Line #5 YMMV/ShinMegamiTenseiIV


1	''Oh, a Troper.''
2
3	----
4
5	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation:
6	** [[spoiler:Mastema. Either he's cleaned up his act and redeemed himself or he's simply learned to sugar coat his actions much better and is still just as heartless. There's plenty of in-game evidence for either - on the one hand, he helped seal the Archangels away as he believed that God disapproved of their actions. On the other hand, his Bonus Boss fight on the Law route is very reminiscent of ''Strange Journey'', and his death speech could either be seen as righteous fury at being betrayed by Flynn or a repeat of his hate-filled pre and post boss speeches from ''Strange Journey''. On the one hand again, this doesn't happen on even the Chaos route, which is where you ''would'' fight him in ''Strange Journey''. Apparently for him, the Archangels are a higher priority here than even Lucifer. There's also the possibility that this Mastema is a completely different instance of the same species as the ''Strange Journey'' character.]]
7	** The Archangels [[spoiler:brainwashed Johnathan into joining them. He only just ''barely'' qualifies for being a Law-Neutral character, and even then he's still far, far more Neutral than Law. Blasted Tokyo - which should be the decisive turning point for his alignment like how Infernal Tokyo pushed Walter a bit more towards Chaos - has him being appalled at YHVH's treatment of the people instead of (like you'd expect a Law character to do) deciding that it's their fault for disobeying YHVH, or even refusing to fight Pluto for being (in his own words) a tool of the Lord. This would explain his abrupt alignment in a way that works in-universe, as the Archangels aren't above doing so]].
8	* AmericansHateTingle:
9	** Due to ''VideoGame/Persona3'' and ''[[VideoGame/Persona4 4]]'' being far more popular than every other ''Megami Tensei'' sub-series combined in Western territories, coupled with non-''Persona'' ''Megami Tensei'' being either obscure or [[NoExportForYou not available]], ''IV'' tends to catch a lot of flak there for, well, not being ''Persona''--the EarlyGameHell and the lack of character development sideplots a la ''Persona'' Social Links have made this game somewhat of a turnoff to Westerners, who generally are not as familiar with mainline ''Shin Megami Tensei'' as Japanese players tend to be. Fortunately, the game still sold well enough for Atlus USA to bring over ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse''.
10	** By the same token the soundtrack get's similar flak for simply not being by Shoji Meguro, being composed by Ryota Kozuka instead. This is notable as Meguro himself made it clear in interviews that he really liked the soundtrack with him considering the Tokyo theme as one of the best tracks in the series.
11	* AnnoyingVideoGameHelper: Your AI-controlled companions use a random skill at the end of your turn. They don't take enemy resistances into account, meaning their spells might get nulled, drained, or reflected. And this has a chance to give the enemy the Smirk buff, pretty much guaranteeing that it will dodge all attacks and land a CriticalHit. Nozomi in the "Samurai and Hunters United" Quest is especially bad since two of her three skills can cause the boss to smirk.
12	* AnticlimaxBoss:
13	** The "Errand for the Apocalypse" quest, which has you fighting [[DualBoss all four Riders of the Apocalypse at once]]. All of the Riders are severely downgraded from their solo counterparts and can be defeated with a few high-end attacks. Expect to be sorely disappointed if you've been grinding your party to level 99 and expecting an epic struggle for victory. To be fair, however, it's a standard Challenge Quest, not a DLC boss or a 1/256 encounter, and if you're on the Neutral path, you've already beaten [[spoiler: Lucifer and Merkabah]]. It's perfectly reasonable to go up against them and get a challenge on the Chaos path, however.
14	** The Lilim Horde that defeats the party in Kiccigiorgi Forest. The rematch with it in Ikebukuro is played as [[ClimaxBoss the final challenge between you and the Black Samurai]]. Thing is, it has an absolutely crippling weakness to Gun, plus the weakness to multi-target attacks all Hordes share. If you picked up Stun Needles from a Shikome or Rapid Needle from an Ubu back in Shinjuku, the Horde should last two rounds at best.
15	** ''Ishtar, Goddess of the Harvest'' provides a rather peculiar example. It's a simple demon-slaying quest, so one wouldn't expect too much. However, one of the demons is Mother Harlot, who, by level, is the strongest Fiend in the game. However, considering David is hard for where he is in the game and the other Fiends are among the toughest bosses in the game, Mother Harlot goes down surprisingly easily.
16	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
17	** The Black Market dealers. While some dislike their condescending tiredness, others find their delivery to be hilarious. Nevertheless, they have become a collective FountainOfMemes.
18	** Isabeau, who's been called everything from an [[TheCutie adorable]], [[VideogameCaringPotential lovable character]] to an [[TheLoad irritating liability]] who [[{{Glurge}} the game tries too hard to get the player to like]].
19	* BetterOffSold: The demon meat healing items restore so little HP that using them to recover is nearly worthless. However, they fetch for a lot of Macca when sold. Additionally, a wandering Hunter found across Tokyo's rooftops will buy some off you for several times its original market value if you're willing to track him down and give him exactly what he wants.
20	* BrokenBase:
21	** Some people ''love'' the redesign of the Archangels for being bizarre, eldritch, otherworldy depictions of angels; others hate them for looking ''nothing'' like any other SMT design and being overdesigned.
22	** The removal of defensive stats aside from elemental resistances. One camp hates the fact it's far easier to be killed, even by lower leveled enemies. The other camp believes the new mechanics are useful for taking down higher leveled enemies, and appreciate the fact that boss battles usually take no more than 10 turns.
23	** The European release. Some are just glad it's finally getting a release, but there's also been some very vocal outcry as the release was delayed for over a year, is going to be English-only and will only be available via digital download, moreso than when news of the EU release remained quiet.
24	** The overall SequelDifficultyDrop. Some praise the many difficulty-reducing features, such as the removal of SaveGameLimits (as long as you can open the Burroughs menu, you can save), Charon's revival services, the addition of an easy mode, and cheap TraumaInn services. Others think the difficulty drop was so extreme it made the game fall into ItsEasySoItSucks.
25	** The way the game handles the series legacy and mythology. Some think it tries to [[http://eirikrjs.blogspot.se/2015/09/SMT-identity-crisis-final.html haphazardly incorporate past elements of the series with no regard for their actual meaning]], leading to the game getting an identity crisis; while others think changes are necessary for the game to evolve and therefore the old things have to be put in a new light.
26	* CatharsisFactor:
27	** For those [[TooBleakStoppedCaring sick of the constant warring between Law and Chaos]] present throughout the game, as well as several other games in the franchise, [[spoiler:the Nihilism ending lets you take it out on a [[ZeroEffortBoss defenseless machine]] and destroy '''[[ApocalypseHow/ClassX4 the entire universe]]''' as a result.]]
28	** For those not sick of the series' darkness, on the other hand, the people offering the aforementioned ending are themselves very satisfying to beat up.
29	** For those who got frustrated by Neutral's requirements (especially earlier on, when it was less understood what they were), the Law ending is ''very'' satisfying.
30	** Seeing [[BigBadWannabe Tayama's]] [[spoiler:VillainousBreakdown when you you activate the Yamato Reactor with Walter]] is absolutely '''''beautiful'''''.
31	* CompleteMonster: [[TheDon Mr. Tayama]] began as a small-time {{Yakuza}} leader in Tokyo, but in the power vacuum following an apocalyptic war he seized control of the city via commandeering the [[MagicalParticleAccelerator Yamato Perpetual Reactor]], Tokyo's main source of power. He thus established himself as the unquestioned leader of the city. While Tayama [[VillainWithGoodPublicity protects the citizens from the hordes of demons ravaging the city]], he does so mainly for the sense of power it gives him; anyone who questions his rule is killed or worse. Tayama invented a FantasticDrug, Red Pills, that can be used to pacify demons, but unknown to the people of Tokyo, the drug is made from human brains extracted from innocent people his Ashura-kai periodically kidnap and raise in a "human farm" until they die. Tayama is also breeding child slaves for this purpose. Though Tayama claims this is for the benefit of the greater population, he has also hypocritically cornered the market on smartphones, through which demons can also be tamed without causing harm to either them or humans, even demolishing an entire neighborhood to maintain his monopoly.
32	* ContestedSequel: Many feel that the game is a steep drop in quality [[ToughActToFollow compared to the gold standard that is]] ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'', due to comparatively weaker 3D visuals, a more standard Law vs Chaos plot, the revision of some battle mechanics (especially the removal of defense stats), and the game lacking challenge in comparison. Others however, praise the game for being much more beginner-friendly than ''Nocturne'' and especially ''I'' and ''II''.
33	* DemonicSpiders: Macabre. Despite his weedy appearance he hits like a semi and can cause poison with [[ThatOneAttack everyone's favorite move]], Blight, and at the time you unlock Shinjuku, where you can find him in the wild, he's likely to be a higher level than you. At that point, a party of three of them getting the first strike is usually more than enough for a GameOver.
34	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
35	** The Zombie Cop, due to his unique dialogue.
36	** Minotaur due to his honorable personality, being the first boss AND [[WakeUpCallBoss a true challenge for the player]], and having one of the few character designs that isn't [[BrokenBase contended amongst the fanbase]].
37	** YASO MAGATSUHI, due to being [[PokemonSpeak easily quotable]]. Add in his unique look and his sympathetic nature and suddenly he crosses over into UglyCute.
38	** Chemtrail, for both [[UnintentionalUncannyValley his starkly contrasting design even compared to the other Guest Artist Designs]] (Being a 3D render with realistic lighting) and the sheer absurdity and audacity of having a Demon based off of a conspiracy theory. This led to him appearing in some ''Shin Megami Tensei'' fan projects, like ''[[https://thematicconversion.tumblr.com/post/138427728488/05-of-05-modern-compendium-conspiracy-jirae Modern Compendium]]'' and [[https://greed92-smt.tumblr.com/post/112533775935/rumor-chemtrail a now-cancelled fangame]].
39	** Nozomi is considered by many to be the best human character from a story perspective and who happens to also be voiced by Creator/LauraBailey. It's to the point where [[AscendedExtra she became part of the main cast in]] ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse''. [[TheLoad From a gameplay perspective on the other hand...]]
40	* FanNickname: "El Presidente" for the [[WakeUpCallBoss surprisingly difficult]] Ose guarding the Shinjuku Terminal, coming from his description in the Compendium as a "President of Hell."
41	* FountainOfMemes:
42	** The Black Market dealers are extremely quotable as a result of their condescending, annoyed tones. While their usual intro line ("Oh, a Hunter.") is the most famous, most of them ("This is real, right?" "You still got business here?" "Make sure you bring more Macca next time!") have reached meme status.
43	** Walter as well, between his catchphrases (especially "Hoy"), cocky attitude, memetic reputation for stupidity, and even his smug grin in some face portraits being ripe for memes and parody.
44	* GameBreaker:
45	** Flynn is the only character whose status growth can be controlled by the player, which means he can either reach a stupidly high attack power or a massive evade rate relatively early. He can also get skills through Demon Whispers and upgrade them, giving him absurd amounts of versatility with little grinding. Finally, when he unlocks the App "MP Recovery", he can destroy most random encounters in one swoop and recover MP before the next battle.
46	** The final upgrade of the MP Recovery App allows you to apply its effect to the entire party. While it takes 150 App Points in total (MP Recovery 1, 2, and Party Recovery), having this App trivializes practically everything related to MP, including healing magic, which can be freely used in the field. By just running around in circles after every battle, you'll fully restore your MP before the next one.
47	** Much like in ''Persona 4'', the app "Skill Augment" increases skill change probability to a reasonable chance, allowing you to change early skills into potentially game-breaking ones. Thanks to the ability to freely choose which skills and how many are inherited for your demons, breaking the game through this method is in fact much easier than before.
48	** Guardian's Eye. At first glance it's AwesomeButImpractical since only Masakado's Shadow can learn it, it can't be inherited, and he will never have enough MP to cast it more than once before needing a MP recovery item. But with the help of the Fusion Lite app, it's possible to create several Demons with Guardian's Eye and enough MP to cast it twice before needing a recharge.
49	** Huang Long: Resistance to all 4 elements and nulls Light and Dark. At level 80 he gains Drain Phys. He also has Samarecarm (Revives from KO with full HP) and Victory Cry (Recover full HP/MP after battle) as default skills.
50	** There are three DLC missions which are designed to make grinding easier: one for EXP, one for money, and one for App Points. They require you to go around East Shinjuku and hunt [[MetalSlime Mitamas]] to get the drops. Once you're strong enough for them, they make the game a lot easier. The EXP one in particular is this, being easier than the other two (recommended for Lower Naraku, unlike the other two which aren't recommended until Ikebukuro) and has as one of the drops the Heavy Grimoire, which is an instant level up.
51	** [=StreetPassing=] with a white card can earn you some pretty nifty bonuses. Aside from your demon gaining stats and potentially learning new skills, they may bring back incredibly useful items if you [=StreetPass=] a lot of fellow players, including Grimoires and 10-Point Cards (which give you 10 App Points without the need to level up). Of course, this depends on being in an area heavy with fellow players, which is quite uncommon outside of Japan; your best bet is to conduct your [=StreetPasses=] at {{Fan Convention}}s.
52	** If you get a combination of Pandemic Bomb and Death's Door on your team, random battles become an absolute joke. Some of the worst damage sponges in the later parts of the game are vulnerable to Sick status, and if you manage to inflict it on them and then reduce their HPToOne with Death's Door, you'll be able to knock them down with a [[CherryTapping light breeze,]] saving you a lot of MP and time. It gets even more hilarious if you're fighting Hordes, as Pandemic Bomb will attempt to hit 3 times thus improving your chances of sickening the enemy and Death's Door will also hit 3 times dealing horde's HP minus one on each hit, killing them instantly.
53	* GeniusBonus:
54	** Players versed in Myth/ChineseMythology may be confused at the appearance of Xi Wangmu, a benevolent, though imposing, figure in most myths, as a villain. The depiction in the game is fairly accurate, however, to an earlier and more obscure pre-Taoist version of the goddess, who was a fearful death and disease deity. When taken into Taoism, she received some AdaptationalHeroism and a near-opposite portfolio of attributes.
55	** Barbatos is the demon who will give you the most money using the Fundraise app. In demonology, he is often linked with the Deadly Sin of ''{{greed}}''.
56	** A number of demon weaknesses and resistances are actually inside jokes that only mythology fans will get. In particular, a lot of weaknesses relate to something the figure was killed or greatly harmed by in the myths, such as [[Myth/NorseMythology Thor]] being weak to poison.
57	** The opening scene contains two {{Shout Out}}s to the Literature/BookOfDaniel. One of the mysterious voices Flynn hears says "Mene, mene, tekel, parsin," the ''original'' writing on the wall that appeared to King Belshazzar the night before he was killed by the Persians. Another voice mentions a "horn" that "pierces the heavens" and "planets" being "trampled upon," a reference to a vision of Daniel's wherein he sees a hideous horned beast representing a cruel dictator who tears apart the world with iron claws and teeth. This beast, incidentally, is ultimately killed by the Ancient of Days, [[spoiler: one of the game's hardest {{Superboss}}es]].
58	** The Eastern Kingdom of Mikado is named after ''Theatre/TheMikado'', which is superficially set in Japan to better satirize Victorian Britain from a distance. In a reversal of Gilbert and Sullivan slapping a thin veneer of Japan over British customs and values, Eastern Kingdom of Mikado is culturally vaguely Medieval European (with a few scattered Japanese words like Samurai and Naraku), but is a successor state of Japan (i.e. located literally on top of Tokyo, populated by descendants of Japanese citizens, etc.).
59	* GoddamnedBoss:
60	** Omoikane is annoying to fight. He is fought pretty late in the game so at that point you can probably resist his light instant kill attacks and his other spells. What makes him annoying though is that whenever you get him to low health, his next turn he always uses a spell that ''heals all his HP''. And he doesn't always do this at the point when his portrait flashes red so that means you have to gauge how much damage you're doing by yourself. Better hope your fire and force spell users, as well as attack buffers, are not weak to light.
61	** The Fiends that aren't part of sidequests, due to each one having only a 1/256 chance of spawning in a specific, nondescript location every time you enter the area they're in. It can take hundreds or even ''thousands'' of re-entries just to get a Fiend to show up. And if you do get to fight them and lose, you either have to pay Charon to revive you on the spot for a guaranteed rematch or ''do it all over again.''
62	* InformedWrongness: Tayama’s Reds are undoubtedly vile creations, but nobody acknowledges that there’s not a single better option outside of eradicating demons altogether. The Eastern Kingdom of Mikado is built in a place where demons can’t reach and [[spoiler:is protected by the archangels]]. There’s also the matters of [[spoiler:Blasted Tokyo, where everyone lives underground in bunkers]], and [[spoiler:Infernal Tokyo, where everyone is either a demon hybrid, or sets up their own version of the Reds where demons can abuse them as much as they want]]. It’s even shown that in places where the Reds don’t exist and demons can roam, it’s ''always'' worse off despite being the more moral option.
63	* HarsherInHindsight: The Law path is a bit harder to steel through if you've played ''Apocalypse'', as in this game's Law path, [[spoiler:Aquila's statue is destroyed]] and ''Apocalypse'' [[spoiler:delves more into Akira/Aquila's past. All those plans to one day reunite Mikado and Tokyo and they not only fall apart, but also the Archangels and the Samurai under their leadership basically shit all over him and his legacy.]]
64	** When negotiating with a demon, sometimes the demon will order Flynn to [[KneelBeforeZod kneel before it]], and the only options shown are [[ButThouMust Submit, Submit, and Submit]]. [[spoiler:In ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'', Flynn is forced to submit before the BigBad. On one route, he's brainwashed by someone else and indeed kneels before them.]]
65	* IronWoobie: Flynn. His best friend [[spoiler:turns into a demon and he's forced to MercyKill him,]] the fate of [[spoiler:his parents]] is unknown, and of his three TrueCompanions, two of them [[spoiler:sacrifice themselves for their ideals,]] while the third one [[spoiler:''commits suicide in front of him'']] in the Law and Chaos routes. And yet he soldiers on to complete the important task given to him at the end of the game. Of course, this is lessened somewhat by the Neutral route.
66	* ItsEasySoItSucks: While it's not simple, quite a bit of hate has come to it for not being nearly as hard as the other games in the series, even on the hardest difficulty.
67	* ItsHardSoItSucks: On the other hand, those who are better acquainted with ''Persona 3'' and ''4'' find the ({{early\|GameHell}}) game to be too unforgiving to derive enjoyment from it. In short, whether you find this game easy or hard will depend on your past experience with mainline ''SMT'' games.
68	* ItsTheSameNowItSucks: A sentiment held by those more critical of the game is that it does very little new with the series and plays it very safe with a fairly by the numbers Law vs Chaos plot, especially after the halfway point, and uses a largely identical combat system to prior titles. This especially after ''Nocturne'' went out of it's way to reinvent the series.
69	* MagnificentBastard: [[EnigmaticMinion Mastema]] is a angel who follows God's Will "in his own way" and disagrees with the Four Archangels and their plans to destroy Tokyo after creating the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado alongside them, preferring to keep the civilizations distanced instead. In the past, as shown in the DLC ''Clipped Wings'', Mastema--disguised as a human named M--works with a powerful demon hunter to seal three of the Four Archangels and spares Gabriel, allowing her to return to Mikado. Staying in Tokyo to protect its population from demons, Mastema works with the ruthless Asura-Kai and guards their Red Pill factories, knowing full well about the PeopleFarms used for the creation of the Pills, which Mastema [[NecessarilyEvil considers the only thing protecting Tokyo]] from chaos. When the Asura-Kai's leader Tayama dies and Tokyo becomes a battlefield again, Mastema warns Flynn about the consequences of his ideals, even sympathizing with his plight, while making plans for the future except on the Law Route, where Mastema dies fighting against Flynn.
70	* MemeticLoser: Walter, due to being that partner who will [[ArtificialStupidity spam Agi even on demons that are immune to it and giving them free Smirk status]]; the boss battle against [[WakeUpCallBoss Minotaur]], who has such an immunity, is infamous for this. Rather than an honest mistake, this is interpreted as Walter being TooDumbToLive. This was acknowledged by Atlus USA in a [[http://atlus.com/smtiv-faux-pas-calypse/ blog post]] regarding ''Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse''[='=]s accidentally-left-in Japanese lines:
71	--> As you may know, ''SMTIV:A'' has partners that are permanently with you throughout the game, and you can select the partner based on what abilities they have that complement your play style. (No more worrying about a randomly chosen Walter casting Agi on demons that resist fire. WALTEERRRRRR!)
72	* MemeticMutation:
73	** "Meanwhile in Europe." [[labelnote:Explanation]]A reference to the delayed European export. While the meme had existed for some while before, it was this game that really got it going.[[/labelnote]]
74	** The ''VideoGame/DarkSouls'' of ''Franchise/{{Persona}}''[[labelnote:Explanation]]A lot of people who play ''IV'' are those whose initial touch with the ''Megami Tensei'' franchise was ''VideoGame/{{Persona 3}}'' and ''[[VideoGame/{{Persona4}} 4]]'', so they dive into ''IV'' and constantly compare it to the ''Persona'' sub-series while [[NintendoHard getting constantly clobbered]]. The opposite opinion is held amongst veterans of the mainline ''SMT'' games, who regard ''SMTIV'' as the [[SequelDifficultyDrop easiest game in the series]]. The quote in question came from an infamous review that claimed [[CowboyBebopAtHisComputer Shin Megami Tensei was a spinoff of Persona]] rather than the other way around.[[/labelnote]]
75	** "[[spoiler: The White]] were right" has become a popular way to snark at people complaining about the TooBleakStoppedCaring in the series.
76	** Walter's [[FunnyBackgroundEvent various amusing facial expressions]] and Jonathan's magnificently floofy hair, both of which are commonly photoshopped onto other characters for an UnintentionalUncannyValley effect.
77	** Jonathan [[VideoGame/Persona5 Kawakami]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Sadayo Kawakami from VideoGame/Persona5 has a hairstyle that's fairly similar to Jonathan's. This led to hilarious edits of Kawakami's face on Jonathan's body, or jokes at how they're secretly related to each other.[[/labelnote]]
78	** The entire Minotaur fight. [[labelnote:Explanation]]Due to a combination of the Minotaur being a WakeUpCallBoss and ArtificialStupidity on Walter's part, many players remember this fight as one where they would often get curbstomped due to both factors ensuring that the Minotaur would smirk and inflict a TotalPartyKill the very next turn.[[/labelnote]]
79	** "i call this one "the distant waluigi"[[labelnote:Explanation]]A comment left by obololegal in the Infernal Kasumigaseki comment section. It exploded due to several users agreeing that the vocals in the song sounded like Waluigi, to the point that "Distant Waluigi" has become a FanNickname for the track in general.[[/labelnote]]
80	* MemeticPersonalityChange: Apparently the whole fandom has decided that Flynn is a KleptomaniacHero who will beg anyone for money at any given opportunity. That probably stems from the fact that demons don't drop money upon defeat, which means that you'll actually have to beg them if you want sufficient funds.
81	* {{Moe}}: [[EnforcedTrope Enforced]] by part of the development team with Isabeau, with some of the newer member of the team wanting the typical "sweet" female character in the game. Whether this was a [[BaseBreakingCharacter good thing or a bad one]] is still debated both among the fans and the development team themselves.
82	* MoralEventHorizon: See [[MoralEventHorizon/ShinMegamiTensei here]].
83	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound:
84	** The penalty sound becomes this if it was the enemy hitting immunities or missing attacks.
85	** ''The demon's heart was swayed!''
86	** A boss demon exploding.
87	** For those seeking certain rare demons: [[spoiler:"I detect a very dangerous demon nearby..."]]
88	** Burroughs herself provides plenty, thanks to her pleasant voice:
89	---> "Good morning, Master." \
90	"I'll register that as a new quest on the list." \
91	"That's a new [[SideQuest quest]]!" \
92	"That's it! You have all you need now. Just go deliver it and you're done!" \
93	"Congratulations on completing the quest!"
94	** The Smirk noise, at least if it's ''your'' party member smirking.
95	** Mido's "OOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!" Not only is he shamelessly hammy, but hearing that also means you've unlocked a new demon for fusion.
96	* NarmCharm:
97	** Pluto. Between the voice it has, its constant repetition and emphasis on the word "obliterate" it's ridiculous but at the same time resembles nothing so much as a fanatic [[Series/DoctorWho Dalek]].
98	** Peallaidh. Whooooooaaaaaa... didja know? They can't clean him, bro! (Which sounds suspiciously similar to [[http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/dont-tase-me-bro "Don't tase me, bro!"]].)
99	** [[spoiler:Merkabah's]] excuse for justifying [[spoiler:mowing Isabeau down]] is just too ridiculous to even take seriously. Many of his ravings about how vile and disgusting his enemies are aren't easy to take seriously as well.
100	* NauseaFuel:
101	** The revelation that the Red pills [[spoiler:are made from [[HumanResources human brains]]]] is so disgusting even characters in-game feel sick when they reach the harvesting facility.
102	** For those not sufficiently disgusted by the above revelation, there's also the fact that [[spoiler: in Infernal Tokyo, Demonoids do the same straight from the tap]]. It's lessened somewhat for some folks thanks to [[spoiler: a surprising number of Neurishers ''liking'' their situation.]]
103	* NightmareRetardant:
104	** The demon's Domain in Harajuku is pretty creepy to explore, like other Domains, until you encounter the head honcho of the Domain: [[spoiler:Demonee-Ho!]] ([[SubvertedTrope Unless]] you're underleveled enough that he beats you dead with the unblockable [[spoiler:Desperate Hit]].)
105	** Some of the more nightmarishly-designed demons seem a lot less intimidating when you talk to them, as they take on the mannerisms of a human rather than a bloodthirsty demon.
106	* OlderThanTheyThink
107	** The team brought in Masayuki Doi, the Character Designer for the ''VideoGame/TraumaCenter'' series, as Character Designer for this game, while for the designs of the new Demons they hired {{Tokusatsu}} artists, most notably ones from the ''Franchise/KamenRider'' franchise, instead of having both be helmed by Kazuma Kaneko. This is not the first time the franchise has done this, however. The character designs for the ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'' games was done by Suzuhito Yasuda (Who's most well known for ''Literature/{{Durarara}}''), while Creator/MohiroKitoh (Who's well-known for his Angel designs for the ''[[Franchise/NeonGenesisEvangelion Evangelion]]'' franchise as well as being the Mangaka behind ''Manga/{{Bokurano}}'' and ''Manga/ShadowStar'') was brought in to ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor2'' to design the Septentriones.
108	** ''VideoGame/EtrianOdyssey'' features the concept of ''(spoilers for ''EO'')'' [[spoiler:a Middle Ages-esque civilization being built on top of a destroyed, modern Tokyo]] years before ''Shin Megami Tensei IV'' did it.
109	** Charon allowing you to avert a GameOver by bribing him with Macca dates as far back as ''VideoGame/MegamiTenseiII''.
110	* {{Padding}}: The Neutral path requires you to complete 19 sidequests in Tokyo, including several ''unmarked'' sidequests that require you to have a camera that requires a previous sidequest being beaten. This continues for ''at least'' a few hours if you've been diligent in sidequesting.
111	* PanderingToTheBase:
112	** In an attempt to bring more people in to the franchise, famous guest artists from the ''Franchise/KamenRider'' series were brought in to provide new designs for some of the demons. However, this was less than well-received.
113	** The game tries to pander to the older SMT fans by including numerous callbacks and some returning characters from past games. How well this was actually executed [[BrokenBase is a matter of discussion]] among the fans however.
114	* ParanoiaFuel:
115	** Upon entering an area that a boss lurks in: "Master, look out. I'm detecting a strong demon nearby."
116	** If you're already in an area and ''then'' Burroughs warns you: "I'm detecting a strong demon ahead. Be careful." Two instances of this warning happen in areas that are dark and deserted ([[spoiler:Blasted Shibuya and Blasted Ikebukuro]]).
117	** Depending on if you're actively seeking out the fiends: "I detect a very dangerous demon nearby. You should consider getting out of here." She's not kidding about the "very dangerous" part.
118	* PlayerPunch:
119	** The White [[spoiler:all take on forms of familiar beings: Hugo, K, Isabeau, and Issachar. It's jarring, especially when you fight them]] in the Monochrome Forest.
120	** After finishing the Monochrome Forest, [[spoiler:whatever your choice was. If you have a good ear, you can briefly hear how Jonathan's voice is distorted into Merkabah's after his fusion with the Archangels. It's just an instant as Merkabah grunts as he awakens, but it's there.]]
121	** [[spoiler:The boss fight with Isabeau]] during your final trip to Camp Ichigaya. [[spoiler:The game seems to be designed to make you feel as horrible as possible.]]
122	** [[spoiler:In the Law path, when destroying Lucifer's second form, you hear his voice break down into Walter's, wearily moaning that, as the strongest, maybe you were in the right all along. In Chaos, it's Merkabah's second form's voice that breaks down into Jonathan's, desperately asking ''what'' is it that you want.]]
123	* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap:
124	** An odd example in that it's a song that got rescued. The second game's Law theme is considered to be the weakest in the franchise, but its epic BossRemix used for the Archangels has redeemed it in fans' eyes.
125	** This time around Mastema is far more even-handed than his ''Strange Journey'' incarnation, [[spoiler:and is actually supportive of humanity deciding its own fate (which he believes to be the Lord's ultimate plan.) He even rationalizes Tayama's Reds as a manifestation of this stance. He bitterly resents the Archangels interfering with the newly-founded Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, let alone trying to rule it, and puts up a Challenge Quest to defeat them before they can destroy Tokyo. In the Neutral path, if you visit him at the very end of the game, he praises you for defeating both the demons and the angels, and for restoring Tokyo to its people... all while being pleased that the doubts and uncertainty about the future will surely lead to the people seeking out God on their own]].
126	* ScrappyMechanic:
127	** A lack of an actual stat for defense means buffs and resistances are more important, but also means you can get nearly wiped from one unlucky ambush.
128	** Whenever a fighter lands a critical hit, strikes a weakness, or nullifies an enemy attack, they have a chance of smirking. This gives them a [[GameBreaker ludicrously busted status]] that lasts until they use a press turn but grants them a wide variety of powerful buffs, most notably making their next attack a near-guaranteed crit. The problem is that if a single enemy happens to smirk off of an attack, not only will they get an additional press turn, but they can land another crit in the same phase and squeeze out ''another press turn''. This, combined with the aforementioned lack of a defense stat, leads to this game having [[RocketTagGameplay some of the most volatile battles in the series]]. Basically, if you can't defeat a random encounter on the first turn, you'd better start [[LuckBasedMission praying to the RNG gods]] because all it takes is one unlucky crit to [[TotalPartyKill wipe out your entire party]] ''from full health''. This one status effect alone is pretty much the main reason to why the Minotaur is such an infuriating fight as thanks to the boss's high crit rate, Smirk allows him to pretty much snowball in an instant with one lucky strike.
129	** The fact that you have to carefully juggle your KarmaMeter if you want the Neutral ending. It's very easy to accidentally lock yourself in the Lawful/Chaotic path, and you can't {{save scum\|ming}} easily, as you only have two save slots. On top of that, the only way to determine your current alignment is through the "Cynical Man" present at Hunter's Association facilities throughout Tokyo, and he is not available for a significant chunk of the game. To top matters off, being ''too'' neutral is is threat due to the thin margins that the Neutral path requires (to get the Neutral path, you must be at 8 points of Law or Chaos or less. Right before your alignment locks in, you make one last unavoidable choice that moves your alignment 10 points towards Law or Chaos. If you are at 1 point towards Law or Chaos, getting Neutral is now impossible as your choice will either leave you with 9 points or 11 points towards an alignment, which is over the 8 point maximum).
130	** The overworld map is so dark that it can be nigh-impossible to tell if any given path leads anywhere or if it ends arbitrarily, which is made worse by a wonky camera that makes many locations ''look'' traversable when they aren't. Moreover, the game doesn't differentiate cities on the map, making it very easy to forget where something is. The player also cannot look at the world map all at once, but only their immediate surroundings on their map screen.
131	** Many of the districts are only accessible by boats or subway. The former is guarded by an annoying Hunter who charges you 500 Macca to go across, while the latter is usually guarded by a thug who will only leave one you clear certain missions.
132	** The red mist that [[LuckBasedMission randomly]] begins snaring you in place starting around Shinjuku. Not only does it render you unable to land a first strike, it often causes the enemy to get it. Compounded with the issue with the nonexistent defense stat, you may be jumped on and possibly wiped through no fault of your own.
133	** The Fiends are extremely hard bosses, but if the player wishes to fight them, they only appear in very specific spots, with a mere 1/256 chance of spawning.
134	** Scouting demons. Once you get to the "offer them stuff" phase, there's really no way to tell whether you should keep giving them what they want (lest they see you as a selfish jerk for ending talks early) or [[KnowWhenToFoldEm cease negotiations]] (as they may [[UngratefulBastard run off with your stuff if you keep giving]]).
135	** Not only can random-encounter enemies get first strikes like in other games, ''bosses'' can also get first strikes at random, which only serves as FakeDifficulty.
136	** The Lost status ailment. It is an incredibly random ailment that can happen when a demon is hit by any kind of wind spell. If affected, then the demon in question will be gone from the fight, period. No revival or curing it. And it lasts beyond the battle itself. The only way to get the affected demon back is to wander around into various random encounters and hope that the demon shows up in one of them, where it will then immediately rejoin you.
137	* SequelDifficultyDrop: While it's still possible to get wrecked due to ambushes and poor preparation, the game is considerably easier than ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'', requiring less strategy to defeat bosses and having comparatively straightforward dungeons. The cheap cost of TraumaInn services and the "save anywhere" feature also help ease in players who are either new to the series or have a sour taste in their mouth from previous mainline games. Yes, the lack of a defense stat means enemy attacks can hit very hard now, but so do yours, so boss battles go a ''lot'' faster.
138	* SlowPacedBeginning: The real meat of the game is when you get to Tokyo and start picking up the gear and demons needed to mow down entire enemy squads at once. Unfortunately, this requires [[EarlyGameHell slogging through the rather difficult Naraku caverns first]], and many players give up at Minotaur or Medusa at best.
139	* TakeThatScrappy: Albeit most likely unintentional but one of the forms [[spoiler: The White]] takes is of Hugo, which means you can figuratively beat him up.
140	* ThatOneAttack:
141	** Blight does a surprising amount of damage for a "weak" physical attack, on top of inflicing poison. A lot of early-game enemy demons will have it. As such, bringing double-digit Dis-Poisons and Detox Solutions, as well as one or two demons with Posumdi, is never a bad idea.
142	** Pandemic Bomb is a favorite of many enemies, including the {{Superboss}} of the "Rebirth of the Great Overlord" quest, [[spoiler:Beelzebub]]. It inflicts Sick status on the entire party, which halves attack power and reduces evasion to ''zero'', and can ''spread to other party members''. Worse, the game checks if Sickness has spread to other party members every turn - not round, ''turn'' - meaning you can heal a party member's Sickness only for them to ''immediately'' get Sick again if any other party members are Sick. Sick status also leaves the victim open to Death's Door, an attack that reduces those under Sick status to 1 HP, and yes, [[spoiler:Beelzebub]] will happily abuse this.
143	** [[spoiler: Kenji]]'s Ancient Curse, which puts five different status effects on the party, including Bind and Poison.
144	** It seems that each of the DLC bosses has been given at least one of these, just to add to their frustration factor:
145	*** [[spoiler:Gabriel]]'s Lamentation, which is basically Ancient Curse 2.0. It inflicts the same status effects as the above, in addition to Brand, which prevents HP/MP from recovering. '''Brand can't be removed manually'''.
146	*** [[spoiler:Ancient of Days']] Damnation/Stigmatic Gleam combo. Heavy-hitting almighty damage with high chance of inflicting Poison and Brand, respectively. Nothing more annoying than constantly losing health and not being able to heal yourself at all.
147	*** [[spoiler:Sanat]]'s Gaea Rage, which not only deals some heavy damage, it has a high chance of inflicting the Lost status on your demons. Lost demons are out for the rest of the fight, but since they don't count as "dead", ''you can't bring them back at all''. And he loves to spam that attack, especially when he can't use any of his other attacks (read:when one of your demons has Phys/Gun reflect). Be prepared to lose your entire team in a few rounds and have to fight him with Flynn alone.
148	*** And from the last DLC battle, we have [[spoiler:Masakado]]'s "Curse Thy Enemy" and "Guardian's Eye". The former is an almighty attack that hits hard, ''always'' hits as a weakness (thus giving him a free Press Turn), and more often than not makes him Smirk. Coupled with Concentrate, it makes for a very frustrating OneTurnKill. "Guardian's Eye", which he'll almost always use once he has around 1/2 HP left, gives him ''three extra Press Turns''. For free. This gives him five turns instead of three like before, or as many turns as each of the Fiends.[[note]]He actually acts eight times (six times without Guardian's Eye), but three of those turns are spent using FlavorText skills that do nothing.[[/note]] Enjoy the oncoming onslaught.
149	** [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiStrangeJourney Macca Beam]] and its bastard older brother Wastrel Beam are back! Like in ''Strange Journey'', these attacks wipe out Flynn's hard-earned Macca, making them a pain in the ass when you're trying to afford expensive equipment or demons.
150	** Antichton is ''the'' Almighty spell to watch out for in this game; not only does it hit the entire party for massive unblockable damage, it also reduces attack, defense, and hit/evasion by one degree. And the Fiends will be happy to spam it if you try to get around their other attacks with elemental immunities or attack-reflection skills.
151	* ThatOneBoss:
152	** The Minotaur is simply meant to be a WakeUpCallBoss to teach you to exploit weaknesses and use buffs and debuffs. Unfortunately, his fight ends up turning into this if Walter is randomly picked to be your partner, as he will then cast Agi from time to time, not only being blocked but also causing Minotaur to Smirk and likely knock your entire party into next week.
153	** [[spoiler:Kenji]] has Fire, Physical, Darkness and almighty skills. While the first three can easily be turned on the boss with Tetrakarn/Makarakarn, Megido bypasses Makarakarn and is usually cast multiple times a turn. He is also fond of casting Ancient Curse, which inflicts your entire party with all five major status effects, two of which prevent you from moving at all until they both wear off. Towards the end of the battle, [[spoiler:he will attempt to play dead and trick you into grabbing the [[PlotDevice remote]] that you are after; taking the bait will deal you massive damage, and the only real warning you get about this trap is that the battle interface and music are still up, and that he has not yet done the "burst into red cracks and then explode" animation that all previous bosses have done upon defeat]].
154	* ThatOneLevel:
155	** Pluto Castle is one of the longest dungeons in the game. Expect to rely on LevelUpFillUp if you haven't been able to stock up on Chakra items and don't have Party MP Recovery.
156	** Monochrome Forest requires you to go through a five-section forest with teleports to hunt down four different bosses. If you're not keeping track of where you're going, you will probably go mad from seeing "Monochrome Forest - Open Space" over and over.
157	** The final dungeon of the Chaos route and penultimate dungeon of the Neutral route, [[spoiler:Purgatorium]], has two sections with transporters that flip you upside down to the next [[CallAHitPointASmeerp Crown (floor)]] and vice versa. When upside down, the camera rights itself but your map doesn't, so walking left makes the map scroll right, and vice versa. It's easy to enter the wrong transporter if you aren't paying attention. Also, you can't talk to any demons here, save for whatever the Terminal Guardian throws at you, so you can't recruit them or Negotiate your way out of battle.
158	* ThatOneSidequest:
159	** The VR training battles can be a huge pain in the ass, being a major example of TrialAndErrorGameplay. While the RNG is entirely fixed in these battles, trying to figure out the correct steps to beating each one without a guide can be a case of GuideDangIt for some players. Fortunately, they are not needed to complete the Neutral path.
160	** Getting into the members-only area of Ginza requires you to [[CashGate expend a large sum of Macca]] on a ChainOfDeals: 55,000 Macca to get through two of the gates, 5,000 Macca to get a Gold Card ([[spoiler:which the offering Hunter doubles to 10,000 if you try to accept]]), and 100,000 Macca to buy the Silver Coin needed to get the Black Card which will then let into the area. And that's just the beginning of your spendings: The shops sell awesome yet exceptionally expensive items and equipment, which get even more expensive if you're playing on Master difficulty. Did you want the Demonica armor on Master? Time to grind for 2.6 million Macca!
161	** Fiends for anyone going for 100% completion, due to their 1/256 chance of appearing every time you load an area. Especially if their encounter location requires you pass by a demon, as odds are you'll get hit at least a few times even if you use Estoma Sword.
162	* TooBleakStoppedCaring: Like some of the other titles before hand, you can start to feel this about the factions heroes and the factions they represent. Fortunately for these people [[spoiler: the Nothingness ending]] allows them to vent these feelings.
163	* UnexpectedCharacter: Chemtrail. Not many players expected there to be a demon based on more modern conspiracy theories.
164	* UnnecessaryMakeover: The demons' new designs by [[VideoGame/TraumaCenter Masayuki Doi]] and several notable ''Franchise/KamenRider'' artists has been contentious, due to how different they look compared to previous appearances.
165	* VindicatedByHistory: When the game was first released it faced a lot of scrutiny from fans. Not so much from what it was but more so from [[ToughActToFollow what it was up against that had come before]]. However in the wake of increasingly divisive releases, fans began evaluating this entry in a much more positive light. The once-contentious story is now seen as a decent if flawed attempt at modernizing the SMT formula without being minimalistic and incomplete like ''V'' or too different and cliched like ''IV Apocalypse'', and Walter and Jonathan have become far more appreciated as Law and Chaos reps the game makes an effort to develop and build the player's attachment to before the inevitable [[JumpingOffTheSlipperySlope descent]]. As such, the game these days holds an odd spot within the fandom where it is viewed as both the last game of the franchise's golden age and the start of its silver age.
166	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: Some fans feel the Ikebukuro arc has nationalistic themes to it, as in real life, Ikebukuro is the district of Tokyo with the most immigrants, and in the game it's by far the bleakest area of Tokyo and is overrun with cannibalistic "foreign demons" led by Xi Wangmu, one of the chief gods of Japan's traditional enemy, China.
167	* TheWoobie: The poor National Defense Divinities, who just want to do their job to protect their country, but have been enslaved by means on their Mediums to a tyrannical crime boss running Tokyo straight into the ground. ''Apocalypse'' makes their situation even worse by revealing that [[spoiler:they were originally human prisoners who were forcibly implanted with the essence of Japanese gods and heroes by Japan's psychopathic Defense Minister, who intended on using them as doomsday weapons against foreign countries]].
168	----
169	''Make sure you bring more examples next time.''

Context YMMV / ShinMegamiTenseiIV