Let’s be honest—adapting Devil May Cry into a show is no easy task. You’re not just working with a game series that’s built its identity around fast-paced combat and over-the-top flair; you’re also dealing with a fanbase that’s incredibly specific about what makes Dante, well, Dante. So when Netflix finally dropped its long-teased Devil May Cry animation, it was bound to turn some heads—for better or worse.
Now that the first season’s out, one thing is clear: this isn’t the most faithful DMC experience, but it’s still an entertaining one in its own right—especially if you’re open to a bit of reimagination.
It’s Not the Dante You Remember, But He’s Still Cool
This version of Dante, voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, sits somewhere between the relaxed, easy-going maturity of the first game, and the cocky demon hunter of the franchise’s prequel entry – Devil May Cry 3. He’s occasionally brooding, not as wisecracking, and the show definitely shows that while he’s got the skills, Dante is clearly rough around the edges and still has a lot to learn about himself. Still, there are flashes of that classic Dante charm in the scenes where it matters.
The show loosely reinterprets his origin story but doesn’t fully commit to game-accurate lore. Characters like Lady (Mary Ann Arkham) get a fresh spin, and the plot introduces new figures that aren’t from the mainline games. The antagonist, the White Rabbit, has motivations rooted in demon-human coexistence, which pushes the narrative into more morally gray territory.
It’s clearly not meant to be canon—and honestly, that’s okay. What we’re getting here is more of a stylized side-story or alternate timeline, not a beat-for-beat adaptation.
The Style? Top-Notch.
If there’s one area where this show absolutely delivers, it’s the visuals. Studio Mir brings a confident, kinetic energy to the fight scenes. Episode 6, especially, is a standout, ditching most of the dialogue for raw, expressive action to deliver a compelling story. The animation throughout most of the series is fluid, creative, and packed with the kind of style that DMC fans live for—mid-air shenanigans, stylish (and occasionally funny) fights, and all.
Where It Starts to Lose People
Here’s the thing that not everyone’s on board with: the tone. The show tries to blend its action-heavy style with deeper social and political commentary, and that’s where it starts to get messy. The villains are more ideologically complex than we’re used to in Devil May Cry, and while that’s an interesting choice on paper, it sometimes ends up clashing with the more straightforward good-vs-evil spirit of the games.
To me, part of what makes DMC work is its clarity—Dante fights for humans, demons are mostly evil (with a few tragic exceptions), and the moral lines are drawn with bold strokes. The show, on the other hand, blurs those lines and inserts real-world metaphors that feel a bit forced. It’s not that the franchise can’t do nuance, but this particular flavor of it doesn’t always land.
That said, this doesn’t make the show unwatchable. The core of what makes DMC enjoyable is still here: tight action, stylish characters, and a world full of twisted monsters. It’s just trying to do a bit more philosophizing than it really needs to.
A Spiritual Cousin to Ninja Theory’s DmC?
If this show reminds me of anything, it’s 2013’s DmC: Devil May Cry—the reboot that reimagined Dante as a younger, angrier version of himself in a hyper-stylized modern world. That game was divisive for good reason, but it had its own identity, and this show feels like it borrows from that vibe.
You get a more grounded Dante. A darker tone. Some political themes. And a story that riffs on the lore rather than retelling it. For fans who hated DmC’s departure from the source, that may be a red flag. But if you can approach it with the same mindset—as a side project with its own tone—you’ll find things to enjoy here.
Final Thoughts: Worth Watching, But Keep Your Expectations in Check
At the end of the day, the new Devil May Cry animation is a fun, flashy reinterpretation of the franchise. It’s not trying to dethrone the games, and it certainly won’t scratch the same itch as DMC3 or 5, but it doesn’t need to. It’s stylish, it’s well-animated, and it’s packed with moments that feel undeniably DMC, even if it’s through a different lens.
Would I have preferred a more direct adaptation with clear alignments and less philosophical baggage? Definitely, but that doesn’t mean what we got isn’t worth watching. If you go in expecting a wild side story with killer action and a version of Dante that still kicks ass, you’ll have a good time.
Just don’t expect it to become your new favorite version of the franchise. This is Devil May Cry on shuffle—not a greatest hits album, but still a good track in the playlist.
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