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Naming a character in various RPGs has never been an easy task for a specific group of players. Some games like Persona 3 Reload might offer hidden tricks to automatically fill the character’s name with default ones but that’s not always the case. Sure, the Shin Megami Tensei V protagonist is always called Nahobino or “Young Man” by Aogami; but does he have a canon name? Something that helps indecisive players get past the intro fast?
Does Nahobino Have a Canon Name? Answered
No, the Shin Megami Tensei V protagonist does not have a default or canon name to choose from when you boot up the game. But one interesting source mentioned that the main character’s canon name could be Kei Amemura.
Popular Persona YouTuber @ScrambledFaz managed to find a hidden name imprinted on the main character’s stat screen. The default Kei Amemura name, seen above, can only be uncovered through the debug mode on the original SMT V release build. The placeholder name is removed with a later patch and from the Vengeance rerelease, which we highly rated.
However, the placeholder might not be canon after all, considering the original source never mentioned such a name.
Does The Protagonist Have a Canon Name in the Japanese Version of Shin Megami Tensei V?
As you can expect, the main character does not have a canon or default name in the Japanese version of the game as well. Nahobino is always referred to only as 主人公 (Shujinkou; Main Character/Protagonist) if you don’t input an original name or ナホビノ (Nahobino) after his transformation. Kei Amemura doesn’t exist in the original Japanese release.
This is unlike some previous Shin Megami Tensei games. In IV the protagonist’s name defaults to Flynn or 不倫 (Furin), it’s ナナシ (Nanashi; Nameless) in IV: Apocalypse, and アレフ (Aleph) is for 2. The last three Persona spin-off entries also offer canon names for the main characters: Makoto Yuki, Yu Narukami, and Ren Amamiya.
This may have been implemented intentionally as the player controls Nahobino. Using custom names could give a feeling of freedom for players to choose which path to take when reshaping the world after completing the story. While it does make it hard to just jump into Da’at as soon as possible, you can make humorous names inspired by our explanation. Maybe you could name your Shin Megami Tensei V character “Shunjinkou Protag” or “Kei Shujinkou.” Or just go with Kei Amemura, it works great too, we think.
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance is available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC.
