Zayin
Zayin is a character in Shin Megami Tensei II. He is a member of the Holy Knights, the police force of Tokyo Millennium.
Though Zayin is his default name, the player is permitted to rename him should they wish in the beginning section of the game.
Profile
Zayin is a prominent Holy Knight tasked with monitoring Aleph. He is a man of strong conviction, who believes in the necessity of law and order, but struggles to accept the lengths the Center is willing to go to uphold it. Unlike his colleagues, he is not classist, believing that the goal of the Millennium Kingdom should be to save as many people as possible.
Zayin is a muscular man who wears a sarashi under his Holy Knight uniform. He has an angular face, with closely shaven hair on the sides of his head. "Zayin" is named after the 7th letter of the Hebrew alphabet, whose name means "weapon".
Gameplay
Shin Megami Tensei II
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Game Appearances
Shin Megami Tensei II
At the beginning of the game in Valhalla, as Hawk is on his way to train at the Virtual Battler of Haneda's gym, he is told by a civilian that someone is looking for him, which prompts him into a flashback involving an unknown man asking him to name someone. If Hawk chooses not to name the person, he will be told that their name is Zayin, the same person the man says is looking for Hawk after the flashback ends.
Zayin is first met in-person after Aleph searches for the scientist Hanada by Madam's request with the goal of returning both him and Hiroko to the Center, which causes Aleph to remember his original name. Back at the Center, Zayin recommends that Aleph visit Arcadia and visit an old acquaintance, Gimel.
- This section contains spoilers. (Skip Section)
When Hiroko is sent to the Factory's prison for breaking the law, Zayin attempts to stop Aleph from rescuing her, believing that the law is absolute despite understanding her reasoning for breaking it. Fighting Aleph however makes him decide that while the law must be obeyed, wrong laws must be abolished, so he allows Aleph through. Zayin's allegiance to the Center finally breaks when the Elders order the fallen angel Abaddon to swallow Valhalla whole in an attempt to destroy the sector in one fell swoop. He realizes that someone has to stand up against the Center and hijacks the Millennium News Network to expose the Millennium Kingdom conspiracy. By revealing to the populace outside of the Center that their lives are worthless to the Elders, he is able to start a rebellion in Holytown. Their initial goal is to free the Factory slaves forced to endure to inhumane labor conditions. However, even after being liberated, the workers refuse to leave. Confused by their insistence, Zayin asks Aleph to check out the nearby Watchtower, whereupon it is revealed that the Center have been using demons to brainwash the Factory workers. The revelation shocks Zayin at the hypocrisy of the Center and he attempts to defeat the demon, Belphegor, guarding the Watchtower, but fails, barely escaping with his life.
When the Factory workers are finally free, the Center sends Zayin an ultimatum: either surrender himself or the air flow in Holytown will be cut off, suffocating everyone in the area. Zayin agrees to go to the Center, but on his own terms, believing that the ideal of the Millennium Kingdom has been corrupted and that he has to end it himself. However, when Aleph catches up to him, Zayin is found to have been imprisoned through petrification. This leads Aleph to dethrone the Elders in his stead. While their defeat frees Zayin and the populace of Tokyo Millennium, Zayin is left with a bitter-sweet feeling, realizing that there is now no one left to maintain the city. During the conversation, an alarm alerts of an emergency in Holytown. Zayin asks Aleph to check on the settlement in his stead, still too injured to leave.
Much later, after Aleph meets Lucifer, the archangel Gabriel teleports Aleph to Zayin's new base in Eden, a place at the top of the Center HQ where people who have heard the voice of God, regardless of their origin or class, have gathered to be part of a new world. There, Zayin urges Aleph to reject Lucifer's plans, claiming that he intends to destroy Tokyo Millennium, and argues that despite the Elders' actions, the city is the only reason humanity has managed to survive through the apocalypse. He asks Aleph to join him in building a true Millennium Kingdom, an ideal world where everyone can live in peace, by killing Lucifer and rebuilding Tokyo Millennium. If Aleph accepts, Zayin offers his thanks and sends him to Seth's temple in Tif'eret to spy on Lucifer's minions. If Aleph refuses, he is cast out of Eden.
Later, Aleph is told by Mekata that Zayin was among those involved with the Messiah Project, created to act as Aleph's guardian. Towards the end of the game, it is revealed that Zayin is half of Satan, and fuses with his other half Seth to become him.
Visionaries
Zayin is featured in four Visionary cutscenes in the Game Boy Advance and iOS versions of the game.
In "Gold Wing Harp", Zayin and Gimmel discuss the concept of salvation. Gimmel disparages Zayin's idea that it should be accessible to all people, arguing that the Center does not have the resources to accommodate everyone and adding that there is a growing corruption within the Center that must be destroyed.
In "The 13th Report", The Bishop calls Zayin to his office to discuss Daleth escaping the Center. Zayin suggests organizing a team to pursue him, but the Bishop stops him, explaining that Daleth's escape is all part of their prophecy. In order to keep their plan on track, the Bishop orders Zayin to secretly monitor and protect Daleth until the true Messiah defeats him.
In "Fragment of Petrification Prison", Zayin has an internal monologue while trapped within his stone prison. He questions whether he was abandoned by God until a voice echoes within his head, declaring that there is no God. The voice further explains to him that he had been viewing God incorrectly; that God is everything and therefore he can represent God. This motivates Zayin to follow his own ideals to become an instrument of God's judgment, even in His absence.
In "Bloody Bullet", Zayin comes across a fellow Holy Knight executing a child accused of rebellion under the orders from the Bishop. When Zayin asks the Bishop how a child could be considered a rebel, the Bishop answers that anyone who opposes the Millennium Kingdom in any way must be eliminated. Shortly after, the Holy Knight returns, telling the Bishop that the execution is completed. Zayin is left baffled, but the Bishop tells him that the laws must be obeyed.
Nomenclature
Zayin is named after the 7th letter of the Hebrew abjad, ז zayīn.
Language | Name | Meaning |
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Japanese | ザイン Zain | Zayin |
Gallery
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Sprite of Zayin from Shin Megami Tensei II (Playstation).
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Battle animation from Shin Megami Tensei II (Playstation).
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Defeated sprite from Shin Megami Tensei II (Playstation).
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Sprite of Zayin raising his arms from Shin Megami Tensei II (Playstation).
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Petrified sprite from Shin Megami Tensei II (Playstation).
Notes
- ↑ Listed as Neutral-Law in Shin Megami Tensei II Official Perfect Guide.