Specific games in the series:

Adaptations in other media

Persona
- Persona -trinity soul-

Recurring Characters (Major Groups):

YHVH
Lucifer
Forces of Law: Satan, Metatron, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Angel, Archangel, Principality, Power, Virtue, Dominion, Throne, Cherubim, Ophanim, Seraphim, Mastema, Demiurge, Great Will
Forces of Chaos: Beelzebub, Lilith, Astaroth/Ishtar, Asura, Mara, Tiamat
Fiend Race: White Rider, Red Rider, Black Rider, Pale Rider, Trumpeter, Mother Harlot, Daisoujou, David, Alice, Ghost Q, Hell Biker, Matador, Sage of Time, En no Ozuno, Chemtrail, Plasma

Recurring Characters (Other):

open/close all folders

In General

Hazy-Feel Turn: Outside of the major players like YHVH, Lucifer, Metatron, Lilith, etc. the alignments of individual demons aren't very consistent from game to game. A Chaos-aligned demon in one game might be Law-aligned in another, and vice-versa. Which isn't particularly surprising, as the portrayal of both individual demons and alignments as a whole tend to vary quite a bit between different entries.

Abaddon/Apollyon

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_abaddon2.jpg

"The king of the abyss that appears in the Book of Revelations of the New Testament. He controls locusts and plagues. He leads the seventh order of demons who appear at the sounding of the fifth trumpet on Judgement Day, when he will bring a horde of locusts to make people suffer. His name in Hebrew means "destroyer" and "endless pit." It's thought that his origins lie in the deification of the natural disasters caused by locust swarms."

— Compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei IV

The Fallen Angel of the Abyss and his Greek incarnation. The Apollyon horde serve Abaddon or the one carrying the title King Abaddon in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon.

Achilles' Heel: Creating a weapon using a piece of cursed metal obtained from a certain chaos god nullifies its healing powers.
All Your Powers Combined: After Earth has consumed his fellow teammates in Digital Devil Saga 2, his Yaksa form becomes Abaddon and can now use his teammates' skills.
Anthropomorphic Personification: The Apollyons of both variants are embodiments of mankind's despair in King Abaddon.
Attack Its Weak Point: Aleph fights his heart in Shin Megami Tensei II.
The Heartless: What the Apollyon specifically the Psycho Apollyons are in King Abaddon.
Healing Factor: In most games, both Abaddon and Apollyon possess healing factor so great it makes them Nigh-Invulnerable in some fashion or another.
Kick the Dog: In Shin Megami Tensei II, Abaddon tells Aleph that Michael promised to restore it as an angel if it swallowed Valhalla District. It's Blatant Lies.
Our Angels Are Different: You wouldn't expect an angel to be a giant maw emerging from the ground, would you?
Recurring Boss: Apollyon and Psycho Apollyon are fought many times near the end of Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon.
Skippable Boss: In Shin Megami Tensei IV he appears as a boss in a New Game Plus quest where he's attacking a pack of Manticores. The Manticores can be defeated without ever fighting him.
Womb Level: in Shin Megami Tensei II, Aleph gets to explore his innards after Abaddon eats Valhalla.

Amaterasu and Susano-o

"The Japanese goddess of light. She is one of the leading deities of Takaamagahara, the land of the Amatsu gods. A deification of the sun, she also governs life. It is said she was born from the left eye of Izanagi."

— Amaterasu's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

"A god of Japanese legend, born along with Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi. He was cast out for lewd behavior, but redeemed himself with heroic deeds like slaying Yamata-no-Orochi."

— Susano-o's compendium info from Persona 3

Two Gods of Japanese lore who were born from Izanagi after he washed himself to cleanse him from the filth of Yomi.

Amnesiac God: In Strange Journey, Amaterasu appears under the guise of Kinmamon in Sector Eridanus in the Schwarzwelt. She appears to be lost and confused, drawn to the powers of the land by her nature as a mother goddess. The Schwarzwelt's powers were trying to incorporate her into the group of the Demon Mothers, and she wound up talking senseless gibberish in a corner on Eridanus until the Protagonist, with the aid of Ame no Uzume and Futotama shone a magical mirror upon her, waking her up from her delusional dreams and allowing her to leave the dimension with her caretakers.
Character Filibuster: After freeing the Shinto gods in II, Amaterasu proceeds to go on a fairly lengthy rant about how the vain, grasping "Hebrew gods" (literally Hebrew gods, straight from the Japanese script, not an invention of Aeon Genesis) tricked the Kunitsukami into locking the Amatsukami and then turned on the Kunitsukami themselves. To anyone from Abrahamic Religions, it comes across really uncomfortably.
Cutlass Between the Teeth: Susano-o uses his sword this way once his arms are cut off in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Lone Marebito.
Foreshadowing: Susano-o appears briefly in Devil Summoner, haunting an old shrine and warns that the seal is getting weaker before disappearing.
Fusion Dance:
- In Nocturne, Amaterasu is a special fusion only being able to be summoned by Sacrificial fusion of Take-Mikazuchi and Yatagarasu, using Ame-no-Uzume as the sacrifice.
- In IV, Amaterasu is a special fusion of Yatagarasu, Futotama, and Ame-no-Uzume, unlocked after a demon conversation quest is completed.
Gender Bender: Susano-o takes the form of a young girl in Megami Tensei II until he remembers his true form.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: In Devil Survivor Overclocked Susano-o's backstory is that he wanted to see his mother Izanami, and then his father Izanagi exiled him for wanting to see her.
Heroic Build: Susano-o's Soul Hackers design is surprisingly ripped.
Holy Halo: Susano-o has one in Megami Tensei II.
The Power of Hate: The rage Honda feels about being unable to escape the lockdown and meet his son in Amane's 8th Day summons Susano-o.
The Power of Love: The group speculates that, rather than The Power of Hate, he is actually summoned by his ability to sympathize with Honda who wished to see his loved one. Along with possibly the feelings of his son seeking to see his father.
Relationship Values:
- In Persona 4, Konohana Sakuya will evolve into Amaterasu once the High Priestess Social Link reaches Rank 10, making Amaterasu the ultimate Persona for Yukiko Amagi. Likewise, Jiraiya will evolve into Susano-o once the Magician Social Link reaches Rank 10, making him the ultimate persona for Yosuke Hanamura.
- In Persona 5, Goemon will evolve into Kamu Susano-o once the Emperor Confidant reaches Rank 10, making Susano-o (under an alternate name) the Ultimate Persona for Yusuke Kitagawa.
- In Devil Survivor 2, Amaterasu is a Unique demon that doesn't require a particular fusion combination to create. Instead, the player must achieve a Fate level of 5 with Otome Yanagiya before it is available. Once this has been achieved, it is unlocked for fusion on all subsequent runs as long as the player imports his/her save. Susano-o is also a Unique demon that must be unlocked by getting to Fate level 5, but with Keita Wakui instead.
Rule of Symbolism: In Strange Journey, Amaterasu also comments she was drawn into the Schwarzwelt, with the feeling she was supposed to be one of the mothers.
Sealed Good in a Can: In II, with the rest of the Shinto Gods.
Side Quest: In IV, Futotama, found at the Meiji Shrine in Shinjuku, explains that Amaterasu was sealed away and asks that the player obtain the three imperial regalia from demon's domains around Tokyo to revive her. She bestows the Torifune's Shrawl upon resurrection.
Signature Move: Amaterasu has Godly Light in Nocturne.

Aniel, Kazfiel, and Samael

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Jewish_Archangel_5036.png

The angel of beauty. His name means "the grace of God." He is commonly associated with Venus, and thus with Ishtar as well.

His duty is to fasten the bonds of love between young men and women.

— Aniel's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

The sinful "angel of the oath." His original name was Biqa, meaning "good person." He attempted to coerce Michael to tell him the sacred name of God, but was denied. After the Fall, he was given the name Kazbiel, "he who lies to God."

— Kazfiel's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

A mysterious angel whose name means "poison of God." He is often depicted as a serpent.

Opinions differ on whether he is fallen or not, but either way, he is linked with death.

— Samael's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

Three Archangels of Judaic lore. Aniel and Kazfiel have shown up alongside the other throughout the series while Samael is one of the demon who switches between Law and Chaos throughout the series.

Amazing Technicolor Population: Aniel and Kazfiel are blue.
Battle Butler: Aniel acts as a Steward for the Four Archangels in Shin Megami Tensei IV. He calls for Sister Gabby whenever Flynn does Law Challenge Quests on the Law Route and is the one who summons Seraph in the quest "Four Wings, Four Heads".
Boss in Mook's Clothing: Samael is one in Digital Devil Saga, boasting over a thousand HP and 666 MP. He's also this in Strange Journey as one of the Enemy Search C demons, boasting 999 HP (the most non-bosses/Fiends can have).
Fallen Angel: Samael is Fallen in some games. Kazfiel's name after the Fall is Kazbiel, "he who lies to God".
The Grim Reaper: Kazfiel and Samael are both Angels of Death. Anael's design is a Grim Reaper in Devil Survivor.
I Have Many Names: Aniel is also known as Anael, Haniel, and Hanael. Kazfiel is also known as Biqaiel, Kazbiel, and more.
Knight Templar: Samael in Digital Devil Saga 2, when fought in the Sun.
Light 'em Up: All three have known light spells at least once throughout the series.
Love God: Aniel fastens the bonds of love and is associated with Venus, the planet associated with love. This also explains his design as a young male cupid in II.
Optional Boss:
- Kazfiel was an optional boss fight in Shin Megami Tensei I.
- In Strange Journey, both Aniel and Kazfiel were optional boss fights in the three EX Missions Before The Holy Battle. The third one being a Dual Boss against the two. Samael also appears, but is more of a random boss due to the mechanics of finding hidden demons in the game.
- In IV Kazfiel is a boss faced in the Challenge Quest "Escorting Your Comrade", where he is the last angel preventing you from helping Navarre escape from Mikado.
Our Angels Are Different: Aniel and Kazfiel are usually depicted as six winged blue skin humans without legs and doll arms, while Samael is depicted as a dragon or winged serpent. Aniel has also been depicted as a cupid, Grim Reaper, and horned humanoid.
Palette Swap: Aniel and Kazfiel were different colored versions of each other in Shin Megami Tensei I and Majin Tensei, Samael is one of Azazel in Majin Tensei II, and Aniel as Anael is one of Sariel in Devil Survivor.
Status Effects: Samael has God's Curse as his Signature Move (which also falls under Secret A.I. Moves) in Nocturne. Samael knows Vanity, which randomly inflicts status effects, in Digital Devil Saga, along with Stone Gaze and Revelation which inflict stone and mute. Finally in Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE he can learn God's Malice, which inflicts ailments and does almighty damage.
Weaksauce Weakness: Half the games Samael appear in he has a weakness to Light. The other half has him No-Sell it.
Western Zodiac: Aniel represents Capricorn. This plays a part of his design and theme with the other Zodiac Angels in Demi Kids.
You Shall Not Pass!: During Shin Megami Tensei IV Both Kazfiel and Aniel attempt to prevent Flynn from going further into Purgatorium and eventually Mikado, repeating the same words all the other angels say.

Belial and Nebiros

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Uncles_7545.png

One of the 72 demons of the Goetia, invoked by King Solomon. He leads 50 legions of demons as their chief.

He is said to appear before his conjurer as two beautiful angels in a chariot of fire. His name means "worthless" and he is cunning, causing the fall of Sodom and Gommorah, as well as persecuting Jesus Christ.

— Belial's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei IV

The general of Hell. He keeps watch over other demons.

One of Hell's greatest necromancers, he can control souls and corpses.

— Nebiros' compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei IV

Two powerful demon lords who have a soft spot for a certain dead human girl.

Big Damn Heroes: In Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Lone Marebito the two as the Red and Black Count save Raidou from Alice, return his weapons and demon tubes, and a key back to earth before they head into their home with Alice.
The Cameo: Alice carries dolls that resemble their human forms in Shin Megami Tensei II.
Demoted to Extra: In Shin Megami Tensei IV, Belial is fought as a boss in Lucifer Palace, the final dungeon in the game on the Neutral and Law routes. However, Nebiros is simply a random encounter found earlier in the game.
Dual Boss: In Devil Survivor, Belial works with Beldr in part of Babel's Boss Rush.
Fate Worse than Death: In Shin Megami Tensei I, Nebiros and Belial turn the people of Roppongi into zombies to make them Alice's "friends".
Graceful Loser: When you defeat him in Devil Survivor, Belial congratulates you and comments that humans are more qualified for the Throne of Bel than demons are.
Love Makes You Crazy: In Shin Megami Tensei I, they admit they are holding Alice sort-of alive against God's wishes; they also indicate her soul may have been bound for Heaven, but considering the local version of God, they may have a very good reason for keeping her in that state.
Necromancer: In Nebiros's Superboss battle in Devil Survivor 2, he spawns a bunch of undead demons as Elite Mooks. If his turn comes around and even a single enemy team has been destroyed, he'll revive every enemy team. If you destroy him, he will Body Surf into one of his Mooks and turn it into a new Nebiros. To win, it's necessary to destroy every single team, including Nebiros's, in a single turn.
Optional Boss: Nebiros appears as an optional boss in Devil Survivor: Overclocked. Having come to test the protagonist at the request of his master.
Palette Swap: Nebiros gets one in the form of Lich.
Papa Wolf: Mess with Alice and you will feel their wrath.
Rage Against the Heavens: According to Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, they have adored Alice since she was just a normal girl. It's her sudden death that makes them call God a heartless bastard, since Alice surely would like to enjoy life more.
Sidequest: In the Raidou Kuzunoha series, they have sidequests that revolve around Alice.
Superboss: In Strange Journey Redux, both of them, along with Beelzebub and Lucifuge, spawn separately on the lower floor of the new final dungeon on a New Game Plus, and each alone are stronger than anything else in the game. Belial guards the Lucifer Sword, which comes with a passive Pierce when using it, and Nebiros has the Lucifer Gun, which has a move that guarantees critical hits.
Weapons That Suck: In Shin Megami Tensei I, the Red Baron (aka Tyrant Belial) is unbeatable unless you have "the gushing jar". Then it will just suck him up.

Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu

Strange and powerful demon that defies description and challenges the imagination.

— Brahma's compendium info from DemiKids

The Hindu creator and destroyer of the world. Along with Vishnu, Shiva is one of the most revered gods in the Hindu faith.

He purified the world through destruction and then reconstructs it. Though he uses his destructive force towards demons, he grants blessings to believers. There are various depictions of Shiva, but the common version has four arms, one face, and three eyes. His weapon is a trident of light, and his third eye is said to be able to set the world ablaze.

— Shiva's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei IV

One of the Trimurti of Hindu mythology. He is known as the Preserver. Whenever the earth is in danger it is said he will appear on earth as an incarnation known as an avatar.

— Vishnu's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei: Soul Hackers

The sacred trinity of Deva called Trimurti. Brahma is the one who created the Universe, Vishnu is the one who preserves it, and Shiva is the one who destroys it.

Big Bad Duumvirate: Vishnu leads the Divine Powers in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse in his Krishna avatar with Maitreya and Odin.
Combination Attack:
- "Trimurti" from Persona 2 by the personas Shiva, Vishnu, and Brahma. It will KO all non-boss enemies. It is more broken since these three can be obtained far earlier than Lucifer and Satan and do not require the insane MP consumptions. This only applies to Innocent Sin since it was nerfed in Eternal Punishment.
- Shiva, along with his wife Parvati, grants the accessibility to the fusion spell Ardhanari in Persona 3.
Demoted to Extra: Brahma. Even Digital Devil Saga, which focuses on Hinduism, only references Brahma through the appearance of the final boss Brahman, a different, yet related entity, while Shiva and Vishnu are tied for third strongest optional boss in the game.
Eye Beams: Shiva's Pasupata is a Wave-Motion Gun shot out of his third eye.
Fusion Dance:
- The traditional method of fusing Shiva from Barong and Rangda originated from the first game. It should be noted that Shiva is the highest recruitable Tenma, and that Shiva cannot be fused with any other demons - the game won't even create a Slime from fusion, it literally will not allow any fusions. This fusion recipe is maintained across every other game in the franchise.
- Ardha can only be created by fusing Shiva and Parvati.
- Harihara is the fusion of Shiva and Vishnu in Hindu lore and the Atma Avatar of Jenna Angel.
God in Human Form: The Avatars of Vishnu known as Kalki, Hayagriva, Krishna, Rama, Narasimha, and Sakya have appeared as demons through the series, with Krishna getting the most prominent role through his appearance as a main antagonist in Apocalypse. Brahma is also believed to be the avatar of Brahman, though the series treats them as different beings.
Humble Hero: Sakya speaks humbly to the party in Persona 2 during Tatsuya's scenario.
Infinity +1 Sword: Vishnu is the ultimate Emperor Persona in Persona 1 and Persona 2, at level 86. To obtain Vishnu in Persona 1, you need to obtain a spell card from every demon in the game.
Magical Flutist: Krishna often is seen with a flute in his hands. Since he's an avatar of Vishnu, he has impressive magical powers.
Optional Party Member: Vishnu will join the party in Shin Megami Tensei I to defeat his old archrival, Ravana, if the player is following the path of Law.
Superboss:
- Digital Devil Saga 2:
  - Vishnu appears as an optional boss in a room opposite that of Shiva's. To meet with Vishnu, the Embryon must first prove their worth to his avatar Narasimha and obtain his sword. Upon meeting the Seraph, Vishnu states that it has been a while since the dharma (righteousness) has vanished from people's hearts and been replaced by adharma (wickedness) as it has now. He claims that he must cleanse this impurity by destroying Seraph and the others, and the only way to change his mind is for them to show the strength of their dharma. In Vishnu's room is the bullet Pandemonium, the strongest in the game, and defeating him infuses the Nandaka with his power, unlocking the God of Light Mantra.
  - In order to fight Shiva, you need to get the Pinaka from Parvati. After that, he can be found on the 3f of the 6th layer, behind the door next to the restoration node before you fought Meganada.
- Persona 2: Sakya appears as a randomly appearing boss in the second door of the Abandoned Factory. Defeating him causes him to drop his Material Card, Buddha's Words, allowing him to be fused in the Velvet Room.
- Devil Survivor 2: On Saturday if one does not go down Daichi's route then they will face Shiva in the battle against Hinako and Jungo. Shiva's level 76 when everyone else is about level 50, but fortunately you don't have to defeat him to proceed — he'll leave once you've defeated Hinako.
- Shiva is an optional boss in Shin Megami Tensei V, but with a level of 96, he far outclasses everything else the game has to offer barring the Demi-Fiend. He also summons souped-up versions of his fellow deities Kali, Ganesha, Parvati and Ananta, and their presence complicates the fight between their support skills.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Kalki replaces Vishnu, which is absent in Shin Megami Tensei II, symbolic of the apocolypse.
White Stallion: Kalki's horse. Significant in that is it ridden upon by the harbinger of the apocalypse

Sarasvati, Parvati and Lakshmi

In Hindu lore, she is the consort of Brahma. She embodies the river; her name means "one who flows." She is also the goddess of music and art, skilled in every art known to man.

— Sarasvati's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

This beautiful goddess of love is one of Shiva's wives in Hindu lore. She is always at Shiva's side and played a role in opening his third eye.

— Parvati's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei IV

In Hindu lore, the goddess of beauty and good fortune. Vishnu's wife and Kama's mother, she is the goddess of love. She embodies the ideal woman and is said to have charmed many gods with her dance.

— Lakshmi's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

The trinity that accompanies the Trimurti, the Tridevi. They consist of the wives of said Trimurti, and are renowned for their beauty and companionship.

An Ice Person: Parvati has consistently been an ice user with very brief exceptions here and there. Sarasvati also dabbles in this element from time-to-time.
Distaff Counterpart: A female-only accompaniment to the Trimurti.
Fusion Dance: Parvati can fuse with her husband Shiva to become Ardha.
Holy Hand Grenade: They specialize in light type Expel skills.
Playing with Fire: As a reference to her past life of Sati, Parvati will on rare occasion be able to drain fire.
Trans Human Treachery: One of Abe's allies in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Lone Marebito was a woman who became Parvati, embracing her new demon self and leading a pack of Nandi to terrorize Tokyo.
White Mage: They all have some amount of healing capabilities learned naturally.

Cerberus

The guardian hound of Hades in Greek lore. It traditionally has three heads and a snake's tail.

It was born from Typhon, the giant of wind, and Echidna, the mother of monsters.

— Cerberus' compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei IV

Cerberus is one amongst the earliest of demon allies to appear as part of the Megami Tensei franchise. His roots put him as far back as the very first Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei publications.

Bragging Rights Reward: In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Cerberus first appears at the Burial Chamber in the Amala Labyrinth's First Kalpa, where it will challenge Demi-Fiend to prove his worth as a demon by quickly vanquishing once more those that he has once killed in the Vortex World using the Black Visor. After meeting all the requirements and starting a new cycle, meeting with Cerberus again in the same location will have him take Demi-Fiend to his master's resting place instead at the Tomb of Yomi in the hidden 666th floor, where Demi-Fiend will receive an extra Press Turn.
Crutch Character:
- Shin Megami Tensei I: Because of Pascal's former loyalty towards his master passed on to him by the fusion, Kerberos can be used even when his level far surpasses that of the Hero—something that generally is impossible. He aids him in only one battle however, disappearing through a teleporter after a boss fight. He later rejoins in Tokyo Destiny Land provided you give him a Golden Apple.
- Shin Megami Tensei II: Cerberus first joins you on the quest Madam gives you: Find and bring back Hanada. After the quest, he leaves the party. Later when Valhalla is swallowed by Abaddon, you will find him at the former entrance to the city from the underground passageway. He joins your party shortly after meeting him for the 2nd time.
- In Shin Megami Tensei if... there is a sidequest involving a computer disk that unlocks a Cerberus even if you're at the low low level of 20. You can probably most comfortably access the resolution of this quest between the dungeons of Sloth and Envy/Wrath^note. Well, Envy/Wrath starts with your main character losing their human partner for that dungeon. Don't you feel good having this mon 2-3 times your level just in case?
Fusion Dance: In Shin Megami Tensei I, Cerberus is created by fusing a demon with Pascal, the hero's dog.
"Get Back Here!" Boss: In a Challenge Quest from Shin Megami Tensei IV where he always flees after his Hell Horde takes a certain amount of damage. He fights for real after being chased down three times.
Heel–Face Turn: The Cerberus from Tokyo Revelation was a demon sent to kill the Protagonist by Ose's dragon, Gagyson. The Monk who defeats him convinces him to protect the protagonist in the name of his master Hecate instead.
The Horde: Cerberus is leading a Hell Horde in Shin Megami Tensei IV, which is made of Fire related beasts.
Legacy Character: Averted, the Cerberus that appears in Shin Megami Tensei II is the same one that appeared in the first game.
Multiple Head Case: Averted for his original design as he has a single head. Soul Hacker depicts the similar design but with the three heads that he is most familiar with, as well as his design in Digital Devil Saga and Persona 3. It is to reference the original novel that the Megami Tensei franchise was based on.
Mythology Gag:
- The reason why Cerberus is usually portrayed with one head is not because of graphical limitations (somewhat) but because that's how he was portrayed in the original Digital Devil Story novel.
- Cerberus takes you to his master's grave in the land of Yomi in Nocturne. This is a reference to Akemi Nakajima who is also the reincarnation of Izanagi.
Playing with Fire: He is primarily affiliated with Fire skills.
Tragic Monster: in Digital Devil Saga, due to Lupa not eating flesh when needed to.
You Don't Look Like You: He typically appears as a white dog with a lion-like mane, unlike the Cerberus of Greek mythology. However, his appearance in Soul Hackers (which is similar to his original design), the Atma Avatar of Lupa and Koromaru's Persona are three-headed.

Doppelgänger

A phantom copy of a living being. The name comes from the German phrase "double goer" Doppelgangers are a sign of bad luck. Often, others see your doppleganger from afar, but it is said you may also see your own doppleganger right before you die.

— Doppelgänger's compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

A Doppelgänger can transform into any person it sees. It is said that whomsoever meets it will die within a few days, and much folklore stems from this creature. They may also become physical incarnations of psychological ailments.

Attack Reflector: Doppelgangers usually are resistant to physical skills of all kinds, usually being capable of reflecting all physicals attacks out-right. This could be attributed to their own nature as shadow copies of the protagonist, were all the harm done to them goes back to the protagonist, for being one and the same.
Face Framed in Shadow: Many of its depictions tend to have its face covered in shadow, which is fitting as it retains this in many forms.
Slasher Smile: The other thing distinguishing the Doppelgänger from the person it's impersonating is a sinister smile.

Qing Long, Xuanwu, Zhuque, and Baihu

Qing Long, Xuanwu, Zhuque, and Baihu (The Four Gods)

The Four Gods are the central figures of an ancient Chinese system of astrology and geomancy which was imported to Japan and absorbed into Onmyodo mysticism, among other beliefs. In this system, there were 28 'star houses' (constellations) which ran the circumference of the sky. The Heavenly Emperor divided the sky into the northern, southern, eastern, and western quadrants, each with 7 star houses; each quadrant was ruled by a divine beast.

All Your Powers Combined: In several games in the series (including Strange Journey, Shin Megami Tensei IV, and Persona 4), using all four of them in a Special Fusion unlocks Huang Long/Kohryu, one of the strongest demons in the game that it appears in.
Evolutionary Levels:
- In Nocturne, Gui Xian can be obtained by evolving Nozuchi.
- The player can get Seiryu in Nocturne by leveling a Mizuchi to level 40 or until it evolves. It has the ability to drain Ice attacks and null Expel. However its weakness is Fire.
Sadly Mythtaken: The vermillion bird that represents the South is called Zhuque. The Feng Huang is something completely different, but the games confuse them almost every time they use their Chinese names.

Bishamonten, Jikokuten, Koumokuten and Zouchouten

Bishamonten, Jikokuten, Koumokuten and Zouchouten (The Four Heavenly Kings)

Four powerful Buddhist devas: Bishamonten, Lord of the North, Jikokuten, Lord of the East, Koumokuten, Lord of the West, and Zouchouten, Lord of the South, under the service of Taira no Masakado.

Affably Evil: The Four of them are friendly fellows while being part of the Chaos faction in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.
Barrier Maiden: The Four act as a barrier between the physical and demon worlds in Devil Survivor.
Broken Bridge: You must beat them on the Neutral or Law routes to access the Cathedral in Shin Megami Tensei I.
Dual Boss:
- Zouchouten and Koumokuten in Devil Survivor, as they try to avenge Bishamonten's death.
- In Shin Megami Tensei IV, after defeating the Four Devas one at a time as part of a Neutral-only quest, they come back to fight you all at once.
Evil All Along: In Shin Megami Tensei IV the four of them appear to Flynn in a Neutral-only quest involving helping Tokyo. In Apocalypse they are revealed to actually be members of the Polytheistic Alliance and their challenge to Flynn becomes a Secret Test of Character for the Alliance Evil Plan.
Improbable Weapon User: Koumokuten uses an ink pen and scroll in Devil Survivor and Zouchouten uses a sutra made of pearls in Nocturne.
One Extra Member: In Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, Marici, renamed Marishiten, becomes the fifth member of the Four Heavenly Kings.
Optional Boss
- In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Bishamonten appears first at the Temple north of Ueno Park after finding the Kimon Sphere, and second in the Bandou Shrine. After the first fight, the player will receive the Gundari Magatama, and Bishamonten will tell the player to collect all of the Magatama and find him again with his master. After acquiring the Lord's Blade after collecting all 24 Magatama, the player can access the Bandou Shrine and fight the four Devas for the right to receive the Masakados Magatama.
- In Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, you can fight them if you satisfy their conditions.
Optional Party Member: On the chaos route of Shin Megami Tensei I, they will join the party if the protagonist is strong enough.
Secret A.I. Moves: In Devil Survivor, the Four Heavenly Kings have their unique racial ability if you fight them as bosses, while the fusable versions are just regular Kishin.
Skippable Boss: They will join the party in Shin Megami Tensei I without a fight if the protagonist is strong enough for them on the Chaos Path.
The Unfought: Jikokuten was dead before the events of Devil Survivor.
Wake-Up Call Boss: Bishamonten in Devil Survivor. Not only is his fight the second with Rangda enemies (which Repel Physical, making Atsuro and Izuna completely useless), his Hassohappa (which can deal 1000+ damage to the entire party) makes it almost impossible to approach him unless you at least Null Phys. Not to mention he has (respawning) allies that can heal his massive HP stores (making Hassohappa hit worse). While most battles so far were almost all affairs where you mostly attack and exploit weaknesses, this one puts emphasis on defense using passive abilities.

Jack Frost

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

Jack Frost, sometimes commonly known as Jack, is the mascot of Atlus Co., Ltd. and he makes appearances in a number of Atlus games, primarily in the Megami Tensei series. Jack Frost's counterparts, also known his "brothers" are called Pyro Jack/Jack O'Lantern and Jack Ripper, along with many other varieties also appear in many games, some of which include Black Frost, King Frost, Frost Ace, Lucifroz, Mini Frost, Strawberry Frost, Lemon Frost, Demonee-ho, etc...

As Long as There Is Evil: Humorously, Black Frost makes this claim if you use him in a fusion in Devil Survivor 2.
Berserk Button:
- In Strange Journey, do NOT call yourself a "hee-ho" around Jack Frost or Pyro Jack unless you want them to have a free turn.
  - In the same game, calling Pyro Jack a mascot is a very bad idea.
- In Shin Megami Tensei IV, call yourself the main character and he tells you about how his father said to kill the main character. Free enemy turns ensue.^note
Beware the Silly Ones: Unlike a regular Frost and despite his appearance, King Frost is ruthless and his power unyielding. He is not friendly and likes to exercise his status as a king to even go so far as to consider his summoners as his subjects as well.
Breakout Mook Character:
- Jack Frost is the protagonist in Jack Bros.. He, along with Pyro Jack and Jack the Ripper, have to make it back to the Makai world before midnight.
- He also appeared in the Print Club series of sticker photo booths (also known as "purikura" in Japan). The software for the machines was developed by Atlus, and the hardware for the machines was developed by Sega (who also published the machines).
- Jack Frost returns as the star of Shin Megami Tensei: Synchronicity Prologue, a side story to the Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey remake.
Char Clone: Frost Ace is a Jack Frost who put on a mask in order to avenge... something. His outfit's design is based off of Char's, and the "Ace" in his name comes from this reference, as he's never actually shown piloting anything.
Cute Little Fangs: Suitable for a mascot, they've got adorable little fangs.
Drill Sergeant Nasty: Demonee-ho in SMTIV. He barks commands at the player, and calls him a maggot. He even mentions how he'll unscrew Flynn's head and hee-ho down his neck. Makes sense, as he is wearing a military uniform.
Dub Name Change: Because of space limitations, what was originally Jack Lantern became Pyro Jack outside of Japan. Jack Ripper was likewise changed to Jack Skelton in the English release of Jack Bros., though that may have been to remove connections to a real-life serial killer in a kids' game.
Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Jack Frost in Megami Tensei II and its touched-up SNES port bares little resemblance to the Jack Frost we know and love today. Namely, he looked like a traditional snowman, wore a red hat and shoes, a scarf, and carried an umbrella.
Guest Fighter: In a Snowboard Kids game, along with Black Frost.
An Ice Person: Most learn Bufu skills.
Inconsistent Dub: Starting from Persona 5, the English translations alternates between the naming the pumpkin-headded Jack either Jack O'Lantern or Pyro Jack depending on how restrictive the character limits are.
In Its Hour of Need: Lucifer Frost will come to Dem/Makai Ice's aid in its hour of need.
Just in Time: Lampshaded in Strange Journey with Demonee-Ho. His compendium info even says "True heroes always show up late".
Large and in Charge: King Frost is regarded as the King Mook among the Frosts, and is always depicted much larger than his subjects.
Legacy Character: Raiho wishes to be Raidou the Fifteenth.
Mascot Mook: Jack Frost is the Series Mascot of Shin Megami Tensei as a whole.
Medium Awareness: Tends to be aware that he's the Series Mascot. In Strange Journey, pointing this out not only makes him very happy, but also gets him to join your party, no further questions asked. Doing the same with Pyro Jack, on the other hand, makes him rather angry.
Optional Boss:
- Raiho is an optional Boss fight in both Soulless Army and King Abaddon. He can only be faced in New Game Plus in Soulless Army and a case file on the first playthrough onwards in King Abaddon. He also summons demons to help him.
- Throughout Digital Devil Saga 2, a Jack Frost may enter a battle and ask a series of questions. Answer 100 correctly throughout the game and you'll have the opportunity to fight said Jack Frost in the final dungeon.
Optional Party Member: In Devil Survivor, Black Frost first appears as a Jack Frost in an event with Midori on day 3 in which he learns about the power of love. He is later seen on day 6 defending a group of low level demons from humans. Should the party choose to help him, he will automatically join on Day 7 on Naoya's, Kaido's, and Gin's routes.
Our Angels Are Different: In Devil Children/Demikids and in the 3DS version of Soul Hackers games there's Lucifroz, a Jack Frost based on Lucifer who belongs to the Herald clan.
Our Fairies Are Different: Barring a few exceptions, Jack Frost and Pyro Jack are members of the Fairy races in most of the games. On the other hand, Demonee-ho debuted in Strange Journey as a Fairy race demon and has been consistenty been there ever since.
Out of Focus: Poor old Jack Ripper doesn't get nearly as many chances to shine as his brothers, having been largely absent from the series after his stint in Jack Bros.. He finally returned in Shin Megami Tensei IV and got to appear in a few more games since, but he is still not nearly as much of a series mainstay as Frost or Pyro, especially when it comes to spin-off entries.
Pop Quiz: Jack Frost is a random encounter mini-game in Digital Devil Saga 2 as the player progresses and an optional boss. Jack asks 20 questions per battle, stopping only when the player answers wrong or correctly answers all questions for the round. Should the player correctly answer all 100 questions they win a certificate for answering the 100th question correctly, and a set of Stat-increasing Data. Players will also have the opportunity to fight Jack Frost should all questions are answered correctly in the final dungeon, the third layer of the Sun. Defeating him nets the Pass Ring, and Magatama ammo. Should all answers have been correctly answered, every time the party encounters Jack Frost, he may give the player random items before running away.
Samurai: Raiho summons the Samurai Frost as one of his attacks in King Abaddon.
Sentai: Five different flavored Jack Frosts create their own Senshi clan. They can also be made into a single demon where all five count as one. With repel all on all stats.
Signature Move:
- In II and Apocalypse, King Frost has Ice Bound and King Bufula respectively, a stronger version of Mabufula. The former simply does more damage (-dyne spells didn't exist yet), while the latter also lowers defense while smirking. Ice Bound is also notable for being the first example of a Signature Move in not just II, but the entire franchise.
- In Strange Journey and IV, King Frost has the unique skill Cold World, essentially Mabufudyne with an additional 15% chance to One-Hit Kill.
Summon Magic: Raiho is able to summon Jacks in the Soulless Army and has improved enough to summon demons like Mahakala despite being at a lower level than him in King Abaddon.
Super-Empowering: Lucifer empowers a Jack Frost and turns him into Lucifer Frost to aid him against Beelzebub in the Devil Children anime.
Superpowered Evil Side: Black Frost is (usually) a Jack Frost who has embraced the powers of darkness, and is often stronger than the regular Frosts by a fair mile.
Took a Level in Badass:
- Nocturne: Hoping to become as powerful as the "Great Emperor", a Jack Frost in a quest for power (the same one who was running the Junk Shop in Shibuya) finds the Satan Magatama, and eats it, increasing his powers and transforming himself into Black Frost; with his new powers, he would later take over Kabukicho Prison long after the Mizuchi jailer has been vanquished, and freezes the entire facility, taking several Jack Frosts as his subordinates. If Demi-Fiend revisits the facility and runs into Black Frost, the latter will force Demi-Fiend to battle him to test out his new powers as the new Great Emperor. He will revert to a normal Jack Frost upon his defeat, and eventually melt. He later returns to join the group if Demi-Fiend visits the Third Kalpa of the Labyrinth of Amala.
- Devil Survivor: In the middle of the week, Midori enlightens a lowly Jack Frost (level 14 Fairy) of the virtues of fighting for love and justice. Near the end of the week, he shows up to defend a bunch of low level demons as Black Frost, a level 47 team leader Demon. And you get to use him in a few routes.
- In the first Raidou Kuzunoha game, in a second playthrough, an NPC will gift you a Bancho cape, which will be promptly stolen by a Jack Frost and taken to local Mad Scientist Dr. Victor to fuse with it. This will turn Jack Frost into Raiho, who will instantly challenge you.
- Strange Journey: A lonely Jack Frost appears in Sector Carina's basement, moping over the loss of his family. In an effort to achieve revenge, he asks the Protagonist to get him an Ice Vest to increase his power. Upon getting the item and using it, it grows and becomes a Frost Ace, unlocking the Frost Ace Special Fusion combination and granting a powerful gun to the Protagonist.
Verbal Tic: He often says "Hee-ho" and interjects "hees" and "hos" into his dialog, a common verbal tic shared with other variations of "Jacks", such as King Frost and Black Frost.
Vigilante Man: Frost Ace in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey.

Kresnik and Kudlak

A Krsnik or Kresnik is a Slovenian type of vampire hunter, a shaman whose spirit wanders from the body in the form of an animal. The krsnik turns into an animal at night to fight off the kudlak, his evil vampire antithesis, with the krsnik appearing as a white animal and the kudlak as a black one.

Anthropomorphic Personification: The Kresnik is the representative of goodness and light and the Kudlak symbolized evil and darkness.
Arch-Enemy: Kudlak's appearances and dialogue often revolves around his eternal enemy, Kresnik. He is depicted with a sinister and vile personality to contrast his rival. Similarly, he is always weak to fire and usually resistant to ice attacks which are the opposite of Kresnik's traits.
Dark Is Not Evil: The Kudlak that appears in Devil Children Messiah Riser is an ally. He joins Jin after the devil child rescues him from the Imperium forces.
Feathered Fiend: Kudlak and Kresnik in the Demikids series. He's also The Starscream to both Light and Dark Imperius in the second anime.
Feed It with Fire: In Devil Survivor, Kudlak will arise stronger every time it's killed, unless done so in a special way. It tries to goad the party into killing it.
Forever War: They're destined to fight each other until the end of time no matter who gains the upper hand.
Knight in Shining Armor: To contrast his rival, Kresnik usually has a benevolent and noble personality acting as something of a white knight.
Light Is Not Good: Kresnik became an officer in the armies of the Imperium in Devil Children Messiah Riser.
Love Potion: Kudlak knows Marin Karin in Devil Children Messiah Riser and attempts to use it on Jin so that Jin will aid him against the Imperium.
The Only One Allowed to Defeat You - Kresnik is the only one allowed to defeat the vampire Kudlak. Well, there's also the fact that if Kudlak's not killed with said Achilles' Heel, he simply reincarnates stronger...
Resurrective Immortality: In Devil Survivor, whenever Kudlak is defeated, he revives stronger than before. Kresnik warns the party not to be too reckless with attacking him, as his next revival will make him nearly invincible. The only way to put him down for good is through an Achilles' Heel that only Kresnik can use.
Sidequest: Alongside Kudlak he appears in Sector Delphinus as an NPC. He has a role in EX Missions given by him and his archenemy. He requests the Hawthorn spear for the final fight against Kudlak. After receiving their weapons, the two will go to the far north of the 1st Floor to battle. If his mission is done then he will inflict great harm to Kudlak, who will retreat. If Kudlak has the Pest Crop he will poison Kresnik, who retreats. If they both have the weapons it will end in a draw.
The Starscream: Kudlak in Devichil: Light & Dark first worked for the Dark Imperius Azrael only to later betray him to Light Imperius Remiel. Once he gets mistreated by Remiel during one of his temper tantrums does he decide to turn on him as well. Unlike with Azrael he dies in the process.
Symbiotic Possession: In Devil Survivor, with Mari, who allows Kresnik to possess her to destroy its mortal enemy Kudlak.

Loki

Loki is the primary antagonist of the original Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei novel, as well as the cult-classic anime adaptation it spawned. Similar to the Norse Mythology, Loki is portrayed as being rebellious and tricky; but at the same time, possesses a cruel and ruthless personality.

The Alcoholic: Spends most of his time in Nyx's Lounge in Nocturne.
Amazing Technicolor Population:
- His original design had bronze skin.
- His design for the OVA and the early games had blue skin
- His Shin Megami Tensei design has Purple skin.
- His Soul Hackers design has light blue skin.
Back from the Dead: In Megami Tensei, he was resurrected by Lucifer to act as The Dragon.
Big Bad: The primary antagonist of Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, being the main threat the protagonists fight against.
Gone Horribly Wrong: summoned by Akemi Nakajima in Digital Devil Story to get revenge on a bunch of students. This sets off a series of gruesome murders as Loki is uncontrollable, betrays Nakajima and nearly kills him.
God in Human Form: Takes the guise of the Gigolo in Devil Survivor.
Handsome Lech: Has a negotiation ability called Wooing in Nocturne.
An Ice Person: Starting from Shin Megami Tensei II, he would consistently have ice type skills in the main series and in most of the spinoffs.
Starter Villain: As the first villain of the franchise, he sets the standard for "demon summoning Gone Horribly Wrong" plots the series would use for years to come.
Starter Villain Stays: Loki became summonable in later games, and while he'd never quite manage the Big Bad role he used to have he's still a powerful demon in many titles.
Trickster God: Of Norse myth and in Devil Survivor and Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse causes mischief for Beldr and the Divine Powers.
What the Hell, Hero?: In Yuzu Tanikawa's route of Devil Survivor, Loki appears in his human form and tells off the protagonist for attempting to escape the lockdown instead of fighting for the Throne of Bel. In some cases, he even chastises the protagonist for failing to even face Belial.

The Minister/Mido

The Minister

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rsz_midosmt3.png

A humanlike being dressed in blue-colored priest garments, who maintains the Cathedral of Shadows.

Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Achieves the same state of being as Saint Germain and Stephen. Unlike Stephen he's not biased and simply enjoys helping everyone with fusion.
Fusion Dance: Offers demon fusion as one of his many services.
Goggles Do Nothing: Usually depicted wearing what seem to be some sort of black tinted goggles that don't serve any apparent purpose.
Mad Scientist: He loves engaging in fusion and practicing with them, advancing the art of fusion with each experiment just for the love of fusing.
Monster Compendium: Another one of his usual services.
Ominous Pipe Organ: Always accompanied by an organ leitmotif, at different tempos and rhythms.
Took a Level in Kindness: In his first appearances, The Minister had a rather sinister presence but maintained a civil approach towards the players. His latest incarnations however took on the "Mido" moniker, and together with it a gleeful, dorkish attitude.

Oberon and Titania

The King and Queen of Fairies from A Midsummer Night's Dream, respectively.

Abduction Is Love: Titania kidnaps and traps Raidou in Faerie Land to keep him for herself so he can be loved by her in King Abaddon. Agreeing to stay with her is lawful.
Adipose Rex: Oberon's redesign (notably seen in Soul Hackers and IV) is a fat old king, as opposed to his youthful appearance in most games.
Brainwashed and Crazy: Both of them, in Nocturne, by Sakahagi. The entire Fairy populace of Yoyogi Park follows.
The Fair Folk: Naturally, as the king and queen of the fairies.
Fetch Quest: In Shin Megami Tensei II, Oberon tells you to get the Infidelity Sap from Puck, so he can work out a cure for Hiroko's Love Potion predicament.
Give Me Your Inventory Item: In Strange Journey's "Faerie Land Establishment V" EX Mission, the Pixie needs a Titania and Oberon.
Handsome Lech: Oberon.
- He gets an ability called Wooing in Nocturne.
- He even attempts to get Raidou as his beautiful new page in King Abaddon.
Love Potion: It also appears in a side quest in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon where Oberon uses it on Titania after she falls for Raidou.
The Maze: In Nocturne, she had several Pixies warp intruders back to a certain point if they run into them.
More Deadly Than the Male: It's zigzagged, but Titania is generally considered to be more powerful than her husband in terms of gameplay.
Rank Scales with Asskicking: Oberon and Titania, the king and queen of fairies, are often seen as the demons of the Fairy race with the highest level.
Tiny Guy, Huge Girl: Oberon is the tiny guy and Titania is the huge girl. Justified because Oberon was cursed as a child and has not grown any larger since.
Took a Level in Badass: Titania has been a fairly average demon/persona in many games. In Devil Survivor 2, Titania becomes extremely useful, since she innately nulls Fire, Ice, Elec, and Force, though it's meant to be offset by her innate Physical weakness. Fuse her with Repel Phys and she becomes Nigh-Invulnerable.
Winged Humanoid: They both have insect wings like many of their fairy subjects.

Ose, Flauros, Decarabia, and Forneus

Four demons from the Ars Goetia, Ose and Flauros are known for sometimes interacting with each other and the same goes for Decarabia and Forneus.

Ascended Demon: Ose and Flauros once they go Hallel thanks to Chiaki in Nocturne. The two show up as Hallel again in Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE as well as Shin Megami Tensei Dx2.
Divergent Character Evolution: Flauros was a Palette Swap of Ose in Shin Megami Tensei I, but got his own character design in the other games.
Dual Wielding: Ose wields two swords in pretty much all his appearances, including as Hallel.
Flying Seafood Special: Decarabia resembles a seastar and Forneus a manta ray.
Good All Along: The Ose that appears in Devil Children: Light & Dark anime and serves as one of Light Imperius minions. He gives Jin and the others a Secret Test of Character. When they pass Ose gives them the item needed to beat Imperius.
Heroic Sacrifice: Ose ends up pulling one in Devil Children: Light & Dark when Gemori shows up and attempts to kill Jin, taking the blow meant for him.
Light Is Not Good: The Hallel forms given to them by Chiaki in Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, in which they are purified and regain the shape they had before their fall. The two later achieve Hallel status in Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine where they act as Co-Dragons to Satan. In Dx2, after ascending they begin to act like your typical SMT angels: Slaughter all who don't worship God unconditionally.
Odd Friendship: Decarabia and Forneus even have a Fusion Spell named Best Friends in Persona 3.
Panthera Awesome: Ose and Flauros are bipedal leopards, though Faluros' head is in front of his torso instead of above it.
Stealth Pun: Forneus is described as a "sea monster" in the Ars Goetia, Kazuma Kaneko designed him as a manta ray, also known as the "devil fish". Likewise Decarabia is described simply as "a pentagram"; he appears in-game as a starfish with an eye in its center.
Weaksauce Weakness: Decarabia is usually weak to a type of Phys damage, so they can be pummeled to death with just your normal attacks.

Pixie

Pixie is one of the most frequently appearing demons in the Megami Tensei universe. She is almost always the first demon recruited and helps the protagonist through healing.

Breakout Mook Character: Stars in a game with Jack Frost and his bros for the Virtual Boy.
Disk One Nuke: There is a special staff password in Strange Journey that will unlock a Pixie with special starting stats. The resulting Pixie will only be Lv.1, but will have a magic stat of 10 and a luck stat of 99 along with knowing the skills Megidolaon and Mediarahan.
Expy: According to Kaneko's notes, Pixies design was heavily influenced by Cham Huau from Aura Battler Dunbine.
Fairy Companion: The player occasionally gets them as a Starter Mon.
Fairy Sexy: She's a very attractive little pixie.
Fiery Redhead: She has red hair, and some of her appearances give her a spunky personality.
Gender Bender: Pixie is male in the Devil Children series.
Give Me Your Inventory Item: In Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, Pixie will issue the first possible EX Mission, The Injured Little Fairy, in which Pixie requests a Bead, which can be obtained as the spoils of the battle against Morax. Accomplishing this mission is rewarded with a Pixie Knife, a melee weapon that can inflict charm. Later, the same Pixie will evolve to High Pixie and begin issuing requests to bring Fairy demons to her so she can create a land for Fairies. However, direct evolution of Pixie to High Pixie in this game is not possible (the only way to do so is through a Special Fusion).
Leotard of Power: She wears a blue leotard.
Lethal Joke Character: Pixies can appear randomly in Samsara Tunnels in Digital Devil Saga and can be summoned by Optional Boss Elizabeth in Persona 3. Both of which know Megidolaon, the latter of which does ten times the maximum health cap for the game.
Magikarp Power:
- The first demon you get in Nocturne is a Pixie, who wants to get out of the hospital and go to Yoyogi Park. She'll help you out in getting the card needed to get out. After you arrive at one end of Yoyogi Park, she'll try to part ways with you, but if you tell her you need her, she'll stay with you. For Nocturne Maniax, if you take Pixie (or one of her 'descendants') to a certain area of the Fifth Kalpa, she'll turn into a level 80 "super" Pixie.
- Raise a Pixie in Nocturne properly and she'll evolve into High Pixie. Keep her for long enough and you'll get Queen Mab.
- In Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis Pixie is one of the early mons with skills that unlock at Rank 50, if you guessed these (in Pixie's case 'Once More' that let's a unit act twice a round) are some of the rarest and most useful in the whole game you're absolutely right.
Pun: Her most common hairstyle; it's a pixie cut.
Shock and Awe: Most of her appearances give her the basic Zio skills.
Starter Mon: She is often one of the first demons you can recruit, and she'll almost always have a Dia skill to give you an early healer.
Took a Level in Badass: In Persona, she can learn Zionga. Got a decay in Persona 2: Innocent Sin by having that skill removed and then another boost in Eternal Punishment where she can now naturally learn Megido. Another decay in Persona 3, in which she doesn't learn a single offensive spell by natural means. And another boost in Persona 4, in which can naturally learn Zio.
Video Game Cruelty Potential: After getting the leader Pixie in Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE, you can choose to give her to Snakeman to create healing salves or you could keep her to get a valuable item.
Voice for the Voiceless: Since the Demi-Fiend retains his qualities as a Heroic Mime even as an Optional Boss in Shin Megami Tensei V, it's Pixie who does the talking for him.
White Mage: Many of her appearances give her the basic Dia skills.

Setanta/Cu Chulainn

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

Cu Chulainn is an Irish mythological hero who appears in the stories of the Ulster Cycle, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore. The son of the god Lugh and Deichtine, sister of the king of Ulster, he was originally named Setanta, but gained his better-known name as a child after he killed Culann's fierce guard-dog in self-defense, and offered to take its place until a replacement could be reared.

Blow You Away: He primarily specializes in Force attacks.
Bridal Carry: In Imagine, Cu Chulainn's mount animation has him carry around the player character in his arms.
Combination Attack: Persona 3: Cu Chulainn, along with Scathach, can use the Shadow Hound Fusion Spell, which inflicts severe Strike damage upon all enemies.
Dub Name Change: Cu Chulainn is renamed to Lance in the English release of Megami Ibunroku Persona.
Evolutionary Levels: Cu Chulainn appears as a distinct demon in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. He cannot be encountered nor recruited by the Demi-fiend, rather, the Demi-fiend can only obtain him by evolving Setanta by reaching at least Lv. 52 himself and completely mastering Setanta's skillset.
Only Known by Their Nickname: Although the real name is Setanta while Cu Chulainn means "the Hound of Culann" (a title he got after killing Culann's hound and taking its place)
Our Fairies Are Different: Setanta is part of the Fairy race, which is replaced by Genma upon evolving into Cu Chulainn.
Palette Swap:
- Tam Lin is basically Cu Chulainn in blue. In fact, Tam Lin has been a recolor of Cu Chulainn since the first Shin Megami Tensei game. Interestingly, Cu Chulainn's old design from Soul Hackers returns in Devil Survivor 2, while Tam Lin uses the recolor of the Nocturne design, thus he and Tam Lin don't share the same, palette-swapped appearance.
- In Majin Tensei II, Diarmuid is a palette swap of Cu Chulainn.
Side Quest:
- Cu Chulainn appears as a NPC in the EX Mission A formal search request in Strange Journey, in which his mother has traveled to the Schwarzwelt to find him. The trail for him leads first to Sector Bootes, where an Orthrus will indicate he has moved to Sector Antlia to offer support to his old teacher Scathach. Meeting with Scathach will reveal Cu Chulainn has heard of the search and is moving to meet the protagonist. Near the entrance to Sector Antlia, Cu Chulainn will be found with Enemy Search. He will leave for Sector Carina to meet with his mother; once met there, he will reward the protagonist by unlocking Cu Chulainn fusion, giving him Gae Bolg, his spear, and giving him the Knight's Oath, which contains a Demonica code to summon him.
- In IV, Scathach's gotten tired of trying to control his bloodlust, so she transforms him back into Setanta and has Flynn duel him so he can realize how counterproductive it is for him. After a beatdown, he's allowed to regain his full form and his Special Fusion is unlocked.

Slime

"The product of a failed summoning. Bereft of its original powers, it's trapped in an incomplete gel form. Its journey from the Atziluth world to the Assiah world was incomplete in some way."

— Compendium info from Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

Art Shift: Either looks like a typical blob monster or a dissolving skeleton covered in slime depending on the game.
Blob Monster: As stated above, if it's not an amorphous blob with a face, then it's a skeleton covered in goo. Persona 5 even gives it the placeholder of "Viscid Rotting Meat."
The Goomba: If it's not Preta, then it's Slime filling the role of the bottom-of-the-barrel enemy acting as the punching bag for players to get used to the Press Turn system.
Joke Character: Especially prevalent in Strange Journey, IV and Dx2, where they're weak to nearly every type of attack.
Lethal Joke Character: In Dx2, one appears as the boss of the 40th floor of the Aura Gate, also making him the penultimate major boss of the dungeon. While he has all the weaknesses of regular Slimes, he also has a boatload of HP to cover for it, as well as Life Drain, Megaton Raid, two Phys Amps and inflated speed to get a jump on you.
Palette Swap: Has different colored versions of itself as regular enemies.
Weaksauce Weakness: In the IV duology and Dx2, in addition to keeping their weakness to all magic except Dark, they're now also weak to basic physical attacks.

Stephen/Steven

Stephen/Steven/STEVEN

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

"I extended salvation to you, even thought it meant bending the laws of the universe. That is because I sensed that humans have the potential to exceed the Axiom."

— Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

Not a demon, but rather, a recurring human throughout the series. He's the wheelchair-bound genius who created and distributed the Demon Summoning Program. He was also the inventor of a teleportation system that inadvertently opened a portal to the underworld, setting off the events of the first game. Bears absolutely no resemblance to Stephen Hawking.

Action Survivor: He manages to survive through every catastrophe that occurs, which is amazing, considering that he's, well, crippled ... at least he would be this if he was still a normal human.
Adaptational Attractiveness: Looked more clearly like Stephen Hawking in the first two SMT games, given his posture and facial features, but was changed to look much more youthful, and much less handicapped, by the fourth game.
Ambiguously Human:
- He has a strange habit of going wherever he pleases, be it a demon's Domain or the Void Between the Worlds. Add to that his shining glasses, the odd echoes in his voice, and the fact he's been alive since Shin Megami Tensei I, a timeline implied to have been erased from existence by the events of the Raidou Kuzunoha duology, and suddenly the good Doctor seems a lot weirder...
- It is explained in IV: Apocalypse that he has transcended his previous state as a human, and has seemingly reached attunement with the Axiom over time as he traveled across the various SMT verses, something that scant few gods have had the chance to do. Right before the heroes fight Stephen, the Hero notes that magnetite/MAG is flowing out of his body as he shows off his true abilities, something that is implied to come as a result of reaching the level of power that Stephen has.
Ascended Extra: Goes from being a Recurring Extra to a key character of the fourth game's Neutral path.
Big Good: Technically he tends to be the face of the neutral route, but from the perspective of humanity, he is this - if you see him, it's quite likely he's orchestrating victory for humanity, and he usually at least wants humanity to live in harmony with demons. In IV: Apocalypse, he's very much your primary supporter on the Neutral path.
Gadgeteer Genius: He created the Demon Summoning Program that forms the basis of the franchise, and in some games regularly updates it as you meet him.
Genius Cripple: Became crippled after he was attacked by a demon. IV: Apocalypse's Diamond Realm DLC shows that he definitely ISN'T.
Gondor Calls for Aid: In the first Shin Megami Tensei game, he sent the Demon Summoning Program to as many people as possible before getting captured.
Gone Horribly Wrong: Testing of his teleportation program randomly managed to rip a hole in reality that filled the world full of demons.
I Am Not Left-Handed: He proves that he has become so powerful in IV: Apocalypse by getting up from his wheelchair when he fights you in the Diamond Realm DLC.
I Owe You My Life: The SNES series protagonists would be dead if they didn't have Stephen's Demon Summoning Program.
Mythology Gag: In Soul Hackers, a New Game Plus COMP software is named after him, and it removes the fusion level limit.
Nay-Theist:
- Being based on the views of the real Stephen Hawking, he believes that Gods, even if they exist, are not needed and that humans should rely on their own strength instead.
- Up to the point that he interferes only a bare minimum with Dagda's plans in Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, because of their common goals, despise them culminating in destroying and remaking the world. For comparison, any other game where the player showed any kind of affinity towards an evil goal, he either dropped all contacts with them or openly showed hostility. In the same calm voice tone from always.
No Celebrities Were Harmed: He's very clearly inspired by Stephen Hawking.
Pro-Human Transhuman: He clearly has become something more than human by this point and he generally believes that humans should not need to rely on gods and therefore represents a humanistic Neutral view that rejected the esoteric, supernatural outcomes of Law and Chaos. This is apparently based on the real Stephen Hawking on how he doesn't reject gods, but rather view them as unnecessary.
Recurring Extra: Through the main series Shin Megami Tensei games, with the exception of Nocturne.
Restraining Bolt: Turns out, his wheelchair serves as this. When you face him as an Optional Boss in the DLC of Apocalypse, standing up from it makes him just as powerful, if not more so than YHVH!
Sharp-Dressed Man:
- Is never seen without his trademark bright red suit. Unless he appears as Dr. Matsuda.
- Given what happens with him in IV: Apocalypse's Diamond Realm DLC, this also counts as Badass in a Nice Suit.
Superboss: Apocalypse finally lets you fight him through DLC. He has apparently grown so powerful that an alliance between the Hero, Aleph, the Demi-fiend, Flynn, and Nanashi is required to beat him.
Underestimating Badassery: Fighting against him as the ultimate boss of IV: Apocalypse makes this much more obvious, as it takes all five mainline SMT protagonists to merely prove their strength and resolve against him in battle. It is especially telling how powerful he has become, given how he shares many moves and even a Leitmotif with YHVH.
Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The first one to open the gate to the Abyss and set off the events of the franchise.
Vocal Dissonance: Always speaks in a soft, calm tone, and occasionally is even a Terse Talker. It becomes very disturbing to hear what he says in this tone in the darker parts of IV: Apocalypse.

Masakado

Taira No Masakado

A feudal Japanese warlord, one of the few true historical figures in the series. Masakado was a samurai during the Heian period and hatched a plan to conquer most of the Kanto region. While he was slain, his influence was so strong his head was sent to Kyoto and later Edo, where it was set in a special shrine. To this day he is considered a demigod of sorts, and it is said condition of his shrine dictates the city's fortune. Due to his fervant loyalty to his country and faith in humanity in general, he is widely considered to be the closest thing the series has to a Neutral representative.

Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Not in game, but historically. From rebel samurai to protector deity of Tokyo, not bad at all.
Badass Normal: How else could a samurai lead the Four Heavenly Kings?
Balance Between Good and Evil: He must reside in balance and should either one overcome the other inside him he will go berserk. The bad luck and misfortune in the capital in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon allowed his rage to possess his body, leaving his rational half to leave his body to find Raidou Kuzunoha. In Shin Megami Tensei IV his balance going out of whack leads to the final DLC battle against him in order to calm him down.
Big Damn Heroes: If Masakado is restored in Shin Megami Tensei II, he will help in banishing the guards around Castle Kether in the Neutral Alignment.
Came Back Wrong: When you resurrect him in Shin Megami Tensei II, he will be nothing but an animated corpse until Hiruko gives you the final part needed - Masakado's soul.
Continuity Nod: To summon him, an item known as Masakados is almost always needed.
Emotion Eater: A rare semi-heroic example on the Neutral Path of IV. He devours the emotions of Hope, Goodwill, and Spite in order to regain his strength.
Evil Makes You Ugly: His anger possessing his body in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon turns him into the bald form he had when he Came Back Wrong in II.
God in Human Form: The protagonist from the OVA Tokyo Revelation is the reincarnation of Masakado.
Gotta Catch 'Em All:
- In Shin Megami Tensei II, his servant, Hiruko, will reveal Masakado was slain some time earlier. So he asks Aleph to gather the pieces of his corpse so he can be brought back to life.
- In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, should the Demi-fiend gather all twenty-four Magatama, the priest at the Cathedral of Shadows will give him the Lord's Blade, allowing him to reach the Bandou Shrine and confront the Four Heavenly Kings, his servants, for the right of a single conversation with Masakado.
- When awakened in IV's Neutral Path, he's lost access to his physical form that became the dome and thus the source of most of his powers. So he must devour the three Great Spirits as a substitute so he can remove the Firmament above Tokyo to restore everything to normal. He needs Flynn to recreate the Great Spirit of Hope by taking on missions to restore Tokyo's citizens' hope, and to retake the Great Spirits of Goodwill and Spite by taking them from the entities who have absorbed them - Merkabah and Lucifer, after they interfere with his first attempt to remove the firmament when he devoured the Great Spirit of Hope.
Guardian Entity: For Tokyo. He's had his ups and his downs.
Infinity +1 Sword: If he appears as a fusable demon or his name appears on a piece of equipment, you can damn well bet that there will be some difficult requirements and a lot of power attached:
- In Shin Megami Tensei I, Masakado's Katana can only be found on a Neutral run after you've gained access to the Great Cathedral and defeated the Four Heavenly Kings.
- In Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, Masakados is the strongest Magatama in the game, providing +10 to all non-Luck stats (in a game where the maximum value for non-HP, non-MP stats is 40) and nullifies or repels everything that isn't Almighty. You need to collect all 24 other Magatamas to be eligible to get it.
- In Shin Megami Tensei IV, Masakado joins you if you take the Neutral route, but he's pretty so-so as a combatant, subverting this trope. Double subverted when you unlock Masakado's Shadow as a reward for defeating him in his brutally hard DLC Superboss fight, as he gains some extremely powerful abilities, such as one that not only does Almighty damage but constitutes a weakness hit, resulting in extra turns and a possible Smirk for him no matter who it hits.
Our Giants Are Bigger: His full powered form is a giant made of the earth.
Patriotic Fervor: Patriotism is good. A God who has unyielding loyalty to Tokyo, followed by loyalty to the nation and its people.
Physical God:
- The level needed to fuse him is almost always very high. And it shows. In Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, for instance, he nulls instant death spells and is strong against literally everything except piercing.
- And the Magatama bearing his name nulls everything except Almighty attacks and imparts priceless augmentations in Nocturne. Given he is the protector of Tokyo, and Tokyo at the time is the Universe...
Power Dyes Your Hair: His reincarnations hair turns blonde when he awakens from inside his reincarnation.
Superboss:
- One of the two ultimate bosses of the game alongside Lucifer in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon. He can only be fought on New Game Plus, 99% completion of all case file at least once which requires beating the chaos route and facing the New Game Plus ones given by Lucifer, and talking to a man outside the Narumi Detective Agency to get the case file. He can be found on the 999th floor of the confinement chamber and will be joined by an "imposter" Masakados who acts as a Mag Drain Battery but are not infinite in number. After bringing his HP down to zero Raidou must negotiate with him to end the battle. The reward for beating him is the material needed for the ultimate sword Masakados and the ability to fuse Masakados.
- In IV's final DLC quest he goes berserk as an ICBM is looming in the horizon over Tokyo. He wanted to cover the entire city with his body, but lost control of his power and had to be woken. He, quite simply, requires the Pierce DLC skills, as he flat-out drains everything. Except Light, Dark and Almighty. Light and Dark he nulls, and Almighty is a complete joke against him. To add insult to injury, he wastes many of his six turns in moves that don't do anything like Move Slowly, Aim Carefully, Clench Fist and Prayer. Then he breaks out Curse Thy Enemy and Guardian's Eye. He has double the amount of raw HP of one Lucifer's forms or more than four times the HP of Merkabah's first form and almost three times as his second form. Oh, and you only have ten turns to defeat him.
Take Up My Sword:
- Literally in Shin Megami Tensei I, in the Neutral Path.
- In Nocturne, he manifests in the Bandou Shrine, and he's depressed, with good reason. He has to see Tokyo, the city he was bound to defend, utterly destroyed to create the Vortex World, its inhabitants dead and demons infesting it. Then the Demi-Fiend arrives, and since Masakado cannot exist outside the shrine due to the laws of the Vortex World, he gives the boy the Magatama holding his power, telling him that whatever has happened to Tokyo, it's still Tokyo, and since he cannot continue in his duty, to please restore the world...
Undying Loyalty: Regardless of whether he's Chaos or Neutral, Masakado will always be loyal to Tokyo itself.

Thor

Thor is the thunder god of Norse Mythology. If somehow that doesn't sound familiar, see Characters.Norse Mythology.

Thunder Hammer: As you would expect of Thor, he wields the hammer Mjolnir.
God Was My Copilot: In Shin Megami Tensei I, Thor is actually an agent of God dedicated to the ideal of the Thousand Year Kingdom, sent to Earth after discovering that Gotou has discovered a way of summoning demons from Makai to the humans realm. He takes the form of the American ambassador to Japan, Ambassador Thorman, and requests the aid of the Protagonist in defeating Gotou and prevent the demons from overrunning the Earth. He later reveals his true Thor persona and objectives to the heroes.
Judge, Jury, and Executioner: In Nocturne but he lets the Protagonist go if they beat him and his minions in combat.
Nuke 'em: In Shin Megami Tensei I, to neutralize the demon infestation, the "Hammer of Thor" is summoned: a cluster of nuclear ICBMs that will purge Tokyo of its sins. With this, Japan is completely obliterated.
Shock and Awe: He's the Norse god of thunder and he uses lightning attacks, if that didn't go without saying.
Skippable Boss: In Shin Megami Tensei I, He congratulates the protagonist for aiding him in the purification of Tokyo on the Law alignment and promptly leaves, bringing up questions on his hiding location for the rest of the game.
Thunder Hammer: As you would expect of Thor, he wields the hammer Mjolnir.

Races

Gods

Deity (Majin^noteDemon God/Shinrei^noteDivinity)

Alignment: Light-Law/Light-Neutral

Notable Demons: Vishnu, Odin, Hachiman, Dagda, Krishna, Maitreya

The Deity race is composed of the most powerful demons that could be summonable. The race is represented by many chief gods among the mythical Pantheon.

Top God: Many demons of this race are the king or high-ranking gods among their pantheon.

Megami

Alignment: Light-Law

Notable Demons: Parvati, Lakshmi, Ishtar

The female counterpart of the Deity race. Like Deity, they are represented by wives or female-counterparts of the male chief gods.

Combat Medic: In addition to often boasting powerful magic attacks, they have a strong tendency to pack vital healing spells. In both Devil Survivor games, their racial skill, Affection, heals a lot of HP to one team and removes their status ailments.

Amatsu (Amatsukami^noteHeavenly God)

Alignment: Light-Law

Notable Demons: Amaterasu, Omoikane, Take-Mikazuchi, Ame no Uzume

The Amatsu race is composed by gods and goddesses of Japanese mythology. Their rival race is the Kunitsu race.

Enigma

Alignment: Light-Neutral

Notable Demons: Kinmamon, Kangiten, Futotama

The Enigma race is filled with strange, ancient deities. Parts of their origins and attributes have been forgotten or are completely unknown.

Entity

Alignment: Light-Chaos

Notable Demons: Alilat, Albion, Black Maria

A race of gods which are no longer worshipped by the disciples of the religion or culture they came from.

Guardians

Tenma

Alignment: Light-Chaos

Notable Demons: Agni, Yama, Indrajit, Mahakala, Asura

Tenma are guardian or protector deities, mostly originating from East Asian mythology or Hindu mythology.

Not as You Know Them: Despite typically being associated with the Chaos alignment, Yama is actually a member of the Law-aligned Deity race in the Devil Survivor games, even outright serving a Law-aligned character in the first Devil Survivor. Though it could be argued that it never made much sense for the judge of the underworld to be Chaos-aligned in the first place.
Put on a Bus: The Tenma race hasn't been seen in a Megami Tensei game since Majin Tensei II, with the exception of Liberation Dx 2.

Fury (Destroyer, Omega, Hakaishin^noteDestruction God)

Alignment: Light-Chaos

Notable Demons: Shiva, Seiten Taisei/Wu Kong, Susano-o, Beiji-Weng

Furies are destroyer gods who wish to bring destruction to the world so that it will be reborn anew. Fury demons are powerful, physical bruisers but may be ineffective with other areas of damage.

Destroyer Deity: Many Fury demons are destroyer gods, like Shiva.
Magically Inept Fighter: While some Fury demons learn magic and may have decent magic, Fury are typically more physically-focused and magical damage could be done better with other demons.

Kunitsu (Kunitsukami^noteGod of the Land)

Alignment: Light-Chaos

Notable Demons: Take-Minakata, Sukuna-Hikona, Arahabaki

Kunitsu are a race of Japanese earth gods. Their rival race is the Amatsu race.

Kishin (Guardian)

Alignment: Light-Chaos

Notable Demons: Zouchouten, Koumokuten, Jikokuten, Bishamonten, Thor, Marici/Marishiten

Guardian deities that protect their country from a specific direction.

Elite Four: The Four Heavenly Kings: Zouchouten, Koumokuten, Jikokuten, and Bishamonten, are a recurring Kishin demons in the franchise.

Lady

Alignment: Light-Chaos
Notable Demons: Kali, Ishtar, Sedna, Xi Wangmu

High-ranking earth and/or fertility goddesses, that frequently fill the Mother Earth archetype. Often, they are the spouses of Chaos gods.

Reaper

Alignment: Dark-Neutral

Notable Demons: Mot, Hel, Chernobog, Persephone

Reapers are a race of psychopomps and death deities from various pantheons.

Vile

Alignment: Dark-Law

Notable Demons: Demiurge, Samael, Mada, Seth, Alciel, Mishaguji, Baphomet

Gods and spirits associated with disease and famine. Most of these demonized gods are portrayed as rivals for more mainstream religions.

Lawful Evil: Their in-universe alignment, since they are practically the Tyrants' Law equivalents.

Magica

Tyrant

Alignment: Dark-Chaos

Notable Demons: Lucifer, Beelzebub, Mara, Surt, Lucifuge, Belial, Abaddon, Azazel, Samyaza/Shemyaza, Loki, King Frost, Asura, Horkos, Mithras, Morax

A clan of powerful demon lords in mythology.

Big Bad: Many villains affiliated with Chaos are associated with the Tyrant race. In addition, many of the demons in this race are villains in their mythology, like Surt, who destroys the entire world with fire; Balor, king of the evil Fomorians; and Lucifer, a fallen angel that rebelled against God.
Chaos Is Evil: At its darkest.
Demon Lords and Archdevils: Many demons were leader of evil beings and demons. In addition, many key Chaos demons were generals and loyal warriors like Lucifer, Beelzebub, Belial, etc.
Maou the Demon King: The literal name for the race in Japanese is Maou, and members of this race tend to serve this role in the early games (especially the original Megami Tensei), as either the final boss or as Climax Bosses ruling over particular areas of the world. In later games, especially after Shin Megami Tensei, this becomes more averted, though they still frequently appear as bosses.

Genma

Alignment: Neutral-Neutral

Notable Demons: Heimdall, Cú Chulainn, Baldur

These deities are largely benevolent gods with human characteristics. Most members sway between this race and Yoma, though generally the strongest tend to remain here.

Night (Yama^noteNight Demon)

Alignment: Neutral-Chaos

Notable Demons: Incubus, Succubus, Lilim, Lilith, Kaiwan, Maya

A race of demons associated with the night.

Succubi and Incubi: These demons are affiliated with the Night race like Incubus, Succubus, and Lilim. Many of them can learn Charm ailments and HP-draining skills.

Yoma

Alignment: Neutral-Law

Notable Demons: Agathion, Dis, Valkyrie, Koppa Tengu

This race is mostly filled with messenger gods, or a more Neutral form of the Divine race. While some members occasionally join the Genma race, generally the weaker ones end here.

Fairy

Alignment: Neutral-Neutral

Notable Demons: Jack Frost, Jack o' Lantern/Pyro Jack, Pixie, Oberon, Titania, Demonee-Ho

A common but not very powerful race. This race is composed of fairies and nymphs that like to play mischievous pranks with humans. They are, however, neither good nor evil.

Mascot Mook: Jack Frost and Pixie are of the two most famous demons in the series.
The Fair Folk: As they are neutral, they could be your best friends or an annoyance.

Aerials

Divine (Tenshi^noteAngelic Messenger)

Alignment: Light-Law
Notable Demons: Angel, Archangel, Principality, Power, Virtue, Dominion, Throne, Cherub

The demons of the Divine race are lesser ranking angels in Judeo-Christian lore. Though their strengths and abilities are varied, many are resistant to light magic while weak to dark magic.

Light 'em Up: Many of the demons learn Hama skills.
Light Is Not Good: In the SMT universe, angels are very intolerant of human sully and wants complete obedience from them.
Our Angels Are Different: Divine demons are all angels, consisting of the angelic hierarchy.
Winged Humanoid: They resemble humanoids with wings.

Herald (Seraph)

Alignment: Light-Law

Notable Demons: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Metatron, Sandalphon, Seraph, Aniel, Kazfiel, Sraosha, Israfel, Victor, Azrael, Mastema, Merkabah

While the Divine race composes of lesser-ranking angels, the Herald race features many high-ranking and famous angels in Judeo-Christian lore.

Big Bad: Many villains affiliated with Law are associated with the Herald race.
Light Is Not Good: Like Divine, they have no good intent with humans and wanted them to have complete obedience to YHVH or face destruction by their hands.
Mechanical Lifeform: Some Heralds have metallic skin like Metatron and Sandalphon.
Our Angels Are Different: Like Divine, they are all angels, saved for few from Zoroastrianism.

Fallen

Alignment: Neutral-Chaos

Notable Demons: Forneus, Decarabia, Ose, Gagyson, Flauros, Gemori, Melchom

A race of fallen angels that sided with Lucifer and fell from grace as a result. Though majority of the demons are from the Ars Goetia.

A Day in the Limelight: Both Gagyson and Ose play key roles in Tokyo Revelation, with Gagyson acting as The Starscream to the OVA's antagonist, Akito Kobayashi, and Ose being the Greater-Scope Villain and Final Boss of the feature.
Fallen Angel: As the name suggest, the race is composed of fallen angels.

Avians

Avian

Alignment: Light-Law

Notable Demons: Garuda, Suzaku, Phoenix, Thunderbird

A race of birds in the series. Like Holy and Avatar, they are sacred birds that bring good fortune.

Flight

Alignment: Neutral-Law

Notable Demons: Harpy, Caladrius, Tangata Manu

A race of birds equivalent to the Beast race. They are low-ranked mythological birds.

Raptor (Kyocho^noteFerocious Birds)

Alignment: Dark-Law

Notable Demons: Gurr, Onmoraki, Moh Shuvuu, Hresvelgr

A race of demon birds that bring ill omens to humans.

Feathered Fiend: A race of evil or malicious birds.

Dragons

Dragon (Ryujin^noteDragon God)

Alignment: Light-Chaos

Notable Demons: Long/Seiryu, Huang Long/Kohryu, Quetzalcoatl

The Dragon race are composed of dragons.

Our Dragons Are Different: Many demons of this race in particular come from Eastern cultures.

Snake (Ryou^noteDragon King)

Alignment: Neutral-Neutral

Notable Demons: Yamata-no-Orochi, Naga, Gui Xian/Genbu, Ananta, Yurlungur, Nozuchi, Ouroboros

A race of demons composed of serpent-like or humanoid dragons.

Orochi: The demon Yamata-no-Orochi is of this race. Yamata-no-Orochi is built around physical and ice attacks.
Ouroboros: The demon Ouroboros is of this race.

Drake (Jaryu, Evil Dragon)

Alignment: Dark-Chaos

Notable Demons: Tiamat, Nidhoggr, Fafnir, Vasuki

A race of evil dragons with an insatiable hunger.

Demoniacs

Brute (Yoki^noteMystic Ogres)

Alignment: Neutral-Chaos

Notable Demons: Oni, Kin-ki, Fuu-ki, Sui-ki, Ongyo-ki

A race of ogres that crave bloodshed.

Elite Four: The four Onis: Kin-ki, Fuu-ki, Sui-ki, and Ongyo-ki. They were onis under the control of Fujiwara no Chikata, a sorcerer who warred with the emperor.
Magically Inept Fighter: They are primarily physical attackers and have little use for magic due to their low magic stats.
Oni: The common demons (obvious) and the four powerful onis: Kin-ki, Fuu-ki, Sui-ki, and Onygo-ki.

Femme (Kijo^noteOgress, Joma^noteDemon Woman)

Alignment: Neutral-Chaos

Notable Demons: Clotho, Lachesis, Atropos, Rangda, Medusa, Dakini, Kali

A race of female monsters and demons that brings harm to humans.

The Weird Sisters: The Moirae sisters, Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos, are of this race.

Jirae (Chirei^noteEarth Spirit)

Alignment: Neutral-Neutral

Notable Demons: Titan, Bugaboo, Sudama, Gogmagog

A race of earth spirits that are dedicated to protecting the earth.

Jaki (Wicked Ogre)

Alignment: Dark-Neutral

Notable Demons: Rakshasa, Ippon-Datara, Black Frost, Girimehkala, Hekatoncheires, Wendigo

A race of evil demons that devour humans.

Multi-Armed and Dangerous: The Hekatoncheires, the hundred-armed giant. They have the highest strength among the Jakis and have some resistance to physical attacks.
Wake-Up Call Boss: Wendigo is the first real challenge the player faces in Devil Survivor.

Beasts

Beast (Maju^noteDemon Beast)

Alignment: Neutral-Neutral

Notable Demons: Cerberus, Nekomata, Orthrus

A race containing many mythological beasts that are neither good or evil, but rely on their natural bestial behavior.

Mascot Mook: The Cerberus is one of the most famous demons in the franchise.

Avatar

Alignment: Light-Neutral

Notable Demons: Barong, Anubis, Chimera

The demons of this race are gods with a bestial or animal shape.

Holy/Holy Beast

Alignment: Light-Neutral

Notable Demons: Sleipnir, Airavata, Apis

These demons are often portrayed as sacred animals that serve as mounts for the higher deities of their pantheons.

Wilder

Alignment: Dark-Neutral

Notable Demons: Fenrir, Catoblepas, Behemoth, Taowu

A race of legendary beasts that incarnate destruction and disaster; they are filled with extremely evil or ferocious monsters.

UMA

Alignment:

Notable Demons: Chupacabra, Hare of Inaba, Mamedanuki

An abbreviation of Unidentified Mysterious Animal, UMA demons are often cryptids or monsters whose existence has never been confirmed.

Our Cryptids Are More Mysterious: The theme of this race. Chupacabra is the most well-known of these cryptids in this race.

Food

Alignment:

Notable Demons: Onmoraki, Katakirauwa, Kuda

A race classified by the Hunter Association for human consumption.

Expy: Many of the demons in this race are from the UMA.

Vegetation

Wood

Alignment: Dark-Law

Notable Demons: Erlkonig, Alraune, Jubboko

A race of demonic flora characterized by endless hunger. They attack everything in sight, vainly hoping to fill the abyss within them.

Tree

Alignment: Light-Law

Notable Demons: Yggdrasil, Mayahuel, Daphne, Narcissus

The demons of this race are plants created or nurtured by the gods.

Elements

Element

Alignment: Light-Neutral

Notable Demons: Flaemis, Aeros, Aquans, Erthys, Salamander, Gnome, Sylph, Undine

These demons are the embodiments of the four elements of antiquity Paracelsus described. Unimpressive in battle, but can be used in fusion to power other demons. Sometimes, four legendary beasts of the elements join them in the category: Salamander for Fire, Gnome for Earth, Sylph for Wind and Undine for Water.

Mitama

Alignment: Neutral

Notable Demons: Ara Mitama, Nigi Mitama, Kusi Mitama, Saki Mitama

The four aspects of the human soul in Shinto teachings. They are always fused from two different elementals, and are used themselves in fusion to increase the stats of the demon being fused.

Evil Spirits

Haunt (Ghost)

Alignment: Dark-Neutral

Notable Demons: Preta, Vetala, Strigoii, Ghoul, Kudlak

Base ghostly beings that suffer after death because of accumulated bad karma or visit disaster upon Mankind.

Spirit

Alignment: Dark-Chaos

Notable Demons: Legion, Poltergeist, Pisaca, Dybbuk, Wicker Man

Popularized form of ghosts and demons that originated from human souls.

Undead

Alignment: Neutral

Notable Demons: Zombie, Corpse, Bodyconian

Monsters created from human corpses revived after death.

Fouls

Foul

Alignment: Dark-Chaos

Notable Demons: Slime, Doppelganger, Phantom, Black Ooze

Formless demons brought forth by different forms of human depravity.

Vermin

Alignment: Dark-Neutral

Notable Demons: Okiku-Mushi, Mothman, Ubu, Myrmecolion

A race of insectoid demons.

The Mothman: Mothman is a recurring insectoid demon with his bug eyes and large wings, occasionally hopping in place in the 3D games. The Monster Compendium often mentions its connection to UFOs, and in one game an NPC Mothman offers cryptic warnings to the player.
Our Cryptids Are More Mysterious: Mothman was an alleged cryptid found in the United States during 60s.

Fiends

Alignment: Dark-Neutral

Notable Demons: White Rider, Red Rider, Black Rider, Pale Rider, Matador, Daisoujou, Mother Harlot, Trumpeter, Alice

Incarnations of death and disaster that are fated to one day end the world. They also happen to play a very unique role in the franchise, to the point of having their own page.

The Cameo: Shin Megami Tensei if... added a bunch of characters from the first game to the race, a practice which was never done again; of these, only En no Ozuno has returned as a Fiend.
Dem Bones: Their main characteristic is their skeletal features, especially their heads. The exceptions tend to be those who debuted as characters in Shin Megami Tensei I, with Alice and En no Ozuno as the standouts among those Fiends.
Horsemen of the Apocalypse: The four Riders are the major Fiend demons, along with the Trumpeter and Mother Harlot from the same source.

Humans

Hero/General/Famed

Alignment: Neutral-Neutral

Notable Demons: Jeanne d'Arc, Yoshitsune, Saladin, Kanseiteiken, Tokisada

A race of demons that were revered and canonized humans in history.

Artistic License – History: Jeanne d'Arc and Amakusa Shiro were very much champions of the Christian faith in real life, but are actually Neutral aligned.
Historical Domain Character: Some demons are real-life figures in history, like Jeanne d'Arc, Minamoto no Yoshitsune, and An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub aka Saladin.

Hee-ho!

Characters / Shin Megami Tensei

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Specific games in the series:

Adaptations in other media

Recurring Characters (Major Groups):

Recurring Characters (Other):

Abaddon/Apollyon

Amaterasu and Susano-o

Aniel, Kazfiel, and Samael

Belial and Nebiros

Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu

Sarasvati, Parvati and Lakshmi

Cerberus

Doppelgänger

Qing Long, Xuanwu, Zhuque, and Baihu (The Four Gods)

Bishamonten, Jikokuten, Koumokuten and Zouchouten (The Four Heavenly Kings)

Jack Frost

Kresnik and Kudlak

Loki

The Minister

Oberon and Titania

Ose, Flauros, Decarabia, and Forneus

Pixie

Setanta/Cu Chulainn

Slime

Stephen/Steven/STEVEN

Taira No Masakado

Thor

Races

Deity (Majinnote Demon God/Shinreinote Divinity)

Megami

Amatsu (Amatsukaminote Heavenly God)

Enigma

Entity

Tenma

Fury (Destroyer, Omega, Hakaishinnote Destruction God)

Kunitsu (Kunitsukaminote God of the Land)

Kishin (Guardian)

Lady

Reaper

Vile

Tyrant

Genma

Night (Yamanote Night Demon)

Yoma

Fairy

Divine (Tenshinote Angelic Messenger)

Herald (Seraph)

Fallen

Avian

Flight

Raptor (Kyochonote Ferocious Birds)

Dragon (Ryujinnote Dragon God)

Snake (Ryounote Dragon King)

Drake (Jaryu, Evil Dragon)

Brute (Yokinote Mystic Ogres)

Femme (Kijonote Ogress, Jomanote Demon Woman)

Jirae (Chireinote Earth Spirit)

Jaki (Wicked Ogre)

Beast (Majunote Demon Beast)

Avatar

Holy/Holy Beast

Wilder

UMA

Food

Wood

Tree

Element

Mitama

Haunt (Ghost)

Spirit

Undead

Foul

Vermin

Fiends

Hero/General/Famed

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Deity (Majin^noteDemon God/Shinrei^noteDivinity)

Amatsu (Amatsukami^noteHeavenly God)

Fury (Destroyer, Omega, Hakaishin^noteDestruction God)

Kunitsu (Kunitsukami^noteGod of the Land)

Night (Yama^noteNight Demon)

Divine (Tenshi^noteAngelic Messenger)

Raptor (Kyocho^noteFerocious Birds)

Dragon (Ryujin^noteDragon God)

Snake (Ryou^noteDragon King)

Brute (Yoki^noteMystic Ogres)

Femme (Kijo^noteOgress, Joma^noteDemon Woman)

Jirae (Chirei^noteEarth Spirit)

Beast (Maju^noteDemon Beast)