How Atlus made a crippled man terrifying
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- Опубліковано 1 лип 2024
- The SMT series is filled with terrifying and mysterious characters. Out of all of them, the most terrifying might be Stephen a crippled well-spoken gentleman.
What is he really? And what does he want? I will answer those questions in this video.
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Chapters:
0:00 Intro
0:57 Shin Megami Tensei 1
2:11 Shin Megami Tensei 2
4:31 SMTif..., Nine and Imagine
5:37 Shin Megami Tensei IV
7:35 Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse
8:50 What is Stephen?
11:19 Messiahs in the Diamond realm
12:40 Stephen stands up
14:05 Why?
15:49 Outro - Ігри
I was recently informed that Billy Kametz, the voice actor who gave us Maruki from Persona 5 Royal and Raidou Kuzunoha from SMT III Nocturne HD remaster has passed away due to cancer. Rest in Peace and I would like to thank you for the many talents that you provided us. And I wish well to his family and friends.
I hope he rests well.
Aw... That's very sad, I hope his family is healing. I just know him as the therapist with the apple juice
He truly was Ferdinand von Aegir...
Also Ferdinand Von Aegir. I shall miss him. May he rest in peace
I am Ferdinand Von Sadness. May he Rest In Peace.
When i was fighting Stephen my cousin litteraly said; "Why are you fighting Stephen Hawkins?"
In which i replied: "This man could stand up all along, but chose to disrespect me by staying seated all this time"
After which i got my ass cheeks clapped...multiple times.
I love SMT.
my favorite part about this man; is that what i find the scariest thing a crippled (in the legs) person could do? *Stand up no problem*
Damn your cousin a menace.
You know now since I think about it this is basically Stephen
He's not standing his floating, he's so far above you.
There are three rules of smt.
1.always use buffs and items
2. save every step when possible
3. Fear the man in the wheelchair
Yep
Change number two to:
Never grow attached to your demons during gameplay, they're assets not Pokémon.
Disclaimer: What do I actually mean is: Don't be afraid of fusing whenever possible.
Failing that in p4g, Grew attached to izanagi
@@bigbang8739 You can't do that in p4 vanilla
@@aerth6946 Unless you have a ton of Stat and level up items with infusing stronger demons to regain your fav low level ones
"Fear the crippled man in an occupation where men die instead of getting crippled."
_-- Gehrman, the UA-cam commenter_
In another word: "Fear the guy who survives in a job where death is a certainty then a risk."
Fear an old man in a profession where men die young
Crippled, he stood up and started throwing Singularities.
Just for reference on how strong Steven is:
In most SMT games, particularly core ones, levels go from 1 to 99, with end bosses usually being in the range of 80 - 90 and super bosses being over 90.
For a long time, the highest level boss in any game was YHVH in SMT2, with a level of 108 (the number of evil and corruption in some asian religions). This kind of defined YVHV as THE enemy to beat in the franchise and as most games further down the line usually didn't have you fight an actively malicious and megalomaniac avatar of the Great Will, it left YHVH as feeling like the highest threat to the multiverse.
In SMT IV: A, YHVH appears a boss again, calling back to his previous version by breaking the level cap again, being level 100 this time. As this version of YHVH was arguably more powerful than SMT2's, this kind of gave the impression to us players that Atlus was being conservative with the level raise and didn't want to go to level 108 again.
Enter Steven in the DLC, throwing Singularities as his normal attack and collapsing realities for his heavy skills. His level was 125.
To put this power creep into perspective...
A level 50 could take out the planet, a level 60-70 is an interstellar, if not intergalactic threat, a level 80-90 is could become a threat to the entire universe.
Level 100s like YNVH threaten the multiverse's stability.
Steven is 25 levels higher than that.
@@apollyonnoctis1291 No. Stop. Please, for the fucking love of God, stop.
To also note: The song used in his standing phase is battle F8 - To become god's enemy. If I recall correctly, that song is only used once in the main game, being YHVH 2nd phase.
This grand, final song, which is used when a literal God becomes shattered and desperate, is also used when a crippled man stands.
This is also why I can tell Big Louis is holding back on us in SMTV's ending. He's hauling around YHVH's Nahobino power, and throwing neutron stars at you like Steven, yet he's only level 90
The number 108 is sacred in Asian religions, not evil.
I love that, even when you "beat" him, he was just like "thank you for the entertainment" and leaves like nothing happened.
I have never been more terrified in an SMT game - not when fighting Lucifer on Nocturne, or YHVH in this very same game, or even Masakados with the ten round time limit - than when this average-looking human with the swanky red suit and cool glasses, who we all thought was crippled, stood up straight, eyes glowing red and power swirling around him, as "To Become God's Enemy" starts playing in the background. This is the equivalent of in Kirby Star Allies, in the highest difficulties of the true arena, Galacta Knight, a reoccurring superboss known for kicking so much ass he was sealed away for eternity, shows up, followed by the little butterfly that was there in the first level of the first game and has shown up many times since, only for the butterfly to fucking EVAPORATE Galacta Knight in an instant and take his place as the REAL superboss
Excuse me wat
@@mugenokami2201 Yeah Kirby is weird
Same with the newest kirby game. An eldritch being capable of dimensional travel, mind control, and biological assimilation comes back for revenge as a spirit after getting isekai'd by you in the main story, in its own pocket dimension, after your exorcise it from the now corpse of the former enemy you were trying to save, only for the butterfly to slowly flutter into the room, fly in front of said eldritch horror as it gives a confused stare, before promptly vaporizing it to become the actual boss fight.
@@wakkaseta8351
Now add that after defeating said butterfly, the soul of the eldritch being is inextricably pissed that it waited for one actual rematch before it can admit defeat.
Everyone's a gangster until The man in a wheelchair stands up.
'he stand up
Lmao love how Demifiend response to Stephen, one of most powerful being, is basically:
“Run them hands up. I ain’t holding back just cuz you in a wheelchair.”
"All that chair is gonna do is make your ass comfortable after I Gaea Rage it."
Stephen: aight *stands up*
Demi-Fiend is used to being absolutely shit on in every fight, he just needed to get a dig in
I think what makes it worse is that his arms are outstretched: not only is he standing, but completely exposing himself to you. Arms out and unable to defend himself. Like he's positive your attacks won't even make him budge an inch.
He's somehow scarier than any Velvet Sibling in Persona could ever be..
Funny thing about the Velvet siblings-while they undoubtedly hold power in Persona, they still would get destroyed by Stephen. Really, every demon and boss that isn't The Great Will won't stand a chance against Stephen. If the Messiahs themselves had this much difficulty with him then nobody else stands a chance. Even when you win you don't actually win. He simply tells you that he sees your potential and walks off like he just bought a Big Mac.
I still believe Philemon gets beaten by Stephen
@@apairofsteeltoedboots4729 Philemon definitely loses to Stephen.
Alternative title: Why SMT is the longest "and then the guy in the wheelchair stood up" joke know to man
I like how Stephen transforms from a cripple to Dr. Manhattan in the time between smt 1 and 2. And can absolutely destroy 3 beings that could destroy the essence of creation itself by just sneezing to loudly. I love this goddamn franchise so much
This man starts a fight throwing singularities at you. Him standing up was just to warn you of how ridiculously strong he was going to be.
And let's not forget slinging piecing elemental spells ala Odin in the same game
" How Atlus made a crippled man terrifying "
*He stood up*
HES JUST STANDING THERE MENACINGLY
The absolute fanservice moment every SMT fan was waiting for. Honestly my favorite fight in the whole franchise. Hopefully we get to see this someday in the future if the IV duology gets a proper 3D remake
Demi-fiend is the most memorable superboss in SMT games.
Stephen: hold my chair.
Even Demi-fiend struggles against this guy!
Two years after this game released, Stephen Hawking transcended for real from our plane of existence.
I wonder if anyone ever told him he was a character in a series of video games.
And the most powerful one at that.
The fact this can be summed up with a joke I made when Tony4You talked about Steven, that being "Everyone ganster till sitty boy stands" is amazing and I glad you agree that a man who supposedly will never walk again stands up and beats your rear....yeah it a great twist and will take you off guard
Steven Hawking is a JRPG Hero. I so loved showing that to some friends. It blew their minds.
You know, part of it reminds me of how in Marvel comics, Dr Doom became God and still couldn't fix his face. It could be similar with Stephen. Even though he was transcendent, it could be that he couldn't fix his legs until he bent the rules of the axiom, and used literally every iota of his power
That wasn't really the case, by bending the laws of the Great Principle, he altered reality and saved each protagonist from their death.
How many people in wheelchairs cross their legs?
Not all that many
I always interpreted it that he sees humans as so childish to him he doesn’t care how they see him anymore. It’s the equivalent of a comfy shirt or a beat up hoody.
Y'know, despite being a very prominent trait, I didn't really think about it much:
His legs are crossed.
It's right in front of our eyes. And yet I just accepted it.
We prolly perceive it too and our impression of him is affected by it (and it obviously says stuff about him) but it's also entirely possible to not connect those dots.
Another thing is compare his posture in the first couple games' sprites to the newer ones, he can't hold himself quite straight, presumably having Lou Gehrig's disease like Stephen Hawking, but in the newer art not only are his legs crossed, he also has more or less perfect posture.
@@Enixon869
It is as though he was waiting for the day to finally come.
I thought it was more meta. He's supposed to be in the wheelchair. In most games he's only known as the guy in the wheelchair, so standing up breaks the convention and can be seen as rejecting a 'god's' will.
Atlus using YHVH's theme for his boss fight makes him even more intimidating.
I love characters like Stephen or G-Man where their entire personality is like "Hi, I'm beyond you and you're existence is like a spec of dust in an open field. Let's be friends ;)"
“Prevent the obliteration of Tokyo”
Shin Megami Tensei V has entered the chat. Actually, since he wasn’t in SMT V, that leaves a lot of room for speculation and theory. Even more so when you consider the Demi-Fiend is in a DLC side quest.
There is also Gerham from Bloodborne where he seemed old weak and frail then he gets up and pulls out he weapon of choice to hunt you
I really loved the in depth video about Stephen, he's always had a mysterious aura surrounding his character that made you wonder, "just how strong is he?"
Take MITDR how you want, but his presence itself was terrifying and badass at the same time, second form or phase? Nah, he just stands up and starts destroying your soul.
Not to mention that you marely just proved yourself, he grants you a congratulations and farewall, taking on five of the protagonists+Nanashis demons as well.
Really hoping that he makes an appearence in SMT VI, whenever that might be.
"Now..."
**Stands up**
_"Show me how you shape the mold."_
The first time i saw the man stood up was an experience. Was in awe that Stephen has reached this far, only to be followed up by fear knowing that all this time he wasn't fighting us seriously until that moment.
I wish we get to see him again in the main series in the near future.
I was hoping to see him in SmtV. Shame
Maybe we will see him in the future.
Good stuff man, can't wait to see more!
Whoa, I read your username as Nyarly, then got startled with the different voice.
Anyway, Steven/Stephen is cool.
Imagine in some future SMT game where you have to fight Steven AND the other 3 inter-dimensional beings. That fight would be INSANE (and probably collapse the universe)
if i may, the youtuber Marsh uploaded a review of SMT Nine a while back, and it’s a part of the scant english-language coverage of that game. iirc, steven has a fairly prominent role in Nine’s plot once things get ~wacky~, so you may want to check it or the english translation of the (i want to say true neutral route?) script.
This is a great video but I have a small problem, I know this is only a minor nitpick but there's a widely rampant misconception that The Great Will and the Axiom are the same entity when in multiple instances in interviews and the games themselves that differentiate the two entities. Allow me to list a few reasons as to why they should be differentiated.
1. SMTII when YHVH is killed he states "the will of the universe will recreate me." this is most definitely in reference to the Great Will or rather The Will of the Universe (funny aint it?) from SMTIVA which recreates YHVHs in each universe whenever there is belief of him.
2. In SMT Nocturne the Great Will is described as a Lawful entity being the one who created Lucifer and Metatron, with the latter stating he is 'the voice of The Great Will'. He is also stated to run in opposition to Lucifer as the one who trapped humanity in a cycle of destruction and rebirth. In SMTIVA the Axiom is called a Neutral entity as it's quite literally the collective unconscious that binds all humanities together.
3. In Nocturne Kagutsuchi is referred to as a 'bunrei' of The Great Will (or lesser spirit), which also implies The Great Will is an entity composed of floating heads. This is further confirmed in SMTIVA with YHVH appearing as "the Will of the Universe", the final boss. The will of the universe being a transliteration of '大いなる意思' or "The Great Will".
4. In a designer note that Kazuma Kaneko made on Kagutsuchi which is rather damning is as follows "I wanted to make him more geometrical. Point is, he’s the sun. There are many other names for YHVH all over the world, so one of these concepts is the god of flames, of sun." outright stating that The Great Will is in fact YHVH's true form which again is later corroborated in SMTIVA with YHVH appearing as "the Will of the Universe" with Satan himself stating in the anarchy route that if you confront YHVH you will become "the next Will of the Universe".
5. In Strange Journey Redux Shekinah (which is another bunrei of YHVH) when you encounter her and ultimately defeat her she states "O Great Will... it all ends... woe unto me... I failed to guide... the world..." which implies she is working for the Great Will as it's envoy or it's bunrei attempting to fulfill it's awfully lawful goal of bringing law to the people of the Earth something that runs counter to it being a neutral entity.
6. In the Japanese version of the SMTIVA script whenever Stephen refers to 'The Axiom' in English is instead referred to as '大いなる理' which is directly translated to "The Great Reason" which is a completely different name from '大いなる意志' which is what YHVH is referred to as in the Japanese version. This is also supported by the fact that Yamai himself even differentiates the two with him stating "Yamai: Even when talking about the creation of the universe, I think the birth of the Great Reason is beyond our ideals. The universe we can observe stretches over 130 billion light years, but we don’t know how it managed to appear from nothing. Gods like Izanagi, who birthed out of his eyes and nose, were perhaps a symbol of a farming culture, but they had a power that surpassed the humans’ power of understanding and I dare say that in the case of the Great Reason too, if emotions were to arise, those emotions themselves would become gods. I’m talking about that kind of creation. For example, the wish to be worshipped gave birth to YHVH, or seeing the fights between humans signified the appearance of Lucifer. I think this is similar to the trends and movements born out of people’s shared consciousness nowadays. Let’s look at Japan’s concept of cuteness: if it spread throughout the whole world, maybe it would lead to the birth of a new god. I had this vague thought that the backbone of the Great Reason would begin like a pure baby who would pick up various emotions through touch, gradually learning about its surroundings."
7. And for the final nail in the coffin which is moreso just a little extra tidbit but it's proof that Atlus has been planning this for a long time or at least just recently acknowledged this old piece of lore tied to The Great Will or YHVH. In Megami Tensei II on the NES when YHVH is defeated by the MC he states "I am only a part of the entity that controls the endless cosmos. Within that space, My vast consciousness will recreate My body." notice how the "My"s are capitalized, that's because an entity that is specified to be a higher version of itself that has reign over boundless universes where he can just resurrect from.
To me this is evidence enough for the Great Will and The Great Reason (See: The Axiom) to be two separate entities that run counter to each other. One is neutral and doesn't wish to impose it's will over those that inhabit it as opposed to the lawful one that wishes to limit the freedoms of everyone by dooming humanity to an endless multiverse wide war between Law and Chaos for all of eternity. If this isn't enough to convince you then here's a resource going over the differences between the two entities.
vsbattles.fandom.com/wiki/User_blog:Ultima_Reality/Megami_Tensei_Cosmology_Blog#The_Great_Will
Bruh, the localization and translation screwed up, the possible understanding of western fans about the two characters.
Also, at the end of SMT V, The Great Reason is named AGAIN under another name, this time being called "The Cosmos"
@@Enrikuh localizators being localizators and screwing up things again...
I'm not gonna read that extra resource but you taught me something today
Interesting
Mainline SMT lore is bonkers, man.
But yes, fear the man who sits on a chair.
Else you might get a singularity slapped on your face
I hope to see more from you my dood. This is some good videos you got so far
Following what you said about the Great Will, would that mean that the Lucifer of SMTV is a transcendant being ? Since he killed the god of his universe and was able to understand what it took to free the world of the cycle of Samsara.
Pretty much how the plot of SMT V is. Lucifer desiring to win at all costs against the machinations of the multiverse that the Great Will install, he managed to kill YHVH or an avatar of him to gain his power to transcend to find a way to break the cycle then spread that power to humanity to find someone worthy who can fully use its power to free their universe from the Great Will.
No matter which kind of world the protagonist wants, Lucifer is content that his universe will be truly free from the rest of the multiverse as he sees it as an absolute win.
He's even more terrifying now after that document got released
which document are you referring to?
@alvarodim1991 there was a document that showed the stepen hawking(the real life guy that looks like stephen) was on epstein island. Lol
Nice video, Stephen alone could beat every Shounen verse ngl
"Not goku"- 🤡
While sitting in his chair.
This is unironically true
Stephen alone would solo most fictional verses and cause absolutely catastrophic damage to the rest. Yes even THOSE TWO fictional verses. A cookie to whoever guesses what I meant by THOSE TWO.
@@WeaponXSigma shinza bansho and Lovecraftian?
Love the SMT informational videos! Please keep making them!
If I had a Nickle for everytime I saw a guy in a wheelchair turn out to be insanely powerful to the point he can stand up and kick ass, I'd have two nickles, which isn't a lot, but it's weird that it happened twice.
(The other being Gehrman, The First Hunter from Bloodborne)
you forgot to mention digital devil sagas protags they acceded in one of the endings(? Not too sure if there are more than one ending for the DDS series.) which seems a hell of a lot more canon then any possibly other endings
There is only one ending in DDS and only Sera and Serph transcended together as Seraph in the ending where they went with Schrodinger to travel other worlds.
great video. definitely going to take notes for this on an smt ttrpg im workin on
I know it wasn't the best, but he also appeared in the remake of Soul Hackers, where he appears once or twice in the post-game at the top of the hotel
fantastic vid! keep up the quality smt content
Adding to all. He is level 125 and use YHVH 2nd phase song when he stand up.
For reference YHVH , the true final boss of the game in neutral route, both bonds and massacre, has a level of 100, when the level cap was 99.
very clean video, i almost got your channel mixed up with nyarly
do more videos my guy ur analysis is amazing i loved the video
The interesting part about that Great Will/Universal Will picture is that, no one knows if that IS actually the Great Will or is just one of his Avatars like YHVH and Brahman for the people in Last Bible-verse.
6:04 i died when the dude in a wheelchair appears out of nowhere in the fricking dessert lmao
man's been crippled since 1992 he can't just diarama his legs like it's a regular Tuesday or smth
So Stephen is basically the Philemon of SMT just on a greater scale.
First time i saw this i for some reason suddenly felt a dreadful cold wave through me
my man with the monogatari ost, nice!
Also, the video is super interesting, good job!
I always thought that the true God of Smt universe is the components of all things, The Great Will, The Axiom, etc, making Stephen its interpret and spreading its will, that things get around, not ultimated destroyed. That's my canon. Basically God is all the fabric of reality itself.
That's pretty much how the Great Will is. Stephen was able to comprehend it but not fully yet he is able to use it's power to bend the rules of reality.
so this guy is Stephan Hawkins powered by nightmare fuel.
10:56 Actually wouldn't it be "5" if you include the end of game Seraph + the other Seraph you meet
That would only be the fusion of Sera and Serph and not them individually that reached enlightenment
Even basic demons are transcendent entities, Stephen is just on a much higher.
Be cool if he appeared again
Oh boy
I doubt for the whorst reasons
7:20
there's a full walkthrough of this quest
Keep up with your good work 🔥💪😁.
If you look carefully to Stephen sprite on SMT1 he has his legs crossed, and he is pretty much sus, he looks like he is not really crippled at that point
Everybody gangsta until the cripple stands up
Great video
I wanna know what happens afterward that felt a bit like a cliffhanger but overall great vid!
Looking at his attacks on the wiki, it looks like he starts beating your ass with black holes, which is completely appropriate for a Stephen Hawking ripoff.
Good thing steven hawking never stood up from his chair, his powerlevels would have been too high for a mere mortal
Haunt Preta appeared and tore out the man's throat!
This guy is like pre retcon beyonder of smt
That title came straight out of the 1920's jesus christ dude lmao
Stephen da miedo cuando se levanta de su silla igual o mas que la persecusion de raidou en smt 3
He also appeared in SMT NINE
great video
Megaten has such talented creators!
Turns out his real life prototype is also pretty terrifying
Thank you I can now send a video to send to my friend to make me sound less batshit insane when I talk about megaten lore
I wish he appeared or was at least referenced in smt v
11:05 Wait, but who was Mido based on?
Good vid, keep making them.
I subbed bro ty.
Stephen is basically like God irl. Testing people during their lifetime.
Are u second channel of Nyarly?
Yes
Nyarly and this man have very different voices...
@@RayquaSr. *Dr. Matsuda disguise*
The axiom is absolutely terrifying knowing it’s basically a self aware multiverse
I feel that it was intentional, considering that Bloodborne pulled the same trick with Gehrman when you fight him in that masterpiece of a fight. Though that fight in a bit of a twist is more sad an tragic than menacing considering what happens when you beat him.
The fact that Lucifer from the SMT III game wants to kill The Great Will is kinda funny and impressive
Steven truly has nanomachines, son.
I’m surprised this video wasn’t about Zero Time Dilemma.
Keep in mind Stephen basically says if he decided to deviate from the rules that he willingly follows YHVH and the other corrupt pieces of the axiom would be removed faster than thought. He also clips away unwanted possible realities simply interacting with the various Messiahs. He even lets you attempt to beat the shit out of him with all the prior Messiahs, takes no damage, then proceeds to say you're progressing nicely and leaves.
14:18 why does this feels scary? The disabled old man just stood up after years, and just called 5 protagonists to throw hands. This IS something to be scared about.
Stephen just standing there menacingly
Patrick: SpongeBob!
Quick correction: Apocalypse is a canon sequel to 4 not a what if scenario. Other than that, this is really enjoyable.
SMT4A actually picks up about 2/3rd the way into SMT4 and takes it in a different direction.
SMT4's ending never happened.
This is very much a "What If" scenario, and one that is canon in addition to SMT4's original ending, because multiverse.
@@kyozenno.
There is even the Reference that in one Universe Nanashi refused to being resurrected by Dagda, which then actually set the Story for SMT4
You think we gonna see Stephen in other series like Soul Hackers or Persona?
Axiom assigns humans the ability to assign answers to a phenomenon, this results in Gods and other such entities to take shape. YHVH is not so much an avatar per-se but rather the results of humanity's observation gone awry due to a positive feedback loop effect. A positive feedback loop is when an input causes the future steps to repeat themselves without resolving. For instance, if stage 1 of a 3-stage program is finished, stages 2 and 3 will endlessly continue without returning to equilibrium. Humans for the most part are the reason why shit went south. SMT1 explains this with the information dump Echidna gave us at TDL.
What is the name of the theme that plays at 5:39 ?
The first time I saw him stand my entire being went into flight mode and my only thought was : "Well I'm fucked."
i guess the fact he doesnt appear in SMT V is that the MC didnt need guidance
He didn't appear in 3 Nocturne either though
Hey you should really fix your thumbnail to have the red boarder go all the way around and not disappear at the corners.
(Susan Trollcki is rofl'ing right now I bet)
He's like Frank Woods, too lazy to stand up from the chair.
never saw anything reffered to smt, this was the most confusing video i have ever seen, but i liked it
I really REALLY need to go back an complete this game it's so good ( og smt)
I thought he appeared in Nocturne where he was the one to give the protag the ability to become a demi-fiend? Or am I remembering it wrong?
That was lucifer