Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga/Characters

Serph / Varna
Serph

He is the leader of the Embryon Tribe. Even after his awakening, he remains a cool and collected leader. Though he doesn't speak much, the other key members of the Embryon trust him so much that he doesn't need to speak very often.

The player assumes Serph's role in Digital Devil Saga by making important dialogue choices during the game's cut-scenes. With any decision Serph makes, he's composed enough to deal with the consequences that come his way. A leader's leader, even if he doesn't talk much.

Varna

Serph's Asura form of Varna can be seen as homologous to Varna and Varuna. Taking on the meanings of "choice" and/or "colour" for the purpose of the player while taking on the role of Varuna for the purpose of the story, Varna is the pivotal demon in DDS.

During the game Varna's stats can be allocated as the player sees fit. Due to the fact you can choose what stats to increase for him, he's a prime candidate for the Noise items you'll collect throughout the game to help boost stats that may have been neglected.

Heat / Agni
Heat

Heat is a member of the Embryon Tribe, and favours using a grenade launcher as his weapon of choice. Shortly after his awakening, his behaviour becomes more aggressive. He also acclimates quickly to his new found power with a sense vigour and eagerness.

Despite his seemingly one-dimensional personality, he's not sure at all his emotions. Upon discovering Sera, the black-haired girl, he immediately starts to uncontrollably obsess over her. He remembers her from somewhere, but can't recall when and where. He is ultimately driven to help her, so that he can understand himself.

Agni

Agni is the ancient Vedic god of fire. He is the son of Dyaus and Prithivi, which makes his relationship with Cielo and Argilla in the tribe once they all awaken quite complex.

Agni's stats focus heavily on St and Vi, but leaves Ma relatively ignored. As a result he is a physical powerhouse but is quite vulnerable to magic attacks, especially ice. Since a lot of attacks in the game are magic based, using him can be a liability unless you can shield him from magic.

Argilla / Prithivi
Argilla

The Embryon Tribe's premier sniper. Her primary weapon is a rifle. When she awakens, she's extremely reluctant to adjust to her new found powers at first. Constantly at odds with Heat, who embraces his power and is eager to kill those in his way; Argilla would rather return to normal and avoid needless killing.

After accepting her new self she holds a mild pacifistic streak, but her attitude becomes solidified towards finding the truth and doing whatever she can to survive to find a cure for the demon virus. While she comes off as very strong and determined, she sometimes has moments of weakness.

Prithivi

Prithivi was the Vedic goddess of earth in ancient times. She is the wife of Dyaus and the mother of Agni. For the purpose of the game, her visage has been altered to that of a mother struggling to survive. Instead of giving nourishment through her breasts, she consumes it through them.

Her forte is that of an amazingly powerful magic user. She focuses so much on her Ma stat that it's the highest primary stat compared to all of the other characters' stats. Even though she's weak to force attacks, she won't take much more damage than Agni would if it had hit him.

Gale / Vayu
Gale

He is the Embryon's strategic adviser and could be considered the second in command as well as the brains behind the tribe. He is proficient with the assault rifle, firing bullets in short and accurate bursts. He is the calmest of the five main Embryon members, but most of that calmness comes from repressing his awakening.

He thinks in a calculated manner, behaving almost like a soulless robot. However, even with his high intelligence he believes the strange light has affected everyone else but him. For some reason, he is in a constant state of self-denial.

Vayu

Vayu is the ancient god of wind descending from Vedic times. He is most famously known for being the father of Hanuman, the monkey god servant of Rama. In the game, Gale reflects Vayu's personality of not being affected by demons.

Vayu is distinctive for having high St and Ma. This makes him an exceptional user of both physical and magical attacks. The high Ma stat also means he will have high MP and magic defense as well. He's a good all around attacker, but his weakness against electricity can be a liability in some battles.

Cielo / Dyaus
Cielo

An Embryon member that specializes in the use of a submachine gun. He is also the last of the Embryon tribe members to awaken, but also undergoes the greatest change. His behaviour changes drastically from that of calm respectable member to that of a fun-loving guy with a rebellious streak; even his accent and the manner of his speech changes.

He becomes more of a support member to the Embryon after his change. Using his demon form to travel through the air he can carry his comrades or spot areas from the air. Not one to feel useless, he also livens up the other team members with his new attitude.

Dyaus

The ancient Vedic god of the sky, he is the husband of Prithivi and the father of Agni. Very little is actually known about him, other than that he is killed by his other son -- Indra. Other than being the lord of the skies from the game's perspective, little is related to him. His visage is that of either a red bull, or a black horse.

Dyaus is an unusually weak character, since he does not have high St, Vi, or Ma. Instead he focuses on Ag and Lu for evading purposes. This means that while he's not great at attacking, his high evasion of attacks and tendency for critical hits can easily help in taking advantage of the Press Turn system. However, his weakness to all ailments is a big liability to overcome.

Sera
Known also as the black-haired girl, because of her strange (by Junkyard standards) hair colour. She was found after the egg-like object was destroyed in the midst of a battle between the Embryons and the Vanguards. She awakens with only the memory of a promise to help people and little else. Several mysteries surround her; who is she? why is she here? why does Heat start obsessing over her the moment she's found?

Whoever she is, her strange power can control demon behaviour. She is highly sought after by the other tribes, because she somehow is a key to reaching Nirvana. Whether by design or coincidence, the Embryon are determined to protect her and reach Nirvana.

Harley / Hayagriva
Harley

Harley is the leader of the Vanguards, who are stationed in the Svadhisthana region. He becomes extremely fearful not only of himself and his men, but more so of the Embryon after the skirmish over the egg-like object. His weapon of choice is the crossbow.

Hayagriva

Hayagriva is the horse-headed avatar of Vishnu. Though little of him in-game is of resemblance, the Buddhist interpretation is likely the one being depicted.

Jinana / Usas
Jinana

She is the leader of the Maribel, who make their home in the Manipura region. The only female tribe leader, she holds a tenuous grasp of control over her members. It would appear she prefers letting her members do whatever they please and remain naive to the goings on in her tribe. As a result, while she may be a capable leader, the overall tribe is quite disorganized and weak.

Usas

Also known as Ushas, she is the goddess of the dawn in Hindu myth. Apart from using charm and expel (light) skills in-game there is little to no resemblance.

Bat / Camazotz
Bat

Bat is Jinana's right-hand man with the sole aspiration to reach Nirvana at any cost. With such a deep-held ambition, he is not one to be trusted. However, no one is sure why Jinana trusts him.

Camazotz

Camazotz is a bat god from Mayan mythology. He is also referred to as Zotzilaha by other Mayan tribes. Bats in Mayan culture are identified with the night, death, and sacrifice.

Mick the Slug / Rahu
Mick the Slug

Being the leader of the Solids, he makes their base by being holed up in a giant fortress called the Citadel. His typical strategy is to hunker down inside the fortress and let their rivals come to him, under the assumption that everyone else has limited resources and will eventually run out. Beacause of his girth, Heat calls him a "fat freak".

Rahu

In Hindu mythology, Rahu is a snake that swallows the sun whole. This myth was born from the sight of a solar eclipse. In Hindu Astronomy, Rahu and Ketu are points in the sky that cause eclipses whenever the sun or moon travel through them. In the game, Rahu has a detachable head that can capture and remove a character temporarily, like it would the sun.

Lupa / Cerberus
Lupa

Lupa is the leader of the Wolves in Vishuddha. He is a man who believes strongly in honour, and has a lot of pride. His awakening brings him dreams that cause him to believe the Karma Temple is hiding a secret within the Junkyard.

Cerberus

Cerberus is the three-headed dog of that guards the gates of Hades. In the game, Cerberus has two attacks: Phlegethon and Pyriphlgethon. They both refer to the same river of fire in Hades.

Varin / Ravana
Varin

Varin is the leader of the Brutes, which make their base in the Ajna region. Varin becomes a veritable enigma of a leader once he awakens, as he seems to know the secret of the Karma Temple. It is unknown how he came across this knowledge, but he intends to use it to reach Nirvana.

Ravana

Ravana is the king of the Rakshasas, and is seen as a fiend in Hindu myth. He is depicted as having ten heads and twenty arms. The in-game representation of Ravana shares little resemblance to the original myth.

Angel
An enigmatic entity who apparently has control over the Dissemination Machine. The Dissemination Machine usually gives orders and information about the Junkyard to the Tribe Leaders, but Angel somehow has control over it. She is seen only as an eye within the Karma Temple's emblem of alternating nails on a ring. Who she is, and why she has such power is a mystery. Regardless, she apparently has absolute power in the Junkyard.