What I Want To See From Devil May Cry Season 2

Capcom finally came through with new Devil May Cry content for the fans last year, and to everybody’s surprise, it wasn’t in the form of a new game. Instead, the Japanese publisher teamed up with Netflix for an anime adaptation, harkening back to 2007 when Studio Madhouse made a similar adaptation of the iconic franchise.

With the Castlevania showrunner leading the charge and Netflix backing the project, what could go wrong? After all, Netflix had already been behind several well-received gaming adaptations at that point, including the likes of Arkane and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners.

Unfortunately, Netflix’s Devil May Cry hardly did the series justice, and many fans, myself included, found the show mediocre at best and downright terrible at its worst. This did not stop general audiences from driving the show to the top of the charts, however, and it was quickly renewed for a second season. Since the show is coming back, here’s what I personally hope to see from the series next year.

Like Dante, Vergil’s design in the Netflix adaptation is not the most accurate to his in-game appearance. I much prefer how Capcom designed Vergil in Marvel vs. Capcom 3, directly referencing his look from Devil May Cry 3.

This is a gripe I have with the entire production in general, since the anime does little to pay homage to Devil May Cry’s unique visual blend of gothic horror and medieval fantasy. Instead, the anime goes for more of a sci-fi theme with advanced military-grade weapons and armor.

Anyhow, my biggest hope for Vergil specifically is to see the nuance of his character fully realized on screen. The Devil May Cry 5 memes might have you believe that Vergil is just the big-bad, powerful antagonist who likes to sit on chairs and is a deadbeat dad, but there’s a lot more to his character.

For starters, Vergil mirrors Dante in the fact that his mother’s death and childhood trauma define much of his personality and motives. However, how he deals with the trauma is very different, being directly responsible for his constant thirst for power.

Where Dante copes with his loss through relations with his friends and his overly goofy antics, Vergil seeks to attain unimaginable strength, partially out of fear and partially out of a sense of obligation. Much of what the character does throughout Devil May Cry 3 and 5 is evil, but Vergil himself isn’t inherently an archetype of a monstrous villain.

The events of these games show that he clearly has a soft spot for his family, choosing to right his wrongs on two occasions.

This dynamic is exactly what makes his character so interesting, and it would be a shame if he were to be reduced to a one-note bad guy capable of performing flashy Judgement Cuts from time to time. This might be a lot to ask, but I really hope Netflix’s Vergil has all the complexity of his game counterpart over the years.

One element that the games usually gloss over is the consequences of Vergil’s actions on the larger world, whether it be his attempts at powering the Temen Ni Gru or wreaking havoc upon the world with the Qliphoth tree. This is something the anime could expand upon since it has already taken more than a few creative liberties with the IP.

Of course, the Netflix adaptation must absolutely keep Vergil’s core traits consistent with his game counterpart. Unlike Dante, Sparda’s older son has a calmer and composed demeanor, something that is best reflected in his gameplay and fighting style since his moves are more precise and focused on disposing of enemies with as much efficiency as possible. This also brings me to the second thing I hope to see in season 2.

Something I’ve heard very few people mention about the Devil May Cry anime is just how little it pays homage to the series’ gameplay itself. Beyond callbacks to notable bosses and weapons from the games, the action sequences rarely had me jumping with excitement.

This is a huge problem when you consider just how critical DMC’s gameplay is to the entire experience. There’s a reason people have spent thousands of hours on this franchise practicing jump cancels, just-frame Exceeds, Distorted Real Impacts, and the many other complex moves from the combat system.

In my opinion, there was a distinct lack of signature moves from Dante in the first season. I don’t recall seeing a single Stinger in the entirety of the anime, let alone any of the other iconic moves, including the ones that are unique to Dante’s four main styles introduced in the third game.

Personally, I hope Netflix goes all-in on this aspect with the upcoming season. Why not portray Dante with his on-the-fly style-switching combat and reference moves like Round Trip as he deals with multiple enemies?

How about the classic High Time launcher into Pop Shredder for air juggles that every DMC player first learns when adjusting to Dante’s combos? I hope to see at least one sequence with Dante just completely styling on an enemy as a direct reference to all the combo videos dedicated to the franchise.

In Vergil’s case, his Air Trick and Summoned Swords are a classic that should definitely show up. Also, because Vergil got his own Doppelganger in Team Ninja’s DmC Devil May Cry and onwards, much like Dante’s bonus style from Devil May Cry 3, this ability could be used to set up interesting action sequences throughout season 2 of the anime.

Everyone’s biggest gripe with Netflix’s Devil May Cry was just how different the show was from the source material. Between the underlying themes of oppression and prejudice, the role of politics in the overarching narrative, Lady being different beyond recognition in every way, and more, the show changed a lot of what fans had come to love about the series over the years.

As one would expect, this turned away a large portion of the fandom from the adaptation. My hope for season 2, then, is that the series corrects course and makes a genuine attempt to address fan-feedback. Contrary to what season 1’s ending would have you believe, Devil May Cry has never been about the larger world itself or a war between demons and humanity,

The series has always been about the characters themselves, and the stories are centered around these characters, not the other way around. This is something the Studio Madhouse adaptation understood well, to the point that it was even referenced in Devil May Cry 5 through Patty’s 18th birthday, a character who first appeared in the 2007 anime.

Because I’m a huge fan of the show, I know for a fact that I’ll watch season 2 regardless of how it turns out. However, it would be a lie to say that my expectations haven’t taken a huge hit after the first season. Netflix and the series creators must now aim for the jackpot if they hope to redeem themselves.