History VideoGame / DevilSurvivor

* DifficultySpike: Decide to avoid playing through free battles and regularly upgrade your demons, and the game will turn into this. This is an Creator/{{Atlus}} [[NintendoHard game]].

* SNKBoss: [[spoiler:Lucifer]] is one of the hardest [[BonusBoss Bonus Bosses]] of the franchise, being pretty much impossible to defeat without RIDICULOUS preparation (we're talking about full level 99 custom teams, which takes '''days''' of intense LevelGrinding)... And even then, there's still an very large probability you'll lose. [[spoiler:Lucifer]] on his own is ''extremely'' tough (where, if this was all it came to, mean you'd need one or two teams almost completely dedicated to healing and resurrecting), but he's accompanied by infinitely respawning teams of incredibly powerful demons (among them [[DemonicSpiders Decarabias, Ariochs]] and even freakin' ''Astaroth'') [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard with computer-only boosted attributes]], has three phases with different skills each and every time he changes phase, he becomes fully healed. And if you don't kill him quickly enough, he'll cast Megidoladyne, a field attack that does almighty damage (which can't be resisted) to every one of your teams and grows stronger every time it's cast, meaning even if you can weather it a few times, it will eventually do more than the HP cap of 999.

* BonusBoss: [[spoiler:Lucifer along with Ghost Q and Sage of Time in the original. Yomotsu Ikusa and Nebiros join them in ''Overclocked''.]]

* MultipleEndings: Though the endings play out somewhat differently from the mainline ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games, in keeping with the slightly less [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism cynical]] nature of the game. The Kingdom of Saints directly corresponds to the classic Law, but the SocialDarwinist Chaos from the main games is represented by [[spoiler:the Bad Ending]], [[spoiler:the King of Demons ending plays like Nocturne's [[RageAgainstTheHeavens True Demon ending]]]], and the Neutral endings are unique to Devil Survivor. There's also an early bad ending that functions as a NonStandardGameOver.
** They can be reasonably sorted like this -
*** Bad Ending [[spoiler:Yuzu]] - [[spoiler:You escape from the lockdown on day 7, and demons follow you and turn the world into a living hellhole.]]
*** Early Bad Ending [[spoiler:Honda]] - [[spoiler:You escape from the lockdown on day 6, and the angels wipe out everyone in the Yamanote Circle before descending to remove free will.]]
*** (Note that [[spoiler:Yuzu and Honda's]] bad endings are tinged with Chaos and Law flavors respectivly, playing out as the ''worst'' possibilities for either alignment.)
*** Law Ending [[spoiler:Amane]] - [[spoiler:You take control of the demons as God's Messiah, and usher in a new era of peace overseen by God.]]
*** Neutral Ending #1 [[spoiler:Atsuro]] - [[spoiler:You take control of the demons using human technology, causing a technological revolution that eventually turns Japan into a world superpower.]]
*** Neutral Ending #2 [[spoiler:Gin]] - [[spoiler:You banish the demons from the human world for good and return to your ordinary life.]]
*** Chaos Ending [[spoiler:Naoya]] - [[spoiler:You take control of the demons as the King of Bel and set out to wage war against God.]]
** And in ''Overclocked'' they introduced five new endings based on [[spoiler:three scenarios that are given a 8th day each that make them into the classic Law/Neutrality/Chaos trefoil. Amane for Law, Yuzu for Neutrality, Naoya for Chaos.]]
*** Neutral 8th Day [[spoiler:Barrier]] Ending - [[spoiler:You return to the lockdown to kill Belberith and aid the four Devas in restoring the barrier between the demon and human worlds. Peace eventually returns, although you are forced to continue hunting the last remaining demons.]]
*** Neutral 8th Day [[spoiler:No Barrier]] Ending [[spoiler:Bad End that earns no achievements]] - Same as the above, except [[spoiler:you do not restore the barrier, and demons continue to invade the world.]]
*** Law 8th Day - [[spoiler:Okukinushi returns to Japan to seize control from you, but you convince him to stand down by setting Naoya/Cain on the path to redemption.]]
*** Good Chaos 8th Day - [[spoiler:You become the King of Bel on behalf of humanity, rally the demon tamers against God, and kill Metatron before setting out to defeat God and free humanity from His control forever.]]
*** Evil Chaos 8th Day - [[spoiler:You become the King of Bel on behalf of yourself, wipe out anyone who opposes you, and conquer the world before setting out to defeat God.]]

* ObviousBeta:
** A few minor strings of text were left untranslated (nothing major or plot critical thankfully), and according to the developer statement about the VideoGameRemake version, it's obvious they felt the original game did not meet its planned potential. It's still playable and enjoyable, so it subverts this trope in a functionality sense.
** Overclocked fits this more than the original. Although Battle Aura's BlatantLies description was fixed, one final boss talks in Japanese on the 8th day, and lag is easily visible at some points where there was no lag in the original.

* SerialEscalation: Atlus claims that ''Overclocked'' is the largest game to have been voiced. In fact, it was so large, they thought it [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments wouldn't fit inside the 3DS' cartridge]]. [[http://www.siliconera.com/2011/03/04/devil-survivor-overclocked-has-the-most-voiced-dialogue-of-any-atlus-game/ According to this post]], ''Devil Survivor'' has approximately 20,000 words voiced, 5,000 of that for 8th Day alone. Even these statistics are surprising, because games like ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'' and ''VideoGame/{{Persona 4}}'' have large chunks of voice-over, the former of which ''has'' a full voice-over. On another note, this justifies the ObviousBeta for the VO (see other tropes for further info).

** Double Subverted in the original version. While physical-based characters can match and exceed magic users in damage, the Skill Crack system effectively prohibits having more than one in the party, whereas there are fewer limitations on magic users. They also suffer from being effectively locked into one element, plus StandardStatusEffects games at your option (actually a ''good'' idea for anyone equipped with Weak Kill). However, Skills unlocked during late game will turn your physical-based characters into the boss killers. At enndgame your physical teams will be massively hampered by loads of units who possess Phys Repel (Pierce cannot bypass this), when magical-based teams will still be effective mob and boss killers with the right set-ups.

** The game has an option to skip ahead in time. This seems like a "[[PressXToDie why would you do this]] when you can do meaningful events to pass the time" mechanic, but it is possible to end up in a situation where there are no events that advance the InUniverseGameClock; without such a feature, you'd be in an UnwinnableByMistake situation. In fact, the first time you end up in such a situation, the game will point out how to advance time.

* NotSoDifferent:

* JerkassHasAPoint: During Amane's 8th Day, you are confronted by [[spoiler:a psychotic cop who is about to murder an innocent woman ForTheEvulz. At this point, you can summon the angels, kill him with demons, or try to talk some sense into him. If you do the latter, the cop with laugh you off before shooting the woman, at which the point the angels will swoop in, save the woman, and kill the cop, all while admonishing you for attempting to reason with such a monster and placing an innocent in danger through your altruism.]]

* ThemeTuneCameo: Haru apparently only sings the game's theme song.

* AlienSky: As time goes on, the sky becomes more and more red. This is a very bad thing.

*** Early Bad Ending [[spoiler:Honda]] - [[spoiler:You escape from the lockdown on day 6, and the angels wipe out everyone in the Yamanote Circle before descending to remove free will.]]

** [[spoiler:Black Frost, her unwitting protege]], when you encounter him fighting hostile demon tamers on day 6. Good luck trying to save him while he spams his [[CastFromHP HP-lowering]] skill and tries to take on opponents who outnumber him three-to-one.

*** Depending on your route, you may get a SixthRanger for the final day. Kaido joins you on Yuzu's 8th day, Amane joins you on her 7th day, and Izuna joins you on Atsuro's 7th day (with Mari being an OptionalPartyMember in the latter two cases).

*** Black Frost is the SixthRanger, being a demon who pops up out of nowhere to help out on the 7th day.

** One of the main levels on which the game works is as an absolutely ''horrific'' deconstruction of the entire concept of {{Mons}} ([[UpToEleven far beyond even what other titles in the SMT franchise do]]; we're talking ''Manga/{{Narutaru}}'' levels of disturbing) in that it demonstrates exactly how people running around with monsters capable of lethal force in an urban setting would ''actually'' work. This is most obvious in the [[spoiler:event where Kaido and Keisuke confront one another, which is almost [[{{Narm}} narmy]] in how it's set up ''exactly'' like some twisted demonic Franchise/{{Pokemon}} battle (facing each other across a street with the two "mons" in between, shouting commands, etc)... and then one side loses and the other's demon ''graphically murders'' the opponent at its master's urging. Enjoy your Pikachus now, kids!]]

* ArtificialStupidity: The AI Doesn't even look at your resistances when choosing which attack to use. It's not unheard of for enemy demons to kill themselves by having their spells reflected at them, or player's lives being saved by an enemy demon casting a spell that was absorbed.

* BonusBoss: [[spoiler:Lucifer along with Ghost Q and Sage of Time in the original. Yomotsu Ikusa and Nebiros join them in Overclocked.]]

** Subverted in ''Overclocked. A combination of new Phys skills and passives plus a vast reduction in units with Phys Repel at endgame allow physical-based teams to come on top of physical-based teams overall.

* RedemptionEqualsLife: [[spoiler:Keisuke]]

* VoiceGrunting: All of the demons in Overclocked. The sound clips range from simple grunts, to EvilLaughter, angelic choirs, and, in the case of Jezebel, a NoblewomansLaugh.

* WorldOfBuxom: Nearly ''all'' the female characters are incredibly stacked, with Yuzu and Mari standing out in particular. While the only exceptions are Haru and Midori, Haru's tiny boobs are offset by her dangerously low-hanging dress, and despite having medium-sized breasts, Midori's outfit accentuates them.

* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards: Kinda. While physical-based characters can match and exceed magic users in damage, the Skill Crack system effectively prohibits having more than one in the party, whereas there are fewer limitations on magic users. They also suffer from being effectively locked into one element, plus StandardStatusEffects games at your option (actually a ''good'' idea for anyone equipped with Weak Kill). However, this is inverted at late game. Skills unlocked at late game portion will turn your physical-based characters into the boss killers. At late game your physical teams should be capable of one rounding bosses when magical-based teams can only manage to chip bosses HP little by little.

** [[spoiler:Naoya is Cain.]]

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early on the 4th Day, Amane will give you a lecture on the different paths that will present themselves to you, how the people you meet represent those paths and that you should pick and stick to the path you think is best. This is a clear reference to the MultipleEndings of the game and how each 7th Day (and 8th Day in ''Overclocked'') is associated with one or two characters.

* InfantImmortality: Averted. No matter what you do, [[spoiler:Honda's son]] is doomed.

[[caption-width-right:300:''Peaceful days are over.[[labelnote:*]][[InconsistentDub Or maybe they've died.]][[/labelnote]] Let's survive.'']]

The Protagonist and his friends must now use their custom [=COMPs=] to survive the lockdown between the increasingly-panicked citizens, the invading demonic armies and those who would seek to use the power of the [=COMPs=] for their own ends. In addition to the [=COMP=]'s ability to summon and control demons, our heroes have two main tools to help them survive: the Laplace Mail, which comes every morning and predicts disasters that will occur that day, and the Death Clock (not to be confused with [[{{WesternAnimation/Metalocalypse}} Dethklok]],) which displays how many days a person has left to live. Unfortunately, according to the Death Clock it seems that a terrible incident will take place on the seventh day of the lockdown, killing everyone within the Yamanote Circle... if the various dangers ''within'' the Yamanote Circle don't kill them first.

* TheAtoner: [[spoiler: The Shomonkai Founder in Yuzu's 8th Day. Happy that God has abandoned humanity, he turns himself in after the defeat of Belberith as penance for the crimes he committed in order to make his wish a reality]].

* BadassBoast: The narration during the opening sequence. Although never stated, it is fairly obvious that it is God's, or rather Metatron's [[spoiler:(as he also gives the speeches at the end sequences]].

** In Yuzu's 8th Day, [[spoiler: Take-Mikazuchi]], the demon [[spoiler: Gin / Eiji]] made a contract with, can become Jikoku's (the Deva Amane defeated with Jezebel's power) replacement as Guardian of the East. It opens up an EscortMission to protect Gin until the ritual to restore the Tokyo Barrier is complete, so, even if not for long, [[spoiler: Gin / Eiji]] ''himself'' kind-of becomes one too.

** According to Naoya, [[spoiler: the theoretical limits of Abel's power aren't enough to beat him. Yet the MC is stronger than that, defeating him and causing him to exclaim that ThisCannotBe.]]
** You can ScrewDestiny despite a system that can make causal predictions based on knowing everything in the universe. Exercising your power as a human and [[spoiler: Abel]] causes the entire system to break down and [[spoiler: eventually crash]].

** [[spoiler:Naoya is Cain]].

* BigDamnHeroes:
** Thanks to the Laplace Mail, you can pull this off several times. Midori is also addicted to the ''idea'' of being a Big Damn Hero, and teaches those same values to [[spoiler: Black Frost. And if you bail ''him'' out with a Big Damn Heroes moment, he returns the favor later on.]]

* BigBad: Due to the multiple endings, this can actually vary. The ultimate causes of the lockdown are three people: [[spoiler:Belberith, Metatron, and Naoya. You can side with Naoya in his route and Metatron in Amane's route (though he never shows up in that route), but Belberith remains a villain in all routes and becomes the final Big Bad in Yuzu's Eighth Day.]] ''Overclocked'' also adds [[spoiler:Okuninushi]] as the sole Big Bad in Amane's Eighth Day.
* BittersweetEnding:

** At one point on the 6th day, [[spoiler: two people are killed by lightning for trying to make their way past the blockade.]]

** Midori goes through this during the Fourth Day, when [[spoiler: she is attacked by a group of people she had been trying to save for being a demon tamer, and Keisuke attempts to respond to their actions with lethal force, both of which shake her sense of justice to the core.]]
** Yuzu experiences this throughout ''the entire game'', until, by the last days, [[spoiler: she's so desperate for everything to just ''stop'' that she argues that you should all just escape despite ''knowing'' the consequences by that point.]]

** [[spoiler: Yuzu's 8th Day has a very explicit focus on how the decision to run away had several consequences that we had been warned about many times but chose to ignore by running away. Then it changes its focus to another Aesop that is what powers the EarnYourHappyEnding of the full route: taking responsiblity for one's actions.]]

* BrokenBird: Haru. Unfortunately, [[spoiler: suicidal depression is the least of her problems...]]
* BossRush: The [[spoiler: Messiah/Law Ending]] and [[spoiler: Overlord/Chaos Ending]] both have the party facing off with ALL the previous Bels. [[ThatOneBoss Even the one you defeated moments earlier.]] And the one that [[AchillesHeel can only be harmed]] ''[[AchillesHeel by being punched with a cell-phone strap]]'' (luckily you keep it handy and need to dispatch the party member who has it, but sucks for you if he's dead by now).

* CainAndAbel: With Naoya and the protagonist, even though they're cousins, but it's subverted in that Naoya doesn't actually want to kill the protagonist [[spoiler: unless you take a certain route.]] And then it turns out that [[spoiler:it's actually quite literal, with Naoya being Cain incarnate and the protagonist having the essence of Abel.]]

* CouncilOfAngels: The primary function of angels in this game, in fact it seems [[spoiler: they're the ones in charge of the lockdown, not God. Though the fact that humanity has the chance to redeem itself ''at all'' was His idea.]]
* CruelAndUnusualDeath: Several, although you can prevent some of them. [[spoiler: You ''can't'' keep the crooked cops from executing a helpless man before your eyes, however. Among others.]]

* CutLexLuthorACheck: [[spoiler: Atsuro's ending makes it possible to control the demons for the progress of humanity while also evading all the supernatural mumbo jumbo.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: Most of the cast. One notable exception is Naoya.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Possibly the demons the characters can summon. Notably [[spoiler: Black Frost ("''Jaaku'' Frost" or "Evil Frost" in Japan)]].
* {{Deconstruction}}:
** One of the main levels on which the game works is as an absolutely ''horrific'' deconstruction of the entire concept of {{Mons}} ([[UpToEleven far beyond even what other titles in the SMT franchise do]]; we're talking ''Manga/{{Narutaru}}'' levels of disturbing) in that it demonstrates exactly how people running around with monsters capable of lethal force in an urban setting would ''actually'' work. This is most obvious in the [[spoiler: event where Kaido and Keisuke confront one another, which is almost [[{{Narm}} narmy]] in how it's set up ''exactly'' like some twisted demonic Franchise/{{Pokemon}} battle (facing each other across a street with the two "mons" in between, shouting commands, etc)... and then one side loses and the other's demon ''graphically murders'' the opponent at its master's urging. Enjoy your Pikachus now, kids!]]

* DefectorFromDecadence: [[spoiler: Amane]] chooses to [[spoiler: leave the Shomonkai cult when Remiel shows her a way to end God's ordeal with less suffering than summoning Belberith.]]
* DemonicPossession: [[spoiler: Mari's quest to defeat the bloodless murderer leads her to willing possession.]] Also, you find out that [[spoiler: Amane is possessed ''twice over'', by a demon ''and'' an angel.]]
* DevilComplex: [[spoiler: The Player (Abel) becomes the King of Bel after killing every last Bel demon during the lockdown. Naoya congratulates Abel as demons in the lockdown zone come to greet their new overlord. If the player continues in ''Overclocked'' he may choose to perform a war against God]].

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu:
** The Main Character defeating [[spoiler: Beldr]], who was [[spoiler:completely invincible to everything but the devil's fuge (i.e., a ''cellphone strap with faux-mistletoe leaves on it.'')]] Interestingly, this occurs on [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle Day 3]].
** Not to mention the Bonus Boss, [[spoiler: Lucifer]].
** During Naoya's 8th Day, [[spoiler:you get to punch out Metatron, the one known as the 'lesser YHVH.']]

* DissonantSerenity: The Laplace Mails you receive predict murders, explosions, mass slaughters etc. in an almost cheerful manner, [[spoiler: even as they [[PhlebotinumBreakdown start to get more and more glitched out]]. [=Hv3 a n1cE DEaT!=] ]]
* DoppelgangerAttack: [[spoiler: Loki. The real one has a shadow and slightly more speed.]]

* EarnYourHappyEnding: The only way to ScrewDestiny without [[NiceJobBreakingItHero breaking anything]] is to actively fight it; simply running away makes things even worse [[spoiler:as you learn first-hand in Yuzu's ending]]. And even then [[spoiler: Yuzu's ending can be a happy one in Overclocked depending on your choices, where, upon being faced with this horrific world, the characters decide to atone, and fight anyway... turning it into a happy ending. If you don't/can't do what's needed on her 8th Day though will lead straight to a DownerEnding.]]
* EleventhHourRanger: Out of the 12 playable characters in the game, 7 of them don't join you until the 7th and ([[UpdatedRerelease in the initial release]]) final day. Justified because you don't seriously begin efforts to solve the lockdown crisis until then, and spend most of your time just trying to survive with a handful of your close friends. Taken UpToEleven (heh) in Naoya's route, where just about your ''entire party'' is made of Eleventh Hour Rangers... because most of your regular party (except Atsuro) [[WhatTheHellHero has decided that your plan is too extreme]] [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere and ditched you.]]

** [[spoiler: Gin / Eiji]]'s in Yuzu's 8th Day is rather hectic. It's not because the NPC in question can't defend themselves; they can, the thing is they're stationary and will literally NEVER get a turn [[spoiler: until Gin finishes the ritual to restore the Tokyo Barrier.]] No, the reason it's hectic is because of [[ZergRush the seemingly never-ending horde of demons trying to get them.]]
* EvolvingTitleScreen: The game adds characters' portraits to the title screen after the player beats the game to see corresponding characters' endings.
* {{Expy}}:
** The Main Character [[VideoGame/{{Persona3}} suspiciously looks like someone from a previous MegaTen game.]]
** Since Suzuhito Yasuda is behind the designs of both games, some characters will remind you of other characters he's designed.

** The Shomonkai's leader. His name is only mentioned in a small number of optional events; the game, and all the characters, call him "Founder". For the curious, it's Kuzuryu. (And that is only his last name, [[spoiler:shared with Amane, his daughter.]])

* TheExtremistWasRight: [[spoiler: Subverted. In Yuzu's 8th day, it's explained that without your interference, the Shomonkai founder's plan to summon and empower Belberith enough to deflect God's Judgement worked, [[AuthorsSavingThrow thus explaining why God didn't just wipe out Tokyo Himself once the lockdown failed like they said He would]]. However, now the world has a ''new'' problem that's shaping up to be even worse than TheTokyoFireball.]]

*** Mari is TheChick, being the most moral of the team; if [[spoiler:you decide to kill humans on day 8, Kaido boots her out of the party because he doesn't want her dirtying her hands with that kind of business]].

** Midori and Keisuke seem to be this for each other. While both seem to be attracted to the idea of justice, Midori is a bit ''too'' optimistic about it, while Keisuke... is a little more cynical. [[spoiler:Okay, ''[[WellIntentionedextremist really]]'' cynical]]. This could also be reflected by their movesets. When Keisuke first appears as an NPC, his moves are Ice Dance, Bufu and Dia. [[spoiler:And he keeps these moves (though upgrading Bufu to Mabufu and Dia to Media) when you battle against him.]] When Midori first appears as an NPC that can fight, her moves are Fire Dance, Maragi and Media. Opposites attract?

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Early on the 4th Day, Amane will give you a lecture on the different paths that will present themselves to you, how the people you meet represent those paths and that you should pick and stick to the path you think is best. This is a clear reference to the MultipleEndings of the game and how each 7th Day (and 8th Day in ''Overclocked'') is associated with one or two characters.

* ForcedLevelGrinding: Want to beat the BonusBoss? Be prepared to grind thirty ''or more'' levels to just stand a chance. What makes it worse is that encounters (even hard ones) don't scale with you.
* FreakOut: [[spoiler: Keisuke]] goes through one when [[spoiler: he realizes that most of the normal people in the Loop hate the demon tamers who try to help them, and this drives him to protect tamers from them, KnightTemplar style.]]

--> God's Righteousness Upheld
--> 3:1 Then what advantage has the Jew?
--> Or what is the value of circumcision?
--> 2 Much in every way.
--> To begin with.
--> the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.
--> 3 What if some were unfaithful?
--> Does their faithlessness nullify the faithfulness of God?
--> 4 By no means! Let God be true though every one were a liar.
--> as it is written.
-->
--> "That you may be justified in your words,
--> and prevail when you are judged."
-->
--> 5 But if our unrighteousness serves to show
--> the righteousness of God, what shall we say?
--> That God is unrighteous to inflict wrath on us?
--> (I speak in a human way.)
--> 6 By no means! For then how could God judge the world?
--> 7 But if through my lie God's truth abounds to his glory,
--> why am I still being condemned as a sinner?
--> 8 And why not do evil that good may come?- as some people
--> slanderously charge us with saying,
--> Their condemnation is just.
-->
--> No one is Righteous.
--> 9 What then?
--> Are we Jews [1] any better off? [2]
--> No. Not at all. For we have already charged that all,
--> both Jews and Greeks, are under sin.
--> 10 As it is written:

** Any demon with a high attack stat and significantly low magic stat (as it covers magic resistance) qualifies. The inverse holds true for demons with high magic but low vitality, which is what factors in physical defense. Find a way to subvert that weakness, [[GameBreaker and...]]

** Overclocked reveals that [[spoiler:Cain was set up by God to be the first murderer and Abel to be a martyr.]] Even then he is far more morally ambiguous than in past games. The Four Seraphs that represent a "hardline" God - Uriel, Raphael, Michael, and Gabriel - were also nearly summoned by Metatron in the Overlord 8th Day as well.

* GoneHorriblyRight: In Yuzu's 8th Day, [[spoiler: the Shomonkai successfully make Belberith strong enough to defend Tokyo from God's Thunder. Belberith is a far greater threat to humanity than God ever was.]]

** The four successful endings, as usual for a ''[=MegaTen=]'' game, all have their pros and cons. [[spoiler: Yuzu]]'s ending is more Black, but it's also not portrayed as the protagonist's agenda but as an [[NiceJobBreakingItHero unforeseen consequence]] of it. [[spoiler: At least in Overclocked, you're given a chance to undo the damage you caused with your flight.]]
** God wants to test humanity and make sure that they are capable of responsibly handling their growing power, and is willing to nuke Tokyo and abolish free will if the answer's "no." [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters Which it is]], barring your interference. [[spoiler: The Shomonkai are trying to stop God's Judgment, but they don't realize that the demon they've allied with is worse than God could ever be.]] Naoya [[spoiler: is fighting against God, but really doesn't care about humanity - he's in it for revenge.]] A Naoya-allied Overlord, [[spoiler: like the Shomonkai, battles against God's Judgment, just with less collateral damage - how ''much'' less depends on your methods]].

** The trickiest part of unlocking any route [[spoiler: except Yuzu's and Atsuro]]'s, is [[spoiler: making sure to save Haru on Day 4]].
** The fusions that need to be unlocked can be somewhat tricky. Unlike the other fusions, they don't show up unless you already have the component demons needed to create them. This makes [[spoiler: Metatron]] a tricky one since [[spoiler: Remiel, an unlockable fusion on a ''different'' route]] is needed to fuse it.
** The path to saving both [[spoiler:Keisuke and Mari]] is pretty counter-intuitive. Instead of giving [[spoiler:Mari's bag back to her, you instead are supposed to give it to Kaido]].

* HeroAntagonist: ...where do we ''start''? Even ignoring Naoya's route, the big example on all routes (excepting the obvious) are [[spoiler: the Devas]], who are doing their jobs to keep Tokyo safe, and who are well aware that [[IDidWhatIHadToDo you're doing what you have to do]], but they're still going to go down fighting.

* HumanityOnTrial: Mentioned in the beginning of the game. [[spoiler: Metatron]] states that humanity is now a species of some power, and thus must be tested to determine whether they can handle their power responsibly.
* IAmWho: [[spoiler: The Main Character is a reincarnation of [[Literature/TheBible Abel]] and the only human qualified to become the King of Bel.]] Although according to Amane, [[spoiler: there were many other reincarnations of Abel, and he qualifies himself in-game by defeating Beldr]].
* IdiotBall: BullyingADragon happens multiple times throughout the game, [[spoiler: until the point where pretty much everybody trapped in the Yamanote Circle has a [=COMP=] and demons of their own and just start attacking each other regardless of reason.]]

* ImmuneToBullets: Interestingly, the guns the military uses aren't totally ineffective against demons, but only do any more damage than standard attacks ''when used on people'', [[RedemptionDemotion making their use when on your side highly questionable.]]
* ImpliedLoveInterest: Yuzu to the protagonist. At various point in the game the nature of their relationship gets brought up and the romantic undertones are definitely there, but the story never outright confirms it. The protagonist himself does have the option of confirming or denying it, but it doesn't really change anything: confirming it leads to Yuzu disregarding it as a joke (while [[LuminescentBlush heavily blushing]]) while denying it leads to Kaido calling him [[ObliviousToLove dense]] since Yuzu is apparently staring at him all the time.

* JerkassHasAPoint: During Amane's 8th Day, you are confronted by [[spoiler: a psychotic cop who is about to murder an innocent woman ForTheEvulz. At this point, you can summon the angels, kill him with demons, or try to talk some sense into him. If you do the latter, the cop with laugh you off before shooting the woman, at which the point the angels will swoop in, save the woman, and kill the cop, all while admonishing you for attempting to reason with such a monster and placing an innocent in danger through your altruism.]]

** [[spoiler: Keisuke]] becomes one during the fourth and fifth days, although [[spoiler: you can talk him out of it.]]

** Midori when she first gets her COMP to the point that it takes [[spoiler: meeting an invincible demon lord]] to make her consider retreating... and even after that, she doesn't actually ''give up'' these ways until [[spoiler: her mentor goes KnightTemplar and her life is threatened by the yakuza.]]

** [[spoiler: Once again, angels show up to be condescending {{Jerkass}}es in a [=MegaTen=] game. Not to mention Belberith, the demon lord of light.]] Surprisingly though, [[spoiler:God Himself comes off as a pretty nice guy, just one surrounded by subordinates who take the Lawful part of His Lawful Goodness a bit too far]].
** [[spoiler: The Lawful ending [[DoubleSubverted double subverts]] this; the King of Bel takes [[KnightTemplar an extremely Old Testament approach to bringing order]], with God's enthusiastic approval. Yuzu's fearful backward glance in the ending paints a very bleak side to justice and peace. This is then [[ZigZaggingTrope zigzagged]] in ''Overclocked'', where Abel reminds the angels that maintaining order doesn't necessarily require mass murder.]]
* LighterAndSofter: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zigzagged]]. This is a continuity where God is ''not'' an ego-tripping megalomaniac and generally has humanity's best interest at heart, the cosmos is not doomed to endless war, and the Ordeal is intended to be a fair test of humanity's character. But it turns out that [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters most humans are not worthy of handling the power of demons]], and unless you can offer a better option, the Ordeal is a miserable failure. In the end, though, you ''can'' succeed in the ordeal and even make the world ''better'' using your power.

* LouisCypher: [[spoiler: Kind of. The "unnamed" gigolo is actually Loki.]]

* MadeOfIron: [[HandWave Handwaved]] using a ''computer program''. The [[PowersAsPrograms COMPs]] come with a "harmonizer" program which, without [[TechnoBabble getting technical]], [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin allows the user to fight on equal terms with demons.]] It even manages to justify why the normal citizens in the EscortMission can survive an attack from demons. The harmonizer program affects all humans within its range.

-->'''Kaido''': You seem kinda like a player. No offense.
* MagiTek and/or MagicFromTechnology: Demon summoning and casting of magic spells is handled through portable electronic devices, which automate the rituals involved (somehow) and draw on the willpower of the human race through the Internet itself.

* MeaningfulName: The Laplace Mail, named after [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace%27s_demon Laplace's demon]]. Doubles as a ShownTheirWork when you realize that the later [[PhlebotinumBreakdown degradation of said mails]] is literally ''the universe starting to fall apart on itself'' from the battle of angels and demons, along with your party [[ScrewDestiny screwing destiny]]. Thus, it's no surprise that [[spoiler: the mails stop right before TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt]].

** [[spoiler:The fight between demons and angels on Day 6]] can be turned into this. [[spoiler:In fact, this may well be the best way to handle the situation if you wish to avoid an early bad end.]] Becomes more like a "Melee a Quatre" once [[spoiler:the human fugitives try to sneak past the Summoners, Angels and Demons altogether while they battle, and have to be stopped and beaten.]]

* MultipleEndings: Though the endings play out somewhat differently from the mainline ''Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei'' games, in keeping with the slightly less [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism cynical]] nature of the game. The Kingdom of Saints directly corresponds to the classic Law, but the SocialDarwinist Chaos from the main games is represented by [[spoiler: the Bad Ending]], [[spoiler: the King of Demons ending plays like Nocturne's [[RageAgainstTheHeavens True Demon ending]]]], and the Neutral endings are unique to Devil Survivor. There's also an early bad ending that functions as a NonStandardGameOver.

*** Bad Ending [[spoiler: Yuzu]] - [[spoiler:You escape from the lockdown on day 7, and demons follow you and turn the world into a living hellhole.]]
*** Law Ending [[spoiler: Amane]] - [[spoiler:You take control of the demons as God's Messiah, and usher in a new era of peace overseen by God.]]
*** Neutral Ending #1 [[spoiler: Atsuro]] - [[spoiler:You take control of the demons using human technology, causing a technological revolution that eventually turns Japan into a world superpower.]]
*** Neutral Ending #2 [[spoiler: Gin]] - [[spoiler:You banish the demons from the human world for good and return to your ordinary life.]]
*** Chaos Ending [[spoiler: Naoya]] - [[spoiler:You take control of the demons as the King of Bel and set out to wage war against God.]]
*** Early Bad Ending [[spoiler: Honda]] - [[spoiler:You escape from the lockdown on day 6, and the angels wipe out everyone in the Yamanote Circle before descending to remove free will.]]
** And in ''Overclocked'' they introduced five new endings based on [[spoiler: three scenarios that are given a 8th day each that make them into the classic Law/Neutrality/Chaos trefoil. Amane for Law, Yuzu for Neutrality, Naoya for Chaos.]]

*** Neutral 8th Day [[spoiler:No Barrier]] Ending [[spoiler:Bad End that earns no achievements]] - Same as the above, except [[spoiler:you do not restore the barrier, and demons continue to invade the world]].

** If you bungle events on day 4, you are placed in a situation on day 5 where you only have time to save [[spoiler:Keisuke]] ''or'' [[spoiler:Mari]] from their impending deaths -- not both. To save them both, you have to [[spoiler:give Mari's bag to Kaido, saving Mari and distracting Kaido long enough for you to talk some sense into Keisuke]].

** It may be unintentional, but this is the second time a [=MegaTen=] ever elaborated on how the Demon Summoning Program works [[spoiler: by using programming code to replicate a summoning ritual]]. The other title that used this explanation was ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory'', from nearly 20 years ago!

** It turns out that [[spoiler: the Internet is the perfect place to get emotions to fuel the summoning of demons. It also serves as a repository for them.]]
** [[spoiler: This is also what the Founder of the Shomonkai believes: That mankind has become so dependent on technology that, when God's ordeal occurs, they will be too weak to stand up to it.]]

** [[spoiler: Escaping the lockdown breaks ''a lot more'' than the blockade...]]
** On the same route, and for a given definition of "hero," [[spoiler: the Founder was trying to free humankind from God's Judgment. He succeeded, but it wasn't worth giving Belberith the throne and releasing demonkind on the world.]]

* NoManShouldHaveThisPower: [[spoiler: In Gin's ending, the Protagonist destroys the power of Bel and banishes demonkind, instead of taking the throne.]]

** [[spoiler: Keisuke almost goes into a HeroicBSOD upon [[HeelRealization realizing]] that the way he uses Yama's powers to lash out at people makes him no different than them.]] Likewise, this is the logic Kaido uses [[spoiler: if you let him kill Keisuke.]]

--->'''Gagyson''': USE DEMONS TO MAKE MORE DEMONS? THOU ART MORE DEMON THAN I. SUCH IS HUMANITY.
* NotQuiteTheRightThing: Some of the path branches involve this. The solutions you settle on can have unintended consequences... [[spoiler:Day 5]] can be a major offender here.

* PlayerNudge: If you pick [[DownerEnding Yuzu's Route]] you end up fighting [[spoiler: Loki]], who chastises you for picking the "[[EasyModeMockery easy route]]" and not taking into account Naoya's suggestions to open up to the other people inside the lockdown. This is done so that lazier players realise that to open up the other MultipleEndings, they need to stop and talk to the other characters instead of simply zooming through the game.
* PlotlineDeath: [[spoiler:Nearly everyone WILL actually die unless you [[ScrewDestiny prevent it]], hence the term Devil ''Survivor'']].

* RageAgainstTheHeavens: Two big examples, though it should be noted that [[spoiler: both of them will be satisfied with God simply abandoning humanity, as a result of humanity renouncing the angel's control and severing their ties with them.]]
** [[spoiler: Naoya]] wants the Main Character to aid him in this. It turns out that [[spoiler: he killed the MC out of jealousy back when they were Cain and Abel and wants to see Abel, God's beloved son, lead a rebellion against Him and end the ordeal.]]
** [[spoiler: Kuzuryu founded the Shomonkai]] for this purpose. [[spoiler: He believes that the only way to save humanity from sequential ordeals is to help Belberith destroy the source, God. Too bad Belberith [[EvilIsNotAToy has no plans to stop there]]...]]

* RedemptionEqualsLife: [[spoiler: Keisuke]]
* ReedRichardsIsUseless: Averted in [[spoiler: Atsuro's ending. The game clearly mentions that demon-based technology is as much of a leap forward as the Industrial and Information Revolutions, and turns Japan into a leading world power.]]

* {{Retcon}}: The end of the original game in Yuzu's route made it clear that [[spoiler: demons and demon tamers had spilled out, inflicted severe defeats on the SDF and because of your actions there weren't enough angels to stop this]] leading to a world [[spoiler: where civilization is breaking down with only a faint hope of recovering it]]. In the Eighth Day of Yuzu's route in the remake [[spoiler: the angels have taken over Japan outside the lockdown area and nearly all the demons and demon tamers are still inside it]].

* ScrewDestiny: The Death Clock simply counts to the ''extremely likely'' day of death. The trio is able to bump up their initial 0 by beating the demon that would've killed them. The narrator in the beginning, [[spoiler: Metatron]], explicitly tells you to fight against your destiny as a human.
* ScrewThisImOuttaHere:

** [[spoiler: God and his Angels abandon the earth in Yuzu's 8th Day.]]
** [[spoiler: Midori does this if you BS your way out of fighting Keisuke, and Keisuke, Midori and Yuzu do this if you go for the Naoya/Kaido route.]] Naturally, Atsuro sticks with you through anything and everything.
* SealedEvilInASixPack: A variant: Bel, the ruler of the demons, was sundered by God, but not technically "sealed" as such. Instead, the individual demons he was broken up into -- all easily recognized by the syllable "Bel" in their names -- have been fighting each other for supremacy, consuming each other in the process in the hopes of reconstituting the original Bel's power and ascending to the Throne of Bel. [[spoiler: The Shomonkai exists to help Belberith, who they worship as "His Majesty," complete this goal so that he can destroy God and spare the world from His ordeal, not realizing that Belberith plans to slaughter humankind once he's done.]] The protagonist himself ends up a contender for the Throne of Bel when he defeats [[Myth/NorseMythology Beldr]] and inadvertently absorbs his powers [[spoiler:-- but then, it only makes sense, as he turns out to be the reincarnation of A'''bel''']].

** [[spoiler:Yuzu]]'s ending, but you really do bring it upon yourself. This can then be subverted or being played even straighter by the 8th Day of the same route, which shows the repercussions of your acts, and involves taking responsibility for them [[spoiler:or if you failed to save Gin or do the barrier events, ends badly for everyone]].
** Also, several of the mini-plot lines sprayed over the whole week are this [[ScrewDestiny unless you intervene.]] For example, [[spoiler: Gin / Eiji]] wants to find [[spoiler: Aya, his lover]]. When you give him the information that points him towards the person who could give him his answers, [[ShootTheShaggyDog he'll be promptly and hopelessly killed]] unless you save him. The kicker is that if you had never given him the information to begin with, he would have spent his days in the lockdown perfectly fine and dandy. However, [[spoiler: Gin / Eiji]] ''does'' admit after the event that he knew anyway and was just fooling himself, and that he prefers that things went this way... Plus, you can't do his route if you don't give him the info.

* SNKBoss: [[spoiler: Lucifer]] is one of the hardest [[BonusBoss Bonus Bosses]] of the franchise, being pretty much impossible to defeat without RIDICULOUS preparation (we're talking about full level 99 custom teams, which takes '''days''' of intense LevelGrinding)... And even then, there's still an very large probability you'll lose. [[spoiler: Lucifer]] on his own is ''extremely'' tough (where, if this was all it came to, mean you'd need one or two teams almost completely dedicated to healing and resurrecting), but he's accompanied by infinitely respawning teams of incredibly powerful demons (among them [[DemonicSpiders Decarabias, Ariochs]] and even freakin' ''Astaroth'') [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard with computer-only boosted attributes]], has three phases with different skills each and every time he changes phase, he becomes fully healed. And if you don't kill him quickly enough, he'll cast Megidoladyne, a field attack that does almighty damage (which can't be resisted) to every one of your teams and grows stronger every time it's cast, meaning even if you can weather it a few times, it will eventually do more than the HP cap of 999.
* SoLongAndThanksForAllTheGear: Inverted. When someone joins your party, they lose both the demons and the skills they had equipped. From a meta standpoint, this is probably to prevent the player from getting access to strong skills and demons easily; from an in-game standpoint, it seems to be a side effect of the new party member’s COMP joining your "network" and thus only having access to the demons and skills registered in ''your'' COMP. Conversely, this also means that when someone leaves the party, the demons and skills they had equipped will simply return to your collection and you’re free to redistribute them.
* SorcerersApprenticePlot:
** All those [=COMPs=] getting distributed through various means (both through the Shomonkai, the black market and random chance) are not consistently used for good and end up causing much mayhem and destruction in the hands of corrupt or inexperienced users. The sorcerer, of course, is [[spoiler: Naoya, creator of the Demon Summoning Program]].
** [[spoiler: If Keisuke is killed]], Atsuro comes to think of his plan to take over the Demon Summoning Server as this, and abandons it rather than giving humanity even more potential to misuse their power over demons. [[spoiler: This is unfortunate, because his plan really can save the world even if all other methods are blocked off.]]
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil: Averted with the Devas. One is already gone before the game even starts [[spoiler: because it was defeated by Jezebel-possessed Amane]], and you fight the strongest one ''first''. The fight against the last two Devas is still challenging because they double team you and bring along a crapload of reinforcements. The aversion was [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Atsuro.

** [[spoiler:The main character is the reincarnation of Abel. He is [[{{Pun}} a Bel.]] ]]

* TakeOverTheWorld: [[spoiler: What the Protagonist does on Naoya's Inhuman 8th Day. Supported by the masses he conquers all the nations of the world and eventually the borders between nations will be meaningless]].

* ThemeNaming: There's a recurring theme with demons (or other entities) with a name that contains "Bel" in it (Belzaboul, Belial, etc.), though some have been fudged a bit to make it work (for example, Beldr is supposed to be Balder, the Norse god who is invulnerable to ''everything''). It's mentioned that they're all fragments of an entity called "Bel" which is probably "Baal," which means "Master" in Akkadian and is one of the oldest and most obscure gods in known anthropology.
* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: [[spoiler: Metatron delivers a searing one to the party and by extension all of humanity on Yuzu's 8th day, calling them out on unleashing demons on the world, refusing to take responsibility for it and killing the angels sent to punish them. Ultimately he reveals that as far as God is concerned, we have passed the MoralEventHorizon. [[ItIsBeyondSaving Humanity is beyond saving]], and so He will leave us to our well-deserved fate at the hands of the demons.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: In the middle of the week, Midori enlightens a lowly Jack Frost (level 14 Fairy) of the virtues of fighting for love and justice. Near the end of the week, he shows up to defend a bunch of low level demons as Black Frost, a ''level 47'' team leader Demon. [[spoiler: And you get to use him in a few routes.]]

** While some of the untranslated text has been fixed in ''Overclocked'', they overlooked another in Yuzu's 8th Day. Some of the last in-mission lines spoken by [[spoiler: Belberith]] are untranslated Kanji, but strangely, his defeat quote IS translated.

* TrueFinalBoss: ''Overclocked'' has the Eighth Day bosses: [[spoiler:Okuninushi, Belberith and Honda, and Metatron]].

* UnreadablyFastText: Seems to show part of the ''actual'' code for the game (or maybe just the fictional code for the demon summoning program, but still!). [[spoiler: Part of it is from Paul's Letter to the Romans which hints at some the game]].

* UtopiaJustifiesTheMeans: [[spoiler: By the end of the game, you'll be hearing this a ''lot'' -- though everyone seems to have a different idea of just ''how'' to achieve Utopia...]]
* TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon: The top of the Hills Building, [[spoiler: which is the point closest to a hole to the Demon World where the server that powers the demon summoning program can be fought.]]
* VoiceGrunting: All of the demons in Overclocked. The sound clips range from simple grunts, to EvilLaughter, angelic choirs, and, in the case of Jezebel, a NoblewomansLaugh.
* VillainousBreakdown: The MC can cause [[spoiler: Naoya]] to have one of these in a couple routes, depending on dialogue choices. In [[spoiler: Atsuro's route]], pointing out that [[spoiler: Naoya depended on the MC for all of his plans to work]] makes him lose it. And in [[spoiler: Amane's route]], the MC telling [[spoiler: Naoya]] that he doesn't hate him even after learning [[spoiler: that Naoya/Cain killed him in his past life as Abel]] makes him ''really'' lose it.

** [[spoiler: The Protagonist is supported by the citizens across the world in Naoya's Evil 8th Day. The Governments across the world on the other hand opposed him and [[CurbStompBattle lost]] the battle, ensuring his dominance.]]
** [[spoiler: The Shomonkai also count as they protect civilians across the lockdown and give aid and protection to them. They're also the reason the entire lockdown began.]]

* WeaksauceWeakness: Beldr is completely invincible except for one thing: a certain plant called the Devil's Fuge [[spoiler:or, by demon logic, any representative of it, including a ''cell-phone strap'']].

** In macro, occurs only once -- if the main character goes down in the fight against Beldr, you lose. Logical enough, since he has the one and only thing capable of even damaging the guy, but it's very possible to have Recarm by then if you know what you're doing. [[spoiler: The BossRush rematch assumes you ''do'' have Recarm, and lets you keep going, making this all the more glaring, especially on [[NewGamePlus subsequent playthroughs]].]]

-->'''Keisuke''': As of now, no one within the Yamanote circle has more than 6 days to live.

** Example: What was Honda doing with the Gigolo during the last hours of the 6th day? [[spoiler: Though the deal they made is left rather unresolved, Honda gets a new COMP from him, which he uses to bust out of the lockdown with other demon tamers in Yuzu's ending when you escape. It's the same COMP he uses up until [[YouHaveFailedMe Belberith offs him]] in the 8th Day of the same route.]]

* WhereItAllBegan: [[spoiler: The last battle in Yuzu's ending takes place where you first summon the demons.]]
* WholePlotReference: To Literature/DigitalDevilStory. It would mark the first time in a while since a title went into full detail about the Devil Summoning Program, [[spoiler:involved reincarnation and even Loki is in this game (fortunately, he's not here to screw with you).]] Might be unintentional but the coincidences are really uncanny.

** Death Call [[InjuredVulnerability instantly kills enemies that are asleep or muted]].

** For a more specific example, salaryman Honda wants to see his critically-wounded son undergo surgery, but said son is on the other side of the Yamanote loop, leaving Honda unable to stand by his son's side for the operation. In almost every ending, [[spoiler:Honda's son dies]], plunging him past the DespairEventHorizon. It gets even worse if you consider that a simple Dia or Amrita spell might well have actually fixed his son...

** For a more specific example, salaryman Honda wants to see his critically-wounded son undergo surgery, but said son is on the other side of the Yamanote loop, leaving Honda unable to stand by his son's side for the operation. In almost every ending, [[spoiler:Honda's son dies]], plunging him past the DespairEventHorizon.