The Megami Tensei series has some of the best monster designs in all of video games.

In Western countries, the Megami Tensei JRPG series is largely unknown. This is primarily due to the fact that the original Megami Tensei games were exclusively for Nintendo consoles and ran afoul of Nintendo of America's '90s-era "no religion" policy. Thus, while its contemporary JRPGS, including the early Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy titles, became popular with early Nintendo gamers, the Megami Tensei franchise never received the same exposure (although on of its multiple spin-off series, Persona, became incredibly popular in its own right).

Then, in 2003, Shin Megami Tensei 3: Noctourne debuted on PlayStation 2, bringing the franchise to English-speaking audiences at long last. Essentially a very adult version of Pokemon (although the Megami Tensei franchise predated Pokemon by nearly a decade), Shin Megami Tensei 3 revolved around an unnamed protagonist traversing through a post-apocalyptic, demon-infested Tokyo. During battle, the protagonist had the option to fight demons; but, if he so chose, he could also engage with them in conversation and potentially convince them to join him. It was a strange, fantastic game.

Now, 13 years later, Shin Megami Tensei 3 is being remastered for Nintendo Switch, and Shin Megami Tensei 5 is set to be a Switch exclusive. In celebration, we're taking a look at the best monster designs in shin Megami Tensei 3.

Vishnu

  

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A number of monsters in the Megami Tensei series are manifestations of gods and demons from across various real world religions. This one is the Hindu god Vishnu, known in Hindu mythology for being particularly kind towards humans. Unlike many of the other demons in the franchise, Vishnu looks decisively human and has an incredibly warm presence. He's just so pretty.