Protagonist (Shin Megami Tensei)

The protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei is a young man living with his mother and dog in Kichijoji, Tokyo.
The protagonist is a powerful warrior who, despite his inability to wield magic, is a master swordsman, marksman and leader. He is capable of recruiting and summoning demons through his Arm Terminal. In addition, he can also wield immensely strong swords, guns and magic-effect swords by means of sword fusion.
==Appearances==
*Shin Megami Tensei: Protagonist
**Shin Megami Tensei Comic Anthology (Kobunsha)
**Shin Megami Tensei 4-frame gag battle
*Shin Megami Tensei II: Statue
*Shin Megami Tensei: if...: Guardian, Fiend Race (Rare encounter; also indirectly mentioned)
*Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE: Opening Cinematic
*Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse: DLC Party Member, Human Race
==Personality==
Through the tradition of the Shin Megami Tensei series, he is a silent protagonist, where his personality is based upon players' actions and decisions. He is often looked to by the people around him for support.
==Profile==
===Shin Megami Tensei===
In the beginning of the game, the protagonist has a dream sequence featuring the a soul consecreted to god, a soul seeking for power, and Yuriko who vows to wait for us as our eternal partner, as well as an enigmatic prophecy of the future. Waking up, the protagonist receives a computer program that allows him to communicate with and summon demons from a user named Stephen on DDS-Net, who is sending out the program to everyone he can in anticipation for the coming apocalypse. After a chat with his mom and playing with the house dog Pascal, he heads for Kichioji Mall for an errand. 
While at the mall, the protagonist could run into Yuriko, and chat with people regarding recent murders and missing people. Inside the mall he then witnesses a demon killing a man and is attacked by it as well. He returns home unsure of what happened, but the wound and the weapon left by the dead man are real. His mom comments on how things have been very dangerous, with murder in the park nearby, missing people, and the police closing off the district.
The protagonist has another dream in which he meets the same dream-companions again, only this time they interrupt a ritual sacrifice in the dream. The woman who was to be sacrificed expresses her gratitude, commenting on that they will surely meat again before the dream ends. After waking up, his mom comments on how he murmurs a woman's name in his sleep, with the name being similar to their neighbor's daughter. If the protagonist checks his computer, Stephen has sent an additional program: Auto-Mapping.
Leaving the house, the protagonist realized something is not right as demons are now roaming the streets. The protagonist could try fighting, running or negotiating with the demons from this point onward. By visiting the neighbor, we learn that the daughter does share the same name with woman who was to be sacrificed, and that she is about to go on a date with her boyfriend in Shinjuku. The protagonist continues toward Inogashira Park where he encounters a mysterious old man. 
The old man warns that the forces of Law and Chaos are about to clash for supremacy, and no matter who wins, the balance of the world will be off. The protagonist then enter another dreamscape where he meets up with Law Hero and Chaos Hero. They all traverse up the building, where a ghostlike figure of the protagonist's mother warns of the danger and beg not to go any further. The trio continue in and see a man dressed in lab coat performing a ritual in front of a Terminal. The man forces the party out and a fight ensure as he transform into Douman, however, the mysterious old man brought the protagonist back to the park. The old man comments that the protagonist's power is far to weak, and must nurture strength before disappearing.
On his way back home, police force shows up and accuses the protagonist of murder, seemingly for the one which happened in the Kichioji Mall. The protagonist is arrested and taken to a prison where he meets the Law Hero for the first time. In their conversation, the Law Hero reveals he was caught for murder but all he did was defeating demons in his way to a date in Shinjuku with his girlfriend; who also shares the same name with woman who was to be sacrificed.
The two join forces and attempt to leave the cell where a surgeon shows up, demanding that it is time for them to undergo "modifications." The Law Hero rushes up and knock the man cold. The two then traverse the "jail" as they attempt to escape, only to find the doors locked by an automatic system. They then meet a man on wheelchair locked up in a cell too. He introduces himself as Stephen, the same person who wrote the Demon Summoning Program. 
He reveals after he accidentally opened a portal to the Expanse during an experiment with the Terminal, he was left gravely injured facing off against the demon. Thus the Demon Summoning Program was created to combat demon with demon. Stephen then sends the party the Demon Analyze Program, which allows the player to view enemy stats, then helps the party unlocking the door to the Hospital Director's office.
At the Director's Office, they are greeted by the director himself. He asks the party if they had undergone the "modification". Regardless of the answer, a fight ensues as the director transform into a Orias. With the director defeated, the auto-locked doors open, allowing the party to escape.
On their way out, the party encounter the Chaos Hero at the mall beaten by a local gangsters led by Ozawa. The gang leaves upon being disturbed by the protagonist and the Law Hero. The Chaos Hero laments of how powerless and pitiful he is, and only if he had more power. As the two are about to leave, Law Hero mentions the protagonist name which catches the attention of Chaos Hero. Realizing the two are the same person from his dream, the Chaos Hero demands he accompany them, which he does regardless of the answer chosen.
Journeying home, the trio are greeted by the protagonist's mother. Her speech pattern seems unusual, and always suggesting the protagonist to go closer towards her and give her comfort. The Law Hero comments on how she seems weird, and the Chaos Hero comments that her smell is very off. The demon in disguise then reveals itself as Amanojaku, craving to eat the party to satisfy its hunger, just as it did to the protagonist's mother.
Defeating the demon drops an ID Card. The two heroes try to comfort the protagonist in their own way, Law Hero giving his condolences, Chaos Hero giving time for the protagonist to grieve alone. Pascal shows up, making gesture that it wants to join the party. Depending on the player's choice and the console of the game, Pascal may or may not join the party later in the game. If taken to Cathedral of Shadows, Pascal can bypassing the level limitation and fused with any demon resulting in Cerberus.
The party then heads toward Echo Building, the only location in town which has ID Card locked door. Traversing the building they meet Yuriko in front of the Terminal Room. She comments that with his current strength she is not worried and wish the best to the protagonist. Upon entering the Terminal Room, the man in lab coat drags the party out again, transforming into Douman and starting a fight, he declares the party won't win this time and that they won't escape.
Following the fight, the party enters the now empty Terminal Room. Pascal (either as a dog or demon) is mysteriously sucked into the machine. The party swiftly follows only to be transported to a mysterious lab. Exploring the lab, the party meets a Zombie with his mind intact. The Zombie reveals that prior to his transformation, he was a scientist who was working on a secret project of data transmission via the Terminal System. However, the demons appeared and raided the facilities two or three days prior, the members there either got killed or got transformed into zombies like he did. The party could also run in Stephen again. 
Stephen reveals more about Gotou and the plan to create a demon army, as well as the Terminal. Stephen then ask the protagonist if the Demon Summoning Program has proved useful, and if the protagonist is satisfied with the amount of demons the program could hold. If answered no regarding the amount, Stephen will permanently increase the stock count by two.
Leaving the lab, the party find themselves in Sendagaya just outside Meiji Jingu, but with the road below the lab now barricaded by armed forces, declaring martial law in place. With no place else to open, the party goes to the Shinjuku underground mall. Inside, the Order of Messiah and the Ring of Gaea have set up their own facilities, and offers their services only to those they deemed worthy or are aligned with their vision. It is also here where the party learns of what has happened during their capture and escape. The American Army has taken over the Japanese Government and declared martial law, deeming the demon situation too dangerous to handle without intervention and the Japanese Government being incompetent to deal with the situation. Displeased with the Americans interfering with Japan's affair, the Self Defense Force decided to take matter into their own hand and started a coup against the American Army.
The three of them, as well as the heroine, attempt to stop an ICBM missile attack from destroying Japan. Regardless of the choices the protagonist makes, the party fails, and the Great Cataclysm occurs. The heroine stays behind, but she manages to teleport the party into the Diamond Realm before the missiles hit. After completing a few request in the Diamond Realm, the party then returns to Tokyo, which has been ravaged by the missiles but still has human survivors and demons roaming about. The protagonist later has the choice of helping the Messians complete the Basilica and having a world of peace, helping the Gaeans destroy it and giving the world freedom or fighting both sides to make a world where there is balance and humans can decide their own fate.
He's given the name Sho in Shin Megami Tensei Final Story: Atlus Official Replay Novel, Kazuya in Shin Megami Tensei Character Profile: Steven Report I and Futsuo in Kazuma Kaneko Complete Illustration Works. He is implied to be the reincarnation of Adam.
===Shin Megami Tensei II===
Before the events of Shin Megami Tensei II, the protagonist founded the Valhalla district of Tokyo Millennium and worked to help it expand alongside Pascal-Cerberus and Madam. He refused to blindly obey the orders of the Center and was eventually killed in what was reported as an accidental cave-in. After his death, Madam took over as the governess of Valhalla and strove to continue his work.
During the game itself, a statue of the protagonist appears at the Colosseum, where it is labeled "First Champion." When seeing the statue before the first fight with Daleth, the statue will have tears flowing from its eyes for unknown reasons.
===Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE===
The protagonist appears in silhouette along with the Law Hero, Chaos Hero and heroine during a cutscene after completing Act 0, and is spoken of highly, regarded as a hero among heroes by the narrator. A costume was released as part of CAVE's Beta testing promotion that players can wear in order to appear as the original Super Famicom SMT hero. It is one of the few outfits in game that will actually completely overwrite a character's hair and equipment.
===Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse===
The Hero appears in the DLC quest "Messiahs in the Diamond Realm." At the start of the quest, Stephen appears before Nanashi, holding his formless soul as he explains that it is the soul of the hero of a timeline where he died during the ICBM attack. Nanashi goes about the Diamond Realm to gather the rest of the Messiahs; Aleph, the Demi-fiend and Flynn, before confronting Stephen again. Stephen battles Nanashi, expecting him to use his power of observation and the experience of the battle to help the hero remember who he is and assume his original form. Upon successfully reforming himself, the hero is joined by the other three Messiahs as Stephen goes all-out and challenges all the protagonists at once.
==Stats==
===Shin Megami Tensei: if===
<tabber>
if...=
|-|
Hazama's Chapter=
</tabber>
===Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse===
==Gallery==
===Shin Megami Tensei===
Comic Anthology Cover 1.jpg|Kobunsha comic anthology volume 1 cover.
Comic Anthology Cover 2.jpg|Kobunsha comic anthology volume 2 cover.
Hero Heroine Cerberus.jpg|Illustration from the Kobunsha comic anthology.
Shin Megami Tensei 4-frame gag battle Cover.jpg|Shin Megami Tensei 4-frame gag battle cover.
Herofa.jpg|Artwork of the protagonist wearing dragon armor
Smt1heroarmors.jpg|Artwork of the protagonist wearing various armor sets
File:SMT1 Hero Armor's 2.jpg|Artwork of the protagonist wearing various armor sets
File:SMT1 Hero Armor's 3.jpg|Artwork of the protagonist wearing various armor sets
Smt1herohinokagutsuchi.jpg|The protagonist wielding the Kagutsuchi as seen in Digital Devil Apocalypse
File:Protagonist and Heroine (Shin Megami Tensei).jpg|Artwork of the protagonist and Heroine after the Great Flood
File:Protagonist, Law Hero and Chaos Hero (Shin Megami Tensei).jpg|Artwork of the protagonist, Law Hero and Chaos Hero seeing the heroine as a child
File:Protagonist and a Demon (Shin Megami Tensei).jpg|Artwork of the protagonist summoning a demon
File:Protagonist and Heroine with Michael (Shin Megami Tensei).jpg|Artwork of the protagonist and heroine with Michael
File:Protagonist with Pascal, Chaos Hero and Law Hero.jpg|Artwork of the protagonist with Pascal, Law Hero and Chaos Hero around a campfire
===Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse===
Artwork of SMT Protagonist for Shin Megami Tensei IV Final DLC.png|The protagonist as he appears in Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse DLC
===TCG===
File:SMT-TCG-The-Hero1.jpg|
File:SMT-TCG-The-Hero2.jpg|
File:SMT-TCG-The-Hero3.jpg|
File:SMT-TCG-The-Hero4.jpg|
===Other===
P5D Yusuke Kitagawa SMT I Hero DLC.png|Yusuke Kitagawa as the protagonist in Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight
Shin Megami Tensei TRPG Mato Tokyo 200X Supplement Kongo Shinkai Art.jpg|Shin Megami Tensei TRPG Mato Tokyo 200X Supplement Kongo Shinkai artwork
==Trivia==
thumb|His mention in SMT if...
* In Shin Megami Tensei if..., he is mentioned once by Yahata who was inspired by his COMP and decided to make one himself.
* In Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army, in the Akarana Corridor, one of the hourglasses' visions says that "There's a ruined city with three young warriors fighting for survival." Those three warriors could be the protagonist, Law Hero and Chaos Hero.
** The Lost Soul found in the 2030s area of the corridor alludes to the events of Shin Megami Tensei, as well as the protagonist saying "We owe a lot to the schoolboy with the gadget on his arm, who defeated all the gods and demons..."
* He is the only Shin Megami Tensei protagonist to have followed a canonical route in a game with multiple paths and endings.
* One of his names, "Futsuo," means both "ordinary man" and "Contact of Buddha."
Category:Protagonists
Category:Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse Characters
Category:Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse Allies