If you’ve spent any time stylishly slicing through demons as Dante, you probably think you know the guy. He’s the red-coat-wearing, pizza-obsessed, wisecracking mercenary with a heart of gold and a very large sword. But honestly? The games only scratch the surface. To really get why Dante is the way he is—and why the timeline is such a headache—you have to look at the Devil May Cry book series.
Most people don't even realize these books exist. Or, if they do, they assume they're just cheap tie-ins that don't matter. That is a massive mistake. The novels, particularly the early ones by Shinya Goikeda and the more recent Before the Nightmare by Bingo Morihashi, are essentially the glue holding the lore together. Without them, Dante’s "Tony Redgrave" phase or the tragic backstory of Gilver makes zero sense.
It’s a wild ride. It’s messy. It’s occasionally very weird. Let's get into what actually happens in these pages.
Why the Devil May Cry Book Series is Actually Canon (Mostly)
The relationship between the games and the Devil May Cry book series is, let's say, complicated. For years, fans argued over whether the first novel was "real" lore because it contradicted some later game details. Then Devil May Cry 5 came out and basically said, "Yeah, all that stuff happened."
Capcom has a habit of retroactively fixing their timeline. They did it with the DMC3 manga and they definitely did it with the novels.
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Take the first novel, simply titled Devil May Cry. Written by Shinya Goikeda and released back in 2002, it introduces us to a Dante who isn't even going by the name Dante yet. He’s living in a city called Dumary Island (well, near it) and working under the alias Tony Redgrave. He’s a mercenary. He drinks too much. He’s kind of a loser, but a very dangerous one. This book is vital because it shows the transition from a grieving kid to the legendary devil hunter. If you’ve seen the name "Tony Redgrave" etched onto Dante’s guns, Ebony and Ivory, this book is why.
The Mystery of Gilver
One of the most controversial parts of the Devil May Cry book series involves a character named Gilver. He’s a mysterious man wrapped in bandages who wields a katana and acts as a rival to Dante. For a long time, everyone assumed Gilver was Vergil in disguise. I mean, look at the name. It’s an anagram. It’s obvious, right?
Well, sort of.
Later lore—specifically the DMC5 files—suggests that the Gilver Dante fought in that novel might have been a proto-Angelo or a demon clone created by Mundus to mimic Vergil. It’s a bit of a retcon to explain why Vergil would be acting so out of character, but it works. It adds this layer of psychological horror to Dante’s life. He wasn't just fighting demons; he was being stalked by a mockery of his dead brother.
The Novels You Actually Need to Read
If you’re looking to dive in, don’t just grab whatever you find on eBay for $200. Some are better than others.
Devil May Cry Volume 1 (Shinya Goikeda): This is the foundation. It’s gritty. It feels more like a hard-boiled detective story with demons than a high-octane action game. You get the origin of his pistols, his relationship with the mercenary craft, and the tragic fate of Nell Goldstein. Nell is a character who deserves way more credit; she’s the "Artisan" who actually crafted Ebony and Ivory. Her death is one of the most grounded, heartbreaking moments in the entire franchise.
Devil May Cry 4 Deadly Fortune: This is a two-volume set that expands on the story of the fourth game. If you felt like Nero and Kyrie’s relationship was a bit thin in the cutscenes, these books fix that. It spends a lot of time in Nero's head. You see his internal struggle with the Order of the Sword. It also clarifies that Nero is, indeed, Vergil’s son—something the game was weirdly coy about for years.
Devil May Cry 5 -Before the Nightmare-: This is the most recent heavy hitter. Written by Bingo Morihashi (who wrote the scripts for the games), it bridges the massive gap between DMC4 and DMC5. It explains how Dante and Lucia met back up, what happened to Matier, and how Balrog—the fire gauntlets from the game—actually became a weapon.
The Tony Redgrave Identity
Let’s talk about the name Tony Redgrave. It’s not just a cool alias. It was a survival mechanism. After Eva died and the twins were separated, Dante had to disappear. If the demons knew Sparda’s son was alive, they’d never stop coming.
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In the Devil May Cry book series, we see the toll this takes. Tony is a guy who pushes everyone away because anyone he gets close to ends up dead. It’s why he’s so solitary in the first game. The novels give him a human supporting cast—people like Grue and his daughters—just so the story can rip them away from him. It’s brutal.
Honestly, it makes the "wacky woohoo pizza man" persona in later games feel like a coping mechanism. He’s not just a cool guy; he’s a guy who has lost absolutely everyone. Twice.
The Craftsmanship of Ebony and Ivory
A lot of fans just think Dante found his guns or bought them at a shop. Nope. The first novel goes into painstaking detail about their creation.
Nell Goldstein, the gunsmith, realized that no normal gun could handle Dante’s rapid-fire pace and demonic power. He’d literally melt the internal components. So, she built him two custom .45s with reinforced parts and different firing characteristics. One is for accuracy; the other is for speed.
The tragedy? Nell dies during a demonic attack on her shop. Dante finishes the assembly of the guns himself while the building is burning down around him. He takes the name Redgrave from a fountain pen she gave him. It’s heavy stuff for a series known for surfing on missiles.
Exploring the DMC3 Manga
While technically a manga and not a prose novel, the Devil May Cry 3 series acts as a crucial prequel to the prequel. It’s divided into Code 1: Dante and Code 2: Vergil.
It shows the first time the brothers reunited as adults. It’s not a happy reunion. We see Vergil’s descent into obsession with his father’s power. We see a younger, even more arrogant Dante. Interestingly, it introduces characters like Alice and the Mad Hatter-inspired demons that never made it into the games. It fills the void of "What were they doing for the ten years before the tower rose?"
Unfortunately, Code 3 (which was supposed to focus on Lady) was canceled. We’ll likely never get that specific piece of the puzzle, which is a genuine shame because Lady's backstory is one of the strongest in the series.
Where the Books Fit in the Timeline
Trying to map out the Devil May Cry book series alongside the games is like trying to untangle a bowl of supernatural spaghetti. But generally, the consensus is:
- DMC3 Manga: Roughly one year before the events of Devil May Cry 3.
- DMC1 Novel: Years before the first game, during Dante’s mercenary days.
- DMC2 Novel: Takes place before the second game (and is surprisingly better than the game itself).
- Deadly Fortune: Parallel to and slightly after DMC4.
- Before the Nightmare: Directly leading into the start of DMC5.
If you skip the books, you’re missing out on Lucia’s fate. You’re missing out on why Dante actually cares about the residents of Red Grave City in DMC5. You’re missing the context of his grief.
The Problem with Accessibility
Here’s the catch. Finding these books is a nightmare.
The original Tokyopop translations of the first two novels are long out of print. They go for absurd prices on the secondhand market. Before the Nightmare hasn't even received an official English physical release in many regions, leaving fans to rely on high-quality fan translations.
It’s a bizarre situation. Capcom knows people love this lore, yet they keep the most important world-building trapped in obscure Japanese print runs from fifteen years ago.
Actionable Steps for Lore Hunters
If you want to experience the Devil May Cry book series without spending a fortune, you have to be smart about it.
- Check Digital Archives: Some older novels have been archived by fan communities. Look for the "Divine Comedy" or "DMC Lore" fan sites.
- Read "Before the Nightmare" Summaries: If you can't find a full translation, there are incredibly detailed chapter-by-chapter breakdowns on Reddit and specialized wikis that explain the Balrog fight and Lucia’s return.
- Prioritize the First Novel: If you only read one, make it the Shinya Goikeda book. It changes how you look at Dante every time you pick up the controller.
- Watch the Anime (With Caution): The 2007 anime series is also canon and features characters like Morrison and Patty who eventually showed up in DMC5. It captures the "vibe" of the novels better than the games do.
The Devil May Cry book series isn't just extra credit. It’s the soul of the character. It turns a stylish action hero into a deeply flawed, grieving man who uses a red coat and a big sword to hide the fact that he's still that kid crying in a closet while his house burned down.
Go find the translations. Read about Nell Goldstein. Understand why Dante hates his own blood. It’ll make your next playthrough of the games feel entirely different.
Next Steps for DMC Fans:
Check out the fan-translated summaries of Before the Nightmare to understand how Dante acquired the Balrog weapon before playing DMC5 again. Additionally, look for the DMC3 manga Code 1 and 2 to see the first canonical meeting between Dante and Vergil after their childhood separation.