Stories featuring Rodin
About Rodin
Appearance
Tall black guy with shades, brown trenchcoat and boots. rings on all fingers.
Character Background
Rodin is a weapons dealer, bartender, and proprietor of the Gates of Hell. He's a renowned demon weaponsmith and responsible for creating the majority of Bayonetta's weapons during her adventures. Rodin was formerly an angel in charge of creation and ruled a portion of Paradiso until he was exiled after fighting in an insurgency against them. After a time spent in Inferno, he disappeared from the dark realm and came to reside in the human world, starting up his bar.
Rodin offers insight into the metaphysical elements of the world, providing Bayonetta with weapons out of curiosity to see how his arms hold up in the hands of an Umbra Witch. In-game, the shop he runs at the Gates of Hell allows the player to obtain new weapons, items, accessories, techniques, and "treasures".
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.
Personality
Due to how long he has lived and how powerful he is, Rodin almost always appears aloof and has a very detached demeanour to events happening in the world. Mostly content to sit on the side-lines and see what happens, he openly states he only pays attention to Bayonetta's exploits because she is using his weapons and he wants to see how they hold up. However, he clearly has some faith in Bayonetta's ability to accomplish her goals, as shown by his repeated efforts to craft new guns for her, though he is quick to deny a personal interest. Rodin is also on professional terms with Luka by acting as an informant and also appears to have a long history with Enzo, much to Rodin's frustration given the size of his tab at the bar.
When using the Platinum Ticket to unlock his true powers and spar with Bayonetta in the original game, Rodin seems very enthusiastic about being able to fight at full strength like he used to be. Interestingly, he identifies his angel form as his "real self," and shows great enthusiasm about returning to that form. If he is defeated in the first game, Rodin will take his defeat in stride and claim that it was an enjoyable bout. When he is defeated in the second game, however, he shows that he is starting to get bitter about losing and claims "the devil always gets his due."
Aside from tending bar, Rodin's greatest passion are his creations. He always speaks with pride when discussing how much effort he put into making them, particularly when the player brings an Angelic Hymns Gold LP so that he can use a powerful entity in crafting one. In addition, his direct references to different franchises implies that he plays video games in his spare time.
Rodin Visual References
Full body reference: Rodin — default
Expression reference: Rodin — expression1
Expression reference: Rodin — expression2
Expression reference: Rodin — expression3