Vergil (Devil May Cry)
Vergil (Japanese: バージル, Hepburn: Bājiru) is a fictional character in Devil May Cry, an action-adventure hack and slash video game series created by Japanese developer and publisher Capcom. He was introduced in the first Devil May Cry game as a boss called Nelo Angelo (ネロアンジェロ, Nero Anjero, which is Italian for "Black Angel"). Vergil is one of two devil-human hybrid sons of one of the devil lords called Sparda, and possesses demonic powers. He has appeared in three video games as a main antagonist opposing his younger twin brother, Dante, and in a novel and a manga based on the series. He is the secondary antagonist of Devil May Cry 3 (2005), and the overarching antagonist of Devil May Cry 5 (2019), though he becomes an anti-hero at its conclusion. A re-booted portrayal of Vergil also appears in the 2013 video game DmC: Devil May Cry as the leader of a group of rogue vigilantes bent on stopping the demon king, Mundus. In the main continuity, Vergil is portrayed in voice acting and motion capture by Daniel Southworth.
Vergil
Devil May Cry (2001)
Makoto Tsuchibayashi (Devil May Cry)
Daigo Ikeno (Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening)
Tatsuya Yoshikawa (Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition)
Alessandro Taini (DmC: Devil May Cry)
- David Keeley (Devil May Cry)
- Daniel Southworth (Devil May Cry 3, 4: Special Edition, & 5, Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Teppen)
- David de Lautour (DmC: Devil May Cry)
Daniel Southworth (Devil May Cry 3, 4: Special Edition, & 5)
Tim Phillipps (DmC: Devil May Cry)
Yamato (Katana)
Dante (Twin brother)
Nero (son)
Vergil was originally portrayed as Nelo Angelo—Dante's rival in terms of moves and appearance—in the 2001 game. Despite the character's apparent death as a child, Devil May Cry director Hideki Kamiya allowed Devil May Cry 3 writer Bingo Morihashi to change this event so Vergil could be featured as a young adult in the prequel game. Many of the series' characters were named after characters in Italian poet Dante Alighieri's poem Divine Comedy; Vergil was named after Virgil.
The character has been well received by video game publications, several of which praised his role as a boss, and his playable inclusion in the special editions of Devil May Cry. His redesign for Ninja Theory's reboot was the subject of praise, finding him more appealing than Dante.
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Characteristics[edit]
Vergil is Dante's identical twin brother; they are sons of a demon named Sparda and a human named Eva. Vergil is half-demon, which gives him superhuman abilities. He is more serious about his training than Dante. He has a cold, calm, and introverted demeanor, as opposed to Dante's arrogant, thrill-seeking, and outgoing nature. Both characters enjoy fighting;[28] Vergil values the power gained from Sparda, without which he would be unable to protect anything.[29] Vergil's main weapon is a katana named Yamato (閻魔刀), inherited from Sparda.[30] As Nelo Angelo, Vergil wears black armor with a cape while using a wide, blue sword, retaining his sense of honor despite being a slave to Mundus's will.[31]
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Reception[edit]
Vergil has been praised by video game publications, with his boss fight being described as the best among those in the series.[76][77] His debut as Nelo Angelo was regarded as one of the best bosses of the Devil May Cry series; GamesRadar+ and PlayStation Universe discussed his skills and his impact on Dante.[78][79] GamesRadar+ stated that Vergil and Dante share one of the best rivalries between brothers in gaming due to their differences.[80] In 2008, IGN's Jesse Schedeen compared Vergil with Gray Fox from the Metal Gear series, writing that they are "two formidable warriors from the videogaming realm" who "met their unfortunate ends in the games".[81] Engadget appreciated the prequel game Devil May Cry 3 for retroactively making Nelo Angelo a "more emotional villain" by introducing Dante's history with Vergil.[82] Dante and Vergil's half demon nature has been examined in the context of religion.[83]
Vergil's inclusion as a playable character in the updated version of Devil May Cry 3 was also the subject of discussion. PALGN appreciated that Vergil's moves are different from Dante's, making the former's scenario a different experience. He was also stated to be more powerful than Dante, which could either make a positive or negative impression on the player due to how playing as him lowered the game's difficulty.[40] IGN's Jeremy Dunhan also praised Vergil's unique moves but criticized his balancing for reducing the challenge of the boss fights—one of the game's strong points.[84] GameSpot said playing as Vergil was not as interesting as playing as Dante because Vergil begins the game with multiple abilities, leading to a lack of improvements during gameplay. GameSpot lamented that Vergil fought the same bosses as Dante and did not have his own story.[85] GamesRadar+ listed him as one of the best unlockable characters in gaming because the abilities he can earn in battle, most notably his unlimited devil form.[86]
In a GameSpy interview about Vergil's possible appearance in Devil May Cry 4, Hiroyuki Kobayashi's translator told him the interviewer was a fan of the character.[87] Similarly, Gameplanet's reviewer Syed Mahir Hussain described Vergil's inclusion in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition as one of the title's greatest strengths based on Vergil's "unique" fighting style.[88] When giving the pros of the same game, GamesRadar+'s writer Tom Senior enjoyed "the way Vergil saunters casually through combat".[89] Destructoid said elements of the reboot's version of Vergil were incorporated well into the regular Vergil. Hideaki Itsuno mentioned that Vergil's inclusion in any Special Edition had become a standard expectation from the fanbase.[90]
According to GameCored, many fans eager to play as Vergil once again in Devil May Cry 5 were disappointed to find him not playable on release, but hoped he would appear as downloadable content.[91] HobbyConsolas hacked into the game to find a code that mentioned the character's name but was still unsure if it meant Vergil would be playable.[92] Though not appearing in his full persona until the game's climax, Siliconera noted that Devil May Cry 5's setting was heavily influenced by him as his alteregos V and Urizen represent different sides of his personality while demons V has are taken from Nelo Angelo's persona from the original Devil May Cry game. Once V and Urizen merge and Vergil confronts his son Nero, he decides to redeem himself regardless of cost.[93] In April 2019, Matt Walker from Capcom claimed Devil May Cry 5 development was complete, lamenting the lack of more DLC.[94] Destructoid enjoyed the impact Vergil has on both Dante and Nero as both his brother and son become far more serious as they take it on themselves to stop the threat of their relative.[95] USGamer found that while Vergil was too powerful in Devil May Cry 5 considering how he easily overpowers Dante and Nero as Urizen and criticized how his enemies reach his level without reason. He further criticized how his connection with Nero is not explored despite being father and son, respectively.[96]
For the reboot of the series, Chris Carter of Destructoid wrote that Vergil was a more entertaining character than DmC: Devil May Cry's Dante, despite some problems he found with the character's gameplay.[97] Dustin Chadwell of Gaming Age liked Vergil's gameplay, finding it superior to Dante's, but was confused by his storyline because of the lack of an explanation for his survival.[98] GameSpot also appreciated Vergil's gameplay because of his departure from Dante's, despite finding it more challenging to play.[99] Angelo M. D'Argenio of Cheat Code Central liked Vergil's story and like previous writers found his gameplay superior to Dante's.[100] Despite liking Vergil's moves, Kotaku stated that Vergil's story lacks the appeal of DmC because he does not face entertaining boss characters.[101] When compared with rude but heroic Dante, Vergil's personality said to be initially charming only to be revealed to manipulative in reality. Despite their blood connection, Vergil shows little care for his brother in the reboot as he does not explain his actual desires until the game's ending where the two become are antagonistic to each other in a final fight. The reboot shows both siblings were contrasting clothing that help to distinguish each other based on their upbringings and personalities. Further analysis between the sons of Sparda led to the idea the two character might be archetype often explored in role-playing games.[102]
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