Nicoletta Goldstein,[7] better known as Nico, is an expert craftswoman and a supporting character in Devil May Cry 5. She is an associate of Nero's branch of the Devil May Cry business as well as the mind behind the various cybernetic prosthetics he wields to hunt demons after the Devil Bringer was severed from his arm.[8]
Development[]
According to Itsuno, Nico was created to have a supporting character for Nero, he mentioned that he thought Kyrie wouldn't be the type that would go out there and help him in fights, and that Kyrie is "the most important thing" to Nero.[6] Itsuno wanted Nico to be integral to Nero fighting, as it can be seen with her being the one who builds his Devil Breakers and who drives the van.[9] He also wanted this character to be sassy, a sassy type not yet seen in the Devil May Cry series.[10]
However, according to the lead character artist Kimihiro Tomino, Nico was originally not going to have a comical side to her, and instead was going to be a straight up "badass". Her motion actress, Faye Kingslee, ended up adding humor and lightheartedness to the character during her performance, which brought the character of Nico we know to life.[11]
One of Itsuno's inspirations in creating Nico was also his affinity for being scolded by "bad girls".[4] He stated that it would be "cool" to hang out with a girl who is sassy like Nico, who smokes all the time, points out your flaws, and gives you crap when you need it. As such, Nico was never thought out to be a playable character, but instead, someone who tells the player to "man up" and do better.[10]
Originally Morihashi's idea was to make her a daughter of Agnus, while Itsuno's was Goldstein's granddaughter. After some thought they grew to like each other's ideas – with Itsuno realizing that Agnus's daughter will be able to make even Devil Arms – and decided to combine them together.[12]
Appearance[]
Nico has an attractive figure and light-tan skin. She has black, wavy, shoulder-length hair which she keeps pushed back with a plaited hairband. She wears red-framed glasses. Nico has several tattoos on her body.
Her outfit consists of a white tank top showing her midriff covered with a dark-yellow sleeveless jacket that resembles welding cape sleeves. She wears blue denim shorts with a brown worker belt which she tucks a pair of heavy red heatproof gloves into one side of, with a pocketed toolbelt slung on the other side, stabilized with a thigh strap. She also wears a pair of brown leather cowgirl boots with embossed patterning and tongue straps which appear to be decorated with pistol cartridges.
Personality[]
Nico comes across as a cheeky Southern girl with a keen affinity for cybernetics. She takes great pride in her work, feeling that each of her designs are reliable and worth every dime. She seems to enjoy watching Nero slay demons, mainly because he's using her equipment in his hunts, though she does sometimes feel like he doesn't take sufficient care of her creations. Nico comes across as foul-mouthed and snarky and enjoys teasing Nero, affectionately calling him "asshole". She's very much a wild child, sporting extensive tattoos, dressing provocatively, and being a reckless driver.
Nico cheering excitably over Dante.
Despite her rough appearance and coarse language, Nico is nothing if not friendly and exceptionally loyal to those she cares about. She willingly accompanies Nero to the giant demon tree in spite of her concerns about the dangers they would face there. She appears to get along well with Trish and Lady as well as Kyrie. Nico had also heard of Dante from her grandmother's stories and was instantly starstruck when she got to meet him.
She generally shows great respect for those who do work similar to her own, hence her admiration for her adoptive grandmother. She was saddened at Nero having to destroy the ancient demon weapon Artemis when he defeated the demon formed from it, describing its creator Machiavelli as a "legend."
Nico truly hated her father Agnus, due to him abandoning her and her mother. When she learned about his death from Nero, she felt relieved. In spite of her light-hearted attitude, she can be somber and empathetic, as shown when she spoke to Nero about their respective fathers. Nico and Nero treat each other like sister and brother.
Skills[]
While she speaks and writes in a very informal tone, she is a knowledgeable and diligent researcher skilled in both studying the demon world and applying information about it to her various projects. She can deduce how the abilities of demons work and even replicate them. She apparently also possesses a very keen memory, being able to fabricate a fully functional replica of Lady's Kalina Ann without having any access to the original.
Nico is an extremely talented engineer. She created a series of prosthetic arms for Nero that can perform a variety of functions such as slowing down time, emitting shockwaves, and even replicating the abilities of the Devil Bringer.
She is also a fairly capable gunsmith, having created some of Lady's guns in the past.
Her access to her father's research also allowed her to train herself in the art of alchemy. She applied this knowledge to create a cowboy hat Devil Arm called Dr. Faust for Dante, using the Faust demon as the basis for the design. Her knowledge of arcane elements also gives her a keen sense of what materials might prove useful to her, often instructing Nero to pick up demon remnants so she can make use of their unorthodox properties.
History[]
She is the adoptive granddaughter of Nell Goldstein, the creator of Dante's custom pistols Ebony & Ivory.[13] Her father, Agnus, had abandoned her and her mother, Alyssa, when she was around two or three years old. Alyssa died sometime afterwards.[3] Since then, she has been taken care of by her adoptive father, Rock Goldstein, the son of Nell. Rock encouraged her interest in engineering and gun-making.
At some point later in her life, Nico attempted to learn the truth behind the destruction of Fortuna. Due to the secretive nature of the people on the island, she learned nothing.[14]
At some point she acquired a large amount of information related to the activities of the Order of the Sword, covering numerous subjects including their research into demons and demonic weaponry, as well as her father's journals on subjects such as alchemy. In spite of her disdain for her father as a person, she closely examined his research notes and incorporated the knowledge into her own work.
Devil May Cry 5: Before the Nightmare[]
Nero and Nico working to the "Devil May Cry" RV.
Nico meets with Occult Times journalist Jeffrey Turner, who wrote an article on Fortuna's destruction, to discuss the event. She gathered that most of what was written was true, and questions him about a man in one of the pictures. Jeffrey informs her that "N" was a former Order member and his contact. Nico asks for his name and when she is questioned why, she says that she wants to meet N. Jeffrey tells her that his name was Nero, and with that, Nico finishes her drink and heads to Fortuna.[14]
Devil May Cry 5[]
Nico fearlessly and casually burns an Empusa with her cigarette.
During the incursion of the Qliphoth in Red Grave City, Nico serves as Nero's support, her van acting as a base of operations of sorts for the young Devil Hunter and his companions. She fabricates Overture to serve as a replacement for Nero's lost Devil Bringer arm after his initial failure to defeat Urizen, and throughout the mission fabricates new Devil Breakers using fragments of demonic material or her own ingenuity. She uses a fragment of Goliath to make the Devil Breaker Punch Line, Elder Geryon Knight to make Ragtime and Gilgamesh to make Rawhide. She also acquires a fragment of Artemis, though it is not clear what, if anything, she uses it for.
Nico meets Dante.
As Nero assembles a larger group of companions, Nico works on assisting them too, fabricating a replacement rocket launcher for Lady, Kalina Ann II, with a "little something" in case the original turned up, though she ultimately loans this to Dante instead. She also presents Dante with her own creation, a hat Devil Arm called Dr. Faust which she based on her father's alchemical research.
After the incident concludes, Nico presents Nero with a new Devil Breaker designed to function even with his re-grown arm, watching him take on a group of demons which were still menacing the city.
Appearances in Other Media[]
Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2[]
Nico appeared during the cutscenes of the Devil May Cry 5 collaboration chapters, unlike Nero, Dante and V, she could not be acquired by players in order to add her to their party.
TEPPEN[]
Nico is in one of Nero's Hero Arts in the game, called "Hey, Nico!". Nero calls Nico and she suddenly appears with her van, this Hero Art randomly adds Gerbera, Ragtime, or Tomboy to the player's EX Pocket.
Ever since "The Devils Awaken" expansion, Nico has made an appearance in multiple cards of the game.
Trivia[]
Nico's "Alt Heroine" costume.
- One of Nico's tattoos quotes William Blake's "Eternity" poem.[15]
- Both the Japanese VA of Nico, Lynn, and Michiteru Okabe, one of the producers of Devil May Cry 5 were confused with the character at first, but ended up loving her after seeing the ending of the game.[4]
- Unlike all other characters in the game, Nico's "Alt Heroine" costume is not based on a specific theme; the developers just thought the color scheme looked good on her.[16]
- Matthew Walker's favorite arrival scene of Nico is when she suddenly comes down from the ceiling,[17] supposedly being the one in Mission 03: Flying Hunter.
- According to The Art of Devil May Cry 5, Nico ran a weapons shop in Fortuna where Lady is said to have been one her "best repeat customers". She also states that Mega Man is one of her favorite games.
- Nico used a cigarette to hurt an Empusa; this may be a homage to the first trailer of DmC: Devil May Cry, because Dante did the same thing. This is particularly likely since the cutscene concludes with a joke about it not endorsing smoking.
- Nico replicates her father's stutter when talking to Dante about Agnus' research.
- Nico's van features a decal on the inside of the driver's side window which reads "是非", ("zehi") meaning "I would love to".
- Nico's note on Mirage Edge indicates that she is unaware that Nero can manifest and wield a sword made out of his demonic energy, just like his father.
References[]
- ↑ Devil May Cry 5 Official Nico Character Page
- ↑ https://twitter.com/DMC5Info/status/1091843355636584454?s=20
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 DMC5info- Before the Nightmare Dante Chapter 2, Nico Chapter 1 summaries
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 カプコンTV！東京ゲームショウ2018＜9/22＞特番
- ↑ CAPCOM：デビル メイ クライ 5 公式サイト
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 PAX West 2018 | Twitch Town Hall - PAX3
- ↑ カプコンTV！第85回 E3特集『バイオハザード RE 2』『デビル メイ クライ 5』『ロックマン11 運命の歯車！！』
- ↑ E3 2018: Announcing Devil May Cry 5, coming to Xbox One, PS4 and PC in Spring 2019 - Capcom Unity
- ↑ DMC5's Matt Walker talks Crew Cut, Turbo Mode, inertia and Dante dance
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Devil May Cry 5 Interview — Developers Talk Nico, Gameplay, Reviving Capcom’s Franchises, and More (DualShockers)
- ↑ Devil May Cry 5 - Design Philosophy
- ↑ Devil May Cry 3142 Graphic Arts Special Edition p. 255
- ↑ - @devilmaycry_jp - Twitter
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 DMC5info- Before the Nightmare Prologue summary
- ↑ Devil May Cry 5 Official Art Works, page 065
- ↑ DMC5 NYCC Panel (16:31)
- ↑ Weekly Famitsu - February 14, 2019
