Within the opening scene of Devilman Crybaby, the viewer is immediately introduced to the ways in which Ryo criticises human society and emotions.
However, it is only slowly revealed to us that his criticisms do not originate from some hubristic superiority complex, but rather from a more layered perspective of that of the incarnate devil.
Ryo outwardly and consciously critiques human society but does not seem to recognise his own reasoning for it, which is conveyed as his subconscious inability to understand humanity, despite his efforts to, and his experiencing of human emotions (his love towards Akira that he doesn’t entirely recognise until the final episode).
Ryo abandons humanity and makes the conscious decision to join the demons because ‘where there is no love, there is no sorrow’.
In Devilman Crybaby, demons are often referred to as ‘pure’, since they do not have love or empathy; they simply live in order to survive, and the mere thought that they should act otherwise is unfathomable for Ryp. He does not correlate a need for love as a necessary aspect of existence, and therefore does not actively strive to achieve or understand it with any human apart from Akira, who he came to love passively.
As a result of this, Ryo diligently takes on this ideology of survival of the fittest, under the primary belief of the demons that ‘only the strong will survive’. A large reason for his undertaking of this ideology is because he is one of the few who is able to entirely understand the transcendent nature of the brutality of the world’s disarray, deriving from God’s punishments.
One of the most prominent of Ryo’s internal conflicts between his subconscious and conscious actions is observable in the opening scene. Even when Ryo possesses a human child’s body, and has no memories of being Satan, his inability to consciously understand human motion is ever-present. He cannot comprehend why Akira would be so upset when an estranged cat on death’s door, died. However, he still made the subconscious decision to hold the umbrella over Akira because he loves Akira, even though he does not understand this emotion yet himself. His subconscious acts instinctively in a way that a human’s would, caring for the one he loves.
Overall, Ryo’s battle between conscious and subconscious actions is perceptible throughout the entire anime, conflicted between his deep-rooted belief that humanity holds total insignificance due to their vulnerabilities and weaknesses, and his undeniable love for Akira.
