The upcoming hack'n'slash brawler Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, set to be released on the Playstation 5, will introduce new gameplay features, improved graphics, and Vergil, the signature anti-villain of the Devil May Cry series, as a playable character in the campaign and the Bloody Palace survival mode. With this update of DMC 5, developers at Capcom also have the opportunity to also introduce the two women protagonist of the Devil May Cry series, demon hunters Lady and Trish, as playable characters in the main campaign, or their own DLC, a development that was foreshadowed in the ending cinematic cutscene of the original Devil May Cry 5.
In the main plot for Devil May Cry 5, the protagonist is nominally Nero, a demon hunter who's trying to save Redgrave city from a demonic invasion and a world-consuming tree called the Qliphoth, wielding a big sword, a giant revolver, and a variety of cybernetic limb weapons called Devil Breakers, prosthetic limb replacements for the demon charm chopped off by the demon antagonist called Urizen. Joining Nero's anti-demon crusade is Dante, veteran demon-slayer and son of the Dark Knight Sparda, and a new, goth-styled character called V, who summons weaponized nightmares and has a thing for the poetry of William Blake. The bazooka-wielding demon hunter Lady, the woman lead of Devil May Cry 3, and Trish, the demonic demon hunter and woman lead from Devil May Cry 1, both show up in this game, but sadly play a limited role in the plot (something that gunsmith "Nico" Goldstein laments in the lore entries for Devil May Cry 5).
Let's be frank: the Devil May Cry franchise and its demon-slaying heroes are pretty much an amalgamation of everything's that's 'cool' to the angsty teenage mind. The half-demon protagonists of the game, Dante and Nero, are snarky, white-haired demon hunters with flashy trench-coats, a library of snarky one-liners at the ready, oversized handguns, and giant swords. Throughout the various Devil May Cry games, they carve their way through hordes of demons with the flair of a break-dancer, juggling enemies in the air with gunshots and surfing on top of rocket-propelled grenades like a pro-skateboarder. It's edgy, over-the-top, breaks nearly every law of physics... and it's awesome. If Lady and Trish wind up playing a larger role in Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, whether as new playable characters or stars of their own story, their abilities and personal plotlines would need to embrace this quintessential appeal to teenager sensibilities, something developers already pulled off in Devil May Cry 4.
In DMC4, Lady And Trish Were Already Playable Characters
The main plot of Devil May Cry 4 is centered around Nero, the demon-blooded son of Vergil, and his struggles against a corrupt demon-worshipping church, but other heroes from previous games show up to join the fight in both cutscenes and gameplay. Dante, of course, makes an appearance, as does Vergil (in a non-canon appearance inspired by his fan-favorite status). Lady and Trish, who play an actual part in the story, show up as as selectable characters in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition, with combos and abilities distinct from the descendants of the Dark Knight Sparda.
Trish, as a lightning-powered demon (who looks like Dante's dead mom – long story), fights with the Demon Sword Sparda, a cleaver-blade formed from flesh and bone, focusing on damaging enemies with area-effect attacks and electric blasts. Lady, as a non-augmented human facing off against super-strong demons, focuses on ranged combat and firepower, using shotguns, machine pistols, and her signature bayonet-tipped bazooka, the Kalina Ann. Their playability in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition proves they could viably appear in Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition, and certain clues in the base game suggest Capcom has plans for just that.
Datamining In DMC 5 Revealed A "Lady's Night Out" DLC
In the very last cutscene for Devil May Cry 5, after the story's climax, Lady and Trish are chilling out in the Devil May Cry agency office, eating takeout pizza, when J.D. Morrison, professional informant and fixer, approaches them with a new demon-hunting gig.
In the wake of this cliffhanger, enterprising data-miners found a reference to a "Lady's Night Out" level in the game's code, hinting at the existence of an under-development DLC where Lady and Trish got out for a demon-slaying night on the town, Thelma and Louise-style. Besides being a cool premise for a women-centric Devil May Cry story, a "Lady's Night Out" DLC would also let players experience the Devil May Cry universe from a new perspective.
DMC 5 DLC About Lady & Trish Would Add a New Viewpoint
Neither Lady or Trish are, strictly speaking, the strongest demon hunters among the cast of Devil May Cry's heroes – not because they're weak, but because Dante and his fellow descendants of Sparda as so ridiculously over-powered. Indeed, a Lady/Trish DLC campaign for Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition would let players step into the shoes of more relatable, grounded heroes who must push past their limits and employ lateral thinking in their fight against the powerful demons infesting Redgrave City. With Lady and Trish as the protagonists, other supporting human characters can step more into the spotlight – people like gunsmith Nico Goldstein, informant Morrison, or "Crewcut", the hapless army grunt that Nero saves at the start of the game.
While there isn't anything to confirm the possibility, Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition would be a little less special if it didn't give Lady and Trish some time in the spotlight.
Devil May Cry 5 is available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.