Shin Megami Tensei I/Characters

The Hero
The Hero is a guy who lives an ordinary life until he receives the Demon Summoning Program. The first of many silent protagonists.


 * Badass: We're talking about a human with no special traits other than being selected by an old man to suffer the trial.
 * The Beast Master
 * Dark Messiah: In every path. Saving the world means destroying everyone who opposes your vision for it.
 * Guns Akimbo: He has two handguns holstered on his sides.
 * I Have Many Names: A meta example. He's given the name:
 * Kazuya in Shin Megami Tensei Character Profile: Steven Report I,
 * Sho in Shin Megami Tensei Final Story: Atlus Official Replay Novel, and
 * Futsuo in Kazuma Kaneko Complete Illustration Works.
 * Katanas Are Just Better: Pictured with one in concept art.
 * Like a Fish Takes To Water: He really dealt well with the fact he'd have to fight demons for the rest of his life eh?
 * Living Legend: In Shin Megami Tensei II. Not only did he help rebuild Japan after the events of the first game, but also has a statue of his achievement as the "First Champion" in the Colloseum.
 * Magnetic Hero
 * Neutral Good: Canonically. He's of Light morality, and the sequel is based on him choosing the Neutral Ending.
 * Powers As Programs
 * Reincarnation:
 * Silent Protagonist
 * Wrongly Accused: Near the beginning of the game, he is arrested for the murder of a man killed by a demon.
 * Wrongly Accused: Near the beginning of the game, he is arrested for the murder of a man killed by a demon.

The Heroine
Leads the resistance movement against Gotou, and teleports the Hero, Law Hero, and Chaos Hero out of Tokyo in a Heroic Sacrifice just before the city is nuked. The fact that she's described as the 'Eve' to the Hero's Adam implies a romantic connection.


 * Action Girl
 * Heroic Sacrifice: Rescuing the male leads from The Tokyo Fireball.
 * I Have Many Names: A meta example. She's known as:
 * Yuka in Shin Megami Tensei Character Profile: Steven Report I,
 * Aoi in Shin Megami Tensei Final Story: Atlus Official Replay Novel,
 * Futsuko in Kazuma Kaneko Complete Illustration Works,
 * Maki Takahara in Crimson Night: Shin Megami Tensei II TRPG Genesis Jumpstart Kit.
 * Light'Em Up: She learns Hama.
 * Shock and Awe
 * Undying Loyalty: No matter what path you take(Chaos, Neutral, Law) shes right there beside you.
 * Zettai Ryouiki
 * Undying Loyalty: No matter what path you take(Chaos, Neutral, Law) shes right there beside you.
 * Zettai Ryouiki

Law Hero
He's lost his girlfriend (who coincidentally has the same name as the Heroine). He later sacrifices himself to save the Hero, but gets reincarnated as the Mesian hero. Starts off kind, bends to Well-Intentioned Extremist, and ends up a Knight Templar.


 * Always Save the Girl: His main motivation at the beginning of the game is to rescue his girlfriend, who was kidnapped as part of an effort to capture the Heroine.
 * Body Horror: Like Chaos Hero, he is a Choujin: a human fused with a demon.
 * Church Militant
 * Crucified Hero Shot: His introduction.
 * Heroic Sacrifice: The first time he dies, he sacrifices himself to save the Hero.
 * I Have Many Names: A meta example. He's given the name of:
 * Yuji in Shin Megami Tensei Character Profile: Steven Report I,
 * Toshiki in Shin Megami Tensei Final Story: Atlus Official Replay Novel,
 * and Yoshio in Kazuma Kaneko Complete Illustration Works, which translates to "good man".
 * Knight Templar
 * Lawful Stupid
 * Light Is Not Good: His Choujin form is that of a young man in a pope outfit.
 * Messianic Archetype: Complete with dying and being resurrected by God.
 * Nice Guy: Before he becomes a messian he was very kind, sympathetic towards others, and the peacemaker of the group.
 * Stupid Sacrifice
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist
 * We Used to Be Friends: He, like Chaos Hero is sad at first if you don't join him. He gets over it quick though.

Chaos Hero
The Hero rescues him from a gangster named Ozawa. The Chaos Hero spends the rest of the game chasing power, going so far as to fuse himself with a demon to gain it. If the player chooses the Chaos path, he ends up Drunk On the Dark Side.


 * Badass Longcoat
 * Body Horror
 * : Chaos path.
 * Drunk On the Dark Side
 * Evil Is Not a Toy
 * I Just Want to Be Badass: Being beaten up everywhere you go does that to a person.
 * I Have Many Names: A meta example. He's given the name:
 * Takeshi in Shin Megami Tensei Character Profile: Steven Report I,
 * Tetsuo in Shin Megami Tensei Final Story: Atlus Official Replay Novel,
 * and Waruo in Kazuma Kaneko Complete Illustration Works, which literally means "bad guy".
 * Playing With Fire
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge:
 * Took a Level In Badass
 * We Used to Be Friends: He says he likes you. But he can't wait for you to join him anymore if you reject the chaos side of things.
 * Weapon of Choice: After the fusion he wields a sweet katana.
 * Weapon of Choice: After the fusion he wields a sweet katana.

Yuriko
Also known as the Rie, the Chaos Heroine, and. Has a teensy bit of an obsession with the Hero, but, well, doesn't get him.


 * All Love Is Unrequited
 * But Thou Must: You're not allowed to choose her as a love interest.
 * If I Can't Have You
 * Murder the Hypotenuse: As soon as the Hero even meets the Heroine, Yuriko kidnaps her and tries to have her executed.
 * Stalker With a Crush
 * Unholy Matrimony: With Chaos Hero.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: Looks like a Palette Swap of your heroine towards the end of the game.
 * Unholy Matrimony: With Chaos Hero.
 * Zettai Ryouiki: Looks like a Palette Swap of your heroine towards the end of the game.

STEVEN
Bears a striking resemblance to Steven Hawking, and wrote the demon summoning program.


 * Genius Cripple
 * Gone Horribly Wrong: Testing of his teleportation program randomly managed to rip a hole in reality that filled the world full of demons.
 * No Celebrities Were Harmed: Totally not Steven Hawking.

Ozawa
The Jerkass gang leader that was beating up the Chaos Hero at the beginning of the game. He allies himself with Gotou, the leader of the coup d'etat that put Tokyo under martial law. After the End, he's a Grumpy Old Man ruling over Shibuya with demonic help.


 * Asshole Victim: When he dies, you really can't feel sorry for him. Even the Law Hero doesn't register a complaint over
 * Delinquents
 * Gang of Bullies: He leads one.
 * Jerkass
 * Schoolyard Bully All Grown Up: After the End
 * Schoolyard Bully All Grown Up: After the End

Louis Cypher
See Shin Megami Tensei.

Old Man/
After demons begin to appear in the streets of Tokyo, the player can go to Inogashira Park and meet an old man who speaks cryptically of the hero gaining great power and of a choice between Law and Chaos. He then conjures up a vision in which the hero, Law Hero and Chaos Hero fight against the devil summoner Douman and are soundly defeated. The vision ends and the old man tells the hero that he is too weak to fight Douman, but that they will likely fight again and that he must be careful.

After arriving in the post-apocalyptic world, the player can find the same old man in Ginza, where he will tell the player to return if no path forward seems possible. If the player then says both Echidna and Haniel, the old man will reveal a secret path to the otherwise inaccessible Cathedral.

Near the end of the game, as the player prepares to battle Archangel Michael or the Asura Lord/Ahura Mazda, the old man reveals himself to be. After both are defeated (at the end of the Neutral path), he appears in the ending to comment on the risks that the plans of Law and Chaos posed to the future of humankind, and urges the player to help shape that future free of the influence of outside forces.


 * Badass Creed: In the Neutral ending, on the need for a balance between Law and Chaos.
 * Neutral Good: He's your ally in the Neutral path.