With the new Devil May Cry Netflix adaptation,the franchise will no doubt find new fans who might be interested in the games. If you’re one of those new fans—Welcome! We’re happy to have you. Allow me to formally introduce you to the franchise.
The Devil May Cry franchise has some of the best boss fights in gaming, and pioneered the hack-and-slash genre. No matter how tough they are, they’re always a blast to fight.
As every Devil May Cry fan knows, the fights aren’t about defeating the boss but absolutely owning them.
But what makes a good Devil May Cry boss? A great boss fight is, of course, exciting and fun. These boss fights also don’t have annoying gimmicks, just a pure test of skill.
More importantly, understanding and learning to read their attacks is rewarding, which allows for some awesome ways to farm Style points.
To top it off, these boss fights are also accompanied by a killer soundtrack and iconic moments. These stylish boss fights are what make Devil May Cry one of Capcom’s best franchises.
Spoiler Warning: Naturally, there will be spoilers for DMC1, DMC3, DMC4, and DMC5.
12 Arkham
Devil May Cry 3
After unlocking the true demonic potential of the Temen-ni-gru and absorbing unmatched power, Arkham assumes the form of the legendary Dark Knight Sparda, Dante and Vergil’s father.
After an intense initial boss fight, Dante struggles to hold his own against Arkham, who has now morphed into an amorphous blob of purple demonic goop. With Vergil’s intervention, the two brothers have agreed to set aside their differences for now to face a common enemy.
Arkham’s boss fight itself is frustratingly tedious and hard to read. Not only that, but Arkham’s design as a demon is rather unremarkable.
The only reason Arkham made it onto this list is that the second phase has the narrative impact of you working together with Vergil and the iconic cutscene where the two brothers briefly exchange weapons before both shooting Ebony and Ivory while uttering the catchphrase «Jackpot.»
11 Echidna
Devil May Cry 4
Echidna is a demon who appears in the Devil May Cry Netflix series as one of the White Rabbit’s minions. She first appears in Devil May Cry 4 as a boss that Nero and Dante fight.
A serpentine demon with the power to control plant life and hurl giant eggs at you, Echidna is first encountered by Nero in a chase scene. During the boss fight, she’ll summon minions to fight alongside her while trying to eat Nero.
Dealing enough damage to Echidna will allow Nero to use his Devil Bringer to pummel her weak spot, sending her slithering away in retreat.
We encounter her once again later in the story, and this time, Dante styles on her by kicking her eggs away like soccer balls and trash-talking her.
Once Dante finishes her off, he earns the Devil Arm Gilgamesh, which is a powerful brawler-type weapon that gives Dante a hard-hitting kickboxing moveset.
10 Berial
Devil May Cry 4
Appearing in DMC4 as a recurring minor villain, Berial is a high-level, fiery demon who resembles a bull-headed centaur wreathed with hellish flames and carries a magma sword.
In the story, Berial arrives to attack Nero and serves as a minor roadblock to Nero’s journey in Mission 2. After he’s defeated, he retreats and returns later to run into Dante in Mission 14, who ends up destroying Berial.
As a towering, flaming demon, Berial has an intimidating aura whose presence is unfortunately undermined by the way Dante pummels him during this boss fight.
As a reward, Dante finds and enjoys his new toy, the Devil Arm Lucifer, which can summon an infinite number of exploding blades that he uses to destroy a Hell Gate, giving him the iconic DMC5 taunt where he throws a rose at his target.
The cutscene when Dante uses Lucifer for the first time is also strangely suggestive with the constant innuendos. Oh, Dante…
9 Nevan
Devil May Cry 3
While she rarely had any other appearances other than in DMC3 and the controversial Devil May Cry: Peak of Combat mobile game, Nevan is an iconic boss whose dynamic with Dante was the perfect fit for the tone set forth by DMC3’s story.
With her sultry voice and powers of seduction, Nevan can summon shadows and bats to aid her in battle and can even command-grab and drain your health with a kiss of death.
Dubbed the «Lightning Witch,» Nevan is a leannan sidhe, a type of fae from Irish folklore who seduces mortals, and she is one of the demons sealed in the Temen-ni-gru. Dante encounters her on mission 9, and he responds to her blatantly flirtatious approach with bullets and blades.
When he does defeat her, Nevan acquiesces and willingly transforms into a Devil Arm, a deadly and badass combo of an electric guitar and a razor-sharp sickle.
As is the tradition with acquiring a new Devil Arm, Dante plays with his new weapon, rocking out and becoming able to summon lightning and swarms of bats.
8 Nelo Angelo
Devil May Cry
For much of Devil May Cry’s story, Dante is dogged by a mysterious demonic knight named Nelo Angelo, who taunts and challenges Dante to several duels throughout the game.
While the boss fight isn’t much to write home about because the first game was still finding its identity through its gameplay and combat, Nelo Angelo’s duels were memorable due to how different he felt compared to the other bosses, even Mundus himself.
He had an undeniably unique personality and felt like an equal to Dante, unlike the other demons he’d faced.
Of course, we now know that Nelo Angelo is Vergil, who was held captive, transformed, and brainwashed by Mundus when he jumped into hell on his own at the end of DMC3.
And so the title of Angelo carried on in the next titles, especially in DMC4 and DMC5, where Nelo Angelo was used as a template for future copies of knight-like demons, including Cavaliere Angelo, Scudo/Proto Angelo, and the artificial Bianco Angelos.
You’ll even notice that V has a personal vendetta against Scudo and Proto Angelos because of the trauma he suffered under Mundus as Vergil.
7 Agni And Rudra
Devil May Cry 3
Agni and Rudra are twin demons who appear in the Netflix series as White Rabbit’s minions, and to be quite honest, I’m not a fan of how they were portrayed compared to their introduction in Devil May Cry 3.
Instead of brutish demons with annoying Cockney accents, Agni and Rudra in DMC3—also known as Firestorm—are two living swords wielded by headless statues who guard the door to the demonic tower of Temen-ni-gru.
When Dante first encounters them, they’re overly polite and enthusiastic about talking to Dante while arguing about how they should be «gracious hosts.» But when Dante demands to be let in, they leap into action and attack him as dutiful guards.
Agni and Rudra’s twin boss fight forces you to juggle between the two. Not only can they block, but they can also protect each other when the other is stunned.
Once one of the brothers is knocked out, the other will take up the brother’s sword and dual-wield, unleashing a powerful mix of fire and wind attacks.
Once Dante beats them, the two beg Dante to take them with him as Devil Arms, and he takes them on the condition that they stay quiet. Hilariously, Dante sells them to Enzo in Volume 1 of the drama CD because they annoyed them with their incessant bickering.
Unfortunately, Dante doesn’t take Agni and Rudra in the Netflix series, which was a missed opportunity for some comedic moments.
6 Griffon, Shadow, Nightmare
Devil May Cry & Devil May Cry 5
Griffon, Shadow, and Nightmare are V’s familiars for much of the story of DMC5 and were individual boss fights in DMC1 when Dante was investigating Mallet Island.
Now a motley trio of shadowy demons, they are the physical manifestations of Vergil’s trauma and memories while he was under Mundus’s control as Nelo Angelo.
When V reunites with Urizen in Mission 17 of DMC5, the two halves of Vergil merge and transform back into the storm that approaches.
With their master gone, Griffon, Shadow, and Nightmare are now free from V’s control and have decided to wait at the Qliphoth and kill Dante due to their grudge against him from the events of Mallet Island in DMC1.
As an act of demonic euthanization, Dante puts down the three former familiars, but not before paying them his respect for their tenacity and loyalty despite them knowing they’ll never beat Dante.
Most of the bosses in DMC5 are great, and fighting V’s familiars is a gauntlet.
The boss fight itself is divided into four parts; you’ll fight Griffon first, then Shadow, then Griffon and Shadow together, and then all three in a final stand.
While each of these familiars was easy to handle on their own, fighting all three at the same time can be tough, especially when you’re not used to juggling attention between more than one enemy.
5 Urizen
Devil May Cry 5
Urizen is the big baddie for the majority of the plot of DMC5. A powerful demon who loves to sit on his bloody, viney throne while protected by an unbreakable red crystal, he is (unsurprisingly) the demonic half of Vergil.
When you’re first introduced to Urizen, you play the one-armed Nero while running through the Qliphoth. Of course, fighting the final boss from the jump is a losing battle, as the fight was rigged against you.
You’ll eventually challenge Urizen to a rematch three more times—one as Nero and two as Dante.
While on his throne, Urizen is still a threat. He can fire beams of energy, detonate blood geysers, and can launch balls of slowed time at you to trap you. But when you do manage to damage him, he gets off his throne and becomes a much bigger threat, deploying the use of his sharp tentacles.
You fight against Urizen for the final time as Dante, and this is when the boss fight becomes even more impressive. Instead of blasting you with demonic magic, he opts to throw hands, kicking and punching with brutal ferocity.
4 King Cerberus
Devil May Cry 5
King Cerberus is a boss in DMC5 and is encountered in Mission 16. As Dante descends the Qliphoth in pursuit of Urizen, he is path is blocked by a chained-up King Cerberus, who reminds him of a «stinky little pooch» just like him.
This isn’t the first time Dante has fought a three-headed giant puppy. In DMC3 and on his way to entering the demonic tower Temen-ni-gru, Dante encounters Cerberus, a guard dog capable of unleashing powerful ice attacks.
But King Cerberus takes the DMC3 boss fight and cranks it to eleven. With the additional power to unleash incredible lightning and fire attacks, King Cerberus can transform the arena with a nuke attack by shifting between each element, which is controlled by each of King Cerberus’s heads.
The boss fight is accompanied by a frenetic, bass-boosted track that is undoubtedly one of the game’s best.
As always, Dante’s flippant attitude hilariously contrasts with King Cerberus’s anger, who gets more and more out of control the more Dante wallops him.
Once defeated, King Cerberus becomes a Devil Arm, which is a three-handled icy nunchaku like in DMC3, except with the additional power to switch to a flaming bo staff and a shocking three-section staff.
3 Cavaliere Angelo
Devil May Cry 5
We’re in the top three, and I’m sure my fellow Devil May Cry fans can testify that Cavaliere Angelo is one of the best demonic boss fights in not just DMC5 but also the entire franchise.
While Cavaliere Angelo makes an appearance in the Netflix series, his presence makes no sense in the continuity, as he is originally an artificial demon created as a copy of Nelo Angelo, and Trish was used as his host when she and the other Devil Hunters were defeated by Urizen. But we’re not here to discuss the show.
We’re not even going to look at the Elder Geryon Knight—that was not a great boss fight. But Cavaliere Angelo? An amazing duel with wonderfully telegraphed attacks, killer soundtrack, and you get the Cavaliere Devil Arm right after beating him.
What makes Cavaliere Angelo such a great boss fight is just how rewarding it is to fight him as either Dante, Nero, V, or Vergil (in Special Edition). Since his attacks are responsive and clearly telegraphed for easy reads, he’s one of the best bosses to practice your combos, perfect parries, and stylishly clash swords with.
Cavaliere Angelo is one of my favorite bosses to fight, whether during my Dante Must Die playthroughs or Bloody Palace runs. He is by far one of the best bosses the franchise has to offer.
2 Dante
Devil May Cry 4 & Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition
For almost all the Devil May Cry games, you play as Dante himself, so there aren’t many chances for you to fight Dante. Besides the Doppelgänger boss fight in DMC3, you only get to fight Dante in DMC4 and the Special Edition of DMC5.
In DMC4, Dante is introduced as an antagonist who starts to wreak havoc indiscriminately on the Order of the Sword. To avoid spoilers, Nero tries to fight Dante, and much like most of Dante’s opponents, the objective is not to defeat Dante but to survive his onslaught.
Fighting Dante in DMC4 gave us a change in perspective. We’re so used to playing him that we often forget how terrifying he is to his enemies.
That is, unless you’re his twin brother, Vergil. In the Special Edition of DMC5, you can experience all 20 story missions as Vergil. Instead of fighting Vergil in the final two missions, you fight Dante — and oh boy, is he just as terrifying.
In his first phrase, Dante uses a basic moveset with the occasional Devil Trigger activations, along with Swordmaster and Gunslinger. Then, in the second phrase, the difficulty ramps up as he uses more weapons along with his Sin Devil Trigger.
Dante is infamously scary, and with good reason. When you’re so used to dishing out stylish executions, being on the receiving end might make you just a little bit empathetic to the hundreds of demons he cuts down. Or maybe not.
1 Vergil
Devil May Cry 3, DmC: Devil May Cry & Devil May Cry 5
Are you even surprised? Vergil’s debut in the franchise set a precedent for the classic rival archetype in action games. Not only are his boss fights memorable and intense, but he is a threat every time he is on screen, balancing the scales when Dante would usually have the upper hand.
Vergil is the definition of a final boss fight. With a combination of his ice-cold demeanor, a moveset focused solely on efficient and deadly moves, and a killer soundtrack for every boss fight, Vergil radiates an intimidating aura that no other final boss could hope to match.
You get to fight Vergil in DMC3, DmC: Devil May Cry (yes, we’re counting the remake too), and DMC5. In almost every fight against him, he is always wielding his signature katana, Yamato, capable of cutting through air so fast that he can cut through space in a distortion bubble.
Not only do you have to contend with his constant deadly slashes with the Yamato, but you’ll also need to somehow avoid his Judgement Cut End, which has a ridiculously wide radius (just Royalguard). Think you can survive it? Foolishness, Dante, foolishness.
Because both Missions 19 and 20 are just Vergil boss fights, you don’t have to play through a whole level to get to the boss, which makes it much easier to practice combos and parries against him.
Vergil is my favorite boss fight of the entire franchise. With a varied and powerful moveset, he is exciting to fight against and is perfectly implemented as a playable character in every game he’s in.
Not only that, but the themes that play during the boss fight (The Duel, Silver Bullet) are bangers.
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Devil May Cry 5
Action Systems
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OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg:88/100 Critics Rec:88% Released March 8, 2019 ESRB M for Mature: Blood, Partial Nudity, Strong Language, Violence Developer(s) Capcom Publisher(s) Capcom Engine RE Engine
Multiplayer Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer Franchise Devil May Cry Platform(s) PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S How Long To Beat 11 Hours Metascore 89 PS Plus Availability N/A OpenCritic Rating Mighty Powered by
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