Nero

Nero

2001 was a good year for the Devil May Cry (henceforth shortened to DMC) videogames. DMC III came out and completely saved the franchise from the train-wreck that was its predecessor. The high-octane, intense action-adventure combat was back in business. A sequel was actually green-lit, and all was right in the world.

Except there was one problem. The DMC IV developers felt that making main protagonist Dante start from scratch in terms of abilities and weapons would be unrealistic. So to fix that flaw, the development team created a brand new protagonist. His name? Nero.

Did I mention he’s related to Sparda (Dante’s father who defeated the Devil Himself)?

At first glance Nero seems a capable successor to Dante. He’s got the skill, the flippant attitude, the big mouth, everything DMC fans expect and love from their badass protagonists.

Did I mention Nero’s related to Sparda?

Nero may sound like a Dante clone, but the game’s developers decided to add one tiny wrinkle: Nero’s right arm is possessed. Just by wishing it, Nero can manifest a demonic projection of his right hand. The Devil Bringer – as it’s called – can grab and pull enemies closer, as well as perform some awesome finishers depending on the enemy. Dante never had that.

Did I mention Nero’s related to Sparda?

But there’s more to Nero than the Devil Bringer. Unlike Dante, Nero has a tendency to lose his cool. Several times we see Nero getting emotional in the face of abject failure (usually when he’s being manipulated or when love interest Kyrie’s used as bait). This development may go against the badass attitude fans expect from DMC, but in truth it’s a classic tactic in character development. Both character and player start from scratch; as the game progresses, the player shares the character’s development. Nero’s anger is the player’s anger; Nero’s love is the player’s love. In that light, Nero’s outbursts (and his coming to terms with his emotional state) serve a valuable purpose.

Did I mention Nero’s related to Sparda? Good. Because the game doesn’t.

Nero’s obviously related to Sparda. The white hair, the Devil Trigger – an uber-powerful form exclusive to those with demon blood – isn’t a coincidence. The game implies that Nero is Sparda’s descendant; unfortunately implication is all we get. It’s never explained where Nero stands in the Sparda bloodline (son, grandson, cousin, etc). The closest thing we have is the word of an anonymous Capcom employee who wasn’t even on the DMC IV development team.

One fan theory states that Nero’s actually the son of Dante’s twin brother Vergil. However, that doesn’t make much sense, as Dante and Nero appear to have the same, age-appropriate build. So unless Dante’s about thirty or so years older in DMC IV, the whole uncle/nephew concept falls a little flat.

Another theory is that Eva (Dante’s mother) wasn’t the only woman Sparda slept with in the two millennia of his lifetime. Nero could be the descendant of the union with the unknown woman, which would make Dante and Nero distant cousins. But again, these are fan theories. Capcom has yet to officially comment on the matter.

Most videogame characters mature throughout their respective games so as to create a bond between player and character, solidifying the game experience. Since Dante’s been through that three times before, the development team thought it would be unbelievable to subject Dante to that process again. Thus Nero was born. Despite his obscure origins, his deliberately unfulfilled history, Nero’s still a worthy successor to the Devil May Cry name. Have fun.