Trinkets of Interest

The inspo image:

Personally, I like the first version of V's lines because he says what I adapted as "naturally" (alternative: "of course", "obviously") and I used that word specifically because in his next line, V said "It's always been that way" and I made the connection that fighting is in the brothers' nature, it's what they have done for a long time, it's only natural they want to fight each other!

I want to note that V uses a word which describes something that is left unchanged in a particular condition, in this case, Vergil losing to Dante which he wants to change.

This is another line that was changed and V also uses that word here and that's why I wrote "to whom you keep losing", to convey the nuance that it's about something that always/constantly happened.

I like the first version, to me it was funny how V called Dante because in the anime (Japanese dub) , Patty used the same word for him :))

The main differences in the volume version are that Vergil asks V if he’s going to fight Dante again even though he lost. V then responds, of course. Despite this fact, they are still going to fight Dante. 

That response stood out to me because Vergil previously hated the thought of losing to Dante. In DMC3, he was in shock that Dante defeated him at the waterfall. Decades later, he was still angry and ashamed at losing to Dante. He couldn’t accept his losses, so he stabbed his humanity (V) and nightmares out of himself to become stronger and defeat Dante. We all know that this, in turn, set in motion the events of DMC5. In VoV (in Chapter 09), after a version of Dante saved V from nightmare Nelo Angelo, V responded very negatively, taking his rescue as Nightmare shoving his weaknesses to his face. During the fountain scene (in Chapter 24), V admits he disliked thinking about the fact that Dante had defeated him. 

Basically, there are numerous instances that make it clear that Vergil (and V) hated the fact he (or they?) lost to Dante because it reminded him of his own weakness. It’s a direct punch to his ego and confidence because the two are the sons of Sparda, and therefore, should be equals. 

But now? 

V says that he can’t “keep losing all the time now”. He is admitting that he has lost to Dante several times without experiencing any distress. 

Afterward (not in the post above), V asks Vergil if he dislikes fighting Dante, and he responds that he actually likes fighting Dante. Then, V tells him to go fight (and beat up) Dante. Another difference in this version is that he calls Dante the brother he keeps losing to, which again underscores that Vergil lost to Dante numerous times. But now, the fact that he lost to Dante is no longer a source of shame, but a source of motivation for fighting him. It is a reason to reconnect with Dante. 

I also think that the subtle changes in the lines show V’s optimistic outlook. By telling Vergil to go beat up Dante… it shows that V believes that Vergil can win, that he is now strong enough to beat Dante. This was what Vergil (and V) wanted. In the earlier chapters, V wanted to understand what made Dante different from him, so he could become stronger than him. Now, he knows the answer and is confident he can win. 

Long story short, due to the subtle changes in the two panels, V’s message to Vergil is now something like: 

“Yes, you keep losing to Dante. You know you can win a fight against him. You love fighting him. So, go and show him that you’re capable of winning, too. And don’t forget to have fun.” 

I think the volume version, compared to the online version, further emphasizes how much V (and Vergil) has grown. He is at peace with the past because he is no longer ashamed of the fact he lost to Dante several times. He is optimistic, as he believes in a better future, one where he gets to fight Dante as they did during their childhoods, and this time, he will win. 

Vergil has finally accepted himself wholly. He is no longer denying the fact he loves Dante and is ready to become his brother again, to fight him to his heart’s content.