Characters / Shin Megami Tensei — YHVH

YHVH

"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!"

— Shin Megami Tensei II

Warning: As a major recurring figure throughout the series, there will be spoilers for multiple games. You have been warned.

The most recurring entity among agents of the Great Will, YHVH is the Abrahamic God. However, he is far from the kindly god you'd expect; instead, most incarnations of this being tend to be a selfish, megalomaniacal, 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.

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General - A to K

• Alternate Self: Zigzagged. It is established an instance of a demon in a single continuity isn't connected to another instance of the same demon elsewhere (with exceptions, such as a case of Past-Life Memories in Digital Devil Saga); however, YHVH is a possible exception because his incarnations are generally manifestations of the Great Will, who oversees and exists as reality itself ^note depending on how one interprets it, the fact YHVH's later appearances often have lines which reference his earlier appearances, as well as how nearly all instances of YHVH mention the Great Will support the notion at least some incarnations of YHVH are aware of or connected to each other through the Great Will. However, this is never fully clarified and only hinted at.
• Ambiguous Situation:
  • The fundamental nature of YHVH and his actions. YHVH is a demon who one way or another becomes the embodiment of order, the world, and its forces, an aspect of the Great Will to carry out its intentions in any particular world(s). Thus, to what extent the evil YHVH does extend from genuine, self-perpetuated malice? Does the Great Will directly or indirectly cause this evil due to its flawed cosmic design being enforced through YHVH, or these are in fact preventing YHVH from being even worse? At least one game has YHVH imply humanity's fluctuating perception of God and/or the value of authority is responsible, as the Great Will would bring him back as long as humans believe in him, meaning none of the above is mutually exclusive ^note one interpretation of the situation has the Great Will created the world of SMTII to run on Clap Your Hands If You Believe, which means YHVH being evil is a consequence of humans having a flawed understanding of God and his laws, as that would make him prone to extreme thought processes of order leading to actions branding him as evil from a human standpoint; meanwhile, as demons also affect reality via Clap Your Hands If You Believe as shown by the Four Archangels creating their own YHVH with their beliefs, this means YHVH has it too and he believes humans are problematic for his idea of paradise. An interview with Atlus has them claim YHVH acting the way he does in SMT II (and implicitly other games where he is maltheistic) is a sign of an error in the nature of reality, which could mean any or all of the above (depending on the game), or an entirely different force at play.
  • As YHVH is an agent of the Great Will, with both entities sharing names based on the Abrahamic God, Metatron claiming to serve the Great Will as God in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, and the fact YHVH and Metatron have different multiverse counterparts, it can be difficult to tell which entity is referred if not specified. An example of this can be seen in Shin Megami Tensei IV, in which Mastema makes claims about God which wouldn't really apply to YHVH normally, but do match what is known about the Axiom (who might or might not be the Great Will).
• As Long as There Is Evil: Played with. In Shin Megami Tensei II, he says that the will of the universe will continue to recreate him as long as humanity remains too weak to survive without someone to cling to.
• Authority Equals Asskicking: He very rarely appears as a boss with the "YHVH" name across the Megami Tensei franchise; but whenever he does, he's always one of the most powerful entities in each continuity he appears in, even more powerful than Lucifer. To illustrate this, in Megami Tensei II should the player decide to betray Lucifer and take up YHVH's offer to become gods, he one-shots the fallen angel with eternal flame.
• Awakening the Sleeping Giant: He usually doesn't appear in person, preferring to stay in the shadows while the angels do the dirty work. The protagonists have to really, really cross the line to make Him come down and take matters into His own hands.
• Big Bad: Much of the crap happening in the mainline Shin Megami Tensei can be retraced back to him, or his angels, or his minions. Particularly in II, where he ends up as the Final Boss on ALL alignments. Similarly, he also takes center stage in the finale of Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse.
• Boss Corridor: In his Boss Battle appearances, after defeating the penultimate boss (usually Satan), he'll either order you to leave or go through all of your sins as you approach him. Executed spectacularly in the Law route of Shin Megami Tensei II, the only time he wants you to reach him, where he congratulates Aleph, Hiroko, and Satan, unaware that they plan on betraying him.
• Call-Back: Each of his successive appearances after his debut in Megami Tensei II often has lines which reference his previous appearance(s).
• Dark Is Evil: His earliest model in Megami Tensei II is a dark Flying Face, and he is the one who ordered Satan to decimate humanity. Similarly, he's the most vile character in Apocalypse, and his second form is a hideous mixture of creatures fitting his demonized status.
• Depending on the Writer: While the franchise has a general characterization for YHVH, his depictions vary a bit across the games. He is usually an unseen Greater-Scope Villain, on rare occasions he steps up to be the Big Bad, and a few games depict him as an Anti-Villain with a dash of Good Is Not Soft. His role as an entity similar to the Demiurge from Gnosticism, coexisting with said Demiurge, or just being the Abrahamic God with no ambiguity also varies. Justified, as the franchise has multiple continuities which allow for different interpretations of YHVH.
• Despotism Justifies the Means: Some incarnations of YHVH don't even care about creating a utopia like his followers do; he just wants to control everything forever and ever.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Very, very prone of this; he usually retaliates to whatever slights humanity or demons committed by destroying the world or worse. Most notably in Shin Megami Tensei I where Thor sends nukes to devastate the world to "cleanse evil", and in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon where he created the Abysmal Realm and the Apollyons for two reasons: to either strike down those who have given into despair out of divine wrath or to leave mankind in awe and restore their faith in him by having the Apollyons kill people which causes them to despair even more.
• Early-Bird Cameo: In Shin Megami Tensei I, the Machine Defense System in the police station has a face resembling YHVH's to an extent, and it is also law-aligned.
• Early Installment Character-Design Difference: He is blue in Megami Tensei II, while later depictions tend to show him as yellow/gold.
• Equal-Opportunity Evil: If anything decent can be said about YHVH's villainous appearances, it's that he's completely and utterly egalitarian and antidiscrimination, as both Shin Megami Tensei II and IV feature his followers misguidedly establishing classist societies that are abolished as soon as he or his top subordinates personally intervene. Being one of his "chosen" is usually not a very grisly-sounding fate altogether... it's what he unleashes to everyone else which makes him so evil.
• Even Evil Has Standards: In Shin Megami Tensei II, YHVH explicitly did not approve of Michael, Raphael, and Uriel's actions, which included artificially creating a Messiah and plugging everyone into a fake utopia, which says quite a lot about him. Then, either as a Mythology Gag or Continuity Nod, IV has Mastema claiming God did not approve of the Four Archangels and their plans, which included wiping out the whole city with a black hole. Once again, that says quite a lot.
• Evil Is Hammy: In his Boss Battle appearances he always speaks bombastically about mindlessly worshipping him and eternally punishing those who defy him.
  YHVH: (in Shin Megami Tensei II, before his Final Boss fight) "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!"
  YHVH: (in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, during battle) "WHOAAAAAAAAAA!" "BE CURSED!" "REPENT!"
• Evil Is Petty: His worst depictions can get incredibly vindictive and petty when things aren't about him. His entire actions in Megami Tensei II was him nuking the world and having Satan lead demonkind to kill mankind for worshipping Lucifer, which they did because he isn't petty and vindictive like YHVH himself.
• Eviler than Thou: In two cases of his direct appearances, it eventually leads to the main lawful character turning against him; Zayin/Satan in Shin Megami Tensei II and Jonathan in Apocalypse.
• The Evils of Free Will: A great many depictions of YHVH simply have a large issue of It's All About Me, but in a few games (such as Shin Megami Tensei II and Nocturne) has him (or whoever his Mouth of Sauron at the time) speak at length on how human freedom only leads to suffering and evil.
• Fallen Hero: Word of God has hinted that he wasn't always the tyrannical despot he is now and that his current evil is due to a severe flaw in the fabric of reality. Apocalypse explores this to some degree, implying he is somehow completely isolated, without elaborating in detail.
• Fallen Angel: Relating to Fallen Hero above, it is quite possible YHVH's current forms might not be what they used to be before the error in reality occurred. In fact, to show just how wrong reality has become in Apocalypse, the second phase of his boss fight shows him turning from his Flying Face form into none other then the Beast of Revelation itself.
• Final Boss
  • He is the True Final Boss of Megami Tensei II, where he is fought in the good ending path.
  • In Shin Megami Tensei II. Yes, even on the Law route, in which even Gabriel and Satan finds him too cruel and ally with Aleph.
  • In Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, he returns as the Final Boss of Bonds and Massacre routes.
• Flying Face: His most common appearance, dating back to his debut Megami Tensei II. In Apocalypse, he's an entire legion of flying faces.
• A Form You Are Comfortable With: His trademark appearance is of a large flying head. In Strange Journey's New Game Plus, he assumes a Red Sprite crewmember's form in order to manipulate the protagonist into freeing his sealed power by slaying Alilat and the Demiurge.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: Outright stated on 2 different continuities, implied in others. Echidna of Shin Megami Tensei I stated that long ago he was one God amongst many; however as more people worshiped him, his power grew to the point that he demonized and tossed the others into the demon world. The Mothers of Strange Journey also mention this when they talk about how he trampled the Goddess worshiping world.
• Genius Loci: While he would claim otherwise, YHVH is just as much a demon as his angels are (by franchise definition). The distinction is that as a demon, YHVH embodies the world and existence itself, and the forces which perpetuate it, effectively making him the Sentient Cosmic Force of the world which he presides over. This is why he sometimes claims his destruction would be a Reality-Breaking Paradox.
• God and Satan Are Both Jerks: Well, Lucifer in this case; Satan is usually YHVH’s lieutenant. Vicious, unending tyranny or absolute anarchy? Your choice, folks!
• God in Human Form: Twofold. YHVH in most if not all of his appearances is an aspect or a part of the omnipresent Above the Gods entity known as the Great Will, manifested to carry out its cosmic designs; while YHVH himself likes to use "bunrei" (Japanese concept for divided spirits born from a single entity, which is typically translated as "avatars") to act on his behalf, which tend to be various names of God or entities related to God such as Metatron and the Three Wise Men, usually designated with the in-game race "Shinrei" (Godly Spirit, translated to just Godly, Spirit, or Root depending on the game).
  • Three of his names — Elohim, Sabaoth, and Shaddai — both guard and empower Eden in Shin Megami Tensei II. The updated releases of II might also include Kuzuryu, as his race is changed to Godly, the same race as the above names and YHVH himself.
  • In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, YHVH himself doesn't appear, but Kagutsuchi fulfills his role by watching over the entire Vortex World. He claims to be acting on behalf of the Great Will just like YHVH, carrying out its intentions over the Amala. The artbook clarifies Kagutsuchi is indeed another name for YHVH.
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey: Playing New Game Plus reveals an incarnation of YHVH, referred as God of Light, used to rule the world after trampling the ancient civilizations which used to worship the Mother Goddesses of Schwarzwelt. When his worship faltered and he was weakened, the Mother Goddesses broke him into several fragments, turning into independent entities. The Red Sprite crew member who requests the protagonist to help him deal with the Father of Schwarzwelt Demiurge, is actually the weakest piece of God taking the strongest form that he can, wishing to fuse with Demiurge to regain power. Redux goes further and reveals not only the Red Sprite crew Metatron and Demiurge, but the Cosmic Fruit and the Three Wise Men are also fragments of Great Will's agent in the world of Strange Journey, Shekinah. Interestingly, when Metatron fuses with Demiurge to become "Refined Voice", he will ally himself with you in New Law to take out Shekinah on a New Law ending, accepting a world based on his ideals even if he isn't directly worshiped constantly.
  • Shin Megami Tensei IV has two avatars appear in the form of Demiurge and Ancient of Days. Demiurge has gone rogue from God to rule a silent world and believes himself to be the creator, while Ancient of Days appears in the Blasted Tokyo timeline as part of the DLC "Ancient One of the Sun", in which he attempts to finish off mankind after Pluto failed.
• God Is Evil: The franchise usually paints YHVH as a deity who utterly despises the idea of a world where people do anything other than worship him. Almost every time a version of YHVH is involved, everything he touches becomes corrupt and unpleasant, with very few exceptions. At one point in this very wiki, he was the trope's page image.
  • In Megami Tensei II, YHVH ordered Satan to lead demons destroy humanity because they worshipped other beings, chiefly Lucifer... which they did because he is a petty megalomaniac who wants worship solely for himself. For what it is worth, he does have some respect for the protagonists, offering them a place in the Millennial Kingdom if they join him, and his offer is shown to be sincere if they accept — even turning them into godly beings.
  • In Shin Megami Tensei II, YHVH is revealed to have no interest in ruling over what remains of humanity after the events of I... mainly because, he has already dismissed humanity as stains upon the world to be cleansed since a long time ago, when Lucifer was ordered to use Kuzuryu to destroy the world. Lucifer's refusal led YHVH to banish the angel to the demon world. By present time, YHVH is basically just waiting for his servant Satan to judge all of humanity and destroy them all with the Kill Sat Megiddo Ark, with absolutely zero thought given to anyone else's opinion of the matter.
  • In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Kagutsuchi acts on behalf of God, and shows that even in a setting where God already has almost absolute dominion over reality (which in Nocturne includes billions of universes), he is still this. He sets up the Conception to make sure entire universes must go through a cycle of death and rebirth or else face a gradual heat death. Whenever Conception happens in one, all life but a select few chosen would be utterly erased while whatever remains of their emotions and thoughts are recreated as decaying Artificial Humans in the Vortex World. Said chosen few are then expected to survive in a Hell on Earth world where they must compete with demons and with each other to create a Reason, a philosophy which can dictate the shape of the new reality... which might be a neutral stance if not for the fact Kagutsuchi intends to repeat this over and over until there comes a world fully subservient to the Great Will, with all the suffering in the Vortex World being completely by design to try and convince humans to relinquish free will. Fully believing in The Evils of Free Will, Kagutsuchi throws a tantrum whenever the Demi-Fiend doesn't do what God wants him to do: play along the wretched script.
  • Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey: While God's direct presence is initially not apparent, the endgame has the Three Wise Men explain God created humans for the Assimilation Plot for the sake of stopping the Vicious Cycle of the Schwarzwelt destroying generations of civilizations living on Earth. The mother goddesses also bring up how a God of Light was responsible for trampling the civilizations which worshipped them, so they tore him apart in turn. The New Game Plus then reveals the Pieces of God had become independent demons each and currently trying to gather power, with Metatron trying to reform with the Demiurge, who is completely crazed. Defeating the Demiurge will result in Metatron successfully fusing with it and restore his faculties... only for him to reveal he is just as much of a Knight Templar as any angel in the game, joining you only if you are Law aligned. Still, Schwarzwelt Reminiscence art book and Redux muddle this issue: the art book explains Mastema and Lucifer both spoke of a God distinct from the God of Light. The one broken by the mother goddesses was in fact born from the will of the Earth: and his fragments also include the Three Wise Men. When the Three reforms into Shekinah, she states humanity is to be exterminated as protecting the Earth is Shekinah's priority above all else, a goal which she claims in her dying words to be in accordance to the Great Will — who might or might not be the God whom Lucifer was referring to. While this very much looks like God Is Evil is at play, New Game Plus once again paints things differently: the Metatron/Demiurge fusion is a bit of a Knight Templar, but he is reasonable enough to be okay with taking out Shekinah if the world is still Law-aligned, which by now means the much more reasonable New Law route. All of these make it unclear if God Is Evil is really at play other than for the Three Wise Men/Shekinah.
  • Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse: YHVH is revealed to be directly responsible for the Vicious Cycle plaguing this universe. Once upon a time he was acting as the Axiom's representative to manage the universe, but it has forsaken him at some point due to not conforming to its intentions. Since YHVH trapped human beings (who in this continuity used to be Reality Warper observers of the universe) in mortal bodies of flesh and blood to trap them in an endless cycle of death and rebirth — to make them easier to control — before having his servant Satan divide himself into Lucifer to lead fallen angels to act as false opposition to the other half Merkabah leading his Lawful angels, effectively setting up a Forever War he has no intention of never ending to keep himself in power, it is not hard to see why.
• God Is Good: Despite the franchise's tendency for God Is Evil to set up God and Satan Are Both Jerks, some instances of him fall better under Good Is Not Soft:
  • In Devil Survivor, he is built up to be a very forgiving deity. Though he does far more morally ambiguous in the Updated Re-release Overclocked with the revelation he set up Cain to murder Abel, with side materials claiming it is so Abel could claim a fragment of Bel in the demon world, that does not change how he is willing to welcome Cain back, provided Naoya can accept it.
  • In IV, Mastema claims God loathes the Archangels for their cruelty and ultimate plan to essentially commit genocide (again). The Archangels themselves get rid of the classism prominent in this setting once they are in power, which imply this iteration of God hates classism. Though the DLC of IV and the main game of Apocalypse show YHVH is still outright evil in this continuity, the fact he was once a representative of the Axiom, who is a case of God Is Good, show that he was at least capable of this trope in the past, if not anymore in the present.
• God of Order: The foremost symbol of Law in the franchise, representing obedience and worship.
• Gods Need Prayer Badly: In continuities where human belief explicitly dictate reality, you can expect YHVH to be the prime example of this trope. Most of his incarnations successfully established himself as the one god above all others by not only declaring his own brilliance and amassing an army of believers, but going out of his way to denounce all other deities as being demons ^note Shown Their Work: this is based on a real phenomenon that can be seen in The Bible and is the reason entities such as Beelzebub and Baphomet are to this day regarded as demonic (including this very series) despite probably originally being worshipped as deities. In Apocalypse, this is weaponized against him, as the protagonist manages to unequivocally reject any notions of YHVH's divinity, which in turns demonizes him in much the same way that he once did to all other deities. While still powerful and unlikely to ever truly "die", he can be fought and destroyed like any other demon.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Of the Law faction and the entire franchise. This is especially true in the universe of Shin Megami Tensei I and II, where he actually shows up at the end of II after acting through Michael in I and Zayin/Satan in II, and must be fought as the Final Boss of all routes. In IV and Apocalypse, he and Satan are also behind the Chaos faction. However, he does not qualify as a Big Bad until the final battle in II and the final dungeon in Apocalypse, as he uses proxies far too much to be considered an active villain until those points.
• I Have Many Names: YHVH, Sabaoth, Shaddai, Elohim, Kagutsuchi, Demiurge, Ancient of Days... shall we go on?
• Hidden Villain: Despite his status as a Greater-Scope Villain for a decent chunk of the franchise, there are very few games where he actually appears in person and it becomes explicitly clear that the Law faction's zealotry is not a result of some extremist believers going rogue; it's like that by design. In the few instances where he actually takes an active part in the plot and his true heinous nature is revealed, it's not uncommon for his own underlings to be so appalled by his actions that they turn against him, such as in the Law ending of Shin Megami Tensei II.
• It's All About Me: YHVH in most depictions he actually fully appears in cares nothing about the goals of the being he is supposed to be the avatar of or the Law alignment he is supposed to be the head of. All he cares about is his followers worshiping him.
  YHVH: "Praise my name! Witness, bathed in the glory of my countenance! Praise my name!"
• It's Personal: While he usually considers humanity to collectively be a bunch of faceless insects, the protagonists of the games have managed to earn his permanent wrath and possibly even fear as Stephen puts it in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse's DLC, where YHVH goes out of his way to try to rewrite their stories so not only they die midway through their respective games, but also get removed from the cycle of reincarnation.
• Knight Templar: For many games, YHVH's main plan is to get into a position where he can quickly eliminate demons and their supporters while his followers live in a utopia without evil. How he feels about the bystanders that get caught in the crossfire depends on the game, at best trying to convince them to join him and at worst not even giving them a chance.

General - L to Z

• Lack of Empathy: Most versions of YHVH just don't care about mortals, seeing them as little more than slaves or tools. It's suggested that he views his angels the same way.
• Lesser of Two Evils: Though definitely not the case for most of his appearances, YHVH occasionally is this compared to Lucifer or the Chaos faction. Notably In I, while YHVH himself is a bigger jerk than Lucifer, Law is a better ideal for building a functional society than Chaos (since "a functional society" is not really something Chaos values). In IV Mastema also acts as the nambiguous Big Good of the backstory supposedly on behalf of God.
• Lighter and Softer:
  • Is actually built up as a pretty decent guy in Devil Survivor. Oddly enough, the usual hardline angels (Raphael, Uriel, Michael and Gabriel) are replaced with a softer one (Remiel). He does become far more morally ambiguous in the Updated Re-release Overclocked: He set it up so that Cain would be the first murderer and for Abel to be the first martyr. Although he also did it so that Abel's soul would sink into the demon world and absorb some of Bel's power; whether that's considered a good thing or a bad thing is up to you. Still, he's not the unambiguous tyrant shown in the main series (it should also be noted several of these sources of information comes from people who happen to be severely biased against him such as Honda, who has by this point crossed the Despair Event Horizon due to his son's death but always had this opinion due to his studying of religion; and Naoya, the reincarnation of Cain himself). Two of the other sources being more legitimate as Honda makes a Heel–Face Turn and is helping keep peace, while the game's artbook reveals YHVH turned Abel into a Bel demon out of a warped sense of love. In any case, Amane's 8th day in Overclocked hints that he's cool with forgiving Cain even if the feeling isn't mutual, though in Naoya's 8th day it is shown he is also okay with Metatron and his angels slaughtering people to coerce them into fighting the Overlord.
  • IV supposedly sets him up to be this as Mastema claims YHVH loathes the plan which the Archangels set up because it's too cruel for him, but neither is YHVH happy with the classism of Mikado. In spite of the massive casualties on the Law ending, the laughter and joy heard before the game cuts to credits also hints that people have the free will to enjoy themselves and not be mindless drones. The supposedly part comes in with the Ancient of Days and Apocalypse revealing a crueler YHVH, it's unclear if Mastema was lying or misinformed about YHVH, or was in fact talking about the Axiom.
  • In the Redux Updated Re-release of Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey, allowing Metatron and Demiurge's fusion results in Refined Voice, who is YHVH in all but name, and in the New Game Plus New Law Route he is perfectly okay with taking out Shekinah and achieving the New Law ending where the world doesn't mindlessly worship him. In this case he really is more of a utopian, or at least a pragmatist given that the Old Law ending would've led to Shekinah and not YHVH being worshipped.
• Light Is Not Good: Kaneko calls him the King of Light in interviews. That doesn't stop him from being a straight example of God Is Evil. Emphasized in Apocalypse, where his many heads are glowing.
• Mad God: It's very likely whatever flaw currently undergoing in Megami Tensei reality has warped and driven incarnations of YHVH into these, though the degree and nature of said madness vary a bit. Among YHVH's avatars, Demiurge is especially this, who is sometimes completely feral (Strange Journey), and other times completely deluded (IV).
• The Magic Goes Away: In many games, YHVH has a tendency to try and keep demons and other supernatural forces from affecting humans and the world at large so he can better control them. This is usually done by banishing and keeping them in the demon world, which is why demons usually need elaborate rituals to be summoned. Whenever demons are given the means to enter the physical world en masse, God usually retaliates with mass destruction and genocide.
• The Maker: Many games have characters imply or outright claim humanity and The Multiverse are God's creation. In fact, this is stated even in games where demons and gods from older traditions claim YHVH was originally one god out of many who became all-powerful due to human worship or other factors ^note in the Updated Re Release of II, a mysterious voice claims God is everything, everything is God and can potentially become the face of God; in Strange Journey while the God of Light is stated to have risen into prominence through human worship, it is implied in the main game and confirmed by side materials that There Is Another incarnation of the One God who preceded humanity, and thus human worship, whom Lucifer claims to be the creator of humanity. Seeing as every incarnation of YHVH who was once a lesser deity claims to act on behalf of the Great Will, it can explain why YHVH is credited as the creator of everything in its name, which would make them subversions. Still, it is unclear how this applies to instances of God who are not stated to be such (Megami Tensei II, Majin Tensei, Nocturne) or unambiguously predate humanity (Strange Journey).
• Metaphorically True: The Law alignment's goal of making a world where everyone is equal is typically done by killing everyone unworthy (those who are not followers of Law, which are generally most of humanity), which then makes everyone who is still alive "equal".
• Not Quite the Almighty: YHVH is only a single part of the Great Will and a way for it to manifest itself within the created world. In fact, it is heavily implied most if not all incarnations of YHVH start out as another created being who one way or another become "the face of God", typically through using human worship to become the Top God.
• Nuke 'em: More than one games have YHVH arranging circumstances and minions to send nuclear missiles to strike areas where demons begin to infest the world, usually Tokyo, in an event typically called "Great Destruction". This makes a certain amount of sense, as in Real Life nuclear weapons are typically called God's Hammer or God's Wrath.
• Omnicidal Maniac: Most incarnations of him seek to, has enacted, or is currently carrying out destruction and recreation of the world, oftentimes repeatedly, which almost always imply killing all or almost all life in it. Exactly how omnicidal depends on the game (sometimes he tries to annihilate all humanity, other times just those who aren't chosen). In many cases, he'll even do this after winning.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Atlus representatives have stated that YHVH being presented as an evil tyrant in the games instead of the Good Is Not Nice but all-loving Big Good that he is in The Bible has to do with something going very wrong with the fabric of the Shin Megami Tensei reality as opposed to Him being evil to begin with, implying that he wasn't always the way that he is in the main series. There are times however (such as in the original Devil Survivor) where he is closer to the Biblical depiction, and understandably the game is much Lighter and Softer than mainline Shin Megami Tensei as a result.
• Order Is Not Good: If nothing else, YHVH's ideal world values order much more than what Lucifer has in mind, in which the complete lack of law means that weaker people who can't defend themselves will inevitably be killed. Unfortunately, the lawmaker here is a petty, wrathful megalomaniac and His idea of "order" is far more oppressive than what many of His followers may be inclined to believe.
• Reality-Breaking Paradox: Invoked. When YHVH appears as a Boss Battle, he sometimes claims opposing him is the same as opposing the world, as he is existence itself, and that destroying him is such as in impossible act it would destroy the world as well. However, this has never happened each time he is beaten.
• Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: Many incarnations of YHVH believe he is beyond mortals' conceptions of morality by virtue of having created them.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
  • In Devil Survivor: Overclocked he abandons mankind on Yuzu's 8th Day. He also forsakes humanity for good in both of Naoya's 8th Days even though he still plans on fighting the Overlord.
  • In Majin Tensei Lucifer reveals he left some time ago. All that remains is Satan trying to finish mankind off with his horde of demons, while the Angels and Archangels are just doing whatever. Most joining the demon hordes, while Uriel is helping the heroes.
• Tautological Templar: At his worst, YHVH will declare any action he does is good because of who he is without actually fulfilling the goals of Law or the Great Will. His followers will usually turn on him as a result.
• This Is Unforgivable!: Whenever He appears in person, He tends to not mince words when explaining to the protagonists just how grave their sins are and how horrible their punishment is going to be. After being so thoroughly denied of his divinity by the team in Apocalypse and reduced to a demonic form, he's so hate-filled that he wastes half of his turns trembling in pure scorn.
• Top God: In continuities where Gods Need Prayer Badly, YHVH is either implied or outright stated to claim himself as the one true god by eliminating the competition, almost always by demonizing the other gods.
• Unfeeling Heavens: As with the Law alignment in general. It would be easier to list incarnations of YHVH who actually feel something for mortals than ones who don't.
• Villain World: A concerning number of games present worlds which are implied or outright shown to be under God's complete control, free for him to do as he sees fit. In Nocturne, Soul Hackers/Raidou Kuzunoha, and IV duology, it is implied incarnations of YHVH control most or all the universes in each game's respective continuities.
• Visionary Villain: One of His overarching goals is to create a Utopian kingdom for His chosen ones under His rule where everyone is treated fairly, no evil exists and are faithful to Him.
• Walking Spoiler: In games where he has a role direct enough to be a Boss Battle and not just a commander who never fights you directly, his presence is not made apparent until very, very late into the game. In II, part of the twist is that he's an enemy even to a Law-aligned player. In Apocalypse, the mere mention of him is a series-wide Wham Line because he had not put in a direct appearance or even a mention of his name in the series in at least 20 years.
• We Have Reserves: All versions of YHVH always have an inexhaustible supply of mooks he can mass produce to serve his needs. Even archangels, his Elite Mook, are not exempt in at least one continuity, as Apocalypse reveals Seraph, Kazfiel, Mastema and even Metatron are all mass produced angels.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: His most charitable depiction is usually one who seeks to create a demon-less world of equality and eternal peace under his and only his providence. If he can't even muster that and is just a Despotism Justifies the Means type of guy, his enforcer Satan will turn on him as in II and Apocalypse.
• Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: As with Lucifer, he seems to have taken a step back after the events of Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, with no interest in triggering an apocalypse, leading to a gap in IF, Devil Summoner and Persona timelines. Though entities such as angels and Yaldabaoth who thinks he's YHVH appear, they don't seemingly relate back to YHVH.
• Zeroth Law Rebellion: Implied near the beginning of the main series. In Shin Megami Tensei I, he becomes relevant right after the invention of Stephen's Demon Summoning Program — thus raising the question of whether he really is God, or just a summoned program (and it's not until Nocturne that we get any actual evidence to believe otherwise). Tokyo is leveled with nukes and the survivors form the cult of the Messians, summoning his angels to help, but as you should know by now his idea of "help" is destroying the world and rebuilding it. Repeatedly.

Shin Megami Tensei II (All spoilers unmarked)

YHVH

The god worshipped by the Messians, who believe Him to be a magnanimous and all-loving being.

In reality, He is a vain, megalomaniacal and vengeful god who has decided to wipe out humanity, partially in retaliation to the Center creating an artificial Messiah and virtual Thousand Year Kingdom, and partially because He is an incredible Jerkass who is fed up with people not worshipping Him enough.

Word of God states that YHVH is not supposed to be an accurate depiction of the Judeo-Christian god with a similar name, but rather that His erratic actions are symptomatic of something going terribly wrong with the universe.

Tropes:

• As Long as There Is Evil: As long as one person wishes for Him, He will return.
• Big Bad: Played with. He's the Final Boss and ordered Satan and Lucifer to kill the unchosen, but other than that, He doesn't drive the plot and lets Satan, the only one who can fire the Megiddo Ark to destroy Earth, lead the Law faction in their fight against Lucifer.
• Big Good: Of the Law path. Until you and Zayin realize exactly what type of deity He is.
• The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: He's Level 108. In contrast, Satan and Lucifer are both Level 99.
• Exact Words: After defeating the Senators, you are informed that He does not want to enslave the Earth. Unfortunately, this is because He wants to destroy it.
• Final Boss: On ALL paths. This is one of the very few games in the series where you still fight Him if your alignment is Law.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: In the previous game, Echidna describes YHVH as being originally one god among many, before human worship allowed him to gain enough power to demonize other gods and overthrow them.
• God: It's the literal YHVH after all.
• God Is Evil: So evil, even the angels detest Him and you fight Him as the Final Boss regardless of your alignment.
• Gods Need Prayer Badly: Which leads to As Long as There Is Evil.
• Greater-Scope Villain: He set the pieces in motion through Zayin, Lucifer, and Kuzuryu, with only the Archangels' actions getting in the way. However, the plot is driven by Zayin's development and transformation into Satan, Lucifer's plot to stop Satan, and Aleph choosing who to side with. YHVH does not show up until the very end.
• Huge Holographic Head: How Aleph meets YHVH the first time. This is not the true YHVH, but a facsimile created from the faith and expectations of the three Archangels.
• Jerkass Gods: Saying that he is a Jerkass is a mere understatement. He's monstrous.
• Kill All Humans: He wishes for the full blown destruction of humanity.
• Mirroring Factions: With the Archangels. Their plans basically come down to the same thing: Bring the Thousand Year Kingdom into the world no matter what. Any life may be sacrificed if necessary. If you pick the Law route, Zayin will end up turning on both of them.
• Trick Boss: You beat Lucifer and/or Satan? Good! Now you have to beat God.
• Walking Spoiler: As the Final Boss of all routes, even Law, of course He is.

Shin Megami Tensei NINE (All Spoilers Unmarked)

Yaldabaoth

The Creator of All Things, who wishes to flood the world and wipe out humanity.

---

• Final Boss: Fought at the end of every route.
• Flying Face: In its second phase, its head detaches from its body and floats freely.
• Hidden Villain: Isn't even mentioned until the final chapter, and doesn't appear directly until all other antagonists are dead.
• One-Winged Angel: Despite being reduced to a floating head in its second form, it's much stronger than the first form.
• Sculpted Physique: Resembles a statue. It's especially noticeable when the gold leaf is still there.
• Shows Damage: In its first phase, the gold leaf covering its body chips away as it takes damage.
• Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Eerily similar to YHVH in most aspects.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne

Kagutsuchi

Voiced by: Keiji Fujiwara (Japanese), Jamieson Price (English)

^{Click here to see the avatar of the Great Will}

The mysterious, sentient sun that eternally casts its light over the Vortex World. The Vortex World's denizens measure the time based on the brightness of Kagutsuchi, which is measured in a continuous eight-stage cycle. According to legend, once the Vortex World's Reasons have been assembled, their leaders must ascend to Kagutsuchi itself in order to determine which Reason will become the basis of the new world. It is actually an extension of the Great Will, which he created to oversee the cycle of destruction and recreation of worlds that do not meet his ridiculously skewed standards, with the ultimate goal of eventually creating a world that is fully subservient to the Great Will.

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• Achilles' Heel: The Kagutsuchi phase will permanently turn to "bright" in the second half of the fight, meaning any demons equipped with the Bright Might skill will score automatic critical hits with all their regular attacks.
• Affably Evil: If you come to it representing any of the Reasons, it isn't hostile towards you at all and only fights you to test your resolve to create the new world. In fact, when you first meet him immediately after the Conception happens, he encourages you to go find a Reason.
• All There in the Manual: The fact that he is actually a name and a manifestation for YHVH in this game is only clarified by Kaneko in the artbook.
• Deader than Dead: In the True Demon Ending the Demi-fiend doesn't just kill it, he precludes it from existing in any world ever again.
• The Evils of Free Will: It fully believes in this.
• Elemental Powers: Uses all four elements during both fights.
• Final Boss: Of all routes save the regular Demon Ending, where he pulls No Final Boss for You out of disgust.
• Knight Templar: It acts as the main representative for the Great Will in the main game, though Kagutsuchi's far from the only villain.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler: DLC in Apocalypse heavily hints at his Final Boss status, with the Demi-fiend referencing how he beat Kagutsuchi.
• Light 'em Up: Being as it's a great ball of living, omnipotent light, it's only natural that it employs light as a weapon. Of note is its Infinite Light attack, where it unleashes a massive beam upon the party.
• Light Is Not Good: As a combination of the Sun, Moon, and God, he's obviously associated with light. He's also one of the villains.
• Metaphorically True: His claims about being part of the Great Will. The game's artbook states Kagutsuchi is in fact a name of YHVH, so he is only an extension of the Great Will as much as he is a part of YHVH.
• No Final Boss for You: If you complete the game without siding with any Reason, it dismisses the Demi-Fiend for leaving the world in ruin.
• Non-Indicative Name: The first entity among agents of the Great Will who doesn't have a name of the Abrahamic God or an entity related to him, as Kagutsuchi is the name of the Japanese god of fire and light.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In the Demon ending.
• Sequential Boss: One in the form he's in throughout the game, then a second form as a giant face.
• That's No Moon: Though it does act as one for a similar moon phase system during the game.
• Trick Boss: While still technically the Final Boss for the True Demon Ending, there's a True Final Boss immediately following.
• Villainous Breakdown: It does not take kindly to the Demi-fiend choosing Freedom, Demon, or True Demon and in two of those endings attacks him out of rage.
• Walking Spoiler: Most of the tropes listed here are heavy spoilers for the end-game and his boss fight.
• Wave-Motion Gun: His signature Infinite Light skill. In terms of raw damage output, it's one of the strongest attacks in the game, capable of hitting around 1400 to 1800 damage unmitigated. Considering that the maximum Cap for party member HP in this game is 999...

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey (All Spoilers Unmarked)

God of Light / Refined Voice

In the distant past, the God of Light rose to power thanks to the worship of humanity and sealed away the mother goddesses who originally ruled the world of Strange Journey, allowing human civilization to advance. However, over time worship of the God of Light faltered, weakening the seal on the mother goddesses. Escaping at some point, Mem Aleph shattered the deity and sealed the pieces in turn in the Schwarzwelt. Despite this setback, the shards were left to their own devices, becoming independent entities pursuing their own goals. In New Game Plus the player is given the choice of helping the weakest shard, Metatron, merge with the now crazed Demiurge. If the fusion is successful they will become the Refined Voice (still in the form of Demiurge); if the player isn't aligned with Chaos, the Voice promises to help and protect humanity from the spirit of the Earth as long as humanity is obedient to the Holy Spirit; if aligned with Law, the Voice outright joins the player, fighting against Mem Aleph and in the Redux Updated Re Release, even their fellow reformed shard Root Shekinah.

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• From Nobody to Nightmare: According to the mother goddesses, the God of Light was a lesser known deity, before growing in prominence and using his newfound power to trample over them and their more nature based civilization. Interestingly, Shekinah claims she is acting on behalf, and being part of, the Great Will instead. Whether one of the parties are lying or both are somehow true is left an Ambiguous Situation.
• God in Human Form: Both Metatron (as a Red Crew Sprite crew member) and the Three Wise Men take on human forms in a effort to get the Schwarzwelt Investigation Team to side with them.
• God Is Good: The Refined Voice in particular is surprisingly cordial to a Neutral aligned player and will help a Law aligned player oppose his fellow shard, Root Shekinah, in the New Law path.
• Gods Need Prayer Badly: The original game implies this trope is played straight: with the God of Light being stated to be worshipped into power by humanity. However, Schwarzwelt Reminiscence side material downplays this by clarifying the Three Wise Men (and the God of Light they originally were) are born from the will of the planet, which had existed since prior to humanity (in a time when another sentient civilization had populated Earth, and presumably even before then), meaning the God of Light wasn't born of humans, but still benefitted from the worship directed to him.
• Mythology Gag: The door leading to the Demiurge sidequest in Grus in the first playthrough is blocked by a Power, who says the voice of God commanded him to stand guard before the door, blocking it. In New Game Plus, it's Metatron himself in his guise as a Strike Team member who's at the door, allowing the player to start it.
• Pieces of God: The God of Light was split into Metatron, Demiurge and Root Shekinah by Mem Aleph and the other mother goddesses, with Root Shekinah being split even further from her power, forming the Cosmic Fruits, which was then placed in the Womb of Grief under the protection of the wardens (Amon, Forneus, Zeus) and the mothers (Anahita, Ishtar, Maria). Now as the Three Wise Men, they and the Law faction are not capable of obtaining the Cosmic Fruits by themselves due to the mystical protection involved and must rely on the protagonist to do it for them.
• There Is Another: Very subtly implied in the game. Louisa describes humans as being born from God's madness, implying God was responsible for humanity's creation. Mastema is also implied to come from space, and not of Earth, implying the God who created Mastema is not the same as the God of Light, who was a deity worshipped into power by humans. Schwarzwelt Reminiscence confirms this; Mastema and the forces of Law around him are "visitors" to this Earth, with the One God which Mastema worships and Lucifer defied is not the same as the Three Wise Men, who were born from "the will of the Earth" in a similar manner as Mem Aleph. Redux implies this other "God" might be the Great Will, which Shekinah begs for forgiveness from in her defeat.

The Three Wise Men / Root Shekinah

"Here in this blasted land of ruin, what will you find? A light illuminating the way to the future? The fires of destruction? Or perhaps...?"

^{In the animated intro}

^{Click here for Root Shekinah}

Voiced by: Cho (all three)

A trio of Angels that appear to the protagonist in a dream when he first enters the Schwarzwelt. They are the leaders of the forces of Law in Strange Journey, with Mastema acting as their right hand man. They were the ones that gave the Red Sprite crew the Demon Summoning program and try to contact them at several points throughout the story.

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• Achilles' Heel: As detailed in the All Your Powers Combined below, Shekinah doesn't resist Demon Co-Op attacks. Abusing Demon Co-Ops against Shekinah is crucial, especially at the second phase of the fight.
• All Your Powers Combined: Their Cosmic Fruit has absorbed the essence of demons who watched over them. This gives them the ability to assume the moves and affinities of Anahita, Ishtar, Amon, Forneus, Zeus, and Maria. After absorbing Demeter's essence, her defense to everything except Demon Co-Ops, including weaknesses and Almighty damage, greatly increases, and she can access the six bosses' more unique moves.
• Attack Reflector: After absorbing Demeter, Shekinah gains the ability to cast one of three Torah barriers, one for each Alignment, which will reflect every attack coming from combatants of the corresponding Alignment. Except Almighty damage, but given Shekinah greatly resists Almighty by this stage, that becomes a moot point.
• Badass Boast: Have a long one as Shekinah, specially in the New Neutral route:
  "I, Root Shekinah, shall cleanse your arrogance with divine punishment. The ancient gods and the humans who worship them are no longer needed... The earth is mine alone! I am your god! Your will is of no consequence, Human. You will embrace my mercy. I no longer have need of that song... Now that my power's returned, I shall create a new world myself. Rejoice, for it begins with your death! Your soul will serve as the new world's foundation! Praise my name and rejoice! Behold the rightful ruler of this planet – Root Shekinah!"
• Barrier Change Boss: Shekinah can channel the powers of the demons who watched over the Cosmic Fruit, gaining their strengths and weakness alike.
• Big Bad: Of Redux and retroactively a Big Bad Ensemble with Mem Aleph, with Demeter gathering their Cosmic Egg to reclaim their true form.
• The Chessmaster: Upon the Investigative Team's entrance to the Schwarzwelt, the Three partially cause a catastrophe that causes three of the ships of the team, the Elve, the Gigantic and the Blue Jet, to be scattered and lost; this has severe implications for the development of the story. Which coupled with their actions in Redux in the New Law/Neutral/Chaos paths ends up making them the second main antagonist of the game, manipulating the protagonist so that he will retrieve their Cosmic Egg (Cosmic Fruit), so that they will be able to regain their power and create their World of Law without relying on Zelenin.
• Council of Angels: A trio leading the Law side. Though they are actually a single being separated into three.
• Despair Event Horizon: The crux of Shekinah's Final Speech, certain that humanity will kill the world she loves.
• Devour the Dragon: Shekinah orders Demeter to sacrifice herself to heal and strengthen her, to which she reluctantly complies.
• Final-Exam Boss: To stand a chance against Shekinah, one must not only recruit and/or fuse at least 3 demons of every alignment to counter her Torah barriers, but also take advantage of Demon Co-Ops (via her ever-changing weaknesses) to whittle her massive HP down during the battle.
• Final Speech: Shekinah gives a big one upon her defeat.
  "Ahhh... I am defeated... Reduced to nothing... How frightening... First Mem Aleph, and now you have slain me as well... Man slaughters all...Demons, gods...And even... Earth...O Great Will... It all ends... Woe unto me... I failed to guide... the world...
• Foil: Shekinah is this to Mem Aleph. Both are powerful female leaders of their respective alignments, both want to remake the Earth using the Schwarzwelt, and both want to Kill All Humans in their different ways. In particular, Shekinah wants to have a few humans spared, but brainwashed to praise her for all eternity.
• Forehead of Doom: She's got a big bald spot.
• Fusion Dance: They fused together into their true torm Shekinah in an attempt to kill the Protagonist by using their Cosmic Egg, Cosmic Fruit.
• Gender Bender: The Three Wise Men are male, but their true form, Shekinah, is female.
• Irony: In Redux, despite claiming as Shekinah that the Earth is hers alone, wanting to wipe out most humans and brainwash the rest... She still believes her actions are for the Great Will.
• Kill All Humans: Technically, they only want to kill all humans who aren't forced to submit by Zelenin's song, and turn the rest into automatons praising them for all eternity. But the latter group aren't human anymore.
• Knight Templar: Present themselves as logic-driven, fair minded elderly men compared to YHVH. Though as Shekinah they are far more haughty and arrogant. Overlaps with Tautological Templar as Shekinah, as it pretty much will do whatever it wants to avoid humanity destroying the Earth... Because being an agent of the Great Will justifies all Her actions.
• Marathon Boss: As Shekinah, after they devour Demeter. She gains resistances to every element, including Almighty, so bringing her down is going to take a while.
• Meaningful Name: Shekinah is defined as the presence of God on earth or a symbol or manifestation of His presence, and it can also mean dwelling... She is a manifestation of the Great Will, after all.
• Moveset Clone: As Shekinah, some of their moves resemble that of Mem Aleph with different names; particularly very strong elemental attacks of every element as well as Reason's Start which heals and cancels debuffs. After devouring Demeter, Shekinah also has Heaven's Arrow, a Gun-version of Mem Aleph's Mother Kiss.
• Mr. Exposition: They outright say they're going to explain everything to the crew at one point.
• Nature Spirit: They mention that they are one with the Earth during The Reveal and exist beyond time. Louisa Ferre (and Demeter) also call them the Three Spirits. The part about being one with Earth turns out to not be completely true, but Shekinah absorbs the essence of fertility deities through their Cosmic Egg making it a reality near the end. The part about existing beyond time is only technically true because they are connected to Great Will, who is beyond time and space.
• No Cure for Evil: During their encounter as Shekinah, this trope is massively averted. Not only Shekinah will sacrifice Demeter to fully heal herself after her HP is depleted the first time, but after that she can also use Preening which heals her for over 4 digits of HP and buffs all her stats equal to 4 times Luster Candies.
• The Omniscient Council of Vagueness: They welcome the expedition into the Schwarzwelt and occasionally communicate with the protagonist and Red Sprite. At one point, both the crew and Arthur refer to them as "the three living beings". They represent the primary Law authorities in the story, although they claim to do their work for, and in the name of, God. It ultimately turns out that they ARE God (Shekinah).
• Pragmatic Villainy: They loathe humanity as much as Mem Aleph does, with Louisa revealing they too wish to Kill All Humans. Due to being weakened, however, they had to rely on a magus to brainwash a chunk of humanity into mindless thralls to praise them and restore their power.
• Rule of Three: The Three Wise Men.
• The Reveal: They are in fact God in Strange Journey's world, the Root (Godly/Shinrei in Japanese) Shekinah, and had their power stripped by Mem Aleph to force them to aid her.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: In the original game they all seem to be wearing Demonicas. In Redux, they switch to a black suit.
• The Starscream: The three have an obligation to aid Mem Aleph, which they've gone against to fulfill their own agenda. Because they were forced to after having their powers stolen by the mothers.
• True Final Boss: Their true form, Shekinah, is this for all three "New" Routes.
• Villainous Breakdown: Shekinah lets out one after damaging her enough times in her All Your Powers Combined state.
  Impossible... How can man possess such strength!? No! No, no, no, NO! I am your god! I am Root Shekinah! I will be the new law of this planet!
• Walking Spoiler: Most of the major plot twists in Redux hinge upon their expanded role in the narrative.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Their methods are intimidating, to say the least, but it's strongly implied that if they are sided with humanity will never have to deal with another Schwarzwelt instead of doing it for the sake of delighting in the suffering that takes place afterwards. Louisa Ferre is the exact same on the Chaos side.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: In Redux, before fighting them as Shekinah, she claims that the old gods and humans of the old world that worship them are no longer needed. Also applies to the protagonist, and Zelenin's song. Jerkass Gods indeed.
• You Will Be Spared: In Redux's New Neutral route they offer this, only to soon drop it, realizing the player is not backing out.
  "You've done quite well, reaching here... We have bore witness to the full extent of your long journey. You have learned the truth about the Schwarzwelt, and slain the being at heart of it––Mem Aleph. What more could you possibly want, (player name)? If it's mercy you want, allow us to grant it. You have regained the Cosmic Egg, source of our power, from the vile Mem Aleph. So long as you do not disrupt the god of law's creation, we shall let you be. If, however, you foolishly decide to dabble in the creation of your own world... Your arrogance will be met with punishment. We..."

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse (All Spoilers Unmarked)

YHVH

^{Click here to see Demonized YHVH}

"I am that I am. I am infinity. The Supreme Being. The embodiment of law and order."

Voiced by: Mugihito (JP), William Salyers (EN)

The God of Monotheism and the Final Boss of Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse.

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• Achilles' Heel: YHVH is really vulnerable to Flynn's skill, "Godslayer's Sword". Not only does this skill counts as a weakness even if YHVH is smirking, but it also weakens 1 random resistance.
• Armor-Piercing Attack: All of YHVH's elemental attacks pierce resistances, called Inferno / Hailstorm / Lightning / Tornado of God.
• Big Bad: The true enemy everyone seeks to defeat, though He stays in the background as the Greater-Scope Villain until the final arc.
• Bootstrapped Leitmotif: Downplayed. In II, the Major Boss theme was used for most plot important bosses and Bonus Bosses, not just YHVH. Here, a remix is entirely associated with YHVH's Universe.
• Boss Remix: The theme that plays when fighting YHVH's second form is a remix of both IV's Mikado Battle Theme and IV Apocalypse's Normal Battle Theme. In an inversion, His boss theme from II reappears as His dungeon's theme.
• Cold Ham: Though not as shouty as His II incarnation, He nonetheless carries an aura of sheer subjugation and authority with His elderly echoing voice.
• The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Like before, His level is once again higher than the in-game cap. Though it's downplayed this time with DLC, which features a Fiend that breaks the level cap and whose defeat respawns and skyrockets the levels of the other Fiends repeatedly, a fight with Stephen at Level 128 with a separate party all at Level 125, and most notable, DLC that lets everyone playable break the cap.
• Demiurge Archetype: YHVH is an arrogant, vain dictator who perpetuates a Forever War to keep the universe under his control forever, and contemplates replacing humanity with "more obedient servants" when the party confronts him. However, The Axiom, a Sentient Cosmic Force, is actively working against him by creating Messiahs (the protagonists) capable of doing so.
• Evil Is Hammy: As fitting of a mad god who thinks divine tyranny and the subjugation of all other gods is best for humanity, He packs a deep, elderly voice that commands praise and obedience.
• Fate Worse than Death: After being reduced to His second form — a multi-headed serpent-like monstrosity — He decides that death is too kind of a punishment for the heroes and declares good old eternal banishment to hell as the only fitting punishment.
• Final Boss: Of the Bonds/Massacre Routes only.
• Gods Need Prayer Badly: The reason why gods are so obsessed with controlling humanity when they have better things to do is because human observation and reasoning is what dictates what is real and what is unreal, so it's in their interest to MAKE humanity believe in their strong existence, no matter how much power it costs. In this case, humanity created YHVH. Oops.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Of IV and Apocalypse, having set up the Forever War in this set of universes. He doesn't do much otherwise, letting Satan's two halves run the show. The final arc, however, allows Nanashi to put YHVH in the Big Bad role.
• HP to One: The attack Miracle reduces the entire party to just one HP. He also has a move that does the same to just one target, but also takes quite a chunk out of the MP as well.
• It's All About Me: He preaches a lot about upholding lawful human society, but in reality all He wants is worship and glory to Himself. By the time He's dying, He's shouting at the heroes to praise His name, even though no human within earshot wants to do so at this point.
• Just Giving Orders: He never personally takes action Himself, using His servants to cause suffering so that He can be absolved of guilt. Unfortunately for Him no one sees things the way He does, not even His aspect Satan who serves as His dragon.
• Karmic Transformation: The art book explains that this happens to YHVH at the end of the game. He established His dominance over the polytheistic gods by degenerating them into demons and beasts, so when humanity rejects Him at the end, the same power gets turned back on Him and He devolves into a hideous mishmash of animal body parts. Unlike most demonizations that weaken the deity, YHVH becomes more powerful in the process.
• Killed Off for Real: He is destroyed for good in the routes Bonds/Peace and Massacre/Anarchy.
• Light Is Not Good: He appears as a legion of golden shining heads and is as malevolent as ever.
• Looks Like Orlok: His unused first form art resembles his SMT II design more with pointed ears, right down to the Black Eyes of Evil with red pupils.
• Mix-and-Match Critters: His demonized form has the heads of numerous animals which have been deemed impure, loathome or otherwise lowly by various religions (and therefore by YHVH himself) i.e. snakes, geckos, goats and locusts.
• Mythology Gag: A lot of them to His two previous appearances:
  • Many of His animations are direct references to His sprites in Shin Megami Tensei II.
  • Mouth of God, His One-Hit Kill, is a direct nod to when He "lets out His voice" in Shin Megami Tensei II.
  • He comes right after Satan, similarly to both of His previous appearances.
  • He's preceded by a Boss Corridor where He threatens you with eternal suffering and warns you to turn back, just like in Megami Tensei II and Shin Megami Tensei II. After the fight, He gives a long Dying Speech like He did in the other two games.
  • A lot of what He says, if not referring to Shin Megami Tensei II, refers to Megami Tensei II instead.
  • On the Bonds route, He offers Nanashi a chance to betray his friends and serve Him for eternity like in Megami Tensei II, and His line to the partners in this game should he accept is similar to what He says to Lucifer in that game. However, instead of a totally different ending, accepting the offer in this game just results in a Non-Standard Game Over.
• Non-Standard Character Design: Unlike the majority of the characters in IV and Apocalypse, both of His forms are in full 3D. They even move whenever He attacks.
• One-Hit Kill: His Mouth of God attack is a guaranteed instant kill if it connects.
• One-Winged Angel: His second form is a hideous, seven-headed beast covered in blue, black, and purple in, meant to represent Him being cast from His seat as supreme God and becoming corrupted by the very same elements that gods from older traditions were demonized with in His own Abrahamic traditions.
• Orcus on His Throne: He spends most of the game sitting on His cosmic butt and only directly confronts the heroes when they come for Him.
• Playing Both Sides: He controls both Law and Chaos through his proxies Merkabah/Archangels and Lucifer, trapping everything in a Forever War that He has no intention of ever ending.
• Self-Duplication: His first fight is a horde of Himself made of millions of YHVH heads. As damage is dealt, the heads keep dying, decreasing his press turns until all that's left is one head on a black background. The artbook describes it as: "He had a strong impact in the previous games, so I just followed the basic model. His image as the Father and main god was emphasised by the stern expression on his aged face. The panels with three angles in the middle of his face are there to portray him as a 3D representation. In order to show he has all the universes under his rule, I showed multiple faces every time he appeared. The true number of these faces is the number of stars, rather than just the number of lives we can observe."
• Sequential Boss: First His Creator form and then His demonic form.
• Signature Move: All of His moves are exclusives to some extent save for a few, but notably there's "God's Mouth", a single target one hit kill reminiscent of "Mouth of God" from II.
• Slasher Smile: Whenever He gets a smirk, He flashes one wicked grin.
• Straw Hypocrite: He doesn't believe at all in the words He preaches. This is exploited during the fight against Him by rejecting his divinity, which causes him to transform into a stronger form "Demonized YHVH", but it also makes him defeatable.
• This Is Unforgivable!: He offers several chances for you to repent, turn back, and receive His forgiveness (the last of which is actually a trick that will kill you), but once you force him into a second form, this trope is in full effect:
  "How could you diminish me to such a state? [Impudent humans / Pathless fool]...I cannot forgive you. I asked only that you take the life I granted you and obediently follow my word. The weight of your blasphemy is too great for death. Eternal suffering is the only suitable punishment!"
• Took a Level in Jerkass: While YHVH has never been a very nice guy to begin with, Apocalypse cranks up His less pleasant features several notches. This rendition of Him doesn't pretend to care about His egalitarianism beyond its uses as a source of worship and dreams of a peaceful kingdom that praise Him forever are all but gone. He only seeks to keep himself in power by manipulating the sides of Law and Chaos to keep the throne of Creator to himself, and nothing else. The world can burn, for all he cares.
• Top God: YHVH is the Creator of the universe Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse takes place in, and has asserted his dominance over the other gods by degenerating them into demons and beasts. The artbook describes it perfectly: "The actual One God of monotheism. The One God praised by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is the omnipotent existence that created heaven and earth and made man in his own image, but this also means that together with the angels, his bunrei, he also gave birth to demons. By giving humans bodies of flesh and bone, their lives and fears were repeated in the endless cycle of death and rebirth, restricting their range of observation."
  • This is subverted depending on what one considers "God". While YHVH is the strongest God-like entity, he is not the will of the universe- that role goes to the Axiom, which one could consider to be the absolute "God" insofar as it is the entity which gives life to the universe. The Axiom is not traditionally sentient however, being more like a force of nature, meaning YHVH still fits into this role in terms of being The Chessmaster to the universe at large.
• The Unpronounceable: Whenever anybody tries to talk about YHVH, any attempts to say His name aloud are replaced with a strange, warbling sound not unlike that of a warped cassette tape. This is true to Biblical canon, as the true name of God is not meant to be spoken out loud.
• Villainous Breakdown: Goes through this big time when He's stripped of His divinity and becomes a demon. He gains two moves in His second form which actually reflect this; Crush and Rampage, meaning that the once-proud Creator is reduced to savagely thrashing about as He desperately tries to kill the heroes. Before Nanashi deals the final blow, he pathetically orders him to stop, as the world he/all of them wish is impossible.

Shin Megami Tensei V

God

The Creator of Da'at and leader of the forces of heaven.

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• Ambiguous Situation: It's unclear whether the God of Law is YHVH or an equivalent as He's never once referred to by name.
• God Is Dead: Lucifer has dethroned Him permanently before the start of the story, and the game's central conflict is about who will replace Him.
• God of Order: God of Law specifically.
• Jerkass Gods: Regardless of whether He's YHVH or an equivalent, He was still a piece of work. He ensured no one could challenge His authority by stripping His rivals of their Knowledge and locking it away inside a "tree of paradise", leaving Him the sole Top God and virtually unopposed. Additionally, like many characters of the Law faction, His world order consists of humans blindly devoting themselves to Him, stripping them of free will entirely. It's telling that the God of Law was so bad His own angels would rather have somebody else take His throne while keeping free will intact. The sole exception to this is Abdiel, who with Ichiro seeks to restore His order.
• No Ontological Inertia: After Tokyo was destroyed 18 years ago, He performed a "Shekinah Miracle", creating a simulacrum of Tokyo before his death. Conflict arises later on when it becomes clear that said miracle is fading away after so long and will take all of Tokyo's denizens with it. Koshimizu's faction is especially driven to put one of their own Nahobinos on the vacant throne so they can renew the miracle before it's too late.
• Plot-Triggering Death: With the Creator dead, the Condemnation that prevented demons from returning to their original forms as Nahobino is no longer in play, and the Empyrean throne now has a vacancy, kickstarting the race to see who can fill the power vacuum of the God of Law's death left behind.
• Posthumous Character: Died by Lucifer's own hands, though many angels refuse to believe He's actually dead and only accept the truth when Bethel disbands and the gods seek out the humans bearing their Knowledge to take the God of Law's place.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He has little bearing on the plot and is only ever mentioned in passing on account of being dead long before the game begins, but His death and the throne's vacancy drive the main plot and Da'at's current state.
• Spare to the Throne: He has no successors, but Bethel and the forces of heaven want to find a suitable replacement so they can fix Da'at and restore His world order.
• Top God: Of His religion, and the sole deity His angels answer to. He's also this in the world of Shin Megami Tensei V as a whole as He was the Creator prior to His death at Lucifer's hands and ensured He would be the only Creator by robbing His rival deities of their Knowledge, debasing them into demons and preventing them from reaching the Empyrean throne.
• The Usurper: A conversation with Goko after Lahmu's destruction reveals that the God of Law killed the previous ruler, Baal. Whether Lahmu prepared for his ascension out of his own twisted ambitions or revenge for Baal is unknowable.

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