| This article is about the affinity of skills. For for the major branch of skill types, see Light Skills (Branch). |
Angel casting Hama in Shin Megami Tensei V
Light, formerly known as Expel (破魔, Hama)?, is a spell type in the series. In other cases, the skills are also known as Light (光, Hikari)?, Holy (神聖, Shinsei)?, and Bless (祝福, Shukufuku)? in Persona 5.
In most cases, as Expel spells, the skills are a sub-branch of Light Skills. Like its dark counterpart, Dark, Light skills tend to focus on inflicting instant death, though exceptions do exist.
Expel spells still count as defeating enemies in most respects; unlike comparable spells in some other games, one will earn full experience and money for opponents defeated using these spells.
General spells[]
Hama is the general spell for the Light element in the series, though its power, number of targets and accuracy change depending on the game:
- In Shin Megami Tensei, Shin Megami Tensei II and Shin Megami Tensei: if..., the spells differ in the number of targets.
- In the Devil Children series, they inflict damage like normal spells.
- In the Digital Devil Saga series, the spells reduce the enemy's current HP by a specific percentage. Humans (both party members and enemies) are immune to Expel (even under Berserk Mode).
- In Megami Ibunroku Persona, Hama spells deal damage equal to a certain amount of the enemy's maximum HP and inflict the same amount of damage at the end of every turn, with the amount being determined by the target's resistance to it (100% for Grave Demons, 50% for weakness and 12.5% for neutral damage). Kouha spells deal normal damage and reduce the enemy's current HP by a certain percentage at the end of every turn, using the same percentages as Hama spells. The Expel "ailment" cannot be cured and affects the character until the end of the battle or the character dies and is revived.
- In Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey, the protagonist is immune to Expel by default, unless he equips an armor that makes him weak to it.
- In Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse, Light skills do regular damage, but will instantly kill enemies during Smirk. If a boss is targeted by a Expel skill from a character with Smirk, it will do critical damage instead of instantly killing it.
- In Shin Megami Tensei V, Light skills do regular damage, but will instantly kill enemies upon hitting a Weakness. If a boss is targeted by an Expel skill, they cannot be instantly killed even if they are weak to it.
- In the other games, Light spells deal instant-kill and differ in both accuracy and number of targets.
- Light skills are always in some way or other automatically blocked by bosses, in order to prevent them from being used to instantly kill the bosses.
- In games where the only Light damaging skills are Expel skills such as in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey and (non-Reload versions of) Persona 3, all bosses will have an innate void against Light.
- In games where Light damaging skills (Bless) and Expel skills are separate (such as Persona 5 or Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth), all bosses will block Expel as if it were a status condition. Bless skills will still affect them unless dictated otherwise.
- In games where Light damaging skills can inflict Expel, the Expel effect will only activate under certain circumstances, and is either replaced with another or completely nullified if the skills were used against bosses (See above).
The following table is relevant to Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne and all games released afterwards except for the Digital Devil Saga series.
| Name | Japanese/Romaji | Power | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hama | ハマ/ハンマ Hama/Hanma |
Low odds fatal | 1 enemy |
| Mahama | マハンマ Mahanma |
All enemies | |
| Hamaon | ハマオン Hamaon |
High odds fatal | 1 enemy |
| Mahamaon | マハンマオン Mahanmaon |
All enemies |
Specific spells[]
| Name | Power | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Samsara Judgement Light |
Very high odds of Fatal | All enemies |
| Violet Flash | Medium | 1 enemy |
| Radiance | Heavy | All enemies |
Game Specific[]
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Exclusive[]
- Holy Wrath deals almighty damage to enemies of the opposite alignment as the caster.
- The skill "Godly Light" is only available to Amaterasu.
- The skill "Starlight" is only available to Kurama Tengu.
- The skill "God's Bow" is only available to White Rider.
| Name | Power | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Thunderclap | Halves HP | 1 enemy |
| Holy Wrath | All enemies | |
| Godly Light | 80% HP damage | All enemies |
| Starlight | Medium | |
| God's Bow | 100% Fatal | 1 enemy |
Megami Ibunroku Persona specific[]
- "Kouha" (コウハ*)? is Japanese for "Light Wave" (光波, Kouha)?, in contrast to Eiha (Shadow Wave).
- In Megami Ibunroku Persona, Makouha dealt heavy Death damage each turn, in Persona 5 this was changed to light damage each turn, its old role being replaced by Makougaon.
| Name | Japanese/Romaji | Power | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kouha | コウハ Kouha |
Light | 1 enemy |
| Baikouha | バイコウハ Baikouha |
Medium | Area |
| Makouha | マハコウハ Mahakouha |
Heavy | All enemies |
Persona 2 series Exclusive[]
- Hieroglyphein is the Egyptian holy glyph, which originally appeared in Megami Ibunroku Persona as a nonelemental spell.
| Name | Power | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Light | Medium | All enemies |
| Nirvana | ||
| Bright Judgement | Heavy + fatal | |
| Alpha Blaster | Special, persistent damage | |
| Hieroglyphein | Special | |
| Nova Kaiser | Extremely Heavy | One enemy |
| Bloody Honeymoon | Extremely Heavy+Confuse | All enemies |
| Cross Fortune | Extremely Heavy+Ailments | |
| Foamy Lover | Extremely Heavy+Charm | |
| Crescent Mirror | Extremely Heavy+Freeze |
Persona 5 specific[]
- All Light skills in Persona 5 are instead classified as "Bless" type, not to be confused with the curative skills classified as Bless type in Megami Ibunroku Persona.
| Skill | Japanese/Romaji | Effect | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kouha | コウハ Kouha |
Light Bless damage each turn | One enemy |
| Kouga | コウガ Kouga |
Medium Bless damage each turn | One enemy |
| Kougaon | コウガオン Kougaon |
Heavy Bless damage each turn | One enemy |
| Makouha | マハコウハ Mahakouha |
Light Bless damage each turn | All enemies |
| Makouga | マハコウガ Mahakouga |
Medium Bless damage each turn | All enemies |
| Makougaon | マハコウガオン Mahakougaon |
Heavy Bless damage each turn | All enemies |
Digital Devil Saga series Exclusive[]
- Seraphic Lore is a reference to the celestial beings of that order.
| Name | Power | Target |
|---|---|---|
| Damnation | Reduces HP by 80% (high odds). * | All enemies |
| Punishment | Reduces HP by 80% (high odds). * | |
| Xanadu | Heavy damage. | |
| Seraph Lore | Reduces HP by 80% with 100% accuracy. |
Giten Megami Tensei Exclusive[]
| Name | Subtype | Power | Target |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harihara | Hama | Weak | All enemies, wide |
| Holy Lights | COMP | ??? | Up to 6 enemies, wide |
| Expel Arrow | Arrow | One enemy, focused |
Gallery[]
- Game Icons
Megami Ibunroku Persona
Persona 2: Innocent Sin
Persona 3 Portable
Persona Q
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
Persona 5
Trivia[]
- Generally the effect animations of most Hama spells use paper charms with "破魔" written on them spread on the target, and then the charms emit strong light. This is a reference to oriental exorcism in which such paper charm is stuck on the face of the evil spirit or zombie to immobilize or exorcise them.
- In Shin Megami Tensei V, Hamabarion and Mahamabarion use the Siddhaṃ script instead of paper charms. The glyphs are previously used in Mudo spells.
- In Persona 3 Reload, the effect animations of all Hama spells feature the Hamaya, or "exorcist arrow", which is used in expelling evil spirits or as a lucky charm in traditional Japanese culture.