Characters / Shin Megami Tensei Forces of Chaos

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In General

The alignment associated with Lucifer, freedom, and war. This alignment promotes freedom of choice, thought and action above all else in stark contrast to the controlling nature of the Law alignment. However, this freedom can lead to a vast amount of suffering and violence, leading the world into a primal state of unsuppressed vice and survival of the fittest.

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• Adaptational Heroism: They have their fair share of alignment where they are infinitely more sympathetic than their ideals usually are. Best example of this is Jimenez post-Heel–Face Turn in the New Chaos Ending of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, where Jimenez rejects the tyranny of Mem Aleph to establish an Adventure-Friendly World where anyone can do anything unchained of their life - infinite possibilities and hope, representative of that Jimenez believed before his Face–Heel Turn.
• Adaptational Villainy: In the world of Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, Chaos - alongside Law - was explicitly a villainous faction than the Blue-and-Orange Morality deal they usually were. They were far more rude and ruthless even by their usual impolite standards, and choosing to side with them simply repeats the cycle YHVH has in store to keep humanity at the bottom no matter what.
• Anarchy Is Chaos: Their ideals of freedom are "every man for themselves," and it shows.
• Appeal to Nature: They see the natural order of animalistic instinct and primal hatred as "beautiful," with much of their society often reverting to a state of anarcho-primitivism as a wholesale. Of course, however...
• Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Arguably moreso than even YHVH Himself; the top demons of Chaos and Lucifer don't hold the right to rule Chaos by virtue of being mandated leaders, but by kicking the shit out of anyone who could have challenged them for the rule. This very much extends upwards to how they value their own "society", being one rooted in the rule of nature and a massive caste between the "strong" and the "weak".
• The Berserker: Raw rage, emotion and hatred is what funnels the Chaotic way of life; such is often their heavy emphasis on martial power and strength.
• Blood Knight: Practically their hat, all things considered. They loooooooooooove fighting, to the point of often organizing trials and basic contests of structure around combat.
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Much like Law itself. Chaos fundamentally subscribes to ideals of freedom, ambition, and above all else, power - but this often wraps in on itself and makes Chaos a dystopic hellhole where the world is entrenched in the uneven power dynamic of the weak and the strong, with the strong being able to do whatever they want, free from accountability in its entirety. Chaotic demons see no dissonance in the hypocrisy of their beliefs versus their actions, because it's all in the name of freedom. A better way perhaps to describe Chaos as an alignment is less the alignment of freedom so much as power - it comes from the desire on an instinctual level to hold and keep power, no matter how much they have to kick down those that are part of that problem.
• The Brute: Very common among the alignment; demons and characters aligned to Chaos tend to raw physical strength as a wholesale, and often have the temperament of a bull in a china shop as such.
• Dark Is Evil: The alignment is wholeheartedly associated with the colors black and the "Mudo/Eiha" line of spells, but are oftentimes myopic, brutal and hedonistic to an almost demonic fault. That said, however...
• Dark Is Not Evil: ...they represent the natural desire for desires and ambition as a wholesale, and there's bound to be a fair share of heroic Chaos-aligned protagonists, like a redeemed Jimenez in Strange Journey Redux.
• Even Evil Has Standards: Despite being The Social Darwinist: The Faction, even they have lines they would refuse to cross. The most notable of these is Tayama's human-trafficking and organ harvesting operation, which Lilith herself outright calls the "true face of evil". When Lilith is openly horrified by it, that's when you know it's bad.
• Fantastic Caste System: In a stunning lack of self-awareness, their worlds always evolve into a caste system between the "strong" and "weak," and are arguably even more entrenched in hierarchy than would be otherwise. They are also very discriminatory against those they perceive as "weak," which could obviously be a lot of things altogether.
• Fantastic Racism: They hate the "weak" on an institutional level. Whoever is "weak" can just as easily be transcribed to "person or people I don't like".
• Gaia's Vengeance: Whenever Chaos instigates the plot, it's almost entirely for the harm humans have caused the environment and natural world: demons are highly nature based on an institutional level, and tend to believe in a return to the natural order of things.
• The Hedonist: Arguably their worst aspect as a wholesale. It's not often noted, but Chaotic world fully encourage the strong to do whatever vices they do wish, no matter how depraved they are; they are the "strong" after all, so the "weak" deserve whatever happens to them. While not from the mainline universe, Kamoshida from Persona 5 is an excellent symbol of this myopic view, with Kamoshida seeing his school as his own kingdom to indulge in all of his vices and perversities without consequence or accountability.
• Hypocrite: Despite ostensibly being the faction of "unfettered freedom", they actually violate their ideology more often than not:
  • They have virtually zero qualms with devolving into abject tyranny or authoritarianism if it means solidifying control, as well as a caste system outright; just replace "rich" and "poor" with "strong" and "weak", only the gap is designed to be even more inescapable and anti-meritocratic as Yosuga and Infernal Tokyo show and prove.
  • They saw the Conceptions happening in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne as wrong for destroying universes endlessly to create Law's "perfect world". Their solution? A Class X-5 Apocalypse which destroys any hope of rebuilding for a chance of a final battle with YHVH. Though subverted when it's made clear said final battle is not as destructive as once believed and moreover doesn't prevent rebuilding, as a few subsequent games show True Demon Demi-fiend being in different universes, and Shin Megami Tensei V being implied to be in the same continuity as Nocturne after said Apocalypse How, and yet retains a chance to be rebuilt.
  • They abhor Law's tendency to brainwash its own to fulfill their ideals, but see no qualms with using brainwashing themselves to have their embrace their vision. A good example is their regular use of Hate Plague in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey to brainwash people into their thinking.
  • They also claim to be all about meritocracy, but just as often makes it so that the gap in darker variations of the alignment are inescapable; see the Demonoids and Neurishers being divided on a biological level, made that way to have an almost institutional degree of suffering for the "weak".
• Klingon Promotion: A very regular occurrence in Chaotic society is that whenever a demon of sufficient strength challenges a head demon of authority, it results in either the challenger dying or killing the ruling demon. Either way, those who succeed effectively take over that demon's territory as a wholesale. King Kenji from Infernal Tokyo in IV learns this the hard way, as being at the top meant that he constantly is challenged by those who seek to overthrow his rule.
• Lack of Empathy: Arguably even moreso than Law; they don't care about anyone but themselves or their own "people," as everyone else they don't like can simply just burn for all they care.
• The McCoy: Tends towards ideals of passion, emotion and instinctual desires of the three alignments. Chaotic-aligned protagonists are often noted as hot-blooded and emotional, but tend to become increasingly more misanthropic the further they get into the alignment. Contrast this with Neutral as The Kirk and Law as The Spock.
• Might Makes Right: A firm believer in this. To them, if you lack the strength to hold your own, your life is virtually worth nothing to them as a wholesale. This extends in their methods of meritocracy or the ideals of it as such, with only the strongest of them all getting to lead, and are very often determined by Klingon Promotion and Asskicking Leads to Leadership.
• Misanthrope Supreme: Very often, the Chaotic-aligned options is being an asshole to everyone you meet, and just as often do the extreme variations of Chaos devolve into a hatred for everyone and anyone they meet.
• Moral Myopia: They see anything they perceive as "tyranny" and "brainwashing" with extreme prejudice, but just as often ends up just wanting to be the ones ruling instead, just so they can be free from accountability for their actions. They also are more often than not quite sore when they find themselves on the losing side; Lucifer being a Graceful Loser is very much an exception to the rule relative to their alignment as a wholesale, suffice to say.
• Nature Is Not Nice: They believe firmly in the rule of nature itself: a prey is nothing more than a prey animal, and that the natural world of demons is short-lived, brutal, and very, very bloody. In short, they represent the worst aspects of this.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: Associated with the color Red and Black. That said, they largely subvert this on the grounds of being too morally grey to really quantify as just "evil".
• Order Versus Chaos: On the Chaotic side, natch.
• The Social Darwinist: Their worst aspect as a wholesale; to them, being weak just means you're little more than a stone to cross over and step all over, regardless of whatever "rights" you may claim you often have. It's perhaps for this reason that Dark-Chaos often tends itself to fascism as a wholesale, representing the rule of a few, elite members of society by and large than the "freedom" they so profess.
• The Sociopath: Not even Moral Sociopathy like with Law; they freely embrace how often selfish and myopic their view of the world is, and subscribe to return to the world to a rule of nature as a wholesale.
• World of Chaos: What their worlds always devolve into; an anarchic hellhole where the strong are free to torture, rape and kill anyone they so please, and the weak are subject to their rule of nature - forever.

Lucifer

Louis Cyphre/Lucifer/Helel

"I shall not rest until both my subjects and you humans enjoy a level of freedom you have only dreamed about, for this is the true nature of things. Chaos is the true nature of the world! The stronger, more beautiful creatures survive and continue to reproduce, naturally bettering all that live. The cycle of rebirth and destruction will continue unfettered for all eternity, improving life for all until the end of time."

— Shin Megami Tensei I

Warning: As a major recurring figure throughout the series, there will be spoilers for multiple games. You have been warned.

God's sworn enemy. Lucifer, otherwise known as Louis Cypher, is a major recurring character in the main Shin Megami Tensei series. Just don't confuse him with Satan, who actually works for YHVH.

In the never-ending battle between Law and Chaos in various different universes, Lucifer in most of his incarnations seeks to liberate humanity and demons from YHVH's control, with the goal of attaining complete freedom to do whatever they may please. His exact motives and methods vary from game to game, but he often takes the form of humans with blond hair and blue eyes, going by "Louis Cypher". His most recurring role is that of a schemer who interacts with the protagonists at various points, trying to convince them to side with him and the forces of Chaos against the forces of Law.

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See his page.

Beelzebub

Beelzebub/Baal Zebul/Belzaboul

"You aren't worthy of being dispatched by Lord Lucifer himself. I'll kill you all myself!"

— Shin Megami Tensei II

Beelzebub, also known by his human avatar form Baal Zebul, is a powerful and high-ranking demon; he is the right-hand man of Lucifer.

• Amazing Technicolor Population: His Baal Zebul humanoid form artwork from Shin Megami Tensei I often has blue skin.
• Attractive Bent-Gender: Like his master, Beelzebub is not above taking a female form such as in Majin Tensei II, where she appears as a woman wearing dominatrix gear◊.
• Battle Theme Music: He typically doesn't get to have his own battle music and instead settles for a generic boss track, but Nocturne throws him a bone with his own self-titled theme which is a Boss Remix of the Chaos faction's recurring theme.
• Beelzebub: An excellent design taking inspiration from the Dictionnaire Infernal that actually shows up if you do a clean google search for him. He also has another design with is a obese blue man with red stripes and a tiger skin.
• Big Bad: Though usually acting as The Dragon to Lucifer, he has dabbled as the main antagonist such as in the Devil Children anime.
• Big Creepy-Crawlies: His One-Winged Angel form is essentially a giant fly, as befitting the Lord of the Flies himself.
• Demonic Possession: Does this a few times across the series. He does it once to Lucifer in the Devil Children anime; once to a random Junkyard inhabitant in Digital Devil Saga; and once to Ahazuya Mikado's corpse in Shin Megami Tensei IV.
• Demoted to Extra: After appearing as The Dragon to Lucifer in the first three mainline Shin Megami Tensei games, in IV, he only appears in a sidequest and not alongside Lucifer. Mostly because he's stuck in the body of King Ahuzaya.
• The Dragon: To Lucifer in most games, but works under Belberith in Devil Survivor; even then, it is revealed he was ordered by Lucifer to help Belberith become the King of Bel.
• Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong: Belzaboul's strategy in Devil Survivor mostly consists of planting his spawn in your bodies, which burst out and become full grown flies. Meaning Belzaboul is a giant demonic Bot Fly.
• Fat Bastard: His Baal Zebul form is rather overweight, and while mostly a Punch-Clock Villain he can be incredibly unpleasant when he feels like it.
• Flies Equals Evil: Not only does he take the form of massive fly, but his signature spell, Death Flies, involves summoning a swarm of flies that deal massive Almighty damage to whatever enemies are not outright killed by them.
• Fusion Dance: Apart from the standard demon fusions to summon him, if Bael is in your company in Megami Tensei II, upon defeat Bael will attempt to union with Beelzebub (presumably this is accomplished by Bael the toad somehow eating Beelzebub the fly - as toads will do.) If this is allowed to happen, Majin Baal will emerge from the two and gladly join the ranks of your digital devil horde.
• Iconic Item: Wields a skeletal rod in both his fly form and his humanoid form. Persona 3 dubbed it the "Corpse Rod", and you can obtain it as a weapon for the protagonist.
• I'm a Humanitarian: Perhaps fittingly for a demon associated with Gluttony of the Seven Deadly Sins, Beelzebub often devours humans in order to gain more power; notably in Digital Devil Saga and Shin Megami Tensei IV.
• Infinity +1 Sword: Beelzebub is often one of the better demons/personas the player can obtain. Especially true in Shin Megami Tensei I: if the player isn't Chaos aligned, they have to beat him in order to be able to create him. As he's the strongest demon in the game, they'll likely already be strong enough to beat the game if they can defeat him.
• Number of the Beast: Beelzebub (human form) in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne starts with 666 HP upon being obtained.
• One-Hit Kill: Beelzebub, at least from Nocturne and onwards, has 'Death Flies', an Almighty-elemental spell that deals plenty of damage and has 100% chance of instantly killing anything that doesn't nullify or repel Curse-elemental spells. The good news is that you may acquire said skill by leveling your Beelzebub in Nocturne or by acquiring his Mantra in in the Digital Devil Saga series.
• One-Winged Angel:
  • His true form as the Lord of the Flies. He generally prefers the humanoid Baal Zebub form and enters Beelzebub mode when he gets serious.
  • In Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, this is turned around. He appears as Beelzebub at first, and then Inanna transforms him into Baal.
• Optional Boss:
  • Shin Megami Tensei I: He can be fought during the endgame if you're Law or Neutral aligned, unusually only as his humanoid Baal Zebul form which is still referred to as "Beelzebub". He's not quite as strong as the Final Bosses but still provides a decent optional challenge. If you're Chaos aligned, he joins you instead.
  • Shin Megami Tensei II: Beelzebub appears in Castle Kether in the Abyss. He is a voluntary challenge; if you walk into his chamber, he will challenge you and you may decline and even come back later.
  • In the re-release version of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Beelzebub is technically an optional boss as he is only a mandatory boss battle if you want to reach the True Demon Ending, as he can only be fought in the Fourth Kalpa of the Labyrinth of Amala. Defeating him makes him fuseable and erases the curses in the hallways of the Third Kalpa.
  • Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner also has him as a part of a series of bonus bosses. Unlike the others, the party is required to fight him twice before killing him for good. Defeating Beelzebub's fly-form will grant the ammo Magatama and the item "Tyrant's Skull", which unlocks the High Priest Mantra, granting the access to several of Beelzebub's skillsets. Players will also net the Karma Ring which protects the wearer from Dark-based attacks, which can be equipped in the sequel.
  • Beelzebub is the ultimate boss and highest level summonable demon in the game in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army. He must be defeated at the lowest level of the Training Hall. The player must save at the last save point in the game and return to the Training Hall. A voice will speak to Raidou when he enters the northern section of the bottom floor. Then Raidou must collect 3 special items (the Emblem of Hell, the Phantom Skull and the Tyrant Spawn) to prove his worth to Beelzebub. These items are obtained by fighting 3 Hyakki-Yakkou battles (Zerg Rush battles with 100 demons) at certain moon phases in certain sections of different floors. (A Kudan will hint at their location a phase or two before the battle's set phase) Then Raidou can fight Beelzebub in the same spot where he heard the voice, but he must beat some Ukobach and Nebiros before Beelzebub will appear.
  • Though a mandatory boss in Devil Survivor, Beelzebub returns as an Optional Boss in Devil Survivor 2. Here, he's a Barrier Change Boss par excellence.
  • In Shin Megami Tensei IV, Beelzebub appears in a two part sidequest concerning the resurrection of Baal. Unless you're on the Neutral route, both sidequests are entirely optional, and even on Neutral, only the first part is required. Along with the Fiends, Beelzebub is considered the ultimate non-DLC boss in the game.
  • In Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux, Beelzebub is one of Louisa Ferre's four generals she summons in a New Game Plus EX Mission in the new final dungeon, all of whom are stronger than even the Demiurge. He can be reached via the northeast teleport in the room north of Louisa, but you'll have to find the switch to lower the wall guarding his door to fight him.
• Past-Life Memories: Beelzebub has these in Digital Devil Saga where he remembers his past as the "Wicked King" of Nocturne. Unlike most examples he seems to reach a balance between his human self and his demon self, sticking to the belief of the Junkyard that the leader be defeated if they are weak during his first fight against Serph.
• Pointy Ears: Sports these as Baal Zebul.
• Put on a Bus: While the main series has a tradition of making him one of the strongest Bonus Bosses in every game, he makes no appearance in Strange Journey. He does reappear in Redux and true to tradition, he shares the title of strongest boss with his partners Lucifuge, Belial, and Nebiros.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: Has big red compound eyes in his Beelzebub form, and being The Dragon to Lucifer automatically makes him dangerous.
• Red Baron: The Lord of the Flies, which is a translation of his name from Hebrew.
• Seven Deadly Sins: Represents Gluttony amongst the seven. Notably, Beelzebub is the only major recurring demon of Chaos faction who has dabbled in I Am a Humanitarian activities.
• Signature Move: "Death Flies" introduced in Nocturne, which he retains in Digital Devil Saga.
• Spawn Broodling: In his various appearances Beelzebub has acted a few times as a Mook Maker, spawning fly demons to aid him. Most notably in Devil Survivor where can implant his fly eggs in you, which hatch a turn later, and join in.
• Spell My Name With An S: Like Beldr/Baldur, he was renamed "Belzaboul" in Devil Survivor's English release to force him into the "Bel" naming scheme.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: Most mainline Shin Megami Tensei games treat him as a decent enough guy other than being devoted to Chaos. In contrast, IV's two part sideplot involves him possessing the corpse of your former king, causing cannibalism, and proceeding to eat his followers to gain power before trying to throw you into a guilt trip.
• Wild Man: The artwork of his Baal Zebul form looks like one. In a number of games it is actually considered a separate entity from Beelzebub proper.
• Worm That Walks: Beelzebub from Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army and Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon is a massive fly created from a swarm of other flies.

Lilith

Yuriko/Lilith

Lilith is the demon seductress, known as either first wife of Adam or an ancient Sumerian demon, depending on which myths you read. In the former, she's the mother of the Lilim. Her primary role as a character in the first Shin Megami Tensei, where she takes the form of the human Yuriko and attempts to win over the main character, who, according to her, is the reincarnation of Adam.

• But Thou Must!: You're not allowed to choose her as a love interest in Shin Megami Tensei I; she never even asks you before kidnapping the Heroine, or even after deciding I Want My Beloved to Be Happy.
• Captain Ersatz: The most common design for Lilith before IV resembles Gozer from the first Ghostbusters movie.
• Delinquent Hair: Her character art as Yuriko◊ in Shin Megami Tensei I and her real appearance in most of the games released between II and IV depicts her wearing her hair in what can only be described as a pompadour-mullet.
• The Dragon: Replaces Beelzebub as this in IV to Lucifer, leading his main servants, the Ring of Gaea, while sowing chaos in Mikado as the Black Samurai.
• Even Evil Has Standards: In Shin Megami Tensei I: "You... You killed Chaos Hero... How can you live with yourself!?! Killing your friend with a straight face!? Have you no remorse!?" Coming from a demon that was willing to Murder the Hypotenuse that's pretty damning.
• Even the Girls Want Her: Lilith possesses a unique racial ability limited to her boss fight in Devil Survivor 2: Temptation. At the start of a skirmish, Temptation activates and attempts to charm the opposing team. It always works against male team leaders, but has a moderate chance of success against anything else.
• Evolutionary Levels: In Nocturne, Lilith is the highest level Night demon, and can be obtained by evolving a Lilim. She can also be contracted normally, of course.
• Fallen Angel: Her design in Shin Megami Tensei IV gives off this vibe. Including having one of the glowing orbs above her head, feathered wings, and the same kind of robot eyes that the Archangels have.
• Feather Boa Constrictor: The snake is the only thing she's "wearing."
• Full-Frontal Assault: Her true form is a completely naked woman, and that's how she fights as either an enemy or ally.
• Interspecies Romance: The Shin Megami Tensei I Visonary items reveal that she wants humanity and demons to coexist peacefully and that she wants to be with a human and have Half-Human Hybrids in this peaceful world.
• I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: On the Chaos Path of the first game, she steps aside to allow the Hero and Heroine to be happy together.
• Murder the Hypotenuse: Shin Megami Tensei I, Lilith attempts to kill the protagonist's female partner, the Heroine in an open execution, but the three heroes just reach there in time and finally rescued her from any harm.
• Not as You Know Them: The Lilith in Shin Megami Tensei IV speaks of existing before humanity and her profile brings up she's a Babylonian Goddess, along with a design that looks more like a Fallen Angel than a former human. She also has a big desire to spread knowledge and wisdom, while letting human desire run rampant. Her being a Babylonian Goddess is usually not included or mentioned in her Compendium info.
• Optional Boss: Lilith appears as a bonus boss on the 4th Day of Devil Survivor 2. She is seen having charmed several men and sends them to fight the player. Because the men are fighting against their will, the player has to defeat Lilith without defeating any of the charmed men.
• Powered Armor: Wears a black Demonica as the Black Samurai in IV. She only changes out of it in her true form.
• Pre-Final Boss: In Shin Megami Tensei I, Lilith serves as this on the Law Route, as well as Neutral if Michael has already been defeated, serving as the last major obstacle blocking the way to Asura.
• Stalker with a Crush: Pines after the Hero in Shin Megami Tensei I, believing him to be the reincarnation of Adam.
• Unholy Matrimony: With Chaos Hero In Shin Megami Tensei I. Subverted; she's just using him as a weapon against the Hero on Lucifer's orders, and either dies or ditches him when it becomes clear that she isn't going to get the guy.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Aside from her Murder the Hypotenuse tendencies, she generally supports the more positive side of Chaos. In Shin Megami Tensei I, seeking coexistence between humanity and demons, and in IV, seeking to spread knowledge and wisdom to humankind - encouraging them to reject God and eat the apple.

Astaroth/Ishtar

Astaroth/Ishtar/Astarte/Ashtar

Astaroth/Astarte is one of Lucifer's generals, who is actually the goddess Ishtar forcefully fused with her counterpart Ashtar and turned into a demon by YHVH.

• Back from the Dead: A Chaos-aligned New Game Plus Challenge Quest line in Shin Megami Tensei IV is dedicated to resurrecting Ishtar.
• Barbie Doll Anatomy: Astaroth's default form is nude, but lacking any genitals or nipples. Presumably because he's not human.
• The Bus Came Back: After not having any main story relevance since II (their appearances above as Optional Bosses notwithstanding), Ishtar returns in V as a mandatory boss during the Chiyoda arc.
• Cessation of Existence: Minako mentions in IV that Ishtar has ceased to exist, which is why she has to go out of her way to collect demons that originate from her instead of simply summoning the original.
• Chekhov's Gunman: In Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, Astaroth first appears after you defeat Inugami at Dark Tsukudo-cho mentioning he would like to challenge you to a battle in the future. In the Law and Neutral alignment Astaroth challenges you a battle near the end of the game, while he'll simply join you if your alignment is Chaos. If your alignment is Neutral or Chaos you will be able to fuse him after his second appearance.
• Cool Mask: Astaroth wears a silver mask with long horns in his SMT I design, and a red mask covering most of his face in his SMT IV design.
• Fetch Quest: In Chaos route of Shin Megami Tensei I, after locating the throne room of Asura in the last floor basement, the hero will need to go back to Astaroth's room, where he will give him the "Wings of Astaroth"—a valuable item needed so Asura can forge the "Devil Ring" and the fight against Michael and his followers become available.
• Full-Frontal Assault: Astaroth in his default form is completely naked except for a helmet.
• Fusion Dance:
  • According to Ishtar in Shin Megami Tensei II, YHVH forced Ishtar and Ashtar to merge and become Astaroth before Shin Megami Tensei I.
  • An inverted version happens in Giten Megami Tensei where YHVH defeated Ishtar and divided her into two halves: the debaucherous side became Astarte and sealed in hell while the benevolent maternal side spread to all female beings.
• Gender Bender:
  • Ishtar (female)->Astaroth (male)
  • As Astaroth in Catherine.
  • Giten Megami Tensei has Astaroth appear as the female Astarte.
• Hopeless Boss Fight: Ishtar in V if you fight her as soon as you reach her in the story, because she gets 8 Press Turns and can easily obliterate your party with Ziodyne, Hamaon, and Dreadful Gleam. Averted if you find and destroy all the devices powering her up, which shuts her out of using Dreadful Gleam and leaves her with only 1 Press Turn.
• Horse of a Different Color: Astaroth rides on a snake.
• Morphic Resonance: When Astaroth disguises himself as Louis Cypher in Shin Megami Tensei II, his hair remains red.
• Ms. Fanservice: In Catherine, completing the Axis Mundi Babel Trials rewards players with a scene where Trisha/Ishtar basically seduces you through the fourth wall. Makes sense, given how she's a Love Goddess.
• Optional Boss: Astaroth appears as one in a New Game Plus Challenge Quest found in Shin Megami Tensei IV. Minako is attempting to summon him to be the Ring of Gaea's King, but when he is defeated uses him in a plan to restore Ishtar instead. He's also one of the most powerful bosses in the game, being only one of two non-Final or DLC bosses to reach Level 90.
• Our Dragons Are Different: Astaroth's new design in Shin Megami Tensei IV is a Scaled Up humanoid man partially fused with a dragon, with the dragon sticking out of the back of his body.
• Pieces of God: In IV, Minako is collecting the souls of demons that originate from her as part of her plan to revive her to grant fertility to Tokyo again. She collects the souls of Astaroth, Mother Harlot and Asherah and consumes them along with a Red Pill, sacrificing her body, mind and soul in order to complete the resurrection. She succeeds, and the restored Ishtar implies she still holds on to a piece of Minako's mind.
• Relationship Values: Astarte evolves from Milady once you reach a Rank 10 Confidant with Haru Okumura in Persona 5.
• Skippable Boss: In Shin Megami Tensei I, he appears defending the third floor basement if you are in the Law or Neutral paths, saying that "there's nothing more pitiful that the man who discards his individuality to willingly become a slave" (referring to the protagonist) before engaging the player in battle if he's not chaos aligned. This fight, however, is entire optional, as the player can choose to just take the stairs towards the next floor without having to enter Astaroth's room. After his defeat, he express his desire to regain the form of goddess Ishtar.
• Took a Level in Badass: After being one of the final Chaos bosses in Shin Megami Tensei I, Astaroth was relegated to an early lategame boss in II before becoming much less prominent. IV, however, puts some steam back in him, making him an integral part of a New Game Plus sidequest chain in which he is not only the first major boss, but the strongest boss in the chain at Level 90, only matched in level by Beelzebub and beaten by the final bosses and DLC bosses.
• Winged Humanoid: Astaroth sports wings growing out of his back in his classic design, though he seems to prefer riding a giant snake.

Asura

Ashura-Oh/Asura/Vairocana/Ahura Mazda/Asherah

"A violent group of demons in Hindu lore. They were very powerful and caused the gods great trouble. They are a strict group and attack anyone who runs counter to their ideals. They were originally gods of light who were worshipped in Persia. The Zoroastrian god Ahura Mazda was one of them."

— Compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

Originally Gods of Light. They were demonized and became Asuras thanks to YHVH. Though it might seem like they are all the same demon they are in fact a group of demons that share the same name. With each one having a different true form.

• Amazing Technicolor Population: Asura has red skin, Vairocana has purple skin, and Asherah has white skin covered in black lines
• Demoted to Extra: Asura went from Final Boss in the first game to major boss in Strange Journey to unimportant Optional Boss in IV.
• Dragon-in-Chief: While Lucifer is the head of the Chaos faction, it's Asura that leads them and serves as the final boss in Shin Megami Tensei I.
• Fetch Quest: Before facing Michael on the Law path in Shin Megami Tensei I, Ashura-Oh asks the protagonist to retrieve various things from Lucifer's generals to unlock the path to Michael.
• Final Boss: In the Law and Neutral paths of Shin Megami Tensei I.
• Gender Bender: In Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey: Ashura Oh(male)-> Asherah(female)
• Multiple Headcase: Asura has at least three faces, with one on both sides of his head.
• Noble Demon: In Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon he does exactly what you wish after beating him even though he was holding back.
• One-Winged Angel: In Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon, turn out that he's the combat form of Dainichi Nyorai AKA Vairocana. His true form is Ahura Mazda.
• Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Asura in Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon desires to become his true form of Ahura Mazda which is only possible by fighting other beings. So he intends to travel to the future of a Alternate Timeline and lead the forces of chaos against God. Which is implied to be Shin Megami Tensei I.
• Taken for Granite: His body turns to stone while his soul acts as the Delphinus Parasite in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.
• Time Travel: Asura aka Danichi Nyorai has the power to travel though time.

Mara

Mara

"It will only take one thrust to penetrate your frail form and finish you off completely!"

— Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon

Mara is the demon lord of all temptations.

Due to the infamous nature of his appearance, no image of Mara will be shown. You can open up a search engine if you really want to know what he looks like, so long as you have some Brain Bleach handy. You Have Been Warned.

• Arc Villain: Of the Maruo sidequest chain in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, being the one influencing Maru and his followers.
• Beware the Silly Ones: Let's not beat around the bush here, Mara is a penis on a chariot and he looks absolutely ridiculous. Do NOT let that fool you, he is still one of the most powerful and evil demons in Buddhist and Hindu mythology and this is reflected in the games, every time you fight him he is nothing short of a boss fight with tons of resistances, hits like a truck and remains just as powerful should you recruit or fuse him.
• Blatant Lies: In the Neutral and Law routes of Shin Megami Tensei II, Mara will try to tempt Aleph. First, he offers 999999 Macca. Next, he offers a 10 level increase. Finally, he offers the power that surpasses even Satan and Lucifer. If Aleph accepts any of her offerings, he will fall under Mara's spell and must fight Mara with a handicap.
• Blob Monster: Became a slime in Nocturne and appears as a slime and chariot in Persona 5.
• Body Horror: In the first Persona, Mara emerges from the body of Kenta "Toro/Chunky" Yokouchi during an event battle in the Snow Queen Quest. He will use fire spells and cause Yuka Ayase's Persona to awaken.
• Breakout Character: Originally just an uncommon random encounter, Mara began making regular appearances as a boss and somewhat of a comic relief character for reasons that probably need little explanation. In the official demon popularity poll ran by Atlus for Strange Journey's remake, Mara came first.
• Double Entendre: Every time he appears in any story capacity, expect a Hurricane of Puns relating to penises. His Pre Asskicking One Liners and his last words are chock full of these.
  "It will only take one thrust to penetrate your frail form and finish you off immediately!"
  "Through my charms, your kind will reach their climax and...die!"
  "I can easily go for a second round! I'll start with the fresher looking one... you!"
  "You must have brass balls to dream of challenging me... Do you have the stamina to last any longer against my onslaught of thrusts?"
  "How could this happen!? Can you be that frigid...!?"
  • In Shin Megami Tensei IV, the Terminal Guardian summons Mara and provides these in his stead:
    "Even you won't be able to beat off this magnificent schlong. Hehe, get it? Beat off?"
    (after defeat) "Huh. I guess it really is all about how you use it."
  • In Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, the presence of a whole slew of them from a cult is a dead giveaway that Mara is pulling the strings behind Maruo:
  "It looks like another Hunter has come to pull our Grand Member!"
  "Grand Member Maruo is as precious as the family jewels!"
  "Everyone! Let's cover our Grand Member!"
  • Shin Megami Tensei V proudly keeps this tradition up in a unique Hurricane of Euphemisms conversation with him and his old friend Girimekhala, where he proposes riding him, then when Girimekhala hesitates, vice versa.
• The Fourth Wall Will Not Protect You: In Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon, for her Establishing Character Moment, she rams the screen.
• Gag Penis: His most outstanding characteristic. This is why his portrait is not shown on this wiki. Once you get over Mara's face, you notice it riding a golden chariot with many sharp blades.
• Gender Bender: First in Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon and later in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. The goddess is her original form and gender, which makes Mara this retroactively this in the later Devil Summoner and Shin Megami Tensei I-II games that take place after the Raidou games.
• Interplay of Sex and Violence: Implied by the way Mara talks, as well as the blades on Mara's chariot seeming to twitch in anticipation in some games.
• Mythology Gag:
  • When in the Chaos Path in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, she posts a mission calling for the death of a Seraph. She'd go herself, but wants to stabilize so she won't become a Slime again.
  • A special demon conversation with Slime in Shin Megami Tensei V has him mention that Slime's body looked familiar and believed he might've been one himself.
• Optional Party Member: In Strange Journey, she appears in Sector Grus after reaching a certain part of Sector Horologium. In the Chaos path, she hires the Protagonist to assault a gathering of angels and disrupt the ritual they were carrying out. Despite the attack, the angels finish the fusion ritual and combine themselves to form Seraph, forcing the protagonist into a fight. After Seraph's demise, Mara will arrive, regretting she did not participate in the death of the Seraph, and can join the Protagonist's party. Fulfilling her request also yields the right to summon her through fusion and the Peacemaker, the most devastating gun of the game although it can only be equipped if the Protagonist is Chaos-aligned.
• Our Monsters Are Weird: Mara isn't the only... erm, Freudian looking demon in the series but certainly stands out among the crowd.
• Playing with Fire: He mostly uses fire spells, up to and including his Signature Move Maralagidyne.
• Signature Move: Maralagidyne, a Severe-level all-targeting fire attack.
• Skippable Boss: In Shin Megami Tensei II, if Aleph's Alignment is Chaos, Mara lets Aleph pass either with a minimum of 15 in Wisdom or by beating him in battle.
• Summoning Ritual: In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, an incomplete form of Mara appears when Baphomet summons her during a Full Kagutsuchi phase in Shibuya at the request of two Manikins. It backfires.
• Tamer and Chaster: Some of Mara's designs across the series are a bit more conservative than others; in the manga adaptation of Persona he looks more like a turtle,◊ and his slime form in Nocturne is at least a bit less phallic than usual. Amusingly, he appears in his full erect glory in Shin Megami Tensei Liberation: Dx2, despite the game being PEGI 7.
• Visual Pun: Mara's design is a pun of sorts, as "Mara", in the Japanese language, is a colloquialism for "penis". It'd be like a boss whose Japanese name was pronounced "cock".

Tiamat

Tiamat

Babylonian goddess of the seas and mother goddess of Chaos.

• Anti-Villain: The Tiamat from a Challenge Quest in Shin Megami Tensei IV, where she is participating in a fight to the death gameshow because she was summoned and ordered to do so. She even questions why humans would willingly take part in such a thing.
• Amazing Technicolor Population: Has appeared as dark blue, purple, and pink in her humanoid forms.
• Back from the Dead: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey: Tiamat is responsible for rebirthing Morax, Asura, Mitra, and Horkos.
• Graceful Loser: Takes her defeat in IV very well and finds it interesting that the one person the Ashura-kai are worried about took part and finally won the games for humanity.
• Ms. Fanservice: Her Soul Hackers humanoid form, for its abstract features, is gorgeous, with her bountiful racks, lovely face and lack of clothes. More blatant in her Strange Journey incarnation, who ''moans'' while attacking.
• Our Dragons Are Different: Tiamat has been portrayed as a sea serpent, a western dragon, a eastern dragon, as a giant purple scaled humanoid with green hair◊ in Shin Megami Tensei II, humanoid forms that are almost human in appearance in Demi Kids and Majin Tensei II, and as this◊ in Soul Hackers, Strange Journey, and Shin Megami Tensei IV.

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