Mara



Mara (マーラ, Māra) is a recurring entity in the series. Its design is a pun of sorts, as "Mara", in the Japanese language, is a colloquialism for "penis".

History
In Buddhist myth, Mara is also known as "The Evil One", a tempter, through the deceit of regarding the mundane and negative as alluring, and personifies unwholesome impulses, unskillfulness, and the "death" of the spiritual life.

Feeling threatened by the enlightenment the Buddha was trying to bestow upon humanity, he attacked Gautama Buddha when he was meditating beneath the boddhi tree. He was defeated when the Buddha simply touched the tips of his fingers to the earth, whereupon all the gods descended in a tremendous roar to pay homage to him. Though Mara was defeated that time, he still lingers in the world, hoping to seize the souls of the dying and unenlightened.

Originated in Sri Lankan Buddhism, a demon who was riding Girimehkala with a penis-headed image tried to stop Siddharta Gautama from reaching enlightenment through meditation. The most common story depicts Mara using his beautiful daughters in an attempt to tempt the Buddha; he later marched his demonic army to scare him, however this ended in failure for Mara.

Its manifestation in the series is likely a nod to the metaphor of Devaputra-mara, the disillusion of regarding Mara as an objective being.

Appearance

 * Shin Megami Tensei: Maou Clan
 * Shin Megami Tensei II: Maou Clan
 * Shin Megami Tensei: if...: Maou Clan
 * Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne: Optional Boss
 * Shin Megami Tensei: IMAGINE: Tyrant Race, Nocturne Slime-form only
 * Shin Megami Tensei: 20XX: Maou, boss - Law and Neutral paths.
 * Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey: Tyrant Race
 * Shin Megami Tensei IV: Tyrant Race, Boss
 * Majin Tensei II: Maou Clan
 * Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers: Tyrant Race, Optional Boss
 * Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon: Pagan Order
 * Megami Ibunroku Persona: Event Boss
 * Persona 3 FES: Tower Arcana
 * Persona 3 Portable: Tower Arcana
 * Persona 4: Tower Arcana
 * Shin Megami Tensei Trading Card: Card Summoner: Maou Clan

Shin Megami Tensei II
Mara governs the Tower of Chokmah in Makai and acts as a guard to Lucifer's Castle Kether. If Aleph's Alignment is Chaos, he will let Aleph pass either with a minimum of 15 Wisdom stats or by beating him in battle. In the Neutral or Lawful paths, Mara will try to tempt Aleph. First, he offers 999999 Macca. Next, he offers a 10 level increase. Finally, he offers power that surpasses even Satan and Lucifer. If Aleph accepts any of his offerings, he will fall under Mara's spell and must fight Mara with a handicap.

Shin Megami Tensei: if...
Mara has the same sprite as he did in Shin Megami Tensei II, but more detailed. He is aligned with Dark-Chaos.

Shin Megami Tensei: 20XX
Mara appears as the head of the Cult of Gaia. He is mentioned as "His Excellence" by the demons and Gaians. If the player follows the Neutral or Law alignments during the battles in the Arena, Mara will invite the the hero to give him the title to rule Valhalla. When met, he'll offer control of Valhalla to the player, if accepted, he'll freeze the Hero. Either way, he will attack. After being defeated, Mara explains that while Lucifer is still alive, the demons will never disappear from the human world.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
An incomplete, slimy form of Mara appears when Baphomet summons him during a Full Kagutsuchi phase in Shibuya at the request of two Manikins and the ritual fails. The Demi-fiend will be rewarded with the Muspell Magatama upon defeating him.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
In this game, Mara is portrayed as a goddess rather than a god, wielding power over temptation and death, despite retaining the same overall shape (though a local Grendel insisted she was once a beautiful goddess). She appears in Sector Grus after reaching a certain part of Sector Horologium. In the Chaos path, she hires the protagonist to assault a gathering of angels and disrupt the ritual they were carrying out. Despite the attack, the angels finish the fusion ritual and combine themselves to form Seraph, forcing the protagonist into a fight. After Seraph's demise, Mara will arrive, regretting she did not participate in the death of the Seraph, and can join the protagonist's party. Fulfilling her request also yields the right to summon her through fusion and the Peacemaker, the most devastating gun in the game.

During the Law route, Mara appears instead as the enemy, as the protagonist is hired instead by the Seraph to destroy Mara. Upon Mara's death, Seraph will join the protagonist instead.

Shin Megami Tensei IV
Mara is summoned by the Terminal Guardian to prevent Flynn from accessing the eighth Terminal. Amusingly despite the Guardian calling Mara male her profile info is the same as Strange Journey, meaning it is actually a woman.

Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Mara is one of the five bosses the player can fight the Corridor of Time after clearing the game. Defeating him is necessary to obtain the Iron Manji, one of the five items required to unlock New Game Plus.

Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha Vs. King Abaddon
Mara appears at Waden One during a Case File, having fought with Raido Kuzunoha the XIV and dragged him across a dimensional rift, placing him in Raidou's timeline. He has the tendency to spout a multitude of puns, all related to his penis shape. Mara is portrayed as once being a Goddess rather than a God.

In New Game Plus she must be fought in the Case File 7th Trumpet, Eternal King as one of the Generals of Lucifer's army.

Megami Ibunroku Persona
Mara emerges from the body of Kenta "Toro" Yokouchi during an event battle in the Snow Queen Quest. He uses fire spells and caused Yuka Ayase's Persona to awaken.

Persona 3 FES
Mara appears as an exclusive Persona added to the Tower Arcana in the updated re-release of Persona 3, titled Persona 3 FES. Mara is summoned by means of a special Pentagon Spread fusion, and holds the distinction of having the only multi-target high damage fire elemental spell, "Maralagidyne". Fusing Mara with a Nihil weapon grants the strongest fists-class weapon, Evil Hands, which is another pun on his design.

Persona 3 Portable
Mara will give the player the Maralagidyne skill card when this Persona has leveled up to 86, which the only way this spell can be passed on to other Personas. Also if the player enters the Velvet Room with Mara as the equipped persona, Theodore or Elizabeth will comment on the player's choice of Persona, with Theo commenting to the Female Protagonist in it being unladylike, while Elizabeth will comment that it doesn't fit the player.

Persona 4
Mara returns as a Persona of the Tower Arcana in Persona 4. He can be summoned once the Protagonist reaches Lv.62 or above and fuses the appropriate Personas in the Velvet Room. However, Mara no longer learns the skill Maralagidyne.

Trivia

 * Mara, like the major Mothers in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, has MA in her name.
 * When requesting the Seraph's death, Mara wearily moans she would head to Horologium with the protagonist or even kill the Seraph herself, but she wants to stabilize so she won't turn into a Slime again, in reference to the botched ritual in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne.