Yamato Hotsuin

Yamato Hotsuin is a character from Devil Survivor 2. He is the director of JP's and leads the attacks against the Septentriones.

Appearances

 * Devil Survivor 2: Major Character
 * Devil Survivor 2: Break Code: Major Character
 * Devil Survivor 2 - Show Your Free Will 
 * Devil Survivor 2 The Animation (Manga) 
 * Devil Survivor 2 The Animation 

Design
Yamato is a young man who has messy straight sliver hair and gray eyes with one of his bangs hanging on his right eye. He wears a JP standard director uniform with black heavy trench coat, black baggy trousers, and black leather boots.

Personality
He has a calm composure when making judgments and deciding on actions while fighting the mysterious invaders. However, he reveals a dark side when he admits to "disposing" of Ronaldo's superior that made Ronaldo believed him to be the root of evil. He reveals in his Fate system events that he has high expectations of the Protagonist due to the numerous possibilities that he brings. He also chooses not to punish any of his subordinates when they make a mistake, believing that it would be pointless unless they had further potential. It is revealed that his status as part of the Hotsuin family has deprived Yamato of a regular childhood. He has a strong pride of his family and unable to accept that the current world that he viewed unworthy of being protected by his family.

Despite his perceived cruelty, Yamato truly wishes for the best of the world that his family has protected for generations and intends on using Polaris to create a new system in the world where the strong rule over the weak, believing that the only way to guide the world to the right path is through hiercracy. He is shown to be dedicated to this task, and will not be swayed to join the Protagonist when he is beaten in the Anguished One's path or Ronaldo's path. However, he can be convinced to join in the Restorer and Triumphant paths, provided the Protagonist has developed enough of a bond with Yamato to convince him that his way has a chance. If Yamato is convinced to join the Protagonist, Yamato seems to have shown some change of his view of the society, trying to understand the society by starting to blend with civillians like the Protagonist does before fighting Polaris.

Devil Survivor 2
Yamato's family created JP's and have led it for generations. He sometimes gives direct orders to protagonist and the group personally.

1st Day Sunday's Melancholy
Yamato is introduced to the group by Makoto in JP's headquarters as guests brought in for interrogation (Which was a lie made by Makoto as an excuse to provide first aid for Io). He is seen shortly after talking to Makoto about isolating the group into cells, out of suspicion of irresponsible use of the Demon Summoning App.

Later, he appears with Makoto and several other JP's members to aid the group after the battle with Dubhe, announcing all suspicions have been cleared, and that he will provide them with shelter for the night.

5th Day Thursday's Shock
Yamato is first seen staring at a tower, and explains to the protagonist their purpose. Shortly after, a strange bulb-shaped object falls from the sky and explodes, creating a small toxic area which kills the JP's members who accompanied Yamato. Several more objects falls from the sky, and the group is tasked with the job of protecting Yamato while he scans the toxic areas. After finishing his work, Yamato discovers that the strange objects came from Alioth, and orders that the tower should be temporarily shut down. Shortly after Alioth passes the tower, he assigns the protagonist with the task of finding a way to shoot down Alioth.

7th Day A Saturday Towards Hierarchy
If the player sides with Yamato, he is joined by Fumi, Keita, and Makoto, and together they set out to help achieve his dream of a merit system.

On Daichi's route, Yamato is fought alone at the Tsuutenkaku, where he soon reveals that he can channel the Dragon Stream to allow him to act twice during a skirmish and increase the rate at which he earns his turn. After he is defeated, the player can persuade him to join the party and then he officially disbanded the JP's. If the player persuade him first before Ronaldo, he will talk with Ronaldo along with the Protagonist and make him understand that his way won't bring the peace he wished for. Afterwards, Ronaldo stated that he won't get in their way again and left, not joining the party.

On Ronaldo's route after the player defeats him, the Tsuutenkaku tower begins to collapse due to Yamato's overuse of the Dragon Stream. He calls forth a powerful blast that knocks away the Protagonist's party in time, saving them, but is crushed and killed by the falling rubble.

Last Day Sunday's Fruition
In Angushed One's route, Yamato will be fought in the terminal, stopping them from encountering Polaris. After he is defeated, he reveals the Anguished One's true nature as Alcor, the last Septentrione and tries to convince the player he is merely deceiving him. However, seeing the player still regards the Anguished One as his comrade, Yamato uses the dragon stream as his last resort, but this effort ultimately failed by the Anguished One. Refusing to give up his ideal, Yamato jumps down from the terminal to his death.

In the Triumphant ending, Yamato is coming out of the Diet Building alongside Makoto to enter a large limo with JP's in view. It can be speculated that in this ending, JP's is now bigger and more popular than before.

On Yamato's route, after defeating Polaris, a meritocracy is created according to his ideals. Polaris warns that over time, as the characters themselves grow old, they will eventually lose their strength and be eliminated within that society. In the new world, demons still run rampant with the Demon Summoning App still functional, and the weak are discriminated against unless they strive to prove their worth.


 * Polaris' power reformed man's consciousness and a new world order dawned.
 * All disparities arising from wealth and breeding were eliminated...
 * Only one's performance as an individual will prove one's worth as a member of society.
 * Power... Knowledge... Reason...
 * Those who survived live by marshaling their talents to the fullest.
 * And of course... Yamato and his retinue continue to reign supreme above all.

After the credits, the protagonist's phone receives a message from Nicaea:
 * You now have a new order.
 * Let's survive.

The player receives the Meritorious title for reaching this ending.

Fate System
At Fate 1 he gains Physical resistance, at Fate 3 he unlocks Deity Mithra (Lv. 49), and at Fate 5 Deity Baal (Lv. 65).

Yamato's Fate System focus on his view on the world and its people and the growth of Protagonist's potential. Throughout Yamato's Fate system, Yamato views people as mere plebeians without a care for the world and thinks that weak people uses him, his family, and people with strong potential as pawns, clinging to them and drag them down that wasting their talents. This makes him believe that only the strong ones are worthy to live. He is constantly amazed by Protagonist's potential and achievement that beyond his expectation. Through these events, Yamato acknowledges the Protagonist's potential based from his judgment and offered him to become his right-hand man when the Protagonist must decide which side he'll choose.

After defeating Yamato in Daichi's route and convinced to join the party, he is seen beside a dying man, inspecting the injuries that the man received and tells him that he won't survive. Despite knowing that Yamato is from JP's, he gave Yamato a candy that he had initially intended to give to his daughter since it doesn't mater anymore before he dies, surprising Yamato. Yamato then asks the Protagonist if he has any right to keep the candy and wonders whether it is too late to try to understand how civillians think.

Stats
Yamato takes a middle ground between Io Nitta and Makoto Sako, maximizing both his Strength and Magic growth without favoring either, while sacrificing his Vitality and Agility in the process. Fortunately, his Fate-granted Phys resistance, combined with the Anti-Most skill (which he can most likely use due to his high Magic) can cover for his lack in resilience. Although not shown on the status menu, Yamato has innate resistance against almighty attacks.

Daichi's Route
Yamato is challenged at the Tsuutenkaku. However, he soon reveals that he chose this location as he can easily channel the Dragon Stream from there, allowing him to sharply raise his otherwise pitiful speed. He comes accompanied with Remiel and Arioch, with the former restoring his MP and the latter allowing him to destroy teams with a double-cast Megido from afar. Should any of them go down, he is also capable of reviving them with his Auto Skill and healing them with Prayer, giving his team more longevity. All members of his team have a degree of immunity to Physical attacks, deterring obliteration via Multi-Strike. Bring Dragons or Viles to match his range, or use Avians to close the gap quickly.

Anguished One's Route
Yamato attacks the party at the enhanced Shinsekai Terminal, and gains the ability to start up a magic circle within the center of the battlefield, dealing damage to each member's HP and MP while they are there. If all members manage to escape the area, Yamato disables this harmful effect. Unlike the battles with him at the Tsuutenkaku, Yamato neither has long range nor boosted speed, but instead uses the Magic Yin + Megidolaon combo to wreak havoc on opposing teams (even worse if it gets double-cast by Dual Shadow), and keeps his MP replenished via boosted Drain. The Norn team in the corner of the battlefield can also use Samarecarm to revive his defeated demons. Have Avians around to quickly escape the central area of the battlefield, and Megami or Prayer to remove the Curse ailments that his Purple Mirror will inflict.

Test of Might, as an Enemy
Yamato is challenged at the Tsuutenkaku. However, he soon reveals that he chose this location as he can easily channel the Dragon Stream from there, allowing him to sharply raise his otherwise pitiful speed. He comes accompanied with Remiel and Arioch, with the former restoring his MP and the latter allowing him to destroy teams with a double-cast Megido from afar. Should any of them go down, he is also capable of reviving them with his Auto Skill and healing them with Prayer, giving his team more longevity. All members of his team have a degree of immunity to Physical attacks, deterring obliteration via Multi-Strike. Bring Dragons or Viles to match his range, or use Avians to close the gap quickly.

Shadow Yamato, as an Enemy
Shadow Yamato is fought alone, on a team all by himself.

Trivia

 * It can be inferred that Yamato's yellow cell phone model is standard-issue amongst all JP's staff, since they also carry similar phones.
 * His Fate route unlocks demons that hold high ranks in their respective mythologies, referencing his role as the leader of JP's and his (perceived) ruthless behavior.
 * He has a younger twin sister named Miyako Hotsuin. She is only mentioned in the art book, but later will appear in the upcoming remake game.
 * His name was romanized in the trailer as Yamato Houtsuin.
 * If the player fails to save Keita on Monday, Yamato will replace him in missions that requires players to choose between three groups such as Delta Battle and Barrier Failure.
 * In the game, he eventually refers the Protagonist with his first name, unlike other characters whom he still refers with their family names.
 * In the Animation, Anguished One refers Hibiki as the "new" Shining One, implying that before Hibiki, there's someone that he regarded as Shining One. It is hinted that Yamato is the previous Shining One chosen by Anguished One, since in the game, at Friday, shortly after Yamato revealed his goal, he revealed that he had helped Yamato because he believed that Yamato was best suited to protect the world, but was disappointed upon knowing Yamato's intention for world based from merit with Polaris' help, and sought for a new Shining One, which is Hibiki. Especially had known Auguished One since his early childhood.