The hack-and-slash genre has seen its fair share of games and franchises, but few are as beloved or as acclaimed as Devil May Cry and God of War. These two franchises are unmatched when it comes to their characters, environments, weapons used, and a variety of monsters. In fact, many players who have played both find it hard to decide which one is better.

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When it comes to main characters, Kratos and Dante are hardly alike. Kratos seeks vengeance from Zeus, and he is hellbent on brutally murdering every human, monster, or god that gets in his way. Dante, meanwhile, tries to avenge the death of his murder, but he still has his wit, and he never sinks into a rage the way Kratos does.

10 GoW: Kratos Is More Brutal

Few video game characters have ever been as brutal as Kratos. He never kills enemies the simple way, unlike Dante. Instead, he makes sure his enemies suffer the most painful deaths possible. And the bigger they are, the more chances he has of mutilating them—gouging out their eyes, tearing out their guts, beating them to death with his bare hands or even tearing off their limb and using it to beat them to death, and more.

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Dante, meanwhile, has a high body count, but his kills are never as gratuitous as Kratos’.

9 DMC: Dante Is More Stylish

Kratos might use his rage to perform the most horrific kills possible, but not many gamers can stomach that. Dante, however, is not a brute. Even though he is also driven by revenge, he does not give in to his animalistic urges. His fights are more stylish since he doesn’t try to kill his enemies in the most graphic way possible. Instead, he uses his weapons to take his enemies out with pizzazz. This makes Dante’s combos and attacks more visually palatable than the bucketloads of blood and guts present in God of War.

8 GoW: More Destructive Weapons

Both Dante and Kratos have a wide array of weapons at their disposal. Dante has his guns, sword, whips and more. But not all of these weapons are equal. The guns, for instance, don’t do anywhere near as much damage as his other weapons; at least at the start of each game.

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Weapons in God of War are a different matter. From his double-chained blades to the Gauntlet of Zeus, Claws of Hades, Nemesis Whip, and more, Kratos’ weapons all deal an insane amount of damage. And that’s not even counting his magic abilities.

7 DMC: Dante Is Faster

Kratos is built like a tank, and he plays like one, too. He deals an absurd amount of damage with each hit, but he’s just not that fast. Even after acquiring the Boots of Hermes, he is still not that fast.

Dante, though, is a blur to his enemies. He easily moves around them, dealing considerable damage while the best they can do is to flail around. And some of his abilities are tailored to make the most of his speed. This makes him almost untouchable if he keeps up his speed, no matter which enemy he’s up against.

6 GoW: Kratos Is Tougher

Dante might have an edge when it comes to nimbleness, but Kratos doesn’t need speed as much as the Son of Sparda. In fact, Dante can never hope to reach his level.

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Kratos constantly takes damage against his foes, and the tougher ones often beat him up to the point where Kratos should die. However, Kratos always comes back tougher, more determined, and even angrier. Even when odds are stacked against him as he fights a stronger being, Kratos doesn’t mind taking critical hits just as long as he kills them. This is the only way he could have destroyed everything in his way.

5 DMC: Enemies Are Tougher

Yes, Kratos has faced both Greek and Norse gods, and they were more than a little challenging. However, with a few exceptions, they weren’t as powerful as they could have been; like Hermes, who was a weakling without his boots.

But in Devil May Cry, Dante has faced beings whose power is just frightening. A prime example is the Prince of Darkness, Mundus. He isn’t just strong, durable, and practically unkillable. He can also create an entire universe, create powerful demons, manipulate people’s minds, summon orbs, and more. Even wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as Mundus.

4 GoW: Better Environments

Devil May Cry games are set in urban areas, remote islands, the underworld, and other areas. However, few of these environments really stand out compared to the enemies they inhabit or the puzzles they might present.

The same cannot be said for God of War. The environments are practically bursting with mythology. The developers took their time creating breathtaking locales that easily immerse the gamer. They are full of art, structures, tapestries, tools, and even minute details that are faithful to Greek or Norse mythology. This is one aspect that God of War has a clear, almost overwhelming lead.

3 DMC: Better Allies

In all God of War games, Kratos has only managed to gather one accomplice who doesn’t resent him or wish him dead: his own son, Atreus. And Atreus himself is not that strong, depending on Kratos a great deal more than Kratos can rely on him.

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With DMC, though, there are plenty of powerful allies for Dante to call upon. We have the likes of Vergil, Nero, Gloria, and even Trish. All of them are strong enough to match Dante himself—and Vergil even beat Dante on several occasions—so they are better to have around when facing powerful enemies.

2 GoW: More Varied Bosses

Yes, Devil May Cry has tougher enemies; especially the bosses. They include demonic swordsman Nelo Angelo, gigantic spider Phantom, ultra-powerful Mundus, and more. However, there isn’t much variety in the types of bosses.

God of War, conversely, goes all-out in its bosses. We have everything from actual gods to monolithic Titans, Minotaurs, Hydras, the Kraken, Cerberus, and more. Almost every boss one faces in God of War is a surprise in how they look and their unique abilities. They could be Kratos’ size but pack a punch, or the skyscraper, forcing Kratos to look for a weak spot.

1 DMC: Better Abilities

When it comes to weapons and brute strength, Dante cannot beat Kratos. However, Dante more than makes up for it with his special ability. Devil Trigger transforms him into an ultra-powerful demonic being who can destroy enemy armies with hardly any effort. He can also fly and can fight on par with powerful bosses.

With God of War, however, Kratos’ special ability is tied to his rage. He deals increased damage while taking hardly any damage in return, but that’s about it. The ability lasts for a brief time, and the damage isn’t enough by itself to take down some of the games’ tougher enemies.

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