Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry is an action hack and slash video game series developed and published by Capcom featuring a slew of characters with half and quarter demon heritage who use their demonic powers and human determination to fight against forces of hell.

The existence of Christian themes in Devil May Cry take inspiration from Dante Alighieri’s Christian-mysticism poem, The Divine Comedy. In the DMC games, main characters Dante, Vergil and Nero are all descendants of a legendary demon-knight named ‘Sparda’, who is worshiped and renowned, not unlike how Jesus is in Christianity.

The franchise didn’t become known for its heart-wrenching storytelling until the third game, which carried on into its fourth and fifth installments.

Themes and motifs throughout the series include family, power, and the conflict between the main character’s clashing heritage – demon and human.

Power and family The ever-human ambition to attain more power is a core theme to the DMC games, and while it glorifies having power (specifically, crazy superpowers that are really fun to use in the game), the story shows that pursuing power over things like family leads to spiritual corruption. Dante’s twin brother, Vergil, pursues power above all else throughout the series, and it causes him to continually lose touch with his human side, undergoing transformations that nullify any humanity left in him, becoming a demon.

Finding family is also another recurring theme, and it ties into the theme of power. Dante continually tries to save his brother Vergil from falling into darkness, a result of Vergil’s quest for power. Vergil’s obsession with power also stems from a family issue, as he was not able to protect his mother who died in a demonic attack.

Nero is a newer addition to the DMC family, and was an orphan before it was revealed that Vergil and Dante were his father and uncle, respectively. Toward the end of the fifth game, Nero tries to stop Dante and Vergil from killing one another, refusing to lose them after only just discovering they’re related. But it’s not until Nero embraces his demon side that he gains the power needed to defeat both of them and heal his broken family.

Sparda as an allegory for God In the early games, Dante rejects both his demon heritage and his father, though without the blessing of his demon powers, he can’t make a living through his gun-for-hire business.

Eventually, Dante comes to terms with his demonic side and embraces his dual heritage, and he’s better off for it as it helps him gain the power needed to defeat his enemies and ultimately meet his nephew. Nero’s journey mentioned previously follows a similar direction.

In Devil May Cry, Sparda and the demonic side of these characters represents God, it’s not until they accept that this force is part of their lives that they are able to overcome their obstacles. While we may not have to accept a demonic spirit, there is a similarity to how Christians need to accept God in order to overcome the trials we face. The powers gained by these characters through their demon heritage also reflects the power of God demonstrated through miracles being performed by characters such as Moses in the Old Testament.

The Trinity – V, Vergil and Urizen

In the fifth game, there is symbolism of the trinity from Christian belief that manifests through three characters, Vergil, V, and Urizen. V is one of Devil May Cry 5’s protagonists, and Urizen is the main antagonist. Toward the end, it is revealed that V and Urizen are both halves of Vergil. Having split his soul between two bodies, Vergil once again fully embraces his demon side in the form of Urizen, but unintentionally embraces his human side through V. Three separate entities, yet also one individual entity – Vergil. The fact that Vergil is essentially the son of the Devil May Cry universe’s god, Sparda, strengthens the validity of this symbolism.