Mara

	Mara
	マーラ
	SMT1 SFCSMT2SH1P5X SFC artwork from Shin Megami Tensei Artwork from Shin Megami Tensei II Artwork from Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers Artwork from Persona 5: The Phantom X
Other Name(s)	Throbbing King of DesirePersona 5; Persona 5 Royal; ; Torn King of DesirePersona 5 (Slime form); Persona 5 Royal (Slime form);
Origin	Buddhism
Race(s)	Tyrant
Alignment(s)	Dark-ChaosShin Megami Tensei; Shin Megami Tensei II; Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey; Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux; Shin Megami Tensei V; Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance; Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine; Shin Megami Tensei: 20XX; Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Colosseum 20XX; Shin Megami Tensei: Tokyo Requiem; ; ChaosShin Megami Tensei IV; Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse;
Arcana	Tower
Order(s)	Pagan

This article contains NSFW content.

The following imagery depicts content that is sexually explicit and/or graphically violent. Reader discretion is advised.

Mara is a Demon in the Megami Tensei franchise.

Profile

Origin

Māra^[a] is a malignant figure in Buddhist lore. He is the embodiment of the forces that oppose enlightenment: greed, hatred, earthly desires, and the cycle of rebirth.

Design

Mara is a giant green phallus with tentacles that, in most games, sits in a yellow chariot. The phallic design is based on how Mara's name is used in Japanese as a word for "penis."^[1]

Gameplay

For complete gameplay information, see Gameplay:Mara.

Compendium

This section has content in need of translation.

The content in this section is missing a translation. You can help Megami Tensei Wiki by adding one.

Compendium Entries
Shin Megami Tensei (A-Mode DDS)	Origin: India The embodiment of evil itself. It is said that he controls people via lust and fear of death and ruins their bodies. He tempts and corrupts the pure, and appeared before Buddha when he was meditating.
Shin Megami Tensei II (A-Mode DDS)	出身地：インドインドの悪魔で、魔そのものを体現する存在。愛欲と死の恐怖という二つの側面から人々を支配し、肉体を破滅させるといわれている。修行者を誘惑し、堕落させると言われ、菩提樹（ぼだいじゅ）の下で瞑想していたブッダの前に現れて誘惑した。 Translation:
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey	A Hindu demon that represents fear of death. She^[sic] ^[b] tempted the Buddha during his meditations. She^[sic] ^[b] gave birth to the Mares and Mora, powerful demons of darkness.
Shin Megami Tensei IV	A Hindu demon that represents fear of death. She^[sic]^[b] tempted the Buddha during his meditations. She^[sic]^[b] gave birth to the Mares and Mora, powerful demons of darkness.
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse	A Hindu demon that represents fear of death. She^[sic]^[b] tempted the Buddha during his meditations. She^[sic]^[b] gave birth to the Mares and Mora, powerful demons of darkness.
Shin Megami Tensei V	A Buddhist demon that represents the fear of death. Also known as "The Evil One," he sent his daughters to tempt Buddha during his meditations.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance
Shin Megami Tensei: Liberation Dx2	The hard bringer of death. A Hindu demon that dominates spirits, and holds the power to instill fear. During his meditations, Buddha almost gave in to his temptation when Mara seduced him under a linden, a hardwood tree. Maras'^[sic] great power was a sight to behold. His rigid strength spread far and wide, giving birth to many vile creatures.
Soul Hackers 2	A Buddhist demon that represents the fear of death. Also known as "The Evil One," he sent his daughters to tempt Buddha during his meditations.
Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army	A Hindu demon that represents fear of death. He tempted the Buddha during his meditations. Originally, Mara was a fearsome goddess who drained her victims of their essence during the night.
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon	A Hindu demon that represents fear of death. He tempted the Buddha during his meditations. Originally, Mara was a fearsome goddess who drained her victims of their essence during the night.
Persona 3 FES	An Eastern demon lord who tempted Buddha during his training. He is a master of fear, and his immense power reaches to every part of the globe. His distant offspring includes Mare and Mora.
Persona 3 Portable
Persona 3 Reload	A Buddhist demon that represents the fear of death. Also known as "The Evil One," he sent his daughters to tempt Buddha during his meditations.
Persona 4	An Eastern demon lord who tempted Buddha during his training. He is a master of fear, and his immense power reaches to every part of the globe. His distant offspring includes Mare and Mora.
Persona 4 Golden
Persona 5	A Buddhist demon that represents the fear of death. Also known as "The Evil One," he sent his daughters to tempt Buddha during his meditations.
Persona 5 Royal
Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth	An Eastern demon lord who tempted Buddha during his training. He is a master of fear, and his immense power reaches to every part of the globe. His distant offspring includes Mare and Mora.
Persona Q2: New Cinema Labyrinth	An Eastern demon lord who tempted Buddha during his training. He is a master of fear, and his immense power reaches to every part of the globe. His distant offspring includes Mare and Mora.
Persona 5 Strikers	A Buddhist demon that represents the fear of death. Also known as "The Evil One," he sent his daughters to tempt Buddha during his meditations.
Persona 5: The Phantom X	A Buddhist demon that represents the fear of death. Also known as "The Evil One," he sent his daughters to tempt Buddha during his meditations.
Kētai Akuma Densho	魔そのものとされる存在。修行者を誘惑し、堕落させると言われる。漢字では「魔羅」と書く。出身地：インドもともとはインドの悪魔であり、愛の神カーマと結びつけられ、カーマ・マーラと呼ばれた。修行者を誘惑し、堕落させるが、悟りを得た仏陀に打ち負かされてしまう。マーラは「魔」そのものを意味するが、仏教では神として上位欲界他化自在天に属し、弥勒菩薩をも上回る位階におかれている。 Translation:

Game Appearances

Shin Megami Tensei II

Mara is the master of Chokmah Tower. At the end of the tower he will test Aleph, offering him 999,999 Macca, then offering him ten free levels, then finally offering to give him the world. Should Aleph accept any of these offers, he will be inflicted with paralysis, and then be attacked. If Aleph refuses all three, Mara will call him wise for not giving in to desire, then attack him regardless. If Aleph is on the Chaos path, and has 15 or more points in his intelligence stat, Mara will let him through without a fight.

Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne

Mara is an optional boss. He is summoned by Baphomet, but his summoning ritual is botched and Mara comes in the form of a Slime.

Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey

On the Chaos route, if the Protagonist visits Grendel's room in Sector Grus with Grendel still alive, he will be told to go meet a beautiful goddess residing in the room Maya had inhabited. When he goes to meet this supposed goddess however, he is greeted by Mara, who admits he used to be a goddess and jokingly offers to shapeshift into one to charm the protagonist. If Grendel was killed, Mara will contact the Protagonist telepathically to come to him and will not mention his previous goddesshood. In either case, Mara informs the Protagonist of a threat to the world of chaos they are trying to create, that being a congregation of angels in Sector Horologium, but as his own form is not stable enough to deal with them, Mara asks the Protagonist to put a stop to the angels' plans in exchange for a gun and his services as an ally, which begins the "Mara's Desire" EX Mission. When the Protagonist defeats the Seraph created by the angels, the mission completes, with Mara appearing right after. Though a little disappointed that he could not deal with the angels himself, he congratulates the Protagonist and rewards him with the Peacemaker, and then joins his party.

Alternatively, on the Law route, the Seraph gives the Protagonist the EX Mission "Evil's Lingering Shadow," where it asks that he go slay Mara. Upon confronting Mara, the demon crudely teases the Protagonist and claims that through his charms, all of his kind will "climax" and die. He then proceeds to attack the party and be defeated.

Trivia

Not counting the Treasure Demons, Mara is one of only two Personas in Persona 5 not to appear in Persona 5 Tactica. The other is Legion.
There is leftover unused data for Mara as a demon in Shin Megami Tensei: Nine. He is of the Tyrant race and is level 81.

Nomenclature

Names in Other Languages
Language	Name	Meaning
English	Mara
Japanese	マーラ Māra	Mara
	そびえる煩悩大王Persona 5 Royal ("Throbbing" Shadow) Sobieru Bonnō Daiō	Towering King of Kleshas
	ちぎれた煩悩大王Persona 5 Royal ("Torn" Shadow) Chigireta Bonnō Daiō	Torn King of Kleshas
Simplified Chinese	魔罗 Móluó	Mara
	挺立的烦恼大王Persona 5 Royal ("Throbbing" Shadow) Tǐnglì de Fánnǎo Dàwáng	King of Kleshas Standing Erect
	断裂的烦恼大王Persona 5 Royal ("Torn" Shadow) Duànliè de Fánnǎo Dàwáng	Ruptured King of Kleshas
Traditional Chinese	魔羅 Móluó	Mara
	挺立的煩惱大王Persona 5 Royal ("Throbbing" Shadow) Tǐnglì de Fánnǎo Dàwáng	King of Kleshas Standing Erect
	斷裂的煩惱大王Persona 5 Royal ("Torn" Shadow) Duànliè de Fánnǎo Dàwáng	Ruptured King of Kleshas
French	Mara	Mara
	Roi du Désir lancinantPersona 5 Royal ("Throbbing" Shadow)	Painful King of Desire
	Roi du Désir déchiréPersona 5 Royal ("Torn" Shadow)	Torn King of Desire
German	Mara	Mara
	Pulsierender LustkönigPersona 5 Royal ("Throbbing" Shadow)	Throbbing King of Desire
	Schwabbeliger LustkönigPersona 5 Royal ("Torn" Shadow)	Flabby King of Desire
Italian	Mara	Mara
	Svettante re dei desideriPersona 5 Royal ("Throbbing" Shadow)	Towering King of Desires
	Straziato re dei desideriPersona 5 Royal ("Torn" Shadow)	Tormented King of Desires
Korean	마라 Mara	Mara
	우뚝 솟은 번뇌煩惱의 대왕大王Persona 5 Royal ("Throbbing" Shadow) Uttuk Soseun Beonnoe-ui Daewang	Towering King of Kleshas
	갈갈이 찢긴 번뇌煩惱의 대왕大王Persona 5 Royal ("Torn" Shadow) Galgari Jjitgin Beonnoe-ui Daewang	Torn King of Kleshas
Polish	Mara	Mara
Brazilian Portuguese	Mara	Mara
Russian	Мара Mara	Mara
Peninsular Spanish	Mara	Mara
	Rey palpitante del deseoPersona 5 Royal ("Throbbing" Shadow)	Throbbing King of Desire
	Rey indeciso del deseoPersona 5 Royal ("Torn" Shadow)	Indecisive King of Desire
Turkish	Mara	Mara

Gallery

See Gallery

Notes

↑ Sanskrit: मारdeath; killing; obstacle, romanized māra, Japanese: 魔羅, romanized mara
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 The pronoun used in this lore entry was added in the English localization. In Japanese, the lore entry says インド神話で悪霊を従えるとされる魔王。死を運ぶ者である。恐怖をかきたてる術を得意とし、修行するブッダを誘惑しようとしたこともある。強大な力は世界各地へ及び、メアやモーラなどの闇の悪魔を産んだ。, which is the same as in previous lore entries and does not contain any female pronouns.

References

↑ "玉茎房内經云玉茎男陰名也 [...] 一云麻良 [...]" Translation: "Penis: The Classic of the Bedchamber calls it 'jade stalk', it is a name for the male sex organ [...] One name [is] mara" Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 2, Minamoto no Shitagō. p. 45.

[1] Sanskrit: मारdeath; killing; obstacle, romanized māra, Japanese: 魔羅, romanized mara

[she-3] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 ^2.4 ^2.5 The pronoun used in this lore entry was added in the English localization. In Japanese, the lore entry says インド神話で悪霊を従えるとされる魔王。死を運ぶ者である。恐怖をかきたてる術を得意とし、修行するブッダを誘惑しようとしたこともある。強大な力は世界各地へ及び、メアやモーラなどの闇の悪魔を産んだ。, which is the same as in previous lore entries and does not contain any female pronouns.

[2] "玉茎房内經云玉茎男陰名也 [...] 一云麻良 [...]" Translation: "Penis: The Classic of the Bedchamber calls it 'jade stalk', it is a name for the male sex organ [...] One name [is] mara" Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 2, Minamoto no Shitagō. p. 45.

[a]

[1]

[b]

Mara

Contents