Raidou Kuzunoha XIV is the protagonist's nickname of the Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha series.
Appearances[]
- Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Maniax Chronicle Edition / HD Remaster: ??? Race
- Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS): Summoner Race, EX Dungeon Boss, Ultimate Boss
- Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army: Protagonist
- Devil Summoner: Kuzunoha Raidou tai Shibito Ekishi: Protagonist, as Jouhei
- Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon: Protagonist
- Persona 5 (Manga): Cameo
Design[]
Raidou Kuzunoha XIV wears the uniform of Yumizuki High with fine pointed dress shoes, a school cap and a long black cloak with purple inner lining.
He wields a katana on his side noticeable underneath his cloak, along with a revolver strapped to his right hip. The summoning tubes, or kuda, used to call forth and store his demons are slotted into white, bandolier-like pockets strapped to his chest.
He has sharp, gray eyes, black hair and pale skin. The edges of his hair also form into sharp sideburns, the ferocity of which many characters comment on.
Personality[]
In the tradition of the Shin Megami Tensei series, Raidou Kuzunoha XIV is a silent protagonist whose personality is based upon players' actions and decisions, though his choices and text-boxes tend to be reserved and very introverted. Raidou Kuzunoha XIV is the protagonist's default nickname yet the player can choose his real name at the start of the game.
In Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, Raidou is calm and collected, believing that his missions take priority. He is apparently easy to manipulate in order to strengthen his skills as shown when he accepts Gouto's advice and participates along with Raido in the battle, despite being on a case.
Profile[]
Raidou Kuzunoha XIV is a young student of the Yumizuki High School who was trained in the Kuzunoha village in the art of the Devil Summoner. Once he was ready, he undertook the trials at the nameless shrine in the heart of the Shinoda mountains and became the fourteenth Raidou Kuzunoha. He was assigned a partner by the Herald of Yatagarasu named Gouto, a sarcastic talking cat who was to guide Raidou in the ways of a Devil Summoner, and was sent to work part-time at the Narumi Detective Agency as a cover for his true task.
As the newest Raidou Kuzunoha, it is his duty to protect the capital from the demons of the Dark Realm and ensure that the supernatural world is kept in check. His abilities with a katana are without equal, and his skill with a pistol is unmatched, but Raidou's true power comes from the demons tucked away in confinement tubes beneath his cape.
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne[]
Raidou Kuzunoha XIV appears in the Nocturne Chronicle Edition and the HD Remaster, replacing Dante in his role as a recruitable ally. Despite not being the protagonist of the game, Raidou remains silent, with Gouto speaking in his stead.
At the start of the fifth Kalpa, Raidou also stops to have a chat with the Demi-fiend and recognizes his skills from the previous two times they clashed across the game. Raidou and Gotou offer to team up with the Demi-fiend and offer him a deal with a little gamble. Raidou produces two different mahjong tiles and the Demi-fiend is to guess left or right. If the tile he picks is the 9 tile, the Demi-fiend gains 100,000 Macca, but if he picks the 1 tile, he only gets 1. The 9 tile always ends up on the left.
Most of his in-game skills parallel Dante's from the original, but have new names. The differences between their skill repertoires are that Dante can learn the conversation passive "Intimidate," but Raidou instead uses the milder "Arbitration," also the counterpart of Dante's "Son's Oath," called "Raidou the Aeon," possesses the additional effect of Pierce, making him viable in the battle against the ultimate boss.
Raidou is mentioned in Pre-Conception Tokyo, where he is described by a passerby as "a pretty school kid all dressed up in black, with a cat." The same NPC mentions that he has "seen" Raidou somewhere else before. Unlike Dante, he did receive an ending cutscene, where he and Goutou go back to his world. Goutou is then seen typing about their experiences in the Vortex World.
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers (3DS)[]
Raidou appears alongside Gouto-Douji and his alternate self Raido Kuzunoha the XIV in Soul Hackers as bonus bosses in the EX Dungeon, after defeating "Kyouji Kuzonoha." Raidou and Raido are both voiced by Tomokazu Sugita in the Japanese version.
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army[]
Raidou Kuzunoha XIV is the newest member of a line of summoners who have claimed the title of "Raidou Kuzunoha." Originally a student at the Yumizuki Imperial High School, Raidou went through extensive training until he was ready to undergo a series of trials at the Nameless Shrine in the Shinoda Mountains, where he earned his title. The Herald of Yatagarasu assigned a talking cat named Gouto-Douji to watch over him. Raidou Kuzunoha uses a katana, revolver and demon tubes known as kuda to capture and use demons for detective work as well as protection.
Raidou Kuzunoha is assigned to protect the capital from various supernatural dangers. He works out of the Narumi Detective Agency in Tsukudo-Cho, under the watch of Shouhei Narumi. Raidou was contacted by Kaya Daidouji, who wanted to hire him to kill her in order to prevent her from being controlled by her demonic blood. While talking to Raidou, Kaya was kidnapped by mysterious soldiers in red armor.
Raidou continued investigating the case of the mysterious girl, until it lead him to the Daidouji Manor, in which he met Kaya's uncle Kiyoshi. After uncovering information about a curse on the Daidouji family, Raidou witnessed Kiyoshi transforming into a monster called a "Red Cape." When Raidou began to pursue Kiyoshi, he was stopped by a mysterious rogue Devil Summoner, who summoned Ichimokuren in an effort to stop Raidou from interfering.
Kuzunoha Raidou tai Shibito Ekishi[]
In this prequel novel, Raidou Kuzunoha XIV is revealed to have actually been named Jōhei (錠平). Raidou was a student of Yumizuki Imperial High School before becoming the apprentice to Shouhei Narumi. He wields a katana called Muramasa.
Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon[]
Raidou Kuzunoha XIV returns as the protagonist of the fourth Devil Summoner game. He returns to shrine in Shinoda and undergoes retraining in preparation for returning to work for the Herald of Yatagarasu. Gotou-Douji returns in order to provide guidance in the same capacity as he did in the first game. Gotou unseals some of Raidou's abilities to allow him to summon two demons at once, and Raidou returns to work as the capital's guardian, seeking out the new disturbances that were detected by the Herald of Yatagarasu. Raidou once again winds up working with Shouhei Narumi and Tae Asakura.
In this sequel, Raidou and Narumi were asked by a young woman by the name of Akane Narita to find a man by the name of Dahn. Following the clues, he managed to unveil that Dahn is related to the mysterious murders and suicides that are happening in the capital. As he continues to solve the mystery even further, he was stopped by a group of masked man, the Fukoshi. As they released a mysterious insect which is called the Luck Locust, Raidou had his luck drained and had to battle against Binbou-Gami and eventually lost.
Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Lone Marebito[]
The series occurs after the events of Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, where Raidou continues his job of protecting the capital while working in the Narumi Detective Agency. He becomes involved in the case of the Lone Marebito after incidents involving humans becoming demons or summoning demons at the cost of their lives start to appear.
Persona 4[]
Though exclusive to the English dub, Raidou is briefly mentioned by Chie Satonaka when she notes that Naoto Shirogane reminded her of a character she saw in a movie called Kuzunoha.
Persona 5 (Manga)[]
Near the end of volume 1 of the Persona 5 manga, Hisato Murasaki talks about his history with the the series and shows a drawing of Raidou Kuzunoha alongside Yu Narukami.
Relationships[]
Throughout the series, Raidou develops several relationships with the other characters.
Gouto[]
Gouto is the mentor of Raidou Kuzunoha. Raidou looks up to him as his teacher, despite the fact that he usually tricks Gouto into chasing catnip. He will usually listen to Gouto's advice regarding a case they are working on.
Shouhei Narumi[]
Shouhei Narumi is a detective in the capital and he also serves as a liaison with Yatagarasu whereby Raidou works in his detective agency as his apprentice. Despite him being lazy, Raidou had a high trust with him regarding on investigation techniques.
Tae Asakura[]
Tae Asakura is journalist that works in the capital and also serves as one of Raidou's informants. She often hires Raidou to investigate rumors and occurrences around the capital or in escort missions she fears could turn sour. She once teased Raidou regarding on which female companion would he go out with, including herself.
Nagi[]
Nagi is the apprentice of Geirin Kuzunoha the XVII, and is the eighteenth in the Geirin Kuzunoha line. At first, she considers Raidou as her rival but overcame her negative feelings towards Raidou and begins seeing him as a sort of second mentor and friend throughout the rest of the Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon events.
Later on in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Lone Marebito, Nagi went to the capital for a case that involves a Dark Summoner that seemingly hunts people who are sword experts. Together with Raidou, she managed to solve the case. It is implied later on in the series that she harbors feelings toward Raidou.
Stats[]
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne Chronicle Edition[]
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Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers[]
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Quotes[]
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne[]
- "Counting on you!" (Mishaguji Raiden)
- "Summon!" (Hitokoto Storm)
- "Moh Shuvuu!" (Raptor Guardian)
- "Come, Mokoi!" (Mokoi Boomerang)
- "Gouto." (Provoke)
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers[]
- "Enough with the distraction. We're on a case, remember?"
- "Et tu, Gouto?"
- "Are you sure, Gouto?"
- "I see. ...Then I will hold nothing back, for the sake of the future."
- "Heh. You certainly are an odd fellow... Though, I must say, that idea has piqued my interest as well..."
- "DOUBLE SUMMON!"
- "I wanted to train you, but it is I who has learned something new from this experience. I thank you."
- "That's enough, you two. We still have a case to solve."
- "B-But, I can't abandon my duty..."
- "Indeed it was. I will remember you. Now, if you'll just pardon me..."
Gallery[]
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. The Soulless Army[]
Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon[]
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne[]
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers[]
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha Vs. The Lone Marebito[]
Other[]
Trivia[]
- While the Persona 4 game's English localization changed a reference to a detective series (The Kindaichi Case Files) to one of Raidou by Chie on the Tatsumi Port Island school trip, the anime's English dub kept the former.
- In Toumon Boogey's prequel novel, Devil Summoner: Kuzunoha Raidō tai Shibito Ekishi, his real first name is given as Jōhei (錠平).
- Raidou also has a bio in the prequel novel that states "なお、帝都にある「弓月の君高等師範学校」の生徒でもある。", which roughly translates to "In addition, he is also a student of "Yuzuki no Kimi Higher Normal School" in the Imperial City." However, most official English sources state that he's a Yumizuki Imperial High School Student. The reason for this change is unknown.
- The demon allies he used during the events of the manga in their order of appearances are: Orthrus, Gozuki, Mezuki, Alraune, Ippon-Datara, Jack Frost, Poltergeists (3 of them), Mokoi, Nue, Moh Shuvuu, Oumitsunu, Cu Chulainn, Scathach, Susano-o, Kohryu, Mada and Decarabia. And through demon fusion, he also owns Futsunushi and Yoshitsune.
- Gozuki and Mezuki are probably a reference to Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon's opening.
- He also used Mokoi and Moh Shuvuu in his Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne Chronicle appearance. He uses them again in his ultimate boss battle in the 3DS remake of Soul Hackers.
- The Kohryu is proven to be the same one from the second game.
- Raidou's design is heavily based on Yasunori Kato, the protagonist of Teito Monogatari, a popular novel series which also inspired a large part of the Megami Tensei series. Kato claims to be a descendant of the Kuzunoha of Japanese folklore the clan gets its name from.
- Raidou's motives are in stark contrast to Kato's; while Kato, fueled by the spirit of revenge, seeks to destroy the capital, Raidou, aided by the Yatagarasu, constantly works to protect it.
- There are some demon conversations in Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon where a demon may ask Raidou to wear his hat (i.e. Incubus), and if the player decides to do so, the demon's attention will be caught by Raidou's uncovered head. When the demon returns Raidou's hat, it will say Don't worry ... I'm not gonna say anything while being a little nervous or startled.
- Although it was not shown, Raidou is capable of summoning 8 demons as hinted in the openings of both games.
- Raidou's character and DLC outfit has been repeatedly censored in Asian releases of the SMT series, due to the outfit of the character resembling a Japanese imperial uniform, which is seen as controversial in East Asia for historical reasons. However, oddly enough, in the Persona 5 Royal port on PS5, Xbox, PC and Nintendo Switch (which includes all of the DLCs previously released for Persona 5 and Royal on PS4), the DLC Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha Costume & BGM Special Set, originally released for Persona 5, has been completely removed in every other localized version as well. The datamines also revealed that the models and BGM have been deleted from the game files entirely, despite the item ID still being present in the game. The reason for this is unknown.
References[]
Characters | Raidou Kuzunoha the XIV - Gouto - Kaya Daidouji - Shouhei Narumi - Tae Asakura - Dr. Victor - General Munakata - Rasputin - Nakamura - Kiyoshi Daidouji - Dr. Tsukumo - Raido Kuzunoha the XIV - Goto-Douji - Satake Kenzou - Owner of Konnou-Ya - Owner of Ryugu - Sadakichi - Herald of Yatagarasu - Shizu Iida - Denpachi Iida - Detective Kazama |
Locations | The Capital - Tsukudo-Cho (Narumi Detective Agency - Konnou-Ya - Gouma-Den) - Daidouji Residence - Ginza-Cho (Shin-Sekai Soda Joint) - Fukagawa-Cho - Daidouji Factory - Harumi-Cho - Kasumidai - Shipbuilding Facility - Sakuradayama (Waden One) - Kasuminomori - Akarana Corridor - Nameless Shrine Shinoda (Training Hall) - Dark Realm |
Soundtracks | Devil Summoner Kuzunoha Raidou vs The Soulless Army Complete Music Works |
Demon Orders | Pyro - Frost - Volt - Wind - Fury - Pagan - Skill - Undead |
Archives | Demons - Bosses - Skills - Items - Statuses - Confinement |