Are Devil May Cry And Resident Evil Set In The Same Universe?

Quick Links

• Origins

• Devil May Cry And Resident Evil - Differences

• Devil May Cry And Resident Evil - Similarities

• How Devil May Cry Netflix Connects To Resident Evil

If you were to look at Devil May Cry and Resident Evil briefly, you'd see that they're two different games with moody characters that share a hairstylist. DMC tends towards the supernatural, while RE goes for a more sci-fi angle (although more recent entries have had a supernatural flair).

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There's never been an official crossover between these two series, and it's doubtful that the main characters of either would have much to talk about—they would likely try to kill each other within seconds. However, Netflix's Devil May Cry series implies that these two universes are more connected than we realize.

Origins

Before the DMC Netflix show and the various RE movies, there were the games. The most significant connection that RE and DMC have always shared is that Capcom makes them. However, both game series have evolved differently. RE has always been about a person with an undefined set of skills, trapped in a perilous situation with limited resources and biologically enhanced creatures that can kill them without trying.

DMC followed RE a few years later, centering on a demon-angel punk named Dante, who was more about hacking-and-slashing his way through demons and other supernatural monsters. He also had no shortage of bullets or swords, which allows you to feel more empowered. These two universes have never collided, but Dante has shared the stage with RE protagonists in the Marvel vs Capcom games.

One of the first drafts of Resident Evil 4 started as what later turned into the first Devil May Cry.

When it comes to TV and movies, both IPs have gone down different paths. While DMC is still getting its legs as a Netflix show, RE released movies as early as 2002. They follow an original character named Alice Abernathy, who fights alongside recognizable characters from the RE universe to stop the Umbrella Corporation and deal with the crisis caused by its viruses.

The DMC Netflix show follows a younger version of Dante as he begins his career as a demon hunter, both for hire and for personal reasons. Now, while this show does take place in the DMC game universe, the RE movies are separate from the RE game universe. Neither the TV nor the film series have referred to the other.

Devil May Cry And Resident Evil - Differences

You could dedicate an entire piece to describing how the DMC games are different in ways that would make a crossover difficult. In the world of DMC, the games follow the adventures of Dante, a demon hunter (and part demon himself) with a bone to pick with all demons.

The world he inhabits is an alternative version of the modern world where angels and demons are an accepted presence and a real threat, depending on who you ask. Dante's weapons of choice are swords and firearms, which he can use interchangeably during combat.

Due to his lineage, Dante can endure and recover from most injuries that would be considered fatal, and as a result, he has no problem charging headfirst into battle (which the game encourages you to do). DMC games are built mainly around combat and exploration, where every enemy is worth fighting just for the potential drops.

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At the other end of the spectrum are the RE games. Each tends to focus on agents of Situation, Task, Action, and Result (S.T.A.R.) who are sent in to deal with dangerous and unprecedented situations. However, the focus will occasionally shift to other characters, including unfortunate victims.

The setting is a grim alternative to our world, where the Umbrella Corporation is among the most powerful and unethical. Through research and experimentation, they frequently develop and unleash viruses that cause monstrous mutations in their test subjects and the public.

Despite the heroes often being trained soldiers with tactical gear, your primary focus is survival, navigation, and investigation. Every bullet has value, and you don't want to use them unless you absolutely must. If a fight can be avoided, you should do so at all costs and continue moving to stay alive.

Devil May Cry And Resident Evil - Similarities

Despite what recent media may imply, the similarities between the DMC and RE games are relatively surface-level. They're both properties of Capcom, and each game is set in an alternate version of the modern world, changing to keep up with our own. Regarding threats, DMC has been supernatural (demons), and RE has been sci-fi (mutations), but recently, the latter has changed that.

The most recent game entry in Resident Evil: Village dealt with vampires and werewolves (though both still have "scientific" explanations). Despite being two of Capcom's most prolific and popular properties, the games have never officially crossed over (ala Crash Bandicoot and Spyro The Dragon).

How Devil May Cry Netflix Connects To Resident Evil

The Devil May Cry Netflix series debuted in April 2025 and was partly developed by Adi Shankar. It's been confirmed that the show canonically takes place in the DMC game universe and follows the story of Dante years before the events of the first game, released in 2001.

During the episode, Dante marks his mission in Raccoon City, the most notable location in the Resident Evil universe and the site of one of its biggest viral catastrophes. Since it's theorized that the first DMC game took place from the late '90s to the early 2000s, the show is set in the mid-90s at the earliest; it's unlikely that Dante would be visiting the city during the outbreak in 1998.

However, although the DMC show makes this reference, neither the DMC nor the RE games have made distinct links or references to the other. Even though the games can be considered action-based with horror elements, they are fundamentally different in mechanics, concepts, themes, tone, and visual style. A better argument would be that Metroid is set in Castlevania's future—let that thought sink in.

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