Line #352 Franchise/ShinMegamiTensei


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2	%% When spoiler-tagging something, please DO NOT hide the name of the specific game you are spoiling. Leave the work title in plain view so others know what work is going to be spoiled, or don't post the spoiler at all.
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4	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/SMTImagine_1926.JPG]]
5	[[caption-width-right:350: What will you do? Burn a path of Chaos with the flesh of the lawful, pave a road of Order with the blood of Demons, or create your own future?]]
6	->''"'What’s at the end of the universe? Is there an end?' I think most people have asked this sort of question at some point in their life. Personally, I just love thinking about things like that. Even though humans are part of the universe, nobody knows why the universe exists, or how humans came into being. A philosophical approach is the only way we can reach some kind of conclusion. That’s exactly what myths are-philosophical explanations of the universe and man-and why I love myths so much. The demons in the Megaten series all appear with these questions. It’s not wrong to put everything into simple “good” and “evil”, like in other games, but what’s right and wrong can be completely different, depending on your position and perspective; it’s very ambiguous. So I say, why not let each player tackle that question of what’s right and wrong?"''.
7	-->--'''Kazuma Kaneko in an [[https://www.escapistmagazine.com/interview-behind-the-scenes-of-shin-megami-tensei/ interview]] for ''Website/TheEscapist'''''
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9	''Shin Megami Tensei'' (Japanese for "True Reincarnation of the Goddess", though it has been kept as an UntranslatedTitle in English releases), also known as ''[[PortmanteauSeriesNickname MegaTen]]'', is a [[VideoGameLongRunners long-running]] series of {{JRPG}} {{Dungeon Crawler}}s and {{spinoff}}s developed and published by Creator/{{Atlus}}. In Japan, it has been a direct competitor to ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' and ''Franchise/FinalFantasy'' since TheEighties, while in the West it only gained real popularity with ''Persona 3'' in 2006, despite numerous localizations going all the way back to the 1990s.
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11	Originally based on a novel series called ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory'', the games tend to involve using [[CyberPunk technology]] to summon and control [[FantasyKitchenSink mythological figures from nearly every culture on the planet]], as well as [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt the end of the world]], [[DeconstructorFleet deconstructions of common RPG storylines]] and [[OurMonstersAreWeird far-out monster designs]].
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13	Thematically, the series emphasizes following one's own beliefs: plots tend to revolve around the forces of [[OrderVersusChaos Order and Chaos]] battling it out for supremacy, and the player is generally given complete freedom in deciding which side is "right". [[TakeAThirdOption If neither side takes their fancy]], the player can even [[OmnicidalNeutral kick both sides' butts]] and declare humanity ([[ViciousCycle temporarily]]) free of either. Depending on the game, there may be other options.
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15	The games also tend to be NintendoHard. Elemental affinities, buffing, and debuffing are far more effective than in most [=JRPG=]s and can make or break battles. In an aversion of UselessUsefulSpell, [[OneHitKill instant death]] and [[StatusEffects ailment]] attacks are both effective and encouraged ''repeatedly''. ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' further introduced the Press Turn battle system to the series, where hitting an enemy's elemental weakness will reward the player with more actions whereas hitting their elemental strengths will cost the player actions. Variations of Press Turn went on to be adopted in multiple later [=MegaTen=] games, such as the "One More!" system in ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'', ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4]]'' and ''[[VideoGame/Persona5 5]]''.
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17	Although a majority of these games were released outside Japan under the ''Shin Megami Tensei'' label from ''[[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne Nocturne]]'' (2003) to ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'' (2011), in Japan only a handful of main series titles bear that name; the rest are spin-offs unofficially known as [=MegaTen=] titles. The ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'', ''Devil Summoner'', ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'', and ''Devil Survivor'' series are the best-known of these spin-offs in the West. ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'', despite not being a series due to only being one game, is also a well-known [=MegaTen=] game. Regardless, many include references to other [=MegaTen=] games and [[TheCameo intra-franchise character cameos]].
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19	[[foldercontrol]]
20
21	[[folder:List of games]]
22	[[index]]
23	* ''Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei'' [[note]]"Old Testament" Megami Tensei. Has an unofficial translation of the Super Famicom version.[[/note]]
24	** ''VideoGame/MegamiTensei'' (1987, Japan only): A loose adaptation of ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory''.
25	** ''VideoGame/MegamiTenseiII'' (1990, Japan only)
26	* ''Shin Megami Tensei''
27	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI'' (1992, Japan only) [[note]]has fan translations for the Super Famicom, Game Boy Advance, and [=PlayStation=] versions; iOS version was officially translated in 2014, but has since been delisted[[/note]]
28	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiII'' (1994, Japan only) [[note]]has an unofficial translation of the Super Famicom version; iOS version was available in 2012, but in Japanese and has since been delisted[[/note]]
29	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIf'' (1994, Japan only) [[note]]has an unofficial translation of the Super Famicom version; iOS version was available in 2013, but in Japanese and has since been delisted[[/note]]
30	*** ''Shin Megami Tensei: if... Hazama's Chapter'' (2004, Japan only)
31	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiNINE'' (2002, Japan only)
32	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' (2003) [[note]]Retitled ''Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call'' in PAL regions[[/note]]
33	** ''Shin Megami Tensei: 20XX'' (2004, Japan only)
34	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiImagine'' (2007 to 2016) [[note]]MMORPG; had a run in the US from 2008 to 2014[[/note]]
35	** ''Shin Megami Tensei: 20XX Devil's Colosseum'' (2008, Japan only) [[note]]cellphone game; prequel to SMT 20XX[[/note]]
36	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney'' (2009)
37	*** ''Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux'' (2017)
38	*** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiSynchronicityPrologue'' (2017) [[note]]originally a fangame made official[[/note]]
39	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV'' (2013)
40	*** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' (2016)
41	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiLiberationDx2'' (2018)
42	** ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiV'' (2021)
43	* ''VideoGame/LastBible'' sub-series
44	** ''Last Bible'' (1992) [[note]]Game Boy Color port was localized as ''Revelations: The Demon Slayer'' in 1999, complete unofficial translation for Game Gear port.[[/note]]
45	** ''Last Bible II'' (1993, Japan only) [[note]]completed unofficial translation[[/note]]
46	** ''Another Bible'' (1995, Japan only) [[note]]completed unofficial translation[[/note]]
47	** ''Last Bible III'' (1995, Japan only) [[note]]completed unofficial translation[[/note]]
48	** ''Last Bible Special'' (1995, Japan only) [[note]]completed unofficial translation[[/note]]
49	* ''Majin Tensei'' sub-series
50	** ''VideoGame/MajinTensei'' (1994, Japan only) [[note]]completed unofficial translation[[/note]]
51	** ''VideoGame/MajinTenseiIISpiralNemesis'' (1995, Japan only) [[note]]completed unofficial translation[[/note]]
52	** ''VideoGame/{{Ronde}}'' (1997, Japan only)
53	* ''Devil Summoner'' sub-series
54	** ''VideoGame/{{Devil Summoner}}'' (1995, Japan only)
55	** ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'' (1997) [[note]]was Japan only, until a 3DS re-release in 2013.[[/note]]
56	** ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheSoullessArmy'' (2006)
57	** ''VideoGame/RaidouKuzunohaVsKingAbaddon'' (2008)
58	** ''VideoGame/SoulHackers2'' (2022)
59	* ''VideoGame/JackBros.'' (1995, Platform/VirtualBoy)
60	* ''Franchise/{{Persona}}'' sub-series[[note]]see the page for full list of installemnts[[/note]]
61	* ''[[VideoGame/GitenMegamiTensei Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation]]'' (1997, Japan only)
62	* ''VideoGame/DevilChildren'' sub-series
63	** ''Devil Children: Red Book/Black Book'' (2000, Japan only)
64	** ''Devil Children: White Book'' (2001, Japan only)
65	** ''Devil Children: Card Summoner'' (2001, Japan only)
66	** ''[=DemiKids=]: Book of Light/Book of Darkness'' (2002)
67	** ''Devil Children: Puzzle de Call!'' (2003, Japan only)
68	** ''Devil Children: Book of Ice/Book of Fire'' (2003, Japan only)
69	** ''Devil Children: Messiah Riser'' (2004, Japan only)
70	** ''Devil Children Mobile'' (2011, Japan only)
71	* ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' sub-series
72	** ''Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner'' (2004)
73	** ''Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner 2'' (2005)
74	** ''Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner: A's TEST Server'' (2006, Japan only)
75	* ''Devil Survivor'' sub-series
76	** ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' (2009) [[note]]originally ''Megami Ibunroku: Devil Survivor''[[/note]]
77	*** ''Devil Survivor Overclocked'' (2011)
78	** ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'' (2011)
79	*** ''Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker'' (2015)
80	* ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}'' (2011) %% Per Ask the Tropers, due to being based around Astaroth/Ishtar (single combined character with male and female avatars specific to SMT franchise) and having the same Urban Fantasy Order Versus Chaos Central Themes, Karma Meter and Multiple Ending mechanics (along with multiple other secondary connections), this game meets this site's definition of a spin-off. Please do not replace or remove without starting a new thread.
81	** ''Catherine: Full Body'' (2019)
82	* ''VideoGame/TokyoMirageSessionsFE'' (2015) [[note]]Formerly known as ''Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem''. A {{Crossover}} where Atlus basically made a [=MegaTen=] spinoff using the mythology of Creator/IntelligentSystems's ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' franchise.[[/note]]
83	** ''Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore'' (2020)
84	[[/index]]
85	[[/folder]]
86
87	[[folder:List of animated adaptations and installments]]
88	[[index]]
89	* ''[[Literature/DigitalDevilStory Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei]]'' (1987)
90	* ''Shin Megami Tensei: Tokyo Revelation'' (1995)
91	* ''Shin Megami Tensei: [=DeviChil=]'' (2000)
92	* ''Shin Megami Tensei: D-Children Light & Dark'' (2002)
93	* ''Anime/PersonaTrinitySoul'' (2008)
94	* ''Anime/Persona4TheAnimation'' (2011)
95	* ''Anime/Persona3TheMovie'' (2013-2016)
96	* ''Anime/DevilSurvivor2TheAnimation'' (2013)
97	* ''Anime/Persona4TheGoldenAnimation'' (2014)
98	* ''Anime/Persona5TheDayBreakers'' (2016)
99	* ''Anime/Persona5TheAnimation'' (2018)
100	[[/index]]
101	[[/folder]]
102
103	[[folder:List of literary works and adaptations]]
104	[[index]]
105	* ''Literature/DigitalDevilStory'' Trilogy (1986)
106	* ''Shin Megami Tensei: if...'' (1995)
107	* ''Shin Megami Tensei: Kahn'' (1995)
108	* ''[[Manga/{{Persona1}} Megami Ibunroku Persona]]'' (1996)
109	* ''Megami Ibunroku Persona: Shadow Maze'' (1997)
110	* ''Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne Konton'' (2003)
111	* ''That's Catch-22'' (2005)
112	* ''Manga/Persona3'' (2007-2017)
113	* ''Manga/RaidouKuzunohaVsTheLoneMarebito'' (2009)
114	* ''Literature/QuantumDevilSagaAvatarTuner'' (2011)
115	* ''Literature/PersonaXDetectiveNaoto'' (2012)
116	* ''Devil Survivor 2 The Animation: Cetus's Prequel'' (2013)
117	* ''Shin Megami Tensei IV DEMONIC GENE'' (2013)
118	* ''Shin Megami Tensei IV -Prayers-'' (2013)
119	[[/index]]
120	[[/folder]]
121
122	[[folder:List of live-action works and adaptations]]
123	[[index]]
124	* ''Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner'' (1997-1998)
125	* ''Persona 4 Visualive'' (2012)
126	** ''Persona 4 Visualive the Evolution'' (2013)
127	* ''Persona 4 The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena Stageplay'' (2014)
128	** ''Persona 4: The Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold Stageplay'' (2016)
129	* ''Theatre/Persona3TheWeirdMasquerade'' (2014-2017)
130	* ''Persona 5 The Stage'' (2019)
131	[[/index]]
132	[[/folder]]
133
134	For tropes exclusive to the ''Persona'' sub-series, as well as the full list of installments, please check [[Franchise/{{Persona}} this page]].
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136	----
137	!!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.
138	[[index]]
139	* [[ShinMegamiTensei/TropesAToM Tropes A-M]]
140	* [[ShinMegamiTensei/TropesNToZ Tropes N-Z]]
141	[[/index]]
142	----
143	->Before you stand the paths of Law, Chaos, and every path in-between. [[CallToAdventure Where will]] [[EndOfTheWorldSpecial you head]]?

Context Franchise / ShinMegamiTensei