The Let's Play Archive

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2

by Dragonatrix

Part 124: Character Summaries

The Fate of All Living Things

Some of the character summaries may, in fact, be super spoilery past the stat stuff. Might be a good idea to not read all of it unless you've caught up just in case.

Stats



Hibiki Kuze, or the otherwise nameless main character, is the most flexible character of all. He has no innate weaknesses or strengths (both statistically and elementally), but as the main character his stat growth is dependent upon the player to decide. He can therefore be whatever you want him to be, but I prefer to make him magic oriented with emphasis on vitality for survivability. I usually place some points into strength and agility too, for if I want to use some of their skills and it's good for early game if/when I run out of MP. Not necessary though, and I know some people think it's dumb and pointless.

To Hibiki, to live is to continue choosing.



Daichi Shijima is the best friend. At Fate level 1, he picks up an innate Fire resistance. Stat wise... he's not that great. He's kind of a strength/agility character, but he spreads himself far too thin to be good at it. He gives himself too much magic to be truly physical oriented, but not enough to be a decent hybrid and he gives himself enough vitality to survive it's to his detriment as he takes too long to kill anything. Notably, he will never max a single stat. I do not like using Daichi once I get people who aren't terrible. Sorry, Daichi.

To Daichi, to live is to continue enjoying oneself.



Io Nitta is a classmate of Daichi and Hibiki, but not one they spoke to prior to the start of the game. Is the main character of a spin-off manga, Show Your Free Will, which retells the game from her perspective... kind of. It's not all that good, to be honest. Fate level 1 grants her resistance to Electrical attacks. Statistically she appears to be a mage, and she is really good at being a mage, but she almost always ignores vitality and agility. Unlike Daichi, she is a pure hybrid and will excel at either general strength combat (but specialists have her beat in parts of it) or blasting dudes with spells. Will max both strength and magic. Io fills any gaps your team might have, so she's a good person to use whenever. Definitely someone to keep around, unless you like other hybrid characters better.

To Io, to live is to continue conveying one's intention.



Yuzuru Akie, better known as Joe, is the wanderer. He is the most laidback dude you will ever see and he is awesome. Has a sweet suit, and joined the party after they saved him from a bunch of demons. Fate level 1 gives him a resistance to Force (wind, basically). Despite being really good in scenes, Joe is not exactly one of my favourite characters to actually use. He puts most of his stats into Magic and Agility (small mercies: he does eventually max both of them). And even then he puts far too many points into Strength to not be wholly mediocre for a long, long time. I know some people really like this build but I really don't. It puts too much emphasis on killing enemy party leaders exclusively for too long, solely to avoid not dying horribly. No vitality means Joe is going to fucking die if he doesn't one shot things. And he won't because all the good magic skills go to people who can use them better. Much like Daichi, he gets benched as soon as is realistically possible.

To Joe, to live is to wander.



Hinako Kujou is the worst dressed. Appropriately (or maybe ironically) enough, she gains Ice resistance at Fate Level 1. Despite her appearance, she's a physical oriented character and she prioritises Strength and Agility above all else. This is a Good Build and makes her a Good Character. She's also likable in scenes in spite of her appearance which helps too. Really, once she joins (aside from whenever I need to switch around for a fight or two, or can't use her at all) she's probably never leaving the party because she's just that good.

To Hinako, to live is to express oneself.



Keita Wakui is the brawler. He does one thing but he does it well (usually). He punches things, and they die. Joined the party on Day 2 after they saved him from demons at Osaka. Fate level 1 gives him Fire resistance just to further obsolete Daichi in every way possible. Very much the antithesis of Joe in that not only is he incredibly brash and quick to anger, but he ends up being actually kinda good in combat if you ever bother using him. He's sort of like Hinako in that his second physical stat is Agility but, unlike her, he forgoes maxing it to put more points into Vitality instead. Not explicitly the best physical attacker at what he does , but he's more durable than Hinako which helps his survivability and gives him a potential advantage. He also doesn't work on Agility for real for quite a while so he appears to be Vit based instead.

To Keita, to live is to continue fighting.



Airi Ban is the child. Not much younger than the main party members, sure, but she's noticably the youngest. Unlike everyone else (so far) she doesn't really prioritise anything and this makes her okay at first... but doesn't do well for longevity. She will never max any stat and has no major benefits to compensate for this. She is, however, the first person to gain 2 elemental resistances at Fate level 1 (Elec and Force). I really, really do not like using Airi whenever I'm not forced to; I did it the first time I played the game, and I expected her to be really good... ended up supremely disappointed. She should be benched as soon as anyone even more remotely competent comes along, but not everyone necessarily is. Joe, for example, is worse at lower levels but shoots way ahead later on. Using Airi well is a balancing act, like Airi herself. An easier one, but one all the same.

To Airi, to live is to continue searching.



Jungo Torii is the man. Okay, but seriously he's the de facto Str/Vit dude which means (as far as we know so far) he has no real competition for how you wanna set him up. Unless, of course, you run Hibiki as such but that's kinda silly. At Fate level 1, he gains a resistance to Force. Joining with halfway to max Str already, it should come as no surprise that he'll get that to 40 with ease and his Vitality will cap too. His Agility is... okay. Usable, but nothing stellar. His magic, however, will get to 9 and then stop. Just give him a demon that can heal and he's basically an unstoppable juggernaut. Kinda makes sense, because he clearly has a learning disability.

To Jungo, to live is to eat.



Fumi Kanno is the smartest character and is basically Jungo's antithesis. Much like Joe, she goes for a Magic/Agility build which on its own I don't like conceptually. She actually does it better than him, though, by putting points into Vitality so she doesn't die in one hit. On the flip side, this means she doesn't put points into Strength (like Jungo's magic, she stops at 9 Str) so if she runs out of MP or comes across a demon that resists her magic she's outta luck. Bit of a toss up, but on the whole I prefer Fumi to Joe.

To Fumi, to live is to continue seeking.



Makoto Sako is an employee of JPs. Even before formally joining the party, she had helped out our party a few times. To say she works for Yamato, she's a pretty okay lady all things considered! At Fate level 1, she gained a resistance to Ice. Much like Io, she's a pure hybrid oriented character but with an initial emphasis on Strength instead of Magic. Unlike Io, she won't end up maxing both Strength and Magic though; her Strength gets to 40, but her Magic tops at 36. Those missing 4 points go into Vitality instead.

To Makoto, to live is to be resolute.



Otome Yanagiya is a doctor who works for JPs. She's a fantastic mage for one reason: her secondary stat is Vitality. Further, she is the ONLY non-Hibiki character who runs Mag/Vit which means she basically has no competition ever. Even when running Hibiki as Mag/Vit, she's worth bringing along for her innate resistances once she hits Fate 1 and having 2 borderline unkillable mage gods is never a bad thing. Speaking of her innate resistances, at Fate level 1 she gains resistance to Electricity and Curse.

To Otome, to live is to raise others.



Yamato Hotsuin is the leader of JPs. He runs a true-Hybrid style focusing on both Strength and Magic in equal measures. This doesn't really work out well in the short-term, but it does make him a force to be reckoned with at higher levels. On top of that, he has marginally higher stats than he should along with a natural resistance to Almighty attacks. His Vitality does leave something to be desired, however he compensates for one of these by being the only person to get a resistance to Physicals at Fate level 1. His only real weak spot, then, is that his Agility isn't exactly stellar but he's more than able to get the job done anyway.

To Yamato, to live is to continue protecting.



Al Saiduq, formerly known as The Anguished One, is the enigma. On paper he doesn't seem to impressive in combat. He takes a balanced approach much like Airi does, but he just does it better frankly. Plus his HP and MP get extra boosts on top of what they would be from his stats so even though he won't get any stat to 40, he will get 999 HP. Not quite MP though. On top of that, his Fate 1 gives him resistance to Fire and Electricity along with immunity to Curse! Plus he gets, on average, more turns than anyone else in the party. Despite not fitting the mould of what I'd consider a great character, he's still very much worth using in spite of his faults.

Fate Summary



quote:

After unsealing a demon at Sensouji, he escaped harm thanks to Hibiki.

After helping to defeat Dubhe in Shinbashi, Yamato has recognised his ability. He has decided to stay with JPs.

Defeated Merak in Osaka with Hibiki's group.

Took a request from the Nagoya branch of JP's and went alone to Nagoya.

Was dragged into a riot as a hostage, but Hibiki's group saved him.

Worked with Hibiki and Ronaldo to defeat Phecda in Nagoya.

He defeated Megrez in the harbor alongside Hibiki.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

Frustrated with his friends fighting each other over their plans for the world, he suggested a path of non-violence and parted ways with Hibiki.

Hibiki defeated him and recruited him back to his own side.

Defeated Benetnasch at Akasaka Palace with the help of Hibiki's group and Trumpeter.

The constant threats to his life combined with the shock of his capture has left him without motivation to fight.

His morale sunk even lower when he saw the black scar engulfing Japan in Fukuoka.



quote:

She has decided to stay with JPs.

Defeated Merak in Osaka with Hibiki's group.

Worked with Hibiki and Ronaldo to defeat Phecda in Nagoya.

She defeated Megrez in the harbor alongside Hibiki.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

You were notified of a death clip featuring her.

She was chosen as Lugh's host to free the Dragon Stream. She panicked, but Hibiki's encouragement helped her make up her mind.

As Lugh's host, she freed the Dragon Stream and almost died as a result, but her teammates' calls revived her.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

She agrees with Daichi that the group shouldn't fight, and has parted ways with Hibiki.

Hibiki defeated her and recruiter back to his own side.

Defeated Benetnasch at Akasaka Palace with the help of Hibiki's group and Trumpeter.

She has become depressed upon learning of her parents' deaths.

She was sad at Hinako and Airi calling her out on disliking conflict so much that she never speaks her mind.

She told a suicidal boy of her experiences with Hibiki and her other friends to stop him from killing himself.

She has realized the importance of saying what she feels, maturing in the process.



quote:

He has decided to stay with JPs.

Defeated Merak in Osaka with Hibiki's group.

Worked with Hibiki and Ronaldo to defeat Phecda in Nagoya.

You were notified of a death clip featuring him.

Hibiki and Ronaldo stepped in to prevent him from coming to harm as he tried to help civilians escape a demon attack.

He defeated Megrez in the harbor alongside Hibiki.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

He agreed with Ronaldo's ideal of true equality and parted ways with Hibiki.

He has a sick girlfriend in Nagoya, but he dislikes serious situations and avoids visiting her.

On Hibiki's advice, he visits his girlfriend in the hospital. Swept up in the moment, he asked her to marry him.



quote:

an official civilian adjunct to JP's.

Defeated Merak in Osaka with Hibiki's group.

She defeated Megrez in the harbor alongside Hibiki.

Used her dancing skills to resurrect Shiva.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

She agrees with Daichi that the group shouldn't fight, and has parted ways with Hibiki.

Hibiki defeated her and recruited her back to his own side.

Defeated Benetnasch at Akasaka Palace with the help of Hibiki's group and Trumpeter.

She was born into a family of famous Japanese dancers and studies all types of dance.

Hibiki and Airi praised her dancing skills and she decided to perform for others, earning a round of applause.

Her passion for dance has returned, along with her self-confidence.



quote:

He had his hands full with demons in Umeda, but thanks to Hibiki's intervention, he was unharmed.

Defeated Merak in Osaka with Hibiki's group.

He defeated Megrez in the harbor alongside Hibiki.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

He agreed with Yamato's ideal of meritocracy and parted ways with Hibiki.



quote:

She defeated Megrez in the harbor alongside Hibiki.

Resurrected Kama with her feminine(?) wiles.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

She agreed with Ronaldo's ideal of true equality and parted ways with Hibiki.

Dreamed of becoming a pianist, but gave it up due to her family situation. She still can't let go.

Makoto tried to make her feel better about her failed dream, but she refused.



quote:

Went into a nest of rioters alone and was surrounded, but Hibiki rescued him from harm.

Fought Phecda in Nagoya with Hibiki and Ronaldo.

He defeated Megrez in the harbor alongside Hibiki.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

He agrees with Daichi that the group shouldn't fight, and has parted ways with Hibiki.

Hibiki defeated him and recruited him back to his own side.

Defeated Benetnasch at Akasaka Palace with the help of Hibiki's group and Trumpeter.

He took in an injured cat and has been treating it.

The recovering cat has been named Jungo.

Went looking for the missing Jungo and rescued it from demons.

Parted with Jungo at Aoyama Cemetery for its own safety.

Is newly determined to protect the world for Jungo and Hibiki.



quote:

harbor alongside Hibiki.

She once studied abroad in England and still treasures a photo of her host family.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

She agreed with Yamato's ideal of a meritocracy and parted ways with Hibiki.

Hibiki defeated her and recruited her back to his own side.

Defeated Benetnasch at Akasaka Palace with the help of Hibiki's group and Trumpeter.

Has begun experimenting on the summoning app.

A crash in the equipment put a stop to her experiments. She was forced to revert to older-model equipment.

Her experiment with the summoning app went awry and endangered the life of her test subject. At Hibiki's advice, she settled things by destroying the equipment.

She regrets her callous disregard for human life in her experimentation and has moved beyond it.



quote:

harbor alongside Hibiki.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

You were notified of a death clip featuring her.

Ronaldo cornered her at the Nagoya branch of JP's, but Hibiki stepped in and got her out of harm's way.

She decided to work for Yamato's merit-driven world and parted ways with Hibiki.

Hibiki defeated her and recruited her back to his own side.

Defeated Benetnasch at Akasaka Palace with the help of Hibiki's group and Trumpeter.

Her doubts about Yamato's inhumane policies have grown deeper.

She is conflicted when faced wtih Ronaldo's criticisms as to how JP's should be run.

She saved what was left of the rioters from demons.

She decided to go her own way, without being bound by the policies of JP's.



quote:

You were notified of a death clip feauting her.

She encountered Bifrons at the Tsuutenkaku, but Hibiki saved her.

Defeated Alioth as part of Operation: Third Eye and destroyed Alioth's core in Sapporo.

Freed the Dragon Stream and defeated Mizar on the roof of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government buiilding.

She agreed with Ronaldo's ideal of true equality and parted ways with Hibiki.

Hibiki defeated her and recruited her back to his own side.

Defeated Benetnasch at Akasaka Palace with the help of Hibiki's group and Trumpeter.

She is so busy with her JP's work that it's jeapordizing her relationship with her stepdaughter Koharu.

She had a fight with Koharu over her hours and is losing confidence in herself as a mother.

Koharu went missing. Hibiki later found her, and the two of them reconciled.

She has a stronger bond with Koharu and gained more faith in herself as a loving mother.



quote:

family how to summon demons long ago.

Before recroded history, he gave humans fire, language and art, to nurturre their potential for freedom. He feels that the current calamity is his fault.

At Hibiki's suggestion, he is striving to create a world free from Polaris' management.

Defeated Benetnasch at Akasaka Palace with the help of Hibiki's group and Trumpeter.

Asked Hibiki if humans have free spirits.

Asked Hibiki what reason humans have to live.

Asked Hibiki about the pros and cons of a managed world.

Learned from Hibiki that humans would prefer to live in a world not managed by Polaris. His long doubts have come to an end.



quote:

spiritual threats for generations as the leaders of JP's.

Defeated one of the two Meraks in Osaka.

Devised and carried out a strategy to defeat Megrez.

Conducted Operation: Third Eye in Sapporo.

Informed Hibiki of the existence of Polaris and declared his intention to create a merit-driven world.

Agreed to Hibiki's suggestion to free the Dragon Stream in order to defeat Mizar.

Dreams of creating a meritocracy, and so parted ways with Hibiki.

Acknowledged Hibiki's impressive talents.

Begun taking an interest in what motivates Hibiki, because of his unexpected ability.

Ate takoyaki for the first time on Hibiki's recommendation and had high praise for it.

Acknowledged Hibiki's power and hoped that the two of them could live out their ideals together.



quote:

He helped analyze top secret files from JP's, shedding some light on Yamato's plan.

Discovered a giant magic circle underneath the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building.

Officially revealed his intent to defeat JP's and stop Yamato's plans from reaching fruition.

He dreams of a world of true equality and has parted ways with Hibiki.

Hibiki failed to move him, and he rebelled for the last time against Saiduq, dying at Shiba Park.

Ronaldo Kuriki is somehow in our Fate viewer. We’ve seen him a few times, kicked his ass pretty thoroughly once before and had him help us out against a Septentrion boss (potentially two). Dude’s a complete wildcard; who knows if we’ll end up fighting with or against him next. At Fate level 1, he gained a resistance to Fire.