The realm of fiction is littered with metaphorical utilizations of the demonic. One of the most common concepts subject to this metaphorization is that of power. Because of its inherent connection to godly forces, the demonic is ripe for usage as a metaphor concerning sheer domination over another being in some form or fashion. It is so common in fact, that Capcom, one of the most prolific gaming companies in the world, has used it in two separate franchises; Street Fighter and Devil May Cry.
Akuma as he appears in Street Fighter 6
The most famous antagonist in the Street Fighter franchise is, of course, Akuma. While he was never the main villain of any of the games, he’s always been a scene stealing presence thanks to his backstory and playstyle. The former is a classic fallen angel story, where he was a promising young fighter whose obsession with mastering the art of the Satsui no Hado led him to lose his humanity and become the demonic rival of the series protagonist, Ryu. The latter is where the power metaphor comes into play, because his playstyle is the same as that of the series protagonists, Ryu and Ken, but with a few important twists. Those twists all serving to emphasize how powerful he is when compared to those two. For example, all three characters have a fireball, but only Akuma’s fireball can be thrown in the air. Not only that, his walk speed is faster than Ryu and Ken’s, and he has access to a teleport and a special super move called “Raging Demon”. He is, in a way, the perfection of the playstyle brought forth by Ryu and Ken, thus showing how the demonic can be linked to power. However, Akuma’s demonic power comes at a heavy cost for him. In all of his official Street Fighter appearances, Akuma has a more obvious weakness than most other characters in the cast, that being his low health. None of the games have a demonic explanation for why his health is so low, but if one were to expand on this metaphor, people are often said to have “sold” their souls to the devil, and in certain contexts, another word for soul is life and in video games another word for life is health. Akuma became the most powerful fighter in the world, at the expense of being the most fragile, showing how demonic forces will bring someone power only to rot their souls.
A different Capcom series of video games which deals with the demonic as a metaphor for power is Devil May Cry. This time, however, the metaphor is not exclusive to one or two characters like in Street Fighter. The metaphor defines the story of the entire franchise. Dante, our main character, is the son of Sparda, a demon who betrayed his people and cast them into the netherworld, and Eva, a human woman who Sparda married before his death. In his youth, Dante rebelled against his demon side, becoming a demon hunter who just wants to enjoy the simple pleasures of his human life. However, he is forced to embrace his demon side after he is nearly killed by his twin brother, Vergil. Vergil is the antithesis to Dante’s lifestyle, embracing his demon half as he desires nothing more than to be the most powerful being in the world, going so far as to undo his father’s actions by attempting to unseal the netherworld. But Vergil was not alone in his quest for power though, as he is betrayed by his accomplice, Arkham, a man who killed his own wife so he could bring out demonic control of the Earth. Dante and Vergil team up to defeat Arkham, though, and both twins utilize human and demonic abilities to defeat the purely demonic and corrupted Arkham. Their victory over Arkham showcases how power is worthless if someone has nothing to fight for besides obtaining power. In Dante’s case, it’s saving humanity, and in Vergil’s case, it’s revenge against Arkham. When Vergil does get his revenge against Arkham, though, he returns to solely questing for power, and has one final duel against his brother which he loses, as he doesn’t possess Sparda’s “soul” as Dante would put it. Vergil then exiles himself in the netherworld, leaving Dante as the sole son of Sparda on Earth. There’s more to Vergil and Dante’s story, but I feel as though the game this story is from, Devil May Cry 3, was the game which made the most of the demonic as a metaphor for power. Dante representing those who do not wish to seek power but must use it to protect what they love, and Vergil representing those who seek power but fail to become strong because they lack anything worth fighting for. Once again, showing how the demonic will bring one power, at the cost of their souls.
Jesus Christ expelling a demon from someone as seen in Mark 5
In both of these game series, Capcom utilizes the demonic to tell a story about how power is a necessary, yet evil force. Much in the same way how in certain religious doctrines, the demonic is an essential force but is simultaneously a force which facilitates the wickedness of the world. The metaphor here is not coincidental. People aspire to live in a world in which power doesn’t exist so it cannot those who use it, like Akuma. However, they forget that the only way one can defeat those who are corrupted by power is the use of power by someone who desires a world in which power cannot corrupt. For certain religions, good is only defined by its ability to thwart evil. Ahura Mazda is good because he encourages those on Earth to thwart the evils of Angra Mainyu, Jesus is good because he performed miracles cleansing the commoners from demons, Marduk is good because he was able to brutally murder Tiamat and bring her to chaos, and Dante is good because he was able to use his demonic side to defeat Arkham and pacify Vergil. Therefore, the reason the demonic is such a common metaphor for power in fiction, is because the relationship religions have regarding the demonic and power is one which lends itself to a very interesting story.
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