Demon Symbol

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The Nahobino being chased by an enemy symbol

Demon Symbols are a recurring mechanic in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Demon symbols are physical representations of Demons or Shadows that appear in dungeons or in the overworld. Oftentimes, touching or attacking a demon symbol will trigger a battle. A battle may begin with a player or enemy Advantage depending on how the player interacts with the symbol.

Gameplay

Shin Megami Tensei IV / Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

Demon symbols appear as mosaic-like clusters of semitransparent cubes. Normal enemies are represented with blue cubes, and special Quest enemies are given red cubes.

There are ten different types of demon symbols; the model shown on the field represents the highest level demon that will appear when the player makes contact with the symbol. The direction a symbol is moving in is indicated by the triangle on the ring around its feet, and its distance away from the player is indicated by an icon that appears above its head. As a symbol approaches, the icon will change from white, to yellow, to red.

Symbol	Type
	Person Type
	Woman Type
	Dragon Type
	Beastman Type
	Jack Type
	Beast Type
	Slime Type
	Bird Type
	Spirit Type
	Angel Type

Shin Megami Tensei V / Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance

Demon symbols directly represent which demons the player will encounter once battle begins. Demon symbols representing bosses are referred to as a Punshing Foe and typically appear much larger than normal enemies. Demons that are of significantly lower level than the Nahobino will run away when approached.

Soul Hackers 2

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Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army

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Persona 3 / Persona 3 FES / Persona 3 Portable / Persona 3 Reload

	This section is in need of research.
	Reason: Do strong shadows ever run away if the protag's persona is too strong, or will they always chase the player?

Symbols represent the Shadows that roam Tartarus. Symbols typically appear on the ground as a black amorphous blob with two to four arms, and can vary in size depending on how many in-battle Shadows it contains; less in-battle Shadows will result in a smaller Symbol model, and vice versa.

Standard encounters are represented by a black symbol model, and each symbol contains enemies typically found in the section of Tartarus it roams in. They have a detection radius of 270° around its body, with a blind spot on its backside. If the player is detected, standard symbols will typically chase the player until a battle begins or they reach an invisible barrier that prevents them from advancing further. However, if the player's equipped Persona is at a much greater level than the in-battle Shadows, the symbol will flee in the opposite direction instead.

Strong encounters are represented by a glowing red symbol model, and each symbol contains Shadows typically found on later floors of whatever section of Tartarus it's found in. Similar to standard encounters, they have a detection radius of 270°.

Rare encounters are represented by a golden symbol model in Persona 3 and a Wealth Hand model in Persona 3 Reload, and each symbol contains rare enemies like Wealth Hand or Opulent Hand. These symbols have a detection radius of 300° around its body, and will always flee if they detect the player.

The Reaper is a special Shadow that uses its in-battle model as its symbol, and will spawn and begin to chase the player if they have remained on a floor of Tartarus for a certain amount of time. Its symbol will only despawn if the player advances to a new floor of Tartarus. Guardian symbols directly represent the type of Shadow that will appear in battle as well, but will stand in place until approached by the player.

Persona 4 / Persona 4 Golden

	This section is in need of research.
	Reason: Do floating shadows contain different enemy pools?

Standard and strong encounters are typically represented by black and red blob-like Shadows, and rare symbols are represented by a Wealth Hand. In Persona 4, standard and strong Shadows use the same symbol models as in Persona 3, but in Persona 4 Golden these symbols are given a model that wears a white mask.

Exclusive to Persona 4 are floating Shadow symbols, which move slower than ground Shadows but chase after the player over longer distances. These floating symbols are spherical with multiple arms, and are colored black, red, or gold depending on the type of in-battle shadows contained inside. In Golden, symbols that travel on the ground are the only types used.

Persona 5 / Persona 5 Royal

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Persona 5: The Phantom X

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In addition to the symbol mechanics seen in Persona 5, several new Shadow symbols appear in Mementos.

Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth / Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth

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Since standard enemies are battled only through random encounters, FOEs and certain golden Shadows are the only types that are represented with a symbol model. Symbols directly depict which enemy will be fought in battle. FOE symbols typically walk in a set path around the map, but some will begin chasing if the player enters their line of sight.

Golden Beetle, Soul Seeker, and Guardian Machine are special bosses that spawn in the final areas of the first three labyrinths; symbols for these enemies will remain in place until the player approaches, similar to Guardians in Persona 3.

Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE / Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE Encore

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Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages

Language	Name	Meaning
English	Demon Symbol
Japanese	エネミーシンボルShin Megami Tensei IV Official Complete Guide Shin Megami Tensei IV Final Official Complete Guide	Enemy Symbol

Gallery

See Gallery