Angels of Paradiso

The Angels of Paradiso are the main enemies in Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2. Only the soldiers and guardians of Paradiso, known as The Hierarchy of Laguna, are encountered (or just commonly referred to Laguna).

All Angels share certain characteristics: marble-like skin, gold and ivory armor and a golden halo above their heads or bodies. Lower-ranking Angels (such as Affinity and Applaud) seem to resemble the stereotypical concept of angels in Christianity, whilst higher-ranking Angels are not always humanoid in appearance, such as Fortitudo, Iustitia, Sapientia, Harmony and Kinship.

The type of enemy encountered will depend on your difficulty setting. The harder the difficulty the more likely you are to run across more powerful enemies. You will encounter every angel in the game at some point not matter what but depending on the difficulty you may face different types more often than on a different difficulty.

Hierarchy of Laguna
The Hierarchy is separated into various "Spheres". These Spheres are large categories and tend to be separated by classes. Every class also has a subrank to it. All angels are split into these various categories, ranks and classes.

Each class and type have varying strengths and ways to defeat them. Bayonetta will require different strategies when fighting these angels. There is also a group that is considered part of the Hierarchy but not actually Angels, they are called Non Angels.

Weakest to Strongest (excluding Non-Angels): Third Sphere -> Second Sphere -> First Sphere -> Audito -> Infinite One -> Dea

Ranks - Third Sphere
These are the lowest Angel class fought; they appear often and in larger numbers than most other types of Angels. They serve as grunts and cannonfodder that is supported by a higher class or Sphere.

They have low or medium health and are quite weak and slow compared to most other Angels, though they can be overwhelming in numbers. When at low health and on the verge of dying they tend to do a war-cry and go into a berserk state. Like all angels, when in this state their attacks much faster and have a very high resistance to staggering effects.

Affinity
The simple and most basic enemy in the game. They are looks like a cross between an humanoid dragon and an one-eyed bird, though they not have tails.

They appears in large numbers and sometimes the more stronger Angels accompanying them. being the basic grunts of the Angel's armies, they are easily dealt with through the use of any weapon in Bayonetta's arsenal. This means that they can be defeated with your preferred weapon combinations of choice.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Affinity

Dear & Decorations
They are the easiest enemies of all to defeat. Decoration is a winged child head that appears along with Dear, a larger and older-looking winged head.

Because they are very basic and largely harmless enemies, any weapon in Bayonetta's arsenal can be used to combat Dear and Decorations, though melee based weapons such as Shuraba and Durga make combating them more difficult because they are always flying. However, once Crow Within and the Umbran Spear techniques have been unlocked, they can be used to make fighting them with melee weapons much more manageable.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Dear & Decorations

Enchant
An Angel shaped like a cart wheel, Enchants are fast and use fire as their main element. They are capable of splitting themselves in half and rushing Bayonetta to electrocute her, or merely ramming her to set her ablaze. Both attacks do minor damage, but the electrocution attack does a bit more.

Enchants can also be found attached to the walls and floor. In this state, they do not move, but can fire extremely fast spheres of lightning at Bayonetta. Dodging these allows for Witch Time, but since they are so fast, it's not advisable to use them for this purpose. Approaching an Enchant that is in the wall or floor will prompt them to remove themselves and act as a normal Enchant would.

If one is weakened and stunned, Bayonetta can grab one and spin it around, which causes heavy damage to anything it hits. After a predetermined time frame, Bayonetta will throw away the Angel, killing it.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Enchants

Applaud.jpg
The stronger grunts of Laguna's armies, usually appearing in pairs and accompanying Affinities on the battlefield. Applauds are similar to Affinities, but larger, stronger, and much more durable.

Their increased size gives them much farther reach than Affinities and by extension are more dangerous. Like Affinities, Applauds are easily dealt with by the player's preferred weapon combinations as they are still fairly basic when compared to other Angels.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Applaud

Ardor.jpg
The strongest grunts of Angels. Ardors are similar to Applaud but armored, stronger and carry a large maple-seed serrated sword and a segmented shield. They swing their swords in long cleaving attacks with surprising speed, allowing them to effectively combo Bayonetta's with a series of high-damage attacks if she is caught off-guard.

Though they cannot fly, they are much more agile on the ground than other humanoid Angels, and have numerous attacks which they can use to close distance. Executing Wicked Weaves or using heavy fire-power weapons like the Onyx Roses or Lt. Col. Kilgore will allow Bayonetta to break their shield more quickly. Once its shield is broken the Ardor becomes much more aggressive.

Its attacks will become much faster and the Ardor itself will usually sprint to keep Bayonetta in melee range. However, it will be much more easy to stagger and can be juggled more easily. It also has a tendency to enter a berserk state once its shield has been shattered.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Ardor

Irenic
Irenics are angelic automobiles that only appear in the Route 666 chapter. Their only attack consists of dropping obstacles, though their armor is weak and can be destroyed within a few hits. However, they are usually supported by having an Affinity on top. The more dangerous variant carries a Joy.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Irenic

Ranks - Second Sphere
Second Sphere is the next highest class. They appear less frequently and in smaller numbers than most other types of Angels; they also tend to act as mini-bosses. These Angels are usually supporting the Third Sphere, paired with another Second Sphere or are simply alone as a miniboss(es).

Beloved
Beloved appear as mini-bosses early on in the game but become more common in later chapters. They are slow but powerful fighters with giant axes that give them great range. All Beloved have a large pulsing red node on their back, attacking this node repeatedly will allow Bayonetta to stagger, and when their health gets lower, stun them. Once stunned, the Beloved can be knocked around the battlefield using Wicked Weaves just like a normal angel, making a kill quite easy.

When Bayonetta attacks the node on its back, Beloved tends to try and grab ahold of her. This is an easy method of achieving Witch Time and doing much more damage. Eventually the Beloved will try something different in order to get her away.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Beloved

Kinship
Kinships appear as mini-bosses throughout the game. They are very powerful, and have the ability to launch a salvo of homing missiles, shoot a destructive laser beam, and attack any unwanted passengers with a claw, and after its destruction, its blackened remains are left as a platform.

Kinship is a rare enemy and only appears during the time Bayonetta is in Paradiso (chapters IX and X). They also appear during the missile riding sequence in chapter XVI firing lasers at Bayonetta. The trick to beating them is to focus on them one at a time, get up on them and attack them with your Wicked Weave attacks. If you can activate Witch Time it makes the fight significantly easier.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Kinship

Belief
Belief is a towering monstrosity of an angel. It is almost the same size as the largest of the Beloved variants. It possesses a single tentacled arm for the majority of its attacks and a blank space where its other arm should be. It has a mixture of cherubic faces on its right breast that open up to reveal a spiked mouth and is adorned in the usual golden armor of most other angels. It also has a pair of small golden wings on its back.

Despite its tremendous size, is an exceptionally fast angel that is able to keep up pace with a bullet train through running alone. It uses its tentacle arm to carry out a variety of different melee attacks as well as grab onto objects. The mouth it possesses can spit out a sticky green slime that freezes Bayonetta in place for a brief moment unless she breaks free.

This angel is only in Bayonetta 2.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Belief

Fairness
Fairness is slow moving, but incredibly powerful, their deceptively slow walking pace belies their agile attacks and dashes. Fairness are very good at controlling their position in relation to Bayonetta. Despite being wreathed in flames they do not cause harm to Bayonetta when she attacks them with melee hits, and can be damaged normally like any other Angel. Fairness usually appear in pairs with either another Fairness, or more commonly their electrical counterpart, Fearless.

Fairness can launch a ranged blast of lava. If in melee range, the Fairness will first dart backwards before firing, otherwise this attack has little to no animation cue to warn the player before it is used, and the projectile itself flies incredibly fast, making it difficult to evade once fired. Despite having this ranged attack Fairness will rarely use it, instead it will usually opt to use one of three different dash attacks.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Fairness

Grace & Glory
Grace and Glory almost always appear together, forcing Bayonetta to fight both at once. They are incredibly powerful melee fighters, using their combination of agility and strength to chain together highly damaging attacks. They are also very resistant to stagger compared to most angels fought before their appearance and have the ability to dodge and dash quickly in and out of the range of Bayonetta's attacks effortlessly.

Grace is the power fighter of the two, its attacks are a bit slower, and it uses wider sweeps and tends to drag it's claws along the surface of the ground before swinging. Glory tends to be much more mobile on the battlefield, sliding back and forth to dodge incoming attacks before striking. Its attacks are also more agile, with is usually sliding along with striking, giving it deceptively long reach.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Grace & Glory

Fearless
Like their blazing cousins, Fairness, Fearless are dog-like war beasts having an affinity for lightning, Fearless are a bit faster than Fairness, but their attacks do a little less damage. They pounce, launch their tails, or let out a stunning shriek. Its torture attack is the same as a Fairness'; Bayonetta summons a large spiked wheel and spins it mercilessly on the Fearless.

Fearless often times appears along with Fairness. Interestingly enough Fearless and Fairness, despite being like cousins, share different classes within the Second Sphere. Fearless ranks as a Dominion while Fairness is a Virtue.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Fearless

Harmony
Harmonies are aerial manta ray-like entities with two arms and insect wings. Their attacks consist of charging their tails or claws with electricity and sweeping at Bayonetta, though this is easily avoided since Harmonies crackle with electricity before attacking. Their other attack is summoning three slow-moving electric balls. These can either be destroyed or avoided altogether.

Harmonies often appear in large groups of five or six.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Harmony

Ranks - First Sphere
The First Sphere is the highest Sphere class fought; these Angels are rare and in smaller numbers than most other types of Angels. They commonly appear as support for the lower Sphere angels.

Joy
Joys are female-looking Angels that are very powerful high-rank soldiers of Laguna. Though they have no definite form, assuming any form which they wish, they possibly take the form of a female to engage Umbra Witches. Their weapons seem to be made of the same material as Golems, and have the ability to reform to many of Bayonetta's weapons. They are first encountered during Chapter VI: The Gates of Paradise. They are fast and powerful attackers with an incredibly wide range of attacks and abilities (and even much faster on Infinite Climax difficulty). Joys are notable for their ability to multiply at will, splitting into two, with the new Joy having full health and the first keeping it's current health. They have no "spawning" animation when they appear, and as such can immediately launch an attack before they're even fully formed to catch Bayonetta off guard.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Joy

Gracious & Glorious
Gracious and Glorious are essentially the same as Grace and Glory, but are much tougher. They deal more damage and can take more of it, and are slightly faster. For one, they only appear in Paradiso in normal mode, akin to their description. Another difference is that their attacks cannot be used to activate Witch Time normally, regardless of difficulty, making them a much more challenging enemy to face. (using a Counter with the Moon of Mahaa-Kalaa will activate Witch Time as normal, however) Another factor that contributes to this is that their Vise torture attack does only around half of the damage it would normally do on Grace and Glory.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Gracious & Glorious

Braves
Found first at the end of Route 666, the Braves act exactly like smaller, faster Beloved. Given the chance, they can combine into a single, much faster Beloved angel. However, if this occurs, the same rules apply. The Beloved can be attacked in its back to weaken it, just like any other.

They can be a bit difficult especially when multiple groups of Braves appear. This tends to happen on harder difficulties where 1-3 groups of Braves may appear forcing Bayonetta to fight up to 9 Braves or up to 3 mini Beloveds.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Braves

Inspired
Inspired, the angelic winged snakes appear throughout the game as minibosses. They move quickly across the screen, making it difficult to hit them. Enough damage while mobile will stun one long enough to finish it off. In the Inspired counter, Bayonetta jumps on the angels head and summons Madama Butterfly who repeatedly punches and stomps the angel until it sends it into the air and Bayonetta plummets it to the ground.

In the Inspired Climax, Bayonetta begins to summon the demon crow Malphas, however the Inspired regains consciousness and tries to devour her; thankfully Malphas arrives in the nick of time to rescue its summoner. As the Inspired is helplessly wiggling in Malphas' talons, Malphas then bites down on the Inspired's neck and begins to pull until the head is ripped off and then it begins to gulp it down its throat first, then flies off into the Inferno.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Inspired

Audito
These are the Generals of the Laguna. They are the third, overall, highest ranking angels. They serve as main bosses throughout the game. They are also known as the Cardinal Virtues. Each one has their own element of which the control.

Amongst the spiritually powerful of the Middle Ages, it was thought Paradiso held for all a Divine Will, and as a result, they developed heavenly logic. The concept of the "Cardinal Virtues" was born of this logic, and classifies Paradiso's Divine Will into four broad groups.

These Cardinal Virtues occasionally become physical manifestations of the great intentions of Paradiso, and are known as the Laguna, inspiring awe in the masses.

There are 4 Cardinal Virtues and 4 'younger' versions (commonly called clones by many players). The Cardinal Virtues all feel that if they are defeated then they were simply a necessary sacrifice for the Resurrection of Jubileus.

Fortitudo
"Personifying courage and fortitude, Fortitudo has been depicted as a terrifying being of sporting an enormous face and two dragon's heads. He is said to be capable of summoning magma flows at will."
 * - The Hierarchy of Laguna

The Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude and Bringer of Flame. He is the first Auditio Bayonetta encounters. He is a two headed dragon with a upside-down human face on his chest. He appears more frequently than most Auditio, as he leads the lower Laguna against the Umbra Witches.

He is very talkative and will apologize when he feels he's made a mistake. He, like the other Virtues, is very serious and devoted to the Resurrection stating that death is merely a necessary sacrifice.

He later shows up in Bayonetta 2 being summoned by The Masked Lumen Sage.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Fortitudo

Temperantia
"Temperantia, the true embodiment of the Cardinal Virtue of Temperance, is often illustrated as a colossal giant. Its body rising like a castle, Temperantia possesses two tree-like arms; a composed figure said to illustrate the total reverence in which the Laguna are held by the faithful."
 * - The Hierarchy of Laguna

The Cardinal Virtue of Temperance and Manipulator of Wind. He is the second Auditio fought in the first game. He is an legless crowned knight with his head on his chest. His arms are attached to his body via an orange light and rotating golden rings. On the end of these arms are four tube-like appendages which act as hands/fingers.

Temperantia is a serious opponent but impatient and easily angered. Even with the knowledge of emminent defeat Temperantia will laugh.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Temperantia

Iustitia
"Within Paradiso's Divine Will, also known as the Cardinal Virtues, Iustitia is known to take a particularly strange physical manifestation. A large mass covered with numerous faces, and extending outwards via countless tentacles, Iustitia could easily pass for a demon" 
 * - The Hierarchy of Laguna

The Cardinal Virtue of Justice and Giver of Life. He is the third Auditio fought. He appears to be a hideous amalgamation of faces and tentacles fused into a ball. Iustitia has seven faces in total.

The adult faces have massive tongues protruding from their mouths, ending in child faces. Iustitia has six total tentacles, three that merely protrude from his body and the other three mentioned above (acting as tongues) that are connected to the main organs that vaguely resemble hearts.

Iustitia makes almost not conversation execpt to give Bayonetta a bit of praise for her power thus is seemingly humble.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Iustitia

Sapientia
''"Artists have often depicted the Cardinal Virtue of Prudence, Sapientia, as a marine animal roaming the depths of the seas. This is likely due to the human disposition to characterize the sea as the source of all life, a veritable fountain of prudence and wisdom." ''
 * - The Hierarchy of Laguna.

The Cardinal Virtue of Prudence and Controller of Seas. He is the last Auditio encountered. Taking form of an armored dragon and has porcelain faces on the joints of his legs. He is seen after the plane crashes into the ocean, damaged beyond repair. A helicopter flown by Luka rescues Cereza, leaving Bayonetta behind. Moments later, he appears out of the water, challenging her to battle.

Supposedly he very narcissistic, even amongst the other Virtues, due to the grand idea of a living sea being Divine. Even near death he will insult Bayonetta for her lack of knowledge, especially when speaking of the Eyes of the World. Like, Temperantia, he shows dislike for Jeanne, impatient for her to get into action.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Sapientia

Courage
A clone of Fortitudo, simply called Courage, would appear before Bayonetta in Paradiso. Courage abandoned all tactic of his template and simply attacked her head-on, but due to his weak state, compared to Fortitudo, he was easily destroyed by Bayonetta.

Another Courage appeared to confront Bayonetta on her way to Isla Del Sol, and attacked her from a distance which could be reached this time via weapons. This clone was also destroyed.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Courage

Temperance
A clone of Temperantia, simply called Temperance, appeared before Bayonetta after the defeat of Fortitudo's clone, Courage. Unlike Courage, Temperance stuck to his template's tactic of attacking from a distance using lasers and his finger bullets. Though this made Temperance slightly harder to attack than Courage he was still promptly defeated.

He appears again as the last obstacle between Bayonetta and Isla Del Sol. He stuck to his tactic and was again defeated by the ships weapons. He appears once more just outside the Ithavoll Building, attacking the same way as before, but was once more defeated, this time by cannons on that particular side of the building.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Temperance

Justice
Justice looks exactly like Iustitia, but only has one side to it; in other words, three tentacles with one main, one child face, one adult face, and one heart. The 3D model shows that there is nothing behind it - only the glowing sphere beneath. This means that Justice will die immediately upon its heart being sliced off.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Justice

Prudence
Sapientia's clone appears before Bayonetta in an elevator shaft of the Ithavol building shortly after she destroys Justice, and is the last clone fought in the game. He uses a different tactic to fighting her.

Instead of two sets of three rocket launchers on his haunches, he has two sets of one. Additionally, he only fires them when you are quite far away

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Prudence

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. There is only one Infinite One and that is Father Rodin, the angelic form of the gunsmith Rodin.

This is Rodin's "old self". Rodin was once a very powerful figure in Paradiso, he was feared by many for his power and his weapons. He is a fierce opponent. At one point he was cast out of Paradiso and into Inferno; he is only in this form after purchasing the Platinum Ticket but will return to him normal self promptly after defeat.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Father Rodin

Jubileus, The Creator
This angel is the strongest of all other angels, the ultimate boss and is akin to that of a god. There is only one Dea and that is Jubileus, the Creator. She is the primordial, godlike being whom Father Balder and the Cardinal Virtues are working towards reviving.

Jubileus is the supposed Creator of the world; the ultimate antagonist and final boss. She was imprisoned at the end of the First Armageddon, when the Trinity of Realities were split into light, dark and chaos.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Jubileus, The Creator

Non Angels
These are enemies that are not angels but are still counted towards the Hierarchy.

Father Balder
Father Balder, Master of the Heavens, is the main antagonist in Bayonetta. He is the CEO of the Ithavoll Group, the mysterious company mentioned throughout the game. He was responsible for starting the Witch Hunts and the death of Antonio Redgrave. In addition, Balder is the Right Eye of the World.

He is very sure of himself. He is calm and collected even in a fight no matter what/who the enemy is or even when threatening someone. Balder is obsessed with resurrecting the Creator, to see the realities recreated/reformed. He gives off an air of civility but underlying that is his obsession to see the Creator resurrected. He also has a sort of passive/agressive way of insulting and instigating someone.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Father Balder

The Masked Lumen Sage
A new character, dubbed the Masked Lumen Sage by fans, is a new enemy and Bayonetta's rival in Bayonetta 2. His appearance and abilities suggest he is aligned with Paradiso, the Laguna, and the Lumen Sages, though any other details about his past remain unknown. It has been revealed he is out to kill Bayonetta, aiming to rid the world of the last of the Umbra Witches.

It is suggested he is the last of the Lumen Sages, no other details about his past are known. It has been revealed he is out to kill Bayonetta, aiming to rid the world of the last of the Umbra Witches. He has taken the role of Jeanne as Bayonetta's rival.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Masked Lumen Sage

Golem
The Golem is a major enemy in Bayonetta. It appears to be a large ball made of square, interlocking blocks (like Legoes) which can be rearranged to take many different forms, all of which resembling Bayonetta's own Infernal Demons. The player only encounters two of them in the main story, a third is encounter in an Alfheim level; its main ability is shape-shifting and its only weakness is its core, which becomes exposed when it changes forms.

For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Golem

Main Article
For more information please see the Bayonetta Wiki page: Angels of Paradiso