I ended up writing this which is Essentially an essay due having seen these questions ask.
"What politics could anyone possibly gleam from the original games?"
"DMC4 had a jrpg pope; Therefore the whole series is political as for obvious reasons."
My goal isn't to talk modren poltics, but mearly to examain the games and see what messages are actually being stated, if we care to look that closely.
Devil May Cry doesn't attempt to be Overtly political, DMC1 released 2 weeks before 9/11. So the entire core of the franchise's existence is untainted by Politics seriously effecting its creation. That being said, there are Messages to the narratives of these games that one can interpret if they wish. Devil May Cry's core message is that Empathy "Heart" is the difference between a Human and a Demon. Those born Demons, Sparda, Trish, Lucia, have learned to care for others and not just themselves. This is where the term of in the Legend of Sparda "Woke up to Justice" comes from. It's a general meaning that if you have the power to stop evil, you have the responsibility to stop that evil, and the message from the Demons that have developed empathy is that no matter how or where someone is born they have the Potential to be a good person.
The games never make excuses for the evil behavior of demons. since they choose to be demons and it's been shown that Demons are Capable of not being evil, so in the end it is their own fault that Dante is required to kill them. If a Demon learns Empathy and can love, then they are Human in Dante's eyes. This is where the meaning of the title "Devil May Cry" comes from if a Devil can shed tears for another they care about they are human. On the flip side it is shown in the series that there are those born Human that can become corrupt and sell their souls in exchange for power. Arius, Arkham, and Sancuts all were seduced by the allure of demonic power, and no longer had empathy for their fellow man. In Dante's eyes, a human this far gone might as well be a Demon, and they need to get put down.
The story of the Sons of Sparda is that of struggling with the having the power to change the world, and the burden of that responsibility. Vergil went down the path of the Demon, he chooses to continuously obtain more and more power in a never ending cycle, it entierly corrupted him and turn him into Nelo Angleo, the Servant of Mundus, The very one Responsible for killing his mother and ruining his life. In DMC3 Dante is struggling to make a choice at all. He has limitless potential, but he is an outcast from society. So he chooses to ignore the responsibility of his power, instead he is simply a thrill seeker, but he is not truly fulfilled by this lifestyle. The events of DMC3 have him realize that both the empathy of his Humanity, and the power of his Demonic nature are part of who he truely is, and he becomes a man once he chooses to take responsibility for his family Legacy.
The path of responsibility Dante chooses is to help anyone who might need him regardless of if they can pay him or not, the business aspect of the Devil May Cry agency is simply a front, so he doesn't allow himself to get taken advantage of. Dante will reject work regardless of how high the potential profits could be because he has Integrity, and values helping his fellow man far more the financial gains. This path he chooses has him finally come face to face with Mundus the Ultimate evil of his life, and defeat it just as his father did before him. Dante's Passion and integrity wins over Trish, a demon who was specifically created to manipulate him. Trish develops a heart from witnessing Dante's empathy. Something Mundus never could have predicted, because empathy is a foreign concept to a dweller of Hell.
I'll now take the time to discuss what Dante's character actually is. Since all the characters are farily easy to get, but Dante is more complex than people give him credit for, it doens't help that bits of lore that inform Dante's character are obscure. Dante's general character is an interesting take on what being of Noble blood and a Knight in the modern day actually means. Dante is the son of Sprada, and Sparda's actions earn him the title of the Legendary Dark Knight. Sparda was a lord over the earth, Sparda may have never really desired such titles, it was just a matter of fact that's who he was on Earth. Sparda was enough of a traveler that his name is far-reaching to everywhere we whitness in the DMC Universe, be it DMC's equivalents of America or Europe. There are statues of Sparda's image similar to how there are Statues of Julius Caesar, Napoleon, or George Washington. Some people in the modern day of DMC will refuse to believe that Sparda was a real person because his story is so Fantastical. There are others who know for a fact Sparda existed because they met him in the flesh, such as Matier from DMC2.
Dante being of noble blood is important to his character as more than just an explanation for where his powers come from, but for the legacy he inherits. Dante and Vergil struggle with living up to the man their father was. That struggle stems from them having lost their family including each other, they're forced out into the world as children with no one to guide them. Vergil choose the path of might make right in his quest for power to protect himself. Dante chooses the path of vengeance first and foremost, and vengeance is a very significant key to Dante's character. Many fans mistake Dante's "Wacky Wahoo Pizza Man" bit, as being reflective of who he really is, but Dante's "Devil May Care" Attitude, is more so a coping mechanism to hide hide from facts he may not want to face. Dante makes it seem as tho he fights demons for the fun of it, which may be true, Although the true nature of Dante's carefree attitude is that it helps hide just how filled with rage he truly is whenever he encounters hostile demons. The very Demons that killed his mother, and for all Dante knew for many years killed Vergil as well.
In the DMC 2007 animated series, there is the story of a town Dante used to live in when he went by the name Tony Redgrave, an alias he used to hide his true identity. That town took care of Dante when he was a child, and I'm sure he appreciated that immensely. Eventually, demons sniffed Dante out and tragedy struck as the town was burnt to the ground. This made Dante realize he could never have a home, not around others at least. This all would further fuel his hatred of demons. If you need any more proof of Dante's true hidden emotions, you simply need to look at the lyrics of his theme in DMC3 Taste The Blood. The whole song is Dante's thoughts when confronted by Demons, but the final lines say plenty in regard to the carefree Attitude of Dante not being the full story, there is a thirst for vengeance he feels buildup within him when faced with Demons.
"Knee's in the blood with your crying pleas,
Wade in your sorrow, bathe in your fear,
Clear the mind of the righteousness suffered,
Witness the moment of your failure's prosper!"
This has been a part of Dante's real character ever since DMC1, and it still remains true today. The rest of Dante's character is more easily digested from simply witnessing his actions. The Younger Dante hid his noble blood, but when he came face to face with his father's legacy, thanks to having met Lady, he comes to appreciate who he really is. No longer needing to pretend to be a common person, he is ready to embrace his title as a Son of Sparda, and inherit his father's legacy as the Legendary Dark Knight. Although the modern world is no place for something as antiquated as a knight, thus Dante's title becomes the Legendary Devil Hunter. I view DMC1 as Dante in his purest form. The side of Dante that is Highlighted by DMC1 is Dante at his most passionate and sincere, due to the circumstances. Dante has no need to pretend to be someone else when facing Mundus so his true nature shines through in that game.
Dante starts DMC1 playing around, but when Griffon is killed the True Dante comes out. Where he sees that Griffon is Honorable, and is willing to Spare Griffon once the fight is Decided, but then Mundus strikes him down anyway.
"Mundus... his heinous ways make me sick; killing his own like they were nothing"
There isn't too much Dante dialogue in DMC1 when you actually look at the entire script, but looking at the way Dante is in that game. You can see that he's showing his true colors, by being the most Heroic he's ever been, with no need to pretend he's not Interested in the Situation he's in. All this being said while Dante is deep down a caring person, he has a bad habbit of pushing people away in hopes that it'll be for their own safety. This can lead to the part of the franchise where Dante is an oddly depressed state, since he put himself into self imposed solitude, and this issue with Dante is why Nero was so vital in helping Dante.
Now when it comes to DMC4 one could a shallow Interpretation that its message is that "religion is bad" but I don't believe that's the case. I consider aspects of Devil May Cry to be a pretty interesting subversion of the Bible. There are enough parallels between DMC lore and the Bible that it works more than you might assume. The Story of Sparda is essentially the exact Opposite of the story of Lucifer. Where instead of Lucifer disobeying the God of Heaven and being cast out for it. To then see fit for being responsible for the corruption and damnation of Humanity. Sparda disobeyed the god of the underworld "Mundus" and exiled himself, saw himself fit to Protect Humanity from damnation, and preserve harmony. Due to these Similarities, a Catholic Church aesthetic does fit right in when it comes to the kind of story DMC4 is. Based on everything we've seen from The Order of the Sword's culture, they might as well be Catholics, but ones still prepared for "The Crusades", since they are still armed as knights to fight against potential demon threat.
As a side note it is sated that in DMC4 Refrain for the iphone of all things, that Dante knows that Sanctus sold his soul to a demon. So we can assume the Order actually was a Religion that was ran in good faith before Sanctus became corrupted, Agnus' Laboratory and demonic science was a complete secret from the community for a reason. In a way it's a smart commentary, on how the ones running churches can be corrupt, but the people who practice a faith sincerely are still good people. Anyone can twist the words of Religion to justify their evil deeds, but in DMC4's case, Nero is the one who knows the truth of their Religion better than the one preaching it. Nero, and Kyrie are basically Catholics, and they are better people then even Dante and Vergil for having been raised in the orders community. Credo was also a good person, but he was too much of a zealot to the Order to realize the corruption that was over taking it, Credo realizes the error of his ways, but when he chooses to do the right thing it costs him his life, which is the price to be paid for him allowing that corruption to exist as long as it did. As Sanctus was a corrupting force that cost countless people their lives.
Now this question was also proposed to me "What sort of Theology does the Order of the Sword even have?"
The base for the story of the Order's Beliefs is that Sparda had once settled down in Fortuna, for a long enough time he was the feudal lord. Sparda was In essence a God walking among the earth. They take the history of Sparda having roamed the earth, and take his effort protecting the world from demon threats as gospel. Credo is the prime example of what being a member of the order Intel's. The men of the faith of brought up to be knights trained for battle against demonic threat, they only use chivalrous weaponry thinking that is how Sparda would have Fought, it's a bit similar to how Vergil refuses to use guns. The irony there is that Sparda did use handguns, (althought that has never been Elaborated on in canon beyond the Sparda costume in DMC1 using Luce & Ombra, to which those guns are now Trish's) It's possible Sparda simply appreciated the existence of fire arms when they became invented, and saw their Utility, so he commissioned custom ones.
Nero is the "edgy teen" of a Religious household, how has become bored to death of sunday school. He sat though church day after day and memorized the sermons unwillingly from hearing it all so much, due to Credo Essentially raising Nero. Nero was an Orphan who had rumors spread about him due to no one knowing who his mother or father was, so they assumed Nero's mother was a Prostitute. This is why Nero is an outcast in the community, but he still has a strong understands of teachings of the orders faith. He sees through the theatrics of church, and finds it a waste of time. He gets the lessons, doesn't need to keep going and hear the same old things. Although Nero still chooses to become a Knight like Credo, but he does things his own way. Nero's custom revolver Blue Rose, is a powerful tool in his fight aganst demons, and he's not going to refuse using it just because "it's not what Sparda would have done" The order Knights and Nero use Weaponry that is outfitted with a combustion engine to make their attacks light their weapons aflame to damage demons effectively, Nero's Red Queen is customized by him as well, and only he can wield it due to his Strength, it would fly out of the hands of a normal man's grip. I meantion the Orders weapons because their style of Armor and Weapony Reinforces the fact they're Knights. Thus making Nero a Knight of the Modern day, where the rest of the order is more Antiquated.
Once the Order of the Sword was Corrupt, the Savior was Built, and while it is intended to be the Image of Sparda, in reality it is a recreation of Mundus "god" form. The Form Mundus perfers to use as Mundus True form of Molten lava eyeballs and hands is Pathetic in it's Appearance. The Savior is a false idol, something that is actually against the teachings of the Catholic faith. A proper chathoic is intended to better their life based on the teachings from followers of their actual god, not worship the Images of stained glass, gold crosses, and and marble statues. If we view Nero as a follower of a religions teachings, we see that he is someone that understands that it's far more Practical to get in the good graces of a supposed god, by actually being a good person and helping those around him, then it is just praying for the souls of people you could actually just be physically helping. Nero's good hearted nature is key to awakening his true power, within Nero is the same Justice that was within Sparda, and that is what causes Nero to be such a powerhouse.
Now we bring things to DMC5 where we see after a long enough time Dante and Vergil are both losing their way from the paths they set out on. Dante always chooses to do the right thing, but due to him distancing himself from others to avoid getting to close and losing anyone he cares about, he has an Internal struggle, he has to make a conscious effort to remind himself that he must maintain his humanity no matter what. This is what his theme "Subhuman" is about. Dante is so powerful that if he ever lost control he fears what would happen. Part of this is solved by him realizing the nature of the Rebellion, and obtaining Devil Sword Dante. He willingly combinds himself with the Immense power he was fearing, because it was neassary, so now he is able acess his True Demon form, no longer limiting himself.
Vergil is somehow still alive after everything that has happened to him, but he's at the end of his rope, he decides to physically separate his humanity and his demonic side, hoping that finally ridding himself complete of humanity will allow him to get what he always wished. This results in V and Urizen, both needing to face that they are Incomplete as they are. V is forced to reassess his entire life now with the eyes of a human, he no longer can hide from the truth of his actions. Urizen desipte gaining limitless power is still never satisfied because that is never what Vergil trully wanted. He simply wanted the means to protect those that he loved, but he no longer had anyone to love. Once V and Urizen agree to Reunite, Vergil is finally able to accept his humanity and demonic nature as one, and his corruption is finally healed. Yet Dante is still too far gone. In his Pursuit of stopping Vergil, he sees no other way beyond killing him, as he has done twice before. Vergil simply accepts that this is the path they have always been set on.
It is Nero that can see all this "destined for brothers to kill each other" stuff is all bullshit. It's never too late to choose to be better, and overcome the need for conflicts. The empathy Nero has always had having been raised in a good communtiy allows him to be True to his Grandfather's legacy. That grants Nero the power to cease both Dante and Vergil's endless Strife, and the two brothers finally reconcile.
In the end when we look at the full picture of Devil May Cry's story we see the messages that Good and Evil are a choice, and there are no real excuses for being Evil, as a person can stop at anytime if they simply commit to being better, and the Messages of Nobility/Power is a way of saying that there are those with power that will only care for their own needs, and in the end they will have nothing if they can't truly care for those around them, and a final message is the Importance of family and community. A person can try their best to better the world around them, but without a family or community that cares for you in return, you'll end up struggling when faced with adversity.
"What politics could anyone possibly gleam from the original games?"
"DMC4 had a jrpg pope; Therefore the whole series is political as for obvious reasons."
My goal isn't to talk modren poltics, but mearly to examain the games and see what messages are actually being stated, if we care to look that closely.
Devil May Cry doesn't attempt to be Overtly political, DMC1 released 2 weeks before 9/11. So the entire core of the franchise's existence is untainted by Politics seriously effecting its creation. That being said, there are Messages to the narratives of these games that one can interpret if they wish. Devil May Cry's core message is that Empathy "Heart" is the difference between a Human and a Demon. Those born Demons, Sparda, Trish, Lucia, have learned to care for others and not just themselves. This is where the term of in the Legend of Sparda "Woke up to Justice" comes from. It's a general meaning that if you have the power to stop evil, you have the responsibility to stop that evil, and the message from the Demons that have developed empathy is that no matter how or where someone is born they have the Potential to be a good person.
The games never make excuses for the evil behavior of demons. since they choose to be demons and it's been shown that Demons are Capable of not being evil, so in the end it is their own fault that Dante is required to kill them. If a Demon learns Empathy and can love, then they are Human in Dante's eyes. This is where the meaning of the title "Devil May Cry" comes from if a Devil can shed tears for another they care about they are human. On the flip side it is shown in the series that there are those born Human that can become corrupt and sell their souls in exchange for power. Arius, Arkham, and Sancuts all were seduced by the allure of demonic power, and no longer had empathy for their fellow man. In Dante's eyes, a human this far gone might as well be a Demon, and they need to get put down.
The story of the Sons of Sparda is that of struggling with the having the power to change the world, and the burden of that responsibility. Vergil went down the path of the Demon, he chooses to continuously obtain more and more power in a never ending cycle, it entierly corrupted him and turn him into Nelo Angleo, the Servant of Mundus, The very one Responsible for killing his mother and ruining his life. In DMC3 Dante is struggling to make a choice at all. He has limitless potential, but he is an outcast from society. So he chooses to ignore the responsibility of his power, instead he is simply a thrill seeker, but he is not truly fulfilled by this lifestyle. The events of DMC3 have him realize that both the empathy of his Humanity, and the power of his Demonic nature are part of who he truely is, and he becomes a man once he chooses to take responsibility for his family Legacy.
The path of responsibility Dante chooses is to help anyone who might need him regardless of if they can pay him or not, the business aspect of the Devil May Cry agency is simply a front, so he doesn't allow himself to get taken advantage of. Dante will reject work regardless of how high the potential profits could be because he has Integrity, and values helping his fellow man far more the financial gains. This path he chooses has him finally come face to face with Mundus the Ultimate evil of his life, and defeat it just as his father did before him. Dante's Passion and integrity wins over Trish, a demon who was specifically created to manipulate him. Trish develops a heart from witnessing Dante's empathy. Something Mundus never could have predicted, because empathy is a foreign concept to a dweller of Hell.
I'll now take the time to discuss what Dante's character actually is. Since all the characters are farily easy to get, but Dante is more complex than people give him credit for, it doens't help that bits of lore that inform Dante's character are obscure. Dante's general character is an interesting take on what being of Noble blood and a Knight in the modern day actually means. Dante is the son of Sprada, and Sparda's actions earn him the title of the Legendary Dark Knight. Sparda was a lord over the earth, Sparda may have never really desired such titles, it was just a matter of fact that's who he was on Earth. Sparda was enough of a traveler that his name is far-reaching to everywhere we whitness in the DMC Universe, be it DMC's equivalents of America or Europe. There are statues of Sparda's image similar to how there are Statues of Julius Caesar, Napoleon, or George Washington. Some people in the modern day of DMC will refuse to believe that Sparda was a real person because his story is so Fantastical. There are others who know for a fact Sparda existed because they met him in the flesh, such as Matier from DMC2.
Dante being of noble blood is important to his character as more than just an explanation for where his powers come from, but for the legacy he inherits. Dante and Vergil struggle with living up to the man their father was. That struggle stems from them having lost their family including each other, they're forced out into the world as children with no one to guide them. Vergil choose the path of might make right in his quest for power to protect himself. Dante chooses the path of vengeance first and foremost, and vengeance is a very significant key to Dante's character. Many fans mistake Dante's "Wacky Wahoo Pizza Man" bit, as being reflective of who he really is, but Dante's "Devil May Care" Attitude, is more so a coping mechanism to hide hide from facts he may not want to face. Dante makes it seem as tho he fights demons for the fun of it, which may be true, Although the true nature of Dante's carefree attitude is that it helps hide just how filled with rage he truly is whenever he encounters hostile demons. The very Demons that killed his mother, and for all Dante knew for many years killed Vergil as well.
In the DMC 2007 animated series, there is the story of a town Dante used to live in when he went by the name Tony Redgrave, an alias he used to hide his true identity. That town took care of Dante when he was a child, and I'm sure he appreciated that immensely. Eventually, demons sniffed Dante out and tragedy struck as the town was burnt to the ground. This made Dante realize he could never have a home, not around others at least. This all would further fuel his hatred of demons. If you need any more proof of Dante's true hidden emotions, you simply need to look at the lyrics of his theme in DMC3 Taste The Blood. The whole song is Dante's thoughts when confronted by Demons, but the final lines say plenty in regard to the carefree Attitude of Dante not being the full story, there is a thirst for vengeance he feels buildup within him when faced with Demons.
"Knee's in the blood with your crying pleas,
Wade in your sorrow, bathe in your fear,
Clear the mind of the righteousness suffered,
Witness the moment of your failure's prosper!"
This has been a part of Dante's real character ever since DMC1, and it still remains true today. The rest of Dante's character is more easily digested from simply witnessing his actions. The Younger Dante hid his noble blood, but when he came face to face with his father's legacy, thanks to having met Lady, he comes to appreciate who he really is. No longer needing to pretend to be a common person, he is ready to embrace his title as a Son of Sparda, and inherit his father's legacy as the Legendary Dark Knight. Although the modern world is no place for something as antiquated as a knight, thus Dante's title becomes the Legendary Devil Hunter. I view DMC1 as Dante in his purest form. The side of Dante that is Highlighted by DMC1 is Dante at his most passionate and sincere, due to the circumstances. Dante has no need to pretend to be someone else when facing Mundus so his true nature shines through in that game.
Dante starts DMC1 playing around, but when Griffon is killed the True Dante comes out. Where he sees that Griffon is Honorable, and is willing to Spare Griffon once the fight is Decided, but then Mundus strikes him down anyway.
"Mundus... his heinous ways make me sick; killing his own like they were nothing"
There isn't too much Dante dialogue in DMC1 when you actually look at the entire script, but looking at the way Dante is in that game. You can see that he's showing his true colors, by being the most Heroic he's ever been, with no need to pretend he's not Interested in the Situation he's in. All this being said while Dante is deep down a caring person, he has a bad habbit of pushing people away in hopes that it'll be for their own safety. This can lead to the part of the franchise where Dante is an oddly depressed state, since he put himself into self imposed solitude, and this issue with Dante is why Nero was so vital in helping Dante.
Now when it comes to DMC4 one could a shallow Interpretation that its message is that "religion is bad" but I don't believe that's the case. I consider aspects of Devil May Cry to be a pretty interesting subversion of the Bible. There are enough parallels between DMC lore and the Bible that it works more than you might assume. The Story of Sparda is essentially the exact Opposite of the story of Lucifer. Where instead of Lucifer disobeying the God of Heaven and being cast out for it. To then see fit for being responsible for the corruption and damnation of Humanity. Sparda disobeyed the god of the underworld "Mundus" and exiled himself, saw himself fit to Protect Humanity from damnation, and preserve harmony. Due to these Similarities, a Catholic Church aesthetic does fit right in when it comes to the kind of story DMC4 is. Based on everything we've seen from The Order of the Sword's culture, they might as well be Catholics, but ones still prepared for "The Crusades", since they are still armed as knights to fight against potential demon threat.
As a side note it is sated that in DMC4 Refrain for the iphone of all things, that Dante knows that Sanctus sold his soul to a demon. So we can assume the Order actually was a Religion that was ran in good faith before Sanctus became corrupted, Agnus' Laboratory and demonic science was a complete secret from the community for a reason. In a way it's a smart commentary, on how the ones running churches can be corrupt, but the people who practice a faith sincerely are still good people. Anyone can twist the words of Religion to justify their evil deeds, but in DMC4's case, Nero is the one who knows the truth of their Religion better than the one preaching it. Nero, and Kyrie are basically Catholics, and they are better people then even Dante and Vergil for having been raised in the orders community. Credo was also a good person, but he was too much of a zealot to the Order to realize the corruption that was over taking it, Credo realizes the error of his ways, but when he chooses to do the right thing it costs him his life, which is the price to be paid for him allowing that corruption to exist as long as it did. As Sanctus was a corrupting force that cost countless people their lives.
Now this question was also proposed to me "What sort of Theology does the Order of the Sword even have?"
The base for the story of the Order's Beliefs is that Sparda had once settled down in Fortuna, for a long enough time he was the feudal lord. Sparda was In essence a God walking among the earth. They take the history of Sparda having roamed the earth, and take his effort protecting the world from demon threats as gospel. Credo is the prime example of what being a member of the order Intel's. The men of the faith of brought up to be knights trained for battle against demonic threat, they only use chivalrous weaponry thinking that is how Sparda would have Fought, it's a bit similar to how Vergil refuses to use guns. The irony there is that Sparda did use handguns, (althought that has never been Elaborated on in canon beyond the Sparda costume in DMC1 using Luce & Ombra, to which those guns are now Trish's) It's possible Sparda simply appreciated the existence of fire arms when they became invented, and saw their Utility, so he commissioned custom ones.
Nero is the "edgy teen" of a Religious household, how has become bored to death of sunday school. He sat though church day after day and memorized the sermons unwillingly from hearing it all so much, due to Credo Essentially raising Nero. Nero was an Orphan who had rumors spread about him due to no one knowing who his mother or father was, so they assumed Nero's mother was a Prostitute. This is why Nero is an outcast in the community, but he still has a strong understands of teachings of the orders faith. He sees through the theatrics of church, and finds it a waste of time. He gets the lessons, doesn't need to keep going and hear the same old things. Although Nero still chooses to become a Knight like Credo, but he does things his own way. Nero's custom revolver Blue Rose, is a powerful tool in his fight aganst demons, and he's not going to refuse using it just because "it's not what Sparda would have done" The order Knights and Nero use Weaponry that is outfitted with a combustion engine to make their attacks light their weapons aflame to damage demons effectively, Nero's Red Queen is customized by him as well, and only he can wield it due to his Strength, it would fly out of the hands of a normal man's grip. I meantion the Orders weapons because their style of Armor and Weapony Reinforces the fact they're Knights. Thus making Nero a Knight of the Modern day, where the rest of the order is more Antiquated.
Once the Order of the Sword was Corrupt, the Savior was Built, and while it is intended to be the Image of Sparda, in reality it is a recreation of Mundus "god" form. The Form Mundus perfers to use as Mundus True form of Molten lava eyeballs and hands is Pathetic in it's Appearance. The Savior is a false idol, something that is actually against the teachings of the Catholic faith. A proper chathoic is intended to better their life based on the teachings from followers of their actual god, not worship the Images of stained glass, gold crosses, and and marble statues. If we view Nero as a follower of a religions teachings, we see that he is someone that understands that it's far more Practical to get in the good graces of a supposed god, by actually being a good person and helping those around him, then it is just praying for the souls of people you could actually just be physically helping. Nero's good hearted nature is key to awakening his true power, within Nero is the same Justice that was within Sparda, and that is what causes Nero to be such a powerhouse.
Now we bring things to DMC5 where we see after a long enough time Dante and Vergil are both losing their way from the paths they set out on. Dante always chooses to do the right thing, but due to him distancing himself from others to avoid getting to close and losing anyone he cares about, he has an Internal struggle, he has to make a conscious effort to remind himself that he must maintain his humanity no matter what. This is what his theme "Subhuman" is about. Dante is so powerful that if he ever lost control he fears what would happen. Part of this is solved by him realizing the nature of the Rebellion, and obtaining Devil Sword Dante. He willingly combinds himself with the Immense power he was fearing, because it was neassary, so now he is able acess his True Demon form, no longer limiting himself.
Vergil is somehow still alive after everything that has happened to him, but he's at the end of his rope, he decides to physically separate his humanity and his demonic side, hoping that finally ridding himself complete of humanity will allow him to get what he always wished. This results in V and Urizen, both needing to face that they are Incomplete as they are. V is forced to reassess his entire life now with the eyes of a human, he no longer can hide from the truth of his actions. Urizen desipte gaining limitless power is still never satisfied because that is never what Vergil trully wanted. He simply wanted the means to protect those that he loved, but he no longer had anyone to love. Once V and Urizen agree to Reunite, Vergil is finally able to accept his humanity and demonic nature as one, and his corruption is finally healed. Yet Dante is still too far gone. In his Pursuit of stopping Vergil, he sees no other way beyond killing him, as he has done twice before. Vergil simply accepts that this is the path they have always been set on.
It is Nero that can see all this "destined for brothers to kill each other" stuff is all bullshit. It's never too late to choose to be better, and overcome the need for conflicts. The empathy Nero has always had having been raised in a good communtiy allows him to be True to his Grandfather's legacy. That grants Nero the power to cease both Dante and Vergil's endless Strife, and the two brothers finally reconcile.
In the end when we look at the full picture of Devil May Cry's story we see the messages that Good and Evil are a choice, and there are no real excuses for being Evil, as a person can stop at anytime if they simply commit to being better, and the Messages of Nobility/Power is a way of saying that there are those with power that will only care for their own needs, and in the end they will have nothing if they can't truly care for those around them, and a final message is the Importance of family and community. A person can try their best to better the world around them, but without a family or community that cares for you in return, you'll end up struggling when faced with adversity.
