Samael is an archangel in Talmudic lore. He has been known as the seducer, destroyer, accuser and has been regarded as both good and evil in various texts. In rabbinic lore, he was revealed as the chief of Satan's armies and as the angel of death. His name means "poison of God," suggesting he is either the vengeful hand of God or the enemy of God, and it has even been suggested that Samael is the angelic name of Satan himself.
In some early Jewish lore, Samael is the angel of death and chief ruler of the Fifth Heaven with two million angels at his command, residing himself within the Seventh Heaven. In one of these texts, the "Deuteronomy Rabbah" Samael is sent by YHVH to retrieve the soul of Moses. He fails to do so as Moses blinds him by beating him with a staff engraved with God's true name, thus forcing God to intervene and remove Moses' soul personally.
He was also said to be the guardian angel of Esau (older brother of Jacob, who was renamed Israel, father of the Jews). In the Sayings of Rabbi Eliezer, Samael is charged with being the one who seduced and impregnated Eve with Cain. Other scholars suggest it was Azazel who seduced Eve and it was Samael who tempted Eve in the guise of the Serpent.
In Kabbalah, Samael is named as the fifth archangel in the world of Briah who took Lilith as his bride when she left Adam. He was also said to have mated with several of the angels of prostitution.
In some forms of Gnosticism, Samael is an alternate name for the Demiurge.
"Origin: Israel. His name means 'God's malice.' A fallen angel who appears with a sword, bow, and arrow. He was an archangel who once ruled over Mars. It's said he fell from grace when Adam was banished from Paradise."
āShin Megami Tensei A-Mode DDS Dictionary
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Samael is the demon summoned at the top of the Diet Building by Hikawa to slay the Demi-fiend if he attempts to stop him from offering Yuko Takao as a sacrifice. If the Demi-fiend is aligned with Shijima, Samael will later appear after the encounter with Ahriman in the Tower of Kagutsuchi, introducing himself and explaining that Hikawa instructed him to assist the protagonist, as he represents the champion of Shijima. Should the Demi-fiend accept his offer, Samael will join him, or if there is already one in the Demi-fiend's party or if he refuses, Samael hopes his services will be called upon later.
Alternatively, after fighting Samael or after having had him in the party, he is fusable through sacrificial fusion by arranging a fusion result of a Throne and sacrificing any Vile demon.
Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE
Samael appears as one of the three bosses of the Catacombs gold instance in Shinagawa. By obtaining his plug-in item and twenty of each of the fruit that drop from the mobs within the instance, a player is able to fuse him in a special fusion of Pazuzu, Uriel and Queen Mab.
He has his own signature skill: God's Malice, an almighty affinity area of effect attack that inflicts ailments and recovers his HP.
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Samael appears as the strongest member of the Fallen race. He can be recruited from the wild in Lucifer Palace, or created through fusion, both provided that Flynn has reached level 90. There are no special requirements to summon him.
Samael is required for the special fusion of Demiurge, the strongest demon available in the main game.
Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis
Samael is faced as a boss in the Neutral route in Paranoia, where he guards the base in the desert region of Nesdia.
Persona 4
"A mysterious angel with the name 'poison of God'. He is often shown as a serpent. Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death."
Samael is the demon form of Masayoshi Shido'sShadow Self, appearing as a far more muscular version of the human Masayoshi with springs wrapped under his clothing, and discolored skin in his most powerful form. He also utilizes a lion made out of golden humanoids in the first phase of his boss fight.
Samael's HP or MP throughout the series is more than often 616, or sometimes, 666. As with Satan's HP, 616 is believed by some to have been the original Number of the Beast in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible.
The Porewit's appearance in Majin Tensei is directly based on Samael's original artwork, and even has the same color scheme. Samael is otherwise not featured in the game.
Samael's appearance in Majin Tensei II is a sprite edit of Aniel.
Samael is contained in leftover data for Devil Survivor 2. He is level 74 and is of the Fallen race.
