SMT Timeline

In this post I'll try to shed some light to some of you that are confused with the SMT timeline, now don't worry, I won't post confusing pictures about how a game connects with which, I'll state how each game canonically connects or is implied to connect with which, keep in mind that, while some things here are actual facts, others are just theories on part of the fanbase or myself. Also keep in mind that there are really serious spoilers for most of the Shin Megami Tensei and Persona games, since Persona, believe it or not, is actually part of a branching timeline. Let's start with the turning points, the Raidou Devil Summoner Games.

In Raidou Kuzunoha vs The Soulless Army (which I'll state as Raidou 1 for simplicity's sake) we discover that a Raidou Kuzunoha from the future (namely, the Shin Megami Tensei 2 era, which is proven by the Akarana corridor) goes back in time to the Taisho Era, most explicitly, year 20 of said era (which actually branches from the real world in the era since irl, it only lasted for 15 years, this is actually a plot point). This Raidou Kuzunoha is Raidou the XL, or Raidou the 40th. He goes back in time so as to change the past so God/YHVH doesn't fuck up the world as he did in SMT I, his way of doing this? By fucking Tokyo up in the past (then named The Capital) so that it doesn't happen in the future... it makes sense in context, believe me. Raidou Kuzunoha the XIV or the 14th, is a devil summoner and the protector of Tokyo, and goes on a mission to stop him. Eventually after all the shit that happens in the first game he stumbles upon the Akarana Corridor, a place where people can travel through time, this people are named time tourists, not only that, there are some people that are lost in time and still think they are in their own time perpetually, this people are called lost souls and you find a few in the corridor, some even referencing the events of Shin Megami Tensei I and II and even things that happened in between. Raidou, thanks to the access of the Akarana Corridor, is able to travel through time, though unlike the time tourists, is actually able to keep his physical form. This is actually how he travels to different worlds, namely Nocturne and Soul Hackers. Raidou stops the 40th plans, making him berate the XIVth since he screwed the timeline and made the events of SMT I and II unchangeable, this however is wrong, since the events that transpired in such game actually made the timeline start to branch, emphasis on "start".

Raidou Kuzunoha vs King Abaddon which I'll refer to as Raidou 2 has three possible endings, all of which change the timeline in one way or another. It is implied that in the Law Ending, the timeline flows as normal, SMT I and II end up happening and everything is screwed yet again. The Neutral Ending creates a branching in the timeline, YHVH doesn't do jack shit and the SMT If... timeline is created (and thus, Persona as well, also the other Devil Summoner games are from this branching timeline, I'll explain that later). The Chaos Ending is the ending where the community think Raidou went to the Vortex World (Nocturne) but nothing implies as such, though it makes sense. Now you may wonder why Raidou would affect YHVH's actions happening or not, well, believe it or not, he is the Chosen One in a way. Lucifer states in Raidou 2 that Raidou Kuzunoha the XIVth is the only person able to make the world avoid YHVH's rage, while you may think about other protagonists that have beaten YHVH (namely Aleph) they only defeated him, YHVH is an endless entity, maybe until Nanashi came around but Raidou is effectively the only one that could get rid of YHVH's influence thanks to the fact that he's a time traveler and due to the fact that he is from a period way before YHVH puts his plans in motion, thus making him the only one that can make the world a better place. This is how the Shin Megami Tensei If... is created.

In Shin Megami Tensei I, an american senator by the name of Thorman wants to put God's will into motion, said will is basically anihalating Tokyo with the use of a nuclear bomb, Gotou, a military general, upon hearing of this puts Japan into a martial law and uses Stephen's Demon Summoning program to bring demons into said city, he believes demons were ancient gods and they are the only way they can help the planet. Thorman, despite everything goes through with his machinations and uses the nuclear bomb to leave Tokyo a barren wasteland, the protagonist of SMT I and both the Chaos and Law hero survive the events when they are all transfered to the Diamond Realm. They go back to Tokyo 30 years later since time in the Diamond Realm flows much differently than on Earth, only for it to be flooded by YHVH as punishment for the human race not fucking dying (the guy is a fucking bastard, let's leave it at that). The SMT I hero pushes through and while he has to kill both of his friends, the Law and Chaos hero, since they want to impose their way of living to the world (mainly, Law Hero becomes the leader of the Messians and Chaos Hero the leader of the Gaians, the Messians want to impose God's word over all and the Gaians are fucking angry with him and basically want a world where the strongest live and the weak survive, the SMT I hero, canonically is Neutral alligned since the Neutral ending is what SMT II goes for) SMT I Hero believes in humanity, and as such he becomes kind of a very important figure in later years. making an utopia for both Messians and Gaians to live in peace and prosperity, until he is killed by the Messians in an ambush, making him die in a cave-in when he didn't suspect anything (if it isn't God it's His followers and people still wonder why I hate the Law allignment) by the way, you can actually find his bones in SMT II... it's really sad how such a badass died so pathetically.

Anyway, in SMT II humanity has come back on his feet, upon the death of the SMT I hero the Messians are the word around and the Gaians are banished because the Messians are fucking asshole. In any case, Aleph is created as God's savior and Humanity's messiah, however, God, not having enough with the shit he did in SMT I, wants to use the Megido Arc, a big ass fucking laser, to destroy all life on the planet. Aleph however defeats him before he is successful, making YHVH curse him with having to relive the death of numerous other worlds eternally and never having an impact on their fate, this is actually one thing which connects him with Hijiri, a character from Nocturne which is implied to have the same exact fate, and it is heavily implied Hijiri is a resurrected Aleph, living his curse, since the Vortex World is exactly a dying world awaiting resurrection.

This is the first branch in the timeline, the original timeline if you will. Nocturne is actually not part of this timeline as Nocturne's Tokyo before the whole shit began to fall was actually fairly normal, Nocturne's world is actually rather an alternate universe of the whole multiverse, the multiverse of SMT is actually called the Amala Network, and it is a place where numerous worlds and their different timelines reside (This actually makes every single ending in every single SMT game actually canon, as they all happen in the Amala Network, when I say "canon" though, I mean the timelines which actually creates new games, for example, Law and Chaos ending in SMT I do happen, but the ending that created SMT II is Neutral, thus I say, Neutral is canonical)

Shin Megami Tensei If... is a what-if (hence the name) of what if the events of SMT I never happened, though I say "events of SMT I" I mainly refer to Thorman blowing the world up with a nuclear bomb. The events of SMT I still happened, since, if I recall reading something like that correctly, Stephen the creator of the Devil Summoning program, still sends e-mails with said program to people, thus demons do run rampant but the catastrophe of YHVH fucking everything up never happens. It is revealed later in Devil Summoner (the first one, not the Raidou one), which is also from this branching timeline, that Thorman had a heart attack and Gotou was arrested for his crimes (namely, making the demons run rampant in Japan), thus ensuring that the events of SMT I don't happen and making SMT II not happen as well. This events lead into the Persona timeline. You may wonder how I can say for sure that the main Devil Summoner games and the Persona games are connected... well... the Kuzunoha Detective Agency!

Kuzunoha Detective Agency, Persona 2 Innocent Sin

In Devil Summoner, Chief Todoroki, the main resident of the Kuzunoha Detective Agency is implied to be quite lazy and all around really not that good at cases, however he gets posessed by a member of the Kuzunoha family, Kyouji Kuzunoha. When Kyouji possesed him his personality did a 180, being much more active and competent which are traits that remain in Persona 2, also to emphasize this, he has a Kuzunoha Brooch in Persona 2, further proving that Devil Summoner happens not only in the same universe, but actually before Persona 1 and 2

Persona 3 while you may thing it is really separated by it's predecessors, there are some hints that actually make him a part of the timeline. The Kirijo Group is mentioned sometime to have branched out from another certain group, the Nanjo Group. Kei Nanjo is a character from Persona 1 and 2 which is the CEO of said group, there are also many references to characters from Persona 2 and 1, Persona 4 and 5 are also from the same timeline seen as they reference older games too (Persona 4 references 3 and Persona 5 references 4, also Persona 4 Arena is a crossover between characters from 3 and 4).

There are many other games which I haven't discussed. Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE is an MMO which is actually located timeline-wise between SMT I and SMT II, there's actually another thing to mention, Demi-fiend, the protagonist of SMT Nocturne appears in the game as an optional boss. This however doesn't imply anything, the Demi-fiend is actually a being similar to Raidou in the sense that he can travel through the Amala Network, a.k.a different universes. And as such that's actually also how it is explained how he appears in Digital Devil Saga, speaking of which, Digital Devil Saga is difficult to put in the timeline, I've heard many theories, mainly 1) It is just another different universe altogether and 2) It is actually a branch from Nocturne where Chiaki's Reason (basically the Chaos of Nocturne) won, because of the nature of DDS is basically a "dog eat dog" world (quite literally, too) which is basically what Chiaki envisioned, a world where the strongest survive, I particularly support the second theory since it actually makes a certain amount of sense.

Demi-Fiend as he appears on Imagine

Demi-Fiend in Digital Devil Saga

Now while these timelines make sense, Strange Journey and SMT IV are quite hard to put. Strange Journey it's theorized to be connected to Nocturne as YHVH is "in pieces" (referencing the True Demon Ending of Nocturne where the Demi-Fiend goes on to kill YHVH), while it is hard to tell, it is the most popular theory. Now SMT IV is really implied to be a sequel to Strange Journey because of the Demonicas, the armours that the protagonists of Strange Journey use, while SMT IV Apocalypse is actually a branching timeline in on itself, taking base on the Neutral Ending in SMT IV. In the Neutral Ending of SMT IV, the protagonist of SMT IV Apocalypse, Nanashi dies, but in this branch he "survives" (technically he is dead but Dagda keeps him alive... it makes sense in context, believe me) thanks to Dagda, which makes him his personal Godslayer

Other games like Demi-Kids and Devil Survivor have no place in the timeline and are overall just alternate universes.

I hope this has helped you the mind fuck that it is the Shin Megami Tensei timeline and if you have taken note of any mistakes I made I invite you to tell me so I can correct them, thanks for your time.