Protagonist (Devil Survivor)

The Protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is a high school student in Japan.

Appearances

 * Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor: Protagonist
 * Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor Overclocked: Protagonist
 * Devil Survivor (Manga): Protagonist as Kazuya Minegishi

Design
He appears as a boy with short, straight blue hair, wearing white headphones that give him the vague appearance of cat ears or devilish horns on his head.

The protagonist wears a black long sleeve shirt with a black MP3 player on the collar (that connects to his headphones), reddish pants with a belt strap on the right side and black shoes.

Personality
Much like the protagonists of the Shin Megami Tensei series, this Protagonist is a clean slate, allowing for the player to develop his personality in whatever direction they see fit: either reveling in the power the COMP offers, or desperately finding a solution to everything, or completely consumed by fear, or any other number of situations that may arise within the game.

His interactions and movements are controlled by the player. His personality is also shaped through the decisions he make as he interacts with the characters in the story. The course and ending of the story depends on these decisions, as well as the events that affect the other characters.

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
The Protagonist is a second year high school student, a friend of Yuzu Tanikawa and Atsuro Kihara.

Day Before An End to the Ordinary
The Protagonist has a cousin named Naoya, who is a computer programmer; while once they were fairly close and lived together, their relations cooled after Naoya left to live on his own. One day, Naoya sent him a COMP, complete with a heavily encrypted Demon Summoning Program.

1st Day: Tokyo Lockdown
This was the same day Tokyo was sealed by the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force and the same day a demon outbreak burst throughout the city.

2nd Day: Any Way Out
The protagonist, Yuzu and Atsuro were trapped and desperately tried to escape while surviving the demon outbreak.

3rd Day: Beldr
Over the course of the lockdown he became involved in the war for the Throne of Bel, which he either wins or runs from depending on the route the player chooses.

Early Bad Ending
He, Yuzu, Atsuro, Keisuke and Midori decide to break out of the lockdown during the battle at Ueno on the 6th day. After escaping, a lightning bolt strikes the Yamanote Circle, killing everyone left in the lockdown. Angels then descend from Heaven, stripping mankind of their free will.

Desperate Escape
On Desperate Escape Route the Protagonist elects to run away from his responsibilities, feeling that none of the combatants of the War of Bel will go as far as they claim; to this end, he, Yuzu, Atsuro, and possibly others, will break out of the lockdown by destroying the SDF and the angel barricades, allowing the demon invasion to spread far beyond the Yamanote Lockdown, creating an utterly lawless world dominated by demons.

Metatron will send a message to the Protagonist some time later, censuring his choice and damning him for shirking away his duties in the War of Bel, but telling him there might be hope for mankind one day.

King of Demons
On King of Demons Route the revelations about the Protagonist's reincarnation and that of his brother are also revealed. Following Naoya's advice on how to use the power of the Throne of Bel, the Protagonist creates a world unified against YHVH, becoming the Dark Lord of a new era. This ending alienates Yuzu, who feels scared of such a world.

Kingdom of Saints
On Kingdom of Saints Route it is revealed that he is a reincarnation of the biblical Abel, the first murder victim, and Naoya is the reincarnation of his brother, Cain, still serving God's punishment. Following Amane's advice on how to use the power of the Throne of Bel, the Protagonist creates a world of Law, following the mandates of the Lord against the power of both Lucifer and his brother.

Silent Revolution
On Silent Revolution Route the Protagonist chooses to subjugate the demons by dominating the server used as the flowing gate for demons into and outside reality; demons then become directly controllable by humans rather than by the typical contract seen throughout the series. This leads to a new revolution which lands Japan a top spot in the UN's Security Council, implying Japan has become a global superpower through use of demon power.

Song of Hope
On Song of Hope Route the Protagonist chooses to follow Gin's advice on how to use the power of the Throne of Bel to seal the rift between the worlds and restore normality; this implies alienating Naoya, who wants his brother to instead rise against God's rule.

The chant sung by Haru is revealed to have the special properties needed to banish all demons from the Yamanote Lockdown, and after destroying Babel and claiming the last of the power of Bel, the demons will have no choice but to obey their master and leave the planet, restoring everything to normality.

Stats
Unlike all other characters, each time the protagonist levels up, it is up to the player's decision to determine the allocation of stat points, allowing for customizability to the player's preferred style of play. He starts with a speed of 50 and movement range of 4, but after the player defeats Beldr, his speed increases to 53. After the player completes any route (barring the Early Bad End), his speed increases to 56. Completing any route other than Yuzu's will give him a movement range of 5.

Trivia

 * The protagonist's smile changes for Naoya's and Amane's routes. In Naoya's route where he had become the King of Demons, his smile is sinister, making him similar to his cousin. While in Amane's route where he had become the Messiah, his smile is much more friendly and soothing, reflecting his new role as God's messenger. In other routes his smile remains neutral, the same as when the game begins.
 * The protagonist is the only character in the game to be able to damage Beldr by using Devil's Fuge.
 * The protagonist is the only character in the game able to do normal damage to any other Bel's.
 * The protagonist's race changes from Human to Bel should he become the King of Bel.
 * The protagonist's manga name "Kazuya Minegishi" appears to be a combination of various other unofffical names for previous protagonists Kazuya and Keiji Minegishi. This may also serve as a reference to Naoya Toudou who had a deceased brother named Kazuya. And in turn, this "Kazuya" has a cousin named Naoya.