Megami Tensei, known as Shin Megami Tensei outside Japan (formerly called Revelations), is a Japanese media series created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Atlus mainly develops and publishes the series. It includes several subseries and covers different types of role-playing games, such as tactical role-playing, action role-playing, and massively multiplayer online role-playing. The first two games were published by Namco (now Bandai Namco Entertainment). However, Atlus has mostly published the games in Japan and North America since the release of Shin Megami Tensei. In Europe, Atlus uses other companies to publish the games.
The series started from a science fiction novel series called Digital Devil Story by Aya Nishitani. The name comes from the subtitle of the first book. Most games in the series are separate with their own stories and characters. Common features include themes, stories that change based on player choices, and the ability to fight and recruit creatures (demons, Personas) to help in battles. The series has included elements from philosophy, religion, occultism, and science fiction at different times.
Although it is not as well-known as series like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, the series is very popular in Japan and has a strong fan base in the West, with both critical and commercial success. The series is known for its art style, difficult gameplay, and music. However, it has caused controversy because of its mature content, dark themes, and use of Christian religious symbols. Other media include manga, anime movies, and TV shows.
In Japan, some games in the series do not use the "Megami Tensei" name, like the Persona sub-series. Many early games were not translated into English because of possibly controversial content, including religious references, and later because they were old. Since the release of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne in 2004, English versions have used the name "Shin Megami Tensei."
Titles
The first game in the series, Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, was released on September 11, 1987. Later games in the series usually did not share the same story or characters, but they kept some similar ideas and game features. The Megami Tensei and Shin Megami Tensei games are the main parts of the series. Other games, like Persona, Devil Children, and Devil Summoner, are related but are considered separate parts of the series. Some games are completely separate and not connected to the main series.
Two games were released for the Famicom: Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei in 1987 and Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II in 1990. These games did not share the same story, but they introduced the basic rules and ideas that became important for the series. Three games were released for the Super Famicom: Shin Megami Tensei in 1992, Shin Megami Tensei II in 1994, and Shin Megami Tensei If… in the same year.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne was released in 2003 for the PlayStation 2. A special version called the Maniax Edition was released in Japan and North America in 2004 and in Europe in 2005. The number "III" was removed for the North American version, which was called Shin Megami Tensei: Lucifer's Call in Europe. Shin Megami Tensei IV for the Nintendo 3DS was released in Japan and North America in 2013 and in Europe in 2014 as a digital-only game. Another game, Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse, was released in Japan in 2016. Shin Megami Tensei V came out in 2021 for the Nintendo Switch. A better version called Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance was released in 2024 for multiple platforms, including Windows, Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox.
Other games not part of the main series include Shin Megami Tensei: Nine, which was released for the Xbox in 2002. It was first planned as a game where many players could play online together, but it was later split into a single-player and multiplayer version. The multiplayer part was delayed and eventually canceled. Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine, a true online game, was released in 2007 for Windows. It was available in Japan, North America, and Europe but stopped in 2014. Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey was released for the Nintendo DS in 2009 and 2010. Its Japanese service ended in 2016. A mobile game called Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2 was released in 2018.
The Persona series is the most popular part of the Megami Tensei series. The first Persona game, Megami Ibunroku Persona (called Revelations: Persona outside Japan), was released in 1996 in Japan and North America. Persona 2: Innocent Sin came out in 1999 in Japan, and Persona 2: Eternal Punishment was released in 2000 in Japan and North America. Persona 3 was released in 2006 in Japan, 2007 in North America, and 2008 in Europe. Persona 4 was released in 2008 in Japan and North America and in 2009 in Europe. Persona 5 was released in Japan on September 15, 2016, and in North America and Europe on April 4, 2017. Other Persona games include fighting games like Persona 4 Arena and Persona 5 Strikers, as well as rhythm games like Persona 4: Dancing All Night.
The Devil Summoner series started in 1995 with Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner. It was followed by Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers in 1997 and Soul Hackers 2 in 2022. Two other games, Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army (2006) and Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon (2008), are set in 1920s Tokyo and focus on a demon summoner named Raidou.
Other parts of the series include Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner, a game made after Nocturne that is easier to play. Devil Survivor and Devil Survivor 2 are tactical role-playing games for the Nintendo DS. Other series include Last Bible, a game for younger players with a fantasy setting; Devil Children, inspired by the Pokémon series; and Majin Tensei, a series of strategy games. Stand-alone games include Jack Bros, an action game, and Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE, a game that combines Shin Megami Tensei with the Fire Emblem series.
Many games in the series have been adapted into anime and manga. Persona 3 had four movies and a spin-off anime called Persona: Trinity Soul. Persona 4 had two anime series: Persona 4: The Animation and Persona 4: The Golden Animation. A live-action TV show based on Devil Summoner aired in 1997 and 1998. Devil Survivor 2 also had an anime adaptation. Devil Children had two anime series. Many Shin Megami Tensei and Persona games have manga and CD drama versions. Action figures and other merchandise based on Persona have also been made.
Common elements
The games in the series often take place in different storylines, but they share some common features. One key element is that most games are set in modern-day Tokyo, a city in Japan. Many games include post-apocalyptic themes, such as ruined cities or dangerous environments. This choice was made to make the games different from other fantasy-based games, as modern Tokyo was rarely shown in games at the time. The Persona series is the only one that always takes place in this setting, focusing on the experiences of young people.
Shin Megami Tensei II is an early example of a game in the series that breaks this pattern, as it is set in a futuristic, science fiction world. The Last Bible series also moves to a fully fantasy setting. More recent examples include Strange Journey, which takes place in Antarctica to show global threats, and Shin Megami Tensei IV, which features a medieval society separate from modern Tokyo. The Devil Summoner games are set in modern detective stories instead of post-apocalyptic settings.
The series title means "Reincarnation of the Goddess," a name that continues in the current Shin Megami Tensei series, officially translated as "True Goddess Metempsychosis." The word "metempsychosis" refers to the cycle of reincarnation, a theme in many stories. The "reborn goddess" represents a female character in each game and also shows how locations change during the story. Reincarnation is also included in the game's story and mechanics. Fans of the series often call it "MegaTen." In Chinese, the Persona subseries is named "Nǚshén Yìwénlù," meaning "Alternate Tale of the Goddess."
The games are known for their difficulty and long-lasting gameplay features. Since the first Megami Tensei game, players can recruit demons to fight alongside them and combine two demons to create stronger ones. These systems appear in later Persona games. A key battle system is the Press Turn system, introduced in Nocturne. This system gives players or enemies extra turns for hitting weaknesses or landing critical attacks, but can also cause them to lose turns if attacks miss. Some games also use a Moon Phase System, where the moon's phases or weather affect enemy behavior.
The first two Megami Tensei games had different layouts compared to later games. Megami Tensei used a 3D first-person perspective, while Megami Tensei II combined first-person 3D battles with top-down 2D maps for navigation. This change was made to prevent players from getting lost in large 3D environments. The 2D/first-person view continued until Nocturne, which switched to a third-person perspective to avoid "3D sickness," a condition similar to motion sickness. A first-person perspective returned in Strange Journey and was used in Shin Megami Tensei IV with 3D environments.
Each game explores how extraordinary events affect the ordinary world, though the two main series focus on different themes. Shin Megami Tensei centers on a protagonist gaining power to survive in a world ruled by powerful deities, while Persona focuses on relationships and the psychology of a group. The protagonist in Shin Megami Tensei is usually male, though some games allow for female leads or gender choices. The series includes elements from Gnosticism, world religions, science fiction, Jungian psychology, and cyberpunk. Philosophical ideas help unite these diverse themes.
Stories in the core Shin Megami Tensei games often involve fighting against a powerful, tyrannical god. Storytelling methods vary, using cutscenes and dialogue (as in Persona) or minimal text to emphasize atmosphere (as in Nocturne). A tradition in the series is to focus on a single main character rather than a group. Lucifer, a fallen angel who opposes God, appears in many forms to show his power. Since Shin Megami Tensei II, games use a morality-based system where player choices affect the story. Alignments are divided into "Law" (forces of God), "Chaos" (Lucifer's army), and "Neutral" (rejecting both). Some games are tied to specific alignments, such as Shin Megami Tensei II focusing on "Law" and Nocturne aligning characters with "Chaos." Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse limits players to the "Neutral" route but still offers multiple endings. The three-tiered alignment system was used in Strange Journey and continued in Shin Megami Tensei IV.
Development and history
The Megami Tensei series began as an expansion of the Digital Devil Story series, which was a trilogy of science-fantasy novels written by Aya Nishitani in the 1980s. Nishitani and his publisher, Tokuma Shoten, handled the media expansion. The game was developed by Atlus and published by Bandai Namco (then Namco). The creators wanted to include as much of the original story as possible, but the Famicom’s limited technology made this very difficult. The series’ creators were Kouji Okada (known as Cozy Okada in English), Ginichiro Suzuki, and Ginichiro’s son, Kazunari. The game was popular in Japan and started the Megami Tensei franchise, with a more ambitious sequel released in 1990. During the development of Shin Megami Tensei, the team aimed to create a Super Famicom game with the company’s brand. They decided to challenge the usual gaming trends with the game’s style and content. However, they considered Shin Megami Tensei a remake of Megami Tensei II. Many Atlus staff members made appearances in earlier games.
Most Megami Tensei games were developed by Atlus’ R&D Department 1. Other developers involved in the series included Multimedia Intelligence Transfer (Last Bible series), Lancarse (Strange Journey), CAVE (Imagine), Nex Entertainment (Nine), and Arc System Works (Persona 4 Arena). Until 2003, most games were led by Kouji Okada, but after he left to form his own company, Gaia, Kazuma Kaneko became the series’ creative director. Two main writers for the franchise were Shogo Isogai and Ryutaro Ito. Ito joined the team after the development of Megami Tensei II to write the script and help with debugging. Isogai’s first work was the script for Shin Megami Tensei II. Ito later wrote the game If…, which was set in a school and differed from earlier games. His final work was the first Devil Summoner. Isogai also worked on Shin Megami Tensei II and If…, and later on multiple Devil Summoner games, Nocturne, and Strange Journey. The music for the first five main Megami Tensei games was composed by Tsukasa Masuko. For Nocturne, Shoji Meguro, who had worked on earlier spin-offs, was brought in. He later became known for his work on the Persona series.
The Shin Megami Tensei and Persona art styles were shaped by two artists: Kazuma Kaneko and Shigenori Soejima. Kaneko had worked on the original Megami Tensei games and first gained prominence with Shin Megami Tensei, where he created character and demon artwork. He also suggested many of the game’s darker features, which defined the series’ identity. Before designing demons, Kaneko researched their mythological backgrounds and used that information in his designs. His work was influenced by creatures and deities from world mythology and monsters from popular culture, such as Godzilla. He also designed characters for the first three Persona games. Kaneko’s style is described as “cold” and “stoic,” and he often starts with pencil sketches before scanning them for digital work.
Soejima first worked on the Devil Summoner series as part of the digital coloring team. Later, he contributed to Persona and Soul Hackers. He designed secondary characters for Persona 2 and helped with PlayStation ports of the first three Shin Megami Tensei games. Kaneko chose Soejima as the lead designer for Persona 3 to give younger staff experience. Soejima faced challenges in refining his style and meeting fan expectations. He later designed characters for Persona 3/FES, Portable, Persona 4, and Persona 5. His style is lighter compared to Kaneko’s work.
Other artists contributed to the series. For Nine, animator Yasuomi Umetsu designed characters to match the game’s vision. Masayuki Doi became the main designer for the series after creating characters for Shin Megami Tensei IV. Inspired by Kaneko, he blended Japanese and Western fashion with elements from Star Wars. Doi later designed demons for Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse and V. For Devil Survivor, Atlus hired Suzuhito Yasuda to design characters and attract a wider audience. Some monsters in Devil Survivor 2 were designed by manga artist Mohiro Kitoh.
For many years, the Megami Tensei franchise was not released in Western countries due to religious themes and Nintendo’s strict content rules. Later, older games were not exported because they were outdated for modern markets. The first Persona game was the first role-playing game in the franchise to be released overseas, helping Atlus compete with other franchises like Final Fantasy. Changes were made to names and cultural references to appeal to Western audiences, such as changing one character’s background. These changes were later corrected in a re-release. The first Persona 2 game, Innocent Sin, was not localized due to limited staff and focus on the second title, Eternal Punishment.
Nocturne was the first Shin Megami Tensei game released overseas. After its release, Atlus added the Shin Megami Tensei name to future games to help market the franchise. Even though earlier games did not use this name, it helped unify the series under one brand. This strategy allowed Atlus to focus on games that were part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise while using the Shin Megami Tensei label for consistency.
Reception
Before becoming popular in the West, the game was a major series in Japan, selling over four million copies by 2003. Excluding the Persona series, the Megami Tensei series sold about 7.2 million copies by October 2017. By October 2018, the main Megami Tensei series had sold approximately 12.4 million copies worldwide, including both physical and digital versions of games, even those that are free to play. The Persona sub-series sold 9.3 million copies, bringing the total number of copies sold for the entire franchise to 21.7 million by 2018, including digital versions of free-to-play games. Excluding the Persona series, the Megami Tensei series had sold 19.2 million copies by 2023, including free-to-play titles. As of March 5, 2024, the Persona series has sold 22.6 million copies worldwide. According to a survey by Nikkei Entertainment on December 16, 2023, the combined fanbase of the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona series in Japan has an average age of 32 years and a male-to-female ratio of 40:60.
The Japanese website 4Gamer.net called the series one of Japan's largest role-playing game franchises. UGO Networks writer K. Thor Jensen said the first Megami Tensei game was the first successful use of cyberpunk style in video games, noting that the series combines science fiction and the occult to create a unique cyberpunk world. Nintendo Power mentioned that Atlus often mixes familiar gameplay with surprising settings, using Persona as an example. Persona features modern horror stories and teams of Japanese high school students. The editor also noted that Strange Journey followed a similar approach, calling it a "science-fiction makeover" of the series. In an article about Japanese and Western gaming culture, 1UP.com compared the Shin Megami Tensei subseries to Nippon Ichi Software's Disgaea series. Kurt Kalata wrote that these games may not be top sellers but have gained underground success and attracted many dedicated fans. GameSpot writer Andrew Vestal called the series the third-largest RPG series in Japan after Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. IGN's Matt Coleman mentioned Nocturne in an article about console RPGs, describing its content as "challenging stuff for a genre that used to focus on saving princesses and defeating evil."
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II and Shin Megami Tensei both appeared on Famitsu's 2006 "Top 100 Favorite Games of All Time" audience poll, ranking at No. 58 and No. 59, respectively. RPGFan's "Top 20 RPGs of the Past Decade" list was led by the two Digital Devil Saga games, followed by Persona 3 in second place and Persona 4 in fourth place. Kalata, writing for Gamasutra, called Nocturne one of the 20 essential RPGs for players of the genre. GameTrailers highlighted the Press Turn system as one of the best JRPG battle systems, specifically noting its use in Shin Megami Tensei IV.
The series has received both praise and controversy in Japan and other countries. Issues include the demon negotiation mechanic, depictions of suicide and cannibalism, religious criticism, the use of Christian and occult imagery, political references, depictions of homosexuality, and unusual demon designs. Western journalists have pointed out specific examples. The original release of Persona caused concern due to its religious themes. In 2007, Persona 3 was awarded the "Most controversial game that created no controversy" by 1UP.com, which compared its content to other controversial games. GamesRadar listed the series on its "Controversies Waiting to Happen" list, noting that its niche status limited public backlash. Kalata later traced the series' use of controversial content back to the Digital Devil Story novels, which included violent scenes. A Chinese game regulation document in 2021 cited Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse as an example of inappropriate religious imagery.
In a review of the Shin Megami Tensei series in Black Gate, Josh Bycer compared it to Pokémon, noting both use changing party rosters. However, he stated that Shin Megami Tensei came first and is more mature in design and storytelling.