Intrinsically, the final episode of the series Devilman Crybaby can easily be viewed as a hopeless scene: humanity has been destroyed and all characters beside Ryo are dead, leaving the only plausible option as God having to reset the earth entirely.
However, though evidently hopeless, the ending is not necessarily worthless. The disastrous series of events holds immense significance, and greatly contributes to the plot.
The entirety of the last episode is congested with imagery of Ryo not truly understanding the extent of his bond with Akira, meaning he cannot willingly receive Akira’s love until, ultimately, it is too late for him to do so.
Rather than using narration or dialogue to convey Ryo’s new perspective, Devilman Crybaby excellently portrays this realisation visually, using momentary flashbacks from their childhood in order to remind the viewer of the depth of their relationship, therefore increasing the viewer’s understanding of Ryo’s immeasurable pain.
It isn’t until the very end that Ryo grasps the importance that Akira has on his life. Ryo finally understands what Akira meant when they were children as Akira could sense a deep sadness within Ryo that he was unable to sense within himself. This is a cavernous reminder for Ryo that, though he may attempt mimicry, he will never be able to understand human emotions in the same way a human does, despite finally experiencing them himself (with Akira’s unknowing aid).
Simply put, Ryo loves Akira therefore he feels sadness. It is this love that drives him to bring utter chaos to the world in order to save Akira, yet it is simultaneously the thing that destroys him.
The ending highlights that it is with this revelation (of genuine love for a human) that Ryo is able to learn his lesson, finally escaping the cycle of punishment God created for him. God resets the earth, freeing Ryo from the pain of (indirectly) killing the only person he has ever loved.
Additionally, I believe the significance of Akira dying on the same rock from the opening scene when Ryo and Akira showed contrasting levels of empathy as children ties back to how their relationship developed over the years, but ultimately led them back to the same position; contrastingly this time, it is with Ryo admitting genuine humanly feelings, whereas Akira is at the point of giving up (as well as symbolising the way God is punishing Ryo/ Satan in this inescapable cyclistic nature).
