Devil May Cry (TV Series)

''Devil May Cry'' is an adult animated urban fantasy action television series created by Adi Shankar and animated by South Korean Studio Mir. Based on the Japanese video game franchise of the same name by Capcom, the series follows the demon hunter for-hire Dante as he attempts to foil a demonic invasion of Earth headed by the powerful demon known as the White Rabbit while also coming into conflict with the skilled soldier Mary.

The first season premiered on April 3, 2025, on Netflix and received positive reviews from critics. One week after the first season's release, the series was renewed for a second season.

Premise

While being hunted by the government organization Dark Realm Command (DARKCOM) under Vice President William Baines, Dante, a demon hunter for-hire, comes into conflict with a demon-obsessed terrorist called the White Rabbit who seeks revenge on the human race.

Voice cast and characters

Main

* Johnny Yong Bosch as Dante, a demon hunter and the son of the legendary demon Sparda
** Kue Lawrence as young Dante
* Scout Taylor-Compton as Mary Ann Arkham, a DARKCOM lieutenant whom Dante nicknames "Lady"
** Evie Hsu as young Mary
* Hoon Lee as the White Rabbit, a demonic terrorist seeking to merge the human and demon realms
* Chris Coppola as Enzo Ferino, an information broker who helps Dante find work
* Kevin Conroy as William Baines, the Vice President of the United States and genocidal head of DARKCOM
** Ian James Corlett provides additional dialogue for Baines in episodes 3 and 8

Supporting

* Zeke Alton as Dr. Fisher, a paranormal scientist at DARKCOM
* Jon Gries as Hopper, the President of the United States
* Robbie Daymond as Vergil, Dante's twin brother
** Marcel Nahapetian as young Vergil
* Benjamin Abiola as Anders, a DARKCOM agent and newly recruited member of Mary's team
* Sunkrish Bala as King, a DARKCOM agent and member of Mary's team
* Fryda Wolff as Ninja, a DARKCOM agent and member of Mary's team
* Leilani Barrett as Patriot, a DARKCOM agent and member of Mary's team
* Tina Majorino as Sentry, a DARKCOM agent and member of Mary's team
* Kenny Omega as Sly, a demon disguised as one of the mercenaries hired by DARKCOM to capture Dante
* Jason E. Kelley as:
** Arnold, a mercenary acquainted with Dante
** Bruce, a mercenary hired to capture Dante
* Erica Lindbeck as Kalina Ann, Mary's deceased mother
* Ray Chase as:
** John Arkham, Mary's deceased father
** Agni & Rudra, a pair of demon brothers working for the White Rabbit
* Kari Wahlgren as:
** Eva, the deceased human mother of Dante and Vergil
** Echidna, a plant serpent demon working for the White Rabbit
* Jason Marnocha as Cavaliere, a demon knight working for the White Rabbit
* Roger L. Jackson as:
** Plasma, a shapeshifting demon working for the White Rabbit
** Griff, a DARKCOM agent who Plasma assumes the appearance of
* Donovan Patton as Bloodstryke, a demon minion who serves the White Rabbit

Episodes

Production

Development

In late 2018, Adi Shankar announced to produce the TV series adaptation of Capcom's ''Devil May Cry'' for Netflix. Alex Larsen was hired as a writer for the series which consists of eight episodes.

In September 2023, the first-look teaser was released during Netflix's Drop 01 livestream. Shortly after, Dante's long-time English voice actor, Reuben Langdon, revealed that he was not asked to reprise his role. As a self-proclaimed fan of the series, Adi Shankar said he cosplayed in response to the game, which attracted the company in charge of the games. Shankar brought parallels between ''Devil May Cry'' and the comic book ''Iron Man'' in terms of popularity and wanted to give it a revision inspired by Christopher Nolan's ''Dark Knight'' trilogy. According to Shankar, the series is considered to be part of a shared "Bootleg Multiverse", alongside ''Castlevania'', '' Castlevania: Nocturne'', and '' Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix''.

On April 10, 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.

Casting

In September 2024, it was announced that Johnny Yong Bosch would be taking on the role of Dante. On March 11, 2025, a trailer with additional cast members was revealed with one of them being Kevin Conroy in a posthumous role as VP Baines following his death in November 2022. Due to Conroy's death, Ian James Corlett assumed the role of Baines partway into the series, filling in unfinished dialogue. In 2023, Tony Todd was cast in an undisclosed role.

Release

By September 2023, a first-look teaser trailer was released along with the news that Studio Mir from South Korea would be producing and animating the series. A second teaser trailer was released on September 19, 2024. In January 2025, the intro sequence, which featured the song " Rollin'" by Limp Bizkit, for the series was unveiled. The first season premiered on April 3, 2025.

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the series holds an approval rating of 96%, based on 25 reviews with an average score of 7.9/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Honoring its source material's flair for the bombastic, ''Devil May Cry'' slices and dices its way into the animation medium and makes a bloody memorable first impression." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 77 out of 100 based on 7 critic reviews, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Aidan Kelley of ''Collider'' gave the series a score of 9 out of 10. He dubbed the series "one of the best new animated shows of 2025", comparing it favourably to Shankar's previous work on ''Castlevania'' and that it "goes above and beyond to deliver a brilliant animated series that is as thematically rich as it is wildly entertaining." Daniel Kurland of ''Bloody Disgusting'' gave the series a score of 4 out of 5. He praised the action sequences and wrote, "There's strong enough artistry behind the action and battle choreography that makes this adaptation a sheer delight." Kurland then commented on the art style by stating, "There are some really creative art direction and stylistic choices that make the series a visual triumph." Kambole Campbell of ''The A.V. Club'' gave the series a rating of B-. He noted that "Shankar's spin on ''Devil May Cry'' is mostly a fun love letter to the qualities that made it popular" and praised the soundtrack, specifically mentioning its licensed music and an original song from the rock band Evanescence that plays during the sixth episode, which he described as the "show's best episode." Rendy Jones of ''RogerEbert.com'' similarly praised the episode and wrote that "Everything pays off in the sixth episode, a chapter guided by silent visual storytelling that incorporates various animation styles and some aptly fitting needle drops. It is one of the year's best TV episodes to date, a bold move that proves why these studios hire Shankar for their adaptations."

Rafael Motamayor of ''IGN'' gave the series a score of 8 out of 10. He concluded his review by stating, "Adi Shankar and Studio Mir craft a fun video-game adaptation that doubles as a deranged, bonkers, and bold homage to and indictment of '00s Americana. If nothing else, it contains some of the best animation you're likely to see this year." Brett Cardaro of '' CBR'' gave the series a score of 8 out of 10. He commended the performance of the voice cast, stating that Dante's voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch "is actually the perfect person to play him in the anime" whose "cocky one-liners are often as genuinely entertaining as they are in the games" and that the White Rabbit's voice actor Hoon Lee gave a "standout performance" and was a "surprisingly amazing character." However, Cardaro was critical of the use of CGI animation and noted that "The action is mostly great, but one way it's held back is by the appearances of some of the demons created using CGI. The fight choreography is consistently solid, but the CGI models just don't do it justice." Isaiah Colbert of ''io9'' criticized the depiction of Mary, or "Lady", but praised voice actress Scout Taylor-Compton for her performance and wrote "There's a lot to love about Lady, which is why its so disappointing to witness any sense of poignancy of her quieter contemplative moments or badassery being upended by her cursing so god damn often."

Joshua Fox of ''Screen Rant'' was more critical of the series from the declared perspective of a ''Devil May Cry'' fan. He commented on the quality of the writing, stating that "my issues with ''Devil May Cry's'' writing are compounded by what became the biggest sticking point: the political elements" before elaborating on how the series' commentary on the war on terror was "completely out of place" for the franchise. Fox also noted that the series "doesn't work because of how poorly it portrays old and new characters alike", specifically mentioning how Dante and Mary compare unfavourably to their video game counterparts.

References

External links

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{{Franchises by Capcom

Devil May Cry
2025 American television series debuts
2020s American adult animated television series
2020s American drama television series
2020s American horror television series
2020s American supernatural television series
American adult animated action television series
American adult animated adventure television series
American adult animated drama television series
American adult animated fantasy television series
American adult animated horror television series
American anime-influenced animated television series
American English-language television shows
Animated series based on video games
Animated television series about rabbits and hares
Animated television series by Netflix
Demons in television
Television series by Studio Mir
Television series set in 2003
Television series set in the 2000s
Television shows about terrorism
Works based on Capcom video games