Sheila

Look at both of these pictures separately and tell me.

Which one would you say visually resembles the king of hell more?

Now, I know that the collective perception of Hell = lava and fire plays a role here but I know for a fact that most of you would have instinctively picked Dante. And funnily enough, I have reasons to believe it's not just because of the colour scheme. In fact, I think it was the designers' intentions all along.

We have Vergil.

His body is sleek and smooth, protective armor points downwards and he holds his wings close to his back. Everything about him is perfectly poised, even the energy he emits holds shape, bending physically to his will. He looks like his whole body is meant to cut.

Vergil's whole body is a weapon taken shape.

And then, to contrast all that we have Dante.

He does not hold himself at the ready and still. His body isn't sleek. He looks like the power within him is rippling, trying to escape by any means possible, tearing him from the inside. His body isn't built to cut across space in a blink; it's meant to take up space.

His body is an exertion of dominance.

Now, we could look at all that purely through the control lens; Vergil has always been more in touch with his demon side than Dante was. Of course his SDT form would be more controlled, while Dante's would be more beastly.

But I think there's a deeper reason for it to be found.

Throughout his life, Vergil never wanted to rule. He wanted to have control over himself, enough so that nothing could ever hurt him again. That's why his SDT looks like a blade manifested, instead of the immovable powerhouse that Dante is. Secretly, he never wanted to be the strongest; he simply wanted to be a master of himself.

And as for what Dante wanted his whole life? To be a shield for those he was close to, so that no one would ever have to die because of him again. But for that, he had to be strong, stronger than anybody else out there really is. And the only real form of power that demons respect is the loud, overconsuming one.

Their forms mirror each other in many ways but this one is the one that neither wanted. And I think that the biggest visual evidence of that specific mirror are their horns.

Almost his whole life, Vergil has pretended that he wants to be a king; ultimately, he is a knight.

Dante has never wanted anything more than to be a knight; in order to be that, he needed to become a king.

an accidental detour: part 1

"I'm afraid he can't hear you right now."

hey if you thought i was done with that idea lol guess what

—-

leave him alone

—-

My dear friend

I had a dream where I killed you, where I ate of your flesh,

I had a dream, but I taste your blood on my lips.

—-

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 😭

i don't know, vergil dearest, do YOU?

of course he'd say something like that in such a roundabout way. never explicitly state what he wants. this quote holds so much weight!!! it only goes to show that he's deeply emotional, and actually conceals it pretty poorly... he truly does not seem to be enjoying denying himself his needs and wants.

i just KNOW this rat would rather wilt than ask someone for a hug. but he NEEDS one.

now on a more serious note, imagine how he'd melt from affection. if there's someone out there to make the ice around him thaw, he'd be wrapped around their finger. "dominant" my ass. just spoil this guy rotten. he deserves it despite being naughty as in literally committing a long list of war crimes and acts of terrorism

Dante is quite literally the person who keeps Vergil connected to his humanity. Even back in DMC3, Vergil constantly holds himself back with Dante in ways he never does with anyone else. He could kill him multiple times and doesn’t, because beneath all the violence and ideology, Dante matters more to him than his pursuit of power ever did.

That’s why the ending of DMC5 feels so important: it’s not just “the brothers stop fighting.” It’s Vergil finally accepting Dante’s love, protection, and presence in his life instead of running from it. That’s the entire emotional core of the game.

Dante standing in the corner once again watching the fandom reduce his importance in Vergil’s life as if he didn’t literally choose to stay in Hell forever just to protect and stay beside him. As if BOTH of them weren’t genuinely happy with that ending after everything they’ve been through.

Like Dante isn’t the axis Vergil’s entire life revolves around.

Like Vergil doesn’t completely fall apart the moment he realizes he cannot lose Dante. The moment he understands that Dante loves him, will stay beside him, protect him, and that for once in his life he’s allowed to feel safe and vulnerable with someone.

I swear to God, between the people insisting Vergil secretly loves Nero's mom, or would somehow become a wholesome dad overnight, and the people who completely erase Dante because they’re too attached to the idea of some woman “saving” Vergil from himself… I genuinely don’t know which take is worse 😭

This is more obvious if you watch the show (like me unfortunately) but N.Dante really is desperate for Vergil. Starting by the fact he literally breaks out of the cry sleep because he specifically feels the presence of Vergil closer, and after wake up he says he needs to see Vergil with big needy eyes

And the series finale he textually says "I can't loose you again after having you back" and he's angry because he doesn't want Vergil to stay in hell (btw Ver clearly is heart broken by this two). He can't literally fight due the emotional stubbornness, and in the end despite Vergil saves him and send back Dante to Earth with the amulet he's still devastated and crying

Honestly, if you watch the show (something I don't recommend) is surprising how much Mary acts as a physical barrier between the twins, and she's the one to put herself in such position intentionally trying to keep Dante away from connect with Vergil in a meaningful way. That also includes the romantic side of their "relationship"

Which btw is toxic af, even the ladydan shippers point this out

Lady keeps lying, emotionally manipulating and subtly abusing Dante for her own needs, taken adventage of his own ignorance and how Dante minimize his own pain

And you know what is the funniest part? She doesn't come back to him in the finale, as she admits they aren't compatible and just fucks off just wishing but not checking if Dante is alive after using him all this time

Meanwhile Dante absolutely devastated is alone and thinking on Vergil...

They gor a really tragic ending

I can’t say too much because I’ve only seen the adaptation through spoilers and screenshots, and honestly most of them looked pretty bad to me 😭 But this is the first take that’s actually made me interested. And I’m not gonna lie, those screenshots of Dante staring at the sky with empty eyes are REALLY getting me. Sometimes I just want to enjoy dramatic and messy emotions instead of overanalyzing everything 😈

That said, I think I mostly agree with your interpretation. But I also think it’s important to remember that original Dante never actually wanted to stay in Hell with Vergil. What he really wanted was to keep Vergil with him on Earth, on his own terms. And only after losing him did he fully realize how much he messed up and fall into grief and regret.

And honestly, Lady is really important to understanding Dante in DMC3. Her whole thing was wanting to kill Arkham no matter what, and Dante kind of copied that mindset and projected it onto Vergil. The problem is that Arkham and Vergil were never the same emotionally. Lady could move on after killing her father. Dante couldn’t move on after losing Vergil because, deep down, he never actually wanted to lose him at all.

That’s why afterward Dante ends up obsessed with combat and chasing that feeling over and over again, because fighting is basically the closest thing he has to emotional intimacy with Vergil.

I also agree that Vergil probably protected Dante from staying in Hell, but I think part of Vergil also genuinely believes they shouldn’t stay together. Like, “I belong in Hell because I’m more demon, and Dante belongs on Earth because he’s more human.” There’s this constant self-separation in him.

And honestly, this adaptation’s Dante feels way more emotionally open than game Dante. Original Dante hides behind jokes, sarcasm, and reckless behavior because he doesn’t want to get hurt emotionally.

Also 😭 people are probably gonna kill me for this, but even in the 2007 anime, which everyone keeps comparing this adaptation to, Lady never felt romantic to me. She felt more like a messy friend who cared about Dante in her own way while also taking advantage of him sometimes. I honestly always thought Trish felt softer and kinder toward him emotionally.

That’s why the romantic angle feels weird to me. Friendship? Sure. Caring about each other? Absolutely. But romance changes the emotional core of Dante’s story in a way that just doesn’t click for me.

And I think people get confused because Dante and Vergil are always fighting 😭 But that’s literally the tragedy of their relationship. They love each other deeply, but they keep hurting each other because neither of them can fully let go of their ideals. Vergil chooses power over Dante. Dante chooses humanity over Vergil. So they stay stuck in this cycle where they can’t stop loving each other, but they also can’t stop hurting each other either.

And honestly? While reading your analysis I genuinely felt like you were tempting me into watching the adaptation 💀 In a good way. Because the way you described it sounded way more emotionally interesting than the spoilers made it seem.

Huge thanks to Chinese/Japanese creators and to everyone who translates their work for free. I genuinely don’t know what I’d do without you 🫰🏻

And yeah, I do ship Spardacest. It’s just something I’m into right now, and I enjoy sharing my thoughts about this pairing. That’s all.

But here’s the part people love to ignore: that violence isn’t joy, it’s anesthesia.

Vergil amputates his pain by rejecting his humanity. Dante drowns his by throwing himself into endless combat. Same wound. Different escape.

Which is exactly why the “Dante would be happy with Lady / a wife / kids / a normal life” take feels almost willfully blind. As a headcanon? Fine. As a serious reading of the character? It collapses on contact with canon.

Dante waited nearly twenty years for Vergil. Not “moved on,” not “healed,” not “built a new center.” He waited. Stagnant. Depressed. Empty. Carrying alone a burden that was clearly meant for two. Vergil wasn’t just his brother—he was his equal, his mirror, the only being in that world who could truly understand what it means to be the Son of Sparda.

Vergil doesn’t make Dante human. He makes him alive. That distinction matters.

And DMC5 spells this out painfully clearly. When the choice comes, Dante doesn’t hesitate. He abandons the human world without a second thought to stay with Vergil, potentially for eternity. The narrative doesn’t frame this as tragedy or sacrifice—it frames it as resolution. The running ends. The split heals. For the first time, they stand as one side instead of opposing halves.

So when people argue that Dante’s arc was secretly about learning to choose a separate domestic happiness, I honestly wonder what game they played. Devil May Cry has always been about the Sons of Sparda. Since DMC1. Dante’s apathy, his self-destructive humor, his emptiness—none of it comes from not having a girlfriend. It comes from losing Vergil.

And yes, I can already hear the rebuttal: “So you’re saying Vergil is the only thing that matters to Dante?”

My answer is simple: look at the text.

If Dante were truly meant to end up choosing a wife and children over Vergil, then the ending of DMC5 would be nonsensical. Are we really supposed to believe that, after decades of grief and guilt, Dante would suddenly say, “Good luck, Vergil. I have a family now. We’re adults, we live separate lives.”?

That wouldn’t be growth. That would be repeating the original wound—abandonment—on purpose.

The story doesn’t frame their reunion as unhealthy obsession. It frames it as inevitability. As something unfinished finally allowed to close.

So no—Dante and Vergil aren’t a fairytale. They’re worse. They’re co-dependent, violent, emotionally catastrophic, and inseparable. And the narrative doesn’t punish them for it—it rewards them with peace.

At first I planned to do a two-days-drawing and then it took me two weeks.

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