WARNING: The following contains spoilers for BNA: Brand New Animal, now streaming on Netflix.
BNA: Brand New Animal does not take place in an atheistic universe. The animal gods both humans and beastmen worship all have at least some basis in the show's reality; one of the series' main characters secretly is one of those gods, the legendary Silver Wolf. The existence of gods, however, does not automatically grant legitimacy to organized religion. The main religious group seen in the show, the Silver Wolf Order, is a cult based on lies... and yet it might also be a force for good?
The Silver Wolf Order is introduced in the series' sixth episode, "Fox Waltz." The cult's guru, going by the name of Déesse Louve, is a kitsune able take on the form of the Silver Wolf, a figure already revered throughout Anima City as a 1,000 year old protector of the beastmen. Though the cult's arrival stirs some political controversy over whether they'll be granted residence in the city, practically everyone embraces seeing their supposed savior in the flesh. Traditional folk myths quickly morph into an organized religion.
Michiru, however, sees through the cult's lies, realizing that Déesse Louve is really just Nazuna Hiwatachi, her old friend who has the same shapeshifting powers as herself. Before her transformation into a beastman, Nazuna wanted nothing more than to be a pop idol. Under the instruction of the Silver Wolf Order leader Boris Cliff, she's now an idol of a different sort. More than anything, Nazuna just wants attention and will get it however she can.
When Michiru confronts her old friend about this, however, Nazuna also professes a genuine belief that pretending to be the Silver Wolf is helping the beastmen. Doesn't a population that's been oppressed and downtrodden deserve a source of hope and light? The newfound religious fervor in Anima City also seems to be inspiring morality, as exemplified by the young bear Jackie giving up his life of crime in hopes of a positive afterlife.
Behind the scenes, there's further machinations justifying the Déesse Louve hoax. The Nirvasyl Syndrome, which turns beastmen into rampaging monsters, is activated by excess stress, a factor that only grows riskier as Anima City's population grows. Déesse Louve is keeping that stress under control, in ways that human-founded religions would be incapable of doing so among the beastmen population. In that light, perhaps the religious hoax is truly saving lives. On the other hand, the truth being exposed causes a rapid break-out of Nirvasyl Syndrome, so the potentially protective factor of the lie just doesn't seem worth it in the end.
The real Silver Wolf has been right there in Anima City and protecting beastmankind all along. His true identity is the social worker Shiro Ogami, who's been helping Michiru ever since she came to the city. The source of his immortality and strength is a tragic one: he was the sole survivor of the genocide in the medieval city of Nirvasyl, absorbing the souls of his fellow massacred beastmen into his own. Godhood, it seems, comes from the strength of the people.
In the series finale, after Nirvasyl Syndrome is cured and Michiru, Shirou and Nazuna have teamed up to save the day, Nazuna is able to find a new career as Anima City's official mascot. Even though she lied to everyone about being Silver Wolf, she was forgiven for all that because she was still vital in helping the beastmen.
Not only was Nazuna's blood an ingredient in developing the Nirvasyl Syndrome vaccine, but a video of her comforting a small child during the break-out goes viral and earns her praise. Cheekily, the show leaves it unclear if said video was caught on-the-fly or a specific plan of Nazuna's for attention. However, a good deed is a good deed regardless of how people find out about it. BNA proposes that perhaps people doing good deeds for each other is the true mark of godliness.
BNA: Brand New Animal is now streaming on Netflix.