Protagonist (Strange Journey)

The protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey is a member of the U.N. expedition team sent to the Schwarzwelt. Unlike most protagonists, he is a normal human with no particular extraordinary traits. Initially and by default, he is of Neutral alignment but he can switch to the forces of Law or Chaos and back according to the player's actions.
==Appearance==
*Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey / Redux: Protagonist
==Design==
The protagonist has a muscular build, upward facing eyebrows, very pronounced cheekbones, and a military style hair cut. He is said to be handsome by many characters, even on missions. He is often seen wearing his Demonica with a white sleeve, which nobody else seems to have (with the exception of Demonee-Ho). Though it could be interpreted as representing the protagonist's neutrality, the purpose of the white sleeve remains unexplained.
After the alignment lock, the protagonist's features change slightly if the player is Law or Chaos aligned. If Chaos aligned, his eyes will turn yellow with dark rings underneath them, and have a small smirk on his face. If Law aligned, the protagonist's becomes more cold, as noted by another crew member, and his eyes turn white with no pupils.
==Personality==
Like most main characters of the Shin Megami Tensei series, he is a silent protagonist where the player decides his personality and ideals based on the choices and actions taken. That being said, his dialogue options are much more mature than other silent protagonists; he often speaks with a professional tone accompanied by reserve and manner, befitting of his age and temperament. The protagonist is however flexible, especially accentuated when speaking with demons.
He is stated to be the second most popular member on the ship by and after Dent. In fact, he is one of the only, if not the only, human(s) who befriended Jimenez who is something like the black sheep of the ship. Additionally Zelenin, who often carries herself above others, has admitted that she admires the fact that the protagonist is not fazed by anything. Above all else, his popularity really shines through in Sector Grus when the entire crew of the Red Sprite trusts, and will follow through, whatever method the protagonist decides to upon to deal with Grendel. Despite all of this, the protagonist is apparently closer to the demons than the crew itself according to Anthony. It is not known if this statement was made in jest or not, however.
==Profile==
===Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey===
A USMC officer who underwent intense combat and command training between tours of duty. He was transferred to the Schwarzwelt Investigational Team by U.N. request. As a member of the Strike Team, his duties include off-ship missions and providing security for the expedition. He is on the crew roster for Ship 1, the Red Sprite.
Consistently throughout the story, many demons, major or minor, specifically use the word "warrior" to refer and describe him. They especially comment on his large combat experience too.
====Country of Origin====
In the USA version of the game, the protagonist is an American, to which Commander Gore comments "Another American, eh?" Likewise, Jimenez later welcomes the protagonist as a "fellow American."
However, in the JPN version of the game, the protagonist is stated to be Japanese. Gore instead says "Welcome. We welcome the fact that you come to us from Japan." Jimenez's dialogue is also different: "...You're Japanese. Did you come all the way over here from such a peaceful country just to die?"
==Stats==
Unlike the other Shin Megami Tensei protagonists, the player does not directly choose the protagonist's stats upon leveling up. After deciding upon his initial stats, the protagonist's stat growth is partly random, weighted toward but not guaranteed to follow a general pattern. In addition, the protagonist's ability to level up is explained as a function of his Demonica armor, which grows more attuned to the protagonist through combat. Using the questionnaire at the beginning of the game, the Demonica determines a combat type based on the responses inputted. They are:
* Attack support, a strength-based growth pattern
* Technical support, a magic-based growth pattern
* Physical support, a vitality-based growth pattern
* Speed support, an agility-based growth pattern
* Luck support, a luck-based growth pattern
Despite whatever combat type is determined for the protagonist, stats growth is based on a percentage chance. Regardless, the protagonist does not always necessarily grow in the fashion that is expected but rather has a chance disposition towards doing so. In fact, it is entirely possible that the protagonist will end up with stats that are not focused towards his combat type at all.
Additionally, the protagonist does not learn skills on his own in any fashion. Instead, all of his guns come with a set of static gun skills which are unique and/or generic. Similarly, his resistances and weaknesses to attack types are affected by the armor he is equipped with, although he will be immune to Expel on default.
== Gallery ==
File:SJ Protagonist render.png|The protagonist as he appears in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
File:SMTSJ SR Hero Cover.png|The protagonist as he appears in the Schwarzwelt Reminiscences book. Each print of the book has either the protagonist, Jimenez, Zelenin or Gore on the back cover, meaning getting a specific one was a 1/4 chance.
==Trivia==
* In Japanese promotional materials and the official audio drama, he's named as Tadano Hitonari (タダノヒトナリ), a pun on "tada no hito nari" which means "just an ordinary person" in Japanese.
* In some of the official screenshots used in the USA manual for Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, the protagonist is named , Lance Murdock, and many other characters from The Simpsons.
* He is the first protagonist in the series to directly break the fourth wall in a conversation with demons. When talking to Pyro Jack or Jack Frost, the protagonist has a unique answer in which he says "Mascots aren't scary." The protagonist must be fully aware that Jack Frost is, indeed, the official ATLUS mascot. This is followed up by Jack Frost, also aware that he is the mascot, forcing his way into the party to become even more popular. Pyro Jack, on the other hand, will attack.
Category:Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Characters
Category:Protagonists