TV-Series
Description
Deus Ex Machina is the God of Time and Space and the central figure who establishes the survival game that drives the narrative of The Future Diary. As an ancient deity with a lifespan exceeding ten thousand years, he has ruled over causality, time, and space for ages, but his existence is finite, and his impending death is the catalyst for the story's events. His appearance is striking and inhuman, depicted as a truly gigantic entity towering over a hundred feet tall. He possesses a skeletal face resembling an unknown creature's skull, adorned with a golden crown atop a shock of white and blue hair, with long pale arms and claw-like nails, while his body is shrouded in a dark cloak with a high collar.
In terms of personality, Deus is far from a solemn or distant god. He is often laid-back, playful, and even amused by the chaos that unfolds, displaying an almost detached sense of entertainment at the turn of events. He seeks courses of action that are interesting, sometimes to a terrifying degree, as he is largely apathetic to the suffering his game causes the participants, whom he forces to kill one another. Despite this, he is not entirely lacking in compassion or honor. He is known to play fairly, answering questions from the diary owners and ensuring the game runs without direct interference. He also performs acts of unexpected good, such as saving the life of Minene Uryu, the Ninth, despite her vehement hatred of gods, and offering her a place in his game. He shows a clear sense of fairness during the survival game itself, though he is still willing to manipulate the truth, such as when he evades Yukiteru's question about resurrecting the dead.
The primary motivation for Deus holding the Future Diary survival game is his own mortality. As he nears the end of his life, the universe will lose its ruler, leading to widespread destruction and the collapse of reality. Thus, he must find a worthy human successor to inherit the throne of God and maintain control over causality before he perishes. Originally, his predicted date of death is July 28th, and all future diaries only show predictions up until that point. To expedite the process, he and John Bacchus, the Eleventh, created the twelve Future Diaries and initiated the battle royale.
His role in the story is that of the ultimate overseer, judge, and gamemaster. He operates from the Cathedral of Causality, where he sits upon a floating throne observing the game. He interacts with Yukiteru Amano, the First, early on as what Yukiteru believes to be an imaginary friend, but Yukiteru soon learns Deus is very real. Deus remains mostly a non-interfering spectator, though he occasionally provides explanations, hosts meetings for the remaining players, and exerts his influence to correct or observe significant disruptions in the flow of causality.
Regarding key relationships, Deus is particularly fond of Yukiteru, openly declaring him as his favored candidate to become the next god. This favoritism stems from Yukiteru's ability to create unexpected "miracles" that shake the very laws of cause and effect, which Deus finds profoundly interesting. He also shares a complex relationship with Minene Uryu, the Ninth. Despite her terrorist nature and desire to destroy the concept of gods, Deus respects her determination and eventually entrusts her with half of his power and knowledge to act as his agent. His relationship with his own attendant, Muru Muru, is also significant; while he created her, he remains oblivious to the fact that she has been replaced by a version from a parallel world who works against his interests to ensure Yuno Gasai wins.
Throughout the series, Deus undergoes a notable physical and narrative development. As his death approaches, his massive body and his throne begin to crack, crumble, and fall apart, mirroring the weakening of his control over the universe. Eventually, desperate to stop Muru Muru's conspiracy, he gives half his remaining power to Minene, which accelerates his decline and causes the world to begin ending earlier than predicted, on July 21st. Near the very end, his body is completely destroyed, leaving only his core remaining as he fights for survival against his own servant’s betrayal. In the alternate third world depicted later, Deus survives longer as he did not hold the survival game, but his lifespan is still decreasing. He begins to question the necessity of finding a successor, wondering if it is acceptable to simply let the universe end naturally.
Deus Ex Machina possesses near-omnipotent abilities befitting his title. He has absolute control over time, space, and the laws of cause and effect, allowing him to manipulate reality and even create parallel worlds by leaping through time. He has access to the Akashic Records, a universal compendium of all knowledge and history. He is capable of creating artificial life, including the detective Aru Akise, who serves as his Observer to monitor the constantly shifting futures of the diary owners. Despite his immense power, he has limits. He cannot resurrect the dead; while he can restore a physical body, he cannot return a departed soul. Furthermore, he is not truly omniscient, as he was unaware of the existence of the parallel first world and the deception of his servant Muru Muru.
In terms of personality, Deus is far from a solemn or distant god. He is often laid-back, playful, and even amused by the chaos that unfolds, displaying an almost detached sense of entertainment at the turn of events. He seeks courses of action that are interesting, sometimes to a terrifying degree, as he is largely apathetic to the suffering his game causes the participants, whom he forces to kill one another. Despite this, he is not entirely lacking in compassion or honor. He is known to play fairly, answering questions from the diary owners and ensuring the game runs without direct interference. He also performs acts of unexpected good, such as saving the life of Minene Uryu, the Ninth, despite her vehement hatred of gods, and offering her a place in his game. He shows a clear sense of fairness during the survival game itself, though he is still willing to manipulate the truth, such as when he evades Yukiteru's question about resurrecting the dead.
The primary motivation for Deus holding the Future Diary survival game is his own mortality. As he nears the end of his life, the universe will lose its ruler, leading to widespread destruction and the collapse of reality. Thus, he must find a worthy human successor to inherit the throne of God and maintain control over causality before he perishes. Originally, his predicted date of death is July 28th, and all future diaries only show predictions up until that point. To expedite the process, he and John Bacchus, the Eleventh, created the twelve Future Diaries and initiated the battle royale.
His role in the story is that of the ultimate overseer, judge, and gamemaster. He operates from the Cathedral of Causality, where he sits upon a floating throne observing the game. He interacts with Yukiteru Amano, the First, early on as what Yukiteru believes to be an imaginary friend, but Yukiteru soon learns Deus is very real. Deus remains mostly a non-interfering spectator, though he occasionally provides explanations, hosts meetings for the remaining players, and exerts his influence to correct or observe significant disruptions in the flow of causality.
Regarding key relationships, Deus is particularly fond of Yukiteru, openly declaring him as his favored candidate to become the next god. This favoritism stems from Yukiteru's ability to create unexpected "miracles" that shake the very laws of cause and effect, which Deus finds profoundly interesting. He also shares a complex relationship with Minene Uryu, the Ninth. Despite her terrorist nature and desire to destroy the concept of gods, Deus respects her determination and eventually entrusts her with half of his power and knowledge to act as his agent. His relationship with his own attendant, Muru Muru, is also significant; while he created her, he remains oblivious to the fact that she has been replaced by a version from a parallel world who works against his interests to ensure Yuno Gasai wins.
Throughout the series, Deus undergoes a notable physical and narrative development. As his death approaches, his massive body and his throne begin to crack, crumble, and fall apart, mirroring the weakening of his control over the universe. Eventually, desperate to stop Muru Muru's conspiracy, he gives half his remaining power to Minene, which accelerates his decline and causes the world to begin ending earlier than predicted, on July 21st. Near the very end, his body is completely destroyed, leaving only his core remaining as he fights for survival against his own servant’s betrayal. In the alternate third world depicted later, Deus survives longer as he did not hold the survival game, but his lifespan is still decreasing. He begins to question the necessity of finding a successor, wondering if it is acceptable to simply let the universe end naturally.
Deus Ex Machina possesses near-omnipotent abilities befitting his title. He has absolute control over time, space, and the laws of cause and effect, allowing him to manipulate reality and even create parallel worlds by leaping through time. He has access to the Akashic Records, a universal compendium of all knowledge and history. He is capable of creating artificial life, including the detective Aru Akise, who serves as his Observer to monitor the constantly shifting futures of the diary owners. Despite his immense power, he has limits. He cannot resurrect the dead; while he can restore a physical body, he cannot return a departed soul. Furthermore, he is not truly omniscient, as he was unaware of the existence of the parallel first world and the deception of his servant Muru Muru.