Thoughts on SMT: Nocturne's Endings
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- čas přidán 30. 10. 2020
- This is a video I scrambled together on a topic I was interested in. SMT3 is a masterpiece of a game with a great story no one I talk to seems to remember. Before the remaster comes out I thought I'd get back into it.
Music used in order:
Chiaki (SMT III Nocturne)
Yosuga (SMT III Nocturne)
Musubi (SMT III Nocturne)
Spider's String (SMT Digital Devil Saga)
Ikebukuro (SMT III Nocturne)
Shout outs to PetRock for help with the thumbnail
Follow me on twitter: / tony4youtoo - Hry
They should have added a DMC, Demon detective ending where you punch god and lucifer and you start your own detective/demon-hunting enterprise with pixie as your partner/secretary.
Hilarious
this is the moment when helel became lucifer
"Demi-Fiend May Cry, how can i help you?"
@calamitoso0066 That's Devil Summoner with extra steps
And Dante is also there.
I had a very different take on the Demon ending than the one in this video, which I think is also philosophically worth talking about. The world is stillborn, with nothing that can create it left by the Demi-Fiend's hands, because he saw everything the world could become and rejected it, then when the chance came to go back to the way the world was before turned that down too- he left the world an uncreated mess, rife with demons and "incomplete" because that's what he wanted. He wandered the vortex world, as brutal and harsh as it is, and came to appreciate it more than what came before and what could come after, and killed its future to preserve the world for the demons, including himself. Ironically the difference between this and "freedom" being admitting to your human emotions like fear and doubt shows that his humanity is what drives him forward as a demon, showing how humanity and demons reflect one another.
I feel like it provides a much more interesting parallel in stagnation to the freedom route than most people will admit.
6:28 I think the most Chad thing one could do would be perpetually choosing the "Freedom ending" every single time the great will appeared
like, you have the power to change the world sure, you just want to keep it the way it is and are strong enough to afford making that choice *every single time*
(obviously outside of a game perspective, when playing i like getting different ones besides the bad end and shijima)
LOL pretty much. Just make beating back the great will a tradition whenever he shows up. Style on the creator of the universe 😎
I'm pretty sure that's what makes Freedom the true ending. Because that's essentially what the SMT series is all about. I personally find the musubi ending to be cowardly. "Shared reality too big and scary, lets all have our own reality" the ultimate copium LOL
Also maybe for the next Conception some other better reasons would be thought up.
@@ColdWeatherr i see more as "people are annoying, i want to be alone" in a larger scale
Besides Shijima being the objectively best ending in my opinion, i would be easily tempted in Musubi as long i could have anything i want in my bubble
to obtain freedom you have to be strong and corageous, at least how i see it
I never saw Freedom as "buying time", I saw it more along the lines of the SJ Neutral Ending. Sure, the problem is going to come back eventually, but you, or someone else, will just do everything all over again, because that's what being mortal is. You eat, despite knowing you'll just be hungry again, you build, even though anything you make will eventually crumble, and you live even when death is the only outcome.
You keep the world alive, along with all your idiot friends, and you don't destroy everything that people have made just because some outside entities demand it as part of their stupid games, even when capitulation is the far easier path. That's SMT Neutral in a nutshell.
But the Conception is not a outside event. Its a natural phenomenon.
Nocturne's case is special because Hikawa explicitly accelerated the event, but the Conception wans't meant to happen in that era.
and then there's TDE, which is pretty much Demi-Fiend and Lucifer saying "fuck predestined destiny all my homies hate predestined destiny"
@@davidjimenez3822 okay, grandpa. Stop taking them edge pills.
"Make the most of life…" - Persona 3
"…Grow from it, achieve your peak" - Digital Devil Saga
I think
The reasons are just desperate escapism, giving humanity the opportunity to learn from itself despite its flaws sounds like the only reasonable ending for me.
Preach
Exactly! None of the reasons seem like they would lead to anything worthwhile.
Angels love the idea of yosuga so yhvh is safe from being destroyed by a random dude with a gun again
Yeah kinda true. Serving earth on a silver platter to YHVH on that reason
Yosuga - ngl, liked at first. Mainly because when she said "strong and worthy" I thought she meant "brave and loving" but when she started killing the manikins I knew this is some chaos aliment bs
Musubi - love it. It makes you basically God in your own universe. You can do literally anything you want. It's just perfect.
Shijima-By making every one equal to God and not a single difference. It's flawed in so many ways.
Demon - a bit over hated. Demi fiend is said to a strong person. He wouldn't just sit there. He'll try to do something. May be he'll become king and go to an eternal war with God just like lucifer. Who knows? Demi fiend's potential is vast.
Freedom - While not perfect, i love it the most. It's the equivalent of your lover saying "go to ________ he/she is perfect" and you respond with "i don't want someone perfect. I want you". It basically shows how Naoki is a demon version of nakajima and kazuya. Humans who would put their life at risk for humanity to learn for its mistakes. It also shows how lucifer, the most powerful and strongest version of lucifer through ALL of megaten to bit care about a world where the strong stomps the weak and simply wants humans to realize their full potential
True demon - when tf do I get to punch God in the face to death? It's been 18 years atlus
You punch so many demons in the face to get where you are, you deserve to make any universe you want. Your take on the freedom ending is interesting, and I might be coming around to it since the video's release
Yosuga is the most extreme Law and that's why it's followed by the Angels! I am a fanatic of Law through all SMT and I only summon angel type Demons, trust me, if you talk to the Angels inside Mantra HQ after Chiaki takes the power, you'll understand that although some of them are skeptic about Chiaki being a good avatar for God, they firmly believe Yosuga even before Chiaki enbodied it... Angels have the dudy from God to form a world for the worthy chosen ones to inherit it and eradicate the others, that's what Yosuga is about... The World of Yosuga is the same as the Thousand Year Kingdom the Angels are up to create...
@@stem.2934 While Yosuga is extreme Lawful Evil, Shijima is extreme Chaotic Good. In Shijima everyone becomes equal to god... and also gets rid of every emotion and desire. And we are, as you know, slaves of our desires. Basically, Shijima is the true form of Chaotic Freedom, where everyone is free from everything, including their own desires and personalities. Everyone became free by becoming a single entity.
...Sounds gorgeous ^^ But i'm a Musubi God.
@@KeyleeTamirian Yes actually SMT has been always vague on the dualism Good-Evil, focusing only on Law-Chaos... Both Law and Chaos were good and evil at the same time, doing things that could be considered good or evil in relation with the ideal you had... But actually the SMT III twist could be that Law is evil and Chaos is good, someyhing that shuffle things up, since often Law is portraited as good and Chaos as evil, that's why many confuse Yosuga with Chaos and Shijima with Law, they are tricked by the switched good-evil factor that is often associated with the opposite ideal... But Law has always an evil trait while Chaos have a good one, Law is restriction, Chaos is freedom, they are perceived as restriction = evil and freedom = good, but Law would say that at an higher scope, restriction is needed and freedom is dangerous... Musubi is something like Neutral... Good, Evil, Law and Chaos are all good and acceptable, you shape your own world the way your ideal tells you... SMT III is strange, there is an higher Law-Neutral-Chaos war that is Law = Creation and Reasons, Neutral = reverting to the world to what it was, Chaos = following Lucifer... But inside Creation, that is Law per se, we have another Law-Neutral-Chaos game with Yosuga-Musubi-Shijima...
I remember in my first play through, I actually sided with Chiaki because when she first proposed the world of Yosuga I thought it was gonna be similar to that of Yamato Hotsuin’s merit system. To me, it seemed like a world where human potential would truly rise and we wouldn’t have to worry about stagnation in the future.
Though with me already having had done a magic build, TDE was already out of the question and I decided, I might as well see this play out til the end. And although many will see any of the reasons as a bad ending, I was actually pretty satisfied. Yes, in this world we could all be at each other’s throats, but we could also have the chance to push humanity to new limits. It’s just a matter of how you see the future.
I dont think Yosuga is Chaos
Chiaki talks about being chosen, and so I think in Yosuga, what power you're born with is what you got and theres no changing it. If you're powerful, you were born powerful and that means you were chosen. I think that might be why Angel's like it so much, no one can ever defy God/Great Will.
In that sense, its Social Darwinism without the Chaos
I think that's what makes Yosuga different from the chaos of the vortex world
Yes after making this video I read an interview (can't remember where) that said every reason is a form of LAW, even Chiaki's, and I would be inclined to agree. Your take on it is also is most likely the idea they were going for. Thanks for the comment
that isn't how strength works at all.
That would make Chiaki's ending even worse. That means that her Reason is to willingly create a world where the strong and the weak coexist, and where that order is absolute.
She could create a world of harmony where only the strong exists, but she purposefully wants to spawn into existence inferior beings who have no hope of ascending out of their position, only for the strong to step on. She's a raging psychopath and I'm glad I killed her ass to avenge Futomimi, and I'd do it again.
Personally I'd say that the freedom ending is the most logical one. It's less about postponing the inevitable destruction of the world and is moreso about giving yourself more time to look at the world how it was before on a surface level, being able to judge it in a more objective way to see which choice would truly be the best. Great Video, my man
Thanks! That sentiment is respectable. If you are to be the arbiter of the world you should try to be as informed as you can.
me and the boys choosing the freedom ending over and over again just to piss off Kagutsuchi
Always glad to see people talk about Nocturne's endings BESIDES TDE.
Too bad that the comments are basically everyone going Freedom rather that choosing a reason lol
@@Condor2481 As the game itself states, even freedom is a Reason.
It may not be the one that drastically changes the world, but it can still bring out a form of change that has the potential to be a positive one.
Freedom ending all the way.
While I get that it is implied that the great will could come back *someday* I always thought of this not as a snooze button, but as a way to get rid of the demonic influence in the world. From what I understood the key thing of the freedom ending is that while the world does goes back to before the conception happens, it meant that the conception wouldn't happen this time, or at least, not there and then. That the Demi-fiend would be able to live his life as just a human who takes his own choices in our regular world.
voice so smooth sounding like 3 michelin star mash potatoes 😤😩
gachiBASS
I think the normal demon/rejection ending gets a bit too much flak - making no choice at all is a choice in itself and doesn't necessarily reflect weakness or indecision. Moreover, the demon ending allows you to do something truly unique - you've created a world for demons. A real world, not a piece of the Expanse, not a liminal space between worlds, the Vortex World is a pocket of realspace, of material reality, that is now a haven for demons and spiritual beings. By refusing to bow down or commit to anyone else's whims, you've upset the natural order of things in a way that is truly one of a kind for the series and I think that's pretty punk in its own way.
Interesting interpretation, I can understand the appeal a bit after ruminating on it a bit
All the endings are really interesting to think about, and I like your thoughts and insight into all of them.
I read a really good article about TDE and what it means about the game as a whole. To paraphrase, the 'game' that the protagonist is playing is much like the player's own, in which they have to survive, go through the dungeons and battle demons, and pick a Reason to shape the world, while being unable to have a Reason of their own. Whichever ending you pick, you're still playing the 'game' that Kagatsuchi and/or god has set up. You still have to play your lot in life, due to circumstances beyond your control, and have to follow the rules of the world or die trying. You're allowed to pick A, B, C, or D, but you must pick one. TDE is the protagonist rejecting those rules, not playing the game, and not playing the 'role' that they are meant to play. It's choosing to take back control from the powers that be, then going on to truly make the world what you want it rather than doing what other people want and walking the paths they have determined for you.
I'm a proponent of Musubi, myself. Sure, the Demon endings and Freedom endings are fun, but a world where everyone is content, in their own worlds, existing peacefully, is an enticing, almost tantalizing prospect. And besides, technically you could circumvent loneliness by creating imaginary friends in your little bubble to amuse yourself with.
A fellow Musubi enjoyer. Plug me into that matrix
hell yeah
The problem is that if the world literally revolves around you, then everything that is outside your grasp literally cannot be created anymore. Inventions, games ect ... You live in your paradise but everything is under your control. Pure boredom. People would literally lose their will to live because they don't realise that as much of an independant person you can be, you still exist in a world that turns thanks to people. Even someone that is not social needs that.
@@wl4810 I disagree, People would invent new things constantly. Even when isolated, since that's your pocket of reality, just create whatever you want. Your own people, your own rules, your own stimulation.
@@mannysmith5397Based on who's knowledge ? A single human is infinitely ignorant and absolutely not versatile. You do not make the best mystery novels or stories because you wish it. People who are good at it do that, and add it to your World. You do not create SMT or Persona or art yourself. You do not have the potential to have even half the ideas you could find good in your world. Your World is limited by your own person with Musubi, which is why it will be incredibly boring based on one person. You can be the god of the World, but of your own World, it's pointless. And that's not even considering birth. People will never learn to grow in such worlds. They could stay absolute unhappy menchild their whole life and not be mature enough to understand their issues.
Shijima makes the most sense from the list of choices. It would be the death of Chaos, and usher in a utopia.
Neutral baby. humanity, justice, and hope foreva'!
I'm very partial to the "Freedom" ending. Why chose options that you disagree with when you can turn back things to the way they were. Even maybe fix a couple of things too along the way. Hopefully on the next go around you'll have comrades who you can either count on or agree with. I see pretty much no downside to it besides the great will coming back for round 2 but he's already been beaten once. What's one more stomping as we shout out "ONE MORE GOD REJECTED".
I am reclusive and anti-social, but I need human contact SOMETIMES. When the pandemic started, I was alone and getting depressed, like a lot of people. I started to feel like other people didn't even exist in my tiny world. I went to the gas station to pick up some drinks, not because I was thirsty, but just to hear somebody say something. The absence of others is more unsettling than the presence of many. Musubi is flawed. Even if we conflict with others, we don't conflict with everyone.
I didn't grab coffee but i grabbed pizza instead. Honestly this is probably the best video yet loving the style
God Bless. Pizza time
The Musubi ending will literally straight up go to chaos, rember those past mythologies regarding multiple pantheons? and how it normally starts a creation war between gods? its gonna be a bloodbath once each got too greedy and wanted to expand their bubble of reality. its gonna be a world where your typical isekai protagonist gets reincarnated in.
I'll always go far enough to be stopped by Metatron, so I can summon him... but I don't always follow the elevator down beyond that. I think I'd rather carve my own path, using Metatron as an implement.
I don't think of the "Freedom Ending" as being a snooze button. It's a way for humanity to collectively choose their "reason."
I just finished the game for the first time, choosing the shijima ending. I feel like I’m definitely the minority after watching a couple videos about the endings and reading the comments.
Personally I think there is merit in all the endings besides Yosuga. In my mind Yosuga would create a world with ceaseless conflict, for every strong person there would someone who is stronger and in the end the world would be left with hardly anyone, and those people would have to fight amongst each other to ensure their own survival.
I’ve always been a fan of works that play with the idea of nihilism (such as Chuck Palahniuk’s Invisible Monsters) so I’m not too surprised that I aligned with shijima on my playthrough. While I value individuality pretty highly in the real world, there is something that appeals to me about a world where nothing matters anymore. There would be no more happiness, but there would also be no more sadness, violence, or destruction. We would be neither content nor unhappy, or have any thoughts at all, just a piece of a greater machine.
I think this ending is quite sad, no one wants to give themselves up completely, and I think nihilism has always been somewhat unrealistic, but I can’t help think maybe the world would be better off like that.
I found nocturne to be an incredible game, both in gameplay and because of the thought provoking concepts it brings forward.
edit: that being said I would have sided with futomimi if I could have. I loved the manikins 😢
I really do appreciate every single ending, but if I had to I’m split between Musubi & Freedom.
Going back to our own world sounds good, but having your own little world is very enticing.
I was originally gonna favourite True demon, but Manny & Manuel’s comments really opened my eyes on this. So thank you for the amazing vid Tony!
I like the achievement for getting the Freedom ending on Steam (and maybe PS4 idk)
"Old World, New Worldview"
Maybe it's just not putting it off, but living with the world that made YOU and not the other way around
I can see that and have changed my opinion on it over time. I really like that achievement as well now
You would go insane being alone in your own world
Why? You could make it appear just the same as the normal world, except other people are not conscious. Musubi is basically better freedom.
@@spongbobsquarepants3922 Cause it's really pathetic. You will have no social interaction, no real friends, family, or pets. It's basically the ultimate copium: "OH, real life is too scary to face, so I'll live in an imaginary world where I can make anything happen, that way nothing will hurt me anymore and I can make people act exactly how I want them to act." You basically give up on being human, because you will never grow as a person again
Your videos are amazing, you deserve much more atention and love man. Really amazing.
Really appreciate it! I hope people keep enjoying the videos and stick around for more to come
As someone who leans more Neutral or Chaos, I find all of the reasons extremely flawed, and wouldn't choose any of them beyond wanting to see what the ending is like. Freedom is interesting since technically humanity can continue progressing until the next time the world needs to be remade, who knows, maybe if Freedom gets looped enough times humanity will progress until we're all giga-chads like Stephen who can just body whatever the Great Will throws at us. Demon ending is very poetic, and also good at showing us how flawed the Great Will can be, since its plan of perpetual cycles of rebirth can actually be thwarted. TDE is classic, what a satisfying way to close things out, also kinda interesting how the ending where you actually succeed in defying the Great Will without screwing yourself over has you become subordinate to Lucifer, showing that ultimately we're all just pawns.
I never get that. Subordinate to Lucifer and being a pawn. If you had a project to work on and one guy was the idea guy and the visionary and the other is the doer the guy who makes these reality is that not just a partnership? I mean, we beat God in that ending correct? The God who suppressed Lucifer. The God who bodided Lucifer before? Yea, so how are we a "subordinate?" I think you forget we have a choice to side with Lucifer. Even to be able to choose the freedom ending if we want. I guess people just look at the word "general of the army" and go "so he's slave then." Like bruh. What?
Lol imagine an entire planet full of Stephens, YHVH would just cry haha
@@lastmanstanding7155 I think most people believe they are pawns of Lucifer because Lucifer created the Demifiend and was like "I think it would be pretty cool if you went through this special dungeon and got power ngl", obviously in the actual amala labirynth the game tells you many times what it is you're actually doing so that you know what you're choosing
@@ovensmuggler5207
Ur right but we can still have a choice. Unless I'm misrembering now. It's been a while.
If the reason of Musubi actually happened, it would be pretty bad. People would either go insane from the isolation, or fall into depravity and indulgence. Losing themselves as they got whatever they wanted. Then became tired of it and wanted something more. I am sure there are some people out there who might truly benefit from this reason. However, the vast, VAST majority of people would not.
Musubi is about each person getting to choose how they experience the world. In musubi, there will not be people interacting with each other, but an individual can choose to manifest creatures that are just like humans in every way, except those humans do not have internal mental states. But from the outside, the people will be indistinguishable from normal humans. For those who do not like other people, they can choose not to create people other than themselves. It is free choice based on ones own desires. I do not think this is the best reason though. Shijima is the best one. It is like a buddhist world.
@@spongbobsquarepants3922 you can do this in real life soon. Purchase robots / AI dolls and they would never betray you. It is the same concept
My biggest problem with the whole game... is as the demi fiend you are pretty much the key to whatever world someone wants to create. Yet in the end when I played I quickly grew to hate everyone. No one in this game gives me any reason to want to support them. Everyone is such jerks to you and uses you for their own gain. Every ending to me sucks cause none of them I agree with. Be it losing your individuality, losing connections to other beings, or becoming a power hungry monster, or dooming the world to fight god. No ending in this game is appealing and I get that's kind of the point. But I could see myself maybe agreeing if the humans in the game tried to explain their views of the world.
ehh I'd say Pixie and the manikins both are worth standing by, Pixie has your back from the very beginning and never does you wrong, and the manikins just want to be left to live their lives without people trying to murder them constantly, and to me, both the demon and true demon endings involve siding with the residents of this world, refusing to let any god lord over them
@@Christopher-eq1rn Fair way to view that ending. But I see it more as just becoming Satan's puppet and fighting more for demon kind in general then for any small fries like the manikins.
really enjoyed this, thank you!
Thanks a lot! Glad people are enjoying the content
I get demon then spend infinty planning on how to kill Lucy and Kagutsuchi...oh and maybe marry Pixie.
The ultimate good ending
Honestly, if it were up to me, I’d choose the Freedom ending. Sure, it might be cowardly to set back changing the world for later, But the idea of creating an entirely new world kinda scares me to be honest. This current world might not be the best for everyone, but the quality of the world is subjective. Not everyone will be ok with the perpetual loneliness Isamu proposes in exchange for being in your own little bubble, not everyone will be ok with the strength driven hierarchy Chiaki proposes, i’m pretty sure most people would like to have individuality, so Hikawa is definitely a no, and the Vortex world is a world of uncertainty beyond what the world is like now, so really, I don’t see much of a problem with just saving the big decision making for another time. I’d like time to actually look at the world myself more critically to see what problems I think it has first before deciding what it becomes.
Yeah I think the best ending for humanity is pretty much freedom. It's worked for a long time until now lol. Though the unlimited power of TDE is a little enticing eh?
Your interperetation of shijima is completely different from how I read it. I didn't see it as some kind of weird mechanical communist society, but instead I saw it as like, buddhist nirvana for the whole world. I'm not sure how people derive that from "world of stillness."
musubi = nerd
yosuga = jock
freedom = teacher
shijima = headmaster
I also always saw the freedom ending as best. That's what humanity is truly fighting for absolute freedom from all gods, demons, and religion. What point is there in going through all this effort if someone is going to tell me what to do at the end.
Futumime's reason is probably the one I would pick, a world of equality doesn't sound half bad
If only you actually could pick it in the game lol
@@Tony4You yeah it's a shame you can't
@@archivist_13 It is at least partially because of how vague it is. Equality? In what way? Is it a political equality, or something like soviet equailty? Maybe something else. If the details are not there, then the world probably cannot be made.
Yosuga is appealing because of the angels themselves. They join it because that would allow for God to just rule again, considering he would be the strongest still
some people are not compelled to do the true demon ending tell to the guy who literally did it on the first go for doing any of the other reasons LOL and I don't regret it either it help for New Game Plus
Even if I am far more inclined to chaos I admit the Musubi reason is very tempting, looks like something that would work and make everyone happy if it was to happen in the real world.
the thing about Neutrality is *every ending is a "snooze" ending.* the freedom ending is the epitome of true neutrality as defined by SMT.
I really enjoyed this video
Hey thanks!
The manikins were nice to me, I like them...whatever ending helps them the most
now I wonder, what if Hijiri got the chance to make his own reason? He seems like a bookworm-type of guy with an endless curiosity (which comes from his punishment by the Great Will/God/whoever cursed him), and also his power trip over being able to watch all over the Vortex World with thanks to the Amala Drums. Maybe his Reason would be based around people being driven purely by curiosity? Perhaps even creating a world where everyone is obsessed with science and how the Expanse works and stuff.
Sadly Maniax killed any chance at giving us a Hijiri boss fight at the tower of Kagutsuchi by confirming Hijiri died before getting to the hospital during the conception. RIP
The problem with Hijiri getting a Reason is that he is a manakin, and it is said that manakins are not humans and therefore cannot create a Reason.
This game is on sale for the switch right now for 20. This video has persuaded me into getting it.
Hope you like it! It's one of the best RPGs around
@@Tony4You bought it earlier today, playing it now and loving it. Bastards made Dante from devil may cry as a dlc lol
About the freedom ending i feel like people forget that the world didnt really die naturally hikawa is the one who killed it
I feel like this ending is giving the chance for the old world to truly live to its fullest before conception happens and a proper reason can be naturally chosen (i mean if it wasnt for yuko the only reason left was going to be from hikawa and there is no game of creation if it was rigged to only have one player from the start)
Funnily enough,a few years back I was talking with some friends about what we'd do as God. And i near perfectly described SMT3's Musubi ending. This was before i knew anything about SMT3 really. Each individual living in their own perfect universe of ultimate beauty and complexity, pleasing to its creator in every respect. No one will ever have to experience any negative emotion again; There will only be joy. THAT, is truly the best for humanity. Having your literal universe develop as you see fit, even shaping concepts such as natural selection and the very progress of nature will be yours to control. In my solemn opinion, nothing compares to that.
Same
Being god in your world it's the perfect reality
If you want to be static and just experience happiness? Fine
But If you want to create something who will make your life harder like creating a Enemy for yourself it's fine too
Do what you want and i do what i want, with nobody to worry about, because you're everything
I wish this was real
@@neoonewingedren1836 Absolutely. If someone wants their world to be filled with struggle and pain, I as god, will give them that right. If someone wishes to experience nothing but happiness by their own definition, i give them that right. If they desire to create a world where its only them, i give them that control. Every human is different, thus no other outcome is an option. Those who would keep the world as is and demand everyone should just experience each other are both ignorant, foolish, and fearful. Though that's just, like, my opinion bro. LOL
@@AceKite00 having the chance to change the problems with the current world and decide to just return everything to how it was it's the most stupid decision ever
Even killing the entire universe in TDE sounds better in my opinion
Musubi or Shijima are the only correct reasons in my opinion
It took me three years to get the true demon ending.. it was my first playthrough.. 🙏 what a wild time
Ngl, even though I haven't played the game yet (but I've been wanting to for the longest time) the true demon ending and muzubis ending sound really appealing.
personal realties sounds nice for me
I don’t think you gave TDE enough philosophical credit. It definitely has ties to the idea of the Übermensch and the concept of parinirvana.
True. The more I think about it the more I wanted to talk about it. unfortunately I only really talked about the reason endings at great length. the TDE could be it's own video really
with the world being completely destroyed and walking alone with nothing but angels and demons and seeing all your old friends use you and \ go insane or die. Then you lose all faith and you realize their is no hope and turn to Lucifer. While you are litterally listening to the devil an dleast he gives you warmth and compassion and cheers you on throughout your quest. Then with nothing more but rage and contept you pummel anyone and everything lucifer throws at you, proving your love and devotion to him as well as to yourself that their is nothing and prepare for the final battle against god himself. Its like that quote "a child not embraced by the village will burn it down to feel its warmth". Probably overanalyzed the crap outta that but tbh this and misubi and freedom are my favorites. Moreso this
@@benderman1157 interesting view of TDE, never thought about it in this way. But I personally disagree with it. A don't think there is any signs of deeper connection between old pal Luci and Demi-fiend. There is connection, yes, but I don't think there is "love". I think, it's more about "understanding". After traversing Vortex World and gathering menorahs, Demi-fiend sees it as it is - a hellscape, where is only exist a power struggle between all kind of monsters for the right to creating a new world. New world, to replace an old one, wich was completely destroyed, with every its habitants. And why? Just because some jerks decided that "nah, we don't like this world lets create something new". And what will happen after a creation of new world? All will be the same. Some time will pass, and then some jerks will create an new apocalypse, to "reborn the world". And the endless cycle of death and rebirth will continue, with no true meaning. What the point of living, if in any second world can be destroyed by whimsical decision of some lunatic? Or, if we will look more deeper, its not the lunatic itself who destroys the world, but the higher being, such as YHWH or Great Will. There is no freedom in such existence, there is no point. Not untill there will be no higher being. And boom, that's exactly that our old pal Lucifer thinking! So yeah, this is the way I personally see this.
For a while, I thought Chiaki's ending was the Order ending due to the angels following her. This game was incredibly deep, more so than I originally thought.
Yeah they really had a departure from their previous story designs, people don't give this game's narrative enough credit honestly
Believe it or not the thing that compelled me to choose Freedom was some random Loa in the first kalpa.
He spoke of how humans can change, but are mortal, whilst demons were the opposite; unchanging and everlasting. The Loa then wonders how it is for us (the player), as we were both Human and Demon.
It's interesting to think about imo, and even if I myself couldn't conceive a reason, I was still very much human through and through. Despite possessing the strength of a demon, I am, undoubtedly, human.
Sure, the current world is far from perfect, but it's still our world. Especially coming out of the ordeal with a new perspective, we can come out with the ability to see what we humans are truly capable of, and the world we can create with or without the Great Will.
My interpretations of the ending are as follows:
1. Hikawa, like most "lose your humanity for perfect unity" endings, this is amongst the most frightening because it's about as far away from our current existence as we can imagine it. Neon Genesis Evangelion's ending and Armored Core 6's Alea Iacta Est ending are also basically the same thing, and both endings I just can't bring myself to agree with.
2. Isamu. I agree that this is one of the better endings, but still very polarising. What does a universe look like if we all become gods of our own worlds, never to see each other again? Could we satisfy ourselves by the powers of godhood in a sandbox that will never be disrupted?
3. Chiaki. This is amongst the more generic ones, but it does draw attention to how Law and Chaos kind of horseshoe around into becoming the same thing, and going in loops. In SMT 4, we saw that Blasted Tokyo led towards a more chaotic world, while Infernal Tokyo led to a more lawful world eventually. A world with the mightiest being is able to reap the benefits of their power and dominate over all is... basically Law.
4. Freedom ending. The issue for me is that I'm still unsure what this ending means. Is this ending truly embracing humanity, letting them try to fix their mistakes? Is this ending kicking the can down the road? Is this ending true freedom or is it ignorance?
5. Demon ending. I think another theme that the game is trying to tell you that inaction is not an option. This is part of why I think the Freedom Ending might not really be that free. I definitely agree with your perspectives though that this ending has you with absolute power, but no soul, and nothing to use it for.
6. True Demon Ending. I think there might be some more depth here then you're giving credit for it. SMT 3 is trying to go for a more Buddhist perspective on the world, rather than the traditional Judeo Christian vs Paganism. YHVH doesn't even appear to be present in this game, instead Metatron and Kagutsuchi serve the Great Will. The world goes through cycles of death and rebirth. All worlds go through this, according to Lucifer. The real truth is that existence in this system is suffering, and that the only way to achieve enlightenment is to break free of the cycle.
Granted, in Buddhism, you are encouraged to follow the Middle Way, avoiding the polar extremes of existence, like eternalism and annihilationism. And the TDE is pretty freaking extreme. But I think there's that strong connection here that the cycle is ultimately not a desirable existence, and that we should dare to expand our way of thinking outside of it.
Tony 4 Everyone
I always wanted there to be an option to make Futomimi's vision possible.
Mutsubi was the first ending I got, because I went into the tower too early, but I liked it
I perfer the true demon ending, you kill your freinds, throw away your humanity and become lucifers right hand man, what more can you ask for
love me a good reward after finally beating nocturne
The worst part is I can see pretty much all the endings is valid so being true to myself and the fact that I have a hard time picking things it would probably do the rejection ending, I could honestly see myself standing in a barren wasteland and being like this is fine
Yeah it would be surprisingly easy to find yourself in a situation where you missed your opportunity for a world at all. At least you can hang out with the pixies!
A quick rundown of my opinions for each:
I used to be a fan of the Musubi reason, but then I realized it would end up being just a solipsistic nightmare, even with the power of creation at your grasp, you are still human and will succumb to human emotions without any outside interference anymore.
Yosuga is going back the raw and the primal. It is social Darwinism, hierarchies and regime changes galore. Would definitely not choose this at all, despite the reason backers and demons associated with it being some of my favorites in the series.
Shijima is one I used to think would not be appealing at all, but then after replaying this timeless classic when the HD remake came out and seeing how restless and exhausted society became during the pandemic, I can honestly say if I desperately had to choose a reason, it would have to be Shijima. I am no Buddhist or fully socialist/egalitarian, but I do believe the world needs to slow down a bit and be much more analytical.
Freedom is boring, and gets nothing done, typical neutral route. Demon is an interesting downer/bad ending that rubs your poor decision in your face.
And let's just face it, everyone comes to this game because of TDE. Who doesn't like this route?
go straight for TDE because it's basically a Devilman Lady's ending
Reading through these comments, while I absolutely understand people who like Musubi's ending... I'd go for the freedom ending, and at a pinch, Yosuga.
For Freedom, it's fine. The world stays as it is and keeps its color on its cheeks. I just don't see that happening in the other reasons, other than Yosuga.
For Yosuga, you keep being challenged and have to up your game. At some point however, you grow old. In a society like that, where power is recognized and respected, I'd expect they at least do the courtesy of a quick death. That, and the amount of politics, shonen tournament arcs and other stories that will exist here is just better overal.
Shijima and Musubi though, they just don't work easily in my mind. There's no real challenges presented and humans as a whole just won't grow. For Shijima, this is great as people would think about how what they're doing impacts others. On the other side of the coin, you have Japan, locked in stalemates and reading the room, not being able to be explicit with what's really needed.
Musubi just sounds boring to me, I agree with what I've read in some comments. Where would my own 'reality' come from without any other view points? I didn't get my view points out of thin air, just from random sources that I can't even cite anymore but still believe. Yet, I got all of that from somewhere and Musubi just has no culture to speak of.
Loved the video. None of the reasons ever really convinced me as it mostly felt like their minds were being corrupted by the idea of power, so I stuck with TDE and was very satisfied.
Yeah showing humanity's lust for power made manifest in even teenagers was disturbing for a lot of people so I did the same thing. TDE for life
Same. I'd love to see a Nocturne anime or manga that adapts the TDE. Imagine this: before the conception, Demi-fiend is kinda like a persona protag power of friendship sorta thing. Then after the conception he slowly begins to resent his friends as they have become mad with power, almost unrecognizable from how they were pre-conception. All the other people he's tried making connections with (Hijiri, Yuko, Manikins) all ending up being killed by his former friends. He doesn't want to side with any reason. He really only trusts the woman and her master (Lucifer) because they are the only ones who are really on his side. After realizing he can stop the creation of a new world by ending the cycle of rebirth, he embraces the demonic and loses the rest of his humanity; unknowingly becoming just like his friends. After killing Kagusuchi and beating Lucifer, he joins Lucifer's demonic army against God. His humanity is completely gone and in its place stands a new demon of chaos.
@@futab05 very well thought out. That's definitely something I'd watch
It's not like this is the only SMT game that does this. I'd argue most of them actually do this, but I love how every ending has both good and bad points to them. It fits the general theme and mood of the games very well.
Musubi follower here as well
Chiaki is my personal blacklist because of what she has done to Futomimi.
I ended up getting the Freedom ending completely by chance in my first playthrough.
At first I would have sided with Chiaki, kind of believing that strong leadership in the world would be best for bringing new things into the world, but slowly her viewpoint began to become more brutal and cruel. I found the brutal murder of mannikens trying to live in peace the last straw so I rejected her.
Isamu, I rejected the moment he claimed he wanted a world of self. Personally speaking, I can't see myself living in a world where you are alone. You can only go so far by yourself, and in the end even a loner like myself needs people in their lives. The idea WAS tempting though.
Hikawa I rejected since the bastard tried to kill me, hurt my teacher, and continued to mock my efforts for simply trying to reunite with my teacher. I also hated the thought of having no individuality or emotion. Sure in highschool I thought it would be nice for equality all the way but, emotions are what make people, people.
I think I also put a lot of my own nature in choosing options when they came up, so I ended up being more humane and less demonic in my choices thus getting the Freedom ending and I actually felt satisfied. I mean, what made Hikawa think that the world needed to be destroyed? What was wrong with leaving everything as it was for a couple more centuries and take a wait and see approach? A world where you are still surrounded with friends and family and continue onwards with your daily life regardless of what may loom beyond the horizon in the future may sound boring to some but for me, it felt ideal.
As for the True Demon ending... I couldn't get it way back. I was not very good tactifully speaking and couldn't get past the second Kalpa way back until I got a guide and suddenly being chased by Dante in the 3rd kind of startled me way back.
Side note: Tony, are planning on doing similar videos for SMT 4, SMT 4 Apocalypse, and the more recent SMT 5? I would like to hear your thoughts on those, especially on SMT 5.
Interesting, good takes. I do plan to do a video giving my thoughts on the endings of SMTV for sure as well
I got the demon ending the first blind playthrough, although I regret it deeply. I wasn’t aware that the teacher was going to die, and I rejected the second law choice in favor of teach. It was a very difficult choice for me. 😕
Giving it some thought, if I were the Demi-fiend, I'd either go Freedom or True Demon Ending. On one hand reverting the world back to what it once was and having a chance to either conceive a Reason or find a better Reason would be the best choice since I don't like the current options. Basically, my options suck so might as well reroll for new options. On the other hand, if I choose Freedom and the reroll sucks AND I can't affect anything in the new Conception, that would drive me up a wall. Choosing whether or not to participate in the Conception is the only choice I can reasonably make independent of everyone else, but I'm always pigeon-holed to a degree by either picking a Reason I didn't manifest or rerolling. Choosing to break the cycle and threading a new path afterwards, whatever it may be, would be me picking an option that allows me to exert the most amount of free will, to a degree.
My first instinct would be Freedom, but if I went down the rabbit hole far enough (literally and figuratively), I can see TDE as the option.
I had the mainax/chronicle versions
And I still went for freedom
But I could see how some people would get “bottlenecked” I guess
I see the endings as three law (the three reasons) two neutral (demon and freedom) and one chaos (The True Demon Ending ) I mean it is the main reason that the angels never got involved, all three reasons are going the path of the lawful and 'correct' course.
I got the demon ending on my first playthrough because I didn't know how to choose a Reason. Guess I chose all the wrong dialogue options that influence any Reason ending. "For anyone who got this ending on their first playthrough, I hope you learned it as a lesson". I took no lesson from it; 1: because I'm terrible at discerning lessons or reading deep into stories, and 2: I was so done with this game by the end of it. It was way too grindy for my liking. The tower of Kagatsuchi was just _so... damn... long_ . And my brain was too small for some of the puzzles in it. I was just glad to finally be done with it
Definitely Freedom. Any other choice is just a dead end for humanity. Though maybe I’d go True Demon if I felt spiteful toward YHVH that day for forcing the choice.
Shijima seems pretty awesome for humanity. I do not see how it is a dead end. Also YHVH is not in the story. He is only in SMTII and Apocalypse.
on my play through I messed up so I couldn't get the true demon ending. so I ended up with the strength reason be cause it reminded me of the law of the jungle and was the reason that was closely associated with the origins of the current world.
musuby is the world were you can have moe cat girls :/ or you can simp for chiaki and have a meritocratic kinda darwinist world, mmh
Wouldn't every world (not only the fredoom one) sooner or later face the the reset?
Yes in a way, but the time between them and quality of life is what differs
TDE was my first ending and goddamn that experience i can’t replicate to any ofher game but still kinda sad for me since it’s mostly about being pawn by lucifer and was going thru takao ending but answered incorrectly
it is the best ending tho you stop the cycle of death and rebirth and its implied in the newest game you beat YHVH and lucifer never treated you like a pawn instead he respects you and in takao ending noting changes YHVH will came back and without your demon powers you will lose and no one learned from the events of the game
I’ve always favored Musubi myself as well. A world of your own that you are free to shape according to your ideals including the inhabitants, for the individual it is indeed the perfect ending, but for humanity as a whole I just can’t fathom how it will work.
I know the humans pre-conception will be revived for the new world but how does humanity progress from there? Each person is isolated within their own pocket world so obviously there will be no interacting with others, that being the case how are new people born? Do they still age?
So many questions.
Interesting thought experiment. Many people would handwave it as a matrix situation, but there is inherently a fundamental reality shaping aspect to it. The possibilities are infinite
@@Tony4You SMT endings are typically left ambiguous so the player can interpret them however they wish within the bounds of the narrative. So the boundless creation endings like Musubi and Apocalypse’s Anarchy (poorly named) ending offer the most ideological freedom, that's why I favor them.
Apocalypse’s ending is more straightforward though, you usurp the throne from God and recreate the world from scratch, the resulting world left up to the players imagination as usual.
But the idea of the world in this ending is much easier to grasp than the world of Musubi.
The world of Apocalypse is basically a singular world being reset and reshaped, its not difficult to imagine how humanity will progress from there. Whereas the world of Musubi appears to be a world of stasis, great for the individual as I said but hard to envision much (if any) progress from humanity in such a world.
Not that I think lack of progress is inherently a bad thing, if the world is a utopia then the status quo is worth maintaining.
@@s.silverman9864 It seems like most people favor Musubi. I don't know if that is a testament to Musubi or a knock on the other reasons. Most people seem to be happy with the idea of personal utopia, free of struggle and violence
@@Tony4You Oh don’t get me wrong if the opportunity for a Musubi esque dream world presented itself in reality I’d pick it in a heartbeat, much better than trusting a single person to shape the entire world and hoping for the best.
As for the games I'd either aim for the endings that closely align with my own ideals, which tend to be Law, or I’d pick the ending that offers the most potential to change the world to my liking.
Speaking of Nocturne I think its actually Yosuga that offers the most potential for growth. Its pretty much just a more extreme version of Yamato’s Meritocracy ending, the person at the top shapes the world without the risk of opposition from those below.
In Nocturne’s case it would be the Demifiend at the top, so the ending offers more imaginative freedom than what would appear at first glance. The protagonist is a self insert after all, there for us to project our ideals onto, so whatever world they shape is the one we envision ourselves.
Pretty much what obito was doing in naruto
So personally I’m about the Freedom ending
The reason is because the free world is full of a tremendous amount of good and bad. It’s the truest form of life, getting to experience the ups and downs that mortal experience has to give us in the fullest sense. Even with the bad, most of us start with some chance to experience something of value to us, and to forge meaningful experiences with others.
Every other ending is fundamentally flawed because they keep the individual from making their own choices in some way or another. I could go over it in detail, but if you just look at the other endings, they are good for SOME people, but not everyone. Other then the TDE, or DE.
The TDE is another one that I feel like is worthy, but has too many unknowns. What happens when YHVH is defeated, what occurs then? Is there a new creator of the universe which can be better? It’s extremely vague, so if I’m following my heart it’s Freedom, but that ending intrigues me.
still monotone but love it
Freedom is the epitome of chaos imo. Unlike the Demon endings, you don't become a pawn of Lucifer, serving a new power. You take your future back from gods and demons. Let the future remain uncertain.
TFW you play the PC version. Didn't know you had to actively get the raidou dlc. Miss the true ending. Why atlus why
unlucky 😔
@@Tony4You Nope lucky :D now I have reason to play it again
@@souit957 I for one genuinely appreciate this positivity.
If i could choose one of the reasons from Smt Nocturne in real life i would be in a between with Musubi or Shijima
If Musubi isn't become a pocket world god i would at least like isolation
Shijima is true peace
Freedom feels like being in my opinion, just having a chance and throwing it away
TDE only works for Megaten Multiverse
Yosuga sucks
Lmao the ending with everything fucked was the first one I got idk what caused it (maybe me just murdering everyone especially after I got the final mag that makes u void but almighty
All reasons are fundumentaly flawed - all three are concived by hypocrites (Hikawa is passionate about the world of stillness, Isamu can't achive anything on his own, Chiaki were powerless until she recieved the power from Gozu-Tennoh and would be among the first ones to be slaugthered in her ideal world).
TDE is the most compelling to me from the story perspective - this is the moment Lucifer finally succseeded in his machinations.
And you don't lead Satan's army in TDE. Satan and Lucifer are two distinct entities even in a Bible. And Satan in SMT is actually a subordinate of YHVH
We don't know much about Chiaki unfortunately, but I think that tidbit about her could make her the most interesting of the bunch, for all we know, she might've wanted this world knowing she was powerless and wouldn't fit in it at all, and when she managed to gain power that just made her all the more "open" and proactive towards making her ideal world a reality.
I think it's powerful to know that you yourself aren't fit for the world you're trying to create but still go through with trying to make that world a reality, that she'd choose a world she's not fit for because she deems it a better world that the old one.
@@MugenHeadNinja The way Chiaki described her Reason and external information, she seemed like an upper-class girl who is rather intellectual and is academically capable. It probably fueled her worldview, having attended a private school or something, and witnessing her fellow upper-class teens squander their wealth and opportunities yet still get away with it thanks to their unearned efforts.
Playing through nocturne hd really flipped my opinion on the reasons.
Shijima: I don't like the world but understanding how Hikawa started in the ring of gaea and all its cultist madness made me more sympathetic and I do think id work out.
Musubi: isamu was a bit of a prick but he was alone in the vortex world and he reached a conclusion I think almost any of us would reach. I would choose this one as well.
Yosuga: i initially was drawn to chiaki's resolve to survive and thrive in the world but relating more to the manikins made her feel less sympathetic. I do respect that she still challenged you if you align with her since only the strongest should represent yosuga.
Freedom: it sounds optimistic to return the world to where it once was but going along with the whims of someone too weak to prevent the conception and too lacking to form a true reason. Like u said it just delays the inevitable.
Demon: I kinda like this. Its really poetic to see everyone's schemes, beliefs, and lives result in a pointless destruction of the system.
True demon: ok this one is still badass haha its hard not to want to do all that delicious bonus content anyways.
The boy/man in the wheelchair isnt Satan, its Lucifer. In SMT they aren't the same.
Lucifer is the fallen angel who rebelled against god and seeks to fight him for the principles of freedom and chaos.
Satan, as in SMT2, is YHVH's "accuser" who righteously condemns the unrighteous on his behalf. This is why the Law ending of 2 is so trippy.
Yosuga is not Chaos, it's supported by the Angels because it's Law, Yosuga is about the worthy are to be chosen by God to populate the ideal world that will be guarded by the Angels and everyone fearing to be killed by demoms will be protected and all the vicious demons will be eradicated, it is the typical Law in Shin Megami Tensei and I always follow it and side with the Angels in every SMT game, of course the God that is in charge is Baal and not YHWH because the latter has been defeated in Shin Megami Tensei II by Aleph and another God has rised, Baal was a contender with YHWH for all the Old Testament and he has rised to power. But not only Yosuga, all the Reasons are a differnt form for a Law path but the rules of the ideal world change. Instead the Freedom Ending is the Neutral one and the Demon and True Demon are Chaos, they are about supporting Lucifer, which is Chaos in Shin Megami Tensei...
A great summary! Good to see another Law follower too
@@Tony4You Yeah thanks! :D You too... Wonderful to hear! I always only use Angel type Demons/Personas in all the games, not only following Law but also restrict myself to using only the Divine race or Seraph/Herald race... ^_^ I'm playing all the series, I've already played SMT and SMTII on SNES Mini and now I'm playing the Raidou games! :D Always using the Angels and going Law!
@@stem.2934 You'll have fun in Strange Journey . Alignment based demons are a major mechanic.
@@Tony4You Yes it's true! :) Well you just have to use Law Demons to have the bonus but unfortunately it doesn't give you a further bonus for using only Demons of the same race (Divine) hahaha XD
so playing smt5 the true demon ending is the true ending for smt3 because of the dlc in smt5 lol seeing that you can fight the mc of smt3 but what you said about restarting the time line is not that much off from what actually happend
Haven't finished smt 3 yet, just bought it like 2 months ago but finals are now over so I can finish it up. Playing on hard for the first playthrough and I gotta say, the combat isn't what's super difficult (other than the fights later on cause ive heard of Mot and his bs), its the expensive as hell demon resummoning, magatsuchi, items, and the demon negotiation making no sense to me. But yeah, it really sucks that if I wanna get a reason ending I have to avoid doing the extra dungeons and fiends; I might just play through smt 3 twice I guess and go for reason second playthrough.
The Great Will create everything Y**H, lucifer, demon, human everything. So that means he create Demi-fiend to become, someone who destroy his creation and break his rule.
Its confusing but its God creation nonetheless
I should make my own comment. Musubi is pretty much the worst ending to me for reasons I mentionned in a sub comment. Humans could never live in their very own independant world. They cannot make a world by themselves. They need individuals to make it revolve, to make life interesting on its own. Joy would be remplaced with boredom and nobody would truly enjoy life or even want to live in just a bit of time. We need people to make the world whole. For this reason, I think Musubi's world is straight up unviable, and while I absolutely hate Shijima, it would at least end up with a form of humanity that still wishes to exist.
Yosuga is pretty much going back to the roots of the world, nothing more. Strenght based society is unviable on its own. People try to overthrow the other constantly, the weaks becoming smarter about it even, eventually, rules are created in order to stop a massive uncontrollable carnage, rules advantaging the strong ones usually, but evolving along with conflicts into ... Pretty much our current society. Yosuga is a world that starts in a hellish form but has the potential to grow from trying to make it actually work. That is usually the advantage of chaotic routes of SMT. Unlike pure law ones, they allow individuals to express themselves, and people to come up with new ideas that can push society toward a balance over passing times. For this reason, for one trying to make a new humanity while still being content with the old one, it is probably the best path. Along with this, praise of the strong, while it has drawbacks, also pushes people toward doing their best to be succesful, the model is a "positive" one, trying to attain it's goals. Realizations of every important task and roles that even the weak can accomplish is also a part of the expected evolution of society. On the long term, it's pretty much the most complete. But it does end up being a form of law too at the end of the day. It's the best way to perpetuate the eternal war, by reseting back to the origins of it, where a chaotic law starts the game, and a lawful chaos ends it.
The freedom ending is basically putting all your faith in humanity. I personally did not make that choice. I think Hikawa is a sign of a world that reached its ending point, and that he is just the first of his own kind with extremist ideas to do so, meaning more are to come, the conception will happen soon to me, if it doesn't do it straight up after thanks to Hikawa again. I think the world ended the moment one man managed to end it. Which brings me to the True Demon Ending.
Accepting that humanity reached its last day, you move on. You accept that the world ended. You accept that everything will, one day, end, and that recreating the world is pointless. And you let go off the idea of creating another world. Just as one can accept that one day, the sun will exploded and that it will be it for everyone on the planet ( which is funny because you do actually make a sun explode ). But you don't stop here. You join Lucifer in stopping the god who pointlessly creates and destroys new worlds for all eternity. While I do consider a world create is worth getting its own chance, I do not think anything is lost when my world is already lost, and that nothing was created yet. So I made this choice, to stop the one playing with this situation, once and for all. Kind of like choosing to not make kids and abort them before they are born, you don't kill them if it happens, but you can stop it before because you see no point in it happening. Creating a new world, a new humanity for GOD's amusant and experiments never interested you yourself, so you don't see the point of following his will. But you do hate him, so you go for his head.
I also think it is kind of amusing that you, the demon, forbidden to have your own reason, and create the world by your choice, gets to freely, and in gameplay, go into this optionnal dungeon to pick the ending you TRULY chose by yourself. It is definitley my choice, and the best one in my opinion.
edit: What? There is a neutral ending where you remake the world exactly as it was. It's by far the longest, and clearly meant to be the best, "true neutral" ending. I can't tell if you're joking when you described it as an as-if at the end.
The first time I played this game, even though it had all the extra content, I ended up choosing Musubi just because it made so much sense to me over the other two, and I wanted to see at least one Reason ending before doing normal neutral, and then doing true demon on hard with a fresh start knowing everything about the game... but Musubi still makes totalk sense to me, even though I recall the actual ending being rather underwhelming, and Isamu isn't exactly the most endearing character... compared to the other choices, being able to make your own private world that is ideal for yourself.... sounds like pure bliss if you have any imagination, and any happy memories.
My personal favorite ending is the Freedom Ending. This video explains it exceptionally well: czcams.com/video/vA2aqam9qKA/video.html
Demon ending is only bad for anybody who isn't Demifiend, having defeated Kagutsuchi and with Lucifer bailing out he stands as likely the strongest being in the world and has no constraints unlike TDE. It's the most selfish and opportunistic ending, but it ain't a bad one
That is an interesting take, I never thought of that. The opportunity Demi-Fiend would have to take over what's left and shape the world through his own power is definitely a less pessimistic way of interpreting it than I did.
My thoughts:
True Demon ≥ Freedom >> Yosuga >>> Musibi >>>>>>> Shijima > Demon
I play for true endings
Hot take. Hikawa ending. No need for famine, greediness, hunger or worry. Yes we would not have personality anymore but it is a price we have to pay.
Great video by the way!
Interesting, not many people agree with Hikawa. I can see his appeal though
@@Tony4You Thank you! Personally though I was going to side with Isamu! The current world is already crap, so honestly it'd need either a hard reset (Neutral Ending) or learn to just love it as is (Freedom/Chaos? Ending). Anyway please do keep it up with the SMT lore!