#P.S. DML is the ultimate lesson in picking what you want to be canon and how you as a fan can change things as you like if the source is

[nebuvoid]

Hey I just finished reading devilman and I was wondering if you have any recommendations on what sequels/spin offs/ovas/whatever I should read or watch? You seem pretty knowledgeable about the subject lol

I've tried looking up what the deal is with the, like, 10 other devilman manga out there but it's pretty confusing. If devilman lady is a sequel to the original how is Akira alive? Is it a time loop situation?? And is violence jack canonical??? How does canon even work in this series. Idk

For now I'm reading shin devilman which seems kinda trashy but at least it takes place on the original timeline I think. I just want more Ryo content and shin seems to have a lot of that

Lucky you! There's already a structured Devilman Masterpost available so I don't have to fumble around. This got really long anyway though, whoopsie

Not only did Kea/Waaty give a guide of all Devilman and related content, they also give you warnings for each one. Because og Devilman is by far far FAR the most tame one. Anyone that intends to check out any of Go Nagai's works definitely needs to look at the warnings first.

As far as what is and isn't canon to og Devilman, Kea didn't mention it in the post but it's actually only og Devilman (obviously), Shin Devilman (yes really lol) (but honestly you can ignore it because it makes zero sense) and Devilman Lady. Go Nagai has stated that Violence Jack is not the same characters as the og Devilman ones, no it's not a different time loop or reincarnations. Same goes for Devilman Saga. (I can't recall right now if VJ was Satan's self-punishment while he froze himself in hell or if that's fanon. btw) You could think of them as terrible AUs, or an old man refusing to write new characters. In his works before Devilman he also uses similar or same characters. He only knows how to draw three people okay. Don't think about it too hard you'll get a headache.

Time Loops ARE relevant to Devilman's story though, as it's stated that God made and destroyed earth and it's souls over and over again. The ones he didn't trap in Hell for daring to be in contact with demons anyway, regardless of no human doing so willingly. Oh and there's also all mythical beings ever in Hell, God hated those too. Needless to say this is probably not a good read for Christians lol.

As for why Akira is even in DML: You have the physical realm, heaven, and hell, the latter two of which are not tied to what's going on in our reality. Which is why you have the same Akira from og Devilman in DML, in his 30s, busting it up in Hell lol. Just been napping and killing eternally regenerating demons for a couple million years while a new earth is made. Or a couple hundred who know's how this God makes it. Meanwhile on said new earth many of the characters from og Devilman are reincarnated.

If this is all a bit much for now, I highly suggest watching the OVAs and CB Chara Go Nagai World. The OVAs show the first, i think two volumes in animation form with cheesy dialogue (eng dub is a MUST watch) and they're really fun and gay. CB is like a little chibi retelling of the story without the serious tone. Go Nagai literally depicts himself as the cruel God lol.

And as much as it pains me to say it, if you want to read about a happy Ryokira conclusion you'll have to read Devilman Lady. It is quite literally the worst thing I've ever read for two dozen reasons, but it adds so so much to Devilman lore and the characters' understanding. And Kea also made a sort of summary of DML post. It also shows uh... how Akira comes back to life so honestly I'd suggest reading the post and if you can stomach it you're strong enough to read the manga itself because the post leaves a lot out. If you do and don't understand something you can come ask me again 👍I have some analyses posts about it.

Happy Deviling. Devil May Happy