i know we all like to make jokes about how we love mammon just because we’re attracted to dumbasses, and i won’t deny that the initial reason i fell in love with him is because i love dumbass characters so much. and i’m not going to pretend that he’s super well developed when his character has mostly been used for laughs (although i WILL say he’s far from being the only one, with levi and asmo serving a similar purpose), but. there’s a little more to him that’s kept me as smitten with him as i am.
there’s something about him being the avatar of greed, and how his greed manifests in such a way that you yourself become a source of his greed. i mean, i don’t think this needs to be elaborated on much, but he’s constantly shown to be greedy for mc’s attention in various ways over the course of the game. throwback to lesson 12-c, when mammon’s attachment to mc is being outright discussed by diavolo, barbatos, and lucifer. (which, for the record, i find interesting that it is consistently mammon’s affection for mc being pointed out by others, and rarely in comparison do we see the other brothers having their affections for mc be commented on.) barbatos says verbatim “i must say, it’s strange to see him showing such attachment toward someone for a reason that doesn’t involve money, isn’t it?”
not only are you a source of his greed, but he’s shown to choose you over his greed for material wealth. in lesson 4-a, when he’s rummaging through mc’s room, beel straight up calls him out by saying that mammon isn’t actually going to sell any of mc’s things. mammon, of course, tries to argue but there isn’t really anything to indicate that beel’s wrong here. (in fact, it’s implied that mammon is snooping through mc’s things because he likes them, further indicating a sense of greed on his part to become closer to mc by familiarizing himself with their belongings.) this is obviously significant due to the fact that mammon is not depicted to have any qualms with stealing from his brothers. but in this situation, he chooses to prioritize mc over the opportunity to make a quick buck, even if he isn’t willing to admit it. a similar scenario plays out in lesson 18 when he gives mc a gift (which he bought with money he worked for), something that very specifically defies his stereotypical greedy behavior.
also, i want to point out that there have been times when he arguably seems to be the most openly affectionate, even if it’s in a backwards tsundere way. in lessons 7 and 8, he’s the one who complains about asmo getting to share a room with mc, he’s the one who wants to be grouped with mc for the scavenger hunt, and he’s the one who tries to approach mc for a dance. (yes, lucifer steals mc away for a dance, but the dance is an excuse for him to interrogate mc.) i feel it’s important to note that at this point, both levi and beel have pacts with mc and are shown to have formed a connection with mc, yet mammon is still the only one so blatant about his feelings. this admittedly gets challenged in more recent lessons, in which all of the characters are shown more explicitly to be vying for mc’s attention. that being said, i still think it’s worth noting that for a significant portion of the game it seems like mammon is the one shown to most actively take an interest in mc.
while i’m at it, let’s take a moment to consider lesson 12-19, in which lucifer prepares to attack mc for sneaking behind his back to meet belphie. lucifer tells his brothers to get out of the way so he can “tear that human limb from limb”. immediately, mammon is the one to say “we’re not about to let you do somethin’ like that!” now, mammon’s relationship with lucifer isn’t necessarily super consistent, as mammon is shown to not really flinch from doing things that piss lucifer off. however, mammon being fearful of lucifer punishing him is a thing that is established literally from the moment mc meets him. and in this moment, we’re talking about lucifer being out of control and turning full demon form. in spite of what must be a terrifying situation for mammon to step into, he puts himself at risk for mc’s sake without hesitation, without the floundering that he often displays when he knows he’s in trouble. and let’s not forget lesson 16-12, in which it is specifically mammon who is shown to hold mc in his arms while they’re dying. this is an emotionally charged scene, and so the choice to have mammon take on such a role seems significant. these two scenes both depict something that heavily borders on devotion, a devotion that goes beyond having made a pact.
my final point is probably the most subjective. as mammon would say, he’s mc’s “first guy”. this of course does not entitle him to mc’s affection, but do i find it charming anyway? hell yes. mammon is the first to develop feelings for mc, and frankly, that alone makes me soft for him. maybe it’s a matter of circumstance, due to lucifer assigning mammon to “babysitter” duty at the beginning of the game, and so maybe it could have been any of the other brothers in his place if things had been a bit different. but ultimately? it‘s mammon who comes to care for mc first, and that warms my heart regardless of any technicality. so as i’ve been attempting to articulate, while mammon’s character does frequently revolve around him being The Idiot, there are other aspects of his which give him plenty of potential to be a genuinely compelling character. and i will die on this hill.
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