Patty has a different appearance (clothing, hairstyle, or headwear) in every episode, which may lead to a Rewatch Bonus of comparing all that she wears in this series. After all, the ending of Episode 1 has her going from Rags to Riches and received a lot of new clothes as a consolation from the real Patty Lowell. In Episode 4, she has also mentioned that she wants to try new (albeit expensive) clothes, and by the end of that episode, she has went shopping for them.
At first, it may seem odd that Dante has to destroy the bridge to catch up with Vincent and the motorcycle demon "Red Eye". A few moments prior, Dante says "That sound...", implying that Red Eye can screw with the next rider(s) behind it with hallucinations not just through visual means, but auditory as well. Viewers then justified that Dante destroying a bridge would cause so much noise that would disrupt Red Eye's influence, allowing Vincent to break free and slow down.
Episode 3 focuses on the demon Bradley and the human Angelina falling in love, and their story defies the Star-Crossed Lovers trope as they would end up together. It's also established that this episode takes place in Capulet City. What's a more fitting way to use the Star-Crossed Lovers trope than referencing its Trope Namer, Romeo and Juliet? Angelina's father, Mayor Mike Hagel, has also drawn comparisons to Lord Capulet due to his dismissive attitude towards her lover, Bradley.
In Episode 5, Dante says Isaac is only "half-right" when the latter speculates and accuses him as a demon. What Dante says is true, as he's a half-demon.
Episode 6 starts with Patty reading The Little Mermaid, specifically the part where the Mermaid trades her voice to the Witch in exchange for having human legs. The entire story revolving around Elena Huston is actually a complete opposite of the fairy tale, coupled with a supernatural twist. Deep inside, Elena wished to have a "spellbounding voice", then a mermaid/banshee demon possessed her, causing Elena's form to morph like the demon's appearance as well.
As Dante puts it, revenge would be the only thing left for Modeus when Dante killed Baul (Modeus' reason to live). Modeus complies, but just as he charges toward Dante, the camera focuses on his eyes shedding tears. Those who are familiar with Dante's speech to Trish and Lucia in the first two games (devils who cry mean that they're becoming more like humans) may find it applicable to Modeus as well. This really cements Modeus being the pacifist in contrast to his brother Baul, and justifies Modeus being friendly towards humans like Patty (whom he meets in the park) and Fredi (the restaurant owner who serves strawberry sundaes). One could say that as Sparda's apprentice, Modeus followed his master's ideals of siding with humanity.
Baul and Modeus have a lot of parallels and contrasts with Vergil and Dante. It's just like Capcom has been reusing and playing with some key characterization tropes into a new context.
Both are pairs of twin brothers, though Baul and Modeus don't look identical, unlike Dante and Vergil (who are established as Always Identical Twins in DMC3).
Both pairs are connected to Sparda. Baul and Modeus are his two apprentices, while Dante and Vergil are his two sons.
One character's prominent color is an opposite of his brother's. Baul's white versus Modeus' black; Vergil's blue versus Dante's red.
Baul has similarities with Vergil. Both have spiky, white hair and seek Sparda's power in some form. Both are also unwitting pawns to some villains; Baul to Sid, and Vergil to Arkham. A retroactive one can also be included after the release of Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition. In this anime, Baul outright shouts his desire to surpass Sparda, just as one of Vergil's taunts in that game also has him proclaim "I shall surpass Sparda".
Modeus has similarities with Dante. Patty is amused upon realizing that Modeus and Dante both love strawberry sundaes. Modeus also sheds tears after the death of his brother Baul, just like Dante who cried after Vergil chose to remain in the underworld at the end of DMC3. Though Dante cites "the rain" as an excuse for his tears (even if the rain already stopped)... for what it's worth, Modeus cries while it's raining in the park.
While the early games have long established that some demons in the Devil May Cry universe (e.g. Sparda, Trish) can look just like ordinary human beings, this anime series cranks it up in a way that plenty of the "humans" are actually demons in disguise. If the first six episodes alone have shown that a bartender, some bar-goers, a lawyer, a motorcycle rider, a priest, or even the Mafia are demons, then the supernatural may be everywhere, yet not everyone easily realizes it. And this is just from the 2007 anime, long beforeDmC: Devil May Cry made it a significant plot point in its own story.
Episode 9 has established that even if Dante is a powerful mercenary demon slayer (along with having superpowers due to his Human-Demon Hybrid nature), he can still be subjected to curses and Demonic Possession. He even admits that he really was possessed by the cursed pocket watch he wore (causing him to duel against Lady while having a sinister grin on his face, which is out-of-character for him). Luckily, Lady managed to destroy the pocket watch and help Dante snap out of it. Imagine if she was unsuccessful, Dante would remain possessed by the watch and he might've killed Lady, Patty and Morrison.
