Rodin

Rodin
Series	Bayonetta
First Appearance	Bayonetta (2010)
Species	Angel/Demon/Human

Rodin also refered to as Father Rodin or by his title of The Infinite One, which is also a caste of Angels composed of Rodin alone, is the owner of the Gates of Hell and work as a weapons and magic items dealer as well as a bartender in the Bayonetta series. He was once the most feared Angel and the second most powerful entity in all of Paradiso just behind Jubileus, The Creator but was casted down to Inferno by the Cardinal Virtues because they feared that his nearly infinite powers would continue to grow until he would eventually surpass Jubileus itself. He is one of the most powerful beings of the Bayonetta universe, wielding the power of both Light and Dark. He is also a legendary weaponsmith that was known for being the one to create all the physical weapons used by the Angels before his banishment, he is the creator of both of Bayonetta's sets of pistols, Scarborough Fair and Love Is Blue.

History

Before the Games

Rodin was originally an Angel born to serve The Creator. Rodin was pretty special amongst Angels however and managed to survive countless generations as others would fall before the enemies of Paradiso, which earned him the title of "Infinite One". Rodin's power kept increasing until he became one of the most powerful entity in all of Paradiso second only to The Creator itself. He was then naturally tasked with governing a portion of Paradiso and started forging various incredible weapons for Paradiso's army.

From this point Rodin's backstory becomes debatable as even the in-game sources start raising multiple hypothesis on how Rodin was casted down from Paradiso. The first possibility is that Rodin started a rebellion to take control of Paradiso while The Creator was asleep but was defeated by the Cardinal Virtues and their underlings before being casted down as a traitor. The second possibility is that the Cardinal Virtues started to resent Rodin as they feared he would become stronger than even The Creator if he continued to grow so they trapped him and casted him down to get rid of him.

After that Rodin was sent to Inferno where he stayed for a while and gained his reputation as the most powerful demon in all of Inferno. Rodin eventually left Inferno for the World of Chaos and took human form to work as the bartender of the Gates of Hell while providing supernatural items to some of his customers who could affort them.

Bayonetta

Rodin is first seen helping Bayonetta luring Angels in the Graveyard at the beginning of the game. He then invite Bayonetta to come see him at his bar once she is done as he has finished the weapon she asked him to create for her. When Bayonetta arrives at the Gates of Hell, Rodin gives her Scarborough Fair and talk to her about the disturbance in the balance of the Trinity of Realities and warn her that if she follows the lead to her past Enzo found, it may plunge the entire universe into chaos. Rodin appears once again in Vigrid where he informs Bayonetta about his role as a shopkeeper and remind her that he is not here to help her out beyond that before departing. Rodin is seen at the end of the game where he attends to Bayonetta's fake funeral in order to lure more Angels.

Bayonetta 2

Rodin is first seen disguised as Santa Claus at the beginning of the game when the city is attacked by Angels. He uses Enzo's car to ride on the side of a building with his demonic powers and deliver Love is Blue to Bayonetta. When Gomorrah send Jeanne's soul to Inferno, Rodin uses his powers to freeze her body in time to allow Bayonetta to have a chance of saving Jeanne. He send most of the game keeping Jeanne in this state and also resume his role as a shopkeeper. Rodin shows up when Bayonetta is travelling through Inferno and fight alongside her to reach Alraune, which is coincidentally both Rodin's target and the Demon who stole Jeanne's soul. When Alraune is defeated and Jeanne freed, Rodin shows up and turn Alraune into Alruna before giving it to Bayonetta and returning to his bar. Rodin shows up after Aesir, The God of Chaos is defeated to withness Loki's departure. Rodin is seen once again in the ending where he state that the Gates of Hell has financial problems and enrolled Luka Redgrave as his driver while he is tossing fliers everywhere around him.

Powers and abilities

Rodin has the abilities of superhuman strength, some level of invulnerability, and levitation. He is also shown using pyrokinesis and creating shockwaves with his voice as well as creating an energy shield around himself. He is able to create various weapons from the Souls he captures in Inferno. In Bayonetta 2 he can also use Wicked Weaves and shoot lasers from his eyes.

As Father Rodin he possess the same powers as Father Balder but with the ability to creat multiple blue spheres. He is also immune to Witch time. He also gains the ability to drain the whole life (except one point) bar of Bayonetta in one attack.

In-game description

Rodin, The Infinite One

"An immortal man feared as the most dangerous demon in the entire barren wasteland of Inferno. Freely travelleing between the human world and Inferno, it is nearly impossible to guess his location at any given time. His sudden visits to Inferno are said to be for hunting its savage, ruthless demons and taking their souls.

It is rumoured he was once a resident of Paradiso with the power of creation, but witnessing his acts in Inferno, most would think him more suited for destruction. Though his principle purpose is for collecting the souls of Inferno's denizens is to use them in making his weapons, he himself is never seen sporting anything but other than his bare fists: true testament to their unbridled power.

As the famed weaponsmith of Inferno, he destroys to create, then creates to destroy. His true objective is still a mystery, though perhaps he is waiting for someone to appear who will finally have the power to undo him."

Father Rodin

"An incredibly powerful angel once charged with governing a portion of Paradiso. Immortal, he has seen the passing of countless generations in Paradiso, surviving them all, and earning the awe-inspiring title of Infinite One.

It is said he turned his back on the heavens and fought an insurgency against Paradiso. Upon ultimately losing the battle, he was exiled to Inferno. However, there are others that say the rulers of Paradiso feared his power and ensnared him in a trap that led to his exile. During his time in paradise, the angel Rodin was charged with the task of creation, responding to Divine Will with various masterpieces.

He was known as a genius smith, renowned for his weapons and armor. The stories of grossly outnumbered troops using his weapons to eviscerate demonic forces are too numerous to tell. After being forced from Paradiso, it is said the newly condemned demon tired of the chaotic battles that rage endlessly in Inferno and disappeared from the Infernal realm. No one knows of his whereabouts since."

Rodin & The Gates Of Hell entry From Antonio's Notebook

"There is a place beloved by wanted men and rogues, where money and power rule all. It is where I have established my office. Those who call this place by its given name are instantly identified as newcomers, as the tired hands of this rathole all call it by a single name only – The Dump.

Bloody battles and dirty disputes over money are an everyday occurrence here, and the concept of concern for one’s fellow man was long since lost on The Dump’s denizens. What the people here are after, what they love to see, is not of this world.

They thirst for the uproar only the occult can inspire. The appearance of a spectre, a man being devoured by a demon… these are the snacks they eat as they drink and cavort in The Dump’s numerous watering holes. It is this place that I have come on my pilgrimage in search of a grasp on reality.

The Dump is a wretched hive for all sorts of scum and villainy; home to everyone from black market business men, to informants, and devil hunters in between. But amongst them all, one man is particularly strange. His name is Rodin, proprietor of “The Gates of Hell” bar. His front may be that of a bartender, but rumor has it he is actually an arms dealer. Of course, if a man such as myself were to visit his establishment, there is no way all of his secrets would be laid bare; however, I can tell just by the air around him that he is a dangerous man. Unlike the standard assortment of thugs in this place, his is a sort of danger on a truly different level. According to my colleagues, if one carries enough clout here, Rodin is known to provide a gun or blade should the fee prove satisfactory.

That is all I have been able to wring out of people here. There are also rumours that if you enter the bar from some sort of hidden entrance, he will provide you things money cannot buy… Or so sayeth the gossips in this occult obsessed town. They even go so far as to say these things are not made via normal means, but are weapons made from materials available only in Inferno.

In The Dump there are enough rumours to rot one’s ears, and if I hadn’t seen the fresco of the Trinity of Realities, a staple of the Vigridian religions, on Rodin’s wall, I would have dismissed talk of him as nothing more than these tall tales. In any case, if I am to fully investigate this man’s secrets, I will surely be able to obtain the truth I so desperately seek.

However, aimless sniffing around in this town is a great way to wind up dead. I’ll have to be prudent and not leave things to chance."

Super Smash Bros. series

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U

Rodin appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U as a trophy obtained with the Bayonetta DLC.

Rodin's trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Trophy Description

"This shady figure owns the Gates of Hell bar and runs a side business in mysterious objects and powerful weaponry made from the souls of demons. He's known for being a talented gunsmith and counts Bayonetta as a loyal customer, but it's said that if any human uses his wares, they'll suffer a terrible fate..."

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Rodin appears as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. After being summoned, Rodin will start to attack the enemies of the player who summoned him with his Wicked Weaves before giving a weapon type item to the player who summoned him before disappearing.

The Wonderful 101

Rodin in The Wonderful 101.

Rodin appear as a secret unlockable playable character in The Wonderful 101. He uses a hammer named "野牛 Yagyu", which would later make an appearance in Bayonetta 2 as Jeanne's equivalent to the 武甕槌 Takemikazuchi.

How to unlock

Like other bonus characters, Rodin becomes playable once the player has completed a certain set of challenges.

• The Wonderful 101! - Complete all stages
• Operations 007 - 009 (Hard) - Complete operations 007 - 009 on hard
• The Harder they Fall - Defeat Vaaiki without letting it get big
• Junior Stomper - Obtain an underground item
• Full-Fledged Stomper - Obtain half of the underground items
• Master Stomper - Obtain all of the underground items
• Can we Take a Day Off? - Enjoy all the rides in operation 002B as a team.

Trivia

• Throughout the game, Rodin makes references to various other video games.
  • Telling Bayonetta that he won't attach a chainsaw to her arm is a reference to MadWorld, a game also developed by Platinum Games.
  • Imitating the Merchant's infamous "Whudya buyin'?" quote from Resident Evil 4's Merchant (minus the "stranger" tidbit and claiming that he "heard it in a game once").
  • Expressing a desire to be a "bald space marine," a clichéd stock character found in many sci-fi shooters.
  • The game Rodin is playing in the line "....I gotta sprinkle some magic powder on a chicken" is The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past, which contained an easter egg when Link sprinkled magic powder onto a Cucco.
• In the Nintendo Switch port of Bayonetta 2 he also talk about Bayonetta's "fight club" and how he trouble imagining her fighting amongst "all-stars", which is an obvious reference to Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U where Bayonetta was first introduced as a playable character. He also add that she should take him along next time.
  • This was a tease of Rodin's reveal as an Assist Trophy in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, which was revealed a couple month after the release of Bayonetta 2 on the Switch.
• Rodin's appearance in The Wonderful 101 marked the first time he was made available as a playable character.
• Rodin is one of the only being of the Bayonetta universe to be affiliated with the three realms of the Trinity of Realities.
• Rodin is the only Angel known to partake in mortal habits, such as wearing glasses and smoking, in much of his promotional art. He is also the only Angel to talk in the English language rather than Enochian.
• Rodin's name is inspired by a famous french sculptor named Auguste Rodin who made a statue called "The Gates of Hell".