Shinryu, the Divine Dragon Tropes

The ancient dragon that dwells in the Dimensional Rift. Like Cid of The Lufaine, Shinryu also has a role of much greater importance in this game.

Voiced by: ???????? (Japanese), ??????? (English)

Ascended Extra: Originally Shinryu was just a Bonus Boss, and no other game gave him a larger role than that. Here, Shinryu may be the most powerful being in existence.

Bigger Bad: The actual cause of the cycles of war, but you never even see his proper form, just a glowing aura representing him.

Crystal Dragon Jesus: In a very literal sense, though he isn't worshiped as the trope usually indicates, nor is he particularly benevolent.

Deal with the Devil: With Cid in the very beginning. He's the devil in this arrangement.

Hoist by His Own Petard: He intended to perfect Chaos into the ultimate destructive weapon. In Scenario 000, he gets exactly what he asked for — unfortunately, it worked far too well for him, as now Feral Chaos is targeting him next. It's only thanks to the Cosmos' Warrior's that he got out of it.
Do remember that as noted above with Feral Chaos, it's unknown if that was the real Shinryu or a version of him in the nightmare world. For all we know the real him never suffered in the slightest.

Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons

Karma Houdini: As Chaos' last words after Feral Chaos loses reveal, Shinryu has departed to the Rift, having escaped punishment for his actions and even absorbing the last of Chaos' power before he left.
That is, if you don't count his appearance as a Bonus Boss in Final Fantasy V, where you can at least let Bartz pay him back.

Kick the Dog: Cid does something he considers a breach of the deal that doesn't actually threaten his interests? He puts him in a nightmare world.

Lonely at the Top: Suggested as much in Inward Chaos, Shinryu implies that he wishes to witness things "not from above, but as you do", addressing Cid. This kind of Heel-Face Turn in his personality indicates what could be considered partial justification of the Karma Houdini act he pulls.

Narrator All Along: In Inward Chaos.

Meaningful Name: "Divine Dragon".

Altum Videtur: as Shinryu Verus in Scenario 000.

Mythology Gag: When Feral Chaos uses Shinryu as his summon, his summon effects are changed from being random to using the same effects as Chaos' original four fiends.

Neutral No Longer: Once Cid threw in his lot with Cosmos after the twelfth cycle, Shinryu considered their deal broken and took his revenge against him.

Not-So-Harmless Villain: In Scenario 000, Shinryu is angered by Cid siding with Cosmos after the 12th cycle and traps him in a nightmare world where Chaos reigns supreme.

One-Winged Angel: In Scenario 000, Feral Chaos summons Shinryu Verus.

Our Dragons Are Different

Powers That Be: Clearly more powerful than Cosmos or Chaos, themselves gods, and may not even have a true physical form, his only in-game appearance being that of an Energy Being.

Purposefully Overpowered: When summoned, it randomly uses more powerful versions of the other summons' abilities. Unlike the other summons, Shinryu can also be used multiple times in the span of one battle. Too bad only Chaos can use it.

Reality Warper

Status Quo Is God: Whenever Cosmos or Chaos die, Shinryu simply revives the fallen god/goddess, returns the universe to its original state, and restarts the war in order to (presumably) prevent the balance between harmony and discord from getting out of hand, although we find out in Inward Chaos that this is simply to refine Chaos into the ultimate force of destruction. Scenario 000 reveals that that he succeeded. Too well.
-Scenario 000 also revealed that he did not revive the dead like Cid thought, but actually absorbed the strength and memories of warriors that had yet to die, then returned them to the fight. Once they had nothing left to give, he erases them.

You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: The reason he revives the fallen warriors is because he absorbs their memories of the cycles to grow stronger when they die. Doesn't matter which side you fight for or how many cycles you've been around, if he decides reviving you isn't worth it anymore, then he lets you die.