Gimel
Gimel is a character in Shin Megami Tensei II.
Profile
Gimel is the administrator of the Arcadia district of Tokyo Millenium. He is described as exceptionally intelligent. The residents of Arcadia refer to him as "Lord Gimel", and view him as their Messiah, owing the peace and happiness they experience in the district to him.
He is a very ethereal looking man, being dressed in all white clothes and a choker, with his sleeves having tiered ruffles and an open dress shirt that shows off his well-defined chest and abdomen. He has gold chains that act as a belt and atop his long and black hair rests a laurel wreath. His footwear consists of just brown sandals, and he is always seen holding a golden lyre. His design for the Playstation release of Shin Megami Tensei II is slightly different, as his hair is longer, the golden lyre has different design, it lacks the golden chains, and his sleeves are tiered puffs instead of ruffles. The clothing is more reminiscent of a low cut bell bottom pant suit.
"Gimel" is named after the 3rd letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which can translate to either "3" or "Camel".
Gameplay
Shin Megami Tensei II
Game Appearances
Shin Megami Tensei II
Gimel is first introduced in a mysterious flashback Aleph has in Valhalla, in which a man introduces him to Aleph and asks if he remembers his name. If Aleph responds he does, Gimel can be renamed. Otherwise if he responds with no, then he will be told Gimel's name.
Gimel's first in-person appearance is in Arcadia, after Zayin reccomends that Aleph visit him. There, wealthy citizens hand-picked by the Center live lives of luxury, free from pain and strife. When Aleph meets with him, he discusses the state of Arcadia, claiming that he built it into an ideal world that serves as a showcase for what the Millenium Kingdom will look like when it is fully realized; A world where demonic threats and conflicts between others cease to exist. He requests that Aleph tell Zayin that Arcadia is a great success, and sends him on his way.
This section contains spoilers. (Skip Section)
If the player chooses to visit Arcadia after Zayin announces his rebellion against the Center, Gimel will comment on it, saying that he is saddened to hear him saying such things. The rest of Arcadia will also voice similar, albiet more hostile, thoughts, not believing anything that Zayin says.
When Aleph gains access to the Expanse, a spatial distortion can be found southeast of the Yetzirah Corridor that sends the party to a mysterious facility. In it are multiple people with dilapidated apearances, tied to chairs and hooked up to small machines. In reality these people are residents of Arcadia, and at the topmost floor, the real Gimel can be found, a featureless, cybernetic man hooked up to a giant machine, a stark contrast to the ethereal appearance his virtual avatar has. There he reveals the true nature of Arcadia: It is nothing more than a lie, a virtual simulation he administrates that merely emulates the appearance of a peaceful world. Gimel reasons that even if it is a lie, it is one that gives people the peace they so desire, and so declares that he cannot allow anyone who discovers the truth to live, attacking Aleph's party right after.
After defeating Gimel, Aleph is presented with a choice: Enter his name into the system, which will register him as the new savior of Arcadia, destroy the system, which will destroy Arcadia along with killing all the residents hooked up to it, or simply leave it be, leaving Arcadia without an administrator.
He is mentioned by Mekata when Aleph's party meets him again inside of Abaddon's body, who reveals that Gimel's role in the Messiah Project was being the administrator of the Virtual World, for the purpose of conducting tests for what would become the Millenium Kingdom.
Visionaries
Gimel is featured in two Visionary cutscenes in the Game Boy Advance and iOS versions of the game.
In "Gold Wing Harp", Gimel and Zayin discuss the concept of salvation. Gimel 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 "Laurel Leaf", Gimel is asked a multitude of questions by a priest while the Elders observe. The questions are based around the concept of salvation and the Messiah and God's role in delivering it. Gimel gives very extremist answers to them, claiming that those who will be saved obey God's authority unquestioningly, and if they do not they should be destroyed. Even if people try to obey God, if they do not fit in with God's purpose, they should be destroyed, for it is God and the Messiah who determine who should be saved and who should happy; People's will is unnecessary. The Elders note that this way of thinking is not of a Messian's but of a ruler's, though they decide that they can still make use of him. They assure themselves that as long as they have him under their control, no mistakes can occur. The scene ends with Gimel silently standing alone.
- End of spoilers.
Audio Drama Appearances
Novel Appearances
Manga Appearances
Trivia
Nomenclature
Gimel is named after the 3rd letter of the Hebrew abjad, ג gīmel.
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
 Japanese |
ギメル | Gimel |
Gallery
-
Gimel's sprite from Shin Megami Tensei II (Playstation). -
Artwork of Gimel during his boss fight in Shin Megami Tensei II (Super Famicom). -
Gimel's boss sprite from Shin Megami Tensei II (PlayStation).
