The River Styx from Shin Megami Tensei
The River Styx (三途の川, Sanzu-no-Kawa)? is where the player arrives after getting a Game Over in the Megami Tensei series.
History[]
The River Styx is a river in Greco-Roman mythology that formed the boundary between Earth and the Underworld. Styx is a river that forms the boundary between Earth and the Greek and Roman underworlds. The rivers Styx, Phlegethon, Acheron and Cocytus all converge at the center of the underworld on a great marsh, which is also sometimes called the Styx.
The river Styx possesses a dual nature, bearing corrosive properties and miraculous powers throughout the various sections of its dark waters. Sections of the Styx were said to have the power to make those who touched it invulnerable. According to one tradition, Achilles was dipped in these waters of the river by his mother as a child, acquiring physical invulnerability with exception of his heel, by which his mother held him. This vulnerability was his downfall as he was struck and killed by Paris' arrow when it pierced through his heel during the Trojan War.
The river Styx later became identified as the black river, the most famous river in Hell. The ferryman Charon is often described in contemporary literature as having transported the souls of the newly dead across this river into the underworld, although in the original Greek and Roman sources, it was the river Acheron that Charon plied. However, it means not that Charon is denied access from the Styx, for he is also seen ferrying the dead across the river.
The Sanzu River, the Japanese name given to the same area, is a Japanese Buddhist tradition and religious belief similar to the River Styx. It is believed that on the way to the afterlife, the dead must cross the river, which is why a Japanese funeral includes placing six coins in the deceased's casket.
Appearances[]
- Megami Tensei II
- Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei
- Shin Megami Tensei
- Shin Megami Tensei II
- Shin Megami Tensei: if...
- Shin Megami Tensei IV
- Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Profile[]
Megami Tensei II[]
If all humans (including the protagonist) are killed, the protagonist will cross the river going to Hades. However, he will be restored to the location last saved at if he pays Charon half of his Macca. If he refuses to pay, however, the player will get a Game Over and be returned to the title screen.
This same cutscene is adapted for the original Megami Tensei as well in Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei.
Shin Megami Tensei[]
The other side of the river is where the protagonist's soul goes, but Charon is not there.
Shin Megami Tensei II[]
Aleph arrives at the river after wandering in a field of gold. Charon is there, and it is where the souls of the dead wait until their next reincarnation, while Aleph crosses the river.
Shin Megami Tensei: if...[]
Tamaki Uchida will arrive at the river after wandering around in meadows of gold if she is killed or petrified in battle. However, rather than crossing the river, Charon will appear and give her a new Guardian, due to the fact that she is not ready to cross the river. She will then be turned back and return to where the player last saved or the entrance of the Expanse.
Shin Megami Tensei IV[]
It is where Flynn appears if his team is wiped out in battle. However, there is a large amount of souls that have built up, resulting in Charon being unable to keep up and the area becoming filled with souls. Charon wishes for his job to become easier, and will let Flynn revive if he pays Macca or Playcoins. If Flynn is still in debt to Charon when he next dies, however, he won't be able to revive and will die for real.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner[]
The River is where the protagonist goes after death. After being sent back the first time (after getting killed by Sid Davis) into Kyouji Kuzunoha's body, he will return and the player will get a Game Over if the protagonist is killed or petrified in battle, while meeting Charon again. The other side has become Infinity Hell.
Gallery[]
| Playable Characters | Protagonist - Heroine - Law Hero - Chaos Hero - Pascal |
| Non-Playable Characters | Stephen - Ozawa - Yuriko - Old Man - Gotou - Ambassador Thorman - En no Ozuno - Louis Cyphre - Soul Diver |
| Locations | Tokyo - Kichijoji - Shinjuku - Ichigaya - Diamond Realm - Shibuya - Roppongi - Ginza Underpass - Ginza - Tokyo Tower - Shinagawa - Ikebukuro - Ueno - Tokyo Destinyland - Basilica - River Styx |
| Terminology | Terminal - Alignment - Ring of Gaea - Order of Messiah - Great Cataclysm - Sword fusion - Four Heavenly Kings |
| Soundtracks | Shin Megami Tensei Sound Collection |
| Archives | Demons - Bosses - Skills - Items |
| Playable Characters | Aleph/Hawk - Hiroko - Beth - Cerberus - Lucifer - Satan |
| Non-Playable Characters | Okamoto - Gimmel - Zayin - Stephen - Haneda - Daleth - Red Bear - Madam - Hanada - The Center's Bishop - The Four Elders - Mekata - Puck - Hanoun - Mutant Elder - Hiruko - Taira no Masakado - Siren - Petersen - Michael - Raphael - Uriel - Gabriel - Fake YHVH - Seth - Virocana - Ozawa - Gotou - Gemori - Astaroth (Ishtar / Ashtar) - Kuzuryu - YHVH |
| Locations | Tokyo Millennium - Underworld - Expanse - Eden - Diamond Realm - River Styx |
| Terminology | Millennium Kingdom - Great Cataclysm - Order of Messiah - Ring of Gaea - Terminal - Sword fusion - Identification Program - Summon Doll - Seven Pillars of Solomon - Sabbath - Abaddon's Innards - Megiddo Arc |
| Content | Demons - Bosses - Skills - Items |
| Hazama's Chapter - Manga - Kahn - Novel | |
|---|---|
| Characters | |
| Playable | Tamaki Uchida - Yumi Shirakawa - Shinji Kuroi - Reiko Akanezawa - Akira Miyamoto - Amon - Ideo Hazama |
| Non-playable | Nova - Akiko Yano - Ryuichi Sakamoto - Kayama - Katsuhiko Sato - Otsuki - Chefei - Zurvan |
| Locations | |
| General | Karukozaka High School - River Styx |
| Expanse | World of Pride - Gluttony - Sloth - Envy - Wrath - Greed - Tower of Confinement - Inner World |
| Archives | |
| Terminology | Guardian - Expanse - Moon Phase System - Sword fusion |
| Lists | Guardians - Demons - Bosses (Hazama's Chapter) - Skills - Items |