Taking inspiration from Devil May Cry, the Bayonetta series puts players in the shoes of Bayonetta, an Umbran Witch that is equally skilled at using guns and looking cool while doing it.
Those unfamiliar with the series might find Bayonetta to be filled with confusing and nonsensical plot points, but the universe is packed with interesting lore and memorable characters. Chief among them is Bayonetta herself, the main protagonist of the first two titles. The talented Umbran Witch has plenty of hidden facts that help her stand out from other characters in the same hack-and-slash genre. From her height to family history, here are some things you didn't know about Bayonetta.
Updated October 21, 2021 by Jerrad Wyche: Fans of the Bayonetta series were recently treated to a brand new trailer for the upcoming third game in the series, Bayonetta 3. The trailer was unveiled as the final reveal during Nintendo's highly anticipated Nintendo Direct which took place in September of 2021. Despite the game still having a loose release date of 2022, fans are excited to go on another adventure with Bayonetta and learn even more about her mysterious life.
11 Bayonetta Isn't Her Real Name
It may come as quite a shocker for some reading this article, but the long-haired goddess known as Bayonetta has a real name. Over the course of her life, she's gone by Bayonetta, Famed Witch, and even Umbra Witch. At birth, her name was Cereza but isn't close at all to the name most people know her as.
It's believed that Bayonetta was her childhood nickname, and due to her waking with amnesia after her slumber, it's the name she remembers herself being called, and that is why Cereza was left in the past.
10 She's Eight Feet Tall
The Bayonetta series has never given a straight answer as to how tall Bayonetta is. She is said to be 4.67 Umbran Witch Weight and 11.95 Umbran Witch Height, but that isn't comparable to the real world.
By referencing various common day objects in the Bayonetta games, most estimates on her height hover around 8 feet. She might appear small when compared to other humans or enemies, but she is incredibly tall compared to nearly every human.
9 She's 600 Years Old
Looking at Bayonetta, she seems to be incredibly young. That couldn't be further from the truth. While she may appear young, Bayonetta is over 600 years old.
Her Umbran Watch displays 14111219 on it, which can be translated to the date she was born. Using these numbers, Bayonetta was born on December 19, 1411. While she might be old, 500 of those years were spent in a deep slumber to keep her safe.
8 She Shoots Her Initials
Shooting hordes of angels and demons is incredibly fun to do in Bayonetta, but it can be just as fun shooting an absurd amount of bullets into the environment.
When the player is not in combat and decides to shoot at a wall, Bayonetta will start to shoot her initials and hearts into the wall instead of a random spray pattern like most games. Even when she is standing idly by, Bayonetta finds ways to show her inhuman skill with weapons.
7 The Lollipop Effect
Many of Bayonetta's cutscenes show the Umbral Witch sucking on a lollipop while antagonists reveal their evil plans.
If you are as unintimidated with these enemies as Bayonetta is, you can make the fights even easier with a simple trick. With a gamepad, press the button that corresponds with the lollipop's color and Bayonetta will obtain a special glowing aura based on the color. This aura isn't just cosmetic. While the aura is active, she gains a moderate damage increase during the following encounter. No wonder Bayonetta likes lollipops so much.
6 She Speaks Enochian
Some of Bayonetta's special attacks involve her chanting in an alien language. This language is called Enochian, spoken by most Umbral Witches and angels.
What is surprising is Enochian is a real language. This language was created in the 16th-century that was frequently referenced in obscure journals. The developers of Bayonetta used this language almost verbatim for the game's various angels and Bayonetta's special powers.
5 There's An Easter Egg For Fans Of Apocalypse Now
Players can obtain Col. Lt. Kilgore in the first entry later in the game, acting as the game's power weapon that deals massive damage slowly.
The name of this set of rockets is a not-so-subtle reference to Colonel Kilgore in Apocalypse Now. He appears during an iconic moment when Ride of the Valkyries is blasting on American helicopters raining rockets down upon the Vietcong. The iconic song plays when Bayonetta obtains these weapons as well, solidifying the reference. She also obtains an outfit that fits Kilgore's attire. Bayonetta must be a huge fan of the film for the game to have so many references to it.
4 She Is A Union Of Sage And Witch
Fans of the Bayonetta series already know of the Lumen and Umbran that oversee their respective Eye. When undisturbed, the world is at peace. If both factions intermingle, things change.
That is what makes Bayonetta so interesting. She has both Sage and Witch blood in her, having a Lumen Sage father and Umbran Witch mother. She was raised in the ways of the Umbran Witch, but her mixed-blood makes her stronger than any of her fellow clan members.
3 She Hates Cockroaches And Crying Babies
With powers as great as Bayonetta wields, what could possibly get on her nerves? Turns out, crying babies and cockroaches are on the top of her list.
She mentions this piece of trivia when confronting Cereza, a younger version of herself in the first entry. When Cereza is crying, Bayonetta picks her up and tells her that she hates her crying as much as cockroaches. This appears to be a reference to The Wonderful 101. In that game, one of the game's bosses refers to the group of superheroes as crying baby cockroaches.
2 She Possessed The Left Eye Of Darkness
Two Eyes exist in the Bayonetta universe and are responsible for the harmony of the universe. When the Eyes are manipulated with ill intentions, the fate of the world is at stake and chaos ensues.
This is why Bayonetta was in a 500-year long slumber in the first game. She possessed the Left Eye of Darkness due to her mother and father breaking the tenant that forbade Sages and Witches from entering a relationship. Angels fight her because of this in the first game, and fighting over the Eyes in Bayonetta 2 results in both angels and demons opposing Bayonetta.
1 She Stays True To Her Word
Time travel is a critical part of the Bayonetta narrative, resulting in the game's story and lore feeling more convoluted than it truly is. One arc from both games is Balder, Bayonetta's father.
He is the main antagonist in the first game, yet he is a supporting character in the second game. This is because Balder helps Bayonetta defeat Loptr by absorbing his soul to prevent him from reappearing. Baldar asks Bayonetta to stop him in the future to save all Sages and Witches. This is why Balder is the main antagonist in the first game, having Loptr's soul corrupt her father. When she does what he asks, Bayonetta followed through on her word and stopped Loptr from bringing an end to Earth itself. Bayonetta might be sarcastic, but she stays true to her word and loves her family.