Devil May Cry Analysis | Gothic Themes & Symbols in DMC 

The women as symbols thing is also very noticeable in Visions of V with Dante and Vergil's mother She still probably has more lines in a few pages than Kirye throughout a whole game but a lot of them can be resumed to "mommy just wants you two to go one day without stabbing each other..."

One of the things that pulled me to Devil May Cry was the gothic atmosphere, and you definitely nailed the analysis about it. I enjoyed it a lot.

I understand using "I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with LiIiIgHt", but I feel a very good line comes from 4. Agnes is monologing to a skull and a spotlight comes in for Dante to retort. He then states that he's stronger simply because Agnes sacrificed his humanity. I know 2 is a cursed game that should never be mentioned, but it's about a rich businessman that ran out of ways to gain power naturally begins performing rituals to gain demonic energy; it's revealed partway through that Lucia is a failed creation of evil businessman; after defeating the businessman it's revealed that the demon he was drawing from was one that Sparda had sealed away eons ago. If the characters could emote it would hit every trope on the way through

The whole gothic theme is one of the things that actually made me fall I'm love with this series like I did. I'm an absolute sucker for anything gothic/Victorian and it's definitely one reason bloodborne is also one of my most beloved games lol. This is a really good video!

Huh... Urizen being what's left when Vergil removed his humanity (and any other things he perceived as weakness) And thus being so... lacking in emotion. Well it does make him an antithesis to the Gothic ideal of feeling emotions, doesn't it?

The scholarly, analytical tone with which you discussed Dante's sexual aura made my day

I am glad we devoted a section to examining the gothic roots of Dante the Gay Cowboy.

absolutely brilliant. i especially enjoyed 16:20 "This refusal to adhere to masculine traditions that restrict feeling is very Gothic, as no true Gothic work would be satisfied with the idea someone should not feel something. They should feel everything, and express it vividly and passionately."

How funny. I was literally browsing through DMC videos to get some motivation for another playthrough, and this video definitely makes the cut :)

15:38 *nero casually growing back his arm and turning into a demon just cuz he was called a deadweight*

Another banger! I especially loved the segment about the irresistible allure of the non-human outsider characters (like Dracula and Carmilla) to the more typical human characters that resemble holiness and innocence (like Lucy in Dracula and Laura in Carmilla). Kyrie's love for Nero (and even Eva's love for Sparda) seems to me like a re-emergence of that theme, as she falls in love with him over any mortal being in Fortuna, insistent that she "doesn't know anyone as human as he is". That line itself even reminds me of how Laura remains attached to Carmilla despite Carmilla's volatile behavior and inner struggles with her urges to hide from and feed on her lover (much like how Nero so often struggles with feeling subhuman, trying to suppress his demon side for Kyrie).

Why does Nero want to keep his relationship with Kyrie secret at the beginning of 4? He doesn't want his brother to know he's nailing their sister. If you don't read the character bios you miss out on the real story. By the end of 4 when Nero and Kyrie are looking at the destroyed Fortuna, they realize; everyone who would have judged them for their relationship is now dead. I love a happy ending.

Gothic horror seems to me to be "The Monsters are coming for our Women" and now it's "Our Women are coming for the Monsters."

I got so heartbroken and devastated that they didn’t use the gothic/metal atmosphere for dmc 5

This only makes me love this series even more now. Thanks for deepening my understanding of DMC

Ah ah ah, thegamingmuse, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde are not two minds, but a single mind! The potion letting Jekyll transform into Hyde giving him a form of alibi to indulge in his wicked tendencies, which scares him into not wanting to take the potion any longer partway through.

She got so carried away by the homosexual mood she forgot to talk about the music

On the point that men crying is never made the subject of comedy in the DMC series, this point made about 16 minutes into the video. I would disagree. Nico does tell Nero that crying "does make him a little b****", in the ending of Devil May Cry V. I personally was very disappointed in that moment, as to me it represented an insecure failing of the series tradition to uphold male emotion as something valuable. So I definitely remember it. Otherwise I would agree with what you're saying. Devil May Cry shows men crying, and it's good, and it's not a joke, except in DMCV I think. This was a very interesting analysis though.

Wow! All I can say is that this is a really awesome video. I can tell how much work went into it. I never truly realized the extent to which Gothic literature and architecture had affected one of my favorite gaming franchises. Thanks for making it. It brought me back and recontextualized some of the stuff I never really picked up on, even when replaying the games as an adult. I'm not familiar with gothic literature. It gives me a new-found respect for Hideki Kamiya and Hideaki Itsuno considering how well-read they must've been to implement these themes, and I already had immense respect for them due to the incredible games they made and continue to make.

8:24 I know this is a dmc video, but GEEZ this should also be a Castlevania video as well at this point. I mean Castlevania and dmc are both amazing series that are the top of 2d and 3d gaming in my opinion.

this is a great video, but there's something so funny about them trying to pass dante off as scary and threatening in dmc4 whilst wearing cowboy boots and chaps in a catholic church

Mallet Island itself was super gothic. The most gothic of all the villains was Nevan. I wish they explained more about her origins

I'm a massive Silent hill fan but I'm loving the Devil may cry content lately! Your last video made me want to go back and play DMC2

and let's please not forget the soundtrack (especially from 1-4), with the ominous but beautiful choirs and organs when Dante isn't being a badass while hard rock plays in the background, that is

I never expected dante being stabbed to have sexual implications but im all here for it. Dante is my favorite gay cowboy lmao. 29:34 Hideki Kamiya, creator of dante has said he's actually super scared while fighting demons but uses his cocky attitude as a way to hide it.

The rise of opium use in Europe coincided with the Gothic literary movement. I think that might have something to do with the pale, ghostly aesthetic.

Gaming muse, dmc and goth ascetic. Hell yes

Wow, thank you for this analysis! It's a fascinating topic and I never realised how actually gothic DMC always was, that it goes far beyond just aesthetics. It explains why I always felt that Dante gives off a certain aura of homosexuality, and why his first fight with Vergil in DMC3 felt so... homoerotic. Although it never seemed as explicit as you made it out to be, for some reason.

One of the best channels about games. Thanks a lot for knowledges and ideas. I love Horror Game and.... Fighting games weird couple, but For me so powerful in it s stories, characters, atmosphere, mythology. And so inspiritional.

This was just 30 minutes of me going “OHHHHHH I SEE” and feeling like a dunce. I LOVE IT

The gothic architecture is what I love the most!

Incredible video Muse. Really loved the history portion and I was always confused with the origin of the adjective of the word goth. Also the eroticism I never understood DMC1s sword pull…. It all makes sense now…. Wow thank you for such great content!

I loved this. Makes me appreciate the series even more and hits even closer because I'm playing Elden Ring at the moment. I never really thought about what makes up the gothic genre. Thank you for this.

Great idea for a video. Grad school thesis level approach to DMC lore. A+

Almost to the point of comedy? Castle of Otranto is probably one of the unintentionally funniest novellas you're likely to read.

you gained a new follower... amazing video! and thanks for the references!

Hey honestly? It's been like a week since I watched this video and I have been thinking about it EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DAY SINCE, THIS IS SO GOOOOOOOOOOOOD

Castlevania and devil may cry m fav gothic series

amazing video, I might want to read some gothic works just cause of this, didn't realise a series a love took so much inspiration from there

brilliant analysis of a franchise and genre i love!

This video was amazing, i'll admit i'm slightly saddened that you didn't mention something about Dante and Lady but i dunno if it added something to themes anyway.

Yes! I've been wondering about this since I played dmc and finally someone has covered this.

When I think of the Gothic in video games, I think of Devil May Cry, Bloodborne, and Haunting Ground. Granted these stick out because of how often I've played them and reveled in their melancholy. These games uphold a lot of the tropes and ideals that the literary genre is known for. It's not just the architecture, either. It's the atmosphere, the settings. Dimly lit locales where something supernatural is always afoot, and where the shadows may as well be watching your every move. I wish more games these days embraced the beauty of the genre, and how well it can lend itself to creating somber and breathtaking tones. It's enthralling to me; truly the closest you can get to Gothic horror without having to read The Castle of Otranto or Uncle Silas.

Is this why I love DMC3 Dante 😳

this is the absolute best explanation of the gothic genre I've ever come across

daaamn, this video hit the spot! great work

first video on this channel and it looks like this channel was made for me and yes dmc is gothic but also influenced by late 90s and early 2000s rebellious rock culture and all its aspects of freedom drug abuse and anti social life style now why is it that the case .. mostly because dmc just like resi4 are japanese games and dante is the sterotypical cocky white american/european designed for japanese consumers who fantasize about being a european ''badass'' living in a european setting dante even has the 'anime' hairstyle now put that in a gothic setting to give it even more european atmosphere but the hero cant be sad he has to be smug which the opposite of japanese culture then add some rock music on top of that which fits the fast paced action and you get a classic game if you dont believe me let me say this the early dmc games were created with only the japanese audiance in mind so it was from a japanese devs perspective who all have the japanese consumer in mind thats why the ps2 era had so many unique bizzare games and hidden gems

Another Capcom game worth mentioning that approached the Gothic style right was Chaos Legion. An underrated PS2 game with an Neo-Gothic aesthetic, including the character/world designs, storyline and the heavy orchestral choir mixed Jungle/Breakcore/Metal OST 🖤

Loved ur narration 🤍

Ever play the legacy of Kain games? Extremely gothic

Happy to discover this channel. Easy sub and I submitted this to Critical Distance's games writing weekly roundup.

9:00 to skip to the dmc part. You're welcome.

Spectacular video

If it wasn't for my rigid catholic upbringing I wouldn't be blushing at the mentions of Dante dancing for the viewer (despite having seen it already)

Great video👌

Great video, but the subtitles are glitched.

Beautiful video...now I know why I love Devil May Cry... it´s Gothic and fun...

Wow never knew Gothic was that deep

Holy shit this is an amazing video. I’ve always been confused about what dmc tries to be.

Oh boy, a perfect video... ಥ‿ಥ

that was aaaaaawesome

I love your videos!

by all means, please go on making content on DMC

I don't know much about gothic, but one thing is for sure, Nevan is pretty gothicc

Thanks for the history lesson.

The Gothic hero well that's new

Underrated channel

actually credo and Kyrie are the actual brother and sister. Nero was an orphan seeking sanctuary and was taken in. he later found out he was a demon because of his father Vergil. up until that time. Nero did developed strong feelings for her over the course of time but, they weren't brother and sister. otherwise she would have showcased Vergil's traits if he was her father. To keep her as the symbol of innocence or damsel in distress as the icon as it should be. This is to give the hero motivation to save the one he loves that he cannot have for himself. This is detailed multiple times in the cutscenes of dmc4 where enemies fly away as they take her detailing the strength Nero must find just keep up. detailing he truly takes after his father Vergil. "Power give me more power", now i wouldn't call it homoerotism with Dante. I would say he's more in tuned with himself. detailing his hubris nature after all he is a half breed. Dante being born half demon. details him as a killing machine. in the games it is shown he is very vibrant and filled with great joy as he performs his attributes against those his dad fought against. when he isn't indulging in the blood of his enemies. Dante goes into a great level of depression. his luck with women is terrible and finds human to be more irking than demons. this is detailed in the anime episode 2 highway star. even at the end of each episode Dante can be seen as a drunk with a glass of scotch in his hand. its the battle from within himself he has to face each day as he tries to keep the lights on. his morals are centered from the legend of his father Sparda had set 2000 years prior and has held that reputation quite well. some even saying that he has surpassed his father. arrogant maybe which is to love oneself beyond another. homosexual in nature not likely. the drive of pleasure he gets comes from demon scum and the MJ dance weapon was taking a positive approach DMC4 failed at. considering the game was less than 40% complete. so much criticism came from it. so instead of shaming the cowboy gig since it reminded alot of fans from broke back mountain and yes i know it was memed quite well. they only embraced it in DMC5. to give players a new weapon to play around with. Capcom has been very fruitful when it comes to pop culture. such as Leon S kennedy named after the move Leon and metilda his gun also named after the little girl. no doubt Michael Jackson was heavily considered when his moveset was used as the king of pop. so capcom put 2 and 2 together. just to make that scene. most likely for nostalgia purposes. seeing many of its fans grew up in that era. the 1st game is rated M after all. so in 2001 at the earliest someone at 17 had to have been born in 1984. so it was a throwback to better days. since in the 80's the world was perfectly balanced and many were spoiled because of it. i have studied the lore quite well. yes there are many gothic tones but, when it comes to a beloved series. let sleeping dogs lie. emotions are beautiful as they can be faulty. which always leads room for improvement. to modernize the gothic lore was and forever retain its value in mystery of what lies beyond for the imaginations to unravel. its like a childish charm. it will grow into something beautiful and noble. Just ask shiek from Ocarina of time.

This video = Really Good :D

DUDE I LOVE THIS SO MUCH, I WAS SO DISSAPOINTED WHEN DMC3 LEANED MORE TOWARDS URBAN AND FANTASY RATHER THAN GOTHIC VAMPIRE STUFF LIKE DMC 1 AND 2

Thanks!

can I just ask why we do not say just what we want to say....that when the richmaker comes that the ones who have the knowledge that they will never have what it is that takes us to the place of utter coming that one knows the windowframes have feathered hats and GUNS! What is bloodline father? Though you cannot hear me (on thy way to the land of ptah) the structure...the letter...the blood the dragon slain.....THE DRAGON SLAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

The fact DMC5 said "Fuck this gothic theme" is one of the reasons i haven't played it yet. I'm so disinterested in the world of that game now.

I never knew or really payed attention to that in game I mean I just never really knew if a game like Dmc had "Gothic" themes in it because well where is all the black, darkness, they should have??? I mean that one was just lost with me unfortunately.

I love DMC and GoTHICC.

DMC1 is the best 3d Castlevania game and its not eveb close

gotta say, this video inspired me to write gothic book

Love it! I never knowed i'm so close to ghotic.

I think your captions are broken

Gothic gamers I love it

🖤

Bram Stoker wasn't just a friend of Oscar Wilde, his wife had previously dated Wilde. Also, Bram Stoker himself was very likely gay. He was a big fan of Walt Whitman, an openly gay poet. The letter Stoker wrote to Whitman is pretty strong evidence.

👏👏👏👏

Jesus Christ is King!

I don’t think dmc as gothic I find Castlevania gothic

Son unos XXXGIRLS.Uno de los mejoresa conciertos Mañas no 8 se l 💯💞😍

To be goth is to be gay. I mean that on the best way tho.

Great video!