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You are weapons. You see, you're nothing more than one of my parts. You don't need any meaningless emotions. Anything more is completely unnecessary.
—Yuriev to Gaignun

Dr. Dmitri Yuriev (ディミトリ・ユーリエフ, Dimitori yūriefu) is one of the antagonists in the Xenosaga series, although his presence is more limited until Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra in which he turns hostile to Shion Uzuki and her group.

He is the head of the Yuriev Institute located on the planet Zavarov of star system Vartas. His life is dedicated mainly to the study and destruction of U-DO, and was the genetic father of all 669 U.R.T.V. units, including Jr. (Rubedo), Albedo, Citrine, and Gaignun (Nigredo).

Yuriev is a Designer Child, which were created by the Galaxy Federation in order to counter the Immigrant Fleet of Ormus. Yuriev wishes to use the Zohar and the Relics of God in order to transcend his humanity into the Upper Domain of U-DO and become an immortal god.

Yuriev is a former Galaxy Federation Parliament Member. Quite influential during his time in parliament, he retains many connections within the Federation to this day. Additionally, he was the Galaxy Federation's first Salvator.

Thought to have died in T.C. 4753, he was shot and killed by Gaignun, who refused to complete his mission of killing Jr. However, fourteen years later, Yuriev possessed Gaignun's body in order to complete his goal of destroying U-DO.

Background[]

U.M.N. Experiments[]

Yuriev, along with a large number of Designer Children created for the experiment, was one of the subjects to the experiments aiming to 'teleport' people through the U.M.N., without being protected by a ship or any device of this kind. He was the only one to survive this experiment. Yuriev calls himself a "U.M.N. space pilot". According to Sellers in Episode III, this happened during the early stages of the U.M.N.[2][3]

During this experiment, he met U-DO and was the first human to make contact with U-DO through the transfer experiment. Indeed, Abel's Ark is to the Imaginary Number Domain of the universe what Abel is to the Lower Domain, and in going through the U.M.N. without protection, he came in contact with U-DO and saw what everyone who saw U-DO had seen: the end of everything, the destruction of the Universe caused if Anima were to not activate and the Collective Unconscious collapse. However, Yuriev mistakenly thought the end was caused by U-DO itself, explaining his future behavior.

That vision was an unbearable fear for him. The extreme and absolute fear and terror he felt at the time resulted in lifelong trauma. But, due to that, he also came to understand that it was this very fear that served as the shackles that bound humans to the human domain, and by conquering fear, he could become a super-human existence. In order for that goal to be fulfilled, Yuriev sought the Relics of God. By collecting the Relics of God, he would ascend to the Upper Domain. He tried to challenge what ancient civilizations could not accomplish. Yuriev's contact with U-DO motivated him to create and assemble the hundreds of U.R.T.V.s in the hope of obliterating U-DO entirely.

Yuriev told the Federation government that U-DO was an artificial consciousness or A.I. linked to the U.M.N. that was carrying some kind of dangerous waves. That was a complete lie, told in order to hide the fact that U-DO was something he did not entirely understand.

By coming into contact with U-DO, Yuriev had acquired a special ability: the ability of possession of consciousness. In other words, by being able to move his own consciousness into another person's flesh, he could plan for longevity using mental transfer.

Yuriev's quest for the destruction of U-DO overwhelms any sympathy he may have had for human life or for his U.R.T.V. "children"; in Episode II he reveals to Jr. that he would have considered the loss of Old Miltia acceptable if U-DO had been destroyed.

Draper and Jacob Medical Imprinting[]

In T.C. 4591, the Draper region of Abraxas was opened up to private use by Dmitri Yuriev after a branch of the Yuriev Institute was built there. Every private business in the biotechnology sector set up shop in the area, hoping to exploit the new benefits provided by the Life Recycling Act in a region closely linked with Yuriev.

As expected from the above situation, most of the businesses located there were emerging branches of private industries, but government-owned nursing plants like J.M.I. also existed there. This was Yuriev's plan from the start; he ultimately induced all information related to biotechnology to concentrate itself around J.M.I..

J.M.I. (Jacob Medical Imprinting) is an artificial placenta facility in the Draper section of planet Abraxas. Later, in the 4600s, this facility was shut down when the Life Recycling Law was abolished following the slaughter of a huge number of fetuses by Voyager. All information that had been gathered by the facility was confiscated by the Yuriev Institute and is said to have later formed the cornerstone of raising the U.R.T.V.s.

Xenosaga: Pied Piper[]

Yuriev zora 2

Yuriev and his secretary Zora discuss the collection of the endorphin drug.

In Xenosaga: Pied Piper, Yuriev is high-placed in the Federation. He stays in the shadows, and is seen working with Voyager before Voyager decides to work for Wilhelm. Yuriev is therefore referred to as being the first Voyager. Yuriev also supplied thyroid stimulation drugs to Erich.

Yuriev also has an android secretary named Zora. It is unknown what happened to Zora, as she is only seen in Pied Pier.

Yuriev Institute[]

Demonstration_for_Helmer

Demonstration for Helmer

Yuriev, Helmer and Juli with the U.R.T.V.s.

Before the events of the games, Yuriev founded the Yuriev Institute where he created 669 U.R.T.V. units based on his own genes, including the four variants, Rubedo, Albedo, Citrine, and Nigredo. Yuriev was also apparently an acquaintance of Helmer, who was disturbed by the Yuriev Institute's treatment of its child soldiers and arranged for the rescue of Jr. and Gaignun during the Miltian Conflict.


After fourteen years of training, he used them to help study Sakura Mizrahi, the daughter of Juli Mizrahi, who was suffering from a congenital brain defect caused by a type of obstruction in her neural pathways. Given his disregard for human life, it seems likely that Yuriev saw Sakura's medical condition as an opportunity to test the U.R.T.V.s' capabilities against U-DO, rather than having any genuine interest in her well-being.

Regardless of the alleged treatments at the Yuriev Institute, Sakura died saving Albedo from an attacking U-DO wave in her subconscious.[4] Yuriev then informed Joachim Mizrahi of the incident directly, and this resulted in Joachim changing his plans for MOMO.[citation needed] He now hoped to revive his daughter's consciousness into MOMO, instead of using MOMO to provide Sakura a way to communicate with the world.

Miltian Conflict[]

During the Miltian Conflict, the U.R.T.V.s are later sent to Miltia in order to fight U-DO; however, Jr. abandons the mission in fear of destroying the planet. This leads to the destruction of all of the non-Variant U.R.T.V. units when they become infected by U-DO.

Some time during these events, at the Yuriev Institute, Dmitri Yuriev is killed by Gaignun via gunshot in T.C. 4753.

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse[]

Give your commander a message for me. I’m not going to die. Not now, not ever.
—Yuriev to Pelligri
Doctor_Yuriev's_Children

Doctor Yuriev's Children

In a flashblack, Yuriev watches as Rubedo meets Juli Mizrahi.

Yuriev appears in flashbacks at the Yuriev Institute with Juli Mizrahi.

In this episode, Yuriev finally "awakens" and possesses Gaignun's body. Afterward he calls a Salvator Faction member, and is informed of the situation with U-DO.

Yuriev appeared in a video call seen by Pellegri, in which he presumably shoots and kills one of U-TIC's operatives in the S.O.C.E.[5]

Xenosaga_Episode_II_HD_Cutscene_60_-_Father_and_Son_-_ENGLISH

Xenosaga Episode II HD Cutscene 60 - Father and Son - ENGLISH

After a flashback of Dmitri Yuriev being killed by Gaignun when he was a child, Yuriev possesses present-day Gaignun.

He then appears in another call with Jr. on the Durandal. Yuriev reveals that Albedo is going to attempt to contact U-DO again, and orders Jr. to prevent this from occurring by "eliminating the target". Jr. claims that he will make Albedo pay, but not by killing him. Yuriev seems satisfied with this answer and tells Jr. that he awaits his results.

Once the video transmission ends, Gaignun regains control of his body long enough to say to an empty room that Jr. should not trust his words.

Between Episode II and Episode III[]

It is unknown how long Gaignun regained control of his body. During Episode III, Yuriev appears to have assumed total control over him. Yuriev reunites with Citrine and with his followers of the Salvator Faction; thanks to them he solidifies his power over the Federation Government and the military.

Yuriev meets Abel, but fails to recognize that Abel was an observational terminal of U-DO.[citation needed]

Yuriev begins working with Sellers, although it's possible they knew each other before this.

Thanks to his influence in the Federation Parliament, he moves the Zohar Project under his control. Under his supervision, the Zohar Project changed from a project to restore Lost Jerusalem to one to destroy Ormus and the Gnosis. The Strategic Integrated Warship Merkabah and Ω Res Novae were completed under his direction.

Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra[]

Dmitri_Yuriev_(Durandal_Isolation_Hangar)

Dmitri Yuriev (Durandal Isolation Hangar)

Yuriev reveals his plans to link with U-DO.

After Shion summons Abel's Ark, Yuriev takes control of the Durandal while Shion's team was exploring the Merkabah. Yuriev and his soldiers kill nearly every crew member except for Mary and Shelley Godwin, whom he uses to gain the Arbiter code to access the Zohar Emulators in the isolation hangar. He is surprised to see Juli Mizrahi on the Durandal. With the Zohar Emulators under his control, he crashes the Durandal into Abel's Ark, causing the ship's destruction. He does all of this in hopes of using the Zohar to become a god himself.

DmitriInfected

Yuriev, infected by U-DO's waves.

Once on the Ark, Yuriev uses the Zohar Emulators to awaken the Original Zohar, and Ω Res Novae then absorbs it. After losing to the party in battle, he joins with Ω Res Novae, turning it into its true form, Ω Metempsychosis.

DmitriOmega

Yuriev merging with Ω Res Novae.

After another battle, Albedo appears and teleports Abel and the Original Zohar to Michtam. With Abel gone, Yuriev loses his power. Albedo and Jr. then form the Spiritual Link to destroy Yuriev. Albedo's plan was originally to form the link with Jr. and force Gaignun's consciousness into Jr.'s body. However, Gaignun instead transfers Albedo's consciousness into Jr.'s, and sacrifices himself to destroy Dmitri once and for all.

Boss Fight[]

Ⓦ_Xenosaga_Episode_3_Walkthrough_-_Dmitri_Yuriev_Boss_Fight

Ⓦ Xenosaga Episode 3 Walkthrough - Dmitri Yuriev Boss Fight

Dmitri Yuriev and Abel.

The fight against Yuriev is one of the more complex and interesting battles in the game. The player's overall goal is to deal damage to Yuriev while holding back his ability to gain Boost. Not only is Boost a bad thing for enemies to have anyway, but in this case Omega Res Novae is the one able to wield Boost that is gained in this battle. When Yuriev gets to 3/3 Boost, Omega Res Novae gets to make attacks.

Dmitri's big ace is that he has a Telekinetic Wave that deals area-of-effect damage to the group and delivers tons of Break damage as well. None of the player's anti-Break people can keep up with this. So, have Ziggy or KOS-MOS use Heat and encourage Dmitri to use his pathetic single-target attacks. This won't work all of the time, but it helps.

Once Dmitri gets to 3/3 Boost, Omega Res Novae uses Infititum to blast everyone for fairly high damage. He pulls out this nasty trick at 30% health as well, regardless of his Boost status. This gets even uglier and the player will be forced to heal instead of do anti-Break work unless you can shut down Dmitri's Boost.

At 25%, Yuriev increases the strength of his waves. This is the time to pull out all of the stops. Unleash a wave of Erde Kaiser or heavy Break attacks, then use every bit of Boost to try and knock off this vicious foe.

Note that you can take a long-haul strategy with Dmitri and do many things to prevent his Break moves from succeeding. Use more Break Heals, have one character dedicated to casting Heat each around (preferably, someone who appears close to Dmitri in the rotation) and watch as he fails to accrue Boost. Though this style is slower, it allows group of lower to fight safely through this tough encounter.

Quotes[]

  • "Oh, please. I don't recall raising you U.R.T.V.s to be idiots."
  • "It would be a shame to have to see those beautiful faces twisted in pain now, wouldn't it? So I do hope that you're prepared to talk... voluntarily." (to Mary and Shelley)
  • "Behold this glorious picture! My revenge will begin. My time of victory against his terror has finally come!"
  • "In ancient times, people used to be together with God. People loved God, revered and even feared God. Out of fear of the undying God, they sought divine power. This was a way for the ancients to resist Him. Eventually, they found a method to become gods themselves. We have revived their relics: the Merkabah and the Zohar emulators, as well as Mizrahi's Y Data, which holds the records left behind by the ancients. This holds the instructions, so that we may become gods once again. You see, U-DO is a god of this dimension. If, in fact, God cannot be destroyed, then we shall be the ones to become gods, ourselves. Farewell, my son. I must go now. Remember your great Father!"
  • "I am the first human being to make contact with U-DO through the transfer experiment. I obtained this power then. But along with it, I was implanted with an inescapable fear. I trembled before that fear. I struggled against it and ran. And eventually, I realized that this fear was in fact what shackles people to the human realm. And to overcome that fear requires the power of a god. I sought divine power, and learned it would be granted if the relics of God were brought together as one. That's why I've come here to Michtam. Now, I will transcend the fear of God. I will surpass God's existence! I will obtain Zarathustra that sleeps on Michtam... and ascend to a higher plane, to the realm of God!"
  • "Infected? You don't mean me? Nonsense! This is power! This is the power to surpass God! Yes, and this is only a fraction of my true power! You don't really think that you alone can stop this power, do you?!"
  • "Behold! This is what it means to have the power of a god!"
  • "If I die, so will Nigredo. Can you still point that barrel at me?"
  • "What's wrong, Abel? Do as I command!"
  • "Kill them!"
  • "It will take more than that to defeat me!"
  • "Incinerate them!"
  • "You are the one who doesn't understand, Rubedo. Fear drives evolution. Human beings have used their intelligence to conquer their fears and to obtain power. Oh yes, and this is that power that I speak of! I will teach you... the same fear that Albedo and I received!"

Trivia[]

  • Dmitri Yuriev has extended his own life by projecting his consciousness into the bodies of others. As the first Salvator and the only survivor of the U.M.N. transfer experiments, he gained this ability when he made contact with U-DO. He tells Sellers he has existed for hundreds of years.[1]
  • According to the timeline, Yuriev existed by T.C. 4591.
  • Yuriev's ability to use mental transfer to stay alive is very similar to Grahf's power in Xenogears, which he also acquired during contact with the Wave Existence through the Zohar.
  • Yuriev was referenced in a flashback in Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed as councilperson from the Minos Authority. It can be assumed that he created the Salvatore faction (or "Saviorite" in the English translation) as a rebel group because of the contents of this radio show.

References[]


Gallery[]

Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse[]

Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra[]

Xenosaga: Pied Piper[]

  1. Jr. calling Yuriev くそ親父 in Xenosaga Episode III
  2. Xenosaga III: Perfect Guide, Section 08, Why was there Contact with U-Do through the UMN Organic Transference Experiments?
  3. Sellers:   "A large number of designer children were created for the live transfer experiments of organic beings during the early stages of the U.M.N. Dmitri Yuriev was one of them. That man is the original Salvator." Jr.:   "My father is the original Salvator?!" Sellers:   "He's the only one who ever returned alive from the transfer experiments. He made contact with U-DO within the U.M.N., and was overcome with fear. But in exchange, he also gained a special power... the same one that all URTVs have. The ability to transfer his mind to others."
  4. Sakura's death scene in Xenosaga I & II (Nintendo DS)
  5. Yuriev presumably shoots U-TIC's operative in S.O.C.E.
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