Shin Megami Tensei IV: Merkabah Phase 2 (Extended)

Merkabah's second theme in the game. You know shit gets real when this theme starts playing. His appearence goes from "Oh he looks pretty badass," to "Oh my god what the fuck is that?!"
He gets acceptionally more challenging in his second form, but as long as either you or your demons know the skills "Debilitate" and "Luster Candy," you'll be okay!
Twitter: / dark_angel_0519
I do not own the game series or the music. That stuff belongs to Atlus.

[@NicoTheCinderace]

_"So, you still will not fall? I see why the Demon Lord took you as a disciple. Nonetheless... just as darkness is pierced by light, your defeat is part of the natural order of things."_ _"Now behold your own disgrace and insignificance before my light!"_ > Merkabah gives Flynn a stern and piercing stare... > Flynn smiles devilishly... _"You continue to mock the lord with every fiber of your being... That is darkness. This demon is truly black in spirit; a raging, chaotic darkness that swallows all light. It is profound horror to see how far a human can fall..."_ > Flynn feels the power of chaos fill him... > All of Flynn's stats increased greatly!

[@videomaker580]

*Merkabah uses Dekaja*

[@NicoTheCinderace]

_"I ask you, lost lambs who drown in desire and shun the purity of Order... To what end do you wage this sinful war?"_

[@apollojustice5589]

Nicodapeek2 For the people of Tokyo

[@shinkazuto2821]

for myself

[@theohyeahyeahguy8072]

To 1-shot Pierce Trisagion everyone even YHVH first and second form.

[@omegaman1207]

*a world without bias* A world without bias? Is that not by its very natural a world without stability?

[@NikkolasKing]

​@@omegaman1207 But it does not end there. We are drawn to what lies beyond hardships.

[@nickgregoire3190]

"Tainted body, profane mind, fallen soul. Unclean Ones, indeed."

[@dreamfirefight9456]

The Creator...will not...tolerate this.

[@IrregularHunterDash]

“Fools, you willfully let the false messiah deceive you. I shall strip your right to move.”

[@OrionEJ]

Walter, you are banned from my Minecraft server.

[@jakubklemenski7380]

Wait why

[@AloisAgos]

I love how this theme captures Merk's rage. It just screams "I AM 110% DONE!"

[@christopherbravo1813]

his Chaos-route dialogue certainly gives that impression

[@BeckoningSage]

the beginning reminds me of Dancing Mad from FF6.

[@raikaria3090]

Law is not necessarily Good Chaos is not necessarily Evil Extremes are bad either way

[@miketheguy2847]

Fuck Law and Chaos. All my homies go neutral.

[@Maurricent]

@@miketheguy2847 Peace or Anarchy tho?

[@Don_C06]

@@Maurricent anarchy is more badass

[@lennythesatan7747]

@@Don_C06 but also more disturbing in one way or the other.

[@christopherbravo1813]

in the same fashion, God and angels cannot be truly labeled with "Law", nor can Lucifer and his demons be truly labeled with "Chaos". God created the universe to have Law and Chaos in equal measure, and Lucifer's goal is to replace all belief systems with his own Law that defies God's teachings.

[@CommanderBroShep]

Merkabah This cannot be...We are...the Heralds of the Lord...how have we been thus defeated? The stars...the wind...the beasts...all nature...follows His order. Why then...do humans and demons...struggle to deviate from it? Jonathan Is there...no end to your avarice...? What is it...that you desire...?

[@Bakanaben2]

"You still will not fall? You are truly the embodiment of Filth. Nonetheless... just as darkness is pierced by light, your defeat is part of the natural order of things. Now learn of the human's Filth and its powerlessness before my light!" > Merkabah gives you a stern and piercing stare...

[@justinlilith4326]

+Bakanaben2 He only smiled devilishly.

[@ledankmemer1706]

ANDREW HALL "I'll end it thus" *Gets flashbacks*

[@elzogalleta3121]

damn it Walter.

[@Bakanaben2]

Elzo Galleta You mean Jonathan.

[@elzogalleta3121]

nah walter since he says that when hes about to cast his skill.

[@lapisfengari2428]

This is seriously one of the most intense boss themes ever

[@twilightrosegaming4896]

merkabuh is NOT easy. harder to slay then lucifer is but lucifer has the better battle theme

[@VannNightcore]

no shit, you're fighting for the laws of universe, not only that lucifer's easier to fight coz the skill he has isn't as lethal as markabah's, example : Lucifer only returns your demons to your stock, meanwhile Merkabah will actually kill them instantly

[@sleepycowboy18]

My favourite battle theme, it's heavenly terrifying

[@ShareBear17]

You are to defy Lucifer and his minions. Thats a fact given Lucifer is always seem as the enemy. I feel this theme is more dramatic because you are taught to believe God/Gods/Goddesses are to protect humans-not in this case. So this fits the battle most games will never let you fight-the fight against your savior/saviors. I love this series-I am so grateful it exists!

[@zaqareemalcolm]

tbf SMT goes for the paradise lost + gnostic interpretation of lucifer and abrahamic god

[@ShareBear17]

Still you do not see this concept in the gaming industry often. You dont see people play as a protagonist that defies God as a means to a better end.

[@heeho9435]

ShareBear17 Isn’t that a plot point in a lot of jrpgs

[@ShareBear17]

@@heeho9435 no, you fight villains with the delusions that they are gods. JRPGs dont go after it in the way SMT does.

[@keeysOST]

What? Most JRPGs have you face some sort of depiction of God at the end. It's really not that rare.

[@Someone-iq4ir]

This would be a good "bow down to your superiors" theme in both the law and chaos meetings

[@tobypaet3540]

Good no dislikes doesn't seem like there's unclean ones here

[@akumar9836]

1 unclean one spotted

[@NicoTheCinderace]

**Smiles Devilishly**

[@yasuushiromiya3058]

Two now. But must not worry, He will punish the unclean ones, that is His almighty power.

[@someonehere9778]

They are Lucifer and Walter.

[@halfoffmaul7670]

Kinda thought I killed him in iv, just for him to return to apocalypse. They be planning this shit ahead of time XD

[@The_B_Button]

The Neutral Route is used in the game, not the Neutral Ending. The game begins just before Flynn goes to give the Chalice of Hope to Masakado IIRC. So Lucy never did die.

[@ltb1345]

Apocalypse is an alternate timeline.

[@citywidebrute4223]

This is some good stuff here

[@thefairy6884]

CitywideBrute 42 I know, right? The beginning reminds me of the Castlevania series a bit :D

[@Windermed]

all i’m saying.. you better not be doing the chaos route and playing this game on your 3DS while attending a church ceremony

[@ashlanders687]

_"You should check yourself again before you say I'm fallen; Play this game and it proves my innocence."_

[@NikkolasKing]

FOR THE PEOPLE!

[@christopherbravo1813]

Morgan and Morgan

[@saberonline148]

i am the lord angel i will get rid of the filth and he will be able to make mankind pure again to do that i mean get rid of the unclean ones that stand before me

[@christopherbravo1813]

must children of God perish for a righteous world to be created? no, I cannot accept that to be God's will...

[@thefairy6884]

Please *DO NOT* post anything about SMT IV: Apocalypse in the comment section. I have not finished the game yet. DO NOT SPOIL ANYTHING. EVEN THE MUSIC THAT PLAYS DURING CERTAIN EVENTS.

[@donteo508]

*Spoiler* I died

[@ledankmemer1706]

Donteo50 Spoiler I shit myself

[@sapphireweapon12345]

Spoiler: HERE BE DEMONS

[@arturoibarra4167]

Fallen Angel there are demons in the game :v

[@Cyussify]

have you finished it yet? It took me quite sometime... I got it last Christmas and it took me until last month to beat it.

[@blindhouse4744]

Any Trauma Center game final boss battle

[@gustavocastellanos8421]

Awesome song ms.fallen

[@thefairy6884]

Gustavo Castellanos Tis not my own creation, but it is awesome :D

[@presidentofthegalaxy784]

Filth.

[@ivoeggmanrobotnik6722]

Merkabah: Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filth Filthy Acts At A Reasonable Price... you thought it was Merkabah but it was me, censored Funny Valentine!!!

[@_zyphis_2281]

Scariest shit I ever seen

[@RRRRRRRRR33]

I think this is the coolest battle theme in the entire game (also taking in account Apocalypse). In a way, spoilers perhaps? You are basically fighting the hebrew religion and ideologies, God is omnipotent and vengeful, the angels are extremes of purity, etc.. the usual bullshit. And Merkabah's theme kinda represent this twisted concept of purity. By the way, I am legitimaly curious to see what the jewish thinks about this game, how YHWH is vilified, etc

[@christopherbravo1813]

not Jewish, but I hate it.

[@Humaricslastcall]

Was once a christian, but how God is portrayed in here and especially in IV-Apocalypse is spot on his old testament characterization. Hell, even the arguments you use in the bonds route of IV-Apocalypse to take him down are valid arguments. I don't think anybody who ran into and completed this dualology as part of the abarahamic faiths came out of the games liking God anymore, regardless if they believed in him or not.

[@christopherbravo1813]

@@Humaricslastcall and you wonder why I hate when people say "dude they're just games, they aren't meant to be taken seriously". also, how long has it been since you read the Bible? how long has it been since you discussed it with people who understand it? and in what way are the literally god-awful arguments used in the damnable power of friendship route at all valid?

[@Humaricslastcall]

@@christopherbravo1813 YHWH, or God, has had a hand in the affairs of man all throughout the old testament. He eviscerated Egypt multiple times, in one occasion by literally dropping a lake on the entire Egyptian military after goating them to chase Moses across the land bridge in the Dead Sea that God himself created. He flooded the world because Man was apparently too evil, 'cept for Noah and crew. They are ok. Blatant favoritism. He had a hand in Israel's rise to power, and had them wipe out cities - including women and children - just because he wanted his pet nation to become a world superpower. On that same token, he then wiped them off the face of the earth again because they became too decedent - caused by the point previously. He then tortured multiple people with the true visage of his angels, notable example being Ezekiel. And then we get to the arguments presented in SMTIV-A Walter's argument is basically the question from that one spy kids movie: "Do you think god stays in heaven because he too lives in fear of what he has created?" I don't claim to understand god, but since his involvement has been non-existent far as we can tell irl, and he literally nuked the entire world just to quell humanity's power in SMT, it's safe to say that the answer is "Yes." Asashi's argument is all about self-determination and, frankly, the power of friendship. Lone wolves are powerful, yes, but so are wolf packs. Many can overpower one, no matter how strong the one is. Navvare and Hallelujah's argument plays into God's unresponsiveness to prayers. That's basically it. Man has done more for their fellow man, good or bad, than God has. Nozomi's argument involves Christianity's unfortunate need to wipe out other beliefs and replace it with it's own. Remember the crusades? Remember what started the Viking Age? Remember what happened in Japan when Christianity first arrived? Gaston's argument is against the religious dogma God has created around himself. The very thing god hates is the very system he had a hand in setting up. Toki's argument is against the passiveness of Christianity and how all of it's teachings involve being a pacifist to a fault. If there is no conflict, there is no change. Even chemical reactions need to affect the environment around them. The only problems i have with the bonds route in SMTIV-A is that it literally preforms two deus ex machina back to back, then ties everything up *way* too neatly post YHWH. Doesn't help that the Anarchy route is vilified to where it is shown to be the wrong choice, not to mention the implication that Nanashi at the end may just end up becoming another YHWH.

[@christopherbravo1813]

@@Humaricslastcall okay, so in other words, you refuse to believe that we as a race did anything wrong and that God is responsible for all of our problems? is punishing those who break the law, even if they are in the majority, while sparing those who do not break it "favoritism"? you think that the visions he sent were meant as torture? now let's address the arguments. Walter is obviously wrong, as YHVH expresses no fear of humanity at any point, is demonstrably more powerful than any human could ever hope to be alone, and has clear motives for punishing humanity that do not involve "fear". Asahi's argument was about how God apparently values those useful to him, those with strength. if that is the case, then that would contradict Walter's argument. does God fear mankind's strength or does he want them to be strong? I don't recall humans ever going out of their way to create a completely new civilization for other humans or even going so far as to defend it from invaders. and I thought the issue was God's *excess* of action? remember the "no more gods! no more demons!" chant? Nozomi has no grounds to accuse God of wiping out false gods when she plans on destroying any faith in any deity herself. the system Gaston hates was not created by God. it was created by the player character as a means of sabotaging God's paradise-and it worked. really, Gaston should be hating Nanashi. once again, you misunderstand both Christianity and the argument. Toki is expressing anger towards God's forgiveness, claiming that humanity doesn't need it. in other words, she's a brat. have you forgotten that your previous point mentioned Christianity *not* being passive? which is it? why do you contradict yourself in a desperate attempt to vilify a clearly bastardized imitation of the One True God? Nanashi becoming another YHVH makes perfect sense, even if he somehow has the intellectual capacity to create a new world. power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

[@Eevee860]

Wait it's a guy?

[@2tehnik]

You fool. The Lord's servants are wholly beyond such petty concepts as "gender."