I believe the game's director said DMC4 takes place ''roughly ten years after DMC3.'' Since Dante is 19 in DMC3, that makes him about thirty in DMC4. And to be honest, he looks like he's thirty, not forty or something.
And this is where we have a difference of opinion. He doesn't look thirty to me; he looks a bit older. Another issue is Capcom is very inconsistent in their answers to begin with. But, I'll get back to you on this a bit later, such as in the last quote.
Nero seems to be aided by Vergil when he goes into Devil Trigger. This seems obvious when you play as Nero in DT, since he says some of Vergil's lines: 'blast', 'begone', and 'jackpot'. That last word is one Nero could never have known to be significant. Only Dante and Vergil said 'jackpot', and it should only hold meaning to them.
Actually, he says begone regardless of whether he's in DT or not. However, you've made a good point; he couldn't have known the significance of "jackpot", but it's also possible him saying it is coincidental. I'm not saying you're wrong; I'm just open to numerous possibilities.
Nero's DT awakened when he got hurt by the demons who were 'made out of parts of Nero Angelo' (the Bianco Angelos). So he probably went into DT either because he got mortally wounded, or because he got hurt by something that came from his own bloodline (Nero Angelo/Vergil)
I'd heard rumours that the Angelos were made from Vergil's essence, but it wasn't something they confirmed in gameplay. I assume this was mentioned elsewhere? Can anyone provide reliable sources in regards to this?
Anyway, I have a feeling if Yamato hadn't been present, Nero would have died from Agnus impaling him with the Gladius. I think Yamato is why he survived, but this is merely conjecture on my part.
It's important to note that Dante got his DT when he was hurt by his own sword, which was left to him by Sparda. Maybe the same thing happened here, with something containing parts of Sparda's bloodline (Nero Angelo) wounding Nero and making him go into DT. Then the Yamato responded to Nero because... well, either because he's a demon or because he has the blood of Sparda's family line.
I'm of the mind Yamato wouldn't have reacted to just any demon; I think it is because he contains Sparda's blood, through whatever means. The reason I believe this is because it took Rebellion being stabbed into Dante for his devil to awaken; being stabbed with Yamato beforehand didn't do the trick. So, this further leads me to believe that Yamato is meant to be Nero's because it's original master is no longer present-whether that means Vergil having been its last owner, or Sparda, doesn't matter.
No offense, but there is no way he would not have noticed Dante or Vergil being still alive. Dante pretty much leaves a trail wherever he goes, and as far as I know, he's very well-known. Just the fact that he has an agency should tip Sparda off. Or Vergil resurrecting the Temen-Ni-Gru in DMC3.
True; this theory is very loose on my part, and would only involve him having very outdated information on the fact. If he did come back and sire Nero, why would he ignore his living son(s)? I can't see that happening, either.
Since Nero wears blue and red and wields the Red Queen and Blue Rose (Sparda hints) while his Devil Trigger is blue and looks a lot like Vergil's DT, I'd say his Devil Trigger is influenced by the Yamato (or Vergil, if part of Vergil's soul is inside the Yamato, which seems to be the case). His arm doesn't make sense to me, though. It seems to be part of him, like a partial Devil Trigger.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who took notice of both his attire and his weaponry at hints toward Sparda. Since those are Dante and Vergil's colours which when merged obviously make purple (Sparda's colour), it makes a lot of sense. The arm may have been a sort of "coming of age thing". Not sure, though. The injury he sustained before DMC4's events may have caused it to reveal itself.
I heard that that novel is basically canon, since it was written by the same person who wrote DMC4. But then, that would make Nero Vergil's son, which doesn't make much sense if you consider their age. Nero is 19, Vergil would be about thirty. So... Vergil conceived Nero when he was 11... yeeeah. It also would make it odd that official artwork of Nero shows him sporting a full DT body. If he's only a quarter demon, shouldn't he have a mostly human body? I know he does, but the arm doesn't make sense. And just the fact that his artwork shows him as a full demon is very odd.
There's still a lot of controversy about the ages and how much of the novels can be considered canon. Thanks for nothing, Capcom... -_-
I still think it would be the most logical if he turned out to be an experiment, made by combining Dante and Vergil's genes. That would explain why he's blue and red, why Berial says he's ''just like he was'' (Sparda), and it would make sense for the game's plot. I mean, Nero is in THE place where Sparda is worshiped. If he's only Vergil's son, wouldn't that make it weird? All this Sparda symbolism, even a fight with THE SAVIOR (Sparda), and yet, Nero is just Vergil's son? Not really appropriate.
Strangely enough, that is similar to some of my own theories: either Vergil or Dante's blood, or even Sparda's blood directly, being used to artificially inseminate a human or hybrid woman, perhaps. Or a pregnant human/hybrid woman being injected with Sparda's blood...or even an infant Nero being injected with it. Either way, the possibilities in regards to experimentation are nearly limitless. There are so many variations, and I have to agree with you, it would make a lot more sense.
But, this is Capcom we're talking about; they are masters at plot holes and flaws in their own storylines. :/
Otherwise, I think most of what you say is sound.
