The rain is pouring. A blonde man in a red leather coat sits in an office filled with pizza boxes and a disconnected phone. Suddenly, a woman crashes through the front door on a motorcycle, impales him through the chest with his own sword, and he just... keeps eating his pizza. That Devil May Cry opening from the first game in 2001 wasn't just a cutscene. It was a mission statement. It told everyone playing that Capcom was done with the slow-burn horror of Resident Evil and was ready to embrace something loud, stylish, and completely ridiculous.
Honestly, if you look back at the history of character action games, everything leads back to those first five minutes. Hideki Kamiya, the director, basically stumbled into a new genre because he made a Resident Evil prototype that was "too cool" for survival horror. He leaned into that coolness. Hard.
Why the Devil May Cry Opening Still Hits Different
Most games spend their first ten minutes teaching you how to walk. DMC1 didn't care about that. It wanted you to know exactly who Dante was: a half-demon mercenary who is essentially unkillable and possesses a sense of style that borders on the offensive. Trish’s entrance, the lightning, the way Dante treats a literal stabbing like a minor inconvenience—it established the "Style" system before the UI even appeared on screen.
You've probably noticed how different the Devil May Cry opening styles are across the franchise. While the first game was Gothic and moody, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening went for pure kinetic energy. That game starts with a shirtless Dante getting jumped by seven demons in his office while "Devils Never Cry" starts to swell in the background. He uses a pool cue to take out a group of enemies, rides a fallen demon like a surfboard, and puts on his coat in mid-air. It's peak 2005. It's also a masterclass in visual storytelling. You don't need a lore dump to know Dante is a cocky powerhouse; you just need to see him eat a slice of pepperoni pizza while dodging scythes.
The Evolution of the First Impression
The series has a weird habit of reinventing its "first look" every few years.
- Devil May Cry 2 tried to be "serious" and "moody." Most fans agree it was a mistake. The opening was silent and lacked the punch of its predecessor.
- Devil May Cry 4 introduced Nero with a literal bang, showing him drop-kicking Dante through a church window.
- Devil May Cry 5 went for the "In Media Res" approach, showing our heroes getting their teeth kicked in by Urizen before flashing back to the actual start.
The Devil May Cry 5 opening is particularly interesting because it uses the song "Devil Trigger" by Casey Edwards. That track became a viral sensation long before the game even launched. It proved that for this franchise, the music is just as much a part of the "opening" as the visuals. If the beat doesn't drop when the sword swings, it's not DMC.
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The Technical Wizardry Behind the Style
You have to remember that back in 2001, we didn't have the processing power for the kind of fluid cinematics we see now. The original Devil May Cry opening used a mix of in-engine assets and clever camera angles to mask the hardware limitations of the PlayStation 2. Kamiya’s team at Team Little Devils focused on "Action Frame Data." They ensured that the transition from the cutscene to the first playable moment felt seamless.
When Dante finally stands up, tosses his guns (Ebony and Ivory) into the air, and catches them, the game is telling you: "Okay, your turn."
What Most People Miss About the DMC3 Intro
A lot of players focus on the combat in the DMC3 intro, but look at the environmental storytelling. Dante’s shop doesn’t even have a name yet. There’s a box of pizza, some trash, and a distinct lack of responsibility. This sets up the entire character arc of the game. He's a kid who doesn't care about his heritage. By the time the final "opening" sequence of the ending plays out, he’s a man who has accepted his father’s legacy.
That’s why these openings work. They aren't just "cool for the sake of being cool." They are thematic anchors.
How the Devil May Cry Opening Influenced the Genre
Without Dante's flashy introduction, we likely wouldn't have Bayonetta, Metal Gear Rising, or even the modern God of War (2018), though that took a very different path. The "Character Action" genre relies on the protagonist being a "Stylish Hard Man."
The opening sets the ceiling for what the player can achieve. If Dante can surf on a demon in a cutscene, the player expects to do something nearly as cool in the gameplay. This creates a "Mechanic Promise." If the intro is amazing but the game is clunky, the player feels cheated. Thankfully, Itsuno and his team usually deliver on that promise.
The Problem With the Reboot (DmC: Devil May Cry)
We have to talk about Ninja Theory’s 2013 reboot. The Devil May Cry opening there was... controversial. It featured a gritty, trailer-park version of Dante getting dressed while flying through the air after his trailer was sucked into Limbo. Technically? It was brilliant. The transition between the real world and Limbo was a feat of engineering.
But for fans? It felt wrong. It replaced the "lovable dork" energy of the original Dante with a "edgy rebel" vibe that didn't land. It’s a perfect example of how an opening can be technically perfect but tonally deaf to its audience.
Breaking Down the "Cool" Factor
What makes a DMC intro work? It's a three-part formula.
- Disrespect for Gravity: Characters should spend more time in the air than on the ground.
- Mundane vs. Magical: Dante should be doing something boring (eating, sleeping, showering) when the chaos starts.
- The Musical Cue: The music shouldn't just play; it should react.
In Devil May Cry 5, the way "Legacy" or "Devil Trigger" swells based on your rank is a direct evolution of the energy established in those early openings. You aren't just playing a game; you're performing.
Real Expert Insights on Animation
If you watch the behind-the-scenes footage for DMC5, you'll see that Capcom used extensive motion capture to make the openings feel more "real" despite the absurd content. They hired specialized stunt actors who could mimic the "over-the-top" flair of Japanese anime but in a 3D space. This "hyper-reality" is what prevents the openings from looking like a cheap cartoon. It gives the weightless action a sense of physical consequence.
The Legacy of the First Five Minutes
The Devil May Cry opening is more than a nostalgia trip. It's a blueprint for how to introduce a character. You don't need a 20-minute prologue explaining the history of the Underworld. You just need a guy, a sword, and a complete lack of fear.
Dante's nonchalance in the face of certain death is his defining trait. Every opening in the series doubles down on this. Whether he's being impaled by Alastor in the first game or getting his office trashed by demons in the third, his reaction is always the same: boredom. That boredom makes the player feel powerful. It tells you that the demons aren't the hunters—you are.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans and Creators
If you're a fan of the series or an aspiring game designer, there's a lot to learn from how these games start. Don't just watch them for the explosions; watch them for the pacing.
- Analyze the Transition: Load up Devil May Cry 1 and watch the transition from the "Trish stabs Dante" scene to the first fight. Notice how the camera moves from a cinematic angle to a gameplay angle without a loading screen. This was revolutionary for its time.
- Study the Soundscape: Turn off the dialogue and just listen to the sound effects and music during the Devil May Cry 3 office fight. The way the clinking of the pool balls matches the rhythm of the music is a masterclass in foley work.
- Compare the Reboots: Watch the DMC 2013 opening and the DMC5 opening back-to-back. Note the difference in color palettes. The reboot uses aggressive reds and oranges, while DMC5 uses a more grounded, cinematic blue and grey. This shows how color theory dictates the "mood" of the entire experience before a single button is pressed.
- Play the "Mundane" Test: If you're writing or designing a character intro, try the "Dante approach." Put your hero in a totally normal situation (like eating a burger) and then introduce a world-ending threat. If the hero doesn't stop eating, you've successfully communicated their power level to the audience without saying a word.
The Devil May Cry opening isn't just about flashy graphics; it's about the confidence of the character. That confidence is infectious. It’s why, twenty years later, we’re still talking about a guy eating pizza in a rainstorm while a motorcycle flies through his window. It’s not just an intro; it’s an icon.