| Vergil | |
|---|---|
| Devil May Cry character | |
&sq=Facebook&lang=en&file=File:VergilDMC5.png) Vergil as seen in Devil May Cry 5 | |
| First appearance | Devil May Cry (2001) |
| Created by | Hideki Kamiya |
| Designed by | Makoto Tsuchibayashi (Devil May Cry) Daigo Ikeno (Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening) Tatsuya Yoshikawa (Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition) Alessandro Taini (DmC: Devil May Cry) |
| Voiced by |
|
| Motion capture | Daniel Southworth (Devil May Cry 3, 4: Special Edition, & 5) Tim Phillipps (DmC: Devil May Cry) |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Cambion |
| Weapon | Yamato (Katana) |
| Family | Dante (Twin brother) |
| Children | Nero (son) |
Vergil (Japanese: バージル, Hepburn: Bājiru) is a fictional character and the main antagonist of Devil May Cry, an action-adventure hack and slash video game series created by Japanese developer and publisher Capcom. He was introduced in the first Devil May Cry game as a boss called Nelo Angelo (ネロアンジェロ, Nero Anjero, which is Italian for "Black Angel"). Vergil is one of two devil-human hybrid sons of one of the devil lords called Sparda, and possesses demonic powers. He has appeared in three video games opposing his younger twin brother, Dante, and in a novel and a manga based on the series. He is the secondary antagonist of Devil May Cry 3 (2005), and the overarching antagonist of Devil May Cry 5 (2019), though he becomes an anti-hero at its conclusion. A re-booted portrayal of Vergil also appears in the 2013 video game DmC: Devil May Cry as the leader of a group of rogue vigilantes bent on stopping the demon king, Mundus. In the main continuity, Vergil is portrayed in voice acting and motion capture by Daniel Southworth.
Vergil was originally portrayed as Nelo Angelo—Dante's rival in terms of moves and appearance—in the 2001 game. Despite the character's apparent death as a child, Devil May Cry director Hideki Kamiya allowed Devil May Cry 3 writer Bingo Morihashi to change this event so Vergil could be featured as a young adult in the prequel game. Many of the series' characters were named after characters in Italian poet Dante Alighieri's poem Divine Comedy; Vergil was named after Virgil.
The character has been well received by video game publications, several of which praised his role as a boss, and his playable inclusion in the special editions of Devil May Cry. His redesign for Ninja Theory's reboot was the subject of praise, finding him more appealing than Dante.