| '''[[Attack Potency]]:''' '''Below Average Human level''' physically ([https://youtu.be/6vovyFwhBnU?t=658 Was attacked by a demon, giving him large wounds in the process, confining him to a wheelchair]), '''higher''' with [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|Observation]] ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vovyFwhBnU&t=636s His observation allowed him to kill a demon he summoned even after being greatly wounded]. [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=1410 Observation can be used to massively amplify one's stats, such as when the early game] ''Shin Megami Tensei 1'' protagonist was amplified to be able to fight with all the other end game protagonists and fight Stephen. [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=1862 With it's power being noted by Stephen to give humans the potential to exceed the] Axiom) & Willpower ([https://imgur.com/a/MBUN2th A characters willpower in SMT allows them to increase greatly in strength allowing them to harm enemies they couldn't even scratch before and survive attacks that would have originally kill them], [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=2272 the will of one's friends and allies around them can invigorate one to become far more powerful then before]). '''Building level''' to '''Complex Universe level''' with summoned Demons (Can summon low tier demons [https://youtu.be/WgzEtRMbxnA?t=9880 with access to skills such as bufu] [https://youtu.be/0xYct8Y3Zqk?t=86 which can completely freeze opponents], [https://youtu.be/qx5b3hFhTCQ?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=376 and Agi skills], [https://youtu.be/0xYct8Y3Zqk?t=98 which can vaporize humans]. Can also summon high tier demons comparable in power to Loki, who can create and sustain his own universe<ref>[http://ddstranslation.blogspot.com/2007/03/part-2-chapter-4.html Digital Devil Story 2: Warrior of the Demon City Part 2, Chapter 4] "The last demon to appear called himself Set, correct?" "Yes, that's right." "While it's too dangerous to try and conjecture the state of affairs in the demon world based on our own knowledge of this one, my theory is that the demon world is like a colloidal conglomeration of countless mini-universes, each centered around a powerful demon. Most likely, with Loki's death, the mini-universe in contact with Japan or Tokyo vanished, and Set's mini-universe entered to take its place. Demon summoning is just opening a contact point between the two worlds at the same time."</ref>) | '''Complex Multiverse level''' ([https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html Gained a small glimpse of]<ref>Shioda: Professor Matsuda didn’t even have a character design in the preliminary stages.<br>Miyata: It’s shocking that so few people realised professor Matsuda was actually Stephen.<br>Shioda: That was shocking indeed, and they even had the same voice actor (laughs). What kind of device is the Shesha radar in Hibiya?<br>Miyata: I saw news the other day about the success of the detection of gravitational waves and this radar works on the same principle. There is a huge empty lot underneath Hibiya named ‘multi-purpose underground utility conduit’ and it is presumed that that is where Stephen built his detector.<br>Yamai: Because the device related to the elementary particles is extremely big.<br>Miyata: He also needed a secure place, and the underground was much safer than the streets dominated by demons. It is explained in the beginning of SMT4A that the multi-purpose underground utility conduit has been abandoned because of the battle of gods and the underground empty space remained as it is. I figured it was just right, since the new headquarters of the Hunter Association in Kasumigaseki is close enough, but I didn’t think gravitational waves would be discovered so fast when I was writing the setting.<br>Yamai: Stephen travels through various parallel worlds, so I believe it is possible for him to discover gravitational waves, since he makes contact with all kinds of technological developments.<br>Miyata: Gravitational waves appear anywhere in the universe when stars reach the end of their lives and explode, but every time Shesha warped to a different universe and a different dimension, there were weak gravitational waves released possible to detect.<br>Shioda: Since Stephen is also the creator of the terminals and the Demon Summoning Program, related to the Yamato Perpetual Reactor, it’s easy to say he is the biggest mystery of the Megaten series.<br>Yamai: What is clear is that Stephen is the same person across the series. Shin Megami Tensei and Shin Megami Tensei II are related, while Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Shin Megami Tensei IV are each in their own universes, but we can argue that he is the only one to cross space and time and visit each universe. I think the beginning was the universe created in Shin Megami Tensei, but we have no intention to give a clear answer on such a personal matter. As for the details of his arrival in the Shin Megami Tensei IV world, when he was researching the Demon Summoning Program and the Matter Transfer System he got connected by coincidence to the Expanse, demons showed up and hurt him badly, which led to him being now dependent on a wheelchair.<br>Shioda: This time he talks about the aim of the Great Reason in the end. Do you think he has met the Great Reason?<br><nowiki>*</nowiki>From Dijeh (Basically just a translators note): The term used here is NOT the Great Will. The Japanese for Great Will [of the Universe] is either “宇宙の大いなる意志” or just “大いなる意志” in previous games in the series, while in SMT4F and this interview, the term is 大いなる理; the kanji used are easily distinguishable: 意志 vs. 理. For more about the distinction, see Will and Li.<br>Yamai: From the perspective of Shin Megami Tensei, the Stephen of Shin Megami Tensei IV is one of the possibilities, but we can say it was possible for him to have met the Great Reason. Of course, from the perspective of Shin Megami Tensei IV’s Stephen, I think we can say Shin Megami Tensei is also a possibility.<br>Miyata: Stephen’s position allows him to catch a glimpse of a small part of the Great Reason’s movement. When he passed through time and space and made contact with the Great Reason, he interpreted things in his own way.</ref> [[The Axiom]] [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html through transcending the infinite Cycle of Transmigration]<ref>Yamai: When you reach the battle with VISHNUFLYNN, there is a reference point of the soul, where it either enters or departs from the circle of transmigration. Nanashi is in the middle of that circle, he is a human just like us. That is the reference. Beings like Stephen, Mido, or the Count of Saint Germain left the circle of transmigration, and I think that is why they could get in contact with the Great Reason.<br>Shioda: In Buddhism, leaving the circle of transmigration equals reaching Nirvana and becoming a buddha.<br>Yamai: That’s right. This time, in order for the Divine Powers to succeed, various currents of thought from all kinds of countries and religions come into play. The Buddhist view on reincarnation is one of them and our setting is not biased towards it, but the soul itself is something important for the gods. Shin Megami Tensei IV adopts a quantum theory approach according to which gods exist thanks to human perception, and religious beliefs are one part of that.</ref>. [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=149 Risked bending the very will of] [[The Axiom]], and [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=1857 ended up bending the immutable laws of the universe] to fight the Messiahs<ref>Note: The feats here aren't arguing for Stephen scaling to [[The Axiom]]. They are arguing for Stephen being able to do something that not even [[YHVH]] or [[Lucifer (Megami Tensei)|Matter Lucifer]] could ever do, thus scaling him above them by a far amount</ref>. This level of power would make him comparable to Matter Lucifer [https://imgur.com/a/RaKpWpT who transcended into a higher plane of existence beyond even] [[YHVH]]. [[YHVH]] [https://imgur.com/a/eNIH9qI is the progenitor of all gods and all religions from all around the world, existing as the one true original god]. [https://imgur.com/a/AQppUyn Turned all other gods in the pantheon into demons]. [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html He is viewed as an omnipotent existence that created everything]<ref>Profile: The actual One God of monotheism. The One God praised by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is the omnipotent existence that created heaven and earth and made man in his own image, but this also means that together with the angels, his bunrei [subparts], he also gave birth to demons. By giving humans bodies of flesh and bone, their lives and fears were repeated in the endless cycle of death and rebirth, restricting their range of observation.</ref> [https://youtu.be/sBJn2IrfER4?t=171 A single manifestation head is so far beyond all of creation that not even his creations blades can harm him]<ref>The reason YHVH is harmed during this fight is due to humanity's [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|observation]] weakening him, as there's no reason for YHVH to be lying</ref>. YHVH is a being who created [http://shmuplations.com/smt/ infinite universes] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=246 that are infinitesimal in size compared to him], and exists as [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=165 an incomprehensible] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=450 transcendent being overseeing everything in his creation]. Which would include planes such as Akarana Corridor [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=957 a void that transcends time and space], [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=886 with it requiring a special ritual to enter], where even the Herald of Yatagarasu cannot put Radiou into this place<ref>The Herald of Yatagarsu is [https://youtu.be/SJhzC5B5HGA?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=727 capable of teleporting Raidou into] The Expanse, [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 a place that transcends the past, present, and future] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=98 of the multiverse] but cannot even reach this realm, along with this she [https://imgur.com/a/PxAg9xW exists a plane not apart of the human world], further showing how out of reach this plane is, [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=1043 it requires one normally to discard their human form and transcribe themselves otherwise they are threatened with being unstuck from time]</ref>, putting it beyond even The Expanse [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 a place that transcends the past, present, and future] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=98 of the multiverse]. His true form is far beyond [https://youtu.be/Ajh6RtXbxME?t=482 his single manifestation heads, which are a single part of his true self that controls the entire cosmos], [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html with each head having control over a universe]<ref>He had a strong impact in the previous games, so I just followed the basic model. His image as the Father and main god was emphasised by the stern expression on his aged face. The panels with three angles in the middle of his face are there to portray him as a 3D representation. I showed multiple faces every time he appeared, in order to show he has all the universes under his rule. The true number of these faces is the number of stars, rather than just the number of lives we can observe.</ref>. [https://youtu.be/L23HK4gdQY0?t=516 His universe is a place beyond reality that is more vague and more infinite then anything the cast has seen before] [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 which includes areas such as the expanse]. Viewed as so immeasurably powerful that the combined cast of SMT IV Apocalypse, [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=526 needed to] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=637 deny his divine nature] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=676 and form understandings] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=853 repeatedly] through the use of [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|obseravtion]] in order to defeat him), possibly '''Complex Multiverse level+''' (Implied to have gained a portion of [[The Axiom]]'s power, [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html which is the most powerful being in the verse, existing in a realm beyond every other realm prior]<Ref>Shioda: Is it correct to think that humanity was created by the Great Reason rather than by the gods?<br>Yamai: In the beginning, I believe, pure humans were made as observers of the universe. Then, as time passed, gods and polytheism appeared as the result of their perception of the surrounding world.<br>Miyata: Nozomi says at some point that it’s all right for people to be unsure, but in the underground it is believed that the gods are one of the answers hypothesised by humans. From her point of view, the gods are a symbol of the ideal imagined by humans and the perfect form envisioned by them as their target, their final point. Monotheism, on the other hand, only has one final target, but there are many ideals to pursue. This is tied to Nozomi’s lines above. It’s all right if there are bad guys and if there are good people, there will also be fickle ones. Nozomi’s credo is that everyone should choose their own destination.<br>Yamai: Even when talking about the creation of the universe, I think the birth of the Great Reason is beyond our ideals. The universe we can observe stretches over 130 billion light years, but we don’t know how it managed to appear from nothing. Gods like Izanagi, who birthed out of his eyes and nose, were perhaps a symbol of a farming culture, but they had a power that surpassed the humans’ power of understanding and I dare say that in the case of the Great Reason too, if emotions were to arise, those emotions themselves would become gods. I’m talking about that kind of creation. For example, the wish to be worshipped gave birth to [[YHVH]], or seeing the fights between humans signified the appearance of Lucifer. I think this is similar to the trends and movements born out of people’s shared consciousness nowadays. Let’s look at Japan’s concept of cuteness: if it spread throughout the whole world, maybe it would lead to the birth of a new god. I had this vague thought that the backbone of the Great Reason would begin like a pure baby who would pick up various emotions through touch, gradually learning about its surroundings.<br>Shioda: So it’s something along the lines of a god born out of the collective unconscious which came from shared awareness?<br>Yamai: That’s right, don’t you all just love it? (laughs)<br>Miyata: I certainly think there is some sort of huge collective unconscious, but I never really thought it might be connected to the Great Reason. And speaking of shared awareness, the scale would be quite small depending on the surroundings; the Japanese would have their shared awareness, but it would be different from that of foreigners. For example, even if the Japanese saw themselves as without religion, they’d look Buddhist to foreigners. This kind of thing leads me to think that the Great Reason is not at the surface of shared awareness, but belongs instead to an extremely deep part of the origin.<br>Shioda: I personally think that the term ‘bunrei’ [spirit divisions] often used to name gods in the story is extremely important in this game. The Great Reason is the origin. Does that make [[YHVH]] and all the other gods ‘bunrei’?<br>Yamai: Yes, it does. I think we can explain the existence of ‘bunrei’ through polytheism resulted from human perception. In the Celtic world, the druids saw Dagda as the forefather of sorcerers, but this was different for the Norse people or the Germanic culture. The people of each civilisation would see things as it fit them, so we got Odin instead. ‘Bunrei’ are born like this, but then again, treating Dagda and Odin as identical is wrong. Their powers and responsibilities are different, so it’s better for them to be thought of as different entities. Let’s have a look at [[YHVH]]: when he was born, humans perhaps observed [[YHVH]] himself, but once the scriptures were written, Uriel would be the one to be noticed and maybe that’s why he made so many appearances in their pages. Uriel frequently appearing as [[YHVH]]’s messenger also kind of feels like an accessory that comes to the front in order to preserve [[YHVH]]’s solemnity. But that is the result of the perception of later people, so we can also say that Uriel is a part [bunrei] of [[YHVH]].</ref>, being beyond even the likes of Matter Lucifer and [[YHVH]]. Was the very being that granted humans [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|observation]], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1YhCwcb3GM&t=1155s and tasked them with observing the universe], [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=2580 with the ability being the reason for Gods and demons existing]. Which [https://youtu.be/zotTNMN-Row?t=624 would include beings such as] [[Lucifer (Shin Megami Tensei)|Matter Lucifer]], [https://imgur.com/a/RaKpWpT who transcended into a higher plane of existence beyond even] [[YHVH]]. [[YHVH]] [https://imgur.com/a/eNIH9qI is the progenitor of all gods and all religions from all around the world, existing as the one true original god]. [https://imgur.com/a/AQppUyn Turned all other gods in the pantheon into demons]. [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html He is viewed as an omnipotent existence that created everything]<ref>Profile: The actual One God of monotheism. The One God praised by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is the omnipotent existence that created heaven and earth and made man in his own image, but this also means that together with the angels, his bunrei [subparts], he also gave birth to demons. By giving humans bodies of flesh and bone, their lives and fears were repeated in the endless cycle of death and rebirth, restricting their range of observation.</ref> [https://youtu.be/sBJn2IrfER4?t=171 A single manifestation head is so far beyond all of creation that not even his creations blades can harm him]<ref>The reason YHVH is harmed during this fight is due to humanity's [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|observation]] weakening him, as there's no reason for YHVH to be lying</ref>. YHVH is a being who created [http://shmuplations.com/smt/ infinite universes] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=246 that are infinitesimal in size compared to him], and exists as [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=165 an incomprehensible] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=450 transcendent being overseeing everything in his creation]. Which would include planes such as Akarana Corridor [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=957 a void that transcends time and space], [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=886 with it requiring a special ritual to enter], where even the Herald of Yatagarasu cannot put Radiou into this place<ref>The Herald of Yatagarsu is [https://youtu.be/SJhzC5B5HGA?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=727 capable of teleporting Raidou into] The Expanse, [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 a place that transcends the past, present, and future] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=98 of the multiverse] but cannot even reach this realm, along with this she [https://imgur.com/a/PxAg9xW exists a plane not apart of the human world], further showing how out of reach this plane is, [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=1043 it requires one normally to discard their human form and transcribe themselves otherwise they are threatened with being unstuck from time]</ref>, putting it beyond even The Expanse [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 a place that transcends the past, present, and future] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=98 of the multiverse]. His true form is far beyond [https://youtu.be/Ajh6RtXbxME?t=482 his single manifestation heads, which are a single part of his true self that controls the entire cosmos], [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html with each head having control over a universe]<ref>He had a strong impact in the previous games, so I just followed the basic model. His image as the Father and main god was emphasised by the stern expression on his aged face. The panels with three angles in the middle of his face are there to portray him as a 3D representation. I showed multiple faces every time he appeared, in order to show he has all the universes under his rule. The true number of these faces is the number of stars, rather than just the number of lives we can observe.</ref>. [https://youtu.be/L23HK4gdQY0?t=516 His universe is a place beyond reality that is more vague and more infinite then anything the cast has seen before] [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 which includes areas such as the expanse]. Viewed as so immeasurably powerful that the combined cast of SMT IV Apocalypse, [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=526 needed to] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=637 deny his divine nature] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=676 and form understandings] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=853 repeatedly] through the use of [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|obseravtion]] in order to defeat him. [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html A small glimpse of it's being] caused [[Stephen (Shin Megami Tensei)|Stephen]] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=1856 to be so powerful he could fight] off all four of the Messiahs at once) | | '''[[Attack Potency]]:''' '''Below Average Human level''' physically ([https://youtu.be/6vovyFwhBnU?t=658 Was attacked by a demon, giving him large wounds in the process, confining him to a wheelchair]), '''higher''' with [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|Observation]] ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6vovyFwhBnU&t=636s His observation allowed him to kill a demon he summoned even after being greatly wounded]. [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=1410 Observation can be used to massively amplify one's stats, such as when the early game] ''Shin Megami Tensei 1'' protagonist was amplified to be able to fight with all the other end game protagonists and fight Stephen. [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=1862 With it's power being noted by Stephen to give humans the potential to exceed the] Axiom) & Willpower ([https://imgur.com/a/MBUN2th A characters willpower in SMT allows them to increase greatly in strength allowing them to harm enemies they couldn't even scratch before and survive attacks that would have originally kill them], [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=2272 the will of one's friends and allies around them can invigorate one to become far more powerful then before]). '''Building level''' to '''Complex Universe level''' with summoned Demons (Can summon low tier demons [https://youtu.be/WgzEtRMbxnA?t=9880 with access to skills such as bufu] [https://youtu.be/0xYct8Y3Zqk?t=86 which can completely freeze opponents], [https://youtu.be/qx5b3hFhTCQ?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=376 and Agi skills], [https://youtu.be/0xYct8Y3Zqk?t=98 which can vaporize humans]. Can also summon high tier demons comparable in power to Loki, who can create and sustain his own universe<ref>[http://ddstranslation.blogspot.com/2007/03/part-2-chapter-4.html Digital Devil Story 2: Warrior of the Demon City Part 2, Chapter 4] "The last demon to appear called himself Set, correct?" "Yes, that's right." "While it's too dangerous to try and conjecture the state of affairs in the demon world based on our own knowledge of this one, my theory is that the demon world is like a colloidal conglomeration of countless mini-universes, each centered around a powerful demon. Most likely, with Loki's death, the mini-universe in contact with Japan or Tokyo vanished, and Set's mini-universe entered to take its place. Demon summoning is just opening a contact point between the two worlds at the same time."</ref>) | '''Complex Multiverse level''' ([https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html Gained a small glimpse of]<ref>Shioda: Professor Matsuda didn’t even have a character design in the preliminary stages.<br>Miyata: It’s shocking that so few people realised professor Matsuda was actually Stephen.<br>Shioda: That was shocking indeed, and they even had the same voice actor (laughs). What kind of device is the Shesha radar in Hibiya?<br>Miyata: I saw news the other day about the success of the detection of gravitational waves and this radar works on the same principle. There is a huge empty lot underneath Hibiya named ‘multi-purpose underground utility conduit’ and it is presumed that that is where Stephen built his detector.<br>Yamai: Because the device related to the elementary particles is extremely big.<br>Miyata: He also needed a secure place, and the underground was much safer than the streets dominated by demons. It is explained in the beginning of SMT4A that the multi-purpose underground utility conduit has been abandoned because of the battle of gods and the underground empty space remained as it is. I figured it was just right, since the new headquarters of the Hunter Association in Kasumigaseki is close enough, but I didn’t think gravitational waves would be discovered so fast when I was writing the setting.<br>Yamai: Stephen travels through various parallel worlds, so I believe it is possible for him to discover gravitational waves, since he makes contact with all kinds of technological developments.<br>Miyata: Gravitational waves appear anywhere in the universe when stars reach the end of their lives and explode, but every time Shesha warped to a different universe and a different dimension, there were weak gravitational waves released possible to detect.<br>Shioda: Since Stephen is also the creator of the terminals and the Demon Summoning Program, related to the Yamato Perpetual Reactor, it’s easy to say he is the biggest mystery of the Megaten series.<br>Yamai: What is clear is that Stephen is the same person across the series. Shin Megami Tensei and Shin Megami Tensei II are related, while Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and Shin Megami Tensei IV are each in their own universes, but we can argue that he is the only one to cross space and time and visit each universe. I think the beginning was the universe created in Shin Megami Tensei, but we have no intention to give a clear answer on such a personal matter. As for the details of his arrival in the Shin Megami Tensei IV world, when he was researching the Demon Summoning Program and the Matter Transfer System he got connected by coincidence to the Expanse, demons showed up and hurt him badly, which led to him being now dependent on a wheelchair.<br>Shioda: This time he talks about the aim of the Great Reason in the end. Do you think he has met the Great Reason?<br><nowiki>*</nowiki>From Dijeh (Basically just a translators note): The term used here is NOT the Great Will. The Japanese for Great Will [of the Universe] is either “宇宙の大いなる意志” or just “大いなる意志” in previous games in the series, while in SMT4F and this interview, the term is 大いなる理; the kanji used are easily distinguishable: 意志 vs. 理. For more about the distinction, see Will and Li.<br>Yamai: From the perspective of Shin Megami Tensei, the Stephen of Shin Megami Tensei IV is one of the possibilities, but we can say it was possible for him to have met the Great Reason. Of course, from the perspective of Shin Megami Tensei IV’s Stephen, I think we can say Shin Megami Tensei is also a possibility.<br>Miyata: Stephen’s position allows him to catch a glimpse of a small part of the Great Reason’s movement. When he passed through time and space and made contact with the Great Reason, he interpreted things in his own way.</ref> [[The Axiom]] [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html through transcending the infinite Cycle of Transmigration]<ref>Yamai: When you reach the battle with VISHNUFLYNN, there is a reference point of the soul, where it either enters or departs from the circle of transmigration. Nanashi is in the middle of that circle, he is a human just like us. That is the reference. Beings like Stephen, Mido, or the Count of Saint Germain left the circle of transmigration, and I think that is why they could get in contact with the Great Reason.<br>Shioda: In Buddhism, leaving the circle of transmigration equals reaching Nirvana and becoming a buddha.<br>Yamai: That’s right. This time, in order for the Divine Powers to succeed, various currents of thought from all kinds of countries and religions come into play. The Buddhist view on reincarnation is one of them and our setting is not biased towards it, but the soul itself is something important for the gods. Shin Megami Tensei IV adopts a quantum theory approach according to which gods exist thanks to human perception, and religious beliefs are one part of that.</ref>. [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=149 Risked bending the very will of] [[The Axiom]], and [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=1857 ended up bending the immutable laws of the universe] to fight the Messiahs<ref>Note: The feats here aren't arguing for Stephen scaling to [[The Axiom]]. They are arguing for Stephen being able to do something that not even [[YHVH]] or [[Lucifer (Megami Tensei)|Matter Lucifer]] could ever do, thus scaling him above them by a far amount</ref>. This level of power would make him comparable to Matter Lucifer [https://imgur.com/a/RaKpWpT who transcended into a higher plane of existence beyond even] [[YHVH]]. [[YHVH]] [https://imgur.com/a/eNIH9qI is the progenitor of all gods and all religions from all around the world, existing as the one true original god]. [https://imgur.com/a/AQppUyn Turned all other gods in the pantheon into demons]. [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html He is viewed as an omnipotent existence that created everything]<ref>Profile: The actual One God of monotheism. The One God praised by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is the omnipotent existence that created heaven and earth and made man in his own image, but this also means that together with the angels, his bunrei [subparts], he also gave birth to demons. By giving humans bodies of flesh and bone, their lives and fears were repeated in the endless cycle of death and rebirth, restricting their range of observation.</ref> [https://youtu.be/sBJn2IrfER4?t=171 A single manifestation head is so far beyond all of creation that not even his creations blades can harm him]<ref>The reason YHVH is harmed during this fight is due to humanity's [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|observation]] weakening him, as there's no reason for YHVH to be lying</ref>. [https://youtu.be/ijJFkJ6l058?t=85 YHVH is a being who created] [http://shmuplations.com/smt/ infinite universes], [https://youtu.be/ijJFkJ6l058?t=70 and exists beyond the very boundaries of time within the multiverse]. Which would include planes such as Akarana Corridor [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=957 a void that transcends time and space], [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=886 with it requiring a special ritual to enter], where even the Herald of Yatagarasu cannot put Radiou into this place<ref>The Herald of Yatagarsu is [https://youtu.be/SJhzC5B5HGA?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=727 capable of teleporting Raidou into] The Expanse, [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 a place that transcends the past, present, and future] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=98 of the multiverse] but cannot even reach this realm, along with this she [https://imgur.com/a/PxAg9xW exists a plane not apart of the human world], further showing how out of reach this plane is, [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=1043 it requires one normally to discard their human form and transcribe themselves otherwise they are threatened with being unstuck from time]</ref>, putting it beyond even The Expanse [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 a place that transcends the past, present, and future] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=98 of the multiverse]. Beings such as [[Metatron]], [https://youtu.be/wH_4Fkwrh2A?t=7m50s are amped by them by in their fight against an] end game [[Demi-Fiend]]. His avatar [[Kagutsuchi (Megami Tensei)|Kagutsuchi]], [https://youtu.be/c_t3wbCKCho created and sustains the Vortex world], which was resulted from him [https://megamitensei.fandom.com/wiki/Miroku_Scripture erasing the past, present and future of the universe], in order to construct the Vortex World in its foundations. [https://youtu.be/i7jFy187Fvk?t=1843 Exists as the light that encompasses] [https://youtu.be/i7jFy187Fvk?t=987 and administers all of creation within the Amala universe that is said to contain countless worlds] [https://youtu.be/i7jFy187Fvk?t=1804 along with being the source to creation] [https://youtu.be/cJ834NlLbgg?t=1411 with his defeat causing the destruction of the Amala universe]. [https://imgur.com/a/isoUifN Merged the Demon World and the Divine World into the remnants of the human realm to create the Vortex World]; the Demon World, best known as the Expanse, [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 is a higher plane of existence that transcends past, present, and future] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=98 of the multiverse]. Capable of empowering the Reason Gods, among which is Ahriman, in order to allow them to reshape the foundation of the Vortex World and birth a new reality. His true form is far beyond [https://youtu.be/Ajh6RtXbxME?t=482 single manifestation heads are a single part of his true self that controls the entire cosmos], [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html with each head having control over a universe]<ref>He had a strong impact in the previous games, so I just followed the basic model. His image as the Father and main god was emphasised by the stern expression on his aged face. The panels with three angles in the middle of his face are there to portray him as a 3D representation. I showed multiple faces every time he appeared, in order to show he has all the universes under his rule. The true number of these faces is the number of stars, rather than just the number of lives we can observe.</ref>. [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=246 The multiverse and his manifestation head are infinitesimal in size compared to him], and he exists as [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=165 an incomprehensible] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=450 transcendent being overseeing everything in his creation]. [https://youtu.be/L23HK4gdQY0?t=516 His universe is a place beyond reality that is more vague and more infinite then anything the cast has seen before] [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 which includes areas such as the expanse] and Akrana Corridor, and his single manifestation head. Viewed as so immeasurably powerful that the combined cast of SMT IV Apocalypse, [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=526 needed to] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=637 deny his divine nature] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=676 and form understandings] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=853 repeatedly] through the use of [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|obseravtion]] in order to defeat him), possibly '''High Complex Multiverse level''' (Implied to have gained a portion of [[The Axiom]]'s power, [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html which is the most powerful being in the verse, existing in a realm beyond every other realm prior]<Ref>Shioda: Is it correct to think that humanity was created by the Great Reason rather than by the gods?<br>Yamai: In the beginning, I believe, pure humans were made as observers of the universe. Then, as time passed, gods and polytheism appeared as the result of their perception of the surrounding world.<br>Miyata: Nozomi says at some point that it’s all right for people to be unsure, but in the underground it is believed that the gods are one of the answers hypothesised by humans. From her point of view, the gods are a symbol of the ideal imagined by humans and the perfect form envisioned by them as their target, their final point. Monotheism, on the other hand, only has one final target, but there are many ideals to pursue. This is tied to Nozomi’s lines above. It’s all right if there are bad guys and if there are good people, there will also be fickle ones. Nozomi’s credo is that everyone should choose their own destination.<br>Yamai: Even when talking about the creation of the universe, I think the birth of the Great Reason is beyond our ideals. The universe we can observe stretches over 130 billion light years, but we don’t know how it managed to appear from nothing. Gods like Izanagi, who birthed out of his eyes and nose, were perhaps a symbol of a farming culture, but they had a power that surpassed the humans’ power of understanding and I dare say that in the case of the Great Reason too, if emotions were to arise, those emotions themselves would become gods. I’m talking about that kind of creation. For example, the wish to be worshipped gave birth to [[YHVH]], or seeing the fights between humans signified the appearance of Lucifer. I think this is similar to the trends and movements born out of people’s shared consciousness nowadays. Let’s look at Japan’s concept of cuteness: if it spread throughout the whole world, maybe it would lead to the birth of a new god. I had this vague thought that the backbone of the Great Reason would begin like a pure baby who would pick up various emotions through touch, gradually learning about its surroundings.<br>Shioda: So it’s something along the lines of a god born out of the collective unconscious which came from shared awareness?<br>Yamai: That’s right, don’t you all just love it? (laughs)<br>Miyata: I certainly think there is some sort of huge collective unconscious, but I never really thought it might be connected to the Great Reason. And speaking of shared awareness, the scale would be quite small depending on the surroundings; the Japanese would have their shared awareness, but it would be different from that of foreigners. For example, even if the Japanese saw themselves as without religion, they’d look Buddhist to foreigners. This kind of thing leads me to think that the Great Reason is not at the surface of shared awareness, but belongs instead to an extremely deep part of the origin.<br>Shioda: I personally think that the term ‘bunrei’ [spirit divisions] often used to name gods in the story is extremely important in this game. The Great Reason is the origin. Does that make [[YHVH]] and all the other gods ‘bunrei’?<br>Yamai: Yes, it does. I think we can explain the existence of ‘bunrei’ through polytheism resulted from human perception. In the Celtic world, the druids saw Dagda as the forefather of sorcerers, but this was different for the Norse people or the Germanic culture. The people of each civilisation would see things as it fit them, so we got Odin instead. ‘Bunrei’ are born like this, but then again, treating Dagda and Odin as identical is wrong. Their powers and responsibilities are different, so it’s better for them to be thought of as different entities. Let’s have a look at [[YHVH]]: when he was born, humans perhaps observed [[YHVH]] himself, but once the scriptures were written, Uriel would be the one to be noticed and maybe that’s why he made so many appearances in their pages. Uriel frequently appearing as [[YHVH]]’s messenger also kind of feels like an accessory that comes to the front in order to preserve [[YHVH]]’s solemnity. But that is the result of the perception of later people, so we can also say that Uriel is a part [bunrei] of [[YHVH]].</ref>, being beyond even the likes of Matter Lucifer and [[YHVH]]. Was the very being that granted humans [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|observation]], [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1YhCwcb3GM&t=1155s and tasked them with observing the universe], [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=2580 with the ability being the reason for Gods and demons existing]. Which [https://youtu.be/zotTNMN-Row?t=624 would include beings such as] [[Lucifer (Shin Megami Tensei)|Matter Lucifer]], [https://imgur.com/a/RaKpWpT who transcended into a higher plane of existence beyond even] [[YHVH]]. [[YHVH]] [https://imgur.com/a/eNIH9qI is the progenitor of all gods and all religions from all around the world, existing as the one true original god]. [https://imgur.com/a/AQppUyn Turned all other gods in the pantheon into demons]. [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html He is viewed as an omnipotent existence that created everything]<ref>Profile: The actual One God of monotheism. The One God praised by Judaism, Christianity and Islam. He is the omnipotent existence that created heaven and earth and made man in his own image, but this also means that together with the angels, his bunrei [subparts], he also gave birth to demons. By giving humans bodies of flesh and bone, their lives and fears were repeated in the endless cycle of death and rebirth, restricting their range of observation.</ref> [https://youtu.be/sBJn2IrfER4?t=171 A single manifestation head is so far beyond all of creation that not even his creations blades can harm him]<ref>The reason YHVH is harmed during this fight is due to humanity's [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|observation]] weakening him, as there's no reason for YHVH to be lying</ref>. YHVH is a being who created [http://shmuplations.com/smt/ infinite universes] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=246 that are infinitesimal in size compared to him], and exists as [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=165 an incomprehensible] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=450 transcendent being overseeing everything in his creation]. Which would include planes such as Akarana Corridor [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=957 a void that transcends time and space], [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=886 with it requiring a special ritual to enter], where even the Herald of Yatagarasu cannot put Radiou into this place<ref>The Herald of Yatagarsu is [https://youtu.be/SJhzC5B5HGA?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=727 capable of teleporting Raidou into] The Expanse, [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 a place that transcends the past, present, and future] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=98 of the multiverse] but cannot even reach this realm, along with this she [https://imgur.com/a/PxAg9xW exists a plane not apart of the human world], further showing how out of reach this plane is, [https://youtu.be/haOVB8wCagU?list=PLZ-IDxWdqee_02DqvdXSdY3BjrLzAaxAY&t=1043 it requires one normally to discard their human form and transcribe themselves otherwise they are threatened with being unstuck from time]</ref>, putting it beyond even The Expanse [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 a place that transcends the past, present, and future] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=98 of the multiverse]. His true form is far beyond [https://youtu.be/Ajh6RtXbxME?t=482 his single manifestation heads, which are a single part of his true self that controls the entire cosmos], [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html with each head having control over a universe]<ref>He had a strong impact in the previous games, so I just followed the basic model. His image as the Father and main god was emphasised by the stern expression on his aged face. The panels with three angles in the middle of his face are there to portray him as a 3D representation. I showed multiple faces every time he appeared, in order to show he has all the universes under his rule. The true number of these faces is the number of stars, rather than just the number of lives we can observe.</ref>. [https://youtu.be/L23HK4gdQY0?t=516 His universe is a place beyond reality that is more vague and more infinite then anything the cast has seen before] [https://youtu.be/8kNv01GNrpE?t=104 which includes areas such as the expanse]. Viewed as so immeasurably powerful that the combined cast of SMT IV Apocalypse, [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=526 needed to] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=637 deny his divine nature] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=676 and form understandings] [https://youtu.be/dFuKLmruIzQ?t=853 repeatedly] through the use of [[Observation (Megami Tensei)|obseravtion]] in order to defeat him. [https://eirikrjs.blogspot.com/2016/08/apocalypse-artbook.html A small glimpse of it's being] caused [[Stephen (Shin Megami Tensei)|Stephen]] [https://youtu.be/defQEm2-A3g?t=1856 to be so powerful he could fight] off all four of the Messiahs at once) |