The Devil May Cry series is full of charismatic and quirky characters who love throwing out a cheesy one-liner every now and again, even when they're in the middle of slaying a horde of ravenous demons, but some quotes have become iconic for one reason or another.
Most of the time, it's the effortlessly stylish Dante who will be letting out these quick quips, but it's also not unusual for Nero, Lady, or Trish to say their piece too. Part of the fun of Devil May Cry is how well the games manage to balance intense combat and a fairly serious underlying story with a jovial tone that comes from the colorful cast of characters, so hearing them mock the demon they're about to face is a great way to get the player fired up.
On the other hand, there are also a few quotes that are emblematic of the story and the personal journey each of the characters experiences throughout the course of the five mainline games, but either way, they're still sure to stick in players heads long after they defeat the final boss.
9 "Yeah, Let's Go All The Way To Hell"
Devil May Cry 2 was a game that many felt was severely underwhelming when compared to its revolutionary predecessor, and while this iteration of Dante was a lot moodier and a little more bland than he would be in future games, he did have a few quotes that demonstrated that the cocky demon slayer was still in there somewhere.
After defeating the final boss in the game, Argosax the Chaos, Dante jumps on his motorbike and claims that he's going to drive straight into the bowels of "Hell" as he drives off into a layer of red mist, seemingly on the hunt for a new Demon King to slay. Many fans actually theorized at the time that this was supposed to be the canon ending of the series, but with the release of Devil May Cry 5, that theory has since been debunked.
8 "That B*tch Slap Nearly Killed Me"
By the time Nero manages to catch up with Dante and Vergil at the end of Devil May Cry 5, the two brothers are already locking swords to commence a final fight to the death, but when Nero interferes while in his brand new Devil Trigger form, he delivers a swift backhand to Dante who tries to convince him to stand down.
Nero begins explaining that he isn't going to let this sibling rivalry end with the two brothers killing each other, only for a stunned Dante to jokingly reply that Nero's slap nearly killed him off already as a way to break the ice in an otherwise very climatic and intense moment shared between the three.
7 "Flock Off Feather Face"
It's clear when playing the very first Devil May Cry that Capcom was still figuring out what sort of character Dante was going to be, which results in him being a little more subdued with the one-liners than he is from Devil May Cry 3 onwards, but this isn't to suggest that he doesn't have any memorable quotes from the game.
One of the most iconic is when Dante is about to face the menacing Griffon boss who asks if he is indeed the son of Sparda, only for Dante to reply to the bird-like demon with "flock off feather face". It's a shame that Dante doesn't repeat this classic line when fighting V's Griffon in Devil May Cry 5, but nonetheless, this creative quote still remains a fan favorite even after so many years.
6 "Mary Died A Long Time Ago, My Name Is Lady"
Throughout Devil May Cry 3, Dante is constantly apprehended by a mysterious female gunslinger who he jokingly refers to as "Lady" for much of the game. While the two don't initially see eye to eye, consistently getting into fights and mocking one another, they eventually realize that they are both after the same thing and decide to team up to take down Vergil and Lady's monstrous father, Arkham.
After being defeated, Arkham crawls to his daughter pleading for her to spare him, but as she aims a handgun at his head waiting to pull the trigger, she states "Mary died a long time ago. My name, is Lady" as she adopts the nickname given to her by Dante, abandoning her horrific past in the process.
5 "You Know, In A Dog Show You'd Definitely Take First Place"
Even when he's face to face with a gigantic three-headed canine demon like the Cerberus in Devil May Cry 3, Dante still manages to find a way to provoke his enemy with a few wise words and even succeeds in riling up the boss before the fight has even begun.
While Cerberus takes the situation incredibly seriously, assuring Dante that his strength is nothing compared to the demon dog, Dante decides to turn a compliment into an insult by saying that Cerberus would take "first place" at a dog show, which is a cartoonish line that only Dante could make sound badass.
4 "I Should Have Been The One To Fill Your Dark Soul With Light"
It's very rare that Dante ever slips up in what he says, with each comment and quote having a particular purpose that either demonstrates who he is as a character, or that strikes fear into an enemy demon, but towards the end of the first game, Dante lets out a screaming plea that is on one hand hilarious, and the other absolutely heartbreaking.
As Dante cradles Trish in his arms after she risks her life to save him, Dante lets out a quite poetic quote about how he believed it was him that should have been the one to save Trish from her circumstances, but the voice break in the delivery of the line is what has made it so memorable among fans, alongside the fact that it is the first time fans see Dante demonstrate raw emotion for someone else.
3 "Dead Weight"
The term "dead weight" is thrown around a lot in Devil May Cry 5 and is a phrase that actually feeds into Nero's development as a character, turning from a naive demon slayer to the voice of reason by the end of the game.
The first time fans hear this is right at the beginning of the game when Dante calls Nero "dead weight" as a way of saying that he's simply dragging him down, but each time Nero sees Dante from then on, he comments that he's much more than a burden, until he can eventually be the one to use the phrase on Dante himself, showing how far Nero has come.
2 "Let's Rock, Baby!"
No longtime fan of the DMC franchise will ever forget the first time they landed on the title screen of the first game and heard the now iconic line from Dante "Let's rock, baby." It was the perfect way to give players an idea of what they were in for, demonstrating the lighthearted tone the game was going for, and was even featured in future games such as Devil May Cry 3 where it's repeated in the opening cutscene.
This quote clearly sums up Dante's character as a sharp-tongued, quick-witted renegade who enjoyed fighting demons rather than ever being intimidated by them, with it now being one of the most memorable lines delivered in the entire series.
1 "Jackpot"
"Jackpot" is a line that makes an appearance in every single Devil May Cry game, and even the anime series too, with it first being uttered when Dante explains to Trish that sooner or later, after killing enough demons, he'll eventually reach the jackpot, which of course meant Mundus.
However, the phrase has a much deeper meaning, being a word that Dante and Vergil would both enjoy using when they were children. It's a quote that has become so synonymous with the series that it is even the line that ends Devil May Cry 5, which is a beautiful way to reference the familial bond that much of the series revolves around.