Ok, many things to say, I have been doing some research, and I have something for those who think the Demon Kings are 8 counting Satan.
As you guys probably already know, Iblis is a demon from Muslim mythology.
Iblis, also known as Shayṭān, is, according to Muslims, a jinn.
Jinn are, what we would normally refer to as "genie" or "djinn".
The jinn are spiritual creatures mentioned in the Qur'an and other Islamic texts who inhabit an unseen world in dimensions beyond the visible universe of humans. Together, the jinn, humans and angels make up the three sapient creations of God. The Qur'an mentions that the jinn are made of a smokeless and "scorching fire", but also physical in nature, being able to interact physically with people and objects and likewise be acted upon. Like human beings, the jinn can also be good, evil, or neutrally benevolent and hence have freewill like humans and unlike angels. The jinn are mentioned frequently in the Qurʾan, and the 72nd surah is titled Sūrat al-Jinn.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jinn
Now, about Iblis, he is to the Islam what Satan is to Christianity:
In Islam the Devil is known as Iblīs (Arabic: إبليس, plural: ابالسة abālisah) or Shayṭān (Arabic: شيطان, plural: شياطين shayāṭīn). In Islam Iblis is a jinn who refused to bow to Adam. The primary characteristic of the Devil, besides hubris, is that he has no power other than the power to cast evil suggestions into the chests of men, women, and jinn, although the Quran does mention appointing jinn to assist those who are far from God in a general context.
When God created Adam, he commanded all the angels and Iblis (whose rank allowed him to be considered equal to that of an angel) to prostrate to Adam as was termed "the Best of Creation". All the angels did so but Iblis refused to obey, and was brought into a state of rebellion against God. For this God cast him out of Jannah (paradise), and intended to punish him. Iblis begged God to delay the punishment until Yawm al-Qiyāmah (Last Judgment), which was granted by God.
Iblis was proud and arrogant and considered himself superior to Adam, since Adam was made from clay and Iblis from smokeless fire. For this act of disobedience, God cursed him to Hell for eternity, but gave him respite until the Day of Judgment, after Iblis requested it. Iblis obtained permission from God and vowed that he would use this time to lead all men and women astray to Hell as a way of revenge against them. By refusing to obey God’s order he was thrown out of paradise and thereafter he was called "Shaytan."
In Islamic theology, Shaytan and his minions are "whisperers," who whisper into the chests of men and women, urging them to commit sin. This is where the desire to sin comes from, according to Islam.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devil_%28Islam%29
The story of how Iblis "fell" and became "Shaytan" is kind of similar to the story of how Lucifer "fell" and became "Satan" (there are actually a LOT of similarities between Islam and Christianity).
As a plus, the concept of Iblis as a "whisperer" to the chest of people to encourage them to sin, is kind of a similar concept to that which Fujimoto gave us on Ch. 1 when he said:
And let's not forget Yukio's explanation on why Satan was able to take control of Fujimoto:
On the other hand, I would expect Satan, who self declared himself a
"perfect being of infinite power" to be able to do something more than shooting multicolored fire, as much damage said fire can make, I would still be more scared of the guy who walks through walls, turn into seemingly any animal he wants, manipulates times and is at various places at the same moment.
Then of course, there is the detail of all "jinn" who disobeyed Ala being refered as "shaytans" with Iblis being kind of like their leader:
According to The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, shaytan is used in the Quran in the singular, and the plural shayatin often interchangeably with Iblis, who is "considered to be a particular shaytan."
@ParadoxAbout "The King of Spirits/Wind" from the Mangafox thread:
In the English version we all agree that Azazel is the king of spirits? But in the French version he is the king of Air. So I guess the Japanese word that describes Azazel refers to both spirit and air. So Azazel is the king of air and spirits.
http://forums.mangafox.me/threads/419455-Eight-Demon-Kings?p=12128723&viewfull=1#post12128723
@NeeNeeI always assumed the keys were ONE of Mephisto's contributions to the Order, like that something that allows you to jump from one place of the planet to another are the kind of thing you would expect a guy with space manipulation abilities to provide you.
@Desktop WarriorI think that Assiah and Gehena weren't originally separated, that maybe they were separated for some reason by someone.
I find the way the Gehena gates functions interesting.
When the Angelic Legion finds the forming Gehena gate they ask if it means that Satan is around, like, Satan needs to come and open the gate from Assiah to Gehena, not from Gehena to Assiah.
Also, I understand, even with a Gehena gate open, demons still need to posses something to come to Assiah, but, if the Gehena gate opens you can make physical things cross to Gehena
(say, when Satan tried to take Rin with him).In
"The Mad Ravings of Mephisto", we are given a bunch of questions without answer. One of them is that
"Why do Gehena and Assiah exist in the way they do?" I think that having Satan trapped at the other side of the gate is kind of convenient, not solely for humans but also for demons
(say, those like Kuro or Uke and Mike who make alliances and lend their power to humans by protecting economical activities).As for Gehena and Assiah being mirrored, yes, I do think it means that each location is Assiah corresponds to one (at least) geographically similar in Gehena.