"I... was once human... What happened... 5 years ago...? I... I am Gabriel... my duty is to build the millennial Kingdom according to God's will... May God bless us all..."
—Gabriel, Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2
Gabriel (ガブリエル, Gaburieru) is one of the four archangels in the service of YHVH. Usually seen with Raphael, Uriel and Michael.
In Abrahamic religion (which encompasses Christianity, Judaism and Islam), Gabriel is a high-ranking messenger angel. His/her name means "Master who is of God" and is known to be the left hand of God and the embodiment of the Holy Spirit, in contrast to Michael who is the right hand of God. To Christians, his/her primary task is that of a messenger who told Elizabeth that she would bear John the Baptist and Mary that she would bear Jesus, meaning he/she is remembered each Christmas/Advent as the messenger of the Annunciation or Immaculate Conception (it was also Gabriel who asked Mary to name her son Jesus, meaning "savior".) He/she is also mentioned as announcing the prophecy of seventy weeks to Daniel and is also recognized as St. Gabriel, the patron saint of communications workers. By Muslims, he is especially noted for revealing the Qur'an to Muhammad and for being the messenger that tells prophets of their obligations. In Islam, Gabriel is the highest-ranking angel, while Raphael is the second. He is also called the Holy Spirit in Islam.
While typically thought to be male or of a neutral gender in early texts, some schools of thought believe that the portrayal of Gabriel's feminine face in art denotes that Gabriel is in fact a female angel. This may be in contrast to Michael's male role as the right hand of God, but the subject is still largely debated in religious circles. When portrayed as a female, she often holds a lily, suggesting her gentle feminine nature.
Gabriel is the Angel of January. He is associated with the zodiac sign Aquarius.
Along with Uriel, Raphael and Michael, Gabriel is one of the four major sub-bosses of the last arc of the game-- the seraphim, and one of the most powerful angels under God's orders that stands guarding the superior part of the Great Cathedral.
He appears defending the third floor, stating if the player isn't law aligned that there can only be one penance for the protagonist's crimes against God: "the sting of death". After this, he will proceed to enage the hero in an entirely optional boss-fight, as the hero can choose to just take the stairs towards the next floor without having to enter Gabriel's room.
In the Law route, Gabriel instead joins the protagonist's party, as he is required for a triple fusion with Uriel and Raphael to be performed, resulting in the creation of the "Angel Ring", a valuable item needed for the final showdown against Asura.
Shin Megami Tensei II
Once Uriel, Raphael, Michael, and the fake YHVH are defeated, the remaining Elder reveals herself to be Gabriel, who was told to distance herself from the others by the orders of the One God, the real YHVH. If you defeat the real YHVH on the path of Law, she states that you still have a purpose, and tells you to go to Eden.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
"One of the four major angels. She is also the only female angel at this rank. Her name comes from the Sumerian word for "governor"."
—Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Compendium
If the Demi-fiend is against Chiaki's Reason of Yosuga, he is forced to fight against Uriel, Gabriel, and Raphael. Otherwise, he will fight Futomimi. Afterwards, Gabriel can be obtained by fusing a Throne with Raphael to get her. She also can be used in a Sacrifice Fusion with Raphael and Uriel, regardless of position, to create Michael.
Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Gabriel is an ultimate Persona, only accessible if the player recruits Eriko Kirishima as she is her rightful owner. The player needs the Lily Material Card before she can be summoned. Her appearance is that of a woman wearing a beige and green suit. Six wings composed of pipes (reminiscent of pipe organs in churches, reminding her angelic status) are attached on her body. Even her hair is substituted by pipes. Like her older design, she still holds a lily in her right hand. Gabriel excels at ice and holy spells and is immune to those elements. Her ultimate spell, Release Jail, is not only the strongest ice spell in the game, but also making her crucial to perform the ultimate ice-elemental Fusion Spell, Ice Jihad. She is also capable of using recovery skills but has a weakness against darkness and nuclear elements.
Persona 3
Gabriel can generate a Heart Item, Frozen Stone, which nullifies ice damage directed towards the bearer.
Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2
"This city isn't my city... Where is the savior? Where is the millennium? I thirst... I must quench this thirst!"
—Garbiel, Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2
Five years ago, members of the Karma Society captured four devouring angels. Their minds have eroded to the point that they start questioning if they're human. But then their demon memories kicked in, which ran parallel to Shin Megami Tensei II, including the building of the Millennium Kingdom and turning betrayers to stone. Then they would attack because they can't control their thirst. Should the player pursue them, Serph and company fight Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel twice, once when you find them by themselves; and once in a single battle, facing each one of them and then finally Michael, one at a time.
Gabriel resides in the Karma Tower at the top most floor, twenty. Her skillset involves a wide range of status ailment inflicting skills including skills such as Wicked Curse, which inflicts damage and places the Curse status ailment on the entire player party. She is weak to Force-based skills. When she is at critical HP, she will tell the party, "Be warned... Your foe still remains..." and start using random skills rather than set patterns.
Gabriel as seen in Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Gabriel as she appears in Persona 2: Eternal Punishment
Gabriel as she appears in Persona 3
Official poster book art by Kazuma Kaneko
Artwork from Devil Children White Book.
Gabriel as it appears in Megami Tensei II
Gabriel as it appears in Kyuyaku Megami Tensei (Megami Tensei II)
Gabriel's boss sprite in Shin Megami Tensei
Gabriel as she appears in Shin Megami Tensei II
Gabriel in Majin Tensei
Gabriel in Majin Tensei II
Model in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
Gabriel as it appears in Last Bible III
Trivia
Aside from Jesus, who appears in Persona 3 as Messiah, Gabriel is the only Persona actively involved in one of the Mysteries of the Rosary (the Annunciation is the First Joyful Mystery, with its fruit considered to be humility).
