Article originally published on November 2021. This article is brought forward as Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is out now. 

[14/6/2024: added Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Canon of Vengeance endings]

Shin Megami Tensei 5, like all SMT games before it, has multiple endings. Unlike some of the entries, however, SMT5 has a New Game+ that lets you carry your first game’s progress.

If you want a general spoiler-free idea of what you’re going into, read on ahead. The spoiler-heavy stuff is right after, warnings and all.

How Long To Beat?

Shin Megami Tensei 5 takes about 60 hours or so to beat. This includes some sidequest work, grinding, demon fusion-hunting, and updating your demon compendium (for easier summoning via Macca).

How Long To Get All The Endings

SMT 5 has four endings. It’ll take you at least 80 hours (up to 90+ or more) just to get them all. The initial playthrough will take longer, but you can skip through a lot using the New Game+ feature.

There’s A New Game+?

Yes! Once you finish the game, you’ll get to choose between different types of New Game Plus options. Here they are:

New Game Plus Newborn Mode

The following will be carried over in your new playthrough:

• Enemy info.
• Demon compendium.
• Unlocked fusions.
• Some Miracles.

New Game Plus Reborn Mode

The following will be carried over in your new playthrough:

• Enemy info.
• Demon compendium.
• Unlocked fusions.
• Some Miracles.
• Nahobino’s stats, level, Miracles.
• Macca and items (except key items).
• Glory.

If you want a challenge in your new playthrough, play New Game Plus Newborn. If you want to breeze through the game to get the remaining three endings, pick the New Game Plus Reborn Mode. A “speed run” of SMT5 with an OP party will take you about 5 hours or so, even without the Talismans needed for your Magatsuhi skills.

Alright, here’s the spoiler-heavy portion on ending conditions and other story stuff. You’ve been warned.

Like we said, there are four endings in Shin Megami Tensei 5. Three of them are branching route endings while the fourth ending is hidden. Thanks to the Vengeance edition, the game now has two branches at the start: Canon of Origin and Canon of Vengeance. We will talk about the Canon of Origin first.

Canon of Origin

To get this path, at the start of the game, if given the choice to take the girl’s hand, choose not to. You’ll be on the Canon of Origin.

So there’s a final choice you have to make in the game at the top of the Temple of Eternity. You will get to make this decision after defeating Metatron. We suggest making a separate save file before you make your final decision.

Each choice will lead you to your ending:

• I will uphold God’s Order.
  • This is the ending aligned with Abdiel and Ichiro Dazai.
• I will recreate the world and save Tokyo.
  • This is the ending aligned with Hayao Koshimizu and Yuzuru Atsuta.
• I will destroy the throne.
  • This is the ending aligned with Nuwa and Shohei Yakumo.
• Create a world for humanity alone.
  • This is the hidden ending.

The choices you make along the way in the game do play a role in what ending will suit your alignment. If you pick the ending that matches your alignment, you’ll get a bonus Miracle for that choice. Otherwise, you get nothing.

There is an end-game quest where you are charged 666,000 Macca to accept if your ending choice does not match your alignment.

Canon of Vengeance

To get to this storyline, at the start of the game when given the choice, choose “Take Her Hand”. You’ll automatically be on Canon of Vengeance. There are two endings in Canon of Vengeance: the Law ending and Chaos ending.

The Empyrean

After picking one of the choices, you’ll get to head to this final dungeon. Here are some things to keep track of about this area:

• The Empyrean area is always the same layout no matter which ending you pick, but the main bosses you face will be different.
• Three mini-boss fights in the Empyrean will always be the same no matter which ending you pick. These are three Melchizedek, one Sraosha, and one Alilat.
• Demeter will always be in the Empyrean with the final quest in her questline no matter which choice you pick. You do have to have completed “The Bull God’s Lineage” first, though. This quest unlocks Demeter and Zeus for fusion, so you can get this on any route.
• Maria NPC will always have a quest in the Empyrean if you have the Seed of Life key item (obtained at 75% Compendium). However, the quest will be slightly different for each of the three routes. For completionists, you want to do this quest on each of the three normal routes, because you unlock a different demon on each route.
• After the credits, you will unlock Lady Nuwa, Herald Abdiel, and Fallen Abdiel for fusion no matter which ending you pick.
• In NG+ you will unlock two more Miracles, no matter which route you pick. These are:
  • Divine Persuasion – which allows demons you fight to sometimes join randomly.
  • Divine Eminence – which allows the Nahobino to negotiate with higher-level demons.

Canon of Origin

Ending #1: I will uphold God’s Order

This ending is the Law Route for SMT5. Humanity will devote itself to God and will lead a prosperous life in exchange for individuality.

Here’s what you get on this path:

• If you picked this ending AND your choices made throughout the game align with it, you will get the bonus Miracle Rank Violation, which removes the level limitation for Demon Fusion.
• Herald Abdiel is automatically unlocked for fusion (though you seem to get her after the credits regardless of route).
• Maria’s quest is “The Compassionate Queen” and unlocks Maria for fusion, unique to this route.
• A Melchizedek NPC is here with a message from Michael. Go to the end of the Temple of Eternity to meet Michael and the ‘The Seraph’s Return’ quest. If you pick this route unaligned with your actual choices, you have to pay 660,000 Macca to proceed.
  • Completing this quest adds Michael to your party and unlocks him for fusion, unique to this route.

Ending #2: I will recreate the world and save Tokyo

This ending is kind of like the Chaos Route, but less severe than previous SMT title’s Chaos endings. People and gods are allowed to choose for themselves, but will be in conflict with one another all day, err day.

Here’s what you get on this path:

• If you picked this ending AND your choices made throughout the game align with it, you will get the bonus Miracle Inheritance Violation, which allows demonic starting skills to be overwritten when they are fused.
• Holy Hayataro automatically joins the party and is unlocked for fusion, unique to this route.
• Maria’s quest is The Wrathful Queen and unlocks Inanna for fusion, unique to this route.
• A Nebiros NPC is here with a message from Belial. Go to the end of the Demon King castle to meet Belial and “The Red Dragon’s Invitation” quest. If you pick this route unaligned with your actual choices, you have to pay 660,000 Macca to proceed.
  • Completing this quest adds Belial to your party and unlocks him for fusion, unique to this route

Ending #3: I will destroy the throne

This ending is the shortest of all; you literally destroy the throne and declare that there’s no ruler needed. Everyone fends for themselves. You still need to go through the final dungeon though, but you’ll face less bosses.

Here’s what you get:

• Maria’s quest is The Noble Queen and unlocks Danu for fusion, unique to this route.

Ending #4: Create a world for humanity alone

This is the hidden ending of the game. Here, the Nahobino doesn’t align with any entity, and instead creates a new world for humanity alone with no gods or demons. This is the hardest ending to achieve in the game and can’t be procured on a single playthrough.

Here are the conditions needed to trigger the bit that allows the fourth ending(update).Finish the game once with any of the endings above, then play the game again via New Game Plus. We suggest you just use Reborn mode to speed through the game. Thanks to a number of emails and messages, it turns out you can get the “secret” ending the first time around provided you finish the quests below.

• Finish the Egyptian god questlines,: “The Falcon’s Head”, “The Egyptians’ Fate”, “The Winged Sun”, “The Succession of Ra”. To unlock the last quest, spare Khonsu after you fight him.
• Finish quests involving Fionn mac Cumhaill: “A Goddess Stolen”, “The Root of the Problem”, “The One I Love”, “An Unusual Forecast”, “Fionn’s Resolve”
• Finish quests involving Shiva: “A Universe in Peril”.

Here’s what you need to do once you fulfil the above conditions.

• Pick the Destroy The Throne ending.
• As you go through the Empyrean, after you defeat Abdiel, Nuwa may reappear. You will be given a choice to “Create a world for humanity alone”. If she doesn’t pop up, you didn’t do the requirements above.

Canon of Vengeance

Ending #5: Genesis From Apocalypse

To get the Law Ending, you need to align with Bethel the entire game, so pick choices when prompted. Just pick the first/top answer for every single story question you are presented. In other words, side with Tao.

Ending #6: Primordial Chaos

To get the Chaos Ending , you need to align with Yoko/Chaos the entire game, so pick Chaos choices when prompted. To make it easier on yourself, just pick the second/bottom answer for every story question you are presented.