* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Some fans theorize that Aleph [[spoiler: killing YHVH]] in the Law route is meant to symbolize [[spoiler: the New Testament overcoming the Old Testament]] given that the former is [[spoiler: a CloneJesus]] while the latter [[spoiler: is based off God's more Jewish portrayal.]] The fact that Aleph in his appearance in a DLC for ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' as a representative of the Law route adds fuel to the fire.
* AnticlimaxBoss:
** The Twelve Shinshou. They are mentioned as early as [[spoiler: during the first trip to the Abyss]], and you start to mentally prepare for an epic BossBonanza that requires careful conservation of resources... only to find out that they're complete pushovers who die in 1-4 turns, have trouble consistently hitting your party and yield less XP than a RandomEncounter.
** Kuzuryuu is very important to both sides' plans and is the only Neutral exclusive boss in the game. He ends up being relatively easy compared to Lucifer beforehand and the Shinreis afterwards.
* {{Anvilicious}}: The subplot about the poor {{Woobie}} Shinto gods being imprisoned by [[spoiler:YHVH]] so no one can worship them anymore is about as subtle as a sledgehammer upside the head. It's a pretty strange anvil to drop, considering that the Shinto religion has always been exclusive to Japan and the number of Christians in Japan is less than one percent of the population even today. (Having Amaterasu Herself go on a bit of a tear about "grasping Hebrew God'''s'''" gets a bit uncomfortable, to boot.) It then gets even ''weirder'' with the [[{{Prequel}} Raidou Kuzunoha]] games revealing that [[{{Hypocrite}} the Amatsu once sided with YHVH to persecute the Kunitsu]].
* AssPull: [[spoiler:Satan betraying YHVH in the Law route can come of as pretty much out of nowhere with no foreshadowing for it happening. In later releases with the Visionary Items they tend to avoid this, having a specific one that foreshadows Zayin turning on YHVH because God's Judge is meant to judge everyone, [[LoopholeAbuse no exceptions]]]].
* BrokenBase:
** Discussions over whether Neutral or Chaos is the "best" ending ([[FandomHeresy Law is not an acceptable answer]], even though [[spoiler:you still challenge YHVH]]), and moreover which one the devs ''intended'' to be the best ending, can get quite heated. ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'' hints that the devs see Aleph as a more Lawful guy, given that his cameo in the DLC of that game has him represent the law path.
** Is the game anti-Christianity, with [[spoiler:[[GodIsEvil YHVH being full-blown evil]] and the game tasking you with [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu killing Him]] regardless of route]] being obvious arguments for this position, or is it [[http://artemis-maia.tumblr.com/post/89693779363/why-i-think-that-smt-and-smtii-are-not-hostile-towards actually pro-Christianity with a lot of Biblical parallels]]?
* CompleteMonster:
** The twisted versions of Archangels [[ArchangelUriel Uriel]], [[ArchangelRaphael Raphael]], and [[ArchangelMichael Michael]] are overlords of the theocratic dictatorship that has overthrown Tokyo AfterTheEnd. While they allegedly divided the city into five districts in accordance to the division of labor, it is clear they favor the wealthy Central District and feel free to neglect, abuse, and slaughter outright the residents of the other four. When signs of rebellion appear in the Valhalla district, they order the Demon Lord Abaddon to devour it whole, promising to restore his angelic status if he did so; when he is finished, they [[ILied cast him back into the demon world]]. The entirety of the Arcadia district has been lobotomized and plugged into {{Lotus Eater Machine}}s, causing them to believe they live in an idyllic paradise while their physical bodies waste away; [[TheHero Aleph]] is subsequently informed the the Archangels intended to do the same to the entire planet. The workers of [[TheGulag the Factory District]] have been brainwashed into slavery by the song of a Siren, who is routinely tortured by the Archangels' henchmen to keep her singing. Finally, they attempt to get Aleph and his comrade Zayin to surrender to them by holding the entire Holytown district hostage, threatening to cut off their air supply and slowly suffocate them to death.
** [[PsychoSupporter The Center Bishop]], as revealed by the Visionary Items in the remakes, is the Archangels' [[TheDragon top enforcer]]. As leader of the Temple Knights, the Bishop orders the execution of all captured rebels, even [[WouldHurtAChild killing children]] without offering them a second chance. Also overseeing the Messiah Project, the Bishop provides Mekata with a supply of infants to test his rapid aging procedure on; when Mekata protests that the Bishop's requests could kill them, the Bishop responds that [[WeHaveReserves he'll keep providing Mekata with babies to replace the dead ones]] and to put it out of his mind. Also in charge of the education of the children born from the project, the Bishop ensures their only desire is to follow their assigned role, taking a particularly sadistic delight in tricking Daleth into believing he's the Messiah. When Aleph resurfaces, the Bishop turns a Jack Frost into King Frost and lets him ravage Holytown, but leaves out his true role as a sacrifice for the Messiah's rise to power.
** [[YMMV/ShinMegamiTenseiI YHVH]]. See that page for details.
* CrossesTheLineTwice: Yes, Mara appears, but he doesn't have the HurricaneOfPuns surrounding him this time. No, this game has Crowley/Master Therion, who holds Sabbaths to have sex with demons and, when forbidden to by Lucifer, ''complains about how horny he is and decides to kill you to calm himself''.
* EnsembleDarkhorse:
** This is the game that introduced Alice as an enemy. Also, while he didn't gain his popularity until the next game, this is also the game that introduced Matador.
** This game's alignment representatives are Zayin/[[spoiler:Satan]] and Lucifer. They happen to be among the most popular alignment representatives due to Zayin managing to defy the initial Lawful group and hold onto himself as he sinks deeper into Law [[spoiler:and even managing to turn on YHVH in the Law ending, which most Law heroes either never do or only realize as they die,]] and this incarnation of Lucifer being a WellIntentionedExtremist leaning heavily on the Well Intentioned side, to the point where it's this Lucifer most fans generally default to.
** One of the many Messian types you can fight in this game are the Terminators, who are based on [[Franchise/{{Terminator}} exactly what you'd expect]]. Despite only appearing in this game, they're far and away the most popular regular enemies in the game, with many clamoring for them to return in some form.
* EvenBetterSequel: While the first game is nothing short of groundbreaking for its time, this was the game to introduce many of the most interesting concepts to the series and features one hell of a weird, interesting and surprisingly deep story for a Super Famicom game. In addition, this is the first time the series introduced Lucifer [[spoiler: and YHVH]], both of whom would go on to develop the ideological conflict between Chaos and Law to a much more interesting angle.
* GameBreaker - No, not [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiI Zio]]. This time around it's damage and defense buffs and debuffs, which stack with themselves and last until they are dispelled, something that not every boss is capable of. But more-so is the Divine Retribution spell. It tears off a quarter of an enemy's health with an alignment opposite to the spell's caster, and it works on bosses with no reduction.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** The Puck subquest, in which Daleth tries to screw you over with [[LovePotion Infidelily Sap]], and how it comedically backfires is funny by itself. However, when [[spoiler:the reveal about Hiroko being Aleph's mom]] is discovered, it gets more hilarious when you realize [[spoiler:Daleth got your MOTHER to chase him around like a lovestruck twit!]]
** As mentioned under MemeticMutation below, fans compare [[spoiler:YHVH]]'s appearance to a yellow-skinned [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Jean-Luc Picard]]. Come ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse'', [[spoiler:YHVH]] is voiced by Mugihito, who voiced Picard in ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration''[='s=] Japanese dub.
* ItWasHisSled:
** [[spoiler: God (as in capital-G God) being the BigBad and the FinalBoss on all three routes]] is one of the most well-known twists of not only the game, but of the entire franchise.
** For those who know more about the game's plot than the above entry, [[spoiler:Zayin being the human half of Satan]] is also very well known.
* MainstreamObscurity: Most people with even a cursory knowledge of ''Shin Megami Tensei'' know this is the game where [[spoiler: you fight YHVH]]. The number of people who know anything else about the story, let alone have actually ''played'' the game, is far smaller.
* MagnificentBastard:
** Lucifer returns, see his [[YMMV/ShinMegamiTenseiI original game's page]] for details.
** Zayin was [[ArtificialHuman created artificially]] as part of the Project Messiah in order to be the Messiah's bodyguard, but his destiny was to be much more. Introduced as a loyal Temple Knight working for the Center, capital of the totalitarian and hypocritical Tokyo Millennium, Zayin eventually discovered their murderous corruption thanks to his time with Aleph and decided to [[TheParagonAlwaysRebels rebel against it]], broadcasting the truth and gaining a loyal following in the religious district of Holytown. Forced by The Elders--actually corrupt archangels--into going to the Center after they threatened Holytown, Zayin is captured and then freed after Aleph defeats them. Building a new Eden--filled with people whose "knowledge" was erased--alongside the archangel Gabriel, Zayin is revealed to be actually a part of {{Satan}}, God's instrument to judge all creatures. Embracing his role, Satan prepares to destroy both the human and demon worlds, leaving only the peaceful people of Eden to build the Millennium Kingdom, managing to doing it in the Law route before ending his judgement by judging his creator, God Himself. Having finished his holy duty, Satan leaves the future to Aleph and Hiroko before returning to the soil from where he was created.
* MemeticBadass: Aleph is generally put in the top tier of SMT protagonists along with [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne the Demi-fiend]] and [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIVApocalypse Nanashi]]. This most likely has to do with how the endgame of Neutral pits him against [[spoiler:Lucifer, the giant dragon Kuzuryu, three avatars of YHVH, Satan, and YHVH Himself]].
* MemeticMutation:
** "Everyone's dancing furiously."
** A number of fans have pointed out that [[spoiler:YHVH]] looks like [[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration Jean-Luc Picard]] with yellow skin.
* MoralEventHorizon: See [[MoralEventHorizon/ShinMegamiTensei here]].
* {{Narm}}: If you refuse to side with [[spoiler:Zayin and Gabriel]], they will throw you out of [[spoiler:Eden]], telling you that you are BeyondRedemption. However, the sound effect that plays during this moment and the way you land outside the Center's entrance without any harm done seem to imply that they literally just picked you up and tossed you out the window.
* NightmareFuel
** Valhalla is [[spoiler:swallowed by [[EldritchAbomination Abaddon]]. Whose stomach is a [[EldritchLocation dimensional rift]]. You get to explore his [[WombLevel fleshy insides]], culminating with a duel against his heart.]]
** If you strongly believe in an Abrahamic religion, have fun trying to complete the game. [[spoiler: Because at the end of the game is a [[GodIsEvil twisted]] version of God as the FinalBoss. Unlike in SMT I, where following Law means you side with him, in this game ''you still fight him'', and just to drive home how terrible he is, even ''His angels'' want him gone.]]
*** Frankly, [[spoiler:YHVH]] is pretty creepy even if you don't [[spoiler:believe in him]], as He's smack dab in the middle of the UncannyValley, giving you a perpetual DeathGlare, and begins the fight with a rant about how you deserve to be tortured for all eternity (said tortures described in excruciating detail) for ''daring'' to be the good guy here. Oh, and if you're playing on certain emulators, [[GoodBadBugs the dialogue box constantly shakes]].
** [[spoiler: If you followed the Law Route, you essentially support the eradication of all life on Earth. If you chose to destroy the Arcadia System Gimmel is in control of (Chaos), everyone hooked up to it dies, it's even worse if you take Gimmel's place by inputting your data (Law) since everyone who is hooked up to the System would die anyway cursing Aleph for letting them die.]]
* OneSceneWonder: Crowley and [[spoiler:YHVH]], the former for his out of nowhere hilarity (I'M SO FREAKING HORNY!) and the latter for [[spoiler:what He does as the Final Boss and Big Bad, even on the Law route.]]
* PlayerPunch:
** The ''intro'' is this for those who beat ''SMT I'' on Neutral. Oh, you thought that paradise of balance was gonna work out? Well guess what, that didn't work, and now humanity is cooped up in a domed metropolis run by horrible religious fanatics with the rest of the world uninhabitable by humans.
** The fact that [[spoiler:the corpse of the Hero from ''SMT I'']] was found in the backstory as having died alone in a cave-in, again for those who have played the previous game. You already knew this person's plans didn't work out, but to see that [[spoiler:he died alone in a cave]]? ''Damn.''
* ScrappyMechanic:
** Partway through the game, the Center becomes off-limits, and naturally the Terminal stops working as well. Later in the game, you get access to the Center again, but the Terminal's teleport function never reactivates. The nearest Terminals all require a good few minutes of walking to get back to the Center, resulting in a good deal of padding whenever the game expects you to go back to the Center.
** At various points in the game Aleph will be checked for a particular stat in order to proceed, requiring either intense LevelGrinding or incense consumption in order to pass the check. The worst of these are any stat check that requires Magic, as it [[DumpStat does nothing to help Aleph]] due to him being a purely physical fighter. You can at the very least cheat the system for the plot-mandatory checks by giving Aleph stat boosting equipment and drinks from the Bar, but the [[BonusDungeon Kongokai]] checks circumvent those bonuses and only search Aleph's pure statline.
* SignatureScene: [[spoiler:The battle with YHVH]] is one of the most remembered parts of the entire franchise. While it's the least liked route, Law's version of it is probably the most well known, as [[spoiler:Satan realizes the gravity of what just happened and calls YHVH out, proclaiming that it's time for the ultimate creator to be judged]].
* ThatOneAttack: The last two bosses of the Neutral and Chaos routes and the FinalBoss of the Law Route both have one hit kills they can use any time. Granted, they do use it on specific targets, but it's still extremely annoying.
* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodPlot: The Archangels' twisted view of YHVH willing a fake one into existence feels a bit pointless once it turns out [[spoiler: the real YHVH is exactly as evil as the fake]].