Flynn

Flynn is the protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei IV.

Appearances

 * Shin Megami Tensei IV: Protagonist
 * Shin Megami Tensei IV -Prayers-: Minor Character
 * Shin Megami Tensei IV DEMONIC GENE: Minor Character
 * Shin Megami Tensei IV Final
 * Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem

Design
Flynn has dark, handsome long black hair in a ponytail, sharp green eyes, and slightly tanned skin. He wields a COMP, in the form of a gray gauntlet, a katana, and wears his samurai uniform, which consists of a dark navy blue jacket with white stripes, a light top, a brown belt, white pants with shin guards, and white boots. He also has a white scarf, the color possibly due to his neutrality. While his field model changes according to the equipment he is wearing, he appears in his samurai uniform during animated cutscenes.

Personality
Through the tradition of Shin Megami Tensei series, Flynn is a silent protagonist, where his personality is based upon players' actions and decisions. It is noted by other NPCs that he is very quiet and doesn't say much. Depending on Flynn's current alignment, the White will refer to him as one who chose preservation (Law), upheaval (Chaos), or neutrality (Neutral). This also ties on to the Cynical Man's opinion of him. If Flynn is Lawful, he will view Flynn as polite, if Chaotic, he will say that Flynn is hot-blooded. However, if Flynn is neutral, the man calls him a 'hard man to get a handle on', and notes that he once said the same thing to someone else, referring to Flynn's former self. Flynn also seems to be able to deal with many tough situations calmly according to his dialogue choices, and he also seems very flexible when he is scouting for demons, being able to be highly aloof or very mature.

Shin Megami Tensei IV
A young man living in the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado. At the beginning he has a dream of beings speaking, but whom he cannot see. He then has a dream of a burning city and meets an apparition calling itself Walter after it takes shape, who requests that he join him to make a world where anything can be changed if they have the will. Then he appears in a desert wasteland, where he meets another specter, calling itself Jonathan that takes shape who wants him to join him so that the peace today will last forever. Then he meets a young girl whose words are barely understood until she asks him to revive her. He wakes up from the dream to be greeted by his childhood friend Issachar at Lake Mikado outside Mikado Castle.

A Casualry from Kiccigiorgi, both him and Issachar traveled from their hometown to the capital in order to participate in the Gauntlet Rite. He is chosen by the gauntlet to be a Samurai. He is greeted by Walter after joining the Samurai, and meets the other prentices and Hope alongside him. In Naraku he meets Burroughs and wins the exercises given to them by Hope. He also wins the Challenge Quests that K gives them and the challenge given by Navarre about who would complete them first. After succeeding, he is greeted by a Samurai who asks him to go rescue Navarre, but to keep it quiet so Navarre's dignity can remain intact.

It was a trap, however, and he is attacked by the Hooded man twice, being aided by Isabeau and Jonathan in the second battle against him. Joined by those two and Walter he goes on to save Navarre, only to see the ghost girl from his dreams in Alraune's Domain. He then meets Stephen who tells him that she is interested in him. On their day off the next day, he comes across Issachar at Lake Mikado, who leaves after seeing him.

In Kiccigiorgi Forest, he learns that his parents helped two villagers escape with their child, but their fate after that is unknown. He later meets Issachar deeper into the forest, and fights him after he is possessed by a demon. His friend's final words is to ask him to become a magnificent samurai and change the corrupt world. He is incapacitated by the Lilim Horde summoned by the Black Samurai, and sees Stephen once again, who lets him know the girl wants to see him once again. Meeting with the young girl again, she asks him to revive her for the sake of everyone. He is the last of the group to awaken.

After returning to the capital he has another dream of meeting Walter in a burning city, where he tells him to hurry to the underground. In the desert wasteland, however, Jonathan tells him not to go to the underground. He acquires his first gun on the floor beneath the Hall of the Minotaur. After learning how Red Pills are made, he is influenced by Yaso Magatsuhi's gas, but is the last one to be affected and the last to wake up. Jonathan mentions he took off his pants and did something with his nose, but Isabeau cuts off the rest.

After leaving the Hills Building, Hugo tells them to go to Shene Deuqe, which according to Jonathan is known as a holy land. When they arrive, they encounter Gabby, who leads them inside the cocoon shaped object nearby. Once inside, they are greeted by three heavenly figures. Gabby's form changes completely, and the group introduce themselves as the four heralds Gabriel, Michael, Uriel, and Raphael. They are the new leaders of the Eastern Kingdom of Mikado, however when Isabeau suggests they tell them about Fujiwara and Skins, however Gabriel tells them that they will kill any resident of Tokyo who will try to enter the kingdom via Naraku. Gabriel reinforms them of their mission to kill the Black Samurai, or rather Lilith. However, after exiting the cocoon, Walter says that he wants to bring about the world Lilith spoke of, a world where the strong can shape the world as they see fit. Jonathan is angered by this, asking if he is siding with Lilith and abandoning his duties. Walter says nothing, but tells them that he will be waiting at the Barracks for anyone who wishes to come. After he leaves, Isabeau who is completely at a loss of what to do, takes her leave. Jonathan reaffirms Flynn of what their duty is, and tells him that he will be waiting at the entrance to Naraku for him.

If Flynn sides with Walter, they will make their way to Tsuki Hogwanji, where they are greeted by a member of the Ring of Gaea. He tells them that Lilith has been expecting them, and tells them to take the main entrance. After entering, another member escourts them to Lilith, who greets them saying that they are indeed the humans she thought them to be. Walter tells her that they have decided to stake everything on the world that they desired. Lilith tells them to go to the Yamato Perpetual Reactor, which is the same generator in the hands of Tayama. According to Lilith, its the door that opens the way to the Expanse, the home to demons. When Flynn and Walter arrive at the subway road leading to Camp Ichigaya, where the Yamato Reactor is located, Walter is surprised to see Koga Saburo alive. After he is defeated, Flynn and Walter encounter two other National Defense Divinities, Omoikane and Michizane. Once the other two are dealt with, they head into the dome shaped room leading to the Yamato Reactor, where Tayama greets them. After some conversation, Tayama summons Yamato Takeru, who expresses some dismay when Flynn calls him a servant of Tayama. Once he is defeated, Tayama, albeit being threatened by Walter, gives the remote that activates the Yamato Reactor over to Walter, who gives it to Flynn. Once Flynn presses the remote, Tayama is seen being drowned into the reactor, and is fate is later unknown, but is presumed dead. Flynn and Walter are sucked in as well, only to later awaken in the Counter-Demon Force's base alongside Jonathan.

If Flynn sides with Jonathan, they will make their way to Tsuki Hogwanji, where they find a man from the Ashura-kai badly wounded at the entrance. He tells them to take the path beneath the bench, but leaves his sentence unfinished as he collapses. When they enter Lilith's room, they find that it is turned into a Domain, and encounter a man from the Ring of Gaea who becomes a demon. After its defeat, Jonathan wonders where Lilith is, and the two continue their way into the Domain until later encountering Lilith, who appears hostile between the two of them. Jonathan announces that they have come to kill her, and the battle begins shortly afterwards. She tries to make Flynn see that he does indeed bear the characteristics of one who follows the path of Chaos. However, she is defeated and eventually begins to crumble away, but not before informing the two that someone close to them is opening the game to the expanse. Disturbed by this, Jonathan and Flynn make their way to Camp Ichigaya, where they find a defeated Yamato-Takeru and a dead Tayama. Walter greets the two, with Jonathan in complete bewilderment. Walter states that he wants to bring about a world where humans can have true freedom, a world where people such as Issachar wouldn't have to suffer, and asks the protagonist if he understands. Regardless of decision, Walter activates the reactor, and the three are sucked in.

When they awaken, each has a different account of what happened. Walter states that they activated the Reactor together after meeting Lilith, while Jonathan states that they killed Lilith and went to the Reactor to see Walter activating it. Out of frustration, Walter leaves the base while Jonathan ponders about the white beings they encountered. When they leave, they see that Tokyo has been reduced to nothing but a desert, and the bedrock ceiling gone.

Flynn is the reincarnation of the youngest member of the Counter-Demon Force that defeated Masakado and fused with him to become the ceiling that prevented God's Wrath from destroying Tokyo, in other words, the neutral path. Blasted Tokyo is an alternate world where his past self sided with the Angels alongside his partner Kiyoharu and aided them in their goals, eventually dying thanks to Pluto's poison for being unclean. Infernal Tokyo is a world where he sided with demons and his partner Kenji, where he died protecting Kenji from demons that they sought to remove from Tokyo. In the White ending, it is mentioned that his current self that comes from Mikado is his fifth self.

Shin Megami Tensei IV Final
The savior of Tokyo who has slain angels and demons. The Polytheistic Alliance wants him on their side.

Trivia

 * Even though both the official Japanese and English websites still name him as "Hero" and "Protagonist" respectively, his default name was revealed to be "Flynn" (フリン, Furin) in the second Japanese trailer. The name is probably a reference to the hero from Shin Megami Tensei, who was nicknamed Futsuo (translated as ordinary guy) in the Kaneko Works. The reference is strongly supported by the same naming pattern of Jonathan and Walter.
 * In the DLC quest, Clipped Wings, it is revealed that Flynn had aided Mastema in defeating the four archangels, then sealing three out of the four away at Kagome Tower, however when Flynn and the others are confronted by the four, they bare no hostility to him at all. However, a reason for staying their hand may be due to them admitting that Flynn is God's Chosen in Clipped Wings hence why they instead choose to use Flynn instead of striking him down despite how dangerous he potentially still is to them.
 * In a few DLC challenge quests, Flynn can obtain armor that will either grant him the appearance of Koga Saburo, Lucifer, and Asmodeus, while another, a headgear armor, will turn Flynn's hair blonde while changing his eye color, one colored red and the other blue, giving him a reminiscent appearance to Louis Cyphre.