History AlternativeCharacterInterpretation / DevilmanCrybaby

* Why did [[spoiler: God]] directly intervene and stop the demons from starting a nuclear holocaust at the end of Episode 7? Some viewers take a more cynical approach and say that [[spoiler: God was simply trying to prolong Satan's suffering by dragging things out, as the USA and Russia firing nukes at each other would likely end the world very quickly.]] On the other hand, other viewers see [[spoiler: God's actions in a more benign and helpful light, and believe that God was trying to save humanity by directly revealing Himself and wiping out a part of the world that had become overrun by demons. By doing so, He may have been trying to get humanity to get their acts together and stop being so wantonly destructive.]] The latter view seems to be supported by canon, as the aforementioned scene in Episode 7 is accompanied by a pastor reading the passage about Sodom and Gomorrah. [[note]]In TheBible, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by God because they had become overcome with sin; the cities' destruction was meant to be a lesson to the rest of humanity to not descend into sinfulness and vice.[[/note]]

* Xenon's actions in this adaptation are interesting in comparison to his manga counterpart. In the manga [[spoiler: it was Xenon who told the demons that Akira was not to be touched, informing them that Satan did not want him to die. In ''Crybaby'', it's Psycho Jenny who tells the demons about this, and Xenon for his part seems unfazed by this and still tries to kill Akira.]] What's more curious is Xenon's opinions on his master depending on the adaptation.

** The Amon OVA gives an interesting insight into this perspective. In the OVA, we see [[spoiler: Amon take over Akira's body, and Satan comes to Akira's aid by awakening Akira inside Amon's consciousness. At first, Akira is driven by demonic blood lust and fights Amon with savage intensity; essentially playing by Amon's rules. It takes Miki's spirit reaching out to him, and forgiving him for not being able to save her that reconnects Akira with his humanity; allowing him to cry again. Amon laughs at these tears, only for this reactivated empathy being all the power Akira needs to handily defeat Amon, and take back control of his body.]] Curiously, despite learning a lesson that neither the Crybaby or manga Akira learned, this Akira [[spoiler: chooses to walk away from Satan, and does not engage him in a final battle. Was Akira respecting Miki's memory by not devolving into the Social Darwinist violence Satan lived by? Was Akira aware that even if he won against Satan, it wouldn't solve anything, and would arguably be giving Satan what he wants? Arguably, ignoring Satan's mind games is the ultimate victory he could attain, regardless of whether he could win the physical war with Satan. By winning the psychological war Akira attains a far more permanent victory, and affirms that Miki has a stronger hold over his heart than any Satan could claim.]]

* Akira's reaction to [[spoiler: Miki's death by mob violence, and how it changes his perspective on fighting for humanity's sake]] differs between adaptions. In Crybaby, [[spoiler: Akira takes Miki's affirmation of humanity's goodness, and her ability to see it even in the Devilmen, to heart and uses this to motivate him in his final battle.]] In the manga, [[spoiler: Akira had already had his perspective on humanity's goodness shaken by Ryo. The torture and death of Miki's parents, as well as Miki's subsequent death, are just the final nails in the coffin and drive him to the point of losing any hope for humanity's goodness; let alone the humanity in his own heart. Unlike in Crybaby, Akira's final battle against Satan is not motivated by altruism for humanity, and purely out of a desire to seek revenge on Satan for his role in Miki's death.]]

** However, in both versions [[spoiler: Akira suffers defeat at Satan's hands.]] In the manga, was Akira's [[spoiler: defeat an inevitable result of playing by Satan's social Darwinist rules, and boasting that his Devilmen would inherit the Earth? Was becoming a monster that Miki would have hated detrimental to Akira's success in that war? Does Akira care about what he has become, or like Satan is he just too stubborn to turn back now?]] In Crybaby, [[spoiler: while it is admirable that Akira takes Miki's lesson to heart, and sees the virtues in humanity that are worth protecting, it could be argued he missed a major point of Miki's lesson. Namely: the value of Akira's own heart. Akira makes it a point to never cry again after Miki's death, even though those tears that flowed freely for others was a side of Akira that Miki loved. To give up on that aspect of his humanity, is essentially saying that Akira's own life is worthless, and his defeat at Satan's hands was inevitable as a result.]]