History YMMV / DevilMayCry

* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Lucia, after being one of the two main protagonists in ''2'', has not returned in any of the games since. Only the prequel novel to ''5'' has even mentioned her again, and even then she didn't get to appear in the game proper. Ever since ''4'', the games have made a point of keeping all of the series' secondary protagonists as a part of the story, including Trish from ''1'', Lady from ''3'', and Nero from ''4'', and yet Lucia gets left out. While this is understandable to an extent due to ''2'' being the least popular entry in the series, and one that many fans like to put under FanonDiscontinuity, Lucia herself was not at all seen as a negative aspect of the game. Almost all of the game's biggest complaints centered around either Dante being OutOfCharacter (portraying him as TheStoic rather than the fun and theatrical LargeHam that he usually is) or the poorly-designed gameplay. When considering Lucia as a character on her own, she has plenty of potential between her interesting origin story and unique personality that is not very similar to any of the series' other leads. For example, as a more serious and played straight NiceGirl, in contrast to the DeadpanSnarker and LargeHam characters that the series usually runs on, she could easily be used as TheStraightMan or TheComicallySerious to still contribute to the goofy tone without losing her character in the process. And for bonus points, being a dark-skinned redhead with a French accent gives her a unique visual and vocal style that is unlike any other character as well. While it remains to be seen if she will be brought back in a later game, ''4'' and ''5'' left her out despite her potential as a character.

* FanworkOnlyFans: There are those who admit engaging with the ''Devil May Cry'' series because they like its fan-made content (such as [[MemeticMutation memes]], gameplay showcases, [[GameMod mod]] demonstration videos, cosplays, fanfics, fanart and [[CoverVersion song covers]]), but without even having played any of the games just yet. There are factors that contributed to this, such as the first three games [[NoPortForYou being exclusive]] to the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 during the franchise's early days, the NewbieBoom brought by online exposure to ''DMC''-related content ever since ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' was released, or due to ''DMC'' fans being spread out to [[FriendlyFandoms other related fandoms]].

* EstrogenBrigade: Dante, Vergil, Nero, Credo and V attract a lot of fangirls. This results into SlashFics within the fanfiction and fanart communities. Capcom has also acknowledged the female fanbase of the ''Devil May Cry'' series, as a character artist for ''[=DMC3=]'' specifically states in the ''Note of Naught'' artbook that [[MrFanservice coatless Vergil]] "was designed to give our women users huge {{nosebleed}}s."

** The series also tends to share some fans with ''VideoGame/{{Yakuza}}'', both being Japanese StylishAction franchises with mostly serious narratives and incredibly over the top, comical gameplay.

** Overlapping with FandomRivalry since two separate continuities are involved, fans of ''[=DmC=]'' say that it was more accessible, had better art direction, a far easier story plot to follow, and a protagonist that contained character development. Fans that loved the original ''DMC'' titles criticized the [[TheyChangedItNowItSucks many changes]] that was implemented, the arguments ranging from criticizing how ''[=DmC=]'' Dante was so [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuoUfyMUQTc drastically different]] compared to original Dante, ''[=DmC=]''[='=]s story being too on the nose and missing the point of the original games' primary themes of how devils can learn to love like humans as well subtly on the theme of family, and the gameplay mechanics that had been overly simplified and lacking ''3'' and ''4''[='=]s mechanical depth and complexities, just to name a few game-related points. In short, some consider ''[=DmC=]'' worth playing, while others feel it simply doesn't match up to the legacy of the older games. The rivalry somehow subsided after the 2015 releases of both the Special Edition for ''4'' and the [[UpdatedReRelease Definitive Edition]] for ''[=DmC=]'', mostly because the playable Vergil in ''4:SE'' incorporated some moves that originated from ''[=DmC=]'' Vergil, while the latter's Definitive Edition [[AuthorsSavingThrow addressed several criticisms]] in order to make the gameplay of ''[=DmC=]'' evoke that of the classic games. Unfortunately, the rivalry flared up again after the [[{{Unreboot}} announcement and release]] of ''5''. While fans of the classic ''DMC'' games were glad that Capcom returned to the original continuity's story and characters, there were still ''[=DmC=]'' fans who wanted a continuation of the alternate continuity's storyline.

** Nero's debut in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'' as that game's main protagonist saw him facing an uphill battle with fans who preferred the original protagonist Dantewho filled the role of {{Deuteragonist}}. While Nero's gameplay gained him some fans, it was the controversial reboot ''VideoGame/DMCDevilMayCry'' that caused most fans to feel the hatred towards Nero was ill-placed, accepting that he was at least an original character rather than Dante in the reboot, whose appearance and [[AdaptationalJerkass personality]] were very different -- and considered [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic much less likable]] -- from the original Dante. The thing that completely pulled fan approval into his corner was ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'', which [[DivergentCharacterEvolution differentiated him from Dante even further and gave him a lot of development]], as well as an excellent theme.
** Lucia debuted in the much-maligned ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry2'', which very much colored fans' reaction to her back then and still does to an extent. In addition to feeling she took Trish's place as Dante's partner[[note]]While Trish is playable in the game, she doesn't appear in the game's story[[/note]], many disliked her for her [[WhatTheHellIsThatAccent inscrutable accent]] and subpar voice acting. As time passed opinion towards Lucia began to soften, with many praising her story arc, her design, fighting style and even her gameplay. A lot of fans have come to see Lucia as having a personality that would work quite well as a {{Foil}} to the more boisterous and extroverted characters of the ''Devil May Cry'' series and see her as a decent character who had the bad luck of being in a poorly made game. It's not unheard for fans to express hope for her to return in a future game or even a ''Devil May Cry 2'' remake that fixes the flaws of the original.

** In general, a common tactic for ''DMC'' players is to replay the first few levels of the game over and over again and slowly {{Level Grind|ing}} and farm Red Orbs until they can buy all of the playable character's Health and Devil Trigger upgrades, and max out all of the weapons and abilities they've acquired up to that point, then repeat the process whenever new abilities, weapons or skills are available. This is considered an acceptable, but boring way to play the games even by the developers, which is why there are features that allow players to retain their currencies and farmed items while retrying the levels, such as Mission Select, manual saving, or autosaves.
** If you have a lot of Red Orbs to spare, you can stockpile [[HolyHandGrenade Holy Waters]] and spam them at the boss that's troubling you, or stockpile Vitality Stars and Devil Stars to keep on refilling your Vitality and DT meters even if you don't have any Gold Orb left. The games discourage this by tanking the mission's Style points for every item used, but if you don't care about points anyway, it's a last-resort tactic that ''can'' work. Vitality Stars, Devil Stars and Holy Waters are no longer present in ''5'', though that doesn't stop players from stockpiling the daily Gold Orb login rewards and collecting enough Red Orbs to keep on reviving in that game anyway.

** The series discourages this via the optional Stylish Rank meter (which goes up as you hit your enemies, but sees diminishing returns from using the same moves over and over, and eventually won't increase it at all), ''but'' that still doesn't stop players from overusing the [[DeadlyLunge Stinger]] move which makes Dante dash forward and likely knock back enemies on contact (mechanics that became staple since ''3'' and onwards) when they'd rather not bother with the whole variation and complex {{combos}}. Other characters [[SharedSignatureMove can perform Stinger as well]] or have their own version of it (i.e. Nero's Streak and Vergil's Rapid Slash). It got to the point where [[{{Memes/DevilMayCry}} fans have memes]] about "Stinger Spam" and the sound effects associated with the move.

** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry3DantesAwakening'': [[CardCarryingVillain Arkham]], seemingly working for Dante's brother Vergil, is revealed as a sinister, power-hungry man who sacrificed his own wife to become a devil himself, as his alter ego [[MonsterClown Jester]]. Arkham [[ManipulativeBastard manipulates everyone]] to lure them into a battle, resulting in Dante, Vergil and Arkham's own daughter Lady--who [[ArchnemesisDad Arkham]] has no issues brutalizing or even trying to kill--weakened enough for Arkham to step in and seize the power of Sparda for himself. When he unlocks the power of Sparda, Arkham plans to, as he puts it, "welcome Chaos" all through the world. When Lady confronts him at the game's end, Arkham angrily demands to know what he's done wrong, declaring he [[GodhoodSeeker wants to be a God]], and asking if sacrificing "one miserable human being" to do so was "really so awful".
** ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'': [[SinisterMinister Sanctus]], while [[VillainWithGoodPublicity appearing to be the benevolent head]] of the [[CorruptChurch Order of the Sword]], is in fact a vicious monster. Sanctus covets the powers of Sparda and Vergil and plans on using their swords to control the power of a giant godlike golem, The Savior. To do this he feeds Nero and Kyrie to it, and had Dante not intervened they would have both been digested alive; he also murders his own loyal servant Credo for daring to defend his sister Kyrie, even mocking Credo for his love while impaling him on Yamato, claiming that the only thing that matters "is absolute power." The demons that have been killing people throughout the game have been released on Sanctus's orders. When Nero fights Sanctus, Sanctus uses Kyrie as a HumanShield. Despite his [[LightIsNotGood holy trappings and grandfatherly appearance]], Sanctus was an evil monster and one of the worst villains the series had to offer.

** (LightNovel prequel): The vicious swordsman known only as [[BloodKnight Gilver]]--revealed in ''[[VideoGame/DevilMayCry5 Before the Nightmare]]'' to be an EvilKnockoff of [[Characters/DevilMayCryVergil Vergil]]--is an [[PsychoForHire ice-cold mercenary]] who shares the elegance and arrogance of the son of Sparda but none of his noble qualities. Rising through the ranks of Bobby's Cellar, Gilver cemented himself in the criminal underworld by slaughtering everything in his path, leaving trails of mutilated corpses in his wake. Gilver's massive body count and sadism inspires many other hitmen to return to the old days where wanton destruction was the norm. While initially a nasty rival obsessed with beating Dante, Gilver is in truth a demon supremacist who has been summoning them to wreak havoc around the city and personally murdering Dante's friends to isolate him, showing his true colors by feeding the entirety of Bobby's Cellar to demons as his way of starting a plan to merge both worlds and let the hellish dimension consume all of humanity.

* EvilIsSexy:
** Vergil looks just like his MrFanservice brother Dante, but classier. He may not expose as much skin as Dante, but he's nonetheless quite attractive because his longcoat makes him a ManOfWealthAndTaste.
** Trish, thanks to being in a skimpy outfit and having an attractive design, but only until her HeelFaceTurn. Then it becomes full-on [[InvertedTrope Good Is Sexy]].
** There's the more humanoid female demons, such as [[HotAsHell Nevan]], Bael and Dagon's Rusalka feelers, and Arius's [[SexySecretary Secret]][[BodyguardBabes aries]]. Even the serpentine [[GiantFlyer Echidna]] (her [[SnakesAreSexy human half at least]] makes a good case for this, with an OrganicBra forming a NavelDeepNeckline.

** ''5'' also charts a similar path for revisiting the original continuity after ''[=DmC=]: Devil May Cry'' took the series in a grittier, harsher [[AlternateContinuity direction]] via an attempted {{reboot}}.

* {{Camp}}: The dialogue is ha

** There's the more humanoid female demons, such as [[HotAsHell Nevan]], Bael and Dagon's [[AlluringAnglerfish Rusalka feelers]], and Arius's [[SexySecretary Secret]][[BodyguardBabes aries]]. Even the serpentine [[GiantFlyer Echidna]] (her [[SnakesAreSexy human half at least]] makes a good case for this, with an OrganicBra forming a NavelDeepNeckline.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Franchise/MetalGear''. ''Devil May Cry'' is also a Japanese action game series with many nods to American action cinema, and where twin sons fight over their inexplicably missing father's legacy. Some comparisons have been discussed among fans, which may also have helped in forming FriendlyFandoms between the classic ''DMC'' games and ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', the ''Metal Gear'' series' take on a StylishAction game.

* MemeticHair: Vergil's slicked-back silver hair became iconic as his quotes, it turned into a memetic hair on the Internet. Simple meme edits crop his hair from any of the ''DMC'' games and put it on top of other pop culture characters should the meme make a ''DMC'' reference. Other edits have the character [[https://www.youtube.com/shorts/UY_GPkjSF7E slicking their hair back]]. ''DMC'' fans also label anything that closely resembles Vergil's hairstyle with nicknames such as the "Motivated Hair". Somebody even made a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0KrI_z_LGA Salon Tutorial]] for the ''[=DMC5=]'' version!

** Speaking of anime, there's a great deal of ''DMC'' fans who also play certain {{Animesque}} games such as ''VideoGame/HonkaiImpact3rd'', ''VideoGame/GenshinImpact'' or ''VideoGame/PunishingGrayRaven'' after being aware of the other games' references or similarities to the ''DMC'' franchise (such as a StylishAction gameplay, or third-party characters having identical animations to ''DMC'' characters).

* HilariousInHindsight: Vergil's katana, Yamato, has its name written as 閻魔刀 in Japanese. 閻魔 ("Enma") is the Japanese name of the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yama_(Buddhism) Buddhist god of the dead, Yama]]. The weapon's etymology is even acknowledged InUniverse in ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry5'' under "The Legend of Sparda" library file; the Yamato was a devil sword of Sparda and is intentionally named to "embody a god of death". In the WebAnimation/{{Hololive}} fandom, Ina's stream manager, [=ENMa-chan=], also happens to be [[MeaningfulName named after the same god of the dead]], she became infamous for killing a Tank in ''VideoGame/Left4Dead2'' with a katana, and is therefore commonly depicted as a [[KatanasAreJustBetter katana-wielder]]. ''Devil May Cry'' fans who are also into hololive found it interesting that there are now at least two characters who associate the god Enma with a katana, and thus compare [=ENMa-chan=] with Vergil.