Devil May Cry (series)
Encyclopedia
Devil May Cry is a series of five action
hack and slash
video games set in the modern day. The series was developed
by Capcom
and created by Hideki Kamiya
. Originally intended to be a sequel
in Capcom's Resident Evil series, Devil May Cry was such a radical departure from the series' style that it was developed into a new property entirely. The series centers on main character Dante
's goal of avenging his mother's murder by exterminating demons. The gameplay consists of heavy combat scenes in which the player must attempt to extend long chains of attacks while avoiding damage in order to exhibit stylized combat; this element along with time and amount of items collected and used are taken under consideration when grading the player's performance.
The series has been a success with the first three games selling multiple million copies and being awarded the "Platinum Title" award by Capcom. The success of the video game series has led to the creation of comic book
s, novelization
s, an anime series, guides, collectibles, publications, and a variety of action figure
s.
During the 2010 edition of the Tokyo Game Show
Capcom revealed a new game named DmC Devil May Cry. The new game is developed by Ninja Theory
and centers on a more juvenile version of Dante (nicknamed "Donte" by fans) who bears close resemblance to Tameem Antoniades, the chief designer of Ninja Theory
and head of the DmC Devil May Cry project.
, preliminary work on a PlayStation 2
installment of the Resident Evil series began under the direction of Hideki Kamiya, under the name "Team Little Devil". Early research and development
work included a trip to Spain
to examine various castles as a basis for the game's environments. However, in prototype status, it proved to be a radical departure from the established Resident Evil formula and the survival horror genre in general. Rather than abandon the project entirely, the premise was changed and it eventually became Devil May Cry.
is also ranked using these letters.
The game also features some puzzle-solving and exploration elements retained from its survival horror beginnings, but these are downplayed; Devil May Cry games put emphasis on action.
The Devil Trigger ability enables the player's character to transform into a devil-like form with additional powers based on their current weapon, while the character's strength and speed increase and health is slowly restored. Notable weapons in the series include the swords Force Edge/Sparda in Devil May Cry, Rebellion in Devil May Cry 2, and Yamato in Devil May Cry 3. The first four games also eliminated the need to reload or reserve ammunition.
Dante
is generally the lead character in the games, though in the second game Trish was available for play, Devil May Cry 2
featured another character who could be selected instead of him (Lucia), the Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
allowed the player to use Vergil, and Devil May Cry 4
features a new protagonist named Nero.
Devil May Cry introduced the 'style!' meter and ranking, encouraging players to attack continuously while avoiding damage.
Devil May Cry 2 introduced the ability to perform combination attacks in mid-air and an evasion button. It also introduced a weapon-change button, so the player could cycle through ranged weapons without switching to the inventory screen.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening added a selection of gameplay styles, allowing the player to focus on their favorite techniques or weapons, whether it be swords, guns, evasion or defense. Each of the four basic styles gain experience points, which unlock more techniques and abilities without costing 'red orbs', the common currency of the series. A second weapon-change button was added, allowing the player to cycle through the character's melee weaponry, specifically known as Devil Arms, as well.
Devil May Cry 4 brings one major innovation in the form of main character Nero's "Devil Bringer" arm, which gives players the ability to pull distant enemies in to be attacked, or smash them into the ground. Nero is also armed with a sword that can be "revved" up via a throttle handle, allowing players to precharge the sword for extra damage on the next hit, or with precise timing it can be charged after each attack, for extra damage and style. As Dante, players can also switch fighting styles in mid-combat seamlessly.
and Devil May Cry 2
. The Devil May Cry anime series is set sometime between Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 4. The manga acts as a prequel that leads up to the events of Devil May Cry 3. DmC is an origin story featuring an alternate version of Dante from a parallel universe and is non-canonical with the main series.
The plot of the series begins with Devil May Cry 3 in Dante's as-of-yet unnamed shop as a mysterious man named Arkham appears to offer an invitation from Dante's brother, Vergil. An immense tower erupts from the ground a short distance away from the shop and Dante takes the situation as a challenge. Following numerous battles Dante arrives at the tower's summit, Temen-Ni-Gru, and battles Vergil. Vergil defeats Dante and departs. He eventually catches up in the control room located in the tower's basement. The brothers battle again until they are interrupted by Lady, then Arkham, who has been manipulating them all to reactivate the tower. Arkham intends to steal the Force Edge, Sparda's sword.
Dante crosses over to the demon world and catches up with Arkham, and he and Vergil work together to bring down Arkham. Dante and Vergil battle, and Dante is victorious. Returning to the human world, Dante meets Lady outside the tower where she coins the phrase "devil may cry" while trying to comfort Dante over the loss of his brother. They form a friendship and the beginnings of a partnership in demon-slaying, and he names his shop "Devil May Cry".
Devil May Cry begins with Dante being attacked in his office by Trish. He brushes off her assault and she claims that the demon emperor Mundus is planning a return. Dante explores Mallet Island, encountering a variety of demons, including one named Nelo Angelo. Dante is defeated but Nelo Angelo flees. Other encounters with Mundus' demon generals serve to indicate Dante has become even more powerful than his father since his initial awakening in Devil May Cry 3. Nelo Angelo attacks twice more in later missions, and is eventually revealed to be Dante's brother, Vergil. Dante enters the underworld in search of Mundus, where Trish sacrifices herself to save him. Dante releases the power of Sparda that Vergil sought in Devil May Cry 3. Dante and Mundus then battle on another plane of existence. Trish returns and lends Dante her power. Dante then defeats Mundus. Dante and Trish escape as the island collapses, and later work together in the renamed shop, "Devil Never Cry".
In the Devil May Cry anime series, Dante is hired as the bodyguard of a young girl named Patty. While initially skeptical of his personality. Patty winds up growing attached to Dante and spends most of her time at his shop, often cleaning it or decorating it in girly fashion, much to Dante's dismay. While Dante's main job during the series is to protect Patty, he spends most of his time doing odd jobs he receives at his shop (which has been renamed back to "Devil May Cry" sometime after the events of Devil May Cry) which often end in him killing demons that harass the city. Lady makes a return, working as a Devil Hunter herself, to hire Dante in order to pay off a huge debt Dante owes. Trish soon shows up as well, and it's revealed that she has been working away from Dante for some time in order to try to establish a solo career as a Devil Hunter. Lady and Trish meet for the first time and do not get along right away. Despite this, the three wind up working together to take on certain difficult jobs. Near the end of the series it is revealed that Patty's mother is the descendant of a human sorcerer, who once sealed away the power of an ancient devil lord, Abigail. Eventually the demon Sid comes out as the villain of the series and reveals his evil plot involving the sealed away power of Abigail. While Lady and Trish fight off demons summoned by Sid, Dante fights and kills Sid himself. Sometime later, Dante, Trish, and Lady all get hired on the same job and take bets on who will win. Patty comes into Dante's shop to clean, showing that the two continue to have a somewhat father-daughter type of relationship.
In Devil May Cry 4 Lady visits Dante's shop (still renamed "Devil May Cry" again, and not "Devil Never Cry") to investigate The Order of the Sword, a cult-like group that worships Sparda and has been collecting Devil Arms. Dante is originally uninterested, but Trish (who appears to have given up her solo career and is working under Dante again) goes on ahead and takes the Sparda sword with her. Later, Nero witnesses Dante crash into an Order meeting and assassinate the leader, Sanctus. Nero attacks Dante and awakens his Devil Bringer arm, only to find that Dante was not taking their fight seriously. Nero pursues Dante, and along the way comes to realize that the Order is opening gates to the demon world in order to harness its power. Sanctus is revived through demonic power, and he sets in motion a plan to have Kyrie, Nero's love interest, kidnapped. Nero pursues and fights against Sanctus, but is captured by him and used together with Kyrie to form the core of The Savior, a giant demon in the form of a god. Dante steps in and destroys all the Hell Gates that the Order has opened, then fights against the Savior. Unable to destroy it from the outside, he leaves that task to Nero to defeat it from the inside. Nero kills Sanctus and rescues Kyrie, and ultimately destroys the Savior. Dante gives Nero the sword Yamato that formerly belonged to Vergil (the Order had found it, broken, and Nero had restored it and used it in his fights as his own Devil Trigger). Later, at the Devil May Cry shop, Lady pays Dante and Trish for their work; however, Trish is unhappy with the amount. Dante avoids dealing with the situation, and as a customer with the password phones in, the three head out to take on another mission.
Devil May Cry 2 begins with Dante entering a museum
where an important item called the Medaglia is stored, where Lucia invites Dante to Dumary Island. Lucia's mother, Matier, asks Dante to help fight Arius, a businessman who wields demonic power. Dante decides to help. Lucia confronts Arius, who reveals that she was his creation. Shortly afterward, Lucia gives Dante the last of the Arcana before leaving. Dante then encounters Matier who asks Dante to take the Arcana to save Lucia from Arius. Lucia attacks Arius, though he captures her. Dante arrives and trades the Arcana for Lucia, then attacks Arius, who escapes. A large stream of energy strikes the Ouroboros
(refers to an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail and forming a circle.) tower and a portal to the demon world is opened. Dante and Lucia argue over who will enter, with Dante entering the portal to deal with Argosax.
After Dante departs, Arius returns too, though Lucia goes on to defeat him. Within the portal, Dante fights and defeats the partially summoned Argosax. Finding the portal closed, Dante instead drives further into the demon realm on a motorcycle. In the aftermath of the battle, Matier insists to Lucia that Sparda returned from a similar trip. Sometime later in Dante's shop, Lucia muses about Dante and examines the coin he gave her. It shows that it was two headed. Outside the sound of a motorcycle echoes, and Lucia leaves to investigate. The player is not shown whether or not it is Dante.
action games are measured, with comparisons in reviews of games including God of War
, Chaos Legion
, and Blood Will Tell
.
Dante's confident and fearless attitude have gained him widespread popularity. He was ranked as the seventh of Game Crush's "Top 10: Most Badass Video Game Characters" list, and third among the "Top ten coolest video game characters" list of Screwattack. The popularity of the Devil May Cry series led to a line of Devil May Cry action figures produced by Toycom. Japanese company Kaiyodo
produced a similar line for Devil May Cry 2 and a Devil May Cry 3 Dante action figure.
written by Shinya Goikeda and illustrated by Shirow Miwa
have been published, first in Japan in 2002 and later translated and released in the United States in 2006. The first, entitled Devil May Cry Volume 1 published in Japan in conjunction with the release of the first game and depicts Dante in an adventure set before the events of the first game. The second novel (entitled Devil May Cry Volume 2 in the U.S.) was published in Japan to coincide with the release of the second game and takes place after the events of the first game. Publisher TokyoPop
released the books in the U.S. in June and November 2006, respectively.
Two volumes of a planned 3-part Devil May Cry 3 manga
series have been published in Japan and the U.S. Taking place about a year before the events of Devil May Cry 3, the manga tells the story of how the characters came to where they were at the start of the game.
An anime
series entitled Devil May Cry featuring Dante debuted on the WOWOW
TV network in Japan on June 12, 2007. The series ran for 12 episodes. The show was produced by the anime studio Madhouse
and was directed by Shin Itagaki. Bingo Morihashi, one of the writers for the third and fourth games, was one of the writers. The first full trailer featured Dante in his garb from the first game, and a character list including two of his partners from the games (Lady and Trish) and two new characters.
Three issues of a comic adaptation of the first game were published by Canadian publisher Dreamwave Productions
in 2004, but was left unfinished when the company went bankrupt in 2005. On July 25, 2008, both WildStorm
(a DC Comics
’ imprint
) and Capcom announce that they are joining to create a new Devil May Cry comic book
series. The details on the new comic series, including creative team and launch month, will be announced at a later date.
On February 28, 2011, it was announced that Screen Gems
, the company responsible for making Capcom
video game series Resident Evil into a film series
, had purchased feature film rights to the Devil May Cry series. It has been stated that Kyle Ward will be writing the script for the film. Currently it has been hinted that the film will follow Dante, avenging his mother's death.
Action game
Action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes diverse subgenres such as fighting games, shooter games, and platform games, which are widely considered the most important action games, though some...
hack and slash
Hack and slash
Hack and slash or hack and slay, abbreviated H&S or HnS, refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes combat. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games , carrying over from there to MUDs, MMORPGs, and video games in general...
video games set in the modern day. The series was developed
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
and created by Hideki Kamiya
Hideki Kamiya
is a video game designer formerly employed by Capcom and Clover Studio. He is currently working with former Clover Studio members at Platinum Games.- Career :...
. Originally intended to be a sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
in Capcom's Resident Evil series, Devil May Cry was such a radical departure from the series' style that it was developed into a new property entirely. The series centers on main character Dante
Dante (Devil May Cry)
is the primary fictional protagonist of the Devil May Cry video game series published by Capcom. The character and Devil May Cry are one of Capcom's flagship game franchises, which has sold over nine million copies worldwide as of 2008 and currently spans four video games...
's goal of avenging his mother's murder by exterminating demons. The gameplay consists of heavy combat scenes in which the player must attempt to extend long chains of attacks while avoiding damage in order to exhibit stylized combat; this element along with time and amount of items collected and used are taken under consideration when grading the player's performance.
The series has been a success with the first three games selling multiple million copies and being awarded the "Platinum Title" award by Capcom. The success of the video game series has led to the creation of comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
s, novelization
Novelization
A novelization is a novel that is written based on some other media story form rather than as an original work.Novelizations of films usually add background material not found in the original work to flesh out the story, because novels are generally longer than screenplays...
s, an anime series, guides, collectibles, publications, and a variety of action figure
Action figure
An action figure is a posable character figurine, made of plastic or other materials, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, video game, or television program. These action figures are usually marketed towards boys and male collectors...
s.
During the 2010 edition of the Tokyo Game Show
Tokyo Game Show
The , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
Capcom revealed a new game named DmC Devil May Cry. The new game is developed by Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory, Ltd. is a video game developer based in Cambridge, England. Originally founded as Just Add Monsters in March 2000, the company was purchased by former Argonaut Games CEO Jez San in November 2004...
and centers on a more juvenile version of Dante (nicknamed "Donte" by fans) who bears close resemblance to Tameem Antoniades, the chief designer of Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory
Ninja Theory, Ltd. is a video game developer based in Cambridge, England. Originally founded as Just Add Monsters in March 2000, the company was purchased by former Argonaut Games CEO Jez San in November 2004...
and head of the DmC Devil May Cry project.
Series origins
In 1998, after the completion of Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2
Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
, preliminary work on a PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
installment of the Resident Evil series began under the direction of Hideki Kamiya, under the name "Team Little Devil". Early research and development
Research and development
The phrase research and development , according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, refers to "creative work undertaken on a systematic basis in order to increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of man, culture and society, and the use of this stock of...
work included a trip to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
to examine various castles as a basis for the game's environments. However, in prototype status, it proved to be a radical departure from the established Resident Evil formula and the survival horror genre in general. Rather than abandon the project entirely, the premise was changed and it eventually became Devil May Cry.
Games in the series
| Title | Year | Platforms |
|---|---|---|
| Devil May Cry | 2001 | PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... , PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
| Devil May Cry 2 Devil May Cry 2 is an action game developed and published by Capcom in 2003 exclusively for the PlayStation 2. The game serves as a sequel to Devil May Cry and is, chronologically the fourth and final game in the original Devil May Cry series with Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Devil May Cry, and Devil May... |
2003 | PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... , PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
| Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, released in Japan as simply , is an action game that was developed and published by Capcom, released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2... |
2005 | PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... , Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... , PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
| Devil May Cry 4 Devil May Cry 4 Devil May Cry 4 is an action game that was published and developed by Capcom in 2008 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows platforms. The game is the fourth installment to the Devil May Cry series.... |
2008 | PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... , iOS |
| DmC Devil May Cry | 2012 | PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... , Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
Common gameplay elements
The gameplay of the series focuses primarily on fast, highly stylized combat; gaining a high style ranking requires long attack and evasion strings while avoiding damage. In later games, the system was slightly modified so players had to actively vary the attacks used, so as to maintain the style rank. The style rank is tracked during combat with letter grades, from worst to best: D, C, B, A, S. They are also represented by words that start with the first letter of the class, "Dull" for D for example. The third game introduced "SS" and "SSS" ranks, which continues in the fourth. The player's performance on each levelLevel (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
is also ranked using these letters.
The game also features some puzzle-solving and exploration elements retained from its survival horror beginnings, but these are downplayed; Devil May Cry games put emphasis on action.
The Devil Trigger ability enables the player's character to transform into a devil-like form with additional powers based on their current weapon, while the character's strength and speed increase and health is slowly restored. Notable weapons in the series include the swords Force Edge/Sparda in Devil May Cry, Rebellion in Devil May Cry 2, and Yamato in Devil May Cry 3. The first four games also eliminated the need to reload or reserve ammunition.
Dante
Dante (Devil May Cry)
is the primary fictional protagonist of the Devil May Cry video game series published by Capcom. The character and Devil May Cry are one of Capcom's flagship game franchises, which has sold over nine million copies worldwide as of 2008 and currently spans four video games...
is generally the lead character in the games, though in the second game Trish was available for play, Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry 2
is an action game developed and published by Capcom in 2003 exclusively for the PlayStation 2. The game serves as a sequel to Devil May Cry and is, chronologically the fourth and final game in the original Devil May Cry series with Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Devil May Cry, and Devil May...
featured another character who could be selected instead of him (Lucia), the Special Edition of Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, released in Japan as simply , is an action game that was developed and published by Capcom, released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2...
allowed the player to use Vergil, and Devil May Cry 4
Devil May Cry 4
Devil May Cry 4 is an action game that was published and developed by Capcom in 2008 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows platforms. The game is the fourth installment to the Devil May Cry series....
features a new protagonist named Nero.
Series innovations
Each game in the series has added new elements to the gameplay.Devil May Cry introduced the 'style!' meter and ranking, encouraging players to attack continuously while avoiding damage.
Devil May Cry 2 introduced the ability to perform combination attacks in mid-air and an evasion button. It also introduced a weapon-change button, so the player could cycle through ranged weapons without switching to the inventory screen.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening added a selection of gameplay styles, allowing the player to focus on their favorite techniques or weapons, whether it be swords, guns, evasion or defense. Each of the four basic styles gain experience points, which unlock more techniques and abilities without costing 'red orbs', the common currency of the series. A second weapon-change button was added, allowing the player to cycle through the character's melee weaponry, specifically known as Devil Arms, as well.
Devil May Cry 4 brings one major innovation in the form of main character Nero's "Devil Bringer" arm, which gives players the ability to pull distant enemies in to be attacked, or smash them into the ground. Nero is also armed with a sword that can be "revved" up via a throttle handle, allowing players to precharge the sword for extra damage on the next hit, or with precise timing it can be charged after each attack, for extra damage and style. As Dante, players can also switch fighting styles in mid-combat seamlessly.
Series plot
The chronological order of the Devil May Cry series does not follow the release order of the games. The first game in the time line is Devil May Cry 3 followed by Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 4Devil May Cry 4
Devil May Cry 4 is an action game that was published and developed by Capcom in 2008 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows platforms. The game is the fourth installment to the Devil May Cry series....
and Devil May Cry 2
Devil May Cry 2
is an action game developed and published by Capcom in 2003 exclusively for the PlayStation 2. The game serves as a sequel to Devil May Cry and is, chronologically the fourth and final game in the original Devil May Cry series with Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Devil May Cry, and Devil May...
. The Devil May Cry anime series is set sometime between Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 4. The manga acts as a prequel that leads up to the events of Devil May Cry 3. DmC is an origin story featuring an alternate version of Dante from a parallel universe and is non-canonical with the main series.
The plot of the series begins with Devil May Cry 3 in Dante's as-of-yet unnamed shop as a mysterious man named Arkham appears to offer an invitation from Dante's brother, Vergil. An immense tower erupts from the ground a short distance away from the shop and Dante takes the situation as a challenge. Following numerous battles Dante arrives at the tower's summit, Temen-Ni-Gru, and battles Vergil. Vergil defeats Dante and departs. He eventually catches up in the control room located in the tower's basement. The brothers battle again until they are interrupted by Lady, then Arkham, who has been manipulating them all to reactivate the tower. Arkham intends to steal the Force Edge, Sparda's sword.
Dante crosses over to the demon world and catches up with Arkham, and he and Vergil work together to bring down Arkham. Dante and Vergil battle, and Dante is victorious. Returning to the human world, Dante meets Lady outside the tower where she coins the phrase "devil may cry" while trying to comfort Dante over the loss of his brother. They form a friendship and the beginnings of a partnership in demon-slaying, and he names his shop "Devil May Cry".
Devil May Cry begins with Dante being attacked in his office by Trish. He brushes off her assault and she claims that the demon emperor Mundus is planning a return. Dante explores Mallet Island, encountering a variety of demons, including one named Nelo Angelo. Dante is defeated but Nelo Angelo flees. Other encounters with Mundus' demon generals serve to indicate Dante has become even more powerful than his father since his initial awakening in Devil May Cry 3. Nelo Angelo attacks twice more in later missions, and is eventually revealed to be Dante's brother, Vergil. Dante enters the underworld in search of Mundus, where Trish sacrifices herself to save him. Dante releases the power of Sparda that Vergil sought in Devil May Cry 3. Dante and Mundus then battle on another plane of existence. Trish returns and lends Dante her power. Dante then defeats Mundus. Dante and Trish escape as the island collapses, and later work together in the renamed shop, "Devil Never Cry".
In the Devil May Cry anime series, Dante is hired as the bodyguard of a young girl named Patty. While initially skeptical of his personality. Patty winds up growing attached to Dante and spends most of her time at his shop, often cleaning it or decorating it in girly fashion, much to Dante's dismay. While Dante's main job during the series is to protect Patty, he spends most of his time doing odd jobs he receives at his shop (which has been renamed back to "Devil May Cry" sometime after the events of Devil May Cry) which often end in him killing demons that harass the city. Lady makes a return, working as a Devil Hunter herself, to hire Dante in order to pay off a huge debt Dante owes. Trish soon shows up as well, and it's revealed that she has been working away from Dante for some time in order to try to establish a solo career as a Devil Hunter. Lady and Trish meet for the first time and do not get along right away. Despite this, the three wind up working together to take on certain difficult jobs. Near the end of the series it is revealed that Patty's mother is the descendant of a human sorcerer, who once sealed away the power of an ancient devil lord, Abigail. Eventually the demon Sid comes out as the villain of the series and reveals his evil plot involving the sealed away power of Abigail. While Lady and Trish fight off demons summoned by Sid, Dante fights and kills Sid himself. Sometime later, Dante, Trish, and Lady all get hired on the same job and take bets on who will win. Patty comes into Dante's shop to clean, showing that the two continue to have a somewhat father-daughter type of relationship.
In Devil May Cry 4 Lady visits Dante's shop (still renamed "Devil May Cry" again, and not "Devil Never Cry") to investigate The Order of the Sword, a cult-like group that worships Sparda and has been collecting Devil Arms. Dante is originally uninterested, but Trish (who appears to have given up her solo career and is working under Dante again) goes on ahead and takes the Sparda sword with her. Later, Nero witnesses Dante crash into an Order meeting and assassinate the leader, Sanctus. Nero attacks Dante and awakens his Devil Bringer arm, only to find that Dante was not taking their fight seriously. Nero pursues Dante, and along the way comes to realize that the Order is opening gates to the demon world in order to harness its power. Sanctus is revived through demonic power, and he sets in motion a plan to have Kyrie, Nero's love interest, kidnapped. Nero pursues and fights against Sanctus, but is captured by him and used together with Kyrie to form the core of The Savior, a giant demon in the form of a god. Dante steps in and destroys all the Hell Gates that the Order has opened, then fights against the Savior. Unable to destroy it from the outside, he leaves that task to Nero to defeat it from the inside. Nero kills Sanctus and rescues Kyrie, and ultimately destroys the Savior. Dante gives Nero the sword Yamato that formerly belonged to Vergil (the Order had found it, broken, and Nero had restored it and used it in his fights as his own Devil Trigger). Later, at the Devil May Cry shop, Lady pays Dante and Trish for their work; however, Trish is unhappy with the amount. Dante avoids dealing with the situation, and as a customer with the password phones in, the three head out to take on another mission.
Devil May Cry 2 begins with Dante entering a museum
Museum
A museum is an institution that cares for a collection of artifacts and other objects of scientific, artistic, cultural, or historical importance and makes them available for public viewing through exhibits that may be permanent or temporary. Most large museums are located in major cities...
where an important item called the Medaglia is stored, where Lucia invites Dante to Dumary Island. Lucia's mother, Matier, asks Dante to help fight Arius, a businessman who wields demonic power. Dante decides to help. Lucia confronts Arius, who reveals that she was his creation. Shortly afterward, Lucia gives Dante the last of the Arcana before leaving. Dante then encounters Matier who asks Dante to take the Arcana to save Lucia from Arius. Lucia attacks Arius, though he captures her. Dante arrives and trades the Arcana for Lucia, then attacks Arius, who escapes. A large stream of energy strikes the Ouroboros
Ouroboros
The Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The name originates from within Greek language; οὐρά meaning "tail" and βόρος meaning "eating", thus "he who eats the tail"....
(refers to an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon swallowing its own tail and forming a circle.) tower and a portal to the demon world is opened. Dante and Lucia argue over who will enter, with Dante entering the portal to deal with Argosax.
After Dante departs, Arius returns too, though Lucia goes on to defeat him. Within the portal, Dante fights and defeats the partially summoned Argosax. Finding the portal closed, Dante instead drives further into the demon realm on a motorcycle. In the aftermath of the battle, Matier insists to Lucia that Sparda returned from a similar trip. Sometime later in Dante's shop, Lucia muses about Dante and examines the coin he gave her. It shows that it was two headed. Outside the sound of a motorcycle echoes, and Lucia leaves to investigate. The player is not shown whether or not it is Dante.
Cultural impact
The Devil May Cry series has sold over ten million copies world wide, with each release becoming a Platinum title. Devil May Cry has been cited as the beginning of a sub-genre of action games called "Extreme Combat", which focus on powerful heroes fighting hordes of foes with a focus on stylized action. The game has also been described as being the first game that "successfully captured the twitch-based, relentlessly free-flowing gameplay style of so many classic 2D action games". The series has become the game against which other 3D3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
action games are measured, with comparisons in reviews of games including God of War
God of War (video game)
God of War is an action adventure video game for the PlayStation 2 first released by Sony Computer Entertainment's Santa Monica division in March 2005...
, Chaos Legion
Chaos Legion
is a third-person hack and slash video game developed and published by Capcom. The video game is based on Tow Ubukata's novel of the same name.The story of Chaos Legion is a gothic opera which begins November, 791 A.S. :...
, and Blood Will Tell
Blood Will Tell
Blood Will Tell, released as in Japan, is a PlayStation 2 game released by Sega. It is based on the Japanese manga series Dororo, which was created by Osamu Tezuka. It concerns a hero named Hyakkimaru, who has had much of his body stolen by forty-eight fiends, and has prosthetic replacements...
.
Dante's confident and fearless attitude have gained him widespread popularity. He was ranked as the seventh of Game Crush's "Top 10: Most Badass Video Game Characters" list, and third among the "Top ten coolest video game characters" list of Screwattack. The popularity of the Devil May Cry series led to a line of Devil May Cry action figures produced by Toycom. Japanese company Kaiyodo
Kaiyodo
thumb|320px|Kaiyodo Figure Museum Kurokabe is a Japanese company dedicated to figurines and garage kits. Its headquarters is in Kadoma, Osaka Prefecture. While the company mostly focuses on anime related characters, it recently has acquired other licenses, e.g...
produced a similar line for Devil May Cry 2 and a Devil May Cry 3 Dante action figure.
Other media
Two Devil May Cry light novelsDevil May Cry (novels)
Capcom developed two light novels in the Devil May Cry universe, written by Shinya Goikeda, illustrated by Shiro Miwa and published by Kadokawa Shoten. Originally released alongside Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2 the novels act as preludes, with the epilogue of the novel leading into the opening...
written by Shinya Goikeda and illustrated by Shirow Miwa
Shirow Miwa
is a Japanese manga artist and illustrator. He is best known as the writer and artist for the Dogs manga series, but has also contributed illustrations to various tribute books, and magazines, including Square Enix's Monthly Shōnen Gangan. Miwa sometimes publishes under the circle name of m.m.m...
have been published, first in Japan in 2002 and later translated and released in the United States in 2006. The first, entitled Devil May Cry Volume 1 published in Japan in conjunction with the release of the first game and depicts Dante in an adventure set before the events of the first game. The second novel (entitled Devil May Cry Volume 2 in the U.S.) was published in Japan to coincide with the release of the second game and takes place after the events of the first game. Publisher TokyoPop
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...
released the books in the U.S. in June and November 2006, respectively.
Two volumes of a planned 3-part Devil May Cry 3 manga
Devil May Cry 3 (manga)
is a manga series based on the best selling video game Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening was released in Japan and later an English translation was released in 2005. The manga is divided into three parts, Code 1: Dante, Code 2: Vergil, and the to-be released Code 3: Lady...
series have been published in Japan and the U.S. Taking place about a year before the events of Devil May Cry 3, the manga tells the story of how the characters came to where they were at the start of the game.
An anime
Devil May Cry: The Animated Series
is an anime series based on the video game series by Capcom. It debuted on the WOWOW TV network in Japan on June 14, 2007 and ran 12 episodes.The show was produced by the anime studio Madhouse and was directed by Shin Itagaki...
series entitled Devil May Cry featuring Dante debuted on the WOWOW
WOWOW
WOWOW was the first private satellite broadcasting and pay TV station in Japan. It has its headquarters on the 21st floor of the Akasaka Park Building in Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo...
TV network in Japan on June 12, 2007. The series ran for 12 episodes. The show was produced by the anime studio Madhouse
Madhouse (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
and was directed by Shin Itagaki. Bingo Morihashi, one of the writers for the third and fourth games, was one of the writers. The first full trailer featured Dante in his garb from the first game, and a character list including two of his partners from the games (Lady and Trish) and two new characters.
Three issues of a comic adaptation of the first game were published by Canadian publisher Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions
Dreamwave Productions was a Canadian art design studio and comic book publisher founded in 1996 and is best known for their multiple Transformers comic book series...
in 2004, but was left unfinished when the company went bankrupt in 2005. On July 25, 2008, both WildStorm
WildStorm
WildStorm Productions, or simply WildStorm, published American comic books. Originally an independent company established by Jim Lee and further expanded upon in subsequent years by other creators, WildStorm became a publishing imprint of DC Comics in 1999...
(a DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
’ imprint
Imprint
In the publishing industry, an imprint can mean several different things:* As a piece of bibliographic information about a book, it refers to the name and address of the book's publisher and its date of publication as given at the foot or on the verso of its title page.* It can mean a trade name...
) and Capcom announce that they are joining to create a new Devil May Cry comic book
American comic book
An American comic book is a small magazine originating in the United States and containing a narrative in the form of comics. Since 1975 the dimensions have standardized at 6 5/8" x 10 ¼" , down from 6 ¾" x 10 ¼" in the Silver Age, although larger formats appeared in the past...
series. The details on the new comic series, including creative team and launch month, will be announced at a later date.
On February 28, 2011, it was announced that Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
, the company responsible for making Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
video game series Resident Evil into a film series
Resident Evil (film series)
Resident Evil is a film series loosely based upon the Capcom video games of the same name. Constantin Film bought rights to the first film in January 1997 with Alan B. McElroy and George A. Romero as potential writers. In 2001, Sony acquired distribution rights to the film and hired Paul W.S....
, had purchased feature film rights to the Devil May Cry series. It has been stated that Kyle Ward will be writing the script for the film. Currently it has been hinted that the film will follow Dante, avenging his mother's death.
In other games
- In the Viewtiful JoeViewtiful Joeis a video game developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4 for the Nintendo GameCube. It was originally released in 2003 as a part of the Capcom Five under director Hideki Kamiya and producer Atsushi Inaba. Viewtiful Joe was later ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 by the same design team under the...
games, another Capcom series also created by Hideki KamiyaHideki Kamiyais a video game designer formerly employed by Capcom and Clover Studio. He is currently working with former Clover Studio members at Platinum Games.- Career :...
, Devil May Cry characters appeared in the PlayStation versions. Dante is a playable character in the PS2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
version of the first Viewtiful JoeViewtiful Joeis a video game developed by Capcom's Production Studio 4 for the Nintendo GameCube. It was originally released in 2003 as a part of the Capcom Five under director Hideki Kamiya and producer Atsushi Inaba. Viewtiful Joe was later ported to the Sony PlayStation 2 by the same design team under the...
, and the PSPPlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
version of Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot RumbleViewtiful Joe: Red Hot RumbleViewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble, known in Japan as , is a video game available for the Nintendo GameCube and the PlayStation Portable. It is a slightly mission-based fighting/beat 'em up somewhat similar in style to Super Smash Bros...
includes him as well as Vergil, Trish, Sparda, Marionette, and Plasma. - Dante was set to appear in Soulcalibur III, but did not make the roster.
- In a deal between Capcom and Atlus, Megami TenseiMegami Tensei, commonly abbreviated as , is a Japanese console role-playing game metaseries which was originally based on the novel series Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani and has gone to become one of the major franchises of the genre in its native country...
character designer Kazuma KanekoKazuma Kanekois a Japanese game designer and employee of Atlus. While working for the same company, he has also done work for Capcom and Konami, designing characters for the video games Devil May Cry 3 and Zone of the Enders 2, respectively. He is best known for his work in the Megami Tensei series of video...
did the designs for Dante's and Vergil's demonic forms in Devil May Cry 3: Dante's AwakeningDevil May Cry 3: Dante's AwakeningDevil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, released in Japan as simply , is an action game that was developed and published by Capcom, released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2...
. In turn, Atlus included Dante (as he appeared in Devil May Cry 2Devil May Cry 2is an action game developed and published by Capcom in 2003 exclusively for the PlayStation 2. The game serves as a sequel to Devil May Cry and is, chronologically the fourth and final game in the original Devil May Cry series with Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Devil May Cry, and Devil May...
) as a character in an enhanced release of Shin Megami Tensei III: NocturneShin Megami Tensei III: Nocturneis a role-playing game for the PlayStation 2. It is the third main game in the Megami Tensei series. Shin Megami Tensei III was released nine years after Shin Megami Tensei II, and was the first Megami Tensei game in the series to be released into the United States using the "Megami Tensei" name...
titled Maniax in Japan. The later English localization of Nocturne was based on this Maniax edition of the game. - Dante and Trish are playable characters in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two WorldsMarvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worldsis a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It features Capcom's own characters and characters from American comic book company Marvel Comics. It is the fifth installment of the Marvel vs...
. Vergil is also playable, along with Dante and Trish, in the updated Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3is a crossover fighting game developed by Capcom. It is an updated version of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds. After the events of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disrupted the development schedule for downloadable content for the original game, the additional content was made into a...
. Both Dante and Vergil retain their Kazuma Kaneko-designed Devil Trigger forms for these installments, since their inclusions are based on the third game of the Devil May Cry series.