Long time fans of Final Fantasy, Shin Megami Tensei, and other classic JRPG series have noticed that many of these games feature battles with God, which is a surprisingly common figure of speech in the Japanese media that has an odd connection to Gnosticism, a belief system from the late 1st century AD. Playing in the xeno The franchise relies heavily on Gnostic concepts, and almost every long-running JRPG series has unnamed elements of Gnosticism in its lore at some point. In simple terms, Gnosticism tends to view the material world as inherently evil, or at least deeply flawed. An evil entity called the Demiurge, or Yaldabaoth, is responsible for creating the physical reality, which typically serves as a prison for the soul and a barrier to human enlightenment, in the Gnostic belief. While more traditional JRPGs like: dragon quest tending to focus on fighting satanic figures, many JRPGs take the weirder route and pit their heroes against the creator himself.
The Gnostic belief system formed alongside early Christianity. It was considered one of the earliest organized heresies of that belief. Most sects of the Gnostics hold that a greater god figure, the monad, is the source of divine light and life, called pleroma. Emanations of Pleroma include Aeons, angelic beings and sometimes the human soul. The Demiurge, creator of the physical world, prevents humanity from making contact with the Pleroma, and is served by Archons as his chief lieutenants. Some gnostic sects viewed Jesus as a divine being who strove to lead humanity to the recognition of its own divine nature and to reconnect with the pleroma through gnosis. JRPG fans may recognize some of these terms from games in the Xenosaga series, along with many other titles. Most of the best and most iconic Final Fantasy bosses are people who usurp divine powers but few games, like Lightning returnsMake the creator the main antagonist.
In the lore of Final Fantasy 13 and its sequel, Bhunivelze is the ruler of the mortal world, which is essentially the material world of Gnostic beliefs. Bhunivelze cannot perceive the human soul, just as the Demiurge is cut off from the Pleroma, which humans can connect to through Gnosis. In Lightning returnsBhunivelze lets the world end in hopes of making a world where he can better control humanity. Similar themes recur in countless JRPGs. The divisive third Stars Ocean game cast the universe creators as the villains, approaching the same concept from a science fiction angle, as four-dimensional entities, rather than a supernatural demiurge. The original SaGa series game, which was included in the original Switch exclusive SaGa Final Fantasy Legend collection, featured a tower in the center of the world that heroes would climb to battle the Creator as a challenge he built for his amusement.
JRPGs Embrace Gnosticism as a Symbol of Hope, Not an Attack on Religion
Classic anime like Neon Genesis Evangelion delve deeply into Gnostic lore, alongside the Kabbalah and other eclectic sources. The story of The Matrix series also relied heavily on Gnostic themes, with its virtual prison created by machines as a replacement for a material world built by Yaldabaoth. However, JRPGs rethink the ideas of Gnosticism more consistently than any other form of media. Aside from delivering a uniquely epic story, the concepts of Gnosticism fit the structure of JRPGs ideally. JRPG characters tend to start out with a low strength level and by the end of the game they are exponentially stronger. This fits well with the idea that humans have limitless potential and positions the gatekeeper of that potential as an obvious nemesis.
Tabletop RPGs like Mage: the Ascension and cult follow The Matrix template in their use of Gnostic concepts, and the successor to Ascension Day, The awakening, characterized Gnosis as a stat. Many more video games follow this route, ranging from the series that lean heavily to Gnostic terms, such as the various xeno titles, or Shin Megami Tensei And his Persona subseries, to the Final Fantasy games that simply feature sinister creator figures. It may seem strange that a relatively obscure footnote in Western religions has had such a profound impact on pop culture, especially products coming from Japan. In much the same way many JRPGs borrow from HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu mythos seem to resonate the ideas of the Gnostic heresy with Japanese playmakers. Western media often rethinks the theme of a corrupt figure within an apparently benevolent religious order, but JRPGs will just as easily cast the creator himself in the role of the villain.
For veteran JRPG fans, battling the creator is anything but a surprise, and plans to defeat the False God Demiurge in Persona 5 Strikers or Deus in xeno ears is simply a matter of leveling up and equipping the right equipment. In addition to the mechanics of these games supporting the idea of unlimited human potential, a concept that reflects Gnostic enlightenment, the themes of hopeful youth reshaping their world are often combined with the struggle against a Yaldabaoth figure. Most JRPG fans see these games less as a rejection of mainstream Western religions, but more as a repeated symbolic message. Even when the world is naturally hopeless, the heroes of JRPGs often rely on their friendships and their boundless tenacity to do the impossible and forge a better world. Fighting an evil Demiurge, who uses reality itself as a prison, is simply the most daring expression of the struggle for a better future.
The Matrix Resurrections brought its gnostic themes back into the eyes of the western media, but Persona 5 Royal simply has Yaldaboath as his final boss, openly embracing his Gnostic influence. Anime series ranging from Gurenn Laggan until Back arrow until Attack on Titan have reconsidered the idea of people being imprisoned in a fabricated prison, unable to reach their full potential. Unlike these stories, where the Gnostic concepts were presented as plot twists, in JRPGs a battle against a creative entity is mundane enough to get closer to a standard expectation.
Western games like god of war and Hades revisit Greek and Norse mythologies, but JRPG fans have been exposed to ideas from Gnosticism more than almost any other ancient Western belief system. This obscure sect may not have developed lasting power as a world religion, but Gnosticism certainly forms a profound influence on the JRPG genre, and it explains why for Final Fantasy and other Japanese RPGs, all you have to do after defeating the devil is to challenge the creator.
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