Netflix just revealed the devilishly cool opening sequence to its Devil May Cry anime adaptation helmed by Castlevania producer Adi Shankar, set to release on April 3.
First of all, the title sequence theme song is “Rollin'” by Limp Bizkit. So let’s take a moment to crack an Arizona green tea and appreciate that.
Otherwise, the sequence is stocked with flickering skulls, swords, and pepperoni pizza slices choking on mozzarella – all the necessary sacrifices to conjure an image of demon hunter protagonist Dante’s demonic boyhood.
The opening pairs well with the brutish Devil May Cry footage Netflix unveiled back in September. It shows protagonist Dante doing demon hunter pastimes like pulling a gun out of an oily takeout box and punching monsters in the nose.
Now, with Devil May Cry’s intro confirmed, I feel even more comfortable saying that Devil May Cry – from The Legend of Korra designers Studio Mir – seems to translate Dante’s eye-burning, laser-light deathwish in a similarly spectacular fashion to the Capcom action games.
Playing the Devil May Cry video game series, by Resident Evil developer Hideki Kamiya, has always felt like finding a whirlpool to the underworld in a dive bar sink, ever since its first installment in 2001. Hellfire and greasy pizza is essential to harnessing its vibe, which can hardly be found elsewhere, unless you’re wearing a studded belt.
Anyway, Netflix’s show will need to effectively harness the panic-provoking speed and slime of the Devil May Cry games if it wants to beat the Japanese Devil May Cry anime, which ran for 12 episodes in 2007 before fading into audiences’ indifference.
In contrast, Shankar, speaking to Netflix publication Tudum, vows “to deliver something great.”
“Our goal wasn’t just to pump out another animated show,” he says. “My goal is to make one of the best shows on the Netflix platform – period.”
After 30 years of work on Capcom’s Devil May Cry and Dragon’s Dogma games, director Hideaki Itsuno has already started his “new project.”
