The Devil May Cry anime has the action I love from the games, but is able to package it with an unexpected human element that really sells it

Demon hunter Dante, sporting a stylish red coat, two pistols, and a massive sword, is always ready to take on demons in the Devil May Cry games. But, despite the chaos they cause as they break through into our world, the incursions always find a reason as to why the high-octane action takes place somewhere mostly devoid of humans. If regular people were present, they've already been slaughtered before most of the action begins, evacuation zones in place. Not replicating this from the games and going completely the other way, however, might be the greatest strength of the Netflix Devil May Cry anime.

Following a similar approach to the Netflix Castlevania series, on which Adi Shankar also serves as showrunner and executive producer, Devil May Cry is set in its own continuity, adapting the long-running game series rather than being set in its universe. Rather than taking place in the middle of nowhere like the first game's Mallet Island, or a quarantined Red Grave City, it's set in New York City where people are actually living their lives.

Devil trigger

The original story certainly takes some cues from Devil May Cry 3 (and has nods to plenty of the other games in the series, alongside other Capcom franchises), it centers on a young Dante unaware of the true nature of his demonic "superpowers" as he ends up caught in the middle of a hunt for a special necklace. Ending up hunted by demon forces and a government-funded demon hunting agency named Darkcom, the opening episodes are pacy and filled with action but, most notably, they all take place around other people.

Somehow, it manages to ground the over-the-top action just enough to give it a touch more weight. While Dante is so powerful he can basically cleave through walls like they're made of paper, seeing how dangerous this world is for regular people is important to the story the anime is telling.

There's a reason it opens up with Dante saving a young mother and her baby. These demons don't just attack in combat arenas and boss rooms, but out on the street. They bring chaos with them, and aren't just levels for Dante to clear, S-rank in hand. Caught as he is between two war-hungry forces representing both worlds – it forces him to confront the question 'what does he want to protect?'

It's a dynamic that's also nodded towards in the original 2007 anime series, set in canon between Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 2, its 'monster of the week' format often centering on how Dante's adventures rub up against regular people. But, with much more reserved action (it doesn't give the impression that it has a lot of budget), and the stop-start nature of its episodic nature, it doesn't quite go all the way. This Netflix Devil May Cry anime nods to it more than a few times – a moment in the opening episode having Dante chowing down on a strawberry sundae before having to rescue fellow diners under attack is a direct reference.

But, the longform storytelling here really allows Devil May Cry to push those moments of humanity further. The events kicking off in the anime have huge implications for the lives of everyone on Earth. And, without having to worry about where it fits on a timeline, the potential consequences can be felt.

Filled with light

It really ties the knot on this with Lieutenant Mary Arkham – Lady from Devil May Cry 3 (as that's all Dante calls her). A member of Darkcom and a regular human – if a well-trained and incredibly badass one – she brushes up against a lot more peril than Dante. But she's also deeply embedded in the cycle of violence herself, ready to quash demon forces with excessive violence. While plenty of boss level demons from throughout the gaming series are present (even Devil May Cry 5 demons put in an appearance) and well-deserving of a thrashing, the demon realm isn't just made up of terrors. Lady might also be able to rip apart the worst demons have to offer, but what happens when she's confronted with those who don't wield that power?

Devil May Cry is far from subtle with how it explores these themes – and it makes a few changes to characters' backstories that might rub longtime fans the wrong way. But it handles themes of the nature of power more deftly than I expected, though admittedly I hadn't expected it to be here at all. One striking episode in particular features a completely different animation style to the others and barely any dialogue as it really gets into the details of what it means to be powerless in a universe like this – it'll stick with me for some time, even if that's partially just because it's yet another Evanescence track to have on repeat.

After all, when has Devil May Cry ever been subtle? It's a game series filled with slo-mo bullet time and gravity-defying stunts, and scored with heavy rock music. The Devil May Cry anime is still that, but brings a similar energy to some heavier themes too – a final sequence scored with a Green Day track so unsubtly on-message it may as well be swishing a bright red jacket of its own. It's not always quite what I expect from a new Devil May Cry anime, but the way in which it embraces humanity and what it means is still as Devil May Cry as it comes.

Done with Devil May Cry? There's plenty of new anime on the horizon to be excited about. Or, take a look at the best anime and the best anime on Netflix for what to watch right now!