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Lady (Devil May Cry)

Lady (Japanese: レディ, Hepburn: Redi), born Mary, is a character in Devil May Cry, an action-adventure hack and slash video game series created by Japanese developer and publisher Capcom. She was introduced in the 2005 title Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, as a demon hunter on a mission to avenge her mother's death at the hands of her father, Arkham. She is also present as a playable character in the sequel Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition (2015). Since her introduction, Lady has appeared in the series' various anime and manga releases, supporting the protagonist Dante, to whom she often provides support and employment.

Lady

Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening (2005)

Bingo Morihashi

Daigo Ikeno (Devil May Cry 3)
Tatsuya Yoshikawa (Devil May Cry 4, Devil May Cry 5)

Stephanie Cheeva (Devil May Cry 3)
Laura Napoli (Devil May Cry 4)
Agnes Olech (Devil May Cry 5)

The character was created by Bingo Morihashi alongside two other designers. Her appearance was based on Russian singer Julia Volkova, and was specifically designed with several traits to distinguish her from other heroines in the franchise. While Lady does not play a major role in Devil May Cry 4 (2008), her design in that game was reworked to be more attractive, since the sequel takes place almost a decade after her introduction, when she was underage. Multiple actors have provided her voice in her numerous appearances, including Kari Wahlgren and Kate Higgins, while Fumiko Orikasa voices the character in Japanese versions of the games.


Critical reception to Lady has been positive. Various gaming publications have liked her role in the overall story of the franchise, and praised her debut as a playable character in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition due to her unique movements. She has been listed as one of the best heroines in video gaming history, and her addition to the anime spin-off series has also been acclaimed.

Reception[edit]

Critical response to Lady has been positive. GamesRadar praised her role in Devil May Cry 3, highlighting how she stood out from the rest of the cast, and how she clashes with both Dante and Vergil.[27] Similarly, Engadget commended the execution and handling of her plot on Devil May Cry 3, and how Dante ends up helping Lady to get revenge on her father.[28] GameSpy shared similar feelings, stating that Lady and the rest of the cast were better written than the characters from the first two Devil May Cry games.[29] Complex additionally found her a more likable sidekick to Dante than Trish based on her backstory and fighting style.[30] In 2009, IGN listed her as the seventh best gaming heroine due to her characterization and the impact her actions have had on the overall franchise.[31] GamesRadar also noted the impact Lady made to Devil May Cry series, by coming up with the franchise's title during her first appearance.[32] The same site also described 'Lady' as being one of the worst character names in gaming.[33] PortalPlay Game listed her as the third most sexually appealing character in gaming.[34] Before the release of Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Play listed Lady as a character they wanted to see in the cast, believing Capcom "underused" her.[35]


Despite enjoying Lady's redesign in Devil May Cry 4, GamesTM was disappointed by the brevity of her appearance in the game.[36] In their review of Special Edition, Hobby Consolas praised Lady's fighting style, although they noted it was the most difficult to master of any character in the game.[37] Destructoid said she was a unique character in the game, because she is human who does not possess any demonic powers like the rest of the cast, which made mastering her fighting style entertaining.[38] PC Magazine expressed a similar sentiment, based on how her skills contrast to those of the rest of the playable characters.[39] While also finding her enjoyable to play, IGN believed that Vergil's mechanics made him more appealing and overshadowed both Trish and Lady.[40] Game Informer was afraid Lady would "feel too gimmicky", but ended up liking her dynamic style.[41]


While reviewing the anime series, DVDTalk said they liked the interactions between Dante, Lady and Trish, to the point where the reviewer expected to see more of these, rather than stories focused on Dante fighting different enemies.[42] GroundReport felt Lady and Trish were foils to Dante and compared them to the main characters from the manga and anime series GetBackers, due to the financial issues Dante faces despite him often receiving jobs from Lady.[43] Fandom Post appreciated her addition to the cast; they liked the variety her character brought to the anime, as well as how she stands out in an episode fighting Trish over a misunderstanding where they end up becoming friends. The writer also enjoyed her role in following episodes, most notably the finale.[44] Anime News Network lamented the fact that Lady only makes brief appearances in the anime, but said they found her English voice acting charming.[45] UK Anime Network also liked her role in the anime, praising the way her fights are displayed.[46] Hyper had mixed thoughts about the episode where Lady meets Trish through a fight but compared the style of the two female characters to the franchise The Matrix because of how stylish they both are.[47]