whbtheories

[whbtheories]

I think Mammon having compulsive hoarding syndrome is really interesting because the disorder is driven more by the desire not to lose or get rid of things than it is collecting more stuff, especially considering already believes he owns everything.

Very true! He may not covet the things he already believes he owns, but I imagine he is not happy if someone else of his standing claims to own those things instead, or to physically take from him, or even destroy his belongings.

The info on him does say he doesn't get jealous of other's claimed ownership because his belief he owns things is just superior, but I think there has to be some occasions where his ownership is denied, and that might cause some issues 🤔

[whbtheories]

Ohhh I'm looking forward to seeing the full reveal of Lucifer 👀

I was wondering whether they'd go with a similar or opposing look to Satan, the demon that Lucifer is most often linked to (or assumed to be) and it seems like they're going for a similar overall vibe with light hair and skin, but perhaps contrasting Satan's white outfit and bare nails, with some much sharper teeth and a peek of wings/feathers...

I'm very intrigued to see their interpretation of the demon that is conventionally highest in the hierarchy, and the first of all angels - especially given what we can glean from the slightly terrifying Morax and Marbas 🤔

His teaser pose is also somewhat of a mash up of Beelzebub and Leviathan - the hand placement, revealed eye and tongue of Beelzebub reversed, and a similar angle and shoulder placement as Leviathan.

Meanwhile his very red highlights are closest to Satan's teaser, and his eye colour closest to Mammon.

As if each have a little piece of Lucifer within them.

Also of note is the lack of horns (in this pic at least) which combined with the potential wings could mean he has a more angelic look overall, with his demonic features less evident until he bares his teeth.

[whbtheories]

Character Preview: Beelzebub

Domain: Abyssos

Sin: Gluttony

Birthday: April 4 (Aries)

Idiosyncrasy: olfactophilia

Mental condition: ADHD

Ability: creates 'phenomena'

Theme colours: green, black

~

Interest

The only king with an official 'philia to his name thus far, and we see that Beelzebub gets excited by using his nose - more specifically, for scents and odours emanating from the body.

This may well extend to all scents, and it's easy to see how that fits in with the sin of gluttony. as the vast majority of what we classify as taste is actually from smell.

His ADHD is an interesting touch in that it has only a subtle relation to his sin, but great relation to his personality. A hyperactive Beelzebub is not a common trope, and indeed it is a different demon entirely that exhibits traits of ADHD in Obey Me.

That said, Gluttony in a more modern sense can definitely be linked to ADHD under impeded impulse control.

Personality

[Disclaimer: to discuss Beelzebub we have to discuss Mammon, for reasons that will become clear!]

From what little we know so far about Beelzebub, he is definitively a demon of mystery. So called 'phenomena' are said to occur around him, and he is 'unbound' by such things as reality, powers more suitable for a god than a demon...

There are reports of him appearing in multiple locations at the exact same time, which implies either time travel, ability to create copies of himself, or indeed some manner of omnipresence.

Unlike the depressed Satan and agoraphobic Leviathan, Beelzebub is described as hearty and lovely, as well as sexually desired by many. A regular ray of sunshine in the dark, perhaps.

The first negative point is that his cooking, which he does wherever he goes, must be avoided at all costs - a trope we've seen before in OM with Solomon, and the only time his Gluttony, in the traditional interpretation of the sin, is touched upon.

And the second negative point is that he has seemingly abandoned his throne, which is quite the royal failing and has left another demon forced to try and keep his kingdom together through duplicity in the meantime.

With the three other demon rulers we have seen the impact of their classically defined sin directly upon their personality, but with Beelzebub it is almost as an afterthought and quite a weak link - IF we go by the definition of Gluttony that is solely food related, as that is not mentioned at all.

For those who were frustrated that OM Beel was often reduced to no more than his "I'm hungry" complaint, this is definitely a welcome change.

And in my opinion points to a more complex and insightful interpretation of Gluttony that ties in better with the modern understanding of this sin.

The examples given of Beelzebub's activities when two versions of him are spotted in two different locations at an identical time, are gambling, as well as smoking and drinking. These are all pure vices of excess, of overconsumption, because none of them have much of a virtue even in moderation.

(It is no coincidence that these more spontaneous and destructive vices are ones enjoyed by OM Mammon in his cohort, and indeed this is the first of many parallels. The second if we include Mammon's ADHD type behaviours.)

Greed and Gluttony are overlapping sins, and especially in the modern age where Greed, the desire or coveting of material gain beyond one's needs, is fed by overconsumption which is intrinsically connected to Gluttony - ie the sin of consuming more than is needed. Greed wants, and Gluttony provides. Further, Greed as a sin extends well beyond wealth and into the excess of any material or worldly good - adverts demand that we purchase the latest and greatest technology, sales tempt us into wanting new and shiny things, and companies offer credit cards to lead people into crippling debt. Even those who overwork themselves without need, who may think of themselves as virtuous in their slog are in fact labelled with the sin of Greed, because they are covetous of more productivity than their neighbour. (Where Greed strays into coveting power and fame, war and love, we turn to the sin of Lust. Greed is, like many of the deadly sins, overlapping.) If Greed is the thought, the crime in one's head, Gluttony is the action, the crime made manifest. To covet is one sin, but to take makes two. The consumption of any material or worldly good in excess is Gluttony, to take more than one needs, and because the difference between want and need is so vast in the modern world, it is perhaps the most widespread sin of all. Classically, Gluttony only applies to food and drink, which makes sense when historically those were the only things that could reasonably be over-consumed with the immediate impact being that others would go without, often fatally. But in recent times, the standards of living have been raised such, and the capitalist drum beaten so, that we are urged to over-consume many resources - and almost all at the expense of the health of our literal world (and often even our own personal health).

This Beelzebub is especially interesting to me in light of the interpretation of WHB Mammon and his Greed - rather than being driven by desire to hoard and own, or to gamble and revel, Mammon is instead content and leisurely in the belief that all things are already his. Despite his mental condition being listed as compulsive hoarding, he doesn't actively hoard anything - he merely believes everything already belongs to him.

So there is no impetus for Mammon to covet or consume, least of all in excess, and instead we see that facet of the two overlapping sins here in Beelzebub instead.

This gives the demon far more opportunity to truly show the more powerful sides of Gluttony - over consumption of resources other than food, and the wastage of such - that are often instead labelled as Greed.

WHB has separated the sin of thought from the sin of action, and has even then divorced Mammon from needing to covet at all, leaving him wide open to explore the other aspects and consequences from the sin of Greed (guile, treachery, fraud, usury, falsehood, violence etc), or maybe something entirely unexpected.

With Beelzebub at least though, we do get a peek of how his sin is manifesting, in a seemingly impulsive king who abandons his throne in favour of obliging his senses and indulging in vices to excess.

He is, in some respects, a good candidate for a Greed demon of old, further underscoring the way these two sins have intertwined and separated.

Regarding his neurodiversity, we also know that ADHD symptoms can be worsened by over-consumption of short form media - tiktok for example - as it encourages our brains to crave rapid fire rewards and shortens attention spans further. We are also more susceptible to addictions, particularly that of gambling, and giving in to the impulsive behaviour will also worsen the downsides of ADHD.

Beelzebub appearing in two places at once in order to do three things at the same time is in my opinion a really good portrayal of a (demonic) ADHD brain, and an emphasis of this interpretation of the sin of Gluttony. If I could do more things at the same time I absolutely would, because my ADHD brain craves input at a ridiculous rate.

(NB - another property that divides these two sins and respective demons thus is In Nomine, a tabletop rpg from the 90s, where Mammon has lost power due to the rise of Gluttony off the back of capitalist excess and consumption.)

~

Aesthetics, symbolism, and my rating in the cut! ↓

Aesthetics

Beelzebub is quite possibly the most infamous demon who isn't either Lucifer or Satan, although admittedly part of his fame is that for a large chunk of history his name was used for both of them.

One pertinent example being that the Beelzebub who is involved with the various tales of Solomon is in fact Beelzebul, who is in fact Lucifer.

Consequently, Beelzebub doesn't have any one predominant set of features for his humanoid form. I say humanoid, because the Lord of Flies has quite commonly been depicted as a giant monstrous insect.

That name comes from a deliberate bastardisation of his original name as a god in the Hellenistic period, Ba'al-zəbûl, Lord of the Heavenly Dwelling, as part of a campaign to usurp the god and recast him as a demon as lowly as flies upon a dung heap.

(A similar thing was done with Belphegor, more info on both here!)

Bael, Baal, Ba'al, and Beelzebub - are these separate beings or different names for the same one? The answer, as with all things mythology and demonology, is... yes.

That is to say, they are separate and they are the same, and both are true depending on what period of history you point to, or what makes sense on a Tuesday.

Ba'al is an old god. Ba'al is also a title for lord, and thus was many gods. Bael is one or all of them. Beelzebul and now Beelzebub is one or all of them.

Because while the translation above of his name as Lord of the Heavenly Dwelling is true, it is also true that 'zebul' itself can be translated as 'prince', making his name essentially interchangeable with Ba'al-ba'al, the lord of all Ba'al, and Lord Prince himself.

Or he is one of the many Ba'al's, such as Ba'al Pə'ôr, now Belphegor, and Bael another.

Some might say confusing, I say fun ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

(Incidentally, Ba'al was also used for human lords in the same time period, or rather were written of by the same people that came after. History is after all written by the victors...)

This Beelzebub's thematic colours of green and black are a very interesting choice, suggesting symbolism of prosperity, youth, luck, and refinement.

Green is a colour more commonly associated in the west with the sin of Envy, or for OM fans, with Wrath. But prosperity is a theme that (once again) interplays with both Gluttony and Greed.

And this colour scheme is also what he has in common with his subjects in Abyssos, unlike the other kings who aren't so easily matched with their followers.

Like the other rulers, he is a fan of accessories, and aside from his piercings he sports three giant purple gems in a marquise cut - one on each knee, and one on his belt. The stone could be anything from amethyst to a hellish gem, but the setting appears to be gold, ie luxurious, and the shape at least has associations with both flamboyance and nobility.

A skull is chained around his left ankle, and his loafers feature more skulls, chains, and some gold inverted crosses (see Satan here.) And a gemmed skull also appears on his phone, alongside a cut-out, flamboyant, star.

One of Beelzebub's most eye-catching features to me is the writing on his body, tattoos or markings. In popular media, multiple tattooed words are usually the mark of someone impulsive and/or villainous, or a sign of attempting to compensate for memory loss.

It is also a common trope of exorcisms and demonic possessions, that words will appear upon the skin denoting demon names, atrocities, or sins.

All of the writing on Beelzebub is linked to his sin, his demand for consumption - feed him, pleasure him - other than the one that simply labels him as 'flesh'. But again, that also carries a connotation of being consumed. Either way, this is the only part of his appearance that directly correlates with his sin.

Or rather, the words are - such writing also appears on his long coat with 'sex' and 'feed' visible.

There are two strong contenders for the more modern image of Beelzebub within pop culture: Beelzebub of Obey Me, a large demon with firey red hair, stacked muscles, and an overall jock/himbo frame with horns and insect wings in demon-form who overall echoes the idea of Beelzebub as a large and imposing demon with a connection to flies; and Beelzebub of 7 Mortal Sins, a dainty and petite dark haired woman with long twintails, a single horn protruding from her forehead, small bat-like wings, and a collar and chain.

Arguably WHB Beelzebub shares an overall frame size with OM Beelzebub - a muscled stacked body with large chest and arms.

And undoubtedly he shares the unicorn-style horn with the 7MS Beelzebub.

While the rest of this Beel is unique, I think the singular horn can only really be read as a nod to 7 Mortal Sins, as depictions of any classical demon with a single centred horn is quite unique.

(Yōkai and yaoguai of course often sport single horns, as seen in various depictions of oni and tengu for example, but classically the horn is to one side rather than in the centre, and none have direct links with Beelzebub.)

Neither unicorns nor narwhals (nor rhinos or alicorns) have particularly gluttonous symbolism, minus perhaps a tenuous link with consuming the unicorn itself being life-giving in some capacity.

In fact, the unicorn is traditionally an emblem of Wrath, with references to such in the early 13th Century - hence it being the symbolic animal of Satan, Avatar of Wrath, in Obey Me.

Looking beyond the unicorn though, we also gave the qilin/kirin, a mythical creature with an occasional or mandatory single horn depending on region. Unlike the unicorn which has dual symbolism of peace and virginity versus unmitigated wrath and violence, the qilin is a holy being, who represents only purity and goodness, justice and wisdom, with their ire reserved only if threatened by unjust souls, upon who they unleash their fiery breath. They are also often bejewelled, and I suppose punishing the wicked does fall under the purview of a king of hell... Before the Qin dynasty, the qilin was the most powerful of all mythological beings, capable of killing even a dragon. So perhaps a fearsome beast after all, but only if provoked. The one thing both unicorns and qilin have in common with Beelzebub is their link with royalty - unicorns have been associated thus as far back as Babylonian times, while the qilin would appear only during the reign of a great leader, or before the birth/death of a great sage, as was the case of Confucius.

Beelzebub though is not the only single-horned demon in WHB, and among them is Amon, a resident of Abyssos, who sports the more traditional oni side horn. Some more modern oni portrayals have moved the horn to the unicorn position. Leraye of Gehenna (the domain of Wrath) has a similar unicorn-style horn, so this certainly doesn't seem to be a feature that is unique to Beelzebub.

As for the rest of Beelzebub's appearance - the blonde mullet hair, the darker skin tone, the bright (human colour!) green eyes, fondness for shiny accessories, bondage hints, multiple piercings, inked words on his skin, and near omnipresent shades lifted on his hair - is all new.

Well... kind of. There is an OM character that is reminiscent of Beelzebub, and it isn't the same-named demon. It's Mammon.

OM Mammon has white messy hair, a darker skin tone, bright (human colour!) blue eyes, fondness for shiny accessories, bondage hints, multiple piercings, and near omni-present shades.

As I mentioned above, the differing interpretations of Greed and Gluttony in WHB are striking, with the demon representing Gluttony showing much of what is associated with Greed in the likes of OM.

This frees both characters to be layered and interesting, more than just their sin. (Whereas OM sdaly only achieves this in one of the two demons.)

Is it coincidence that this Beelzebub then is more reminiscent of OM's Avatar of Greed? I mean yeah, probably!

But aesthetics are also chosen to show the demeanour and vibes of a character's personality, so I do wonder if in time this will be the demon that fans of OM Mammon are drawn to...

My Rating

So you can probably tell that I'm pretty enthusiastic about what they've done with Beelzebub here, and more specifically, how they've shaken out the sins between him and Mammon.

My apologies for referencing OM again, but I think this is a really proactive way of not having the demon of Gluttony reduced to an "I'm hungry" stereotype (I'm sorry OM Beel, you deserve so much more!!).

What OM did with Mammon, taking the demon associated with the most shallow of sins - the accumulation of wealth - and turning him into a nuanced guy with baggage from his years as an angel, who exercises the virtue that opposes his own sin, and has incredibly strong powers masked under his ability to show restraint, seemingly an impossibility for any demon let alone the Avatar of Greed, is what makes that character a great interpretation of the ancient being.

And I think WHB is very much signalling that for them, Beelzebub is that character. One who is leagues beyond previous interpretations, that modernises his sin, gives him god-like powers but an unpredictability that sees him abandon his throne, a power that all demons should by definition desire, and gives him a starting point of intrigue that the other demon kings we've seen thus far lack.

The others, we know, how they are beloved as rulers, what their kinks are, how they manifest their powers.

But Beelzebub begins in media res, his story already in motion, his disappearance a mystery, his sightings oblique, another demon wearing his face in his place, and his appearance provocative and unusual.

Sure Mammon has some massive tiddies, and yes Satan is delicious, but Beelzebub has a damn unicorn horn, sunglasses in hell, and lewd demands scrawled over his naked skin.

He is loud and vibrant, unique and commanding, and sparks a shedload of questions with not a hint of fly in sight.

Beelzebub may very well have a personality in complete contrast to OM Mammon, but for his sin and his aesthetics, he is a worthy contender indeed.

And as a version of Beelzebub, I think one of the best I've seen.

My only caveat would be that he is the most mysterious of the four, so there's still room to flop with such a bold start, but overall I'm pretty optimistic about this dude!

8/10

~

PS. What I wouldn't give for OM to have followed up Beel's S3 development with his lingering guilt and close relationship with Lucifer as angels, his perceived failures as protector of his family, and how he is punished far more by his sin compared to the others, which corresponds to his greater guilt... gah!

~

Read more:

Character Preview: Satan

Character Preview: Mammon

[whbtheories]

Character Preview: Mammon

Domain: Tartaros

Sin: Greed

Birthday: June 9 (Gemini)

Idiosyncrasy: pygophilia

Mental condition: compulsive hoarding syndrome

Ability: creates gold and treasure, can weaponise

Theme colours: gold, black

~

Interest

Pygophilia is sexual arousal from the sight, touch, and idea of the derrière, posterior, bahookie... aka the humble butt.

This Mammon, as all Mammons before him, is an ass man. And it seems he enjoys sharing his own assets too.

Judging from some of the preview art, Mammon might also enjoy being a good little pet 👀

The mention of compulsive hoarding syndrome seems slightly at odds with his personality below, but is certainly in keeping with the sin of greed.

Generally speaking, Mammon has no associated month but the most likely would be December due to his links with Saturn.

But if we consider the date format MM/DD, is it any wonder the king of butts has his birthday on 69? 😏

~

Personality

The classical Mammon is a demon whose name is synonymous with money, wealth, and greed. Consequently, he is often depicted as miserly or careless with money, in jealous pursuit of wealth or get rich quick schemes, and invoked for favours of luck or good fortune.

WHB Mammon takes a rather different approach.

Rather than harbouring greed for all the riches of the world, this Mammon expresses no envy or jealousy for anyone or anywhere's amassed wealth, because he believes it all already belongs to him.

It's hard to fault his logic though considering the fact that wherever he walks, gold and treasure are left in a trail from his golden feet, allowing him to make truly colossal wealth by doing the bare feet minimum.

Talent or treasure that is found anywhere has clearly been placed there by he himself, and he doesn't have to question this because it must be true.

It is therefore it's his ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ

As a result, he is a benevolent ruler with a generous heart - a strange turn of events for the ruler of Greed, but one that perhaps strikes a familiar chord with players of Obey Me.

It is however said that if he encounters an enemy he doesn't 'need' he obliterates them from existence.

The same treasure that his feet create can be wielded as weapons, giant golden fists rising from the ground to smack an angel back to the heavens. A warrior fallen angel, a common motif for Mammon.

~

Aesthetics, symbolism, and my rating in the cut! ↓

Aesthetics

As with Obey Me, the seven deadly sins are here each represented by the same seven demons, and for Greed that is Mammon.

This Mammon is unlike most portrayals of the infamous demon, though the gold horns are perhaps most familiar. He also has yellow eyes, another nod to gold (and indeed OM Mammon has some yellow in his), and his literally golden gold-generating feet.

His dark hair is an unusual choice, stark against his skin. (Mammon is generally depicted with light hair, even white or without colour.)

If we look back at some of the influences on the original Mammon, we can see that Plutus, the Greek god of wealth, is portrayed as often with dark hair as he is light, though the former may be due to historical conflation with a later name of the god Hades - Pluto.

[Plutus may be a god, but as his fable with Heracles/Hercules goes, he is the one god that the demigod refuses to meet, because the hero hates him.

Why? Because in a world where wealth is accumulated by those most evil, while the good are left to struggle in poverty, a god of wealth must indeed be a demon in their midst 👀]

Overall, gold and black is a predictable but accurate thematic choice for Mammon, invoking symbolism of royalty, elegance, and refinement as well as both joy and warning.

Like Satan he sports an inverted cross on the centre of his forehead, though his is thick and bold compared to Satan's slender symbol.

In the outfits we've seen so far, he is often bare chested, wearing a long black and gold robe pushed back off his shoulders, black pants that end in gold, arm bracers of the same, gold and silver rings on his right hand, sharp golden claws on his left, and sometimes bandaging on an arm and his torso.

The rings are befitting a magpie prince of Greed, and the golden claws are an excellent dangerous touch along with the bandages (and golden weaponry) suggesting he is very much a demon of action.

A black skintight neckpiece covers his entire neck and décolleté, ending in a large ornate black cross nestled in his generous bosom.

And that is perhaps highlighting what is the most noticeable physical attribute of this Mammon and perhaps unintentionally so...

Man has one tiny head and one gigantic set of shoulders 👀

His chest is huge, which is more than fine, demons get to have big booba, but the shoulders are of truly sattou0 worthy proportions.

Perhaps the neckpiece has squeezed his head to be smaller...

(Funnily enough, he shares both statement neckpiece and massive tiddies with the Mammon of 7 Mortal Sins.)

Ribbing aside, the horns are his actual standout feature, particularly with one of them appearing to have been broken off - in a fight? Payment? By that neck piece? Another sign of his warrior status perhaps.

And given the function of horns in WHB, is his one horn pulling double time or is he cursed with half as good experiences, or maybe a premature effusion...?

Going back to those early influences, Mammon is cognate in name with a being in Arabian mythology known as Maymun. And that being is said to be broad chested, have muscular arms, and is adorned in gold bracers, armbands, and collar 👀

He is also, as is Plutus, winged, whether in gold or black, and as well as ruler, close to the highest ruler of all over the underworld. His colours are black and gold, the same as this Mammon.

Finally, he has large horns, and his many descriptions include 'the executioner'.

The aesthetics then do very much fit a warrior and lethal force, as well as representing the corruption of all by way of wealth.

~

My Rating

Again I will confess my bias upfront - this was always going to be the demon I'd judge most critically, as Mammon in Obey Me is by far my favourite fictional demon of all time.

From his origins to his personality to everything about him, I adore that demon.

So I'd take my opinion here with a huge pinch of salt for that reason alone - this ain't my Mams.

(That being said, I was equally critical of WHB Satan and my favourable rating for him can be seen here.)

But yeah, I'm not a fan of the aesthetics of this Mammon at all, which isn't helped by the fact that feet are my biggest squick and his are right there xD

For personality though, I do like this take on the ruler of Greed, as it's quite a novel approach and allows for a far more laid back version of the demon, as well as leaving room for an interpretation of another sin (coming soon!) that I think has great merit. And as mentioned above, I do think his particular interests are fitting.

Most links between Mammon and Tartarus are tenuous at best, with the former often used to mean the sin of greed or object of money, and the latter a standard translation for many of the words used for the underworld/hell.

That said, Tartarus is the destination of choice for fallen angels as included in Paradise Lost, which in my view has one of the most favourable classic depictions of Mammon - one who seizes the opportunity of falling, and presses ahead to build a city of dazzling splendor for the fallen to reside within in hell.

I'll dig more into Tartarus in another blog, but it is all round a good choice for Mammon, and aligns well with this interpretation of his character.

Sorry to his fans on this one, but while I like a lot of the individual aspects of his looks, I'm just not a big fan of this guy's overall design.

4/10.

PS. OM Mammon fans - an upcoming demon ticks way more boxes for you...

~

Read more:

Character Preview: Satan

[whbtheories]

Character Preview: Satan

Domain: Gehenna

Sin: Wrath

Birthday: July 14 (Cancer)

Idiosyncrasy: spanking

Mental condition: depression

Ability: shapes the blood of those who love him

Theme colours: red, white

~

Interest

Of all the demons in What In Hell Is Bad? seen thus far, Satan's proclivities are perhaps the most tame of all, with only spanking highlighted as sparking his interest.

That said, his subjects are apparently big fans of being hit on the regular by their ruler, and his depression makes him quite the slapper.

Depression and Satan often go hand in hand, whether he is being blamed for it afflicting mortal beings, or portrayed as conquered antagonist or tragic figure.

And of course, his love of violence fits his sin to a tee.

We are told he is a lover of being both the spanker and spankee, but that anyone who gets with him on that level will soon be used to the submissive role 👀

(NB - the usage of S and M as personality traits in this context don't fully translate to sadist and masochist, but rather to dominant and submissive, or assertive and passive personality types.)

July is not a month associated with Satan, however the 14th is apparently Pandemonium Day - with Pandæmonium also being Milton's name for the capital of Hell, ruled by Satan, in Paradise Lost.

If we turn to the lunar calendar then July is also home to the Hungry Ghosts Festival, in which the ghost door opens and allows spirits to walk among us 👀

(The 15th of the 7th lunar month is when Dìguān, the Earthly Official of Taoism, visits this realm to absolve people of sins... And perhaps Satan seeks to beat him to the punch with his tempting deals.)

~

Personality

The ruler of Wrath is unsurprisingly said to be the most violent of all seven kings of hell, but despite this he is friends with all his subjects, an interesting feat.

It helps that the residents of Gehenna actively enjoy being the target of his wrath, with even Ppyong enjoying being slapped on his lil booty.

Satan spends his nights drinking with lesser demons in back alley taverns, suggesting a more casual approach to his conduct. Not so prim or proper.

He is also the first demon we meet in-game, and he is depicted as intense, knowledgeable, and tactically smart. And of course, exceedingly horny. He has a lot of ego but seemingly the skills and wisdom to back it up.

In this respect he is similar to Obey Me Satan in having a strategical mind and a flair for the dramatic, but unlike that Satan, WHB Satan seems confident in expressing multiple emotions without losing his head in his passion.

In tandem with Lucifer - and including Beelzebub who is often conflated with both - Satan is the demon most frequently portrayed in our media, historical and contemporary, and generally appears as one of two archetypes: the odious and not terribly bright monster of Dante's Inferno, often gifted with red skin and pitchfork; or the charming tragic figure of Paradise Lost, who may or may not bring ruination to us all.

This Satan is definitely in the latter camp, though just how charming he can be is yet to be revealed...

~

Aesthetics, symbolism, and my rating in the cut! ↓

Aesthetics

Satan is very much the pretty boy of the demon kings we've seen thus far, with long flowing locks, elegantly long horns, and an innocent looking face - well, other than the glowing red eyes, black cross pupils, and inverted cross mid-forehead.

His long black horns are tipped with blood red to match his eyes, and this colour also highlights his jumpsuit with a Seal of Solomon on each arm.

That seal is repeated in silver as his belt buckle, giving us a demon that is marked by Solomon three times - quite the statement. And in case it wasn't clear, he has the number 666 on him twice, as well as 'Gehenna'.

A full view of his outfit also reveals some katakana but it's beyond my translation abilities - I get something similar to boom/explosion isle which feels half correct at best. Although actually...

I wonder if it's a nod to Bakuon Rettou itself, which would certainly explain Satan's bōsōzoku style outfit 🤔 It's a subculture look from the 80s in Japan, consisting mostly of jumpsuits and bad biker boy aesthetic, with a dose of pseudo-nationalism to a greater or lesser extent - very problematic for irl nationalism, but fitting for a king of hell. They also put slogans on their jumpsuits that were translations of "cool sounding English" (eg "boom island", the literal translation of Bakuon Rettou.)

Bōsōzoku are an old fad now, but as a fashion type they are still popular in surrounding countries, thanks to popular media like the Bakuon Rettou manga.

(And on an even bigger tangent, they were heavily associated with nameneko merchandising, which as you can probably guess is cat related! OM Satan would approve of that part.)

If we see Satan on a motorbike, consider that one solved!

The inverted cross is also repeated - on his boots, his pants, and in the negative space of his heart pendant. This is a far more modern symbol of the occult, as until recent decades it was a holy symbol representing St. Peter.

In modern pop culture though the inverted cross is synonymous with Satan, hence its appearance here.

The placement on the forehead is also notable, as this is where the ash cross is placed on those repenting their sins - the inversion of that would suggest pride and relish of one's sins. Again, fitting for Satan himself.

And he has a final inverted cross on a long cord trailing from his hips to his knees - in this case one that is remiscent of Celtic high and Anglo-Saxon crosses of old.

This cord, along with his many belts and those boots, also ties in with the bōsōzoku vibe.

His thematic colours of white and red are a very provocative choice. White is a colour mostly associated - in this context - with angels and beings of celestial origin, as well as the concepts of purity, divinity, and origin.

For Satan himself to sport the holiest of colours is deliberately bold, not least with it accented by the colour of blood, of violence, and of passion.

His outfit is casual to the extreme but styled expertly. He very much gives the vibes of a delinquent king who is down to drink with his subjects, and he is also the leader whose outfit has least in common with the other residents of his realm.

In some ways this could suggest a demon who is careless about his throne, but imo Satan's look more strongly suggests supreme confidence in his reign.

A (pink-toned) blonde Satan reminds me of Lucifer from DC/Vertigo comics, who unlike Tom Ellis is platinum blonde and fed up of hell, as well as Satan from Ao no Exorcist who is the king of, wait for it, Gehenna.

[I'll dig into Gehenna in another blog ( ಠ▿▿ಠ)و ̑̑]

The only portrayal that comes to mind that has both blonde hair and red eyes though is Lucifer in Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis - who also sports long black horns tipped with red. Personality wise though, they are completely different.

Overall his look is quite becoming, youthful with a knowing smirk, and absolutely made to tempt with large eyes, and teasing tongue behind a fanged grin.

~

My Rating

Firstly I should admit my own bias - after Mammon, Satan was always going to be the demon I would judge most harshly as I am a big fan of how he is portrayed in Obey Me.

That take on Satan, and the intricacies involved in his origin from Lucifer and subsequent strained relationship and burgeoning personality, are admittedly undercut by later in-game writing that reduced him to a far flatter interpretation. But still, the juice was there!

So, bear in mind that this is a harsh personal eye I am casting upon this Satan.

Satan and Lucifer both have the biggest challenge in being portrayed in a new and unique fashion, having been done so many times before, and in my opinion this Satan does an excellent job of establishing himself with an iconic new look.

The long pastel hair and large eyes give great contrast to massive horns and slit pupils, while his outfit is impressively modern and stylish.

Only one very minor criticism would be the lack of tail, but considering none of the WHB demons have yet been shown with one, that is either a deliberate stylistic choice for the whole game, or we simply haven't yet been granted permission to see them. Either way, as it applies to all, it can be disregarded.

This Satan stands as very distinct from OM Satan, and really from any other Satan I can think of. The long hair is a really nice touch, especially given his overall contemporary vibes.

One of the prettiest Satans I've seen, and one of the most intriguing.

10/10.

[whbtheories]

WHB Theories - 🔞

You may know me from Obey Me Theories on my main blog, and these theories do share the same core set of characters - classical demons.

However! Unlike OM, What In Hell Is Bad is an explicitly 18+ game, and thus this entire blog is 18+ only.

Some of the theories may not touch upon the more mature contents, but given the game itself is 🔞, I personally think it's fair to put that across the whole blog.

For those younger, go see my theories on OM instead!

For adults, please continue ( ಠ▿▿ಠ)و ̑̑

And one massive disclaimer: all my theories are fictional, and my interpretations of historical myths and demonology are based upon those being works of fiction, while not disrespecting those who have a non-fictional belief in said entities.

As such, I endeavour not to highlight any particular religion or faith, but focus upon the storytelling aspects. Cheers!

~

WHB Theories Masterlist

WHB Character Previews:

Satan

Mammon

Beelzebub (coming soon)

Leviathan (coming soon)

WHB Demonology Lore:

Welcome To Hell (coming soon)

WHB Character Deep Dives:

(coming soon)

[whbtheories]