Vanitas is a demon and concept in the series.
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Persona 5 Strikers[]
Vanitas is a Treasure Demon the Phantom Thieves of Hearts can encounter during any visit to the Okinawa Jail.
Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2[]
According to Elohim, Sabaoth, and Shaddai, Vanitas was originally a Godly part of The Lord like them. However, before it could manifest or develop a purpose, God discarded it, tossing it as a formless mindless force within the Dragon Stream. From there it would absorb the negative energy of humanity until it reached a tipping point, unleashing said energy via the Dragon Stream upon humanity. This chaos would then beget the growth of civilization as a result.
For ages it continued this process, but as human civilization developed more, eventually the disasters brought about by it would become worse and worse. The most powerful of gods, angels, and demon lords knew that eventually it would absorb so much negativity from humanity that it would unleash a disaster that brings about the apocalypse. This inevitable disaster then goes on to happen in every timeline in existence, with the surviving demons and humans determining what becomes of said timeline after civilization collapses. Some have humanity and demons survive together, others have both groups exterminated.
Due to residing in the Dragon Stream, Vanitas collected negative energy and would mass produce lesser demons, copies of the ones that exist in the heavens, underworlds, and the demon world. These copies exist solely to bring about destruction and care not about protecting the mutual relationship between man and demon.
To combat the growing threat and mass producing thralls of Vanitas, gods and demons began to create organizations to combat Vanitas and prevent said apocalypse: The Liberators, Acolytes, Brotherhood of Harmony, and Elements. Each dogma of these groups would clash with chosen humans with high ability to change fate becoming prominent members of the organizations. Demons with similar mindsets of stopping it like Echidna or Demiurge would attempt invasions and conquests of the world in order to change humanity. Some would give their aid via their purifying or divine power to cleanse some of Vanitas negative energy, like Anahita purifying waters.
Some high ranking demons and gods, like Mara or Nyarlathotep, however, would seek to cause as much chaos as possible for revenge or their own amusement despite knowing it could kickstart the apocalypse.
Kokoro was created to be an observation unit by Vanitas to oversee the energy going into it, only for the "noise" she detected in positive energy to give her an ego and develop her own consciousness.
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Etymology[]
Vanitas is Latin for "vanity," in the sense of emptiness or a worthless action. It is referenced in the bible's Old Testament in Ecclesiastes 12:8: "Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity." The implication is that all human action is temporary in contrast to the everlasting nature of faith.
Trivia[]
- A vanitas is a type of allegorical still-life art in which objects symbolize the transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death. Beginning in the 16th century, the genre continued into the 17th century.
- A similar concept is memento mori, the philosophical reminder that you will die.