The Art of Shin Megami Tensei IV

[@KidCapes]

My favorite is aki kyouma :)

[@Rellik165]

Shinohara: "Hey ATLUS, you made the Minotaur too hard! My cool design made my son cry!" ATLUS: " G o O d , n o W d R i n K H i S t E a r S . "

[@calebgoodman2076]

I’m getting flashbacks to Megami Tensei for the NES. They do not play.

[@jamessicard1705]

@@calebgoodman2076 In a way SMT IV is a bit of a spiritual remake of the first MegaTen and SMT I

[@calebgoodman2076]

@@jamessicard1705 I can definitely see that. It has plot similarities to SMT1 but Naraku and Minotaur being the boss of that dungeon is like the Tower of Daedalus. I wouldn’t be surprised if that was intentional as IV was made with newcomers in mind.

[@jamessicard1705]

@@calebgoodman2076 And also Medusa is the boss after Minotaur in both games

[@cumekira70]

@@calebgoodman2076 I'd say it's kind of a soft reboot because of all the new writers

[@SimplyDad]

4:00 that kids prolly shouldve just used buffs

[@Barriertriostruckapose]

"this is nearly a 1:1 with walters art" LOL anyway my favorite is minotaur, its so fucking clever

[@masterbubs8271]

I always wondered why the game's artwork went in so many directions. Now I know, but I applaud Atlus for trying something different in SMT IV. Not many games or franchises take that kind of risk, but that didn't stop me from enjoying SMT IV and Apocalypse anyway.

[@goleh4044]

I've seen so much misinformation around iv's art, thanks for doing this video. As a toku fan I have love-hate relationship with these designs. They are fantastic toku designs but mostly hit and miss in context of megaten. Toku isn't so much concerned about mythology accuracy, you mostly see them in very flashy and quick fight scenes and they are mostly designed to convey feelings. Kaneko designed with very different ruleset in mind that most of these designers didn't consider and that's why the monster designs clash so much.

[@Dr0dd]

I really like Nirasawa's style and designs (his Medusa for example fits right in next to things like BDSM Hecate) but yeah, they don't always necessarily fit in with the rest of the franchise's design philosophy. It seems like Atlus didn't want to guide the guest artists too much and gave them quite some free reign. Maybe if they had given them stricter guides it would have fit better with the "in-house style". I think Shinohara and Aki got probably the closest.

[@Celestine1462]

Glad I get to know the artists names and what they've done, they aren't really credited or talked about much on the megaten wiki

[@jacopoarmini7889]

I think the big problem with these designs is how they contrast the original idea behind SMT's designs, which was being as accurate as possible to how people imagined the mythological creatures (except when Kaneko felt like doing otherwise) That's why doing something completely alien and weird makes them feel completely out of place.

[@devilbuster20xx37]

I think some of the alien-looking redesigns are a bit stupid, like for example the 4 Archangels in DLCs, archangels are depicted as humanoid normally, the lovecraftian abominations are the Thrones, Cherubs and Seraphs. Just made them too messy for no reason at all.

[@theatheistbear3117]

@@devilbuster20xx37 I like the designs because they blur the line between “angel” and “demon.” That’s besides the fact that they just look cool, and far more visually interesting than the other designs. I really don’t care for all the angels being humans with wings. That’s boring and uninteresting.

[@KaiMCGRPS]

Larrue out here dropping knowledge for the folk

[@Tigerbro6]

Shinohara's designs are probably my favourite from that game. Minotaur just looks so fucking cool as the first barrier in the game haha

[@vioectrolysis]

Kaneko is my favorite, for nostalgic reasons and because of course it is; I love the train of thought of Shinohara and his concepts; the color combinations that Nirasawa uses look so cool and the aesthetics give off an old school vibe; Nishimura's design are solid and look very imposing inside the game, and Amamiya's archangels have such precise handling of the shapes and curves. Everyone added something special into the game

[@jovif.spemudaindonesia1841]

Ah yes Smt 4. One of my favorite Smt game. The art of demon in this game might be not my favorite but i still appreciate it

[@Nelland]

Eyyy gak nyangka ada disini, mbahas bahas SMT kapan ni?

[@jovif.spemudaindonesia1841]

@@Nelland Lagi ada project video tentang Persona 3 coming Soon. Lagi dalam tahap mengeditan

[@Hunzh647]

I loved the art lol some were badass, spooky and some were hilarious.

[@Jfoltz39]

I actually really love the art of this game. So unique

[@KuroeDetectiveAgency]

thanks for this, i've been looking for an easy-to-digest video that explains who did what so the various misconceptions about smtiv art can be squashed good music choices btw :)

[@faidou9954]

I can only imagine what Atlus is gonna do for SMT V.

[@a_brodo3158]

Well Apocalypse had all of the guest designs re-done by Doi and from what we can see so far from V it seems that the humans will be done by Doi, there'll obviously be all the legacy demons designed by kaneko and some new Doi designs such as the D'aath from the last two trailers and the mysterious figure who gives you your powers this time around (and obviously Doi Odin from the very first trailer)

[@ennpii8147]

Some people pointed out that SMTV's protag looked like a danganronpa character, specifically one from the third main game. The thought of danganronpa's artist being brought on to work on SMT is both fascinating and frightening to me lol.

[@a_brodo3158]

@@ennpii8147 He doesn't look at all like that though? People are just saying that because of the colour scheme, eye colour and the fact that both have a male japanese uniform. SMT V MC's defo a Doi design otherwise. I heard the DR guy did a waifu PNG for Fate GO but other than that idk if he would be suited as a guest demon designer guy.

[@ennpii8147]

Well I personally do see the resemblance between them, but I suppose its really a matter of perspective so let’s just agree to disagree on that one. Btw the FGO character you mentioned is, ironically enough, Cleopatra herself lol. From a quick look though, I don’t think that he is suited for Megaten demon design works either.

[@calebgoodman2076]

@@ennpii8147 Actually he reminds me of the first ever MegaTen protagonist Nakajima who is stated in the book to be so attractive he could pass for a girl.

[@obololegal]

great vid as always, it's nice to know what motivated them to create these new divisive designs, it even makes me dislike sanat a little bit less. Also, while we're on the topic of SMT IV i'd love to see a vid like this one about the soundtrack and the composers who worked on it.

[@si-level]

that actualy nice suggestion. i really like smt 4 soundtrack and want to understand how the idea came from

[@dinna7680]

I absolutely adored the Dullahan and Minotaur designs, interesting to find out they were both by the same guy, and that he designs for tokusatsu!

[@porridgeramen7220]

Guess that teaches people to lay off Doi for the bad designs I assume this is from the IV artbook, are there discrepancies between the English & Japanese artbooks?

[@dantemustdie00]

I honestly don't get how the hell people confused Doi's artstyle for the IV demons when they look absolutely nothing alike.

[@Larrue]

Naw not that, people just assume doi was responsible because I don't really think the western promotion ever gives the guest artists much spotlight

[@Dr0dd]

doesn't help that he redrew some of the designs in his own style for Apocalypse

[@JazzyJeff2891]

I think that the Sentai series character Kyouma was referring to, regarding Kenji, was Zordon from Power Rangers. Though it might be a character from one of the Sentai shows that was active during the development of the game.

[@Sneedboy]

Keita Amemiya’s work is pretty gnarly. He designed Thunder God CID in FF14, and the GARO gear appeared in it for a while. You should have a loook!

[@DAOXINNo15]

This is so great and amazing work!! I too wish the archangel artist said more things as I can see what they were going for but want to hear more about it.

[@gummmie]

thanks for this! im tired of people blaming Doi for the "ugly" designs in smtiv when he worked so hard to fix the designs that everyone complaimed about for apocalypse's release only for people to drop apoc halfway or ignore it completely because its "too persona for mainline". the demon artwork doi made is incredible and i cant wait to see it in CG in SMTV

[@ThatGastrodon]

I can't remember his name but I think the big issue I have with the art of the second guy isn't the designs, but the art style. It looks so out of place compared to the rest of the demon art. I also noticed that a lot of the guest artists really went ham on the details. They just feel over designed. Kaneko always hits a great balance where the designs are interesting, but easily readable. A lot of the guest designs are just way too messy.

[@alishegamer8490]

damn we had super sentai/kamen rider/garo people making smt designs? niiiiice

[@kohphran]

love this video. SMT IV's art is one of my fav parts of the game

[@iwannaplayssbb6665]

that Lucifer design, my god it sucks

[@RaxonXVI]

Amazing video ^^ SMTIV is one of my favorite games of all time so it’s amazing to learn more about it

[@concernedfish5574]

I'm so happy you made a video on this man, I feel like every discussion about smt iv's artwork is always a yelling match, great to see an informative video on the subject.

[@ibuprofen_psychosis]

django unchained was great wtf

[@andro5712]

the only youtuber that matters 💯

[@ffxiikd1426]

smt iv artbook have an interesting and beautiful art one of my favorite artbook. great video and info as always.

[@tonyhong7998]

Dude, Django was a dope movie.

[@Nero0001]

4:00 that kid should of brought a lot of demons with ice attacks and buffs, debuffs and also useful items

[@elfiebranford9330]

Man, your videos keep getting better and better!! That intro alone was such a huge improvement, from the camera angle to the BGM. On a different note, this video was exactly what I've been looking for! Lately, I've been REALLY invested in the artwork for SMTIV, so this couldn't have come at a better time. Honestly, I just wanted to know how some of the concept designs ended up the way they did. The ridiculously busy designs for many demons (especially the four archangels) have a soft spot in my heart lol. Excellent video as always, Larrue~!! And Happy Valentine's Day, fellow MegaTennists~!! ^w^

[@calebgoodman2076]

I love Keita’s designs. He is the creator of Garo which has some of the best art and cinematography I’ve seen in tokusatsu. It’s not a kids show though. Naked women and gore show up often.

[@kaidene573]

This video popped into my reccomended RIGHT as i was about to fight smt 4 lucifer😭😭😭😭not my first megaten so im not stressing, awesome vid!!!

[@NOIDEDU]

Did you really called django a horrible movie? Whats wrong with you

[@Nightxx9199]

Asmodeus is the demon prince of lust

[@fidel3497]

great video as always Larrue

[@justSomeOthaGuy]

Uncommon opinion: Lucifer's design in smt iv is pretty cool especially in phase 2, but his apocalypse design is still ugly, I really liked how menacing Lucifer's smt iv design was.

[@Larrue]

I do think there's a certain elegance to the lucifer that also translates to intimidating, I don't hate it necessarily but I do prefer a different approach to design where they combine the origins with their own interpretation, I think the keywords thing kinda messed with the creative process imo.

[@NeXuS_i_Beyond]

I think the design fit the theme of the game. In smt 4, chaos characters weren't overly violent and imo displayed some sense of class and order. I think lucifer looking like a high class deceptive leader is a good fit for him in this game, more so than the original lucifer design. However, I would not say that this artwork would fare well outside of smt 4. Like imagine if in devil survivor you go do the fallen star battle and it's just this wierd short alien looking dude calling himself lucifer and saying some mumbo jumbo, the vibe just isn't the same. The artwork should and did fit the theme.

[@jamfingers55]

These people are hella talented, but SMT IV lucifer still makes me feel a mix of anger, sadness and vomit

[@efemji]

i didn't get through smt IV, stuck in minotaur and because i have to sell the 3ds at the time, so i stopped. but i did play smt iv final, when i first saw the old regular smt iv lucifer, merkabah, i hate it so fucking much, was those designed by the guests by any chance? or maybe it was done by kaneko but influenced by the others ? or was it Doi's work?

[@rayvenkman2087]

The very alien designs could work in a SMT spin-off game that’s based in the realm of science fiction and really go all-out on the designs without worrying about adhering to the series tradition or just really make their demons so unlike anything else we’ve ever seen. Make them less humanoid-looking and more unearthly-looking like a Jack Frost that looks like a fire ant but very icy looking, being cute by extra-terrestrial standards.

[@philmatibaggg9283]

Here's hoping SMT V's art is gonna be just as epic 🔥🔥🔥

[@stacieb203]

I like what we’ve seen so far

[@youngkappakhan]

what the fuck? did you just call me your fellow, Megan Tenders?

[@AbelMusa]

Shinohara's are my favorite. Now the dude who drew Medusa is my least.

[@nopeyepp]

Not a fan of Medusa or Centaur from Nirasawa. But I think Lucifer 2 and Masakado are amazing

[@ElevenWAV]

Amazing vid

[@seth7726]

Merkabah (especially its second phase design) Minotaur and Ancient of days are one of my favorite designs from all of Megaten. Tenkai, Yamato Takeru, Dullahan and Sanat are pretty cool too, but I understand why so many people dislike them. I hope we get to see some of these demons in the future tbh.

[@BeneaththeMask69]

Every time I see your SMT merch I think to myself, “u rich”

[@ColdShadow7]

Oh, hey Silk Nutmeg Ganache!

[@miguelmmr4186]

sup =) whats the background music on the first seconds of the video?

[@Larrue]

Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne's Sound Test

[@miguelmmr4186]

@@Larrue thanks mate

[@crithitjace]

Kenji, king of Tokyo is clearly Gosei from Goseiger. 😂

[@alvisplacebo]

The design of angels is insanely good in SMTIV. Doi gets bad rap for no reason only because in-house style often looks like his and those are the weakest (for example: SMT DSJ).

[@sarundayo]

Very impressive book collection you have. Care to do a video of it at one point?

[@Smelly285]

bro is that a weave?!

[@Larrue]

no I have no baskets in frame

[@Smelly285]

@@Larrue dope vid ghee

[@felixvids7238]

i would honestly like to see more guest designs in the future. these new doi designs are so boring

[@Rey-ig1nx]

It's a good video about who were the people who drew the art for some demons

[@samus-alita4252]

This is getting me so excited for for SMTV

[@Voluption]

Just found your channel and I really love it. Not enough SMT content out there. Ty for existing

[@Shadowonshadows]

Thanks for your dedicated research!

[@err0rc0degames]

This was a really interesting video

[@markk217]

Love ur content dude

[@yoggy5224]

The Kaneko pic that you used looked like he drew himself lmao. Also thanks for this very informative video!

[@qadirhernandez1094]

Amazing videos as always SMT IV has some amazing designs not a fan of some of them though.

[@LocalAnonOnTheInternet]

Still love SMT IV Lucifer design.

[@gino2868]

How is Django Unchained a "horrible movie"?

[@Solqueen86]

Art was so good Capcom used it twice

[@maddiehunter1336]

did shinohara design yamato-takeru? yamato-takeru is very very power ranger-y edit: oops it wasnt him, it was nirasawa edit 2: NOT nirasawa dammit i misheard, it was akikyoma (hopefully i heard his name right so its not misspelled)

[@Larrue]

akikyoma is a pen name so it's all good

[@dongodongo12]

Django unchained? Horrible? What?

[@louish5068]

I love all these demon designs lol idk why ppl hate on some of them. The archangels look the best they have ever and the first guys stuff is my fav

[@popcultureoverdosed]

The smtiv designs for the Angel's just feels uninspired

[@louish5068]

@@popcultureoverdosed so do the earlier designs which are the most basic interpretation of angels

[@popcultureoverdosed]

@@louish5068 the smtiv versions just didnt look good so that's why people didn't like it. They had no charm.

[@louish5068]

@@popcultureoverdosed to each their own i guess, i think you either love or hate these designs

[@KeyleeTamirian]

@@louish5068 Thing is, Archangel designs could've been better. Like, they could have more recognizible elements. As for original Archangel designs... they may look basic, but it's because the're most known Archangels, unlike other angels like Aniel and Kazfiel which look less humanoid. And look, i love this sort of designs SMT4 did, i love crazy designs, back in late 00's i was the fan of Michael Bay's transformers designs. Problem with Archangel designs, is that i can't recognize them. Michael is the red leader, Gabriel is a girl, Uriel is a prettyboy and Raphael is a David Bowie. Seeing Uriel as a dude with beard was kinda misleading.

[@joaoguilherme8083]

I really like tomoni Kobayashi work on smt 4 she also made the art for the romancing SaGa series.

[@Larrue]

Yeah she did one nice poster art for smtiv, and is friends with Kaneko.

[@SamMan6410]

What's your opinion on Doi's art and what will it be in SMTV.

[@Larrue]

I like his art, I want him to have more creative control (he's had to have approval and listen to feedback so far) which imo limits his ability while getting him criticized quite a bit. I'm 100% sure his character designs are in smtv to me the new protag looks like his art (he was also a fashion major and that outfit looks like a fashion design imo). I dunno if he's doing anything beyond that though, but hopefully so cuz his mephistoles was legit

[@maddiehunter1336]

@@Larrue i think his designs fit well with megaten while having a more 'modern' (for a lack of better term) take on kaneko's human/protagonist design philosophies. the outfit smtv's protagonist wears is reminiscent if akemi nakajima's uniform (which i know is a pretty typical japanese boy uniform, but still) edit: his mephisto design is AWESOME and i seriously hope it gets to be used for smtv

[@SamMan6410]

@@Larrue yeah I think he needs to add that touch kazuma kaneko did to his art that made shin megami tensei stand out from the others, which I think will happen in V.

[@dantemustdie00]

@@Larrue It's definately Doi doing SMTV, cause the MC literately screams Doi's artstyle.

[@lucinae8512]

SMT IV demon designs are unsettling and ugly, which is why they work so well. Most the SMT and Persona series demons are amazing, but look more like collectable figurines than actual demons.

[@wonderguardstalker]

Shinohara is the only one is that got close it feels like

[@samus-alita4252]

New Nintendo direct tomorrow, hope we get some SMTV news tomorrow

[@Larrue]

there's hope :)

[@buckru_wanderer]

recently picked up SMT IV, nice

[@Larrue]

UH don't watch yet, spoilers in the vid

[@buckru_wanderer]

@@Larrue uh oh, thx for the advice

[@MakoTenseii]

Pretty cozy video to wake up to.

[@ZoidBorgir]

How is Django a bad movie?

[@jovif.spemudaindonesia1841]

Nice

[@joshuataylor7443]

Can you do more of these art videos?

[@aoife-oh9si]

You mean to tell me there isn’t one person doing these thousands of illustrations?? How outrageous

[@Larrue]

Funny enough, up until smtiv yeah that was the case

[@dgayle2348]

A lot of people don't like all the clashing art styles in the game but I love it. The thought that all these creatures that range from guys in sex dungeon suits to Eldritch abominations exist in one universe is cool. Too bad there's no art book with all the designs.

[@Larrue]

Yeah you only have the smtiv art book which only has the guest demon designs

[@dgayle2348]

@@Larrue : what's the best smt related art book in your opinion, if you don't mind me asking?

[@Larrue]

Depends on what you want, I find the soejima art works books to be great because we get design ideology and development info from jt

[@dgayle2348]

@@Larrue : Im looking for one with as many demon designs as possible. I'll look into the one you just posted though for sure. Thanks.

[@Larrue]

The kaneko works books have the demon designs and the pandemonium books but they are by what game the desigj premieres and there's 9 kaneko work books

[@Uhm511]

Great video as always :D

[@rusian4305]

Hoy

[@jackthornton9231]

Really informative and well put together video! Thank you for the insight into these extremely talented individuals. I have to ask though: Why did you throw shade at Django Unchained? For my money it was one of Tarantino's better projects. Genuinely curious.

[@toryficarola]

HEY!!! My wife and I thought Jenga Unchained was an awesome movie.

[@Dahras1]

Hadn't seen you on face cam before, but I've got to say that the hair/glasses/shirt combo looks super awesome! Great content, keep up the good work!

[@mikonora861]

Completely unrelated to the video, but man I love your hair and glasses combo. Had to keep pausing the video when I first clicked it just to appreciate it.

[@nice-qm5jc]

Awesome video, very informative. Exactly what I was looking for, I love the art in this game!

[@guerricdeveauxv.h4261]

I didn’t know Yoshihiro Nishimura worked on SMTIV 😳

[@spinballproduction9678]

i enjoy your content. can't wait to play SMT 4 after i finish P5S.

[@toryficarola]

So if Takera's rings are on both sides, he essentially goes "super saijin"!? Got it.

[@toryficarola]

Lucifer kinda looks like the botched child of Prince and a lovecraftian demon!

[@HumanManufactured]

Horrible movies like django unchained 😐

[@chrisk3824]

I think this may be your best produced vid. gj on improving and hope you'll keep on getting better

[@demi-femme4821]

"Your designs are too messy." Kid has a point.

[@straymerodach4713]

pretty sure Tenkai/Akechi Mitsuhide killed Oda Nobunaga, not Masakado. Masakado was killed by Fujiwara no Hidesato some centuries before Mitsuhide was born

[@Larrue]

Good catch my script said nobunaga and I somehow recorded it saying masakado

[@coltondempsey2181]

Minotaur made me cry too, he’s not special

[@MarioWiZZeL]

The designs for Dominion, Michael and Lucifer in SMT IV were pretty horrible. The new designs for Loki and Odin(IV Apocalypse) were pretty good. Overall if SMT V will have Lucifer at least have him with the green Fallen Angel design from Nocturne or the very old design from SMT I or II where he is completely angellic with horns.

[@NIHIL_EGO]

The Fallen Angel design comes from SMTII.

[@popcultureoverdosed]

I really hope the art team of smtv goes all out. Some guest artists like ogure ito and sui ishida would be great.