Netflix will boldly attempt to bring Devil May Cry to the small screen with all of its edgy glory intact. Any fears about the streamer mishandling the property faded under the crunchy guitars of the show’s opening credits. Though the beloved franchise hasn’t seen a mainline entry in six years, it still has a history of stellar hard rock soundtracks. Incredibly, Netflix eschewed “Devil’s Never Cry,” “Lock and Load,” and even “Devil Trigger” in favor of Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle).”
Netflix’s Devil May Cry Will Keep Rollin’ With Smokin’ Sick Style
Netflix recently unleashed the glorious opening to Adi Shankar’s Devil May Cry onto YouTube. The animation uses a striking color palette to depict its youthful version of Dante at his best. Fans can recognize a mix of heroes and villains, from Lady to the White Rabbit from the DMC 3 manga. The third title, Dante’s Awakening, seems to be a primary source of inspiration for the show. As we expected, fans are in good hands with Adi Shankar. The showrunner who brought us Castlevania worked hard to secure the rights to Capcom’s beloved hack-and-slash franchise. He’s a unique and engaging creator who truly brings his personal love for the source material to the screen. The show’s opening and its scant trailer footage should put all fears to rest. The visuals were arguably perfect, but the video’s music exploded into the room with all the might of early-2000s rap-rock.
Limp Bizkit’s “Rollin’ (Air Raid Vehicle)” is one of the seminal rap rock songs of the 2000s. It’s the band’s highest-performing single of all time, locking down an impressive Billboard Top 100 placement. The original version of the song is more rap-focused, but people always call it the hip-hop remix. “Rollin'” comes from Limp’s seminal album Chocolate Starfish and the Hot Dog Flavored Water, perhaps the worst album title of all time. You may remember the song from its prominent position in 2001’s The Fast and the Furious. The Undertaker also used it as his theme song for a few years. Choosing “Rollin'” instead of any of Dante’s iconic soundtrack options feels absolutely absurd. My best guess is that Shankar and company wanted to evoke the glory days of early 2000s AMV culture. That tactic definitely worked, winning some points with nostalgic fans.
Devil May Cry has a very specific kind of cool appeal that is having an excellent moment right now. We’re only a month and change out from Shadow the Hedgehog’s successful big-screen debut. This is the prime era for Dante to emerge with the full force of edgelord culture behind him. Netflix’s Devil May Cry will come to the screen on April 3, 2025.
