| 1 | %% |
| 2 | %% As per Administrivia/ZeroContextExample, all examples without context have been hidden. Do not unhide them unless they have been given context. Names by themselves do not count as context. Quotes by themselves do not count as context. |
| 3 | %% When tagging spoilers, please DO NOT also spoiler-tag the games that they spoil. |
| 4 | %% As per Administrivia/ExampleIndentationInTropeLists, never list a trope as a subbullet to another trope. One trope per example, never slash two together. |
| 5 | %% Do not use Expy for coincidental similarities. Keep YMMV stuff out of this page. |
| 6 | %% As agreed on in the discussion, do not add tropes relating to the Axiom until it is explictly stated to be the same being as the Great Will. The SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute entry is meant to emphasize the fact it's currently impossible to determine their connection or lack thereof. |
| 7 | %% |
| 8 | Click [[Characters/ShinMegamiTensei here]] to go back to the character index. |
| 9 | ---- |
| 10 | [[foldercontrol]] |
| 11 | |
| 12 | [[folder:In General]] |
| 13 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_smt_law.png]] |
| 14 | The alignment associated with the embodiment of the belief in one true {{God}}, order, equality and peace. The Law alignment promotes order, safety and {{The Needs of the Many}}, but at its worst, leads to dictatorship, elitism, and/or {{Totalitarian Utilitarian}}ism. The main goal of the Law alignment is to rid the Earth of all demons and establish a eternal paradise that worships and is ruled over by God. However, the truth is that only a select few who are judged worthy would be allowed to live in these paradises, with the rest being cast out or killed, including the loyal followers that did said killing to build the system. Law is rather unique amoung the alignments as it is often at odds with its own leaders, due to holding everyone to their high standards, no matter what their postion is. |
| 15 | ---- |
| 16 | * AdaptationalHeroism: Law has it's fair share of more heroic variations in of itself across the series. The most notable of these are Amane and Remiel from ''Devil Survivor'', who seeks to redeem humanity in God's eyes than destroy them outright for the perfect world, and a [[HeelFaceTurn redeemed]] Zelenin in the New Law Ending of ''Strange Journey Redux'', who seeks to use her song to purify human distortions and create a world where humanity's first instinct is to resolve conflicts through peaceable solutions. |
| 17 | * AdaptationalVillainy: In the world of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'', Law - alongside Chaos - was explicitly a villainous faction than the BlueAndOrangeMorality deal they usually were. They were far more rude and ruthless than in other depictions throughout the series, and choosing to side with them [[spoiler:simply repeats the cycle YHVH has in store to keep humanity at the bottom no matter what]]. |
| 18 | * AllLovingHero: [[SubvertedTrope While most of Law is generally too distant to really exhibit these qualities]], many of the Light-aligned scions of Law on the wholesale tend to have a very high sense of empathy for others. [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney Zelenin]] (pre-FaceHeelTurn and post-HeelFaceTurn), [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV Jonathan]], [[VideoGame/DevilSurvivor Amane and Remiel]] all are tendencied by their bleeding-heart empathy and acceptance of everyone around them. |
| 19 | * AtLeastIAdmitIt: While Law is very well-aware of what they often have to do for their utopia, they are quick to acknowledge what they are than hold any pretenses otherwise; Law characters just as much hold themselves to account as they do their perceived enemies, and tend to abhor any lack of responsibility. |
| 20 | * BlueAndOrangeMorality: Much like Chaos itself. Law fundamentally subscribes to ideals of peace, equality, and above all else, fairness - but this often wraps in on itself and makes Law [[WellIntentionedExtremist more than willing to commit horrific atrocities in the name of said perfect world]], ranging from [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood brainwashing]], to [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill totalitarianism]], to even [[FinalSolution outright genocide]]. Lawful demons see no dissonance in their actions versus their ideals, because it's all in the name of a better world. A better way perhaps to describe Law as an alignment is less the alignment of order so much as ''fairness'' - it's very much willing to hold itself to the greater sum of things, even if that sum tends to the horrific. |
| 21 | * BlueIsHeroic: [[AvertedTrope Averted]], despite being associated with the color blue. While they aren't necessarily ''completely'' evil, calling them heroic [[LightIsNotGood is a stretch]]. |
| 22 | * BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood: A very regular user of this tactic; if anyone has ideals deemed problematic to Lawful society, they simply "revise" those traits into something more productive to society. Oftentimes, the brainwashing strips the individuals of their humanity outright, leading them to becoming thoughtless husks altogether doing nothing but praise God. |
| 23 | * TheChosenMany: Those who are chosen by God are permitted to live in the Millennium Kingdom; everyone else, regardless, of race, status or faith, is killed. Said chosen are given paradise within the Millennium Kingdom, but are otherwise subject to the Kingdom's strict laws. |
| 24 | * EqualOpportunityEvil: You can say many bad things about Law, most of them fair, but they are most decidedly ''not'' discriminatory; they welcome all into their folds of their Millennium Kingdom, regardless of sex, race, nationality, disability or sexuality, and are just as likely to hold those not chosen by them cremated equal. |
| 25 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Despite being MoralSociopathy: The Faction and often one of ''the'' reasons why each of the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' game locales [[CrapsackWorld suck so much]], there are lines even they would refuse to cross: |
| 26 | ** Doing harm to prevent further harm is perfectly fine in their school of thought, but ''unnecessary'' cruelty is where they often draw the line. The Lawfully-minded demons of Tokyo regard Tayama's [[spoiler:human-trafficking and organ-harvesting operation]] with only ''slightly'' less outright contempt than Lilith does, and things like Captain Jack's wanton cruelty to demons and humans makes for one of the few times where [[spoiler:[[RefuseToRescueTheDisliked letting your partner kill them doesn't bring you farther from the Lawful alignment]]]]. |
| 27 | ** It's never commented outright, but while they are known to be extremely racist towards Chaotic-aligned demons, they find prejudice among or against humans in very low opinion. [[EqualOpportunityEvil It certainly explains why they don't care about your ethnicity, gender or features, only that you're one of God's chosen]]. |
| 28 | ** Dark-Law societies that have a clear social hierarchy (such as Tokyo Millennium in ''II'' and Mikado in ''IV'') are regarded as failed states by Law for a very good reason; their first acts upon seizing control is abolishing the social caste systems and institutionalizing total equity among the populace. |
| 29 | ** YHVH may be their figurehead, but the moment he steps out of line or causes an atrocity bad enough that the angels themselves are horrified with it, such as [[spoiler:the Megiddo Ark [[EarthShatteringKaboom obliterating the Earth]] in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'']], they immediately step down from whatever they're doing and work to take him down. "All are equal of sin" indeed. |
| 30 | * TheEvilsOfFreeWill: While Law inherently values social equity and justice above all else, they see zero qualms with using totalitarian methods to ensure their word is met. It's to the point [[VideoGame/DevilSurvivor Amane and Remiel]] are outright exceptions to this rule, with most angels not exactly ''[[BlueAndOrangeMorality getting]]'' why they would support keeping humanity's identity on a wholesale. |
| 31 | * TheExtremistWasRight: While it is ''highly'' debatable to say that Law's actions are at all right on an ''emotional'' level, it's hard not to deny their results on a ''logical'' level: worlds where Law wins the Alignment War always tend to be the most happy as a wholesale on an institutional level, always having enough for everyone and giving everyone what they need - even at the cost of what came to human civilization beforehand. However, it's worth noting that while Law's ends tend to be the most "perfected," it is very subjective as a wholesale whether it is ''[[MoralSociopathy right]]''. |
| 32 | * FinalSolution: Chillingly, the darkest part of Law is whenever it agrees to hit the ResetButton on human civilization to foster a new Millennium Kingdom, it involves obliterating the old civilization right down to its very bedrock and killing everyone involved. This isn't incidental; it's to ensure that no memory of the old humanity ever existed so it stifles any chances of their Millennium Kingdom derailing. |
| 33 | * TheHeavy: Out of all the games that focus on the OrderVersusChaos conflict, Law very regularly ends up instigating much of said conflict through either orders on high from YHVH to obliterate human civilization or just generally destroying the world to birth something new. Frankly, it'd be easier to list the games where Law ''wasn't'' the source of the apocalypse. |
| 34 | * HighTechHeaven: For some reason, Law alignment is generally depicted as this. Various games depict the Millenium Kingdom as possessing highly advanced technology which can maintain virtual simulators and facilitate creation of {{Artificial Human}}s, among other things. The Law faction is also known to use a ''divine KillSat'' to cleanse the Earth on at least three different continuities. |
| 35 | * {{Hypocrite}}: They believe in stopping violence wherever possible. Their answer? [[StartXToStopX More violence to stop said violence]]. [[ZigZaggedTrope However]]... |
| 36 | * HypocrisyNod: ...while they are very much not above very aggressive means to ensure a stable world, they always hold themselves to their own word: they will say exactly what they say they believe, and if they aren't consistent, they will subject themselves to their own standards to correct on that. |
| 37 | * IGaveMyWord: Arguably one of their most positive traits is that they always do exactly as they state themselves as; if they gave their word that they would let somebody go, they damn well uphold their word. Them [[ILied not doing this]] is a sign something is ''[[OOCIsSeriousBusiness very]]'' [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness wrong as a wholesale]]. |
| 38 | * {{Irony}}: Despite being the faction of "law and order," they stand out by having some ''very'' odd quirks as a wholesale: |
| 39 | ** They are actually the more inherently egalitarian between itself and Chaos. Chaos, despite being the "free" faction, merely means in extremes "freedom from accountability and the strong ruling as tyrants forever over the weak" - to the point that fascism is confirmed as a Dark-Chaos ideal as a wholesale from the first game. Law, meanwhile, only devolves to authoritarianism in Dark-aligned equivalents, while Light-Law seeks to abolish the structure between authority and subjects in an even socialist commune. |
| 40 | ** Amusingly, despite being with the most trappings akin to Catholicism, Law is actually the most advocating for socialist thought as a wholesale - they believe in total equality and no discrimination, and any use of said socialist tenets from Chaos are [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV incidental at best]] and merely a means to an end to sow discord. Anyone at all familiar with how much real-life Catholics and socialists hated each other would likely find this fact hilarious. |
| 41 | ** Again, in spite of being the faction of order, they are the most prone to outright rebelling against their faction head if they go a step too far for even them; after all, if they aren't going by their own standards, then they too need to fall. This reaches its logical conclusion with Ronaldo in ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'', a Lawfully-minded protagonist who outright leads ''LaResistance'' of that game. Meanwhile, Chaos never had anyone necessarily disobey Lucifer's way, though certainly most likely [[AsskickingLeadsToLeadership not without trying]]. |
| 42 | * KnightTemplar: Lawful characters off the deep end or demons have a tendency to be this; to them, their ideals of peace are entirely non-negotiable, [[WithUsOrAgainstUs and you either stand with them, or against them]]. |
| 43 | * LackOfEmpathy. As covered in MoralSociopathy, they genuinely care about helping people and see empathy as a strength, but if you're not part of their chosen few, then your life is worth virtually nil to them. Kiyoharu learns this the hard way in ''Shin Megami Tensei IV'' when [[spoiler:the Ancient of Days confirms to him that he and the rest of the humans in Blasted Tokyo were never meant to survive God's Plan, sending Kiyoharu past the DespairEventHorizon as he realized in terms of Tokyo's survival, [[HeelRealization Kenji was right all along]]]]. |
| 44 | * LightIsGood: The Light-aligned members of their alignment exhibit the most positive qualities of the alignment while also having a bleeding-heart empathy for everyone else. [[ZigZaggedTrope That said, however]]... |
| 45 | * LightIsNotGood: ...the alignment is wholeheartedly associated with the colors white and the [[LightEmUp "Hama/Kouha"]] line of spells, but are oftentimes completely unfettered in their pursuit for utopia. |
| 46 | * MoralSociopathy: Their [[PlanetOfHats big hat]]. Law paradoxically is both highly empathetic to the weak and helpless and seek to give aid to those in need... but is more than willing to commit horrible atrocities in the name of said utopia. They both advocate for the most moral option as a wholesale, but have [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness no qualms with discarding those they see have no further use to their plans]]. This is frequently called out even in a Law-aligned route, and generally speaking, many of the more sympathetic portrayals of the alignment play up the 'moral' part than the 'sociopath' part. |
| 47 | * TheNeedsOfTheMany: ''Everything'' Law does is in the name of a better world for the many - even at the cost of those they choose to discard outright in their worlds. |
| 48 | * NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist: While Law for the most part has good intentions, YHVH and by extension Dark-Law does ''not''. This reaches its head in ''Apocalypse'', where the entire faction takes back-stage to being little more than a pawn alongside Chaos in a ForeverWar designed to keep humans at the bottom, no matter what. |
| 49 | * OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Law as a faction always tendencies towards ideals of peace, equity and fairness. Them violating their principles and doing something dishonestly or uncalled for of them is generally a tell-tale sign something ''very bad'' is happening. Nowhere is this best shown where Merkabah in ''Apocalypse'' lies to the naive humans who helped Merkabah win Armaggeddon in the Law End, which is one of your first hints that [[spoiler:Law is ultimately a puppet of YHVH in this universe than merely anything quantifiable to a legit ideology]]. |
| 50 | * OrderVersusChaos: On the lawful side, [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin natch]]. |
| 51 | * PetTheDog: Despite having a distressing tendency to instigate the plots of the game on a regular basis, Law has several moments to remind us they aren't all bad: |
| 52 | ** They do something none of the other alignments do: hold themselves to their own standards in the event of something going wrong. While Chaos pretty regularly has outright MoralMyopia relative to Lucifer's defeat in the past to YHVH and outright hypocrisy regarding its definitions of freedom, and Neutral never tends to being a permanent solution ([[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse most of the time]]), YHVH on no less than three separate occassions (VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII, VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNINE, and VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney) is gutted by Lawful forces for going a branch [[EvenEvilHasStandards even they would consider monstrous and unnecessary on the wholesale]]. One of the best endings in Law's history happens because an agent of God, Zelenin, is persuaded to turn back on His vision once she learns of the ruin it would cause, and follow a path closer to that of a Light-Law vision as a wholesale. Even in instances where God's vision is fulfilled, those who set their own rules are expected to follow it to the letter: Merkabah and Flynn let themselves be consumed by the Tokyo Perpetual Reactor in ''IV'' because of being tainted by the "Unclean Ones". |
| 53 | ** [[VideoGame/DevilSurvivor Amane and Remiel]] genuinely do love humanity as a wholesale, and want nothing but the best of it - their emphasis on empathy is something even the other angels don't quite ''[[BlueAndOrangeMorality get]],'' but siding with them builds a world where all humans are truly cared for as a wholesale and redeemed than outright purged. |
| 54 | * TheSpock: Tends towards ideals of stoicism, logic and overcoming instinctual desires of the three alignments. Lawfully-aligned protagonists are often noted as nice and polite, but tend to become increasingly more emotionless the further they get into the alignment. Contrast this with Neutral as TheKirk and Chaos as TheMcCoy. |
| 55 | * StartXToStopX: They are a pretty JustForFun/{{Egregious}} offender of this trope, and ultimately their idea of stopping any perceived sins is often committing them all the same: wanting to ensure an equal commune that has everyone in peace and harmony? [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood Brainwash everyone to remove their conflicting personalities]]. Humanity is proving unable to manage itself? Directly intervene and apply the aforementioned methods. Demons broke out and[=/=]or it's not working? Kill everyone, possibly through liberal usage of [[NukeEm nuclear bombardment]]. |
| 56 | * TotalitarianUtilitarian: Their whole ideology is rooted in the values of social equity and peace, and they are willing to do whatever they need to ensure that... no matter the cost. |
| 57 | * UnfeelingHeavens: In most games angels are usually depicted as not quite capable of understanding human feelings, and wilfully ignore them in favor of their own rhetoric and faith in what they believe to be God's will. YHVH and his direct enforcers are usually even ''worse''. |
| 58 | * UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: They are willing to do anything for their ideal Millennium Kingdom, no matter how many atrocities they have to commit. |
| 59 | * WellIntentionedExtremist: They firmly believe in equality, helping the weak and a society where suffering is given meaning, but are willing to go to any lengths needed to achieve such a world. ''[[KnightTemplar Any]]'' lengths needed, ranging from [[BrainwashingForTheGreaterGood brainwashing]], to [[TheEvilsOfFreeWill totalitarianism]], to [[FinalSolution outright genocide]]. Ironically, this helps to make Chaos look like the more appealing option to those who don't pay attention [[TheSocialDarwinist to their ethics]], as Law so forcibly delivers its message with the force of a sledgehammer that it almost makes Lucifer look more tempting by comparison. [[ShownTheirWork Which only makes sense]], given the Bible's depiction of {{Satan}} as a BitchInSheepsClothing [[DivinelyAppearingDemons Divinely Appearing Demon]] [[LightIsNotGood who would lead humanity astray with his temptations of false salvation]]. |
| 60 | * WorldOfSilence: A recurring result should the Law faction get their way, such as the Shijima Reason in ''Nocturne'' and the Three Wise Men's plan in ''Strange Journey'', and applies to a lesser or greater extent to many other games as well bar their most heroic or sympathetic ones. The world which Law wishes to create is often devoid of passion and instinct, all being one with "God" or the "Great Will" in a harmonious unity lacking a true ego or ambition. |
| 61 | [[/folder]] |
| 62 | |
| 63 | [[folder:YHVH]] |
| 64 | !!YHVH |
| 65 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yhvh_4.png]] |
| 66 | ->''"Not even a thousand deaths would be fitting punishment for thy sins! I shall smite thee, and in Hell I shall torture thee over and over! After an aeon, I shall reincarnate thee, and thy lives shall be those of endless torment, thy bodies tortured in life and thy souls in death! The same shall come to thy children, and thy children's children, throughout all eternity until the end of time! Feel the wrath of my divine lightning, and plummet into the bowels of hell, burning in its unending flames!"'' |
| 67 | -->-- '''Shin Megami Tensei II''' |
| 68 | '''Warning: As a major recurring figure throughout the series, there will be spoilers for multiple games. You have been warned.''' |
| 69 | |
| 70 | The most recurring entity among agents of the Great Will, YHVH is [[{{God}} the Abrahamic God]]. However, he is far from the kindly god you'd expect; instead, most incarnations of this being tend to be selfish, totalitarian tyrant obsessed with forcing warped standards upon the world; often by brutally slaughtering those who oppose him or those he deems unclean and unworthy of his salvation, and/or forcibly converting all mortal life into worshiping him. In extreme cases, the lives of his followers - even his angels - are no more than means to keep himself in power; caring for nothing but himself. |
| 71 | ---- |
| 72 | ->See [[Characters.ShinMegamiTenseiYHVH His page]]. |
| 73 | [[/folder]] |
| 74 | |
| 75 | [[folder:Satan]] |
| 76 | !!Satan |
| 77 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/satan_gods_judge_form.png]] |
| 78 | |
| 79 | -> ''"His name means 'opposer'.\ |
| 80 | The prince of darkness in Judeo-Christian lore, known for his role as the snake that tempted Adam and Eve at Eden. It is also said he is sent by God to test man's piety."'' |
| 81 | -->-- '''Devil Survivor 2 Compendium''' |
| 82 | |
| 83 | Not to be confused with his archenemy Lucifer, Satan is the ultimate weapon of YHVH and the Law faction, and usually deals God's wrath upon the world. |
| 84 | ---- |
| 85 | * AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever: Satan is usually rendered as larger than many other demons in the same game, notably in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'' and in ''Digital Devil Saga''. In ''Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE'', he is ''absolutely colossal'' in 3D. After defeating this body he does transport you to a new dimension where he is much smaller. |
| 86 | * BarrierChangeBoss: Appears as this trope a few times across the games. As the {{Superboss}} of ''Digital Devil Saga 2'', Satan changes his resistances based on both turn numbers and his current HP, as a NintendoHard PuzzleBoss. In [[spoiler:''Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse'', Satan's second phase also changes his resistances back and forth]]. |
| 87 | * BigBad: In the first ''Majin Tensei'' and also the FinalBoss. He's also the final boss of ''Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis'' on the Light-Law route. He technically gets the role in ''II'' due to his boss taking a back seat until the very end and to being present throughout the entire game as [[spoiler:Zayin]]. In [[spoiler:''Apocalypse'', it's revealed that he was the true villain of ''IV'' through his two halves Merkabah and Lucifer, and he continues leading the Monotheists fighting against Krishna until all of the demons, angels, and gods are dead, at which point you can finally confront Satan, though by this point, your main target is now YHVH]]. |
| 88 | * BossBattle: Satan often ends up becoming one of the most difficult boss battles in any game he appears in. He generally appears as a ClimaxBoss, fought just before or during the final arc of a game's storyline. |
| 89 | ** He is the ClimaxBoss of ''Megami Tensei II'' in most routes and becomes the FinalBoss in the bad ending. |
| 90 | ** He is the FinalBoss of ''Majin Tensei'' in all routes. |
| 91 | ** He is the ClimaxBoss of ''Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis'' in most paths and the FinalBoss in the Light-Law path. |
| 92 | ** In ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', he is the ClimaxBoss of Chaos and Neutral endings, fought just before YHVH. |
| 93 | ** In ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga 2'', he is a optinal boss which can only be fought in the final dungeon if the game is played in Hard mode. Widely considered one of the [[NintendoHard hardest bosses]] ever in a JRPG. |
| 94 | ** In [[spoiler:''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'', he appears as one of two {{Climax Boss}}es of Bonds and Massacre routes, barring your path to reach YHVH, asking you questions to test you forward]]. |
| 95 | * BrokeYourArmPunchingOutCthulhu: Each time Satan [[spoiler:turns on YHVH]] in the franchise, he never survives the aftermath. |
| 96 | * CoDragons: With Metatron and the Four Archangels. Satan has a special status in that, while the Archangels and Metatron have appeared without YHVH in the main series, Satan has appeared as the penultimate boss in all of YHVH's direct appearances. |
| 97 | * TheDragon: To YHVH in ''Megami Tensei II'' and ''Majin Tensei''. Subverted in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', where YHVH does so little and Satan does so much that Satan is much more of a Big Bad than his boss. [[spoiler:The same holds true in ''IV'' and ''Apocalypse'' until the latter's final dungeon]]. |
| 98 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: His ''Megami Tensei II'' and ''Majin Tensei'' incarnations are far different from his iconic counterparts in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'' and ''Apocalypse'', being a full blown villain and complete sycophant to YHVH instead of the NobleDemon later games portray him as. |
| 99 | * EldritchAbomination: The artwork of his [[OneWingedAngel true form]], introduced in ''Shin Megami II'', is a hideous mix-match of insectoid, serpentine and draconic features with female breasts added in. |
| 100 | * EvenEvilHasStandards: Post his EarlyInstallmentWeirdness, Satan is usually depicted as a NobleDemon with very firm standards, obeying YHVH only to an extent ''he'' perceives reasonable. In a few games, [[spoiler:he goes as far as turning against YHVH]]. |
| 101 | * EvilOverlord: Satan has appeared in Fallen and Tyrant races in multiple games, yet he appears to retain his role as a dutiful servant of YHVH while being part of those races. Special mention goes to his appearance in ''Devil Survivor 2'' where he calls himself the King of Demons and the Opposer when summoned. |
| 102 | * FallenAngel: Occasionally appears as part of the Fallen race, such as in ''Devil Survivor 2''. |
| 103 | * FusionDance: Apart from tbe standard demon fusion in his playable appearances, Satan often appears as multiple separate entities to be beneath notice. Notably, between [[spoiler:Zayin and Seth]] in ''Shin Megami Tensei II''. [[spoiler:Also between Merkabah and Lucifer in ''Apocalypse''.]] |
| 104 | * HateSink: In his earliest appearances, notably ''Megami Tensei II'', Satan is a despicable power-hungry backstabber and looks on Lucifer with smug disdain. He basically acts like a sycophant to YHVH. |
| 105 | * TheHeavy: In many games Satan appears in, he is often played as Lucifer's counterpart. Most notably in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', where both are Level 99, act as their respective alignment's representatives, and both will join you on their paths. [[spoiler:In ''Apocalypse'', while YHVH makes a return, Satan is still leading the Monotheists and, as Merkabah and Lucifer, stands alongside Krishna as the main antagonist until the final dungeon, where YHVH becomes the target]]. |
| 106 | * {{Irony}}: Satan has been Tyrant and Fallen in several games, yet even with those races he often acts like he's a dutiful servant of YHVH. |
| 107 | * JudgeJuryAndExecutioner: His main purpose for YHVH and the Law faction in most of his appearances. |
| 108 | * KnightTemplar: As TheDragon to YHVH should be. In some games he does snap out of it, and in a few games it's downplayed, [[spoiler:such as ''Apocalypse'', where he only exists to serve the Top God. While he helped perpetuate the Forever War, he's fine with turning on YHVH when the chance arises]]. |
| 109 | %%* LouisCypher: In ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', [[spoiler:Zayin is one-half of Satan, though he does not know this at first. Fusing with Seth eventually awakens his true identity]]. (How does the name Zayin relate to the name Satan?) |
| 110 | * MultiarmedAndDangerous: His [[OneWingedAngel demon form]] in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'' has 6 arms and 6 wings. |
| 111 | * MultiBoobage: From ''Shin Megami Tensei II'' onward, he has three sets of breasts. Despite this, he is still mostly perceived as male. |
| 112 | * NumberOfTheBeast: |
| 113 | ** In ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', Satan has 6 arms, 6 wings and 6 breasts. All of them contain 6, the number of the beast, and this design is the one generally used for Satan's artwork across the games. |
| 114 | ** In ''Persona 3'' specifically, Black Viper costs 60 MP, its power is a multiple of 6 (900) and it's learned at level 86, which all contain 6, the number of the beast. |
| 115 | * OmnicidalManiac: Fitting his status as TheDragon to a deity who is himself a massive case of this trope, Satan often acts as YHVH's instrument of world destruction. |
| 116 | ** Satan activates the KillSat Helios on the Light-Law route of ''Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis''. Naoki and his friends defeat him by [[TimeTravel traveling back to just before he does it]]. He's defeated on all other routes before he can do it. |
| 117 | ** Satan in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'' is also ordered to use another KillSat named Megiddo Ark to judge all of humanity and the demon world and cleanse the planet. He is defeated before he can do so in all routes bar the Law route, though he snaps out of his KnightTemplar attitude after the deed and chooses to help you afterwards. |
| 118 | ** Satan has destroyed one AlternateTimeline of ''Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE'' before arriving in the current one, with the aid of his CoDragons Hallel Flauros and Ose. |
| 119 | * OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous: Satan in his most recurring artwork has clearly visible breasts, despite otherwise being masculine. |
| 120 | * OurAngelsAreDifferent: A masculine angel with six breasts, a snake's body, and insectoid features, for starters. |
| 121 | * PreFinalBoss: He is always fought right before YHVH in the latter's direct appearances, except for the bad ending of ''Megami Tensei II'' (where he's the FinalBoss) and the Law ending of ''Shin Megami Tensei II'' (where he's a party member). |
| 122 | * PutOnABus: After ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', he stops appearing in the main series. [[spoiler:Until ''Apocalypse'', when The Bus Came Back]]. |
| 123 | * {{Satan}}: Subverted. The traditional role of Satan as "the Devil" (the more Christian view) goes to Lucifer, while this Satan is based on the Jewish biblical Ha-Satan who tempts humans but is otherwise on God's side. [[spoiler:''IV: Apocalypse'' reveals that part of him does make a good Lucifer though, even if he looks grotesque]]. |
| 124 | * SevenDeadlySins: One of several demons said to represent Wrath, and sure enough in many of his appearances he often acts as an instrument of YHVH's wrath upon the world. |
| 125 | * SnakesAreSinister: Appropriately enough Satan has a bit of a serpentine motif, as a reference to Biblical connotations of snakes (most notably the Serpent of Eden, who is occasionally interpreted as being Satan himself). |
| 126 | * WalkingSpoiler: Whenever he appears as TheHeavy or the BigBad, he usually doesn't show up as himself until the end game, appearing either in disguise or as LiteralSplitPersonality. Even still, mentioning how [[spoiler:Zayin is one half of him in ''II'']] or [[spoiler:''Apocalypse'' revealing that he was split into Merkabah and Lucifer all along]] is key to the plot of both games. |
| 127 | * XenomorphXerox: Satan's most recurring artwork depicts him as a xenomorph-like being with six wings, a dragon's tail and various spikes and home-like tentacles. |
| 128 | [[/folder]] |
| 129 | |
| 130 | [[folder:Metatron]] |
| 131 | !!{{Metatron}} |
| 132 | [[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/metatron_smt2.png]] |
| 133 | |
| 134 | ->''"The greatest and most mysterious of the angels.\ |
| 135 | He has many names, such as the Voice of God and Angel of Contracts. In contrast to his duty to maintain the world, he is said to have a merciless side toward humanity."'' |
| 136 | -->-- '''Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Compendium''' |
| 137 | |
| 138 | A mechanical angel that serves as the Voice of God. Once the human Enoch. |
| 139 | ---- |
| 140 | * BossBattle: |
| 141 | ** Should the Demi-Fiend choose to ignore Metatron's warnings in ''[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne Nocturne]]'', [[{{Superboss}} Metatron will stand in the Demi-Fiend's path in the final Kalpa]], forbidding him to meet up with Lucifer. Enraged, Metatron chastises the Demi-Fiend for disregarding his warnings, then proceeds to attack the Demi-Fiend, hoping to kill him before he loses the last vestiges of his humanity. After Metatron is defeated, the Demi-Fiend can summon him in the Heretic Mansion. Metatron can only be summoned by fusing Michael, any other Divine or Seraph demon, and a Tyrant demon sacrifice. |
| 142 | ** ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'': He can only be fought after his predecessor optional bosses, the Four Guardian Beast Suzaku, Seiryuu, Baihu, and Gui Xian have been defeated and the Red Ring has been collected in Ajna. If you beat him, Metatron will grant the item "Seraph Quill", which unlocks the Gyokuza Mantra, granting the access towards Metatron's several skill-set. Players will also receive the Karma Ring which protects the wearer from Expel-based attacks, which can be equipped in the sequel. |
| 143 | ** Becomes the TrueFinalBoss [[spoiler:of Naoya's route]] in ''Devil Survivor: Overclocked''. |
| 144 | ** He appears as a TrickBoss [[spoiler:to himself in ''Apocalypse''. You beat him in YHVH Space, then a whole army of Metatrons show up. Even then, he's not the last boss before YHVH - that honor goes to Satan]]. |
| 145 | ** In ''VideoGame/Persona5Strikers'', he appears as the last obstacle (barring a hacking battle) between the Phantom Thieves and the Demiurge/EMMA, with the endgame boss theme Rivers in the Desert playing during the battle. Notably, outside of the DLC challenge battles in ''Royal'', this is his first appearance as an opponent in the ''Persona'' series. Beating him again in a rematch is required to unlock him for fusion. |
| 146 | * CoDragons: With Satan and the Four Archangels. He is special in a different way than Satan in the sense other than YHVH, he also claims to serve the Great Will, at least in ''Nocturne''. |
| 147 | * DemotedToExtra: While he can be fused, he sadly plays absolutely no role at all in the plot of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'', and is reduced to a random demon encounter in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse''. |
| 148 | * EyeBeams: Metatron's [[{{SignatureMove}} Signature Move]], Fire of Sinai, fires up to five severe beams of Almighty energy from his eyes. |
| 149 | * FallenAngel: ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiLiberationDx2'' introduces a corrupted variant of Metatron, Malice Metatron, specifically to invoke this trope. |
| 150 | * KnightTemplar: He is the Voice of God, and has it about as bad as YHVH himself. |
| 151 | * LightIsNotGood: Metatron rarely ever appears in a non-villainous capacity, except in arguably ''Nocturne'' where he claims to serve the Great Will this time around and warn the Demi-Fiend against meeting Lucifer and shedding his humanity, and in most of ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' where Metatron is the lone high ranking Herald that isn't in it for Law's goals and just serves his master no matter what he does at the time [[spoiler:though even then, he leaves you with a warning not to deliberately cross the heavens or they will kill you for your betrayal]]. [[spoiler:Naoya's 8th Day]] from ''[[UpdatedRerelease Devil Surivor: Overclocked]]'' [[spoiler:has him snap back to his normal actions, ordering humanity to hunt you down and kill you. Those that don't agree to do this are killed by the Angels. Depending on your choices, this could backfire on him]]. |
| 152 | * MouthOfSauron: For YHVH in most games; in ''Nocturne'' he claims to be one to Great Will as well. |
| 153 | * OurAngelsAreDifferent: He's typically portrayed as [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot highly robotic]] for some reason, either to emphasize the lack of free will associated with the Law alignment or because of how hilariously unintentionally {{Mecha}} the name "Metatron" is. |
| 154 | * RoboSpeak: ''Apocalypse'' gives him a robotic sounding voice whenever he's encountered in random battles. The HD remaster of ''Nocturne'' also [[AutoTune autotunes]] his voice. |
| 155 | * SideQuest: In the mainline Shin Megami Tensei games, he often appears in these to add more lore depth to his identity: |
| 156 | ** In a New Game+ of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'', Metatron (originally appearing as a Strike Team member) appears in Sector Grus blocking a special door and enticing the Protagonist by telling him of a powerful demon lying in the depths of Grus, holding a rare treasure. Zelenin, however, will not allow you to take him up on his offer until Jack's Squad has been dealt with. After completing the ''Jack's Squad Pacification'' mission, you can accept and explore what lies beyond. Upon crossing Grus’s entire new side, you eventually find and battle [[PowerLimiter Alilat]]. This frees a piece of power, which the Strike Team member absorbs; he becomes Metatron. His powers slightly replenished by Alilat's death, he hands her skull, her rare forma, to the Protagonist, and urges him to kill the Great Father of the Schwartzwelt - Demiurge - next, so his power is fully free. Demiurge is not particularly interested in cooperating. |
| 157 | ** In ''IV'', [[spoiler:if you talk to Mido post-alignment lock, he will issue a Challenge Quest to find Enoch, the man who was fused with an Angel, and show the demon to him. Enoch was Metatron's human name.]] |
| 158 | * StoneWall: In the ''Persona'' saga, Metatron has access to enough abilities to resist, null or reflect nearly anything in the game. His ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' incarnation takes it even further, in that he is one of a rare class of demons who can be enhanced to NoSell ''everything'' except Almighty with proper passive abilities. |
| 159 | * WasOnceAMan: According to Mido in ''Shin Megami Tensei IV'', Metatron was the man Enoch who fused with an Angel. It's unclear if this applies to his other depictions, however. |
| 160 | * WingedHumanoid: His ''Shin Megami Tensei'' design and Enoch in ''Devil Children'' and the first ''Devil Summoner''. |
| 161 | [[/folder]] |
| 162 | |
| 163 | [[folder:The Four Archangels]] |
| 164 | !!Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael (The Four Archangels) |
| 165 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/archangels_smt_3306.png]] |
| 166 | [[caption-width-right:350: Clockwise, from the top left corner: ArchangelUriel, ArchangelRaphael, ArchangelMichael, and ArchangelGabriel ]] |
| 167 | |
| 168 | ->''"One of the four major angels. His name means, "Who is like god?". He stands at the top of the angel hierarchy. He carries an unusually long sword that can cut through anything." '' |
| 169 | -->-- '''Michael's ''Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne'' Compendium entry''' |
| 170 | |
| 171 | -> ''"One of the four major angels. She is also the only female angel at this rank. Her name comes from the Sumerian word for "governor"." '' |
| 172 | -->-- '''Gabriel's ''Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne'' Compendium entry''' |
| 173 | |
| 174 | -> ''"One of the four major archangels. His name means "healer". He explains the history of the fallen angels and the creation of Adam and Eve." '' |
| 175 | -->-- '''Raphael's ''Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne'' Compendium entry''' |
| 176 | |
| 177 | -> ''"One of the four major archangels. His name means "flame of god". He knows all of the celestial phenomena. He is also the first angel Satan met on earth." '' |
| 178 | -->-- '''Uriel's ''Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne'' Compendium entry''' |
| 179 | |
| 180 | They are the four Seraphim archangels in the service of YHVH: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. Usually seen with each other. |
| 181 | ---- |
| 182 | * AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: As with many other angel artworks in the series, their skin colors are exotic and inhuman; being blue, purple, green and red respectively |
| 183 | * AnimeHair: Raphael's most recurring artwork has a hair so spiky it rivals anime protagonists. |
| 184 | * ArchangelGabriel: As the most prominent angel in the Bible (unless you count Satan), Gabriel often has a prominent role whenever plot-relevant, and accordingly has a fairly [[DependingOnTheWriter fluctuative characterization]]. Gabriel is initially depicted as a masculine angel in the earlier games (notably as late as ''Shin Megami Tensei I'') but from ''Shin Megami Tensei II'' onward Gabriel is depicted as a [[GenderFlip woman]] instead, referencing some of Gabriel's real life art works. |
| 185 | * ArchangelMichael: The leader of the four. Michael has slightly more prominence than Uriel and Raphael in the games (he even serves as YHVH's NumberTwo in ''Shin Megami Tensei I''), but much less than Gabriel. He also never uses a sword, despite being known for doing so, instead carrying a spear. |
| 186 | * ArchangelRaphael: Arguably the least prominent of the four, having almost no plot relevance in any game other than in the ''Devil Children'' spinoff. |
| 187 | * ArchangelUriel: Although Uriel usually has minimal plot relevance like Raphael, in a few games he does serve distinct roles such as in ''Majin Tensei'' where he is an ally to humanity. |
| 188 | * BigBad: |
| 189 | ** In ''I'', Michael is the supreme commander of the forces of Law. |
| 190 | ** Until YHVH and Lucifer get directly involved, the four (sans Gabriel) act as this in ''II'', being directly responsible for most of the problems in Millenium, though they get killed off in time for YHVH and Lucifer to get involved. |
| 191 | ** ''Devil Children Red/Black Book'' has Michael as the main antagonist once again, seeking to incite Armageddon and destroy the world. |
| 192 | * CoDragons: With Metatron and Satan for YHVH. The Shadow versions of the Four also serve as this to [[spoiler:Yaldabaoth]] in ''Persona 5''. Additionally, Raphael and Uriel serve as this to Michael in ''Devil Children Red/Black Book''. |
| 193 | * CombatMedic: Raphael, especially in ''Devil Children'' games where his design is even that of a doctor. Makes sense, since he's an Angel of Healing. |
| 194 | %%* DemonicPossession: They do this in ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' to four early victims of the Demon Virus, converting them so strongly they forget about their human pasts and really believe themselves to be/''become the actual Seraphim'', during the events of SMTII. |
| 195 | * DualBoss: They are fought in pairs just as often as they are fought individually throughout their appearances. For example, ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' has you fight Uriel and Raphael at the same time. In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'', Gabriel joins the two to make it a ''trio boss''. |
| 196 | * ElementalPowers: Changes from game to game, but some remain constant. LightEmUp for all four, ShockAndAwe for Gabriel in the older games and AnIcePerson in the later games, PlayingWithFire for Uriel and Michael in Devil Children games, and finally BlowYouAway for Raphael in mainline. |
| 197 | * EldritchAbomination: Their designs in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' are VERY much this. Having warped faces attached to robotic bodies only vaguely look human. Michael in particular is a [[NightmareFuel sight to behold.]] |
| 198 | * EliteFour: They are often fought in sequence and are the highest-level Archangels, so valuable they are not cheapened through mass production. |
| 199 | * FinalBoss: Michael in the Chaos route in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'', and he shares it with Ashura-Oh in the Neutral route of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI''. |
| 200 | * GenderFlip: Gabriel used to be a man like her Biblical counterpart but from ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' onwards she has been represented as a woman. |
| 201 | * GodWasMyCoPilot: They appear in the guise of the senate elders in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'', [[spoiler: and Gabriel appears under the guise of Sister Gabby in IV]]. |
| 202 | %%* GodzillaThreshold: In ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor: Overclocked'' [[spoiler: Metatron summoning them to deal with the Overlord is treated as this since ''they'll destroy the Earth in the process''.]] |
| 203 | %%* InterspeciesRomance: Michael and Setsuna Kai's mom from ''VideoGame/DevilChildren Red/Black''. |
| 204 | %%* KickTheDog: In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'', Abaddon tells Aleph that Michael promised to restore it as an angel if it swallowed Valhalla District. It's BlatantLies. |
| 205 | %%* KnightInShiningArmor: Uriel's ''VideoGame/DevilChildren'' design. |
| 206 | * KnightTemplar: Just like every other Law representatives. In a few games, they are implied to be even ''worse'' than YHVH himself, like in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'' and ''IV''. |
| 207 | * TheLeader: Michael is generally the frontman and the last you have to fight if you're going through all of them in a BossRush. |
| 208 | * LightIsNotGood: Figures of light who are nonetheless {{Knight Templar}}s to the core. They always wield the Light element in all of their appearances as well. |
| 209 | %%* LossOfIdentity: [[spoiler: Mastema's curse in ''IV'', as part of their imprisonment in Kagome Tower.]] |
| 210 | %%* LukeIAmYourFather: Michael reveals himself to Nagahisa Kai as his father in ''VideoGame/DevilChildren Red/Black''. |
| 211 | * NotAsYouKnowThem: [[spoiler:''Apocalypse'' reveals their ''IV'' incarnations are actually part of Satan via Merkabah, much like the ''IV'' incarnation of Lucifer]]. |
| 212 | * MagicKnight: The Four Archangels are powerful warriors, with each of them being skilled in one of the elements, while also having the typical Light, healing and Almighty skills you'd expect from a Herald. |
| 213 | * OnlySaneMan: Depending on the circumstances, Gabriel fills the role to a degree. For example, in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' she's possibly the only one who thinks of improving the living conditions for the humans under their control, and in ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', she's the only one who actually realizes they are in the wrong Earth, even if she is devoted enough to her teammates that she will not abandon them. |
| 214 | * OurAngelsAreDifferent: Usually appearing as AmazingTechnicolorPopulation humanoids, but their designs for ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' are very different from their older designs, due to the artist change from Kazuma Kaneko to several different artists. Specifically, the ''SMT IV'' designs are way more like the Talmudic descriptions of angels, with their "bodies" built ''around'' their heads and whatnot and also being made out of ''lacquer'', though they can make themselves look human ([[spoiler:as Sister Gabby shows]]). |
| 215 | * OutOfFocus: Raphael and Uriel have been much less important in the franchise than Michael and Gabriel. |
| 216 | * PaletteSwap: Their sprites were usually swaps of each other in some of the older games such as ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'', ''Majin Tensei'', and ''Megami Tensei II''. |
| 217 | %%* PastLifeMemories: Implied to be happening to the four of them during ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', as they remember what seems to be part of the plot of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII''. |
| 218 | * RedOniBlueOni: In their appearances, Uriel tends the most emotional out of the four, while Raphael is the most calm. Michael and Gabriel are somewhere in-between the two of them in terms of temperament. |
| 219 | %%* SealedEvilInACan: [[spoiler: In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' Michael, Raphael, and Uriel were defeated in the past before they could destroy Tokyo, had masks placed upon them to blot out their identities, were locked away in birdcages, and trapped in Kagome Tower, guarded by Ashura-kai and demons. They're rescued by the prentice Samurai during the story.]] |
| 220 | * {{Superboss}}: |
| 221 | ** In ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga 2'', after the events of Sera's awakening, [[SummonBiggerFish a Karma Facility scientist released four Seraph based Atma demons, hoping to stop the turmoil and chaos]]. Should Gale be able to successfully interrogate the scientist, he will reveal the presence of the Seraphs, unlocking the option to challenge Uriel, Raphael, and Gabriel at different locations. Once the party have defeated all three, Michael joins them and they will await the party in the ground area of the Occupied Sector, where the Sun shines down. The player must then defeat the first three Seraphs again ([[BossRush in a row this time]]). Upon their defeat, Michael fights the party. |
| 222 | ** In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'', the four are fought in two separate DLC packs, as Flynn is sent to the past to ensure the stability of the timeline by taking Mastema's mission to save Tokyo from them. First you take out Raphael and Uriel, and later you attack Gabriel and Michael. [[spoiler:Gabriel, defeated, manages to escape to Mikado and assume the form of Sister Gabby. The three others are imprisoned by Mastema in the past's Kagome Tower, and you rescue them during the game. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Oops.]]]] |
| 223 | * TokenGoodTeammate: |
| 224 | ** Gabriel in certain games. In others, she's just as much of a KnightTemplar and [[FantasticRacism racist]] as them. |
| 225 | ** Uriel in his human disguise in ''Majin Tensei''. Having him in the party even makes it possible to recruit the other three. |
| 226 | * WaterIsWomanly: Gabriel appears in a female form in the more modern games and is the only female archangel Seraphim shown, and she is associated with water/ice powers. |
| 227 | * WolfpackBoss: Uriel, Gabriel, and Raphael are all fought together in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' (unless you've sided with Chiaki) and again in a sidequest in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV''. |
| 228 | [[/folder]] |
| 229 | |
| 230 | [[folder:Angelic Orders]] |
| 231 | !!Angelic Orders |
| 232 | [[quoteright:266:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smt_angelic_orders.jpg]] |
| 233 | The Orders which make up the heavenly host. Demons that usually make up the entire Divine clan. The main demons that are included in this group are Angel, Archangel, Principality, Power, Virtue, Dominion, and Throne. Cherubim, Ophanim, and Seraphim are usually the exceptions, being part of the Seraph clan (renamed into Herald in the more recent games) instead. There are also lesser members of the race which have appeared in other games, including Galgalim, Kuriotes, Holy Spirit, and [[SapientCetaceans Snappy]]. |
| 234 | ---- |
| 235 | * AngelicBeauty: A lot of the early Angel designs were more beautiful besides the higher ranked ones like Cherub or Ophanim. Later games started to diverge with the lower Angels having more different and bizarre appearances, matching up more with the Talmudic descriptions of angels being "wheels of fire with ten eyes" and stuff. |
| 236 | * BlowYouAway: Angels tend to use wind skills in the ''Raidou Kuzunoha'' games. |
| 237 | * BondageIsBad: The lowest ranked Angel is usually dressed in bondage gear from ''Devil Summoner'' onwards. Only ''Devil Survivor,'' ''Raidou Kuzunoha,'' and ''Shin Megami Tensei V'' use the earlier, more Renaissance-inspired "happy girl in a robe" design, with ''V'' also having her wear an eerie golden mask. |
| 238 | * ColorCodedElements: Seraph's Light Wing skill in ''Shin Megami Tensei IV'' creates a barrier colored to a certain element. Only that element destroys the barrier and harms Seraph, except for Almighty skills, which bypass the barrier. |
| 239 | * DarkIsEvil: Quite a few of the Angels in ''VideoGame/DevilChildren'' were dark element in the first three games. |
| 240 | * TheDragon: Seraph to Merkabah in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'', when faced in Purgatorium. It's the only angel with a mind of its own and speaks with differently from the rest, all of who parrot the same words over and over. It is also one of the main Heralds that empowers the final barrier. |
| 241 | * EliteMook: Cherub appear as a boss in Sector Delphinus of ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'', guarding the Cosmic Egg of that sector, only to become a random encounter in Sector Horologorium. |
| 242 | * TheEvilsOfFreeWill: Comments made by angels disguised as humans in ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' make it very clear they don't ''quite'' get Remiel's (and occasionally Gabriel's) interest in human life and the value of free will itself. They are particularly baffled by the idea of "salvation for all". |
| 243 | * GenderBender: In the earlier games some of the angels were the opposite gender, such as Thrones and Virtue. |
| 244 | * GuardianAngel: The lowest ranked Angel also act as these, watching over individuals. |
| 245 | * HolierThanThou: The angels commonly think that they are superior to humanity, like in ''Strange Journey'' where they criticize humanity for its faults or ''SMTIV: A'' where they call humans filth. |
| 246 | * HolyHalo: Noticeable in that most Angels ''lack'' these in the games. Several such as Archangel have haloes in the ''VideoGame/DevilChildren'' series. ''Shin Megami Tensei V'' is the first game outside of the ''Devil Children'' series where the standard Angel has a halo, here represented as a golden disc floating above her head. |
| 247 | * HumanSacrifice: In ''Strange Journey'' two EX missions involve the summoning of a Seraph, which is done by having a Angel, Archangel, Principality, Power, Virtue, Dominion, and Throne, and Cherub sacrifice themselves to summon him. |
| 248 | %%* KnightTemplar: As YHVH's army. |
| 249 | * LightIsGood: If you are on their side, the Angelic Orders will be your main allies, unlocking stuff for you or outright joining your party. They will also protect humans before whatever plan they are a part of reaches its endgame. However, if you aren't on their side by then... |
| 250 | * LightIsNotGood: You can expect the Angelic Orders to be one of your main enemy types and regardless if you are on thier side, you'll likely face them in random encounters defending YHVH if he shows up as a boss. |
| 251 | * LightEmUp: Hama is one of the very core skills of the entire family. |
| 252 | * LivingStatue: Virtues tend to appear as statues with beating hearts. |
| 253 | * MagicKnight: Some angels excell in both physical and magic skills. Others are more magic or physical oriented. |
| 254 | * MechanicalLifeForms: Some of them are this like Cherub in ''VideoGame/SoulHackers''. Plenty are mechanical in ''VideoGame/DevilChildren''. Being obsessive creatures of Law, this isn't surprising. |
| 255 | * {{Mooks}}: They are the foot soldiers that make up the Heavenly Host. Only the higher ranked ones are treated above such roles. |
| 256 | * MookMedic: Some of the Angel Orders may act as healers. |
| 257 | * NonElemental: Some of the higher ranked Angels know Almighty skills. |
| 258 | * NoSell: Angels usually null or resist Light elemental attacks. |
| 259 | * OurAngelsAreDifferent: The ''VideoGame/DevilChildren'' Angels tend to look humanoid to mechanical in nature and usually the higher ranked ones in the main series tend to be different from the lower ranked ones. Cherubim for example has appeared as an animal, statue, machine, Centaur, and a humanoid sitting on a throne that's atop a cloud. |
| 260 | * OurCentaursAreDifferent: Cherub appears as one in ''VideoGame/{{Persona|1}}''. |
| 261 | * PaletteSwap: Earlier games had some of the Angels be palette swaps of other angels. One example is the Throne being a palette swap of Angel. |
| 262 | * PlayingWithFire: Throne is known to use fire spells. |
| 263 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', [[spoiler:the forces of Law abandon humanity to prepare for war in Naoya's 8th day routes where Kazuya decides to go Chaos and one of Yuzu's routes, when she screws over Earth by accidently releasing the demons out of the quarantine in her attempt to escape.]] |
| 264 | * ShockAndAwe: Though rare, some do use electric skills in certain games. |
| 265 | * SocialDarwinist: The Angels are part of the Reason of Yosuga, a group that believes that he strong should thrive and be on the top and the weak must die in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne''. This is especially odd considering this is complete opposite of what the angels believe in most games and is one of Chaos' main viewpoints. |
| 266 | * {{Superboss}}: Seraphim appears as a bonus boss in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' in the EX Mission ''Mara's Desire''. |
| 267 | * SummoningRitual: |
| 268 | ** In the same quest that has them sacrificing themselves in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney''. Unfortunately [[YouCantThwartStageOne it's impossible to stop them from performing it]]. Though if Law, Seraph will join you. |
| 269 | ** Done again in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' with Aniel requesting that Flynn hunt down each of Seraph's four heads. These are found on Chimera (lion), Gryphon (eagle), Morax (bull), and Tokisada (human), and you're asked to kill each, with a Principality showing up to rip the head off the demon's body for the sacrifice. |
| 270 | * TankGoodness: Galgalim appears as a demonic tank in the ''Devil Children'' series. |
| 271 | * TookALevelInBadass: There are two Angels of the Divine race in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'': one being the weakest, the other being the most powerful of them all. |
| 272 | * VoiceOfTheLegion: Seraph has a male and female voice speaking simultaneously in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV''. |
| 273 | * WingedHumanoid: Most of them have wings. Though there are a few exceptions. |
| 274 | [[/folder]] |
| 275 | |
| 276 | [[folder:Mastema '''(Unmarked Spoilers)''']] |
| 277 | !Mastema |
| 278 | [[quoteright:320:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wp3y8tc.png]] |
| 279 | |
| 280 | ->''"The angel who persecutes evil in Hebrew folklore. He carries out punishments for God.\ |
| 281 | He tempts humans and tests their faith. He asked God to permit him to have demons as his subordinates. In the Zadokite Fragments and the Dead Sea Scrolls, he is the angel of disaster, the father of all evil, and a flatterer of God." '' |
| 282 | -->-- '''''Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey'' Compendium''' |
| 283 | |
| 284 | An Angel who persecutes evil and delivers punishment from God. He is mysterious and his goals and agenda vary, only revealing his intentions when forced or to those he trusts enough. Despite his shiftiness, he is still a loyal follower of God. |
| 285 | ---- |
| 286 | * AmbitionIsEvil: In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' his goal is for the Lord to bless him with a form superior to Angels. |
| 287 | * BigGood: For the Mikado part of the backstory of ''IV'', helping Aquila set up Mikado and later getting Flynn to stop the Archangels in the Clipped Wings DLC. |
| 288 | * DarkIsEvil: In ''Strange Journey'', where his appearance is darker than most Angels and even has black wings, while he is still a Herald and is Light-aligned. |
| 289 | * DefectorFromDecadence: In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' he has separated himself from the Archangels and the lesser Angels who seek to kill everyone in Tokyo after establishing Mikado. |
| 290 | * DemotedToExtra: In ''IV''. Ultimately subverted; DLC reveals that, along with Masakado, he's one of the Big Goods of the game's backstory. |
| 291 | * TheDragon: To the Wise Men in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney''. The Chaos route reveals he hopes to be rewarded by apotheosis into a being higher than the angels for his work in ushering in a world of Law. |
| 292 | * EnigmaticMinion: In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'', where his motives are far more vague than his outright evil showing in ''Strange Journey''. Further questions about his loyalties are raised in the ''Clipped Wings'' DLC, where he turned out to be responsible for sealing away three of the Four Archangels. |
| 293 | * {{Expy}}: Of Satan. Unsurprisingly, given that the two names seem to refer to the same being (or at least two very similar beings) in Hebrew folklore. In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'', he takes after Satan's more sympathetic incarnation from ''Shin Megami Tensei II''; he goes against the KnightTemplar angels in order to protect the humans of Tokyo and enforce God's true will. |
| 294 | * FantasticRacism: Calls the people of Tokyo "Unclean Ones" like the Angels and people of Mikado do. However, in the Clipped Wing DLC he calls them human, suggesting that his attitude before is just an act to blend in with other angels. |
| 295 | * HateSink: In ''Strange Journey''. While he may be a typical Law representative at first, once you get to his Villainous Breakdown, it's clear that he's supposed to be hated. |
| 296 | * ItAmusedMe: The reason why he started a fake fight in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' against the Samurai in Midtown, while talking about cooking them. |
| 297 | * ItsAllAboutMe: ''Strange Journey'' has the Chaos route reveal that he only cares about advancing his own personal power/status, and doesn't give a damn about humanity or the Wise Men's desire for a "Kingdom of Heaven". |
| 298 | * KarmaHoudini: |
| 299 | ** In the ''Strange Journey'' Law and Neutral Paths, where he gets away scot free to plot another day. |
| 300 | ** In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'''s Neutral and Chaos path, but he's not even close to being the evil jackass he was in SJ. |
| 301 | * KnightTemplar: He ''is'' on the side of Law, after all. Though his incarnation in ''IV'' is one of the most reasonable Law representatives in the ''entire'' franchise, subverting the trope. |
| 302 | * ManipulativeBastard: Considering his nature as the angel of hostility, consider this a non-surprise for people who looked up the name on Website/ThatOtherWiki. |
| 303 | * MotiveRant: Gives a particularly hate-filled one during his VillainousBreakdown in ''Strange Journey'''s Chaos path. |
| 304 | * NecessarilyEvil: In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' he helped make deals with Demons on the behalf of the Lawful Ashura-Kai for Red Pills and protects Midtown from those who seek the pills. Unlike [[SmugSnake Tayama]], who wants his [[{{Dystopia}} Utopia]] to go on forever, he is simply trying to keep order in Tokyo long enough for humanity to rise up and free themselves of the current situation of being trapped beneath the ceiling. |
| 305 | * NiceGuy: [[DidntSeeThatComing Surprisingly enough]], given his behavior in ''Strange Journey'' and his pedigree as the Angel of Hostility, he becomes this in ''IV''. For a Herald, he has very little problem in accepting you taking the Chaos Path, saying that straying from his path is one way to learn about the Lord as well. In the Neutral Path, he is overjoyed Humanity will survive without interference, as he believes the religious doubts awakened by the whole ordeal will lead the people to God on their own, which is what he thinks God's true plan ''is''. He also resents the KnightTemplar Four Archangels and has three of them imprisoned in Mikado's early days before they can repeat the Millennium Kingdom fiasco. |
| 306 | * ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In ''Strange Journey'' Neutral route he decides to cut his losses and make a break for it, instead of fighting you. |
| 307 | * {{Superboss}}: In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' Law Route, where the Archangels have Flynn track him down and slay him. |
| 308 | * TookALevelInKindness: He's a much, ''much'' nicer fellow in ''IV'' than he is in ''Strange Journey''. Assuming that this is the same Mastema and not a different instance of the same type of demon, of course. |
| 309 | * TheUnfought: In ''Strange Journey'' on the Neutral path and in ''IV'' on the Chaos and Neutral paths. |
| 310 | * VillainousBreakdown: In ''Strange Journey'' Chaos route he completely loses it and tries to kill the protagonist himself, ranting about how humans live only to be pawns and cursing the protagonist for his actions. |
| 311 | * WalkingSpoiler: In both games he appears in, but especially ''IV''. His conversion from an insufferable Hate Sink to a genuine Nice Guy who factors into the game's backstory probably helps. |
| 312 | * WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The Mastema from ''IV'' doesn't make an appearance at all in ''Apocalypse''. There ''are'' mass produced versions of him in the final dungeon, suggesting he's actually one of many angels. |
| 313 | * YouWillBeSpared: Spares Gabriel in the Clipped Wing DLC since a "rat can do nothing by itself". He was right until [[NiceJobFixingItVillain Lilith]] began spreading books, making it possible for her to send Samurai to rescue the other three. |
| 314 | [[/folder]] |
| 315 | |
| 316 | [[folder:Demiurge]] |
| 317 | !!Demiurge / Yaldabaoth |
| 318 | [[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_demiurge_dx2_art.png]] |
| 319 | |
| 320 | -> ''An imperfect god of Gnosticism who created the material world. According to Gnostics of the Roman Empire, the Demiurge proclaims himself as God; when Adam and Eve gain "knowledge", he cast them out in anger. The Demiurge wishes for the souls of humans to be trapped in the material world forever.'' |
| 321 | -->-- '''Demiurge compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey''' |
| 322 | |
| 323 | A false god that convinced itself that it is the original creator deity in Gnostic teachings. |
| 324 | ---- |
| 325 | * AmazingTechnicolorPopulation: Has pitch black skin. In ''Shin Megami Tensei NINE'' he first appears with golden skin which then flakes off to reveal black skin underneath. |
| 326 | * DyingCurse: If he is defeated in his boss battle in SMT IV, he will curse Flynn for slaying him. |
| 327 | -->'''Demiurge:''' As long as you are children of man, you will remain prisoner. Both in body and spirit. Give up, be silent, and... be cursed. |
| 328 | * EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: His original appearance in ''Devil Summoner'' is the only time he's associated with Chaos. |
| 329 | * ExtraEyes: Almost always shown with four eyes. His ''Persona 5'' appearance on the other hand has none. |
| 330 | * FinalBoss: He is the final boss of ''Shin Megami Tensei NINE'' and ''Persona 5'', both times appearing under his other name Yaldabaoth. |
| 331 | * FlyingFace: In the final phase in the battle against him ''Shin Megami Tensei NINE'', his head detaches from his body and continues the fight after his body becomes severely damaged. |
| 332 | * AGodAmI: While he is already technically a god, he firmly believes himself to be ''the'' original supreme creator. In most cases he is one of YHVH's strongest avatars. |
| 333 | * GodInHumanForm: He was one of YHVH's Godly Spirits in ''Shin Megami Tensei IV''. |
| 334 | * {{Irony}}: His ''Shin Megami Tensei IV'' incarnation believed himself to be YHVH and not one of his avatars, acting as he thought he would. In ''Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse'' his words and actions were ''exactly'' like the original. |
| 335 | * SevenDeadlySins: His ''Persona 5'' incarnation wields them in his attacks, with each arm holding a object that references a certain sin but unlike the other Palaces and his counterpart Satanael, he uses them to show how humans will overindulge and destroy themselves with them. |
| 336 | * {{Superboss}}: Appears as as this in both ''Strange Journey'' and the Chaos route of ''Shin Megami Tensei IV''. |
| 337 | * WingedHumanoid: His most common form as Demiurge is a giant humanoid with 10 wings, two of which wrap around his crotch. |
| 338 | [[/folder]] |
| 339 | |
| 340 | [[folder:The Great Will]] |
| 341 | !!The Great Will |
| 342 | -> ''Voice: God is everything. Everything is God. You too can become a face of God.'' |
| 343 | -->-- '''Fragment of Petrification Prison, ''Shin Megami Tensei II'''''\ |
| 344 | |
| 345 | First mentioned in ''VideoGame/MegamiTenseiII'', when the TrueFinalBoss YHVH claims he is only one part of an incorporeal entity who controls infinite universes. Though not named in that game, ''VideoGame/LastBible'' has an entity named うちゅういしき (lit. cosmic or universal consciousness; [[NoExportForYou there is no official translation]]), describing itself as being the whole of, and paradoxically also one aspect of, 宇宙の意志 (lit. cosmic or universal will). Future games would refer to this entity in similarly abstract terms; 大いなる意志 (in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' and ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV'') and 大いなる意思 (in ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' and ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney Redux''), which is officially localized as "Great Will" in ''Nocturne'', ''Strange Journey Redux'' and ''V''. |
| 346 | ---- |
| 347 | * AboveTheGods: Seen as ''the'' head honcho of the Megami Tensei metaverse, above even YHVH. |
| 348 | * FightingAShadow: The Great Will is described as an omnipresent force -- as in, it is present at ''every possible level of existence'', from the physical to metaphysical. |
| 349 | ** Incarnations of YHVH usually describes himself as being an aspect or a part of the Great Will, claiming to carry out its intentions in any particular world. |
| 350 | ** ''Last Bible'' has the cosmic consciousness describe itself as being both the whole of it, and yet also a single part of it. It's ambiguous what this means, but it can be interpreted this is the closest the Great Will has to a physical appearance; acting on the behalf of the whole, but manifesting only a single part of itself. |
| 351 | ** The UpdatedReRelease of ''SMT II'' has a mysterious voice speak to Zayin to explain the nature of God, in a way which seems to conflict with how YHVH describes himself (who is ItsAllAboutMe embodied). |
| 352 | --> '''Zayin''': Why...me...To save the people...to save as many as possible...isn't this what God wanted...? Where...is God? Is he nowhere to be found...? Or is this...his will...? The center abandoned those that believed in God and worked for his sake...the Elders...Did God choose them...and abandon me...? God... |
| 353 | --> '''Voice''': There is no God! |
| 354 | --> '''Zayin''': !? Who's there!? |
| 355 | --> '''Voice''': If God will not interfere no matter what happens to you, then God will not interfere no matter what you do, either. |
| 356 | --> '''Zayin''': !? |
| 357 | --> '''Voice''': Don't force yourself to obey. Were you not born in the name of God? |
| 358 | --> '''Zayin''': ...Well... |
| 359 | --> '''Voice''': By definition, is not whatever you do God's will? |
| 360 | --> '''Zayin''': ...Whatever I do... |
| 361 | --> '''Voice''': Do not try to obey something. Do not try to obey someone. Do not think of God as having just one face. God is not good. God is everything. Everything is God. You too can become a face of God. |
| 362 | --> '''Zayin''': Become...a face of God... |
| 363 | --> '''Voice''': You are not one to be judged and punished. You are the ultimate Temple Knight. As the one closest to God, obey his commands and become the one to mete out the judgment and punishment. |
| 364 | --> '''Zayin''': The judge...and punisher... |
| 365 | --> '''Voice''': Fulfill your role, as the one closer to God, closer than the Center and closer than the Elders. |
| 366 | --> '''Zayin''': My...role...Punisher in God's stead... |
| 367 | ** In ''SMT V'', Tao in her death encounters a mysterious light, who transforms her into Panagia Tao, a goddess of creation who acts on behalf of the Great Will to help a Nahobino claim the Throne of Creation. This affirms how the Great Will is present and can interfere at every level of existence, and that everyone and everything can become "its face", in the right circumstances or conditions. |
| 368 | * GeniusLoci: ''Last Bible'' and ''SMT II'' UpdatedReRelease describe the Great Will as the conscious will of reality itself in which SMT franchise takes place in. As such, the form and the manner its aspects can manifest across all of reality can vary. Tellingly, its most recurring agent YHVH is almost always stated to be a manifestation of order, the forces and laws which govern the world(s) he is operating in. |
| 369 | * TheGhost: A core being in SMT as a whole, yet it never makes direct appearances and is instead generally described through second-hand information from various sources [[UnreliableExpositor with various levels of bias]]. The closest it has been to making an appearance is the few lines spoken in the True Demon ending of ''Nocturne'' which might be from the Great Will. Whether it even ''has'' a physical form is dubious; much like the Abrahamic God it's based on, it's more of an [[YouCannotGraspTheTrueForm incomprehensible omnipresent force]] imperceptible by mortals and thus only appears through comparatively lesser aspects who act as its agents (of which, YHVH is the most prominent one). |
| 370 | * {{God}}: More so than YHVH. |
| 371 | * GodsNeedPrayerBadly: In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'', YHVH claims as long as humanity continues to believe in the salvation of God, the Great Will shall continue to bring him back. |
| 372 | * GreaterScopeVillain: The Great Will is [[TheGhost never encountered in person]], akin to a disembodied will of reality itself. That said, it can be seen as ultimately responsible for the suffering ongoing in story after story, because it set in place the elements which govern and perpetuate the laws of reality in any given world. Most prominently, humans being capable of shaping reality with their thoughts results in the birth of gods and demons, who then seek to oppress or compete with them. ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV'' reveals there are even worlds with "thrones" which not only allows, but ''encourages'' imperfect beings to shape and rule over reality in almost any way they see fit (as Panagia is born to guide Nahobinos into the Throne). |
| 373 | * IHaveManyNames: Broadly speaking, all names belonging to its aspects appearing across universes also refer to itself, meaning all names of YHVH (and a few others such as ''Last Bible'''s) are also names by which the Great Will is referred to. ''Nocturne'' in particular has various characters directly referring to it as God, the Lord, and the Absolute One. |
| 374 | * PowersThatBe: It is repeatedly described as such, across different games and continuities. To subvert the Great Will's designs over a world is to change how reality itself operates, and even then, the new reality is still part of the Great Will -- as shown in ''Last Bible'', ''Nocturne'', and ''V''. |
| 375 | ** In ''Megami Tensei II'', YHVH describes how the entity rules over countless universes, acting in response to aggregates of consciousness across realities. |
| 376 | ** In ''Last Bible'' the cosmic conscious elaborates countless worlds are being born and destroyed as if it is the natural way of things. |
| 377 | ** In ''Nocturne'', Kagutsuchi destroys and recreates universes as part of the Great Will's cosmic design. |
| 378 | ** In ''Raidou Kuzunoha'' games, the Great Will isn't mentioned by name. However, characters such as Lucifer mention how God is setting everything across all timelines in the Akarana Corridor on predetermined paths, and that his interest is to find someone who can create a world free from God's machinations. |
| 379 | ** In the UpdatedRerelease of ''SMT II'' a mysterious voice claims literally ''everything'' is part of God, even individual life and their will. It also tells Zayin to become a face by which God expresses judgment. |
| 380 | ** In ''Strange Journey Redux'', Shekinah is trying to protect the Earth and exterminate humanity on behalf of the Great Will. |
| 381 | ** In ''SMT V'', the Mandala system is set in place by the Great Will to ensure each universe will be destroyed and reborn as its Throne of Creation is claimed by a god who will reshape it in their image. The system also decrees that each god will ''also'' inevitably fall and get replaced by another in an eternal cycle. |
| 382 | * SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' introduces an entity named "大いなる理" (lit. Great Reason/Truth; localized as "The Axiom"), who governs over ''IV'' and ''Apocalypse'' universes, using YHVH as its avatar, and bestowed humanity with the ability to shape reality (and give rise to demons and gods) via Observation. The [[AllThereInTheManual artbook of the game]] further explains Stephen became a transcendent entity capable of moving between different continuities because of comprehending a small part of it. This makes it unclear if the Axiom is supposed to be another name for the Great Will or a distinct entity with similar influence over the many different continuities within the ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' franchise. |
| 383 | * UnreliableExpositor: Inverted, being a constant subject of this rather than the expositor themselves. As it is an abstract entity whose influence over reality are incomprehensibly vast and metaphysical, numerous characters over the franchise have wildly differing views on what the Great Will even is, let alone its intentions; given the personal philosophies and varying levels of trustworthiness of the expositors, their interpretations are questionable at best. |
| 384 | [[/folder]] |
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FollowingContext Characters / ShinMegamiTenseiForcesOfLaw
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