Characters in Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry is a series of video games set in the present, developed by Capcom and created by Hideki Kamiya. The series' success has led to comic books, novelizations, an anime series, guides, collectibles and a variety of action figures.

The series centers on Dante's mission to avenge the death of his mother, Eva, by exterminating demons. In the process he encounters his long-lost twin brother, Vergil, with whom he has a dysfunctional relationship. As the series progresses a demon emperor, Mundus, is found to be responsible for the murder of Dante's mother and the enslavement of his brother. Although Dante is often the main playable character, the player also controls other characters.

The characters in Devil May Cry were conceived by Hideki Kamiya, a video-game designer with Capcom and Clover Studio. Nero and several characters in Devil May Cry 4 were created by Tatsuya Yoshikawa, who said that designing Nero was one of the greatest challenges of his career. Each game in the series introduces a new antagonist and supporting characters.

Series creator Hideki Kamiya said that the title character from the manga series Cobra, by Buichi Terasawa, was the basis for Dante. Dante wears a red cloak to make the character's actions more eye-catching; red is the traditional Japanese color for a hero.

Devil May Cry 4 producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi said before the game's release that he wanted to make Dante appear more powerful than the other protagonist, Nero, to contrast the strength of a "veteran" with that of a "rookie". The series' storyline also required Dante to demonstrate his power after first game and its prequel, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. Kobayashi said, "When creating a sequel, you don't want to make a character weak again from the start for no good reason. Everyone wanted to see Dante be just as powerful as they remembered him," emphasizing that playing as Dante without his previous abilities would otherwise feel "very strange." Both main characters' capabilities were part of the series' early development.

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