| “ | Death's vastness holds no peace. I come at the end of the long road. Neither human, nor devil… All bends to my will. | „ |
| ~ the Demi-fiend |
The Demi-Fiend is the protagonist of Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. After he is granted demonic powers just as the conception occurs, destroying the world, he must decide what to do with a world that is ready for rebirth. Though he has no official name, he is given the name Naoki Kashima in the radio play and Shin Managi in the light novel.
Profile
Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne
In the beginning scene of the game, he is asleep on a train, on the way to meet with friends to meet their teacher in a hospital, all seeking her advice to decide on their futures. While on the train, he has a strange dream where his teacher tells him of the impending doom of the world. En route to the hospital, he hears rumours of conflict between two cults, the Cult of Messiah and Cult of Gaea, with the latter spreading prophecies of about the imminent event of the Conception for soem time. He encounters a journalist named Jyoji Hijiri while in Yoyogi Park, where he was originally supposed to meet his friends, but is called up and told to just meet up at the Shinjuku Medical Center istead. Overhearing the phone conversation, Hijiri mentions that he is going to the to hospital as well to investigate the Gaea Cult, whom he believes to be responsible for a mass murder though the summoning of demons. He then gives the protagonist a occult magazine.
Once at the hospital, the protagonist meets up with Chiaki Hayasaka (Chiaki Tachibana in the Japanese version) and Isamu Nitta, who are unable to find their teacher in a hospital that seems entirely deserted. They split up to search for her, and the protagonist decides to investigate the hospital basement. What he finds is a frightening sight, bloodstains litter the floor and there are set ups of occult activity. He encounters a man named Hikawa in one of the basement rooms, who attempts to kill him with a summoned demon, viewing him as a hindrance to his plans. The protagonist is saved only by the intervention of his teacher, Yuko Takao, who threatens to withdraw from Hikawa's plans if the protagonist is harmed, then tells him to join her on the rooftop. On the way, the protagonist encounters a mysterious blonde boy and a old veiled nursemaid, who both vanish when he tries to approach them. Once there, she explains her true reason for bringing him and his friends to the hospital, she wanted them to survive the Conception, an event that would destroy the world and turn it into a state of chaos. She tells him to stay calm and search for her once the Conception has taken place, promising to assist him.
As soon as she is finished, the Conception occurs, turning the entire world inside out and destroying all life, transforming it into a wasteland called the Vortex World, in the center of which is a white glowing spherical entity called Kagutsuchi. The protagonist sees a vision of Kagutsuchi during the transformation, who comments that he has no reason or goal in his heart.
Shortly after, he is subdued by the Old Nursemaid, while the blonde boy injects a Magatama - a parasite containing demonic essence - into his eye, saying that becoming a demon would allow him to survive. The protagonist is transformed into the Demi-fiend, a being with the body of a demon but heart of a human.
While exploring the now demon-infested hospital, the Demi-fiend finds a friendly Pixie also looking to exit the hospital, and together along with any other demons he may have recruited they defeat Forneus, a demon who had claimed the hospital as his own, and escape. He brings the Pixie to Yoyogi Park, and can choose to let her go or ask her to stay with him. He eventually navigates through the ruined Japan to Shibuya, where he encounters Chiaki, who had managed to escape the hospital on her own. He also finds Hijiri, who had apparently survived the Conception as well, who offers to help send the Demi-fiend to Ginza though a network called the Amala Network to find information. However, on the way he is brought to the Labyrinth of Amala, where an old blonde man in a wheelchair and a young lady in mourning garb request that he find various Candelabra that had been stolen by other Fiends like himself. Should he agree, he will be given the Candelabrum of Sovereignity, but if he refuses the Labyrinth of Amala will be forever closed off to him.
Throughout his journey in the Vortex World, the Demi-Fiend gradually begins to understand his role in deciding what kind of worls should be created from the vortex world. His friends, who realise their power to create Reasons and compete to create their ideal world, eventually leave him, while Yuko fails to create her Reason and is killed. Once Hikawa, Isamu and Chiaki have finished creating their Reasons, the Tower of Kagutsuchi appears, leading those who climb it to face Kagutsuchi and use its power to create their ideal world. At this point, the Demi-Fiend has to make his decision.
Shijima
Shijima is Hikawa's Reason, and aims to create world of silence and harmony where human desires are suppressed. Should the Demi-Fiend align himself with Hikawa by agreeing with his speeches and allowing him to kill Yuko, Hikawa will accept his part as mere a baptist of the World of Shijima and acknowledges the Demi-fiend as its true creator.
Yosuga
Yosuga is Chiaki's reason, and it aims to create an elitist, darwinist society where the strong control all. Should the Demi-Fiend align himself with Chiaki, he must agree with her speeches and kill the Manikins in Mifunashiro for daring to try and create their own Reason despite being weak. Chiaki will still challenge him in the Tower of Kagutsuchi, as her own Reasons dictates that only the stronger of the two should go on to be creator. when the Demi-fiend defeats her, she tells him she has no regrets and tells him how to reach Kagutsuchi.
Musubi
Musubi is Isamu's reason, and aims to create a world of individuals, where all are forced to be alone and thus can do as they please, with no one able to interfere in the affairs of others. Should the Demi-fiend align himself with Isamu, he must agree with his speeches and willingly kill Hijiri, who Isamu has captured to use as a sacrifice to summon Noah, a demonic sponsor for his Reason. Isamu will be killed by Chiaki as the Baal Avatar in the Tower of Kagustcuhi, but the Demi-Fiend will later see a message from him giving him the responsibility of creating the World of Musubi and hopes to be reborn in such a world.
Demon
Should the Demi-fiend be unable to choose a path or refuses to choose a Reason, he will kill every Reason Bearer as he climbs the Tower of Kagutsuchi, only for Kagutsichi to refuse to challenge him, outraged that he has destroyed any chance of the world being rebuilt, making the Vortex World remain as a place habitable only for demons. The Demi-fiend is cursed forever, however the blonde boy appears and says he will bless him for creating a world only for demonkind.
Neutral
Should the Demi-fiend refuse to support any Reason, and instead opt to return the world back to how it was, he must reject the philosophies of every Reason, and answer that he has no hesitation on whatever he has to do when asked by Aradia, when summoned by Yuko. The Demi-fiend will kill every Reason Bearer on his ascent up the Tower of Kagutsuchi, and face a enraged Kagutsuchi who accuses him of being seduced by freedom, like the Fallen Angel was. The Demi-Fiend defeats Kagutsuchi, who laments that his power will not be used to create a new world, but restore the old one, then uses his power to return the world to how it was. He wakes up on the day the Conception was supposed to happen, and is warned by the blonde child that he should remember his demonic powers, as it is likely he will be one day hunted down for defying the will of God, or YHVH.
True Demon
Should the Demi-Fiend manage to kill every Fiend and claim their Candelabra, the Labyrinth of Amala will slowly open up to him. As he journeys into its depths, he discovers more truths about the Conception and the nature of the universe, learning that it is the fate of every world to constantly go through Conceptions, no matter how many lives it will claim, and that Hijiri is a human cursed eternally for commiting an ultimate sin, cursed to be forever born into worlds that are about to undergo Conceptions, but never able to affect the outcome in any way. At some point he is warned by Metatron, YHVH's greatest angel and servant, not to go any deeper into the Labyrinth, in this path the Demi-Fiend ignores him. Eventually the Demi-Fiend faces Lucifer's right-hand man, Beelzebub, and just as he is about approach the elevator that will bring him to the depths of the Amala Labyrinth, Metatron appears and challenges him, saying that he cannot be allowed to progress further. Once both are defeated, the Demi-fiend can opt to make them his minions. When he makes it to the deepest part of the Amala Labyrinth, he is congratulated by the Blonde Old Man, who tells him that by coming here he has willingly discarded any humanity he has left, and thus will become a True Demon. The Old Man gives him power, and tells him to destroy Kagutsuchi.
The Demi-Fiend reawakens in the Shinjuku Medical Centre morgue, like he did when he was first transformed into the Demi-Fiend. He discovers that the Old Man has unlocked new power within the first Magatama he was given, allowing him to learn a skill that allows his attacks to bypass almost all kinds of protection. He then climbs the Tower of Kagutsuchi, killing the Reason Bearers and his former friends. Once at the top, Kagutsuchi is outraged that he has willingly given himself to be a servant of Chaos, and the Demi-Fiend kills him. With Kagutsuchi's death, the Conception of worlds is no longer possible and YHVH has effectively lost his power to maintain the cycle of creation.The Blonde Boy and Old Man appear, telling the Demi-Fiend that his powers must be tested to see if he is strong enough to lead the legions of chaos against heaven, and assume their true demonic form as Lucifer.
Once defeated, Lucifer calls forth the demons of chaos, announcing that their hero has been born. The Demi-Fiend then leads an army of demons towards a dead Kagutsuchi, with the intent to defeat YHVH and his faction once and for all.
Digital Devil Saga
The Demi-fiend's data appears as a bonus boss accessible only on a New Game+. He is a very powerful adversary, as he will be aided by demons he constantly summons, and is able to instantly kill the party with his Gaea Rage skill, dealing thousands of damage to them when their maximun HP is only 999. Once defeated, he drops the Amala Ring, which can be used in Digital Devil Saga 2 to raise the stats of the wearer.
Abilities
The Demi-Fiend is almost unviersally respected by demons for his power. He is able to learn various abilities from ingesting and cultivating Magatama within him, which include standard spells like elemental magic, healing, inflicting ailments and curses/exorcism. His more powerful abilities include attacks such as Deadly Fury and Gaea Rage, which deal massive physical damage, and Freikrugel, which fires a high powered blast of almighty energy that cannot be resisted, especially if he has the Pierce ability, allowing his attacks to bypass any kind of protection. He also gains weaknesses and resistances against certain attack types depending on the Magatam he has ingested, and with the Masakados Magatama he is immune to everything except Almighty damage, which is resisted by nothing.