I would say that it focuses mostly on duality, or rather the absurdity of belief that there are two separate extremes. It tackles philosophies from Buddhism, Zen, and even Christianity.
The story itself is ostensibly simplistic, but in actuality is so complex that with each re-read you discover more about it. Naturally, since it wasn't pre-planned, it's ridden with plot holes and erratic pace, however, it does in return offer a certain refreshment worth and perhaps a peculiar charm. The world of Devilman is multi-layered and it is very difficult to analyze its elements individually and in a typical way, because they are all juxtaposed into a sort of an incoherent unity. Where he has to accept his inner evil in order to defeat evil, which is where the aforementioned fails. That can be seen in the way the main character is written, as a paradoxical counterpart to humanity. Justified move, in a sense, since traditional hero portrayal is cast aside in order to act on a wider scale. When it comes to characters, this work refrains from any in-depth characterization, but rather shamelessly uses them as convenient tools in order to proceed with Akira's development. Go's expressionistic style flirts with reality, thus never makes violence seem to be there for the sake of fetishization, but instead experiments with the abstraction of it. Which pertain to violence and chaos as one of the themes.
Emotional overtones simply ooze out of panels, while anatomical accuracy is sacrificed for the sake of distorted depictions However, there is more than meets the eye in this clunky and out-of-place cartoon-ish style. One of the weakest and probably most prominent aspects is its artwork which could repel readers immediately. However, it is questionable how well can it cope with the tastes of today and not be cast aside as a mere superheroic work with horror elements. Considered to be the author's most iconic work, Devilman has created certain standards for works to come after it and could be considered a pioneer in that respect.
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