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Translated as ''True Goddess Reincarnation'' (and also known as simply [[Portmanteau Series Nickname|''MegaTen'']]), [[Long Runner|the
Originally based on a novel series called ''[[Digital Devil Story]]'', the games tend to involve the use of computers (or similar cyberpunk elements) to summon and control demons that are plucked from practically every mythology on the planet. Post-apocalyptic ruins, engaging and heartbreaking storylines and far-out monster designs are cornerstones of the series.
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The games also tend to be [[Nintendo Hard]]. Elemental affinities, buffing and debuffing are much more important here than in regular JRPGs: they can make or break battles. ''[[Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne]]'' introduced the Press Turn battle system to the series, where hitting an enemy's elemental weakness would reward you with more actions while hitting their elemental strengths would cost you actions. In an aversion of [[Useless Useful Spell]], buffing, [[One-Hit Kill|instant death]] and [[Standard Status Effects|ailment]] attacks are both effective and encouraged. Press Turn would go on to be adopted in various forms in the '''''Shin Megami Tensei''''' games that followed, such as the "One More!" system in ''[[Persona 3]]'' and ''[[Persona 4]]''.
The ''Shin Megami Tensei'' series has multiple [[Spin-Off
A very extensive article about the games in the series [http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/megaten/megaten.htm can be found here]. There's also a comprehensive database of all the games [http://shindds.free.fr/index.php in French here].
'''List of games:'''
* ''Kyuuyaku<ref>"Old Testament".</ref> Megami Tensei''
** ''[[Megami Tensei I|Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei]]'' (1987, Japan only)
** ''[[Megami Tensei II|Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II]]'' (1990, Japan only)
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** ''Shin Megami Tensei NINE'' (2002, Japan only)
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne]]'' (2003)
*** ''
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Imagine]]'' (2007/2008)
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey]]'' (2009/2010)
*** ''
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei IV]]'' (2013)
** ''Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse'' (2016)
** ''Shin Megami Tensei V'' (2021)
** ''Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance'' (Estimated 2024)
* ''[[Last Bible]]'' sub-series (1992-1999)
* ''Majin Tensei'' sub-series
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* ''Devil Summoner'' sub-series
** ''Devil Summoner'' (1995, Japan only)
** ''
*** ''[[Soul Hackers]]'' (1997, Japan only, released elsewhere in 2013)
*** ''[[Soul Hackers 2]]'' (2022)
** ''[[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army]]'' (2006)
** ''[[Raidou Kuzunoha VS King Abaddon]]'' (2008)
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*** ''Persona 2: Eternal Punishment'' (2000)
** ''[[Persona 3]]'' (2006)
*** ''[[Persona 3: Dancing in Moonlight]]'' (2018)
*** ''[[Persona 3 Reload]]'' (2024)
** ''[[Persona 4]]'' (2008)
*** ''[[Persona 4 Arena]]'' (2012)
*** ''Persona 4 Golden'' (2012)
*** ''[[Persona 4 Arena Ultimax]]'' (2013/2014)
*** ''[[Persona 4: Dancing All Night]]'' (2015)
** ''[[Persona 5]]'' (2016)
*** ''[[Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight]]'' (2018)
*** ''[[Persona 5 Royal]]'' (2019)
*** ''[[Persona 5 Strikers]]'' (2020)
*** ''[[Persona 5 Tactica]]'' (2023)
*** ''[[Persona 5: The Phantom X]]'' (Estimated 2024)
** Persona Q sub-series
*** [[Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth]] (2014)
*** [[Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth]] (2018)
* ''Giten Megami Tensei: Mokushiroku'' (1996, Japan only)
* ''Devil Children'' sub-series
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** ''[[Devil Survivor 2]]'' (2011)
* ''[[Catherine]]'' (2011) <ref>[[Widget Series|Not exactly an RPG]], but does borrow quite a few of the [[RPG Elements]], [[Order Versus Chaos]] themes, [[Urban Fantasy]] settings, characters, creative team and so on from the main SMT series and the other [[Spin-Off]]s.</ref>
** ''Catherine: Full Body'' (2019)
* ''[[Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE]]'' (2015)<ref>Crossover with [[Fire Emblem]]</ref>
** ''[[Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore]]'' (2020)
{{franchisetropes}}
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* [[City of Adventure]]: A staple of the series! [[Tokyo Is the Center of the Universe]], literally, but there's enough magic for everyone!
* [[Changing of the Guard]]: While the demons generally remain the same, the original ''Shin Megami Tensei'' series always features a new main cast with each sequel.
** Similarly, in the ''Persona'' series, Igor is the only true consistent between numbered iterations; while Philemon appears from time to time, he doesn't play a crucial role outside of ''Persona'' and ''Persona 2''.
* [[Character-Magnetic Team]]
* [[Character Alignment]]
** ''Megami Tensei I''
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei I]]'' features an alignment system along the axis of both Light-Neutral-Dark and Law-Neutral-Chaos. It is the earliest known videogame to have an alignment system that directly affects the direction of the storyline and which of the [[Multiple Endings]] the player is given, through the choices and actions the player makes that alter the player character's alignment. ''[[Shin Megami Tensei II]]'' uses the same kind of alignment system.
** In ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne|Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne]]'', the previous system of alignment is discarded in favour of three specific philosophies: Shijima (which is closest to Law but without the [[Knight Templar]] tendencies), Musabi (Neutral, focusing on individuality and freedom of choice) and Yosuga (Chaos with a heavy dose of the elitism that Law was previously known for).
* [[Characterization Marches On]]
* [[Character Portrait]]
* [[Clap Your Hands If You Believe]]
* [[Colon Cancer]]
* [[Color Coded for Your Convenience]]
** [[Played With]] in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey]]'': strike team has red on their uniforms (except the protagonist) and science has blue. Zelenin is science, Jimenez is strike team. Take a wild guess what factions they each support in the end. Oddly enough, the protagonist wears white (but won't necessarily be law)
*** Extending on that, they also color-code Joint Project vs. Jack's Crew: your buddy's have the standard gold-ish Demonicas, and Jack's Crew get black ones. See above for what black tends to support.
* [[Combination Attack]]
** And now ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey]]'', but in a very different way. If you hit a weakness, all the demons of your same alignment gang up on the opponent.
* [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]]
** The [[Turns Red|Dragon Eye]] move, which gives all enemies extra turns, [[Unusable Enemy Equipment|and demons you control never have the chance to learn it]].
** And physical skills, which are [[Cast From HP]] when you use them, but enemies can use them willy-nilly.
** It's worth noting that these are not universal; it depends on the game. And, significantly, the computer does ''not'' cheat dice rolls, significant because almost every spell has a chance of inflicting a status effect.
* [[Cool vs. Awesome]]: Angels vs. Demons is an understatement for the series. Since [[All Myths Are True]], think of the possibilities.
* [[Council of Angels]]
** This is, of course, played straight in
* [[Crapsack World]]: ''[[Shin Megami Tensei I]]'' starts out a mild version of this, and gets a lot worse. ''[[Shin Megami Tensei II]]'' has this as the default state since it follows the Neutral Path of the first game, though it can either get worse or better. ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne]]'' goes the route of the first game, but can be reversed, or made even worse. ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey]]'' has the potential to become this, but can be averted, although the gameplay setting is basically this. The ''[[Persona]]'' games are set in [[Crap Saccharine World]] setting that can be made a [[Crapsack World]], and in the first half of the second game duology,, this actually does happen briefly {{spoiler|in the ending}}, though the second half reverses this somewhat (though the fourth game lets you totally avert this in the true ending and actually improve the world setting from the game world default). ''[[Devil Survivor]]'' can turn into this or be averted, depending on your choices.
* [[Creepy Child]]
** Alice.
{{quote|"Won't you please die for me?"}}
* [[Crossover]]: [[Devil May Cry|Dante]] shows up in ''Nocturne''... and promptly attempts to kick your ass. Later on, though, you can talk him into signing on with you. In the [[Updated Rerelease]] of ''Nocturne'', Raidou Kuzunoha appears instead, for all kinds of continuity wackiness.
* [[Crossover Cosmology]]: Sure, you can summon Joan of Arc, Kali, Amaterasu
** In ''[[Raidou Kuzunoha VS King Abaddon]]'', bring an Asura into battle against a Mahakala. They'll have an interesting discussion about the fact that they're the ''same god'', just from two different eras, then agree to fight it out to determine which is more deserving.
* [[Cute Monster Girl]]
* [[Dark Is Not Evil]]: A major offender of this trope. To counter the [[Crapsack World]], you have the option to ally with [[The Dark Side]] in order to produce a peaceful world. ''[[Devil Survivor]]'' stands out for one of
* [[Deconstructor Fleet]]
* [[Degraded Boss]]
* [[The Dev Team Thinks of Everything]]
* [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?]]
** Hell, Cthulhu itself is usually a [[Random Encounter]], so you get to punch it out ''repeatedly''!
* [[Disc One Nuke]]
* [[Dolled-Up Installment]]
** Finally averted with ''[[Catherine]]'', which despite having similar themes/characters/gameplay elements/staff/etc (much like the previously dolled-up games) was released outside Japan without the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' moniker tacked on, and managed to have the best international sales of an Atlus developed game to date.
* [[Doppelganger]], a [[Character Alignment|Dark-Chaos]] [[Our Demons Are Different|Demon]] that can be fused in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey]]''. It appears as a shadowy, [[Slasher Smile|grinning]] version of [[The Protagonist]].
** [[Doppelganger Spin]]
*** In ''Persona 2'', you can do this by attempting to run. The camera will then FOCUS ON THE REAL ONE as she taunts you. Oops...
* [[Earn Your Happy Ending]]
* [[Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors]]: Played straight and averted. Usually, basic elemental types (ie one's that specialize in only one element) usually have a weakness to the opposing element (ice vs. fire, electricity vs. wind, light vs. dark). However, at higher levels, demons usually have a variety of weaknesses and strengths (ex. Black Frost
** Some games (''Devil Survivor'' in particular) outright show you how the enemies are affected by every element, usually as if to say "This is my hand, ''[[Nintendo Hard|try and beat it]]''." And every game shows you how your ''own'' demons' element tables, which are the same for every demon of that type.
* [[Element Number Five]]
* [[The End of the World as We Know It]]
* [[End of the World Special]]
* [[Enemy Within]]
* [[Every Man Has His Price]]
* [[Everything Trying to Kill You]]
* [[Eviler Than Thou]]
* [[Evil Is Not a Toy]]
* [[Evil Makeover]]
* [[Excited Episode Title]]: In ''Persona 3'', the [[Show Within a Show]] ''Phoenix Ranger Featherman R'' sports these kinds of titles, probably to increase the cheesiness factor. It ''has'' been around since ''Persona 2'', after all.
* Expy: The Djinn enemy is a carbon copy of Genie from Aladdin... yet his design came first.
* [[The Fair Folk]]
* [[Fairy Sexy]]
** Titania, Hua Po, and Sylph deserve mention as well.
* [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]]:
* [[Fate Worse Than Death]]
* [[Fiction as Cover-Up]]: Many ''[[Mega Ten]]'' fans take ''[[Persona 4]]'''s mention of a ''[[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army|Raidou Kuzunoha]]'' movie as this. It would make it the only indication of any games in the series (beyond the direct sequels and ''Persona'' sub-series) to take place in the same ([[Multiverse|exact]]) universe.
* [[Gag Penis]]
** [http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Mishaguji Mishaguji's] head.
** The [http://lparchive.org/LetsPlay/SMTNocturne/Update%2021/76-night_incubus.jpg Incubus], who seems to find every woman and female demon in the game sexy. It's his job, after all.
** Just look at [http://images.wikia.com/megamitensei/images/0/0d/Yamm.jpg Ym
* [[Gaiden Game]]
** That being said, the Persona games have practically [[Alternate Continuity|become their own franchise]] at this point.
* [[Gateless Ghetto]]
* [[Global Currency]]
* [[God]]
* [[God Is Evil]]
** Indeed, many of the game seem to indicate that Lucifer
*** At least in the games for SNES (in which the Law-Neutral-Chaos system possibly plays the most prominent role), Chaos is not shown as the best choice. For example, in the original ''Shin Megami Tensei'', many traditionally heroic choices (choosing to give money to the beggar, choosing to spare the life of local dictator after defeating him and his demon in battle, choosing to save the female protagonist in the dream despite the apparent risks posed by armed guards) tend to be considered Lawful decisions. Also, one of the downsides of pure Chaos is the possibility of sufficiently strong and ruthless individual/party becoming an oppressor (as shown in the case of {{spoiler|Ozawa}} in the world [[After the End]]). Ironically, the whole "might makes right" issue may be one of the main reasons behind YHVH's position in the continuity of
*** Another way to put it, God is the guy who wants to create a world where only those who worship him can live, but Lucifer is the guy who wants to create a world where you are free to kill anyone who you wish. The only security would be being able to kill people yourself. Lucifer is also the guy all the demons you randomly encounter killing people report to, so there's a bit of [[Fridge Logic]] in the Chaos path.
** It's also worth noting that ever since the franchise started picking up lots of steam in America (to the point that ''Persona'' games sell nearly as well in the States as they do in Japan), this has been dialed back ''significantly'' with every successive game since ''Nocturne'', to the point that in the recent ''Devil Survivor'',
*** Not quite. While God is a ''much'' better person in ''[[Devil Survivor]]'', ''[[Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey]]'' discreetly returned to this with the Demiurge sidequest. Not naming him God or YHVH made this fly over many's heads, but compare the Gnostic conception of the Demiurge with YHVH's behavior...
** More recent games have also begun to imply that the fact YHVH is such a dick is a symptom of something going terribly wrong with the universe, not a cause.
* [[Gods Need Prayer Badly]]: The demons, angels, monsters
** This has some interesting bearing in the game. In general, the more people in [[Real Life]] that believe in a particular god/demon/angel/etc
** The
** Sometimes, even demons' beliefs can produce greater entities to manifest. This is more clearly seen in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei II]]'', with the False YHVH fought after the death of the Archangels.
* [[Good Is Boring]]
* [[Guide Dang It]]
** Getting the best ending by yourself is a [[Self-Imposed Challenge]].
* [[Half-Human Hybrid]]
* [[Harder Than Hard]]
* [[Hello, Insert Name Here]]
* [[Hell on Earth]]
* [[Heroic Mime]]
** Some games work skillfully around this. In ''Digital Devil Saga'', Serph is a [[Heroic Mime]] because {{spoiler|he's based on the understanding Sera had on the real Serph. That is to say, she knew nothing about the real Serph}}. In ''Persona 3'' and ''Persona 4'', the protagonists' arcanas are [[The Fool]]. One aspect of [[The Fool]] is chaos and creativity; in short, this means they are free to choose any personality they want.
* [[Hobbes Was Right]]: The neutral path essentially states this in the ending.
* [[Holy Hand Grenade]]
* [[Horsemen of the Apocalypse]]
* [[Improbable Species Compatibility]]
** In a much more [[Video Game Cruelty Potential|horrifying]] way, too:
*** This must be an
*** Quite a few demons are quite eager to try it and (if the Chaos Hero of
*** A lot more explicit in ''Imagine'' when they show you the demons fall over... but it's rather odd when using a Mitama (see below).
*** Kind of odd to think about when fusing a monster with a Mitama, which just increases stats.
*** The sacrificial fusions in ''Nocturne'' would look redundant if you think about it.
* [[Hurricane of Puns]]
* [[I Don't Like the Sound of That Place]]
* [[Incredibly Lame Pun]]
* [[Inexplicably Identical Individuals]]
* [[Infallible Babble]]
* [[Infinity+1 Sword]]
* [[Intercontinuity Crossover]]
* [[It's All Upstairs From Here]]
* [[Jesus Taboo]]
** Aleph from ''[[Shin Megami Tensei II]]'' was made to be the [[Expy]] of Jesus, and they even made sure he had a virgin mother.
** Lyrics in ''Nocturne'''s boss theme mention a sacrificing the son of God
* [[Karma Meter]]
* [[Knight Templar]]
* [[Lawyer-Friendly Cameo]]
** In the first 2 ''Shin Megami Tensei'' games, you're given the Demon Summoning Program by a wheelchair-bound man with glasses and gray hair. He calls himself "Steven". Any resemblance to a famous scientist is surely coincidental.
* [[Lighter and Softer]]
** It does not make them any easier.
* [[Limited Move Arsenal]]
* [[Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards]]: Magic attacks are generally much more useful than Physical attacks in the newer
** This is balanced out by the fact that physical attacks tend to do more base damage (or hit multiple times, depending on the attack), [[Cast from Hit Points|cost HP rather than MP]] meaning that you can use them and still have plenty left over for healing and buffing, and critical hits work on people even with a resistance to physical. Deadly Fury and Divine Shot from ''Nocturne'', Vorpal Blade and Pralaya from ''Persona 3'', and God's Hand and Pralaya from ''Persona 4'' are quite nasty examples of what physical attacks can do.
** Of note, too: the extra Press Turns are still awarded when Critical Hits are dealt, and there are several games, most notably ''Nocturne'', in which it is ''wizards'' who draw the short stick, as the damage they deal is lessened with the levels they gain due to the damage formula involved. Conversely, physical attacks such as Freikugel, Deadly Fury and Hades Blast, are all powered up with the extra levels, and the [[True Final Boss]] of ''Nocturne'' can ''only'' be reliably damaged with potent physical attacks.
** In other games, magic is extremely useful at lower levels to hit weaknesses. However, when the enemies start getting tougher and [[Won't Work On Me|less likely to have exploitable weaknesses]], it's passive abilities that can break through their defenses and leave them vulnerable to very vicious counterattacks. As always
* [[Loads and Loads of Characters]]: Just check the Characters page.
* [[Loners Are Freaks]]: ''Nocturne'' believes so. Both resident loners wind up as poster kids for [[Body Horror]]. A natural offshoot of ''Persona'''s [[The Power of Friendship]] beliefs.
* [[Lotus Eater Machine]]: The residents of {{spoiler|Arcadia}} ''think'' they live in a cozy paradise, but they're all hooked up to machines.
** Arcadia was a prototype for the Thousand Year Kingdom, if YHVH had his way, all the humans worshiping him would share the same fate as those in Arcadia.
* [[Louis Cypher]]
* [[Mad Scientist]]
* [[Mad Scientist Laboratory]]
* [[The Magic Comes Back]]
* [[Magic From Technology]]
* [[Market-Based Title]]
* [[Mascot Mook]]
* [[Mechanical Lifeforms]]
* [[Merged Reality]]
* [[Merging Machine]]
* [[Metal Slime]]
** The Kudan in ''[[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army]]''. Kageboushi in [[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army|the sequel]].
** The Fiends in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei I]]''. Alice in the first Persona.
* [[Metaphysical App]]: Being descended from a [[Licensed Game]] of ''Digital Devil Story'' many games in the series includes variants of the Demon Summoning Program from the original novel. They're ''generally'' safer than Nakajima's original version.
* [[Mons]] - [[Trope Maker|Trope]] ''[[Trope Maker|Maker]]''. A [[Darker and Edgier]] occult take on [[Mons]]. ''[[Devil Survivor]]'' in '''[[Deconstruction|particular]]'''. The series predates the [[Trope Codifier]] Pokemon [http://megamitensei.wikia.com/wiki/Digital_Devil_Story:_Megami_Tensei by ten years].▼
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei I|Shin Megami Tensei]]'': Stephen was developing software for teleportation through technology, but one of his experiments opened to the Expanse and summoned a demon. After the incident, it inspired him to create a program that allows the user to communicate with, contract, and summon demons as allies. The military and the Ring of Gaea learned of the application. However, Stephen emailed copies of the program to random people in hopes of stopping them. The protagonist got this email and installed it on his COMP.
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey]]'' has the Demon Summoning Program that was distributed by an unknown source for the Red Sprite team. Despite the advanced technology of the Schwarzwelt Investigation Team, it couldn't be deciphered or cracked. It was installed into the crew's Demonicas to help the team survive the Schwarzwelt.
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei IV]]'' and ''Apocalypse'' have the people of Tokyo whose smartphones have the Demon Summoning Program loaded on them for survival in the demon-populated city. The Hunter Association gives a phone equipped with the program to people who become official Hunters.
** ''[[Devil Survivor]]'' is one of the exceptions to the app being safer in adaptions than the original. This version gets widely distributed, forcing Tokyo into a lockdown as demons let loose by inept users and those controlled by criminal gangs overrun the city.
** ''[[Devil Survivor 2]]'' has the Demon Summoning App, where a person can make a contract and summon demons while also giving users magic. There is also the Nicaea β version, which shows a video of a user's death and their friends' demise.
** The Metaverse Navigator or MetaNav, from ''[[Persona 5]]'', is an app given to him by Igor that allows the protagonist to go to the Metaverse. It can also be used by others that the protagonist allies. To use the application, one would need a keyword(s) to enter the Metaverse.
*** From ''Persona 5 Scramble'', EMMA is a general digital assistant that gives answers and solutions to every issue possible with extreme accuracy. It also has a hidden Metaverse Navigator function that can transport unsuspecting people to a Jail (a place similar to Palaces where individuals' hearts are stolen).
** ''[[SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI Liberation: Dx2]]'' has Devil Download that mysteriously downloads onto users' phones. It allows them to summon Demons along with other supernatural functions.
▲* [[Mons]]
** As the [[Trope Maker]] which is also a [[Deconstruction]], this also applies for [[Unbuilt Trope]].
* [[Monster Lord]]
* [[Multiple Endings]]
* [[The Multiverse]]:
** There are other hints at this as well, such as
*** Naturally, this all leads to ''lots'' of [[Epileptic Trees]] about just how the multiverse fits together and what could be coming next. {{spoiler|The ''Persona'' universe, for example, is rather overdue for seraphs and Messian/Law asshats at this point, since they've already conquered [[Persona 2|Chaos]] and the two negative sides of Neutrality in [[Persona 3|Nihil-As-Death]] and [[Persona 4|Nihil-As-Ignorance]]
** Then, of course, there's the chance that all this craziness may be occurring in the same universe as '''''[[Devil May Cry]]''''', courtesy of ''Nocturne''. With Dante's replacement by Raidou in the newest re-release of ''Nocturne''
* [[My Rules Are Not Your Rules]]
* [[Nakama]]
** This trope becomes a major plot point and gameplay element for the third and fourth ''Persona'' games. Making friends gives you ''actual'' power.
* [[New Game+]]
* [[Non-Elemental]]
* [[Numbered Sequels]]
* [[Oddly-Named Sequel 2: Electric Boogaloo]]
* [[Olympus Mons]]
* [[Once an Episode]]:
* [[One Game for the Price of Two]]
** ''Persona 2'' initially averted this (somewhat) in the U.S. in that the only one that originally came westside was [[Sequel First|the second one]]
*** While ''Innocent Sin'' has now been released in the U.S. via the PSP port, Atlus still has yet to announce ''Eternal Punishment'''s PSP port for U.S. release. So the trope is both straight and averted, since you need two systems that are of different generations to play both games. And that's only if you can ''find'' ''Eternal Punishment''.
* [[One Hit KO]]
* [[One Steve Limit]]
* [[Order Versus Chaos]]
** Of course, [[Humans Are the Real Monsters|Neutrality isn't completely good]]. {{spoiler|The fact that [[Vicious Cycle|most of the time the Neutral Ending brings back the world as it used to be doesn't helps either]]
** The classic Chaos has more or less split into two belief systems in later games where it's used. As mentioned under [[Characterization Marches On]], the [[Social Darwinist]] aspects are seen as more or less outright evil, while the [[Rage Against the Heavens]] aspect is usually shown in a more [[Anti-Hero|antiheroic]] light.
* [[Orochi]]
** Though they refer to him by the full mythological version of his name "Yamata-No-Orochi".
* [[Original Generation]]
* [[Our Monsters Are Weird]]: Where can we even start with this one?
** Mara wins this, hands down.
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* [[Pinball Spinoff]]: Oddly enough, a cell phone game only released in Japan.
* [[Planet Eris]]: Certain games ''almost'' manage to avoid this. Others dive in and never look back.
* [[Point of No Return]]
** While annoying, it's done with ''style'' '''''twice''''' in
** Done in ''[[Devil Survivor]]'' on the Last Day and ''[[Majin Tensei II]]'' in each Time Period/{{spoiler|Dimension}}.
* [[The Power of Friendship]]
* [[Powers as Programs]]
* [[Practical Taunt]]
* [[Psychotic Smirk]]
* [[Rage Against the Heavens]]
* [[Rainbow Speak]]: Chronologically, ''[[Persona 2]]'' was the first ''Persona'' game to use [[Rainbow Speak]], only using it for {{color|#ff6600|rumors}}. ''[[Persona 3]]'' has a variation:
* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: There is absolutely no explanation why Steven from
* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]
* [[Recurring Element]]: Jack Frost and his relatives.
* [[Refuge in Audacity]]
** Much more than that too
* [[Refusing Paradise]]
* [[Rule of Symbolism]]
* [[Satan]]
** Satan plays his Jewish role as God's [[The Dragon|Dragon]]. Lucifer is a separate entity, and he's the one who opposes God.
* [[Satan Is Good]]
* [[School Uniforms Are the New Black]]
* [[Secret AI Moves]]
* [[Sex Sells]]
* [[Shout-Out]]
** YHVH looks like the bastard child of Mr. Clean and the Wizard's false form from ''[[The Wizard of Oz (film)|The Wizard of Oz]]''. More the latter than the former though.
* [[Shown Their Work]]
* [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]]
* [[Spiritual Successor]]: There's a Konami-made smartphone game in Japan called "Dragon Collection" that's immensely popular. Its stable of monster cards is, shall we say suspiciously similar to the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' cast, and the old ''Devil Children'' spinoffs in particular.
* [[Soaperizing]]
* [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]
* [[Standard Status Effects]]
* [[Stripperiffic]]
* [[Summoning Ritual]]
* [[Summon Magic]]
* [[Talking the Monster to Death]]
* [[Tarot Motifs]]
** In ''Persona'' and ''Persona 2'', there are even a handful associated with the minor arcana.
* [[Theme Naming]]
** The main attack spells in the series are a slew of elements, commonly Ice (Bufu), Fire (Agi), Electricity (Zio) and Wind (Garu). There's also Force (Zan), Psychological (Psy), Nuclear (Frei), Earth (Magna/Tera), Gravity (Gry) and Water (Aqua). These basic elements have three tiers, basic (no suffix), medium (a variety of suffixes), and powerful (-dyne). Most of these can also have the Ma- prefix, which denotes that it hits the entire enemy party. Depending on the game's mechanics and the enemies at hand, this may or may not be desirable.
** The basic [[One-Hit Kill]] spells, Hama (Light) and Mudo (Darkness) can also have the Ma- prefix, with or without the -on suffix, which denotes a better chance of hitting the enemy.
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** The basic Almighty attack is Megido, and it comes with two suffixes: -la ([[This Is Gonna Suck|run for your life]]) and -laon ([[Nuke'Em|prepare for complete obliteration]]).
** Beyond this, there are a number of special attacks with other names. Still, those are the basics.
* [[There Are No Therapists]]
* [[There Can Be Only One]]
* [[Timed Mission]]
* [[Trauma Inn]]
* [[Turns Red]]
** Not without cheating back anyways, ''Digital Devil Saga 1'' has a cheat that allows you select any skill written in the code (whether it's in the game or not). Wanna bitchslap [[That One Boss|Hito-Shura]]? Break out [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard|Hunger Wave]] and [[Curb Stomp Battle|pound away]].
* [[The Unfettered]]
* [[Useless Useful Spell]]
** In fact, if your enemy happens to be weak to death/expel, the various death spells are pretty much a guaranteed kill (and are in fact the easiest way to kill certain [[Elite Mook|otherwise-nigh-invincible mooks]]). Otherwise you still get a 1-in-3 hit rate that you can boost.
** And debuff success rates are affected by [[Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors]] (where applicable), which is useful at early levels.
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* [[Unicorn]]: Appears as a recruitable demon/Persona.
* [[Ur Example]]: First series with [[Mon|recruitable monsters]].
* [[Verbal Tic]]
* [[The Very Definitely Final Dungeon]]
* [[Visual Pun]]
** The most infamous one is Mara.
* [[Wake Up, Go to School, Save the World]]: In the early ''
* [[We Cannot Go on Without You]]
* [[What If]]
* [[What Is This Thing You Call Love?]]
* [[Wind Is Green]]
* [[World of Badass]]
* [[World of Ham]]
* [[World of Silence]]
* [[Yet Another Stupid Death]]: Many a gamer have been humbled after moments of hubris. Common ways of dying: getting back attacked and having your weaknesses exploited endlessly, getting hit by a Hama or Mudo spell, and using the wrong skill at a crucial moment because you weren't paying enough attention.
** Even better, being able to always counter with a physical attack for ludicrous damage, and being glanced by a lowly demon that repels physical attacks. [[Hoist by His Own Petard|Oh crap indeed
* [[Yin-Yang Bomb]]:
** Also, [[Bifauxnen|Naoto]] [[Persona 4|Shirogane]] has a Persona which uses both [[Light'Em Up|Hama]] and [[Casting a Shadow|Mudo]] skills.
* [[Youkai]]: Some of the demons in the series come from here.
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{{reflist}}
[[Category:
[[Category:Atlus]]
[[Category:Eastern RPG]]
[[Category:
[[Category:Horror Video Games]]
[[Category:Trope Overdosed]]
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[[Category:Shin Megami Tensei]]
[[Category:Mons Series]]
[[Category:Essential Anime]]
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