History Fridge / ShinMegamiTensei

* In most games, demon fusion is handled in a Cathedral, overseen by a Minister. Two demons coming together in a Cathedral, in a ceremony presided over by a Minister, creating a new demon. Sounds like marriage, doesn't it?

* Many times in this franchise, Magnetite or Magatsuhi is a substance that gods, angels, and demons need to remain corporeal in the human realm, among other things. In most games in the franchise, characters use MP to cast spells, yet in other games like in ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'', there is a separate Magnetite meter. That means in certain games, ''MP'' can actually refer to '''Magnetite''' or '''Magatsuhi''' Points instead of {{Mana}} Points.

* Shiva is almost always created by fusing Barong and Rangda. Why those two specifically? Because they're portrayed in ceremonial dances on the island of Bali (which is predominantly Hindu), and Shiva is the King of Dance. It also references one interpretation of Rangda as being an alternate form of Kali (who was one of Shiva's consorts) or in some traditions is another name for Kali.

* Why do physical skills usually [[CastFromHitPoints cost HP]] to use? Probably to convey the idea of physical exertion that comes from using an advanced technique compared to a basic attack. In the ''Persona'' series in particular, a Persona user may be required to sacrifice some of their vitality in order to grant their Persona enough physical form to execute the attack. As for why bosses generally don't lose HP when using these skills, aside from [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard simply making the fight harder]], bosses can reasonably be expected to possess far more power than the player and their summonable demons (even those who were first encountered as bosses), so the cost of exertion is negligible to them.

* The ritual to summon Mara in ''Nocturne'' will not be completed until the Demi-Fiend hurries it up. It looks like an excruciatingly long ritual, but it's only performed on Full Kagutsuchi phases; the room is empty the rest of the time. The ritual seems like it takes forever because the Baphomet can't complete it before Full Kagutsuchi ends, and has to start over again every time.

* Stephen only gives the hero of ''Shin Megami Tensei 1'' one free stock upgrade; all others require hardware. Stephen wrote the Demon Summoning Program in an incredibly short range of time; of course it won't be the most efficient piece of code.

* ''Nocturne'' is the only mainline game where the hero does not gain the power to summon demons from Stephen. But the Demi-Fiend gains the power to summon demons from another [[LouisCypher old man in a wheelchair]].

** The protagonists [[spoiler:both die, but it's not really the end for them. Serph is reincarnated, and also journeys across the worlds as Seraph. Minato becomes the Great Seal, and there is hope of his release]].

* The series-wide interpretation of YHHV, patron of the Law path, actually makes a lot of sense if you look at it from a Japanese perspective. Unlike most Westerners, Japanese individuals have very little truck with Christianity; it is, and has always been, a tiny and easily ignored cult, rather than the huge society shaping element it is in the West. Consequently, a lot of things that Westerners look past due to subconscious indoctrination into the faith is highlit for Japanese due to the ValuesDissonance. Throughout the Old Testament, God demands repeatedly the respect, reverence and worship of humanity, and in it blind obedience to God and his desires is held up as the ideal to which humanity should adhere -- from the Ten Commandments, which place importance on obeying YHHV and doing what he says, to his own admission of being a jealous god. Take, for example, the infamous story of Abraham, one of the tales from the Old Testament that Christians often sweat over and which many atheists and antitheists are quick to call out. In this story, Abraham comes within a heartbeat of cutting his son Isaac's throat and making him a HumanSacrifice, only for YHHV to change his mind at the last second. And the story holds up Abraham's willingness to murder Isaac because that is what God told him as something to respect to admire, that his blind loyalty is a trait one should attempt to emulate in its fervor. In a later story in the Old Testament, YHHV fails to stop a father sacrificing his daughter in thanks for a God-granted victory, as he had promised to do. It's very easy to see why someone not culturally inclined to accept either parable as a holy tale would be able to extrapolate YHHV as the sort of monster who wishes to reduce all of creation to nothing but endless, unceasing, mindless praise of itself.

* FridgeBrilliance/[[FridgeHorror Horror]] - GodIsEvil. GodsNeedPrayerBadly. ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve. [[HumansAreBastards See the implications]]?

** The people behind the abuse of Sera and Strega appear to be trustworthy, have similar goals, [[spoiler:and the same circumstances of death. Real Serph looks almost exactly like Serph, and Ikuski was thought to be a trusted adult. Real Serph wants godhood, and Ikuski wants salvation and power. They die outside of battle, long before the climax, in a cutscene where the person pointing a gun at them is shot, and that gun isn't the direct cause of death. Real Heat threatens Real Serph with a gun and is shot by Real Argilla, which upsets Sera so much that Brahma corrupts the data around the area, which turns Real Serph into Varuna, and his rampage forces the Karma Society to kill him. Mistsuru's father shoots Ikushi but is shot himself, and Ikuski falls off of Tartarus while injured]]. Their actions and manipulations leave behind a huge mess that the protagonists have to clean up.

** Once you get over Mara's face, you should notice it riding golden chariot with many sharp blades. Then you realise it's embodiment of our dark desire - lust, greed and violence.

** The protagonists [[spoiler:both die, but it's not really the end for them. Serph is reincarnated, and also journeys across the worlds as Seraph. Minato becomes the Great Seal, and there is hope of his release]].

* ''ShinMegamiTensei - [[LighterAndSofter Demikids]]'' has your starter {{Mon}}. The very first monster you get, and your partner for the entire game, only gains levels by absorbing other monster's exp through fusion. Taking into account that you'll likely need most of your other monsters for fusion, you'll usually end up just mass fusing dozens of cheap monsters to get your starter to level up. To put it differently: This is like getting a [[Franchise/{{Pokemon}} Pikachu]] that has to devour its opponent every time it wins a battle. By the end of the game, your starter is essentially a walking mass of hundreds of souls.

* In Shin Megami Tensei IV,[[spoiler: at the end of the the Law Route, [[MoralEventHorizon you commit the same crime of genocide as YHVH had you do]] in the same route in SMT 2!]] Let that sink for a moment... If that wasn't bad enough, get this; [[spoiler: by destroying Tokyo, you also kill the [[HopeBringer Goddess of Tokyo]] herself]]! Damn, [[spoiler:even the Archangels think that ''hope'' is nothing but filth...]] It doesn't matter how one sugarcoats it, [[spoiler: all this proves just how much of a depraved fuck [[GodIsEvil The God the Archangels serve]] is to [[ItsAllAboutMe get his way]] ]].

* ''Nocturne'' is unusual in the series for not having Law/Neutral/Chaos based endings. But all of the Reasons can relate to Neutrality. They're deconstructions of why someone, mostly the player, would pick Neutral in SMT 1.

** Musubi, the Reason of Solitude: Isamu wants everyone to live isolated, with no interference from one another. He's also very hypocritical in this respect; he gains power from channeling spirits, uses the Amala Network (which is the most interconnected thing in the entire Vortex World), requires the Demi-Fiend's help in defeating the demons of the Amala Temple, and [[spoiler:sacrifices Hijiri to summon Noah]]. Musubi is Neutrality by rejecting the thoughts of others. In the context of SMT 1, it's rejecting the Law and Chaos heroes, or not feeling the PlayerPunch when the Hero kills them. However, if the Hero of SMT 1 embraced this philosophy, he would also be a hypocrite, because he fights with the Heroine and his power is summoning demons to his side.
** Yosuga, the Reason of Strength: Chiaki wants a world where the powerful can do what they want with the weak. It's also unusual because survival of the fittest is a Chaotic ideal, and yet angels embrace it. With Law counterbalancing Chaos, it's OmnicidalNeutral at its finest. In the context of SMT 1, it's how the Hero and Heroine legitimize Neutrality: they killed everyone who opposed them.
* ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' and ''VideoGame/Persona3'' share a surprising amount of similarities, and deliberate opposites.

** The people behind the abuse of Sera and Strega appear to be trustworthy, have similar goals, [[spoiler:die very similarly. Real Serph looks almost exactly like Serph, and Ikuski was thought to be a trusted adult. Real Serph wants godhood, and Ikuski wants salvation and power. They die outside of battle, long before the climax, in a cutscene where the person pointing a gun at them is shot, and that gun isn't the direct cause of death. Real Heat threatens Real Serph with a gun and is shot by Real Argilla, which upsets Sera so much that Brahma corrupts the data around the area, which turns Real Serph into Varuna, and his rampage forces the Karma Society to kill him. Mistsuru's father shoots Ikushi but is shot himself, and Ikuski falls off of Tartarus while injured]]. Their actions and manipulations leave behind a huge mess that the protagonists have to clean up.

** Musubi, the Reason of Solitude: Isamu wants everyone to live isolated, with no interference from one another. He's also very hypocritical in this respect; he gains power from channeling spirits, uses the Amala Network (which is the most interconnected thing in the entire Vortex World), requires the Demi-Fiend's help in defeating the demons of the Amala Temple, and [[spoiler:sacrifices Hijiri to summon Noah]]. Musubi is Neutrality by rejecting the thoughts of others. Unlike Hikawa's Shijima of rejecting passion, Musubi rejects others for having differing thoughts. In the context of SMT 1, it's rejecting the Law and Chaos heroes, or not feeling the PlayerPunch when the Hero kills them. However, if the Hero of SMT 1 embraced this philosophy, he would also be a hypocrite, because he fights with the Heroine and his power is summoning demons to his side.

** Someone betrays the party after being manipulated. Coincidentally, they're both weak to electricity. [[spoiler:Heat betrayed the party after discovering what the real Serph did, and he's fought as Vritra. He loses his weakness to ice and gains one for electricity. Aigis is controlled with a remote control, and has a natural electricity weakness due to her mechanical body]].