In Persona and in other Shin Megami Tensei games, players summon hordes of demons. Unlike in Pokémon, most SMT demons are unchanged from game to game. As a result, many of them are now iconic (such as Atlus mascot Jack Frost!)

However, like in Pokémon, the demons of Shin Megami Tensei are unbalanced. Some of them are very powerful, and some of them are hilariously weak. For those diving into the game for the first time, it’s important to know what to strive for. After all, SMT V has more than 200 demons to choose from! These standouts are the most powerful demons in the game.

10/10 Odin

Odin is a mainstay of late-game SMT demons, having been around for several entries in the series. He’s unlocked after his boss fight during the main story, so there’s no way to miss him. His signature move “Gungir” deals severe physical damage, ignoring resistances, making it very useful against those pesky enemies who do resist physical damage. Odin is amazing with Electric damage, using several moves that take advantage of it, and naturally gaining an electric boost skill as well. However, his lack of great affinities can be a setback.

Odin’s depiction in Shin Megami Tensei is amazing — he’s one of the coolest looking demons in the series. His design isn’t quite what you would expect for the famed Norse war god, but it feels appropriate. The raven is a great touch.

9/10 Alice

Alice is one of the best-known demons in the series thanks to her unique skill, “Die For Me!“. This move inflicts medium Dark damage on 2-5 random enemies. While she does get outclassed later on, Alice can be picked up relatively early (level 40), making her a very solid mid-game demon. Toss Dark Pleroma on her for the damage boost to take full advantage of her natural affinity, or give her Mudobarion through fusion for a powerful targeted strike.

Alice’s appearance is based on Alice in Wonderland, but her personality in SMT is much darker. Most of the games mention that “she is the ghost of an English girl who died a tragic death”. In reality, she’s a fusion of Lewis Carroll’s Alice and some European ghost stories. Her design is simple, but recognizable.

8/10 Shiva

Shiva is well-known among SMT V fans. There’s an extremely difficult optional boss fight toward the end of the game — harder than the actual final bosses — against Shiva. If the player can defeat him, they get the option to fuse him. It’s well worth it. As a player demon, Shiva is incredibly powerful thanks to their move Tandava. In addition to dealing severe Almighty damage to all foes, Tandava lowers enemy defenses, effectively negating some of the more brutal enemy buffs later in the game.

Although Shiva is a powerful god of destruction in the Hindu religion, they are not typically seen as evil. After all, destruction is part of the cycle of life. Shiva’s depiction in SMT is spot on, and they’re one of the more iconic demons in the series.

7/10 Yoshitsune

Yoshitsune made his first appearance in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne. His unique skill “Hassou Tobi” deals eight Physical attacks to random foes, always landing critical hits. If he also has the skills Phys Pleroma (which boosts Physical damage) and Critical Zealot (which boosts crit damage), his damage output goes through the roof. Yoshitsune only has a few drawbacks: for starters, he’s weak to Dark damage. He’s also sort of a one-trick pony. He does tons of Physical damage, but not much else.

In real life, Yoshitsune was a general during the Heian period of Japanese history around the 12th century. He was a famed swordsman whose story was found in historical texts. His design in SMT is cool, but not too over-the-top; it feels appropriate for the character.

6/10 Idun

Idun, who is unique to Shin Megami Tensei V, is possibly the best support demon in the entire game. At level 42, her base magic stat of 51 is absolutely amazing. She can easily cover Force and Light damage, and she’s an excellent healer. He unique skill “Golden Apple” recovers HP for all allies and raises all of their stats a bit, making it excellent for boss fights where every turn counts.

Idun is the Norse goddess of apples and youth. Looking a bit like red riding hood, she easily joins the ranks of the other Norse gods in SMT as a truly great demon.

5/10 Cleopatra

After defeating Cleopatra in the “Rage of a Queen” DLC quest, she becomes available for the player to fuse. The reason Cleopatra makes such a great demon for the player to use is the same reason her fight is so difficult: Frolic. In SMT V Frolic is Cleopatra’s signature skill. It has a chance to inflict the devastating Charm status on all enemies, as well as lowering both their attack and defense. It’s an incredible, arguably broken skill.

Cleopatra was the famous Queen of Egypt at the time that it was ruled by the Greeks, and while she was born in Egypt, her lineage was Macedonian Greek. Her design in Shin Megami Tensei is interesting, to say the least. The snakes are cool, but since when have Greeks been pale?

4/10 Amon

Amon is mainly notable for his unique skill, “Megido Flame“. This amazing skill deals severe Fire damage to all foes and ignores resistances. It also comes with a cool animation, making it look like the sun is crashing into the Earth! If Amon is fused with High Fire Pleroma, the damage output is increased even further. He is weak to Ice damage, which is a common damage type, but this can be covered with Null Ice or Drain Ice if the player has access to those.

Amon is the chief deity of the Egyptian gods, and is typically depicted as a man. SMT takes some liberties here, depicting him with the body of a viper, the arms of a demon, and the head and wings of a bird. It’s a cool design that feels inspired by other Egyptian deities, such as the falcon-headed Horus.

3/10 Fionn mac Cumhaill

Fionn is another new demon to the SMT series. He’s easily one of the best demons in the game but can be a bit of a pain to unlock. Fionn’s unique skill, “Mac an Luin” deals severe Physical damage to one foe, with a damage bonus on critical hits. Like Yoshitsune, Fionn is a pure physical striker, but with higher overall damage output. Also, since he reliably targets just one enemy, he’s much more useful in certain situations.

Fionn is an epic warrior from Celtic mythology. His design in SMT V is beautiful. His red thumb is a fun nod to his story in Celtic mythology, and his long flowing hair and billowing robes really make him stand out.

2/10 Beelzebub

Beelzebub’s unique move “Death Flies” deals severe Dark damage to all foes, and at a staggering base power of 320, it’s even better than similar Dark moves. Beelzebub outclasses Alice, though he’s significantly harder to get. Beelzebub also has very solid coverage for Electric and Ice damage. Alternatively, he can be built with Dark Pleroma and Drains or Resists to cover his weaknesses, making him a pure Dark damage tank.

Beelzebub is, of course, a demon from Christian mythology. In SMT V, he appears as a massive, evil fly holding a demonic scepter. His design is terrifying, but very cool, feeling especially appropriate for characters on the chaos route.

1/10 Zeus

In SMT V, Zeus has three unique moves, all of which are very solid — “Panta Spane“, “Keruanos“, and “Madness Glint“. He also has by far the greatest natural Electric damage of any demon in the game. Zeus naturally learns some really incredible Electric skills, such as Maziobarion, High Elec Pleroma, and even Drain Elec. There’s no doubt that Zeus is one of the most powerful demons in the game if he’s built correctly.

Not only is Zeus powerful and fun to use, but his appearance is also pretty awesome. He looks half like a Greek statue and half like a demon out of Hades. Watching him smite enemies is a treat for the eyes complete with great animations.