Devil May Cry Anime Has the Power With Masters of the Universe Quip in New Promo

Dante of the Devil May Cry series has become a video game icon over the decades. With the first entry of the Capcon supernatural action series arriving on the PlayStation 2, Dante’s story has traversed five main games and a bevy of crossovers and supplementary material. Later this spring, Netflix is once again bringing Dante back to the anime world with executive producer Adi Shankar (Castlevania, Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix) riding shotgun. As the release date quickly approaches, a brand new preview clip has arrived that both highlights Dante’s love of ultraviolence and his ability to crack wise with a reference to Eternia.

Devil May Cry’s upcoming anime series will arrive on Netflix on April 3rd, with the opening of the show hilariously using Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’” to capture the energy and aesthetic of Dante. Reportedly running for eight episodes, Shankar has worn his love of the franchise on his sleeve, routinely sporting characters’ looks, even during interviews. Thanks to the long-spanning game series, there are plenty of stories to adapt but this anime will establish its own story calling upon references and characters from the franchise. Considering just how in love Adi is with the Capcom franchise, expect plenty of easter eggs for fans of the video game franchise.

[RELATED: Netflix’s Devil May Cry Hypes Premiere With New Promo]

Dante, Master of The Universe

In the first clip for the upcoming Netflix animated series, Dante shows off his skills by blasting his way through two demons that are looking to kill an innocent woman. Once he dispatches the creatures of the night, the son of Sparda cracks a joke about the demons looking like Skeletor and how the Eternia antagonist has “not held up since the ’80s.” Of course, like many of Dante’s terrible jokes, this one doesn’t land with its intended audience, despite the hero saving her life.

The Masters of Netflix

He-Man and his fellow heroes of Eternia have made quite a few appearances on the streaming service in recent years. Kevin Smith helped bring to life the recent Masters of The Universe: Revelation and Masters of The Universe: Revolution, which re-imagined the original story with far darker takes. While Revolution did end with quite a post-credits scene that hinted at a potential future, a third series under this banner has yet to be confirmed. On top of these two series, the platform also released He-Man And The Masters of The Universe, a far kid-friendlier tale that incorporated CG animation to bring its story to life.

Masters of the Universe will have a leg-up on Devil May Cry with an upcoming live-action adaptation from Amazon MGM Studios that is planning to release in 2026. The film has already cast the likes of Nicholas Galitzine as He-Man, Jared Leto as Skeleto, Idris Elba as Duncan, and Alison Brie as Evil-Lynn to name a few. With set photos already hitting the internet, it appears as though this film will be a far different take from what we’ve seen before.

The First Devil May Cry Anime

This upcoming Netflix series isn’t the first time that Dante has stormed the world of animation. Devil May Cry: The Animated Series was created by the prolific studio Madhouse in 2007, allowing fans to watch Dante’s tale without taking control of the devil hunter. Lasting for twelve episodes, the series never received a second season and was an original story in the franchise. While Madhouse isn’t animating Adi Shankar’s pride and joy, Studio Mir is taking the reins and has shown its skills with outings such as The Legend of Korra, My Adventures With Superman, and many more.

While the new anime series is a few weeks away, the same can’t be said for a new entry in the Devil May Cry gaming series. Following the release of Devil May Cry 5 in 2019, a sixth entry and/or a spin-off game have yet to be revealed. Considering how the fifth game ended, it does make for a conclusive finale to the long-running series though fingers crossed that we haven’t seen the last of Dante and company in the gaming world.

Want to stay in the loop when it comes to the animated Dante? Follow along with Team Anime for all the latest on Netflix’s Devil May Cry and hit me up directly @EVComedy to talk all things comics and anime or hit us up in the comments.