YHVH is an antagonist in Shin Megami Tensei. He can be considered the overarching antagonist of the series, though in Shin Megami Tensei V his role as antagonist is taken by Lucifer instead.
Why Do We Hate Him?[]
- The fact that he creates copies of himself more or less demonstrates to the audience how full of himself he is.
- While he is toned down in Apocalypse, he is still causing two thirds of the conflict in the story, with the remaining third being caused by Krishna and the Divine Powers.
- He wants humans to worship him, even though he does not truly love them as he leads them to believe.
- He is at his worst in II, where he starts a nuclear war for power. And he floods Tokyo so he can destroy its suburbs.
- While he is portrayed more benevolently in IV, this is not the case in Apocalypse, so this version of him still qualifies.
- He is revealed to have created both Merkabah and Lucifer. Those who are lawful will be enticed by Merkabah, while those who are chaotic will be swayed to join Lucifer’s side. But regardless, they’ll more or less become slaves to YHVH.
- Both Merkabah and Lucifer have redeeming qualities, but they are both harmful to humanity in their own ways. Merkabah wishes to destroy Tokyo, and Lucifer wishes to destroy the kingdom of Mikado.
- His actions indirectly cause death to hundreds of humans, as Krishna decides to have Shesha devour human souls to create a new universe free of his influence.
- While he gives Nanashi an opportunity to turn back and will forgive him for his trespasses, he does not show any redeeming qualities other than this. And Nanashi had every reason to fight him.
- He acts as a kind and loving god, but it’s ultimately just that. An act.
- When the party (or at least Nanashi if he chooses the anarchy path) denounces him in Apocalypse, he decides that they’ll (or he’ll if Nanashi faces him alone) burn in Hell. And he more or less shows his true colors at this point and drops his act as being benevolent, as he has been forcefully transformed into a terrifying demon, showing what he truly is, a horrible monster.
- Both Yuzuru and Koshimizu will be glad that he is dead in V, though Ichiro and Abdiel will not.
Trivia[]
- He is despised by Lahmu in V, who himself is a hate sink.
- Not all versions of YHVH count as a Hate Sink, as he is portrayed as being a benevolent god in Shin Megami Tensei V's law path and shows a kinder side in Shin Megami Tensei V where he reincarnates Tao as a goddess.