Devil May Cry

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Video game fandom
NameDevil May Cry (JP: デビル メイ クライ)
Abbreviation(s)DMC
Developer(s)Kamiya Hideki, Capcom
Release dateFirst entry in 2001; alternate continuity reboot in 2013; latest entry in 2019
External link(s)Wikipedia
Related articles on Fanlore.

Devil May Cry is a Japanese action-adventure hack n' slash series created by Kamiya Hideki. The series first appeared on the PlayStation 2 in 2001 and mainly follows the story of a demon-hunter named Dante, secondary hero Nero, and rival Vergil.

As a son of the legendary Demon-King Sparda who once divided the human and demon realms, Dante is half-human, half-demon, and makes use of his demonic abilities to hunt the creatures who killed his human mother.

The Devil May Cry games are known for being highly difficult and deep in terms of combat, with writing that ranges the gamut of quality from game to game, with over-the-top action as well as silly moments and melodrama. The enduringly popular wacky-but-tortured Dante and cool badass Vergil in particular are major draws to the fandom.

Canon

Games

The main games of the series are Devil May Cry (2001), Devil May Cry 2 (2003), Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (2005), Devil May Cry 4 (2008), and Devil May Cry 5 (2019).

Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition was released in 2015, and Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition was released in late 2020.

The alternate continuity reboot DmC: Devil May Cry was released in 2013.

Other Media

There are guides, manga, an anime, and novels that serve as interquels and supplementary material. As of the fifth game, most of it is canon, with some exceptions (such as the identity of Gilver in the novelization of the first Devil May Cry).

Characters

Fandom

History

Devil May Cry 2 is generally agreed to be the weakest entry in the series. After its troubled development, fans' attitude soured toward Itsuno, Kamiya's successor as the series' director.

However, fans changed their tune with the release of Devil May Cry 3, which many feel is even superior to the first game, both for its mechanics and for its polished storytelling.

Fan reaction toward Devil May Cry 4 was positive, although not as enthusiastic as for DMC 3, and reaction was mixed toward Nero succeeding Dante as the protagonist.

DmC: Devil May Cry is an attempted reboot of the main DMC series. It follows a continuity different to the main series, and some notable differences include completely redesigned versions of Dante and Vergil—whom some fans haven taken to derisively calling Donte and Virgin. DMC fans' reaction to this game was poor,[1] to say the least. DmC: Devil May Cry is considered by most fans to be separate rather than a part of the main Devil May Cry series due to its many differences. Many fans were concerned that the release of DmC spelled the discontinuation of the original continuity.[2] Some professionals in the gaming news industry attributed the backlash to "entitlement" and poor temper among fans.[1] This incident of the fan community being at odds with corporate gaming journalists may have escalated tensions to what soon became Gamergate.

The original series was continued with Devil May Cry 5 in 2019 rather than the rebooted version. The E3 2018 unveiling of Devil May Cry 5 delighted DMC fans, who feared that the original series had been abandoned in the ten years since the release of 4; however, as when people react to all new things, some were apprehensive of the series' evolution, especially the drastic change in art style. Many combed the trailers for evidence as they speculated about V's origins and whether Vergil would return.

The fifth installment was a major revitalization of the fandom, which prior to then, had experienced its glory days around the time of the release of Devil May Cry 3. Many claim that 5 is equal to, or even surpasses, 3 as the zenith of the Devil May Cry franchise, and of stylish action game genre as a whole.

Shipping

Due to the nature of the canon, there's a steep fandom divide between those who ship original characters and self-inserts, and those who prefer incest ships involving the central three characters, all of whom are related.[3] Dante/Vergil has always been the most popular ship in the fandom since Devil May Cry 3, which focuses on their brotherly rivalry.

Incest is such a common subject in the DMC fandom that fan works focusing on familial relationships often specifically labeled as "no incest" in the tags or description. The prevalence of incest in the fandom has made Devil May Cry fandom a frequent target for anti-shippers among English-speaking fans, though it's largely a non-issue among the significant Chinese-speaking fanbase.

The fandom also contains a high proportion of Guro as well as Monster Fucking fics featuring Dante, Vergil, or Nero in Devil Trigger mode, as well as gender-based explorations of demon biology, with fantasy genitals, trans characters, and mpreg being fandom mainstays.

Popular crossover pairings include Dante and his rebooted incarnation, Dante and the Demifiend from Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, since Dante appeared in the special edition of that game, and Dante and Bayonetta, another Kamiya character.

Notable Ships

Fan Works

Fan Fiction

  • "Opera Omnia" - a series of Dante/Vergil fics spanning pre-DMC3 to pre-DMC5.

Fan Art

Fan Game

  • Devil Lover - a fan-made otome visual novel of DMC5 with side minigame and comic (Chinese)

Cosplay

Meta

Links

Archives and Communities

Other sites

Resources

References

  1. ^ a b Kain, Erik. Upset 'DmC' Fans Are Entitled Because That's What We Call People Who Complain About Video Games published to Forbes on 22 Jan 2013. (Accessed Jan 2021.)
  2. ^ GoneRampant1. "[Video Games] The reboot that got rebooted: The rise and fall of DmC: Devil May Cry", posted to r/HobbyDrama on 5 Oct 2020. (Accessed January 2021.)
  3. ^ phantomstatistician. 10 Most Popular Ships in Devil May Cry FanFiction (AO3) 2004-Present, posted to Tumblr on 7 Dec 2020. (Accessed January 2021.)
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