A Complete Breakdown of the Devil May Cry Series
Devil May Cry 4
Devil May Cry 4 brings plenty of new lore elements to the table, from expanding on the series’ world to introducing some crucial new characters.
After the events of the first game, Dante and Trish take on a demon hunting job from Lady.
Through her contacts, she has learned that The Order of the Sword, a religion built around Dante’s father Sparda, worship demons and believe them to be the next stage of evolution.
To this end, they carry out experiments and rituals to become demons and connect the human world and demon world, ruling over both as higher beings.
This includes using the remnants of Nelo Angelo’s armor to create demonic armor knights, erecting Hell Gates that summon powerful demons from the demon world and using the blades of Sparda to siphon demonic energy for unholy experiments.
As such, Trish must infiltrate the order from the inside by presenting them with the Sparda blade while Dante throws them off her trail with a head-on assault.
Unfortunately, the Order’s actions have been carried out in secret, resulting in Dante appearing as an evil assassin when he attacks the order’s leader High Priest Sanctus and his guards.
This results in a brawl with the young Order member and new protagonist of the game, Nero.
Nero
A young man with white hair and characteristics similar to Dante and Vergil, Nero has a similar aptitude with swords and firearms as the sons of Sparda.
However, he primarily sticks to two core weapons: The Red Queen, a sword he can rev up with energy through some special modifications, and the Blue Rose, a double-barrel revolver.
Though not invincible, he displays superhuman feats of agility and strength that allow him to go toe to toe with powerful demons and Dante alike.
He also has a demonic right arm known as the Devil Bringer. Housing the spirit of a powerful demonic entity, it allows him to enter a devil trigger-like state when it comes into contact with one of Sparda’s blades.
It’s also worth noting that he dislikes his demonic qualities and frequently differs in opinion on the actions of the order, questioning their motives even before their true nature comes to light.
However, he still helps them due to his friend and love interest Kyrie being the sister of the Order’s Holy Knight Captain Credo.
Sanctus and the Order’s True Intentions
After coming to a stalemate with Dante, Nero learns that all of Sanctus’ guards were actually demons. Confused and in search of answers, he sets out to discover what the order has really been up to while also trying to get more information out of Dante.
As he travels across the island, he finds more and more proof of the Order’s foul dealings from their Hell Gates to their demonic experiments. He does his best to quell them, but many times can only beat the threats posed back for a short while.
This all comes to a head when he encounters Agnus, the order scientist responsible for the order’s demonic experiments, doing so with the broken fragments of Yamato.
It is revealed that all of the chaos he thought the order was protecting the island from was actually caused by them as a means to an end for their rituals.
Though Agnus initially overpowers Nero, the fragments of Yamato react to his demonic arm and awaken his demonic abilities and Devil Trigger.
With this newfound power, he sets out to stop the Order, even if it means taking down the religion the island is built upon.
The Savior
As Nero progresses toward his goal, he takes on and defeats Credo and Agnus. However, in a bid to deter him, Agnus kidnaps Kyrie, goading Nero into a confrontation with Sanctus on their terms.
Before arriving at the battle, Dante reveals himself once more and challenges Nero to a fight for the Yamato. Though they arrive at another stalemate, he allows Nero to keep the Yamato and take on Sanctus.
However, even with the Yamato and his newfound demonic powers, Nero is unable to take down Sanctus due to his threat of harm to Kyrie.
As a result, he is drawn into the giant, demonic statue of Sparda known as The Savior and used as its power source. This ended up being the order’s intention all along, with Sanctus revealing that the blood of Sparda is needed to fully awaken The Savior’s power.
Though it isn’t revealed how, Nero carries the blood of Sparda in him, making him the perfect candidate for powering The Savior.
This kicks off the order’s plan to connect the human and demon worlds, with demons spreading across the island through the Hell Gates.
Dante’s Return
Left with no other choice, Dante then steps in to stop the order in Nero’s place. Following close behind The Savior’s path of destruction, he destroys the Hell Gates before coming to a confrontation with Agnus and Sanctus at the island’s capital.
Once there, he tracks down Agnus, who took back the Yamato from Nero after his absorption into The Savior. After killing him, Dante takes the Yamato and confronts the Savior head-on.
Though he can’t defeat it, Dante succeeds in driving the Yamato far enough into The Savior’s body for it to reach Nero. Once again in contact with a blade of Sparda, he awakens and sets out to save Kyrie and destroy the Savior from the inside out.
A New Devil Hunter
After battling through The Savior’s interior defenses, Nero finds Kyrie being held in its core alongside Sanctus. The two clash, but with the Yamato and the Devil Bringer Nero defeats Sanctus and rescues Kyrie.
After the battle, Dante once again trusts Nero with the Yamato and leaves it with him. He leaves him to help rebuild the Island of Fortuna and live out a peaceful life with Kyrie.
