Devil May Cry can rightfully be called one of the most stylish game series in history. The adventures of Dante and his friends, who have to destroy demons and deal with family feuds, have long established themselves in modern pop culture. Therefore, Devil May Cry is not only video games, but also other media, including, for example, manga, books and the anime Devil May Cry: The Animated Series from the famous studio Madhouse, which gave us Death Note and Monster.
And in 2025, it was Netflix's turn to show what the service could do with the famous Capcom series. The process was led by Adi Shankar, who managed to become famous thanks to the successful animated adaptation of Castlevania, and then plans to turn such games as Assassin's Creed, Hyper Light Drifter and PUBG into animated series. No one doubts his talents and sincere passion for video games, so high hopes were placed on Netflix's Devil May Cry. In general, all of them were justified. This is a wonderful attraction with strong drama, which, unfortunately, is not without flaws and strange moments.
| Name | Devil May Cry |
| Genre | action, comedy, drama |
| Director | Adi Shankar, Alex Larsen |
| The roles were voiced | Johnny Yong Bosch, Kevin Conroy, Scout Taylor-Compton, Hong Lee, Robbie Daymond and others |
| Channel | Netflix |
| Episodes | 8 |
| Year | 2025 |
| Link | IMDb |
In the new film adaptation, Dante has been engaged in the underground destruction of demons for several years. He takes orders mainly from his acquaintance Enzo Ferino, not very reliable, who also loves money too much, but feels something like a paternal attachment to Dante. The main character does not know about his true nature, but he protects the medallion that his mother gave him as a child. When hunters and mercenaries start hunting Dante, and the mysterious White Rabbit threatens the US authorities to unite the worlds of people and monsters, the situation becomes critical. Now Dante will have to deal with all the troubles and internal doubts, and his unexpected ally may be special agent Mary Ann Arkham. However, the main character does not betray his own frivolity and calls the girl simply Lady.
Netflix's Devil May Cry makes it clear from the very first frames that the show respects the feelings of fans and is ready to constantly press them with new and new elements. The animated series is focused not only on games, but also on the manga and anime Devil May Cry: The Animated Series. There was also a place for more interesting references: at one point the characters mention Raccoon City, which began the Resident Evil series, and in addition you can see a figure from Mega Man and a slot machine from Street Fighter II. Video game fans will definitely be delighted, some references require quite deep knowledge of the gaming industry and the Devil May Cry franchise.
However, one should not assume that an outsider, for whom Dante is primarily the author of the "Divine Comedy", will not understand everything in Devil May Cry from Netflix. The show is built in such a way as to satisfy all viewers. Therefore, explanations of mythology and features of the setting are present in the plot and implemented carefully so as not to turn into a boring exposition. The situation is also helped by the fact that Dante has not yet had time to advance much on his chosen "career path", so there are not so many familiar and significant events in his life. So the show could well become a good point of acquaintance with the world of Devil May Cry.
The nuance is also that each game in the series is an adrenaline-pumping action, and the plot, even if it remains good, is always a little in the shade. Netflix does not forget about the main features of the game, so there are enough bright battles with demons in the show. But at the same time, the authors are primarily trying to tell an interesting and even slightly unconventional story. And at the moment of realizing this fact, the roughness begins.
Netflix's Devil May Cry has some problems with the pace of the story. Because of this, the first two episodes are a rather drawn-out introduction, and the sixth episode seems to be taken from some other show. This opinion is also supported by the changed visual style of the episode. The show also seems to focus more on Lady and the main villain, while Dante is left almost exclusively with battles without much script development and character growth. The previous animated adaptation coped with the character of the main character much better.
The story of Devil May Cry seems pretty standard at the beginning, but in the case of this particular show, this is not a minus. Because the plot seems to simply throw Dante and Lady into increasingly critical situations so that we can see how they get out of them. But in the second half, there was also a place for provocative and stunning scenes. Even the idea of "not everything is so clear" crept into the script, which, to be honest, is a little annoying. However, the story cannot be written off as one hundred percent minuses, because its perception depends on the worldview of each individual viewer.
Devil May Cry as a game series has always been a visual extravaganza, where everything shines and shimmers, and the Netflix adaptation tries to follow the canons. In the animation, you can see how Studio Mir is evolving, while remaining true to the chosen style. Devil May Cry is pleasant to watch, the show has a lot of moments for which they obviously drew inspiration from live-action cinema and anime. Unfortunately, the situation worsens significantly when the 3D moments begin. Their dynamics sag significantly, as does the amount of detail, so watching them is more like waiting for a return to 2D. In addition, the series lacks the "gothic" in design that has always been present in the games, if you don't take into account the spinoffs. Yes, even in Devil May Cry V with its tree as the main location.
Another ambiguous point is the music. Musical tastes are an eternal topic for debate, so we won't delve into it too much. The presence of Limp Bizkit, Rage Against the Machine, Papa Roach and Evanescence in the soundtrack will definitely be a pleasant element for someone, but personally I found the music outdated and a bit "out of topic". The original battle themes from the games win in everything. And for some reason, the show's authors decided to take several musical themes from the games and create remixes that lost all the charm of the original source.
But even with all its flaws, Netflix's Devil May Cry manages to capture attention. The animated series has enough vivid battles, interesting moments, unusual designs – especially the main villain, who you want to watch especially closely for all eight episodes – and plot twists to make you want to watch it in one sitting. Yes, it doesn't evoke any extraordinary emotions, but it will definitely please the hearts of fans and viewers.
And the finale will make us wait with renewed vigor for the second season, because there we will see the return of the main favorite of the audience. And it is not so important that it will be partly a film adaptation of Devil May Cry 2, which is considered the worst part of the series.