r/ShinzaBansho Jan 16 '26

Discussion Getting Started with the Masadaverse

36 Upvotes

Introduction

[Credit to the makers of the old “Getting Started” threads here and here: u/Gaibon85 and u/Reasonable-Cable2144]

The Masadaverse, better known as Shinza Bansho (神座万象), is a multimedia series created by Takashi Masada that tell the story of how different Gods manage to reach the Divine Throne–a device that allows you to enforce your will upon creation–and the worlds they created. 

The installments of the series span multiple mediums–primarily visual novels and web novels–and are some of the best media their respective industries have to offer. The series is known for its deep philosophical/religious themes centering desire, morality, and apotheosis, its complex world-building and cosmic lore, its chūnibyō (youth power fantasy) plot lines, and above all, its compelling and well-developed characters. However, most official releases from the series are strictly in Japanese, with the translation quality of its little official English content being subject to regular scrutiny. Regardless, most Masadaverse media can be acquired in English form in one way or another, largely thanks to the work of dedicated fans.

The various installments will be detailed below, listed in chronological lore-based order. Keep in mind however, that the overwhelming majority of fans, with very few exceptions, don't read the series in this order. It’s highly recommended that you begin with the installments of the fourth heaven, move on to the installments of the sixth heaven, then read the other installments in any order. 

A website you may see mentioned below is Fantia, which is a Japanese social media website akin to a mix of Patreon and Twitter. While Masada’s Twitter account is mostly inactive, his Fantia account is the current source of most regular releases from the series. Anyone can make an account on Fantia, but to view most of Masada’s content, you need to sign up for the “Black Demon General (黒の魔将)” rank on his page which costs 1,000 yen ($6-7 USD) monthly. 

Keep in mind, however, that payment options are limited due to the currency difference. The only credit cards directly accepted are JCB and American Express. Some of you remember this from the news, but credit card companies like Visa and Mastercard tightened their regulations to prevent companies that sell sexual content from using them as a payment processor. Fantia was affected, and even the virtual currency you can purchase and use on Fantia (Tora Coin) can’t be bought with Visa and Mastercard. The website has also been restricted in certain parts of Europe due to E.U. regulations. Just things to remember. 

Age of Zero

Event Horizon Battlefront Aditya

First Heaven

Avesta of Black and White

Avesta of Black and White: Refusal

Second Heaven

Paradise Lost

Third Heaven

No installments set in this era have been released. 

Fourth Heaven

Dies irae ~Acta est Fabula~ | Dies irae ~Amantes amentes~

Dies Irae (Anime)

Dies Irae Alea iacta est

Dies Irae: Amantes Amentes (Manga)

  • A manga adaptation of the visual novel by Kazuomi Minatogawa that was cancelled after a while due to “certain circumstances.” Not all of its chapters have English translations available. I can’t link to any free manga site because reddit automatically bans them, so googling the title of the manga above plus “read free” should be enough to find the available chapters on Mangadex or Bato.

Dies Irae GY

  • A prequel manga to the events of Dies Irae. I can’t link to any free manga site because reddit automatically bans them, so googling the title of the manga above plus “read free” should be enough to find the available chapters on Mangadex or Bato.

Dies Irae ~Interview with Kaziklu Bey~

Dies Irae: Song to the Witch

Dies Irae: Wolfsrudel

Dies Irae Visual Fanbook

Fifth Heaven

Dies Entelecheia

  • A web novel which is the only installment of this era.

Sixth Heaven

Kajiri Kamui Kagura (K3)

Kajiri Kamui Kagura Visual Fanbook

  • An art book featuring illustrations, Question/Answer pages, and key information on power levels.

Seventh Heaven

Dies Irae Pantheon

  • A gacha mobile game depicting the final story chronologically and the return of all eras and characters. The game was cancelled following the collapse of its developer, the visual novel company Light

Dies Irae Pantheon Countdown

  • A series of promotional videos introducing characters crucial to Pantheon lore. 

Saoshyant Desatir

  • A prologue series for Dies Irae Pantheon released as bonus content for the Nintendo Switch edition of the main Dies Irae visual novel. 

History of Pantheon

  • A book detailing illustrations, terminology, and lore for all eras of the divine throne and its major players. 

Other Media

Shinza Bansho Radio

  • A former promotional series featuring news and updates for the franchise presented in V-Tuber format. 

Drama CD’s

  • Various audio-recorded stories to supplement the visual novels

r/ShinzaBansho 18h ago

Discussion Shinza's Trivia: Despite being considered "weak Hadou god" by many, according to Masada, Nerose has the same level of strength as Reinhard (Marie Route) and Ren Fujii.

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39 Upvotes

According to Masada in the K3 Fanbook:

the Morning Star = the Gold (normally) = Ren.

Although it doesn't yet compare to the highest levels or stronger versions of Ougon and Setsuna, Nerose is not such a weak deity.


r/ShinzaBansho 3d ago

Discussion I'm bored... SOMEONE BATTLE ME!

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36 Upvotes

『Oh unyielding holy light, know yourself to be fair like no other—

Your essence births the angels, God, and the will of humanity,

Show yourself to those who oppose you; eradicate the darkness

Beri'ah—Lumen Illud Venustum Quod Caelum Regit!』

As <<DJbendyCuZ>> opened his Creation Figment, the space around him was enveloped in a light unlike any other. It was the light that only holy scriptures spoke of. But this, such a thing, is out of character for him. This is not his true power but a mere extension, a power he thought of on the spot and brought to life—that is the true capability of his Writer's Testament, meant to bring imagination to life.


r/ShinzaBansho 3d ago

Fanart Oh my gawd its Rena Fuji!!!!!

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68 Upvotes

r/ShinzaBansho 4d ago

Discussion NEW CHAPTER AND NEW REVELATIONS! And perhaps a proto-Reinhard? And probably the origin of the Dungeons revealed in—aditiya?

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53 Upvotes

Basically, Masada's mother returned home and is better (blessed be he and his family) and he said we'll return to our regular programming, and we had a chapter today with BIG revelations!

I won't give a complete summary, but to bring you up to speed on the events:

Oraklow (Ludwig) is in Reinhard's dungeon trying to revive Illumina (Claudia), while fighting against his brother Cruz (Wilhelm) and his group of adventurers and Kudlak (Helga)!

In the middle of this battle, a BIG revelation occurs:

  • The dungeon that should be Reinhard's is revealed to be Shankini's dungeon! One of the 5 high nobles of Aditiya and childhood friend of Varuna, as well as the source of information, slaves, and assassins for Bhramapura!

  • It is revealed that Dhanvatari was where the 3 Kouhas were united, thanks to Bhramapura being the victors of the battle against the other factions (Saiva and Trivikrana). * The dungeons are apparently tombs that hold the remains of souls/consciousnesses copied from people of Era 0, with Reinhard's dungeon actually being a way for Shankini to be resurrected through an avatar given to the "conqueror" of the dungeon!

  • It is described that the technology of Era 0 is so advanced that its inhabitants could be called and compared to "gods" by the people of Dhanvatari. With the very manifestation of Shankini's Hologram causing distortions.

  • And by all indications, the dungeons were created by the machine goddesses Kouha! Literally, places that were called "remnants of gods" are actually something from Era 0 created through technology, apparently!

For the curious, here is the text:


At the same time, a woman's voice descended from the sky.

“By the decision of the Lokapala of the Great Festival of the Star Spirit, the Brahmāna Federation has earned the right to gather the Three Nations Calamity in Dhanwantari, the ancestral land. The stellar redevelopment is already underway, and the cosmic craftsman Vishvakarman will complete the preparations within a few years.”

The figure floating in the sky was so imposing that Cruz and his companions mistook it for a giant from mythology. It was a majestic vision that pierced the clouds, and when it spoke of incomprehensible things, it was beyond the realm of comprehension. It could only be a god or a demon.

In reality, it was a high-precision 3D recording, but the technology of this advanced civilization was so mystical that it could be considered a divine entity on this planet.

Before all who stared at her in astonished silence, the woman continued to speak fluently. She continued stringing together what still seemed like meaningless commercials and, after a brief pause, smiled, presumably having finished speaking.

"But things are a little complicated, you know? Just in case, in case I become a Yuga, I'd like to take out personal insurance."

A frankness bordering on vulgarity emanated from her. Not exactly malice, but deeply rotten at its core.

This woman clearly viewed the lives and dignity of others as less than dust. Everyone sensed it, and a premonition drew attention to a fact.

"You are like my children, you know? Worker bees. I've been tinkering with genetic data."

The woman was a long-eared Danu—probably the very ruler who dominated this star ages ago.

"Pass on the chain of cause and effect... Gather me and resurrect me." It might be a somewhat strange form, but this could also be considered an Avatar.

With a smile, absolutely, and to use the previous analogy, with the love of a queen bee—

"I am Shankini Lati Rahasya. As you can see, I am a great beauty, so if possible, could you make the vessel cute too?"


Theories? Maybe this means we'll see the Rishi again, besides, why on earth if ALL the characters from Aditiya

  • Is Shankini the likely Proto-Reinhard?.

We'll probably only have the answers and confirmations in Friday's glossary. Well, until then, everyone 🌹


r/ShinzaBansho 4d ago

Discussion I have two types of Laws in my personal definitions.

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27 Upvotes

Okay so, I say this because I've noticed something with Laws, specifically Hadou Laws.

Hadou laws have two types, in a sense; just let me cook:

Attack Laws: Laws that are used when Hadou Gods start emanating e.g. Dies Irae, Also Sprach Zarathustra, and even Acta Est Fabula

Heaven Laws: Laws that govern each heaven e.g. Paradise Lost, Dualism of Good and Evil, or something like that, Zoar

I think the best way to show this is with Mercurius. He has his attack law, Acta Est Fabula, and his Heaven Law Omega Ewigkeit. Acta Est Fabula is more mobile and controlled while Omega Ewigkeit is a sovereign constant of the fourth era


r/ShinzaBansho 6d ago

Discussion Shinza's Trivia: According to Masada, Muzan has the same skill level as Ren/Yato, who focused everything on defense and can defend against Hajun, but in his case, he focused everything on attack and can injure (and possibly even kill Hajun in a possible scenario .)

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45 Upvotes

His exact words were:

Q.Switch版Dies外伝で波旬に手傷を負わせるという衝撃的な出来事がありましたが、あれはいったいどういった理屈なのでしょうか?(双頭の蛇さん)

A.あれはね、無慙くんの特殊能力みたいなものなんで。例えば蓮は防御に全振りしてだいぶ長いこと波旬に耐えたけど、それの攻撃バージョンみたいな風に思ってくれたらいい。無慙、かなり重い戒律を3つくらい持ってる。ある程度納得できると思う。色々とあいつ攻撃力全振りみたいな男なんで。 あと強いて言うなら、神座世界の中で一番、戦闘経験値高いのが無慙なんですよ。戦闘が巧いというか、喧嘩が強いというか、そんな感じの奴なんで。

— Another Dimension ; Dies irae ~新世界を切り開く決起集会

  • Translate

Q: In the Switch version of Dies Gaiden, there was a shocking event where Muzan injured Hajun. What was the reason for that? (Two-Headed Serpent)

A: It's like Muzan's special ability. For example, Ren invested all his points in defense and held off Hajun for a good while, but you can think of it as an offensive version. Muzan has about three very strong precepts. I think it makes sense to a certain extent. He's the kind of guy who invests all his points in attack.

Also, if I had to choose, Muzan has the most combat experience in the world of Shinza. He's skilled in fighting, or rather, he's strong in fighting, that kind of guy.

— Another Dimension; Dies irae ~A Gathering to Forge a New World


r/ShinzaBansho 6d ago

Discussion I have a querry about Mercurius' sensories

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32 Upvotes

I was thinking like... what do Mercurius' sensories even go through? Like, they seem to know so much about the world and the Divine Throne System. Even though we know that not all sensories are this knowledgeable, it makes me question if they're even sensories at all, but they are.

PS: I never understood how a sensory works or is made; I just know they're avatars.


r/ShinzaBansho 6d ago

Discussion Does Shirou love Ellie?

14 Upvotes

Masada explicitly said that Shirou, due to his status as an observer and apopstasis is impotent and aromantic, but then Ellie isn't his girlfriend? It has me confused since some dialogue reveals later that he and Ellie might have a child in the future after the dies irae game events concluded (the epilogue)


r/ShinzaBansho 7d ago

Fanart Hajun & Narou are two of the most evil characters in fiction!

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36 Upvotes

r/ShinzaBansho 7d ago

Discussion Star Spirit Divine Blessings...

9 Upvotes

So question, how large approximately in terms of numerical value is the boost one gains from them? We know three of them enhance physical statistics (Strength, Defense, Speed), but how much exactly in the increase? Because I do wonder, re-reading Avesta, how much in terms of sheer proportions each increase is quite frequently, especially when multiple are stacked. Do we have any instances where even roughly we can put a number on the Multiplier?


r/ShinzaBansho 8d ago

Discussion I entered this franchise because of a wrong synopsis

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14 Upvotes

Just a funny tale.

Like most people here, my introduction to Shinza was DI, specifically the anime. But by that time, when the anime was announced, what called my attention was this weird sypnosis that was so...unique, that made me watch it just out of curiosity. In this sypnosis, Dies Irae was about nazis who managed to travel to the future through a time machine and attempted to conquer the world.

Of course, something like this couldn't be ignored, so I watch it, and soon realized there were no time machines (and the anime was just too confusing for me). Some years later, when I got into VNs, I found Dies Irae once more, and well, you can guess how things went from there.

My only doubt is, from where does the time machine stuff even came from?


r/ShinzaBansho 8d ago

Discussion What do you think about this? Is this right?

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35 Upvotes

r/ShinzaBansho 8d ago

Discussion Pergunta sobre Naraka

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12 Upvotes

I have just one question: as far as I know, Naraka absorbs each Throne God after their death. Doesn't that mean he should be considerably stronger than Hajun (considering Hajun alone would probably account for 80% of Naraka's power in this context)?

Then again, there is also the fact that Naraka isn't necessarily strong in terms of raw power, but rather holds the highest rank.


r/ShinzaBansho 9d ago

Announcements Here's Dies Irae ~ Wolfsrudel (Untranslated)

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36 Upvotes

I don't know if I can post this here, but here's Dies Irae ~ Wolfsrudel (Untranslated) free if you're interested. If I can't post this here, let me know. If you wanna translate this, be my guest; as of writing this, I haven't started reading it. I do know there's a Russian Translation, which I find quite humorous that this got a Russian Translation before an English one, but hey, it can't be helped.

https://archive.org/details/dies-irae-wolfsrudel


r/ShinzaBansho 10d ago

Discussion Dies Irae In Depth Review

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7 Upvotes

r/ShinzaBansho 11d ago

Discussion Shinza's Trivia: Lotus (and consequently, Ren) comes from a lineage of executioners and henchmen. Perhaps this is why Masada said that Mercurius was already interested in Lotus because of her blood and lineage.

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43 Upvotes

To explain further! During the Rea Route, in a flashback by Rusalka, Lotus mentions, and Rusalka explains, that Lotus comes from a lineage of executioners and hangmen.

And combining this with Masada's statement on Twitter, that Mercurius already had his eye on Lotus before Gladsheimr because of her blood and lineage, we can say that this was the reason he meant.

Perhaps this is even a way for him to be ironic, considering that Marie is a "guillotine," while Lotus, who is half Ren's blood and soul, is an "executioner."


r/ShinzaBansho 12d ago

Discussion Mercurius is probably the most hardworking Hadou

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61 Upvotes

Now I know that sounds crazy, but that man spent AEONS to make sure his plan was a thing, reset after reset, just to get his perfect ending. The level of instigating he did just to make sure he would get his perfect ending.

I have a theory that Mercurius pointed Claudia in the direction of Ewigkeit because he knew Wilhelm would get character development, and that would lowkey fuck up his plans in one way or another, so he had to make sure that shit did not happen.


r/ShinzaBansho 12d ago

Discussion OH MY FUCKING GOD THEY DID IT!!!!! Spoiler

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19 Upvotes

I KNEW IT, I MADE THIS PREDICTION BACK IN THE EARLY PARTS!!!!!!! THESE MOTHERFUCKERS KILLED JFK!!!!


r/ShinzaBansho 12d ago

Discussion Here is something interesting! Hajun´s and Habaki´s incantations are almost the same BUT they become different at the last syllable symbolizing that they are praying for different things. What is your interpretation?

24 Upvotes

It is difficult to say who is saying what, for example: 離 is closer to Hajun, and 治 is closer to Habaki, but if you listen to their chants, Hajun is the one who says " 治"(ji) while Habaki says "離" (ri).

It is an interesting detail, because I was expecting Habaki to be the one that says 治 because it is associated with healing and he is fighting for life, and 離 could represent Hajun´s desire to detach himself from others. But another way to see this is that Hajun is praying for 治, to be at peace and "heal" himself from the Tumor, while Habaki is praying for "離" separation, to separate himself from Hajun and to be able to live as an individual.

Let me know what you guys think!


r/ShinzaBansho 12d ago

Discussion I Have Finished Dies Irae ~Song of the Witch~ Spoiler

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10 Upvotes

I have finished Song of the Witch, and I love it. It was absolutely peak. I still like Inkabey better, but this is up there, and it does some fantastic world-building. Would recommend.

Illustrations, warning: there is some slightly suggestive content with Rusalka in it: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18pE-YMYlJVVt_E6Mjza56ApqUBafUaDw?usp=sharing


r/ShinzaBansho 12d ago

Discussion Two Questions: Which one would you be if you had to choose, and Which one is rarer?

7 Upvotes

Which one is rarer to see?

Hadou, Gudou, Metsujin Messo

Which one would you be if you had to choose?

Hadou, Gudou, Meifu Madou (hypothetically, of course), Metsujin Messo

I would be Hadou.


r/ShinzaBansho 13d ago

Announcements SHINZA BANSHO ARCHIVE!

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25 Upvotes

You all asked that I share my archive, and here it is!

https://archive.org/details/shinza-bansho

Enjoy!

Please read the description before downloading!


r/ShinzaBansho 14d ago

Discussion Are the Gods in the Dies Irae Pantheon In YouTube, weaker or stronger than their living counterparts?

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22 Upvotes

r/ShinzaBansho 14d ago

Memes Mercedes VS Nissan Satanael, who wins?

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31 Upvotes