Aniel, also known as Anael, Hanael or Haniel, is a Judeo-Christian angel, often included in lists as being one of the seven archangels. With his name meaning "Grace of God," he is said to be the angel of victory, love and joy serving as the chief of either principalities or the virtues. Aniel is also associated with Friday, the zodiac sign Capricorn and December while depicted as a beautiful androgynous youth. He is also associated with the planet Venus and is one of the ten archangels of the Tree of Life, presiding over the Sephiroth Netzach.
"Origin: Israel. One of the seven archangels. He has six wings and gives rise to feelings of love among people. He also represents Netzach (victory) of the Sephiroth, and is the 'angel of victory.'"
—Shin Megami Tensei A-Mode DDS dictionary
Haniel appears within the base of Order of Messiah in Shinagawa, who alongside the recently resurrected Law Hero, commands the protagonist to go to Tokyo Destinyland and eliminate Echidna, a Gaean commander. If the protagonist didn't listen to them, Haniel will attack the party and will promptly be killed, much to the dismay of the Law Hero.
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey[]
"The angel of beauty. His name means "the grace of God." He is commonly associated with Venus, and thus with Ishtar as well. His duty is to fasten the bonds of love between young men and women."
—Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey compendium
Aniel appears in Sector Eridanus as an optional boss in the EX Mission, Before the holy battle II. As a condition for defeat, he asks to be defeated within seven turns. If defeated, he can be fought along with Kazfiel in the EX Mission Before the holy battle III; he demands the average level of the protagonist and his demons be of 45 or less.
Should both of these missions be completed and Aniel spoken to again with Law alignment, he will open the door to the titular holy battle, the imprisoned Mother Harlot. After her defeat, death or escape, Aniel will praise the protagonist no matter which path was taken and reward him with the Amanomi Sword, the original game's most powerful blade, equippable only with Law alignment.
Shin Megami Tensei IV[]
Aniel appears as a boss in the Chaos and Neutral routes. He resides in Purgatorium - 5th Crown where he has set a barrier alongside other angels to prevent further entry. He repeats the same words as the other angels.
During the Law Route however, acting as a steward to the new leaders, he gives a Challenge Quest on New Game Plus called Four Wings, Four Heads and has unique dialogue unlike when encountered as a mid-boss in other routes. Residing on the path to Shene Duque, he requests that Flynn slay four demons in Tokyo so that they may become sacrifices to summon a certain angel.
Once the heads have been gathered he will perform the ritual to summon Seraph. Aniel mentions that they are the highest ranking of angels and the greatest weapons as the flame of God. He plans on taking Seraph with him, but informs Flynn that gathering the appropriate angels will allow for him to summon Seraph. He thanks Flynn for his efforts before leaving. He is the client in the quest Taste of the Forbidden Fruit and Great Raven of the Underground, where he asks to meet on the path to Shene Duque, calling for Sister Gabby upon Flynn's arrival. After Mastema's defeat in the quest Great Raven of the Underground, he will appear before Flynn and give him his reward on the orders of Gabby.
Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse[]
"He is the angel of beauty, also known as Hanael. His name means "grace of God." He is generally associated with the planet Venus and performs a similar role as the goddess Ishtar. He gives rise to feelings of love amongst people and has the role of tying together young men and women. He is also thought to be the symbol of lasting friendship and lust. When he appears, it is said to be in the form of a beautiful man or woman."
—Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse
Aniel is first encountered at the Sky Tower. He is the boss of an Angel and Power who has been attacking a pair of hunters and attacks Nanashi once his Power minion presumably reports to him that he killed off his Angel. Aniel is grossly overpowered compared to Nanashi in his current state and nearly obliterates him alongside Asahi, only for the tide of the battle is swayed by the arrival of Flynn and Isabeau, who will face off against Aniel while the party supports them. As Aniel crumbles to dust, he wonders aloud how such lowly creatures who don't even know God's love can possibly defeat him.
The fight against Aniel will occur right after Angel is defeated with no opportunity to recover. Aniel is grossly overpowered compared to Nanashi at this stage of the game, being at level 71 while Nanashi and all of his demons would likely be under level 10 during the encounter. Thankfully, it is a scripted fight where neither Nanashi nor Aniel can die, until a scripted event occurs where the boss will go down to Flynn and Isabeau after two turns.
Aniel can teach Nanashi the Thunder Reign, Makajamaon, Dekunda, Judgment Light and Thunder Gods skills through his Demon Whisper. He benefits from learning Electricity, Light and ailment skills.
DemiKids Light & Dark[]
"A demon who turned from Good to evil. Currently rules over the house of Capricorn."
Aniel appears as two separate entities. One is Aniel, a demon which can be fused by the party. The other is Anael, which appears as a palette swap of Sariel and is a boss that is usually paired with him.
Anael, along with Sariel, appears in Yuzu Tanikawa's ending, to oppose the protagonist's attempt to escape the lockdown, and in Naoya's ending, to attempt to dissuade the protagonist from staying with Naoya and becoming the King of Bel. Anael also possesses Purging Light, a Mystic attack capable of depleting the MP reserves of all of the player's teams. Like Sariel, he joins Metatron in the final battle on Naoya's 8th Day if the protagonist chose not to kill humans.
Devil Survivor 2[]
"He is the angel of beauty, also known as Hanael. His name means "grace of God". He is generally associated with the planet Venus and performs a similar role as the goddess Ishtar. He gives rise to feelings of love amongst people and has the role of tying together young men and women. He is also thought to be the symbol of lasting friendship and lust. When he appears, it is said to be in the form of a beautiful man or woman."
—Devil Survivor 2 compendium
"He is one of the Secundeis angels recorded by Johannes Trithemius, and is the spirit of Venus. He is considered to be the same as Haniel, who appears in the Book of Enoch. He is the leader of the Virtues and Principalities. His role is to watch over the rules of the world and protect those who make charms to ward off evil."
Aniel will always use Ziodyne the first time he makes a move. He will only use regular attacks or Ziodyne afterwards, both of them which are more than enough to one-shot almost anything fielded against him at this stage of the game.
The boss cannot be killed by Nanashi or any of his demons. If he were to suffer would-be lethal damage, it will remain at 1 HP until Flynn and Isabeau arrive. In a similar vein, he cannot kill Nanashi either; even if he were to use an attack that would otherwise do lethal damage to him, he will remain at 1 HP.
After several turns have passed, Flynn and Isabeau will intervene. The boss will then waste all of its turns "fighting Flynn and Isabeau" and will go down after two turns.
Will prioritize targeting Asahi or Nanashi's demons if possible.
Inflicts Light (Magic) damage with 180 power on a Single Enemy.
Innate
God's Grace
Auto
Increases all Elec and Light damage by 10%. When there are 3 or more Divine or Herald demons alive in your party, activates the following Chain Effect:
At start of enemy turn: All party members recover 2 MP, casts Repel Magic (including Almighty) effect on all allies. (1 time only effect for 1 turn)
Innate
Glorious Bolt
6 MP
Inflicts Elec (Magic) damage (Power: 170) with Elec Pierce effect on a single enemy. All party members recover 1 MP if attack is successful.
Innate
Maziodyne
7 MP
Inflicts Elec (Magic) damage with 120 power on All Enemies.
Aragami (Awaken)
Elec Enhancement
Auto
+15% to Elec damage. +10% damage when attacking the enemy's weak point
Aragami (Gacha)
Mediarama
8 MP
Heals All Party Members with 95 power. (9 uses)
Protector (Awaken)
Auto-Rakuka
Auto
Casts Rakukaja at the beginning of the 1st turn.
Protector (Gacha)
Light Enhancement
Auto
+15% to Light damage. +10% damage when attacking the enemy's weak point
Psychic (Awaken)
Mahamadyne
7 MP
Inflicts Light (Magic) damage with 120 power on All Enemies.
Psychic (Gacha)
Repel Dark
Auto
Adds Dark Repel.
Elementalist (Awaken)
Null Bind
Auto
Adds Null Bind.
Elementalist (Gacha)
Gallery[]
Haniel as seen in Shin Megami Tensei
Haniel as seen in Shin Megami Tensei II
Artwork from DemiKids
Aniel in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Aniel`s portrait in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
_27_30031.png "Devil Survivor 2 (USA) 27 30031.png (24 KB)")