The Story of Every Game in the Devil May Cry Franchise

Devil May Cry (official website) is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most celebrated games of the PlayStation 2 era. The frenetic action, fast attacks, demons emerging from the floor, ceiling, walls and the scene where the sword pierces through Dante's chest, and he gets up, pulling the gigantic blade out of himself certainly left many players speechless for several minutes! No wonder, this game from Capcom, famous for Street Fighter and Resident Evil, came loaded with care, innovating in several aspects and was a huge surprise for players.

The following games kept all the good stuff: the fast gameplay, the raw sword violence, shots and demonic powers. The game introduced Dante, a demon hunter with a stylish look, a bad boy personality and a gameplay based on combos, style and fluidity, combining attacks with swords and firearms. The longer, more complex and full of "maneuvers" the combo, the better the score was, which went from E, D, C, B, A, S, SS to SSS.

This game style became the basis of the Hack’n’Slash subgenre called “character action”, or “stylish action”, influencing games such as Bayonetta, Ninja Gaiden and God of War (2018). But do you know the series in depth? Do you know the plot of each game? We’ll tell you everything that happened in the Devil May Cry series and, if you have any questions, just leave a comment.

The Devil May Cry series was created by Capcom and debuted in 2001 with the release of the first game for PlayStation 2. The original idea was born as a prototype for what would become Resident Evil 4, under the direction of Hideki Kamiya. But, since the game’s focus was on action and over-the-top fighting, the game strayed too far from the survival horror genre, which made Capcom decide to turn it into a new franchise. Producer Shinji Mikami, who also created Resident Evil, supported the decision.

The main series consists of five games numbered one through five, plus the 2013 reboot, DmC: Devil May Cry, developed by Ninja Theory. Each title’s been released for multiple platforms such as PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch, as well as an HD Collection that brought the first three games in remastered versions.

Over the years, Devil May Cry has become one of the most beloved franchises. It was widely praised for its gameplay, difficulty (the third game was re-released as an easier version), striking characters, and intense soundtracks with lots of rock music. The fourth and fifth games introduced Nero as the new protagonist, expanding the mythology.

The franchise’s always been very well received by the public and critics, except for the reboot, which divided opinions, causing Capcom to abandon the idea of ​​a reboot and return to the main timeline in 2019, with the fifth game.

Devil May Cry

Two thousand years ago, the demon Sparda betrayed his own clan to protect humanity. He defeated the demon emperor Mundus, sealed off the demon world, and began living among the humans. Sparda had two sons with a human woman named Eva: the twins Dante and Vergil. After Sparda's disappearance, Eva was murdered by demons, and the brothers went their separate ways.

As an adult, Dante works as a demon hunter, and one day he’s approached by a mysterious woman named Trish, who looks like his mother, and warns him that Mundus is about to return. She convinces him to travel to Mallet Island to stop him. Driven by a thirst for revenge, Dante accepts.

On the island Dante faces a series of demons, among them the enigmatic Nelo Angelo, a masked swordsman who seems to know Dante intimately. The confrontations intensify and Dante starts to realize that there’s something strange about Trish and her connection to Mundus.

Eventually, it’s revealed that Nelo Angelo is, in fact, Vergil, corrupted and controlled by Mundus after seeking their father's power. Dante is forced to fight him several times until Vergil is defeated. Shortly after, he finds out that Trish was created by Mundus, in the image of Eve, to manipulate his feelings. However, upon being saved by Dante, Trish begins to develop empathy and changes sides.

The final confrontation takes place in a supernatural plane, where Mundus tries to take over the human world once again. Trish sacrifices herself to protect Dante, which awakens in him the true power inherited from Sparda. Dante and Mundus engage in an epic battle, and with Trish's help, Dante defeats the demon and seals him away.

After escaping the destruction of the island, Trish and Dante return to the human world. Now allies, they work together, and the agency's name, Devil May Cry, takes on a new meaning inspired by Trish's tears - proving that even a demon can have a heart.

Devil May Cry 2

The story of Devil May Cry 2 takes place chronologically after the first game (although some fans debate its actual place in the timeline). Dante, now more mature and silent, arrives on the island of Dumary, where he meets Lucia, a demon hunter who fights alongside the matriarch Matier, a wise woman who claims to have fought alongside Sparda in the past.

Matier asks Dante for help in stopping the plans of a mogul named Arius, who’s trying to resurrect an ancient demon called Argosax the Fallen. Arius leads the Uroboros Corporation, an organization that uses rituals to gain power and influence. He plans to absorb Argosax's power to become a god and take over the world.

Dante accepts the request, mainly because he feels a connection to Sparda and his own duty as a protector of humanity. Meanwhile, Lucia struggles with her own origins: she finds out that she was artificially created by Arius as an experiment, which shakes her confidence. Dante, however, encourages her to move forward as someone who chooses her own destiny.

Finally, after preventing Arius from completing the summoning ritual, Dante enters a hellish dimension where he faces the real Argosax, who has partially escaped. Within this dimension, Dante also fights an entity known as The Despair Embodied, a chaotic creature made from the remains of several demons.

Dante defeats Argosax, but decides to stay in the demonic dimension, both to make sure that the evil remains sealed away and for personal reasons that aren’t revealed. He rides off on a motorcycle, disappearing into the abyss. Lucia, now free of Arius, returns to the human world.

In the epilogue, Lucia notices Dante's coin - the one he used to make decisions - and wonders if he really left it for her on purpose. The game ends with her hearing the sound of a motorcycle, leaving it open to question whether Dante has returned or not.

Devil May Cry 3

Devil May Cry 3 is a prequel to the first game, set years before DMC1. Dante is a rebellious and still immature young man, who’s just starting his life as a demon hunter. He lives a carefree lifestyle until he receives a provocative visit from a mysterious man named Arkham, who invites him to take part in a "game" masterminded by his twin brother, Vergil.

Soon after, a gigantic demonic tower called Temen-ni-gru emerges from the ground in the middle of the city. This tower is an ancient conduit of demonic energy, built to access the power of Hell. Knowing that Vergil is behind this, Dante decides to climb the tower to confront him.

As he climbs, Dante runs into a woman called Lady, who’s also searching for Arkham - her father, who she wants to kill as revenge for murdering her mother in exchange for demonic power. She trusts neither Dante nor Vergil, but ends up allying with the former.

Dante and Vergil face each other several times throughout the tower. Vergil wants the power of their father, Sparda, and to get it he aims to open the gate to the demonic world, using the strength of Yamato, his mystical sword, and the twin amulets which he and Dante carry. In a fight, Vergil defeats him, which awakens Dante's true demonic power, marking his transformation as a half-human, half-demon warrior.

Arkham, manipulating both brothers, reveals his plan: to use them to access Sparda’s power, which is sealed inside the tower. He temporarily achieves his goal and assumes a grotesque form as he tries to absorb power. Dante and Vergil team up to defeat Arkham, but go back to fighting each other right after, as Vergil still wants absolute power.

In the final battle, Dante defeats Vergil, who refuses help and decides to stay in the demon world, believing that he’ll find his true destiny there. Dante goes back to the human world, more mature and understanding what it means to protect humanity. Inspired by the events, he finally names his agency: Devil May Cry.

Devil May Cry 4

The story of Devil May Cry 4 revolves around Nero, a young knight of the Order of the Sword, a religious organization devoted to Sparda. The Order worships the legendary demon as a protector god of humanity and operates out of the fortress city of Fortuna. Nero is a talented and rebellious fighter, who hides a demonic arm - the Devil Bringer, with mysterious powers.

During a ceremony of the Order, the religious leader Sanctus is about to give a speech when he’s suddenly killed by Dante, who breaks into the cathedral and kills several members of the guard. Shocked, Nero engages Dante in intense combat, and Dante departs shortly after, leaving behind cryptic clues about the true nature of the Order.

Nero receives orders to pursue Dante and sets out on a journey through Fortuna, fighting demons along the way. He gradually discovers that the Order of the Sword is involved in forbidden experiments, capturing demons to extract their power and create demonic weapons. Nero's arm, the Devil Bringer, reacts strongly to these creatures’ energy, suggesting a demonic origin.

Nero also fights to protect Kyrie, his childhood friend and love interest, who’s been kidnapped by the Order's followers to serve as bait. He eventually finds out that Sanctus has been artificially resurrected using demonic technology and now plans to open a portal to Hell. The Order's objective is to use Sparda's power to create a new world, controlled by "purified" humans, with Sanctus as the messiah.

At the same time, Dante investigates the Order's experiments and crosses paths with Nero several times. After seeing that the young man has a good heart, Dante starts to trust him and leaves him the Yamato sword, which belonged to Vergil - and which proves essential for controlling demonic portals.

In the climax, Sanctus activates a gigantic statue of Sparda the Savior, with demonic power extracted from many experiments. Nero faces off against Sanctus inside the statue, frees Kyrie, and defeats the false prophet with the combined strength of the Devil Bringer and Yamato.

After the fall of the Order Dante leaves in peace, and entrusts the future to Nero, who then assumes his role as protector of the city - still seeking to understand his origins and the meaning of the power he carries.

Devil May Cry 5

Devil May Cry 5 takes place several years after the events of DMC4. The story begins with the appearance of a new and powerful enemy: Urizen, a demonic king who emerges from the underground alongside a gigantic infernal tree called Qliphoth, which feeds on human blood to bear demonic fruit. Dante, Nero, and a mysterious new ally named V team up to stop Urizen, but are quickly defeated. During the confrontation, Urizen rips off Nero's demonic arm, the Devil Bringer, and the group retreats.

Months later, Nero returns with a mechanical arm created by Nico, an engineer and hunting partner. He sets out again to face Urizen and understand the origin of the chaos. Meanwhile, V - who’s physically fragile, but capable of summoning three familiar demons (Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare) - travels through the destroyed world to find Dante, who’s been unconscious since the last battle.

After being revived by V, Dante embarks on his own journey to stop Urizen. During this time, he rediscovers the Sparda sword and unleashes his new power: the Sin Devil Trigger, an advanced form of his demonic side. He also recovers the Rebellion sword, which merges with his essence, awakening even greater powers.

V eventually reveals his identity: he’s the human part of Vergil who separated itself from his demonic side, using the Yamato sword to heal. Urizen, in turn, is the pure demonic manifestation of Vergil. When V and Urizen merge again, Vergil returns complete, more powerful and determined to prove that he’s surpassed Dante.

Meanwhile, the Qliphoth tree continues to grow, threatening to consume the world. Dante and Vergil duel in a final showdown - not only for pride, but also to settle their differences as brothers. Nero, however, awakens his own demonic power inherited from Vergil (his father), getting a new demonic arm and ultimately intervening to stop the two from destroying each other.

After the battle, Vergil and Dante decide to stay in the demon world to stop the Qliphoth from returning, sealing the hellish cycle from within. Nero, now confident and transformed, takes up the mantle of defender of the human world, determined to follow his own path as a hunter - not as Dante, not as Vergil, but as Nero.

DmC: Devil May Cry

DmC is set in an alternate universe where Dante is a rebellious, chaotic and cynical young man, living on the outskirts of society in a world secretly dominated by demons. Humanity is unknowingly controlled by large corporations, banks, and media outlets - all manipulated by a powerful demon named Mundus, who poses as a banker and supreme ruler. He keeps humans subjugated through a canned drink called Virility and the Raptor News TV channel.

Dante doesn’t know his true origins. He’s constantly being chased by demons in a parallel dimension called Limbo, where the world becomes distorted and hostile. During one of these chases, he’s saved by Kat8, a medium who works with a resistance group led by Vergil, Dante's twin brother. It’s revealed that both are Nephilims - children of a demon (Sparda) and an angel (Eva), the only beings capable of killing a demon king like Mundus.

Sparda was one of Mundus' generals, but betrayed his master when he fell in love with Eva. Mundus killed Eva and imprisoned Sparda, leaving the brothers orphaned and separated. Now, Vergil seeks revenge against Mundus and wants to free the human world from his demonic rule. Dante, initially reluctant, joins the cause after learning the truth about his parents and witnessing the atrocities committed by Mundus, including the brutal murder of a pregnant young woman, the demon's own lover.

Dante awakens his Nephilim powers - a fusion of angelic and demonic abilities - and develops his sarcastic but protective personality. Together, Dante and Vergil undermine the bases of Mundus's control, destroying Virility and the demonic TV network.

In the end, Dante fights Mundus and, after his victory, the veil between the human world and Limbo dissolves, revealing the true face of demons to humanity. Vergil reveals his true intention: dominating the human world in order to “protect” it. Dante disagrees and the brothers confront each other. Dante wins and spares Vergil, who runs away. Now, Dante takes on the responsibility of protecting humanity as a warrior with a human heart and a free soul.

The Devil May Cry franchise’s still a success, with over 31 million copies sold as of March 2024. The most recent game, Devil May Cry 5, released in 2019, is the best-selling game in the series, with 10 million units sold. This success is thanks to the fluid combat, the engaging story and the impressive graphics offered by the RE Engine. On top of that, the Special Edition version for the new generation consoles helped keep the interest in the game alive.

The future of the franchise looks bright, with the animated adaptation for Netflix, which was a success with over 5 million views, showing that interest in the series goes beyond the games. There’re also rumors about a possible remake of the first game, using the RE Engine, which could appeal to both new and old fans.

These moves show that Capcom wants to keep the series alive and relevant, exploring new ways to reach audiences and expand the Devil May Cry universe. So, do you like Devil May Cry? Leave a comment.