Netflix has posted the trailer for the second season of Devil May Cry on their YouTube channel on Aug. 21. The season is set for release in 2026, with the short and sweet trailer giving fans a taste of what’s to come from showrunner Adi Shankar once again. You can take a look for yourself at the trailer below.
In the trailer we see a clearly older version of Dante, with longer hair reminiscent of his design in Devil May Cry 2. Notablely, we get confirmation that the long-anticipated fight between Dante and his older brother Virgil is finally going to happen, a storyline that was teased back in the opening sequence of Season 1. It’s great to see the teaser pay homage to Season 1 by bringing a slower rendition of “Afterlife”, a song by Evanescence specifically for the series.
The Saga Started on PlayStation
The franchise began with the original Devil May Cry on PlayStation 2, released back in 2001. Directed by Hideki Kamiya behind Bayonetta and Okami for Capcom, the series became one of Capcom’s most recognizable properties. But this isn’t the first anime adaptation the series has received. Back in 2007, Madhouse produced a one-season anime but the Netflix adaptation has clearly done well for itself to earn a second season.
Season 1 premiered in April 2025, and proved to be a hit for Netflix. The series got a 95 percent Rotten Tomatoes score and 5.3 million views in its first three days after release. It climbed to number four on Netflix’s global top ten list and featured posthumous cameos from voice actors like Kevin Conroy and Tony Todd. The timing was perfect to boost excitement for the games, especially Devil May Cry 5.
Netflix’s take on the games, animated by Studio Mir, veers away from the original plot of the games. Instead, it tells a self-contained story which Adi Shankar says is inspired by Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening. This alternate universe approach resulted in reimagined characters and events while still staying rooted in the original world of the franchise.
In the anime adaptations, there are distinct differences in characterization of characters, such as Lady being portrayed as a more fierce and dominant character than originally in the game, and demons being humanized more compared to the game as well. But this isn’t the first question that people have raised in regards to how faithful the anime stays to the games.
Debate Around Season Two
(SPOILER WARNING…proceed with caution) Season 1 wrapped up with the destruction of the rift machine and the terrorist White Rabbit Organization is no more. But new threats loom as Vergil has freed demons to serve Mundus, the master of hell. Furious at both America and his younger brother for what’s been done to the demon world, Vergil now stands as a decent opponent to his younger brother Dante.
Season 2 looks to be set for a dramatic storyline, but the consensus from fans is hardly unanimous. Johnny Yong Bosch returns as Dante, and we hear the unmistakable Robbie Daymond voicing Vergil. This has drawn a mixed reaction from fans compared to the character’s original game actors, notably Daniel Southworth, who has portrayed him in the more recent games in the series. Daymond is nevertheless a talented voice actor, but the voice is understandably a heavy contrast to Vergil’s in the game.
Others continue to criticize Adi Shankar’s continuous deviation from the lore of the games, frequently bringing up questions of how long he will stray away from Capcom’s source material. Still, it would be fair to say that the anime is doing what adaptations do best: reinventing a franchise for a new medium, while leaving the original intact for those who prefer it.
Whether you’re a longtime fan of Devil May Cry or just getting into Dante’s lore for the first time, Netflix’s Devil May Cry anime is a worthwhile adaptation to watch this fall. With Season 2 coming next year, now’s the perfect time to catch up on the series and hopefully become a fan. Watch Season 1 of Devil May Cry now streaming on Netflix.
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