Devil May Cry (TV series)

For the 2007 anime series, see Devil May Cry: The Animated 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.

Devil May Cry
Promotional poster
Created by	Adi Shankar
Based on	Devil May Cry by Capcom
Developed by	Adi Shankar Alex Larsen
Voices of	Johnny Yong Bosch Scout Taylor-Compton Hoon Lee Chris Coppola Kevin Conroy
Opening theme	"Rollin'", performed by Limp Bizkit
Composers	Jarome Harmsworth Joel Harmsworth Power Glove
Country of origin	South Korea United States
Original language	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	8
Production
Executive producers	Adi Shankar Haruhiro Tsujimoto
Producer	Romane Belaisch
Editors	Kim Gyung-chan Kyung Min-Ho Kim Min-kyoung
Running time	21–32 minutes
Production companies	Studio Mir Adi Shankar Animation Capcom
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03) – present

The first season premiered on April 3, 2025, on Netflix^[1] and received positive reviews from critics. One week after the first season's release, the series was renewed for a second season.^[2]

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^[3]
  • Kue Lawrence as young Dante
• Scout Taylor-Compton as Mary Ann Arkham, a DARKCOM lieutenant whom Dante nicknames "Lady"^[4]
  • Evie Hsu as young Mary
• Hoon Lee as the White Rabbit, a demonic terrorist seeking to merge the human and demon realms^[4]
• Chris Coppola as Enzo Ferino, an information broker who helps Dante find work^[4]
• Kevin Conroy as William Baines, the Vice President of the United States and genocidal head of DARKCOM^[4]
  • 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^[5]
  • 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

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original release date
1	"Inferno"	Kim Sun-min	Story by : Adi Shankar and Alex Larsen Teleplay by : Alex Larsen	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)
The White Rabbit, a demonic terrorist, orchestrates a break-in at the Vatican Museums and steals Force Edge, a sword once owned by the legendary demon Sparda, who turned against his own kind and created a magical barrier between Hell and Earth. The Rabbit massacres the men he hired before blowing up the building, and announces his plan to destroy the barrier between realms and usher in the apocalypse. In the wake of the attack, the U.S. government consults with Dr. Fisher, a scientist working for the interdimensional security firm DARKCOM, which is funded by Vice President William Baines. After Fisher theorizes that the Rabbit is searching for a demon hunter, DARKCOM captures and interrogates the information broker Enzo Ferino, who informs them that the Rabbit is searching for the hunter Dante. Baines and Fisher then deduce that the Rabbit needs to combine the Forge Edge with Sparda's magical amulet, which he split into two halves. Meanwhile, Dante faces off against Plasma, a shapeshifting demon who, despite taking multiple different forms, including Dante's deceased twin brother Vergil, is unsuccessful in stealing Dante's half of the amulet.
2	"Our Lady of Sorrows"	Han Seung-woo	Story by : Adi Shankar and Alex Larsen Teleplay by : Alex Larsen	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)
Baines hires dozens of mercenaries to track down Dante and procure the amulet, overseen by an elite team of DARKCOM agents led by Lieutenant Mary Ann Arkham, who recognizes one of the mercenaries as a demon in disguise and promptly kills it. Anders, the only survivor of DARKCOM's attempt to capture the White Rabbit, is also recruited to Mary's team. Baines forces Enzo to draw Dante out, but Dante sees through him and refuses to give up the amulet because it was given to him by his deceased mother. He then lays a trap and effortlessly takes out multiple waves of mercenaries before engaging Mary (whom he nicknames "Lady") in combat. During their fight, Mary theorizes that Dante is a human-demon hybrid due to his inhuman physical prowess and healing capabilities, which he denies. She steals the amulet and mocks Dante for being unaware of his true nature. Dante attempts to stop Mary from escaping, but she manages to subdue him and implants a bomb in Dante's neck. Mary and her team then prepare to transport Dante and Enzo to their headquarters for questioning.
3	"The Deep and Savage Way"	Park So-young	Story by : Adi Shankar and Alex Larsen Teleplay by : Alex Larsen	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)
In a flashback, Mary and her parents narrowly survive a demon attack. Mary's father becomes a pariah when he tries to alert the authorities, who believe he has gone insane. In the present, Baines interrogates Dante and tells him that, despite his demonic nature, Dante can redeem himself before God by working for the government, though Dante maintains that his unnatural abilities are due to a mutation. The White Rabbit and his enforcers: Cavaliere, Echidna, Plasma, Agni & Rudra, ambush DARKCOM's convoy and engage Mary's team. Anders is revealed as a double agent after the Rabbit previously threatened his family, and willingly gives him Dante's amulet. The Rabbit combines it with his half of the amulet, but Fisher realizes that he still requires another component before the barrier between realms can be destroyed. The Rabbit then kills Fisher, wounds Anders, and takes Enzo hostage. Dante breaks free from his containment and pursues the Rabbit, but is almost killed when the bomb implanted in his neck explodes. The Rabbit then refers to Dante as Sparda's son and takes him captive. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the battle, Plasma takes the form of a DARKCOM agent.
4	"All Hope Abandon"	Han Seung-woo	Story by : Adi Shankar and Alex Larsen Teleplay by : Alex Larsen	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)
After Mary's team is infiltrated by Plasma, they follow a tracker to the White Rabbit's location at an abandoned apartment complex. However, the Rabbit lures them into a trap, where Cavaliere and Echidna slaughter all the agents, leaving a traumatized Mary as the only survivor. She evades Cavaliere by relying on the help of a family living in the building, but turns her gun on them when she realizes they are demons. The family informs Mary that they fled Hell among other demon refugees with the Rabbit's help, but he later went mad and began experimenting on them. Reconsidering her black and white stance on demons, Mary spares the family and leaves. Dante and Enzo find themselves held captive by Agni and Rudra on Baines' hijacked plane. Baines remains confident that God has bigger plans for him, though the other hostages remain terrified. Dante continues to doubt that Sparda is his father, while the Rabbit decries his legacy for betraying demonkind. Dante activates his demon abilities after remembering his traumatic childhood and kills Agni, causing an enraged Rudra to blow up the plane in response.
5	"Descent"	Park So-young	Story by : Adi Shankar and Alex Larsen Teleplay by : Alex Larsen	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)
Mary discovers a laboratory where the White Rabbit had been conducting his experiments. She reunites with the disguised Plasma but realizes his identity when he refers to Hell by its demon name "Makai". Echidna then ambushes them and accidentally attacks the disguised Plasma, allowing Mary to kill Echidna. When DARKCOM reinforcements arrive, Mary delivers a speech telling them to evacuate the demon refugees. Dante uses his newfound abilities to transform into a winged demonic form and saves Enzo, Baines, and the other hostages. He then continues his fight with Rudra, who is killed by Mary when they crash into the Rabbit's hideout. Dante confesses that she was right about his demonic heritage, and Mary determines that the Rabbit needs Dante's blood to fulfill his plan. The Rabbit then threatens to unleash his army of demons if Dante does not surrender, and Mary discovers that the Rabbit's true goal is to seek revenge against DARKCOM. When Baines learns that his agents are rescuing the demon refugees, he instead orders them all killed, as Plasma watches on in horror. Plasma then commits suicide by blowing up the building, killing all the agents inside, as Dante and Mary narrowly escape the blast.
6	"The First Circle"	Hong Jee-young	Story by : Adi Shankar and Alex Larsen Teleplay by : Alex Larsen	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)
In a series of flashbacks, a young Mary becomes increasingly distant from her parents while her father becomes obsessed with his research to prove that demons exist. She spends time away from home, only to return and witness her father transform himself into a demon and kill her mother. Mary defends herself, and her father catches fire, causing him to burn to death as their house goes up in flames. Elsewhere, an orphaned boy is moved into a foster home but is routinely bullied and neglected. While reading his copy of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, he discovers a portal and heads inside, believing it to be Wonderland. The boy arrives in Hell and quickly befriends a group of lower-class demons living in fear. After finding a glowing crystal, he starts experimenting with it, but one of his friends becomes ill due to the poor environmental conditions and dies. Many years later, the boy uses the crystal to power a portal device and starts transporting demon refugees to Earth. Mary and her team soon discover the operation and kill many of the refugees. Having survived, the boy makes plans to dismantle DARKCOM before stitching a White Rabbit mask to his face.
7	"At the Gates of Paradise"	Han Seung-woo	Story by : Adi Shankar and Alex Larsen Teleplay by : Alex Larsen	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)
The White Rabbit meets with a horned demon, who previously gave the Rabbit Vergil's half of the amulet, and receives a vial of Vergil's blood. Seeking vengeance, Mary locks up Dante, confronts the Rabbit alone, and threatens to incinerate Dante to prevent the Rabbit from getting his blood. When the Rabbit calls Mary's bluff, she engages his army, but is paralyzed by their poison-coated weapons. Dante saves her, and the Rabbit gives Dante a glimpse of Hell and its unbearable living conditions before elaborating that he is willing to allow millions of humans to die to save demonkind. Dante refuses to bargain with the Rabbit, defeats his demon army, and duels Cavaliere. The Rabbit unmasks himself, revealing to Mary how her actions led to his creation and that he uses an artificial heart that pumps demon blood into him to stay alive. Dante decapitates Cavaliere and swiftly defeats the Rabbit, who warns Dante that he could have prevented what is to come before leaving Dante with the amulet. Enzo and Baines arrive to witness the aftermath, with Baines declaring the battle as the first of their holy war against Hell.
8	"A River of Blood and Fire"	Park So-young	Story by : Adi Shankar and Alex Larsen Teleplay by : Alex Larsen	April 3, 2025 (2025-04-03)
An injured White Rabbit consumes a surviving demon, causing him to mutate. Anders recovers the Rabbit's portal device, and Baines confronts Mary about her working alongside Dante. The mutated Rabbit, having fused with Force Edge, then massacres Baines' men before engaging Dante and Mary. Enzo comes out of hiding to help, but is stabbed by the Rabbit and dies in Dante's arms. The Rabbit then retrieves the amulet and combines it with Force Edge before impaling Dante with it, creating the Sword of Sparda, and reveals that Vergil is still alive. His plan complete, the barrier between realms dissipates, and demons begin invading Earth. Mary shoots the Rabbit's artificial heart, weakening him, allowing Dante to kill the Rabbit with the Sword of Sparda and repair the barrier, ending the invasion. Dante invites Mary to help search for Vergil, but she subdues him and has him imprisoned. Anders brings the portal device to Baines, who has Anders killed and uses the device to begin the invasion of Hell. Sometime later, the horned demon invades the detention facility built by the Uroboros Corporation and frees its demon occupants to serve Mundus, the ruler of Hell, and reveals himself to be Vergil.

Production

Development

Having previously voiced his nephew Nero in the games, Johnny Yong Bosch voices Dante for the series.

In late 2018, Adi Shankar announced to produce the TV series adaptation of Capcom's Devil May Cry for Netflix.^[6][7] Alex Larsen was hired as a writer for the series^[8][9] which consists of eight episodes.^[10][11][12]

In September 2023, the first-look teaser was released during Netflix's Drop 01 livestream.^[13] Shortly after, Dante's long-time English voice actor, Reuben Langdon, revealed that he was not asked to reprise his role.^[14] 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.^[15] 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.^[16]

On April 10, 2025, the series was renewed for a second season.^[2]

Casting

In September 2024, it was announced that Johnny Yong Bosch would be taking on the role of Dante.^[3] 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.^[4] Due to Conroy's death, Ian James Corlett assumed the role of Baines partway into the series, filling in unfinished dialogue.^[17] In 2023, Tony Todd was cast in an undisclosed role.^[18]

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.^[13][19] A second teaser trailer was released on September 19, 2024.^[20] 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.^[1]

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.^[21] 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.^[22]

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."^[23] 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."^[24] 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."^[25] 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."^[26]

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."^[27] 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."^[28] 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."^[29]

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.^[30]