In Netflix’ Devil May Cry, demon hunter Dante and his buddy Enzo take on an assignment from a mysterious man named Lucan. Already old and gray, he has somehow mastered the secrets of the quantum realm, known to humans as, well, “Hell.”
But particles are just particles, and so perhaps it’s merely the communication between humans and “demons” that’s the problem, Lucan theorizes. He demonstrates how, used properly, the energy from the quantum realm can be used to grow and support life rather than to only take it.
Having known Dante’s father, a legendary knight fighting for both humans and demons, without revealing the whole truth, Lucan suggests to Dante there might be more to his life than cutting off strange creatures’ heads. But Dante is only interested in the bounty, and so Lucan lets him and Enzo wander off into more adventures. “The hard way, then,” he whispers as they make their way out of his garden.
Three years later, Dante returns to Lucan, greeted with words he’s only recently heard for the first time: “It’s good to see you again, son of Sparda.” Dante’s eyes widen. “You knew who I was the whole time, and you couldn’t have told me back then?! It would have saved a lot of trouble. A lot. I mean, really a lot.”
But the Dante in front of him is not the same one who walked into Lucan’s garden three years prior. Information alone rarely changes anything. In order to actually believe in his potential, Dante first had to lose friends, fight bigger enemies, and uncover some of his slumbering skills on his own. Once again, Lucan is generous with his insight: “I couldn’t tell you what was not yet true. There is a difference between learning who you are and becoming it.”
For all his eye-rolling, deep down, Dante, like all of us, does wonder: “What is my purpose? Am I not part of a larger whole?” And while Lucan’s words aren’t quite enough to fully send Dante over the edge into a new belief system, this time, he does listen. He actively confronts his demons—and not just the ones he’s fighting with his sword. Plus, in the oncoming battle, he deliberately chooses a side and stands his ground.
Even if they know, no book or advisor can tell us who we are. Becoming is something we can only do day by day, step by step. Trust the layers will add up—and that even if your next stride lands you in a puddle, it’s still part of the way you’re meant to tread.