Vergil (Devil May Cry)
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| Vergil | |
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| Game series | Devil May Cry series |
| Voice actor(s) | Daniel Southworth(Devil May Cry 3) |
| Motion capture actor | Daniel Southworth(Devil May Cry 3) |
| In-Universe Information | |
| Relatives | Dante(brother); Sparda (father); Eva (Mother) |
Vergil is a fictional character from the Devil May Cry video game series, who is the twin brother of the heroic Dante and one of the two sons of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda. His real name is Vergil, but was later changed to Nelo Angelo, which is the product of a transliteration error of "Nero Angelo" meaning "Black Angel" in Italian. Nelo Angelo is a boss featured in the video game Devil May Cry. Vergil appears in the prequel, Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening. Vergil is, like Dante, a hybrid. His lineage is divided between being half devil and half human, which gives him superhuman abilities. Unlike his brother, he is more serious about his training, and is the better swordsman, practicing an art of swordplay that uses movements reminiscent of the Iaidō sword fighting style. His personality is also the opposite of Dante's, having a cold and stoic demeanor as opposed to Dante's wild and thrill-seeking nature. Their contrast is often stated as representative of their two "halves"; Dante's personality is more human, while Vergil's is more demonic. Vergil is differentiated from Dante visually with his slicked-back hair, contrasting with his brother's uncombed hair (though when his hair is down, Vergil immediately ends up looking identical to Dante).
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[edit] Origin and History
Vergil is a chief antagonist in "Devil May Cry 3", though he is betrayed by Arkham at the end of the game's second act (the end of mission 13), and temporarily teams up with Dante near the end. Throughout the game, Vergil seeks to undo the seal of Sparda inside the Temen-ni-gru and claim the entirety of their father's power for his own, regardless of the effects this will have on the human world. To do so he needed Dante's half of their mother's amulet, so he lures his brother out with the intent of taking it by force.
Vergil battles Dante three times in the "Devil May Cry 3" storyline. Their first battle is on the highest level of Temen-Ni-Gru. Though Dante puts up a valiant effort, he is soundly defeated by Vergil's might with the Yamato, his keepsake katana from Sparda. At the end, Vergil obtains Dante's amulet.
Prior to their second fight, Vergil puts an end to Beowulf, a blind wolf-like demon (who apparently lost his first eye to Sparda, and his remaining eye in battle with Dante) who hates the Sparda line with a vengeance. By doing this, Vergil acquires the Beowulf gauntlets and greaves. Using these, Vergil employs martial art moves along with his considerable skills with the Yamato in the second battle with his brother. Dante's true demonic powers having been awakened however, this battle ends in a draw -- whereupon Arkham reveals his own evil scheme.
Although they have a thorough dislike for each other at the beginning of Devil May Cry 3, there are indications that Dante and Vergil were once close and were not always enemies. The most significant example of this is the second half of the boss battle against Arkham in level 19 where they fight side by side. Just before defeating their enemy, Dante mentions a phrase they used to say together. They both utter the word, "JACKPOT!" and use Ebony and Ivory to eject Arkham out of the demon realm. It should be noted that Vergil normally doesn't use firearms since it is stated in the game's manual that he doesn't believe them to be a true warrior's weapons, but upon grasping Ebony, he tells Dante that he would "try it your way for once." He quickly tosses the gun back to Dante afterwards.
Lastly, their final battle is near the entrance to the demon realm. Vergil, having attained the Force Edge, uses several new attacks; an attack similar to Dante's "helm breaker", a "stinger" like lunge with Force Edge, Round Trip, a sword throwing maneuver which Vergil hurls the Force Edge to the enemy and finally, a storm of "judgment cuts", which he executes while invisible. However, he is eventually defeated by an awakened Dante.
At the end of this last fight, Vergil tells Dante to leave the demon realm, and throws himself off of the waterfall they were battling on. Dante seems reluctant in letting Vergil stay behind, and makes an attempt to reach out and grab his hand to prevent him from damning himself. A smiling Vergil uses the Yamato to cut Dante's left hand (he first did this near the end of their first fight to his right hand as Dante tried to take back his amulet) and falls. After returning to the human world Dante sheds a tear for his seemingly lost brother, prompting Lady to say "even a devil may cry, when he loses a loved one". Thus, the name "Devil May Cry" (Dante's demon-hunting shop) may be his way of memorializing Vergil. Dante also keeps the glove he was wearing when Vergil cut him, with his blood still staining it.
During the credits of the game, Dante is pitted against as many demons as the player can kill before time runs out, and should the player kill over 100 of them, a secret movie is unlocked. This shows Vergil rising to his feet in a lake of blood, and looking into the sky to see three large glowing orbs in a triangle – Mundus as he first appeared in the first "Devil May Cry" game. Vergil decides that "it will be fun to fight the prince of darkness, if my Father did it, then I can do it too!" and then charges at the orbs with the Yamato ready.
However, Vergil was defeated by Mundus and subsequently brainwashed as his servant. This was how he became Nelo Angelo; one of Mundus' lieutenants in the original "Devil May Cry", still in possession of Vergil's half of the amulet, until Dante apparently destroys him.
Dante battled Nelo Angelo three times in the original "Devil May Cry" on Mallet Island. Each time that Nelo Angelo saw Dante's half of the amulet he fled the battle. In the final battle Nelo Angelo manages to uncover his face to reveal that he is Vergil. In the end Nelo Angelo appears to explode and leaves his half of the amulet behind, allowing Dante to unlock Sparda's true power. After a short woeful memory of a sibling rivalry between him and Vergil on their birthday, Dante resumes his campaign against Mundus.
Vergil is voiced by Daniel Southworth
[edit] Gameplay
In the "Devil May Cry 3" Special Edition, Vergil is a playable character that the player can take through the same missions as Dante (with a few minor changes). Vergil has only one style, Dark Slayer (similar to Dante's 'Trickster' style), which includes many evasive maneuvers, and can be leveled up twice, just like Dante's initial four styles. He has three weapons at all times: his Yamato katana, the Beowulf gauntlets/greaves, and the Force Edge broadsword from the first game. He has only one ranged attack, "Summoned Swords," which can be summoned to spin around Vergil, can be stacked and shot at the enemy quickly, or can be summoned to surround an enemy and pierce them radiating from the enemy’s position. While they deal more damage compared to Dante's guns, they are slower, but can be used even while attacking with other weapons.
[edit] Literary Roots
One may notice that Dante and Vergil share their names with Dante Alighieri and Publius Vergilius Maro, poets of epic works. In Dante Alighieri's work The Divine Comedy, Dante (the author) is guided through Hell by Virgil (the Roman poet). Both sons of Sparda mirror the characters in the poem; Vergil as Nelo Angelo continuously confronts Dante as he delves further into Mundus' castle (Hell), egging him on and drawing him closer to Mundus himself.
[edit] Devil May Cry 4
The magazine GameInformer asked representitives of Capcom in an interview if Dante's brother Vergil would appear in "Devil May Cry 4"(which is set after his apparent death). Capcom's response was that Vergil remains important to the Devil May Cry franchise, but did not elaborate.
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