Devil May Cry thrives on action, style, and the kind of details viewers may not always catch during their first watch. The Netflix animated series adapts the hit video game franchise with its own unique changes, while still striving to balance high-octane action, nuanced storytelling, and video game lore for longtime fans and newcomers alike.
The show welcomes new fans with polished action and a direct narrative that offers an engaging entry point into the franchise. Devil May Cry also subtly layers various Easter eggs that longtime fans of the source material may immediately recognize. However, not all Easter eggs are just fun, nostalgic nods for fans to enjoy. Some hint at what may be in store for Dante, Vergil, and Lady next season.
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Here is a breakdown of the Easter eggs we noticed in Devil May Cry Season 2.
Jester
This season of Devil May Cry introduced Jester. Initially, the whimsically demonic creature seems like a minor support character to the plot. However, as the season goes on, it becomes clear that there is more to the Jester than meets the eye. By the final episode, it is revealed that Jester was a double agent for Arius and DARKOM, who infiltrated Mundus’ court, but he is also the alter ego of Lady’s father, Arkham.
Jester, like Lady, is an original character from the Devil May Cry video game franchise; he is specifically the main antagonist in Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. However, the series makes slight changes to the characters, retaining the main characteristics and moments that make Jester a compelling adversary for Dante and Lady. The second season finale suggests that Jester will play a larger role next season. Especially now that Mary knows his true identity and that he has been pulling the strings to manipulate her and other characters.
Tony Redgrave
Following Dante’s cryogenic awakening, Lady introduces him to Nell Goldstein, the master gunsmith who gifts Dante his signature pistols, Ebony and Ivory. The guns are engraved with the name Tony Redgrave, which ties to Dante’s former alias from his days as a mercenary. The name Tony Redgrave is also a nod to the Devil May Cry novel and Resident Evil game. In its early stages of development, Devil May Cry was originally conceived as a Resident Evil title, with Tony Redgrave as the main protagonist, who eventually became the Dante we know today. Additionally, in the Devil May Cry novel, Dante uses the name Tony Redgrave, but stops after Nell Goldstein’s death.
Nell Goldstein, Ebony, and Ivory
Devil May Cry Season 2 introduced some new faces this season, with close ties to other Devil May Cry titles. One of those faces this season was genius gunsmith and custom weapons maker Nell Goldstein. Nell originally appeared in Shin-Ya Goikeda’s Devil May Cry novel and develops a close bond with the main character, Tony Redgrave, who also creates Dante’s iconic dual pistols Ebony and Ivory.
Ebony and Ivory are Dante’s uniquely designed pistols that can fire bullets imbued with demonic energy. Ebony is Dante’s black gun, which he holds in his left hand and is specially customized for long-range targeting. Ivory, the white gun he wields in his right hand, is built for rapid firing and quick-draw attacks.
Pop Culture References
The Devil May Cry animated series has a flair for drama but also sprinkles in humor and fun through pop culture references. One of those references involves a scene with Dante and Lady, as the animators briefly design the characters in the same style as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure. There is another pop culture reference to Twilight when Dante swoops in to save Lady from a semi truck by stopping it with one hand. The moment is dramatic and a bit tongue-in-cheek, but fans will recognize the reference as it plays into the slow-motion heroics and romanticized framing.
Later in the season, there is a brief wardrobe montage between Dante and Mattie, where Dante appears to be dressed in Chun-Li’s iconic outfit from Street Fighter. The Easter eggs are a humorous gag that pays a quick nod to Capcom’s legacy.
Deeper Devil May Cry Lore
This season also deepened lore by introducing other characters and elements from the sequel game, such as the Arcana and Trismagia. The Arcana are four sacred, magical relics: a chalice, a coin, a sword, and a staff used to seal Argosax, which Arius searches for to free the demon again. The Trismagia is a powerful demon entity from Devil May Cry 2, serving as a boss for Dante and Lucia. The show slightly diverges, with Vergil being the one to fight the Trismagia to escape the dimension in which he and Mattie are trapped.
Devil May Cry 2 Nods
This season, the show draws heavily from Devil May Cry 2 lore for its characters and overall plot. The Arius and Argosax are pulled directly from the source material, and the show, even with its own liberties and reimaging, uses the game’s primary antagonist as this season’s villain. In the video game, Arius is an evil sorcerer and CEO of the mega-corporation Uroboros who seeks to use the Arcana to revive the former Demon King, Argosax.
One notable change from the source material was the absence of Lucia this season. In Devil May Cry 2, Lucia helps Dante stop Arius’s plans to revive Argosax. In the game, it is revealed that Lucia is actually a mannequin demon, like Arius’s other Secretaries, whom Arius created and who defected from his organization. Although Lucia is not present this season, she did make a brief cameo appearance in Season 1 when Darkcom was capturing the demon hunters. It is also worth noting that Arius’s Secretaries this season share a very striking resemblance to Lucia in the animated series.
Jester’s Chair
Some Easter eggs this season reward fans for their deep knowledge of Devil May Cry lore. Others tap into the fandom itself; one such moment this season is Jester’s chair. During a conversation with Vergil, Jester conjures a white lawn chair, which may seem a little odd to some viewers. However, the chair actually references a fan-made mod for Devil May Cry 5.
In 2020, a fan swapped the Qliphoth throne that Vergil was sitting on with a plain white plastic lawn chair. The mod went viral and became memeworthy, spreading like wildfire amongst the Devil May Cry community. While the chair might be lost on some newcomers to the franchise, longtime fans will recognize the animated series nod to the community, which speaks to how much the show appreciates its fans.
At its core, Devil May Cry understands how to have fun with its references and Easter eggs, deepening the show’s lore and paying homage to the source material. The show works best when it lets newcomers in and lets them enjoy it for its action, style, and storytelling. It also provides nods to franchise knowledge that longtime fans would recognize.
Watch Devil May Cry exclusively on Netflix.
