The COMPLETE Devil May Cry Timeline Explained
The Devil May Cry Timeline Explained
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today we’re going through the entire “Devil May Cry” timeline. Since the overarching plot is released out of order, we’ll be looking at it chronologically. We’re ignoring 2013’s “DmC” since that takes place in an alternate universe.
Two thousand years ago, a demon named Mundus consumes fruit from the Qliphoth tree, becoming the emperor of the Demon World. The Black Knight Sparda, once Mundus’ prime general, fights and rebels against Mundus. After defeating Mundus, Sparda seals him and most of his malevolent forces away, shutting the Demon World through various Hell Gates. The final portal, a massive tower called the Temen-ni-gru, is closed using his own blood, the blood of a human priestess, and his namesake sword.
Although most of his adventures over the next two millennia are a mystery, Sparda encountered further foes during this time. This included using the sword Yamato to seal another Hell Gate in the town of Fortuna. In awe of Sparda’s heroics, the townspeople revere him as a god, worshipping him as their lord. Sparda also saved the people of Vie de Maril, battling an ancient evil known as Argosax the Chaos, alongside a woman called Matier and her clan of Protectors. Despite being trapped with Argosax in the Demon World, Sparda somehow found his way back to the human world.
At some point during modern times, Sparda meets and fell in love with a human woman named Eva. Giving up his demon life for good, Sparda marries Eva, who gives birth to twin sons Vergil and Dante. For the first eight years of the boys’ life, they form a family with Sparda and Eva, with their father training them in the art of battle. Eva gifts her sons two halves of an amulet, which Vergil and Dante treasure. However, after Sparda dies under unknown circumstances, the family is attacked by demons sent by Mundus, killing Eva and separating the brothers. Vergil, mistakenly believing his mother abandoned him to rescue Dante, harbors a grudge against his brother from there on.
Each brother acquires weapons and artefacts from their father: Dante claims the guns Ebony & Ivory, and the sword Rebellion, while Vergil inherits the Yamato. Growing up separately, Dante ultimately becomes a mercenary, taking up jobs hunting demons. Meanwhile, Vergil comes to believe that unlocking his true demonic power is his destiny. He travels the world uncovering information about the Demon World, eventually arriving in Fortuna. During his time there, he meets and impregnates a local woman, unaware of the birth of his son months later. At the age of 18, Dante and Vergil encounter each other once again. Years of resentment surface, and the brothers become rivals. Vergil refuses to abandon his quest for power, while Dante vows to stop him if he has to. The brothers part ways under acrimonious circumstances.
A year later, Vergil’s travels bring him across Arkham, a human obsessed with becoming a devil. Arkham, who killed his own wife to gain demonic powers, reveals that both halves of Vergil and Dante’s amulet form the key to resurface Temen-ni-gru and open the Demon World. They then set their sights to lure Dante to the tower.
Dante, who’s opened an unnamed demon-hunting shop, is attacked by Arkham. As the massive tower erupts into the city, Dante deduces that Vergil wants to be found. Making his way to Temen-ni-gru, a mysterious young woman arrives pursuing Arkham, whom Dante calls Lady. After venturing deeper into Temen-ni-gru, Dante is antagonized by Jester, a demonic clown who constantly taunts him. Lady catches up to Arkham, who acknowledges her as his daughter Mary. Attempting to avenge her mother, Lady is overpowered by her father, before Dante rescues her. Learning he’s also a demon, Lady vows to wipe out all of demonkind. Making his way to the top of the tower, Dante confronts Vergil, who defeats his younger twin and claims his amulet. However, this activates Dante’s demon side, pushing him to stop Vergil and Arkham’s plans to bring the Demon World to the human world.
As Vergil and Arkham approach the door to the final chamber, Vergil betrays Arkham. Lady finds Arkham in his final moments, who convinces her his evil actions were part of Vergil’s manipulations. Inside the chamber, Dante and Vergil clash again before they’re interrupted by Lady and Jester. The latter reveals himself as Arkham in disguise, having set all of them up. As the descendant of the priestess whose blood Sparda used to seal Temen-ni-gru, Lady’s blood – combined with the sons of Sparda’s blood – is the final key to reach the Demon World. Leaving the trio for dead, Arkham ventures into the demonic realm to find the Force Edge, the dormant form of Sparda’s namesake sword.
After battling his way back to the tower, Dante defeats Lady to face Arkham in the Demon World. Meanwhile, Vergil sneaks up the tower as well, reaching Dante during his clash against an empowered Arkham. Working together, the brothers defeat Arkham. Finding her father wounded and weakened, an enraged Lady kills him, avenging her mother. In the Demon World, Dante and Vergil fight for ownership of the Force Edge, with Dante defeating his older twin. Vergil chooses to stay, reclaiming his half of the amulet before casting himself into the depths of the Demon World. Witnessing Dante mourn the loss of his brother, Lady realizes that not all demons are evil. This wins him her respect, marking the beginning of their friendship. Lady leaves for her own adventures, but not before providing Dante with the name of his demon-hunting business – “Devil May Cry.”
In the Demon World, an injured Vergil encounters Mundus and decides to challenge him. However, Vergil is defeated and transformed into the Black Angel, Nelo Angelo, now Mundus’ enslaved servant. The Yamato, shattered and in disrepair, ends up in Fortuna, in the hands of Agnus, a researcher for the Order of the Sword.
Ten years later, Mundus begins his plan to escape the Demon World by creating Trish, a demon in the visage of Dante and Vergil’s mother, Eva. She approaches Dante in his shop, asking him to accompany her to Mallet Island to stop Mundus from opening a Hell Gate. Trish quickly abandons him, leaving Dante to explore the island on his own. During his stay, he’s constantly stalked by Nelo Angelo, fighting the Black Knight on multiple occasions. Dante also faces off against Mundus’ various monstrous servants, while discovering Sparda’s history with Mundus.
Nelo Angelo confronts Dante again, unmasking himself for the first time. Dante defeats his corrupted twin, who appears to perish in an explosion. With his half of the amulet left behind, Dante realizes Nelo Angelo and Vergil were one and the same. Unlocking the power of the Force Edge with both amulets, Dante possesses Sparda’s namesake weapon. Eventually, Trish reveals herself as a spy for Mundus, although Dante continues to see the good in her. Mundus exploits their connection, but inadvertently empowers Dante to fight him on even terms. After a prolonged battle, Dante banishes Mundus back to the Demon World with Trish’s help. Free from the clutches of the demon emperor, Trish chooses to join Dante’s business as his partner, renaming it “Devil Never Cry.”
Trish begins to work independently, leaving Dante as the sole owner of the shop, renaming it back to “Devil May Cry” sometime later. Low on funds, Dante relies on loans from Lady and J.D. Morrison, his information broker. Needing money to pay off his debts, he accepts a job to bodyguard a young orphan named Patty Lowell. Initially believing her to be a rich heiress, Dante learns she’s just a decoy, ultimately becoming Patty’s reluctant caretaker.
Meanwhile, Lady is hired to kill a female demon with mysterious powers, unaware that it is Trish. The two engage in a massive battle, believing the other to be the evil party. However, Dante intervenes just in time, introducing his allies to one another. During this time, a demon named Sid manipulates Dante, planning to use Patty to open a gate to the Demon World. Patty, a descendent of a sorcerer named Alan Lowell, possesses the amulet needed to release the powers of the demon Abigail that Sid is after. Through the combined forces of Dante and his allies, Sid is defeated and Abigail’s powers vanquished. Reunited with her birth mother, Patty leaves Dante’s care, who resumes demon-hunting with Lady and Trish.
Years later, now working alone, Dante meets Lucia, who takes him to visit Vie de Marli. Dante meets the now-elderly Matier, Lucia’s mother, learning that a businessman named Arius has taken control of the island. Arius plans to release Argosax the Chaos and absorb its powers. Dante and Lucia decide to locate the Arcanas, holy relics Arius needs to summon Argosax.
The pair end up in a confrontation with Arius, who reveals Lucia as his failed creation. Despite asking Dante to sacrifice her to save the human world, the latter trades Lucia’s life with the Arcanas. While Dante leaves to stop Arius from opening the portal to the Demon World, Matier confirms Lucia’s status as a creation of Arius. However, by emphasizing the difference between Lucia’s inherent goodness to Arius’ evil, Matier reaffirms her bond with Lucia as her adoptive mother. Her faith restored, Lucia heads to assist Dante. The latter engages in a battle with Arius, defeating the villain but unable to prevent Argosax’s return. Realizing it will be a one-way trip to the Demon World, Dante and Lucia toss a coin to decide who goes in. As it lands on Dante, he bids her farewell.
Despite losing to Dante, Arius returns as an undead abomination, empowered by Argosax’s rise. Fighting Lucia one last time in a bid for revenge, Arius is defeated for good. With Vie de Marli’s safety ensured, Lucia waits for Dante’s return. In the Demon World, Dante and Argosax face off. Despite transforming into its true form, the entity falls to Dante, ending its long-standing threat for good. Finding the portal to the human world closed, Dante heads deeper into the Demon World, looking for a way back. Back on Earth, a despondent Lucia is comforted by Matier, reminding her of Sparda’s return from a similar fate. A short time later, Lucia still waits for Dante in his shop, heading out when she hears the sound of a motorbike.
Dante comes across a “hole” – interdimensional gateways that connect the Demon World with the human realm. He enters one to return back home, sharing a warm reunion with Lucia. After gaining the closure she needed, Lucia returns to Vie de Marli while Dante resumes his demon-hunting business.
Sometime later, Dante reunites with Trish and Lady, with the former rejoining Devil May Cry as his partner. Lady offers him a job to investigate the Order of the Sword’s suspicious activities in Fortuna. Trish heads off by herself, disguising herself as Gloria to spy on the Order from within. Dante conducts his own investigation, taking an interest in a young guardsman named Nero. Intrigued by Nero’s Devil Bringer arm, Dante suspects he and Nero might be related.
With information from Trish, Dante deduces the Order’s true purpose: creating an army of demons and unlocking a Hell Gate to take over the world. The Order’s leader, High Priest Sanctus, creates a massive statue named the Savior as his main weapon. To do so, he plans to lure Dante to Fortuna and use him as the key to activate the Savior, knowing Dante will arrive to claim the Yamato. However, learning Nero shares Sparda’s blood, Sanctus shifts his focus to him instead. Hoping to thwart Sanctus’ plans before they can be put into motion, Dante crashes a ceremony and assassinates him. Nero, believing Dante to be the enemy, engages him in a battle. Realizing the depth of Nero’s powers, Dante’s belief of their familial relation strengthens. After ending their fight on a stalemate, Dante leaves to care of the rest of the Order while Nero is tasked with capturing him.
During his mission, Nero uncovers the Order’s plans, locating the Yamato held by the organization’s head researcher, Agnus. The sword repairs itself in Nero’s presence, empowering him and unlocking his devil trigger, forcing Agnus to flee. Believing his mentor Credo can bring the Order to justice, Nero is surprised with Credo’s involvement with the organization. The two fight but are interrupted by Agnus, who holds Credo’s sister and Nero’s love interest Kyrie hostage. Meanwhile, Nero fails to rescue Kyrie and encounters Dante once again. Noticing how the Yamato reacts to him, Dante realizes that not only are he and Nero related – Nero is Vergil’s son. Despite beating Nero in combat, Dante allows him to keep the Yamato since their interests are aligned.
Nero confronts Sanctus to save Nero, who’s been revived through demonic means, but finds himself outmatched and absorbed into the Savior. Credo attempts to help but is slayed by Sanctus, asking Dante’s help before he perishes. While Trish evacuates Fortuna’s citizens, he destroys all the Hell Gates within the city. Dante also kills Agnus to regain the Yamato, which he uses to revive Nero. Keeping the Savior busy from the outside, Dante tasks Nero to finish Sanctus off from within. Fueled by the power of the Yamato, Nero confronts Sanctus one more time, foiling his plans and destroying him with the Savior.
Meeting Dante before bidding farewell, Nero attempts to return the Yamato. However, Dante entrusts him with it, choosing not to reveal their connection as uncle and nephew just yet. With the safety of Fortuna restored, Nero and Kyrie begin a relationship, while Dante heads back home with Lady and Trish.
Over the next five years, Nero and Kyrie move in together, looking after the orphanage in Fortuna. Continuing his association with Dante, Nero opens a branch of Devil May Cry in the city, becoming a devil hunter in his own right. Nero also befriends Agnus’ long-abandoned daughter Nico, who works as an inventor and craftswoman, and provides him with advanced weaponry. With Nico’s help, Devil May Cry becomes a mobile branch, as the pair travel and look for demons to hunt.
Meanwhile, Dante returns to Vie de Marli on Matier’s request. Learning that Balrog, Argosax’s right-hand man, is tormenting the island. Dante reunites with Lucia to battle the demon. Balrog uses a shard of Yamato as his main source of power, alerting Dante to the possibility of Vergil’s survival. Despite the power boost, Balrog is no match for Dante, choosing to become one of the latter’s Devil Arms instead. With their mission over, Lucia ponders over revealing his feelings for him. But discouraged by Dante’s obliviousness, she bids him farewell instead.
Although finally free of Mundus’ control, the weakened Vergil’s body begins to deteriorate. Drawn to the Yamato’s power, Vergil ambushes Nero, cutting off his devil bringer and regaining the sword once more. Unable to sustain himself, Vergil returns to his family home and splits himself into different forms: a host of demonic familiars from his corruption as Nelo Angelo, a demonic abomination named Urizen who embodies his lust for power, and a human named V who represents the good in him.
Urizen takes control of Red Grave City, using the Qliphoth demon tree to drain its citizens of their blood. Urizen intends to consume the Qliphoth’s fruit to become a king like Mundus had two millennia ago. V finds himself crumbling without his other half. Three days later, he makes his way to Devil May Cry, hiring Dante to stop Urizen’s destruction of Red Grave City, while Morrison contacts Lady and Trish to assist them. Upon learning that Urizen is Vergil’s demonic alter-ego, Dante accepts the job. However, even with Nero, V, Lady, and Trish by his side, Dante is overwhelmed by Urizen’s power and falls into a coma. While Lady and Trish are captured, Nero and V flee.
One month later, the Qliphoth is close to bearing fruit, forcing Nero and V to act again. The pair destroys as many Qliphoth roots as they can. Nero rescues Lady, while V discovers Dante along with his sword Sparda. After Dante frees Trish, he awakens his own demonic side like Vergil, unlocking the true potential of his powers. Fighting their way to Urizen, Dante and V arrive in time to save Nero. With his newfound abilities, Dante is able to defeat Urizen. However, before anyone can stop him, V merges with Urizen, restoring Vergil back to full strength. Still consumed with his grudge against Dante, Vergil challenges him to a duel at the top of the Qliphoth.
Initially ignoring Nero’s attempts to help, Dante reveals the truth: Nero is Vergil’s son. Refusing to let Nero kill his own father, Dante chooses to face Vergil alone. Hurt and distraught by the rivalry that broke their family apart, Nero resolves to stop their fighting, awakening his demon side and healing his arm. Witnessing Nero’s powers, Vergil acknowledges their relationship. After engaging in a one-on-one fight, a defeated Vergil admits defeat. Dante and Vergil decide to cut down the Qliphoth tree in the Demon World, which will trap them inside. Entrusting Nero with responsibility of the human realm, the brothers bid goodbye, and Vergil promises Nero they’ll meet again.
Weeks later, Lady and Trish put their own differences aside to run Devil May Cry together until Dante returns. Once their mission in the underworld is accomplished, Dante and Vergil spend their time sparring and fighting demons together. After years of hostility, the twins finally reach an understanding to set their resentment aside for good.
And with that, the “Devil May Cry” timeline comes to a close…at least for now!
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