The History of Devil May Cry

With today’s release of Devil May Cry 5 for Xbox One, we thought it would be the perfect time to take a look back at the history of this groundbreaking stylish action series. It’s been 18 years since we were first introduced to Dante, and our hero has been on quite a ride over the years.

Released way back in 2001, the original Devil May Cry told the story of Dante and his battle against the Prince of Darkness, Mundus. As the Son of Sparda, Dante was able to use the power of his demonic heritage to defeat Mundus, and as he explored the immense castle that served as the game’s gothic setting, he encountered both Vergil and Trish – his identical twin brother and a demoness who resembles his human mother, respectively. He also had to deal with a massive demon spider called Phantom.

Devil May Cry 2 (2003) switched the setting to the fictional city of Vie de Marli. Dante was the protagonist once again, but rather than going it solo, this time he was joined by Lucia, a member of a guardian clan with devils’ blood. By combining their demon hunting talents together, Dante and Lucia were able to stop the insane businessman Arius from releasing the demonic deity, Argosax the Chaos. And in the final battle, Dante put Argosax down for good after whittling down all eight of his health bars.

Set a decade before the events of the first game, Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening (2005) focused on the tempestuous relationship between Dante and his brother, Vergil. Teaming up with Arkham, a scholar of demonology who murdered his own wife, Vergil resurrected Temen-ni-gru, an unholy tower that held Sparda’s power. Arkham eventually betrayed Vergil, taking Sparda’s power for himself. But against the combined might of Dante, Vergil and his estranged daughter Lady, Arkham was defeated. The conclusion of the game saw Vergil battling Mundus in the demon world.

Devil May Cry 4 (2008) took the spotlight away from Dante and placed it upon the shoulders of Nero, a Holy Knight in the Order of the Sword. Set after Devil May Cry 2 on the fictional island of Fortuna, the game kicked off with Dante killing Sanctus – the Order’s High Priest – in front of Nero. This seemingly baseless act awakened demonic powers in Nero, but as the story unfolded and the Order’s true intentions came to light, Nero was captured by Sanctus and then imprisoned within The Savior. This gigantic weaponized statue of Sparda was eventually stopped by Dante, leading to Nero putting an end to Sanctus for good.

Picking up several years after the events of Devil May Cry 4, Devil May Cry 5 (2019) continues the story of Dante and Nero while introducing a mysterious new character called V. The story kicks off with Dante having been hired by V to investigate a series of demon attacks across the globe and a flashback to Nero having had his Devil Bringer arm violently amputated by a mysterious hooded figure.  These events lead Dante, V and Nero to Red Grave City and a new sinister plot centering on the demonic Qliphoth tree.

We hope this gave you a good idea of where Dante has been and where he’s going. We can’t wait for players to explore his latest adventure in Devil May Cry 5, which is out now on Xbox One.