Nero is the second protagonist to come from the Devil May Cry series and quickly became one of the main characters throughout the series. He first appeared in Devil May Cry 4 in 2008 as a teenager working for the enigmatic Order of the Sword. He eventually meets the demon hunter Dante, and his mysterious past begins to unravel.  

He’s set to return as one of the primary playable characters in the upcoming Devil May Cry 5 game. But there’s still a lot more to learn about Nero before the next game comes out. Here are ten facts you may have missed about Nero throughout the games:

Originally, Nero was a weaker character, who develops new powers until he reaches Dante’s power levels

10. Nero was created because Dante, the original character, was too OP

The developers thought the games would be more interesting if a new character Devil Bringer

In Devil May Cry 4, Capcom staff introduced a new character to the series – Nero. The developers said the new protagonist was introduced as a character who could develop across the game series. Originally, Nero was a weaker character, who develops new powers until he reaches Dante’s power levels.

9. His main ability Devil Bringer was originally supposed to belong to Dante

Unlike Dante’s transformation that makes him look like a devil, Nero’s ability generates a creature that hangs out behind him

Nero’s Devil Bringer ability was also created to make him stand out in the franchise. It was originally suited to be part of Dante’s mechanics, but the developers thought the games would be more interesting if a new character had it. As such, Nero was given Devil Bringer.

8.  Some of Nero’s transformations never even made it into the games

Nero's face was modelled after a British actor and model for the new game

Tatsuya Yoshikawa, Nero’s designer, created a devil transformation for Nero – the Devil Trigger. Unlike Dante’s transformation that makes him look like a devil, Nero’s ability generates a creature that hangs out behind him.

But another design didn’t make it to the game. Yoshikawa wanted to incorporate a demon transformation into the game and hoped to make it into a collectable figurine, but this never happened.

7.  Nero’s appearance is based on a real life British model

Nero was reported to be a descendant of Sparda, Dante and Vergil’s father, but his origins weren't confirmed until this year

The creators said Nero's redesign for the new game, Devil May Cry 5, is intended to contrast with Dante's aged look. Because the graphics are meant to be hyper-realistic, Nero's face was modelled after a British actor and model named Karlo Baker.

6. Capcom didn’t confirm Nero’s backstory until this year

Nero’s voice admitted he is one of his favourite characters that he’d ever worked on

When he first appeared in the series, longtime DMC fans speculated whether Nero was related to Dante or Vergil. Nero was reported to be a descendant of Sparda, Dante and Vergil’s father. This was fueled by their familial similarities and the fact that Nero’s power-up was shockingly similar to Vergil’s devil form.

However, Capcom never really cleared up Nero’s origins until this year. In June 2018, Capcom finally confirmed that Nero was indeed Vergil’s son.

5.  His voice actor said Nero is his favourite character

Nero was planned to appear in the fighting game Tatsunoko vs Capcom, but this never manifested 

Nero’s voice actor Johnny Yong Bosch admitted that Nero is one of his favourite characters that he’d ever worked on. Bosch, who has voiced Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach and Vash from Trigun, said he connected with Nero’s story, and he went to Japan to do the motion capture for Nero.

4. Even Deadpool knows about Nero

Nero was eventually taken in by Kyrie, his love interest, and her family

In Marvel vs Capcom 3, there’s a cutscene where Deadpool mentions Nero while he’s interacting with Dante. Nero was also planned to appear in the fighting game Tatsunoko vs Capcom, but this never manifested due to time constraints. Nero’s original character design also serves as an alternate design for Ed in Street Fighter V.

3. You can find out more about Nero’s background from the DMC book series

In one trailer, Nero is screaming his love interest’s name – Kyrie. She never actually appears in the trailer, hinting that something serious might have happened to her

Bingo Morihasi’s Devil May Cry 4 novel delves deeper into Nero’s backstory, which isn’t fully explained in the games. According to the books, Nero was found as a baby in Fortuna and was constantly bullied by other children who claimed his mother was a prostitute.

Nero was eventually taken in by Kyrie, his love interest, and her family. He eventually joins the Order of the Sword to battle demons and where he eventually meets Dante.

2. The new game is set to focus more heavily on Nero

Nero comes face-to-face with a mysterious figure, who steals his arm after a fight

Capcom has said Devil May Cry 5 will focus more heavily on Nero and his life after meeting Dante. Nero has officially taken over a mobile version of his uncle’s demon-hunting business Devil May Cry.

But a trailer also hinted that there may be something deeper in the new game. In one trailer, Nero is screaming his love interest’s name – Kyrie. She never actually appears in the trailer, hinting that something serious might have happened to her.

1. Nero may be reunited with his dad in Devil May Cry 5

While not confirmed, a lot of fans think that Nero might be reunited with his dad, Vergil, or even meet Vergil’s doppelganger in the new game. Nero comes face-to-face with a mysterious figure, who steals his arm after a fight. Many fans noticed the similarities between the new opponent and Vergil, who supposedly died in the original Devil May Cry game.

However, game developers have neither confirmed nor denied the fan theories.

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