Headscratchers / DEVILMAN crybaby

• During the middle of Episode 5, when the Rapper Gang is looking for Kukun, they come across a young man◊ that bears a striking resemblance to track star athlete Moyuru Koda◊. The thing is, was that actually Koda? I can only guess due to the similar hairstyle and the trimmed goatee, but nothing's been confirmed.
  • I don't think so. Koda was already a devilman at the beginning of the series, as shown in the footage of him at the airport where reporters are yelling at him about his recently deceased teammate/lover. The douchebag in the T-shirt store has slightly softer features and different-colored eyes.
• In Episode 6, right before the track meet, there's an interaction between Akira and Koda, where Akira states "You were crying at the airport, and you're still crying now." I don't really know what this meant and have been looking everywhere for an answer.
  • In the first episode, there was a news report regarding the murder of a track runner, who was Koda's teammate (and secret lover as well). Akira himself is extremely empathetic as he can sense if others are hurting inside or not (it doesn't matter if he personally knows the guy or not), and Koda usually vents out his grief when alone, so Akira's stating that he can tell that deep down Koda is sad even if he doesn't show it.
• While in the bedroom having her private times, Miko thinks about the photographer taking pictures of her and then apparently raping her or at the very least aggressively initiating sex. Was this a memory or a fantasy?
  • I think it's more of a fantasy. She isn't the one the photographer is after in the first place (when it comes to taking photos), and beforehand she was already getting aroused from remembering Akira's physical changes, which may have led her to fantasize that kind of scenario in the heat of the moment.
• Just wanted to clarify on this, but was Koda at the same Sabbath party where Akira transformed into a Devilman?
  • No, Koda attended a different Sabbath party, and this happened before Akira went to one himself.
• If demons are already incorporeal, what is the point of killing them? What is to prevent them from taking another host after their current body has been killed? Does it just take a long time (ages?) for them to revive again?
  • Now this is only my take on it, but when God and Satan fought back then and the Earth was left a lifeless husk for a long while, while the demons were physically dead, their souls continued to roam the planet (which might explain the incorporeal part). But they're pretty much like ghosts in that they can't properly live again without possessing a human/animal/other host. Therefore, it's likely that if they're left in their incorporeal/spirit forms, they're unable to do anything, and thus would be useless in the upcoming battle with God.
  • Also, there's no restrictions on them taking over a host; anyone's actually fair game, although they just really prefer the humans who are curious or actively engage in debauchery, because their lack of morals or empathy or anything similar lets them completely possess the human without any struggle.
• So what's the deal with the soldiers that tried killing the child Ryo, complete with a bombing run? Was that the American government aware of devils and their supernatural powers? Were they aware that the child they were attacking was actually Satan, and this was all an attempt to save humanity before the demonic invasion could occur? Even more confusing is how soldiers ambush Ryo in the same location years later: Were they monitoring Ryo's development in Japan, or did they find out that he survived that bombing run years later?
  • That seems to be what's implied.
• One majorly jarring aspect of the whole show to me, especially in this iteration, is how Anime Logic takes place that's cranked up at this point. The way people behave, Ryo's reasoning in contrast to his actions, the fact that Akira didn't even remotely sense that what Ryo is doing is anything but saving humanity. Ryo only questioning how he knew about Amon towards the end of the show. No teachers being severely concerned about Akira's sudden change. Despite the apocalypse taking off after Koda's reveal, most people still acting like it isn't a big deal while paranoid mobs roam the cities. And most importantly, Ryo's Kill-or-be-Killed speech on live TV. How no one seems to be even slightly critical of their environment just completely blows my mind. My closest call is that there are some adaptational issues from the old manga plus that the show is to be understood in a more metaphorical sense than literal. Still, I'd at least like to know what goes on in Ryo's head that he can justify all he does until the very end. Since, despite putting an emphasis on logic at all times, he does have moments that show the very opposite. How can he say love/sorrow doesn't exist when there are at least physical measurements that clearly indicate it does?
  • All those issues can be easily handwave as part of the designs of a very angry omnipotent being that hijacked the entire creation in order to forever punish the one angel that dared to rebel.
• Are the demons supposed to be sympathetic, and is the audience supposed to think they can be reasoned with? Akira shows sympathy for Kaim and Silene, and Ryo scoffs at the idea of reasoning with demons. Based on the rest of the series, he is right. The unnamed demons are the same murderers who kill humans For the Evulz we saw before Kaim and Silene's introduction. Kaim is the only one bothered by their race's sadism, and he still does nothing to stop it; plus, he is in love with Silene, who not only doesn't share his stance, she scoffs at it while proudly showing her sadism. This makes Kaim come off more as a hypocrite than anything else. Psycho Jenny bringing up how cruelly God treated the demons gives the feeling the demons are supposed to be sympathetic, but we also heard about how when the demons did rule the Earth, it was a Social Darwinist dystopia of suffering and murder. This makes Psycho Jenny's remarks about humans betraying each other look hypocritical, knowing it is normal for demons to kill each other on a whim. The anime talks about peaceful coexistence, but its conflict is driven by an Always Chaotic Evil race of monsters who enjoy violence, see humans as inferior, treat each other worse than humans do, and if there are any good demons, we do not see any. Ryo is an angel, not a demon, so even if he can be redeemed, he doesn't count as an example of a demon with the capacity for good, especially since it is implied he acts like a sociopath because Psycho Jenny raised him.

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