1. Brief Summary of Devilman Crybaby
Devilman Crybaby Ending Explained begins with understanding that at its core, Devilman Crybaby is not simply a story about demons versus humans. It’s a raw, brutal exploration of human nature, fear, love, and the tragedy of misunderstanding.
The series follows Akira Fudo, a compassionate and gentle teenager whose empathy often makes him stand out as weak among his peers.
Akira’s life changes dramatically when his childhood friend, the enigmatic Ryo Asuka, reappears with disturbing news: demons are real, and they are preparing to reclaim the Earth.
Believing that humanity alone cannot withstand the demonic invasion, Ryo proposes a radical solution: Akira must fuse with a demon to fight them on equal footing.
During a violent and chaotic event at a nightclub called Sabbath — a scene marked by blood, terror, and transformation — Akira becomes a “Devilman,” a hybrid creature with the strength of a demon and the heart of a human.
As Devilman, Akira initially finds purpose in defending humanity.
However, the real horror is not the demons but the humans themselves.
Fueled by fear and manipulated by paranoia, society descends into chaos.
People begin turning against one another, often killing the innocent in blind hysteria, believing they are rooting out hidden demons.
Amidst this societal collapse, Miki Makimura — Akira’s close friend and unspoken love — stands as a symbol of hope, representing the goodness still left in humanity.
Her unwavering faith in Akira and in human decency provides a stark contrast to the spreading madness.
Tragically, even Miki and her family fall victim to humanity’s collective fear, murdered not by demons but by ordinary people consumed by hatred.
Throughout these events, Ryo watches, orchestrating chaos from behind the scenes, struggling with his own emerging emotions and confusion.
As the final act approaches, Ryo’s true identity is revealed: he is Satan, the fallen angel cast out of heaven.
His deep-seated need for connection, masked by pride and rebellion, finds its tragic counterpoint in Akira’s selfless love and humanity.
In the climactic final confrontation, Akira leads the last of the Devilmen in a desperate stand against Ryo’s forces.
But despite his strength and determination, he is ultimately defeated.
Akira’s death leaves Ryo alone in a desolate world, finally realizing the love he had for Akira — a love recognized only when it was too late.
Devilman Crybaby is not a story of triumph but of devastating loss, misunderstood love, and the irreversible consequences of fear.
Its ending offers no easy hope — only a chilling reflection on the fragility of compassion in a world quick to destroy what it fears.
2. What Happens at the Ending?
The ending of Devilman Crybaby is both devastating and profound, marked by overwhelming loss and haunting revelations.
After humanity succumbs to fear and hatred, society collapses entirely.
The Earth becomes a battleground, not between humans and demons as initially expected, but between Akira’s Devilmen — humans who have fused with demons yet retained their human hearts — and the armies loyal to Satan, led by Ryo himself.
Akira emerges as the reluctant leader of the Devilmen, striving to protect the last remnants of humanity.
Despite his immense power, he is haunted by grief — the brutal murder of Miki Makimura and the realization that hatred has destroyed what he tried so desperately to save.
The climactic battle between Akira and Ryo unfolds on a ruined landscape, symbolizing the death of civilization itself.
The confrontation is less about physical combat and more about their shattered relationship.
Their clash is charged with emotions: betrayal, sorrow, unspoken love, and mutual devastation.
Akira fights not merely to defeat Ryo but to uphold the values of compassion, connection, and hope — the very ideals Ryo had long abandoned in his rebellion.
Despite his determination, Akira is ultimately overpowered.
In a final tragic blow, Akira’s body is torn apart, leaving Ryo victorious in battle but utterly defeated in spirit.
As the dust settles, Ryo sits beside Akira’s broken, lifeless body.
He talks to him as if he were still alive, confessing his regret, his confusion, and, finally, his love — feelings he was unable or unwilling to acknowledge until it was far too late.
The Earth lies barren and silent.
The moon, cracked and broken, looms overhead — a grim reminder of the irreversible destruction.
No humans remain.
No demons remain.
Only Ryo, alone with his guilt and sorrow, inhabits the empty world he helped create.
The final scene lingers painfully:
Ryo, an all-powerful being, weeps over the friend he loved and destroyed, unaware — or perhaps unwilling to admit — that he was the architect of his own despair.
This haunting finale encapsulates Devilman Crybaby’s ultimate message:
Love, when denied or misunderstood, leads not to salvation but to ruin.
It’s not a traditional victory or a neatly wrapped conclusion.
It’s a brutal meditation on pride, loneliness, and the devastating cost of refusing to accept and cherish the connections that define us as human.
3. Symbolism Behind the Ending
The ending of Devilman Crybaby is not merely a tragic conclusion; it is a tapestry woven with rich and layered symbolism.
Every visual element, from the broken Earth to the silent sky, carries a deeper meaning that amplifies the emotional devastation of the story’s final moments.
3.1 The Barren Earth: Humanity’s Self-Destruction
The desolate, broken world that forms the backdrop of the final battle is not just post-apocalyptic scenery; it is a direct consequence of humanity’s own failings.
The Earth is not destroyed by the demons — it is destroyed by humans, consumed by fear, hatred, and paranoia.
This barren landscape symbolizes the ultimate cost of losing empathy.
It is a visual indictment of how fear-driven violence doesn’t just eliminate threats — it erases everything meaningful, including love, hope, and community.
When love is abandoned, the world itself withers.
3.2 Akira’s Fallen Body: The Death of Hope
Akira’s lifeless, torn body lying on the barren ground is one of the most striking images in the finale.
Throughout the series, Akira represents compassion, courage, and the possibility of coexistence between opposites — humanity and monstrosity.
His death is not merely the defeat of a hero; it is the death of hope itself.
Akira fought not for power or vengeance, but for love, understanding, and unity.
His destruction signals that these ideals, while beautiful, can be tragically fragile in a world overwhelmed by hatred and fear.
Akira’s unmoving body, cradled by the devastated Ryo, visually portrays the irreversible loss of something pure and irreplaceable.
3.3 Ryo’s Solitary Tears: Realization Too Late
Perhaps the most gut-wrenching symbolism lies in Ryo’s solitary mourning.
Satan, the ultimate symbol of pride and rebellion, finally sheds tears — not of victory, but of unbearable sorrow.
His tears reflect the profound realization that in trying to destroy perceived weakness, he has annihilated the only connection he ever truly had.
In battling Akira, Ryo was not fighting an enemy, but destroying the part of himself capable of love.
True strength was not found in rebellion or domination, but in connection and acceptance — a lesson Ryo learns when it is too late.
The single tear falling into the empty world is a symbol of regret too vast to ever be repaired.
3.4 The Broken Moon: Cosmic Reflection of Inner Despair
Above the ruined Earth hangs the shattered moon, a chilling cosmic mirror to the devastation below.
The moon’s fractured image reflects not just physical destruction but emotional and spiritual disintegration.
It symbolizes the irreversible break in balance:
- Between good and evil.
- Between connection and isolation.
- Between understanding and pride.
The broken moon silently witnesses Ryo’s final, solitary existence — a haunting reminder that cosmic power means nothing without love to give it purpose.
📝 Summary of Symbolism
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Barren Earth | Humanity’s self-destruction through fear |
| Akira’s Dead Body | The death of hope and compassion |
| Ryo’s Tears | Realization of lost love and regret |
| Broken Moon | Permanent emotional and cosmic imbalance |
The ending’s imagery leaves no space for easy hope.
Instead, it demands that the viewer reflect:
In our quest for survival or power, what parts of ourselves are we willing to destroy?
Through its devastating visuals, Devilman Crybaby warns that the true apocalypse is not external —
it is the death of love, the abandonment of empathy, and the loneliness we create through pride and misunderstanding.
4. Ryo’s True Identity and Its Implication
The revelation of Ryo Asuka’s true identity as Satan is the pivotal moment of Devilman Crybaby,
shifting the narrative from a supernatural battle story to a profound, existential tragedy.
What initially seems like a struggle between humans and demons is ultimately revealed to be a deeper, more personal conflict:
a battle between connection and isolation, between love and pride.
4.1 Ryo Asuka: The Fallen Angel in Disguise
From the beginning, Ryo is depicted as brilliant, charismatic, and emotionally detached.
He manipulates events with clinical precision, showing little empathy toward the chaos and death he unleashes.
His actions — unleashing demons onto humanity, encouraging violence — seem cruel, even sociopathic.
However, the shocking truth is that Ryo is not human at all.
He is Satan, the fallen angel — once the most beautiful and beloved of God’s creations, cast out for his rebellion.
Ryo’s emotional detachment is not born of malice but of deep existential loneliness.
He cannot comprehend human emotions because he has been cut off from the divine source of love.
His rebellion was not purely out of hatred, but out of a desperate, prideful desire to assert his independence.
By orchestrating humanity’s downfall, Ryo seeks validation for his rebellion — proof that love and goodness are weak illusions.
Yet, paradoxically, it is precisely his inability to experience love that leaves him empty.
4.2 The Relationship Between Ryo and Akira
The bond between Ryo and Akira is the emotional core of Devilman Crybaby.
Their relationship is layered — a complex mixture of friendship, admiration, jealousy, and unacknowledged love.
Ryo chooses Akira to become Devilman not merely because Akira is “the right person for the job,”
but because Akira represents the human qualities Ryo both yearns for and resents: kindness, vulnerability, and the ability to connect deeply with others.
As the story progresses, it becomes clear that Ryo’s feelings toward Akira are not purely strategic — they are deeply personal.
Akira becomes the mirror through which Ryo glimpses what he has lost: the ability to love selflessly.
In trying to control Akira, Ryo unconsciously seeks to possess and understand love, even as he destroys it.
This tragic contradiction fuels the entire narrative and culminates in the devastating finale.
4.3 Pride, Rebellion, and Eternal Isolation
Ryo’s downfall is a classic echo of the Biblical Lucifer myth.
In his pride, he sought to defy the natural order — to be independent, self-sufficient, untouchable.
But true strength, Devilman Crybaby suggests, lies not in isolation, but in connection.
By rejecting love, Ryo condemns himself to eternal loneliness.
Even as he wins the final battle physically, he loses everything emotionally.
There is no triumph in his victory — only regret, sorrow, and endless solitude.
The final image of Ryo sitting beside Akira’s corpse, speaking to him as if he were still alive,
perfectly encapsulates the futility of pride without love.
In seeking to conquer weakness, Ryo annihilated the only bond that gave his existence meaning.
📝 Summary: The True Tragedy of Ryo
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| True Identity | Satan, the fallen angel |
| Motivation | Rebellion against isolation, desire for connection |
| Relationship with Akira | A mix of love, jealousy, and misunderstanding |
| Final Fate | Eternal loneliness and regret |
Ryo’s true tragedy is not that he failed to destroy humanity.
It’s that in his prideful quest for dominance, he destroyed the very thing he unknowingly needed most:
the capacity to love and be loved in return.
5. Themes Reflected in the Ending
The ending of Devilman Crybaby is a culmination of the series’ most profound themes —
themes that challenge the viewer to confront uncomfortable truths about love, humanity, and the nature of existence itself.
Rather than offering a conventional resolution, the series ends on a note of brutal honesty, forcing reflection on the fragility of human connection and the devastating consequences of its loss.
5.1 Humanity’s Capacity for Self-Destruction
One of the most chilling messages of Devilman Crybaby is that the true enemy was never the demons.
It was humanity itself — the fear, hatred, and suspicion that led ordinary people to commit unspeakable atrocities.
In the face of fear, humanity willingly abandons compassion, reason, and even their loved ones.
The mob violence that claims the lives of innocent characters like Miki Makimura highlights how quickly society can unravel when trust collapses.
Fear turns humans into monsters faster than any external threat.
By the end, there is no need for a demonic invasion.
Humanity has already annihilated itself.
5.2 The Tragedy of Misunderstood Love
At its heart, Devilman Crybaby is a love story — a deeply tragic one.
Ryo’s love for Akira, though never fully understood or expressed, drives much of the narrative.
However, Ryo’s inability to recognize and nurture that love ultimately leads to catastrophe.
Instead of embracing connection, he seeks to control and dominate, mistaking love for possession.
Akira, on the other hand, embodies unconditional love and sacrifice.
He fights not out of hatred for demons or loyalty to humanity, but because he believes in protecting the fragile bonds between people.
Their doomed relationship illustrates how love, when misunderstood or repressed, can become a force of destruction instead of salvation.
5.3 Isolation vs. Connection
Throughout the series, characters are faced with a fundamental choice:
to reach out and connect with others, or to isolate themselves in fear and pride.
Akira chooses connection.
Even after becoming Devilman, he clings to his human empathy and builds bonds with others.
Ryo chooses isolation.
Believing emotions to be weaknesses, he cuts himself off — and in doing so, condemns himself to eternal loneliness.
The series suggests that true strength lies not in independence but in vulnerability —
in the willingness to trust, to love, and to be hurt.
5.4 Pride, Regret, and Redemption Denied
Pride is Ryo’s defining flaw and his ultimate downfall.
In refusing to admit his need for connection, he sets events into motion that destroy the world he sought to shape.
His final, broken confession beside Akira’s body is a moment of clarity — but it comes too late.
There is no redemption for Ryo.
There is only regret, played out in the silent wasteland of his own making.
This uncompromising portrayal of pride’s consequences offers a harsh but powerful truth:
some mistakes cannot be undone, and some losses are permanent.
📝 Summary of Core Themes
| Theme | Reflection in the Story |
|---|---|
| Humanity’s Destruction | Fear and hatred destroy civilization |
| Misunderstood Love | Love denied leads to ruin |
| Isolation vs Connection | Strength found through empathy, not dominance |
| Pride and Regret | Pride isolates and ultimately devastates the soul |
Rather than offering an easy moral or a heroic triumph, Devilman Crybaby leaves viewers grappling with essential, painful questions:
- Can love survive in a world consumed by fear?
- Is redemption always possible, or can it be lost forever?
By refusing to give easy answers, the series achieves a rare kind of honesty — one that lingers long after the final scene fades to black.
6. Why the Ending is Divisive Among Fans
Devilman Crybaby’s ending is one of the most controversial in anime history.
While many viewers praise it as a bold, masterful conclusion, others find it overwhelmingly bleak, confusing, or emotionally exhausting.
This division stems from the series’ refusal to conform to traditional storytelling expectations —
choosing instead to confront the audience with raw, unfiltered emotion and an uncompromising vision of tragedy.
6.1 Subversion of Traditional Narrative Expectations
In most stories, especially within the shonen or action genres, audiences are conditioned to expect a final victory —
good triumphs over evil, heroes survive, and sacrifices are rewarded.
Devilman Crybaby shatters these expectations.
- Akira, the protagonist, dies.
- The villain, Ryo (Satan), “wins” — but at a devastating emotional cost.
- Humanity is not saved; it is utterly annihilated.
For many viewers, this brutal realism is refreshing, a courageous departure from formulaic storytelling.
For others, it feels needlessly cruel, offering no catharsis, only despair.
It’s not a heroic story; it’s a tragic reflection of real-world flaws.
6.2 Emotional Exhaustion and Viewer Impact
The final episodes of Devilman Crybaby deliver an almost relentless emotional assault:
beloved characters are killed, societal collapse is depicted in graphic detail, and the final battle is drained of hope.
For some, this emotional intensity is too overwhelming.
Instead of feeling enlightened or moved, they are left numb, exhausted, and hollow.
This emotional brutality is deliberate — intended to mirror the themes of isolation, loss, and self-destruction —
but it understandably alienates viewers who seek more uplifting or redemptive narratives.
6.3 Ambiguity and Lack of Clear Moral Resolution
Unlike many stories that clearly delineate heroes and villains, Devilman Crybaby offers no such simplicity.
- Is Ryo purely evil, or a tragic, misunderstood figure?
- Was humanity doomed by demons, or by its own fear?
- Is Akira’s sacrifice meaningful, or ultimately futile?
The lack of clear moral answers challenges viewers to wrestle with ambiguity —
a demand that some embrace, but others find deeply unsettling.
Many fans are divided on whether the story ultimately offers a message of hope (in Akira’s final act of love) or utter despair (in the annihilation of everything he fought for).
6.4 Cultural and Personal Expectations
Cultural background and personal worldview heavily influence how the ending is received.
- Western audiences — often more accustomed to hero narratives with redemption arcs — may find the ending particularly jarring.
- Japanese audiences — more familiar with tragic storytelling traditions (such as those seen in works like Neon Genesis Evangelion) — may be more accepting of the bleak outcome.
Individual factors such as age, personal experiences with loss or grief, and philosophical outlook also shape viewer reactions.
📝 Summary: Why Opinions Are Split
| Reason | How It Divides Fans |
|---|---|
| Narrative Subversion | Praised for originality, criticized for hopelessness |
| Emotional Intensity | Seen as powerful or excessively draining |
| Moral Ambiguity | Valued for depth or viewed as confusing |
| Cultural/Personal Lens | Different storytelling expectations impact interpretation |
Devilman Crybaby’s ending is not designed to please everyone.
It is raw, painful, and unsettling —
a mirror held up to humanity’s darkest impulses and a lament for what is lost when pride overrides love.
In embracing such brutal honesty, the series cements its place as a masterpiece for some, and a nightmare for others.
7. My Personal Take on the Ending
Few anime have ever left me as emotionally gutted — yet intellectually awed — as Devilman Crybaby.
When the final scene faded to black, I didn’t move.
I just sat there, staring at the screen, overwhelmed by a complex storm of sadness, anger, admiration, and loss.
Unlike many stories where the ending provides resolution or catharsis, Devilman Crybaby left me with questions that still linger.
Not about the plot, but about deeper, existential concerns:
- What does it mean to love someone and fail them?
- How does pride warp our ability to connect?
- Can compassion survive in a world built on fear?
The ending hit me like a silent scream — a final, broken note echoing across a ruined world.
7.1 The Power of Hopelessness
It’s rare for a story to embrace despair so completely and still feel meaningful.
At first, I wanted to reject the ending, to believe that Akira’s death rendered everything meaningless.
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized:
The act of fighting for love, even in a doomed world, carries its own kind of victory.
Akira’s final stand wasn’t pointless.
His death wasn’t in vain.
In choosing compassion over hatred, even knowing he would lose, Akira embodied a strength that Ryo — with all his cosmic power — could never understand.
That realization changed how I view heroism, not just in anime, but in life.
7.2 Ryo’s Loneliness: A Reflection of Our Own
What haunted me most was not Akira’s death, but Ryo’s despair.
Watching Ryo cradle Akira’s lifeless body, speaking to him as if he were still alive, I felt an almost unbearable sense of regret.
Ryo wasn’t a traditional villain.
He was a being desperate for connection, but too proud, too broken, to achieve it.
In the end, he had everything — power, control, victory — but nothing that mattered.
Ryo’s final loneliness felt disturbingly familiar.
It forced me to confront my own fears about pride, isolation, and the ways we push others away when we need them most.
7.3 A Story That Refuses to Let Go
Weeks after watching Devilman Crybaby, I still found myself thinking about it.
Its imagery, its emotions, its questions — they stayed with me, gnawing at the edges of my mind.
I realized that Devilman Crybaby isn’t the kind of story you “move on” from.
It embeds itself inside you, demanding that you wrestle with it, not just as a piece of entertainment, but as a reflection of your own humanity.
It’s a brutal, uncompromising work of art —
one that doesn’t offer comfort, but demands empathy.
📝 Personal Reflection Summary
| Element | My Reaction |
|---|---|
| Akira’s Death | Tragic yet meaningful sacrifice |
| Ryo’s Despair | Heartbreaking mirror of human pride |
| Overall Impact | Deep emotional and philosophical resonance |
| Lasting Effect | Forced deep reflection on love, fear, and connection |
In the end, Devilman Crybaby taught me that true strength isn’t about winning —
it’s about refusing to abandon love, even when the world falls apart around you.
And sometimes, the bravest thing we can do is to feel, to grieve, and to reach out —
even knowing we might fail.
What did Devilman Crybaby leave you thinking about?
If you found the ending of Devilman Crybaby powerful and heartbreaking, you’ll definitely appreciate Ideon vs Evangelion: Apocalyptic Journeys and Cataclysmic Endings, another masterpiece exploring the collapse of human connection.
8. Conclusion
Devilman Crybaby is not a series that seeks to entertain in the traditional sense.
It is a brutal, harrowing journey through the darkest corners of human nature, a story that strips away illusions and forces the audience to confront uncomfortable truths about fear, pride, love, and loss.
At its heart, it is a tragedy — not just because its heroes fall, but because the potential for salvation was always within reach, only to be destroyed by misunderstanding, fear, and isolation.
Through the characters of Akira and Ryo, Devilman Crybaby explores the fragile nature of human connection:
- Akira, embodying empathy and sacrifice, shows us the strength in vulnerability.
- Ryo, embodying pride and rebellion, shows us the loneliness that comes from denying our need for others.
The ending, in all its devastation, is a final, unflinching mirror:
a reminder that love must be recognized and nurtured —
because when it is denied, the consequences are irreversible and absolute.
Final Takeaways
| Theme | Lesson |
|---|---|
| Love | Must be expressed and embraced before it’s too late |
| Fear | Destroys more thoroughly than any external enemy |
| Pride | Leads to isolation, regret, and ruin |
| Humanity | Defined not by strength, but by compassion |
Devilman Crybaby refuses to give viewers the comfort of a traditional ending.
Instead, it leaves us with something far more valuable:
a lingering sense of empathy, a renewed understanding of our vulnerabilities, and a challenge to hold onto love even when the world demands otherwise.
It’s a painful story, yes — but also a profoundly human one.
In the end, Devilman Crybaby asks a simple, devastating question:
If you want to experience the emotional power firsthand, you can find Devilman Crybaby on Netflix.
If love is the only thing that can save us, why do we so often destroy it?
For detailed reviews and fan reactions, visit MyAnimeList or check out Anime News Network’s review.