Is it Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon is one of the most popular long-running fantasy anime. The series does a great job of balancing classic fantasy anime tropes with interesting worldbuilding, and a key part of this is DanMachi’s Familias and Gods.
Much of the events in DanMachi are influenced by how the various Familias interact, and how adventurers work through these groups.
If you’re just starting the series or need a refresh ahead of DanMachi Season 4, we’re here to cover everything you need to know.
What are DanMachi’s Gods? Explained
The Gods in DanMachi are beings that have descended from Heaven. This descent is voluntary, with most Gods seeking to experience life on Earth for themselves.
As part of the bargain for the Gods going to Earth, they are forced to give up most of their powers and any inhuman physical abilities. However, they maintain the ability to provide blessings known as falna, which are commonly used to mark members of their Familia.
The gods have been descending to Earth for around 1,000 years before the story’s beginning. Some of the gods have been on Earth for all that time, whereas others – like Hestia – are new.
Many of the gods in the anime are inspired by mythology. Obvious examples include Loki, Apollo and Ishtar. Hestia is inspired by a Greek goddess.
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Why Did the Gods Come to Earth in DanMachi?
DanMachi’s lore mentions that the Gods essentially descended to Earth out of boredom, and are mainly seeking entertainment.
Many of the Gods end up competing with each other to build the biggest or most powerful group, known as a Familia. For many, a God’s worth can be judged on the size of their familia, as if judging their number of followers.
This desire for competition and entertainment is one of the main reasons why many of the Gods are seen as arrogant, or just straight corrupt. For some of them, much of what is happening is just a game.
What are Familias in DanMachi?
Familias are groups created by the Gods using their falna. These can come in a range of sizes and formats, but they all have a single God as their leader.
To put Familias in real terms, they operate a bit like major companies run by egotistical CEOs.
Most of the Familias seen in DanMachi are called Exploration-Type Familias – these are groups that make their name through adventuring. However, Familias can do pretty much any line of work they please.
Many Gods compete on the size of their Familia. The largest Familias command a lot of respect, whereas Gods with small Familias are rarely considered.
Gods will often declare a formal competition or war against each other’s Familias as a way of settling matters.
Everyone that is part of a Familia will usually have a falna mark from the Familia’s leading God. However, many Familia members don’t have any clear symbol or uniform to state which Familia they are part of in their normal lives.
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What is the Strongest Familia in DanMachi?
While there is a lot of discussion on the subject, the strongest Familias in DanMachi are widely considered to be the Loki and Freya Familias.
The Loki Familia is arguably the most prominent in Orario, the city where most of DanMachi takes place. This is the Familia of Ais Wallenstein, one of the most powerful regular characters in the story.
The Freya Familia is often portrayed as the evil version of the Loki Familia. While Loki’s Familia is known for their teamwork and shared success, the Freya Familia members are frequently pitted against each other. While this leads to a lot of death, it does also help Freya produce the strongest fighters.
There is so much more to discover about DanMachi’s Gods and Familias, so make sure you read or watch DanMachi!
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