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The new Devil May Cry anime on Netflix is a pineapple-on-pizza, orange soda rush of American excess – an unexpected change for Capcom's hack 'n' slash fantasy games dominated by black leather and old European brick. But Johnny Yong Bosch – the buttery voice behind both Nero in the Devil May Cry games and protagonist Dante in the anime – tells me he will one day look more recognizable.
While Netflix's sugar high Dante is "young here," Bosch tells me in a recent interview, "eventually, if we get enough seasons, and the story continues, we're going to see him really kind of go through all of these things, and then change and become who we're more familiar with." Netflix just announced that Devil May Cry season 2 is on its way, so it's possible Bosch's plan will start fruiting soon.
"Hopefully, once we get to these more iconic moments, there will be so much more weight behind the character," Bosch says, "because now you've been with him through this journey, discovering who he is and finding himself."
Devil May Cry's first season, created by Castlevania producer Adi Shankar, spends a lot of time waiting for Dante to realize things about himself that fans of the games already know – who he is, what he's made of, and how far he's willing to go.
That kind of Freudian interrogation has been present in the larger Devil May Cry universe before – "we've seen glimpses of the things that happened to him as a child," as Bosch reminds me. "And some people, if you've read some of the manga or even the novels, you would see other really dark things that he's gone through."
But, Bosch continues, "I think, in this [adaptation], we're really exploring those." So while Netflix's Dante lacks the laugh lines and wicked confidence he exudes in the Devil May Cry games, there's a lot of room for him to grow.
