Samael

	This demon page is a stub. You can help Megami Tensei Wiki by expanding it.
	No reason provided.

Samael
サマエル
SMT1 SFCSMT1 PS SFC artwork from Shin Megami Tensei PS artwork from Shin Megami Tensei
Origin	Judaism
Race(s)	DragonDigital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2 DrakeShin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance FallenShin Megami Tensei Shin Megami Tensei if... Shin Megami Tensei IV Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse Shin Megami Tensei if...: Hazama Hen Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis VileShin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine
Alignment(s)	Neutral-ChaosShin Megami Tensei Dark-LawShin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine Dark-ChaosShin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance ChaosShin Megami Tensei IV Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
Arcana	Death

Samael is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

Samael is a figure in Judaism mentioned in the Talmud and in Kabbalistic works. The nature of Samael varies depending on the source, with some interpreting him as an angel who was cast from heaven and acts in opposition to holiness (as part of the sitra achra, meaning "other side") while other sources cite him as an angel of death loyal to God. Over time, he was largely accepted as an evil figure, with Samael either being or riding upon the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve with the fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil; however, he is thought to ultimately receive his authority from God. He plays the role of the Satan.

He is described as the consort of the angels of sacred prostitution Eisheth Zenunim, Naamah, Agrat bat Mahlat and Lilith, though he is primarily connected to Lilith over the others as counterparts to Adam and Eve.

The oldest explanation for Samael's name is "god of the blind", from the Aramaic סוּמָא sûmāʾ ("blind"); another explanation is "poison of God" (from Hebrew סַם sam).

Outside of Judaism, this name can also be found as the name of the Devil in the Christian apocryphon Acts of Andrew and Matthias and as the name of the Demiurge in the Gnostic text Hypostasis of the Archons.

Design

Samael is depicted in the original Shin Megami Tensei as a red snake with bird wings and a dark underbelly. This was updated in the Playstation version of the game, now depicting Samael as a floating snake with red scales and black stripes, a dark purple underbelly, five blue eyes and six pairs of demonic wings going down his body.

Gameplay

For complete gameplay information, see Gameplay:Samael.

Compendium

Compendium Entries
Shin Megami Tensei (A-Mode DDS)	Origin: Israel His name means "God's malice." A fallen angel who appears with a sword, bow, and arrow. He was an archangel who once ruled over Mars. It's said he fell from grace when Adam was banished from Paradise.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne	A mysterious angel with the name 'poison of god'. He is often depicted as a serpent. There are some theories that he is a fallen angel, but some say he is still an angel. Either way, he is associated with death.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne HD Remaster	A mysterious angel with the name "Poison of God." He is often depicted as a serpent. There are some theories that he is a fallen angel, but some say he is still an angel. Either way, he is associated with death.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey	A mysterious angel whose name means "poison of God." He is often shown as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.
Shin Megami Tensei IV	A mysterious angel whose name means "poison of God." He is often depicted as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse	A mysterious angel whose name means "poison of God." He is often depicted as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance	An enigmatic angel whose name bears the unusual meaning "poison of God" and who is commonly depicted as a winged serpent. Though an angel, he is often referred to as the leader of daemons. It's been suggested that he's a fallen angel, but several descriptions in the Bible and other sources refute this.
Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine	天使、堕天使、悪魔、神、様々な説を有する、謎多き存在。 シュメール語の毒を指す『ｓａｍ』から、『毒ありし光輝の者』との名で呼ばれ、 翼を持った大蛇の姿で描かれることが多い。 死を司る天使として、火星を守護する「カマエル」と同一視される面がある一方、 エデンの園に葡萄の木を植え、その実から生まれる禁断の味に「アダム」を誘惑したことで、 もしくは、「モーセ」に敗れて堕天したなど、諸説様々である。 また、神や悪魔として語られる一面として、「アダム」と別れた後の「リリス」を妻にもち、 「サタン」や「ルシファー」は「サマエル」であるともされる。 Translation: A mysterious being that is variously described as an angel, a fallen angel, a demon, or a god. He is often depicted as a winged serpent. As the angel of death, he is often equated with "Khamael," the guardian of Mars. There are also various theories that he planted a vine in the Garden of Eden and tempted "Adam" with the forbidden taste of its fruit, or that he was defeated by "Moses" and fell into heaven. Another aspect in which he is described as God or the devil is that he had "Lilith" as his wife after he separated from "Adam," and "Satan" and "Lucifer" are said to be "Samael.
Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2	A mysterious angel whose name means "poison of God." Though an angel, he is considered the leader of demons, often depicted as a large winged serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is one of the fallen or not.
Persona 3	A mysterious angel with the name "poison of God." He is often shown as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.
Persona 3 FES
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 Reload	A mysterious angel with the name "poison of God." He is often shown as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.
Persona 4	A mysterious angel with the name "poison of God." He is often shown as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.
Persona 4 Golden
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth	A mysterious angel with the name "poison of God", he is often shown as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth	A mysterious angel with the name "poison of God", he is often shown as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.Unused
Devil Survivor 2	A mysterious angel whose name means "poison of God." He is often depicted as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.Unused

Game Appearances

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne

This section contains spoilers. (Skip Section)

At the end of the Diet Building, should the Demi-fiend attempt to stop Hikawa from sacrificing Yuko Takao, he will summon Samael to get rid of him.

If the Demi-fiend is on the Shijima route, in the Tower of Kagutsuchi Samael will ask to join him.

End of spoilers.

Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

	This section is a stub. You can help Megami Tensei Wiki by expanding it.
	No reason provided.

Samael appears in the late game subquest The Serpent King. Having appeared in Shinjuku, a projection of Mastema anticipates Samael's appearance and sends the Nahobino out to kill him with the promise of restoring the people that were turned to salt should he succeed. The Nahobino finds Samael at the ruins of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, where he briefly laments that he could not meet with the Qadištu before he notices the Nahobino's presence, initially think it was the Bull God before realising it was a descendent. He realises that the Nahobino was the result of Lucifer's plotting and commends the Lord of Chaos, and explains his own plot to the Nahobino. Samael reveals that he, along with other descendants of the Serpent, were responsible for the appearance of the Qadištu by summoning them from another world so that they may take revenge against the Horned Gods and erase the Throne of Creation so that they system of Law can no longer rule. Samael then states that, while he has no issue with the Nahobino seeking the Throne of Creation, he will not tolerate him being sent to kill him at Mastema's behest, as well as the fact that the Nahobino stood against the Qadištu. He apologises to Lucifer and challenges the Nahobino to battle, but is defeated. His remains are later absorbed by Mastema along parts of Lucifer from another reality to summon Satan.

Persona 5

Main article: Shadow Shido

Samael appears in Persona 5 as the Shadow of Masayoshi Shido.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
English	Samael
Japanese	サマエル Samaeru	Samael
Simplified Chinese	萨麦尔 Sàmài'ěr	Samael
Traditional Chinese	薩麥爾 Sàmài'ěr	Samael
Korean	사마엘 Sama-el	Samael

Gallery

See Gallery

References

General

• 3 Baruch: Greek-Slavonic Apocalypse of Baruch (2010), Alexander Kulik. Published by De Gruyter. ISBN-13: 978-3-11-021249-5. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110212495

Specific