Devil May Cry, one of Capcom’s hit game franchises, is getting an animated series. Castlevania showrunner Adi Shankar sweetened the pot by saying that it’ll be joining his show in what he calls “the bootleg multiverse.”

It may sound strange but the parallels between both franchises are strikingly similar. It follows two ridiculously powered people fighting against supernatural foes with their circle of allies/friends. Devil May Cry did have a short-lived anime series – all the way back in 2007.

This interpretation is said to be a fresh start with his creative vision so that the, in his words, “jabronis in Hollywood don’t f**k this one up, too.”

Considering how the majority of video game adaptations tend to suck. That’s a helluva statement.

Devil May Cry revolves around Dante, a silver-haired (and silver-tongued) demon-slayer whose sole mission is to protect mankind from the forces of hell. He’s the son of the legendary dark knight Sparda, a demon that went against his own race to protect humans, he met the love of his life (Eva) and fathered two twin boys, Dante and Vergil.

This party’s getting crazy!

DMC was praised when it first came out for its balls-to-the-wall, over-the-top tone. Dante is a grade-A sh*t-talker and he backs it all up. Dante’s nonchalant swagger sets him apart from most leading men in gaming.

The show should lean into this because Devil May Cry has a different sensibility to make it a more lighthearted counterpart to Castlevania. I mean, look at how easy Dante makes answering the phone look!

One of the perks of doing an animation vs live-action is an unlimited budget. The animators have a blank check to go as bonkers as possible to capture the game’s badass essence.

Devils never cry

It’s not all quick quips and badassery in Devil May Cry. Castlevania‘s key to success was how it was able to give nuances to Dracula’s hatred for humankind and Trevor Belmont’s disillusionment with bearing the weight of his family’s long blood feud with Dracula. DMC does have time for dramatic beats where it goes deep on how Dante wants to live up to his father’s legacy and that clashes with Vergil, his twin brother.

Vergil is Dante’s polar opposite since Dante has a soft spot for humans, Vergil sees that empathy as a weakness. Their dynamic can draw influences from the Thor films and Akira. It’s like a Cain and Abel story but on the flip-side. I wouldn’t mind seeing flashbacks with Dante’s childhood.

Things always gotta be complicated…

The storytelling is all over the place in each instalment of DMC. Castlevania was able to tell its story by streamlining the game’s story by cherrypicking the core pieces (Dracula, the Belmont clan, Alucard) and using Castlevania III:Dracula’s Curse and Castlevania: Curse of Darkness as inspiration with some changes to cater to the casual audience and with enough fan service moments to delight the diehard fanbase.

Devil May Cry can follow suit by taking its cues from Devil May Cry 3 (the Batman Year One of the series). The possibilities are endless of where Adi can take the show.

Details are scarce regarding the platform, story and casting. I’ll keep you posted if anything’s available.

Castlevania Seasons 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix

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