Many gamers may think that the first video game to introduce monster-catching mechanics wasPokemon Red/Blue. That is incorrect. This genre of games began in 1987 withDigital Devil Story: Megami Tensei. It wouldn’t be calledShin Megami Tenseiuntil the series' third installment in 1992.
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In that title, the demon “catching” aspect was more refined into what fans know today. It’s one of the most unique aspects of the entire franchise, ranging from mainline games to the spinoffs likePersona. There are a lot of demons to recruit inShin Megami Tensei 5,but some are more useful than others. This guide should help focus players on who to prioritize up tothe Diet Building, which is a good six to eight hours into the game.
10Preta
Preta was in the very firstShin Megami Tensei,and is one of the first demons players will encounter inthis lengthy RPG. It doesn’t have much for power or great stats, but it does have the elemental spell of Bufu.
Bufu is an ice spell that will be good for fighting many demons in the early stages ofShin Megami Tensei 5. For example, the very first boss of the game, Hydra, is weak to ice. ensure to stockpile a lot of ice-friendly demons like Preta.
9Azumi
Azumi was also a creation forShin Megami Tensei. It’s a fish-man that players will encounter around water. It also has the potential to learn Bufu, but better yet, it has Mabufu. This is the same level of ice attack, except it can hit all enemies on screen. (That’s what the “ma” prefix indicates in this series.)
Azumi also has the great benefit of only being weak against one elemental type: lighting. Take its powers to fightagainst Hydra too.
8Mermaid
Mermaid had less risqué origins than its appearance in this game, as it premiered inDemiKids Light Version/Dark Versionin 2002. This series was aimed primarily at kids who were into thePokemonfad, and it’s also just a more accessibleRPG for kids.
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Like Azumi, Mermaid can be found around water. It has something better than standard ice magic such as Bufu. This demon packs the natural ability of Stormcaller Song, which unleashes three to six random ice attacks at enemies. This is the best weapon to use against Hydra, making Mermaid an essential recruit.
7Sandman
Sandman premiered inShin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, which was a 1995 spinoff for the series. It wears its name on its sleeve, or rather, its head. The giant moon face and the bag full of presumably dream powder are scraped right from legends.
The only difference here is that this Sandman wants to put people into eternal sleep — in other words, death. It has the potential to learn Bufu like so many others, but the two better spells it can learn are Zan and Mazan. Zan magic is based on wind.
6Daemon
Daemon is one of the very few new demons inShin Megami Tensei 5. It is the first enemy players will see, via a cutscene in the story, once they hop into the future. It looks like a stereotypical “demon” with bat wings and a pitchfork.
It has the power of fire, via Agi, which calls back to where legends say demons are from: the underworld. There are other demons with fire powers, so the better of Daemon’s magic spells is Mudo. This is a dark magic attack.
5Leanan Sidhe
Leanan Sidhe is also fromShin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner. It’s one of the strangest demons in the series, as it looks like a normal blonde woman. The only odd thing about Leanan Sidhe is that it can float.
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It also has dark magic in the form of Mudo and its area-attacking brother, Mamudo. To balance out the negative energy, Leanan Sidhe can also heal with Media. This light-based healing spell can cure everyone in the party.
4Aitvaras
Aitvaras is another new demon for this game, and bears some resemblence to the Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon fromYu-Gi-Oh. Strangely enough for an RPG,Shin Megami Tenseihasn’t seen many dragons. so it is about time Aitvaras made its debut.
As one would expect from a dragon, Aitvaras possesses literal fire powers. It can conjure up Maragi to hit all enemies, but its unique fire attack, Mirage Shot, is far stronger.
3Agathion
Agathion is yet another transfer fromShin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner. Players should encounter it, or beable to fuseit, fairly early in the game. It doesn’t have a lot of great stats as it is just a tiny guy stuck in a pot. However, it does have lightning magic via Zio, and healing magic via Dia.
It’s a good starter demon for both of those spells. Lightning magic is especially good against the various water-based demons already mentioned, making Agathion a good recruit.
2Tsuchigumo
Tsuchigumo is one of the oldest demonsin the entire series. It wasn’t in the first game, but it did appear in the second,Megami Tensei 2,back in 1990. One would expect a spider demon-like Tsuchigumo to specialize in Poison-type attacks, but that would be wrong.
The best move that Tsuchigumo can learn is Mazio, the area-attacking lightning spell. It’s also just a naturally good attacker, with high stats in most categories. Speed is its only main stat weakness, which should be obvious given its body size.
1Ippon-Datara
Ippon-Datara is like a demonic blacksmith. It first appeared inDevil Summoner: Soul Hackersin 1997. It doesn’t have any elemental spells to speak of. What it lacks in magical power, though, it makes up for with a lot of health and high attack power.
One of this demon’s best natural attacks is Heat Wave, a physical attack that can hit all enemies. Elemental strikes are good, but sometimes the quickest strategy to winning is by brute force.
Shin Megami Tensei 5was released on August 05, 2025 and is available onSwitchexclusively.
