Bayonetta

Appearance

Bayonetta retains the use of a tight black leather suit, though the designs from the previous game have been radically altered. The gold chains have been removed and replaced with thinner silver chains and irregular patterns resembling roses and thorns, placed along her thighs and stomach. Her gloves have changed to include a dark blue color on the palms with a hint of Renaissance style added on each wrist. A similar style is also found throughout the collar on her neck. The backs of her legs have a diamond pattern running from her thighs to her heels exposing her skin, and her shoes feature a new design of black and silver linings with silver figurines somewhat resembling Madama Butterfly or another female figure. The former sleeves formed by her hair have now become a drapery cloak over her shoulders. Both her medallions and earrings have changed to form a pattern similar to a blue triangle with hexagons. His glasses have a new design based on rosemary imagery and his Umbra watch now hangs from a chain on his chest from his Renaissance necklace. The biggest noticeable change to Bayonetta, however, is her hairstyle. Instead of having the beehive-style hairstyle from the first game, she has now used magic to shorten her hair into a pixie cut, resembling a bob. At E3 2014, director Yusuke Hashimoto confirmed that Bayonetta did not actually cut her hair, but was instead able to give it its current look, along with her new outfit, as she is able to control her image through magic. The suit disappears in the same manner as in the first game when using Hex Attacks. While all is still revealed when summoning fully manifested demons, Bayonetta is able to retain her suit after a summon and is able to continue fighting with her full gaze without making any changes.

Personality

Bayonetta can be seen as a calm character. Regarding her weapons as mere tools to get the job done, except for her favorite set of firearms, she seems to enjoy her situation as a way to unleash her hidden sadistic nature. Rather, she enjoys fighting angels in brutal yet playful ways and remains calm even when facing powerful angels such as the Audito. Early in the game, she is shown to be callous and uncaring towards the other characters, though later on she is much more caring and concerned for their well-being. This is mostly seen after she claims to not care much about children, but becomes attached to Cereza. Bayonetta also cares for her clan deeply, going so far as to despise her father for influencing the witch hunt. Bayonetta tends to enjoy her sexuality as a means to some ends, most notably when it comes to teasing Luka by scaring him or sensually playing with him. These traits are generally realized in the anime film Bloody Fate, although some of its milder aspects are exemplified. In the second game, Bayonetta has rebuilt her old friendship from the past with Jeanne once again, and seems to enjoy having an ally to help her. However, when a demon summoning goes wrong, she is quick to turn on her demonic "pets" if they do not follow her instructions. Her determination is shown when she is willing to travel to Inferno, meaning she is able to rescue her friend. As with her encounters with Cereza in the first game, Bayonetta shows a degree of protectiveness towards the mysterious child she encounters.

Skills

Bayonetta has an unparalleled skill in the shooting arts and masters every new weapon she gets her hands on. Her combat skills are brutal and graceful, able to effortlessly kill the many angels sent from Paradiso. She can even defeat the Auditio without exerting much effort. She has even bested Jeanne in combat on several occasions. Bayonetta is able to fight the Sage of Lumen while holding Loki in her arms, displaying her artistry in battle. Her skill in the shooting arts are no match for the angels and demons who stand in her way. She even survived the realm of Inferno when she rescued Jeanne from Alraune. Bayonetta has superhuman speed and agility, and can perform flips with ease. She also appears to be very perceptive, able to dodge attacks from all directions by anticipating her enemy's movements in battle. She also has immense stamina and superhuman strength, shown on numerous occasions to be able to kick a building and send it flying as if it weighed nothing, crash a satellite with a single blow, throw things as large as Fortitudo or heavy vehicles, and be hit head-on by a building. She can even dodge bullets as seen when fighting Jeanne, displaying her agility. When Bayonetta fought Loptr, she was able to send a satellite twice the size of Temperance flying towards Loptr. Like other Umbra Witches, Bayonetta can utilize Witch Time, Witch Walk (ability to walk on vertical surfaces during full moons), Hex Attacks, Torture Attacks, and Inner Beasts (ability to transform into animals; a panther for speed, a bird for temporal flight, and bats to avoid attacks). Bayonetta's magical abilities allow her to fully manifest many Infernal Demons in battle.

(Continued) Skills

Bayonetta has superhuman speed and agility, and can perform flips with ease. She also appears to be very perceptive, able to dodge attacks from all directions by anticipating her enemy's movements in battle. She also has immense stamina and superhuman strength, shown on numerous occasions to be able to kick a building and send it flying as if it weighed nothing, crash a satellite with a single blow, throw things as large as Fortitudo or heavy vehicles, and be hit head-on by a building. She can even dodge bullets as seen when fighting Jeanne, displaying her agility. When Bayonetta fought Loptr, she was able to send a satellite twice the size of Temperance flying towards Loptr. Like other Umbra Witches, Bayonetta can utilize Witch Time, Witch Walk (ability to walk on vertical surfaces during full moons), Hex Attacks, Torture Attacks, and Inner Beasts (ability to transform into animals; a panther for speed, a bird for temporal flight, and bats to avoid attacks). Bayonetta's magical abilities allow her to fully manifest many Infernal Demons in battle. This is only a technique summoned by high-level Witches. If facing off against larger opponents, such as the Auditio, Bayonetta is able to unleash a "Serious Mode". Now with hair flowing from her hairstyle instead of her sleeves, she is able to unleash a Hex Attack with every attack she performs and cause immense damage to her enemies. With the Climax Bracelet equipped, Bayonetta is able to utilize "Serious Mode" permanently.

(continued) Skills

Bayonetta also displays other abilities not used in regular combat. In "The Broken Sky", it is shown that she has the ability to cryokinesis as she uses the Time Witch and molds rainwater to then blow on it to freeze it. In "The Sage of Lumen", after she defeats Balder, she displays the ability to travel through time by bringing Cereza back to her proper timeline (though likely through similar means as Balder did with a window he had in his tower as a door). She can also enhance vehicles with her magic, seen when she uses her middle finger to hijack a motorcycle and make it reach astonishing speeds. She can also perform a Hellish Kiss during the end of a verse. If she is crushed by the Golem in its ball form (or any other ball-shaped object), Bayonetta will be comically flattened and lose a very small portion of health. It is very likely that she has the ability to do this to herself in order to reduce pain and impact. In Bayonetta 2, Bayonetta's mastery of the shooting arts has taken on a different level of skill. Her combat style has become more vicious and fast-paced, and the speed of her various jumps and movements has increased compared to her exploits in Vigrid. She is also able to fire more bullets during her attacks as she gets closer to the enemy. Bayonetta has also gained the power of Umbra Climax. When activated, which requires a full magic gauge, she is able to use Hex Attacks for all of her attacks for the duration of her magic gauge, similar to her use of "serious mode" against the Auditio. The damage and range of her attacks are increased and she is able to manifest hellish demons to finish off her enemies.

History

Bayonetta's story begins in a cemetery in the present day. Bayonetta, disguised as a nun, holds a funeral ceremony in order to draw the angels of Paradiso to her in order to fulfill her contract with Inferno. Casting aside her disguise, she is able to overpower them with ease with the help of Rodin. Following their skirmish, Bayonetta travels with Enzo, a black market information broker, back to Rodin's bar in hopes of gaining some answers about the Eyes of the World and the half he carries in his watch. However, during the trip, the pair are ambushed by a crashing military plane and Bayonetta quickly joins the battle. There, she comes face to face with a mysterious young girl who possesses similar weaponry and magical abilities. Though the two work together in order to fend off the angels, the stranger disappears without an answer, though Bayonetta claims to remember her from somewhere. Upon arriving in Vigrid, Bayonetta is chased by angels everywhere as she travels and encounters a number of faces from her past. Bayonetta is greeted by a mysterious voice that tries to assure her that he is watching her and will not harm her. She also encounters the mysterious woman on numerous occasions who reveals herself to be named Jeanne and Luka, a journalist who claims that Bayonetta is responsible for her father's death. Upon arriving in Vigrid, Bayonetta is chased by angels everywhere as she travels and encounters a number of faces from her past. Bayonetta is greeted by a mysterious voice that tries to assure her that he is watching her and will not harm her. She also encounters the mysterious woman on numerous occasions who reveals herself to be named Jeanne and Luka, a journalist who claims that Bayonetta is responsible for her father's death.

(Continued) History

Bayonetta also meets a young girl named Cereza, seemingly lost from home and who mistakes Bayonetta for her mother. Though she is uncomfortable with the situation at first, Bayonetta tries to take great care of the girl, especially since her memories seem to hint that she may actually be related to the girl. After a fight with Iustitia at the airport, Bayonetta gifts Cereza with a ribbon from her hair, along with advice to never lose something she loves. In this case, Cereza's own watch, a gift she claims her mother gave her on her birthday. The girl vows to never take off the watch and wears it around her neck. Despite the battles and gradual revelations of her past life, Bayonetta reunites with Jeanne for the last time on the Island of the Sun. Jeanne reveals the truth at last. 500 years ago, a law between witches and sages forced them to remain separate because the intersection of light and darkness would bring destruction. However, a child was born between a witch and a sage in violation of this principle: Bayonetta. Her birth sent the clans into a spiral of chaos and brought about their eventual extinction. The two witches battle across the island city and Bayonetta is finally able to defeat her opponent. Jeanne reveals that the two used to be friends as children and that she sealed Bayonetta in her coffin all those years ago in order to keep the Left Eye safe from the forces of Paradiso. Before saving Bayonetta from an incoming missile attack at the cost of her life, she refers to her old friend by her true name, Cereza.

(Continued) History

Bayonetta arrives at the top of Ithavoll Tower to confront the person behind her journey; the last of the Lumen Sages and her own father, Balder. Balder explains that Cereza is actually Bayonetta as a child, brought from the past to the present, and that the girl's experiences in that area would help awaken Bayonetta's memories in the present. He also reveals that the Eyes of the World are not gemstones, but people and that Bayonetta is the left eye, while he is the right. She engages in battle with Balder and despite having to use all of her strength to defeat him, she eventually shoots him in the forehead with the lipstick that had belonged to her mother. With Cereza safe, Bayonetta uses the portal Balder has in his office to return the girl to her real time and reminds her that there is nothing she cannot do. However, upon returning to the present, Bayonetta is suddenly stricken with pain and Balder rises from his fight seemingly unharmed. Upon returning Cereza, the girl never forgot Bayonetta's advice and continued to wear her Umbra Watch around her chest until she had grown up. When Jeanne attempted to seal them away in the past, the ritual failed due to the watch and Bayonetta never lost her memories. Now fully restored, they awaken the Left Eye within her and she heads to the heavens in order to awaken Jubileus, the creator as part of Balder's plan. Jeanne, having been saved from death and freed from Balder's mind control, follows the Ithavoll Tower's ascent into space to revive Jubileus and manages to draw Bayonetta from the giant statue that would serve as the goddess' body. Jeanne floats into space and Bayonetta pledges to do the deed. Balder is killed by the resurrection and the witches fight Jubileus in a final showdown that could decide the fate of the universe.

(Continued) History

Through her combat prowess and Jeanne's help in summoning Queen Sheba, Bayonetta sends Jubileus hurtling towards the sun and drifts back to Earth with her friend. Some time later, Rodin, Luka, and Enzo attend Bayonetta's apparent funeral after assuming she died in the descent. However, the nun overseeing the ceremony is revealed to be Jeanne and the funeral was another trap to lure the angels for another pact-fulfilling fight. In the end, Bayonetta places a rosemary sprout behind her ear and explains that it symbolizes remembrance.