I don’t really agree with the idea that the characters in Nocturne simply stopped hiding behind lies and revealed their true selves. If anything, I think the game shows the opposite.

Chiaki was already vulnerable and insecure, and after being thrown into the Vortex World, surrounded by demons and constant danger, that vulnerability turns into an obsession with strength. She ends up believing that only the strong deserve to survive. Isamu, meanwhile, is arguably the most social and people-oriented of the group, yet being repeatedly abandoned and left alone pushes him toward a world where everyone exists independently, without having to rely on anyone. And then there’s Hikawa, the man who essentially caused the Conception, who ends up pursuing arguably the most peaceful and orderly Reason of them all.

That’s what makes Nocturne’s characters so interesting to me: their philosophies aren’t necessarily their “true selves.” They’re reactions to what happens to them. In a way, their Reasons almost feel like distorted responses to their personal fears and experiences. You could even argue that their ideal worlds should have been almost the opposite: Chiaki might have sought isolation so she’d never feel vulnerable again, Isamu might have embraced Hikawa’s idea of equality because of his desire for human connection, and Hikawa the devil summomer and villain, should've wanted to create a world where only the strongest survive, he could have ended up embracing Chiaki’s philosophy. The Vortex World changes them. That’s kind of the point.

I also think the “True Demon Ending is the most honest” argument is the wrong way of looking at Nocturne. Just because Lucifer doesn’t lie to the Demi-fiend doesn’t automatically make his path the most truthful or morally correct one. And I don’t think we should ever assume that creation is inherently wrong while destruction is somehow more “honest.” Who are we to make that judgment in the first place?

That’s actually why I prefer the Freedom Ending, which this video unfortunately overlooks. Lucifer absolutely DOES tempt the Demi-fiend. His temptation just isn’t based on deception. It’s the temptation of absolute power: become the only surviving remnant of the old world, become Lucifer’s general, and fight against God himself. That is an enormous power fantasy, and the fact that Lucifer is honest about it doesn’t make it any less of a temptation.

The Freedom Ending, to me, is much more meaningful because the Demi-fiend rejects that temptation and gives humanity another chance. Yes, humans are flawed. Yes, they make terrible mistakes. But does that mean they deserve to be completely erased? I don’t think so.

And there’s an important idea in the game that I think gets overlooked: you don’t necessarily have to change the world. You can change yourself. Yuko, who initially believed that the world itself had to be changed, ultimately realizes that she was the one who needed to change. And I think that is the beauty of the Freedom Ending. If you want the world to become better, you don’t necessarily need to destroy it and rebuild it according to your own ideal. Start by making yourself better. And to me, that’s far more honest than Lucifer offering you the power to destroy everything.

honesty is terrifying…

One of the best jrpg ever made

probably my favorite series of all time, incredible games and the atmosphere of 3 is so beautiful

SMT Nocturne isn't X, it's Y.

welcome to the big leagues pal... remember me when you make it

after watching this wonderful video, i can’t wait to play along with your guidance sweetie ❤

You literally become so powerful in this game that you can overthrow the devil himself. How are you going to say this game is any different in catering to a power fantasy?

good video and essay and admin where are you from ? you accent is similar my nation accent.

If SMT 3 is nihilistic, which game would lean more towards absurdism, and which one towards existencialism? SMT 4, SMT 4 Apocalypse, SMT V, SMT V Vengeance, or some other game?

bro just typing shit

I feel like the mc not wearing any clothes throughout the game was a symbolism from the dev. To add another layer of "pain" for him.

Like... going on a journey alone with super difficult monsters to beat everywhere was already enough. But hey make him "suffer" too from the heat and cold from the surrounding by not putting any shirt on him.

i will think about this video all night. You're choice of word truly talk with my very souls.

There are some errors here and there.
I would keep things consistent.
Visual errors from the video capture (Lucifer not being in the cutscene for whatever reason) your subtitles sometimes having those squares and also just bad pronunciation.

You got fire in you, and I think you did a good job, but do always check everything before uploading. And maybe even have someone else check it out.

I think something that almoust makes this world feel even more meaningless is that on SMT V (wich is 102% a sequel to the true demon ending) on the true ending the Protagonist straight up resets the universe, removing all demons and Gods from it, so after everything the Demi-fiend went through and everything he learned and became just straight up got "deleted"
So even after all that pursuit for freedom, he was never really free and was only Lucifer puppet, i know that might sound like i'm just saying the obvious, but it's a cool way to look at "John Chaos" himself lol

Change my mind: the only reason to not go with Shijima is peoples fear of letting go things which hurt them.

Nocturne is definitely in the top 5 best PS2 game oat

the script here is terrifying. you should write lyrics for songs or something

I’d say Drakengard is the most nihilistic game of all time rather than nocturne.

I just feel sad the Freedom Ending is not Canon

That is the light on the path, because you use the Cycle to return everything to normal