Devil May Cry season 2 shares more than just a number with Devil May Cry 2.
The Netflix series follows up its first animated effort by bringing in a handful of characters and lore from the much-maligned Devil May Cry 2, universally regarded as a low point for the hack-and-slash franchise. That includes Uroboros corporate overlord Arius and his ploy to reawaken the demon lord Argosax.
So, why choose to adapt a divisive entry instead of one of Devil May Cry's more storied chapters? That's a question we posed to showrunner and creator Adi Shankar.
"I found the characters interesting," Shankar says matter-of-factly. "A lot of times, movies, TV shows, video games, comic books, the ones that hit right and are 10 out of 10 – to adapt them, it's like, 'It all works, great.' But what I find more interesting are the things that have great concepts that don't work."
Shankar continues, "There are so many movies and TV shows that have great concepts, there's something to like about them, but they don't always land the plane. I find that interesting to work with."
The showrunner, who also adapted Castlevania for Netflix, pointed to his own experience filling in the gaps of Devil May Cry 2's infamously sparse and uninspired story as a launching pad for the new season.
"When I played Devil May Cry 2, my mind was creating story and storylines…you're playing and then you're reading the back [of the box] and telling you the story of the game. Your mind is creating and extrapolating this whole universe that isn't on screen and doesn't really exist," Shankar says. "In a lot of ways, it's not necessarily a do-over, but it is very much like how I saw Devil May Cry 2."
Devil May Cry season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
For more, read our curated guide to the best shows on Netflix as well as our spoiler-filled breakdown of the Devil May Cry season 2 ending.
