Naoya (Devil Survivor)

Naoya (直哉) is a character from Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor.

Appearances

 * Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor: Playable Character
 * Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked: Playable Character

Personality
Naoya is an extremely cunning individual with his own grudges against God. He is level-headed and rarely loses his cool, though whenever the subject of God is brought up, he tends to lose himself in his grudge. He is shown to be very knowledgeable, being described as a genius by several characters. Very manipulative, he claims to see the protagonist and his friends as pawns. However, certain events show that, deep down, he does care about the protagonist.

Profile

 * Age: 24

Devil Survivor
Naoya is the Protagonist's cousin. He had been living with the Protagonist and his family until a year ago, when he moved out to live in Aoyama. He is a genius in computer programming, and the Protagonist's friend Atsuro Kihara, who is computer savvy himself, admires his talents.

He first appears in the opening sequence, where he will refuse Amane's offer to continue working with the Shomonkai. Naoya meets with the Protagonist and his friends and gives each of them specially-customized Communication Players. Shortly after, someone is killed in the apartment he lives in, but he is apparently unhurt.

Early Bad Ending
It is implied that he, along with everyone else left in the lockdown, is killed by God's Thunder.

Desperate Escape
In Yuzu's ending, Naoya helps the protagonist and his friends escape the lockdown. He creates a diversion in Shinjuku by overloading multiple COMPs to attack the SDF while the protagonist and his friends fight the angels in Shibuya.

King of Demons
In King of Demons Route, he convinces the Protagonist to become the King of Bel to rebel against God. Throughout the ending, it is shown that Naoya has planned for many possible outcomes; this is especially evident when he tells the group that the COMP has the ability to send them into one's soul.

He is shown to be very persuasive, as he manages to convince Fushimi to postpone the deadline for the final option.

Before the battle with Babel, he admits he may not have been the ideal brother to the protagonist, but he will support him to the end.

Kingdom of Saints
In Kingdom of Saints Route it is revealed that he is the reincarnation of the biblical Cain, the first murderer, who killed his brother, Abel, during a fit of jealousy as he felt God favoured him. As punishment, God sentenced him to eternal reincarnation, with the memory of all his past lives intact, over and over again. The sheer amount of time he has spent living has given him the ability to predict how people will act, but is also the reason Naoya has a strong grudge against God. Naoya/Cain explains that he rages at His desire for living sacrifice, thus revealing God's bloody nature. He thus murdered Abel to offer the blood of God's beloved one as revenge on that very God.

Naoya and Loki fight the Protagonist in an attempt to stop him from reaching Babel, but ultimately fail. After telling the protagonist he will have more opportunities to make the Protagonist rebel against God, Naoya warps away.

Silent Revolution
Naoya first attempts to convince Atsuro to make the Protagonist the King of Bel, seeing that both methods have the same outcome of the demons being controlled. Atsuro opposes this thought, as it would create a dictatorship, so Naoya decides to challenge the Protagonist's party to a game - beat (and defeat) him, and he will cooperate.

Following his defeat, Naoya agrees to help Atsuro reprogram the server to accomplish his goal. After Belberith's defeat, Naoya shows up in time for Babel's summoning, and helps Atsuro hack into Babel. With Babel defeated, Naoya leaves Atsuro with the final task of inputting the command to return all demons to the demon world.

Song of Hope
Naoya is almost entirely absent from Gin's ending. He makes a brief appearance at the end, where he comments on the protagonist's actions and how he will never give up his quest for vengeance.

Devil Survivor Overclocked
In the Japanese version, he is voiced by Kishou Taniyama (unlike the drama CD, where his voice actor Kamiya Hiroshi). In the English release, he is voiced by Kyle Hebert.

His role in the 8th Day differs with the route chosen.

Man’s Decision 

The group finds Naoya at Nagato-cho’s Diet Building, surrounded by angels who are threatening to kill him. Fushimi tries to stop them, stating that the government wants Naoya as he is a prime suspect. Before the angels can attack either of them, the group interferes, and a battle against the angels, with Naoya as an ally, starts. After the defeat of the angels and the appearance of Metatron, the group asks him how to get rid of the demons. At first, he jokes that the easiest way would be for the protagonist to become the overlord, but afterwards, he tells them about Belberith, who is summoning demons into Tokyo. If the protagonist enquires about the weak barrier and the Devas, Naoya will give him a card key to the Shomonkai headquarters. The protagonist can talk to Naoya again, who tells him to be wary of the government. He also mentions that he got his wish with God's abandonment of humanity, but when the protagonist asks him about it, Naoya tells him to ignore him because he wouldn't understand. After Belberith’s defeat, Naoya makes a comment about how another Bel won’t appear for a long time and is interested in how man will manage himself without God.

Hero VS God 

Naoya is absent for the first half of the 8th Day of Amane's route. After receiving a challenge from the creator god of Japan, Okuninushi, the protagonist and his friends look for Naoya to try and save him from the punishment he received from God. They find him at the Diet Building, without a COMP, surrounded by other demon tamers who are demanding his help. Enraged when he refuses, the demon tamers prepare to attack Naoya, but are stopped by the protagonist.

Naoya is reluctant to talk to the group, stating that they have no business with each other. When the protagonist claims he wants to help Naoya, the latter laughs scornfully, saying that the only one who can understand Naoya is himself. He threatens to kill them if they bother him again, and leaves.

After learning about Cain from Azuma and Honda, the group finds Naoya again. They unmask his true feelings--how he showed his care for the protagonist by letting him choose his own path--and convince him that the protagonist doesn't hate him. He calls them a "credulous pack of morons" before leaving again, but Amane or Atsuro (depending on the dialogue option you choose) will note that that something in his voice seemed different.

Naoya appears as an ally during the final phase of the final battle, where he sets up a barrier to prevent Okuninushi from resurrecting, also cutting off a lot of his power. After Okuninushi is defeated, he tells the protagonist to work as the Messiah for God before leaving.

Naoya is last seen at the Diet Building in the epilogue, saying that he will watch over the protagonist to see if he can live up to his ideals.

The King’s Decision 

After defeating Babel, Naoya expressions concern about the protagonist’s human weaknesses; he is certain the angels will exploit them. He is proven true when Metatron speaks from the heavens the next day, telling the people in the lockdown to target the protagonist.

After escaping from some demon tamers, Naoya tells the protagonist of his options: spare the demon tamers after his life and target only the angels so that the humans will see that the angels are the real enemies, or kill anyone who stands in the way. He will support whichever decision the protagonist makes.

He is shown to be protective of the protagonist when he stops Loki’s attempt to bring the protagonist somewhere private.

Stats
Naoya is another magic-oriented character like Yuzu, though he has slightly more Vitality and slightly less Agility. With a movement range of 4, he makes a good replacement for Yuzu after she leaves the party in his route.

5th Day, Nagata-cho
Naoya appears, but he refuses to give the protagonist any answers unless the summoned demons are defeated within 3 of the protagonist's turns. Naoya is an ally, but he doesn't engage anyone in battle; he will just stay in his spot for the duration of the battle.

Silent Revolution
Naoya wants the protagonist to be the King of Bel, but Atsuro opposes the idea. Naoya thus challenges the protagonist's party to a game - catch and defeat him (he will be using a combination of Devil Speed and Phantasm to run all over the map), and he will cooperate with Atsuro.

Trivia

 * Naoya looks similar to another character that Suzuhita Yasuda created, Gin Nanami from Yozakura Quartet.
 * His route is of Chaos Alignment where the Protagonist will become an Overlord and rebel against God.
 * Naoya, along with Loki, is fought before the Protagonist can summon Babel in Kingdom of Saints Route. During that ending, Naoya begins to suffer from emotional distress, yelling at the protagonist to hate him and kill him. This is perhaps out of regret for killing Abel in a past life or because his plans of revenge against god were ruined.