Damon Riccitiello is a character who appears in Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes. He is the current CEO of the Utopinia corporation, a urban development firm whose specialty is revitalizing cities. He can be considered the main antagonist of the Travis Strikes Back visual novel featured in-game, and returns with the role of secondary antagonist in No More Heroes III.
Appearance and personality[]
Damon's portrait is that of a youthful-looking man with an aloof expression. He has dark, shaggy hair and wears a polo shirt.
He is not above using violence to get what he wants, at one point admitting that he had once beaten Juvenile to the point of unconsciousness in order to steal a Death Ball. He justifies his actions by insinuating that she deserved it for being condescending to him, a response that disgusts even Travis.
However, he is not without redeeming values. He took in FU and helped him return to his home despite the threat of government intervention, and continued to think of him as his closest friend even as he was shocked by FU's goals for world domination. However, even this ends up being squandered by his thirst for revenge, with him telling Travis that he only saw FU as a pawn after his return.
History[]
His name is first mentioned by Travis in the "Hell's Chainsaw" scenario of Travis Strikes Back. Travis describes him as a "real asshole named Damon Riccitiello", who is the CEO of the Utopinia corporation and the keeper of Serious Moonlight.
Eight years before the events of No More Heroes, Damon discovered FU, an alien that had become stranded on Earth. They became close friends as Damon helped FU evade government agents and sought to find a way for FU to return home. After finding a piece of alien technology where FU crashed and being imbued with mysterious powers, Damon is able to build a rocket for FU. They promise to reunite 20 years later.
Travis arrives in San Jose and attempts to track Riccitiello down at the Utopiland Amusement Complex, the headquarters of the Utopinia corporation. Riccitiello's tertiary secretary, Juliet Chesterfield, initially refuses to disclose his location to Travis but later divulges that he is on a business trip to a place called City of Split in Croatia. When it becomes apparent that Travis does not know where Croatia is, Juliet advises him to instead wait for the Utopinia music festival occurring the day afterwards, as Damon will be attending the VIP afterparty.
Travis confronts Riccitiello in a VIP room during the concert. Riccitiello calls security to throw him out, but Travis cuts down his bodyguard and demands the Death Ball containing Serious Moonlight. At first, Riccitiello feigns ignorance of the Death Balls, but Travis reveals he knows that Riccitiello used to work with Dr. Juvenile.
Damon goes on to explain that he used to be a part of the Serious Moonlight team. He worked hard every day on the game, but Juvenile often implemented ideas that would come out of the blue. The game went into development hell as a result. He and the other staff objected to Juvenile’s game design. They believed it was for the sake of completing the perfect game. However, the project ended up canned at the last minute, and Damon was sent to another team.
He remains bitter towards Juvenile, attributing the abrupt move to her "fearing their amazing ideas". He wanted to see Serious Moonlight finished at any cost, so he pressed Juvenile hard for the Death Ball. He claimed that she looked down him due to his position as an intern. He became so infuriated that he beat Juvenile severely, to the point of unconsciousness, took the Death Ball, and went home. He ends the story asking Travis if he thought she deserved it.
Travis is so disgusted that he decides that Riccitiello is not worth killing. Instead, he beats him with his fists, avenging Juvenile, before taking the Death Ball and leaving. Mysteriously, a bloodied Riccitiello pulls himself off the floor and vows revenge on Travis.
Two years after Travis Strikes Again, FU returns to Earth for the promised reunion with Damon. Riccitiello's joy at meeting with his old friend quickly turns to horror, however, as FU declares that he and his friends from prison plan to conquer the Earth with Damon's "help".
As time goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that Damon still wants to kill Travis and when FU tries to return home after his defeat by the assassin Damon sets off explosives hidden in his spaceship and reveals that FU's influence has caused him to turn into a grotesque monster. Even Travis is taken aback by Damon's cold-hearted betrayal of his friend, and the two of them eventually engage in a sumo match to the death over a surreal void. Damon loses and is disintegrated by the void as he impotently screams about how he doesn't want to die.
Trivia[]
- He shares his surname with John Riccitiello, the former CEO of Unity who was also CEO of EA when Shadows of the DAMNED was published in 2011. [1]
- His appearance in Travis Strikes Back closely resembles that of Garma Zabi from Mobile Suit Gundam.
- In addition, near the end of No More Heroes 3 when Damon reveals his true colors, Damon references the time Travis hit him, quoting "Not even my dad has ever hit me!". This is likely a reference to Gundam's famous (or infamous) Bright slap.
References[]
- ↑ Travis Strikes Again's Ending Hints At The Future Of No More Heroes. Chris Kohler. Kotaku. January 18, 2019