Raidou Kuzunoha

Overview

Raidou Kuzunoha is the protagonist of a pair of Megami Tensei action RPGs, Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army and Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, set in an alternate early twentieth century Japan. His true name is decided by the player at the games' start and only used occasionally. Upon completion of his final trials to become a full-fledged devil summoner, he becomes the fourteenth such summoner to bear the name Raidou Kuzunoha. He bears the responsiblity of protecting people, primarily the citizens of Tokyo, from impending harm at the hands of demons. To do this, Raidou has the ability to travel back and forth through dimensional portals to the dark realm where the demons reside. As his cover, Raidou has been given a position as an assistant at the Narumi Detective Agency, which receives numerous reports of odd or paranormal activity. He also meets with the Herald of Yatagarasu for information and guidance and has a personal helper in Gouto; a cat capable of human speech. Raidou himself is a silent protagonist.

As in other Megami Tensei games, Raidou is also capable of recruiting demons to his cause. The demons he keeps can help him in battle as well in his detective work by assisting in tasks such as interrogation or exploration. Different demons have different abilities, and do such things as clear away obstacles or entice people into sharing information. In Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, the player must first weaken a demon and then rapidly press a button on the controller in order to contain it. Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon does away with this mechanic in favor of the more traditional Megami Tensei demon negotiation system.

Other Games

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne

In a Japanese reissue of Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne that was produced following Raidou's debut in Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army, Raidou and his feline helper Gouto take the place of Dante as a boss fight and potential recruitable character.

Persona References

In the North American localization of Persona 4, Raidou is at one point referenced in dialogue as the name of a movie character. Similarly, a detective agency in the North American localization of Persona 2: Innocent Sin is named the Kuzunoha Detective Agency. Tamaki Uchida, who works at the agency, is said to be a devil summoner.