Vergil
Vergil is a major character from the Devil May Cry series of hack and slash action games. He is the older twin brother of Dante and the son of the demon knight Sparda and the human Eva.
He is one of the main antagonists in Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, as well as a playable character in the game's Special Edition.
Profile
Unlike Dante, Vergil embraces his demonic heritage, while despising his human one. He is the polar opposite of Dante in terms of personality; whereas Dante is hot-headed and sarcastic, Vergil is calm and calculating. He has a lust for power and is willing to disregard anything to obtain the power of his father, Sparda. He uses Yamato, a keepsake from his father, and possesses a sense of style that rivals Dante's.
Appearance
For the most part, Vergil looks identical to Dante in hair and facial features. However, Vergil usually has his hair swept back instead of brushed down like Dante's, presumably to resemble his father and to distinguish himself from his twin brother.
Before being transformed into Nelo Angelo, Vergil wore a blue long coat with three tails and a snake like pattern on the right side of the jacket. After that, he wore heavy armor that pulsed colors according to his vitality. The armor included a humanoid helmet with horns protruding from the forehead and a cape. In his final confrontation against Dante, he removed his helmet to reveal a sickly white skin tone with blue veins and red eyes, with his hair still swept back.
Nelo Angelo's armor gained a slight redesign in Devil May Cry 3 which did pulse, but not according to Nelo Angelo's vitality.
Personality
Cold, calculating, ruthless and withdrawn, Vergil's personality is almost the complete opposite of Dante's. Even though they are twin brothers, Vergil is calm, cool, and collected. Although he occasionally shows a dry sense of humor when annoyed.
He is quiet and prefers swords over guns, since he considers firearms unworthy of a "true warrior" (he does however uses magically-summoned phantom blades which bear little functional distinction from firearms). However, his silence is not due to a lack of self-confidence; it is because he never shows fear for anything.
Interestingly, despite his cold persona and ruthlessness he is a warrior who follows a strict combat discipline; he refuses to use firearms as he sees them as crude weapons, he despises fighting dirty and (as Nelo Angelo) he refuses to attack his opponents from behind. Vergil also has no tolerance for failure or insubordination from those under his command; he immediately slays the Hell Vanguard that failed to retrieve Dante's amulet, and stabs Arkham when he believed that the latter´s human side resurfaced by not killing Lady when commanded to, and thus was no longer needed. It would appear that Dante and Vergil were close at one time during their childhood. After their fight against Arkham in Devil May Cry 3, Dante and Vergil finish him off, with both of them firing one of Dante's guns, simultaneously saying a catchphrase, "Jackpot", after Dante asks his brother, "Remember what we used to say?".
Unlike Dante, Vergil is willing to embrace his demonic heritage, and seeks to emulate his father's power and cold persona. While Dante seeks to protect humanity from the demons, Vergil wants more demonic power, regardless of the consequences to those around him. Despite his normal personality of cold dismissal, he does cherish two things - the Devil-blade Yamato, a dark O-Katana left to him as a keepsake by his father, and his own half of the Perfect Amulet, a keepsake from his mother. In Devil May Cry 3, Vergil seems to reveal some of his feelings by claiming to Dante; "Might controls everything, and without strength you cannot protect anything, let alone yourself". This may be a reference to their mother's death. It may also imply that Vergil seeks power as compensation for failing to protect her. His failure may also have made him forsake close human relationships.
As Nelo Angelo, Vergil lacks speech (though in the special edition of Devil May Cry 3 in his Nelo Angelo costume, one of his taunts has him say "Come on" in a dark and menacing voice). He is also pained when forced to remember Dante and their family.
Story
Early Life
Sometime before their eighth birthday, Eva gave Dante and Vergil each a half of the Perfect Amulet. Around the same time, Sparda disappeared, and Eva and the twins were left alone. Some point after Sparda's death, when the twin's turned eight, Vergil, Dante, and their mother were attacked by revenge-seeking demons sent by Mundus, who hoped to harm Sparda's loved ones. Eva was killed, while the brothers survived. However, the twins were separated, and Dante believed Vergil to be dead.
Devil May Cry 3
Arkham helps Vergil to break the first seven seals Sparda cast upon the Temen-ni-gru (a holy tower constructed by devil worshippers), and then directs him to the Forbidden Land at the base of the tower. Vergil is later seen alongside Arkham at the top of the emerging tower. When the Hell Vanguard they sent to kill Dante returns, having failed its task, Vergil immediately dispatches it.
Vergil waits at the top of the tower for Dante, and at one point dispatches Arkham to eliminate Lady. When Dante reaches the peak of the tower, the two banter and then ferociously battle. Vergil emerges victorious, and takes Dante's half of the Perfect Amulet as his prize. Though Dante's Devil Trigger begins to manifest and Vergil prepares to fight him again, Arkham urges him to ignore Dante because "[they] already have all [they] need". The two then jump off the tower to reenter the Forbidden Land.
As Vergil and Arkham approach the final door to the Lair of Judgement, Vergil reveals his knowledge of Arkham's betrayal, and deals him a mortal blow. He then enters the chamber and commences the ritual to open the gate to the demonic world. During this ritual, he is momentarily interrupted by a blinded Beowulf, who has mistaken him for Dante. However, Vergil quickly vivisects the devil, and takes his soul as a Devil Arm.
While Dante was hurrying up to the final seal, Vergil had no luck on unlocking the seal, and was later interrupted by Dante. The twins engaged another fight which was interrupted by Lady causing the battle to end in a tie. Both demonic brothers are equally wounded, and Jester makes his appearance by announcing that everybody has served their role nicely. Jester later turned back and forth between Arkham and Jester, explaining why Vergil's ritual was incomplete, and why Vergil had failed against Dante and Lady. Arkham completes the ritual, and then plays with the three warriors while waiting for the tower to activate. Once it does, he knocks them off the ascending platform, wherein Vergil falls into an abyss.
Later, after Dante enters the Netherworld, Vergil is seen passing through the Divine Library, with Lady still huddled up, wounded and in grief, after her battle with Dante. She hears his footsteps and looks up to see who it was, but by that time, he had already gone through the door that Dante took. Vergil later interrupts Dante's fight with the ascended Arkham, and the twins finish Arkham off together. However, Vergil has not given up his goal of obtaining the Force Edge, and the twins are again forced to fight. Though Dante is able to defeat Vergil, he cannot convince him to return to the Human World. Vergil lets himself fall even deeper into the Netherworld.
In the epilogue, Vergil is seen in the Room of Fallen Ones, while three glowing orbs approach. Vergil recognizes the approaching devil as Mundus, and prepares to defeat him, remarking "If my father did it, I should be able to do it too.". However, in his weakened state Vergil is defeated and corrupted into becoming Nelo Angelo, a new devil trigger form for Vergil under the control of Mundus.
Devil May Cry
Vergil later reappears at Mallet Island, though as Nelo Angelo, he is unrecognizable to Dante. Eventually, Dante does notice his honorable personality, and questions why such a person would serve Mundus.
Nelo Angelo first appears to Dante as a reflection in the bedroom's mirror, from which he emerges and challenges Dante to a duel in the castle garden. They fight, and Nelo Angelo manages to pin Dante to a wall. However, Dante's amulet slips out just as Nelo Angelo attempts to deliver the killing stroke, and the sight of it awakens Vergil's memories, causing Nelo Angelo pain and forcing him to flee. He returns to challenge Dante in the garden near the Colosseum, but is defeated and again forced to flee. He finally returns one last time in a hall in the warped castle, where Dante questions the knight's loyalty to Mundus, and he shows his true face (yet Dante shows indifference). He challenges Dante one last time, and though he has been granted with new powers, Dante defeats him and he screams in pain as he disappears in a torrent of blue flames, leaving his half of the amulet. By looking at the amulet, Dante has a flashback and realizes that Nelo Angelo is Vergil.
Devil May Cry 4
While Vergil doesn't appear in the game and is not mentioned by name, Dante refers to the Yamato that Nero has as "[his] brother's", and the Bianco Angelo enemies are created from the fragments of the "Dark Angel" (Nelo Angelo).
Powers and Abilities
Like his brother Dante, Vergil possesses the blood of Sparda in his veins. This gives him uniquely inhuman abilities and endows him with an extraordinary physical prowess far beyond that of any human. He can also use the transformation called Devil Trigger, which he mastered long before Dante due to embracing his demonic heritage as opposed to Dante who previously rejected it. He is more adept at advanced teleportation than Dante due to his greater knowledge and experience with his powers. As he does not consider firearms as true weapons, he manifests summoned swords as long-range weapons instead. After being corrupted by Mundus, Vergil (as Nelo Angelo) receives new enhancements to his powers including an increase in his strength, though his techniques seemingly lose variety. When he jumps during his Yamato DT wings sprout out, however, he cannot glide or fly with them.
As for melee, Vergil usually uses his signature katana Yamato in battle. He utilizes a real-life sword style, known as Iaido, which involves attacking with both the sword and sheath. He also uses other weapons at times, like the Beowulf and Force Edge. Vergil is shown to be a master swordsman, striking so fast that the opponent does not realize they have been slain until he sheathes his weapon. His swordsmanship is noted to exceed that of Dante's, as evidenced by the facts that he defeats Dante in battle several times with relative ease, and could therefore be considered the most skilled swordsman in the entire series with the possible exception of his father, Sparda.
For most of Devil May Cry 3 and the DMC3 manga, he is shown to be a stronger fighter than Dante. Even after his defeat at the hands of Dante and Mundus, he returns as Nelo Angelo in the original Devil May Cry and is still capable of disarming Dante in battle.
Weapons and Gameplay
In Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, players may play on a separate file as Vergil. Vergil's scenario has a new prologue, but all other cutscenes were removed. Also, while the Vergil boss fights are still fought, the boss wears red instead of blue to give the impression that Dante is being fought. The boss is sometimes named "Vante" by the fans to resolve the confusion.
Vergil possesses his Devil Trigger and all three of his Devil Arms (Yamato, Beowulf, and Force Edge) from the beginning of his scenario. His signature Dark Slayer Style behaves somewhat like an upgraded Trickster Style, allowing to quickly move on the battlefield and ambush enemies. It must also be leveled in order to allow purchase of higher level actions for Vergil's weapons. Vergil also cannot obtain as many actions per weapon as Dante can, and uses his Summoned Swords instead of firearms.
Vergil's Yamato is a faster weapon than Dante's Rebellion, but has weaker power and range. Yamato can be compared to Agni & Rudra in its role, although it has completely different moveset. Vergil's Beowulf cannot charge attacks like Dante's, but overall is more powerful. Vergil can also use Yamato and Force Edge together, and his actions with the pair of swords resembles Dante with the Rebellion. Finally, while firing his Summoned Swords cannot propel Vergil like Ebony & Ivory can propel Dante, they can still juggle enemies, can be used without interrupting other actions, and can be used both to guard himself or to surround the enemy.
Instead of Dante's "Legendary Dark Knight Dante" and "Super Legendary Dark Knight Dante" costumes which allow him to assume Sparda Devil Trigger, Vergil possesses the "Corrupt Vergil" and "Super Corrupt Vergil" costumes which allow him to assume his Nelo Angelo Devil Trigger. While in human form in either incarnation, his appearance is similar to Dante's "Legendary Dark Knight Dante" look, except without the monocle, and has evil red eyes, a pale complexion, a darker purple coat with yellow borders, and highly noticeable dark veins in his face.
As Nelo Angelo, Vergil becomes noticeably stronger than Dante would in his Devil Trigger and his entire moveset changes to that of that one he possessed in the first game. His armor and zweihander serve as his weapons and both inflict dark elemental damage. He attacks with slow but strong sword slashes, punches and kicks that generate an azure-colored flame. He can also charge up to fire explosive azure blasts of energy with either weapon. Nelo Angelo still retains his Air Trick, but comes in the form of vanishing in a blaze of azure flame instead of a blur. While the powerful armor gives him higher resistance to flinching, he is noticeably slower than his original devil form.
Other Appearances
Vergil's attire is a costume for Stylish Alastor in Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble.
Vergil appeared as a card in SNK vs. Capcom: Card Fighters DS and Street Fighter X All Capcom.
In Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds, Vergil is the fourth alternate color scheme for fellow Capcom character and villain, Albert Wesker.
Vergil appears in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 as one of the twelve new additions to the game, with Daniel Southworth reprising his role in English and Hiroki Hirata taking up the Japanese voice role. His DLC costume is Corrupt Vergil. He plays very similarly to his DMC3 counterpart, using long ranged normals and specials while dealing a large amount of damage and controlling space with his reach and teleports. His handicaps are his relatively low health and high meter usage.
In Sengoku BASARA 4, Mitsunari Ishida has Vergil's outfit as a DLC costume.
Trivia
- Vergil is named after and the Roman poet Publius Vergilius Maro. In The Divine Comedy, Virgil acts as Dante Alighieri's guide through Hell and Purgatory. Although Virgil was virtuous, his lack of Christian faith prevented him from entering Heaven.
- Near the end of Devil May Cry 3, during the battle against Arkham, Dante and Vergil fight as a team and at one point uses the former's handguns, Ebony and Ivory, and yell out "Jackpot" as they shoot (which Dante claims was something they used to do as children). This is the first and only time Vergil is ever shown to use a firearm.
- Nero, the protagonist of Devil May Cry 4, is blood-linked to Sparda in some way and bears a strong resemblance to Dante and Vergil in appearance. It is currently unknown however if he is in direct relation to them.
- In Devil May Cry 4: Deadly Fortune, a two-volume graphic novel based on DMC4, Sanctus assumes that Nero is the son of Vergil and a prostitute.
- The character is voiced by Daniel Southworth in Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening.
- Lorenzo, from Capcm's survival horror game Haunting Ground, is fairly similar to Vergil. Like Vergil, he is a relative of the protagonist who is obsessed with obtaining an element of power that his relative possesses (the Sparda and Perfect Amulet for Vergil, and the Azoth for Lorenzo), and even tries to kill his relative to acquire it. Furthermore, they both have the same hairstyle (Lorenzo on hard mode).
- Vergil's character, fighting style, weapons, and element somehow resembles Mitsunari Ishida from Capcom's Sengoku BASARA series of hack and slash strategy games.
See Also
Gallery
