Netflix's Devil May Cry anime is out now, bringing the stylish devil hunter Dante to life in a whole new way on the small screen. Created by Adi Shankar (Castlevania, Captain Laserhawk), Devil May Cry is based on the iconic action video game series by Capcom, where players assume the role of a red leather trenchcoat-wearing devil hunter who slices and dices the forces of hell, typically while shooting off absurd one liners. The games have been around since 2001 and have amassed a passionate following.
The new anime is an interesting take on the Devil May Cry universe, focusing on a younger version of Dante than we meet in any of the games, even the 2005 prequel Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. In this version, we're introduced to Dante before he's aware that he's the half-demon son of Sparda, a legendary demon knight who turned on his own kind to protect humanity. Shankar has a reputation for doing "remixed" versions of popular franchises, and Devil May Cry certainly follows that formula. It doesn't adapt any one game, but has recognizable elements from many of them as it carves out its own story.
Since Devil May Cry is a game series with a long history, it should come as no surprise that there are plenty of Easter eggs and references in the new anime. One in particular has raised more than a few eyebrows since the show's release: Dante and his fast-talking contract broker Enzo discussing "the Raccoon City job" — Raccoon City being the setting for the first three Resident Evil games, where the original T-Virus outbreak set the events of that other series in motion.
Are Devil May Cry and Resident Evil set in the same universe?
Before you get too excited about the implications, I'm going to rain on the parade: no, Devil May Cry and Resident Evil are not set in the same world, at least not in the continuity of the games. As for the show, your guess is as good as mine. But I do think there's a much simpler explanation for this scene than Dante actually getting caught up in the T-Virus outbreak.
Devil May Cry and Resident Evil are two of the flagship series for video game developer Capcom. Rather than a true in-universe connection, this conversation between Dante and Enzo is much more likely just a little nod to this real-world connection between the franchises. Seconds later, we get a nod to another Capcom franchise when we see a bobblehead of another one of the studio's mascots, Mega Man, on the dashboard of Patriot's truck. Devil May Cry is paying fun homage to Capcom's games in these moments, and the Raccoon City gag fits perfectly with the tongue-in-cheek nature of Dante and Enzo's banter.
The fascinating history of Devil May Cry and Resident Evil
However, there's another reason why the connection between Devil May Cry and Resident Evil is especially fun. The first Devil May Cry game, which released for the PlayStation 2 in 2001, originally began as Capcom's attempt at making Resident Evil 4. This would have been Capcom's first Resident Evil game for the PlayStation 2...but partway through development, it was decided that the gothic tone and action-heavy style of this new game was too far removed from Resident Evil's survival horror roots. Instead, it was reworked as an entirely new game: Devil May Cry. The first game was a massive success for Capcom which spawned numerous sequels and kicked off the modern style of action-heavy hack-and-slash games that has become so popular in the years since.
So while we can dream about whether Dante was actually there for the Raccoon City job in the continuity of Adi Shankar's television series, the roots of these two series go deep. It's a great nod to how it all started for Dante.
All eight episodes of Devil May Cry are streaming now on Netflix.
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