Devil May Cry, one of the most successful and beloved Hack 'N Slash series ever. The action, the characters, it's just a great series. And now I'll be looking at two different versions of a fan favorite from this beast of a series. V, the poetic devil hunter, and reboot Vergil, the Nephilim leader of the Order.
Before beginning I feel I should clarify something. As you could probably guess, I will be talking about V only as he is during DMC 5 and Vergil only as he is in the DMC reboot and its Vergil's Downfall campaign. I know that's kinda obvious but it's worth emphasizing.
****(V)****
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Real Name: Vergil
Gender: Male
Species: Human-Demon hybrid, though V is mostly human. More on that in a bit.
Occupation: Devil Hunter
Backstory: Vergil, the half demon son of Sparda and father of Nero, was easily one of the strongest beings in the world. But even with all that power it wasn't enough. having suffered numerous defeats, his body was breaking down and his life was nearing its end. Desperate to save his own life and gain the power to finally defeat his brother, Vergil asked his son for a hand in retrieving his sword the Yamato, and used that to separate his human half from his demon half. His demon side gained unimaginable power, becoming the new demon king Urizen, while his human half, composed of his crumbling flesh and feelings, became V. With a short time before his fragile body completely crumbles and now able to see for himself the kind of monster he'd become, V set out, seeking the help of the very man he once swore to defeat, Dante, to take down Urizen.
Fighting Style: V is a unique devil hunter. While he still has the skill with a sword he once possessed he lacks the strength to use it. So instead, V relies on his demon familiars, directing them and having them weaken demons so that he can strike the final blow.
Arsenal: In his short time helping fight Urizen, V has made great use of the very little power he has. His first and only real weapon is his cane which is... well, just a cane he uses to get around. The metal is a good conductor for demonic power and by coating the cane in a bit of that power he turns it into a deadly blade that can pierce and slash demons fairly easy. But otherwise, it's not much to talk about. V would be dead weight if it weren't for his main power, to summon and command three demon familiars, created from the very nightmares Vergil once suffered from. First is Griffon, a mouthy bird demon with power over lightning. This demonic parrot can shoot electric bolts from his mouth, summon lightning, and even fire a short blast from his body to protect V. Up next is Shadow, a large demon kitty cat with shapeshifting abilities. Shadow can morph its almost fluid like body to create spikes, blades, whips, and even a giant mouth of razor sharp teeth. Shadow and Griffon are both very useful, but they have their limits. They can't kill demons themselves, relying on V to deal the final blow. And if they take too much damage, they'll be temporarily put in a death like state called stalemate. They can be revived, but it takes time. That's when V calls out his biggest and baddest demon, Nightmare. Looking at Nightmare, you'd think it was nothing but a brainless mass of goo attacking everything in its way... and well, you'd be completely right, but this is a brainless mass of goo worth having on your side. V can only have him out for a short period of time and it drains his magic, but while Nightmare is active he can shoot lasers from his eye, teleport all over the place, shoot a gargantuan laser sure to deal massive damage, and just destroy everything. On top of that, summoning him instantly revives Griffon and Shadow from stalemate, makes the two of them pretty much unkillable while he's active, and Nightmare himself is completely invincible. And while V isn't as tough as his demons, he's got a few tricks up his non existent sleeves. He can teleport short distances, which is perfect for closing the distance between him and his opponent. With Royal Fork he can summon several magic canes to rain down on enemies around him and can use an ability called Devil Trigger to temporarily boost the strength of Griffon and Shadow.
Strength: While he is a deadly fighter, V's strength is actually pretty pitiful. He's not even strong enough to lift a large sword. But thankfully, his demons pick up the slack there. Nightmare is strong enough to break down solid stone walls and match the strength of the colossal devil, Goliath.
Speed: With his teleportation and reflexes, V's best physical trait is his speed. While he on his own can't run much faster than the average human, with help from his familiars he's able to dodge lightning.
Toughness/Survivability: As you can expect from a man with a body constantly decaying, V isn't very durable. At best, he's just a bit tougher than the average man as he could take hits from demons and keep fighting. But otherwise he's pretty fragile.
Feats: On his quest to defeat and re-merge with Urizen, V has accomplished more than a couple impressive feats. He and his familiars have defeated numerous demons, killed a demonic parasite named Nidhogg, and defeated the time manipulating demon horse Geryon. And eventually, with help from Dante and even his own son Nero, V was able to rejoin his demon half, finally becoming Vergil once more.
Weaknesses: V may be a lethal demon hunter, but he's not perfect. His severe lack of physical strength and toughness makes it hard for him to fight when his demons are stalemated. He also has a limited supply of magic which will run out if he's not careful.
Overall: In a whole, V is not so much a single fighter as he is the leader of a team. He's not very strong or tough, but what he lacks in physical ability he makes up for in magical versatility and the fierce loyalty of his demon pets is sure to save him whenever he's in a tough spot.
Quote: Nidhogg: I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!!!
V: Not in this lifetime... as the air to a bird or the sea to a fish... so is contempt to the contemptible.
****(Vergil)****
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Last Name: None
Gender: Male
Species: This version of Vergil is a Nephilim, a hybrid of Angel and Demon
Occupation: Leader of the Order
Backstory: In this world, everything appears normal, everyone seems human and your favorite soft drink seems harmless. But if you look deeper, you'll realize that demons control everything. They monitor you with satellites and cameras, keep you docile with spiked soda, and control the world through debt. But there is one man who sees past the bullshit and decided to stand against the demons, and his name is Vergil. Born from the inconceivable union of an angel mother and a demon father, Vergil and his brother Dante were born as Nephilim, wielding the powers of Heaven and Hell within them. This supernatural family lived happily, until they were visited by the demon king Mundus, who slaughtered their mother and banished their father. But just before being banished, the father, Sparda, hid the two boys away, wiping their memories for their own protection. But eventually Vergil regained his memories, and formed the Order, a rebellion against demon kind and its lies. Seen as terrorists by the media, Vergil began his crusade for vengeance against Mundus, so that he can take his place.
