The hypebeast capo of Naples' racketeering squad. Young, dumb, and full of... ideas, Dante is somehow both a holy terror of a wunderkind and the stupidest motherfucker in the room. Which room? Take your pick. He'd be passable as a wannabe gangster type, if not for the fact that his father's influence and his own shocking well of talent got him placed as the leader of his own squad, which he somehow runs at a profit with a perfectly competent, steady hand and canny intuition. Backed up by his gloomy, calculating second-in-command Giada Napolitano (who he might have a little bit of a crush on, but don't tell nobody), Dante's petty viciousness and youthful short-sightedness never seem to stop him from chasing that grind.
Cruel and petty, Dante can come off as a bit of a manchild. And indeed, in social spheres he is one. A gamer, Youtuber fanboy, and self-identified "chad," Dante isn't afraid of being a deeply unpleasant person to be around, so long as those around him know who's in charge of what. He's capable of professionalism, but generally speaking he prefers to run his squad less like a traditional boss and more like the leader of a street gang, prioritizing camaraderie as "bros" over much else. This draws the ire and disrespect of more old-fashioned types, who he regards with an entirely dismissive air. But he's far from universally hostile, and once he decides he likes someone, he treats them like family. That he treats his family with a bit too much casual familiarity at times is quite another matter.
Dante's father didn't come from a mafia family. He rose through the ranks to become a "Gang Star" on his own, and his high-up position is a testament to that. And so Dante was born on second and only upon reaching adulthood did he realize he hadn't hit a double. He was a bully to the other children in school, and made no secret of who his father was affiliated with, or of his future plans. Filone and Asiago Bianchetti, being the only two boys whose wills never broke and who always had something to snap back with, were a constant annoyance, and it bothered him that he was never able to properly "win" against them.
Growing up, it seemed to many that he had not matured at all. And in fact, in many ways he had only done so marginally. Obnoxious and rude, it was only through nepotism that he was granted the position he finally got, and if not for the fact that he had an excellent eye for the strengths and weaknesses of others, he might have failed miserably. But despite resentment from Giada Napolitano, his far more experienced second in command, he held his own and was allowed to keep the territory he was given.
Dante remains the capo of the racketeering squad and has, over time, developed a little bit of a puppy crush on Giada, despite the fact that she's 1: his subordinate and absolutely off-limits, per his father's rules, 2: glacial in demeanor and totally not his type, and 3: nearly twice his age. But it's fine, he'll be fine. It's just a little crush, how bad could it be? More importantly, it has come to his attention that those two punks he knew growing up are still in town, and he just can't let that shit slide.
Dante discovers that the pickpocket who's been acting as a rock in his shoe the past few years is none other than one of the boys he's been harboring resentment towards since grade school. And even better, Filone Bianchetti's equally insufferable twin brother is right there with him to act as accomplice. The options are pretty plain. Could simply shoot them, but that would be overkill for petty theft, and cleanup would be a lot more work than necessary. Could just try and scare them off with a little show of force, but those two blockheads never had the sense to be scared before, why would they now?
So naturally, the only remaining option is a highly personalized punishment for them both, to really drive home the point.
Perhaps, in Dante's opinion, the coolest lady alive. A stone cold badass and quick-witted businesswoman, Napolitano is his right hand who he'd be lost without. He's admired her for years, but only in recent years did that start to bubble up into a little bit of romantic feelings. She alone keeps him professional and more or less in line where needed, and other than his father, he's not interested in taking guff from anybody else.
Dante idolizes his old man and wants more than anything to follow in his footsteps. He's heard all the stories of Santino becoming a Gang Star and powering his way up damn close to the top with nothing but his wits and his will. Maybe one day Dante will be that cool, but in the meantime, he wants to learn everything he can from his dad.
Where Santino is almost an idol for Dante, his mother Beatrice is his best friend. Bea is a little abrasive and immature, much the same as Dante is, and the two of them get along very well.
Dante has no idea he even has a first cousin-once-removed on his dad's side, and it would fuck him right up if he knew who it was, all things considered.