Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


The Protagonist

The main character of the game, he is a high-ranking military officer, his nationality depending on the game region (i.e. in the North American version, he is a US Marine). As per Shin Megami Tensei tradition, he is player-named and is silent except for player-selected dialogue choices.

  • Badass:
    • Badass Normal: Jimenez actually remarks you must be something to this effect when you kill him in the Neutral path.
    • Future Badass: You winding up saving your past self from getting your ass kicked by a rampaging Yggdrasil.
    • Submissive Badass: You may be The Hero, but you are always following someone else's orders, whether it be Gore, Arthur, Mastema/The Three Wise Men/Zelenin, or Mem Aleph/Jimenez/Louisa Ferre. Regardless, you are acknowledged as the most dangerous guy on the team of whomever you follow.
  • The Captain: You effectively become this for the Strike Team after Gore field promotes you before dying and Arthur signs off on it.
  • Dude, Where's My Respect?: Averted. Regardless of what path you choose to follow, your allies will cheer you on as you get closer to the end of the game, especially on the Neutral path. Prior to this, you are always asked your opinion, and it almost always winds up being taken into consideration. Furthermore, the demons steadily come to regard you as the single greatest threat on the Strike Team, and outright panic when you arrive in the final area.
  • Evil Laugh: Implied in the Chaos route, when Jimenez comes back to the Red Sprite after you defeat Gore. "...[You]!? Did you just laugh!?"
  • The Hero
  • Last-Name Basis: Unusually for a Megami Tensei game, you're referred to by your last name most of the time—even in menus and the battle screen, your last name is shown instead of your first. It makes sense, as you're a military officer.
    • First-Name Basis: Your crewmates, however, tend to go by your first name outside of briefings.
  • The Messiah: What you become for humanity in the Neutral path.
  • Race Lift: A more subtle example. Your appearance doesn't change, but what country you're comes from depends on what region of the game you're playing (Japanese for Japanese version, American for North American version, etc).
  • The Stoic: You are actually commended by your teammates for not cracking under the strain, and this results in many members of the human good guys looking up to your character as a role model.
  • You Are in Command Now: After Gore's death.

Gore

The commanding officer of the Red Sprite, and overall leader of the Schwarzwelt Investigation Team. He is a born leader, and greatly respected by the crew.

{{spoiler:Against the wishes of the crew, he accompanies the MC on his mission to rescue Jimenez from the demon Orias, but is mortally wounded in the battle. Before dying, he places the MC in charge of the mission and begs him to stop the Schwarzwelt.

He later returns as a Ubergestalt, thanks to the energies of the Schwarzwelt. His experiences have only reinforced his faith in humanity, essentially making him the Neutral Hero of the game.}}

  • Badass Normal: He very nearly defeats Orias singlehandly. Too bad Orias decided to play dirty.
  • Bald Black Leader Guy: Not a hair on his head, and he's the commanding officer of the expedition. Per the trope, he has a very commanding presence and even takes to the field.
  • The Big Guy
  • Black Dude Dies First: That is until...
    • Unexplained Recovery: However, it is Mother Maia who brings him back to life. Though how she did it is unknown.
  • Climax Boss: In the final sector, you meet up with him and he gets ready to discuss his plans to destroy the Schwartzwelt. If you are devoutly Lawful or Chaotic, or don't answer his alignment questions in a Neutral manner, he deems you too far off the deep end and fights you. Following his death, Arthur self-terminates, the Red Sprite is left in a state of disrepair, and Jimemez or Zelenin (depending on your alignment) storm the Red Sprite and work their brainwashing mojo.
  • A Father to His Men: The crew holds him in high esteem, and he cares deeply for them, as evidenced by him personally joining the Strike Team to find Jimenez.
  • Spirit Advisor: In the Neutral path. He's much more of an antagonist in the Law and Chaos paths.
  • Take Up My Sword: Commander Gore puts you in charge of the mission before he dies.

Zelenin

A Russian scientist assigned as the First Lieutenant to the observation crew of the Elve. Her appointment was one of the first made in preparation for the Schwarzwelt operation. She is a friendly and intelligent thinker, and dedicated to the mission.

{{spoiler:After crashlanding in the Schwarzwelt, Zelenin and the rest of the Elve crew were abducted by the demon general Mitra, who used the crew as test subjects for his experiments. As a result of all she'd seen and heard while in Mitra's custody, she hates demons and refuses to work with them under any circumstances.

However, she is persuaded by Mastema that angels are different from the demons she hates, and accepts their help. As she witnesses the atrocities committed by Jack Squad, she loses faith in humanity and falls under the thrall of Mastema. She eventually accepts an offer from him to transform into an angelic being, becoming the Law Hero of Strange Journey}}.

  • Apocalypse Maiden: If the forces of Law have their way, any surviving humans judged "worthy" of living in the Lawful Earth will live forever under the thrall of Zelenin's song, which deprives all living things of their sentient will.
  • The Chick: Would be The Smart Guy if Arthur didn't already take the position.
  • Evil Makeover: YMMV on whether it's inverted or not.
  • Fantastic Racism: Because of her ordeal in Bootes, Zelenin hates demons, refusing to work with them regardless of the circumstances and viewing them only as tools for the study of the Schwarzwelt. The irony is, however, that she happily accepts support from Mastema's angels... even though, by Megaten terminology, angels are demons like any other, just with a different alignment.
  • Final Boss: In the Chaos route only.
  • One-Winged Angel: Judge Zelenin/Pillar Zelenin. Which invoke Creepy Cool Crosses (see this image.
  • To the Pain: From being abused by demons and having to see and hear her comrades suffer during their imprisonment by Mitra.
  • Unwitting Pawn: To Mastema's devious plotting. Worse, she never realized she was being manipulated, and happily fell in line with the Law faction's wishes.
  • World of Silence: What she wants to create.

Jimenez

An American mercenary who once served as an army officer. He signed up for the Schwarzwelt operation for the money, and serves on the Blue Jet's strike team. Though highly skilled, he has a severe attitude problem and cares more about survival than completing the mission.

{{spoiler:He is the sole survivor of the Blue Jet after it crash-lands in Antlia and is attacked by demons. He is rescued by the MC and joins the crew of the Red Sprite. Over time, he grows fond of one of his demons, Bugaboo, only for them both to be captured by Jack Squad and used in their experiments to create living weapons. After they mortally wound Bugaboo, Jimenez fuses his body with Bugaboo both to save its life, and to take vengeance on Jack.

In his new half-demon form, Jimenez becomes the Chaos Hero of the game, growing to enjoy his new powers and eventually leaving to live alongside his demonic brethren}}.

  • Barrier Change Boss: As Soil Jimenez.
  • Clothing Damage: Permanent after fusing with Bugaboo.
  • Cluster F-Bomb: Prone to this.
    • His favorite curse word in particular seems to be "shit".
  • Deadpan Snarker: He's quite caustic, to say the least.
  • Gratuitous Spanish: Prone to saying "Ay Dios mio!" ("Oh my God!") whenever it gets worse. Made all the funnier because, of course, he becomes the representative of the Chaos faction, which is vehemently anti-God.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: After fusing with Bugaboo.
  • Jerkass: Oh yes.
    • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He starts to become this after recruiting Bugaboo.
      • He becomes friendly with the MC, and later says that the MC is essentially the only crew member he gives a damn about.
  • The Lancer: Especially if the protagonist goes the Chaos path.
  • Marked Change: His strange tattoos (with a vaguely religious motif), just barely visible under his Demonica, become quite noticeable once he has shed his clothes and fused with Bugaboo.
  • Mask Power: As Awakened Jimenez.
  • Not Good with People: He's extremely antisocial and prone to offending his colleagues with his cynicism. The Protagonist seems to be his only genuine friend in the crew.
  • One-Winged Angel: Awakened Jimenez/Soil Jimenez.
  • Only in It For the Money: Toward the beginning of the game, he doesn't care much about saving the world, only being paid. He warms up later on.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: His interest in the mission decreases exponentially the moment he becomes a half-demon, until he reaches a point where he abandons it altogether and leaves, presumably to live in the Schwarzwelt alongside the demons.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: Awakened Jimenez.

Arthur

The virtual intelligence of the Red Sprite. After Gore's death, he becomes the main strategist of the investigation, and is a stalwart ally of the protagonist no matter what path he takes.

  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Noticeably averted.
  • Catch Phrase: "I look forward to the successful completion of your mission."
  • Heroic RROD: His personality matrix shuts down in the Law and Chaos routes after Gore is defeated.
  • Heroic Sacrifice: In the Neutral ending, kind of.
  • Mission Control
  • The Smart Guy
  • The Stoic: Manages to always remain calm and collected despite the many horrors the team encounters. It comes with being a machine.
  • What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Both the crew of the Red Sprite and the inhabitants of the Schwarzwelt question Arthur's existence as an independent being with a soul due to, yes, being a machine (he's referred to as a "ghost cast in circuits"). The former are a lot more open-minded and consider him one of their own; the latter hold nothing but disdain for him.

Other Red Sprite Personnel

  • Americans Are Cowboys: Irving is very obviously from Texas.
  • For Science!: Irving and Chen are a benign version of this who are mostly Heroic Neutral. They get geeked out of their minds over all the forma they can mess with, and Irving gets borderline creepy over how obsessed he is, but the both of them also have limits in that they consider the actions of the resident Mad Scientists in the game horrifying, and unless you pick Law or Chaos, they remain loyal members of the Red Sprite Team.
  • Gadgeteer Genius: Irving and Chen take material that would probably perplex MacGyver himself and make all sorts of armor and death-dealing weapons out of it.
  • Hopeless Suitor: Anthony. Oh so much.
  • Interspecies Romance: Anthony really wants to get into one.
  • The Medic: Zoe and Maebe usually staff the Sickbay area, though Wolf occasionally fills Maebe's spot.
  • Only Sane Man: In the Law and Chaos paths, Dent is arguably the least affected by the brainwashing or Hate Plague of whoever you sided with; most of his personality is still intact. Justified, as several EX Missions would be Lost Forever otherwise.
  • Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: Over time, crew morale goes downward and differences become a problem, especially in later sectors, until ultimately some of them leave to follow Jimenez or Zelenin. In the Neutral path, Gore's resurrection and reunion with the crew brings everyone to Manly Tears and gets everyone hyped up for the end of the mission, to the point where everyone is cheering you on to go beat the snot out of the Final Boss.
  • Southern-Fried Genius: Irving. Ye gods, Irving.
  • Those Two Guys: The areas of the Red Sprite have at least two people in the same room at any one time who are usually working together, though Blair disappears from the deck screen towards the end of the game.

Bugaboo

A simple demon that the team encounters in Sector Bootes. Because he is a "half breed", he was tortured and experimented on by Mitra's servants just like the humans. During the final raid on Mitra's palace, the Protagonist and Jimenez encounter and rescue Bugaboo from his tormentors, and he becomes Jimenez's demon. When he and Jimenez are captured by Jack Squad, he is mortally wounded by the Squad's experiments due to his low constitution. Desperate to save him, Jimenez convinces the Protagonist to fuse them together so that Bugaboo may "live on" through Jimenez.

  • Hybrid Monster: This is the reason Mitra's minions were experimenting on him. The other half of his DNA? Human. Why this is never quite gets explained, though it's implied Mitra and his followers created him for experimental purposes.
  • I Owe You My Life: The reason Bugaboo is intensely loyal to Jimenez. During the investigation of Sector D, he gets to repay the favor, but he never strays from Jimenez' care.
  • Mascot Mook: He's this for Strange Journey in the Shin Megami Tensei franchise.
  • Morality Pet: To Jimenez.
  • Pokémon-Speak: Although he does learn to speak broken English over time.

Captain Jack

The British leader of a mercenary squad called, appropriately enough, Jack's Squad. He claims to have come to the Schwarzwelt in order to make a profit, but a lot of the crew suspects that he has an ulterior motive. They're right. In reality, he seeks to turn the demons of the Schwarzwelt into living weapons, and conducts horrific experiments on them to this end. After capturing Jimenez and openly stating his intention to experiment on him as well, the Protagonist leads an assault on Jack's base and defeats him in combat. He is then killed by the newly demon-fused Jimenez.

  • Affably Evil: Even before he tries to kill you, he admits dismay that you couldn't be friends.
  • Evil Brit: Acts rather gentlemanly and has a British accent, still not called a human version of Mithras for nothing.
  • Evil Counterpart: To Strike Team and the Protagonist in particular. The Strike team wants to research the Schwarzelt to find a way to sop it, Jack and his Squad want to exploit it for resources and a demon army.
  • Expy: He's basically a human version of Mitra.
  • Humans Are the Real Monsters: If you ever thought only the Demons would go as far as doing experiments on their victims, Jack will prove you wrong.
  • Karmic Death: Jimenez became half demon thanks to Jack's own technology, so he was essentially defeated by his own experiments.
    • Subverted. The only reason the fusion succeeded was because you plugged your Demonica into it to power the fusion. Jack's squad was using a VERY flawed method of demon fusion and while it did produce results, there was a reason why the only demons you see under their control are mostly abominations like Ghouls, Legions, Slimes and Pisacas.
  • Mad Scientist: His methods are, for the lack of a better term, comparable to the standard Aperture Science employee.
  • Only in It For the Money

Ryan

A member of Jack Squad, and Captain Jack's second in command. After Jack's death, he insists that he'll go straight, but it turns out this is a ruse. He takes command of the remnants of Jack Squad, and plans to use Jack's technology to create a "Demon Army" to use for his own purposes. Before he can do this, however, Zelenin, recently reborn an Angel, uses her brainwashing "hymm" to pacify him. He is then either killed in the Chaos path, or never seen again in the Law and Neutral paths.

The Three Wise Men

A trio of angels that appear to the protagonist in a dream when he first enters the Schwarzwelt. They are essentially the leaders of the forces of Law in Strange Journey.

Mastema

An Angel with pitch black wings that serves the Three Wise Men. The Wise Men has tasked him with finding a human capable of creating a "Kingdom of Heaven" on Earth, and seems to have his eye on Zelenin for this very purpose. However, he may have his own plans for Zelenin...

  • Ambition Is Evil: His goal is for the Lord to bless him with a form superior to Angels.
  • Dark Is Evil and Light Is Not Good: His appearance is darker than most Angels even having black wings. Though he is still a Angel and is Light Aligned.
  • The Dragon: To the Wise Men.
  • Expy: For Satan as he is portrayed in Shin Megami Tensei 2. Unsurprisingly, given that the two names seem to refer to the same being (or at least two very similar beings) in Hebrew folklore.
  • Glowing Eyes of Doom: During the fight against him in the Chaos path, his eyes suddenly start giving off an eerie blue light. And he's somehow grown to twice his height.
  • It's All About Me: The Chaos route reveals that he only cares about advancing his own personal power/status, and doesn't give a damn about humanity or the Wise Men's desire for a "Kingdom of Heaven".
  • Karma Houdini: Frustratingly, he's the only antagonist in the Neutral path that doesn't get what he deserves.
    • YMMV. You kill Zelenin, completely destroying his plans. Mastema is terrified when he sees you after the battle. Do you really think YHVH will let him off the hook for this?
  • Knight Templar: He is on the side of Law, after all.
  • Manipulative Bastard: Considering he's named after the angel of HOSTILITY, consider this a non-surprise for people who looked up the name on That Other Wiki.
  • Motive Rant: Gives a particularly hate filled one during his Villainous Breakdown in the Chaos path.
  • Screw This, I'm Outta Here: In the Neutral route.
  • The Unfought: In the Neutral path.
  • Villainous Breakdown: In the Neutral path, he calmly accepts his plan's failure, warns the protagonist that he hasn't seen the last of him, and leaves without conflict. In the Chaos route, however, he completely loses it and tries to kill the protagonist himself.

Morax

The demon leader of Sector Antlia. Wants to lead a demon army out of the Schwartzwelt to eradicate mankind.

Mitra

The demon leader of Sector Bootes. Offers citizenry to the new empire he envisions to the Red Sprite personnel.

  • Affably Evil: Till you cross him a time too many.
  • An Ice Person: Has Mabufudyne as one of his attacks. Mithras has Ice Breath.
  • An Offer You Can't Refuse: His offer of citizenry in the future world he believes will come with the destruction of Earth.
  • Bishounen: Unlike the other tyrants, who are either bestial or primal, Mithras is conspicuously dainty and pretty.
  • Evil Tower of Ominousness: The Palace of Pleasure in Bootes.
  • Fallen Angel: His true form Mithras is part of the Fallen Clan which is made up of only Fallen Angels.
  • Irony: Has a attack called Light of Order despite being a Dark demon of Chaos.
  • Mad Scientist: His biological experimentation makes most of these look sane by comparison.
  • One-Winged Angel: Mithras.
  • Revenge: Against the Protagonist for killing him.
  • Smug Snake: Believes himself to be superior to the humans in every sense.
  • Standard Status Effects: His Waking Dream attack can cause Strain, which drains MP.
  • Villainous Breakdown: He completely loses his marbles when confronted in his Palace and when shifting into Mithras in Fornax.
  • "Wake-Up Call" Boss: Let's see, he has Light of Order, a One-Hit Kill to one of your demons in a game where putting a dead demon back in action takes 2 turns (one to revive, another to re-summon) unless you have a particular rare item or late-game spell that cuts that down to one turn, as well as Mabufudyne, a third-degree all-targeting ice spell, when you're lucky to have Bufula and Mabufu at this point.

Horkos

The demon leader of Sector Carina. Wants to eat everything in the human world.

Asura

The demon leader of Sector Delphinus. Wants to preserve humanity... after "polishing" their spirits into mindless violence.

  • Beauty Is Bad: In both forms. But especially Asherah.
  • Blondes Are Evil: As Asherah.
  • Down in the Dumps: Sector Delphinus.
  • Gender Bender: His true form is the Goddess Asherah.
  • Hannibal Lecture: Attempts this on Zelenin.
  • Hate Plague: His Delphinus Parasite form does this to anyone they infect as well as his attack Asura Roga.
  • Invisible Monsters: Unlike the other three, Asura will be invisible and prevent you from going further in Fornax until you upgrade the enemy search.
  • Light Is Not Good: The only one amongst the Tyrants whose true form is Light aligned.
  • One-Winged Angel: Asherah in Fornax.
  • Our Giants Are Bigger: Asura is large even when compared to other demons. Asherah is even bigger.
  • Revenge: Against the Protagonist for killing him.
  • Social Darwinist: He considers Law to do nothing but succor the weak... who are meant to die quickly. All loving the weak does is inflict decay upon the strong... and so, weaken and defile the world entire. Yes, you read that correctly: he essentially considers sympathy and kindness to be evil.
  • Taken for Granite: His body is turned to stone while his soul takes the form of the Delphinus Parasite.

Ouroboros Maia

The Mother Goddess in charge of Sector Eridanus.

Tiamat

The Mother Goddess in charge of Sector Fornax. She plans on giving birth to a endless army of demons faster than mankind can kill them.

  • An Ice Person: Uses Glacial Blast, Mabufudyne and Mother Earth.
  • Anthropomorphic Personification: Of the sea.
  • Back from the Dead: She gives birth to the Four Tyrants that you defeat earlier in the story.
  • Dark Is Evil: Naturally as the only mother who is Dark aligned.
  • Eldritch Abomination: Appears as the top half of a female like figure made of stone which is her head.
  • Mook Maker: She's been giving birth to many of the demons you face in random encounters.
  • Mother of a Thousand Young: She serves this purpose the most, being a living 3D printer mass producing demons of all faiths as endless legions.
  • No Cure for Evil: Averted. She has Pure Blue the same spell that Jack can use and will use Diarahan if you reflect any of her attacks using spells or items.
  • Our Dragons Are Different: A giant humanoid woman with a smaller torso for a head, multiple snake-like tendrils, and a vagina situated at her upper torso's lower half.

Maya

The Mother Goddess in charge of Sector Grus. Once she traveled through the dreams of man and made those dreams a reality. But now that man's dreams are only filled with greed, rot and destruction, she sees no other option except the complete annihilation of humanity.

Mem Aleph

The entity at the center of the Schwarzwelt; a Mother Goddess and the leader of the forces of Chaos in this game. According to Gore, she once mothered human spirits, but has since decided to turn on them.

  • Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: In the Chaos ending, she effectively becomes one with the demonic Earth and everything in it.
  • Big Bad: Arguably, considering she created the Schwartzwelt.
  • Clipped-Wing Angel: Subverted. In her "Empty" form, she has been reduced to an embryonic figure encased in a small, technicolor orb, but unless you know what you're doing, she will kick your ass.
  • Final Boss: On the Law and Neutral routes only.
  • Humanoid Abomination: Her main form in the game. Which is suggested to not even be her true form.
  • Knight Templar: Her ultimate reason for instigating the Schwartzwelt (in this and all prior occurrences) is that she has judged civilization to be too harmful for Mother Earth, and beyond redemption or forgiveness.
  • Mother of a Thousand Young: The Mother of Creation from which all life on Earth originates and the Mother of All Demons/Gods.
  • One-Hit Kill: MA. Basically, Mitra's Light of Order, but it can also target the protagonist. And heal her, although that doesn't matter much when it turns the battle into a Luck-Based Mission.
  • One-Winged Angel: Empty Mem Aleph.
  • One Bad Mother: She's the leader of the Mother Goddesses and also their mother.
  • Our Giants Are Bigger: She was so large, she couldn't fit on the original games screen. Redux finally has her fit and she's still quite large.
  • Taking You with Me: After you've vanquished her natural form and reduced her to her "Empty" form, she's nothing but "naked power", incapable of creating a new world from the Schwartzwelt... but more than capable of annihilating you before succumbing to her fate.
  • The Unfought: In the Chaos path. Naturally because by then, you have become her ally.
  • You Cannot Grasp the True Form: ...until you're given the "brilliance" needed to see her.
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