Although Bayonetta is a series with high-octane action and amazing visuals, wrapping your head around the story will have you wishing you could use Witch Time to process it all.
Focusing on an amnesiac witch who hunts angels with a gun on each limb and can control time, the plot of Bayonetta can often be even more convoluted than the character herself.
With so much time travel, there’s bound to be a bit of confusion. The series has also purposely left some mysteries to the interpretation of the fans, whether they want to solve it or not, which is about as effective for establishing canon as you can imagine.
10 The Mystery Of Eggman (No, Not That One)
Bayonetta’s story begins with the funeral of Eggman, which Bayonetta uses as an opportunity to lure out angels in her nun costume. Not much is known about Eggman, other than the fact that Enzo was extremely scared of him.
His cause of done is also unclear, though Bayonetta implies that she took care of him in the second game. According to Hideki Kamiya, Eggman was a random name that the team came up with, and the character has no connection to the Sonic the Hedgehog villain Dr. Robotnik.
9 Rodin’s Constantly Empty Bar
In the first game, Bayonetta can collect information from Antonio Redgrave’s journals she finds throughout Vigrid. One entry describes the Gates of Hell being located in a grisly place known as The Dump. Antonio goes on to describe The Dump as a place where dangerous mercenaries and black-market businessmen gather.
When the Gates of Hell is seen however, the bar is completely empty, except for the occasional appearance of Enzo. It is unknown why there aren’t any other visitors to the bar, even just for a drink.
8 The Existence Of Omne
A being of light and dark, Omne is summoned by Bayonetta and Balder during the climax of Bayonetta 2. According to the Book of Infernal demons, the Umbra Witches and Lumen Sages have long been aware of Omne’s existence, but have not been able to summon it.
If this is true and the two overseers have co-existed for hundreds of years in harmony, it begs the question as to how Bayonetta and Balder can summon Omne so quickly and flawlessly. There was no coordination either; the two just suddenly know to summon her.
7 Balder Suddenly Knowing Cereza’s Name
Another weird note in Bayonetta 2 is time-displaced Balder suddenly knowing Cereza’s name. When joining Bayonetta in her time, Balder asks her how the witch knows his name. Bayonetta responds that she knows it because she had heard Rosa call it out to her.
Though perhaps Balder was able to tell she was lying, it is unclear what led to him deducing that she was his daughter, Cereza, all grown up. After defeating Aesir, Balder absorbs his evil spirit and asks Cereza to call him “daddy” once before disappearing.
6 The Sword That Sealed Bayonetta
In order to prevent the Left Eye from getting into the hands of the angels, Jeanne sealed away Bayonetta by stabbing her with a special sword. The sword is not Jeanne’s primary weapon Angel Slayer, but a different sword with sealing abilities.
The wound from this blade put Bayonetta into a hypersleep for 500 years while she waited in a casket at the bottom of a lake. Despite its power, the sword is never mentioned by name or at all by any of the characters.
5 Jeanne’s “Mental Reprogramming”
Jeanne’s participation in Balder’s plan in the first game was due to apparent brainwashing that took place off screen. The methods of this brainwashing, and when it took place, are unknown. Referred to by Balder as “mental reprogramming”, it is likely that he conducted the brainwashing himself, as Jeanne is far more powerful than any of the angels in the Hierarchy of Laguna.
In the same vein, it is unclear how or why Jeanne was able to snap out of the brainwashing, but clear that she had after being defeated by Bayonetta at Isla Del Sol.
4 The Many dones Of Luka & Jeanne
In film and games, typically one done fakeout is enough to have some deep emotional impact on audiences. The first Bayonetta game manages to slide in a total of four; Luka and Cereza’s apparent dones by Jeanne, Jeanne’s done after the battle at Isla Del Sol, Luka’s done by Balder, and lastly Jeanne’s done again, falling off the statue of Jubileus.
Each of these dones are met with a quick reaction from Bayonetta and usually some solemn musical accompaniment, despite being total fake-outs.
3 Cereza’s Time Displacement
After taking child Cereza out of her timeline to meet the grown-up Bayonetta of the first game’s timeline, there appear to be no space-time consequences in the Bayonetta universe. The only nod to any effect of this is Bayonetta’s addiction to lollipops, which Luka started Cereza on by offering her one during the events of the story.
Bayonetta also calls Luka “Chesire”, the name of Cereza’s childhood stuffed animal. Fans have speculated that there will be more consequences of time displacement in Bayonetta 3, due to the witch’s resemblance to her child self in the game.
2 Rodin’s Origin Story
By fully completing Bayonetta 1, you can take Rodin on in a secret boss fight, where he shows his true form as an angel. His rank is The Infinite One, though he shares the same halo as Jubileus, who is at the Dea rank.
This means that at some point, he ruled over Paradiso, though it is unclear how long ago this was, and if it was a co-ruling with Jubileus or before her time. His fall from grace is also a mystery, though it bears similarities to Satan’s origins in Christian religious teachings.
1 Enzo’s Unfortunate Children
Ed, Edna, and Enzo. While Enzo’s wife is never mentioned by name, the game does cast some sympathy for her due to Enzo’s shady nature. Unless that is, she is responsible for the names Ed and Edna. While the names are fine on their own, any reason as to why Enzo would want both of his kids to have such similar names is beyond anyone’s comprehension.
Though Enzo might fail as a father more often than not, he at least somewhat loves Ed and Edna (or at least their names) enough to put them on his customized license plate. They also must love him enough to bake him a birthday cake.