What Is & Isn't Shin Megami Tensei | MegaTen Explained

Shin Megami Tensei is a franchise with a lot of history, but due to a number of factors, it has become an incredibly confusing franchise. Is Persona SMT? Is Devil Survivor SMT? Is SMT SMT? Why is this so confusing in the first place? Well, I hopefully will be able to clear all of it up for you.
Check me out on Twitter and Twitch, and/or buy me a coffee!
Twitter: / jbomacca
Twitch: / jbomacca
Ko-fi: ko-fi.com/macca
Thank you to:
‪@Larrue‬
‪@TheGameShelf‬
-Owen: kzbin.info?f...
Special thanks to Somasr64 & Battlestimulus for helping me find footage of the original Megami Tensei OVA!
Channel Art by Nick G: / nicksartcorner
Outro by NoLimitKurt: soundcloud.com/user-300691084...
Time Stamps
0:00 Cold Open
0:28 Intro
1:17 Megami Tensei
8:14 Shin Megami Tensei
15:13 Last Bible
16:24 Majin Tensei
17:25 Devil Summoner
20:54 Jack Bros
23:04 Persona
26:33 Devil Children
28:51 Digital Devil Saga
31:18 Devil Survivor
34:10 The Answer
38:52 Outro & Last Few Questions
#ShinMegamiTensei #Persona #Atlus #SMTV #ShinMegamiTenseiV #DevilSurvivor #DevilSummoner #MegamiTensei #DigitalDevilSaga #MajinTensei #DevilChildren #LastBible #RevelationsTheDemonSlayer #DemiKids #JackBros

[@CtkReady]

Maybe the real Shin Megami Tensei was the friends we made along the way

[@minhgunkiss9640]

Or killed

[@sammyclark125]

Nah, that's Persona

[@BartholomewMahershalalhashbaz]

Thanks for sharing

[@bearandthebull2372]

Especially the demons.

[@Scrabble12]

lol

[@eldricshadowchaser5454]

"Wait, it's all SMT?" "It always has been."

[@hypershock0storm479]

*Bang*

[@tomo8940]

I mean it's always been a giant spinoff of Megami Tensei. Which funny enough again the spinoff is more popular then the mainline again. Megami Tensei < Shin Megami Tensei.

[@vintheguy]

What's the music at 5:11 ?

[@Mana7Origin]

@@vintheguy Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei-Jakyou 2

[@vintheguy]

@@Mana7Origin Thank you

[@cbo44]

Catherine canonically happens in the persona universe, so catherine is a spin off of a spin off based on a series of games based on a book

[@browut644]

Which makes catherine fullbody a rerelease of a spin off of a spin off of a series that was the spiritual successor of series based off a book

[@comradezvezda]

Are you really using catherine as a ridiculous and convoluted spin off when there are fucking persona dancing games

[@cbo44]

@@comradezvezda I never said ridiculous or convoluted, you came up with those words on your own

[@Mana7Origin]

And don't forget that Persona exists is in Devil Summoner canon. To me, they're all SMT games. I don't bother myself with the what Is & Isn't Shin Megami Tensei, all those stories exist in different timelines/universes.

[@cbo44]

@@Mana7Origin how does persona share devil summoner canon?

[@dreamEnd]

Trauma centre is part of Megaten

[@Macca]

New trauma center when

[@puzzle_boy]

Etrian Odyssey is SMT because it's Atlus and and it's dungeon crawling and it has multiple endings depending on the characters you have.

[@russellarcher5181]

Thank you, you saved me a comment; but I like to point out *Under the Knife 2* best game

[@iseeu46]

Actualy Friday the 13th for the NES is MegaTen.

[@russellarcher5181]

@@iseeu46 Atlus game

[@Arexion5293]

"We're only two series in and it's already confusing. How many series are in this franchise?" "Ten." "What the fuck" Beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

[@zaneheaston8254]

Yeah I thought there were only 4 or 5

[@charleswisconsin9196]

Giten. Megami. Tensei.

[@santiagomarin1882]

Reality itself is an SMT spin-off

[@BitchChill]

Reality is Persona since it isn't real

[@daniellemurnett2534]

The video: Yeah, I know, everyone wants it, let's just get to Persona. Me, quietly chanting: DDS! DDS! DDS!

[@kaylachapin6043]

FISH FISH I was hoping we had gotten to devil survivor by that point

[@BitchChill]

DDS is currently downloading on my PS3

[@daniellemurnett2534]

@@BitchChill Good taste, my friend!

[@BetaXeeta]

Me, also quietly chanting: Devil Summoner! Devil Summoner! Devil Summoner!

[@GIRru11]

It finally hit me how much Persona has overshadowed SMT when I saw that one clip of someone reacting to the Nocturne remake and calling it Persona 3

[@obiyofi9792]

considering that Nocturne aren't Nintendo exclusive. imagine if Atlus announces Nocturne remaster for PC. they're probably goes full Persona (in term of popularity. not gameplay.) and have it's own sequel and spin-off instead

[@BitchChill]

The dude didn't even play P3

[@nathanaelcaballero217]

@@obiyofi9792 well, they did it

[@greninjaartistsenpai]

Can you give me the link?

[@Serph..]

Link

[@HelvecioGomes]

After nocturne hd remaster we need Nocturne dancing all night

[@nr2676]

No Persona 2 Dancing Third Reich :)

[@Indskret]

@@nr2676 oh no, not the fuhrer and his cool shades

[@Fermin-hw5pd]

Imagine Demi Fiend looking as fine as Yu with those shades

[@rezanators]

Smt Nocture Dancing till all gods rejected

[@nathanaelcaballero217]

@@rezanators I want this shit in my life

[@yoru900]

"I'm also willing to bet you've only played or heard of Persona 3 4 or 5." Me, whose first SMT game is Persona 1: Ha ha yeah

[@ridleyroid9060]

Technically that's not an SMT game. It wasn't called SMT neither in the US or Japan, in Japan it's a Megami Ibonroku (I think that's the spelling) Persona. If you count it as a continuation of SMT IF...(which it is), then I see your point, but otherwise I don't think its an SMT game. Yes I'm being overly semantic and totally get what you mean otherwise.

[@yoru900]

@@ridleyroid9060 I'm playing the psp rerelease

[@ridleyroid9060]

@@yoru900 Which had the SMT label stuck on to it for sales purpose (which I am fine with me btw. I like people playing the first 2 persona games, they are genuinely amazing)

[@bajablast6732]

1 and 2 definitely are alot different than the newer 3 👀

[@ridleyroid9060]

@@bajablast6732 Yeah, and shamefully literally no one cares for them anymore, even the diehard persona fans.

[@realkingofantarctica]

I like how at the beginning of the Jack Bros section, he doesn't even show footage of Persona 1 or 2, because people forget they exist.

[@anenemystand5582]

Shhhh. Those we forgot those games for a reason. To get rid of it. Dont pull a tatsuya

[@nejiharuno]

@@anenemystand5582 ... *Punches Philemon in the face*

[@rambact5769]

@@anenemystand5582 god damn I just saw you on another video like a couple of hours ago, and I’d like once more to say: SIEG ZEON

[@ye9945]

Unfunny joke

[@hello-gx6oi]

@@anenemystand5582 that hurts dude I recently just finished innocent sin 😔

[@vanilla8956]

The "Shin new true" joke is really lost in translation and time. The point is that after the snes came out in japan just like how tons of games here added "Super" to their titles, in Japan "Shin" was added alot, but not the kanji used in SMT's title, the different one that means new. SMT used the other kanji that means "True". So basically, the play on words is a "homophone" Where the word is pronounced the same way as another word, but it has a different meaning based on how it's spelled. It's like if you made a game called "Sword of the Black Night" Saying it outloud, it would sound like you're saying Knight, because the context implies thats the word you're using, but you're not. The context here is releasing on the super famicom when a ton of other "Shin" games were coming out

[@Samm815]

Same with 64 that came afterward.

[@dantelawrence4676]

I never understood a word you said.

[@Kanudelgruber]

Not only that, but in the game's intro somebody types the game's title into a computer terminal and cycles through the kanji "new" and "god" before arriving at "true"

[@vanilla8956]

@@Kanudelgruber I noticed that but never looked into what it was. thanks

[@hayaokakizaki4463]

Oh, I always wondered why dark anime from the 90s used it in that context, but it is a somewhat ominous Kanji innit 真(Megami Tensei) 新(Getter Robo 2004)

[@Mysticgamer]

It's a good thing all the series are self contained. It would suck if you had to play soul hackers, jack bros. Or god forbid the mobile games in order to understand the characters motivation nocturne or persona 4.

[@Mageman17]

Cries in kingdom hearts...

[@Username-de8tt]

I see no reason why playing jack bros would be considered a negative

[@Mysticgamer]

@@Username-de8tt Jack Bros is on the virtual boy a system I've never seen for sale used in any used gamestore. I'm not saying the games are bad, just hard to come by...except the mobile game.

[@southofheck]

“Nah bro the characters don’t suck, you just don’t understand them because you didn’t play Giten Megami Tensei or DX2”

[@XiaoIsMyHusbandBTW]

@@southofheck i would be crying right now

[@vsaucenou323]

Persona Fans: *"You suck"* SMT Fans: *"I MADE YOU"*

[@standarrow9759]

Jojo Fans:You are me

[@tomo8940]

@@standarrow9759 It all comes full circle.

[@braxinIV]

@@standarrow9759Persona fans: And thou, art I!

[@SimplyAWitch9]

I Loooove Persona but i also love Megaten as a whole (bar some games im not a psychopath who went out of the way to play SMT imagine) But i got into the stupidest argument with an incredibly arrogant friend who would not back down that SMT was Just persona..... nothing else, and that any other games were persona spin offs..... we arent friends because he did this with anything i said.

[@fireball0ofire962]

litterally no persona fan has said SMT sucks, you're just trying to find a way to hate on people now lmao

[@some_guy117]

Ahh the 1990’s when you could summon demons on your Macintosh to beat up the bullies

[@koharuyuuki3162]

What is Shin Megami Tensei: Jack Bros. What isn't: everything else

[@andyhrp903]

The FUCK IS IT?

[@freshbroc410-7]

Strictly Persona fan: "The Persona games are so underrated, we need more of the series, and more people should play it." The series: 24:20

[@juanokug4]

that's fair i still want P3 on PC and a P5 arena game or the SMT franchise on PC i guess

[@Nerevarine420]

@@juanokug4 why not both ? Shin Megami I tensei nocuturne and p3 fes double release on steam

[@juanokug4]

@@Nerevarine420 yeah but y'know, Atlus

[@tron0150]

@@juanokug4 well P4G was dropped out of nowhere and sold well, so maybe.

[@cynic_0546]

Oh, so someone datamined nocturne hd and looks like there were some codes that hint at a steam release.

[@DaedalosC9]

18:58 "made use of the finest CGI demons" i lost it there

[@BadSodaProductions]

“How mang spinoff franchises are the-“ “10” “What the fuck?!” Literally me learning about megaten

[@charleswisconsin9196]

11.

[@DankBeard19]

Catherine is basically a tech demo for atlus dipping their toes into 3d hd graphics lol

[@rattlingmender1648]

and what a damn good demo it was. masterpiece tbh

[@itstant]

Am I the only one who was taken aback by “and Dante from the Devil May Cry series”?

[@2tired2p15]

its not even a joke, which makes it even better

[@RobertPayne556]

Even if it is DMC2. It's shin.

[@Etiennejin]

the SMT artist also drew the devil triggers in Devil May Cry 3

[@justavagabond5348]

The funniest part is that Nocturne is the game where the whole "Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series." Originates from and most people have no idea about it

[@Gato-be2jr]

@@RobertPayne556 Kazuma Kaneko

[@Hailstormful]

In suma, just treat it like the Mario franchise: -There's the main series of games (Bros 1-3, World, Land, 64, Sunshine, Galaxy 1&2, New Bros, 3D World, Odyssey) -There's the side games (Kart, RPG, Party, Paper, Sports, Yoshi's Island, Luigi's Mansion, Warioware) -Everything is Super Mario, but just "Super Mario series" refers to the first category

[@ikhwananimationsbeyondweeb4528]

You fool! The best and True SMT game is *_obviously_* *Jack Bros for the Virtual Boy*

[@mr_jago2850]

Friday the 13th

[@nore5888]

that was the first smt game to go to the west

[@Nova67827]

Jack bros rating is absolute beyond null omega tranceded infinity

[@ThiagoCRocha-fh6lg]

1- Shin Megami Tensei is looking more like a theme than anything else. 2- Thank you for the vid

[@hugolarioscolino4256]

Overall, Shin megami tensei refers only to the actual "Shin megami tensei" titled games, and EVERYHING else is part of the Megami tensei line of products. BTW, this kanji 真 means "True", this kanji 新 means "New", both are pronounced "Shin" and was pretty common for japanese developers to use 新 in super famicom games, Atlus' devs were just feeling a bit cute that day and decided to give it a little spin.

[@NimhLabs]

... wait... so... is the New 3DS, New 3DS XL and New 2DS XL ALSO part of the SMT franchise then?

[@macafromthewired]

@@NimhLabs no because it's not "true 3DS"

[@ArshadZahid_nohandleideas]

@@macafromthewired THE 3DS IS A LIE???!!

[@michaelbonanno2668]

Honestly to me is way simpler: Does the game have SMT demons? Then is a Megami Tensei game. Just like Pokèmon, does it have Pokèmons in it? Then it's a fucking Pokèmon game. Then of course there are spin-offs and main-line games, but as long as there are SMT demons to me is a Megami Tensei game.

[@clear5136]

At this point I think Megami Tensei wants certain games to be separate though

[@michaelbonanno2668]

@@clear5136 you mean Persona?

[@tron0150]

Then what about Tokyo Mirage Session?

[@michaelbonanno2668]

@@tron0150 i don't consider it part of the Megaten Series, it's a crossover.

[@Oniguma]

It's a Megami Tensei, but not a Shin Megami Tensei. That's the point

[@colebadguy]

Makes me sad P3-5 overshadow the rest of the franchise in so many people’s eyes but hey smaller communities are cool

[@keobutbutt]

The smaller the community, the less toxic people in the fanbase

[@djkj4871]

KeoButt Draws Susie I mean the SMT series is pretty toxic telling persona fans the game they love is horrible and say play a real SMT game when the only main series they played was nocturne. Persona is just dumbasses that say Naoto is trans and port beggars. Maybe some people refusing to accept the main series.

[@keobutbutt]

@@djkj4871 yeah i know. Every fanbase has their own collective amount of toxic people. TBH, I just stay away from fandoms always. I play games that I enjoy which are both the main line and persona series. If there are games that I do not find any enjoyment from, then I won't play it again and just continue on finding games that I enjoy. I'm not going to waste my time giving negative shit on games that I do not enjoy, because there will be people who enjoy those games that I do not enjoy and I don't want them to feel bad or shit and I respect their opinion if they like a certain game that I do not like. Every person has their own taste. For me I enjoy the Mainline and persona series.

[@sigurdtheblue]

@@djkj4871 This really isn't the case 95% of the time. This video did a horrible job at making the community look like elitists. At worst, the Shin Megami Tensei side of the community seems to have a lot of immoral old members while Persona has a lot of people who don't understand the franchise and maybe even gaming in general. There is no serious conflict between the two, although Persona 5 beggars did vote down the Nintendo Direct finally revealing long awaited Shin Megami Tensei games, but that was also people who were mad about lacking Nintendo games too. Also, a lot of smaller communities in gaming are full of bad people, but the bigger ones might have more regulated communities with only a vocal minority of mean people. I encounter a lot of Discord servers surrounding important topics that are sadly underpopulated and also consist of primarily evil and selfish people.

[@djkj4871]

sigurdtheblue it wasn’t port beggars it was Nintendo fanboys

[@Larrue]

Where does the Amazing Tater fit in the franchise?

[@vanilla8956]

That's the very end of the timeline. The inevitable conclusion where all paths reuinite.

[@jabrowney]

That Jack Bros joke was so good. All that setup for the punchline of Jack Bros and the jesus music like my god I audibly laughed haha I started w/ P5 and have grown such an appreciation for the series at large so like...man I loved that

[@ThatOneLegendEmerald]

"And it all depends on the context." 37:06 Considering the canon name argument for the persona protagonists I don't think people have the brain power over here to think about context.

[@plague6566]

Protagonist names bro, it's the most important topic

[@isaac7175]

I can’t believe people still argue about that shit, I’m ashamed of being part of a community with people likes that.

[@nahnah390]

I'm pretty sure the persona 5 protagonist is just fucking with people at this point, since the stage plays apparently refuse to keep any consistent name whatsoever.

[@ThatOneLegendEmerald]

@@nahnah390 to be fair, that's a stage production, the main gimmick is going to be the different name lmao

[@vbnm7309]

it really isn't that hard to explain. megami tensei is all the spin offs + the mainline series. shin megami tensei is only the mainline series of games. western marketing doesn't make sense anyway so might as well throw it out the window when it comes to that debate.

[@Nivmax]

That's how I've been handling it.

[@obiyofi9792]

the funny things is Demikids/Devichil series game are titled SMT in japan and the other series aren't. meanwhile the western version: almost every Megaten are titled SMT (besides Persona game after P4G) but Demikids aren't.

[@vbnm7309]

@@obiyofi9792 Demikids still had the japanese smt moniker in the west if you look at the boxart actually (even if it wasn't actually called Shin Megami Tensei: Demikids). Its still a spin-off though.

[@haloshippuden445]

Exactly. These are all Shin Megami Tensei.

[@ImperatorNocturne]

it should be like this, but you know alot of people just call everything SMT i don´t blame them. most dedicated fans just say Megaten anyway

[@joserubenuriberusca1248]

SMT IV apocalypse has the Best gameplay so far. It's a little hard to Replay iv after apocalypse because of that

[@puzzle_boy]

I don't consider Apocalypse an enhancement THAT huge but maybe you're right. Still love to play IV tho.

[@Sigismund697]

I get what you say but playing Apocalypse I found myself yearning for the chaotic/frantic gameplay of IV specially how fast it was

[@joserubenuriberusca1248]

@@Sigismund697 to me is like this Battles apo Maps IV (YHVH dimensión and the Cosmic egg < reverse hills and blasted Tokyo) Sidequest it's a tie Fusión apo Fiends apo Story IV Support partners apo Músic tie DLC apo exclusive demons IV (national defense divinities are awesome. Cleopatra satán and mephisto too but they are either DLC or new Game+

[@joserubenuriberusca1248]

@Fanjanhong * talking skills went better, they fixed The problem of some demons like Shiva adding more skills, balanced the Demon wisper locking some broken skills like Cold wolrd or die for me oh yes and the assistants are not dumb

[@faidou9954]

I love Shin Megami Tensei, I love Persona, I fucking despise both sides of the Megami Tensei Fanbase.

[@sergiosalazar8702]

🗣

[@Entropic_Alloy]

Great work. This was very well researched. The fact that you saw that the first DeSu game was a "Megami Ibunroku" game had me smiling, it is a rarely stated fact. But yeah, this topic has and probably always be unnecessarily heavy. Also, Jack Frost is probably the truest answer. Persona mascots come and go, but Jack Frost is eternal. One suggestion may have been to include a graphic to show which games are in which subcategory. Like, "these 4 are Devil Summoner, and these 4 are Devil Survivor." But great vid overall Macca. Was there a Jack Frost cameo in the Trauma Center games?

[@remusventanus5341]

The way you express your affection for Digital Devil Saga is exactly how I feel about the Raidou games. I adore the PS2 era of games we got and selfishly wish we had even more of them. If Atlus we're to re-release Raidou with the updated Raidou 2 mechanics... or do a combo re-release, I'd swoon for ages.

[@Mageman17]

With P5R out, they could possibly work again with Omega Force to remake the Raidou games on the same engine. Just need to tweak the action RPG sections (turn mobs of demons into a handful) and possibly re-structure The Capital into something he can run around in comfortably.

[@lemonov3031]

​@@Mageman17HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA

[@titaniumdioxide2650]

That song pretty much just convinced me to play Digital Devil Saga

[@stranger7131]

You know, I seriously think that the Strange Journey Redux character sprites really doesn't matter. It's a DS game, the resolution doesn't really make the difference even that noticeable.

[@NimhLabs]

... I'm actually waiting for after market conversations for the DS, that give the DS an 8K resolution boost--with an upscaler mod also needing to be installed... Not because these conversations are something that are good... but because these sorts of conversions are inevitable I mean, think of all the stuff that has older consoles run on televisions that are not CRT based. I mean, CRT televisions are the Vinyl Records of this decade... just like for a couple decades, quadrophonic needles were hard to find--we will start having reproduction CRT TVs being made. As those do provide for a better experience with some media

[@uirusux]

bro they look like garbage. I played both versions of SJ and the original DS graphics were fine. The updated art for Redux is cartoony and ugly. I'm not sure why resolution is important here.

[@jangouni1619]

I started on SMT4 and played persona 4G right after and loved both, so I think I'm true neutral when it comes to this discourse. My stance: If it got the demons from smt main line, its an smt franchise game.

[@chaosdirge4906]

I think at the end of the day its really not a topic that matters. It is an interesting history but As I put it the entire SMT series is literally a spin off of something. The SMT games on the SNES are in no way related to the MT games on the NES when it comes to their plots. They aren't connected at all. So SMT is literally just a bunch of games with a bunch of branches pointing in opposite directions. Digital Devil Saga and Devil Summoner, and Survivor all have intersections to the main franchise in some way, with all their characters crossing boundaries into their respective franchises. Persona on the other Hand just kind of has its characters sticking to persona and no characters from SMT come in either. at the end of the day play what you enjoy. I don't like Persona 3 or 4, but I like 5, and I like the rest of the SMT franchise for the most part. When it comes down to it, its just a janky umbrella and alot of elitists bickering.

[@jonasseorum5471]

These are practically the only two games that normal people can get their hands on at the moment unless you are a life long sonybro.

[@rambact5769]

@@chaosdirge4906 i don’t get why people make this a big deal, the franchise is megami tensei and the mainline SMT games are Shin Megami Tensei

[@meltydogshit8743]

@@rambact5769 i agree everything has labels for a reason, thats like saying pepsi and coke are the same when the only common thing about them is they are both cola.

[@BitchChill]

I thought that was obvious. It's what Warioware, Yoshi, and DK are to Mario

[@spudsbuchlaw]

Shin What Is and Isnt Shin Megami Tensei? | MegaTen Explained

[@depressedguzma9858]

I AM Shin Megami Tensei

[@Confucios1118]

Devil Survivor on 3DS was the first one I ever got. What sold me on it was what the GameStop employee told me when I asked him what it was, since I never heard of it before. He said “It’s Pokémon for grown ups.”

[@Jolfgard]

I always wondered what this one game was where you could fuse the monsters that I saw someone play during vacation 15 to 20 years ago. I settled for the original Dragon Quest Monsters, but now I think the game actually was Last Bible/ Revelations.

[@baddragonite]

Waiting for Catherine 2 complete: Shin Megami Tensei or whatever to be more confusing

[@GiegueX]

Shin megami tensei: Catherine 2 complete royal gold nocturne

[@Nirwanda001]

Starring dante from the devil may cry series!

[@RobertPayne556]

And Kyle Ryder as New True Super Mundus.

[@commitsniff370]

I do like persona quite a bit, due to it's social comentary and interactions with the characters, and the idea of taking what is meant to be seen as a demon (or some other mythical creature) as part of you and use it to fight back against the pressure other shadows and bosses try to use to crush you not only in battle, but your character's ego as well However, that's not to say i dont like or apreciate shin megami tensei, or im a persona fanboy, there are a lot of aspects about shin megami tensei such as the roles demons take and all the alternate endings you can get... shin megami tensei games test your limits as a person rather than trying to make you a perfect social butterfly with no flaws whatsoever Of course i havent played all the shin megami tensei games, some dont catch my curiosity as much, others aren't localized...but i do think people should try at least one game of each subgenre of the series, there is something for everyone, some might be interested in the way the games represent certain figures in the bible, others just want a though unpredictable game, and some just think the demons look cool and want to see and learn of more unfamiliar and obscure creatures I think the issue with "persona vs mainline" is that gaming used to be something companies and "gamers" themselves would keep trying to do new or odd things with, even in the video itself you can see atlas branched out quite a bit early on regarding the series...however nowadays "gamers" act like children who want candy, and gaming companies just keep giving them said candy instead of offering something new or "healthier", people just want the same thing, or more of the same...and as long as they are happy about it and they keep earning money companies dont care (some examples are the battle royale craze, games like COD) Which is why im glad shin megami tensei 5 is coming...it shows atlus at least heard that the fans want a new game, and it's not just on a portable platform...meaning more people will take it seriously and give it a shot I just hope the persona fans can actually sit down and apreciate the fact a new mainline title is coming...(well the persona 5 fandom at least, given they seem to be the most oblivious and childish part of any fandom i have ever seen) and actually try playing it

[@amyyost2753]

My problem with this take is that both fanbases just want more of the same. Wanting more mainline is just a more nostalgic version of wanting more of the same, so it feels right to say that's the healthier desire. I'm excited for more from Atlus period. A new Radiant Historia, a new SMT, a new Persona, a totally new IP. I wouldn't play a new Catherine, but I still wouldn't act like the SMT fanbase if they decided to only put out more Catherine titles for the next ten years.

[@Fermin-hw5pd]

The only SMT game I have played is P3P, but I'm looking forward to SMT 5, and to learn about some older games, why not discovering new things I would like?

[@rolfthebolf]

Sorry to burst your bubble but the persona 2 games and persona 1 dont have social links

[@ApexGale]

@@rolfthebolf but p2 in particular has special interactions between its characters that were most likely inspiration for what eventually became the social link system. i just wish the writers came back because the cast of persona 5 is easily one of the most uninteresting casts in the series

[@ProjectTony]

*Me who just started playing SMT 3 and was curious about the rest of the series* Me: "What the hell did I just walk in on?!"

[@bridgettejasperreyes7567]

Now try the works by TYPE-MOON and Kinoko Nasu...

[@raphaelmartins6529]

It's really quite simple: Persona was a SMT spin off series, but became big with its own indentity, so it's now a different franchise. It shares elements with the main SMT franchise, but it's its own thing now. It's like Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy. Both franchises have similar spell names, moogles, spiky hairs and share other elements, but are different series as well.

[@mayayamato7351]

okay but wheredoes bravely default come into this? 🤔 they'vegot phoenix downs and shared spell names, and even have the final fantasy trait of each mainline numbered entry not having to do with the previous one.

[@sonoda944]

Im just playing SMT1 rn (there's Nintendo Online release in Japan) The classic "where the fuck do i need to go" game.

[@ImperatorNocturne]

Tamaki ain´t a cameo in persona she is story relevant in both games, not to mention she works at the kuzunoha detective agency.

[@judahosborne8868]

Ah, thanks for this. The old video is what let me get into SMT outside of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne, so you're doing me a world of good!

[@SerenGetter]

This is my first time seeing any of your content but its definitely quality it clearly took a good amount of work, good job, subscribed!

[@BowarGod]

what you fail to realize is Kimi wa ne tashika ni ano toki watashi no soba ni ita Itsudatte itsudatte itsudatte sugu yoko de waratteita nakushitemo Torimodosu kimi wo I will never leave you

[@NicholasSpadafora]

Next to You is the better ending theme

[@dhi_holo9341]

Amazing video, well made, and really informative, I didn't realise how some of these things I'd heard of connected.

[@douchebagbrigade]

The singing in devil survivor instead of the guitar rift is a little weird

[@ritzexists2201]

Thank you for making such a comprehensive video detail the whole megami tensei franchise and not just the popular stuff. This is so cool to learn about!

[@StupidVids132]

I have persona 3,4, and 5. I just bought SMT IV can’t wait to play, hopefully I can find Apocalypse for a good price

[@plague6566]

I still remember the time i saw Devil Survivor in a Gaming magazine, i was interested because of the Demons. (Yes it was just because i thought the demons looked cool)

[@GiegueX]

Didn't we all liked demons for their coolness back then?

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

Huh, I had the same expirience It was the Mexican Club Nintendo magazine, I found the concept so cool

[@lonelygamerinspace548]

Ironically, Persona 3 FES is the reason I delved into the SMT sEries.

[@GilesFAhrun]

Liberators Dx2 in my case

[@ANIpJs]

I always found it ironic that they tried to do a kid friendly Megaten and didn't call them Demons. Yet when Last Bible hit the US. They put Demon right in the title. In America of all places.

[@captainlcm]

Man your video is both informative and entertaining, and it is just what I needed as a crash course on the series. Thank you!!

[@Haysey_Draws]

...so THAT'S why i liked Digimon Cyber Sleuth so much! At this point you might as well consider Persona as it's own thing really, but if it's an in for fan's to get into Megami Tensei like MT was meant to get people into Persona back in the day then it's all good.

[@snakeeyes5594]

Nice video, as always!

[@gustyko8668]

Yeah I've heard the hole thing with Cyber Sleuth borrowing a bit too much from the Shin Megami Tensei series...LOL

[@SealSlap5069]

I like how your channel mascot is basically Jack Frost but in a jack-et

[@nintenx1235]

I like to plot the games like this when explaining or discussing the franchise so my friends know what I’m talking about Megami tensei franchise: Novels OVA and the Atlus games SMT: mainline but can also be referring to any game/character that either references mainline or is suggested to happen/exist alongside mainline E.G. strange journey demonicas in SMT4(mainline game referencing another mainline game) Or the shwarzwelt references in synchronicity prologue (spin-off referencing mainline) Megami ibunroku: devil Survivor and the persona series alongside SMT if...(smt if by its very nature exists in an entirely different timeline/universe than the mainline series) to me Megami ibunroku is the series more focused around having a strong emphasis oncharacters and character interactions although this does not mean other series don’t have well written characters but it tends make or breaks these games even more than others Devil summoner: self explanatory Jack series: actually haven’t played more than synchronicity but I consider any game to feature “jack” characters as the main playable cast fit here To anybody who read through this entire thing, what’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with me? (A lot)

[@haruhisuzumiya6650]

smt strange journey is smt according to the 25th anniversary.

[@dantemustdie00]

Yep SMT if..., NINE, and Strange Journey are still considered mainline despite not being numerical

[@NimhLabs]

It is that 25th Anniversary that had me no longer able to say it was actually part of the JoJo franchise x3

[@HelvecioGomes]

Indeed

[@tokencross8336]

You've earned a subscriber. I was always wondering what was what. I also wondered a bunch of what the series had in store and what is was like before I got into Persona. Thank you!

[@anthonyt7557]

Thank you for putting the work into this man.... i just beat p5 and I'm really interested in the darker tones of the og games now that i know the connections/relation between the persona/smt world. Deffo looking forward to more content from you in the future

[@joaocesario284]

Trauma Center is what got me into ATLUS games

[@Mageman17]

Atlus published the PS1 English port of Tacics Ogre. Seeing that 3D aquatic logo scene was as baked in as archers being too OP in that game for me.

[@antwainehorton7241]

This was an extremely informative and unbiased video. Probably the best explanation of the SMT series and its spin-offs.

[@kamisamalouie]

i cant believe you’re only at 8k subs. this vid was great and i learned a lot ab the SMT franchise

[@lob674]

This video was so good!

[@monadoboy88]

This was a great video. I’ve only played P3, P4, P5, Nocturne, and Tokyo Mirage Sessions, but I really want to play other SMT games.

[@boiwifeyasmr4U]

Played or heard are two very different things. If you're being honest with yourself you know someone who's only played Persona 3-5 and uses the internet knows what SMT is. The internet will force you into knowing. Within a few days of playing Persona 5 the internet brought me to SMT's existence.

[@plump8570]

"I'm a fucking GOD compared to them" had me ROLLING haha. I knew I was in for a good time after this

[@ChristopherStone]

I’ve been watching your vids for a bit now and this one was primo. Nice job with the research, VO, and editing.

[@SticKyfinGAz95]

I know we'll probably never get it, but I really wanted a remaster of the old persona games. Persona 4 was the only reason I bought a PS Vita. Going to get a 3DS soon just for SMT.

[@Mageman17]

A thought that came to me one time, can we have another persona game where you can reject party members from joining and continue the story as-is, see how it goes when x is not in the party? In the Kandori boss fight, having Reiji with you makes it a fight against brothers, if you have Elly, she points out that Kandori’s persona is Nyarlathotep and expresses fear. Also, how about a branch in the gameplay story that’s as long as the supposed canon route. The Snow Queen Route gave you a new plot to follow, a slightly different set of characters to control, a new final boss as well as an ending separate from the Sebec Route. We could use more of that, makes NG+ gameplays more interesting.

[@charleswisconsin9196]

Persona 1 has a Windows version.

[@Sigismund697]

You think Devil summoners has it hard? Imagine being a fan of Devil Survivor and having a terrible anime and people thinking it is a rip off of Cyber Sleuth due to the art

[@HeavenHalos]

Excellent video. I subscribed. I hope your channel grows, mate.

[@wolffster25]

This video was fantastic I also went ahead and watched some of your other analysis videos which were also incredibly well done. You have definitely earned my sub I look forward to your future projects.

[@rikublaze]

Yeeeaaa Demikids! That was my first SMT

[@Natreg44]

Good summary. The only thing I felt was missing (not counting the ton of mobile games there are as well) was the original Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei game by Telenet, which can be considered a prequel to the Famicom game since in that game you fight both Loki and Seth (among other demons), and rescue Yumiko, while traversing a world based on the Kabbalah. Atlus helped with the Telenet game as well, and the demon designs from the manual are great. If you try it, play the FM7 game. It's the best version having 8 movement directions and more cutscenes. The other game I felt was missing was the Giten Megami Tensei: Tokyo Mokushiroku.

[@douchebagbrigade]

Nice Job man enjoyed this

[@Eerie0Innocence]

Possibly a hot take: CATHERINE is a Megaten spin-off game. EDIT: Ah, the outro! Maybe not as big a hot take as I thought

[@xerontokyo]

This video is full of facts, research and overall a perfect guide for the franchise.

[@sigurdtheblue]

It might have a lot of facts about the franchise, but it is a bad guide to the community. The humor is also bad and generally comes off as more mean-spirited than ironic.

[@elechain2441]

@@sigurdtheblue Man but then again, Jack Bros is the best title in the franchise

[@RobertPayne556]

*Bravo-1 from Drakengard:* How did I get here?

[@BoostedMonkey05]

I didn't fall in love with Persona, I fell in love with the Press Turn System. I love Demon Negotiation, I love abusing weaknesses to break the combat and being rewarded for knowing the weaknesses. Even if P5 was the easiest game in the persona series, it still hit closer to its parent series compared to 3 and especially 4 when it came to dungeon crawling and combat mechanics. I would take 3 over 5 for the story. 4 is too much dating sim. It's the most popular Persona game for a reason but that reason is not what I came to persona for. 4 has the weakest symbolism in modern persona. And I always wondered what does truth and the media have to do with a serial murderer pulling people into a TV world. The glasses, the crushing a tarot card. Persona 3 was Death, Persona 5 was Freedom. To pull the trigger means to accept that death is inevitable and is a part of life. To take off your mask means to rebel against the image that society has placed upon you. As of now, I started playing Nocturne and my love for the battle system it created immediately resonated with me as I was able to get the basics down about negotiations, and fighting demons as their concept as part of the human consciousness did return to Persona in 5. Dungeon crawling is fun because the dungeons are hand crafted and have puzzles compared to P3 and P4's Randomly Generated dungeons that are boring. And getting lost in Shibuya is still a thing when you first boot up the game. Thanks Atlus.

[@jlmg777]

Great work Macca, keep it up bro

[@WhiteRoninG]

I watched your video like 4-5 times, and I finally understand everything. Thanks bro, though the thought of explaining it all to someone else is a nightmare

[@kierenbuckley370]

can we get a remake of Jack Bros :)

[@FaizalKuntz]

They are Persona series, Shin Megami Tensei series, and THE REAL Shin Megoomie Tensay game.

[@nr2676]

Like Nocturne or Strange Journey ...

[@supernintendoboy]

this is a good video not only because its a really good retrospective on megaten that i can shove into friend's faces, but because it helped me learned about the hidden hee ho that is the 3D on from the drama.

[@Yae_1995]

Wow this was very informative!

[@Aeonbarr]

As one of the six people whose first SMT was the Raidou games, I am pleased.

[@Speelee]

yaknow it’s funny that the “Shin Megani Tensei” tag line was added in the west to sell more games cause the only reason I didn’t get Devil Survivor when I was little, I didn’t know what SMT was lol

[@totalpartykill999]

im glad you brought up that this is really the first official monster collecting series.

[@littlea420]

what a great video dude

[@toddc7450]

Great video dude 👍

[@zombiefriend]

Your example of "walking around in GameStop and seeing Raidou Kuzunoha" is funny, because that was me except I didn't know what SMT was. I just liked the aesthetic of this game and it was what got me into SMT in the first place.

[@zayhendrix2617]

I've always loved the SMT franchise sound tracks

[@BiggoChungs]

3 weeks late watching, but the love you have for the brand really shows. The days of the psp and P3P got me hooked into the main franchise. From a small 300 hours in p3p, to buying a ps2 for p4 and all the way to ordering smt4 and diving into videos of playthroughs and let's plays on as much smt as i could digest, i can safely say i love the atmosphere of it all. I normally don't comment on these videos (just a like and on with my life), but these games give me something to genuinely be passionate about. I still have much of the franchise to play, but for reminding me of just why i love this brand so so much, you've more than earned the like and sub man. Keep up the great work and it's off to binge you content for a while.

[@TheNorilla]

So I wasn't the only one that thought that Digimon Cyber Sleuth felt very similar to Soul Hackers.