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Shin Megami Tensei: Difference between revisions
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Translated as ''True Goddess Reincarnation'' (and also known as simply [[Portmanteau Series Nickname|MegaTen]]), [[Long Runner|the twenty-five-year-old]] Shin Megami Tensei series by [[Atlus]] is one of the oldest JRPG franchises around today, and in Japan its popularity and fame is right up there with ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' and ''[[Final Fantasy]]''. It remained unreleased in the West until ''Jack Bros'' for the [[Virtual Boy]]. The first major title released in the US was the first ''Persona'' game (and the first major game to come out in [[Macekre|a recognizable form]] being the second half of ''Persona 2''); the series did not achieve real Western popularity until ''Persona 3'', however.
Originally based on a novel series called ''[[
The main character is usually unable to use magic. To make up for this, he has the ability to talk to demons and recruit them into his own party. The games usually have only a couple human characters in your party, so amassing a small army of demons who can use magic is essential for progress. These demons either don't earn experience points or earn them at an incredibly slow rate, so to create stronger demons in a practical timeframe you have to fuse two or more of your demon allies together, creating a brand new demon.
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A huge part of the series is the emphasis on following your own beliefs: "You are the only one who knows what is right." The games generally involve factions based on the alignments of Law and Chaos battling it out for supremacy, and the game gives you complete freedom in deciding which side is "right". If neither side takes your fancy, you can even kick both their butts and declare yourself as supreme ruler. The Law factions usually include the Christian worldview with a heavy dose of [[Knight Templar]] and [[God Is Evil]], while the Chaos side views itself as [[The Unfettered]] and [[Social Darwinist]]. Neutrality would seem a safe bet, being the "island of stability" where humans thrive, ''except'' for [[Humans Are Bastards|one or two]] [[Vicious Cycle|teensy flaws]] we happen to be lugging around.
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. ''[[
The Shin Megami Tensei series has multiple [[Spin-Off|spinoffs]]: the ''[[Persona (
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.]
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* ''Kyuuyaku<ref>"Old Testament"</ref> Megami Tensei''
** ''Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei'' (1987, Japan only)
** ''[[Megami Tensei II
* ''Shin Megami Tensei''
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei I
** ''[[
** ''[[
** ''Shin Megami Tensei NINE'' (2002, Japan only)
** ''[[
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Imagine|Shin Megami Tensei: IMAGINE]]'' (2007/2008)
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey
** ''[[Shin Megami Tensei IV]]''
* ''[[Last Bible]]'' sub-series (1992-1999)
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* ''Jack Bros.'' (1995)
* ''Persona'' sub-series
** ''[[Persona (
** ''[[
*** ''Persona 2: Innocent Sin'' (1999) <ref>was [[No Export for You|Japan-only,]] thanks to [[Those Wacky Nazis|Hitl--]][[Suspiciously Specific Denial|I mean, the Christmas sales]] season, until its PSP re-release in 2011.</ref>
*** ''Persona 2: Eternal Punishment'' (2000)
** ''[[
** ''[[
*** ''[[
* ''Giten Megami Tensei: Mokushiroku'' (1996, Japan only)
* ''Devil Children'' sub-series
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** ''[[Digital Devil Saga|Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2]]'' (2005)
* ''Devil Survivor'' sub-series
** ''[[
** ''[[
* ''[[
[[Shin Megami Tensei
{{examples|Examples: This section is for universal tropes related to the series as a whole. Please place tropes related to specific games in their own article, if it exists.}}
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* [[Alternate Continuity]] - No ''less'' than three major continuities currently running:
** First is the "main" SMT continuity, going SMT 1- ''Imagine'' - SMT 2 - ''Nocturne'', and ''Strange Journey may'' hook into that (as it's one of the few titles in Japan to have the actual SMT name attached to it, see [[Market-Based Title]] below), although it's not yet totally clear if that's true.
** Then, thanks to the [[What If]] in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei If]]'', you get the Devil Summoner/Persona branch, which absolutely includes the aforementioned If, all four Devil Summoner games (original DS, ''[[Soul Hackers]]'', and both [[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army|Raidou]] [[Raidou Kuzunoha VS King Abaddon|games]]), has a 98% chance of including ''[[Persona]]'' and ''[[Persona 2]]'' (If's main character makes a direct appearance in both, working for the detective agency from the Devil Summoner games), and a somewhat [[Continuity Snarl|muddier]] chance of including ''[[
** ''[[Digital Devil Saga]]'' stands more or less on its own ({{spoiler|although there are ''some'' hints that it's in the same universe as the main SMT series}}). ''[[
** Then there's a couple of "dead" continuities (that Westerners don't need to worry about for the most part): the original ''Megami Tensei'' continuity, which was the novels and the games adapted from them; the ''Majin Tensei'' strategy games; the ''Devil Children/DemiKids'' continuity of [[Pokémon]]-like [[Lighter and Softer|kid-friendly]] [[Mons]] games; and the ''[[Last Bible]]'' series of [[Dragon Quest]]-esque games, only one of which ever came to America (as they are all of [[Your Mileage May Vary|somewhat debatable quality]]). Most of these sub-franchises haven't seen a title released in over a decade (''[[
*** There's also a few one-shots like ''Shin Megami Tensei NINE'' (not actually the ninth game of the franchise) and ''Giten Megami Tensei.''
*** Then there's references to the main SMT games when you go time-hopping in the Raidou Kuzunoha games, except we know that ''something'' is different about its history since the Taisho era went at least five years longer than it was supposed to. {{spoiler|Rasputin}} was sent to fix that, but apparently decided not to.
**** There is actually a theory about the continuities. The only reasons the continuities exist is because of said time hopping in the Kuzunoha series; this creates multiple timelines. One is where the events of Shin Megami Tensei 1, 2, & Imagine occur, another is that the events of Shin Megami Tensei 1 did not happen which is the Timeline where If... occurred which leads to the Persona series. And the time split may be in just one universe. Nocturne reveals that the entirety of the series is set in Amala, where there are multiple universes. Majin Tensei and Majin Tensei 2 each have their own universe as the story is not connected. Strange Journey/Devil Survivor are unknown. Digital Devil Saga is clearly in it's own universe. The appearance of Demi-fiend in Digital Devil Saga 1 as the bonus boss clearly reinforces the whole multiple universe theory.
* [[Amnesiac Dissonance]] - {{spoiler|Zain}} in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', {{spoiler|Serph}} in ''Digital Devil Saga 2''.
* [[Anarchy Is Chaos]]: [[Playing
* [[Anti-Grinding]]: The most common example, you start gaining less EXP from the same enemies as your level gets higher, may or may not have existed before Megaten, but it most certainly is the [[Trope Codifier]], and any RPG that uses the same system will inevitably be compared to the series.
** To be more specific, SMT uses the "diminishing returns" principle found in most Modern [[JRP Gs]].
* [[Apocalypse How]]: {{spoiler|My, lessee, we have a Class 1 apocalypse in SMTI and SMTII, a Class 3A in ''[[
* [[Archangel Uriel|Archangels Uriel]], [[Archangel Raphael|Raphael]], [[Archangel Gabriel|Gabriel]] and [[Archangel Michael|Michael]]: Loyal, devout followers of YHVH. That doesn't stop Gabriel from being the [[Only Sane Man]] in the group and being the only one to decide, along with [[Satan]], that [[Even Evil Has Standards|YHVH has finally crossed]] the [[Moral Event Horizon]] [[This Is Unforgivable!|and needs to be stopped]].
* [[Armless Biped]] - The recurring demon Take-Minakata.
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* [[Artificial Human]] - {{spoiler|Every single main character but Hiroko}} in ''Shin Megami Tensei II'', {{spoiler|everyone}} in ''Digital Devil Saga''. Aigis in ''Persona 3'' is also said to have some sort of human consciousness, which is necessary to summon a Persona. Naturally this spawns [[Epileptic Trees|shaking sproutlings]] about just ''how'' that was accomplished, since {{spoiler|she was built during the tenure of Mitsuru's grandpa, [[Mad Scientist|who is not exactly noted for being a humanitarian]] }}. The ''Devil Summoner'' games have {{spoiler|Rasputin}}, who's some kind of android or cyborg. Either way, he can summon demons as well as any human.
** The Innocents in ''IMAGINE'' are also entirely artificial. However, exposure to the [[Green Rocks|Obelisks]] is warping their programming, making them think more like humans.
* [[As Long
** Nor can you truly destroy {{spoiler|[[Persona 2|Nyarlathotep]], [[Persona 3|Nyx, Erebus]], [[Persona 4|Izanami]], or [[Raidou Kuzunoha VS King Abaddon|Shinato]]}}; their existence come from weakness in the human heart. [[Not So Different|Sort of like]] {{spoiler|YHVH}}, really, except applied to {{spoiler|[[Eldritch Abomination|Eldritch Abominations]]}} instead.
*** In a minor subversion of the trope, {{spoiler|Izanami (and her offshot, Ame-no-Sagiri) say they'll be able to recorporate but concede the philosophical point to the heroes and agree to stop their plans for the time being after getting their asses kicked in royal fashion. And then there's Shinato, who basically decides he's underestimated humanity after you give him a sound thrashing, and changes his mind about punishing the world for its lack of faith. [[Shin Megami Tensei]]: [[Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?|you can't destroy evil, but you can apparently punch it into submission!]] }}
** The implication is that [[Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey
* [[Nintendo Hard|Atlus Hard]] - These games have been known to make players cry.
** Example: In most RPG's, getting back attacked will only result in losing some HP before returning the favor. Here, you can (at higher difficulties, very likely) get killed off ''before you can get a turn''.
** The laconic entry for this series, for a long time, ''redirected'' to [[Nintendo Hard]]. You can't say we didn't warn you.
** And, as one of their company spokespeople proudly admitted: ''We get off on your tears!''
* [[Autobots Rock Out]]: Most of the soundtracks composed by Shoji Meguro during and after the [[
* [[Belts and Zippers]] - Izanagi {{spoiler|and Izanami}} in ''Persona 4''. Izanagi has a belt buckle jacket and belts hanging off his helmet, {{spoiler|Izanami's first form}} appears to be restrained almost entirely by belts.
* [[Big Bad]]: YHVH, aka [[God]]. A ''[[Light Is Not Good|Law]]''-aligned [[Knight Templar]] who shows up in most games, or oversees the results of his work. Controls the Angels, [[End of the World Special|and has fun with the world]].
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*** Also might explain why Loki doesn't wear any pants...
* [[Cast From Hit Points]] - Physical attacks cost HP to use, except in Strange Journey.
* [[City of Adventure]]: A staple of the series! [[Tokyo Is the Center of
* [[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''.
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* [[Colon Cancer]] - A number of titles have more than one subtitle, such as the various "Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner X: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. _____" installments.
* [[Color Coded for Your Convenience]] - Law is blue and white; Chaos is red and black.
** [[Played With]] in ''[[
*** 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]] - In ''Digital Devil Saga 2'', ''Persona 2'', ''Persona 3'', and ''Persona 4''.
** And now ''[[
* [[The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard]] - And ''how!'' Generally shows up in two ways:
** 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]].
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* [[Cool vs. Awesome]]: Angels vs. Demons is an understatement for the series. Since [[All Myths Are True]], think of the possibilities.
* [[Council of Angels]] - Notable in that, from SMT 2 onward, {{spoiler|they practically become the ''[[Butt Monkey|cosmic Butt Monkeys]]'' of the franchise; in SMT 2 they're basically abandoned by God and are running Tokyo Millennium in a hilariously inept fashion and orchestrated the creation of the Messiah and crew in the first place, which blew up in their faces when Aleph ''carved their shit in''; then, in ''[[Digital Devil Saga]]'' 2, they show up as bonus bosses - talking about the events of SMT 2, no less - except that now they've been put into mutated human bodies and hunger for the blood and flesh of man just like any other demon. You'd think they'd give the Big Man the finger after all that.}}
** This is, of course, played straight in SMT 1, where {{spoiler|they become quite powerful allies if you're on the Law path, and attempt to stop you if you're on any other path; Seraph Michael serves as the game's penultimate, hardest boss in that case}}. Also played perfectly 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. ''[[
* [[Creepy Child]] - [[Louis Cypher]] in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne]]'', and Pharos in ''[[
** Alice.
{{quote| "Won't you please die for me?"}}
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** 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]] - Majority of the female demons (aka the Succubi). Not all of them, though.
* [[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. ''[[
* [[Deconstructor Fleet]] - A very odd case, in that they [[Deconstruction|tear apart]] every trope related to [[Mon|Mons]]... [[Unbuilt Trope|while still being]] the [[Trope Maker]].
* [[Degraded Boss]] - Former bosses may return as [[Elite Mooks]]. This may cost them their best moves, but occasionally they also wind up being recruitable.
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* [[Dolled-Up Installment]] - Minor example in the US releases: the ''Persona'' / ''Devil Survivor'' / ''Digital Devil Saga'' / ''Devil Summoner'' / etc games, while technically not part of the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' series proper, were all released overseas under that title anyway, presumably because the series needs whatever name recognition it can get on this side of the pond.
** 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 ''[[
** [[Doppelganger Spin]] - Used in both ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne]]'' ({{spoiler|where you can use the shadow cast by a full moon to suss out the real one}} and ''Digital Devil Saga'' (which you can suss out the real one with the help of your [[Waif Prophet]]).
*** 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...
* [[Enemy Within]] - In ''Devil Summoner: [[Soul Hackers]]'', the timid Hitomi gets [[Demonic Possession|possessed]] by demonic [[Dark Action Girl]] Nemissa, and they immediately go on a shopping spree for [[Evil Makeover|black leather]]. In ''[[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army]]'', Kaya is cursed to be possessed by a demon, {{spoiler|1=but actually gets taken over by a future Raidou Kuzunoha from the SMT timeline}}. Happens somewhat more literally in ''[[
* [[Earn Your Happy Ending]] - The good endings with no horrific effects on humanity and life itself are always [[Guide Dang It|the hardest to get]]. Assuming there is one.
* [[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, despite being a Jack Frost, has strengths against both ice AND fire). This results in bosses having a bit of trial-and-error as you have to test out each type to see what works and what doesn't.
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* [[Fan Nickname]] - The protagonists of ''Devil Summoner: [[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army]]'', ''Nocturne'', ''Persona,'' ''Persona 3,'' and ''Persona 4'' are nameless in the game, but fans often use the names given to the characters in various manga and drama CD's based off the games.
** The protagonist of ''[[Shin Megami Tensei If]]'' was also named like this at first, until [[Sure Why Not|she was given a name]] (and a definite gender) in ''Persona 1''.
* [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]] - Mor enotably explored in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei I]]'' and ''[[Shin Megami Tensei II]]'', with the various factions and alliances everyone pulls in the road to ultimate power, though ''[[
* [[Fiction
* [[Gag Penis]] - Used frequently in many of the demons. Witness the [http://images4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080707022822/megamitensei/images/0/09/MaraSMT.jpg Mara], [http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20090618224005/megamitensei/images/4/43/PENDRAGON.png Pendragon] and, of all things, [http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080806040827/megamitensei/images/0/0e/Cthulhu2.jpg Cthulhu].
** [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]] - Titles outside of [[Shin Megami Tensei I]], [[Shin Megami Tensei II]], [[Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne]] and ''[[
** That being said, the Persona games have practically [[Alternate Continuity|become their own franchise]] at this point.
* [[Gateless Ghetto]] -
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*** 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'', {{spoiler|God and his top angels are actually decidedly in the protagonist's camp (unless he decides to become a demon lord himself or just tries to run away from his responsibilities). The rest of the angels are still massive asshats, but Remiel and Metatron (and by extension, their boss) are far more supportive of the player and genuinely want what's best for humanity}}. This is all presumably to better match up with the Western view of God not being a ceaseless jerk.
*** Not quite. While God is a ''much'' better person in ''[[
** 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, and spirits only exist in many of the games because people remember and believe in them. Oddly, if the supernatural creatures believe hard enough, they create fake duplicates of other supernatural entities.
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* [[Harder Than Hard]] - Maniacs mode in the modern games. [[This Is Gonna Suck|It's the subtitle]] of the [[Updated Rerelease]] of Nocturne.
* [[Hello, Insert Name Here]] - Most of the protagonists in the series are nameless until you name them.
* [[Hell
* [[Heroic Mime]] - The main protagonists are almost always one of these. Which made ''Persona 2'' quite entertaining considering that the protagonists of ''Innocent Sin'' and ''Eternal Punishment'' only have dialogue in the game they're not starring in.
** 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 ''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.
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* [[Intercontinuity Crossover]] - Quite a few games have overtly featured characters from a different continuity in a major role.
* [[It's All Upstairs From Here]] - In almost every single game.
* [[Jesus Taboo]] - For it's use of nearly every mythological character, the closest the series gets to Jesus is in ''[[
** 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]] - "Your mother has been possessed by a demon and pleads with you to end her suffering. Do you kill her?"
* [[Knight Templar]] - Pretty much everyone aligned with Law, {{spoiler|Remiel and Amane}} from [[
* [[Lawyer-Friendly Cameo]] - Jack Frost in other series. In SMT 2, "Mr. Thriller" aka [[Michael Jackson]] can be met dancing in a disco and talking about how much he loves toys and children. You can also fight and recruit [[Captain Ersatz]] versions of Beetlejuice (Betelgeuse) and Christine (Chris The Car).
** 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]] - The Devil Children spinoff franchise. Most demons, gods, and spirits are redesigned to be more Kawaii and marketable to kids. For instance, Scylla is, instead of a sea monster with the heads of dogs attatched, a cute little girl walking a bunch of puppies.
** It does not make them any easier.
* [[Limited Move Arsenal]] - Of the second type, with the exception of [[Digital Devil Saga]] and humans in [[
* [[Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards]]: Magic attacks are generally much more useful than Physical attacks in the newer SMT games, due to the Press Turn system, which awards extra turns to the attacker if the attack exploits an elemental weakness. Few enemies are weak to Physical damage.
** 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.
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* [[Mad Scientist]] - [[Shin Megami Tensei I|STE]][[Shin Megami Tensei II|VEN]], [[Shin Megami Tensei II|Dr. Mekata]] and [[Soul Hackers|Dr]]. [[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army|Victor]] all qualify.
* [[Mad Scientist Laboratory]] - Every single incarnation of the Gouma-Den.
* [[Magic From Technology]] - Devil Summoners throughout the franchise usually carry around [[Magitek|a device]] --arm-mounted COMPs in the original games, GUMPs in the ''Devil Summoner'' subseries, [[Nintendo DS]]-shaped COMPs in ''[[
* [[Market-Based Title]] - In the West, from ''Nocturne'' onwards the games have been branded under the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' label. In Japan, though every game is considered a MegaTen title they aren't marketed as such.
* [[Mascot Mook]] - Jack Frost. He's even the official mascot of Atlus itself, making this a literal example of the trope.
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** 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.
* [[Mons]] - [[Trope Maker|Trope]] ''[[Trope Maker|Maker]]''. A [[Darker and Edgier]] occult take on [[Mons]]. ''[[
** As the [[Trope Maker]] which is also a [[Deconstruction]], this also applies for [[Unbuilt Trope]].
* [[Monster Lord]] - The ''Maoh'', or [[Exactly What It Says
* [[Multiple Endings]] - Many of the games change the ending based on factors such as your alignment or other choices you made in the plot. Ironically, [[Earn Your Happy Ending|the happier ones are harder to get]].
* [[The Multiverse]] - Nocturne mentions in the bonus dungeon that the current game's world is just one out of billions of possibilities {{spoiler|due to the world constantly being destroyed and remade}}. These other worlds may be the various sub series.
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* [[Non-Elemental]] - Almighty. One of the reasons why it's impossible to defend oneself against any attacks of this attribute.
* [[Numbered Sequels]] - With the Devil Summoner franchise being the only exception.
* [[Oddly
* [[Olympus Mons]] - Several extremely powerful demons are able to be recruited or fused throughout the series, including top members of the [[Norse Mythology|Norse]], [[Egyptian Mythology|Egyptian]], [[Japanese Mythology|Japanese]] pantheons and [[Cthulhu Mythos|Outer Gods]]. And then there's the case of recruiting [[Incredibly Lame Pun|the Olympians themselves]].
* [[Once an Episode]] - Uptil the fourth game, once per Persona series game, there would be a massive in-story retcon that made it so that the amount of people who actually remembered/knew about the events of the game are minimal, if not completely gone.
* [[One Game for
** ''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]], Eternal Punishment.
*** 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]] - Light and Darkness spells. They come in two orders each, one more likely to connect than the other. It is possible to find variations of them all which are capable of hitting all enemy targets, setting up for a [[Total Party Kill]] on either side.
* [[One Steve Limit]] - You cannot have more than one of any given demon in your team. In [[
* [[Order Versus Chaos]] - A recurring theme. Law tends to be [[Well-Intentioned Extremist|well-meaning]] but very [[Knight Templar]] about the whole thing. Chaos strongly emphasises freedom but in the form of a brutal [[Might Makes Right]] anarchy. Neutrality focuses on [[Ubermensch|self-empowerment]] and the [[Humans Are Special|potential of humanity]], as opposed to reliance on a greater force for guidance.
** Of course, [[Humans Are Bastards|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]].}}
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* [[Orochi]] - Usually a major boss in some of the games and is possible to fuse after beating him.
** Though they refer to him by the full mythological version of his name "Yamata-No-Orochi".
* [[Original Generation]] - There are a handful of demons not directly taken from mythology. The most prominent examples are the [[Mascot Mook|Jack Frost]] variants, [[Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne|Black Frost]], [[Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army|Raiho]], [[Shin Megami Tensei Strange Journey
* [[Our Monsters Are Weird]]: Where can we even start with this one?
** Mara wins this, hands down.
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* [[Point of No Return]] - Annoyingly done in the first few games; more modern games tend to be more forgiving.
** While annoying, it's done with ''style'' '''''twice''''' in SMT 1: {{spoiler|the first time is when "Ambassador Thorman" nukes the hell out of Tokyo and your hero is sent to a corner of the Abyss to survive until he can return; the second time is when the Mesians flood the ruins of Tokyo to wash away all sin and coincidentally trap you in the massive final dungeon.}} Sadly, none of the other games that feature a [[Point of No Return]] managed to pull it off with quite the same panache.
** Done in [[
* [[Powers
* [[Practical Taunt]] - Most of the games have a "Taunt" spell, which increases enemy attack power while lowering their defense.
* [[Psychotic Smirk]] - Tatsuya Sudou, a.k.a. {{spoiler|King Leo}} in ''Persona 2: Innocent Sin'' and {{spoiler|JOKER}} in the sequel ''Eternal Punishment''.
* [[Rage Against the Heavens]] - Frequent. Lucifer is usually the one that spearheads this movement. In ''Nocturne'' {{spoiler|the Demi-fiend is now the one that leads it, if the True Demon ending is canon}}.
* [[Rainbow Speak]]: Chronologically, ''[[Persona 2]]'' was the first ''Persona'' game to use Rainbow Speak, only using it for {{color|#ff6600|rumors}}. ''[[
* [[Really Seven Hundred Years Old]]: There is absolutely no explanation why Steven from SMT I is alive in the sequel, which is set a hundred years later, so this is the only probable explanation, given he reveals he's just an ordinary mortal who created the Demon Summoning program.
* [[Recurring Element]]: Jack Frost and his relatives.
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* [[Sequel First]] - Jack Bros. an obscure Virtual Boy Gauntlet clone spin off, was the first game in the series to be come to the US.
* [[Sex Sells]] - Aeria recently started advertising the MMORPG with this using demons. To be fair, a few of the demons are attractive but others...
* [[Shout-Out]] - The games often make sly references to other parts of the meta-series. There are a couple of summonable monsters that are directly taken other works as well, namely [[Little Shop of Horrors|Audrey]], [[Beetlejuice
** YHVH looks like the bastard child of Mr. Clean and the Wizard's false form from ''[[The Wizard of Oz (
* [[Shown Their Work]] - The Demonic Compendium for every single game in the series, including spinoffs, contains an accurate overview of each demon's background and origin, and the sources pulled from are ''diverse'' to say the least. If you don't have a degree in mythological studies, playing through a bunch of the games and reading the entire Compendium for each would give you one hell of a head start.
* [[Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism]] - Mostly set on the further ends of Cynical. [[God]] is usually an [[God Is Evil|evil bastard]], everyone sane is trying to use you to further their personal goals ([[Unwitting Pawn|which you will inevitably fall for]], [[But Thou Must!|whether you like it or not]]) and [[Everything Is Trying to Kill You|everything else is trying to kill you]]. The more idealistic settings (like ''[[Persona]]'' games) are usually [[A World Half Full]], however. The series has gradually gotten more and more idealistic as time has gone by; in newer games, you really can [[Earn Your Happy Ending]] if you don't lose hope.
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* [[Summon Magic]] - The Personas in the ''Persona'' series, Naomi's spells in Soul Hackers.
* [[Summoning Ritual]] - Shown occasionally. Mekata's ruined ritual in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei II]]'' and Mara's summoning in ''Nocturne'' are some examples.
* [[Talking the Monster
* [[Tarot Motifs]] - The ''Persona'' series, where every Persona is linked to one of the Major Arcana, which dictates how well each character can use its abilities.
** In ''Persona'' and ''Persona 2'', there are even a handful associated with the minor arcana.
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* [[There Are No Therapists]] - One of the main reasons of why [[The Power of Friendship]] is so necessary.
* [[There Can Be Only One]] - The others are still ''not'' gonna let you [[The Rival|steal "their" thunder]], though.
* [[The End of the World
* [[The Fair Folk]] - Many demons have their designs based on these, as well as their personalities. [[Shin Megami Tensei]] games like to remind you every so often that you are definitely ''not'' dealing with human beings.
* [[The Magic Comes Back]] - Every game of the main series has this in some capacity. Explained in ''[[Shin Megami Tensei I]]'' by Mother Echidna as a result of the demons returning from the banishment imposed by YHVH. [[Do Not Go Gentle|They're not leaving again without a fight]].
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* [[Unicorn]]: Appears as a recruitable demon/Persona.
* [[Ur Example]]: First series with [[Mon|recruitable monsters]].
* [[Verbal Tic]] - A number of demons exhibit distinct speech characteristics: some are intelligent and eloquent, others are thuggish and direct, some [[No Indoor Voice|SPEAK IN ALL CAPS]] and some in [[Manos:
* [[Visual Pun]] - Many of the demons and monsters in this series have designs in this manner.
** The most infamous one is Mara.
* [[Wake Up, Go to School, Save
* [[We Cannot Go
* [[Wind Is Green]]
* [[What If]] - Literally embodied a game called ''Shin Megami Tensei If''. Beyond that, the ''Devil Summoner'' series is also based around a [[What If]] - one which ties into the aforementioned game, which represents the branching point that leads to either the ''Devil Summoner/Persona'' continuity or main-series ''[[Shin Megami Tensei]]''. ''If'' presents a what-if question... and ''Devil Summoner'' is the answer to it. On top of all this, the ''Raidou Kuzunoha'' prequel games in the ''Devil Summoner'' line provide a historical What If scenario, hinging, at least in part, on the Taisho period lasting longer than it did in our world.
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* [[World of Badass]] - Three options here. You start as a [[Badass]]. [[Took a Level In Badass|You become a Badass]]. [[Yet Another Stupid Death|You die]]. Choose.
* [[World of Ham]] - ''Every'' demon tries to out-ham each other. One could almost say power levels in this universe directly correlate to the demon's hamminess.
* [[World of Silence]] - Traditional goal of Law. In ''[[Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne]]'' Hikawa (who caused the world to get so screwed up and become the Vortex World in the first place according to Lucifer) and his Reason of Shijima takes this role. In ''[[
* [[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
* [[Yin-Yang Bomb]] (The entire point of ''Devil Children: Book of Light'' and ''Book of Dark'' for the GBA)
** Also, [[Bifauxnen|Naoto]] [[Persona 4
* [[Youkai]]: Some of the demons in the series come from here.
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