: A central theme is the duality of love and pain. The show suggests that to feel love, one must be capable of feeling sadness. Ryo, who begins the series believing love is nonexistent, only realizes its reality after it is too late, illustrating that "love is the most powerful thing... strong enough to make even the devil cry".
Yuasa modernizes the 1970s setting by incorporating , using these tools to show how quickly mass hysteria and paranoia can dehumanize others in the 21st century. Thematic Analysis Devilman: Crybaby
: Modern analysis often highlights the queer-coded relationship between Akira and Ryo. Ryo’s ultimate tragedy is his inability to process his romantic love for Akira until he has literally destroyed the world to prove its meaninglessness. : A central theme is the duality of love and pain