Thanatos

Thanatos (タナトス, Tanatosu) is a demon in the series.

History
Thanatos is personification of death and mortality in Greek Mythology. He is commonly known as a harbinger of peaceful death, bringing the eternal sleep of death to the world while more violent gods were responsible for harsher death. In the Greek Poem, Theogony, Thanatos (Greek: θάνατος — Death) is one of the sons of Nyx and is the elder twin brother of Hypnos. In the earliest mythological accounts, Thanatos is the harbinger of peaceful death, bringing eternal sleep to the world. Characterized as indiscriminate and merciless, Thanatos is detested by all and he hates them in return, all too happy to bring mortals to their fated end. Thanatos is perceived by Greek poets as a fearsome, sword-wielding, shaggy bearded specter and fierce of countenance. He is a harbinger of suffering and grief, and his coming was marked by pain.

In later eras, Thanatos is portrayed again as an angel of Death, associated more with a gentle passing than a woeful demise, guiding mortals after their death. Many Roman sarcophagi depict him as a winged boy, very much akin to Cupid. The depiction of Thanatos in Persona 3 seems to be derived more from the earliest mythological accounts, being characterized as a grim warrior surrounded by a mantle of metal coffins.

Appearances

 * Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Shinigami Clan
 * Megami Ibunroku Persona: Snow Queen Quest Boss
 * Persona 3 / FES / Portable: Death Arcana
 * Persona 3 (Manga)
 * Persona 3 The Movie: Death Arcana
 * Persona 4 Arena / Ultimax Ultra Suplex Hold: Death Arcana
 * Shin Megami Tensei Trading Card: Card Summoner: Shinigami Clan
 * Lord of Vermillion Re: 2: Cameo

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona
Thanatos appears as the boss of the Thanatos Tower in the Snow Queen arc, as the Persona of Yuriko Yamamoto. Yuriko takes Thanatos' form when the party refuses her offer to give them eternal youth by killing them.

Persona 3
Thanatos is the ultimate Persona of the Death Arcana in Persona 3. It first appears during the protagonist's attempt of summoning Orpheus, where Thanatos emerges from Orpheus' head. Ripping Orpheus apart, Thanatos then lunges towards the looming Shadows, mercilessly decapitating them. Later, the protagonist can gain accessibility to Thanatos after the Social Link with Pharos completed.

Thanatos' fusion prerequisite requires all the Personas of the Death Arcana, namely Loa, Pale Rider, Samael, Mot and Alice to perform a pentagon-spread fusion in the Velvet Room. Thanatos also grants the equipment Ring of Darkness, which repels Dark-based attacks, as his Heart Item.

Ryoji Mochizuki's true form as Death looks identical to Thanatos, seeing that Thanatos can be the manifestation of Ryoji's friendship with the protagonist during his form as Pharos.

Persona 3: FES
Thanatos' role and attribute remains relatively the same from the original game. However, the fusion prerequisite now requires an additional Persona, namely Ghoul, an exclusive Persona of the Death Arcana in Persona 3: FES to perform a hexagon-spread fusion in the Velvet Room.

In the playable epilogue of Persona 3: FES, titled the Answer, Thanatos can also be summoned in the Velvet Room by Aigis through normal fusion.

Persona 4 Arena
Thanatos now serves as Elizabeth's Persona. He is the only Persona in the game that is capable of using all the Elemental Spells.

Lord of Vermillion Re: 2
Thanatos appears alongside Pallas Athena, Izanagi and Messiah as one of the Personas featured in Lord of Vermillion Re: 2, once again serving as Elizabeth's Persona. Thanatos enables Elizabeth to use Megidolaon, which is considered a Physical Ability in the game.