Devil May Cry (Japanese: デビル メイ クライ, Hepburn: Debiru Mei Kurai) is an anime series based on the video game series by Capcom, in turn very loosely based on the Italian epic poem Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. It is set sometime between Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 4. It debuted on the WOWOW TV network in Japan on June 14, 2007 and ran 12 episodes.
The show was produced by the anime studio Madhouse and was directed by Shin Itagaki. Bingo Morihashi, one of the writers for the second, third and fourth games, was also on the writing staff.
A teaser-trailer, released on the show's official site, featured pre-production artwork of Dante, the primary protagonist and playable character of the video games, and confirmed him as the show's protagonist.
A second trailer released at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair showed actual animation from the show and included a character and cast list, featuring both new characters and other characters from the games.
The first episode aired in Japan on June 14, 2007.
On June 30, 2007, at Anime Expo 07, it was announced that ADV Films had licensed the show. However, in 2008, it became one of more than 30 titles that were transferred to Funimation Entertainment.
The series made its North American television debut on the FUNimation Channel in September 2010 and it began airing on Chiller's Anime Wednesdays block on July 15, 2015. Chiller abruptly ended its "Anime Wednesday" block.
The series is set sometime between Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 4. It is based on the manga and novel volumes, and sees the return of series regulars Trish and Lady.
In the show, Dante runs his devil-hunting business, Devil May Cry, while struggling under constant financial debt. There are also two new characters—Dante's agent Morison, who visits frequently to offer him jobs and advice, and Patty Lowell, a young orphan girl he saves in the first episode, who develops a father-daughter relationship with him.
While the show's stories were mostly self-contained, a season-long plot was introduced in the first episode and came to the forefront in episodes 10–12.
Dante (ダンテ)
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (Japanese); Reuben Langdon (credited as Justin Cause) (English)
The half-demon son of Sparda, the legendary Dark Knight (a demon) and Eva (a human), Dante operates as a private investigator, mostly accepting jobs involving the supernatural. When he accepts a job, he diligently finishes it to the point of gaining a reputation of infallibility; he is strong enough to face a small army of lesser demons with his bare hands. Known for his cocky banter when on a job, he is fond of strawberry sundaes and pizza (as long as it doesn't have olives). His weapons of choice are a pair of Caliber .45 pistols known as
Ebony (for its dark color) and
Ivory (for its silver color). He also carries his sentient sword,
Rebellion, in a guitar case. A running gag throughout the series is his apparent lack of skill at gambling and his chronic indebtedness, to the point where he often has to trick people when they try to get money from him. According to Dante, this is because people who hire him usually leave him a bill instead of paying him (due to the destruction his demonic abilities and weapons cause, such as destroying a bridge). His lack of money is also attributed to Lady, to whom he owes an unspecified sum of money and frequently takes his payments to repay it. When Dante does earns some money, he usually squanders it in a few days, either on junk food or taking care of Patty.
Trish (トリッシュ, Torisshu)
Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)
A demon created by the demon lord Mundus in the image of Dante's mother (in order to kill him) and given demonic powers such as electricity, strength, and quick healing. She joined Dante after Mundus was defeated and became his partner. After a while, however, they went their separate ways. Doing jobs on her own, she frequently crosses paths with him. Dante did remind her once that she can come back at any time, though it was implied that he really just didn't want to be alone in his drab office.
While she and Dante remain friends, she tends to criticize him for living like a pig. Unlike Lady, she is not a professional demon hunter; rather, she takes jobs whenever she feels like it. She also enjoys shopping, and sometimes makes Dante cover her bill. When she first met Lady, the two women nearly killed each other before Dante intervened; since then, they have bonded over their mutual disgust and love of tormenting him.
Lady (レディ, Redi)
Voiced by: Fumiko Orikasa (Japanese); Melissa Davis (English)
A human devil huntress, descended from the priestess who sacrificed herself so that Sparda could seal the gate between the human and demon worlds. She occasionally gives Dante jobs to work, as he owes a large sum of money to her, but often has to manipulate him into accepting them. Lady spends more time at Devil May Cry than Trish but still not as much as Patty. Though she possesses no demonic powers or abilities, she is a skilled acrobat, is a very talented gambler, and has access to a variety of weapons, including bayonets and rocket launchers.
Patty Lowell (パティ・ローエル, Pati Rōeru)
Voiced by: Misato Fukuen (Japanese); Hilary Haag (English)
A young girl who Dante met after she supposedly came into a large inheritance and he was hired to protect her from demons. This turned out to be a scam, and Dante was eventually forced to take her in. Eventually, it was revealed that she was a descendant of a powerful sorcerer who imprisoned the demon known as Abigail. Patty is very girly and loves cute things, but often makes Dante spend what little money he has on her. She loves romantic TV shows and serves as Dante's only source of feminine influence whenever Trish and Lady are absent. While Dante often derides her as a spoiled brat, he nevertheless allows her to assist him at Devil May Cry.
J.D. Morison (J・D・モリソン, J. D. Morison)
Voiced by: Akio Ōtsuka (Japanese); Rob Mungle (English)
Dante's liaison and close friend. He finds Dante jobs, acts as a handyman to keep Devil May Cry functioning, and offers him advice on how to be a better person.
Sid (シド, Shido)
Voiced by: Nachi Nozawa (Japanese); Christopher Ayres (English)
A lesser demon who has recurring appearances throughout the series. Initially seeming to be no more than an insignificant danger and minor nuisance, Dante shows mercy towards Sid and restrains from killing him when given the opportunity. Sid, in turn, repeatedly schemes to have Dante killed so that he can increase his own power and influence among his fellow demons.
