Dante is probably sitting in his office right now, feet on the desk, waiting for a pizza that'll never arrive and a phone call that only brings trouble. If you’ve played the games, you know that vibe. But the 2007 Devil May Cry anime—produced by Madhouse—is a weird beast that some fans absolutely love and others find bafflingly slow. It isn't Devil May Cry 3. It isn't a high-octane combo video. It's something else entirely. It’s a moody, noir-inspired character study that asks what Dante does when he isn't saving the world from his brother or a giant demon king.
Mostly, he’s just bored.
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Honestly, the Devil May Cry anime captures a specific slice of the DMC timeline—set between the first and second games—where the stakes feel small but the atmosphere is heavy. You aren't getting Devil Trigger playing in the background of every scene. Instead, you get a jazzy, melancholic soundtrack and a version of Dante who is more "tired detective" than "superhero." If you went into this expecting the frantic energy of the Capcom games, you probably walked away disappointed. But if you look at it as a companion piece to the lore, it’s actually pretty essential.
The Dante Nobody Expected
Dante is a guy who lives on strawberry sundaes and pizza without olives. In the Devil May Cry anime, we see the crushing weight of his debt. He’s constantly broke. Lady (Mary) shows up just to collect money he owes her, and Trish pops in to cause a bit of chaos before vanishing again. It’s a weirdly domestic look at a demon hunter.
One of the biggest complaints back in the day was that Dante was "too cool" or "too quiet" in the show. He doesn't quip as much. He doesn't do a million backflips. Toshiyuki Morikawa, the legendary voice actor for Dante in the Japanese version, plays him with this incredible sense of "I’ve seen it all." It’s a performance that feels weary. This isn't the brash kid from DMC3; it’s a man who has already killed his father’s legacy and is just trying to pay the electric bill.
Madhouse, the studio behind classics like Death Note and Ninja Scroll, clearly wanted to lean into the "Devil May Cry" name literally. It’s about the sadness. The monsters Dante hunts in these twelve episodes aren't always world-ending threats. Sometimes they're just tragic leftovers of human greed or demonic loneliness.
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That Weird Relationship with Patty Lowell
Then there’s Patty.
Basically, the entire series revolves around this young girl Dante ends up babysitting. It’s a classic "gruff warrior and innocent child" trope, but it works because it highlights how socially stunted Dante actually is. He doesn't know how to talk to a kid. He doesn't know how to be a father figure. He just lets her clean his office and yell at him while he drinks bourbon and stares at the wall.
Is she annoying? Sometimes. But she represents the "human" side that Sparda, Dante’s father, loved so much. Without Patty, the Devil May Cry anime would just be a series of disconnected fight scenes. She gives Dante a reason to stay grounded in the human world rather than just retreating into the demon world where things are simpler.
Why the Animation Style Matters
If you watch it today, the animation holds up surprisingly well. Madhouse didn't go for the bright, saturated colors of modern shonen. They went dark. Lots of deep purples, sickly greens, and heavy shadows. It feels like a 1940s detective film that just happens to feature a guy with a giant sword named Rebellion.
The action is... polarizing.
Let's be real: Dante is too strong for his own good. In the games, we struggle to beat bosses. In the Devil May Cry anime, Dante is a god among insects. Most fights end in about thirty seconds because nobody can actually touch him. He takes a hit, yawns, and then blows the demon’s head off with Ebony and Ivory. Some fans hated this because they wanted "S-Rank" style combos. But from a narrative perspective, it makes sense. Dante is the pinnacle of power in this universe. Watching him struggle against a mid-tier demon would actually break the lore.
The real tension isn't "will he win?" It's "will he care?"
The Soundtrack is a Hidden Gem
People sleep on the music in this show. Composed by a group called Rungran, it’s a mix of blues, jazz, and occasional industrial rock. The opening theme, "d.m.c," is a banger that sets the tone perfectly. It’s not a vocal track; it’s an instrumental that feels like a heartbeat. It’s sophisticated. It’s one of the few times the franchise felt "adult" in a way that wasn't just about gore or sexy outfits.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Lore
A common misconception is that the Devil May Cry anime isn't canon. It 100% is. Capcom has gone out of its way to integrate characters from the show into the games. Morrison, the guy who brings Dante jobs in the anime, shows up in Devil May Cry 5, though his design was changed significantly. Patty Lowell also has a voice cameo in DMC5, calling Dante on his birthday to invite him to her party.
If you ignore the anime, you miss the bridge between the "Classic Dante" of the early 2000s and the "Old Man Dante" we see in the latest games. It fills in the blanks of his daily life. It shows that between the massive demon invasions, he’s just a guy who struggles to keep his shop open.
The Abigail Conflict
The main villain of the series is a demon named Abigail. He was once a rival to Mundus. While the buildup to the final fight is slow, the payoff is decent. We get to see Dante actually use his Devil Trigger, and for a brief moment, the power scale goes through the roof. It reminds us that while Dante likes to play the lazy detective, he is still a literal demi-god capable of reshaping the landscape.
Is it Worth a Rewatch in 2026?
With the new Netflix series by Adi Shankar (the guy behind the Castlevania anime) on the horizon, people are looking back at this 2007 version. It’s a different era of anime production. No CGI-heavy backgrounds, just hand-drawn grit.
Honestly, the Devil May Cry anime is better if you binge it. Watching it week-to-week back in the day felt slow because not much "happens" in terms of plot progression until the final three episodes. But as a mood piece? It’s top-tier. It captures the loneliness of being the only person who can stand between two worlds.
There are no complex political intrigues here. No massive betrayals. Just a man, his guns, and a deep-seated desire for a decent meal.
How to Get the Most Out of the Series
If you’re diving in for the first time or revisiting it after a decade, don't look for the high-octane energy of the DMC5 intro. Look for the small details.
- Notice the office: It gets messier as the series progresses.
- Watch Lady and Trish: Their rivalry is hilarious and shows that Dante is basically the "little brother" of the group.
- Listen to the background noise: The sound design is incredible, from the clicking of the guns to the rain on the windows.
The Devil May Cry anime is a vibe. It’s the "lo-fi hip hop beats to hunt demons to" of the DMC universe. It doesn't try to be anything other than a snapshot of a legendary character's downtime.
Actionable Steps for Fans
If you want to fully appreciate the context of this series before the new Netflix show drops, here is how you should approach the media:
- Play DMC1 first: The anime relies heavily on the fact that you know who Dante is and what he’s lost.
- Watch the Subs and Dubs: Reuben Langdon (the voice of Dante in the games) does the English dub for the anime, and he’s fantastic. But the Japanese voice cast brings a certain "prestige" feel to the dialogue.
- Read the Light Novels: If you really want to go deep, look for the Devil May Cry light novels by Shin-ya Goikeda. They share the same moody, grounded tone as the anime.
- Check out the DMC5 Prequel Novel: Before the Nightmare references characters and events from the anime, solidifying its place in the timeline once and for all.
Dante might not always have the money for his pizza, but the 2007 series proves he’s always got time for a good story, even if he’s too cool to admit he’s enjoying himself. It’s a piece of gaming history that deserves more than just a passing glance. It’s the soul of the series, hidden behind a thin layer of cigarette smoke and strawberry syrup.