Metaphor Megaten huh, SEA OF SOULS?!?!
Metaphor connecting to Megaten, what the heeeeeeellll.
Aren't the demon's just references?
As everyone I'm sure is aware, the Devil Summoner Archetype summons demons from Megaten. And many people dismiss this as just references, which is already strange as this is a player character's branch of Archetype which should already clue one in on importance. But they do indeed make several mentions of previous titles lore to make it clear these games are connected to Megaten proper.
Here Eupha says:
"The Elder often says that everything is connected through the Sea of Hearts… Do you think they're lending us their power through the Sea of Heart as well?"
Here they make mention of 心の海. This translates to the Sea of Souls or Sea of Hearts (the english translations of the games uses both interchangeably). This is a pivotel concept in the persona series as all demons, shadows, personas, and humans are born from it and are connected via it even across time, space, and universes. Below is le' epic proof of all that, context for P2 the Red Man comes from a different parallel universe (PQ1 and 2 are also evidence of this but it's less epic).
All of this is to say that since Metaphor introduces the idea of the Sea of Souls being a thing in universe that it would no doubt have to be a part of the grander Megaten multiverse. As well as an explenation for where the demons come from. Which would elevate it above being a simple reference and instead a part of the world building. This is even said in an item description.
This item states "A staff of one who summons supernatural power from the Sea of Souls."
Which I feel like, pretty open and shut case by now. BUT since I have the curse of obsession, here's some more stuff.
The Expanse section!
Metaphor connecting to Megaten, what the heeeeeeellll.
Before I really go into the Expanse, I'd like to share a quick piece of information about translations. This will be fun, don't worry.
The Expanse concept has been given many names English translations, offical and unoffical. Terms include: Underworld, Abyss, Monster World, Dem, etc.
In the God's tongue, Japanese, it is written as 魔界 or Makai. It can be translated to something like Demon World, I guess since it's so generic they decided to spice it up. For the sake of this I will refer to the Expanse as Makai. Below is some important background information about how it translates human thoughts into big old demons.
Now stay with me, I have more Japanese realms to talk about. So in the spin off series Devil Summoner, instead of going to Makai like in SMT proper, they invented a new realm called Ikai ( 異界 ) or the Dark Realm in the English translations. Think of it like an overlay in reality that allows demons to show up but still in the same location.
It's clarified in 'Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner World Guidance,' that the Dark Realm is connecting to Makai.
魔界と空間が繋がった北山大学には数名の生徒と教師が残っていた。異界化は建物の中だけでなく敷地内全体に及んでいた。 外部との連絡は閉ざされ、歩き慣れたはずの構内は迷宮と化していたため逃げ出すことは出来なかったそうだ。
"At Kitayama University, Makai became spatially linked, several students and faculty were left behind. The change to the Dark Realm did not stop at the interior of the buildings, but spread across the entire campus grounds. All contact with the outside world was cut off, and what should have been familiar walkways within the university were transformed into a labyrinth, making escape impossible."
aaannnnddd finally, we can get back to Metaphor. In Hulkenberg's Archetype unlocking dialogue for the devil summoner, she says this:
Eagle eye'd readers can tell where this is going, translated into English it would be something to the effect of: "Magnificent… the power of the Devil Summoner's soul, is it? I hear that it can even call forth beings that do not exist in this world, summoned from the Dark Realm ( 異界 ) itself…"
Goes without saying, but this being said for the Devil Summoner Archetype makes it quite the intentional connection. Meaning the demons not only come from the Sea of Souls but also can come from the Dark Realm. Meaning SMT scaling bbbbbaaabbbyyy
Japanese book I found
Metaphor connecting to Megaten, what the heeeeeeellll.
You might be suprised to know, that director of da' game, Katsura Hashino. Wants you and me to make these connections. These pages come from "How to make an RPG – Katsura Hashino and “Metaphor ReFantazio." Translated to the best of my ability.
The added Japanese text there is to emphasize the nature of how Hashino is treating these things. For Etrian Odyssey he calls them 'homages' but when talking about the Devil Summoner and Soul Hackers Archetypes he refers to them differently, saying that past Atlus works are in this game. Although, it is specifically about the dungeon being a big homage, should be noted.
Hashino has also made these kinda statements again, but more direct, in a recent interview at the time of this writing (3/14/2026).
Well that one is very definitive isn't it, how fun.
Tree Talk
Metaphor connecting to Megaten, what the heeeeeeellll.
Another piece of connecting cosmology is the mention of Atziluth and Assiah in these two item descriptions. Atziluth being the top section of the tree that houses the demons information and all sorts of thought stuffs and Assiah being the material world we meat humans are in.
In general mainline SMT games follow a Kabbalah structure to Makai, Beriah and Atziluth being where Makai is, and again, Assiah being where the human world is. A thing mentioned even at the genesis of the franchise: Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei and still appearing in the most recent entry, Shin Megami Tensei V for Vengeance.
This is another example of the magic bullshit connecting to a Megaten realm, in this case all the magic and again confirmation it exists in the Megaten multiverse. And as an interesting piece of information, although the Kabbalah is mainly a mainline thing, it is mentioned in Persona and of course Persona is a branching timeline of SMT 1 so it's connected either way.
Just in case anyone needs proof smt 1 is connected to persona. Here's one of the few offical timeline charts.
"But isnt P3 onward not connected to the older games" nah
Also my favorite connection being Tokyo Destinyland, which is a location in SMT 1 and is mentioned in P3 and shown in P5. In Persona 3 Fes Official Fan Book -My Episode- page 164 they even show a screenshot from SMT 1.
The Great Will
Will but big, in a sense. But for real, the Great Will (or Axiom) is a universal conciousness that is the true creator and reason for all the stuff in all da' games. Not fully understood intentionally and also hard to know when they talk about it because sometimes they also mean YHVH as YHVH used to serve under the Great Will before splintering off. Usually, you need context to determine who is who. This concept has existed since Megami Tensei 2, pretty cool.
In SMT 3 (directed by Hashino by the way, interesting) the Great Will is spelt like 大いなる意思, this same spelling is in the Metaphor screenshot above. Translated it would be something like "That special power… perhaps you are being watched over by some Great Will."
その特別な力･･･あなたは、何か 大いなる意思 に見守られているのかもしれませんね。
Now one could determine this to mean some general prescene or higher power since Will's Mom is speculating. But considering all the other call backs to concepts in other Megaten games and the specific spelling and knowing who the director is and also even that this force watches the universe, a thing it likes to do, I think it's easy to say it is talking about the Megaten concpet. Would be kinda weirder if it wasnt honestly.
Oh boy
This gonna be a long one so for the sake of a quicker load time and more readable code on my end, this will be on another page. Exciting stuff. What I put up will be stuff I think is valuable for versus stuff or that I think is neat lore. There might even be stuff that strengthens the Megaten connection wwhhhoooo knows.