The anime series Kamisama Activities in a Godless World, which will begin airing in April 2023, tells the story of a protagonist who is reincarnated into a world where concepts like God and religion don't exist (or are intentionally hidden). He then finds himself forced to found a new religion and gain followers. Let's take a look at the protagonist, Urabe Masato!
His father is the leader of a cult! Masato: Living with the Pointing Fingers
The protagonist of this work, Urabe Masato, was born to a father who was the leader of the new cult "Shinchi Sukyo." He lived his life with religion, but he never became devoted to it and viewed it with a very cold eye. In fact, as the son of a cult member, Masato was treated like a cult junior by those around him and was shocked. Naturally, he had no friends or a girlfriend, and had the rare experience of replying that he was too old for religious recruitment. For Masato, God and religion were nothing but a way to ruin his life.
Urabe Masato! Lost in a harsh ascetic practice? Reincarnated in a godless world!
Yukito's father and his followers forced him to undergo harsh ascetic practices that would inevitably result in his death. As a result, Yukito died...or so he thought, but he was reincarnated in an alternate world. This alternate world, a world without the concepts of god and religion that Yukito so desperately desired, didn't exist. While he didn't receive the typical alternate world cheats, he made close friends and friends of the opposite sex and lived a fulfilling life, something that the previous Yukito had always desired.
The godless world is a dystopia where the imperial state exercises population control!?
However, this world is a dystopia where excessive population control is practiced, and the rule of "lifetime" governs the world, forcing people to commit suicide to control the population if the human population becomes too large. His comrades are murdered one after another by soldiers of the empire that controls the world, and Yukito himself, who rebels, is almost killed.
A heroine? A partner? The god worshipped by his family's religion before his reincarnation, has appeared!?
In a desperate situation, Mitama, the god worshipped by his family's religion before his reincarnation, suddenly appears. With superhuman powers, Mitama annihilates the Imperial soldiers and brings Masato and his companions back to life. While he thought there were no cheats in his reincarnation into another world, he actually had some pretty incredible cheats. However, Mitama herself appears to be a young girl, easily carried away, and easily fooled, making her seem unreliable.
Urabe Masato is forced to found a religion based on Mitama
Although the immediate threat was eliminated, it was clear that the source of the threat—the Imperial Kingdom—would once again target them. In fact, Mitama's power comes from the number of followers who worship them, and their remaining power had already been depleted. Without followers, Mitama was nothing more than a useless, powerless little girl. To protect his friends, Masato resolved to found his own religious organization, which he hated. Masato had the option of fleeing with Mitama, but he decided to fight for the sake of his allies.
Urabe Masato: Is He Well-Familiar with the Tactics of Cult Religions?
Masato founded the cult "Salvation Spirit Religion" and set out to gain followers. Masato hated religion, but perhaps because he grew up watching his father, who had grown a religious organization in one generation, he was well-acquainted with its methods. Therefore, he had some knowledge of how to increase followers. However, their plan to use Mitama, the one and only god, as a symbol failed because Mitama was so stupid and dumb that it was hard to believe he was a god, and he had no charisma whatsoever. So they resorted to other means to gain followers.
A man who uses clever words to seduce others! Urabe Masato
Although Masato's personality doesn't suit him as the leader of a religious organization, he is skilled at perceiving what people want and what words they want to hear, and he is skilled at seduction with kind words. With his skill, he even turns former enemies, such as former Imperial soldier Bertrand and Archon Artal, into allies through skillful manipulation. While more of a conman than a cult leader, the protagonist has a deep affection for his allies, and while he may use them, he never uses them for his own purposes.
Even Gods Can Be Tricked?! A Man Who Exercises Mitama to the Max!
His talent for manipulating people with clever words isn't limited to his enemies; he's also adept at inciting and encouraging simple-minded people like Mitama and Roy. He especially abuses Mitama until they look like withered plants, increasing their number of followers, and then even more abuses the revived Mitama as their number of followers increases. Mitama are extremely easy to fool, so if you get them going, they'll do whatever it takes. This whole sequence has become a well-established comedy scene.
A master strategist who's also skilled in tactics! A man with a keen eye for people!
Masato, who is well-versed in the art of manipulating people and religious psychology, is a master strategist, skilled enough to outwit opposing false gods. He's a particularly skilled intellectual, able to recognize and produce talent, read the flow of a situation to win over the audience, and even devise completely different strategies behind the scenes. He's also a strong-hearted and confident protagonist, even fooling his allies to defuse a situation or bluffing with confidence.
Actually, he has martial arts experience!? The relatively strong protagonist
Before his reincarnation, Yukito seems to have practiced martial arts under his father's guidance, and is quite adept at street fighting. However, the film's battle scenes often feature giant monster battles between gods beyond human comprehension, and he's not strong enough to compete. However, he does seem to have the combat ability to fight reasonably well when his powers are unavailable.
[Kamisama Activities in a Godless World] Summary of Urabe Masato
Here's a summary of Urabe Masato, the protagonist of Kamisama Activities in a Godless World! As the son of a religious organization, he seems like a villainous character, skilled in the art of manipulating people. However, the setting of building a religious organization in another world is interesting, and I thought he was a protagonist with a unique personality that shines in both comedy and intellectual battles!
