Protagonist (Shin Megami Tensei)

Protagonist
Also known as	Sho Kazuya Futsuo Adam The Hero
Japanese Name	主人公
Rōmaji	Shujinkō
First Appearance	Shin Megami Tensei
Affiliation	Resistance Valhalla
Alignment	Dark-Neutral Neutral
Japanese VA	Hikaru Midorikawa (Sega CD, Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse)

The protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei is a young man living with his mother and dog in Kichijoji, Tokyo.

Appearances

• Shin Megami Tensei: Protagonist
  • Shin Megami Tensei Comic Anthology (Kobunsha)
  • Shin Megami Tensei 4-frame gag battle
• Shin Megami Tensei II: Statue
• Shin Megami Tensei: if...: Guardian, Fiend Race (Rare encounter; also indirectly mentioned)
• Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE: Opening Cinematic
• Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse: DLC Party Member, Human Race

Personality

Through the tradition of Shin Megami Tensei series, he is a silent protagonist, where his personality is based upon players' actions and decisions. The protagonist is a powerful warrior, who despite his inability to wield magic, is a master swordsman, marksman and leader. He is often looked to by the people around him for support. The hero is capable of wielding immensely strong swords, guns and magic-effect swords by means of sword fusion. 

Profile

Shin Megami Tensei

In the beginning of the game, the protagonist has a dream featuring the Law Hero, Chaos Hero, heroine and Yuriko as well as an enigmatic prophecy of the future. The protagonist receives a computer program that allows him to communicate with and summon demons from Stephen, who is sending out the program to everyone he can in anticipation for the coming apocalypse. While at the mall, he witnesses a demon kill a man and is attacked by it as well. He is accused of this man's murder, and the protagonist is arrested and taken to a prison where he meets the Law Hero for the first time.

Later, he encounters the Chaos Hero at the mall and the three of them, as well as the heroine, attempt to stop an ICBM missile attack from destroying Japan. Regardless of the choices the protagonist makes, the party fails, and the Great Cataclysm occurs. The heroine stays behind, but she manages to teleport the party into the Diamond Realm before the missiles hit. He later has the choice of helping the Messians complete the Basilica and having a world of peace, helping the Gaeans destroy it and giving the world freedom or fighting both sides to make a world where there is balance and humans can decide their own fate.

He's given the name Sho in Shin Megami Tensei Final Story: Atlus Official Replay Novel, Kazuya in Shin Megami Tensei Character Profile: Steven Report I and Futsuo in Kazuma Kaneko Complete Illustration Works. He is implied to be the reincarnation of Adam.

Shin Megami Tensei II

Before the events of Shin Megami Tensei II, the protagonist founded the Valhalla district of Tokyo Millennium and worked to help it expand alongside Pascal-Cerberus and Madam. He refused to blindly obey the orders of the Center and was eventually killed in what was reported as an accidental cave-in. After his death, Madam took over as the governess of Valhalla and strove to continue his work.

During the game itself, a statue of the protagonist appears at the Colosseum, where it is labeled "First Champion." When seeing the statue before the first fight with Daleth, the statue will have tears flowing from its eyes for unknown reasons.

Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE

The protagonist appears in silhouette along with the Law Hero, Chaos Hero and heroine during a cutscene after completing Act 0, and is spoken of highly, regarded as a hero among heroes by the narrator. A costume was released as part of CAVE's Beta testing promotion that players can wear in order to appear as the original Super Famicom SMT hero. It is one of the few outfits in game that will actually completely overwrite a character's hair and equipment.

Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse

The Hero appears in the DLC quest "Messiahs in the Diamond Realm." At the start of the quest, Stephen appears before Nanashi, holding his formless soul as he explains that it is the soul of the hero of a timeline where he died during the ICBM attack. Nanashi goes about the Diamond Realm to gather the rest of the Messiahs; Aleph, the Demi-fiend and Flynn, before confronting Stephen again. Stephen battles Nanashi, expecting him to use his power of observation and the experience of the battle to help the hero remember who he is and assume his original form. Upon successfully reforming himself, the hero is joined by the other three Messiahs as Stephen goes all-out and challenges all the protagonists at once.

Stats

Shin Megami Tensei: if

• if...
• Hazama's Chapter

Race Alignment Level HP MP Fiend Dark-Neutral 32 767 97 MAG NOA ATK ACC DEF EVA M.ATK M.EFC 1024 1 104 66 88 66 11 19 St 20 In 18 Ma 7 Vi 12 Ag 10 Lu 15 Drop M16 Rifle Swd Gun Fir Ice Elc For Nrv Exp Crs Mgc Bnd Rsh Hnd Leg Fly Alm - - - 5／8 5／8 - Nu Nu Nu 1／8 1／8 - - - - - List of Skills Skill Effect Akasha Arts Light Punch damage to all foes. Spiral Sword Light Sword damage to 2-3 foes. Sexy Dance Inflicts Charm ailment to all foes. (Mind-type) Call Ally Summon allies (Enemy only) Escape Run away (Enemy only)

Race Alignment Level HP MP Fiend Dark-Neutral 80 12500 6850 MAG NOA ATK ACC DEF EVA M.ATK M.EFC 0 3 280 200 160 100 350 999 St 22 In 28 Ma 31 Vi 40 Ag 19 Lu 20 List of Skills Skill Effect Critical Strike Inflicts critical damage to 1 enemy Shibaboo Inflicts Bind ailment to 1-3 foes. (Bind-type) Sexy Dance Inflicts Charm ailment to all foes. (Mind-type) Call Ally Summon allies (Enemy only) Escape Run away (Enemy only)

Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse

Race Level HP MP Strength 304 Dexterity 250 Magic 80 Agility 170 Luck 130 Human 125 1317 625 Phys Gun Fire Ice Elec Force Light Dark Resist Resist - - - - Null Null Ailment Resistance Null: Poison/Panic/Sleep/Bind/Sick/Charm/Mute Normal Attack Phys x1, 1 enemy List of Skills Skill Cost Effect Lightspeed Slash 30 MP Medium physical damage to one foe, pierces resistance, weakens one random resistance. Crescent Slice 25 MP 2 hits of medium physical damage to one foe, and debuffs their agility by 2 levels. Mist Rush 28 MP 2 to 4 hits of medium physical damage and 70% daze to multiple foes. Charge 9 MP Multiplies user's next physical or gun damage by 2.5. Morale Boost 80 MP Buffs party's attack, defense and agility by 1 level. High Phys Pleroma Auto Boosts physical attack by 50%.

Gallery

Shin Megami Tensei

The protagonist's design as it appears in Shin Megami Tensei (SNES)

The protagonist's design as it appears in Shin Megami Tensei (SNES)

Kobunsha comic anthology volume 1 cover.

Kobunsha comic anthology volume 2 cover.

Illustration from the Kobunsha comic anthology.

Shin Megami Tensei 4-frame gag battle cover.

Artwork of the protagonist wearing dragon armor

Artwork of the protagonist wearing various armor sets

Artwork of the protagonist wearing various armor sets

Artwork of the protagonist wearing various armor sets

The protagonist wielding the Kagutsuchi as seen in Digital Devil Apocalypse

Artwork of the protagonist and Heroine after the Great Flood

Artwork of the protagonist, Law Hero and Chaos Hero seeing the Heroine as a child

Artwork of the protagonist summoning a demon

Artwork of the protagonist and Heroine with Michael

Artwork of the protagonist with Pascal, Law Hero and Chaos Hero around a campfire

Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse

The protagonist as he appears in Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse DLC

Other

Yusuke Kitagawa as the protagonist in Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight

Shin Megami Tensei TRPG Mato Tokyo 200X Supplement Kongo Shinkai artwork

Trivia

His mention in SMT if...

• In Shin Megami Tensei if..., he is mentioned once by Yahata who was inspired by his COMP and decided to make one himself.
• In Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army, in the Akarana Corridor, one of the hourglasses' visions says that "There's a ruined city with three young warriors fighting for survival." Those three warriors could be the protagonist, Law Hero and Chaos Hero.
  • The Lost Soul found in the 2030s area of the Corridor alludes to the events of Shin Megami Tensei, as well as the protagonist saying "We owe a lot to the schoolboy with the gadget on his arm, who defeated all the gods and demons..."
• He is the only Shin Megami Tensei protagonist to have followed a canonical route in a game with multiple paths and endings.
• One of his names, "Futsuo," means both "ordinary man" and "Contact of Buddha."

Shin Megami Tensei
Playable Characters	Protagonist - Heroine - Law Hero - Chaos Hero - Pascal
Non-Playable Characters	Stephen - Ozawa - Yuriko - Old Man - Gotou - Ambassador Thorman - En no Ozuno - Louis Cyphre - Soul Diver
Locations	Tokyo - Kichijoji - Shinjuku - Ichigaya - Diamond Realm - Shibuya - Roppongi - Ginza Underpass - Ginza - Tokyo Tower - Shinagawa - Ikebukuro - Ueno - Tokyo Destinyland - Basilica - River Styx
Terminology	Terminal - Alignment - Ring of Gaea - Order of Messiah - Great Cataclysm - Sword fusion - Four Heavenly Kings
Soundtracks	Shin Megami Tensei Sound Collection
Archives	Demons - Bosses - Skills - Items