Guardian

A Guardian is a mechanic in Shin Megami Tensei: if....
==Profile==
It is a guardian spirit that aids the human characters in the party. At the end of every battle, a character will gain Guardian Points to fill their Guardian Gauge (press X on the character's status screen to cycle between character and Guardian stats). Every time a character dies, they will receive a new Guardian based on how full the Guardian Gauge was. If the Gauge is yellow, the new Guardian will be weaker. If the Gauge is red, the new Guardian will be stronger. The fuller the Gauge is beyond the point it turns red, higher the chance that the new Guardian will be more than one rank above the old one.
If the Guardian has a stat higher than its host, that stat will receive a bonus. If the opposite is true, then that stat will be reduced. With the exception of the protagonist, human characters can learn the spells of their current Guardians, but not skills (both physical and magic). If a character has all of their skill slots full and gains a new Guardian, some of the new skills will overwrite the old ones without any control from the player.
==Trivia==
* The Guardian System was later refined and used as basis for Personas.
* It is stated by an NPC in if… that all humans who die while in the Expanse will invariably be revived by a Guardian demon's soul. This, however, does not account for various cases of zombification done on members of Karukozaka High School, nor cases such as Shin Megami Tensei II or the Monochrome Forest of Shin Megami Tensei IV.
==Gallery==
File:Shin_Megami_Tensei_if…_Charon.jpg|
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File:Shin_Megami_Tensei_if…_Charon_2_English.jpg
File:SMTif_Protagonist_Guardian_Snes_Version_3.jpg
File:SMTif_Protagonist_Guardian_Snes_Version_3_English.jpg
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File:SMTif_Protagonist_Guardian_Snes_Version_9.jpg
File:SMTif_Protagonist_Guardian_Snes_Version_9_English.jpg
File:Shin_Megami_Tensei_if…_Charon_10.jpg
File:Protagonist_Guardian.jpg
==See also==
* List of Shin Megami Tensei: if... Guardians
* Persona (concept)
Category:Shin Megami Tensei: if...