Belial in popular culture
Encyclopedia
The demon Belial
, or characters named for him, have appeared in many examples of modern culture.
Belial
Belial is one of the four crown princes of Hell and a demon in the Bible, Jewish apocrypha and Christian apocrypha...
, or characters named for him, have appeared in many examples of modern culture.
Literature
- In Philip K. DickPhilip K. DickPhilip Kindred Dick was an American novelist, short story writer and essayist whose published work is almost entirely in the science fiction genre. Dick explored sociological, political and metaphysical themes in novels dominated by monopolistic corporations, authoritarian governments and altered...
's The Divine InvasionThe Divine InvasionThe Divine Invasion is a BSFA Award nominated 1981 science fiction book by Philip K. Dick. It is the second book in the gnostic VALIS trilogy, and takes place in the indeterminate future, perhaps a century or more after VALIS...
, Belial is The Adversary, whose influence around Earth obfuscates reality and interferes with Yah's powers. Steven Brust's To Reign in HellTo Reign in HellTo Reign in Hell is a 1984 fantasy novel by American writer Steven Brust. It deals with the revolt of angels in Heaven from a point of view that casts Satan as a sympathetic protagonist...
features Belial as one of the Firstborn, an angel of the highest order that takes the form of a dragon.
- In the novel "NevadaNevada (Joshua S. Porter novel)Nevada is an epistolatory novel from Josh Porter who is known mostly for his role as Josh Dies, the singer/songwriter for the band Showbread. Nevada is the follow-up to Porter's hallucinatory 2006 debut novel The Spinal Cord Perception. Like Porter's first novel, Nevada was self-published and is...
" by Joshua Stephen PorterJosh DiesJoshua S. Porter, better known by his stage name Josh Dies is an American singer, songwriter, musician and author. He is widely known as the vocalist and songwriter for the band Showbread...
, Belial is a talking lizard who preaches Satanism, especially the elements of self-sufficiency to a very receiving America.
- In John MiltonJohn MiltonJohn Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's Paradise LostParadise LostParadise Lost is an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John Milton. It was originally published in 1667 in ten books, with a total of over ten thousand individual lines of verse...
, Belial is one of the highest demons cast out of heaven along with Satan.
- In Aldous HuxleyAldous HuxleyAldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...
's Ape and EssenceApe and EssenceApe and Essence is a novel by Aldous Huxley, published by Chatto & Windus in the UK and Harper & Brothers in the US. It is set in a dystopia, similar to that in Brave New World, Huxley's more famous work...
, the post-apocalyptic civilization of Los AngelesLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
worships Belial.
Films
- The classic 1922 film Nosferatu says that the titular vampire originated from "Belial's seed," implying Belial's hand in the creation of vampires.
- The name Belial is mentioned in The Exorcism of Emily RoseThe Exorcism of Emily RoseThe Exorcism of Emily Rose is a 2005 American courtroom drama horror film directed by Scott Derrickson. The film is loosely based on the story of Anneliese Michel and follows a self-proclaimed agnostic defense lawyer representing a parish priest who is accused by the state of negligent homicide...
, as one of the beings inside of the titular character. - An Ultraman named Belial in Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy, fused with Alien Reiblood to become a Reionyx and holds a Giga Battle-Nizer to control 100 Monsters revenging towards the M78 Ultra Warriors.
- In the 2011 film Dylan Dog: Dead of Night, Belial is a powerful demon which can be summoned through a magical artifact, the Heart, which contains his blood.
Games
- The role-playing game In NomineIn Nomine (role-playing game)In Nomine is a role-playing game designed by Derek Pearcy and published in 1997 by Steve Jackson Games, based on the French game In Nomine Satanis/Magna Veritas. Players typically assume the role of angels and demons in a setting that draws heavily on the traditional Christian mythos...
, based around angels and fallen angels, has Belial as Hell's Demon prince of FireFire (classical element)Fire has been an important part of all cultures and religions from pre-history to modern day and was vital to the development of civilization. It has been regarded in many different contexts throughout history, but especially as a metaphysical constant of the world.-Greek and Roman tradition:Fire...
and the enemy of Gabriel, Archangel of Fire.
- In the video game Devil May Cry 4Devil May Cry 4Devil May Cry 4 is an action game that was published and developed by Capcom in 2008 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Windows platforms. The game is the fourth installment to the Devil May Cry series....
, one of the early bosses is "Berial".
- In the turn-based strategy video game Shining ForceShining ForceShining Force, known as in Japan, and otherwise known as Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, is a 1992 turn-based strategy role-playing video game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console...
for Sega Genesis, Belial is a type of non-boss, non-unique enemy character unit.
- In the video game series Painkiller, Belial is portrayed as an angel/demon hybrid who was outcasted by Lucifer and the other angels for his heritage and sought revenge against his divine brethren when Lucifer ordered Cerberus to amputate Belial's wings.
- In the horror action-adventure video game Realms of the HauntingRealms of the HauntingRealms of the Haunting is a British adventure game, played from the first-person perspective, released in 1997 by Gremlin. The 3D engine used in this game was borrowed from Gremlin's own Normality.-Story:...
, Belial appears as one of the main antagonists of character Adam Randall.
- In the video game Odin SphereOdin Sphereis a 2D fantasy action RPG video game. Developed by Vanillaware and localized and published by Atlus for the PlayStation 2 in 2007, it tells the interlocking stories of five different protagonists. Odin Sphere is considered a spiritual successor to an Atlus game titled Princess Crown and takes some...
, Belial appears as one of the dragons the characters must defeat in several occasions.
- In the video game Final Fantasy XIIFinal Fantasy XIIis a console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 2. Released in 2006, it is the twelfth title in the Final Fantasy series and the last in the series to be released exclusively on the PlayStation platform...
, Belial (named as "Belias the Gigas") appears as a boss.
- In Dungeons and Dragons, Belial is the former ruler of the fourth layer of the Nine Hells, Phlegethos.
- Belial makes appearances in the Megami TenseiMegami Tensei, commonly abbreviated as , is a Japanese console role-playing game metaseries which was originally based on the novel series Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani and has gone to become one of the major franchises of the genre in its native country...
games, wherein he is depicted as a large, red-scaled, and winged demon wielding a trident. In Devil Survivor he appears as one of the participants in the War of Bel.
- In the Devil SummonerDevil Summoneris a Japanese console role-playing game originally released for the Sega Saturn in 1995, and later re-released in a slightly-enhanced port for the PlayStation Portable in 2005. The game was never released in North America, though at one time a release of the Sega Saturn version was planned and...
games, he is also one of the demons required for the fusion of Alice and is one of her two legal guardians, the other one being Nebiros. Upon Alice's defeat, they capture her soul in a staff and beg the protagonist to revive her with it.
- He makes an appearance in the BloodRayneBloodRayneBloodRayne has received mostly mixed to positive reviews. Aggregating review websites GameRankings and Metacritic gave the Xbox version 73.53% and 76/100, the GameCube version 68.88% and 73/100, the PlayStation 2 version 68.87% and 75/100 and the PC version 65.78% and 65/100.-External links:*...
game (as Beliar), where he is a monster that keeps growing until it kills the player.
- In the Warhammer 40k universe, Belial is the company master of the veteran first company unit of the Dark Angels chapter, the Deathwing.
- Morrigan AenslandMorrigan Aenslandis a video game character from the Darkstalkers series of fighting games developed by Capcom. She is voiced by Yayoi Jinguji in many of her video game appearances, except in Marvel vs. Capcom 3: Fate of Two Worlds where she was voiced by Rie Tanaka....
from the Darkstalkers series of fighting games (produced by Capcom) is the daughter of Belial, according to her official story.
- Belial is one of the hero in the online game Emil Chronicle OnlineEmil Chronicle OnlineEmil Chronicle Online , often referred to as ECO, is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game created by Headlock and published by GungHo. It was first released in Japan on November 24, 2005 for Microsoft Windows. Gravity purchased the worldwide distribution rights for all regions except...
. He and the other 3 heroes are involved in the main story of the ECO World.
- Belial is mentioned as one of the Lesser Evils of Hell in the PC game DiabloDiabloDiablo may refer to:* Devil, a supernatural entity believed in many religions and cultures to be the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind* Diablos, an international motorcycle club associated with criminal activities...
and its sequelDiablo IIDiablo II is a dark fantasy/horror-themed hack and slash, with elements of the role playing game and dungeon crawl genres. It was released for Windows and Mac OS in 2000 by Blizzard Entertainment, and was developed by Blizzard North. It is a direct sequel to the 1996 hit PC game, Diablo.Diablo II...
, finally making an appearance as a boss in Diablo IIIDiablo IIIDiablo III is an upcoming dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game in development by Blizzard, making it the third installment in the Diablo franchise...
.
Comics
- Belial is a central character in the mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series Tarot Cafe.
- In the DC Comics UniverseDC UniverseThe DC Universe is the shared universe where most of the comic stories published by DC Comics take place. The fictional characters Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman are well-known superheroes from this universe. Note that in context, "DC Universe" is usually used to refer to the main DC continuity...
, Belial is the father of Etrigan the Demon, and a sometimes member of HellHellIn many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
's former ruling Triumvirate (more often consisting of LuciferLucifer (DC Comics)Lucifer is a DC Comics character that starred in an eponymous comic book published under the Vertigo imprint, whose entire run was written by Mike Carey...
, BeelzebubBeelzebubBeelzebub -Religious meaning:Ba‘al Zəbûb is variously understood to mean "lord of flies", or "lord of the dwelling". Originally the name of a Philistine god, Beelzebub is also identified in the New Testament as Satan, the "prince of the demons". In Arabic the name is retained as Ba‘al dhubaab /...
and AzazelAzazelAzazel or Azazael or Azâzêl is a term used three times in the Hebrew scriptures, and later in Hebrew mythology as the enigmatic name of a character....
). He also plays a part in the Reign in HellReign in HellReign in Hell is a 2008-2009 comic book limited series written by Keith Giffen, pencilled by Thomas Derenick and published by DC Comics. The title is a reference to a line spoken by Lucifer in John Milton's Paradise Lost: "Better to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven."-Plot:During the events of...
miniseries as a lackey of NeronNeronNeron is a fictional demon, a comic book character published by DC Comics. He first appeared in the DC Comics cross-over event Underworld Unleashed #1, , and was created by Mark Waid and Howard Porter.- Publication history :...
, a later ruler of the DC Hell. The vilain SabbacSabbacFor uses of similar names, see SabacSabbac is the name of two comic book supervillains appearing in Fawcett Comics and/or DC Comics. The original Sabbac debuted in Captain Marvel, Jr. #4 , and was created by Otto Binder and Al Carreno in 1943 as an enemy of Captain Marvel, Jr., while the modern...
, who gets his powers from six demons, gets wisdom with Belial.
- Belial (spelled B'Liale) is a major villain in the AvengelyneAvengelyneAvengelyne [uh-venj-ah-leen] is a fictional comic book character co-created by Rob Liefeld and Cathy Christian, and originally published in 1995 by Maximum Press. By the end of the 1990s, Avengelyne had a stint at Awesome Entertainment and enjoyed a short stint at Avatar Press. Avengelyne returned...
comic series.
- In the mangaMangaManga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series VassalordVassalordis a shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Nanae Chrono. It is currently serialized in Comic Blade Avarus, since March 30, 2006. It is licensed for an English language release in North America by Tokyopop. The manga series was adapted into a series of four drama CDs.-Plot:Vampires Charles...
, it was revealed that Barry, an incubus with shape shifting abilities, is the demon Belial.
Cartoons/Anime
- The evil DigimonDigimon, short for , is a Japanese media franchise encompassing digital toys, anime, manga and video games. The franchise's eponymous creatures are monsters of various forms living in a "Digital World", a parallel universe that originated from Earth's various communication networks.-Conception and...
BelialVamdemon serves as the final antagonist for the season in which he appears, 'Digimon Adventure 02'. His English name is Malo Myotismon. He is the most lethal form of the Digimon MyotismonMyotismonMyotismon is a fictional character from the Digimon franchise. He is the third major villain in the first season, and the main antagonist of the second season of the anime series.-Appearance and characteristics:...
, combining all the power of Venom Myotismon with all the intelligence of Myotismon.