Sandalphon

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura (Japanese), Howard Wang (English)

To think that we once used to be enemies... Fate is a funny thing.

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1000011630.png

The Fifth Primarch

^{"What Makes the Sky Blue" 1 Event Appearance}

^{Event Welfare Appearance}

^{”The Maydays” Summer Version}

^{Earth Version (Fantasy Grand)}

^{Valentine Version}

Rarity: SSR
Element: Light (Event and Grand), Water (Summer ver.), Earth (Fantasy Grand), Wind (Valentine ver.)
Style: Attack (Grand), Balanced (Welfare, Summer, and Valentine ver.), Special (Fantasy Grand)
Weapon Specialty: Sabre+Katana
Charge Attack: Ain Soph Aur \ Paradise Lost (Light 5★ upgrade with "White Wing" buff and Grand ver.)

An archangel created at the direction of the Astrals long ago, Sandalphon was born with but one purpose - to replace Lucifer should the latter fail in his duties as the Supreme Primarch. As Lucifer was considered an incredible success, however, Sandalphon was in turn considered completely worthless and was kept around almost solely due to Lucifer's whim and kindness. Furious, he joined Astaroth and a number of other archangels (including Azazel and Olivia) in rebelling against the Astrals, only to be imprisoned within the tower of Pandemonium. Millennia later, having stewed in his hatred and bitterness for all that time, a chance occurrence on the island of Zinkenstill results in the seals of Pandemonium weakening just enough for a few of the trapped angels to escape - Sandalphon among their number. After two thousand years, Sandalphon prepares to take his vengeance, but he has no idea what fate truly has in store for him and the role he will end up playing.

Debuting as the central antagonist of the event "What Makes The Sky Blue" in 2017, Sandalphon was originally intended as a simple one-off villain for an anniversary event. His popularity with the players, however, caused Cygames to turn WMTSB into a trilogy of events, with him starring in both the second and third parts.

Sandalphon became a playable event character (Light) in 2018's "What Makes The Sky Blue II: Paradise Lost." He received a Summer unit in 2019 and a (Grand) version during the December 28th, 2020 Flash Gala update. He also received a Valentine's unit in 2023.

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11th-Hour Superpower: The white plume carried by Lyria ^note in Etemenanki shines bright as Sandalphon finally desires to save the world of his own free will - not in atonement for his sins, and not solely to fulfill the role given to him. This gives him the strength and 12 wings to match Lucilius.
Adaptational Nice Guy: Post-"Paradise Lost" Sandalphon is usually depicted as being nicer in the 4-komas than he actually is in the game before his Character Development really began to shift his attitude.
Affably Evil:
- During WTMSB1, he had generally been courteous to whomever he was talking to, but drops that act when Lyria reveals bits of what she sees from his memories. And when he pushes the protagonist off the edge of an island, for that matter.
- Inverted to a degree when he joins the party, where he's on the side of good... and doesn't hesitate to make insulting remarks.
All Your Powers Combined: His original plan in WTMSB1 is to invoke this by taking the wings of the four Primarchs for himself. It is integrated into the original event's Extreme+ difficulty raid by having him randomly deal elemental damage each turn from the four elements of Wind, Earth, Water, and Fire and having no elemental weakness. He was the first boss to be of the "Null" element which has these traits.
- His (Grand) version gives him the ability to steal and utilize elements beyond his Earth based powers.
- This also applies to his event version's 5★ uncap, at least visually, with his wings and charge attack having the appearance of four elements, signifying that he has accepted his role as the Sky Realm's new Supreme Primarch.
Almighty Janitor: As the current Supreme Primarch, he is the strongest primal in all of the Granblue Fantasy universe at 12 wings, six of which he inherited from the former Supreme Primarch Lucifer, and 4 bestowed upon him by the tetra-element Primarchs in "000". While he stands as this, when he’s not out protecting the Sky Realm to fulfill his promise with Lucifer, he’s peacefully running a coffee shop onboard the Grandcypher.
Ambiguously Gay: If his relationship with Lucifer and his (current) seeming lack of romantic interest in any of the other characters is any indication, he may either be this or Single-Target Sexuality with Lucifer as the target. The scenario writer for all of the What Makes The Sky Blue related events has confirmed that Lucifer and Sandalphon’s relationship is symbolic of various types of love, with romantic love being included in that, so it's possible.
- Keep in mind, though, that Nezha notes in "Primal Resonance" that Primals don’t perceive things in quite the same way humans do, which means that they may simply not factor gender into their attractions the way many humans do.
Ambiguous Situation: It's ambiguous as to what the endgame for his destructive rampage was meant to be if he wasn't foiled by Gabriel and the crew. While he claims he intended to destroy the sky realm because it was what Lucifer loved, it's made clear during his Villainous Breakdown and eventual Grand fate episodes that he was causing mass destruction primarily to get Lucifer's attention, as he felt Lucifer wouldn't come down to see him in any other scenario. As well, it's unknown what he planned to do if Lucifer had come down to stop him himself. Judging by his reaction to Lucifer's death in "Paradise Lost", as well as his own feelings for Lucifer that he had been trying to deny after rebelling, he clearly didn't intend to kill him, leaving it up in the air as to what his goal was: a suicide mission, another opportunity to see Lucifer again before being resealed in Pandemonium, or something else entirely.
Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: In "What Makes The Sky Blue" after taking the wings of the other Primarchs, he grows in size to the point where he’s even bigger than the Grandcypher.
The Atoner: He believes that accepting Sierokarte's tourist requests is a way for him to make up for what he did to her in the past. During the “The Maydays” summer event, he says to the crew that until he is reunited with Lucifer again, he will have to make amends where amends need to be made. At the end of "The Maydays", Sandalphon acknowledges that his attacks from past years have caused incalculable damage to the island (referencing his rampage in "What Makes The Sky Blue"). However, the District Chief is easily willing to forgive his past mistakes after he saves the island from the Shark Frenzy.
Animal Motifs: While not overt outside of the 4-komas, his default wings are far more similar to a bird’s than the other Primarchs', being brown with a pattern that resembles that of a house sparrow. A flashback in his second Skill Fate episode has him point out some birds he saw that reminded him of himself and Lucifer, with one having brown feathers and the other having white.
Art Evolution: While this applies to the whole game, you can see the drastic shift in the games art style over the years when comparing his original What Makes The Sky Blue story art◊ to his (Grand) art◊, as the player is given the option to use either. The transition from the story art to the default Grand art is rather jarring in the fate episode itself due to how differently Sandalphon looks despite being the same character.
Battle Aura: The ground he is standing on glows blue when his Charge Bar is full.
Beam Spam: Both his "Ain Soph Aur" and "Paradise Lost" charge attacks are this.
Berserk Button: Pretty much anyone he doesn’t like talking about Lucifer, or "sullying his name" as he would say. and if you’re Lucio, simply looking like Lucifer is his berserk button as well. It eventually turns into Lucio not treating Lucifer’s face with respect that pisses him off.
Berserker Tears: He has these in his (Grand) uncap art.
Bookends: In WMTSB1 it was he who pushed the Captain off a cliff and sent them plummeting through the skies, with the crew having to save them. At the end of WMTSB3, Sandalphon reappears from the dimensional rift plummeting through the sky with Gran/Djeeta et. al. managing to save him at the last minute.
Bond One-Liner:
- Just before shoving the Captain off the edge of an island, Sandalphon shouts "Have a safe trip!".
- Says "Checkmate" to Lucilius, fitting for the trilogy's Chess Motifs.
Breaking Old Trends: He’s the first character in the game to receive two Grand versions. His Earth version for Flash Gala and his Light version for Premium Gala.
Breakout Character: One of the biggest ones that the game has ever had, which is a pretty huge accomplishment considering he's a male character in a game with a predominantly male playerbase (at least in 2017). In fact, it was his popularity that made Word of God far more open to giving male characters more attention. While "What Makes The Sky Blue" was originally an event that was supposed to touch on Lyria's issues, with Sandalphon existing as a Foil who would not return once the event concluded, he ended up being so popular with the playerbase that Cygames turned the original event into a trilogy, with the two events that followed centering on him as the protagonist and promoting him to being playable. Sandalphon received a Summer event and Summer unit mere months after "000" ended in 2019 - these would become the set-ups for more events and sub-plotlines that would involve him. In the seven years since "What Makes The Sky Blue" first debuted, he has received five units (Event, Summer, two Grand units, and Valentine's) and is one of the few characters to receive a 5-Star uncap the quickest (received a year after he became playable). And these are only some of his in-game accomplishments thus far!
Boobs-and-Butt Pose: His cafe skin's SD sprite does this, imitating the pose seen in the Granblue Fest 2020 art.
Brutal Honesty: In "The Maydays" event, Sandalphon explictly says that he is against Sariel's personal goal of finding Belial since it would mean releasing Sandalphon's two greatest enemies. And if worse comes to worst, Sandalphon will have to stop Sariel himself.
Bungled Suicide: Sandalphon planned to die to fulfill his promise with the intention of joining Lucifer in the afterlife, with these thoughts carrying over into the final chapters of "000". It's implied with him attempting to send the others away in their final fight with Lucilius that he intended to die right there, but the crew stays with him and helps him finish Lucilius off instead, making this trope come into play.
Bury Your Gays: Almost the case for him, as he contemplated sacrificing himself to join Lucifer in the afterlife before being talked out of it by Lyria and his friends. Even then, it wasn't an easy decision for him to make.
But Not Too Gay: The reason his relationship with Lucifer has been ambiguous and debated for years is that, unlike many of the straight pairings in the setting, and despite showing how close and attached the two were to each other, and how Sandalphon talks about Lucifer, the story never explicitly states the nature of their feelings for each other or frames any of their direct interactions in a way that could be interpreted as inherently romantic, leaving the players to look to supplementary material and gauge the roundabout way Sandalphon (and others) says he loved Lucifer without actually using the words "I love/loved him". As well, despite his lingering feelings, Sandalphon bio doesn't list Lucifer as one of his "Likes", unlike many straight pairings and even a few woman/woman pairings. This is in contrast to Raziel, another of Lucifer's creations, who is also strongly implied to have feelings for him and has him in hers.
Butt-Monkey: Frequently the butt of the crew's jokes and trolling, much to his dismay.
Call-Back: In the first "What Makes The Sky Blue" event, Sandalphon stole the wings of the four Primarchs, effectively taking the powers of the tetra-elements for himself and making him a formidable foe. In the sequel, he later inherits the Supreme Primarch's wings and powers in order to take down Avatar for good. When Belial enhances himself with Avatar's powers in WMTSB3, Michael allows Sandalphon to possess the wings of the four Primarchs once again, along with the Supreme Primarch's wings, so that he can match Belial's newfound strength.
The Cameo: He cameos in Doraemon's◊ uncap art, despite not making an appearance in the event proper or his Skill Fate episodes.
Catch a Falling Star: Or "Catch a Falling Angel" in Sandalphon's situation. The Grandcypher manages to catch him just in time as he plummets through the skies after using the attack "Paradise Lost" and the last of Lucifer's power (at that particular time).
Catchphrase: "Nonsense". Surprisingly, it's preserved in English and actually works in English, too.
Character Development: The biggest one outside of some of the main characters, perhaps even moreso than the main characters. He goes from angsty teenager throwing a temper tantrum to someone beloved by all who is willing to make a Heroic Sacrifice, and it took two real life years to get there.By "000", he swallows his pride and willingly reconciles with Lucifer, conquering all the lingering regrets toward him that developed during "Paradise Lost," so that he can finally live for himself with the promise of returning to Lucifer one day.
- According to Sophia (Water)'s Fate Episode, Sandalphon has grown calmer, at least in regards to accepting his past and learning from it rather than viewing it bitterly. He also gives her a bit of advice for her journey despite not agreeing with the stance she's taken, particularly in regards to the Astrals.
Character Select Forcing: Surprisingly averted, considering other characters get this treatment in Story Mode and Events. If you've played the "Paradise Lost" event and acquired him as a playable character, you can have him in your party when you play back through the first "What Makes The Sky Blue" event under "Side Stories" despite him being the event's primary antagonist. This makes for a hilarious case of Stop Hitting Yourself when you face him as a boss, and it's even better when you consider that after getting three of the Primarchs' wings and becoming almost as powerful as Lucifer, he says that the only one who can hurt him is himself.
Chastity Couple: They're more star-crossed (implied) lovers than anything else, but his feelings for Lucifer are innocent and emotional, rather than physical or sexual. The same can be said for Lucifer's feelings towards him.
Clone Angst: Backup angst, rather.
Combat Stilettos: It's not easily noticeable, but in his playable version's base artwork, a closer inspection of his feet reveals that he wears heeled shoes. His skins and official art reveal that he always wears heels, regardless of the outfit. Even in his summer outfit, as revealed in "The Maydays".
Continuity Nod:
- One of the dialogue choices that you can choose when talking to Sandalphon in WMTSB3 is "Your fingers are delicate", allowing you to guilt-trip him by throwing back his own words spoken when he once pushed the Captain off a cliff.
- In "The Maydays", Sandalphon remembers that he attacked Sierokarte in WMTSB1, so now he thinks of her tourist favors to him as debts to be paid.
*Cough* Snark *Cough*: When he gives his suggestion to the marine committee in "The Maydays" by slipping a letter into the meeting and having the Captain read it in his stead.
Cough, cough! Read! Cough! The solution! Cough!
Crazy Jealous Guy: Originally introduced as an antagonist who was willing to destroy the world just because he perceived it as being more dear to Lucifer than he was. After his Character Development he graduates from this to being a bit clingy, with his jealousy still being present but far less intense.
- If Lucio (Summer)'s fate episodes are any indication, he does not like the idea of other people being attracted to Lucifer's face.
- There’s also an instance in the Q-Pot collab drama track story in which Sandalphon seeks out Lucifer upon noticing that he’s speaking to the customer directly (something Sandalphon states Lucifer rarely does) and intrudes on their conversation, as if jealous that Lucifer was paying attention to someone else.
A Day in the Limelight: The later "What Makes the Sky Blue" events are more or less centered around him: the second part explores his relationship with Lucifer in detail and depicts how he himself becomes Supreme Primarch, while the third deals with his newfound responsibilities.
- The "Maydays" summer event has him as a leading character again, as a sort of continuation of the “What Makes The Sky Blue” trilogy that sets up for future events such as the return of Lucilius and Belial, the potential revival of Lucifer, and the promises given by Word of God for the event detailing just who and what Beelzebub is.
Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life: All Sandalphon ever wanted was to know what purpose he was created for, so that he could be useful to Lucifer. He eventually found out that he was intended to be Lucifer's "spare" in case Lucifer ever became incapacitated, but Lucifer had turned out so well that Lucilius - his creator - decided that a spare was no longer necessary. Lucilius went on to declare Sandalphon "useless scrap" and said that he would be "disposed of" at a later time. Naturally, Sandalphon snapped. Of course, the bigger kicker comes from finding out he's not nearly so useless after all, except that now he's adrift, unsure how to fulfill his new duties, and with Lucifer no longer there to guide him.
- By the end of "WMTSB3", he does find a purpose: to protect the Sky Realm, not because of any obligation or duty, but because he wants to.
Dislikes the New Guy: After "000", Lucio appears to be a permanent addition to the Primarch-aligned characters' inner circle, as he appears in "The Maydays," which exists as a Breather Episode for the angels after the events of "000", and then shows up again in "Tower of Babyl", though he doesn't directly interact with the crew. Sandalphon isn't entirely happy about this due to Lucio's antics.
Don't You Dare Pity Me!: His reaction to Lucifer's initial apology in WMTSB1. Because for him, it's far too late for Lucifer to apologize. Later on, of course, he bitterly regrets having said this, as he lost his chance to take it back.
Doppelgänger Gets Same Sentiment: Averted in all cases. Despite the fact that there are two other characters in the Sky Realm who resemble Lucifer (excluding Yuni's vague resemblance), Sandalphon treats them differently from him.
- As far as the players are shown, Sandalphon has always been hostile toward Lucilius. Justified in that Lucilius is evil and has Lucifer's body.
- Also averted with Lucio, who resembles Lucifer and sounds very similar to him, but when Sandalphon learned that they aren't the same person, his attitude toward him immediately turned hostile, and he began policing him about “disgracing” Lucifer's face. The two eventually come to an agreement in Lucio (Summer)'s fate episode, where Sandalphon agrees to treat Lucio as his own individual person separate from Lucifer, but he still has an attitude toward him because of Lucio's The Gadfly tendencies and does not view him with even a smidgen of the same affection and care as he did/does Lucifer. From Sandalphon’s perspective, Lucio is an ally at best and an annoyance at worst.
Dull Eyes of Unhappiness: In his Earth Grand unit art, his eyes lack shine to them.
Easily Forgiven:
- Ends up being a bit zig-zagged; various characters, including most of the crew, in "What Makes The Sky Blue: Paradise Lost" make it clear that he's not going to be forgiven that easily. Lyria and Vyrn, though - true to form - warm up to him quite fast and are willing to let bygones be bygones. (Lyria, at least, is assisted by having a much deeper understanding of his pain than most others, both due to having some access to his feelings and memories thanks to her powers, and simply because she feels she understands where he's coming from due to also not really understanding what her purpose is.) By the time of "WMTSB3: 000", it's gotten to the point where Vyrn is willing to casually sit on his head and Lyria will poke through his things.
- It's played straight in the case of Lucifer, who doesn't seem angry or even bothered by the fact that he attempted to destroy the Sky Realm. In fact, Lucifer ends up being the apologetic one upon realizing he was partially the cause of the Start of Darkness that eventually led Sandalphon to that point. This doesn't go unnoticed, as Sandalphon is both taken aback and distraught by Lucifer being so easily forgiving of him, feeling as though his centuries of preparation for revenge were for naught.
Embarrassing Hobby: He writes poetry about Lucifer in his spare time, something Vyrn, Lyria and later Lucio tease him for much to his chagrin. Whenever he’s outed for his hobby, he reacts similarly to a schoolgirl who just had her diary read.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: For as much as he said he hated Lucifer in "What Makes The Sky Blue", it was clear to everyone that there were still feelings there - to the point that Vyrn, and eventually Lyria, call him out on it. Despite still being confused about and/or attempting to deny his feelings, Lucifer's death is the catalyst that sends him on a Roaring Rampage of Revenge and is a contributing factor to his eventual Heel–Face Turn.
Everyone Can See It: Damn near everyone that knows him can tell he has special feelings for Lucifer and while most are supportive of it, the villains in the story tend to use it against him. Lucio, who isn’t a villain, also is The Gadfly about it.

F-N

Failed a Spot Check: Both humorously and dramatically averted, as he is the only one who seems to notice or care that Lucio looks exactly like Lucifer. It affects him negatively, as he can't deal with Lucio having Lucifer's face and "not treating it with respect", which causes a rift between them. Lucio (Summer)'s fate episodes imply that that he will eventually begin to treat Lucio like his own person, though Lucio's The Gadfly tendencies will most likely cause them to graduate to Vitriolic Best Buds tier in due time.
Fantastic Racism: He viewed Skyfarers as lowly ants, lesser than even a purposeless archangel like himself, which is why it angered him that they had roles while he didn't. He gets better.
Fish out of Temporal Water: Played With. Despite being sealed away inside Pandemonium for 2000 years and not making any contact with the outside world during that time, Sandalphon adjusts to being on the outside fairly quickly. He briefly acknowledges how the world hasn't changed much in his absence after first getting out, as in the sky is the same blue that Lucifer loved. He gets angry over it, and then later talks about how the skies have evolved and wonders if it was to Lucifer's liking. The changing times don't appear to have affected him in any other way.
Flanderization: Sandalphon's interest in coffee. It started off as something he would mention off-handedly in "What Makes the Sky Blue", with it not being treated as anything particularly meaningful. After "Paradise Lost", however, coffee has become integral to his character due to the meaning that was applied to it for him as Lucifer was the one who invented it and got him to like it. Outside of battles, it's rare for him to have prolonged conversations with anyone where coffee isn't alluded to in some way, especially since he runs a cafe onboard the Grandcypher.
Flower Motifs: His Grand weapon's charge attack's name is "Vernus", which is another name for a particular species of Crocus flower (the charge attack animation actually blooms into that flower). While crocuses in general are associated with re-awakenings and triumph over adversity, the purple flowers in particular have also been used to symbolize affection, romantic love, passion, and deep emotion - possibly owing to a Greek myth in which a mortal youth named Crocus was transformed into the flower after he committed suicide upon being made unable to fulfill his love for the woman he so greatly desired. With that and his connected fate episodes in mind, this flower was likely meant to symbolize Sandalphon's unvalidated feelings toward Lucifer, among other things.
Flying Weapon: He uses floating swords (which are as tall as him) during combat. In his playable version, he has two of them which strike the enemy following his single sword slash upon dealing a double or triple attack. "Ain Soph Aur" manifests all four of them to fire the attack.
Foil:
- Was originally one for Lyria in the first part of the trilogy, before he became the main character in parts two and three.
- To Belial. Both primals are loyal to their respective creators/superiors (Lucifer/Lucilius), but while Sandalphon eventually redeems himself and makes amends with all the people he’s hurt, Belial remains evil for the entire duration of the event, after deciding that Good Is Boring. They also share the same fighting style of utilizing up to four floating swords, with the difference being that Sandalphon's are blue-purple while Belial's are crimson-red. Both even have a signature Beam Spam ability - "Ain Soph Aur" for Sandalphon and "Anagenesis" for Belial.
- Sandalphon and Sariel both have a question and a wish that they want to have answered by their mentors, who also have opposing goals (Lucifer and Belial). While Sandalphon found his resolve by the end of the WMTSB trilogy, Sariel is still searching for his own. As well, because he sympathizes with Sariel’s desire to see Belial again like he wishes to be reunited with Lucifer, he proceeds to allow Sariel to seek out the dimensional rift even if it means Sariel potentially bringing Belial - and by proxy Lucilius - back to become threats to the Sky Realm once more.
- He’s this to Lucilius in 000. They both devise plans to destroy the Sky Realm in order to spite a higher power (Lucifer in Sandalphon’s case; Bahamut in Lucilius') with it also being in an effort to be noticed by them. They both have complicated feelings for Lucifer, were both created to be “replacements” for their more powerful predecessors, and are both at different ends of the "good" and "evil" spectrum. However, unlike Sandalphon, who does a Heel–Face Turn and ends up aiding the Sky Realm in Lucifer’s stead, Lucilius remains bitter and is sealed away.
- He is also this to Lucifer himself, even down to appearance. Lucifer has blue eyes and light/white hair, whereas Sandalphon has red eyes and dark/brown hair. Lucifer is tall, handsome, and masculine in appearance, whereas Sandalphon is shorter and slender, with more recent art focusing on making him look softer and prettier and putting a lot of emphasis on his slender legs. The contrast is most visible in Sandalphon's Grand Light art◊ and Lucifer's 6 star uncap◊, which both strike similar poses but have distinct vibes. They also contrast each other in terms of personality; Sandalphon is emotional and emotion-driven, which influences the majority of his actions even after character development, whereas Lucifer is generally stoic and objective on most matters, allowing him to do things that he admits are unpleasant but ultimately necessary.
Forgiven, but Not Forgotten: In Chapter 2 and in the ending of "What Makes the Sky Blue III: 000", you can potentially guilt trip him by echoing what he said to Gran/Djeeta before he pushed them off the edge of an island. While Gran/Djeeta meant it in an almost playful way, Sandalphon's reaction shows that he does feel guilty for it. Vyrn continues to tease him about this in “The Maydays.”
Gameplay and Story Integration:
- A Scripted Battle in "What Makes The Sky Blue: Paradise Lost" has Sandalphon going one-on-one with Avatar. This is the only instance where Sandalphon has the six wings of the Supreme Primarch visible in his in-game sprite and NPC artwork. He also has a unique Charge Attack where he unleashes Paradise Lost for 10 million damage, instantly killing the boss. After he uses this ability, the six wings disintegrate and all other subsequent battles using Sandalphon will have him revert to his original brown wings and his Ain Soph Aur.
- While at first it seems as though it was Gameplay and Story Segregation due to Sandalphon being a Light element boss in his raid version, Grand Sandalphon being Earth makes sense as Uriel was his first victim when he went on a wing-stealing rampage. This is referenced in his first Skill Fate episode.
- Unlike his (Event) version, which only deals out Light-based attacks, and his (Summer) version, which only attacks in Water, (Grand) Sandalphon is able to steal elements from bosses and enemy units, giving him the ability to use said stolen element (or elements as he can have multiple at a time) as a sub-attack. This is a reference to him stealing the tetra-elements from the Primarchs in "What Makes The Sky Blue".
- Given that Sandalphon is still the enemy of the Sky Realm in his (Grand) version, his third skill gives him the ability to take away buffs from his allies.
- His (Grand) version doesn’t have any seasonal dialogue, due to it being the version of him that was the enemy. Interestingly, he does still have birthday dialogue unique to that version.
- Sandalphon (Summer) is an underwhelming unit despite him still being the Supreme Primarch in "The Maydays". However, this is justified as Sandalphon is shown to only be using his base Primarch wings (in water this time), making him Willfully Weak in this form.
- To uncap Sandalphon (Event) to 5*, the player needs to use the White Feather that can only be obtained from "What Makes The Sky Blue: 000". This is a reference to his Supreme Primarch powers being activated by the feather Lyria had been carrying with her once his resolve to protect the Sky Realm finally shines through.
Gameplay and Story Segregation:
- Despite gaining the four elemental Primarch wings in his 5* uncap, Sandalphon is a Light element SSR unit and can only deal light-based attacks - a difference from his Extreme+ raid boss from the first event, which was Null element and could deal damage in any element. Justified in that a playable character being Null element outside of the MC or Lyria would be too overpowered.
- Sandalphon (Event) isn't nearly as powerful as he should be lore-wise, given that by his 5* uncap he has 12 wings and is the strongest primal in existence by Lucio's own words and 000's standards. While it's shown that he is incredibly powerful in the various scripted battles, it doesn't translate to his actual unit or kit, which is at its most useful for early game content and can easily be replaced by more powerful Light Gacha units by mid to late game.
- Despite being a light-based boss in "What Makes The Sky Blue" and retaining his default wings in his (Grand) version, (Grand) Sandalphon cannot deal light damage. His ability to steal and deal elemental damage is only limited to the tetra-elements. His (Grand) weapon description implies that the Light element was deliberately left out, as it says that he is so blinded by revenge that he cannot see the light that lingers by his side.
- Despite having the ability to steal all the tetra-elements, his "Elemental Friction" debuff can only turn non-water enemies into Water, which is weak to Earth - his element as a (Grand). None of his other units have this ability.
- An instance that applies to a Scripted Battle: In "000", Sandalphon, in his last stand against Lucilius, is supposed to be fully powered, harnessing the power of the the tetra-element Primarchs and Lucifer's power, giving him 12-wings. It's been established that with 12 wings, he's the strongest primal in existence. He was able to take down Lucilius with these powers (and the help of the Captain and Lyria, even though they are notably weaker against him compared to Sandalphon). Come a scripted battle featuring Lucifer in "Created by the Stars, Loved by the Skies", and Sandalphon's own power with 12 wings doesn't come close to how absurdly powerful Lucifer's depicted as being, as his health is 666000 (Sandalphon's max health was 32k depending on the chapter) and his charge attack alone is able to do close to 60 million in damage to Bahamut (while Sandalphon's capped at around 10 million). It's also worth noting that Lucifer wasn't even using his full power here, as he was trying to gain information from Bahamut through combat rather than trying to kill him. It's unknown if this was an intentional inconsistency.
Ghost Memory: Sandalphon also inherited Lucifer's memories when the Supreme Primarch's wings were passed onto him. However, he can only see them when he sleeps and views the flashbacks like an outside observer.
Gratuitous Foreign Language: His Charge Attack "Ain Soph Aur", which he even shouts while casting. It is derived from the Hebrew "Ohr Ein Sof", which means "infinite light".
Green-Eyed Monster: Sandalphon was envious of the Sky Realm because of the affection Lucifer held for it, believing that Lucifer loved the Sky Realm above all else. Because Sandalphon felt he had no place in Lucifer's beloved sky, and because he despised that it continued on even in his absence, he wanted to destroy it and anything else Lucifer held dear to him.
- Another part of the reason for his rampage, as further explored in his Grand Fate Episodes, was his bitterness toward not having a purpose while everyone else did, including mortals. Learning that they, whom he believed to be as low as ants, were given roles led him to try to kill some Skyfarers who were attempting to help people evacuate.
Gilded Cage: The research lab gardens were this for him. While the area is treated as his and Lucifer's special place, Sandalphon wasn't allowed to come and go as he pleased, usually being stuck there until Lucifer returned from his missions.
Hates Everyone Equally: In the profile for his (Grand) version, his dislike section says that he dislikes "everything in the world".
Heel–Face Turn: Was once the major antagonist of the first "What Makes The Sky Blue" event. His previous mistakes forgiven by the main cast, Sandalphon manages to have a change in perspective, allowing him to fulfill the role he was meant to do.
Hellish Pupils: Though they're initially hard to see due to his Dull Eyes of Unhappiness, when the shine returns to his eyes in his CD skin and Summer unit, he is shown to have white pupils similarly to Lucifer and was the only other Primal, archangel or otherwise, to have eyes like this until Yuni was introduced. In both cases, it is to signify their connection to Lucifer, who was the first character to have eyes like this.
Heroic Sacrifice: Was willing to go as far as to die fulfilling his promise to Lucifer so he could join him in the afterlife, but after they reconcile he decides to stay with the crew.
Humanizing Tears: He cries in his (Grand) uncap art, but it's more Berkserker Tears than anything else. He also cries in the bonus art for his summer unit, albeit mixed with water◊.
I Can't Believe a Guy Like You Would Notice Me: It’s shown in his flashbacks that he had this viewpoint toward Lucifer, who would make it a daily ritual to visit Sandalphon in the garden so that they could have coffee together. When Lucifer muses aloud on why he’s compelled to naturally visit Sandalphon in that place, Sandalphon asks if Lucifer hates spending time with him. Though Lucifer vaguely denies that, it only adds to Sandalphon’s building insecurities.
I Choose to Stay: Planned to perform a Heroic Sacrifice to fulfil his promise to Lucifer and join him in the afterlife, but chooses to stay with the crew in the end. Despite this, he still talks about reuniting with Lucifer eventually.
Iconic Item: His purple and gold coffee cups. Initially shown in his White Day CG◊, they’re now heavily associated with his character and Lucifer, by extension, due to it being revealed through the “Ain Soph Aur” MV and various Lucifer and Sandalphon merchandise that came later that those are the cups he and Lucifer used when they had coffee together in the Garden, adding sentimental value to them. It’s unclear how he got them in present day, however.
Insecure Love Interest: Heavily implied love interest, but still. According to flashbacks, Sandalphon's insecurities about Lucifer extended beyond just feeling like a nobody because of his lack of a role; he also started to think that Lucifer didn't enjoy being with him, even though Lucifer made an effort to see him every day after work.
I Know You Know I Know: Invoked as he says "And now you know that I know that you knew what I knew. What nonsense."
Image Song: "Ain Soph Aur". A song detailing his feelings during "What Makes The Sky Blue II: Paradise Lost", of all the things he can’t say to Lucifer.
Implied Love Interest: He's one to Lucifer and vice versa. Before Word of God came out and confirmed that their relationship did indeed have romantic elements, it was ambiguous as to what their feelings for each other were (though some semi-vague items did point it in the direction of being at least semi-romantic, such as Sandalphon's whole "Yandere for Lucifer" phase and the fact that he's stated to "long for Lucifer", among other things). After it was confirmed that their feelings for each other were at least partially romantic, they graduated to holding the status of Star-Crossed Lovers due to Lucifer's current predicament.
Inadequate Inheritor: How Michael initially views the recently-made Supreme Primarch Sandalphon, due to his Leeroy Jenkins tendencies and attitude of wanting to fight alone without the need for allies. She later changes this perception rather quickly in the finale event of the trilogy when Sandalphon drops his Leeroy Jenkins mentality.
Instant Runes: A magic circle / rune appears behind him as he uses Ain Soph Aur. He also summons three runes above himself when he uses Paradise Lost.
In the Hood: In his first appearance in "What Makes the Sky Blue", Sandalphon kept his face hidden underneath a hood.
Irony:
- His entire character arc is filled with this. In his first appearance during the first "What Makes the Sky Blue" event, his Evil Plan was to steal the wings of the four Primarchs in order to cause a calamity so that he could challenge Lucifer and prove that he was more than just a redundant spare to him. Over the next two parts, he ends up not only fulfilling his not-so-redundant role after Lucifer is killed, but also ends up being given all four Primarchs' wings on top of the Supreme Primarch's powers in order to stop an even greater calamity.
- Being an angel, and the Supreme Primarch at that, one would think that Sandalphon is used to flying a lot, no matter the speed. But during the events of WMTSB3, he gets airsick and pukes when he rides on the Grandcypher - in particular, as it ascends toward Etemenanki in a spiraling pattern. The other crew members tend to invoke this trope as well, because they didn't expect that he of all people would get airsick while the other ordinary Skyfarers did not.
It's All About Me: His initial mindset in “What Makes The Sky Blue”, though he eventually regrets having this mindset in "000" after finding out how Lucifer felt during the rebellion.
Jerkass: In a game with largely redeemable and ultimately misguided villains, Sandalphon in "WTMSB1" stands out as a petty, childish antagonist who wreaked havoc on the world solely because he was created without an immediate purpose - and rather than trying to find one of his own, decided to throw a Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum instead. Even after defeat by the crew, he immediately takes advantage of the protagonist's trusting nature by feigning honor and then attempting to murder them in cold blood, laughing triumphantly about how he wants to see a world which doesn't need him burn. However...
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: At his core, though, Sandalphon actually still really cares what Lucifer thinks of him and holds their time together dear, and he's still very capable of caring for others - it's to the point that Lyria can see it, as noted below. The problem is that the crew has to cut through two millennia of bitterness and lack of self-worth to even begin to see the gold underneath. Even in his Fate Episodes upon joining the crew, there's still a way to go. By the time of "000", though, it seems the worst of the grime is finally starting to come off.
Karma Houdini: He sent the protagonist plummeting downwards through the skies in the first part of "What Makes the Sky Blue". Near the end of "Paradise Lost", casting the eponymous ability disintegrates his wings, and he himself plummets through the skies. But he doesn't receive the full amount of karma for what he did to Gran/Djeeta at that time, as the Grandcypher arrives to break his fall. He plummets yet again at the end of "000", with the Captain personally saving him once more - at this point, he verbally invokes karma and points out the captain's potential chance at vengeance.
Is this the time for jokes? For a moment I thought you were finally going to get your revenge!
- In a way, he does get his karma for all the trouble he's caused, as he's forced to live with the reality that he caused the death of Lucifer, who was always shown to be someone he loved deeply. Over the course of the angel-related stories, he's reminded that it's his fault and he's forced to live with the memories of Lucifer's demise for as long as he carries the wings of the Supreme Primarch. He's still grieving Lucifer long after it happened as well, and is a long way from moving on from it emotionally, if he ever will.
Last Chance Hit Point: His second passive, "The Promise", allows him to survive an otherwise fatal turn with 1 HP.
Leeroy Jenkins: Michael calls out Sandalphon's attempt at recklessness when he plans to take on the wall of Pandemonium alone, just because he wrongfully believes he's already mastered the Supreme Primarch's powers and therefore doesn't have to involve anyone else. He later snaps out of it, though.
Like Brother and Sister: By the time of "What Makes The Sky Blue: 000", he's developed this dynamic with Lyria, who calls him "big brother" as a way to tease him. As well, while they never explicitly define their relationship as sibling-like, he appears to have this sort of rapport with the protagonist, who also teases him like a younger sibling would.
Lost in Translation: Regarding Sandalphon's feelings for the protagonist, Lyria, and Vyrn in his Light Grand Fate episodes, Ladiva specifically refers to them as "大事な人 (Daijina Hito)"; however, she refers to Lucifer as "大切な人 (Taisetsuna Hito)". The translations of these into English is just Sandalphon's loved ones, but that is only partly true. The reason is that "大切な人," which is used for Lucifer, can mean one's significant other, family, or any other absolutely essential, special person in one's life, whereas "大事な人," which is more detached, can mean any person who is important to you, further emphasizing that the way Sandalphon views Lucifer vs the way he views his friends is different.
Love Makes You Evil: His feelings of wanting to be loved and needed by Lucifer after learning that he was a merely a backup for him is one of the reasons he was driven to villainy.
Meaningful Echo: He says a variant of Lyria's "Now it's my turn... I will save you" before he rescues a falling Lyria near the end of the trilogy, drawing a parallel◊ to the events of the first "What Makes The Sky Blue".
Misplaced Retribution: Though he was never able to go through with it, he wanted to exact revenge on Lucifer for being created to be his backup in case he failed, and who would ultimately never be put to use because Lucifer didn’t need a backup. While his existential dread is reasonable, his anger at Lucifer seems misdirected, as it was Lucilius who deemed him useless and planned to get rid of him. Lucifer, on the other hand, was more or less innocent and was just as taken aback as Sandalphon was at the reveal of his purpose. His only faults were being fine with Sandalphon lacking a purpose (something he admits to later), and being blissfully oblivious to his glaring insecurities. It’s later revealed that his wanting revenge had less to do with Lucifer’s role in his Start of Darkness and more to do with his desire to be loved and feel needed by Lucifer.^note
Morality Pet: Lyria, Vyrn, and eventually the protagonist become this to him over the course of the "What Makes The Sky Blue" saga as he learns the true power of friendship.
Must Have Caffeine: He appears to be quite fond of coffee after trying some, to the point of offering it to the party. In fact, when the party sees him inside the cocoon, Sandalphon states that he'd been brewing coffee for as long as he can remember. His Fate Episodes reveal that it was Lucifer who made him come to like coffee. At the end of "000", he decides to open a cafe onboard the Grandcypher at Lyria and Vyrn's urging. His coffee shop is on its way to being opened after some training from Sierokarte in “The Maydays”.
Sandalphon: I care for my coffee trees. I harvest the fruit they bear, extract the beans, roast them, brew coffee... and drink it. I've been repeating that simple cycle for years... decades... perhaps forever.
Mr. Fanservice: Cygames definitely plays up the fact that he has nice legs, especially in his (Grand) unit art. If one looks closely, you can see up his cape as well.
Murder the Hypotenuse: On a global scale, as he planned to destroy the entire Sky Realm just because Lucifer loved it. However, it's suggested that he was bluffing, as the entire fiasco was a ploy to get Lucifer to come see him. He did cause quite a bit of damage before being stopped by the crew, however.
Must Let Them Get Away: He has a tendency to let potential threats to the Sky Realm get away at the end of events instead of dealing with them before they can become a problem again.
My Name Is ???: Even the teaser event guide for "What Makes The Sky Blue" replaces his name and his voice actor's with question marks.
Next Tier Power-Up: Sandalphon gains more power the more wings he accumulates throughout the story arc. He initially starts off with his two brown wings, temporarily obtains the four wings of each of the tetra-elemental Primarchs, and then inherits the Supreme Primarch's wings in "Paradise Lost". He unlocks his potential near the end of "000" (which is also reflected in-game via his 5★ uncap), being able to combine all of the aforementioned powers for a total of 12 multi-colored wings. As of "The Maydays", he is now able to use the 12 wings immediately with ease.
No Name Given: Invoked at the ending chapter of "The Maydays" event. Sandalphon requests that he would simply like be recorded as the "Supreme Primarch" in the District Chief's annals instead of using his real name.
Not So Stoic:
- He tries to put on an air of unflappability in WTMSB1, but once Lyria reveals that she saw his memories and tries to reason with him, he completely loses his composure.
- Lucifer’s death in “What Makes The Sky Blue: Paradise Lost” also breaks his air of unflappability, causing him to have a catatonic breakdown during which he can’t function - Halluel has to slap him rather hard to bring him back.
- Once you unlock his level 70 he has a rather...interesting expression on his face.
- He seems to snap on Lucio a lot, though given how Lucio is to him, it’s not unwarranted.

O-Y

Oblivious to Love: Both he and Lucifer had this issue, as each was unaware of their feelings for and about each other. While his inability to grasp the fact that Lucifer did care for him stemmed from his own insecurities, for Lucifer it was likely because he didn't believe that he was capable of love, despite it being clear to everyone around him that he did care for Sandalphon.
Omnicidal Maniac: The flashback scene in the prologue chapter of WMTSB3 (as well as the entire trilogy) has Sandalphon even damning all of creation in a fit of rage. Subverted now that he went a Heel–Face Turn.
"Astrals... Skydwellers... The entire world... I'll wreck all of creation! Everything you hold dear will be smashed to dust by my hand!"
Only Friend: Prior to his confinement in Pandemonium, Sandalphon spent the majority of his time in the facilities garden, where outside of his interactions with Lucifer, he only had brief encounters with Belial (much to Lucifer's displeasure) and one brief interaction with Sariel, who wandered into the garden to observe some ants. Access to the garden was restricted to Lucifer unless granted permission, which meant that even the other Primarchs had little interaction with Sandalphon and were only vaguely aware of his existence as Lucifer's roleless subordinate. He didn't seem to mind only being able to interact with Lucifer, however, as he grew attached to him over time and was more upset about his perceived uselessness to him.
Perpetual Molt: While his own wings and the wings he gets from the tetra-element Primarchs don’t do this, the Supreme Primarch wings have a habit of doing this, molting light feathers that disappear before they touch the ground.
Personalized Afterlife: The afterlife looks like the research lab garden in which he spent most of his time. Lucifer speculates that it must have formed from his memories.
Plot Hole: Sandalphon mistaking Lucio for Lucifer in "God's Reverie" may be one, as Olivia (Grand)'s fate episode establishes that Lucio gives off a different aura than Lucifer, as if he were suppressing his powers. What Makes The Sky Blue similarly confirms that Lucifer's aura is incredibly strong, as Vyrn says as much when he first appears before them. The main characters never comment on how Lucio's aura feels upon first meeting him or anytime after that. Sariel was also able to tell the difference in The Maydays upon first interacting with Lucio, despite being established as not being particularly intelligent. Even Sandalphon was shown to be able to tell the difference when sensing Lucifer's weakened state in Paradise Lost. By all of this logic, Sandalphon should have been able to sense that Lucio wasn't Lucifer without having to be corrected by him, even if his approaching Lucio was initially out of confusion and in the heat of the moment.
Poor Communication Kills: Had he and Lucifer communicated their feelings for each other sooner, things likely would have ended differently for them. His summer Fate Episodes touch on this through other characters that have similar problems.
- It doesn't help that Sandalphon essentially eavesdrops (albeit unintentionally) on the conversation that reveals his purpose - he cannot bring up why he feels insecure to Lucifer without having to admit that he was listening in on a conversation that was supposed to be private.
Power Echoes: Like Lucifer, his voice has notable reverb when he is in his Supreme Primarch form.
Power Floats: While in both his Event SSR and Summer SSR units he spends most of the time grounded, he is able to float because of his wings and demonstrates this ability during his charge attacks and end animation after his Event units 5* uncap. His Grand unit spends most of the battle floating above the ground.
The Power of Friendship: Learns and uses this power in "000" after he realizes he truly does care for the friends he made over the course of his journey.
Promoted to Playable: Is the starring event character for the 4th anniversary event, "What Makes The Sky Blue II: Paradise Lost".
Proper Tights with a Skirt: In his original outfit, though he wore more of a butt-cape than a skirt.
The Protagonist: Of the "What Makes the Sky Blue" storyline from "Paradise Lost" onwards. He's also been made the center of the "Genesis" storyline, introduced with Lucio in "000" and then Shalem as of her Grand unit.
Purposely Overpowered:
- His (Grand) version, which depicts the version of him from back when he was a villain in "What Makes The Sky Blue". Among his many abilities are the ability to change the enemy's element, steal elements, and then use said elements as sub-attacks (which can't be dispelled). This is because lore-wise, with all the wings of the tetra-elements, he's said to have power that surpasses even the gods.
- His Light (Grand) version is one of the most broken units in the game, owing to his 12 wings and status as one of the most powerful beings in creation. While it may not accurately reflect his lore-based power, it is as close as a playable unit can get.
Pygmalion Plot: He was created by Lucifer under the orders of Lucilius and serves as an Implied Love Interest to him. However, while Sandalphon's feelings for Lucifer were always evident even in the flashbacks, it took Lucifer 2000 years to realize what his own feelings for Sandalphon meant.
Red Eyes, Take Warning: He has red eyes, symbolizing how dangerous he can be. One of his eyes even glows in his (Grand) uncap art.
- A hilarious example in the 10th Anniversary Event where a pissed off Sandalphon comes up behind Raziel after she had been abandoned by the other Primal Beasts that she had been scheming with. His face is hidden in the shadows until he speaks, his tone of voice conveying just how pissed off he is at her. For added bonus, his eyes are glowing ominously as if to indicate that Raziel is not going to be having a very good time.
Rage Against the Heavens: Or rage against the creators, rather. His actions are primarily driven by the fact that he was created as a spare in case Lucifer failed to fulfill his duties. He refuses to accept that his purpose is merely a backup to Lucifer — a redundant backup to Lucifer. This ends up becoming bitterly ironic.
The Rest Shall Pass: Subverted. He tries holding off Lucilius on his own in Etemenanki while requesting that the rest of the crew try to escape. They don't buy this and stay with him until the end of the fight.
Retired Badass: Despite being the current Supreme Primarch and the strongest primal in all of the Granblue Fantasy universe, there are very few scenarios in which his power is required beyond "000", and he mostly spends his days running a coffee shop onboard the Grandcypher. It helps that retiring was the plan for the Primarchs all along according to Lucifer, as he had predetermined before passing his role on that the world no longer needed a Supreme Primarch to watch over it. That said, Sandalphon still intends to make good on his promise to protect the Sky Realm, and it turns out that he is needed once again when Beelzebub makes his escape after breaking Cagliostro’s seal in "Chaos Returns".
Retraux Flashback: Despite "The Maydays" 2019 event taking place right after the "What Makes The Sky Blue" events, the flashback scene of Sandalphon meeting Sariel shows the former in his initial WMTSB1 armor from 2017. This implies that Sariel and Sandalphon met prior to the fallen angel rebellion over 2000 years ago, which is ultimately confirmed by Sandalphon’s dialogue.
Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He goes on one of these following the death of Lucifer with this being the primary reason why he sides with the crew in Paradise Lost. He also attempted to exact veangence against Lucifer, though it's revealed that this was mostly because he wanted to get his attention.
Rule of Seven:
- All of his skills have a 7-turn cooldown.
- His base attack at max level is 7700.
- His event summon (which can be obtained from "What Makes The Sky Blue II: Paradise Lost") grants 70% boost to light attack when uncapped at 3★.
- In his summer version, all his initial cool downs for his skills start at 7. After being leveled up, 2 of them lower down to 6 turns.
- His (Grand) version averts this trope, as nothing within his kit points to the number 7.
Rummage Sale Reject: Lampshaded by Lucilius's comment on Sandalphon's six pairs of colorful wings.
Lucilius: What a mismatched collection of borrowed plumage. Befitting a spare primarch.
Sadistic Choice:
- Pulls one at the end of the first "What Makes The Sky Blue" event by pushing the protagonist off of the island. The protagonist is falling too fast for the Primarchs to catch, and the only option is for Lyria and Vyrn to unleash the power of Bahamut. However, doing so means that the seal on Pandemonium could potentially break, unleashing the dangerous Origin Beasts sealed within and dooming the world. The heroes decide that the chance to save the protagonist is worth the risk, and thankfully the seal holds due to Lucifer reinforcing it.
- Raziel briefly offers him one: allow her to kill the Singularity, whom he befriended along the way, in exchange for a Phoenix tear that will resurrect Lucifer, his beloved. However, he calmly rejects her and sets aside his personal feelings to reveal that killing the Singularity - a Skydweller born into the sky that Lucifer once loved and protected - to bring him back is not something Lucifer would have wanted, and would spit on everything he thought and wished for.
Serious Business: Brewing coffee. Sandalphon wants his crewmembers to experience pure bliss when they drink his coffee. Vyrn is weirded out by his intricate dedication to his hobby. In "The Maydays", Sandalphon is also disappointed when his customers always seem to order juice instead.^note
She's Not My Girlfriend: Averted. When Lucio insinuates that Sandalphon was in a relationship with Lucifer, he doesn’t exactly deny it so much as he sputters his catchphrase while Lyria and Vyrn laugh at him.
Sandalphon: That person is the only one who matters to me! ^note
Lucio: Hahaha... You truly care for him, don’t you? Your Lucifer is a lucky man.
Sandalphon: Why, you... This is nonsense! Pure nonsense!
Ship Tease: With Lucifer, to the point where it appears they confess to each other near the end of “What Makes The Sky Blue: 000” in Granblue’s roundabout way. Lucio even ends up shipping the two after Sandalphon declares that Lucifer is his one and only. Taken even further with the Flavor Text for his “Primarch Of Promises” skin in both original text and the English translation, with the Japanese text referring to Lucifer as someone he “yearns for from the bottom of his heart” and the English text being more overt with it saying he “ascends to breathtaking heights to follow the one he loves so dearly” in reference to Lucifer. See the Ho Yay page for more of their Ho-Yay moments in detail.
Shout-Out: All of his skills are named after songs from the band Sonata Arctica.
Sibling Yin-Yang: In a sense, Sandalphon is Raziel's brother because they were both created by Lucifer (though she was created by Lucifer and Lucilius, whereas he was created by Lucifer alone) and they both have very different personalities—Raziel is sweet, innocent, and full of hope, whereas Sandalphon is prone to being grumpy, blunt, and is more cynical. Raziel's personality actually more closely resembles Sandalphon's pre-rebellion incident personality, when he was still Lucifer's close follower. Even in flashbacks to that time, they behave toward Lucifer in similar ways.
Significant Name Shift: It's shown in the flashbacks of "What Makes The Sky Blue" that he referred to Lucifer as "Lucifer-sama", with the "-sama" honorific signifying that Lucifer was his superior and that he respected him. Sandalphon dropped the honorific after he rebelled due to his respect and admiration for Lucifer presumably shifting to bitter hatred (or so he made it seem). He begins to use the honorific for Lucifer again from "Paradise Lost" onwards after accepting Lucifer back into his heart.
Single-Target Sexuality:
- Sandalphon has openly declared that Lucifer is the only one he cares about, or his "one and only" in the original Japanese text, and while he has interacted with more and more characters over the years and opened up more to the protagonist and others, he has yet to express romantic interest in anyone other than him. This is particularly noticeable in his Valentine's Day unit, where the fate episodes and dialogue were centered around him making coffee rather than romance, deceiving the viewer with its ambiguous and suggestive uncap art (which showed Sandalphon sitting down with two coffee cups and chocolate as if on a date or waiting for a date with an unseen person).
- In Sandalphon's most recent Light Grand fate episode, released in 2024, it sought to further clarify and define how Sandalphon feels about Lucifer in comparison to how he feels about other important people in his life, as Ladiva specifically refers to them as "大事な人 (Daijina Hito)", while she refers to Lucifer as "大切な人 (Taisetsuna Hito)". The translations of these into English is just Sandalphon's loved ones, but that is only partly true. The reason is that "大切な人," which is used for Lucifer, can mean one's significant other, family, or any other absolutely essential, special person in one's life, whereas "大事な人," which is more detached, can mean any person who is important to you.
- Notably, Sandalphon is one of the few characters who does not express the possibility of romantic feelings for the protagonist during his Valentine's Day or White Day voice lines, which instead show him and the protagonist interacting as siblings while he prepares coffee for the occasion like a barista.
Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Sandalphon's case in the event teaser◊ for "What Makes The Sky Blue" averts this trope, from the tradition of Granblue not showing the event's major antagonist in its teasers. While he does appear, neither his name nor his voice actor's is revealed, only replaced with "???".
Sizeshifter: He becomes bigger than even the Grancypher in "What Makes the Sky Blue" after gaining the powers of the tetra-element Primarchs from their wings, and shrinks back down after being defeated.
Spotlight-Stealing Squad: The biggest offender of the "What Makes The Sky Blue" storyline due to Word of God making full use of his Breakout Villain status.
- One would be forgiven for forgetting that "What Makes The Sky Blue" was originally supposed to be Lyria’s focus event, as the sequels and spin-offs shifted the focus entirely onto Sandalphon as he became the series' protagonist. In the sequels, Lyria, along with everyone else save for Halluel and Malluel (who similarly achieve spotlight stealing status), gets downgraded to a supporting character that assists in and roots for Sandalphon’s personal growth. Lyria in particular acts as his morality pet as he learns to overcome his bitterness and become more human.
- He was also seemingly given the plotline that was set up for Lucifer at the end of "What Makes The Sky Blue", as Lucifer implied in "Wyvern's Reverie" that he would solve the unfinished business he had with the then-unseen Lucilius, while Sandalphon was outright stated to be a one-off villain. Come "Paradise Lost" a year later, Lucifer is abruptly killed off with his role and storyline transferred over to Sandalphon, who he becomes The Lost Lenore for.
- Even outside of the now finished "What Makes The Sky Blue" trilogy, Sandalphon has gotten more focus than the now Demoted to Extra tetra-element Primarchs, ultimately culminating with him receiving three playable units (Event, Summer, Grand) and a 5* uncap for the Event unit before the tetra-element Primarchs could even get their first.
- He was also the first character ever to receive two Grand units, one being Earth and focusing on his time as a villain, and the other being Light, focusing on him in the recent past and as the Supreme Primarch.
Star-Crossed Lovers: He and Lucifer appear to have this sort of dynamic, particularly when you consider what Word of God has said about their relationship. Their relationship is painted rather tragically during the original “What Makes The Sky Blue”, but becomes even more so after “Paradise Lost”, which amps up the angst factor by killing off Lucifer and dooming them to be separated and longing for one another.
Story-Breaker Power: At the end of 000 he has 12 wings: one from each tetra-element Primarch, two of his own wings, and six from the Supreme Primarch, making him the strongest primal in existence. Naturally, he's been given very few opportunities to put the full extent of his power to use, as he could likely end any enemy fairly easily. Even his summer unit, which was given to him months after 000 went live, only has him using his default wings rather than his 12-wings in battle.
Straight Gay: Potentially Played With. While he has obvious romantic feelings for Lucifer, a male primal, and wears Combat Stilettos with all of his outfits, he doesn't actually conform to many gay stereotypes. That said, when compared to Lucifer, he seems to be the more effeminate of the two. He's also shown to be the more emotional of the two, though this probably has more to do with the fact that he has a human-like heart (and therefore a more human-like expression of emotion) compared to Lucifer, who is more stoic. It's worth noting, though, that the Side Story "Primal Resonance" mentions that Primals don’t perceive things in quite the same way humans do, which means that they may simply not factor gender into their presentation or attractions the way many humans do.
Straight Man: Is this in "The Maydays" summer event during all of the chaos.
Technicolor Blade: His floating weapons are entirely purple.
The Mourning After: It’s made clear just how important to him Lucifer was as Sandalphon still mourns his death (and their separation) several plot progressions after Paradise Lost ends.
Took a Level in Cheerfulness: It's subtle, but you can see how he is happier by the third part of the What Makes the Sky Blue event, with him lampshading it in the event's voiced preview.
Sandalphon: Heh, days as lively as these are new to me.
Took a Level in Kindness: By the time of WMTSB III, he is way more open to the crew and openly admits the need to atone for his sins.
Token Evil Teammate: His (Grand) unit is his depiction from What Makes The Sky Blue, the version of Sandalphon who is still evil, filled with hatred for all things, and who still deeply resents Lucifer. Downplayed, as despite being a playable unit, he's not actually a part of the team, being a (Fantasy) unit. Even his Fate Episodes are flashbacks to the events that occurred during What Makes The Sky Blue from his perspective.
True Companions: He becomes this with the protagonist, Lyria, and Vyrn after his Character Development, with the group acting like a family.
Tsundere: He has his moments where he's incapable of being completely honest with his feelings. He's gotten better over time.
- He shows traces of this toward Lucifer during his rampage across the Sky Realm, continuously making jabs at him and talking about wanting to defeat him - so much so that Vyrn calls him out on it. When it comes to actually facing Lucifer, he still cares about what Lucifer thinks of him and is bitter about Lucifer not coming down to see him after he manifested. Adding onto this, his Grand unit Fate Episodes confirm that his rampage was a ploy to get Lucifer's attention◊, which was already strongly implied to be the case in "What Makes the Sky Blue".
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: A formerly loyal and kind, albeit insecure, angel under Lucifer's command. He snapped when he found out what he was actually created for. And even though he's mellowed somewhat by the end of "Paradise Lost", he's still bitter about the circumstances of his creation.
Vague Age: His age is unknown, but the player is given a range because he was created more than 2000 years before the story began.
Villainous Breakdown: He freaks out and panics when he sees the protagonist well and alive in Chapter 8 of "WMTSB: Part 1".
Vitriolic Best Buds: While they’re not quite best buds yet, his meeting with Lucio at the end of "What Makes The Sky Blue: 000" seems to imply that this is the dynamic their friendship is going to have, which is seemingly confirmed by Lyria in Summer Lucio’s fate episode.
Walking Spoiler: He is deeply associated with the Story Arc of "What Makes The Sky Blue" and its sequels.
Wave-Motion Gun: Played With, as his floating swords invoke this by simultaneously firing laser beams from their tips in his "Ain Soph Aur" Charge Attack.
Willfully Weak: His playable summer unit, where it’s shown that he’s not using his Supreme Primarch powers and simply defaults to his own wings when in battle.
Winged Humanoid: As a Primarch, this is a given.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Only the case in Granblue Fantasy: Versus, where Djeeta's in-game story implies that he's no longer part of the crew after "000", leaving it up in the air as to whether he chose to stay in the afterlife with Lucifer or simply decided to go off somewhere else when his duties were fulfilled. This is obviously not the case in the Granblue Fantasy gacha game, as once "000" ends, his adventure is shown to be far from over. The Versus: Rising DLC clarifies and hints that Beelzebub, Belial and Lucilius had split up the Captain's mother, Rein, into two halves to keep Sandalphon from interfering with their plans.
- He rarely, if ever, shows up in events that are unrelated to the overarching Angel storyline, even if it would make sense for him to step in as the new Supreme Primarch. For example, he's not around at all for the entirety of the "Created by the Stars, Loved by the Skies" event despite the Captain and Lyria being killed (albeit temporarily) and the world nearly ending again because of it. This is also despite the fact that Lucifer's importance to the story served to tie Zooey's and the Angel storyline together.
When He Smiles: Genuinely smiles at the end of "WMTSB 000".
Whole Episode Flashback: Both of his Grands have fate episodes set in the past, with his Earth Grand taking place when he was still a villain during "What Makes the Sky Blue," and his Light Grand taking place before he opened his coffee shop on the Grandcypher, which could have happened a few years or even months ago depending on how much time has passed In-Universe since "000".
Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Finding out that he was but a backup destroyed any good will he had. What Lyria sees in his memories shows that deep down he wished for acceptance, but he's so bitter about the fact that he was created as a backup that at one point in the story, he decides to kill Lyria instead of exchanging her when Lyria reveals what bits she saw of his memories. One of his event page quotes also has him say he'd rather see the world that rejected him burn. He even rejects the chance at atonement that Lyria asks for on his behalf and proceeds to push the protagonist off the edge of an island, down to the bottom of the skies, just to unleash Lyria and Vyrn's rage so that he could see a destroyed world in the process.
World's Strongest Man: Like Lucilius was described to be at 12 wings, Sandalphon is now considered the strongest primal because he has his own wings, the tetra-element wings, and the Supreme Primarch's wings. That said, he’s still learning how to control all of this power and has had very few opportunities to break out his 12 wings for obvious reasons.
Would Hit a Girl: He grabs Raziel by her neck to keep her from running away after catching her sneaking around the on Grandcypher in "Heart of the Sun".
Yandere: "What Makes The Sky Blue" Sandalphon is this. Since he felt that he didn't have a place in Lucifer's beloved Sky Realm, he wanted to destroy it along with anything else he perceived as dear to him. Lyria takes this even further by reading his memories and emotions, and seeing that Sandalphon wanted to be loved and feel needed by him. He gets better.
You Are Better Than You Think You Are: In "Paradise Lost", he thinks that being trapped in a closed dimension is a necessary punishment for what he did in the event's prequel. But Lyria snaps him out of it so that Sandalphon will find his resolve in fulfilling the role he was given.
You Are in Command Now: Lucifer makes him Supreme Primarch before he passes on - although since Lucifer was planning on winding down his "overseer of evolution" role and with Canaan in ruins, exactly what the role will entail for Sandalphon remains unclear. The beginning of "000" has him interpreting at least part of this as putting a final end to the threat contained within Pandemonium, and doing something about Beelzebub and Belial, since they seem to have the ability to outright kill Primarchs (which should be virtually impossible).

Characters / Granblue Fantasy: Sandalphon

Sandalphon

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura (Japanese), Howard Wang (English)

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Characters / Granblue Fantasy: Sandalphon

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Sandalphon

Voiced by: Kenichi Suzumura (Japanese), Howard Wang (English)

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