Vergil is arguably one of the most popular characters in the Devil May Cry series. He is the eldest of twins born of the demon Sparda and human Eva. He appears throughout the series with his brother, Dante, but he parts ways with his brother after the gruesome murder of their mother.
Though he isn’t officially set to appear in the upcoming Devil May Cry 5 game, fans theorise that Vergil may make an appearance based on the design of one character in the trailer. But here are ten facts you didn’t know about Vergil:
Despite Vergil’s death in his childhood, Devil May Cry director allowed writer Bingo Morihashi to change Vergil’s fate
10. He wasn’t originally called Vergil
Vergil was originally called Nelo Angelo – a mistranslation of "Nero Angelo" or "Black Angel" in Italian – in the 2001 Devil May Cry game. Despite Vergil’s death in his childhood, Devil May Cry director Hideki Kamiya allowed writer Bingo Morihashi to change Vergil’s fate so he could be featured as a young adult in the prequel game Devil May Cry 3: Dante’s Awakening.
Nelo Angelo is a misspelling but has maintained throughout the series and the novels
9. That mistranslation became so popular that no one thought to change it
Vergil’s alias Nelo Angelo is again a misspelling, but that has been maintained throughout the series and the novels. This has been attributed to the fact that Nelo Angelo because so widely known that none of the game developers or writers wanted to change it.
Unlike other enemies in Devil May Cry, Nelo Angelo doesn't have a unique moveset but uses Dante’s movements instead
8. Nelo Angelo was designed to be Dante’s rival
Makoto Tsuchibayashi designed Nelo Angelo to be a rival for Dante instead of just a regular boss. Unlike other enemies in Devil May Cry, he didn’t have a unique moveset for the game environment. Instead, the game designers intentionally chose for Nelo Angelo to use Dante’s movements to drive the point home that they were rivals.
Because he originally died in the DMC universe, Vergil had no design in the games
7. There was originally no design for Vergil
Because Capcom writer Morihashi wanted to add Vergil back into the Devil May Cry universe, he had to design his appearance. Up to that point, the only design for Vergil was that of his alter-ego, Nelo Angelo. Most of Capcom’s staff believed Vergil was Morihashi’s favourite character because he became so appealing to fans.
Morihashi said that making Vergil's characterization was challenging because, being the older twin brother, he was intended to be more likeable than Dante.
Developers intended Dante and Vergil to look alike in order to confuse players
6. Capcom designed Vergil to look like Dante to confuse players
Because Vergil and Dante are identical twins, Capcom developers decided they would share a hairstyle in the opening of DMC 3. This was intended to make new players confuse the twins. But they made sure Vergil’s clothing (which was prominently blue) contracted Dante’s red wardrobe.
Vergil became so popular there was almost a separate game for him, but developers decided it might be too much
5. There was almost a game about Vergil
He became so popular that Capcom discussed ideas for a possible game that solely focused on Vergil. The DMC team also wanted to add alternative skins for him – even talking about a Nelo Angelo out. Capcom ultimate decided they wouldn’t add new skins for Vergil because they thought the DMC fanbase wouldn’t like it.
Unlike Dante, Vergil uses a sword to kill his enemies, which is eventually passed down to his son
4. Unlike his twin, Vergil doesn’t use firearms
While Dante duel-wields pistols, Vergil’s main weapon is a katana named Yamato, which he inherited from his demon father Sparda. Nero, Vergil’s son, uses Yamato to restore himself when his inner demon awakens in Devil May Cry 4.
Gilver, a tall mercenary covered in bandages, partners up with Dante to hunt demons
3. Vergil appears in the book series under ANOTHER alter-ego
In Shinya Goikeda’s Devil May Cry book, Vergil appears under the alias of Gilver, a tall mercenary covered in bandages. Gilver partners up with Dante because they both hunt demons. However, Gilver confronts Dante in a duel and dies, and Dante finds out in his final moments that Gilver actually is his brother Vergil.
Diehard DMC fans obviously knew Sparda is Dante and Vergil’s father
2. Capcom also dropped sneaky hints to Nelo Angelo’s identity
Nelo Angelo’s battle theme, Ultra Violet, is eerily similar to demon Sparda’s second battle theme, S. Any diehard DMC fan obviously knows that Sparda is Dante and Vergil’s father. The game’s composer said this was done to foreshadow the connection between Nelo Angelo (Vergil) and Sparda.
Vergil is nothing like his namesake from classic literature
1. Vergil is nothing like his namesake
Vergil’s name is a reference to the character Virgil from the Divine Comedy. He is considered to be the embodiment of human reasoning who accompanies the main character on his adventures. This is nothing like Vergil in DMC who distances himself from humanity and antagonises Dante.
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