Digital Devil Saga/Characters
The Embryon
Serph
![](../../I/m/Serph185_3694.jpg)
The Silent Protagonist of the game, Serph is the leader of the Embryon. Even with his emotions awakened, he remains a calm and composed leader for his Tribe. Over the course of the game, he forms a bond with Sera and soon becomes determined to protect her.
His Atma is the Water Crown, and his demon form is Varna.
He is based on Sera's perception of who Serph Sheffield was. His lack of personality reflects how little she actually knew of the real Serph; however, he grows as a character and becomes distinct from both the original Serph Sheffield and Sera's false perception of him.
- Alliterative Name: His full name is Serph Sheffield, seeing as it is the full name of the person he was based on.
- Amnesiac Dissonance: In the second game, Serph realizes that the person whom he is based on was not very nice.
- An Ice Person
- Blade Below the Shoulder: His main form of attack when in demon form.
- Everyone Has Pistols
- Fusion Dance: With Sera, in the second game.
- A God Am I: Subverted as this is what the real Serph Sheffield wanted to become, but was stopped when Sera realised he was manipulating her and turned on him.
- Gray Eyes
- The Hero
- Heroic Mime: Justified in-game as Serph's lack of personality reflects Sera's lack of understanding of who the real Serph Sheffield really was.
- Personality Powers
- Punny Name: Serph -> surf -> water -> ice.
- Meaningful Name: Serph -> Serf, given the original purpose of the Junkyard and Sera's Dream Serph.
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Blue to Heat's Red.
- Rei Ayanami Expy: A rare male example.
- Together in Death: With Sera in the second game.
- Tomato in the Mirror
- What Is This Thing You Call Love?
- White-Haired Pretty Boy: Serph qualifies only for hair and looks, but the human from whom he was created on the other hand...
Heat
![](../../I/m/Heat185_2425.jpg)
Serph's second-in-command in the Embryon, and their strongest physical fighter. Heat quickly grows to enjoy his newfound powers and has no qualms with devouring others to survive. Despite his abrasive behaviour, he has a strong, maddening affinity towards Sera which he struggles to cope with.
His Atma is Fireball, and his demon form is Agni.
He is based on Sera's perception of Heat O'Brien, a scientist who worked alongside Serph Sheffield on the God Project. Despite his hostile exterior, O'Brien genuinely cared for Sera and became horrified at how callously Sheffield treated her. When O'Brien attempted to stop him and save Sera's life, he was shot in the back by Argilla (under Sheffield's manipulations). O'Brien's data then became trapped in the EGG. and watched over Sera while his counterpart in the Junkyard developed to become his own person.
- Badass Cape
- Bring It
- Crispin Freeman
- Eleventh-Hour Ranger: In the last dungeon of the second game, he can be recruited in the final dungeon if you made certain dialogue choices throughout the two games.
- Face Heel Turn: In the second game.
- Fiery Redhead
- Forceful Kiss: He does this to Sera, causing her to run off.
- Go Out with a Smile: As Serph carries Heat out of the room, a faint smile can be seen of Heat's face.
- Hikaru Midorikawa
- The Lancer: In the first game.
- Love Makes You Crazy: He becomes increasingly dissatisfied by the attraction between Sera and Serph, which leads to his Face Heel Turn in the second game. It's not entirely unjustified, considering what the real Serph did to Sera.
- Meaningful Name
- One-Winged Angel: Vritra.
- Personality Powers
- Playing with Fire
- Red Eyes, Take Warning
- Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Serph's Blue.
- Tomato in the Mirror
- Tragic Monster
- What Is This Thing You Call Love?: Heat in particular struggles with this since he doesn't quite understand his feelings for Sera and can only express himself through force and anger. This reflects Sera's inability to get past the real Heat O'Brien's scary exterior and see the side of him that truly cared for her.
Argilla
![](../../I/m/Argilla185_8249.jpg)
Argilla is the Embyron's main sniper, and is often paired with Serph on the most high-priority missions. She shows the most reluctance and horror towards her demonic transformation, even refusing to eat for a time. Over time, she grows to accept the reality of her situation, becoming the most compassionate of the Embryon, yet also doing what it takes to reach Nirvana and be rid of her powers.
Her Atma is Seismic Wave, which lets her transform into Prithivi.
Argilla was based upon a nurse who took care of Sera during her time in the God Project. Although caring and flirtatious, the real Argilla fell prey to Serph Sheffield's manipulations and killed Heat O'Brien when he threatened Serph with a gun.
- Amanda Winn-Lee
- The Chick: Easily one of the nicest characters in the game, complete with Cry Cute moments.
- Cry Cute
- Dishing Out Dirt
- Friendly Sniper
- Heroic Sacrifice
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Says these exact words after receiving her powers.
- Leotard of Power: If one looks really closely at the slit of her skirt when she moves.
- Nice Girl
- Odango
- Paper-Thin Disguise: It's to trick The Dragon. Lampshaded by Cielo.
- Personality Powers
- Punny Name: It's Italian for "clay".
- Rose-Haired Girl
- Team Mom
- Technicolor Eyes: Pink.
- Tomato in the Mirror
- What Is This Thing You Call Love?
- Whip It Good: Her demon form.
Gale
![](../../I/m/Gale185_2173.jpg)
Gale is the main tactical advisor for the Embryon, whose analytical and intelligent mind has led the Embryon to multiple victories. Gale values logic and rationality above all else, and finds himself increasingly isolated from his comrades as they develop their emotions.
His Atma is Twister, which transforms him into Vayu.
His past self was David Gale, a researcher in love with Jenna Angel. Unfortunately, he caught Curvier Syndrome and died when his isolation ward was attacked by terrorists. Although he spent his dying moments trying to put Jenna's mind at ease, his death acted as the catalyst for many of her machinations.
- Angel, I Am The Reincarnation of Your Dead Husband
- Armed Legs: In his human form, his boots have daggers built in them. In his demon form, he can extend blades from his feet.
- Badass Bookworm
- Blow You Away
- Character Development/Deus Angst Machina
- Character Tics: He has a habit of touching his forehead when he's making a point or trying to focus; moreover, the motion is reminiscent of the way a person might adjust their glasses. It's implied to be a habit that he inherited from his past life as David, who wore glasses.
- Emotion Suppression: You can see his eyes flicker green whenever he has visions of Angel crying. It takes Lupa's death for him to properly awaken.
- Extremity Extremist
- Green Eyes
- Heroic Sacrifice
- Punny Name
- Roundhouse Kick
- Hurricane Kick: Uses an upside down variation when using a multi-hitting physical attack.
- The Smart Guy
- Steve Blum
- The Stoic
- Straw Vulcan
- Tomato in the Mirror
- What Is This Thing You Call Love?
Cielo
![](../../I/m/Cielo185_5578.jpg)
Cielo is a capable fighter in the Embryon, though he lacks any particular speciality. After he awakens his Atma, he gains a thick Jamaican accent and becomes the most playful and vibrant member of the group.
His Atma is Rainbow Arch, and his demon form is Dyaus.
He was based on one of the other children involved in the preliminary stages of the God Project, where he struck up a lasting friendship with Sera. Unfortunately, he would end up dying in the experiments along with every other child except for Sera.
- Beware the Silly Ones: He may be the comic relief character, but when provoked, he will kick your ass as one of the Tribhvana found out.
- The Big Guy
- Blue Eyes
- Dave Wittenberg
- Funny Foreigner: After gaining a Jamaican accent.
- Hair Color Dissonance: His hair is meant to be blue but looks more lilac sometimes.
- Heroic Sacrifice
- The Load: Fixed in the sequel.
- Punny Name: It's Spanish for "sky".
- Shock and Awe
- Tomato in the Mirror
- Took a Level in Badass: Again, in the sequel.
- What Is This Thing You Call Love?
Sera
![](../../I/m/Sera185_8445.jpg)
A mysterious black-haired girl who appears in the Junkyard along with the Atma. Unlike the other inhabitants of the Junkyard, she bears no identifying Tag Ring. Sera has no memory of her past, but claims to have come to the Junkyard to help everyone. Her song can pacify the demonic inhabitants of the world, preventing them from going berserk.
Sera is actually the creator of the Junkyard, using a psychic power that allows her to manipulate data. In the real world, her power was used in a series of experiments designed to communicate with the superbeing known as "God". Because of the stress of these experiments, Sera created the Junkyard as a private paradise and haven for her own mind. When the existence of the Junkyard was discovered, the scientists forced her to re-purpose it into a military simulator for the development of combat AIs.
When Jenna Angel attempted to use the Junkyard as a testing ground for her plan to unleash the Demon Virus on a worldwide scale, Sera forcibly inserted her consciousness into the program at the cost of her memories. Her real body rests in the real world, hooked into an incubator that sustains her frail life.
During the events of Digital Devil Saga 2, she inherits the Water Crown Atma from Serph, which lets her transform into Varuni.
- An Ice Person
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Deconstructed. She trusted Serph over Heat because of this, not knowing Serph was only manipulating her and Heat was the only one who gave a damn about her. Once she realized this, she did not take it well. AT ALL.
- Bob Haircut
- Brown Eyes
- Damsel in Distress
- Distaff Counterpart: Her demon form is this to Serph's.
- Everyone Has Pistols
- Fusion Dance: With Serph, in the second game.
- Girl in a Box: How she is introduced.
- Holy Child
- Magic Music
- Naked on Arrival
- Non Action Gal: First game only.
- Purity Personified
- Took a Level in Badass
- Wendee Lee
- Younger Than They Look: Sera suffers from Rapid Aging as a result of the repeated use of her "Cyber Shaman" powers. This gets to the point she cannot survive for too long without the sustaining fluids from the EGG.
Rival Tribes
Harley
![](../../I/m/Harley185_5858.jpg)
The leader of the Vanguards, the closest rivals to the Embryon. Harley is present at Ground Zero when the Atma is unleashed upon the Junkyard, and is driven insane with fear by the bloodbath that ensues.
His Atma is Burning Stake, and his demon form is Hayagriva.
He finally snaps after being cornered by the Embryon, who just wanted to exchange information on what happened at Ground Zero. He attacks them in a desperate rage and is killed.
- Automatic Crossbows
- Freak-Out
- Go Mad from the Revelation
- Sacrificial Lion: He exists to show just how devastating the Atma can be upon the Junkyard and how much it can change things. The Vanguards collapse in a day, and Harley goes from a competent leader to a frightened child.
Jinana
![](../../I/m/Jinana185_5624.jpg)
The leader of the Maribel. After the tribes gain the power of Atma, Gale proposes an alliance with her in order to defeat the Solids, with Argilla becoming quite fond of her.
Her Atma is Aurora, and her demon form is Usas.
The party are eventually required to kill her after she succumbs to the madness of the Demon Virus, having refused to devour a single person.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: To Argilla.
- Fashionable Asymmetry: It's subtle, but one of her leggings is red whilst the other is grey, her tear drop marking is on her right cheek, and her hair is combed over her left eye.
- Green Eyes
- Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
- Stripperific: Her outfit basically amounts to a bikini, an open jacket and boots.
- Tragic Monster.
Bat
![](../../I/m/Bat185_5153.jpg)
Originally The Dragon to Jinana, Bat's emotions awaken after he defeated by Seraph, and he gains a severe case of Chronic Backstabbing Disorder, becoming a recurring antagonist to the Embryon.
His Atma is Sonic Wave, and his demon form is Camazotz.
After switching sides to the Solids and then the Brutes, Bat ultimately dies after a final rematch with Serph when the ship he is on explodes as part of a plan to weaken the Brutes.
- Baleful Polymorph: He can transform your party into bats.
- Blow You Away
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder
- Jerkass
- Knife Nut
- Punny Name
- Purple Eyes
- Recurring Boss
- Slasher Smile
Mick The Slug
![](../../I/m/MickTheSlug185_7521.jpg)
The leader of the Solids. After gaining the power of Atma, Mick becomes a cruel and sadistic leader who takes great pleasure in devouring others.
His Atma is Solar Eclipse, and his demon form is Rahu.
He captures Sera from the Embryon as per the Karma Temple's orders. However, he is betrayed by Bat and cornered by the Embryon, who kill him.
- Big Eater
- Dub Name Change: From Mick the Nick to Mick the Slug.
- Eyes of Gold
- Fat Bastard
- Human Resources
- Stout Strength
- Warm Bloodbags Are Everywhere: And to him, this is a good thing!
Lupa
![](../../I/m/Lupa185_1538.jpg)
The honourable and powerful leader of the Wolves. His tribe takes heavy casualities against the Brutes, and he approaches the Embryon for support.
His Atma is Lava Flow, and his demon form is Cerberus.
His belief in honour ultimately leads to his downfall when he refuses to eat the corpses of his fallen opponents. He succumbs to the madness of the Demon Virus and is put down by the Embryon.
- Big Badass Wolf
- Dark-Skinned Redhead
- Facial Markings
- Honor Before Reason
- Magical Native American
- Meaningful Name: Lupus means "wolf".
- Playing with Fire
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Subverted, he's a friendly guy if you're his ally.
- Tragic Monster
Varin Omega
![](../../I/m/Varin185_3679.jpg)
The ruthless leader of the Brutes. After gaining emotions, he refers to himself as "Colonel Beck" and seems to know more about the Junkyard than anyone else. He carries a powerful grudge against Serph.
His Atma is Turbulance, and his demon form is Ravana.
His past self was Colonel Beck, the military commander who ultimately approved the project that led to the current state of events in the world.
- Berserk Button: Do not call him Varin! He is a colonel! Colonel Beck!
- Blade Below the Shoulder: His Atma Avatar has serrated daggers concealed in its hands.
- Horror Hunger: Has the ability to invoke this in others.
- Instant Armor: His tail can split in two and encase his whole body in a suit of armor.
- Invisibility: The unique ability of his Atma Avatar. He can also use while in human form.
- Multi-Armed and Dangerous: Four arms.
- One-Man Army: He defeated the Wolves, the second largest tribe in the Junk Yard, on his own.
- Purple Eyes
- Sequential Boss
- Super Strength: Throws people around like ragdolls and effortlessly catches one of Heat's stonewall shattering punches.
Other Characters
Angel
![](../../I/m/Angel185_2862.jpg)
A mysterious being who grants the Junkyard the power of Atma, and commands them to bring Sera to Nirvana.
Her Atma is Maelstrom, and her demon form is Harihara.
Her true identity is Jenna Angel, the creator of the Demon Virus and Sera's mother/father. Her goal is to retrieve Sera's consciousness from the Junkyard so she can be used in her grand plan to spread the Demon Virus worldwide, reducing the world to a primal state of being.
- Authority Equals Asskicking
- Big Bad: Game one.
- Chewing the Scenery:
Angel: At last we shall see the maturation of the seed I HAVE SOWN IN YOU!
- Final Boss:
- Flunky Boss: Second phase only.
- One-Winged Angel
- Sequential Boss
- Heartbroken Badass: The Freudian Excuse for most of her actions is due to terrorists killing David in an attack.
- Hermaphrodite
- Large Ham
- Mary Elizabeth McGlynn
- Names to Trust Immediately: Subverted.
- Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: "Who do you think created the demon virus?"
Schrodinger
![](../../I/m/Schrodinger185_4242.jpg)
A cat seen at various points throughout the two games.
Its true identity is Seraph. As an ascended being, Seraph exists beyond time and space and can therefore appear in the past to help guide its past selves towards enlightenment.
Introduced in Digital Devil Saga 2
Roland
![](../../I/m/Roland185_9250.jpg)
The leader of the Lokapala resistance group that opposes the Karma Society. The stress of his position has driven him to drink, and he distrusts all demons. However, after meeting Serph, he decides to sober up and join his cause, using the Demon Virus on himself so he can be an asset to the team.
Depending on the player's choices, he will rejoin the team for the final dungeon instead of Heat.
His Atma is Lightning Bolt, and his demon form is Indra.
- The Alcoholic: At the start. He sobers up to help out the team.
- Badass: He willingly gave himself the Atma Virus (and immediately gave up drinking) just so he could fight alongside the team. Bad. Ass.
- Badass Beard: That is one nice goatee.
- Gray Eyes
- Heroic Sacrifice
- Kirk Thornton
- Mr. Exposition: When the party first meets with him.
- Odd Name Out: Seriously, where's the pun?
- Meaningful Name: His name can mean "Great Country", which he is fighting to protect.
- Shock and Awe
- Sixth Ranger: Literally!
- White Haired Man
Fred
![](../../I/m/Fred185_2979.jpg)
A young boy who Argilla saves not long after leaving the Junkyard. He is revealed to be a member of Lokapala, the son of the previous leader. He acts as an enthusiastic support to the Embryon and their cause.
Margot Cuvier
The woman in charge of the Karma Society. She hopes to preserve the last remnants of humanity by transforming the people of the Karma Society into demons and then keeping them fed with the ground-up remains of those who oppose her.
- The Atoner: After dying and going to the Sun, she regrets her actions after she lost her way. Her wish is for Seraph and comrades to stop God from destroying mankind.
- Sinister Shades
- The Unfought
- Villainous Breakdown: After seeing her actions help caused God to start absorbing the planet, she breaks down.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Everything she does is to ensure the survival of the human race.
Serph Sheffield
![](../../I/m/Sheffield185_3494.jpg)
A charismatic scientist working on a series of experiments called "The God Project". He has a strong bond with Sera.
His true self is a manipulative, power-hungry megalomaniac who seeks to use Sera's powers to become a god. He sees Sera and the people around him as mere tools to be used in his pursuit of this goal, and pushes the young girl to painful extremes while pretending to care about her.
His downfall comes after he indirectly murders Heat O'Brien for trying to stop him, and Sera witnesses his true nature. He is transformed into a demon, but instead of being reincarnated in the Junkyard, his soul is trapped in the EGG.
- For Science!
- A God Am I
- Manipulative Bastard
- Morally-Ambiguous Doctorate
- Villainous Breakdown: In the EGG, when confronted with the reality that he has died.
Seraph
![](../../I/m/Seraph185_4791.jpg)
The entity created when Serph and Sera's data merges on their path to the Sun. Seraph is a powerful, unisex being who has the potential to communicate directly with God and reach enlightenment.
His/her Atma is Clarion, and his/her demon form is Ardha. However, Ardha is actually the union of Shiva and Parvati, not Varna and Varuni.
- Eleventh-Hour Superpower
- Hermaphrodite
- Ki Attacks: Though technically, it's prana.
- Meaningful Name: Subverted. Seraph is not associated with Expel-elemental attacks.
- Non-Elemental
- Power Floats
- Punny Name
- Wendee Lee