Summary
- Netflix's new show takes creative liberties separate from the video games, introducing original elements in the process.
- It features an entirely new voice cast despite the games having established game actors, which caused a divide among fans.
- Political themes and unique character changes add depth but stray from the traditional Devil May Cry narrative.
The new Devil May Cry animated show is now available to watch on Netflix, and longtime fans of Capcom’s iconic hack-and-slash game series immediately noticed that series creator Adi Shankar took some fascinating and bizarre creative liberties. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise, however, since he had previously stated that this adaptation takes place in an entirely new timeline separate from the video games, as part of his own “Bootleg Universe.”
Every Devil May Cry Game, Ranked
The Devil May Cry franchise has had its hits and misses, but how exactly do all the games in the series rank up against each other?
This means that, while this new show does faithfully adapt some major elements from the classic games (like Dante, Vergil, Mundus, the Devil Trigger, etc.), it also introduces some fully original elements that will certainly be met with a divisive reaction from the most passionate Devil May Cry fans. The following changes are the most egregious examples of this practice.
Warning! Spoilers Ahead!
1 An Entirely New Voice Cast
The Classic Voice Actors From The Games Didn’t Return (With One Odd Exception)
All the mainline Devil May Cry games have a really solid English dub with multiple talented voice actors that have reprised their roles on many occasions, like Reuben Langdon as Dante, Kate Higgins as Lady or Daniel Southworth as Vergil. Their work is not exclusive to the realm of gaming, since Langdon voiced Dante in the English dub of the 2007 anime, Devil May Cry: The Animated Series.
Nevertheless, Netflix and Adi Shankar decided to recast every single voice actor for the new Devil May Cry animated series. The new cast also does an excellent job, but the overall experience may feel a little odd for longtime fans who were used to the characters’ original voices. The weirdest part of this recast is that Johnny Yong Bosch, who voices Dante in the show, also voices Nero in Devil May Cry 4 and Devil May Cry 5, which means that the main character sounds almost exactly like his nephew from the games.
2 Lady’s Character Is Very Different
She Has A Similar Backstory And A Completely New Personality
Lady was introduced in Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening as a serious, tough, and resentful woman seeking to get revenge on her father, Arkham, for murdering her mother in the past. After meeting Dante, she eventually learns that not all demons are evil, and she evolves to become a much more carefree character in all subsequent games. The Netflix version of Lady maintained her signature fighting style and most of her backstory, but she still differs greatly in a lot of other areas.
This Lady works for an organization known as DARKCOM instead of working entirely by herself, and she is way too resentful of demons, even after meeting Dante. While she slowly learns her lesson throughout the show, she still isn't able to trust him by the end of the season. What’s especially weird is that, while her backstory is almost the same as in the game, she presents herself as Mary Ann Arkham throughout the entire show and Dante only starts calling her Lady because he doesn’t know her name, whereas in the game she explicitly renounces her original name out of her hatred toward Arkham.
3 Many Bosses Appear At The Same Time
Agni, Rudra, Echidna, And Cavaliere Angelo Are All Fighting Together
The Devil May Cry franchise is famous for its high-octane boss fights against intimidating and powerful demons. Every single entry in the mainline series has its collection of memorable demonic bosses, and they rarely reappear in subsequent games (with a few exceptions, like Phantom from Devil May Cry 1).
5 Potential Plotlines For Devil May Cry 6
While there is currently no focus on Devil May Cry, given Capcom's work on other franchises, there is much to be desired for the sixth installment.
But the new Netflix series clearly didn’t care about that distinction and featured multiple iconic bosses from different games fighting together as the White Rabbit’s henchmen. They are: Plasma from Devil May Cry 1, Agni and Rudra from Devil May Cry 3, Echidna from Devil May Cry 4, and Cavaliere Angelo from Devil May Cry 5. And they are all dead by the end of the series, so it’s very unlikely that they’ll return to fulfill their original roles in a potential future season. Nevertheless, their inclusion was just a little piece of fan service from creator Adi Shankar, and it did result in some exciting action sequences of Dante and Lady fighting these iconic bosses.
4 Agni And Rudra Have Heads
This Iconic Boss Duo Lost Their Most Distinctive Feature
Pretty much every demon boss that appears in Netflix’s Devil May Cry looks the same as they did in their original game appearances, with one noteworthy exception. Agni and Rudra, the iconic duo of demonic brothers from Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening, actually have full heads on their bodies instead of having them in the pommel of their respective elemental swords.
This was quite an odd and unexpected artistic choice because they are the only characters who originated from the games that look extremely different in the new show. Many fans were hoping that maybe there would be an explanation for how they lost their heads and had to replace them with their swords, but that didn’t end up happening, especially considering that both Agni and Rudra are dead by the end of the season.
5 The White Rabbit’s Real Identity
This Main Villain Of The Netflix Show Is A Fully Original Character
Unbeknownst to most fans, there is a Devil May Cry 3 manga that introduced a character known as the White Rabbit, an evil demon with a connection to a young girl named Alice. In reality, this is one of the many identities of the main villain of the game, Arkham, who used this new persona to manipulate the Sons of Sparda. While the White Rabbit technically doesn’t appear in any video games, the manga that introduced him is canonical to the original Devil May Cry timeline.
Because of this, many fans were sure that the White Rabbit featured as the main antagonist of the new Netflix show was also going to be Arkham, but it turned out their educated guess was completely wrong. This new version of the character is actually a human who lived in the Demon World for many years, and he turned evil after DARKCOM unfairly killed all the innocent Makaians refugees he was trying to rescue. It’s an interesting take on the concept of the White Rabbit, to say the least, but it’s also extremely different from his original incarnation.
6 Makai Is An Entirely New Concept
The Demon World Wasn’t Really Explored Very Much In The Games
The Demon World (often referred to as Hell) is an extremely important location in the Devil May Cry franchise, as this is where all demons come from (including Mundus and Sparda). But despite its obvious relevance, the Demon World hasn’t appeared very often in the games, even if it often serves as the backdrop for a few levels, boss fights, and cutscenes. As a result, not much is known about this location, like its culture, its hierarchy or its geography.
Every Devil May Cry Game, Ranked According To Difficulty
The Devil May Cry games have always been known for their difficulty, but some are incredibly brutal and unforgiving in their overall challenge.
But this didn’t stop Adi Shankar from introducing a brand-new concept in his new animated adaptation, where the Demon World is also known as Makai. In this version, “hell” is also dominated by Mundus, but he also enslaved a tribe of innocent civilians who can’t even survive in his realm because of how toxic the air is. This is completely different from the video games, which always portray the inhabitants of the Demon World as bloodthirsty demons.
7 The Show Features Heavy Political Themes
Politics Has Never Really Been A Part Of The Mainline Devil May Cry Franchise
Devil May Cry is more of a character-driven narrative that doesn’t feature many (if any) political themes, not to mention that the United States government was never seen or mentioned in any game. Of course, Ninja Theory’s reboot, DmC: Devil May Cry, is infamous for exploring ideas of capitalism, corruption, and greed (with varying levels of success), but that's its own separate universe.
Politics are at the forefront of the new Netflix show, especially considering that one of the main antagonists is William Baines, a fictional American vice president who controls an anti-demon organization called Dark Realm Command (or DARKCOM). And if that wasn’t enough, the Makaians are pretty much political refugees, and the season concludes with the United States abruptly invading their home world, capturing its inhabitants and extracting its resources. It can be argued that all these elements added some depth to the story of the show, but they do feel somewhat out of place in a Devil May Cry product.
8 Vergil Is Loyal To Mundus
What Role Will Dante’s Twin Brother Have In Future Seasons?
Vergil is one of the most popular and recognizable antagonists in the Devil May Cry series, mainly due to his cool design, cold personality, and tragic backstory. He spent most of his adult life looking for ways to obtain more power and eventually faced his brother in deadly combat in Devil May Cry 3. After suffering a crushing defeat, he ended up in the Demon World, where Mundus captured him, brainwashed him and turned him into a new demon called Nelo Angelo.
To no one’s surprise, Vergil did make a special appearance in the new Netflix animated series, but he was very different from his game counterpart in many ways. In his first scene, he appears wearing the Nelo Angelo armor, which means that he has already faced Mundus in the Demon World, despite never having met Dante after their mother died. On top of that, in the show's final scene, Vergil rescues some Makaians who were imprisoned by the Uroboros Corporation and exclaims his loyalty to King Mundus in the process (not to mention that he can seemingly take off his armor by himself). Maybe Mundus did brainwash him after all, but it didn’t seem like he was. Nevertheless, this will surely be answered in a hypothetical second season if Netflix decides to greenlight one.
- Release Date
- April 3, 2025
- Network
- Netflix
- Directors
- Park So Young
- Writers
- Alex Larsen
Cast
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Johnny Yong BoschDante / Soldier #1 (voice) -
Chris CoppolaEnzo / Frat Boy (voice)
