I really like when people post analyses of Visions of V on my timeline because it gives me the chance to explain why I disagree with some interpretations 😭
There’s this scene where V(ergil) is saved by Nero and Trish while reflecting on his life, his human desires, and all his terrible choices. Most people correctly understand that Trish symbolically represents Eva, because the manga practically says it directly to your face.
But what I think people miss is that Nero symbolically represents… Dante.
From the very beginning of the manga, V(ergil) is constantly thinking about Dante saving him. His entire journey is basically about searching for Dante because he wants protection from himself, from his own nature, from the consequences of what he became.
And then he meets Nero and his reaction is basically:
“Oh… a smaller Dante. I guess I can use him too.”
Even back when he was Nelo Angelo, Vergil viewed Dante striking him down almost like a form of salvation. So when V includes Nero in the mission, I honestly don’t think he sees him fully as his own person at first. He sees him as an extension of Dante, another version of the same emotional protection he’s been desperately seeking the entire story.
THIS is literally the moment where his own mind — while he’s on the verge of death — pushes him to go find Dante
And this is where it’s explicitly stated why he was searching for Dante:
V(ergil) started by trying to save people, basically imitating Dante, because he thought that maybe doing what Dante does would help him find the answer he was searching for 😭
But the truth is that Dante’s desire and Vergil’s desire were never the same. Dante wanted to protect his family, while Vergil wanted to be protected by his family — by Eva, by Dante, by someone who would choose him and stay.
And I really love how their wishes end up being fulfilled through each other in the end. Dante finally gets to protect Vergil, and Vergil finally allows himself to be saved by Dante (':
P.S. It’s honestly insane to me how people keep dismissing how important Dante is in Vergil’s life when Vergil’s entire character and emotional journey revolve around his relationship with his brother 😭