The “Devil May Cry” franchise is a staple in the action hack-and-slash genre. Despite not seeing a new addition since 2019, fans are still as passionate as ever about the game series.

When it was announced that Netflix would be creating a new anime adaptation of the games, developed by Adi Shankar and the team who previously worked on the platform’s Castlevania series, fans were excited to see something new in the franchise.

Released on April 3, Netflix’s “Devil May Cry” is an eight episode portrayal that takes many of its own liberties with the source material in order to tell a familiar and unique story. Mainly inspired by the third game in the series, Netflix’s adaptation has its flaws, while also having a lot to enjoy for newcomers and longtime fans alike.

The video games are led by Dante, a man and demon hybrid who uses guns, a sword and his powerful demon abilities to slay demons in the human world. He is a charismatic, witty and intentionally unserious character who loves styling on his enemies as much as he enjoys eating pizza.

The initial games were released in the early 2000s, and much of the media surrounding the series has adopted the feel of that era. The latest anime adaptation follows suit, utilizing the music and culture of the time throughout.

The show’s plot revolves around the villain White Rabbit, a demon trying to open a portal between the demon world and the human world that would ultimately result in Armageddon. Meanwhile, Dante, along with Earth’s government forces, try to stop his plan to end humanity. The story is great, and the pacing — up until the last episode in particular — is solid. The main villain’s motivation is believable in the context of the world, and episode six does an amazing job of conveying that information to the viewer.

Although the series makes it clear it’s in a separate timeline, Dante is still faithful to the series. Voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch does an excellent job of taking on the role, having previously voiced the character Nero in the games. He’s funny, powerful and full of the humor that fans would expect from the character.

A majority of the other characters in this series are new additions, but are all very solid in their own right. This portrayal adds an extra layer of depth to the demons that was not in the previous lore, presenting a divisive change for those familiar with the games but a suitable one to fit this adaptation’s narrative.

There is a lot of fun to be had with this portrayal of the “Devil May Cry” universe. The animation is stellar, and the action scenes are full of weight, style and satisfying hits. Besides some minor inconsistencies in Dante’s powers, every fight is entertaining from start to finish. However, the main flaws with the show are found in its characterization of Lady — a fan favorite character from the games — along with the season’s conflicting finale.

For context, Lady was initially introduced in “Devil May Cry 3,” which is the main inspiration for the show. She is a highly skilled and extremely lethal demon hunter with a troubled past. Even with her initial hard exterior, she is a wise and charming character who would become a staple. Her introduction reflected that she would be that same Lady from previous games but with a refreshing twist. However, as the show went on, she became less and less of that beloved character.

Lady takes up half of the screen time, often feeling like the game centers around her rather than Dante. In the games, Lady and Dante began their relationship in a rough place — she constantly tries to kill him and finds his presence annoying. Though, she eventually warms up to Dante by the time the game rolled credits.

Meanwhile, Lady constantly undermines and belittles Dante to the point where it feels in poor taste. It doesn’t help that she becomes more obnoxious with her cursing and spiteful remarks as the show progresses. Her important choice in the final episode stands out and felt especially out-of-place, which somehow made Lady a very unlikable character by the finale. To make matters worse, Dante feels sidelined in a show that was marketed to be a story about him.

The ending of the show was extremely jarring, and worsened by its sudden pacing issues. After the main villain is defeated, the show pivots in a very different direction within the minutes, which will no doubt upset many fans of the series. It is strange, shocking and takes the “Devil May Cry” lore into a new direction that is unfamiliar.

Season one left the story on a massive cliffhanger that can only be resolved with more episodes. The ending left this outing feeling anticlimactic and reliant on a second season to properly wrap up threads left from this one. The various flaws with the show could easily be fixed if the next season is handled properly, however, fans will likely be split on this new direction for the franchise and it’s not hard to imagine many outright hating it.

The majority of Netflix’s “Devil May Cry” adaptation is great and much more entertaining, albeit less faithful than the previous anime adaptation from 2007. The series has a lot of great action and excellent scenes, which are complemented well by beautiful animation. Unfortunately, the show mishandles a key character and fumbles its last moments, leaving an unsatisfying ending.

The conclusion to this otherwise great series will likely leave a bad taste for longtime fans of the franchise. Newcomers, on the other hand, will likely have a much easier time accepting the finale and the changes made to the original source material.

The show was recently confirmed to be getting a new season, and it can become a take on the series that is both refreshing and unique if the showrunners can learn from their mistakes. The show has a lot of potential overall, it just needs to capitalize on it. New episodes can make this show something truly remarkable. However, that’s only if the creators listen to the feedback from fans.