We just have to say right away, this isn't a fair comparison. Bayonetta and Devil May Cry are two similar franchises with a world of difference between them. But, if everyone understands that going in, then its totally fine to have some fun comparing the two like we're about to do.
Dante or Bayonetta? Jeanne or Vergil? Niko or Rodin? The two franchises are both front liners as examples of what makes a "Character Action" game, and both DMC5 and Bayonetta 2, the most recent releases, are arguably 10/10 games. But, which one is better, and in what ways?
10 Bayonetta: Has A Better Balance Between Siblings
Here's the thing, Dante and Vergil are like the original gaming rivalry. Two brothers standing on opposite sides of a moral quandary that puts them at odds at all times. The Blue and Red Oni, Hot vs Cold Personality types. It's just so classic!
But, this brotherly quarrel got sort of old by DMC3. The hatred Vergil has for Dante is childlike in nature as is his absurd thirst for power, and Dante is just a child in general. Meanwhile, both Cereza and Jeanne seem like quite the one-note characters that shockingly get a lot of depth to them as the games continue.
9 Devil May Cry: Has A Better Supporting Cast
Bayonetta's supporting cast is pretty weak. She has Enzo, Luka, Rodin, Jeanne, Balder, and Loki. We already know that Rodin and Jeanne are rad, but Enzo is intentionally annoying, Luka is thirst incarnate, Balder is just a new age Kefka, and Loki is that same old "pompous child character". They're all so stereotypical!
Meanwhile, DMC has Trish, Lady, Kyrie, Credo, Mundus, V, Lucia, and Niko. These characters are mostly stereotypes as well, but with just a tad bit more to their character that makes them interesting while Bayonetta's characters just don't quite have as much.
8 Bayonetta: Has Combat/Gameplay More Accessible To A Large Audience
It's apparent from minute one that Bayonetta's controls are more streamlined than DMC's, especially in the early days. Sure, once you got the hang of it, DMC1 and DMC3 offered much more in terms of mechanics, but from a pickup and play mentality, Bayonetta and Bayonetta 2 are the surefire winners. Though, she isn't quite so streamlined when compared to other Smash characters.
Here's the perfect example, for the longest time, the Bayonetta games had one mechanic that the Devil May Cry games didn't and that was a dedicated "dodge" button that came with Witch Time. Of course in the newer release, DMC has variations of this, but it has always worked better in Bayonetta.
7 Devil May Cry: Has Unfathomably Deep Combat Mechanics
In both Bayonetta 1&2, the level of combo potential is quite high. But, frankly, nothing can compare to Devil May Cry. This game series pioneered grading people on how stylish they were, and it is still the poster boy for this type of gameplay.
In DMC5 alone, Dante has tons of different weapons that all have input-specific combos and transformations. And, that's just one character! Don't get us started on Nero's Devil Breakers, Max Act, or his post-game Knuckle ability. Meanwhile, Bayonetta is fun and challenging, but nowhere near this complex.
6 Bayonetta: Has More Intelligently Designed Enemies And Bosses
Don't get us wrong, over the years the amount of unique designs in the Devil May Cry games is staggering, especially with the bosses. Frankly, Bayonetta with its two measly iterations can't compete with DMC's five or six if you count the reboot. But, in terms of a cohesive design theme, Bayonetta wins.
All the angels in the Bayonetta games feel like they came from the same design book and follow the same design formula. And, in Bayonetta 2, the Devils followed that same concept relatively well. Meanwhile, demons and monsters in DMC games are all over the place in terms of their style and design aesthetic, and while that's a plus in most areas, if we're talking about cohesiveness, it definitely isn't.
5 Devil May Cry: Has Many Different Characters For People Who Prefer Different Playstyles
Excluding the secret character Zero from the first game, Bayonetta really doesn't have many playable characters at all. The second game added a few like Rodin, Balder, Jeanne, and Rosa, but the majority of them play very similarly and are mostly there for fanservice. But, DMC has a ton of playable characters other than Dante.
There's Trish, Lady, Nero, Lucia, Vergil, and V. And, that's not even counting how differently Dante plays in each game (especially DMC2) or the characters from the awful reboot! There's a lot of variety for a person if they want to be stylish, and it's hard to measure up to that in any tangible sort of way.
4 Bayonetta: Does A Lot More With Its Female Cast (At Least In Recent Games)
Earlier we talked about how the movement in Bayonetta games feels a lot better than the early DMC games, even including DMC4 original. DMC1 is a rough game control-wise and they slowly improved over time but Bayonetta started off pretty streamlined. Well, in contrast to an old feature that has been fixed presently, let's talk about a problem that wasn't there in the past but is now.
DMC5 treats its female cast like garbage! Lady and Trish are there for 70% of the story but do nothing when in previous games they were playable characters with their own campaigns. Meanwhile, anyone female in Bayonetta is a surefire butt-kicker, playable character, and unique individual. That didn't change with Bayonetta 2 and likely won't with Bayonetta 3.
3 Devil May Cry: There's More To Its Lore
That said, while DMC might seem shallow and misogynistic, there's a ton more to it beneath the surface. There's the whole backstory with Dante the anti-hero, his relationship with Vergil, their mother, Sparda, and Mundus. Then there's the backstory with Nicoletta Goldstein, Tony Redgrave (an alias for Dante), and starting up the Devil May Cry agency, and that's just the first two games.
Then, in newer games, there's the whole subplot with Fortuna, Kyrie and Nero's past and future, and even Vergils romantic history. There's just a lot of little things outside the games to learn about these characters. Bayonetta has some lore, but nowhere near as much.
2 Bayonetta: Has A Higher Escalation Ceiling
But, almost as if it traded lore for hype, Bayonetta's climax moments are much grander than DMC's. When Dante is fighting a demon king in a small town on Earth, Bayonetta is using a Demon Contract with her hair to kick a monstrous Angel into the sun.
While Dante is using his motorcycle as dual swords, Bayonetta is using hers to ride up a missile. The ceiling of escalation for Bayonetta is out of this world, literally, and halfway across the Milky Way Galaxy. This isn't us saying that DMC's moments aren't amazingly rad as well, just that Bayonetta tends to escalate things a bit farther on average.
1 Devil May Cry: Has Stronger Soundtracks On Average
And finally, let's talk about music. Again this is another thing that is sort of unfair because Bayonetta only has two games and DMC has arguably 6. But, the soundtracks for DMC games are usually pretty killer with most of their music being fantastic in different ways.
Meanwhile, the Bayonetta games have stellar soundtracks as well, but most people only remember the Fly Me To The Moon (Climax Mix) and there's a reason for that. Plus, there's just no competing with DMC5's Devil Trigger, sorry Bayonetta, but we do love the jazzy aesthetic of her soundtracks regardless!