Along with the iconic Resident Evil series, which has received numerous adaptations into various media, including movies, TV, and even podcasts at this point, the Devil May Cry franchise is among the most successful of CAPCOM’s IP. But even though it’s recognized as one of the greatest gaming series ever made, Devil May Cry hasn’t really received the same amount of studio adoration that Resident Evil has. Not that it wasn’t adapted into other media — there was a reasonably voice-acted Japanese-style animated series in 2007 — but most of those adaptations weren’t backed up by powerful distribution companies.
In 2018, Adi Shankar, who previously worked on Netflix’s Castlevania, teased the possibility of Devil May Cry receiving an animated series at Netflix. The news was confirmed by the streaming giant approximately one month later, but there hasn’t really been much talk about the project since then. This has since changed, as Netflix dropped an announcement trailer, proving that the project has seen some development behind the scenes.
Now that we’ve finally received a taste of the thrilling action that awaits us upon the series’ release, the Devil May Cry fandom is ecstatically discussing which aspects of DMC Netflix might adapt. In the spirit of stoking the fires of anticipation, here are five things from the Devil May Cry video games we hope get directly translated into the Netflix series.
J.D. Morrison
J.D. Morrison was the only side character from 2007’s Devil May Cry: The Animated Show who was adapted into a Devil May Cry video game. CAPCOM obviously had a change of heart when it came to Morrison’s depiction, and instead of modeling the character as a Caucasian man, as he’s portrayed in the anime, Devil May Cry 5 introduces Morrison as an older, more experienced African American man who provides the Devil May Cry agency with information.
Both his character design in the game and his voice acting depict Morrison as a middle-aged man within the game’s storyline. There was some controversy surrounding the actor voicing Morrison in Devil May Cry 5, and if Netflix chooses to bring in Morrison in its own adaptation, we’d like to hear a more suitable voice actor for the role. Keith David seems like an excellent choice.
Agni and Rudra
Besides Dante’s iconic Rebellion — the sword that was bestowed upon him by his father, the Dark Knight Sparda — Agni and Rudra are quite possibly the best weapon set in 2006’s Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. Collectively known as Firestorm, Agni and Rudra are a pair of living twin demon swords sealed away by Sparda himself in Temen-ni-gru, and they serve as the guardians of the Firestorm Chamber.
Unlike most demons, who are belligerent toward humans just by their nature within the confines of the DMC series, Agni and Rudra are quite courteous and only attack Dante after he demands that they let him through their gate. After he defeats them, they ask to be taken with him as Devil Arms, to which Dante agrees only under the condition that they remain quiet. Though Dante later sold them as Devil’s Arms, as they constantly annoyed him, it would be nice to see these two silly and overly chatty swords in Netflix’s adaptation.
More of Trish and Lady
The details surrounding the upcoming Devil May Cry anime from Netflix still remain tightly under wraps, but Shankar has already confirmed that they’re looking at a multi-season series, much like Castlevania. Producing multiple seasons would allow Netflix to dive deeper into the Devil May Cry lore and explore its numerous characters, such as Trish and Lady.
Trish was initially introduced in the original Devil May Cry game as an ally to Dante, but it’s later revealed that she’s a demoness created by Mundus to look identical to Dante’s mother (whom he has vague memories of) to lure and kill Dante. She’s eventually defeated by Dante and later joins the Devil May Cry agency, becoming a devil hunter alongside our stylish protagonist.
Lady, on the other hand, was introduced in Devil May Cry 3 as a human seeking revenge against her father for seeking demonic ascension. She teams up with Dante and eventually joins the Devil May Cry agency. Needless to say, both she and Trish are playable characters who are very significant to the series’ narrative, and while we’re likely to see them in the upcoming adaptation, we’d like to see the show explore their origins a bit further or for the characters to get more screen time than they got in video games.
Dante’s Awakening
Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening takes place a whole decade before the events of the first game, with Dante just opening his Devil May Cry devil-hunting agency. He’s initially portrayed as a carefree and very self-confident character who becomes entangled in the conflict instigated by his brother Vergil. The two eventually clash mid-game, and Vergil defeats Dante and stabs him with Dante’s own sword, Rebellion, which is believed to have the ability to unite both man and devil.
Unintentionally, Dante’s blood unlocks the seal on the sword, which awakens Rebellion, which, in turn, awakens Dante’s Devil Trigger — a special power that allows demons and demon-hybrids to release their inner supernatural potential and assume their demonic form. Adapting this whole event into the upcoming anime could provide the necessary character development that follows the awakening of Dante’s innate demonic powers.
Vergil
Vergil is the older twin brother of Dante and the main antagonist of the Devil May Cry franchise, and we’d like to see him in the upcoming anime as well. In the narrative, Vergil and Dante go their separate ways following the death of their mother, Eva, with Vergil rejecting his humanity and embracing his demonic heritage, in contrast to Dante. Following the events of Devil May Cry 3, he was enslaved by Mundus and trapped inside one of Machiavelli’s Black Knight Armors, becoming Nelo Angelo, one of the bosses and a primary rival to Dante in the original Devil May Cry.
Honorable Mention: Sin Devil Trigger
The Sin Devil Trigger is a second demonic transformation form, which is often referred to as the True Devil transformation. It was originally available in Devil May Cry 2 only, but following Dante’s absorption of both Rebellion and Sparda (the sword), Dante unlocks his true potential, a Sin Devil Trigger — a form powerful enough to confront the mighty Demon King. As a result of his transformation, both Rebellion and Sparda are reforged inside Dante into a whole new sword called Devil Sword Dante.
Unfortunately, beyond the short announcement trailer, Netflix has not shared any details about the DMC animated series, such as the release date or whether the series will adhere to the narrative from the video games. Whatever the case may be, the universe of Devil May Cry features some of the most fantastic things in gaming, and our “5 Things” list is way too short to account for all of them. Hopefully, fans of the Netflix original fare better.