#ck analysis

This moment confirms that V(ergil) feels abandoned. It's not difficult to understand why- no one came to help him when he needed it most. He was the one who had to defend himself and kill the demons.

V is able to wake Dante up, but even though he tries to talk to him, Dante ignores V and leaves.

It’s also at this moment that V completely runs out of the little demonic power that he had. His body begins to crumble.

He is running out of time. 

V is overwhelmed with fear because he does not want to die. As he pushes himself forward, he says he will do what he has always done. 

He will do it alone. 

After Dante defeats the Cavaliere Angelo and frees Trish, V waits by her side until she wakes up. Upon regaining consciousness, Trish questions V's true identity because he knows more about Urizen than anyone else should. 

V responds by telling Trish he will share the reason he was created (or born) with her, and we see his perspective of the night Vergil stabbed himself with the Yamato. 

We have already seen the moment Vergil stabs himself at the beginning of the manga. Below is the panel showing the moment from Chapter One. 

As he stabs himself, Vergil exclaims that he will not die being defeated by Dante. He is angry and ashamed at his defeat at his brother's hands. 

Here is what V remembers from that moment while talking to Trish.

When you initially look at both- the beginning of the story and V's perspective- side by side, it appears there aren't many differences. 

The angles of Vergil's arm and hands are the same in the moment and in V's perspective. The Yamato is also at the same angle, and the blood splatter(s) are the same. His cloak is actually drawn with the same number of ruffles. Even though the style and line art are slightly different in both panels, Ogata sensei did a really good job of maintaining continuity across chapters.

However (if you haven't already noticed), there is a huge difference in both the moment and V's perspective. In the actual moment (Chapter One), Vergil's hood covers his face. You can't see his face. 

From V's perspective (Chapter Thirty), his hood is at a different angle. You can clearly see Vergil's expression. 

(Here's a close-up) 

V remembers Vergil with a pained, desperate expression as he stabbed himself. 

Initially, it appears all Vergil wants is to become stronger than Dante, so he could finally defeat him. But V, after everything he has been through, sees another perspective on this moment. Vergil was desperate for other reasons. He also wanted to escape the suffering caused by his nightmares of being Nelo Angelo, and couldn’t see another way except for getting rid of his memories and humanity (V). 

V was created because Vergil believed his humanity was nothing but a weakness. To him, it was an unwanted burden that made him feel fear and weakness and prevented him from becoming stronger. 

After everything he has been through, V now understands Vergil's mistake. Vergil believed he could become stronger without his "weaknesses"- his humanity, memories, fears, and feelings- but those were exactly what he needed. 

Vergil could not handle his nightmares, so he cut them out. Just moments ago, V, by accepting that he was afraid, finally understood why. Now, he is no longer afraid of his nightmares. 

After explaining his creation and thus his true identity, V tells Trish that he is running out of time.

Even though Trish only asked V who he is, V continues talking. He tells her about all of his realizations- that everything he once thought unneeded was actually necessary. So, he went to Dante in the hopes he could fix V(ergil)'s mistake.

V is displaying a vulnerability that he hasn't shown anyone else with Trish. He is confessing his regrets and thoughts to someone he hasn't even interacted with much.  

V finally notices that he is sharing more with Trish than he should. Even though Trish looks like Eva, they are definitely not the same person. 

V is not talking to his mother, so why is he telling her all of these things? Why is he suddenly being vulnerable with Trish? 

Despite being aware of this, V asks her if he was wrong.

Trish tells him to find the answer himself and leaves.

At the same time, the Qlipoth has finally reached full maturity, and everything starts crumbling as the tree grows further out of the ground. 

The Qlipoth fruit Urizen waited for is ready. Once he consumes it, he will gain immense power, the very thing Vergil wanted. 

As V runs away from his crumbling surroundings, his mind returns to what he had told Trish- that the weaknesses he threw away were the very things he needed to become stronger. By embracing them, he was able to move forward, past them. 

So, even if he (or specifically Urizen) obtains more power, because he hasn't accepted his weaknesses, he won't be able to defeat Dante. 

V has actually predicted the outcome of the (upcoming) fight between Dante and Urizen. Even after Urizen consumes the fruit and gains more power, he will still lose against Dante.

Suddenly, the cliff V is standing on crumbles, and he falls into the abyss.

As he falls, he sees Trish running, leaving his sight...

Eva stands in the darkness, back facing a bloodied young Vergil who has his hand outstretched to her- 

As V falls, he is struck by a thought.

A thought he had long forgotten...

He didn't want to save his mother. He didn't want to be the one doing the saving.

He wanted his mother to-

A hand suddenly grabs V. 

Trish grabbed him just in time and pulls him up to safety. V stares at her in shock, prompting her to yell at him to run.

As he runs, V notes that he feels like a child. 

Griffon is confused about his comment, but teases V, who ignores him. V looks behind him-

A young Vergil lies in the darkness, covered in stab wounds. He crawls forward, leaving behind a trail of blood. Vergil lifts his injured hand and reaches into the abyss... 

Soft, clean hands gently take Vergil's hand, bringing light to his surroundings. 

Vergil looks up and, upon seeing who it is, starts crying with relief.

His mother is here. She will protect him after everything that has happened.

Everything will be alright-

That never happened. 

Eva never found Vergil. 

In the real world, V's expression becomes sorrowful as he fully remembers what he truly wanted. 

V's conversation with Trish and the moment she saved him allows him to remember that he wanted his mother to find and save him. 

V was vulnerable with Trish and told her all his thoughts because he wanted to be vulnerable with his mother, the person she looked like. Years ago, Vergil trusted his mother and depended on her. He was once a child who turned to his mother for comfort. After Trish saved him, V(ergil) finally remembered that on the day of the attack, he wanted his mother to find him. 

Vergil wanted to be vulnerable and have his mother protect and comfort him after everything that happened that day. 

But Eva never did those things because she died.

Trish and V eventually find their way to the others, and they figure out that Urizen is at the top of the Qlipoth and intends to consume the fruit there. Dante, Nero, and V all decide to travel down to find Urizen. However, Dante quickly leaves the other two behind, determined to face what was once his brother. Nero and V follow him, and all three end up in a race to reach Urizen first.

Soon after, V finds himself in precarious conditions. His body is rapidly deteriorating, but he needs to reach Urizen before Dante kills him and destroys his only chance at survival. 

But he stumbles upon Malphas and accidentally draws her attention to his location. 

While hiding from her, V starts panicking, as he is too weak to fight back or run. He has no options, but he doesn't want to die. V is overwhelmed with fear and helplessness. 

A bloodied young Vergil sits on the ground, hoping that someone will come- 

Another version of Vergil, holding the Yamato, appears and tells himself not to seek out help. 

No one came that day, so why would anyone come now? 

Vergil was alone then.

V(ergil) is still alone. 

He is the only one who can save himself. If he can't, then he dies.

There are no other options. 

Vergil reaches out and touches the flame. This is what his life has always been and will continue to be: him alone, fighting to survive. 

As he walks into the flames, resigned to his fate, Vergil is stopped by an object in his way.

It is Nero.

In the real world, Nero appears. He reached V's location just in time. He kills Malphas. 

Afterward, Nero finds V, who is determined to continue forward to Urizen. Despite his insistence that V stay behind, V begs him to help him. 

Nero is not happy with the entire situation, but starts carrying a weak V forward. 

Griffon (internally) notes how low they've fallen. Their fate now entirely depends on Nero. But V isn't embarrassed at all. He will do anything to achieve his goal, and in this case, he is using Nero to that end. 

However, Griffon points out that V asked Nero for help, and he agreed. V didn't manipulate Nero into help him. And no one else coerced Nero to. There is nothing he will gain from helping V. 

Nero chose to help him. 

Griffon is right. 

Someone decided to help V of their free will. No one is manipulating them or the circumstances. 

So, what does V think? 

Well, the truth is- 

Vergil stands before the fire, exposed and alone. 

He looks up and admits that he also wanted to be protected. 

In the real world, V echoes this sentence. 

The manga does not contain the exact (or similar) words from the game, but instead insinuates that V says those lines. For reference, here is what V said to Nero in the game:

The truth is... I wanted to be protected and loved... But I was alone. My only choice was to survive.

Nero is confused by V's sudden admission and tells V to take a break. However, V ignores him. 

In different parts of the manga (not discussed in this analysis), V recognizes that Nero and Vergil share many similarities. Here, he sees that another similarity the two have is a troubled past. However, Nero did not end up having the same life as Vergil. And it was because Nero had people around him who protected and loved him. (We know they were Kyrie, Credo, and their parents, who took him in and gave him some sense of normalcy.)

V feels a need to stay close to Nero, to cling to him as a child would to their parent when they need comfort. He wants to stay close to the person who protected him when no one else did. 

V then decides to reveal the truth about Urizen to Nero:

Nero... I will tell you...everything. There is no demon named Urizen... only a man who threw away his humanity, in an endless pursuit of power,

He is Dante's older brother.

Yes. And his real name is... Vergil.

This scene and the previous one are straightforward: V is sharing a truth about himself and revealing Urizen's true identity to Nero.

From another perspective, both scenes, together, are also an unspoken confession about how V(ergil) ended up the way he is. 

Vergil wanted to be saved. He wanted someone to protect him from the demons, but in the end, no one did. Eva was murdered. Vergil didn't know Dante was hiding in the closet, so he believed the demons killed him, too.

Vergil was alone, left with only the memories of the attack and what he lost. But he needed to survive. So, he focused solely on gaining power and strength because they would protect him from physical harm.

This mentality worked, as having power and strength allowed Vergil to survive the years on the run and constantly defeat the demons Mundus sent after him. 

In addition to helping him survive, the idea of power also helped Vergil cope with the pain of being alone.

People who lack power suffer or die because they lack the means to control the world around them. People with power can control anything because no one can hurt them or force them to do things they don't want to. Those with power and strength can control their fates. The alternative idea that people who are willing to protect the weak exist, but none of them were there to save you, is more painful. 

It is easier to believe that with only power, you can control everything.

Eventually, Vergil’s belief in power as the determinant of one's fate twisted him into a callous, arrogant man. 

When V encounters the boy and his unconscious mother in the supermarket, he reacts cruelly. He stands on the sides while confidently stating that the boy's mother will die. According to him, her fate is determined because she and her son lack strength. In a world where power and strength matter, the weak die. In such a world, there is no chance someone will save them. V does not consider the possibility that he can step in and change their fates.  

Vergil also came to not view people as living beings but as a means to his goals. He treated Arkham as a tool to use to raise the Temen-ni-gru. After meeting Griffon, V belittles him, stating that he will use him if he is worth using. This attitude even applies to Dante and Nero. Although they are (technically) a part of the same family, V only focused on the fact that they can help him defeat Urizen. 

Over time, by focusing solely on power, Vergil physically and emotionally isolated himself from everyone.

But the fact that Vergil possessed immense power and strength did not erase his pain from the fact that no one was there to save him that day, and no one was there for him afterward. It did not erase the fact that his mother, the person he wanted to save him, wasn't there.

So, he distanced himself from any connection with Eva. 

In DMC3, when Vergil and Arkham are in Temen-ni-gru, they discuss the woman who broke into the tower.

Vergil: Does that woman really bother you?

Arkham: What are you talking about?

Vergil: Why didn't you kill her? Perhaps, because she is your daughter? Did some pesky fatherly love get in your way?

Arkham: That is none of your -

This part of the scene is somewhat paradoxical. Vergil mocks Arkham's connection to his daughter and his supposed love for her because of his own experiences. (We, the viewers, know the reason why Arkham kept Lady alive, but Vergil didn't know it at this moment.) The fact that Eva wasn't there to protect Vergil from the demons causes him immense pain. So when faced with an example of a protective parent, he belittles their protectiveness, as if it were a weakness or an obstacle to achieving a greater goal. 

From the perspective that only power and strength matter, a parent's act of protecting a child is meaningless. It is nothing but a worthless sentimental act. By believing anything apart from strength as a weakness, Vergil distanced himself from the pain of his mother not being there to protect him. 

Another instance is when Vergil ignored his personal connection to the half of the Perfect Amulet. 

Dante: So... my mother's amulet is the key that unlocks the door to the demon world. Good plan, pop.

Vergil: Just the opposite actually. Originally it was the key to the demon world but was given to humans as a gift.

When Dante talks about his half of the amulet, he emphasizes his personal connection to it. The first thing he says is that it belonged to his mother, and then it opens the door to the Underworld. 

Vergil notices this and tries to correct Dante, saying it was the key to the Underworld, which was then given to humans. Vergil specifically states that the amulet was given to humans, not to Eva or to his mother. If you look at only Vergil's words, it appears as if Sparda bestowed the Perfect Amulet on humanity as a whole. 

But the amulet was given to Eva alone by Sparda. It wasn't meant to belong to anyone else. The amulet belongs to the twins later because Eva herself chose to gift one half to each of them. 

By stating the amulet was given to humans at large, and thus implying that Eva was just another human, not someone special, Vergil managed to distance himself from her. If she is no one special, then her actions don't matter. 

However, it is clear that no matter how hard Vergil tried, he could not detach himself from his love for his mother. At the waterfall, after Dante cuts through Vergil, he drops both the Force Edge and his amulet. Vergil grabs his amulet first, instead of the sword. Earlier in the story, when V meets a woman being mugged, he chooses to only take her money and leaves behind her necklace. It was also a gift from her mother, so he left it behind because it reminded him of his amulet and his mother. 

But his attempts to distance himself from Eva were still successful. It was decades later, after Trish saved V, that he remembered he wanted his mother to save him. V finally remembers that he was in pain (and still is) from the fact that he lost his mother. He loved her and wanted her to be there for him, to protect him. 

But Vergil became so emotionally isolated that learning Dante was still alive came too late to change his path. After meeting Dante for the first time in a decade, Vergil does not abandon his plan of raising Temen-ni-gru in favor of joining his brother. Instead, he continues with his plan, and a year later, Vergil invites Dante to the tower to take his half of the amulet. There, he fights and injures his brother multiple times. After losing to Dante at the waterfall, Vergil jumps into the Underworld. He knows that Dante has a life in the Human world, but does not consider that he could have the same life for himself. He has been alone for so long that he cannot recognize that there is a chance for him to stay by Dante's side. 

To handle the pain from being alone after the attack, Vergil turned to power and ended up isolating himself from everyone, including his own brother. 

Vergil also believed he couldn’t rely on anyone. After all, when he was lying on the ground after being brutally stabbed by demons, the Yamato appeared. Vergil saved himself with his father’s power. No one helped him when he needed it most.

There never was, and never will be, anyone in the world who would go out of their way to save him.

The only person Vergil can depend on is himself. 

Decades later, Nero saves V from Malphas. 

Nero saving V is a significant moment in the story- there is no denying that. It is heartbreaking because it is a son saving his father (or the human side of him). 

But…

At this point in the story, Nero is still a stranger to V.

Earlier, while waiting in Fortuna, V takes a moment to think about Nero and his relationship to Sparda, even considering that Nero might be his (or specifically Vergil’s) son. However, he does not consider any possibility beyond that and pushes those thoughts aside. Based on his experiences with Dante, V believes that the descendants of Sparda will fight and harm one another regardless of their familial connections. So, even though the two are part of the same family and share a common goal, V makes no attempt to get closer to Nero and learn more about him.  

This is easy for V to do because he has no previous history with Nero. He does not have a deep bond with Nero as he does with his brother, Dante. And despite not knowing Trish well, he shared his thoughts with her because she reminded him of his mother. V has no shared experiences with or emotional connections to Nero, so they are strangers. 

From V's perspective, Nero is nothing more than a stranger he can take advantage of to achieve his goal of defeating Urizen. 

But Nero saved V at his lowest moment. 

V realizes afterward that Nero saved him of his free will. No one manipulated him into doing so. There is nothing Nero would gain by saving V, but he did so anyway. 

And he is still by V's side. He is currently helping V by carrying him to Urizen. Nero, again, is helping V out of his own choice, without any expectation of receiving anything in return. He is helping V for no other reason than it is the right thing to do: to help those who need it and protect those who cannot protect themselves. 

V then recognizes that Nero didn't have an easy life. He was also alone, without anyone to help him. But he found people who protected and loved him. 

Nero had a life that Vergil didn't think was possible. 

He is the person Vergil believed did not exist.

Nero's existence and actions shatter V(ergil) 's beliefs that strength and power alone determine survival. It is not a cruel world where only those who have power can survive. There are people who are willing to protect and help others. People will love others freely, without question. 

It is not a world where Vergil has to be alone. 

V(ergil) now remembers that this is what he truly wanted. He wanted someone who, despite his weakness, would protect him. He also wanted to be loved.

But he couldn't receive these things because he was alone. 

Vergil was alone after the attack, but he remained alone through his own actions. His obsession with power isolated him from everyone, and his belief that he couldn’t depend on anyone else only deepened his isolation.

In an endless pursuit of power, Vergil threw away every chance of getting the protection and love he truly wanted, and eventually, his humanity. 

But despite everything, it was always possible for Vergil to find someone willing to protect and love him.

It still is. 

V(ergil) doesn't have to be alone anymore. 

Note from CK:

Here, I focused primarily on the fact that Vergil wanted to be saved by Eva. I am in no way ignoring the fact that he also wanted to save her. Of course, he did. He felt immense guilt over the fact that, despite his attempts, he still failed to save her. 

I believe two truths can exist at the same time. Vergil wanted to save his mother, but he also wanted to be protected. Both Vergil’s desires to protect his loved ones and to be protected by them drove him to become obsessed with power. He ended up isolating himself and becoming trapped in the belief that pursuing and obtaining power, along with being hyper-independent, were the only ways for him to live.

Either truth doesn’t take anything away from the other. In fact, together they highlight the tragic facts that Vergil’s trauma contributed to his beliefs on power and humanity and that he suffered from these beliefs. 

Later, V walks into an abandoned supermarket to find some food. There, he finds a scared boy. He kills a demon trying to eat the boy, then tells him to leave the market.

However, the boy refuses to leave. It's then revealed that there is another person- the boy's mother, who is unconscious and trapped underneath a shelf. 

Even after Griffon tries to get him to leave, the boy again refuses, saying that he needs to protect his mother. His response stops V in his tracks and causes him to turn around. 

V then (cruelly) points out the boy's situation- he is physically weak and incapable of protecting himself and his mother. The only thing he can and should do is run away. If he doesn't run, then both of them will die.

He asks if the boy is scared, knowing this. The boy tries to put on a brave act, but fails. 

V tells him to drop the act. It doesn't matter what happens at this point. There is nothing the boy can do. The overall outcome will not change: his mother will die. She will die because the boy is weak.

This scene gives us a good (and not-so-surprising) glimpse into V(ergil)'s mentality. Most of us know that Vergil holds power and strength in high regard. After all, there is that famous quote of his...

Foolishness, Dante. Foolishness. Might controls everything. And without strength you cannot protect anything. Let alone yourself.

V believes the mother's fate is sealed instantly. She is trapped and unconscious, with only her physically weak son. She will die.

He shows no remorse or any other emotions while talking to the boy because he has been desensitized. To V, this is just the way the world works: only the strong can control their fates, while the weak perish. There is nothing sad or upsetting about the natural order of the world.

It is what it is. 

(There is also a bit of irony here- V is currently dependent on his familiars to fight for him. He is also a weak person. Yet, here he is, looking down at a child who wants to protect his mother.) 

Despite V's words, the boy again refuses to leave, yelling the same word he has been saying over and over again: NO. He will not leave his mother behind. There is no denying that he is afraid, but his fear for his mother's fate keeps him here. 

Griffon tells V that there are more demons in the back waiting to attack them. V turns to leave, and the boy asks him if he isn't going to help them. 

V responds by calling the boy greedy because he wants to protect his mother, but lacks the strength to do so. He also wants help because he doesn't want to run or die. From V's perspective, no one can have all of those things. The boy wants too many things that he cannot have.

The boy starts begging for V to help them, but V, again, dismisses him, noting that the boy is begging without feeling shame at his condition, his weakness.

The boy, with nothing to lose, then yells at him, "Is it wrong?!" 

With this question, the boy is actually asking V two: 

Is it wrong to be weak and want to protect someone you love? Is it wrong to beg for help on their behalf?

Suddenly, V sees a house burning in the distance. Vergil is bleeding on the ground with demons surrounding him. He has his hand outstretched, as if he is trying to reach someone. 

Then, there is a panel showing V with his hand facing forward- the same position as Vergil's hand in his memory. V(ergil) was once in a similar position to the boy, helpless to save the people he loved. Back then, he could not prevent the demons from reaching his mother and Dante. 

In the present, the boy cannot fight the demons to protect himself and his mother. So, he is begging V to help them, without being ashamed that he has to. V remembers that (we later learn) he wanted someone else to be there that day to save him, Dante, and Eva.

If there had been someone else, Vergil would've begged them for help. He would have thrown away his pride to save his family. 

V admits "no". He wanted to say everything the boy had been saying. It isn't wrong to want to protect the people you love or beg for help. 

V summons Nightmare to kill the demons, saving both the boy and his mother. 

While V isn't consciously aware, this experience has shifted something inside him. After the boy and mother leave, Griffon points out that he has a strange look on his face.

(What is interesting is that this is the first time we see Vergil's memory of the attack in this story. Up til now, we have only seen his nightmares of Nelo Angelo.)

Later, V admits that he is feeling peculiar. While floating in the fountain, he becomes pensive, reflecting on his current situation and the events of the past few weeks. Since losing his powers, he has been doing things Vergil would never have thought of, such as hiding in an abandoned building with others. He has also been thinking about things he doesn't want to, such as why he lost to Dante. 

V also admits that, as Vergil, he had planned to reflect on why he lost, but never followed through and instead focused on obtaining more power. He believed that power would be enough to make up for whatever reasons had caused him to lose his fight with Dante. If it wasn’t enough, he could just obtain more power. 

However, V realizes that it was only when he lost his powers that he remembers the answer to his question was always within him…

Vergil's avoidance of thoughts that made him uncomfortable fits into a pre-existing pattern seen in DMC3. Whenever Vergil was reminded of his traumatic memories, he refused to acknowledge the situation he was in. 

One such instance is when Arkham confronts him about his heritage as a human and a demon. 

Vergil: To further your study of the black arts, you sacrificed your loving wife, to become a devil as well. Knowing this, I thought you'd be more useful to me, but I was wrong. No wonder your attainment of power is incomplete.

Arkham: What about you? You're an incomplete being as well. Both demon and human blood mingle in your veins.

Vergil: Shut up. 

Vergil became hostile when reminded about his human heritage because acknowledging it would involve thinking about the attack, his mother, and her death. 

During their final confrontation, Dante pointed out that Vergil had no plans after gaining Sparda's powers. 

Dante: What are you going to do with all that power, huh? No matter how hard you try, you're never gonna be like father. 

Vergil: You're wasting time!

When Dante asked what Vergil would do after gaining Sparda’s power, it momentarily forced Vergil to consider his future. After obtaining power, what would he do? Would he spend the rest of his life trying to live a normal life? He can't because the attack made that impossible. But if he chooses any other kind of life, that's also because of the attack.

Vergil can't come up with an answer, so he charges at Dante. 

Answering Arkham's or Dante's questions would require Vergil to directly confront his trauma of the attack. So, he refuses to and instead tries to ignore them. 

As previously mentioned, after the events of Temen-ni-gru, Vergil refused to think about why he lost to Dante because doing so would be the same as admitting that he was weaker than Dante. Instead, he focused on becoming stronger. He removed his memories of becoming Nelo Angelo because he did not want to remember the feelings, like fear and shame, that they evoked. He then cut out his humanity (V) to become a true demon. 

Vergil's coping mechanism for dealing with his traumatic memories, feelings of weakness, and other negative feelings was avoidance. Instead of confronting them, he shifted his attention to something else, like gaining more power and becoming stronger.

After getting out of the fountain, V does something unexpected- he opens up. He quotes "The Fly", then tells Griffon (and Shadow) that they don't have control over their fates and that any action they take might have little to no effect on their endings. However, despite these bleak facts, he acknowledges that he needs them and asks them to stay to help him move forward.

Griffon is surprised by V opening up and tells him that he's helping V out of his own selfish reasons. However, a moment later, Griffon admits that even though V can be a bit difficult, he and Shadow like him.

Griffon also points out that if they had to work with  a fully intact (half-demon, half-human) Vergil who had lost his power instead of V, they’d probably all be dead.  

While Vergil and V are both stubborn and arrogant, an intact Vergil would’ve still refused to lower himself to work with others. Even in his situation, he would refuse to work with anyone because that would be an admission of his weakness, something he hated and continually refused to accept. He would've refused to associate himself with the familiars, even if that decision harmed him in the long run. 

The main reason V eventually accepted help from the familiars and put aside his pride was the conditions of his creation and those that followed. He was discarded, cast aside by Vergil. He is physically different- he is in a much weaker and limited state. Unlike Vergil, he is not a half-demon, half-human warrior and never had the same access to weapons or abilities. He will also never have access to those things. V is physically constrained in ways Vergil never was, and later on, he accepts he can never push past those limits.

Basically, an intact, powerless Vergil, while lacking power, would still have many more options compared to V. As a result, he would still have reasons to cling to his methods and approach. He wouldn't have been able to change as V did. 

Griffon's comment about Vergil's stubbornness and inability to work with others also highlights the consequences of Vergil's constant avoidance of anything that made him feel weak or helpless. 

He was incapable of adapting to new or uncomfortable situations. 

Vergil was unable to accept the fact that Dante had defeated him multiple times. He could not accept his losses, his failures, so he fell back onto the same approach he always did- obtaining power and becoming stronger- which led him to attack Nero and retake the Yamato. 

After his creation, V has to work with Griffon. Their partnership starts rocky, as V initially can't accept his condition as a weak, powerless human, and that he needs to work with another being. V’s arrogance causes the two to argue and delays their ability to work together. Even after V (reluctantly) accepts that he has to work with Griffon, he remains arrogant. Griffon is often helpful, as he often gives V advice and, overall, tries to ensure his survival, but V still refuses to listen to him. As a result, he makes many rash decisions when facing Phantom and Nightmare that often place him and Griffon in danger. 

It is only much later, after failing to obtain enough power to face Urizen, that V realizes that his failure stems from his old methods and that something has to change.

If V had accepted his new situation much earlier, then he might have avoided a lot of trouble and received help earlier and faster. He would've also saved a lot of time. 

But by constantly avoiding his feelings of weakness and helplessness, V(ergil) stunted his own progress, as he never experienced the situations that would build his mental and emotional resilience. 

Soon after, V and the familiars drift off to sleep- 

And V finds himself in a dream, in front of Urizen.

V tells Urizen that he has Vergil's fears, which Vergil abandoned because he believed doing so would make him stronger. He now understands that Vergil's belief was wrong.

V's experience with the boy reminded him of the day of the attack, as he was once in the same position as him. He was once weak and helpless, unable to protect the people he loved. The day of the attack was the day he lost his family and a chance for a normal life. 

Vergil was left with fear, feelings of weakness and helplessness, and memories that would haunt him- his nightmares. Avoidance became Vergil's coping mechanism for dealing with these feelings and memories, while pursuing and obtaining power became his other main form of distraction. But these coping mechanisms trapped him in a state of mental and emotional stagnation. 

Vergil could not overcome his fears and feelings of weakness and helplessness because he refused to accept that he was afraid or felt weak. He never learned how to handle failure or situations that did not require power because he refused to accept that he was in such situations and thus adapt to them. 

V’s experience with the boy also showed that vulnerability is not a weakness. Despite his inability to protect himself physically, the boy refused to run away and abandon his mother. Instead, the boy's fear for his mother gave him the strength to stay behind. His admission to V that he needed help (inadvertently) convinced V to save them. The boy's refusal to give up, despite his fears and physical weakness, allowed him to change his mother's fate against the odds.

Instead of avoiding anything that reminded him of his memories or made him feel fear or weak, Vergil should have confronted them. If he had stayed in these situations, he would've learned how to adapt and move beyond these feelings.

V decides that he must stop avoiding his nightmares of the attack. He has to face them by allowing himself to remember the day when he was attacked by demons and lost his home, and fully experience the feelings tied to them. Although he fears reliving the past, V still chooses to remember everything about that day: the pain, fear, and sorrow. 

By choosing to face his nightmares, V succeeds where Vergil could not: accepting the existence of his unwanted fears and feelings of weakness and helplessness.

Vergil then remembers his time as Nelo Angelo, when he was powerless and trapped inside the armor.

It was a shameful experience, being enslaved by the King of Hell for so long. Vergil decides to cut out and discard his memories of that time, his nightmares. 

He also decides to remove his human flesh and heart, as they are only weaknesses holding him back from truly becoming stronger-

And… that is the end of Vergil's story. 

Well.

That statement is half right, yet half wrong.

It is also the beginning of V's.

As V becomes aware of his surroundings, he is overwhelmed with fear. Vergil, or what was once him, begins transforming into a monstrous being, and V can only lie on the floor and watch, powerless to change anything- 

Luckily for him, a demon swoops in and grabs him, taking him outside the mansion. 

(At this point, V isn’t called “V”, as he doesn't choose this name til the later chapters. But for my sanity, I'm not calling him "nameless Vergil’s abandoned human side" every time I have to refer to him. And the same logic applies to Urizen, who also, at this point, isn’t called this name. I’m going to continue using “V" and “Urizen” to make my life easier.)

The demon uses V's confusion to explain the situation the two are currently in. He explains that he is composed of Vergil's discarded traumatic memories, or his nightmares, of being Nelo Angelo. So, he will disappear without a host. Griffon needs V to become his host in order to survive. 

But it isn't just Griffon who is in such a dire situation. V is human, and could die at any moment. If he wants to have a future, he needs to return to his original body. 

Vergil cut out his human side (V) because it was nothing more than a weakness to him. Urizen will not willingly take V back. V needs to use force to re-merge with him. But how? He has no demonic powers. 

Griffon and V are both in perilous situations. Griffon will disappear without a host. V needs to force Urizen to take him back, but doesn’t have the powers to do so. 

They have no other options. If they don't work together, they will die.

Later, after Griffon finds clothes for V, he reminds V of their current situation again.

However, despite the overall urgency, V appears indifferent. He instead states that Griffon needs V, but V doesn't need him. 

He then starts listing off what Griffon has done for him through a negative perspective. Instead of getting him out of the mansion and away from Urizen, Griffon threw him into a trash heap. Instead of giving V clothes, he attacked a person from behind. While that previous action isn't exactly untrue, V is ignoring Griffon's intentions. He is downplaying Griffon's contributions and, in doing so, questions his abilities. 

V is framing the entire situation as if Griffon is desperate and very incompetent.

(But the somewhat funny, or ironic, part of this situation is that while V is listing off all of Griffon's actions, he is still taking accessories away from that man. He is complaining while still reaping the benefits of Griffon's actions.) 

Griffon (understandably) becomes very upset and pushes back, stating that he saved V and even offered to help him. V then responds that he is going to use Griffon, if he is worth using at all. 

V is acting this way because he cannot accept the possibility of working alongside someone or another being. He is trying to portray Griffon as a lesser and incompetent being. By doing so, V portrays himself as being in control of whatever dynamic he currently has with Griffon.

Basically, V is an arrogant person, just like...Vergil. 

The last person Vergil “worked” with was Arkham years ago. Then, he also refused to acknowledge that the two were working together as partners. While they were indeed working together to raise Temen-ni-gru, Vergil viewed Arkham as nothing more than another tool to achieve his goals. 

However, V seems to have forgotten that the last time Vergil believed he was in control, he actually wasn't. Arkham, the person he thought he was taking advantage of, was actually in control. He managed to trick Vergil, Dante, and Lady all at once without any of them even knowing what was happening.

Griffon has had enough with V's attitude and is about to lose his patience. However, an Empusa appears...

So, V decides to test Griffon's abilities, or specifically, his usefulness, by telling him to kill the demon. 

After Griffon is able to kill it, V half-heartedly agrees to team up with him, stating that having to work with him is better than dying. Griffon, again, is very frustrated with V's overall attitude, his arrogance. 

But their conversation is interrupted by the fact that the Empusa... isn't actually dead. It chases the two into an old antique shop-

Griffon is able to distract and weaken the Empusa enough for V to kill it. However, at this point, Griffon has run out of time and begins to disappear. In his state, V can't even fight off an Empusa, a lesser demon. He can not survive on his own. V has no other options, so he is forced to admit he needs Griffon, leading the two to establish a contract.

V and Griffon decide to find the rest of Vergil's discarded nightmares and form contracts with them, with the end goal of V having enough power to face Urizen. 

Soon after, V and Griffon find Shadow and Phantom. However, Phantom, upon seeing V, calls him a pathetic weakling, and refuses to form a contract with him. Unsurprisingly, this angers V, who responds that Phantom is unneeded. His remark, in turn, angers the demon, so he tries to kill V. 

Amidst the chaos, V convinces Shadow to work with him, and the two manage to kill Phantom. V and Shadow also form a contract, and while doing so, V remembers the process of becoming entombed in the armor. 

V becomes frustrated, as he hates remembering the fear and helplessness of becoming Nelo Angelo. At the same time, he decides that he needs more power, specifically a much stronger nightmare to fight Urizen... 

Griffon tells V that's why he initially tried to stop V from killing Phantom. While Phantom was cruel and arrogant, he would've been a powerful ally against Urizen. But instead of continuing to focus on this fact, Griffon (surprisingly) shows restraint and decides there is nothing else they can do about it. 

However, he asks V to stop being arrogant and learn how to work with the two familiars by his side. V is not as powerful as Vergil, and there is nothing backing up his arrogance. It is just a hindrance to their partnership.

And how does V respond? He ignores Griffon's suggestion. 

Despite everything V has been through- almost getting killed by an Empusa and by Phantom- he continues to ignore all of Griffon's suggestions. 

Eventually, V finds Nightmare hiding in an abandoned building, but instead of encouraging him to form a contract with the demon like with Shadow and Phantom previously, Griffon tells V to fall back. Nightmare is dangerous and uncontrollable, an unwanted combination. Trying to establish a contract with a demon like him is not worth the risk. 

However, once again, V ignores Griffon. He orders him and Shadow to fight Nightmare, but it takes the two out instantly without much effort. 

So far, V's arrogance has led him to make many rash decisions that have caused more trouble than good. After meeting Griffon, V’s attitude towards him hindered their ability to work together. After Phantom insulted V by bringing up his current physical state, V responded with a remark that upset him and destroyed any opportunity of convincing Phantom to join him. He also walked into the lair of a very dangerous demon without a plan, which resulted in Shadow and Griffon being taken out instantly.

And now? 

V is alone with no way to defend himself if anything happens…

After Nightmare traps V in a limbo, he meets a version of Nelo Angelo. This version grabs V and starts choking him. V tries to escape his situation, but then it starts showing V memories of his time trapped in the armor. 

V is overwhelmed and stops fighting back.

Suddenly, a figure shoots Nelo Angelo, and V is released from its grasp. 

V looks up in surprise and sees...

Dante standing proudly with the Rebellion. He has reached his full potential as a son of Sparda, capable of utilizing their father’s power. And so, he has triumphed over Nelo Angelo. 

Dante then dissolves into smoke and leaves behind V, who falls further, landing on top of Nightmare's core. 

But instead of being grateful to his brother for saving him, V becomes angry. The fact that Dante managed to reach his full potential, combined with the facts that Vergil constantly suffered loss after loss, AND V being powerless and stuck with a weak body... 

It makes V even more aware of his failures and physical weaknesses. His brother’s presence forces V to be even more aware of his current condition, the reason he is in this situation right now.

And this unwanted exposure to his weaknesses does nothing but upset V.

However, V's anger gives him the motivation to grab Nightmare's core, and he gains full control over the demon's life. 

Despite the danger Nightmare poses, V decides to return its core to it, gaining its acknowledgment of his superiority and thus, its loyalty. 

After V successfully creates a contract with Nightmare, he orders the demon to destroy the other demons that were surrounding them. However, at this point, V has reached his limit and runs out of demonic power, which causes him to pass out. 

V finds himself in a memory of his childhood home.

He takes a moment to evaluate his current situation and realizes that, even though Nightmare is powerful, because he has little to no demonic power of his own, he can only use its power for a few seconds. 

And that's not enough time to defeat Urizen. 

V went around the city looking for Vergil's nightmares and formed contracts with them to gain enough power to defeat Urizen. 

He did all of this because this was what Vergil would've done. In the past, Vergil sought out only power. His approach and methods worked well, as they allowed him to survive all those years alone. That was part of why V was arrogant and stubborn- he believed that his success was inevitable, despite the fact he was discarded by Vergil. 

But even after doing all of this, doing everything Vergil once did, it wasn't enough.

All of V’s efforts have amounted to nothing because he still cannot defeat Urizen. 

V begins to laugh. Soon, he is laughing uncontrollably, overwhelmed with despair.

As V processes his new reality, his surroundings change. 

His home transforms from a clean space into a wreck, and a body appears in front of V. His feelings of weakness and powerlessness to change his situation are reflected in his surroundings. 

Suddenly, the room dissolves, leaving V behind in a dark, empty space. V then notices the poetry book in front of him and realizes that it is real. It is not a part of his memory- it exists in the physical world with him. 

He questions why he took the book when he was in the mansion. It won’t help him achieve his goals. 

V opens the book and reads the first verse from "Auguries of Innocence", remembering that he, or Vergil, once liked this type of poetry and the sentiments they invoked. He then questions if there was a moment that made him wish for an eternity.

Was there ever a moment that made Vergil so satisfied with life itself that all he wanted was to enjoy life forever?

Suddenly, the Yamato (or a dream version) appears, and V remembers that Vergil threw away these types of sentiments in favor of gaining power.

A mirror then appears. However, in the place of the Yamato’s reflection is the Rebellion. V looks into the mirror, and sees...

Dante.

The person who has achieved everything Vergil could not.

Dante looks back with a grin on his face, as if he is silently mocking V. He reluctantly acknowledges his brother's presence and then asks him what went wrong. 

Vergil and Dante are the twin sons of Sparda. They inherited the same powers from their father. 

They are supposed to be equals. 

So… why did Vergil lose to Dante at Temen-ni-gru?

Vergil believed that power alone was enough to overcome anything. Everything he did was to obtain power. He threw away anything he considered unnecessary, like his love for poetry, to do so. 

But he still lost to Dante in Temen-ni-gru, even though the two are, in theory, equals. 

Since his creation, V has followed his (or Vergil's) old habits. When faced with the challenge of re-merging with Urizen, he chose power as the solution. He sought Vergil's abandoned nightmares, intending to use them against Urizen. But even after forming contracts with them, it wasn't enough. V also failed.

Vergil lacked something that Dante had, which allowed his brother to triumph over him. And that same reason is also why V has failed. V has finally accepted the truth: Dante is stronger because he possesses something apart from power, which is what Vergil does not have. 

But what is it? What does Vergil not have that Dante does? What did he do wrong? 

V wants to know. 

Dante stands by, still silent.  Cracks start appearing in the mirror, and suddenly, it shatters- 

After waking up, V decides to find Dante to have him fight Urizen instead. V’s arrogance and stubbornness, along with his focus on power, have led to failure instead of success. He is now willing to put aside his pride to achieve his goal of defeating Urizen. 

(I'm not looking deeper into the next few chapters, as V isn't undergoing a lot of development. At multiple points, he shows again that he is willing to set aside his pride to achieve his goals. 

Also, the majority of the events of the next chapters are the same events as the beginning of DMC5.) 

V finds and hires Dante to go to Redgrave to fight Urizen. Trish and Lady also accompany them. When V enters the Qlipoth, he realizes that Urizen has gotten stronger and decides to leave Dante and the others behind. He travels to Fortuna, finds Nero, and brings him back to Redgrave as backup. However, both Dante and Nero are unable to defeat Urizen. Dante goes missing while V and Nero retreat. 

It will take around 1 month for the Qlipoth to fully mature. Nero decides to return home to find a way to become stronger. V stays behind in Redgrave because his body is weak, and he cannot gain any more power even if he goes with Nero. 

There is nothing else V can do but wait and see if Nero can defeat Urizen upon his return. 

While killing some demons, V's mind returns to the question of what made Dante different from Vergil. Urizen defeated Dante, and while he and V are both a part of Vergil, they are not the same. Urizen is not the answer to why Vergil lost- power is still not the answer. 

V is confused, as he can't think of anything else apart from power that could have been the reason why Vergil is different from Dante. But despite his confusion, V is determined to find the answer.  

As V continues to think, he sees demons attacking a group of people.

As he watches them cry out in terror, V remembers that Dante cares for and fights for humanity. He protects other people from demons.

V then decides to save other humans to find out why Dante was able to defeat him. 

Initially, V was stubborn and arrogant, unwilling to change his approach and methods. But he came to understand that his ways of thinking and methods were flawed. Now, when left alone, he wants to understand the mistakes he made as Vergil, as well as his recent ones. He does not want to repeat them. 

V wants to change. 

And because I don't care for my sanity, I decided to answer these questions myself. 

So... I wrote an in-depth analysis examining different moments in Visions of V. 

This is my first time writing an analysis for any media in any fandom, especially a visual medium like a manga. I went to college, but I didn't graduate with an English, Arts, or any Humanities degree. I never properly learned how to analyze anything artistic or creative. All of this is straight from my brain, which unfortunately won't give me a break. (Basically, don't expect award-winning analysis or writing.)

All of my "analytical" thinking comes from one English teacher who taught me to see things from different perspectives and to understand what a story is trying to tell the reader. I remember having to do an assignment analyzing the role of doors in... a novel about magical doors (to be honest, the main reason I remember this assignment is because it was such a pain in my-). 

But I learned that in a story about doors, doors aren't simply doors. They can serve as symbols or a representation of a theme within the story. Or, they can be tools that reveal something about the characters. When a character looks at the door, what do they think, and what does that thought reveal to us about who they are? Or vice versa- what does a character's thought tell us about the door? Simply put, if you look closely enough, every action, dialogue, or thought has a role in the story, whether it pushes the story forward or reveals something about a character.

This is how I approached VoV. I saw V's journey not only as him physically moving forward from his "birth" at the old mansion in Redgrave to Dante's office, back to Redgrave, etc., and thus, moving towards his goal of defeating Urizen, but also as a metaphorical one. I looked at scenes for not just what they are, such as a conversation or a fight between characters, but also as a moment that reveals something about V(ergil). Then I tried to understand how, overall, these moments eventually lead to a greater realization or lesson for V.

This should hopefully give you a glimpse into what's to come. 

A few random things to note: 

The version of Visions of V I used was from the Original Devil May Cry website. This English version was translated by a group of fans, and later on, @blackened-angel. There is at least another translated English version floating around, but for consistency, I used only this one. I used this specific version because, after looking around for a while, I think it is the most accurate translation. The manga was unfortunately never officially translated into English, so this version was my main source. 

I call this an analysis, but this can also be called an interpretation. I looked at different parts of the story, and based on several things I noticed, I drew different types of conclusions about V(ergil). Of course, my conclusions will differ from others' because we are different people who notice different details.

Basically, this is my interpretation of who V is and his story, based on the translation I read. Do I think mine is the definitive or only way to interpret the story? Definitely not. :)

So… if you don't like or agree with some of my thoughts/interpretations of VoV or V(ergil), it's all good. It would be greatly appreciated if you don't be overly rude or harass me. 

In total, my analysis will be 5 parts. As a warning, they're going to be long. VERY long. Each part can be read separately, but they should flow together when put side by side. 

For this analysis, I focused mainly on the content of Visions of V (not much of a surprise). Even though the DMC5 game, VoV, and the DMC5 novel feature the same events, I didn’t look at all three at the same time. I did not rewatch all of the cutscenes for DMC5 or read the novel. In truth, I could have, but I am one person with limited time, so I did not. My main focus was on V and Vergil, and VoV is heavily focused on V's perspective. As a result, my analysis/interpretation of V is mainly based on what is shown in the manga. It isn't heavily based on how he appears in the game or the novel. So, (again) my interpretation of V will, of course, differ from others'. 

Also, since there is significant overlap in the events across these media, I didn't see the point in analyzing three (slightly) different versions of the same story. As you know, there's that saying: Too many cooks spoil the broth. I thought that looking at several (different) versions could confuse and hinder my understanding of V and his story. If I missed some context or details given in the game and novel, but not in the manga, that is why. I wasn't deliberately ignoring them. 

In addition, Ogata sensei was both the author and artist of VoV. Or they worked very closely with Capcom on the story (I couldn't find exact information on who wrote the manga's story/script). Regardless, I have a feeling that all of the story and artistic choices in the manga work together to create a cohesive narrative and themes, which is what I mainly wanted to focus on. 

I will admit that I viewed this story from an optimistic perspective. I mainly focus on how V grows and changes as a person. In no way or form am I excusing Vergil's actions or his terrible personality. I fully agree that he's a callous asshole. If you aren't a big fan of Vergil (or V) being viewed in a positive light, that's a valid opinion. But overall (from personal experience), I like to think that most people are capable of good and can change for the better. My overall opinion of Vergil is that he's a messy, terrible person who will eventually become a bit better (it'll probably take forever, if we're being honest). If this kind of perspective isn't your cup of tea, that's fine. 

Lastly, I don't expect many people to read this analysis, since Tumblr is a large place. I wrote this analysis for myself to put all my thoughts into a cohesive form. This introduction is more of a formality for me and anyone who happens to find this. To those who stumble upon these posts- I hope you enjoy them, as I have been working on these for the past few weeks. I wish I were joking when I say that I've spent hours rereading the manga and writing notes, along with obsessing over how to word particular sentences. 

This post will also be the master post- it will continuously be updated with links to all of the parts of this analysis. (Update: Every post has been linked here)

And if you didn't see the giant words at the top of the post, then the title of this entire analysis is: 

A Bird that is born for Joy and a Broken Cage

Part 1: Surviving Beyond the End

Part 2: Accepting the Unwanted

Part 3: Defeating the Black Angel

Part 4: Little Boy Found

Part 5: Breaking the Cage