Devil May Cry^[a] is ascience fantasyaction-adventure game franchise created byHideki Kamiya. It is primarily developed and published byCapcom. The series centers on thedemon hunterDante and his efforts to thwart variousdemon invasions of Earth. Its gameplay consists of combat scenarios in which the player must attempt to extend long chains of attacks, avoiding damage and exhibiting stylized combat by varying their attacks; this combat, along with time and the number of items collected and used, are considered in grading the player's performance.

Devil May Cry
Genre(s)	Action-adventure Hack and slash
Developer(s)	Capcom (2001–present) Ninja Theory (2013)
Publisher(s)	Capcom
Creator(s)	Hideki Kamiya
Platform(s)	Android iOS Windows Mobile Nintendo Switch PlayStation 2 PlayStation 3 PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Shield Android TV Xbox 360 Xbox One Xbox Series X/S
First release	Devil May Cry August 23, 2001
Latest release	Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat January 10, 2024

The series alludes to Italian poetDante'sDivine Comedy. Hideki Kamiya createdDevil May Cry after a failed attempt to develop aResident Evil game with thefirst game originally being conceived asResident Evil 4. Kamiya wanted to create a game with more action features, which Capcom felt the series did not need. The games were directed byHideaki Itsuno and writerBingo Morihashi. Capcom announced a new game,DmC: Devil May Cry (developed byNinja Theory and supervised by Capcom), during the 2010Tokyo Game Show. A high-definition remastering of the threePlayStation 2 titles was compiled in theDevil May Cry HD Collection and released forPlayStation 3 andXbox 360 in 2012, and in 2018 for thePlayStation 4,Windows, andXbox One. The remasters were released as standalone titles forNintendo Switch between 2019 and 2020. The latest game isDevil May Cry 5, released on March 8, 2019.

The series has been successful; the main entries have sold 33 million copies worldwide and received Capcom's Platinum Title award.^[1] The success of the video-game series has led to comic books,novelizations, two animated series, guides, collectibles, publications, and a variety of action figures.

• Devil May Cry: Players assume the role of Dante, a skilled demon hunter. The gameplay focuses on fast-paced, highly stylized combat; a high style ranking requires long attack and evasion strings while avoiding damage. Although the game also features puzzle-solving and exploration elements retained from its survival-horror origins, they are downplayed in favor of action. In later games, the system was modified; players had to vary their attacks to maintain their style rank.^[2] The Devil Trigger, a mainstay ability of the entire series, enables a player's character to temporarily assume a devilish form with additional powers (based on their current weapon), while the character's speed and attack strength increase, andhealth is slowly restored.^[2]

• Devil May Cry 2: Dante is generally the game's lead character. Two other playable characters,Lucia andTrish are also available. The ability to perform combination attacks in mid-air and evasion and weapon-change buttons were introduced. With the latter, a player can cycle through ranged weapons without switching to the inventory screen.
• Devil May Cry: Deadshot: Ashooter game released for Japanesefeature phones in 2003.^[3][4][5] It is set in an old castle on a deserted island.^[3][4]
• Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening: The main character Dante can use a variety of weapons and fighting styles, allowing the player to focus on favorite techniques or weapons. Each of the four styles gainsexperience points, which unlock more techniques and abilities without costing red orbs (the series' currency). A second weapon-change button was added, allowing the player to cycle through a character's melee weaponry.^[6] The game was re-released asDevil May Cry 3: Special Edition with new skills for Dante and the ability to play as Vergil.^[7]
• Devil May Cry: Two different mobile games for feature phones were released in 2007–2008. One has similar gameplay toDevil May Cry 3 and uses enemies and characters from that game. It is also known by the titleDevil May Cry: Dante X Vergil.^[8] The other one is a 2D side-scrolling beat 'em up.^[9]
• Devil May Cry 4: This entry introduces a new protagonist, Nero, who is playable alongside the returning Dante. Nero's Devil Bringer arm gives players the ability to pull enemies toward him or himself toward enemies, perform context-specific attacks or parries, and traverse the environment. Nero is also armed with a sword which can be throttled up, allowing players to pre-charge it for extra damage on the next hit; with precise timing, it can be charged after each attack for extra damage and style. As Dante, players can switch weapons and fighting styles in mid-combat, allowing more varied and unique combos.^[10] The game was re-released asDevil May Cry 4: Special Edition in 2015, featuring the ability to play as Vergil as well as returning characters Lady and Trish.
• Devil May Cry HD Collection: A collection of the series' first three games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, ported byPipeworks Software andDouble Helix Games, eventually released on March 22, 2012, in Japan and March 29, 2012, in the US.^[11] It was later ported to the PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One on March 13, 2018.^[12][13]
• DmC: Devil May Cry: Thisreboot of the series introduced a new continuity in which the player character Dante and his twin brother Vergil are Nephilim, descendants of an angel and a demon parent. The player could alternate between Angel Mode and Demon mode with specific weapons and enhanced traversal abilities. Further options for accessing hidden areas included the Ophion whip and grappling hook. The gameplay takes place partially in Limbo, a parallel world inhabited by demons, that occasionally intersects with the normal world, changing its architecture and infrastructure to a more hostile form, prompting fast-paced chase sequences and platforming scenarios.^[14][15] The game takes place in anurban fantasy setting, inspired by contemporary Western cities, as opposed to the fantastical, Renaissance-themed environments of the other games in the series. The story also touches on criticism of themes ofmass media andconsumerism.
• Devil May Cry 5: This game follows the original continuity fromDevil May Cry 4. It again features Nero and Dante as playable characters, as well as a new character named V. Nero's Devil Bringer arm is replaced with a selection of swappablecybernetic arms dubbed Devil Breakers, each one featuring distinct gameplay mechanics. V remotely commands three demons in battle due to his weak physical state.^[16] The game was re-released asDevil May Cry 5: Special Edition, featuring the ability to play as Vergil.
• Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat: A mobile-phone game by Yunchang Games, based onDevil May Cry 3. Its rendition of Dante's appearance was criticized, and the developers promised to fix it when the game left the beta period for release in 2020.^[17]

The events of the series begin two millennia before the first game with the demon Sparda, the Black Knight, defeating Demon World rulerMundus. Sparda stops Mundus from conquering the human world by sealing several Hellgates and Temen-Ni-Gru (the last gate) with a ritual requiring his blood and the aid of a human priestess. Sparda meets Eva, who gives birth to his twin sons Dante and Vergil.

The plot begins withDevil May Cry 3, a year after Dante has a falling-out with Vergil.^[18] A large tower erupts from the ground near the shop, and Dante interprets it as a challenge from Vergil.^[19] Dante is defeated in Temen-Ni-Gru by Vergil, who takes his locket and leaves with Arkham. Dante's dormant devil power revives him, and he resumes pursuing his brother. Vergil wants to use the pendants their mother gave them in a ritual to create a portal to the Demon World. The battle is joined byLady, who wants to avenge her mother's death by Arkham; Arkham manipulated the three into completing the ritual, which would allow him to acquire Sparda's sword: the Force Edge.^[20][21] Dante and Vergil defeat him, and resume battling each other. The portal begins to close, and Vergil approaches it. Dante pleads with his brother not to go, but Vergil leaps into the Demon World before the portal closes. Vergil is tested and encounters Mundus, his mother's killer, battling him with his sword Yamato, a magicalkatana with the power to open portals in space and separate worlds, which once belonged to Sparda. When Lady returns to the human world, she muses on the nature of devils and humans, coining the phrase "devil may cry"; Dante decides to use it as the name for the shop.^[22][23]

Dante is confronted inDevil May Cry byTrish, who reveals that Mundus is planning to return and only a descendant of Sparda can defeat him.^[24] He explores Mallet Island (where Mundus is set to return), encountering demons which include Mundus' general:^[25] the undead Vergil, Nelo Angelo.^[26] As Dante approaches Mundus, he falls into a trap which reveals that Trish is the demon's agent; he saves her, however, because she resembles his mother. Trish saves Dante from Mundus, and Dante realizes his father's power.^[27] Dante defeats Mundus when Trish helps him return Mundus to the Demon World.^[28] Dante and Trish escape as the island collapses and work together in the Devil Never Cry shop.

In theDevil May Cry: The Animated Series anime, Trish is a demon hunter; Dante is the bodyguard of Patty, a young heiress who becomes obsessed with him. Patty's mother is descended from a sorcerer who sealed the power of Abigail, an ancient devil lord. Patty is targeted by Sid, a demon seeking Abigail's power. Lady and Trish fight demons summoned by Sid, and Dante kills him.

Dante is invited byLucia inDevil May Cry 2 to meet her mother,Matier. Dante learns thatArius is collecting artifacts, called Arcana, to summon the demon lordArgosax.^[29] Dante flips acoin, and decides to help.^[30] Lucia confronts Arius, who reveals that he created her.^[31] Lucia gives Dante the last of the Arcana before facing Arius alone.^[32] Dante encounters Matier, who asks him to take the Arcana to save Lucia from Arius.^[33] Lucia attacks Arius, but he captures her. Dante arrives, trades the Arcana for Lucia, and attacks Arius (who escapes).^[34] A stream of energy strikes theOuroboros tower, and a portal to the demon world opens. Dante and Lucia argue about who will enter, and Dante determines that he will go.^[35] After Dante leaves, Arius returns to the human world and Lucia defeats him.^[36]

InDevil May Cry 4, Dante and Trish discover a dark conspiracy within the Order of the Sword and investigate while learning of its religious leader named Sanctus and his plans to conquer the world using demonic power. Dante seemingly assassinates Sanctus, only to face a young holy knight named Nero, who had awakened his demonic abilities as a descendant of Sparda. Nero quests to capture Dante, obtaining thekatana Yamato along the way, only to learn the Order's dark secrets. Consequently, Nero and his girlfriend Kyrie are captured to further the Order's plans of conquest. Dante's effort to cripple Sanctus' plans culminates in freeing Nero, who finally confronts and defeats Sanctus before rescuing Kyrie. The two demon hunters part ways on good terms as Dante entrusts Nero with the Yamato.

InDevil May Cry 5, set several years afterDevil May Cry 4, Nero runs a mobile branch of Dante's Devil May Cry business.^[37] He befriends Nico, a weapon-making artist and descendant of the gunsmith who crafted Dante's Ebony and Ivory handguns.^[38] Nero's Devil Bringer arm fromDevil May Cry 4 is stolen; armed with aprosthetic Devil Breaker created by Nico, he leaves with Dante and the demon hunter V to face their "strongest foe yet".^[39][40]

Although the series' timeline had placedDevil May Cry 4 beforeDevil May Cry 2, it wasretconned with the release ofDevil May Cry 5.^[41][42]DmC: Devil May Cry, developed byNinja Theory, is not part of the timeline and takes place in an alternate universe from the main series. Along with a very different looking Dante, it moves away from the gothic look of the previous games to a more contemporary setting with some social commentary on mass media and culture.^[43]

After the completion ofResident Evil 2 in 1998, preliminary work on aPlayStation 2 installment of theResident Evil series began by Team Little Devil under the direction ofHideki Kamiya.^[44] Earlyresearch and development included a trip to Spain to examine castles as a basis for the game's environments. Its prototype, however, was a radical departure from theResident Evil formula and thesurvival horror genre. Kamiya rewrote the story and changed its premise, drawing from Italian poetDante Alighieri'sDivine Comedy^[45][46] forDevil May Cry.^[47]

Strider, another Capcom franchise, is cited as a vital influence on theDevil May Cry games and their action, particularly in their inclusion of the "boss rush".^[48][49]

Despite the success of the original game, its sequel was not created by Kamiya or Team Little Devils.^[50][51] Although an unidentified director was placed in charge of the project, Capcom was dissatisfied with their work and assignedHideaki Itsuno "with only 4 to 5 months remaining in development" to steer the project back on course.^[52] Despite Itsuno's limited time on the project, he is the only person credited as director in the final version of the game.^[53] According toproducer Tsuyoshi Tanaka, the design aim was to makeDevil May Cry 2 bigger than its predecessor; Tanaka estimated that the game's environments were about nine times larger than the first.^[54]

AfterDevil May Cry 2's mixed reception, Capcom decided to develop the next game like the more critically successfulDevil May Cry. Gameplay elements, such as environment size and battle engine, were reconsidered.^[55] In the original game, Vergil was killed by demons early and his soul was controlled by Mundus;Bingo Morihashi wanted to create an alternate universe in which Vergil was alive. However, Kamiya gave Morihashi the freedom to rework Vergil's backstory and make him a living teenager forDevil May Cry 3.^[56] As a result, the game was designed as a prequel to the series, set several years before the events of the first game.

Development ofDevil May Cry 4 began shortly after its predecessor's success.^[57] The development team had 80 members.^[58] A new protagonist was discussed many times at Capcom, but was not approved until producerHiroyuki Kobayashi said that Dante had to be in the game.^[59] Kobashi said before the game's release that they wanted to make Dante seem significantly more powerful than Nero, to create an obvious difference between the strength of a "veteran" compared to a "rookie".^[60] Writer Morihashi collaborated with film director Yuji Shimomura, who worked on the earlier games. Morihashi left Capcom at one point, but returned at Itsuno's request. It took him a year to finish writing the game; he had difficulty with the characterization of Nero, the new protagonist. Dante returned as a supporting character.^[61]

Although the fourth game was a commercial and critical success, the staff considered rebooting the series because other game series had better sales.^[62] They chose Ninja Theory, impressed with their work onHeavenly Sword (which the staff thought would work with aDevil May Cry game).^[63] However, in 2013 Itsuno expressed interest in developing a fifth installment.^[64] It was originally thought that Itsuno intended for the series to go on hiatus or end ifDevil May Cry 4: Special Edition was not a commercial success,^[65] but he said in a GameSpot interview that the series' future did not depend onDevil May Cry 4: Special Edition's sales. He alleviated fears thatDmC: Devil May Cry's sales would kill the series, confirming that Capcom was satisfied with them.^[66] In mid-January 2016, Itsuno tweeted that he had begun work on a new project.^[67] Reuben Langdon and Johnny Yong Bosch, who had done voice acting and motion capture for Dante and Nero inDevil May Cry 4, took pictures of themselves in motion-capture gear in March 2016; this led to speculation that a newDevil May Cry game was in development.^[68] According to Capcom Vancouver, "It's not a game that [they] announced that [they are] working on at [their] studio".^[69] On May 17, 2018, the domain name "DevilMayCry5.com" was registered under Capcom's Onamae domain register.^[70]

Devil May Cry 5, featuring the return of Dante and Nero, was confirmed atE3 2018 for release the following year.^[71] Most of the team had worked on the recently releasedResident Evil 7, and were experienced with thegame engine; Itsuno was influenced by his work inMonster Hunter: World to provide content appealing to new gamers but also felt that making the game challenging would appeal to long-time fans.^[72] Other members of the staff had worked on the reboot gameDmC: Devil May Cry, but the Osaka team was more willing to make a sequel to the fourth installment of the main series. The team listened to fan opinions about previous games to ensure that the new game appealed to them; an "auto" mode facilitated combos.^[73] Itsuno was moved to tears by a film in which three robots combined into a giant robot to overcome their foe, and wanted to create similar moments.^[74] He wanted to convey the style of a Hollywood movie such asMarvel'sAvengers series.^[75] In November 2017, Kamiya expressed interest in making a remake of the first installment and a crossover game with Dante andBayonetta.^[76]

The series has several print adaptations. TwoDevil May Cry light novels, written by Shinya Goikeda and illustrated byShirow Miwa, were published in Japan in 2002 and translated and published in the United States in 2006. The first,Devil May Cry Volume 1, was published in Japan in conjunction with the release of the first game and explored Dante in an adventure set before the game's events. The second, entitledDevil May Cry Volume 2 in the US, was published in Japan to coincide with the second game's release and is set after the first game's events.Tokyopop published the books in the United States in June and November 2006, respectively.^[77][78]

Bingo Morihashi wrote aDevil May Cry 4 novel entitledDevil May Cry 4 Deadly Fortune. The two-volume novel, published in Japan in 2009, has a number of scenes which were not included in the original game due to time constraints.^[79][80] A prequel novel by Morihashi titledBefore the Nightmare, set beforeDevil May Cry 5 and leading to the beginning of the game, was published on March 1, 2019.^[81]

Three issues of a comic adaptation of the first game were published by the CanadianDreamwave Productions in 2004, but the series was left unfinished when the company went bankrupt the following year.^[82] On July 25, 2008,WildStorm (aDC Comicsimprint) andCapcom announced that they would collaborate on aDevil May Crycomic-book series. Details about the series were planned to be announced at a later date,^[83] but no new information has been provided.

Two volumes of a planned three-partDevil May Cry 3 manga series have been published in Japan and the United States. Set a year before the events ofDevil May Cry 3, the manga describes how the characters come to be at the beginning of the game.

On March 7, 2019, Capcom announced that a tie-in manga entitledDevil May Cry 5 Visions of V would be serialized on the Japanese manga-hosting site Line Manga (LINE マンガ).^[84] The manga's prologue was published before the serialization began. Illustrated by Tomio Ogata, the manga (only available in Japan) would update every other Sunday beginning on April 27.^[85][86][87]

Ananime series,Devil May Cry: The Animated Series, premiered on Japan'sWowow TV network on June 12, 2007. The 12-episode series,^[88][89] produced byMadhouse, was directed by Shin Itagaki. Bingo Morihashi, a writer of the third and fourth games, was one of its writers.

In November 2018,Adi Shankar announced that he had acquired the rights to produce aDevil May Cry animated series forNetflix.^[90] Shankar, who has been completing a similaranimated series for Konami'sCastlevania franchise, said that he considered both series part of a shared "Bootleg Multiverse".^[91]

In November 2021, Shankar revealed that the show's first season will have 8 episodes.^[92] He also have plans for a connected "multi-season arc", like what he did withCastlevania, and that fan-favorite characters will make their debut throughout the series.^[92] In September 2024, Netflix announced that the series would premiere in April 2025.^[93] The show was premiered on 3 April, 2025 and a week later, Netflix announced that there will be second season of the show coming soon.^[94]

On February 28, 2011,Screen Gems (which madeResident Evil into afilm series) had purchased feature-film rights to theDevil May Cry series.^[95] Kyle Ward was hired to write the screenplay for the film (based onDmC: Devil May Cry), which would be Dante's origin story.^[96][97][98] No news has emerged about the project's status.

Capcom producedSengoku Basara vs. Devil May Cry a staged amalgam of theDevil May Cry andSengoku Basara series, in August 2015. In the play, Dante, Lady, Trish, and Vergil encounter mysterious historical ruins while chasing a devil and are sent back in time to Japan'sWarring States period; there, they meet Date Masamune, Sanada Yukimura, and other characters from theSengoku Basara franchise. The play ran at the AiiA 2.5 Theater in Tokyo for 18 performances. Masanari Ujigawa wrote and directed the play, andHideaki Itsuno and Izaki Matsuno collaborated on the scenery. Kazushi Miyakoda and Tetsuya Yamaura were the producers, supervised byHiroyuki Kobayashi and Makoto Yamamoto.^[99]

Devil May Cry: The Live Hacker, a musical, ran for 13 performances in March 2019 atZepp DiverCity in Tokyo. Jun Yoriko wrote and directed the musical and its video,^[100] and a DVD was released in late August of that year.^[101]

TheDevil May Cry series has seen the release of seven separate soundtracks. Initially, Capcom was very reluctant to release an officially sanctionedsoundtrack for theDevil May Cry series, due to worries that the products would sell poorly. As a means of testing the market, Capcom decided to ask for pre-release sales.^[102]

Devil May Cry characters appear in thePlayStation versions of theViewtiful Joe games, another Capcom series created by Hideki Kamiya; Dante is a playable character in thePlayStation 2 port of the firstViewtiful Joe. ThePSP version ofViewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble also includes Dante and costumes based on Vergil, Trish, Sparda, Marionette, and Plasma.

In a deal between Capcom andAtlus,Megami Tensei character designerKazuma Kaneko created Dante and Vergil's demonic forms inDevil May Cry 3. In return, Atlus included Dante in hisDevil May Cry 2 costume as a character in an enhanced release ofShin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (Maniax in Japan). The English localization ofNocturne was based on the game'sManiax edition.^[103]

Dante and Trish are playable characters inMarvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, and Vergil, Dante, and Trish are playable characters in itsUltimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 update. Dante and Vergil retain their Kazuma Kaneko-designed Devil Trigger forms since they are based on the third game of theDevil May Cry series. Dante is also a playable character inMarvel vs. Capcom: Infinite.

TheDmC: Devil May Cry version of Dante is a playable character inPlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale, and he is a playable character inProject X Zone for the Nintendo 3DS as half of a pair withDarkstalkers'Demitri Maximoff; Lady is a separate character. Dante returns in its sequel,Project X Zone 2, with Vergil; Vergil's future self, Nelo Angelo, is a rival character.

On June 28, 2021, it was announced that aMii costume based on Dante would appear in the crossover fighting gameSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate, as a set for the Mii Sword fighter character with clothing inspired by his design from the originalDevil May Cry game. The set was released the following day alongside the game's new DLC fighter,Kazuya Mishima from theTekken series.^[104]

By December 31, 2024, theDevil May Cry series has sold 33 million units worldwide;^[1] each installment is a Capcom Platinum Title, selling over a million units.^[118] As of December 31, 2024,Devil May Cry 5 is the best-selling game in the series having sold approximately 10 million units worldwide through the combined sales of the Standard and Special Edition .^[119]

The series has received generally positive reviews. In 2010,IGN rankedDevil May Cry number 42 andDevil May Cry 3 number 18 on its "Top 100 PlayStation 2 Games" list.^[120][121] The series' gameplay has been praised as innovative.^{[122][123][124]}Devil May Cry has been cited as beginning a subgenre of "extreme combat" action games, which focus on powerful heroes fighting hordes of foes with stylized action.^[125] It has been described as the first game that "successfully captured the twitch-based, relentlessly free-flowing gameplay style of so many classic2D action games".^[126] The series is the standard against which other3Dhack and slash action games are measured, with comparisons in reviews of games such asGod of War,^[127][128]Chaos Legion,^[129] andBlood Will Tell.^[130]Devil May Cry 5 has three protagonists with distinctive abilities, increasing the number of moves available.^{[131][132][16]} According to Hiroyuki Kobayashi, the team's work onDevil May Cry 4 influenced Capcom'sDragon's Dogma.^[133]

Response to the series' narrative has been mixed, despite Dante's increased popularity.^[134][135] The series' popularity led to a line ofDevil May Cry action figures produced by Toycom,^[136] andKaiyodo produced aDevil May Cry 2 andDevil May Cry 3 Dante action figure.^[137][138]

According to a gamecritics.com reviewer, the story was overly short and the characters underdeveloped.^[123] Dante's cockiness was noted as largely absent fromDevil May Cry 2.^[139][140]

Devil May Cry 3 and its relationships among the cast in the narrative were found to be superior to Kamiya's original version.^{[141][142][143]} Dante's dynamic with Nero in the following game was praised, with critics saying that neither overshadowed the other.^{[144][145][146]}Devil May Cry 5's handling of its characters and their connections was well received.^[147][131]

Although well received by most critics,DmC: Devil May Cry was highly controversial with many long time fans due to the dramatic change in Dante's appearance and the move away from the series' iconic gothic style to a modern urban setting.^[148]

• Capcom USA'sDevil May Cry portal
• Devil May Cry series atMobyGames