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Main Characters

The Nahobino

Voiced by: Kohei Yanagi (JP), Casey Mongillo (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smt5v_nahobino_artwork.png

^{Click here to see his human form}

^{Click here to see his new form}

The protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei V. An ordinary third-year high school student who is knocked unconscious after being caught in a tunnel collapse near Shinagawa Station, and awakens in a devastated Tokyo infested with demons. He soon encounters and fuses with the mysterious Aogami, transforming him into a "Nahobino", a condemned Half-Human Hybrid with the power to contract and summon other demons.

Abdicate the Throne: The "destroy the throne" ending sees him destroy the throne of creation outright, giving up his chance to rule or remake the world.
Barbie Doll Anatomy: While he is never seen naked, the suit Nahobino wears makes it apparent that he doesn't really have a crotch, which is apparent in one Demon Negotiation:
Demon: What do you think...?
Nahobino: [I'm gonna get you horny.]
The demon's gaze fell to your conspicuously blank groin...
The demon left, laughing their head off...
Badass Adorable: In both human and fused forms, he's a cute-as-a-button high schooler who tears through armies of demons and can potentially recreate the world as its only benevolent deity.
Badass Bookworm: It's only implied at the start of the game and is only mentioned in the Japanese website, but the Nahobino enjoys reading. The book he's reading in the intro cutscene is a copy of the Man'yōshū, a collection of Japanese waka, or classical Japanese poetry. The badass part needs no explanation.
Blade Below the Shoulder: After fusing with Aogami, the Nahobino can create a Laser Blade with his fingers. In Vengeance, it becomes a sickle in his second form.
Call-Back: When the Nahobino assumes the Empyrean throne and creates a new world, he crosses his arms. In both his official artwork and when he prepares to battle the Nahobino in the "Return of the True Demon" DLC, the Demi-fiend assumes the same pose.
Calling Your Attacks: A few of his unique skills actually let the Nahobino declare their name before or during their activation.
Canon Name: It requires hacking the game to bypass the naming screen to see, but the default name for the Nahobino is Kei Amemura.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character:
- The Demi-fiend appears fairly masculine and becomes even more so after becoming a demon, sporting glowing tattoos and walking around topless. He also fights using a mix of brute force and magic, pummeling his opponents with his bare hands. His transformation was also forced upon him by the Blonde-Haired Child in a first-person horror sequence. The Nahobino has a more feminine and lithe appearance by contrast to the point he could seriously be mistaken for a woman. After his Fusion Dance with Aogami, he becomes even more feminine, developing long hair and gaining a skin-tight suit. He also fights using a Laser Blade^note and magic. The aforementioned Fusion Dance, while coerced under threat of death, looks like a Magical Girl transformation. In their respective stories, the Demi-fiend was forbidden from creating his own ideology and could make one of the Reasons a reality or give Kagustuchi the middle finger and restore the world to its previous state and in another ending abandon his humanity entirely and destroy the cycle Kagutsuchi perpetuates. The Nahobino is capable of becoming the new Creator of Da'at and can create a new world order such as keeping the God of Law's order, returning the myriad gods to their former glory, destroying the Empyrean Throne and preventing any future Creator from taking over or create a world for humans alone. In all endings sans the Destroy the Throne ending, the Nahobino ascends as full Top God.
- Flynn and Nanashi led extraordinary lives, one raised in a feudal kingdom before becoming a samurai hunting demons and the other born in a demon-infested Tokyo. Both were also trained to fight demons and have equipment to help them in battle, either by using specialized apps affecting their performance in battle or summoning demons (though in Nanashi's case he could summon demons thanks to his deal with Dagda). The Nahobino lived an ordinary life up in modern-day Tokyo until being transported to Da'at and, unlike Nanashi or Flynn, had no means of fighting demons until he merges with Aogami.
- The Nahobino shares a very distinct contrast with Nanashi, who similarly is involved with a god. Nanashi was resurrected and made into a Godslayer by Dagda for the purpose of killing other gods and could forcibly take control of Nanashi's body any time he wished if it suited him. The protagonist has a more beneficial relationship with Aogami, who grants him the power he needs to survive in Da'at with no strings attached and serves as more of a guide and partner. Nanashi can become a Top God himself, but kills everyone who ever supported him, including his friends in order to do so. The protagonist becomes a Top God in all routes but Yakumo and Nuwa's, and in the "Restore God's Order" and "Create a World for Humanity Alone" endings, it's implied he revives his fallen friends as they're either killed by their opposition or by his own hand. Furthermore, while Nanashi has one of his friends revived as his 'goddess'' and rendered Brainwashed and Crazy, the Nahobino is implied to be unable to interact with anyone in the hidden ending as he leaves behind a copy of his human self to live in his stead.
Dark Is Not Evil: He wears a black bodysuit, but he's one of the most kind-hearted SMT protagonists to date.
Deity of Human Origin: Albeit a temporary version as he's only considered a god when fusing with Aogami and becoming a Nahobino. He becomes a god in full in all endings except for Yakumo and Nuwa's. It's especially prominent in the hidden ending as while the other endings imply he can return to being human (or a given value of human) by undoing his fusion of Aogami, the nature of a world for humans alone means Aogami will disappear, making the protagonist a god full-time.
Dude Looks Like a Lady: Humorously invoked in one demon conversation, if the Nahobino says that he gets mistaken for a lady. It can shock the demon, as they genuinely thought he was a woman.
Fashionable Asymmetry: The protagonist sports long bangs on the right side of his face and shorter bangs on his left, and his uniform has slightly more floral prints on the left side than on the right. As the Nahobino, he has blue geometric, glowing lightning bolt markings on the right side, and more curved, organic white ocean wave decorations on the left.
From Nobody to Nightmare: The protagonist goes from being an average high school student to the new Top God.
Fusion Dance: He and Aogami merge at the latter's behest, allowing the protagonist to fight demons. The protagonist is in full control of his new body while Aogami acts as a guide for them as they traverse Da'at.
Godhood Seeker: As a Nahobino, the protagonist is one of the rare few beings in the setting who has the right to claim the Throne of Creation and become Top God of the universe. By choosing to create a world for humanity that's free from both Gods and Demons, the protagonist will become this trope in earnest.
A God I Am Not: The Nahobino rejects becoming the Top God in the "Destroy the Throne" ending, believing in Yakumo's ideology that gods have no reason to get involved with humanity. It's also implied that, in this ending, the Nahobino never becomes a full god and can return to his human self at any time by undoing his fusion with Aogami.
Half-Human Hybrid: The result of his Fusion Dance with Aogami, becoming the Nahobino; a "condemned" half-human, half-god being. As it later turns out, this makes him one of the few people who can lay claim to the Empyrean throne and become the new Creator.
Hello, [Insert Name Here]: As per usual with the franchise, you can give the protagonist any name.
The Hero: Compared to some of his predecessors in this franchise who are capable of committing some real asshole actions if the player so chooses, the Nahobino doesn't seem to have any real malevolent intentions to speak of. He goes out of his way to rescue and protect his classmates, he will Mercy Kill Sahori with clear remorse in his body language, and every ending he inevitably chooses will be made in the selfless pursuit of making an already broken world a better place. In all endings, it's implied he is a genuinely good Top God, with him making a utopia with a restored divine order, trying to mediate factions of gods without becoming bitter and cynical, or sacrificing his own happiness to protect humanity.
Hero with Bad Publicity: Played with. The Nahobino's very existence is considered heretical by the angels due to the Condemnation, but the only person who ever expresses any real grievance with him is Abdiel, who is a Knight Templar. All the other angels in Bethel have no problems with him and only treat him as a necessary asset at worst. The reason he's so disliked by Abdiel is because of his potential to usurp the God of Law as the new Creator, as is Lucifer's hope.
Impossibly Cool Clothes: His school uniform is covered with fancy and complex flower designs. He loses his uniform after becoming the Nahobino. However, his new suit is quite stylish.
Invisible to Normals: In The Stinger after the “Create the world for humans alone” ending, a seemingly completely human protagonist is shown walking through the very station at the beginning of the game amongst the crowds, only for the real protagonist to show up sitting calmly on a bench while watching over his copy and everyone else with Supernatural Gold Eyes, imperceptible. It’s unclear if this is a voluntary or an involuntary case of this trope, however.
Jumped at the Call: Potentially. The protagonist, like Dazai, can eagerly join Bethel and aid in their defense of Tokyo. Inversely, he can resist his introduction into Bethel's forces. In any case, Koshimizu bluntly tells him he doesn't have much of a choice in the matter as Aogami's Fusion Dance with him makes him a curious subject for study and has access to firepower they desperately need to fend off the demons in Da'at.
Laser Blade: The protagonist can generate a blade of glowing blue energy from his hand to attack enemies with.
Long-Haired Pretty Boy: The protagonist gains a long, flowing head of blue hair that goes down to his feet after merging with Aogami. A lot of demons will comment on his luxurious hair when scouting them.
Meaningful Name: The name "Nahobino" comes from the term "Nahobi-no-Kami", spirits who bring about purification to the world after it has been corrupted by spirits of disaster.
Mr. Fanservice: Just like the Demi-fiend or Joker before him, he's quite nice to look at and arguably one of the prettiest looking SMT protagonists in the series thus far.
No Place for Me There: Despite becoming the new Creator and creating a world solely for humans in the hidden ending, even reviving everyone who died during the course of his journey such as Sahori, Tao, and the other Nahobino candidates, the protagonist elects not to enter his new world because he's now the new Top God, and thus has no place in a world made for humanity alone. As a result, a copy of his former human self occupies the new world in his stead.
Ordinary High-School Student: While little is known about the protagonist's background prior to stumbling into Da'at and meeting Aogami, it's implied he lived an otherwise normal, uneventful life.
Power Dyes Your Hair: He had black hair initially, but after fusing with Aogami, he gains the latter's blue hair and develops Supernatural Gold Eyes.
Power Glows: The protagonist gaining the power of a Half-Human Hybrid that can fight demons causes him to gain glowing yellow eyes and a suit of armor with various glowing blue parts.
Power Makes Your Hair Grow: The protagonist's relatively short hair becomes a lot longer once he becomes the Nahobino in the E3 trailer, and now reaches his calves.
Pungeon Master: Every time a demon comments on his long hair, one of the possible responses is a pun: "Because I never take short-cuts", "A god must smite down hairitics", etc.
Refusal of the Call: After returning from Da'at the first time, he can resist being conscripted into Bethel. However, Koshimizu makes it clear he's not taking no for an answer.
School Uniforms are the New Black: Justified. He is very suddenly drawn from his ordinary life into Da'at, and has no chance to change from his school uniform into something more appropriate, and even after joining Bethel, he still chooses to continue going to school.
Secret Art:
- He has several skills only he can learn:
  - Aramasa: An 8-hit light Physical attack.
  - Wrath Tempest: An 8-hit light Physical attack to random foes that deals greater damage on a Critical Hit.
  - Divine Arrowfall: The Nahobino's version of Megidola.
  - Sakanagi: A medium Strength-based Almighty attack to one foe.
  - Murakumo: A severe Strength-based Almighty attack to one foe that deals greater damage on a Critical Hit.
  - Ruinous Thunder: The Nahobino's version of Ziodyne.
  - Thalassic Calamity: 3 to 7 light hits of Ice damage to random foes.
  - Miracle Water: The Nahobino's version of Media.
  - Kannabi Veil: Reduces the party's damage taken until the next turn.
  - Profaned Land: A heavy Dark attack to one foe with a chance of inflicting Poison.
  - Revival Chant: Resurrects a demon with full health and summons them to the party.
- With the DLC Return of the True Demon, he (and only he) can also acquire four additional signature skills. The catch is that they all require you to defeat his spiritual predecessor, the Demi-fiend:
  - Gaea Rage: A severe Physical attack to all enemies that pierces resistances.
  - Deadly Fury: A medium Physical attack that is a guaranteed Critical Hit.
  - Javelin Rain: A severe Physical attack to all enemies with a chance of inflicting Seal.
  - Chaotic Will: Halves the enemy party's Press Turns and also inflicts a One-Hit Kill.
- Come Vengance and new skills are introduced.
  - Heavenly Ikuyumi: An almighty magic attack.
  - Inflaming Divinity: Boosts attack, defence, and evasion for one party member.
  - Paraselene Blur: Attacks four times with a strength based light attack after evading an attack.
Shock and Awe: You start the game with the basic electric spell Zio, and one of the signature moves available to only the player is "Ruinous Thunder".
Slasher Smile: Sports one whenever casting Profaned Land, one of his exclusive skills. He gives another one in the Neutral Ending, destroying the Throne of Creation and ensuring there won't be anymore Creators messing with humanity's future.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: After becoming a Half-Human Hybrid following his Fusion Dance with Aogami, he inherits the latter's gold eyes. He keeps them in the True Neutral ending, signifying his status as the new Creator.
Top God: By way of becoming the new Creator in all endings save for "Destroy the Throne".
Villain Respect: Earns this from multiple demons over the course of the story, both in part for his prowess and the fact he is a Nahobino i.e. the being demons once were before the God of Law stripped them of their Knowledge. Three prominent examples are Arioch, who urges the protagonist to become the new Creator, Zeus, who decides after their first bout that he wants the Nahobino to be his partner rather than wait for the next human bearing his Knowledge to be born, and Lucifer, who willingly allows the Nahobino to inherit the Knowledge he took from the God of Law regardless of what kind of world he wants to create.
Vocal Dissonance: When he talks during attacking, his Japanese and English voices are both clearly masculine, contrasting his Long-Haired Pretty Boy appearance.
We Cannot Go On Without You: In a course-correction from Shin Megami Tensei IV, it's once again game over if the player character dies, regardless of how many demons they have in their party.
You Can't Go Home Again: In the "Create a world for humanity alone" ending, he uses the Throne's power to create a world where gods and demons don't exist, resetting the world before the beginning of the game. However, since he effectively became a Top God to do so, he cannot return back to living a normal life and now exists separate from his past self, as seen with him with Supernatural Gold Eyes observing his regular self.

Aogami

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (JP), Daman Mills (EN)

The Fallen God

"I shall devote all my strength to you so you may stave off your own death."

A manufactured artificial demon known as a Proto-fiend created by Bethel. During Armageddon 18 years ago, Aogami was severely damaged and rendered inactive until the protagonist's arrival in Da'at spurs him from his slumber. Upon saving him, he and the protagonist merge together to become a Half-Human Hybrid known as a Nahobino and act as a guide for the protagonist during his journey through the demonic-infested wasteland.

Ambiguous Situation: In the "Return of the Fiends" DLC, Aogami mentions he woke up when a voice spoke to him, directing him to the protagonist. It's unclear who the owner of the voice was, though it's implied to be Lucifer. It's also equally ambiguous as to whether the protagonist is the one who has his Knowledge or if Aogami was able to merge with him because of his status as a Proto-fiend. If Koshimizu's words during Aogami's repairs are any indication, it's possibly the latter.
Artificial Human: Or artificial demon/god in his case. Aogami is a Proto-fiend, an artificial body filled with Magatsuhi to summon the power of a god into. In his case, it is the power of the Japanese god of the seas and storms, Susano-o. His somewhat robotic looks and mannerisms compared to other demons are a result of this artificial summoning method.
Ascended Extra: As Susano-o, he's gone from a minor character who served as an enemy or party member without much involvement in the story beyond an occasional sidequest in other games in the franchise to being the Deuteragonist of Shin Megami Tensei V.
Big Damn Heroes: If Aogami had not shown up when he did, chances are the protagonist would have died.
Brought to You by the Letter "S": He's got a big glowing red S on the center of his chest for Susano-o.
Canon Character All Along: Despite seemingly not being any known god or demon in the SMT franchise or mythology in general at first, it is eventually revealed he is in fact SMT series regular Susano-o, god of the seas and storms and one of the Top Gods alongside Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi in Japanese Mythology.
Cessation of Existence: In the True Neutral ending, he undergoes this since the Nahobino's new world is meant solely for humans.
Character Development: Aogami starts the game as robotic in nature whose sole mission is to protect humanity. His experience while merged with the protagonist has him learn more about humanity, their flaws, and capability to grow stronger and adapt. In regards to his relationship with the protagonist, Aogami only aids him because of his directive (i.e. protecting humans), but eventually comes to genuinely care for the protagonist's wellbeing, urging him to follow the path he believes in without any regrets. This also includes any path that runs counter to Bethel or Koshimizu's objectives.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: While both he and Dagda offer their respective deals to their games' respective protagonists at a point where their only alternative is death at the hands of demons, Dagda's deal came with a hitch: Nanashi had no choice but to follow Dagda's will. Aogami takes a more backseat and supporting role, offering the protagonist advice and allowing them to do as they please, even if his goals put them at odds against Bethel, his creators. What's more, Dagda will turn on Nanashi and attempt to take back the life he gave the boy in the Bonds Route, whereas Aogami supports whatever decision the protagonist makes, and in the hidden ending, encourages him to follow through in creating a world meant only for humans when doing so would erase him.
Deuteragonist: Due to him fusing with the Main Protagonist he shares the protagonist position in both story and gameplay.
Dramatic Irony: He quickly ends up being annoyed with and suspicious of Amanozako, given how she's obviously only joining with you to find someone. That someone turns out to be him, her father.
Exactly What It Says on the Tin: A fallen deity with blue hair whose name can be read as 青神 / "the blue god", or, if you decided to treat it as a proper name rather than the actual Japanese term, "青髪" / "blue hair". Also as Susano-o the god of the sea, he's obviously the master of something pretty blue.
Face Death with Dignity:
- In the game over cutscene, as the Nahobino separates into his components, Aogami's face never loses its passivity even as he fades into nothingness; in contrast, the protagonist is visibly terrified.
- In the "Create a New World for Humanity Alone" ending, Aogami is aware that you creating a world where no gods or demons exist means that he is also going to vanish. Even so, he assures the protagonist that everything he will do is the same as he would have done, and gives him the final push to fulfill his goal.
Foil: Compared to other gods who merge with the humans possessing their Knowledge. In the case of Nuwa, Abdiel, and Tsukuyomi they're in the driver seat whereas their human counterparts have little to no action in their fused form. Aogami willingly hands the protagonist the reigns over their new body and offers guidance when necessary.
Fusion Dance: He initiates one with the protagonist in order to give him a fighting chance. Afterwards, Aogami serves as a guide while leaving it to the protagonist to control their new form and wield Aogami's supernatural techniques.
God Was My Copilot: Rather than just being a manufactured artificial demon he turns out to be Susano-o, the Japanese god of sea and storm.
Laser-Guided Amnesia: Large portions of his memory are missing following his deactivation 20 years ago at the end of the Great Offscreen War, leaving him unaware of what exactly he was doing before or even who exactly he is. However, this did not take from him his basic knowledge of Da'at, how to use his own supernatural abilities, or his general goal of helping humanity. He later regains his memories when Koshimizu has him repaired after he returns with the protagonist.
Last of His Kind: Aogami is a Proto-fiend; a mass-produced artificial demon meant to protect humanity and serve as Bethel's fighting force alongside the angels and other deities. It's implied that Aogami is the last functioning Proto-fiend remaining, as you encounter no other Proto-fiends nor are any others mentioned besides Aogami. This is reinforced with the Essence you find scattered throughout Da'at, among which are labeled "Aogami Type-[number]".
Mission Control: Serves as your guide through the world of Da'at, offering counsel rather than exerting any control over your now shared body.
Non-Indicative Name: His true name, Susano-o; about the only part of a name which roughly translates to "Hot-Blooded man" that applies to him is the "man" part, as he is The Stoic.
An Offer You Can't Refuse: When he saves the protagonist, he offers him the choice of either fusing together or being killed by demons.
Aogami: Young man, if you wish to live, take my hand.
Papa Wolf: He's naturally protective towards the protagonist, both partially because he's meant to protect humans and because he genuinely begins to care for him. As such, Aogami will do everything in his power to ensure the protagonist has the means to defend himself, even put them on the Throne of the Creator if he's willing to claim it.
Sibling Rivalry: His brother, Hayao Koshimizu / Tsukuyomi, will still have a somewhat competitive view on your now life and death battle with each other if you oppose his vision for a new world, even congratulating you and Aogami for your strength if you defeat him.
The Stoic: Possibly due to him being a Proto-fiend, or artificial demon, but Aogami rarely, if ever, emotes.
Strong Family Resemblance: He looks almost identical to his brother Tsukuyomi's human form, Hayao Koshimizu, and his daughter Amanozako has his blue hair, eye color, and fashion sense.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Befitting his nature, Aogami has gold eyes. This, along with his blue hair, transfers over to the Nahobino.
Undying Loyalty: Aogami eventually develops one to the Nahobino to the point that he will support the Nahobino in whatever choices he makes in the ending.

Humans

Tao Isonokami (Unmarked Spoilers)

Tao Isonokami

Voiced by: Saori Hayami (JP), Jeannie Tirado (EN)

^{Click here to see her as Panagia Tao}

"I wish I could have done something before it got so bad..."

A third-year member of the lacrosse club and the Protagonist's classmate. She's kindhearted, caring, and has had a sixth sense since she was little. She supports the protagonist and his friends as backup support when they join Bethel since she also works for their Japanese branch.

Action Girl: Albeit of the Informed Ability variety as she's never seen fighting on-screen, though given her moniker and her value to Bethel, it's implied she has some combat experience. She gets to show her chops when she returns as Panagia Tao, demonstrating her ability as a goddess/demon.
Back from the Dead: After defeating Abdiel for the first time, she shows up again, alive and well, albeit as a goddess. It also doubles as Came Back Strong.
But Now I Must Go: If the Nahobino chooses to destroy the Empyrean throne, Tao will leave the party as her job is to crown the new Creator, and him wanting to destroy the throne is counterintuitive to her mission. If certain conditions are met she reappears after he's defeated Tsukuyomi and asks him to reconsider what he wants for the world. If the Nahobino decides to become the new Creator and create a world for humanity, she will help make his world a reality. If he sticks to the original plan, she will leave, lamenting that she will have to wait for another opportunity.
Came Back Strong: While it's unknown if she had any previous combat ability prior to her death, her resurrection as the Goddess of Creation gives her enough power to fight alongside the Nahobino.
Character Title: She is the reincarnation of the Goddess of Creation in "Shin Megami Tensei V^TranslationTrue Reincarnation of the Goddess V", born or created at the end of each cycle to lead the next Creator to the Throne.
Combat Medic: As the Panagia, Tao has a unique healing spell, Light of Order, that greatly restores the party's HP, casts Dekunda, and then casts Luster Candy, in that order. She is also no slouch in combat, having Hama spells and Megidola.
Cool Mask: She manifests a face-concealing mask near the end of the game after fully accepting her role as the Goddess of Creation.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Asahi. Both are optimistic young women who are supportive of the protagonist and both have strong affinities towards healing and support magic. Both died at a certain point in their respective games, and both are revived through different means. Asahi uses her contracted demons to do the healing while Tao can innately heal without relying on an allied demon. Asahi is guaranteed to be revived as a human in the Bonds Route and she can be revived as the True Goddess in the Massacre Route while Tao died as a human and was revived by a mysterious entity as a demon, specifically the Goddess of Creation.
Crutch Character: A variant in which she doesn't necessarily become less useful over time but is only in your party temporarily. At the time she joins, she is extremely useful both due to her high level of 60 and having a skill that buffs all three stats while healing you. However, she only stays around until just before the final boss, or after the route split if you choose to destroy the throne, so you can't afford to rely on her too heavily, and will instead need to find replacements that can use Luster Candy (e.g. Lakshmi).
Cute Monster Girl: As the Panagia.
Deity of Human Origin: This is what essentially happened to her after she did her Heroic Sacrifice when she was a human.
Distaff Counterpart: To the Nahobino. When fused with Aogami, the protagonist has a black bodysuit with white and blue Tron Lines and Fashionable Asymmetry. Tao, as a Panagia, wears a symmetrical white bodysuit with a gold headdress with a red skirt and bracers with strips of cloth. The Nahobino is a potential Top God who seeks the Empyrean throne, and Tao guides him to it while ensuring whatever new world order he wishes will come to pass.
Dreaming of Things to Come: Even prior to the protagonists ending up in ruined Tokyo, she mentions having dreams of some kind where a voice speaks to her about something.
First-Name Basis: She tends to use first names on her schoolmates, but the fact that she and Sahori use each other's first names without honorifics in the Japanese version(by comparison, Tao uses -chan on Miyazu, who uses -sempai on Tao) is a sign that they're very close.
Guest-Star Party Member: When she joins you as Panagia Tao. She's only available up to the True Final Boss battle against Lucifer (and she'll leave right on the spot if you choose to Destroy the Throne), after which she will disappear and leave your party. Similar to Dante and Raidou from Nocturne, although she has an entry in the Demonic Compendium that can be updated, she cannot be summoned after she leaves or early on in a New Game Plus playthrough.
- The 2nd PV for Vengeance shows Tao's human self playable, and marked with "Guest," in the same way Yuzuru and Yoko were shown in the first trailer.
Healing Hands: Possesses this ability even as a human, as shown when she heals the party after each battle while traveling with you.
Heroic Sacrifice: She sacrifices her own life to resurrect the dead protagonist to kill Lahmu once and for all. However, she shows up alive and well later on, as a goddess.
Killed Off for Real: She sacrifices her life during the second arc to revive the Nahobino. Towards the end of the game, a being that acknowledges that she isn't quite the same Tao that died earlier on returns as a guide to the Empyrean throne. And in all endings except for the "Destroy the Throne" ending, she dissolves after bringing the Nahobino to the throne as her duty is complete, presumably for good this time.
Light 'em Up: One of her specialities is light magic.
Light Is Good: When she returns as a Goddess of Creation, Tao wears a white bodysuit similar, and is by far one of the most benevolent characters in the entire game.
Loved by All: She's considered a school idol, and is popular and very well-liked by everyone in her class. This also extends to her title as the Saint of Bethel.
Meaningful Name: Her surname is a reference to Isonokami Shrine, one of the oldest Shinto shrines in Japan that includes many cultural artifacts such as the Seven-Branched Sword and the Totsuka no Tsurugi, the sword that was used to slay Yamata no Orochi. Fitting for a woman that later becomes a goddess.
Promoted to Playable: While already playable in the base game as Panagia Tao, the 2nd PV of Vengeance shows her human self will be playable as a Guest-Star Party Member like Yoko and Yuzuru in the first trailer.
Red Baron: She's known as "The Saint" in Bethel. Later on, she becomes known as a Panagia, a title most commonly used for Virgin Mary.
Required Party Member: Downplayed during her tenure in your party. While you don't need to put her on the front line, you can't fuse her off or dismiss her.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: She deserts you on the spot if you elect to follow Shohei's will and destroy the throne.
So Long, and Thanks for All the Gear: Any incenses, sutras, and essence skills you blow on her are lost when she leaves you, either when you enter the Empyrean (destroy the throne) or when Lucifer shows up (the other two options). Worse, you don't even get to keep them for New Game Plus since her stats reset, you can’t dismiss her, and you can’t summon her once she’s registered.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute:
- Her story has some astonishing parallels to that of the Heroine in Shin Megami Tensei I. Both are the female leads of the story with mysterious supernatural powers who die helping the hero only to be reincarnated and accompany them for the final stretch of the game.
- She is also similar to Commander Gore from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey where she dies in an incident involving a powerful Demon early on, and holds a center position in Bethel as its "saint" just like Gore was the Red Sprite's commander.
That Man Is Dead: When she returns right before the beginning of the final act, she acknowledges that she is not quite the Tao that the Nahobino knew. She is a new being born of Tao's sacrifice who is solely dedicated to guiding someone to the Throne of the Empyrean (and she specifically throws her lot in with the Nahobino).
Tritagonist: She and Aogami have just as much story focus as the Nahobino, and she is an ally in all of the routes (though she does leave if he elects to destroy the Empyrean throne).
Walking Spoiler: It can be very hard to talk about Tao's role later in the game without spoiling her death at Lahmu's hands and her eventual resurrection as the Goddess of Creation.
What the Hell, Hero?: While she doesn't outright disparage him, Tao makes it clear she's very disappointed with the Nahobino if he sides with Yakumo and wants to destroy the Empyrean throne, as her job is to crown the new Creator and make his new world a reality.

Yuzuru Atsuta

Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa (JP), Mark Whitten (EN)

"I chose to fight alongside Bethel to protect the people's peace. But I've now drawn him into this..."

A paragonal young man with a strong sense of justice who's friends with the Protagonist, and joins a provisional unit in Bethel as a para-fighter to protect his younger sister Miyazu. After gaining new abilities by wandering into Da'at alongside the Protagonist, he swears to fight in order to protect the peace of Tokyo. Proficient in demon summoning, he later gains a new ally in the form of Hayataro following his and the Nahobino's search for Ichiro in Minato.

Big Brother Instinct: Yuzuru joined Bethel and became a demon summoner for the sake of looking after his sister.
Breaking Old Trends: Given his demeanor, sophisticated appearance, and having a demon of the Holy Race, you would think he's this game's equivalent to the Law Hero. That honor goes to Ichiro; Yuzuru is Chaos-aligned as while he wants order, he believes the Japanese gods can accomplish it, unlike God's order which would demand blind faith and devotion.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: Besides one being in a more feudal fantasy setting and the other in a modern one (and of course one being Law-aligned and the other Chaos-aligned), there are some differences between Yuzuru and Jonathan. Yuzuru is a member of Bethel Japan and an experienced member as he helps teach Ichiro the ropes once he joins. Despite his loyalty to Bethel, however, he ultimately sides with Koshimizu and helps to bring about his dream of reviving the gods to their former glory, not wanting a repeat of the previous Creator's mistakes and dictatorship. Jonathan is a Samurai loyal to the kingdom of Mikado, enough so that he believes it's better for Mikado and Samurai to remain separate so as to keep the status quo. He's also blindly faithful to the angels, even when they flat-out state their intention to wipe out Tokyo to "cleanse" Mikado.
The Dragon: He becomes this to Koshimizu.
Foil: To Dazai. Both are your classmates and friends, but while Atsuta is a well-mannered and intelligent young man with a firm sense of justice, Dazai is a half-American Butt-Monkey that everyone in his class dislikes. Furthermore, Dazai goes through some serious Character Development and ends up joining Abdiel's side and becoming the law hero, while Yuzuru pretty much stays the same character-wise and stays on the prime minister's side all the way to the end, making him the chaos hero.
Fusion Dance: On the ending paths where he is opposed, he pulls this with Koshimizu/Tsukuyomi to become a Nahobino.
Guest-Star Party Member: The reveal trailer for Vengeance shows that he will be playable as a guest party member in the new storyline content.
Hellhound: His demon partner is Hayataro, a member of the Holy race.
Meaningful Name: Named after Atsuta Shrine, where the Kusanagi no Tsurugi kept. Although the Kusanagi no Tsurugi is associated with Susano-o, it is a bit of foreshadowing with Yuzuru's future relationship with Tsukuyomi.
Mutually Exclusive Party Members: His demon Hayataro, who can only be fused after beginning his and Hayao's story route. It's worth noting that Hayataro is the only demon in the main story that can be unlocked this way, as you can fuse Nuwa and Abdiel's base and alternate forms after beating the game regardless of which path you're in.
My Country, Right or Wrong: The ultimate reason he sticks with Koshimizu and the Bethel Japan branch. While not a die-hard Japanese patriot, he believes the Amatsukami can bring order and stability.
Nice Guy: He's rather polite and affable, as well as a caring older brother to Miyazu. While he will oppose a Nahobino who doesn't ally with Koshimizu, he politely asks you not to interfere if you don't plan on joining him and doesn't become as unhinged as Dazai does.
Out of Focus: As a result of Koshimizu ordering him not to participate in the campaign against the Demon King, Yuzuru doesn't make any appearances in the Chiyoda region of Da'at.
Promoted to Playable: Unlike in base SMTV, where none of the alignment reps are playable, Atsuta is shown to be playable in Vengeance during a battle in Da'at alongside newcomer Yoko.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: He looks like the original Chaos Hero and he turns out to be one himself.

Ichiro Dazai

Voiced by: Kishow Taniyama (JP), Stuart Allan (EN)

"Protecting Tokyo from demons is definitely the right thing, isn't it? That's something I can be proud of."

Another classmate of the Protagonist's, who is cheerful if a bit over-the-top. After hearing a rumor of monsters infesting the Takanawa Tunnel and trying to livestream some evidence for it, he ends up warped into Da'at along with everyone else. He jumps at the chance of joining Bethel to fight the demons, wanting to prove his worth for a noble cause.

All of the Other Reindeer: In complete contrast to Tao, Ichiro isn't very well-liked among his classmates, is often mocked for being an idiot or just hated for his half-American heritage.
Breaking Old Trends: His Japanese Delinquents design and his eventual extremely demonic looking partner would make you think he is the successor to the CHAOS aligned representatives from previous games like the Chaos Hero, Jimenez, and Walter. However, his ideology ends up being the most Law-aligned of the entire cast.
Character Development: By his own admission, Ichiro is indecisive and was regarded by his classmates as being an idiot. He's also quick to realize how out of his depth he is when Lahmu attacks his school, though it's also around this time that he starts to grow more confident and sure of himself, taking Abdiel's advice to heart and looking to her as a source of inspiration. When he realizes his potential as a Nahobino, he's near unrecognizable from his previous self and acts more self-assured and composed.
The Corrupter: Interestingly, he fulfills this role for Abdiel. Without him spurring her on, Abdiel wouldn't have become a fallen angel and later an Nahobino as her loyalty to God stopped her from acting against his will. Dazai encouraged her to abandon His grace so that they could become strong enough to uphold God's order, finally giving her the motivation to act.
The Dragon: He becomes this to Abdiel.
Expository Hairstyle Change: At first he has his hair down underneath his cap, making him look like a typical "male best friend" to the protagonist. But once he finds the determination to help out Abdiel to bring balance to the world under God's will, he drops his hat and combs back his hair, making him look more like previous Law characters.
Fatal Flaw: Indecisiveness, by his own admission. Early in the game, Ichiro mentions how his parents would get pissed at him if he took one or the other's side. His growing relationship with Abdiel turns this into his whole reason for siding with her and believes no one will have to second-guess themselves with God back in charge.
Flash Step: He develops this ability after realizing his potential as a Nahobino.
Foil: To Yuzuru. Both are your classmates and friends, but while Atsuta is a well-manered and intelligent young man with a firm sense of justice, Dazai is a half-American Butt-Monkey whom everyone in his class dislikes. Furthermore, Dazai goes through some serious Character Development and ends up joining Abdiel's side and becoming the law hero, while Yuzuru pretty much stays the same character-wise and stays on the prime minister's side all the way to the end, making him the chaos hero.
Foreshadowing:
- Unlike Yuzuru who looks like the chaos hero from Shin Megami Tensei I to hint at his alignment, Ichiro's alignment is hinted at him being half-American which refers to how American forces were law aligned in the original SMT as well.
- Ichiro is quick to acknowledge his indecisiveness. Abdiel's main role in Paradise Lost also boiled down to being indecisive, and here she's notably conflicted on how to handle the emergence of a Nahobino. Sure enough, Ichiro is Abdiel's Knowledge.
Freudian Excuse: Ichiro's life is not that great, and it's potentially why he ends up joining the Law path. His parents are always divided on things and whenever he takes a side, the other ends up being mad at him. He's treated poorly in school, which possibly isn't helped by him being half-American in Japan. Atop of bullying issues in Japanese schools, it's little wonder why he has low self-esteem and would cling to the path where choices no longer matter or would bring him pain, and that promotes safety and stability.
Fusion Dance: On the ending paths where he is opposed, he pulls one with Abdiel to become a Nahobino.
Guest-Star Party Member: The 2nd PV for Vengeance shows him playable as a guest party member, like how Yoko and Yuzuru were shown in the first trailer.
He Cleans Up Nicely: Ichiro looks pretty dorky, all things considered. Then he drops his cap and has an Expository Hairstyle Change, and he looks noticeably more mature and attractive.
Identical Stranger: His later hairstyle makes him look like Archangel Raphael.
It's All My Fault: When Lahmu attacks the school, Ichiro attempts to put his newfound training as a member of Bethel to good use, only to wind up choking when faced with a real combat situation and allowing a group of students to be taken.
Jerkass Has a Point: Near the end of the game, he finally decides to start asserting himself and standing up for his beliefs, and in the process becomes much more confrontational and smug. That said, his critique of Bethel Japan and a Chaos Protagonist is completely accurate, and born out by the Chaos ending: a world of many gods is doomed to eternal strife.
Jumped at the Call: The most he learns about Bethel and its goals, he wastes no time in signing up. Sadly for him when Lahmu attacks Jouin, he realizes he's way over his head.
Morality Pet: For Abdiel. She's a cold, stern, and uncompromising Knight Templar who's usually a hair's breadth from killing the Nahobino, but she always provides guidance, power, and support to Dazai. It helps that he's the one holding her Knowledge.
Named After Someone Famous: His surname "Dazai" may refer to famous Japanese author Osamu Dazai.
Promoted to Playable: Like Yuzuru, he was unplayable as an alignment leader in the base game, but it's shown in the 2nd PV for Vengeance shows he'll be playable in the new content.
Ridiculously Average Guy: He describes himself as such, leading an otherwise uneventful life while Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life. This plays into his his near-instant joining up with Bethel, as he finds the idea of protecting Tokyo a worthy cause taking up.
Smug Snake: Definitely comes off this way after siding with Abdiel against the other alignment representatives. He becomes notably more arrogant, constantly flashing smug smirks, but most of his power comes from Abdiel, and he either falls to Bethel or the Nahobino in every route, dying with wide eyed shock on his face.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Develops this after his Expository Hairstyle Change, signifying his resolve and solidifying him as the game's Law Hero.
Took a Level in Jerkass: After joining Abdiel, he changes from an insecure but kind guy to an arrogant Smug Snake, being more aggresive and upfront about his beliefs to his rivals.
Undying Loyalty: He develops an exceptionally quick rapport with Abdiel, who he sees as an inspiration and learns from her example. He's even willing to side with her instead of the rest of her faction, urging her to use him and become a Nahobino so she can restore God's order.
Youthful Freckles: Has a spray of freckles and acne across his cheeks and the bridge of his nose that serve to highlight his inexperience.

Miyazu Atsuta

Voiced by: Ryō Hirohashi (JP), Ashlyn Madden (EN)

"I know he's always looking after me, but... I get worried about him, too."

Yuzuru’s little sister and the only living family member other than him. She's often seen in the nurse's office due to her shyness.

Advertised Extra: Miyazu is touted as being one of the major characters in the game, and even gives the nudge to the protagonist to go into the events that lead him into becoming a Nahobino, but she has very little importance and relationship with the cast; you can literally count the amount of times she talks with the party on one hand alone. What little importance she does have fades after her school is attacked and the group goes to rescue the students. After that, she only gains some relevance in an endgame sidequest.
Bespectacled Cutie: She's shy, wears glasses and looks rather adorable.
Bifauxnen: She's clearly been referred to as Yuzuru's sister, but has a short, scruffy haircut. The first trailer she was shown in only showed her briefly from the waist up, excluding her skirt and making her look much more boyish.
Custom Uniform: As shown in the Character Introductions trailer. She's wearing a typically male student's jacket rather than a traditional sailor fuku like Sahori. Mixing gendered uniforms is something some high schools in Japan have recently begun to allow.
Delicate and Sickly: She spends a lot of time in the nurse's office despite physically being in good health. In truth, she is slowly dying and the only reason she has yet to kick the bucket is because Khonsu has been supplying her with his magatsuhi.
Dreaming of Things to Come: Downplayed when compared to Tao, but early in the game, Miyazu mentions dreaming of meeting with a prince of a foreign country and sailing on a boat through the sky. The story Isis tells is near similar, and it references the budding romance between her and Khonsu, who wants to make her a god so she would not have to "suffer as a human".
Interspecies Romance: With Khonsu. He fell in love with her at some point and wants to make her a god so she can "live without suffering" due to her being human. While she does have some problems with his plan, she nonetheless reciprocates his feelings.
Soap Opera Disease: She doesn't have long to live. She subsists on Khonsu's Magatsuhi and appears to be active and healthy, but in truth she's so close to death's door that attempting to fuse into a Nahobino would cause Khonsu to completely consume her by accident.
Take Me Instead: According to Dazai, during Lahmu's attack, she stood between him and the demons, offering herself up and being taken to Da'at.

Sahori Itsukishima

Voiced by: Lynn (JP), Erica Lindbeck (EN)

"It's all their fault... I wish they'd all just disappear!"

A young woman attending Jouin Academy alongside the others. She is Tao's best friend and a former member of the lacrosse team who is being cruelly bullied. Two days after the protagonist's initial journey into Da'at, she is kidnapped by Lahmu.

Adaptational Heroism: In V Sahori was unable to resist Lahmu's influence and rejected Tao's help right before slaughtering her bullies, but in Vengeance she tries to resist and cling on to her friendship with Tao over her own hatred.
Bittersweet Ending: Her rescue tragically ends in this. While Lahmu is killed once and for all and the kidnapped students rescued, it comes at the cost of Tao's life, and Sahori's own death via Mercy Kill. However, Sahori gets resurrected and returns to her normal school life in the "Create a World for Humanity Alone" ending, courtesy of the Nahobino resurrecting her and everyone who died during the course of his journey.
Chekhov's Gunman: While she only becomes relevant after the Nahobino first returns from Da'at, she can be seen walking to school at the start of the game.
Damsel in Distress: She is kidnapped by Lahmu after he invades Jouin, requiring the Nahobino and Tao to enter Da'at to save her.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: Sahori was a victim of relentless bullying to the point where she wanted something, anything to get her bullies to stop. Adults do nothing about it, unaware at best and uncaring at worst to Sahori's situation. The people in her life that do care about her are at a loss about what to do. Replace the demon powers with a gun, and you have a very real situation that unfortunately affects numerous bullying victims today.
The Dog Bites Back: Using Lahmu's power, she brutally executes her bullies. Considering how horribly they hurt Sahori, and the fact that they were willing to turn against each other to save their own skin, it's hard to feel bad for them.
Evil Counterpart: To the Nahobino. Like him, she partners with a demon, though whereas the protagonist and Aogami have a mutually beneficial relationship and work to protect Tokyo and its citizens from the demonic threat, she uses Lahmu's power to take revenge on those who tormented her even after they forced her out of the lacrosse team. Doi himself even states this is intentional, having her represent an ordinary human who is susceptible to the corrupting influence of demons without any outside help or allies like the protagonist has with Bethel.
Fighting from the Inside: She manages to take back control of her body after Tao's Heroic Sacrifice, giving the Nahobino enough time to kill her and Lahmu.
Go Out with a Smile: When the Nahobino is forced to Mercy Kill her, she smiles and thanks him for finally letting her rest.
Heel–Face Door-Slam: After she kills her bullies with Lahmu's power and Tao attempts to reach out to her, Sahori tries to break free from Lahmu, only for the latter to kidnap her and forcibly merge with her, forcing the Nahobino to Mercy Kill her in order to kill Lahmu.
Meaningful Appearance: She's the only major character from Jouin Academy wearing a "sailor"-type school uniform, other than the protagonist. According to Doi, it's meant to highlight her being a Foil to the main character.
Meaningful Name: Her name is a corruption of Itsukushima, famous for looking like it's floating on water at high tide.
Mercy Kill: Tragically, the Nahobino and Tao are too late to save her from Lahmu's grasp, forcing Tao to give up her life force to revive the protagonist. The protagonist ends up having to kill Sahori to also get rid of Lahmu once and for all.
My God, What Have I Done?: After being dragged into Da'at, Lahmu's influences on her wanes and realizes what she's done, rendering her a traumatized wreck.
Rage Breaking Point: When her bullies have the audacity to try and beg for mercy, Sahori utterly snaps and starts ranting about how they continued to hurt her even when she tried to make them stop, before siccing Lahmu on them.
Sahori: Are you serious? You're really trying that with me, after it never worked when I said it to you? When you were punching me, kicking me, destroying my stuff? NOW you understand "Please don't hurt me"?! [...] The only thing I did wrong was put up with their abuse for as long as I did! All that did was make them hurt me more. God, I hate them... I hate them SO MUCH!!!
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Sports these when Lahmu merges with her, showing that she's not only become a Nahobino but is also in the backseat as Lahmu now has total control over her.
Training from Hell: According to Tao, this was the reason Sahori was being bullied, as the old lacrosse club members hated how harsh her training methods were and forced her out of the team with an "accident". Made even worse when Tao says that Sahori had no bad intentions at all, she just wanted the team to be the best they could.

Shohei Yakumo

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (JP), Ben Lepley (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shouhei.png

"Take solace in our meeting, boy. I'll make your death a painless one."

"The demons are parasites who feed off mankind's pain and weakness. They don't belong in our world."

A self-proclaimed demon hunter wearing a Japanese police officer ceremonial uniform and a cape that evokes the outfit worn by a legendary devil summoner from Tokyo's past. He and Nuwa have been working together for quite some time to accomplish a mysterious goal.

Actor Allusion: In Japanese he is voiced by Tomokazu Sugita, who also voiced Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, the same character his outfit is a Whole Costume Reference for.
Badass in a Nice Suit: A mere human in a ceremonial officer uniform who challenges a Half-Human Hybrid like the Nahobino himself, rather than having a demon do it for him.
Battle Couple: He and Nuwa are both partners and lovers who fight together against both angels and demons.
Breaking Old Trends: He is only the second Neutral alignment representative who is a man, with Gore from Strange Journey (technically a spinoff) being the first. And unlike Gore (and Neutral representatives in general), Yakumo is very hostile towards the Nahobino for the vast majority of the game, only choosing to work with the Nahobino if he chooses his and Nuwa's side. Nuwa (a demon) is the one doing the heavy lifting to actually convince the Nahobino that their side is right.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Walter from IV. Barring the obvious differences, such as Walter being born in a feudal fantasy setting and Yakumo in modern-day Tokyo, Yakumo comes from a long line of police officers and joined their ranks while Walter happened to be one of the lucky few who could activate the Gauntlet during the Rite. Yakumo despises demons with a passion whereas Walter, in contrast to the more Law-aligned Jonathan, notes how humans and demons are not so different. Both are allied with demons, but Lilith acts more like The Corruptor and nudges Walter in the right direction, which leads him to Lucifer, who is at his most bloodthirsty and wants humans to break away from God by any means necessary, even if it means becoming demons themselves. Yakumo's relationship with Nuwa is more beneficial and they both share the same goal, as both despise the angels and demons for taking advantage of humans for various reasons and want to destroy the Empyrean Throne so that humanity will never have to live under a Jerkass Top God's rule and will be able to reclaim their world.
Died in Your Arms Tonight: If you choose to join him and Nuwa, he is defeated by Abdiel and dies in Nuwa's arms in a cutscene.
Empowered Badass Normal: Yakumo already hailed from a long lineage of law officers and spiritualists with him following the family tradition. His contract with Nuwa simply means that he can now go toe-to-toe with demons.
Fantastic Racism: He despises demons and will not hesitate to cut them down, regardless of whether they have good intentions. As far as he's concerned, demons only exist to corrupt and take advantage of the chaos Lucifer left behind when he killed God and left Da'at to rot. Nuwa explains his hatred comes from the massacre of his family, perpetrated by a man who was seduced by a demon.
Freudian Excuse: His hatred for demons come from the childhood trauma of his family being murdered by someone who was seduced by the temptations of a demon.
Fusion Dance: If he is opposed on the ending paths, he pulls one with Nuwa to become a Nahobino.
Heroic Sacrifice: If you side with him, he lays down his life to make sure Nuwa doesn't get blown up by Abdiel along with him.
High-Class Gloves: Has white gloves on his hands to better illustrate he's wearing a ceremonial officer uniform.
Hollywood Cop Uniform: While generally identifiable as a police officer uniform due to its blue color scheme and basic cut, the details of his ceremonial uniform don't match any actual Tokyo police department's.
Hypocrite: He despises demons with a passion, but he's working with Nuwa, a demon herself. Possibly justified, as it's implied Yakumo and Nuwa have known each other for a very long time possibly before the incident that claimed the former's family and Nuwa herself has a low opinion of demons in general.
Jerkass: Kind of an unpleasant guy all around. He is curt and/or quick to resort to violence whenever he's interacting with anyone not named Nuwa.
Katanas Are Just Better: Wields a Japanese katana in battle, despite it being an outdated weapon in SMT V's contemporary setting.
Last-Name Basis: Everyone, including Nuwa, refers to him by his surname.
The Musketeer: Much like Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, he's equipped with a katana on his left hip and handgun on his right.
Might Makes Right: Has more of a softer stance on this than the most, believing that if a human is capable of fighting back in any capacity they're strong regardless. His family was slaughtered by someone who was merely seduced by a demon, meaning that even being able to fight off the demons' temptation is good enough of a goal to reach.
Sole Survivor: Nuwa reveals his family was slaughtered by a man possessed by a demonic entity, which gave birth to his immense hatred towards demons and weak-willed humans.
Stab the Scorpion: Subverted. During your second encounter with him, you hear gunshots only to see he killed a Forneus pack about to ambush you. Then after a moment of thought, he decides to try to shoot you too, forcing you to block his revolver's final bullet before he has to reload.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Has glowing golden eyes like the Nahobino to illustrate his connection with Nuwa and power to go toe-to-toe with angels and demons.
Take Up My Sword: As he lays dying, he entrusts his and Nuwa's dream to destroy the Empyrean throne to the Nahobino.
Villain Takes an Interest: He's not a villain, but he is opposed to the protagonist as they're working with Bethel. Yakumo doesn't have much of an interest in him at first until he starts racking up quite the kill count after Lahmu. His interest gets more pronounced if the Nahobino is neutral-aligned.
The Worf Effect: If you choose to join him and Nuwa, he is defeated by Abdiel and Dazai in a cutscene.
Whole Costume Reference: He is wearing a modernized version of Raidou Kuzunoha XIV's outfit from the Raidou Kuzunoha games, whose outfit was itself a reference back to Yasunori Kato's from Teito Monogatari.

Demons

Gustave

Voiced by: Yusaku Yara (JP), David Errigo Jr. (EN)

The keeper of Cadaver's Hollow where the protagonist can buy and sell items. He is also the leader of small treasure-collecting demons called Miman which he asks you to find.

Animal Motif: His appearance, behavior, and mannerisms make him seem more akin to monkeys than humans.
Chained by Fashion: For whatever reason, Gustave wears a gold shackle with a chain link on his ankle.
Creepy Good: He looks pretty damn creepy, but eccentricities and Money Fetish aside, he's nothing but helpful to the Nahobino.
Money Fetish: Cadaver's Hollow is basically a large treasure hoard he has isolated himself in, is decked out in gold and offers you services for a fee like healing from leyline fount.

Sophia

Voiced by: Sayaka Kinoshita (JP), Erin Yvette (EN)

The master of the World of Shadows, where the protagonist can fuse various demons together to gain new more powerful allies, in SMT V.

And Now for Someone Completely Different: Sophia is the one in charge of demon fusion instead of Mido. This even extends to her domain, which is called the World of Shadows and appears as a dark, cracked room with pillars instead of the Cathedral of Shadows. A late-game sidequest also implies Sophia's services are exclusive to the Nahobino, whereas Mido's was open to pretty much everyone.
Chekhov's Gun: Completing 75% of the Demon Compendium has her give you a key item, the Seed of Life, which doesn't seem to do anything on its own. It becomes relevant in the endgame dungeon, where you can either unlock Maria, Inanna, or Danu for fusion depending on which ending route you're on (Siding with Abdiel gives you Maria, siding with Tsukuyomi gives you Inanna, and siding with Nuwa will give you Danu).
Distaff Counterpart: Replaces Mido, the old man who served as the master of the Cathedral of Shadows in previous games.
Giant Woman: When you fuse a demon, a giant version of her ascends from the depths of the World of Shadow.
In the Hood: Wears a long robe/veil that initially obscures her identity the first time you enter the World of Shadow.
Invisible to Normals: Implied to be the case. Sophia has been waiting for someone to "see her", implying normal demons and deities are unable to perceive her presence, much less enter her World of Shadows.
Madonna Archetype: Visually, the blue shawl/serape she wears draws on common portrayals of the Virgin Mary.
Meaningful Name: Sophia in Gnosticism is said to have been the mother of Yaldabaoth and who gave humans their souls, fitting name for someone who helps you fuse demons to create new ones. It also refers to the concept of wisdom in Greek philosophy, fitting for a manager of the game's equivalent of the Cathedral of Shadows. Completing 75% of the Compendium has her reveal that she is in fact that Sophia of Gnosticism, also known as "Achamoth", and the sacred prostitute who is the source of demonic life.
Sensual Spandex: Wears a white bodysuit that clings to every curve on her body.
Statuesque Stunner: She's at least twice the size of the Nahobino.
Unique Protagonist Asset: Unlike the Cathedral of Shadows or its equivalent of the previous games, where the master offers the services of demonic fusion for all who have access to it (to the point of being considered more neutral than even Stephen) regardless of alignment or allegiance, Sophia’s World of Shadows seems exclusive for the protagonist. In the endgame, 2 different demons of different factions (Melchizedek and Nebiros) warn their brethren (Michael and Belial) not to fight the protagonist to their deaths because the Nahobino “knows the art of shadows” to re-summon them via fusion, the implication being none of them knows about Sophia doing it for the Nahobino.
You Can See Me?: Upon first seeing her, Sophia comments that she has been waiting all this time for someone to finally have the power to see her, the person being a Nahobino.

Amanozako

Voiced by: Naomi Ozora (JP), Deva Marie (EN)

A goddess of rebellion born from the rage of the storm god Susano-o, and the ancestor of a variety of ill-tempered Youkai such as Tengu and Amanojaku. In-game, Amanozako is a curious demon who volunteers to team up with the protagonist after he stumbles upon her while wandering cluelessly through Da'at.

Artificial Human: Or demon as it were. She was created by the Tengu, who wanted a Great Tengu to lead them, and like Aogami, she was born when a Proto-fiend was imbued with Magatsuhi. This is also why Amanozako considers Aogami to be her "soulmate" since they share the same origins.
Counter-Attack: Has a skill called Heavenly Counter as a unique skill that has a chance of inflicting Dark-elemental damage to anyone who attacks her while also decreasing their Attack by one stage.
Cover-Blowing Superpower: As shown in the sidequest "A Power Beyond Control", Amanozako is actually very powerful. It's implied half the reason she never destroyed the Pretas attempting to eat her when she first met the Nahobino is that unleashing her power could possibly attract unwanted attention, such as the Tengus looking for her.
Cute Monster Girl: The ancestor of all Tengu in the form of a curious little floating girl with only the crow wings on her back, Supernatural Gold Eyes, and Pointy Ears denoting her demonic nature.
Damsel in Distress: You first encounter her being surrounded by a group of Preta who want to eat her before she gets them to take notice of Nahobino, pulling him into the conflict to save her.
Irony: She's looking for Susano-o - she and Susano-o himself are unaware she found him the instant you met, since he is Aogami.
Little Miss Badass: She's the size of your hand, and she's powerful enough to warrant Bethel Japan being on high alert. Then again, what would you expect from Aogami's kid?
O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In the Taito Region of Da'at, Amanozako's demeanor suddenly changes when the Nahobino claims a Pillar from one of the Bethel demon leaders, often explaining the meaning and importance each Pillar represents in relation to the role of the Creator. Amanozako doesn't even seem aware of the bizarre change until the third Pillar is claimed, where she becomes unnerved and says there's a voice in her head.
Our Fairies Are Different: A goddess and progenitor of a variety of demons that takes the form of a tiny floating girl with crow wings on her back. In-game, she's an artificial demon created by the Tengu using a Proto-fiend as a base.
Power Incontinence: When Amanozako first came into being, her power went wild and fled. The sidequest "A Power Beyond Control" implies that she loses control of her powers every full moon, though this no longer appears to be the case after the Nahobino fights her and takes her Essence.
Reluctant Ruler: The sidequest "The Destined Leader" reveals that the Tengu created her by infusing Magatsuhi into a Proto-fiend so that she could act as their Great Tengu, or leader. Amanozako actually wants nothing to do with the Tengus whatsoever and continuously rejects the purpose they gave her in favor of finding Susano-o, or rather Aogami, her "soulmate".
Scary Teeth: Amakozako was said to have fangs that could tear through even the sharpest of blades and when she shows her teeth to a Koppa Tengu to show that she is a big deal, he is absolutely terrified by what he saw.
Strong Family Resemblance: Has the same blue hair and white, red and black colored clothing as her father Aogami / Susano-o.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To Pixie from Nocturne, being a tiny demon no bigger than the Nahobino's head and is one of his first companions. Unlike Pixie, Amanozako is already a powerhouse whereas Pixie has to reach the Fifth Kalpa to gain immense power.
Tattoo as Character Type: Has little red tattoos on her cheeks similar to a Blush Sticker that better illustrate her cuteness and nature as an ancient spirit.
Tengu: The ancestor of all Tengu whose design borrows from their standard visual traits, with crow wings on her back, high platform sandals, and decorative Japanese robes with a white and red color scheme. In a bit of Gameplay and Story Integration, she was actually made to be the Tengu's leader.
Tsundere: She's bratty and proud, but she clearly develops a fast friendship with the Nahobino. Despite the Nahobino initially avoiding her because of Aogami's cautions and warnings about demons with unknown intentions or false kindness, she doesn't stop trying to become friends with him or get him to let her accompany him. It isn't until her questline that she starts dropping hints about how much she considers a Nahobino a dear friend, albeit in stereotypical tsundere fashion.

Nuwa

Voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu (JP), Laura Post (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/joka.png

^{Click here to see her demon form}

^{Click here} to see her Nahobino form

Also known as Joka. The creator goddess of humanity in Chinese Mythology, where as the tale goes she breathed life into figures formed from river clay to birth the human race. She is often depicted as half woman and half serpent.

Art Initiates Life: Her unique skill in her One-Winged Angel form, "Sacrifice of Clay", has her re-enacting the Chinese Creation Myth for humanity, tossing her rope to create over a dozen clay figures that proceed to come to life and attack all her enemies.
The Baroness: Nuwa's intentions may be noble, but she's still introduced strutting proudly through a room she filled with angel corpses and literally fights with whips.
Battle Couple: She and Yakumo are both partners and lovers who fight together against both angels and demons.
Boomerang Bigot: A lowkey example compared to others. Although a demon herself, Nuwa shares in Yakumo's disgust and believes the demons to be taking advantage of the chaos Lucifer left behind in his wake following his proclamation of having killed the Creator.
Climax Boss: If you side with either Abdiel or Koshimizu, she and Yakumo are the last obstacles between you and the throne.
Creepy Good: Nuwa's appearance is very villainous in design, but while she is ruthless, she is not an evil person, and her goal is genuinely noble. Allying with her is even a requirement of getting the hidden ending.
Cute Monster Girl: Her demon form is barely any less attractive than her human form.
Dance Battler: In her playable human form, she fights with dance-like movements, shown with her unique skill Dancing Strike.
Darker and Edgier: Despite her sinister early appearance and penchant for violence she’s actually the game’s Neutral representative, showing disdain for both law and chaos and wishing to create a world where humans hold control of their own destiny. Only by siding with her can you get the true neutral ending of remaking a world solely for humans with no demons at all.
Dragon Lady: As befitting an antagonistic Chinese creator goddess, Nuwa is a gorgeous, suave, and deadly mastermind with enigmatic intentions and a traditional style of dress. Bonus points for being an actual dragon in mythology.
Dub Name Change: Due to Alternate Character Reading differences between Chinese and Japanese, her name, 女媧, is pronounced "Joka" in Japanese. The English version uses the Chinese reading of her name for the sake of consistency.
Feet-First Introduction: She first appears while casually stepping on the corpses of angels.
Fusion Dance: In the Law and Chaos routes, she becomes a Nahobino with Yakumo in their last-ditch attempt to stop the protagonist.
Graceful Loser: In the Law and Chaos routes, she congratulates the Nahobino upon being beaten.
Humanoid Abomination: Has the general form of a beautiful woman, but also has pale, slightly green-tinged skin, yellow serpent eyes, and an One-Winged Angel boss form that has a giant snake tail growing out of the back of her head.
Intrigued by Humanity: She's a demon who sympathizes with humanity, even taking a human lover and her true goal is rid the world of both angels and demons.
Leg Focus: Her red dress is very short, showing off her long, pale legs, which are further emphasized by her introduction being a Male Gaze shot of them as she does a Supermodel Strut. The pose she assumes during combat, with her legs crossed also puts them on emphasis.
Mama Bear: This is ultimately what her motivations boil down to. She is very protective of humanity because she sees herself as the one responsible for creating it. This is why she's perfectly content to work against demonkind to create a world where humans can finally be free of their influence.
Magical Barefooter: She's a demon who goes barefoot, illustrating her otherworldliness.
Ms. Fanservice: She's an eerie, yet stunningly beautiful woman with a gorgeous figure.
My Name Is Inigo Montoya: Her Establishing Character Moment has her walk up to the Nahobino, casually stepping over the corpses of the slain angels, then proceed to transform into her One-Winged Angel form before giving her name and intentions.
"My name is Nuwa. Prepare to Die."
One-Winged Angel: In her boss fight she grows a massive snake tail out of the back of her head and snake scales over her skin when facing you. And on ending routes not her own, she becomes a Nahobino with Shohei.
Pre-Final Boss: In the Law and Chaos route, she will act as the penultimate boss in a Fusion Dance with Yakumo, to prevent the protagonist from claiming the throne.
Red Is Heroic: Played with. She's ruthless towards the forces of Law and Chaos, with her Establishing Character Moment having her step on the body of a dead angel. Despite this, she works with Yakumo to help forge a world where humanity can be free from the influence of angels and demons alike.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: Downplayed. She has a red and black Color Motif, with her dress, lipstick, and nails being blood red, while parts of her dress, her hair, and make-up are black and her serpent form has a black and red skin. However while this is used to give her a sinister appearance and she's initially an antagonist, she turns out not to be entirely evil and is the game's Neutral representative
Secret Character: She is unlocked for fusion by beating the game once. Notably, she comes in both her human form and snake form, and in order to fuse her snake form, you must first fuse her human form.
Signature Move: Sacrifice of Clay, a heavy Force attack that hits all enemies and lowers their Attack and Defense by 1 stage. Her playable human form has Dancing Strike, a 3-hit medium physical attack with a high critical rate.
Snakes Are Sinister: Subverted. She has a strong snake motif and looks very sinister, but Nuwa's goals are well-intentioned. Unlike Yakumo, she's willing to abstain from violence to instead argue her point of view in an effort to make the Nahobino better understand what she and her partner are striving for. Yuwa will even congratulate him if he defeats her in battle at the end, holding nothing against him for having a different point of view.
Snake People: Has yellow eyes that look like those of a snake, and her One-Winged Angel form has a massive snake tail grow out of the back of her head.
Snakes Are Sexy: She's an attractive and sultry Dragon Lady with a serpent motif.
Sole Survivor: She's the only alignment representative to survive the end of the game in her route, whereas Abdiel and Koshimizu will always be killed regardless of route.
Stripperific: She wears a rather skimpy dress that serves to emphasize her alluring and stunning figure.
Supermodel Strut: She's introduced doing a confident strut through a room littered with corpses of angels, complete with swaying hips and keeping one hand on her hip. The fact she does such a vain act on a battlefield just further illustrates her as an arrogant Dragon Lady.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Has bright yellow eyes like a snake's to better illustrate her identity as a god.
Uncertain Doom: She survives the events of her and Yakumo's route and vanishes while leaving the Nahobino to finish what she and Yakumo started, but her fate becomes ambiguous if he creates a world for humans alone, as is the rest of demonkind, either being erased from existence or stuck in Da'at.
Villain Takes an Interest: She's not a villain, but she is opposed to the protagonist as they're working with Bethel. Yet, she still convinces Yakumo to spare them, having become interested in them for managing to give her a good fight. Her interest gets more pronounced if they're neutral-aligned, and she starts to keep tabs on the protagonist from that point on.
The Worf Effect: If you choose to join her and Yakumo, they are defeated by Abdiel and Dazai in a cutscene.

Hydra

Voiced by: N/A

A demonic snake hailing from Classical Mythology who is lurking around the Tokyo Tower, confronting Nahobino when he tries to approach it. The first major boss faced in the game.

Beast with a Human Face: Hydra's heads look less like snake heads and more men with a constant Slasher Smile wearing an eyeless mask.
Breath Weapon: Has a skill called Toxic Breath as an unique skill where all of Hydra's heads breath out streams of toxic substance at the party.
Draconic Abomination: It's a large, vaguely reptilian creature that breathes fire, but there's a lot about the Hydra that's just plain wrong and unearthly. It has no eyes, its heads just seem to grow out of random spots on the main body without any rhyme or reason, its faces are more akin to a Xenomorph's than they are to an actual serpent's or dragon's, and its abilities are about as corrupting and maddening its enemies as they are about destroying them physically. To say nothing of the regeneration properties of its mythological namesake, where it could regrow two heads for every one that it lost.
Our Hydras Are Different: It was designed in a way that it stands out among the different depictions of Hydra while sticking close to the many classical depictions of Hydra in Greek pottery.
Secret A.I. Moves: The boss version of Hydra has an unique skill called Frenzy that summonable Hydra cannot do, mainly because it starts using it only after almost all of its heads have fallen off in desperation.
Snakes Are Evil: Hydra was designed specifically to bring in the mind that it is a mindless beast that thrashes out impulsively rather than through intellect.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Considering the fact that Aogami is Susano-o, Hydra comes off as being awfully similar to Yamata-no-Orochi as a multi-headed snake he had to fight against.
Wake-Up Call Boss: It serves as the first major boss fight in the game, and serves as a test of the player's skill, packing multiple hard hitting attacks.
Xenomorph Xerox: As if the dome-shaped cranium and Eyeless Face wasn't enough, one particular shot of its intro scene shows one of its heads looming directly behind the Nahobino before lunging for the kill.

Lahmu

Voiced by: Yasuyuki Kase (JP), Kellen Goff (EN)

A demon who attacks Jouin Academy and abducts Sahori Itsukishima. Once a powerful Babylonian god, he enters "Assiah" (the human world) after Sahori's resentment towards her bullies beckons him. He is the main villain of the game's second act.

Arc Villain: Serves as the main antagonist for the second area of Da'at, Shinagawa.
Corrupted Character Copy: He may have more in common with Dagda than Aogami does, with both being selfish, egotistical, Manipulative Bastards that were once gods that lost their power to the God of Law, but Dagda is ultimately a Tragic Villain whose daughter was turned against him and has basically been Driven to Suicide whereas Lahmu is every bit the Hate Sink he makes himself out to be.
The Corrupter: He influences Sahori to exact murderous vengeance on her bullies, which she does.
Cognizant Limbs: Lahmu's tentacles act as protection to the actual body that need to be cut down before you can start to damage him.
Defeat Means Playable: After killing him and finishing the whole affair revolving him and Sahori, Lahmu can be fused in the Cathedral of Shadows as an ally.
Eldritch Abomination: An incredibly freaky mask-like demon with nasty tentacles coming out of every orifice. And that isn't even the actual Lahmu. The actual Lahmu is an eerie monster fetus that lives inside the mask that comes out of the mask's eye.
Evil Counterpart:
- To Aogami. Like the former, he finds a human he wishes to merge with so as to become a Nahobino and claim the role of Creator. Unlike Aogami, who is willing to let the protagonist does as he pleases and acts as more of a guide, Lahmu corrupts Sahori by having her give in to her anger and kill her bullies, and when she tries to back out, forces a merge between them, even going so far as to hijack her body.
- He's also this to Khonsu, at least in regards to their human counterparts. Lahmu preys upon Sahori's trauma and despair over being bullied and, when she tries to break away from his control, kidnaps her and later merges with her against her will, showing he'll do whatever it takes to become a Nahobino and become the new Creator. Khonsu, on the other hand, gives up his claim for the Empyrean in favor of looking after his human counterpart Miyazu, who is so frail that even attempting to become a Nahobino with her will kill her.
Hate Sink: While most of the characters have well-intentioned reasons in what to do in changing the world, Lahmu is a vile mass of tentacled flesh that revels in personally taking advantage of Sahori's trauma.
Hero Killer: He briefly manages to succeed in killing both the protagonist and Aogami, though his work is swiftly undone by Tao giving up her own life to resurrect them.
Large Ham: He really starts to ham it up after taking control of Sahori.
Secret A.I. Moves: The boss version of Lahmu has a unique skill called Babylon Curse that the summonable version of Lahmu cannot learn. This is mainly because the summonable Lahmu is based on his second form that has a different unique skill.
Starter Villain: He's the first major villain the protagonist encounters, assaulting the human world and kidnapping several students, including his "soulmate" Sahori. His appearance also reveals other interesting details such as why the Nahobino are viewed as taboo and forbidden.
Villainous Breakdown: He starts to panic after Tao somehow comes back to life after he brutally impaled her, demanding to know what's going on after Tao revives the Nahobino at the expense of her own life.

Fionn mac Cumhaill

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (JP), Chris Hackney (EN)

A wandering demon who encounters the Nahobino and Tao during their search for Lahmu. A sellsword who offers his abilities to anyone he believes worthy in them, he takes a quick interest in the Nahobino following their first bout.

The Ace: An incredibly skilled demon, and one that can briefly match a Nahobino's power by licking his thumb.
Advertised Extra: He's featured prominently in various promotional materials, but he only appears three times, one of which is a sidequest. He's only relevant during the search for Lahmu, informing the Nahobino and Tao about the whereabouts of their fellow students, but after that, he only shows up as an NPC in Chiyoda that hints about sidequests relating to the Fairy King's forest and gives the player a quest in Taito if they've fulfilled certain conditions.
Contrasting Sequel Main Character: To Flynn, or at least how he is portrayed in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse. Both are skilled swordsmen and noble protectors of the innocent who are initially leagues above the main character. But while Flynn will join Nanashi automatically in either Neutral ending, Fionn is more choosy and will only join if the Nahobino proves himself worthy. Additionally, Flynn on the Bonds route works with but not for Nanashi, regarding him as a fellow hero, while Anarchy Flynn was brainwashed into subservience and worships Nanashi as his god. Fionn hits the middle ground by swearing fealty to the Nahobino of his own free will, acknowledging him as his king.
Defeat Means Friendship: When you defeat him in his sidequest, Fionn declares the Nahobino his king and joins his party from that point forward while also being available for fusion.
Establishing Character Moment: He attacks the Nahobino as he and Tao search for Lahmu, though contrary to what you might think, he only engages him because Fionn thinks he has ill intentions for Tao. When the misunderstanding is cleared up, he sheathes his sword, showing he's reasonable and has zero interest in using or eating humans for whatever reason.
Gameplay and Story Integration: In Fionn's legend, he gained immense knowledge and wisdom from licking his thumb, which happened to catch some of the fat of the Salmon of Knowledge he was asked to eat. In the game's story, a demon who manages to reclaim their Knowledge by fusing with the human who has it can become a Nahobino. Fionn states that when he licks his thumb, he can temporarily rival a Nahobino in power. In other words, Fionn can temporarily regain his lost Knowledge.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: He has long blonde hair, and is incredibly chivalrous and benign to humans, having saved some of the protagonist and Tao's classmates when Lahmu dragged them into Da'at.
Magic Knight: His starting stats are geared towards Strength, but his Magic is only slightly behind it, and starting off with Severe Fire and Ice spells means he can dish out good physical and magic damage with ease.
Quest Giver: Zigzagged and played straight. When encountered in Chiyoda, he'll remark that something is happening over in the Fairy King's forest, hinting to players about new sidequests, one of which can be found in Chiyoda from a Kelpie. When you meet him again in Taito, assuming you've met the prerequisite conditions, he'll give you a sidequest himself: Beat him and he'll join your party.
Rōnin: He offers his skills to any demon he believes is worthy of them, but they do not hold his loyalty and is more akin to a mercenary. It isn't until his meeting with the Nahobino, testing his strength, and seeing him help others that Fionn swears his loyalty to him, calling him his king from that point onward.
Shown Their Work: When Fionn licks his thumb, he gains an incredible boost of power, enough that he can rival a Nahobino in terms of strength. In his legend, Fionn gained wisdom from having licked his thumb, which caught some of the fat of the Salmon of Knowledge.
Signature Move: Mac an Luin, a severe physical attack that deals even greater damage if it critically hits.
Super Mode: Albeit a temporary one. In accordance to his legend, when Fionn licks his thumb, he gains an incredible boost of power, enough that he can briefly become as powerful as a Nahobino.

Demeter

Voiced by:

Greek Goddess of Harvest

A goddess of fertility and sister to Zeus, one of the leaders of Bethel's international branches. She first appears in Shinagawa region of Da'at and requests the Nahobino's assistance in dealing with various demons of chaos who are running amok.

Adaptational Nice Guy: Unlike in Strange Journey Redux where she was secretly aligned with the Three Wise Men and used the protagonist to ensure they were restored to their full power as Shekinah, Demeter is working to subjugate certain demons of chaos, some of which take a great interest in the Nahobino and want his power for their own. While she is later revealed to be working with Zeus, she's long since decided to jump ship and sides with the Nahobino.
Blow You Away: She specializes in Force skills, in which she has a +3 proficiency in.
Defector from Decadence: Demeter reveals in the final dungeon (provided you completed all of her quests up to this point) that she actually intended for the Nahobino to die in their fights against the demons she sent them off to so Zeus could collect their soul. She even planned to kill him herself, but his continuous success made her realize the Nahobino is capable of bringing greater change than Zeus is and warns the Nahobino about Zeus' plan.
Demoted to Extra: While her role wasn't exactly all that big in Strange Journey Redux, she was an important character in the Womb of Grief's story. Here, she's demoted to being a Quest Giver.
Developer's Foresight: If you have Demeter in your party and happen to run into Kaya-no-hime, the two might have a unique demon conversation with each other for their similar roles regarding plants and harvest.
Limit Break: Her unique Skill Eleusinian Harvest is a support variant. In addition to fully healing the party, she raises their HP beyond their cap.
Quest Giver: She repeatedly asks the Nahobino to deal with certain demons that are causing trouble, starting with Belphagor in Shinagawa and ending with Baal in Taito. Her final questline has the protagonist take on and kill Zeus when the latter comes for his soul.
Xanatos Gambit: She set up a pretty impressive one. All those demons she's had you fight up until you meet her again in the Empyrean? Turns out the Nahobino was supposed to die fighting them, and even if he succeeded, their defeat would just fatten him up and become all the more valuable to Zeus. She actually planned on killing the Nahobino herself after he killed Baal, but the Nahobino's repeated success made her realize he's more deserving of changing the world than Zeus is.

The Mother Goddess

Maria, Danu, & Inanna

The current holy mother, Maria resides in the Empyrean and is despondent that the current world and her role and existence as the holy mother will end soon. After talking to Sophia, the Nahobino receives the Seed of Life and shows it to Maria, who accepts him as the new world ruler and either stays as her current form or takes a new identity depending on the route.

Defeat Means Friendship: Beating her allows the Nahobino to fuse which ever form she decide to stick with.
Demoted to Extra: Danu and Inanna were a major ally and antagonist respectively in Apocalypse but are reduced to a sidequest boss that you may not even see depending on the route.
Despair Event Horizon: Lamenting that the dawn of the new world will end her existence as the holy mother, Maria just waits for her inevitable demise, but presenting the Seed of Life to her causes her to get out of her funk.
A Form You Are Comfortable With: She fights the Nahobino in a different form each route in respect to the path he chose. Choosing to uphold the current status quo causes her to stay as Maria, choosing to create a drastically different world causes her to become Inanna, and choosing for humanity to live without gods causes her to become Danu.
Mutually Exclusive Party Members: A variant. The form Maria assumes and that the Nahobino can recruit is different in each of the routes: In Law, she stays the same; in Neutral, she becomes Danu; in Chaos, she becomes Inanna.
Promoted to Playable: Danu becomes playable after her initial appearance in Apocalypse.
Stone Wall: For her fight, Maria doesn't fight you directly but her A.I. is scripted to only use Dirahan, making her more of a glorified DPS race than an actual boss.

Arioch

Voiced by: Kento Fujinuma (JP), Josh Petersdorf (EN)

A powerful demon of chaos who, along with Surt and Ishtar, engage in a battle against Bethel in the Chiyoda region. He is the main villain of the game's third act.

Acrofatic: He sports an absurdly large belly with a mouth on it, but he's no less capable in combat. When the Nahobino finds him, he sees the audience chamber littered with the corpses of angels.
Arc Villain: He serves as the main villain in the third region of Da'at: Chiyoda.
Asskicking Leads to Leadership: His title of Demon King is not without merit as he himself states that legions of the armies of chaos await his command and holds a great deal of power if the numerous corpses in his audience chamber are of any indication.
The Bus Came Back: This is the first time he has appeared in the mainline series since the first game.
Flunky Boss: He summons two Decarabia to fight alongside him.
Graceful Loser: He takes his loss and eventual death at the Nahobino's hands surprisingly well, urging him to become the new Creator and "break free from God's shackles".
An Ice Person: Alongside physical skills, he also comes with Bufu spells.
Red Baron: He is referred to by Bethel as the Demon King, implying he holds a great deal of power and is a major target for them.
Too Many Mouths: He has a large, gaping maw in the middle of his enormous stomach.
Villain Respect: Unlike with the angels, he has some degree of respect for the Nahobino, likely due to the fact that the latter is the epitome of the goal he, the gods of Bethel and countless other demons are trying to achieve with the Creator dead.

Lucifer

Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki (JP), Paul Eiding (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ec866gjvx0c51.png

^{Click here to see his true form (MASSIVE SPOILERS)}

The Lord of Chaos

"The God you cravenly revere is dead."

A former high-ranking angel, leader of the forces of Chaos, and ruler of all demonkind. Twenty years ago, during the Great Offscreen War known as Armageddon, he descended upon the Minato region of Da'at when the forces of Law and Chaos were about to do battle and declared to all those present that God Is Dead. He then proceeded to seemingly die and explode into magatsuhi. Despite this, Bethel believes he is still alive and in hiding somewhere.

See his page for more information.

Bethel

In General

Advertised Extra:
- While Bethel does play a significant part of the story, it as a alliance of the gods ends up not mattering that much, as the different gods go their separate ways when the news of God being dead is confirmed to be true. Ultimately, Hayao is the only one who keeps Bethel relevant once Abdiel leaves to enforce God's will her own way.
- Despite the prominence of their positions as the leaders of Bethel's various branches, Zeus, Odin, Khonsu, and Shiva (and Vasuki) do not have much of a role in the story besides three possessing the pillars needed to reach the Empyrean Throne. It's even worse for Odin, as unlike Zeus and Khonsu, he only has two meaningful appearances, whereas the other two return in their respective questlines.
Breaking the Fellowship: The reason why the gods are with Bethel is because of God's Condemnation preventing them from rising back to being true gods and oppose His rule. With the news that God is indeed dead and the existence of Nahobino confirming it, they find no reason to stick with the alliance, and split off to prepare to take the world for themselves.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To the Divine Powers of Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse. While both are an alliane of gods from varying pantheons, Bethel is far less united than the Divine Powers, who were far closer to True Companions. Their goals also contrast greatly. Bethel serves the God of Law but all want to replace him as the Top God, while Krishna's goal was to kill YHVH and create a universe free of his influence.
Home Guard: Founded for the sole purpose of protecting humanity from the demonic threat, working with the forces of heaven for that implicit purpose.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: The Japanese branch has the most difficulty working with the angels and the other branches, due to Hayao wanting a Japanese god to become Da'at's new Creator rather than resume the God of Law's world order. One female researcher respects Abdiel's strength, but remarks that everyone in Bethel Japan is "sick of" the archangel. The other gods also are only working together due to God's Condemnation and choose to pursue their own agendas once it is clear that no one is there to stop them from ascending back to proper godhood.
Took a Level in Kindness: The forces of Law are considerably more relaxed compared to previous games. While the angels can be dickish at times, they are nonetheless more than willing to work with you. Even their goals this time around are less extreme since their main objective is to put someone on the heavenly throne. Unfortunately, the gods Breaking the Fellowship leave the nicer angels powerless, and only Abdiel, a hardliner, is willing to Anti-Mutiny to restore god's order and making her the most Law-favored faction representative.

Hayao Koshimizu

Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda (JP), Sean Crisden (EN)

Head of Bethel Japan

^{Click here to see Nahobino Tsukuyomi}

"The blasphemous might of the Nahobino... I don't know where this power came from, but we shall make full use of it."

The prime minister of Japan and Bethel's main representative of the Japanese branch. He offers the Protagonist's friends the Demon Summoning Program in order to help them combat against the demons of Da'at.

Ascended Extra: As with Aogami being revealed as Susano-o, Koshimizu is revealed to be Tsukuyomi, a Japanese god that has appeared in the series before, both as a regular demon and an ultimate Persona. Here, he is a major character and the representative of his own alignment.
Back-to-Back Badasses: He performs this with Yuzuru right before they fuse to fight Abdiel and/or the Protagonist.
Badass Fingersnap: He does a fingersnap shortly before an angelic messenger disintegrates in the endgame.
Badass Normal: One of the leaders of Bethel, and the only human at that. Subverted later, when it's revealed that he's a god too.
Blunt "Yes": Gets two after Arioch's defeat.
- When Dazai asks if they can really break off from Bethel and act without Abdiel's support, Koshimizu replies, "Quite easily," then explains that he is a god.
- After losing to the Nahobino and seeing the other Bethel heads go their separate ways, Abdiel asks if Koshimizu is pleased with this development, and Koshimizu answers, "I couldn't be more satisfied."
Canon Character All Along: Despite seemingly being an all-new character for this game, it is eventually revealed he is in fact SMT series regular Tsukuyomi, god of the moon and one of the Top Gods alongside Amaterasu and Susano-o in Japanese Mythology.
Expy: A politician that serves as a representative of one of the alignments and is actually a god in disguise. Aren't we talking about Ambassador Thorman here?.
Final Boss: Tsukuyomi is the last boss you need to face in Destroy the Throne ending due to Lucifer not coming to interfere with your decision. Even if he does interfere, Koshimizu is still the last opponent you fight before the showdown with Lucifer.
Foil: To his brother, Aogami:
- Both look pretty much the same, but Koshimizu has black hair and eyes and wears a normal, three-piece black suit, while Aogami has blue hair, Supernatural Gold Eyes and wears a Future Spandex.
- Both are top Japanese gods, and brothers at that, but while Aogami isn't aware of his true identity and develops an Undying Loyalty for the protagonist, following his decisions no matter what, Koshimizu was just keeping his identity a secret and ends up standing for his own beliefs, aiming to defeat anyone that stands in his way.
- Further explored in their nahobino forms. Compared to Abdiel and Nuwa, Tsukuyomi is a humanoid wearing a futuristic tight-suit, just like the protagonist and Aogami's nahobino form, and both use an unusual weapon, with the protagonist wielding his Laser Blade and Tsukuyomi using a Sinister Scythe (Both even have a Blade Lock in the pre-fight cutscene). However, Aogami lets the protagonist take full control of the body, while Koshimizu is the one in control as Tsukuyomi. Finally, while the protagonist is clearly a bishonen, Tsukuyomi has a more demonic face, which is covered by a crescent moon.
Foreshadowing: Although his true identity isn't easy to guess, there's some hints that he isn't a mere politician:
- He's one of the leaders of Bethel, representing the Japanese branch. However, every Bethel leader is a deity or a god, leaving him as the only human representative. He IS a god, just in a human form.
- Related to the point above, every Bethel branch was only staffed by deities of their respective pantheons. However, the Japan branch was mostly staffed by humans; Koshimizu even said he had to rely on human students, Proto-fiends and assistance from Angels to continue operations due to a lack of personnel. It's because most of the Amatsu in the Japanese branch were defeated and heavily weakened, and Tsukuyomi was one of the few Amatsu who remain.
- Crossed with Interface Spoiler, there's also not a single Demon of the Amatsu race available for fusion in this game. This is very odd, considering Amatsu is a regularly occurring race in the Shin Megami Tensei series. It turns out they had almost all been defeated and forced into hiding during Armageddon.
- After witnessing Aogami's creation, he mentions his "brother". He's refering to Aogami, who's actually Susano-o. Susano-o only has two siblings: his sister Amaterasu, and his brother Tsukuyomi.
- Atsuta's name references Atsuta Shrine, where the Kusanagi no Tsurugi, which is often related to Susano-o, is kept. Atsuta does not serve Susano-o, but rather his brother, Tsukuyomi.
- One NPC mentions that there's no record of him existing before he became Prime Minister, not even a birth certificate or college records. He's also oddly young for a PM. She thinks he's an alien. Granted, he is a moon god....
Fusion Dance: In the final fight against him, he fuses himself with Yuzuru to become his true form: the god Tsukuyomi.
Godhood Seeker: He states he'd rather let the Throne be taken by a Japanese god instead of the other Bethel leaders or the Old Creator. Turns out he actually is a Japanese god, and he wants to take the Throne for himself.
God in Human Form: He turns out to be Tsukuyomi's human form, and needs to fuse with Yuzuru to become his true form.
Graceful Loser: In every ending where he is either a Climax Boss or a Final Boss, he congratulates his brother for defeating him before vanishing. In the ending where you side with him, he recognizes his defeat and asks his brother to continue and create the world that he wants.
Identical Stranger: He bears a near perfect resemblance to Aogami despite one being a fallen god and the other the prime minister of Japan. Subverted after The Reveal Hayao is actually Tsukuyomi and Aogami is Susano-o — as shown below in Strong Family Resemblance, the reason they look so similar is that they are brothers who obviously know each other.
The Leader: Of Bethel Japan.
Lighter and Softer: He's the effectively the leader of the Law faction, but he's a reasonable gentleman. After the other gods defect, he effectively becomes this to Chaos representatives as well; he still wants a diverse world of free will, where Gods and humans can reach their full potential, and not having a trace of Chaos' social darwinism in him.
Mirror Boss: His Nahobino form is much closer to the protagonist's than Nuwa's or Abdiel's resembling a man in a bodysuit with glowing blue Tron Lines and fighting with a bladed weapon. He even shares some of the same Skills.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Compared to Abdiel and her Knight Templar tendencies, Koshimizu always stands for the heroes and seems to have the best of intentions in mind, keeping them informed of the situation at Bethel. This ends when he starts pursuing his own goals, which will make him take out anyone that stands in his way.
The Reveal: He's Tsukuyomi's human form, and wants to take the Throne for himself.
Secret Character: Subverted. Unlike fellow alignment representatives Abdiel and Nuwa, Tsukuyomi isn't unlocked for fusion after beating the game, probably because you never encounter him as a demon.
Sharp-Dressed Man: Wears an impeccable three-piece black suit. Justified, since he is the prime minister of Japan.
Sibling Rivalry: With his brother Aogami/Susano-o, if you oppose him.
Sinister Scythe: In his Nahobino form, he wields a large scythe with a blue, crescent moon-like blade.
Strong Family Resemblance: He looks extremely similar to his brother Aogami / Susano-o, only with black hair instead of blue.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: His eyes briefly become this right before he fuses with Yuzuru on any route.
Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: He is only allied with Abdiel and the other Bethel branches due to their shared desire to restore Da'at to a version of the previous world. He however would rather a Japanese god take the Throne of Creator rather than let one of the other branch's heads take the Throne or allow the old Creator's order to be restored.
Walking Spoiler: It's pretty hard to talk about him without bringing up the fact that he's actually the human form of Tsukuyomi, the Amatsukami moon god and Susano-o/Aogami's brother.
The Worf Effect: If you choose to join him, he is defeated by Abdiel and Dazai in a cutscene. Inverted for him if you choose to join Abidel and Dazai, where he and Yuzuru will kill them instead.

Abdiel (Unmarked Spoilers)

Abdiel

Voiced by: Romi Park (JP), Cissy Jones (EN)

Archangel of Bethel

^{Click here to see her Fallen form}

^{Click here to see her Nahobino form}

"Bethel will have no mercy for one who violates the will of God."

An archangel who oversees Bethel's headquarters. Stern and uncompromising, she will eradicate anyone who dares to threaten the order of Bethel through sheer force. She is fervently devoted to God and will ensure his will is upheld, no matter the cost.

Anti-Mutiny: Eventually rebels against the other angels in frustration with their refusal to restore God's order in favor of following their code after Dazai and Lucifer encourage her.
Casting a Shadow: Her Fallen form uses Dark attacks in contrast to her Herald form using Light.
Chainmail Bikini: Downplayed. She has various decorations that make it look like she's wearing an armored swimsuit that leaves her stomach, neck, thighs, and upper arms completely unprotected. However, she is in fact a metal angel whose entire body is made of the same near-unbreakable material as her "armor".
Climax Boss: Her defeat at the hands of the Nahobino at the Bethel meeting marks the end of the Teeth-Clenched Teamwork of Bethel, since every leader starts chasing after their own goals. She's also this in every route where you oppose her, killing your allies and being the first Nahobino you fight and the last boss before the final bosses.
Cognizant Limbs: Her Nahobino form has two limbs that act separately. The Depraved Arm uses physical attacks, while the Depraved Wing supports the main body with Makarakarn and Luster Candy.
Cool Sword: She wields a long, golden sword similar in shape to a Christian crucifix. She drops it after becoming a Fallen Angel.
The Corruptor: Albeit not intentionally. Her continued interactions with Ichiro make the latter devoted to her, seeing her as a source of inspiration. Unfortunately, this also causes him to believe in her ideals as well. It's also implied that half the reason Ichiro becomes so quick to side with her, despite having only known her for a few days, is because he has her Knowledge.
Dark Is Not Evil: Well, for a relative given of "evil". Upon becoming a Fallen Angel, Abdiel's tanned skin and gold armor turn ashen gray and black respectively, but she still retains her friendship with Ichiro and genuinely wants humanity to live peacefully. She only believes it can be done by living under God's rule and free will is non-existent.
Defrosting Ice Queen: She starts off as a cold and uncompromising hardass, but her interactions with Ichiro slowly and steadily have her warm up to the boy. Which helps her near the end, as she willingly becomes a Fallen Angel to also become a Nahobino with Ichiro, and if the protagonist sides with her, she becomes considerably more amicable towards him as well.
Deliberately Bad Example: She has one in her fellow archangel Camael, who questions why Abdiel is keeping the Nahobino alive and attacks him in a sidequest. Compared to him, Abdiel seems more reasonable, even after she tries to kill the Nahobino.
The Extremist Was Right: She is completely right in thinking that the god allies of Bethel aren't trustworthy - pretty much every one of them abandons Bethel as soon as they realize the God of Law is really dead and they want to be the ones who rebuild the world. She ends up becoming the demon half of Dazai's Nahobino form to stop the gods from remaking it in their image instead of God's order.
Facial Horror: Her descent into demonhood caps off with her head splitting in half while a new demonic one sprouts from underneath. The two halves of her old face just hang there on her shoulders staring blankly.
Fallen Angel: Downplayed; she willingly becomes a demon in order to realize her desire to uphold God's order, despite that same order saying she and the other angels are not allowed to interfere themselves.
Gender Flip: Abdiel is generally described as male in Paradise Lost and other works, but is depicted here as female much like the more prominent Gabriel.
Giant Woman: A massive female angel who towers above the human cast.
Gold-Colored Superiority: She's clad in gold armor, one of the highest-ranking authorities within Bethel, was effectively put in charge of heaven's forces after the Four Archangels fell, and is in charge of defending Bethel HQ. She loses the "gold" part when she becomes a Fallen Angel.
High Collar of Doom: The topmost part of her armor is a golden collar vaguely shaped like two pairs of angel wings that towers over her head.
Horns of Villainy: Her new demonic head as a fallen angel sports a particular devilish set of horns and they're retained in her Nahobino form.
Humble Pie: Takes the blunt of this during the Bethel Summit, where Khonsu, Zeus, Odin, Shiva^note and Tsukuyomi's Teeth-Clenched Teamwork ends. Zeus and Odin told her that her God was dead (something that the Bethel ranks deny), and Khonsu throws sarcastic insults at her, asking her why is there even a Nahobino in the meeting room if the Creator was still alive. This led to her attempting to kill the protagonist for proof but failed, and Bethel breaks up entirely since the five Gods believe that her failure to kill the Nahobino meant that she couldn't uphold God's order, and Dazai has to convince her to become a Nahobino with him and take the throne.
Hypocrite: Averted. She becomes half of a Nahobino fusion with Dazai, but the experience is eye-opening to her and she's notably more civil and forgiving of the protagonist's existence from then on.
Knight Templar: As is to be expected from a Law-aligned demon. In fact, she's an even bigger templar than the rest of her kind, as they would rather replace the Creator with another while maintaining free will whereas she would keep god's order intact and remove free will outright. Unfortunately, there is no way to side with the more reasonable angels in this, as the Restore God's Order route has you team up with her, as she is the only one willing to accept the existence of herself as a Nahobino to fight for harmony. The saving grace is that a chaos aligned Nahobino and Lucifer can accept the decision, with an implication that the Nahobino is a far kinder ruler as well as having restored those who died, which may include those Abidel damned for death, it's likely to be a bit more mellow as per Abdiel's own development into a more humble character.
Leotard of Power: Her armor looks like a leotard (albeit one with a massive Cleavage Window extending down to her navel) and she is indeed a very powerful angel in service to God.
Lighter and Softer: Downplayed, but while she is a Knight Templar, she's also genuinely kind to Dazai and is portrayed as friendlier to humans than Law generally is; she genuinely thinks removing The Evils of Free Will will help humanity, desiring harmony above all else. As well as being entirely valid in her suspicions of other Bethel members. After she falls, she recognizes her own hypocrisy, and becomes more polite to the protagonist, and in her route hopes that if Tsukuyomi is defeated, Atsuta will surrender peacefully. Notably, her ending is one of the few Law-flavored ones where genocide doesn't happen, and in fact the ending narration implies humanity is fully at peace and the Nahobino is clearly the happiest here.
Light Is Not Good: She may be an angel, but as far as she is concerned, demons and enemies of Bethel are to be cut down without hesitation. In fact, she's worse than other angels, who are later revealed to have decided that God's order was too strict and wish to use Bethel to create a world where free will and a Top God both exist; she wants to eliminate The Evils of Free Will entirely. In the Restore God's Order route, you help her out, but it's implied the Nahobino is still governing with a lighter hand than she would have, which is fitting for her post-Humble Pie development to someone more trusting.
My Master, Right or Wrong: Even with every other angel saying that the original God of Law's rule was too harsh and that humans deserve to have free will, Abdiel still adheres to His will, even the standard The Evils of Free Will ideology of Law He perpetuated.
One-Winged Angel: As monstrous as her Fallen form already is, becoming a Nahobino with the Knowledge Dazai holds within him transforms her into a massive centaur-esque creature with a beastly lower body resembling some 4-legged behemoth. Meanwhile she has a more humanoid but still monstrous upper body with several horns sticking out of her head. All covered in a red armor-like material somewhat similar to suit that the protagonist wears in Nahobino form. She's also accompanied by a clawed hand and large wing in this form.
Pet the Dog: Is the nicest Bethel member to Dazai, which ends up massively helping her in the long term.
Playing with Fire: Uses Fire spells when fought as a boss, and even has a unique Fire spell in her Nahobino form. Oddly, this is completely averted in both of her playable forms.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: She was initially hellbent on ensuring God's will was upheld and refused to accept any sort of compromise. When it becomes clear that God is dead and she lacks the power to enforce His ideals, Abdiel willingly becomes a Fallen Angel and join with Ichiro to be a Nahobino — a taboo decreed by God. As far as Abdiel is concerned, she'll break as many rules of God's as she needs to if it means she can restore His order.
Secret Character: She is unlocked for fusion either by beating the game once or by siding with her and Ichiro (in which case a copy of Abdiel's Herald form joins your party). She comes in both her Herald and Fallen form, and in order to fuse her Fallen form, you must first fuse her Herald form.
Self-Punishment Over Failure: She put tattoos of prison bars on her arms and legs as a constant reminder of how she considered siding with Lucifer when he rebelled. Ironically, she rebels later in the story, albeit to do her job properly.
She Is the King: In the English version, her subordinates address her as "Master Abdiel," whereas in Japanese, they the extremely formal gender-neutral honorific "-sama".
Shout-Out:
- Abdiel is perhaps most prominently known for their major role in John Milton's Paradise Lost, which is also the book the protagonist is reading in the first trailer.
- Her Nahobino form is extremely similar to Sirene and Kaim's combined form.
Signature Move: Light's Descent, a severe Light attack to all enemies. Her Fallen form has Fallen Destroyer, a severe Dark attack to all enemies.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Her Herald form has these, but her Nahobino form is the only Nahobino that doesn't have golden eyes, instead retaining the red eyes of her Fallen form.
The Unfought: Her Fallen Angel form is never fought directly.
The Worf Effect: If you choose to join her and Dazai, she is defeated by Koshimizu and Yuzuru in a cutscene. Inverted for her in every other route, where she and Dazai will either kill Yuzuru and Koshimizu or Yakumo.
You Are in Command Now: Although she was a high-ranking angel, the Law faction's leadership at the time of Armageddon were the Seraphim. When all four were slain, Abdiel was left as the highest authority within their ranks.

Zeus

Voiced by: Subaru Kimura (JP), Kirk Thornton (EN)

God of Bethel Greece

"I'm sick of hearing babble from that winged wench and her automations."

A demon aligned with Bethel and the one in charge of its Greece branch.

Advertised Extra: Despite the importance his position at Bethel might suggest, Zeus is ultimately nothing more than a boss the Nahobino faces in order to reach the Empyrean Throne, though he does make a reappearance in Demeter's questline.
Been There, Shaped History: In his second fight, he reveals that he fought alongside the previous bearer of his Knowledge, Dhul-Qarnayn... better known as Alexander the Great.
Blade Below the Shoulder: Has one made out of lightning and one more traditional arm blade.
Blade Spam: One of his unique skills is Keraunos, a rapid series of slashes with his arm blades.
Blood Knight: He's easily one of the more battle-hungry demons in Da'at, which shows when he happily challenges the Nahobino for a fight. The fact that the Nahobino actually managed to defeat him makes Zeus believe he's a worthy substitute since the human with his Knowledge died before he could find them.
Duality Motif: His right side is solid white, similar to a marble statue, while his left side is black and demonic. While Zeus was a highly respected Top God by the Greeks, his actions are regarded as being highly questionable by modern standards, explaining the drastic split.
Graceful Loser: Not quite the first time you fight him for his key. He gripes that if he had been able to become a Nahobino like you, he would have done better but he does concede that you won his key before he retreats. Fully played straight if you defeat him in an optional rematch. All he can do is laugh at how strong you are and acknowledge that even if he had become a Nahobino, he would have been very hard pressed to defeat you. He then acknowledges that you have the right to take the Throne before dissolving into Magatsuhi.
Hot-Blooded: Comes off this way compared to the other Bethel leaders; he speaks surprisingly casually, for a god of such standing.
In Love with Your Carnage: He finds the Nahobino's strength and combat prowess to be nothing short of awe-inspiring. So much so that, in Demeter's questline, he wants to fuse with the Nahobino rather than wait for the next human with his Knowledge to be born.
Pet the Dog: In the DLC quest "Goddess in Training", he tells Artemis not to feel so pitiful about her loss against the Nahobino and instead encourages her to continue her training and get stronger. If the Nahobino has him in his party, he'll even ask him to look after Artemis.
Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Unlike Vasuki and Odin, he chooses to flee after your battle with him over his key rather than fight to the death. He does return at the conclusion of Demeter's questline at the end of the game where he tries to subjugate you to be his Knowledge, and he fights to the bitter end this time.
Signature Move: Has three:
- Keraunos, a severe Electric attack to one foe that pierces through Electric resistance, and scales off Zeus's Strength stat.
- Madness Glint, an Almighty attack that hits multiple foes, and may inflict Seal.
- Panta Spane, a Physical attack to all foes that lowers their Attack and Defense.
Two-Faced: His entire body is split down the middle in black and white on the right and left respectively.
Villain Respect: He considers the Nahobino to be a Worthy Opponent and a living testament to the powers all demons should strive to have, even making him seek the human carrying his Knowledge so he can return to being a Nahobino as well. After discovering the human carrying his Knowledge is dead and losing a fight to the Nahobino, he decides the latter would make a better partner.
Xanatos Gambit: It isn't apparent until near the end of the game, and it's only revealed in a sidequest, but he tasked Demeter with taking the Nahobino's soul under the guise of sending him off to fight a group of powerful Tyrant demons. If the Nahobino died fighting, Demeter could collect his soul and he'd be able to study it. If he killed the Tyrants, then Bethel would have fewer problems to worry about. Unfortunately for him, Demeter jumps ship and thinks the Nahobino is more worthy of changing the world than Zeus is at the end of her questline and reveals his plot.

Khonsu

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (JP), Ryan Colt Levy (EN)

Moon God of Bethel Egypt

"See for yourself the Creator's "almighty" handiwork. See how the earth's inhabitants lament their injustices and buckle under misfortune."

A demon aligned with Bethel and the one in charge of its Egyptian branch. Unlike his fellow leaders, he has no plans for the Empyrean throne.

Advertised Extra: Khonsu is featured on the game's cover, but in the actual story, he doesn't actually do that much save for a lategame sidequest involving Miyazu.
Amazing Technicolor Population: Not unlike other demons with colorful skin tones, Khonsu has dark green skin. However, this isn't artistic license, but how Khonsu is typically depicted in Egyptian art. His skin turns red when he becomes Khonsu Ra.
Armor-Piercing Question: When Abdiel proclaims that God is still alive or is at the very least recovering and the Condemnation remains intact, Khonsu not only points out that the Nahobino's mere existence contradicts her claims, but even goes so far to ask whether God all but named him His successor.
Ascended Extra: Khonsu was a low-level demon with zero plot relevance in Devil Summoner, but he plays an important role in this game as one of the Bethel demon leaders.
The Bus Came Back: This game marks Khonsu's first appearance in the franchise after only appearing in Devil Summoner and Card Summoner, the latter being released in 2001, being absent for twenty years.
Calling Parents by Their Name: He calls Amon, his father, by name, when declaring that he can no longer call the latter his father.
Defeat Means Playable: Once his sidequest chain is completed, Khonsu allows the Nahobino to summon him through special fusion, which includes both his base form and his Ra form.
Foil: He's one to Koshimizu/Tsukuyomi, since both of them are moon gods who had their power stripped and both of them gain help from a family member to get what they want. The main differences are that Khonsu actually cared about his father Amon/Ra and was given what he needed in a desparate attempt to deify Miyazu so they can be together; meanwhile Koshimizu only saw Yuzuru as a means to an end and exploited his brother Aogami/Susano-o to claim the Empyrean Throne for the myriad gods.
Good Counterpart: To Lahmu. Both have an obsession with the humans carrying their Knowledge, but Khonsu's is born from genuine affection and doesn't see her as a tool, even giving up his claim for the Empyrean throne so Miyazu can live a healthy life, even if his way of going about it leaves much to be desired...
Interspecies Romance: He falls in love with Miyazu, and wants to make her into a god by offering his own life in exchange.
Love Makes You Stupid: Why Isis asks you to deal with him. While Khonsu's goals are well-meaning and wants Miyazu to live a prosperous life, his idea is to sacrifice himself and make her a god despite her protests and the implications of such a transformation. Thankfully, the Nahobino and Miyazu can help make him see reason.
Love Redeems: While Miyazu is his missing half that would allow him to become a Nahobino, Miyazu is so frail that her soul would be extinguished from the fusion alone — and unlike Lahmu's twisted obssession with Sahori, Khonsu genuinely loves Miyazu. Though he has to be stopped from going too far in the other direction, his desire for Miyazu to live ultimately drives him to abandon the race for the Throne before the player even fights him.
One-Winged Angel: After taking the Winged Sun Crest from the defeated Amon, he uses the power within it and Horus's Head to become Khonsu Ra.
Reasonable Authority Figure: He's the only one of Bethel's branch heads besides Hayao who isn't solely interested in becoming Top God, and is the one to diffuse the tension at the summit when the others start questioning Bethel's necessity. However, he makes it no secret he disapproves of Bethel's current situation at the summit, he's the one to deliver the Armor-Piercing Question that leads to Bethel's dissolution, and is all too happy to see it happen.
Sinister Scimitar: Wields a khopesh, a curved ancient Egyptian sword that was derived from a battle axe.
Sole Survivor: Assuming players don't kill him during his questline, Khonsu is the last surviving demon within Bethel after the Nahobino kills the other branch leaders to make for the Empyrean throne, as he's long since dropped from the race and has no desire to become the next Creator.
Walking Shirtless Scene: Aside from the wraps on his abs, he goes topless.

Vasuki

Voiced by: Fuminori Komatsu (JP), Nardeep Khurmi (EN)

Buddhist Snake of Bethel India

"A time of great undoing is upon us. The word of Lord Shiva has been spoken."

A demon aligned with Bethel and Shiva's second-in-command in the Bethel India branch. He attends the parademonic summit in Shiva's stead while the latter prepares for the world's inevitable end.

Advertised Extra: This is the first time in the franchise where Vasuki gets any story significance, with his most prominent role previously being the first boss of the final dungeon of the first Digital Devil Saga. Sadly, Vasuki ends up having as much significance to the plot as any other Bethel leader that isn't Koshimizu or Abdiel.
The Dragon: During the Bethel summit, he was sent by Shiva as proxy since, according to his words, his master couldn't even care less about it.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: He has three pairs of arms, and while he's not as dangerous as his master, he's a challenging late-game boss.
Smug Snake: Not only does he have a snake-like appearance, but he oozes with contempt for virtually anyone outside of Bethel India.
Undying Loyalty: To Shiva, naturally.

Shiva

Voiced by: Eiji Hanawa (JP), William C. Stephens (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/maxresdefault_6590.jpg

Destroyer God of Bethel India

"The world should not be created by a given being. Rather, it is the beings that should be created by the world."

A demon aligned with Bethel and is in charge of its India branch. He is SMTV's resident superboss.

Asskicking Leads to Leadership: He's one of the Top Gods of his pantheon, is in charge of one of Bethel's branches, and is immensely powerful, as the Nahobino himself will learn if he picks a fight with him.
Beware the Silly Ones: Some of Shiva's animations might look pretty silly at first glance, but he's the strongest enemy in the game, second only to the Demi-fiend, for a reason.
Bragging Rights Reward: As stated below, beating him means you get the right to fuse him as well as earn his essense for Apotheosis. However, doing so means you're strong enough to barrel your way through the rest of the game already. This trope is technically subverted, as the Demi-fiend in the DLC is even tougher and Shiva is really helpful if you want to fight him.
Dance Battler: He is shown to dance in his idle animations in battle.
Flunky Boss: Shiva will summon many other Hindu gods and demons throughout the fight, usually using his second turn to summon them.
Graceful Loser: He takes his loss against the Nahobino surprisingly well, calling their bout a "splendid dance" and while he does warn the Nahobino that the "Rudra" can appear in many forms, he tells him to overcome them all.
Multi-Armed and Dangerous: He has two sets of arms, and he will kick your ass if you aren't prepared.
Mythology Gag: Among the demons he summons into battle with him are Ganesha, Parvati, and Kali, all of whom share a connection with Shiva: Parvati is his wife, Ganesha is his and Parvati's son, and Kali is his consort goddess, as well as the fierce aspect of Durga, who is also an aspect of Parvati.
Orcus on His Throne: Out of all the Bethel branch leaders, he's the only one content with sitting around and letting Vasuki handle things in his stead. This is because he's preparing for Da'at's inevitable destruction and gathers Magatsuhi for that purpose, charging his Rudra technique and fulfilling his role as a god of destruction. It's only when the Nahobino comes looking for a fight that he gets off his throne.
Purposely Overpowered: Defeating him earns you the right to fuse him, and at level 96, sky-high Strength and Magic above 100, and absurdly powerful attacks, he's easily the strongest fuseable demon in the game. Of course, that requires you to be strong enough to even defeat him in the first place.
Shoot the Medic First: After losing enough health, Shiva will summon Ananta in addition to his normal rotation of allies. If Ananta is allowed to take two turns, he will cast Mediarama, which is so potent that it will heal well over half of Shiva's max HP, forcing players to focus Ananta down whenever Shiva summons him.
Shown Their Work: The pose he strikes when casting Tandava is taken directly from brass statues depicting him as the Nataraja, or Lord of the Dance.
Signature Move: This game gives him a powerful unique Almighty spell named Tandava that severely damages foes while dropping their defenses to rock bottom regardless of any prior buffs.
Superboss: He's not a mandatory story boss, which will make you breathe a sigh of relief when you fight him as he is one of the most difficult enemies in the game, second only to the Demi-fiend. He is, however, mandatory to defeat as one of the requirements to unlock the hidden fourth ending.
Villain Respect: He develops a high opinion of the Nahobino after their battle, believing him to be capable of overcoming any form of devastation and calamity.

Odin

Voiced by: Atsushi Miyauchi (JP), Keith Silverstein (EN)

Norse God of Bethel North Europe

"How could you have broken the shackles that bind us?"

A demon aligned with Bethel and is in charge of its Northern European branch.

Advertised Extra: Odin was the very first figure, and only one, ever seen when this game was first officially announced in 2017, but his role in the story is not that of a big player.
Creepy Crows: Has a four eyed raven perched on his left hand, likely a combination of Huginn and Muninn.
Find the Cure!: Well, not cure per se, but once he and the other gods of Bethel learn God is dead thanks to the Nahobino's mere existence, he orders his valkyries to go out and find the human carrying his Knowledge so he can become a Nahobino himself and regain his former strength.
Godhood Seeker: Like the other gods, he longs to regain his past divinity as a Nahobino, but he does seem particularly single-minded about it, even compared to other gods.
Gold-Colored Superiority: Like Abdiel, he's clad in gold armor, is the Top God in his pantheon, and is the one in charge of one of Bethel's branches.
Irony: He sends his Valkyrie out to find the human with his Knowledge while he hangs out and waits. As revealed only a bit before his fight, the way to find one's Knowledge involves physically looking at the human who has it, meaning Odin cannot possibly succeed in finding his Knowledge by relying on proxies to do the searching for him.
Javelin Thrower: Odin can hurl that massive spear at an enemy with his Gungnir attack, inflicting tremendous damage.
Reformed, but Not Tamed: While you can summon Odin to be on your side after defeating him, a demon conversation between him and a Valkyrie reveals that he is still asking them to guide worthy warriors to Valhalla for his own goals, with you acting as a worthy distraction.
Signature Move: Gungnir, a severe Physical attack that pierces through resistances.
Villain Respect: Like many demons, he develops a high opinion of the Nahobino after delivering Abdiel her Humble Pie, and upon his defeat, urges him to take the Empyrean Throne and create a new world.

Other Characters

God of Law/The Creator

God

The Creator of Da'at and leader of the forces of heaven.

As this character may or may not be YHVH, see His page for more information.

Goko

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (JP), Regi Davis (EN)

A mysterious monk traveling affiliated with Bethel. He first appears before the Nahobino after he slew the Hydra.

All-Powerful Bystander: He's never actually seen fighting on-screen, but when the protagonist and Aogami arrive at Jozoji Temple they find the area littered with demon corpses and Goko himself is uninjured, implying he holds a great deal of power. Given that he's actually Amitabha, his job only requires the bare minimum of intervention and helps in maintaining the barrier around Tokyo while waiting for a Nahobino to claim the Throne of Creation and announce them as the new Creator.
Amazing Technicolor Population: He has red skin, though it's ambiguous if he's a demon or something else.
The Cavalry Arrives Late: Justified. Goko initially wanted to intervene and help the Nahobino when he's attacked by the Hydra, but stayed his hand when he saw he was capable of handling the situation by himself.
Chekhov's Gunman: Who would have thought that the monk who keeps showing up just watching things happen is also the guy waiting to announce a new Creator?
God Was My Copilot: His true identity is that of Amitabha, a celestial Buddha who has been watching over the world in wait for someone worthy to finally claim the Throne of Creation and remake the world.
Oh, Crap!: Should the Nahobino choose to destroy the throne, Goko reacts with shock and horror, lamenting that chaos will continue to consume the world.
Small Role, Big Impact: An inversion. He has very little bearing on the plot and rarely shows himself, sticking more to the sidelines and watching things unfold. This is because he's an observer whose job is to see if a Nahobino is capable of taking the Empyrean Throne and declaring their new world order.

Miman (UNMARKED SPOILERS)

Miman

A race of tiny red creatures that are scattered all over Da'at, that work for Gustave. He tasks the player with finding all 200 of them, and gives prizes for every five you find. They seem to know a lot about the human world for some reason.

Ambiguous Gender: They all have the same design and high-pitched androgynous voices, although a few of them have a cloth wrapped around their torso, implying that it's a makeshift bikini and they are female.
Clipped-Wing Angel: Every Miman you see was the result of a failed attempt at becoming a Nahobino. Several of them see you and lament that they tried too soon.
Fusion Dance: A human-demon fusion.
Precision F-Strike: One Miman who's found in Asakusa, in one of the harder-to-reach areas, complains about having to go back to Gustave after how long it took to get over there, and concludes with, "Bullshit!"
Walking Spoiler: It's hard to talk about them without giving away the twist they used to be humans.
Was Once a Man: All of them have human souls, and several remember their lives as ordinary humans.

Vengeance

Qadištu

A group of four demonesses led by Lilith, said to be gods of vengence.

Amazon Brigade: Consists entirely of demonic women.
Combination Attack: They are shown in a trailer to be able to use the attack "Qadištu Entropy" when all four are together.
Contrasting Sequel Antagonist: To Bethel. While the various branches of Bethel were held together by nothing but their mutual interests and fear of the God of Law and immediately going for each others throats the moment they had proof he was dead, the Qadištu are a genuine team working towards a singular goal. For added emphasis, all the leaders of Bethel were male gods that fought independently while the Qadištu is composed of female demons that fight together.
Four Is Death: The Qadištu seems to comprise of four members, all of which are capable of inflicting severe casualties. At least one of them kills a few humans in an instant before ordering a Glasya-Labolas to kill the rest.
Good Wings, Evil Wings: All members have a pair of black angel wings, representing their fallen status and alliance to each other.
Meaningful Name: Twofold. "Qadištu" is an Akkadian term used for women of low social status, and in Old Babylonian society, they were women defined by their relationships with men or male deities with restricted sexual freedoms. Like other demons in V, the Qadištu were former gods debased into demons after the God of Law became the Creator and consists entirely of women.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: To the Mother Goddesses from Strange Journey'; like the Mother Goddesses, the Qadištu are demonic women who lost a significant portion of their power thanks to the forces of Law and now seek to impose their own world order. For bonus points, the Qadištu are derived from mythological figures of high status (Eisheth Zenumin is said to be a princess who rules over Gamaliel, Naamah was one of the hundreds of wives and concubines of King Solomon and Agrat bat Mahlat is a "queen of demons" in Talmudic legend).
Vampire's Harem: While it remains to be seen if he appears in Vengeance, the members of the Qadištu are also known as the Brides of Samael. Together they form a powerful alliance able to rival the forces of order and chaos.

Lilith

Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (JP), Katelyn Gault (EN)

"I, Lilith of the Qadištu, shall return this world to its true form."

The first wife of Adam that was cast from paradise and became a demon. She is the leader of the Qadištu who appears before the Nahobino and Yoko in pursuit of an unknown agenda.

Adaptational Attractiveness: Lilith's last major appearance saw her go from a hauntingly seductive nude woman with a snake to a bizarre monstrosity with segmented body parts. Vengeance returns her to a more human-looking form that is more conventionally attractive.
Art Evolution: Lilith receives a new design in Vengeance; while mostly similar to her old design, she now sports red hair and black metallic wings. On a minor note, her snake is now dyed red.
Ascended Extra: In the vanilla story, Lilith was a generic recruitable demon. The Canon of Vengeance storyline elevates her to a much more prominent role and now leads her own faction.
Ms. Fanservice: She's totally in the nude, with only her hair and markings covering her naughty bits, though like other demons with nude models, Barbie Doll Anatomy is in full effect.

Naamah

Voiced by: Shizuka Itō (JP), Kari Wahlgren (EN)

“Now wail and lament! Your anguish shall become the Magatsuhi that I seek!"

A member of the Qadištu feared as the Mother of all Demons, her beauty is so great that not even angels are able to resist her charms

Mad Eye: While her right eye could pass as an ordinary blue human one, her left eye is an unblinking red orb that betrays her true nature.
Two-Faced: Naamah's body is split between a beautiful woman wearing nothing but fishnet stockings on her arms and legs and a twisted demonic form. According to designer Masayuki Doi, this is to make her beautiful by the standards of both humans and demons.
The Vamp: Described as a seductress that manages to charm humans, demons, and angels alike and considering she is part of a group of antagonist demons, she definitely has evil purposes.

Eisheth Zenunim

Voiced by: Kimiko Saito (JP), Allegra Clark (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eisheth_1.png

“Now, tell me… what part of yourselves do you hate the most?"

A demon of Judaism, Princess of the Qliphoth and member of the Qadištu. She tempts humans with promises of salvation only to steal and eat their souls.

Creepy Long Fingers: Her fingernails are longer than her fingers and sharp as knives.
False Prophet: She spouts about how she is the savior of humanity to the point she introduces herself as "the savior of humanity's souls", but her interests are focused only on herself.
Overly-Long Tongue: Has an incredibly long, black tongue with a hand on the end.
Prophet Eyes: Her eyes are blank white and is an eater of souls that tricks people into trusting her.
Soul Eating: With her special skill "Voracious Salvation" she rips the soul of her victim out with her tongue/hand and swallows it down with a smile.

Agrat bat Mahlat

Voiced by: Reina Ueda (JP), Cherami Leigh (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/agrat_1.png

"So I shall dispense a punishment. May your existence be lost to darkness."

A member of the Qadištu known as the Queen of Demons and Mistress of Sorceresses. She is said to be "the demon who dances on the roof" that travels through the sky with messengers of destruction.

Ambiguously Related: In mythology, she is either the daughter or granddaughter of Lilith who leads Qadištu in Vengeance.
Creepy Doll: While she's one of the human looking members of the Qadištu, her joints resemble that of a toy.
Parasol of Prettiness: She carries with her a strange looking umbrella that seems to act similarly to a magic wand for her magic.

Glasya-Labolas

One of the 72 demons of the Ars Goetia and a servant of the Qadištu.

Exorcist Head: It's able to turn it's head 180 degrees, but instead of turning horizontally it instead turns vertically, flipping around the mask it wears from a demonic smile to a bearded teacher.
Hollywood Chameleon: It's design incorperates a reptilian body into the design from the Ars Goetia as a reflection of its power over invisibility.
Invisible Monsters: It has the power to fade in and out of sight, allowing it to easily ambush humans. This power is taken directly from it's mythology, as it was said to grant the power of invisibility to humans it made contracts with.
Menacing Mask: It wears a golden mask that depicts a demonic Slasher Smile, but when it's head gets turned upside down it instead invokes the image of a wise bearded man.
Our Gryphons Are Different: Described as a dog with griffon wings, the design in Vengeance makes it more unnatrual giving it a mask and wings made of metal.
Slasher Smile: Its mask is emblazoned with a massive grin, a terrifying sight as it slaughters innocent civilians.
Stealth Hi/Bye: Glasya-Labolas frequently uses its power over invisibility, disappearing after it attacks and popping back up somewhere different.

Yoko Hiromine

Voiced by: Chiwa Saitō (JP), Erin Yvette (EN)

"When trapped in a cycle... victims of abuse want only one thing. They want to take revenge."

A mysterious girl from St. Marina Academy, who was recognized as a "saint" like Tao Isonokami for her powers of exorcism. She shows up to defend the Nahobino and Yuzuru Atsuta from being attacked by a Glasya-Labolas.

Action Girl: One of the rare human female characters who can hold her own in battle alongside the Nahobino.
Big Damn Heroes: Previews show her arriving just in time to help the Nahobino and Yuzuru deal with a Glasya-Labolas.
Foil: Promotional materials make her out to be one with Tao. Both women are considered "saints", but Yoko is more aloof and harsh. Tao, by contrast, is kind and wants to help others. Tao also plays a supporting role in that she doesn't participate in battle until her death and subsequent rebirth as Panagia Tao, whereas Yoko directly participates in battle with the Nahobino.
Guest-Star Party Member: The reveal trailer for Vengeance shows her playable with a "Guest" marker on her status.
Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Downplayed Trope, but she sports Boyish Short Hair, wears a trench coat and has a rather deep voiced, and she's set up to be the feminine Nahobino's co-protagonist in the Canon of Vengeance route.
New Transfer Student: In a trailer, she is shown to have transferred to the Nahobino's class due to them now working together.
Playing with Fire: She seems to favour the Agi line of spells, and unlike Yuzuru who needs to summon a demon she can cast it herself.

Mastema

Voiced by: Wataru Takagi (JP) Doug Erholtz (EN)

"You shall smite the demons that array before you. The malevolent and unjust shall fall by your rightous hand."

The angel of persecution and hostility who tests the hearts of mankind and their loyalty to God. A servant of Bethel that descends to Da'at after the Qadištu destroy the domain under his juristiction.

The Cavalry: He considers the Qadištu to be dangerous enough that he comes to provide the Japanese branch of Bethel his strength against them.
Good Wings, Evil Wings: While his wings are angelic in their design they're pure black, signifying that while he might be loyal to God he's far from trustworthy.

DLC Characters

The Demi-fiend

Voiced by: Jun'ya Enoki (JP), Christian La Monte (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chara_99ca7a5a59d572443e959e618f6b2c40.png

King of Chaos

The protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne and another Ordinary High-School Student who became a Half-Human Hybrid after being caught in his own After the End Tokyo. Alongside the other Fiends and Pixie, he returns to challenge the Nahobino in the "Return of the True Demon" DLC.

A.I. Breaker: He's rather stubborn about checking every new demon summoned into the fight, to the point of even ignoring his Berserk Button. Giving your entire set of demons a Physical immunity and sending a new one in every turn or two is a good way to make the Demi-fiend waste his turns.
Artificial Brilliance: Demi-fiend prefers Physical attacks like Deadly Fury and Javelin Rain, and he will routinely check if anyone has a passive immunity to it. If the answer is yes, he will refrain from using Physical on those demons afterward and will switch to Freikugel and Chaotic Will if everyone is immune. (Active immunities granted mid-fight are not advised unless you want to see the Game Over screen.)
Badass Crew: While the Demi-fiend does the heavy lifting damage-wise, his demons are a powerful and well-rounded bunch who are more than ready to back him up, and you underestimate them at your own peril. The majority of them have access to Luster Candy, Debilitate and Megidolaon before getting into specialties. Bonus points for all of them referencing his previous appearances.
Battle Theme Music: Like in Digital Devil Saga, he fights you to the beat of Nocturne's random encounter music. Unlike in Digital Devil Saga though, it gets a fairly rocking remix.
Berserk Button: Using the Attack Mirror item or casting Tetrakarn will trigger Demi-fiend to reply with an immediate Gaea Rage next turn, his signature ten-fold overkill Total Party Kill. He will not do this for demons who have resistances built-in, however, which is a not-so-subtle nudge by the game to deck the party out in Physical resistances (though it sadly does not block Gaea Rage).
Blood Knight: Has shades of this. He doesn't really have a reason to make you fight the fiends other than to prove you are strong enough to face him. Even after you defeat him, he'll be happily waiting for you in case you want to fight again.
Bragging Rights Reward: If you manage to defeat him, the toughest boss in the entire game, you'll get his essence, which gives you his overpowered signature skills and affinities. But again, you have to already be strong enough to beat the toughest boss in the game to get it.
Call-Back: Quite a lot of his characteristics reference back to the True Demon route in Nocturne.
- In order to face him, all of the Fiends must be defeated, the same thing the Demi-fiend himself needs to do in order to achieve the True Demon ending.
- Many of his demon companions are references to earlier in the series:
  - He is once again accompanied by a Pixie, the first demon that joins the player at the beginning of Nocturne, which they can keep in order to transform her into an extremely powerful version after reaching the 5th Kalpa.
  - Among the demon allies he summons are Cu Chulainn, Parvati and Girimekhala, who he previously used to fight Serph and the Embryon Tribe back in Digital Devil Saga. A special Girimekhala is also one of the only demons that can use the Pierce skill in Nocturne.
  - Jack Frost is also summoned by the Demi-fiend, probably referencing Hee-Ho, a Jack Frost that can join the protagonist's party after being defeated as Black Frost.
  - Cerberus, which the first game's protagonist's dog can transform into after being fused with another demon, is also summoned.
  - Thor, which serves as The Dragon to Gozu-Tennoh and Chiaki in Nocturne, is also summoned by the fiend.
  - Several of the demons he summons, such as Thor and Cerberus, were the strongest of their individual Races in Nocturne, or could only be recruited at high levels.
- In another call-back to Digital Devil Saga, the Demi-fiend's Battle Theme Music is a Boss Remix of the random encounter theme from Nocturne. Implying that just like Serph and the Embryon before him, the Demi-fiend doesn't consider the Nahobino a serious threat.
- The Demi-fiend has an extra press turn, which is only possible once the Burial Chamber sidequest has been completed in the Labyrinth of Amala.
Critical Hit: Deadly Fury is a guaranteed critical hit, so anyone that doesn't at least resist Physical will fall over as soon as they enter the fight. Failing that, his Freikugel also crits at a high rate.
Dark Is Evil: He's fought in a darkly-lit space illuminated by green flames and his Chaos Will skill causes an Interface Screw by creating an explosion of dark energy that causes everything to shatter for a brief moment while potentially one-shotting anyone it hits. That said, he might not entirely be evil as he hands over his Menorah without much fuss and gives the Nahobino his Essence upon defeat, and the only reason he fought the Nahobino in the first place was simply to test him.
Defeat Means Friendship: In stark contrast to how he treated the Embryon all the way back in Digital Devil Saga, if the Nahobino succeeds in the Herculean task of defeating him on his terms, the Demi-fiend will reward the Nahobino with his stupidly broken Essence and a large sum of Macca. He also sticks around in the Hall of Chaos with his Pixie in case the Nahobino ever wants to challenge him again afterwards.
Dueling Player Characters: The game's ultimate challenge is a showdown with the hero of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne.
Foil: He and the Nahobino have a strikingly opposite design. The Nahobino is fully clad in armor has long blue hair and green eyes and is primarily blue and white colored, while Demi-fiend is shirtless and tatooed has short black hair and yellow eyes and is primarily black and red colored. Nahobino is (barring endgame story choices) primarily allied with the angels and most of his skills are divine in nature and he uses a Laser Blade as his main weapon. Demi-fiend is allied with the demons, most of his skills are demonic in nature and he primarily fights with his bare hands. It's best shown in the cutscene where they face off before their duel, Nahobino draws his arm blade and glows with blue aura while Demi-fiend summons black demonic energy into his hands.
I Am Not Left-Handed: The Demi-fiend's physical attacks do not bypass resistances much like in Digital Devil Saga, meaning he does not equip Pierce, the very skill he awakened as a true demon. In addition, he does not Null every non-Almighty attack in the game despite giving an essence which does just that when defeated. This implies he is not using the Masakados Magatama as well. The fact he is potentially just as difficult as in Digital Devil Saga (who does seem to equip Masakados), while holding back more than before speaks volumes to his prowess.
Infinity +1 Sword: Defeating him earns the Nahobino his Essence, which gives him access to his skills. And yes, that also includes Freikugel and Gaea Rage. Alternatively, you can use his Essence to nullify everything the game throws at you sans Almighty.
Interface Screw: He's picked up a new move, called Chaotic Will. Rather than Mot's infamous Beast's Eye shenanigans giving him extra Press Turns, Demi-fiend's Chaotic Will instead halves your Press Turns for your next move, even if the attack misses everyone. And when it does hit someone, it's a One-Hit Kill.
Mirror Boss: He is very much like he was in Nocturne and how the Nahobino is (or should be) by the time they fight: a powerful demon summoner whose demons are decked to the nines with powerful skills and has several broken skills of his own.
Nerf: Downplayed. Unlike his last appearance, the Demi-fiend isn't immune to everything except Almighty and Terra (Earth element, which doesn't exist in this game), and he won't one-shot you if anyone in your party nullify, absorb or repel attacks. Instead, he will bust out his signature One-Hit Kill Gaea Rage if five turns pass without him summoning a demon or if you use magic/physical repel items and spells. The former handicaps him considerably, as certain ailments are now effective to help hinder Demi-fiend and his demons, but the latter barely hinders him at all and only means you have to figure him out using several attempts.
No Cure for Evil: God, if only. The Demi-fiend has Mediarahan, which he will use to heal his party to full the first time he goes below half health (but thankfully doesn't do it again). His Pixie and Parvati demons also have incredibly potent healing skills; suffice to say they need to die on sight.
Outside-Context Problem: Like the Fiends fought before him, Demi-fiend does not originate in the world of Da'at, being from "another place, another time". Though the specifics and the reasons are unclear, he brought his domain Hall of Chaos into this world and waits for a challenger to gather all the Menorahs and face him in battle, apparently as a sort of test.
Power Nullifier: His starting Javelin Rain has a good chance of inflicting Seal, which prevents the use of Skills. If no one is immune to Physical, he'll keep using it.
Press Start to Game Over: The battle starts with him going first, summoning all of his demons and then slamming the party with Javelin Rain before the player can do anything. If the party lacks physical resistances/immunities, the player will drop from 100% to 0% on the word "Go".
Purposely Overpowered: His Essence boasts the most broken Affinity in the game, namely, complete and utter immunity to all attacks save for Almighty, much like the Masakados Magatama before it, as well as ludicrously powerful attacks like Gaea Rage. Naturally, Demi-fiend is also THE most difficult boss in the entire game, so you'll have to earn it.
Puzzle Boss: Demi-fiend's AI has two interesting quirks. The first is that he will quietly count how many of his press turns have gone by without him summoning a new demon; if five go by, he'll cast Gaea Rage. The second is, when any of your demons appear in the fight for the first time, he will immediately use Deadly Fury on the new arrival(s) to fish for anyone lacking Physical immunity (he even does this at the beginning of the fight with Javelin Rain). This is key to the fight, as Deadly Fury and Javelin Rain do not count towards his countdown gimmick, and they take priority over Gaea Rage. Clever use of this can buy the player some time to knock out of one the Demi-fiend's demons and reset the timer.
Red Baron: Trumpeter refers to him as the "King of Chaos". Doubles as Names to Run Away from Really Fast as he is, bar none, the strongest demon in the armies of Chaos (of their own world) and did not earn that title without reason.
Straight for the Commander: No. While the battle does end with defeating the Demi-fiend, getting to that point requires you fighting off his demons too: he will nuke your party if you ignore his buddies, and two of them are healers. The boss fight is a delicate dance of sneaking in hits on the Demi-fiend while ensuring at least one of his demons goes down every few turns.
Superboss: Like in Digital Devil Saga, although unlike in that game, he can only be fought as part of DLC. He's less volatile here unlike his last outing, but can be just as difficult on his own regard.
Supernatural Gold Eyes: Similarly to the Nahobino, his eyes glow yellow as a sign of his demonic power. Interestingly, while the Demi-fiend's eyes have been portrayed as yellow in art of the original game, in Nocturne his eyes remained grey as they did when he was a human.
Super Prototype: The multiversal basis of the process that allowed the Nahobino and those like him to be created, who is also the most powerful Superboss in the entire game with stats and attacks far surpassing your own.
Total Party Kill: Gaea Rage returns in all of its five-digit damage glory, and a major part of the fight is figuring out what makes him use it (and avoiding those things like the plague). One such thing is if five of his press turns pass without summoning a new demon on his side. Certain actions, such as using Attack Mirror or Tetrakarn, will also trigger it.
Unholy Nuke: He can once again use Gaea Rage, detonating a powerful explosion from within the earth, just as he did in Digital Devil Saga.
The Voiceless: He doesn't speak, with Pixie doing the bulk of the talking for him.
Wave-Motion Gun: The Demi-fiend has Freikugel, unleashing Almighty damage in the form of a devastating laser stream. It has a high Critical Hit rate that he will commonly try to abuse to gain more Press Turns.
We Have Reserves: No matter how many times his demons are slain, he'll keep re-summoning then en masse until he himself is defeated.
Worthy Opponent: Implied to see the Nahobino this way, as he can challenge him however many times the player wishes and gives them his Essence when they beat him.

The Fiends

A group of extraordinarily powerful demons representing death. They are fought in the "Return of the True Demon" DLC.

Call-Back: Like in Nocturne, they're drawn to the Nahobino due to the Menorah(s) in his possession.
Co-Dragons: Much like how they essentially worked for Lucifer's trials to do battle with Demi-fiend in Nocturne, they now work under the Demi-fiend himself to test the Nahobino.
Defeat Means Playable: When they've been defeated, the Nahobino can fuse them in the World of Shadows.
Dem Bones: They are all skeletons, reflecting their nature as embodiments of death.
Early-Bird Boss: If you start the game with the DLC installed, you can face Matador as early as reaching the second save point. You are absolutely not ready for him at that point.
Foreshadowing: While they have little to no impact on the main plot, a few of them (particularly Daisoujou and the Riders) reveal pieces of information which do foreshadow revelations in endgame:
- Daisoujou comments this world has already ended before. The truth of this statement comes to light during the summit meeting between the gods of the various Bethel branches and near the end of the game. In the former, Koshimizu mentions this world underwent the Conception 20 years ago, and as mentioned by the Final Boss, the world ends and is reborn into a new world order whenever a new Creator takes the throne.
- When first encountered, all Four Riders mention a primordial cycle of creation and destruction, in which "the ruler remakes the world, the ruler falls, the world is reborn time and again" which a certain "he" seeks to break once and for all. Pale Rider in particular claims they gather here to witness "him be truly free of the cycle". All of these foreshadow Lucifer's motivations, as well as the truth of this world's Eternal Recurrence.
Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The four riders are literally the biblical horsemen. The White Rider is the harbinger of conquest, the Red Rider the harbinger of war, the Black Rider the harbinger of famine, and the Pale Rider the harbinger of death.
Legacy Boss Battle: Their boss fights are, for the most part, direct ports of their fights from Nocturne.
Outside-Context Problem: The majority of them, particularly Matador, the Riders and Mother Harlot confirm they are from another world, a time and place beyond Da'at. That being said, they don't do much beyond seeking a native inhabitant of this world who holds a Menorah to challenge them in battle.
Secret Art: Each one has at least one skill that's unique to them
- Matador has Red Capote and Andalucia
- Daisoujou has Meditate and Preach
- Hell Biker has Hell Spin, Hell Burner, and Hell Exhaust
- White Rider has God's Bow
- Red Rider has Terrorblade
- Black Rider has Soul Divide
- Pale Rider has Pestilence
- Mother Harlot has Babylon Goblet and Death Lust
- Trumpeter has Evil Melody
Superboss: Can only be fought as part of DLC.
You Remind Me of X: Mother Harlot notes how the Nahobino reminds her of the Demi-fiend, especially since she's more or less fighting the Nahobino as she did with him.

Artemis

Voiced by: Rena Maeda (JP), Allegra Clark (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chara_6efb52337dae0f415a34fa5997368387.png

A wandering demon in search of a strong sparring partner. She is fought in the "A Goddess in Training" DLC.

Adaptational Attractiveness: Artemis's last appearance outside of Persona 2 was... weird, to say the least. This iteration of Artemis is much more conventionally attractive.
The Bus Came Back: Her appearance as a DLC-only demon aside, the last game Artemis appeared in was the now-defunct Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE, which was originally launched in 2007.
Cute Monster Girl: The Greek goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, the Moon, and chastity in the form of a beautiful, young-looking humanoid woman. Humorously, her appearance in IMAGINE was a bit more on the weird side to put it mildly.
Defeat Means Playable: Once defeated, not only she can be fused in the World of Shadows, but she also outright joins the Nahobino's party.
Developer's Foresight: If you have Zeus in your party, he instead appears in person after defeating Artemis, rather than a disembodied voice, and requests the protagonist to take care of his daughter.
Disc-One Nuke: She is recruited at level 37, and she makes a very good demon ally to have during the midgame, especially with her skill Astral Saintsrike (which can be compared to Yoshitsune's Hassou Tobi in terms of hits and damage output). She does start to lose her effectiveness once she hits Level 45, though this can be mitigated through Essence Fusion.
It's All My Fault: She blames herself for Orion's death and the fall of Troy, even if she was tricked by Apollo into shooting Orion and her not having a major role in the Trojan War in the first place.
Like Father, Unlike Son: Inversion of the daughter variety. While Artemis is a Blood Knight like Zeus, her father, she wants to use her strength to protect others and unite the world.
Magic Missile Storm: Mixed with The Straight and Arrow Path for her unique skill Astral Saintstrike.
More Dakka: Astral Saintstrike has Artemis fire off a wide volley of arrows that deal 15 hits of light physical damage to random foes.
Shout-Out: To Saint Seiya, in both design and her signature attack Astral Saintstrike.
Signature Move: She has three:
- Astral Saintstrike, which deals 15 hits of light physical damage to random foes.
- Headcrush, a medium physical attack that can confuse the target.
- And Somersault, a light physical attack that lowers the target's Defense by 2 stages.
Spirited Competitor: Interestingly, the person who gives the quest to fight Artemis is Artemis herself, hoping to train herself and become stronger. Her first two candidates ended up dying at the Nahobino's hands, so she decided to try her hand against him.
The Straight and Arrow Path: Her weapon of choice is a bow mounted on her arm, from which she can fire a powerful barrage of mystic arrows with Astral Saintstrike.
Worthy Opponent: The whole point of her quest is to find someone who can be this to her. She initially wanted to fight the Hydra, and when she learned the Nahobino killed it, requests he gauge Quetzalcoatl's strength to see if he could be her sparring partner. She later decides the Nahobino is the opponent she's been looking for when he returns after having killed Quetzalcoatl.

Cleopatra

Voiced by: Sayaka Ohara (JP), Zehra Fazal (EN)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chara_cf48e6c76866ea0d6b97ad83a94f451b.png

Former Queen of Bethel Egypt

The demon formerly in charge of Bethel's Egypt branch before she was removed as its representative. She is fought in "The Rage of a Queen" DLC.

Bad Boss: When receiving details of her quest, she apparently ran the Bethel Egypt branch rather horribly, to the point nearly everyone wanted her head on a platter.
Better to Die than Be Killed: Like in Apocalypse, Cleopatra opts to commit suicide rather than allow the Nahobino to kill her. Unlike Nanashi, the Nahobino can stop her, which both shocks and touches her to the point she joins him of her own free will.
Defeat Means Playable: Once defeated, Cleopatra can be fused in the World of Shadows to become the Nahobino's ally. Alternatively, this can be turned into Defeat Means Friendship as if you stop her from killing herself, she will join your party out of gratitude.
Et Tu, Brute?: She was forced out of Bethel, which infuriates her to the point that she decides to destroy them, starting with the Nahobino.
"After everything I've done for Bethel, this is how they treat me? Well, no more running and hiding! I'll go over there and slaughter them all! And I'll start by killing you first!
Ms. Fanservice: She's easily one of the most attractive demons around, which gets highlighted when she uses Frolic. It's implied she strips naked as her body turns into a Sexy Silhouette and the background turns pink as she runs her hands over her body before striking a pose.
Cleopatra: (casting Frolic) You want to watch? Then gaze upon my beauty! (moans erotically)
Mythology Gag: When the Nahobino stops her suicide attempt, Cleopatra is initially shocked, then becomes touched as she realizes he wants to protect her and joins his party. In her own history, Cleopatra came under the protection of Caesar when he deposed the Gabiniai.
Nerf: Slightly downplayed. While Cleopatra is still a very powerful demon in this game, she's not the insanely broken magical powerhouse she was back in IV: Apocalypse, as she loses her ability to pierce Light resistance, and is fused at level 61 rather than level 99, which weakens her overall stats. On the other hand, she became a pretty impressive Support Party Member, having a maxed out affinity in Healing and Support, and her charm skill now affects all enemies, and also drops their Attack alongside Defense. Plus, while her magic isn't "insanely broken," it's still very high - keeping her in the party and feeding her Grimoires to keep her relevant will see her magic stat absolutely skyrocket past almost any other dedicated mage you might have, so when she's not on support detail, she can do crazy damage to supplement the rest of the team.
Never My Fault: She fails to understand that the whole reason she was given the boot from Bethel was because of her horrible treatment of her branch.
No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: Her beef with Bethel at large is that she was kicked out despite doing everything in her power to protect them from the Condemnation that befell Babylonia, so even though she was horrible to them, her anger is not entirely misplaced.
Red Right Hand: Her right hand is formed out of dozens of cobras fused together, which she can use to smack the enemy with her basic attack. Though as shown in her Signature Move animation, she can turn it into a normal hand if needed.
Signature Move: Frolic, which carries a high chance to charm all enemies, and drops their Attack and Defense down by 2 ranks.
Snakes Are Sexy: Cleopatra has a strong connection with snakes, with her right hand is made up of dozens of fused cobras and one on her crown, and she is able to weaponize her attractiveness with her skill Frolic.

Mephisto

Voiced by: Yoji Ueda (JP)

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/chara_65fb1920022e57bf219b9eaa8e2d61a3.png

A demon known for making contracts. He is fought in "The Doctor's Last Wish" DLC.

Casting a Shadow: His unique skill is Walpurgisnacht, a powerful Dark spell. And since he comes naturally with a maxed out Dark affinity of +9, he's going to hit incredibly hard.
Deal with the Devil: Considering who he is, this is his bread and butter. The quest he's involved in kicks off with him coming to collect on his deal with Dr. Niita.
Defeat Means Playable: Once defeated, Mephisto can be fused in the World of Shadows to become the Nahobino's ally.
Fountain of Youth: He provides this service to Dr. Niita so that his design to make a Proto-human would become reality; the obvious caveat is in place as you'd expect. Once Mephisto goes down, Niita's true age catches up to him.
Nerf: Downplayed. While he wasn't nerfed to the extent of Cleopatra, he's not quite the superb Magic Knight he was back in IV: Apocalypse, losing his ability to pierce Dark resistance, and being fused at level 79 instead of 99, but he becomes considerably more versatile, becoming a powerful ailment inflicter and debuffer alongside his powerful offenses.
Red and Black and Evil All Over: His outfit is entirely crimson with accents of black, so you know you can trust him.

Dagda

Voiced by: Hidenari Ugaki (JP)

The Irish god of knowledge and king of the Tuatha Dé. He appears in the "Holy Will and Profane Dissent" DLC of Vengence.

Canon Immigrant: The description for the "Holy Will and Profane Dissent" DLC implies that this isn't a different incarnation of Dagda, but the same one from Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse that somehow crossed over into Da'at. The jury's out whether this is the original Dagda or the Dagda created by Danu in the Bonds route, though.
Combination Attack: He can unite his power with his mother Danu in a magatsuhi skill that restores press turns.
Jack of All Trades: His name means "The Good God" in the sense that he's good at everything, explaining his skill in a variety of fields and contrasting him with Odin, a fellow All-father knowledge god who is more of a seeker of knowledge while Dagda already knows.
No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: His signature skill Lost Hit has him unleashing a whopping twelve hits in rapid sucession on an enemy for massive damage.
Non-Indicative Name: He's not called "The Good God" because of his morality but rather his skill, and if he really is the same Dagda from Apocalypse then it might be important to keep this distinction in mind.
Promoted to Playable: Eight years after his initial appearance, Dagda is finally able to be recruited.

Konohana Sakuya

Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (JP)

The Japanese goddess of Mount Fuji and volcanos, princess of cherry blossoms and wife of the mountain god Ouyamatsumi. She appears in the "Sakura Cinders of the East" DLC.

The Bus Came Back: Konohana Sakuya's first appearance in any SMT-related title was Tokyo Revelation, an OVA based on the manga of the same name which was released all the way back in 1995. Excluding her appearance in Persona 4 as Yukiko Amagi's Persona, Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is the first time Konohana Sakuya makes a proper debut in the series.
Casting Gag: Being that she was the Persona of Yukiko in Persona 4 it's only fitting she be played by Yukiko.
Cherry Blossom Girl: Naturally considering she's the goddess of cherry blossoms, having them emblazoned on her clothing and the flowers in her hair.
Flower Motifs: As with her mythological counterpart, Konohana Sakuya has a significant association with Cherry Blossoms.
Mythology Gag: Like in Persona 4 her forte is fire and healing spells.

Characters / Shin Megami Tensei V

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