Vergil - Portrait of a Warrior

[Foxtrot94]

Yeah, this is an old post of mine coming from an old discussion. But I'm dedicating a thread to it cause I'm willing to do something like this for every major character from DMC and DmC (I hope I'll find the time to do it, I'll do my best... uni's commitments are Evil). Kinda like how it used to be done in old games, which came with a manual in the box explaining stuff about the game and its characters (miss those days). That's why I'm posting it in DMC General Discussion as well (besides, Vergil ain't a DMC3-only character anymore).

Sorry if some images are in low def, but I couldn't take them from my copy of the game, as I have the Italian localization, and I needed English subs for this. Also, I'll probably update this thread when DMC4 SE comes out, and maybe adding a section about his fighting style.



So, the game kicks off Vergil's presentation by showing him at the top of Temen Ni Gru, where he is with Arkham. This cutscene basically serves as a means to tell us that Vergil is the total opposite of Dante, he's cold-tempered, he's collected, and he's a man of few words. He likes to go straight to the point and in fact he roughly interrupts Arkham monologue, which it's clearly shown that it's not to his liking. Just look at his expression:

"That's none of my concern."

This further highlights his direct nature.

Also, this sequence has the purpose to show us that he's Dante's opposite even in sword fighting. In fact, while Dante likes to have fun and screw around when fighting, as shown in his prologue cutscene, he doesn't give a damn about that and prefer to make the fight as short as possible. In fact, this looks more like an execution than a fight. It's his style.

-----

Later, when Dante reaches the top of the tower, we are shown that while he's a lot more calm and collected than Dante, he still possesses some degree of sense of humor, as he keeps up with Dante's joke about the party before they fight.

"My sincerest apology, brother. I was so eager to see you, I couldn't concentrate on the preparation for the bash."

After the boss battle, there's that famous line about might and strength.

"Foolishness, Dante. Foolishness. Might controls everything. And without strength, you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."

Now this is the very phrase lots of fans speculated upon. But letting aside those assumptions, from this line we can draw the fact that he values power and stength above everything else, and has no respect for weaklings. Hence why he mocks Dante, telling him that he's not strong enough to protect himself.

Also, when he says "foolishness" (and this is something that most fans seem to miss) he refers to what Dante said previously in response to Vergil's question "Why do you refuse to gain power? The power of our father Sparda?", namely that he "doesn't have a father". That highlights the fact that Vergil wants to resemble his father, which evidently he admires and is an obsession that drove him mad.

However, that line can indeed refer to the fact that he feels responsable for his mother's death, like his UMVC3 bio information says.

-----

Then, the scene when he kills Arkham.

What does this scene tell us about him?

Well, first of all, that he apparently disdains human emotions. In fact, look at what he says:

Pesky fatherly love.

This clearly shows us that he considers human emotions such as fatherly love an obstacle to whatever goal one might have. Emotions are something to avoid. Something that grants failure ("No wonder your attainment of power is incomplete."). And failure is not something he can afford. So...

"To further your study of the black arts you sacrificed your loving wife. To become a devil as well. So I thought you could be more useful to me. But I was wrong."

This line makes us understand how he felt himself akin to Arkham when he "hired" him as a guide in the tower. He saw in Arkham someone with the same ideals as his, and therefore, someone worth... getting along with, maybe? LOL no. Someone worth using.

That's another character trait we see: he his a loner and a manipulative person. The only reason why he would stay with someone at his side is because that someone is useful, and nothing else.
But when Arkham loses worthness to his eyes, he's just a dead weight.

Also, another subtle detail in this scene highlights another thing about him: he DOES NOT LIKE being reminded he's half human. When Arkham mentions it ("You're an incomplete being as well. Both demon and human blood migle in your veins."), look at the change in his facial expression:

He's p!ssed. It's the last straw. And in fact, it's after that line by Arkham that Vergil finally ends his life (or so he thought). So, he has little tolerance for that topic, and it seems to be the one very thing capable of breaking his cold armor, and make anger emerge. Anger, a human emotion. The irony.

-----

Further in the game, we get to fight Arkham. During the battle, Vergil shows up to fight him alongside Dante, and this introduces another aspect of his character and his relationship with Dante.

He decides to set aside their struggle and differences to face the common enemy. He's willing to fight alongside his brother.

But remember what said earlier. He uses people, does not get along with them.
Dante is his brother, yes, but despite this, and his "friendly" attitude towards him in this particular situations (he jokes with him again),

to him Dante is still a means to beat Arkham and retrieve the power he feels is rightfully his.

"I've come to retrieve my power. You can't handle it."

In fact, as soon as Arkham is defeated, he doesn't lose time and goes straight after his half of the amulet and Force Edge.

However, as the fight progresses, he does show that his brotherly feelings towards Dante are kind of emerging, to the point of breaking his rule not to use guns and "try Dante's way for once", as he says, and delivering the final blow pronouncing the word they used to say as kids: Jackpot.

-----

And we finally get to the grand finale. The final showdown.

At the beginning, we can notice a particular: Vergil initially seeks a peaceful way to end the confrontation. In fact, first and foremost, he just asks Dante to give him his half of the amulet, in a calm tone.

Only when Dante (obviously) refuses, he gets ready for the fight (one hell of a fight, btw).
And once again, he falls victim of anger when Dante tells him that he's never gonna be like Sparda, highlighting how proud Vergil is.

And when Dante shows him his determination to stop him, as he's driven by his soul, Vergil just sprouts in laughter, as we already said how he keeps human emotions in low regard.

But the laughter quickly vanishes and he's now more determined than ever. From this scene, his signature line:

In the end, he's defeated and he is surprised by that, highlighting how he overestimated himself.

After Dante delivers the final blow, his pride, which is a strong trait of his personality, is not down and as he refuses to abandon his half of the amulet to Dante.

However, he also finally shows that, despite everything, he actually does care for his brother, as he spurs Dante to leave, in order not to be stranded in the Netherworld.

And finally, his last act of pride is to stay in the Demon World, Sparda's former home.

"I'm staying. This place... was our father's home."

So, to sum it up, what's Vergil, and what are his layers of personality?
He's obviously the calm and collected warrior, still susceptible to anger, he's a proud soul, he's cynical, he can be sarcastic and stubborn, borderline overconfident, occasionally, even playful and ultimately even a rudely caring brother.

More than meets the eye.

 

[Veloran]

Yeah, this is an old post of mine coming from an old discussion. But I'm dedicating a thread to it cause I'm willing to do something like this for every major character from DMC and DmC (I hope I'll find the time to do it, I'll do my best... uni's commitments are Evil). Kinda like how it used to be done in old games, which came with a manual in the box explaining stuff about the game and its characters (miss those days). That's why I'm posting it in DMC General Discussion as well (besides, Vergil ain't a DMC3-only character anymore).

Sorry if some images are in low def, but I couldn't take them from my copy of the game, as I have the Italian localization, and I needed English subs for this. Also, I'll probably update this thread when DMC4 SE comes out, and maybe adding a section about his fighting style.



So, the game kicks off Vergil's presentation by showing him at the top of Temen Ni Gru, where he is with Arkham. This cutscene basically serves as a means to tell us that Vergil is the total opposite of Dante, he's cold-tempered, he's collected, and he's a man of few words. He likes to go straight to the point and in fact he roughly interrupts Arkham monologue, which it's clearly shown that it's not to his liking. Just look at his expression:

"That's none of my concern."

This further highlights his direct nature.

Also, this sequence has the purpose to show us that he's Dante's opposite even in sword fighting. In fact, while Dante likes to have fun and screw around when fighting, as shown in his prologue cutscene, he doesn't give a damn about that and prefer to make the fight as short as possible. In fact, this looks more like an execution than a fight. It's his style.

-----

Later, when Dante reaches the top of the tower, we are shown that while he's a lot more calm and collected than Dante, he still possesses some degree of sense of humor, as he keeps up with Dante's joke about the party before they fight.

"My sincerest apology, brother. I was so eager to see you, I couldn't concentrate on the preparation for the bash."

After the boss battle, there's that famous line about might and strength.

"Foolishness, Dante. Foolishness. Might controls everything. And without strength, you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself."
Now this is the very phrase lots of fans speculated upon. But letting aside those assumptions, from this line we can draw the fact that he values power and stength above everything else, and has no respect for weaklings. Hence why he mocks Dante, telling him that he's not strong enough to protect himself.

Also, when he says "foolishness" (and this is something that most fans seem to miss) he refers to what Dante said previously in response to Vergil's question "Why do you refuse to gain power? The power of our father Sparda?", namely that he "doesn't have a father". That highlights the fact that Vergil wants to resemble his father, which evidently he admires and is an obsession that drove him mad.

-----

Then, the scene when he kills Arkham.

What does this scene tell us about him?

Well, first of all, that he apparently disdains human emotions. In fact, look at what he says:

Pesky fatherly love.

This clearly shows us that he considers human emotions such as fatherly love an obstacle to whatever goal one might have. Emotions are something to avoid. Something that grants failure ("No wonder your attainment of power is incomplete."). And failure is not something he can afford. So...

"To further your study of the black arts you sacrificed your loving wife. To become a devil as well. So I thought you could be more useful to me. But I was wrong."
This line makes us understand how he felt himself akin to Arkham when he "hired" him as a guide in the tower. He saw in Arkham someone with the same ideals as his, and therefore, someone worth... getting along with, maybe? LOL no. Someone worth using.

That's another character trait we see: he his a loner and a manipulative person. The only reason why he would stay with someone at his side is because that someone is useful, and nothing else.
But when Arkham loses worthness to his eyes, he's just a dead weight.

Also, another subtle detail in this scene highlights another thing about him: he DOES NOT LIKE being reminded he's half human. When Arkham mentions it ("You're an incomplete being as well. Both demon and human blood migle in your veins."), look at the change in his facial expression:

He's p!ssed. It's the last straw. And in fact, it's after that line by Arkham that Vergil finally ends his life (or so he thought). So, he has little tolerance for that topic, and it seems to be the one very thing capable of breaking his cold armor, and make anger emerge. Anger, a human emotion. The irony.

-----

Further in the game, we get to fight Arkham. During the battle, Vergil shows up to fight him alongside Dante, and this introduces another aspect of his character and his relationship with Dante.

He decides to set aside their struggle and differences to face the common enemy. He's willing to fight alongside his brother.

But remember what said earlier. He uses people, does not get along with them.
Dante is his brother, yes, but despite this, and his "friendly" attitude towards him in this particular situations (he jokes with him again),

to him Dante is still a means to beat Arkham and retrieve the power he feels is rightfully his.

"I've come to retrieve my power. You can't handle it."
In fact, as soon as Arkham is defeated, he doesn't lose time and goes straight after his half of the amulet and Force Edge.

However, as the fight progresses, he does show that his brotherly feelings towards Dante are kind of emerging, to the point of breaking his rule not to use guns and "try Dante's way for once", as he says, and delivering the final blow pronouncing the word they used to say as kids: Jackpot.

-----

And we finally get to the grand finale. The final showdown.

At the beginning, we can notice a particular: Vergil initially seeks a peaceful way to end the confrontation. In fact, first and foremost, he just asks Dante to give him his half of the amulet, in a calm tone.

Only when Dante (obviously) refuses, he gets ready for the fight (one hell of a fight, btw).
And once again, he falls victim of anger when Dante tells him that he's never gonna be like Sparda, highlighting how proud Vergil is.

And when Dante shows him his determination to stop him, as he's driven by his soul, Vergil just sprouts in laughter, as we already said how he keeps human emotions in low regard.

But the laughter quickly vanishes and he's now more determined than ever. From this scene, his signature line:

In the end, he's defeated and he is surprised by that, highlighting how he overestimated himself.

After Dante delivers the final blow, his pride, which is a strong trait of his personality, is not down and as he refuses to abandon his half of the amulet to Dante.

However, he also finally shows that, despite everything, he actually does care for his brother, as he spurs Dante to leave, in order not to be stranded in the Netherworld.

And finally, his last act of pride is to stay in the Demon World, Sparda's former home.

"I'm staying. This place... was our father's home."

Something I think worth noting about Vergil's character is how he encapsulates the oni stereotype so well - But the opposite one to which his appearance and demeanor would initially suggest.

Vergil is controlled by his emotions and desires. He's obsessed with the power and legacy of his father, but doesn't really have a plan for what to do with it once it's obtained. He doesn't think things through, flies off the handle at the slightest provocation, and makes hasty decisions at a moments notice. And despite the way he presents himself to others as being calm and controlled, when alone (Such as during his intro cutscene, the Beowulf cutscene, and his outro cutscene) he's prone to showing off and getting extremely incensed.

Contrast with Dante, who (Especially the later on into the canon you go) is almost always levelheaded and only rarely reveals his actual emotions beyond his cocky persona, and their choice of attire starts to become more than a little ironic.

 

[DragonMaster2010]

I think this ideal of Classic Vergil is why I feel like him and new Vergil are pretty much the same.

Both Vergil's had their desire for power in one way or another. With nVergil, his desire stemmed from a sense of control. That control possibly coming from his background of living with a family of wealth and a constant desire to have everything. This creates his hacking obsession which gave him a sense of controlling something by tapping into deeper and forbidden things. It wasn't just the control but also taking it from someone else.
Like Classic Vergil, I think both had a thirst for some form of control.
In the main game, Vergil's main goal was always to gain power and use anyone and anything to get it. This meant defeating the King of demons and using Dante as a means to do it. But in his mind, it was truly for brotherly love and rekindling the bond they had as kids. Once Mundus was killed, Vergil revealed his next step in the big plans he had that he didn't bother to reveal because it wasn't a desire he wanted to focus on until Mundus was killed. Which is why at the end when all was said and done was the right time to come out with it.
This is what I would consider opposite to classic Vergil with trying to grow close to his brother. However a similarity is that both Vergils really did want to be close to their brothers but how they went about doing it and how they themselves were, was a big obstacle and thus, their individual battles.
nVergil's down spiral of cutting off his ties and becoming less human then he already was, had great similarity to classic Vergil, except with nVergil, his loss of humanity came far before Vergil's Downfall. His was started most likely when he was adopted by wealth and was probably raised to always get what you want, and care not for who you have to use to get it. Like those filthy rich people who are cold to the lesser class with no humility to spend. This, along with his desire to rule and ultimate power is what created the Vergil we see at the end of Vergil's Downfall; The classic Vergil's clone.
People often say that the two are different, when actually they're very much the same. It just took nVergil longer to lose everything for the first time in his life and see what really mattered to him; power.
Thus, why this video seems so ironic to me with the classic costume.

 

[Chancey289]

Just like DmC's Dante compared to the original, DmC is Vergil at his core. These characters are really not that different at all. And to say so is like saying you never played the originals.

Vergil in a nut shell is more calm and collected compared to his brash brother. He clearly lust for power, and holds his supernatural lineage to a higher regard. And he is willing to use others for means to an end. That's both of these characters. That's Vergil.

And no one say that honor bullcrap. Vergil was never honorable. Having a hard on for just swords doesn't make you honorable. It just means he prefers swords.

 

[Foxtrot94]

Gonna make a thread about nVergil too.

 

[DarkSlayerZero]

This analysis has rekindled my like for 3's Vergil, I was strictly a Gilver & nVergil guy. Thank You.

 

[Foxtrot94]

F*ck me for having missed this for such a long time, but seems the motivation fans have been talking about for ages ain't a fanfiction.

His UMVC3 bio:

Updating the original post.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

And no one say that honor bullcrap. Vergil was never honorable. Having a hard on for just swords doesn't make you honorable. It just means he prefers swords.

"A man with guts and honor"
Dante to Vergil/Nelo Angelo DMC1

He's honorable in the sense that he fights fair, doesn't ambush Dante like other enemies tend to do.

 

[Gel]

Umvsc3 was written by Marvel writers.It was never said Vergil feels guilty for not being able to have saved his mother.Not that it can't be true, but it's not the main reason.
It's like saying Vergil hates humanity: a lot of people will say that it's true, but official artbooks deny it cleary.

 

[Foxtrot94]

Umvsc3 was written by Marvel writers.

UMVC3's plot was written by Marvel. And besides, they can't just write whatever they want (when it's not their characters). Capcom oversees. Game is developed, produced and directed by Capcom. Not Marvel. So that bio is official.

 

[DarkSlayerZero]

"A man with guts and honor"
Dante to Vergil/Nelo Angelo DMC1

He's honorable in the sense that he fights fair, doesn't ambush Dante like other enemies tend to do.

Nero Angelo is honorable however that doesn't automatically make Vergil fall into the same category.

 

[AgentRedgrave]

Nero Angelo is honorable however that doesn't automatically make Vergil fall into the same category.

Nelo Angelo is Vergil, also the fact he refuses to use guns because he sees them as unworthy of a true warrior, and he never attacks from behind.

 

[Gel]

They can't just write whatever they want (when it's not their characters). Capcom oversees.

If you want to believe on it... Just take a look at Tokyo Pop version of DMC3 manga and it's original translation to detect Capcom doesn't check their material.

 

[Viper]

If you want to believe on it... Just take a look at Tokyo Pop version of DMC3 manga and it's original translation to detect Capcom doesn't check their material.

Not to mention the game guides, like that issue on how much of DMC2's clan on Vie de Marli is real and how much is guide writer's imagination.

 

[Gel]

Not to mention the game guides, like that issue on how much of DMC2's clan on Vie de Marli is real and how much is guide writer's imagination.

Yes, that one.It says the Clan of Vie Marli are made of only female half Demons.Never was said they were only half demons, much less if they were only female.In fact we just know Matier and Lucia.

 

[Innsmouth]

>blames himself for not having been able to protect his mother as young boy. Welp. Guess it puts big fat dot into discussion about "he only wants power and doesn't have any background" No offence but no licensed material is put into game without license-holder approval. So sorry, but it doesn't make any sense to deny it farther.

 

[Viper]

Well no one said it ain't true, just reminding people to take things from material that isn't main story with grain of salt.
I can see him blaming himself, from what I saw in manga he could have tried to take the role of the man of the house, but failed to protect in the end. However, it couldn't have been his only motivation later on, his mother is already dead, so for what does he really need power?

 

[Gel]

I'm not denying it, but that profile is incomplete.Just it.
If Vergil's character is only this, it just means that the people who said DMC is made of cardboard characters is true.

 

[Foxtrot94]

I'm not denying it, but that profile is incomplete.Just it.
If Vergil's character is only this, it just means that the people who said DMC is made of cardboard characters is true.

LOL Gel. That's a profile bio to give a general background of the character in a fighting game featuring him. Of course they didn't insert everything. That doesn't mean anything.

 

[Viper]

LOL Gel. That's just a profile bio to give a general background of the character in a fighting game featuring him. Of course they didn't insert everything. That doesn't mean anything.

I think she meant if that is his only motivation in main game, then he is a cardboard cutout character.