Devilman is a complicated saga that can be difficult to navigate with its various continuities and spinoffs. Go Nagai's original manga and its anime adaptation are only the start of a decade-spanning barrage, which will intimidate anyone new to the series interested in watching or reading it.
Long before Marvel Studios created its shared universe, Go Nagai created a shared multiverse of characters, with Devilman being one of the centerpieces uniting all the different aspects together. So, if you want to read Devilman, where do you even begin? We will focus on the core manga and include references to other spinoffs worth checking out for continued Devilman reading.
How To Read Devilman's Manga
The original Devilman manga ran from 1972 -1973 -- with five volumes -- in Weekly Shonen Magazine. It was followed in by Shin Devilman, which ran for one volume between 1979 to 1981, and then Neo Devilman, an anthology series worked on by multiple from 1999-2000 with three volumes. Another title, Amon: The Darkside of the Devilman, was released between 1999 and 2004. A string of alternate continuities/spin-offs followed, including Demon Knight, Devilman vs. Getter Robo, Silene-chan, Devilman Grimoire, Devilman vs. Hades and most recently Devilman Saga, which started in 2014 and ended in 2020.
Two of the most unusual and well-known alternate continuities for Devilman are Violence Jack and Devilman Lady. Devilman Lady is a genderswapped sequel to Devilman that features Jun Fudo, a model, turned into the iconic Devilman. Violence Jack, however, was seemingly a separate Go Nagai manga about a post-apocalyptic wasteland that, toward the final volumes, turned out to be an elaborate sequel to Shin Devilman.
While understanding Devilman's history offers some clarity, it's difficult for Western readers to enjoy the entire franchise as much of the works remain untranslated. Go Nagai's original manga was recently republished in two large volumes by Seven Seas Entertainment, and their website indicates multiple outlets to purchase it from. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Rightstufanime and Books-A-Million all carry both volumes of Devilman: The Classic Collection for around $29.99 each.
The five volumes of Devilman Grimoire (Devilman G) and three volumes Devilman vs. Hades were also released by Seven Seas Entertainment and available from the same retailers for about $12.99 each. Unfortunately, there currently aren't digital volumes available.
How to Watch The Multiple Devilman Anime (and That One Live-Action Movie)
Devilman has existed in anime since the manga's release, with the original airing for 39 episodes between 1972-1973. It is arguably the most family-friendly adaptation of the character -- notably changing the ending of the story. The original series received a North American DVD release in 2014 -- available from Amazon for $69.95. It was followed in 1973 by an alternate canon anime film called Mazinger Z vs. Devilman.
Devilman: The Birth and Devilman: Demon Bird Sirene were two OVAs released in 1987 and 1990, taking steps to adapt the original manga. Those were followed by Amon: Apocalypse of Devilman in 2000, which adapted the manga of the same name. While the third OVA isn't directly connected to the prior two, they tell one complete story. Amazon and Rightstuffanime offer a Blu-ray OVA combo-pack, which includes The Birth and Demon Bird Sirene, for $22.46-$27.19.
In 2015, Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman, a three-episode crossover OVA between the two franchises, was released. While this found success on Netflix, the real hit for the Devilman series in the 2010s came with 2018's Devilman Crybaby. All ten episodes of Devilman Crybaby and the Cyborg 009 crossover are available to stream on Netflix.
Devilman Lady (also known as The Devil Lady) is a spin-off that received an anime in 1998 that ADV dubbed. Alongside that, there were the three Violence Jack OVAs, but none of them adapt the connective tissue between Violence Jack and Devilman. These are both available to stream for free on RetroCrush, but The Devil Lady is also available on Amazon Prime -- with a Blu-ray set for purchase at $59.95 too.
The 2004 live-action adaptation of Devilman was heavily criticized upon release and afterward for its low quality and terrible effects. The DVD is available from Rightstuffanime for $11.24 but isn't streaming anywhere at this time.