Devilman Review: The Devil Who Chose to Love Humanity

Quick Take

• A gentle boy merges with the demon Amon to gain his power while retaining his human heart, and fights against demonkind — until the ending, which is one of the most devastating in manga history
• The foundational text of dark superhero manga, created in 1972, influencing everything from Berserk to Evangelion to Chainsaw Man
• 5 volumes, complete, with an ending that makes the journey necessary

Who Is This Manga For?

• Readers who want to understand where dark manga comes from
• Fans of Chainsaw Man or Berserk who want to trace the lineage
• Anyone willing to read a 50-year-old manga that still hits harder than most modern work
• Readers who want a short, complete series that leaves a permanent mark

Content Warnings & Age Rating

Age Rating: M (Mature) Content Warnings: Graphic violence and horror (significant), tragedy (the ending is genuinely devastating), existential and apocalyptic themes

The ending should be known by reputation before starting — this is one of manga's most famously dark conclusions.

Yu's Rating

Category	Score
Story Depth	★★★★★
Art Style	★★★★☆
Character Development	★★★★☆
Accessibility for Non-Japanese Readers	★★★★★
Reread Value	★★★★★

Story Overview

Akira Fudo is a gentle, sensitive boy — too gentle, according to his friend Ryo Asuka, to survive what is coming. Ryo tells Akira the truth: demons are returning to reclaim the Earth from humanity. The only way to fight demons is to become one — or to merge with one while maintaining a human heart.

Akira merges with the demon Amon, the most powerful of demonkind. He becomes Devilman — demon strength, human soul. He fights to protect humanity while hiding what he is.

The manga builds toward its ending with a clarity of purpose that only becomes apparent in retrospect. Every chapter is moving toward a conclusion that Go Nagai commits to completely, without compromise or comfort.

Characters

Akira Fudo/Devilman — One of manga's great tragic protagonists. His gentleness is not weakness — it is specifically what makes his arc devastating. He chose to fight for humanity because he loved humanity. The question the manga asks is whether that love was warranted.

Ryo Asuka — Akira's best friend, whose own nature and purpose are the manga's central hidden truth. His role in the conclusion is the key to understanding everything.

Miki Makimura — Akira's love interest, whose fate is the emotional center of the manga's final chapters.

Art Style

Nagai's 1972 art has the energy of its era — dynamic, expressive, occasionally crude by modern standards, but with genuine power in its chaos. The demon designs are grotesque and creative. The final chapters maintain visual momentum even as the content becomes overwhelming.

Cultural Context

Devilman was created during a period of social upheaval in Japan — the late 1960s and early 1970s student movements, the trauma of postwar reconstruction — and the manga's vision of a humanity that destroys itself through fear before the demons even need to finish the job reflects that period's disillusionment. Its influence on subsequent dark manga is total and traceable.

What I Love About It

The ending. I will not describe it beyond saying that it earns what it does. Go Nagai built something for five volumes and then completed it without compromise. Most manga flinch at the consequences of their own premises. Devilman does not flinch. That is what makes it one of the most important manga ever made.

Devilman Crybaby (the Netflix anime) is an excellent adaptation that preserves the ending. If you have seen it and want the source, the manga is equally powerful in its own register.

What English-Speaking Fans Say

Devilman's Western reputation is significant — it is consistently cited by creators like Kentaro Miura (Berserk) and Hideaki Anno (Evangelion) as formative, and Western readers familiar with dark manga understand it as foundational. The Netflix adaptation introduced many Western readers to the property. The Seven Seas "Devilman: The Classic Collection" edition is the recommended format.

Memorable Scene ⚠️ Spoiler Warning

The final chapter. What happens to Miki. What Akira does in response. What Ryo reveals. The last image of the manga. These scenes individually would be memorable. Together they constitute one of manga's great endings, and one of its most emotionally brutal.

Similar Manga

• Chainsaw Man — Direct descendant of the Devilman tradition
• Berserk — Dark fantasy, similar existential darkness
• Evangelion — Similar apocalyptic scope, similar influence
• Violence Jack — Nagai's own continuation in a related universe

Reading Order / Where to Start

Volume 1. Five volumes is a short commitment for a manga of this significance.

Official English Translation Status

Seven Seas Entertainment published "Devilman: The Classic Collection" (2 omnibus volumes containing all 5 volumes). Available now.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Foundational text for understanding dark manga
• Five volumes is an accessible commitment
• The ending is genuinely one of manga's most powerful
• Influence on the entire genre makes it essential reading

Cons

• 1972 art is an adjustment for readers expecting modern manga style
• Graphic violence and the devastating ending are not for everyone
• The pacing reflects 1970s serialization conventions

Format Comparison

Format	Notes
Classic Collection (Omnibus)	Two volumes, complete series — recommended
Digital	Available
Physical	Recommended

Where to Buy

Get Devilman: The Classic Collection Vol. 1 on Amazon →

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