Earth Doctors
In General
- Covert Group with Mundane Front: The Earth Doctors organization is actually a front group for Hermes' Wings, a secret society comprised of politicians and influential people who oppose the Godom Empire.
Shou Shishimaru
Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu (Japanese), Philip Hersh (English)
- All-Loving Hero: He joined Earth Doctors because he wanted to save people's lives. The General saw his natural kindness as a sign he may be the Savior and takes him in as his successor for Hermes' Wings.
- Author Avatar: He is yet another idealized version of Happy Science's late founder and president Ryuho Okawa as an anime character, given Shou's status as the latest reincarnation of the Savior in the movie coinciding with Okawa's claims to be the same.
- Big Good: He is actually the reincarnation of the Savior who not only will stop the Godom Empire's advances for good, but will defeat the demons and usher in a new age of love, wisdom, self-reflection, and progressnote .
- Came Back Strong: Shou resurrects after the God of Earth hears Theta's pleas, with memories of his past lives restored and emanating the Savior's godlike aura.
- Captured on Purpose: After seeing one of Theta's guards die as they fight the Godom soldiers guarding the Ultimate Destruction Weapon, he pleads to stop the fire and turns himself over.
- The Chosen One: After being saved by Buddhist monks, the chief monk reveals to him that he's the reincarnation of the Shakyamuni Buddha, who 2,600 years ago prophesied he will be reborn in the East as a man with a lion's roar that will save the Earth against demons. Moreover, it turns out Buddha himself was the reincarnation of the Savior, who had past lives as La Mu and Rient Arle Croud.
- The Everyman: He is an average guy who became a doctor to save people's lives, but his life changes upon meeting the General, who names him his successor after seeing his power of premonitions.
- Messianic Archetype: He is the latest reincarnation of the Savior and therefore, the one who will defeat the demons and usher in a new age of enlightenment where humans and spirits will coexist. This makes him a parallel with Jesus' Second Coming to defeat Satan's forces for good and usher in a new Heaven and new Earth.
- Seers: The first time he sees the General, Shou has a vision of him being shot to death. He shrugs it off until the Tokyo chase scene, where he goes against Julia's instructions when he has another vision of the Godom Empire's cars about to ambush them. Moreover, he embarks on a meditation journey to Izumo, where he has visions of the future ending in a Godom soldier shooting at him.
- Staff of Authority: After resurrecting as the Savior and defeating the demon possessing Tathagata with the Symbol of the Savior, he is shown wielding the artifact like a staff in the Creative Closing Credits in his journeys.
Julia
Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (Japanese), Chelsea O'Toole (English)
- Mission Control: She is contacted by Chief Urano for instructions while he was chased by cars from the Godom Empire in Tokyo.
- Token Minority: She is the only known Latina member of Earth Doctors/Hermes' Wings with speaking roles.
Chief Urano
Voiced by: Hiroshi Tsuchida (Japanese)
- Les Collaborateurs: When Shou asks him why did he kill the General and betray them, he reveals his plans of defecting to the Godom Empire for money.Urano: Who doesn't like money? Besides, countries around the world kissed up to that Empire for money to begin with, turning a blind eye to their extraordinary military expansion. And the result is global domination by the Godom Empire. So why would you be chosen as the General's successor instead of me? But if I kill two Generals at once, the Godom Empire will reward me handsomely. I'm sorry. Don't take this as personal.
- Face–Heel Turn: He shoots the General to death after Shou escorts the man to safety in response to Godom soldiers raiding the Japanese branch's offices. Then he holds Shou at gunpoint to reveal he's defected to the Godom Empire
- Green-Eyed Monster: After killing the General and threatening to kill Shou as well, Chief Urano reveals his reason to defect to the Godom Empire was because the former named Shou as his successor instead of him.
- Never Suicide: He is assaulted with gas by a Buddhist monk while holding Shou at gunpoint, after shooting the General to death. Later on, after the Empire took over Japan, Godom's high-ranking officers find Urano's body and call him useless as they mistakenly thought he committed suicide.
- Last-Name Basis: He is only referred to by his surname.
Hermes' Wings
As a Whole
- Fictional Counterpart: They're this to the real-life Happy Science, fronting as a political party (Happiness Realization Party) and an educational institution (Happy Science University) like the real deal.
The General
Voiced by: Hiroshi Yanaka (Japanese)
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He is only known as "the General" and nothing else.
- Mentor Occupational Hazard: He dies about 30 minutes into the movie when the Godom Empire raids the Hermes' Wings headquarters at the hands of Urano.
- Passing the Torch: When the General visits the Japanese branch of Hermes' Wings after traveling throughout the other bases to avoid assassination, he declares Shou Shishimaru as the next General in case he dies. Shortly after, Urano kills the General in response to that decision.
Supporting Characters
Chief Delani
The elderly chief monk of an Indian Buddhist group whose mission was looking forward to Buddha's prophesied return.
- Mentor Archetype: He is an elderly Buddhist monk who traveled with his order to Japan in order to find the reincarnation of Buddha, who was Shou Shishimaru. He provides Shou with information about the prophecy and the Savior's background.
Bodhi
A young monk and Chief Delani's future successor.
- Agent Scully: He questions his mentor's assumption of Shou as the reincarnation of Buddha, but he offers support and hope anyway. However, when Shou gets executed near the climax, proclaiming in despair that Shou was an ordinary guy all along until Leika Chan reveals her true form as Princess Theta to heal his gunshot and burn wounds and resurrect him.
Spirits
Rient Arle Croud
Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu
- Mighty Whitey: Despite being an ancient Incan king, he's commonly depicted as a white man throughout this and other Happy Science films.
- Reincarnation: He is one of the past lives of the Savior (El Cantare), and he aids Shou along the other spirits in his journey to stop the Godom Empire.
- Staff of Authority: Like Ophealis and Hermes before him, Croud is depicted wielding a staff and even crafted the Symbol of the Savior as one reserved for the said figure should he emerge to stop evil once and for all.
Utika
- Human Aliens: He is a Venusian, a human-like race of aliens who had a life of prosperity under the rule of one of Shou's past selves, referencing El Miore from the previous film, The Laws of the Sun. However, after his planet's civilization was destroyed, he decided to stay in Venus as a spirit.
Konohana-no-Sakuya-bime
Voiced by: Ryōka Yuzuki (Japanese)
- Magical Floating Shawl: As a spirit goddess, she has a golden floating sash hovering above her and she controls Yamata-no-Orochi in an attempt to protect Japan from the Godom Empire's advances. At the climax of the movie, she extends it to empower Yamata-no-Orochi after Tathagata's demonic dragon clipped one of its wings, allowing the former to defeat the latter.
- Telepathy: She can read people's minds and explains to Shou that it's what spirits can do.
Yamata-no-Orochi
- Adaptational Heroism: In this movie, it is one of the good guys as Konohana-no-Sakuya-bime summons it to devour the Godom fleets on their way to Japan, and then does it again to protect Shou and Princess Theta from Tathagata Killer's demonic dragon. Moreover, a group of students at the start of the movie claims it's the protector of Japan making no mention of its demands for Virgin Sacrifices.
- Multiple Head Case: Like the original myth, it has eight heads.
- Orochi
- Sadly Mythcharacterized: In the original myth, Yamata-no-Orochi was a monster who harassed a family for refusing to sacrifice their youngest daughter after it ate their other seven older daughters one by one each year, depicted as gigantic. In this film, it is depicted as a bird-like smoke construct barely bigger than a mountain, with eight dragon-like heads, and is the protector of Izumo and all of Japan at the service of Konohana-no-Sakuya-bime.
The Godom Empire
Tathagata Killer
Voiced by: Daisuke Hirakawa (Japanese), Kyle Williams (English)
- Bad Boss: He electrocutes one of the members of his board of directors after the latter gets into an argument with Leika Chan.
- Big Bad: As the ruler of the ever-expanding Godom Empire and the one instigating their global conquest, he is the film's main villain.
- Black Eyes of Crazy: His sclerae turn black with yellow irises after his demonic dragon enters his body upon being defeated by Yamata-no-Orochi and overpowers him. In this state, he telekinetically yanks Princess Theta away from Shou and uses his power to have her activate the Ultimate Destruction Weapon.
- The Caligula: He is perfectly willing to use the Ultimate Destruction Weapon to destroy the world just to spite god.
- Cool Mask: Tathagata wears a white, featureless mask over his face for no apparent reason other than it looks cool.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Near the end of the story after the demon possessing him is defeated by Shou, he reveals his past as a child conceived through genetic manipulation, on whom the Republic of East Asia's scientists performed experiments to make him into "the perfect man."
- Demonic Possession: Tathagata Killer turns out to be possessed by a malevolent demon who desires to destroy humanity to spite God.
- Designer Babies: As he lies dying after the demon possessing him was defeated by Shou, Tathagata takes off his mask and reveals he was one of several children born through genetic manipulation and he underwent several experiments to make him "perfect", which in turn made him into the messed-up man he was until his death.Tathagata: I am… not human. I-I have… no parents. I am a mere… object, created as a nation's tool, through genetic manipulation.
- Evil Laugh: He indulges in one after declaring that humans are foolish for uniting against him following the UN's worldwide call to action against the Godom Empire. He also lets out a creepy one after the demonic Chinese dragon he summoned retreats into his body and possesses him.
- Evil Overlord: He is a tyrannical ruler whose main goal is to subjugate the entire world at his will, destroy all religion and then the entire existence.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He was the former Director of Science for the Republic of East Asia's military and a soldier himself. When he arranged with Leika Chan to use her weaponry upon meeting her, he launched a coup, and turned the country into the Godom Empire, with him as the Emperor.
- High-Voltage Death: He uses his electrified whip on one of his men for doubting Leika Chan's weaponry would be useful to the Empire's goals. Later on, he uses it on Leika herself (after revealing her true form as Princess Theta) for defying him, but she distracts him and the whip entangles and electrocutes him instead. However, after Shou defeated Tathagata, it turns out the man it possessed survived long enough to receive reassurance from Shou before he passed.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: After Leika-Chan/Theta uses her bracelet to break free from a possessed Tathagata attempting to make her activate the UDW, he uses his electrified whip to kill her. However, Theta briefly makes him come to his senses before using the bracelet again, causing the whip to entangle on and electrocute him instead.
- Hollywood Atheist: He's this trope on steroids. His entire motivation for conquering the world, banning religion, and later destroying the world is pretty much just to spite God.
- Hope Crusher: After Shou turns himself over, Tathagata has him crucified to a huge cross, and his subsequent execution by firing squad is televised live to all citizens of Earth not only to make an example of what happens to dissenters but to crush the people's belief in the Savior and make them subservient to the Godom Empire once and for all.
- Human Alien: After surviving electrocution with his own whip and Shou defeated the demon possessing him, Tathagata takes off his mask, revealing blue lines under his eyes, a sign he hails from the same planet as Theta.
- Humans Are Flawed: Discussed between Tathagata Killer and a presence in his throne room, the latter of which praises the former for being "the perfect man" while calling the rest "weak" and "imperfect" for relying on their parents and then believing in God. Once he agrees with the presence, it starts inhabiting his body.Tathagata Killer: (possessed) GOD CREATES IMPERFECT WORKS, PLAYS WITH THEM AND THEN ABANDONS THEM. GOD IS THE MOST SINFUL!
- Lightning Lash: Tathagata Killer's weapon is an electrified whip and uses it to punish and/or intimidate his subordinates whenever they argue.
- Malevolent Masked Man: He wears a white mask and is a tyrannical despot who seeks to destroy all religion.
- Meaningful Name: His name is an interesting example. "Tathagata" is a Pali/Sanskrit word used by the Shakyamuni/Gautama Buddha when referring to himself or other Buddhas in the Pali canon. Moreover, there is a "Tathagata Realm" in Happy Science lore, where the leaders of angels and Bodhisattvas live, manifested on Earth as powerful souls who changed the course of history for the better. Therefore, his full name roughly translates to "Enlightened-Buddha Killer," a fittingly blasphemous name for a tyrannical Emperor who seeks to destroy all religion and keep humans separated from the Savior and the Spirit World so that demonkind will drag them down to Hell.
- Oh, Crap!: He reacts like this when his electrified whip entangles on him before it electrocutes him.
- Voice of the Legion: He speaks with a double voice after becoming possessed by a demon, and whenever his possession becomes more apparent.
- Whip of Dominance: His personal weapon is an electrified whip, which cements his status as ruler of the Godom Empire.
Leika Chan
Voiced by: Ayumi Fujimura (Japanese)
- Anti-Villain: She is only allied with Tathagata because he promised to allow her people to migrate to Earth once he conquered it.
- The Dragon: She is the one who provides Tathagata with the advanced technology he needs to fulfill his conquest.
- Dragon Lady: She is a mysterious young woman who runs a trading firm and provides advanced weaponry for the Godom Empire. Moreover, she almost always appears wearing red cheongsam dresses in the scenes featuring her. Subverted by the reveal that she's actually not Chinese nor from planet Earth, but an alien princess named Theta, who hails from the dying planet Vega and seeks to find a home for her people.
- Expy: Her "Theta" form's design evokes Aphrodite from previous movies; she even falls for Shou once she realizes he's the destined Savior.
- High-Heel–Face Turn: She defects from Godom after meeting with Shou and realizing how insane Tathagata is.
- Human Alien: She turns out to be an alien princess named Theta of Vega, who came to Earth in a spaceship that ended up landing in China. Therefore, she shapeshifted into an Asian woman and adopted the name "Leika Chan" to blend in, allying with Tathagata so he will allow her people to migrate to Earth after accomplishing his conquest.
- Super Wrist-Gadget: She wears a bracelet that emits a bright flash of light to blind and ward off attackers. However, the demon possessing Tathagata destroys it after its vessel gets electrocuted to death.
- Trauma Button: The sight of the Ultimate Destruction Weapon in the Ba Long 06 base causes her to have flashbacks to the weapon's explosion despite not being used yet. Later on, she reveals to Shou the UDW was the same weapon used against her home planet, Vega of Lyra.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: After revealing herself as Princess Theta, she explains to Shou that some of her people can shapeshift, as shown when she morphs back into her "Leika Chan" persona while doing so.
SPOILER CHARACTER
The demon who possessed Tathagata Killer into becoming a cruel imperialist dictator who waged a war against religion. Its true goal, however, is to destroy all life on Earth out of spite towards God, and thus it had him and Leika Chan create the "Ultimate Destruction Weapon" for this purpose.
- Dark Is Evil: As expected of a demon, it is a being of darkness, and the most powerful of them all.
- Eldritch Abomination: A high-ranking demon that can possess people and give them special powers, it is a malevolent being that seeks to spite God, influencing people and civilizations into leading themselves to destruction.
- Generic Doomsday Villain: It may seem like this at first glance since the demon has no backstory nor concrete motivations to destroy the world other than "bring tears to God's eyes." However, if take into account the references to the second movie, it's implied to be Satan, who does this in revenge for being slain and thrown into Hell for his decadent lifestyle and wanting to foil the Savior's return. Even then, this isn't much because, in Happy Science theology, all demons are a threat to humanity because they're evil.
- Greater-Scope Villain: While Tathagata Killer is the main threat for the film, this demon is the real mastermind behind the Godom Empire's founding and imperialistic campaigns against religion, as well as the creation of the "Ultimate Destruction Weapon".
- Large Ham: As an empowered Shou exhorts Earth's people to believe in the Savior and give him the power to defeat the demon, it gloats that it's too late."It's too late! Everything shall end!"
- Omnicidal Maniac: It seeks to destroy all life on Earth to spite God, thus plotting the creation of the UDW to this effect. Moreover, it's implied to have used it on the planet Vega, leading its people and its princess Theta to migrate and find a new home.
- Sadist: It seeks to "bring tears to God's eyes" and later on, it yanks the kind-hearted Theta away and forces her to activate the UDW with her own hands to twist the knife even further.
- Satanic Archetype: This demon draws a parallel with Satan as the destructor of mankind, who seeks to "bring tears to God's eyes." Moreover, it manipulates Tathagata Killer and Leika Chan into building the "Ultimate Destruction Weapon" before unleashing it on an enemy country so that demonkind will drag those who die from the explosion, down to Hell, and take advantage of the despairing survivors as the Earth starts dying. However, its plans are foiled by a revived Shou using the Symbol of the Savior to destroy it for good.
- Skull for a Head: When revealing itself in the climax after its vessel was defeated, the demon's face is a grey-haired black skull with red rings around its yellow irises in its eye sockets.
- Villainous Crush: It develops a crush on Leika Chan after she broke herself free from its Psychic Strangle while in Tathagata's body, briefly revealing her true form in the process."She will be ideal as my wife."
- You Have Failed Me: After its vessel Tathagata Killer was defeated, it derides him as imperfect and useless for his close relationship with Leika Chan/Princess Theta."So, I suppose he wasn't so perfect after all. What a fool, seduced by a woman."
Others
Reptilians
- The Cameo: They debuted in the second movie deceiving the Incans into performing Human Sacrifices and using human agents to cause chaos so they could have an excuse to invade Earth. In this film, they return and wait for Tathagata Killer to activate the "Ultimate Destruction Weapon" so they could devour humans in the ensuing chaos.
- Loophole Abuse: Like in the previous film, The Laws of the Sun, their plan to invade Earth and devour its people consists of attacking once Tathagata uses his Ultimate Destruction Weapon, since the Galactic Treaty doesn't allow intervention unless the people of the planet being intervened on are destroying each other.
- Oh, Crap!: Right when they prepared their ships for the invasion of Earth as the demon which possessed Tathagata activated the Ultimate Destruction Weapon, they react like this upon seeing Earth's consciousness awakened to cleanse the planet.
- Plot-Irrelevant Villain: While they plan to invade Earth while Tathagata is destroying it while taking advantage of a loophole in the Galactic Treaty, they appear in only two scenes and have absolutely no bearing on the main plot of the movie.
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Given the lore around Reptilian aliens, they're an evil race seeking to devour humans.
- To Serve Man: They seek to invade Earth as they see humans as their source of food.
