapid Shot	PS: Crazy Normal Shot XBOX: PC:	Quickly click off shots, resulting in a large number of bullets being fired in a short amount of time. Levels 2 and 3 lower the number of button presses required to execute the move.

• Standard

• Gunslinger

Action	Command	Description
Normal Shot	PS: XBOX: PC:	While lacking power, this attack is capable of rapid fire.
Charge Shot	PS: (hold and release) XBOX: (hold and release) PC:	By infusing bullets with accumulated magical energy, they are capable of delivering even more damage. Levels 2 and 3 increase the number of magically charged bullets.

Action	Command	Description
Twosome Time	PS: Left analog stick + (ground) XBOX: Left analog stick + (ground) PC:	Fire in two directions to attack multiple foes simultaneously. After beginning the attack, Left stick will determine the direction of fire.
Rain Storm	(mid-air) PS: XBOX: PC:	Enter a vortex-like spin and rain hundreds of bullets upon unsuspecting foes that are below you. If . is held, Dante will continue the attack until he lands.
Level 4
Honeycomb Fire	Crazy Twosome Time	Turn enemies who lie ahead into honeycombs with the sting of countless rapid-fire bullets.

• Standard

• Gunslinger

Action	Command	Description
Normal Shot	PS: XBOX: PC:	Fire standard shots that do little damage but can be rapid-fired.
Charge Shot	Hold PS: XBOX: PC: then release once both arms glow brighter. Press repeatedly while both arms glow brighter for multiple Charge Shots.	2000 Infuse a shot with demonic power to deal greater damage. Charges automatically in Gunslinger style. Levels 2 (5000) and 3 (18000) prolong duration.

Action	Command	Description
Level 1
Ebony Shot	(on ground) PS: XBOX: PC:	Fire a high-powered shot that's likely to stagger enemies.
Auto Charge (E)	(on ground) PS: XBOX: PC: once Dante's left arm glows brighter	Auto-charges your demonic power, adding explosive power to your bullets. On levels 2 and 3 it takes less time to reach full charge.
Ivory Shot	(on ground) PS: XBOX: PC:	Fires a three-round burst of low-damage shots that place firing speed above stopping power.
Auto Charge (I)	PS: XBOX: PC: once Dante's right arm glows brighter	Auto-charges your demonic power, adding piercing capabilities to your shots. On levels 2 and 3 it takes less time to reach full charge.
Level 2
Rainstorm	(mid-air) PS: XBOX: PC: Hold to shoot straight down	Revolve in mid-air and shower the ground below in a storm of bullets.
Level 3
Twosome Time	(on ground) PS: Shoot with and quickly press or shoot with and quickly press XBOX: Shoot with and quickly press or shoot with and quickly press PC: Shoot with and quickly press or shoot with and quickly press Tilt the Left Stick while firing to change direction	Shoot two enemies at once in different directions.
Level 4
Honeycomb Fire	(on ground) PS: + Left Stick back to forward + (repeatedly) XBOX: + Left Stick back to forward + (repeatedly) PC: + to + (repeatedly)	Tear up enemies in front of you with rapid gunfire.

Other appearances[]

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne[]

Dante uses Ebony & Ivory for three special attacks. The first "E & I" deals up to four light physical hits on a single target. The second "Bullet-Time" (renamed to "Twosome Time" in the HD Remaster) deals moderate physical damage to all enemies and cannot be dodged. The last "Showtime" shows Dante using Rain Storm in the middle of a combo; the combo as a whole deals a large amount of Almighty damage to all enemies.

Viewtiful Joe[]

Dante uses Ebony & Ivory for his long-ranged attacks.

Sengoku Basara[]

Nouhime/Lady Butterfly's sixth weapon is Ebony & Ivory.

Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds[]

Dante can use Ebony & Ivory as his crouching light attack (depending on the side he is facing), and can also perform Charged Shots/Twosome Time, Wild Stomp, also called Cold Shower, and Rain Storm, as well as fire them during his ground throws. His new Weasel Shot special, in which Dante leaps backward while firing, and his Million Dollars Hyper Combo, in which Dante fires a volley of bullets, then fires two charged shots in the style he used to finish off Mundus in DMC while saying "Jackpot", are newly introduced moves outside the original series.

Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2[]

Dante uses the Ebony & Ivory during the passive skill "Rapid Shot", this skill increases his Phys hit rate by +20%. It changes the Regular Attacks to the following: Inflicts Phys damage 5 times (Power: 20) on a single target with a 25% Crit Rate, then enters a state of Might. During this state, Million Stab will have Phys Pierce that ignores physical immunities.

TEPPEN[]

Dante uses the Ebony & Ivory during his "Ebony & Ivory" Hero Art. This Hero Art enables all friendly units to trigger Resonate twice when an Action Card is used.

Background[]

The Ebony and Ivory are named after the song of the same name composed by Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder, which references the black and white construction of piano keys.^[7]

Trivia[]

• Ebony is the only gun that Vergil is ever shown using, during the battle against Arkham in Devil May Cry 3, after stating that he'll "try it [Dante's] way for once."
• Ebony was also used in the animated series by Lady, Sid, and Patty. Lady used it in Mission 09 while undercover since it was easier to hide rather than her standard weapons. Sid used it in Mission 11 and 12 briefly against Dante and Patty used it also in Mission 09 while under a spell to try and shoot Dante.
• Lady, Vergil and Nero are the only characters who have been shot at with Ebony & Ivory during the events of the games and were not immediately killed or defeated.
• Dante seems to favor delivering the coup de grâce with Ebony & Ivory as they have more kills/defeats of boss characters than any other weapon over the course of the games. This list includes Nevan, Arkham, Sanctus, Echidna, Berial, Agnus, Arius, the Despair Embodied, and Mundus.
• In the secret ending of Devil May Cry 4, Dante is seen reading a magazine called the "Two HandGun." An image of the guns and a line "Ebony & Ivory™" can be seen on the page Dante is reading.
• In DmC: Devil May Cry, Dante once again wields Ebony & Ivory, but refers to them as "girls," in contrast to how the original Dante called his pair "guys".
• In Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, it is possible to see upon close examination that the "Ebony & Ivory" inscription is on the outward pointing side of Ivory's slide, and also printed in reverse, despite the piano keys still being printed in front, as though the inscription and the piano keys design are two separate designs applied to the weapon.

• It's possible to see that while there are many inaccuracies to the design of Ebony & Ivory, their respective iron sights are still correct in Devil May Cry 3, as Ebony uses adjustable target sights, while Ivory uses fixed combat sights.
• A close-up of Ebony & Ivory to the right with the ejection ports copied. Note the dedicated inscription is gold on Ivory, while it is simply a dark black on Ebony.
• In the ending of Devil May Cry 5, after Dante says "Jackpot!", it is shown the two guns fire different bullets: a hollow point with a polymer insert is shown coming from Ivory, and a steel-cored armor-piercing bullet from Ebony.

• In Devil May Cry: The Animated Series, it is shown that Dante carries ammo for Ebony and Ivory, despite the fact that he has never reloaded them onscreen in any media.
• In Devil May Cry 2, if Dante's DMC1 outfit is equipped the sound effect heard while firing in gameplay is replaced with the sound effect used in DMC1.

Gallery[]

References[]