Vergil

Origin

After his father disappeared, he was raised by his human mother along with his twin brother, Dante. But tragedy would strike when he was 8 years old as his mother was killed.

What he did after her death is unknown, but he would return almost 10 years later to claim the power his father sealed away which would ultimately lead to his descent into hell where he is defeated and brainwashed by Mundus, the king of hell that Sparda sealed away 2,000 years prior. Mundus has made Vergil more powerful as his own dark knight - Nelo Angelo.

Major Story Arcs

Devil May Cry

Devil May Cry, the first game in the series (not chronologically) was Vergil’s first appearance in the series. Whilst on, Dante is confronted by the mysterious Nelo Angelo, a large individual clad in gothic armor, under the control of Mundus. During their first fight, Dante is bested by Nelo Angelo through a sword fight and later on unarmed combat, though upon seeing Dante’s amulet, he relents and flees. However, Dante goes on to win their second fight thanks to his new equipment. When Dante comes across Nelo Angelo for the third and final time, he removes his helmet revealing that he is Dante's twin brother, Vergil, however, Dante didn't realize this until the end of a fight. Dante defeats Vergil once again with effort, and Vergil disappears in a display of energy, leaving only his half of the amulet.

It is up to the player to decide if he truly died or not. The amulet left behind coincides with Dante's and "Force Edge” (Sparda’s legendary sword, now owned by Dante) to unlock Force Edge's true form, the Sparda Sword.

Devil May Cry 3

Vergil’s first appearance was in DMC1; chronologically, however, Devil May Cry 3 is Vergil’s first video-game appearance. In this installment, Vergil is arrogant yet far more mature and intelligent than Dante, he acts as the main antagonist whose main goal is to acquire more power for unknown reasons. In the Special Edition, Vergil’s cut-scene that takes nearly a year before the events of the game shows him in a library in which he meets Arkham for the first time. Vergil comes to a reluctant agreement with Arkham, Vergil needs Arkham’s knowledge of the Temen-ni-gu - a huge tower dormant for millennial, essentially it is a gateway between the human and demon world, and Arkham seeks the story of Sparda. Vergil appears as a bossfight 3 times, each time more challenging than the last as Vergil acquires new weapons and uses deadlier tactics.

His signature katana, Yamato previously owned by Sparda appears in all three; Beowulf, the gauntlets and greaves, appear in the second, and Force Edge, Sparda’s signature weapon, in the third fight. Dante is bested in their first fight without any effort at all; in turn, unlocked his dormant Devil Trigger but losing his half of the amulet. Their second fight is interrupted by Lady with Vergil having the upper hand occasionally, and soon after, Arkham/Jester, whom Vergil previously betrayed after finding out his true intentions (though Arkham had plans to betray Vergil anyway).

Vergil also loses Beowulf after this fight for some unexplained reasons, leaving them for Dante. Whilst in the demon realm, Vergil aids Dante in destroying Arkham, who has absorbed Sparda’s power through the Force Edge and the amulets and becomes a monstrosity bulb-like creature. Straight after, the two battle for the final time, with Vergil uttering one of his most famous lines, “I need more power! ”.

Vergil loses out, with Dante mocking him for being unable to defeat him, after running toward each other, Dante delivered the final and fatal stab, cutting Vergil in half due to acting sooner and in a trickier way. Vergil remained stable thanks to his healing factor however he showed signs of pain which caused to dropping the Force Edge willingly and explaining to Dante the sword belongs to him, before falling (purposefully) of the cliff and plunging into the underworld. In a bonus cut-scene, Vergil is shown in the underworld, making his decision to take the fight to Mundus (the main antagonist of DMC1, whom Sparda defeated two millennia ago), saying “If my father did it, I should be able to do it too!”, before sprinting off to battle. It is safe to assume Vergil lost this battle due to the events of DMC1.

Devil May Cry 5

Vergil is revealed to be alive. His human side has turned into the new ally of Dante and Nero, V while his demonic side has turned into the monstrous tyrant, Urizen. After Urizen's defeat at the hands of Dante, V used the chance to merge with him to reborn Vergil. Vergil was completely aware of everything and challenged Dante for one last fight. Finally, after a long, hard battle that ended in stalemate; Nero, using his awakened Devil Trigger stopped both of them but Vergil didn't give up and continued the fight against his own son, which he was totally aware of.

Lost due to holding back, Nero convinced twins to stop fighting and unite against the upcoming evil; holding Nero back, they did not allow him to come with them to hell since there was no way back. Vergil and Dante closed the portal to the underworld making them imprisoned in there. Vergil and Dante were last seen to be fighting with each other against demons.

Personality

Vergil is the complete opposite of his adventurous, extroverted, hotheaded, impatient, optimistic and sarcastic twin; he is calm, cold, collected, cynical, introverted and patient. He seeks to obtain power by any means, with no regard for what may happen to others. Vergil also embraces his demonic side and hates his human half. He seems to want power so as to make up for his failure to protect his mother, as evidenced by his statement, "Might controls everything, and without strength, you cannot protect anything, let alone yourself."

Vergil abhors guns as weak weapons undeserving of a true warrior. The only time Vergil has used a gun was during his battle with Arkham alongside his brother Dante, using Ebony while Dante used Ivory to deliver the final shot. Vergil is always calm and cool unlike his brother giving him a cold calculating disposition. Vergil has been known to underestimate humans since he considers demons superior.

Vergil also seems to desire to be like his father, so much so that he admires and tries to look like him; and seeks to have his powers.

Powers and Abilities

Vergil is a remarkably, naturally smart person, possessing advanced knowledge about demons and their world including but not limited to anatomy, myths, magic, spells, weapons and etc. Aside from his deep knowledge on demons he possesses human-based information too. Vergil has studied and shown to have a good knowledge about astronomy, history, magic, medicine, and myths.

Vergil like his twin brother Dante is a half-demon born to the human woman Eva and the Dark Knight Sparda. He was gifted with great power since his father was the demon to defeat the armies and legions of Mundus and saving the human realm. Since Vergil, unlike Dante, embraces his demonic heritage he gains Devil Trigger at a younger age and seems to have the advantage over Dante thanks to his more developed training and experience.

As a half-demon Vergil possess supernatural demonic powers. Vergil has supernatural strength being able to crack stones easily, forcing his strength through his sword to cut a building in half and overpowering demons larger than him and rivaling Dante's who defeated multiple demons twice his size with superhuman strength. Vergil most notable supernatural power is his speed, both combat and reaction wise. Vergil can strike so fast or move throughout the battlefield in such a way that he seems to be teleporting, fighting Dante with an incredible speed (while holding back against Dante) that their swords made an empty barrier around them while doing so under raining, his reactions/reflexes are too fast which he easily noticed and reacted to demons who were trying to attack him from behind on two occasions and effortlessly matching Blitzs' (superpowered demons whom use lightning based attacks and utilizing light speed for both traveling and combat) moves and Dante's. Vergil also possess high levels of supernatural durability, endurance, healing factor, and stamina, fighting against Dante on three occasions with minimal rest easily; after getting some beating from Dante in their second fight then receiving hits from Jester and shrugging it after a minute at least with no sign of being tired or uncomfortable and later being stabbed in half by Dante yet resisting it, also his healing factor which boosts his durability and endurance gets far more powerful in his devil trigger form. However, his regenerative capabilities seem to lessen the more damage he takes.

Also, by moving at high speed and using magic he can create a holographic version of himself or simply create a doppelganger that is barely visible.

Vergil is a master combatant and martial artist, easily adapting to any fighting situation and making his enemies powers a weapon for himself tactically. Through his Dark Slayer style of combat (which is taken from Iaido and Iaijutsu for his katana-based fights while using Asian unarmed martial arts for hand-to-hand combats and finally European broadsword fighting styles for wielding swords like Force Edge). Vergil is able to rush toward his opponents with ease and ending them quickly or dodging them by using teleportation. he is also able to make long distance slashes that seem to form blue orbs or giant purple slashed around his enemies releasing multiple lethal slashes; also, he can use his scabbard as a weapon for both offensive and defensive manners going as far to dual wielding it with Yamato. Vergil is able to block and catch bullets with his sword and even redirect them back to attackers. Vergil for another long-distance attack can summon blue energy swords (called Summon Swords) which can encircle his waist for added defense or be launched at enemies for an extra attack in several ways, like summoning them around or put them above his enemies, he can also use an advanced form of teleporting with it.

Vergil is an amazingly skilled swordsman with not only Yamato, the katana left for him by his father Sparda but also the Force Edge, his father's sword and mimicking his father's fighting style and mixing it with his own just after few seconds of achieving the sword thus making it safe to assume even without his supernatural powers Vergil can easily make full use of any sword in his hands. Vergil also showed many considerably great moves and techniques in Hand-to-Hand combat, using Beowulf gauntlets and greaves to boost his speed and strength, Vergil performed several styles of punches and kicks (like backhand punches and spinning or roundhouse kicks) which resembles many martial arts dangerous and deadly techniques, thus proving himself as a master of several forms of unarmed martial arts.

It seems Yamato is an almost extension of Vergil himself since his Devil Trigger form fuses the scabbard to Vergil's arm. Yamato is powerful weapon as it is sharp and deadly enough to cut dimensions and the very fabric of space which is made of matters.

Vergil has also shown very high proficiency with other Devil Arms same as Dante, such as using the gauntlets and greaves set Beowulf with ease by using its light-based powers and utilizing the sealed Force Edge along with Yamato in a dual sword fighting style easily.

As Nelo Angelo, Vergil gained even more dark power though he was limited in his potential and intelligence thanks to Mundus' control. He still showed the warriors pride he held when free but would be crippled by anything that would remind him of his past like his mother amulet. Since Vergil had lost Yamato, he used a large broadsword and gothic like armor along with his trademark summoned swords (though they changed their colors from blue to green remarkably).

Other Appearances

Video Games

Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble

Vergil appears as a playable character alongside other Devil May Cry characters Dante, Trish, and Sparda.

Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3

Vergil appears in the updated as one of 12 playable characters. His appearance is based on his Devil May Cry 3 look just like his brother Dante. His moves all come from his Dark Slayer Style and utilize his summoned swords as well as his Devil Trigger from Devil May Cry 3.

Vergil's rival for the game is probably Iron Fist since they both represent Asian influences through their clothing and fighting styles while sharing some personality traits. His ending shows him defeating (maybe killing him) Wolverine to acquire the Muramasa Blade for more power. His DLC costume is his human corrupt form in Devil May Cry 3 and demonic Sparda form in Devil May Cry.

Devil May Cry (reboot)

DmC

Vergil appears as the leader of The Order – a rogue vigilante group trying to free the world from the demons. He also turns out to be an accomplished and highly skilled hacker. He brings Dante back to their childhood home to reveal their connection to each other and convinces him to help destroy Mundus. While Vergil completes his part of the plan in the human world, he has Dante battle his way through limbo. Eventually, Vergil uses the power of the Yamato to seal the Hell Gate and cut off Mundus' source of power. After defeating Mundus, he reveals his true intention: to have Dante and himself rule the world together. Vergil is fought as the final boss of the game.

After being defeated, Vergil escapes through a portal. Vergil is also a playable character in DmC: Devil May Cry through the Vergil's Downfall DLC. The DLC takes place right after the events of the main game and follows Vergil's quest for power where he makes his way through Hell and a journey to seemingly redeem himself.

Personality

Like Dante, Vergil harbors a deep hatred of demons, but instead of just killing the demons before him in a blind push, Vergil is strategic and utilitarian; he is always crafting plans to put the hurt to Mundus, and is willing to do anything and sacrifice anyone, demon or human, to accomplish his goal.

His personality is almost the opposite of Dante's, he is calm, collected, intelligent and polite; treating his employees with passion and respect, especially Kat and is shown to being concerned about them, however when the situation calls for it, he can be cold, ruthless and vengeful as shown in Vergil's Downfall DLC. Despite his ruthlessness and seemingly cold behavior, he truly loves his brother and wants them to work together.

Though his disgust at Mundus' treatment of humanity makes him fight for mankind, Vergil does not believe that humans should have absolute freedom; he sees them as weak and ignorant children who can create chaos and ware if they are not watched over and despite Kat's contributions to their goals, he claims she is useful but that humanity itself needs the guidance of a Nephilim. Dante compares his plans to those of Mundus, and the sole difference between the two seems to be that where Mundus would gleefully exploit and torture his charges, Vergil plans to coddle them. Vergil insists that he would be a reign of respect rather than terror, and a necessary one in the aftermath of Mundus' attack and the appearance of demons in the real world.

After his defeat by Dante, Vergil by the guidance of Hollow Vergil, cut his ties with humanity and left his origins and real personality behind. Much similar to his classic counterpart he became calm, cold, collected, ruthless and vengeful with a deep hatred for his enemies and whoever stands in his way.

Powers and Abilities

As a Nephilim, Vergil is as powerful as his brother and is able to freely move between the worlds, usually by using Yamato. Like Dante, he has overdeveloped physical attributes, such as his boosted superhuman strength, speed, reflexes, durability, endurance, stamina, virtual immunity to human-based weaponry and instantaneous cellular regeneration. He has an incredible withstanding against blunt forces and projectile's attacks, combined with his fierce regenerative powers makes him almost impossible to defeat or/and kill. His strength is so great that he easily pushed Dante meters away or punching hard enough to bend a demonic metal and even blocking most of Dante's immensely powerful attacks by merely swiping the sheath of his Yamato out. His speed makes his opponents to not being able to catch him with their eyes or tracking his moves, he's so fast in terms of combat and reaction speed that he easily outmatched Hollow Vergil, the demonic enhanced version of him, despite being weakened. His endurance and healing enabled him to survive the wound that pierced his heart so bad. They also made him to stay alive long enough in his journey in hell against hordes of powerful demons that Dante never faced.

Vergil is highly skilled and very intelligent in hacking and computers, claiming he learned it during his youth to provide himself "some feeling of control". He showed that he knows how the computer-based programs and systems work and he used it to take advantage of Rapture's network and cyber-media system.

His hand-eye coordination and weapon handling skills make him an accomplished and formidable marksman, as he was able to snipe Lilith's unborn child and most of Mundus' elite police forces in few seconds. He also was able to unerringly hit one of Mundus' watcher demons with a throwing knife a few seconds after spotting the creature.

Vergil is a master combatant. In battle, he wields Yamato with deadly efficiency and is capable of performing wide assortment of magic feats and tricks, such as short-ranged teleport, conjuring summoned swords, and activating Devil Trigger, which, to contrast the Quicksilver-like performance of classic and reboot Dante's Devil Trigger, is instead reminiscent of the classic Dante's Doppelganger Style, allowing him to create a spectral copy of himself to aid him in battle and defend him while he recovers health. By using Yamato, he can make Judgement Cuts in tandem with his teleportation abilities to change his course in fights or to summon lightning strikes as he slashes. Vergil is a master swordsman, combining multiple forms of Iaido and Kendo with his superhuman powers and magic, matching Dante with minimal use of his powers and catching bullets by spinning his sword. He can dual-wield his sword with its scabbard or using it as a shield against his opponents' attacks. Vergil is also highly proficient in hand-to-hand combat, combining several types of kicks and punches with his sword fighting style to overpower his enemies and later he was able to use nothing but unarmed combat to take advantage of his enemies and even subduing them.

He makes extensive use of Summoned Swords so similar to his classic counterpart he makes shields around him or unleashing multiple swords at once against them. He uses a magical power to summon these swords to use it effectively, also in case of being used against himself he has been shown to be prepared for it since he dodged Hollow Vergil's Summoned Swords and made them useless.