Send Me an Angel

After his father threw him into a ravine and left him for dead, Kazuya Mishima’s “Devil Gene” was activated. This bestowed him with supernatural abilities and allowed him to transform into a grotesque, power-hungry entity that was driven by revenge. The mysterious Angel appeared in Tekken 2 without any explanation and fought with Devil to save Kazuya’s soul. It’s unclear whether she was Kazuya’s guardian angel or the manifestation of all the good that was within him. In either regard, she was a worthy opponent for Devil since she had all the same moves. Sadly, her mission was an abject failure. While Devil continued to play a major role in the series, Angel was never seen again outside of the non-canonical Tekken Tag Tournament games. This only makes her seem more enigmatic, which is remarkably on-brand for an angel.

It sounds contradictory, but Megami Tensei technically classifies angels as a type of demon. Semantics aside, angels are prominently featured in the series and are said to watch over humans from birth. As one of the four archangels, Gabriel plays a bigger role than lower ranking heavenly messengers. Although angels are supposed to guide people on the righteous path of peace and harmony, Gabriel is frequently encountered as a boss fight. The archangels are intrinsically linked to one another and sometimes fight in pairs, but Gabriel stands out from the others by virtue of the fact that she’s the only one who is depicted as a woman. She also acts as a voice of reason, and she’s the only archangel who seems capable of self reflection. Gabriel wants to improve the lives of humans, so she’d merit a place on this list even if I didn’t have diversity quotas to fill.

On the surface, Sanae Hanekoma is unremarkable in every way. The laidback hipster spends most of his time at his coffee shop, and he actually seems to enjoy working as a barista. It turns out that he’s really an angel who was tasked with watching over the Reaper’s Game. This elaborate, week-long competition threatens contestants with “erasure” unless they complete various assignments. Hanekoma bent the rules of the game in order to prevent the city from being erased, and he was branded a Fallen Angel as a result. The label carries severe stigma, but he firmly believes that he was doing the right thing by stepping over the boundaries. Although he takes measures to obscure his identity, he’s not ashamed of the label. Angels are enigmatic by nature, so it’s only fitting that he plays everything close to the vest.

Messiah is set in a cyberpunk future where ruthless dictators are attempting to bring the devil into the mortal plane. This ultimately prompts God to send cherub named Bob to investigate the situation. Since Bob’s mere existence is deemed illegal, he’s immediately hunted by the police and military alike. Although Bob has an infantile body and is basically defenseless, he’s not as harmless as he looks. His tiny wings somehow grant him the power of flight, and he has the uncanny ability to possess other lifeforms. While his enemies are looking for a fat kid in a diaper, Bob can effortlessly jump from one host to another. He’s not limited to human targets, either, and he can also occupy animals, cyborgs, and aliens. Whether he’s crawling around air ducts as a rat or strolling the streets as a pimp, he’s able to solve all sorts of environmental puzzles.

While serving as the leader of the Hellguard, Abaddon fought in the name of Heaven and led the charge against the demons of Hell. His fierce devotion earned him the respect of his fellow angels, and their admiration was reciprocated. Unfortunately, his intense hatred of Demonkind outweighed his sense of duty, and he took it upon himself to trigger the apocalypse early in order to defeat the Dark Prince and his followers. This decision put him at odds with the elder angels, and he became disillusioned as a result. After his spirit was broken, he surrendered himself to corrupting influences and decided he would rather rule in Hell than serve in Heaven. Fueled by dark energy, Abaddon started calling himself the Destroyer and took command of Hell’s armies on Earth. He’s basically a disgruntled employee turned up to 11.

Rodin is an unlikely candidate for this list. He neither looks or acts like an angel, after all, and he even sells demonic weapons of his own design. Although he works as a bartender, Rodin was once a powerful angel in charge of creation. Incidentally, he was banished from Paradiso after he turned his back on the heavens and joined an insurgency. His exile didn’t slow him down, however, and he became the most feared demon in Inferno. When he made his way to the human world, he opened up a bar – aptly called the Gates of Hell – and found his niche as a black market weaponsmith. Rodin has a gamut of physical and magical attacks at his disposal, and his abilities are amplified when he regains his heavenly powers and reclaims his Father Rodin persona. No matter how many chaotic battles he partakes in, Rodin never loses his cool.

When we first meet Flonne, she’s an Angel Trainee who was sent to the Netherworld on an assassination mission. After that plan falls apart, she decides to stalk a demon overlord to determine whether he’s inherently evil or not. Flonne firmly believes that love triumphs all, but her sentiments often fall on deaf ears. Her faith is unwavering even after becoming a Fallen Angel, however, and she makes a point to educate demons on the importance of kindness! She demonstrates its efficacy on the battlefield, too. Although she can fire divine feathers or make her enemies explode with holy light, she’s also able to use angelic energy to heal everyone around her. Flonne is a bit of a ditz, but what she lacks in intelligence, she makes up for with absurd idealism. She’s often referred to as the Love Freak, and she wears the moniker proudly.

This countdown has examined a number of fallen angels already, but Colette Brunel falls on the other side of the spectrum as a human destined to ascend to the heavens. She was identified from birth as one of the Chosen, and she understood that she would have to die in order for the world to be reborn. Colette set out on a “Journey of Regeneration” on her 16th birthday, and she developed all sorts of angelic traits along the way. Her vision and hearing improved, for instance, and she even sprouted angel wings! At the same time, her sense of taste disappeared, she no longer required sleep, and she lost the ability to speak. When she surrendered her heart and memory, she gave up everything that made her human. Colette was eventually able to regain her humanity, but that doesn’t take away from her unyielding bravery.

In the world of Diablo, angels are physical manifestations of light and sound who are birthed from the Crystal Arch during moments of perfect harmony in Heaven. Angels have strength beyond any human, and weapons that strike them are typically turned into ash. This doesn’t mean that they can’t be wounded or incapacitated, however. If an angel is killed, a new one will simply be created by the Arch. The replacement angel is usually a different entity, but the renegade Tyrael was somehow able to be reformed as the same individual. He often disregards the rules. The former Archangel of Justice often intervenes on the behalf of humans, as he sees the potential for heroism and selflessness inside of them. He even went so far as to tear off his wings and become a mortal in an effort to unite Heaven and Earth in an unbreakable union.

When Palutena’s kingdom was invade by Medusa and other monsters, the Goddess of Light used her last bit of power to send a bow and arrow to a young angel named Pit. This allowed him to escape form his Underworld prison and work his way back to the heavens. Pit toppled all sorts of mythological monsters (and villainous eggplants) en route to liberating Angel Land. Kid Icarus was seen as an instant classic upon its initial release, but the series faded into obscurity after a forgettable Game Boy sequel landed in 1990. Thankfully, Pit eventually made a return in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and went on to star in one of the greatest 3DS games of all time. The exhilarating aerial battles in Kid Icarus Uprising accentuated Pit’s fearlessness, and the banter painted him as one of the most charming and charismatic protagonists in gaming history.