Devil May Cry Wiki
Register
Advertisement

Nelo Angelo[note 1] is a demon created by Mundus enslaving the elder Son of Sparda Vergil, entrapping him in one of Machiavelli's Black Knight armors. He serves as a boss and primary rival for Dante in Devil May Cry. He is playable as a secret character of sorts via Devil Trigger with Vergil's Corrupt Vergil or Super Corrupt Vergil costume.

Appearance[]

Nelo Angelo's primary body is a heavy, olive green/jade green colored armor with blue, pulsating lines running across it, which fluctuate in color depending on how much damage he has taken, reflecting his current level of vitality, and a purple cape. His helmet is engraved with a humanoid face with glowing orange eyes. The helmet also has red and blue horns protruding from the top, thus framing his face. Nelo Angelo also has round shoulder pauldrons, a pointed chestplate, and grieves with spiked kneepads. Nelo Angelo carries a massive, unnamed broadsword which erupts with a fiery blue aura when he attacks. In his final confrontation with Dante, Nelo Angelo removes his helmet to reveal Vergil's true face, now sporting deathly pale white skin, with blue veins and red, pupil-less eyes.

Personality[]

Since Vergil serves as the basis of Nelo Angelo, he possesses a similar personality, though much more subdued. Nelo Angelo is an honorable fighter who does not attack enemies who are unaware of his presence, always announcing his arrival before drawing his blade for battle. Like Vergil, he is also rather cocky and will taunt his opponents, chuckling at them and calling them to attack him in order to taunt them.

Gameplay[]

As a boss in Devil May Cry, Nelo Angelo mirrors Dante's moveset, with his attacks possessing greater power and reach due to his weapon's larger size. He attacks with slow but powerful sword slashes and punches that he chains together and he can fire explosive azure blasts. Nelo Angelo is capable of teleporting great distances in a blaze of azure flames. He uses his large sword as a shield and in his final fight he uses Summoned Swords as a long-ranged weapons in various formations.

Nelo Angelo is a secret playable character in Devil May Cry 3 Special Edition. He serves as the Devil Trigger form for Vergil's Legendary Dark Knight/Corrupted Vergil costume and its "Super" variation; which are unlocked after finishing Hard mode and Dante Must Die mode respectively. He uses techniques based on his Devil May Cry attacks, all of his unique moveset is unlocked from the start and he also can use Vergil's Dark Slayer Trick techniques and Summoned swords. His two weapons - greatsword and gauntlets - are represented by Yamato and Beowulf in weapon select respectively and recognized as such for the Combat Statue (Adjudicator) purposes.

Moveset[]

Action Command Description
Four Hit Combo Button xbone y, Button xbone y, Button xbone y/ Button ps4 triangle. Button ps4 triangle, Button ps4 triangle A powerful four-hit combo, with a double twisted ark finisher.
Streak Button xbone rb+Button ps4 ls-up+ Button xbone y/Button ps4 r1+Button ps4 ls-up+Button ps4 triangle A quick rushing attack with a broad ark swing, knocking everybody in the way
High Time Button xbone rb+Button ps4 ls-down+ Button xbone y/Button ps4 r1+Button ps4 ls-down+Button ps4 triangle An upward slash, lifting up an enemy in the air. Holding the attack button will make the player go airborne as well.
Helm Breaker Button xbone y/Button ps4 triangle (mid-air) A crushing downward slash, landing on demons heads, strong enough to crack sturdiest helms or demonic skulls.

Action Command Description
Glove Combo Button xbone y, Button xbone y, Button xbone y/Button ps4 triangle,Button ps4 triangle,Button ps4 triangle Three-hit attack, ending with a high-kick by either knocking enemy in the air or crushing it down.
Kick 13 Button xbone rb+Button ps4 ls-up+ Button xbone y/Button ps4 r1+Button ps4 ls-up+Button ps4 triangle A quick energy-infused roundhouse kick, blasting the front enemies off.
Magma Drive Button xbone rb+Button ps4 ls-down+Button xbone y/Button ps4 r1+Button ps4 ls-down+Button ps4 triangle Lunge forward and deliver an uppercut to an enemy, potentially launching them into the air.
Jump Kick Button xbone y/Button ps4 triangle (mid-air) Diving kick performed in mid-air that pierces an enemy with supersonic speed.
Meteor hold Button xbone y/Button ps4 triangle A powerful fireball. Press Button xbone y/Button ps4 triangle twice more with the right timing in order to release two more fireballs in quick succession.

Biography[]

Background[]

DMC5 VoV Vergil Becoming Nelo Angelo

Vergil becoming Nelo Angelo.

After Vergil was defeated by Dante, and willingly cast himself into the depths of the Demon World, he happened upon Mundus himself. Despite his injuries and exhaustion, Vergil tried to fight the Prince of Darkness, believing himself capable of defeating him as his father once did. However, Vergil was defeated and Yamato was destroyed in the clash. In his weakened state, Mundus recreated Vergil as Nelo Angelo, removing his human heart, will, and ego, which Mundus viewed as weaknesses. Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Devil May Cry 5: Visions of V

Even still, Vergil resisted inside of Nelo Angelo and attempted to wrest control of himself from the Devil Emperor's hold over him. It wasn't until Mundus returned Vergil's half of the Perfect Amulet was he finally able to reign Nelo Angelo in, the amulet serving as a symbol of his father's power Vergil so desperately desired. This in turn made Nelo Angelo completely obedient to Mundus. Devil May Cry 5: Before the Nightmare

Mallet Island Incident[]

Nelo Angelo first appears to Dante as a reflection in the bedroom's mirror, from which he emerges, briefly taking on Dante's image before revealing his true form and challenging Dante to a duel in the castle garden. They fight, and while Dante seemed to gain the upper hand, Nelo Angelo overpowered him with hand-to-hand strikes and managed to pin Dante to a wall. However, Dante's amulet slipped out just as Nelo Angelo was about to deliver the killing blow, and the sight of it awakened Vergil's memories, causing Nelo Angelo intense agony. He threw Dante aside and fled, disappearing in a geyser of blue and purple flames.

Nelo Angelo unmasked

Nelo Angelo reveals his true identity.

He returned sometime later to challenge Dante in the garden near the Colosseum, but was defeated and again forced to flee. He returned one last time to fight Dante in one of the halls of the warped castle, where Dante points out Nelo Angelo's "guts and honor", before questioning the knight's loyalty to Mundus.

Nelo Angelo doesn't respond to Dante's words, instead he unleashes his full power, showing Dante his true face in the process (yet Dante shows indifference, still not recognizing his brother in his corrupted state). He challenges Dante one last time, and though he is no longer holding back and using the full extent of his power, Dante defeats Nelo Angelo for the final time.

Dropping his greatsword and staggering back, Nelo Angelo rises into the air, clutching his head as he screams in pain before he disappears in a torrent of blue flames, with only his half of the amulet being left behind. His amulet then fell to the floor below. Triggered by looking at the amulet, Dante experiences a flashback of when he and Vergil first received their halves of the Perfect Amulet and realizes that Nelo Angelo was Vergil all along. Devil May Cry

Legacy[]

Fortuna and Order of the Sword[]

While Mallet Island was destroyed following Mundus' defeat, fragments of Nelo Angelo's armor washed up on the shore of the island nation of Fortuna at some point along with fragments of Yamato, which were recovered by the religious organization that ruled the island, the Order of the Sword, who worshipped the legendary dark knight Sparda as a god. The order's chief alchemist, Agnus, studied the remains of the armor and used shards of them to create Alto Angelos and Bianco Angelos, with Agnus referring to Nelo Angelo as the "Black Angel" in his notes. Devil May Cry 4: Deadly Fortune

Devil May Cry 5[]

While long destroyed by this point in the series, Nelo Angelo plays a significant part in Vergil's motivations for the events of Devil May Cry 5.

Though Vergil was able to escape the Underworld and rid himself of Mundus' influence, the sum of his injuries from decades of battles had taken an extreme toll on his body, leaving him on the verge of death. After reclaiming the Yamato from Nero, Vergil returned to his home in Red Grave City, and used the Yamato to rid himself of his crumbling human flesh and his lingering nightmares from his time as Nelo Angelo. This created the demon who would come to be called Urizen, and the human who would call himself V.

Along with these two halves, Vergil's division manifested several "nightmare" demons embodying his memories and trauma from his time as Nelo Angelo. These manifested as demons that Nelo Angelo fought alongside on Mallet Island: a miniature Griffon, a Shadow, a copy of Nightmare, and a copy of Phantom. Whenever V formed a contract with one as a Familiar, he saw Vergil's memories of Nelo Angelo's creation, greatly disturbing him. In V's attempt to recruit the Nightmare Familiar, it engulfed him and conjured a phantasm of Nelo Angelo to attack him, though this fake was dispelled by a memory of Dante.

When V encounters a group of Scudo Angelos led by a lone Proto Angelo, he reacts in rage and disgust, their presence no doubt stirring up memories of Vergil's torturous transformation and forced servitude to Mundus.

When Urizen and V are reunited as Vergil, the Familiars created by his division do not return to his body, preferring to die at Dante's hands rather than force Vergil to retake his nightmares. This brings an end to the elder Son of Sparda's traumas as Nelo Angelo.

Powers and Abilities[]

Nelo Angelo is a powerhouse with powers and abilities similar to Dante. He has supernatural strength and can fire concentrated demonic energy from his fists or create constructs to attack his enemies. He wields a strange black zweihänder with ease. Nelo Angelo is capable of using his own, much stronger, versions of some of Dante's attacks, making him a force to be reckoned with in Devil May Cry. However, he cannot use his Summoned Swords until his final battle with Dante, though he can use them in different formations and in much greater numbers. Nelo Angelo is also capable of imbuing his gauntlets and greaves with his demonic power, manifesting as blue flames and electricity.

  • Supernatural strength, speed, and endurance: Nelo Angelo is capable of fighting Dante as a near equal, and even defeated him during their first encounter.[2]
  • Supernatural agility: Despite being covered head to toe in armor, Nelo Angelo is capable of jumping and flipping through the air with no hindrance.[2]
  • Demonic power manipulation: Nelo Angelo's energy manifest as a blue flame occasionally accompanied by blue electricity. He can coat his sword, hands, and feet in his energy to augment his attacks. By concentrating his energy into his hand, he can launch a fireball or manifest Summoned Swords.[2][3]
  • Teleportation: Nelo Angelo can teleport in a puff of blue flame.[2] He also once teleported in a burst of lightning.[4]

  • Swordsmanship: As Nelo Angelo, Vergil remains an exceptional swordsman, capable of nearly matching Dante on equal footing.[2]
  • Hand-to-hand combat: Nelo Angelo was capable of disarming Dante and quickly gaining the upper hand and defeating him in unarmed combat during their first encounter.[2]
  • Summoned Swords: Spectral swords created by Nelo Angelo's demonic power and used as projectiles or to orbit around himself as a shield. He is also able to teleport them around an opponent in various formations where they typically rotate around the target before attacking.[3]
  • Devil Trigger-like state: Nelo Angelo enters an empowered state where his helmet is removed and he becomes significantly taller and stronger.[3]

  • Greatsword: Nelo Angelo's signature black and silver sword.

  • Appearances in Other Media[]

    Viewtiful Joe: Red Hot Rumble[]

    Nelo Angelo is an EX Color for Jet Black in the PSP version of the game.

    Project X Zone 2[]

    Nelo Angelo, also appears as a Rival Unit. He exists as a separate entity from Vergil, who is time-displaced from the past prior Devil May Cry 3 whilst Nelo Angelo exists as his present timeline incarnation.

    Street Fighter × All Capcom[]

    Nelo Angelo was featured in the Japanese mobile RPG card card game in two versions: in helmet with flaming sword, and without helmet surrounded by dark aura, taunting.

    TEPPEN[]

    Nelo Angelo appears as four cards.

    Background and development[]

    Name[]

    The name Nelo Angelo is a misspelling of "Nero Angelo" (Italian: "Black Angel") which is rendered in Japanese as ネロ・アンジェロ (, Nero Anjero?)—since the same characters are used in Japanese to represent both L and R it can be unclear which letter is supposed to be used when translating back to Latin script.

    While the name was spelled correctly in the original Japanese game manual, incorrect spelling was featured in the Enemy file section of the game itself. This mistake subsequently made its way to western localizations of the game as well as novel translations, comics and later games. After introducing Nero developers acknowledged original mistake but still maintained the current spelling, possibly to avoid confusion with new main character.

    The name itself is a reference to the black angels mentioned in the Divine Comedy (Inferno, Canto XXIII, 131).[5]

    Design[]

    Horns on Nelo Angelo's helmet are a reference to the Vincent D'Onofrio's character Carl Stargher in the 2000 Tarsem Singh film The Cell.[6]

    Trivia[]

    • Nelo Angelo's battle theme, Ultra Violet, bears similarities to Sparda's second battle theme, S. The composer stated this was done to foreshadow the connection between Nelo Angelo and Sparda.[citation needed]
    • Although Corrupt Vergil appears as a DLC outfit in Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, his Nelo Angelo Devil Trigger was excluded due to technical difficulties implementing the model with Vergil's character frame. Instead, he is given Sparda's Devil Trigger, and paired with Yamato, unintentionally referencing the original Devil May Cry's unlockable Sparda costume, where the Yamato was first introduced. Later, In Vergil's campaign in Devil May Cry 4: Special Edition, Corrupt Vergil once again eschews the Nelo Angelo Devil Trigger in favor of Sparda's true form; interestingly, the Yamato's sheath grafted to Vergil's left arm in Devil Trigger is also grafted to Sparda's left arm.
    • The English name of Vergil's Level 3 Hyper Combo in Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3, Dark Angel, is a direct reference to Nelo Angelo.[7]
    • In Devil May Cry 3: Special Edition, while using his Nelo Angelo Devil Trigger seen with his "Corrupt Vergil" costume, he is able to verbalize words while taunting (e.g. "Come on!"), despite the fact that Nelo Angelo was incapable of speech in the original Devil May Cry.

    See also[]

    Notes[]

    1. Alternatively Nero Angelo[1]
      See #Name

    References[]

    1. Devil May Cry (Japanese release) Manual, p. 23
    2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Devil May Cry- Mission 4: BLACK KNIGHT
    3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Devil May Cry- Mission 17: PARTED MEMENTO
    4. Devil May Cry- Mission 11: FATE
    5. Devil May Cry Official Site - Technique - Issue 3 "Name Origins"
    6. Devil May Cry Official Site - Topics - Underworld Knight Nero Angelo
    7. Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3
    Advertisement