Rodin

Overview

Rodin first appears in the opening cutscene of the game when Bayonetta is fighting a group of angels in a graveyard and the angels manage to surround Enzo. Rodin raises up from the ground and kills the angels surrounding Enzo, before assisting Bayonetta by providing her with a large supply of guns to fight the angels with. In another scene taking place early on in the game Bayonetta and Enzo visit The Gates of Hell where Rodin serves Bayonetta a number of drinks and talks to Bayonetta about the conflicts between the three worlds and the danger he believes they pose. He then goes onto say that he believes the recent tip-off Bayonetta received from Enzo seems like a setup, perpetrated by someone from Bayonetta's forgotten past. He then presents Bayonetta with a "present"; Scarborough Fair, the set of guns which become her trademark weapons in the game. An elaborate scene ensues where Rodin pours Bayonetta a drink and Bayonetta gets a feel for the guns and attaches two of them to her feet. When Rodin next turns around to pour Bayonetta a drink she vanishes and Rodin announces to Enzo that he will put Bayonetta's drinks on his tab.

Rodin next appears from the first of the portals to The Gates of Hell in Vigrid to talk to Bayonetta. He tells Bayonetta that Vigrid is swarming with angels and expresses that the Vigridians are closer to Paradiso than any people should ever be, something which he finds unsettling. He also encourages Bayonetta to bring any halos she may acquire to him in exchange for items, as they are worth a large sum money, although he says that he will not become involved in Bayonetta's battles and is only interested in watching his "handiwork in action". Bayonetta retorts by saying that she is not interested in the fact Rodin crafted her weaponry and that she will stop Rodin if he gets in her way. Seemingly pleased with Bayonetta's response Rodin returns to The Gates of Hell laughing demoniacally.

Before entering any mission in the game or via portals placed at set points in missions, Bayonetta may visit Rodin in the Gates of Hell at any time. Rodin will sell her weapons, techniques, accessories, items for healing, boosting attack power etc. and other special treasures, the large majority of which are alternate costumes for Bayonetta. If Bayonetta brings Rodin an Angelic Hymns LP he can descend into Inferno and use the music to lure out demons, which he can kill and craft weapons from. If Bayonetta buys the 'platinum ticket' from Rodin for 10 million halos he says that he is finally able to regain his original and real form. At this point he turns into 'Father Rodin', an extremely powerful, angelic version of himself, similar in appearance to Balder. This suggests that Rodin was once an angel or Lumen Sage that lost his power and somehow became affiliated with other powers. Bayonetta must fight and defeat Father Rodin, at which point he will turn back to his normal form and Bayonetta will receive a weapon called 'Rodin' which can take the form of any angelic weapon as well as a golden chainsaw.

Development

Rodin's original name was planned to be Mephisto and he was going to be a very artistic character with an interest in music and fine antiques. Character designer Mari Shimazaki describes the original design for Rodin as a "far funkier" character.

Trivia

-The additional Bayonetta soundtrack included with the game as a Japanese pre-order bonus was entitled 'Rodin's Selection'.

-When Rodin first appears one of his eyes are glowing red, a possible reference to Albert Wesker from the Resident Evil games, considering that their clothing is somewhat similar.

-The section in the opening cutscene where Rodin knocks an angel into the air with a lamppost, producing confetti and cheering is most likely a reference to God Hand or Home Run.

-Like Enzo, Rodin talks about a character by the name of Eggman in the opening mission. This is most likely a reference to Dr. Eggman from the Sonic the Hedgehog games.

-When Bayonetta enters The Gates of Hell, Rodin may joke that if she gives him enough halos he may be able to buy a ticket to the moon and that he has always wanted to be a bald space marine. Many games feature bald space marines and this comment is especially noteworthy considering that the song 'Fly Me to the Moon' is used commonly throughout the game.

-Another reference Rodin may make upon Bayonetta entering The Gates of Hell involves him saying "Whad'ya buyin'?", claiming he "heard it in a game once". "Whad'ya buyin'?" is a line commonly spoken by the merchant in Resident Evil 4.

-When Bayonetta arrives in The Gates of Hell, Rodin may say "I don't care how much you beg me. I'm not putting a chainsaw on your arm". This could be a reference to the games Evil Dead and MadWorld. Ironically by Bayonetta receiving the Rodin weapon after defeating him, in a way Rodin did eventually put a chainsaw on her arm.

-The gold trophies in the game depict Rodin and upon the player receiving them Rodin can be heard saying "Hehehehehe... Bam!".