Fenghuang (鳳凰) are mythological birds originated from ancient Chinese belief that reign over all other birds. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. In modern times, however, such a distinction of gender is often no longer made and the Feng and Huang are blurred into a single feminine entity so that the bird can be paired with the Chinese dragon, which has male connotations. Generally they take the form of peacock in five colors.
Fenghuang is also called the "August Rooster" since it sometimes takes the place of the rooster in the Chinese Zodiac. It is occasionally confused with the Zhuque, although non-Han variations of the Four Symbols consider both Zhuque and Fenghuang as the same creature. Feng Huang is known in Japan as Ho-O or Houou. Sometimes, it is incorrectly called the Chinese Phoenix, which originated from mythologies of different regions.
Because Fenghuang's five colors coincide with Taoist Five Elements (metal, wood, water, fire, earth), they were believed to possess the quality of all five elements. Modern interpretation of Fenghuang associating primarily with the fire element is likely the result of conflation with Zhuque and Phoenix, both represent fire.
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Not to be confused with Zhuque/Suzaku, which is incorrectly translated to Feng Huang in many official English versions.
Shin Megami Tensei
"Origin: China. A sacred bird. The males are called Feng and the females Huang. It is a beautiful five-colored shining bird, two meters long including the neck. In the 'Book of Rites,' it is one of the four benevolent animals."
—Shin Megami Tensei A-Mode DDS dictionary
In the Aeon Genesis translation of the game, Feng Huang is translated as Ho-ou or Ho-oh.
Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE
"A legendary avian that appears in countless Chinese legends. Both male and female, it is the king of all flying creatures. A servant of the Emperor of Heaven, it is two meters long and has a five-colored body and a five-toned voice. It only eats bamboo seeds and only perches on paulownia trees. In the Chinese "Classic of Rites", Feng Huang is counted as one of the Four Holy Elements and protects the South. It is also sometimes identified among the Four Holy Beasts alongside Zhu Que, Phoenix, and Garuda."
—Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE compendium
Feng Huang can only be acquired through fusion and through the hacked chip run in Home III Camp. He appears as a field boss on Shinagawa field and as support for Byakko's boss room. Feng is also one of the demons that can be mounted by using an intaglio item.
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army
"The legendary bird of Chinese myth. It's said to appear only in times of peace. It is the ruler of all birds; when it dies, birds throughout the land chirp with sadness."
—Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army devil chart
Feng Huang was incorrectly translated as Phoenix in the English localizations.
Persona 5
"The legendary bird of Chinese myth, said to appear only in times of peace. It is the ruler of all birds. When it dies, birds across the land chirp with sadness."
—Persona 5 background
Feng Huang is referred to as Phoenix. Phoenix is the third Persona of the Hierophant Arcana and can only be obtained through fusion in the Velvet Room. It is the first Persona usable by the protagonist to learn the Freila, Recarm and Nuke Boost skills. When itemized using Electric Chair execution, Phoenix yields the Nuke Boost skill card.
Starting from Persona 5, Fenghuang's 3D model is based on Zhuque's old design from Shin Megami Tensei II. Zhuque itself received an new design in Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers and this new design is what Zhuque's 3D model based on.
In Shin Megami Tensei NINE, Fenghuang's 3D model is a palette swap of Zhuque's based on the design of Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers.
.png "Phoenix (P O.A.).png (275 KB)")
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