The White

The White are a group of characters in Shin Megami Tensei IV. They are beings who reside in the Expanse, a world formed by the thoughts of man. The White are the sentient embodiments of human despair. There are four members of the White and they're all categorized as Archaic demons.

The White first appear before Flynn after the Yamato Perpetual Reactor is activated for the first time. Each White takes the form of Abbot Hugo, K, Isabeau, and Issachar, respectively. After a brief monologue, they send the player to Blasted Tokyo, the Tokyo of an alternate timeline. After Flynn and his friends destroy Pluto the Tormentor and head back to the Yamato Perpetual Reactor after Akira gives them the remote, Flynn activates the Yamato Perpetual Reactor and is brought back to the white void where he met the White. The White appear before Flynn again and, after another brief monologue, they send him to Infernal Tokyo, the Tokyo of another alternate timeline. After Flynn and his friends defeat King Kenji and take the remote to the Yamato Perpetual Reactor, Flynn activates the reactor once more and is once again brought back to the white void where he met the White. In this encounter, they show that preserving the world means nothing as God will destroy it if it doesn't match his will while not preserving the world will lead it to self destruction. It's here that the White reveal their ultimate goal: to destroy the world and return all to nothing. Their reason for this is because they believe that only by ending the world will humans finally be free from pain, agony, and suffering.

After Flynn leaves Infernal Tokyo, the White give Flynn a choice: return the world to nothing or let the world continue to exist. If Flynn chooses to return all to nothing, the White will tell him that they created the Yamato Perpetual Reactor and that it was originally built as a particle accelerator that creates a black hole. Because they can't do it themselves, they have Flynn destroy the Yamato Reactor's control device to make the machine go berserk and create a black hole that will swallow everything and end the world. On the other hand, if Flynn chooses to let the world continue to exist, the White will curse him on his messianic tendencies and then ask him what he'll do then: preserve the status quo or destroy the order of things. Regardless of what happens, the White will abandon Flynn in the Monochrome Forest, leaving him for dead. Flynn will then be sent by one of three characters on a quest to slay the White so he can go back to the real world. Which character sends him on the quest depends on which route Flynn ends up on. If Flynn ends up on the Law route, Gabriel will send him on the quest. If Flynn ends up on the Chaos route, Lucifer will send Flynn on the quest. If Flynn ends up on the Neutral route, Stephen will send Flynn on the quest. Though Flynn is successful in his quest to defeat the White, the White will eventually return as long as humans exist.

The White also appear in the DLC Challenge Quests The Eternal Youth and Ancient One of the Sun. Their plan here is to drive Flynn to despair and show him humanity's despair by sending him back to Infernal Tokyo and Blasted Tokyo. After the Challenge Quests are complete, the White mention that their existence is tied to Flynn's; as long as Flynn exists, so will the White.