Gotou is a non-player character and boss in Shin Megami Tensei.
Appearances
- Shin Megami Tensei: Meta Race, Boss only (Law and Neutral routes)
- Shin Megami Tensei II: Cameo
- Shin Megami Tensei: if...: Guardian, Fiend Race
- Shin Megami Tensei NINE: Cameo
Personality
Gotou, an avid follower of the Gaean religion, believes that Mother Gaea has been forgotten and neglected, leading to the current state of the world. He also believes that the demons were ancient gods that had been awakened to heal the broken planet and prevent its destruction.
Profile
Shin Megami Tensei
Origin: Japan. The Japanese Self-Defense Force general. He came into contact with demons through the Terminal system. It was thus that he learned of God's plan for the Millennium Kingdom, spurring his rebellion.Shin Megami Tensei A-Mode DDS Dictionary
Gotou is a military general who acts as the catalyst of the Great Cataclysm. After learning of God's machinations, and an American plot to destroy Japan with nuclear missiles which was part of those machinations, he institutes martial law in Tokyo and begins using Stephen's Terminal System technology to bring forth a massive number of demons from the Expanse, where he would use them as a military force to fight the forthcoming threat and prevent the establishment of the Thousand Year Kingdom of God, a conspiracy that had started long before the events of the game. Knowing only the name of the leader of the Resistance opposing him, he orders the capture of any girl with the same name as the heroine.
When Thorman asks the protagonist to deal with Gotou and encounter him in his base of operation, he would tell the protagonist about his stance and what he has learned in the past to him. He would then ask if he would join him or not; choosing the former would cause him to tell the protagonist to fight Thorman while also raising Chaos points; choosing the latter would cause him to fight the party while also raising Law points. When fighting him, he summons four demons to fight for him before fighting the protagonist himself; first he summons a Pisaca and a Nue, then a Shade and a Baykok.
He is killed by the protagonist in the Law or Neutral alignment paths, and perishes during the Great Cataclysm caused by Thor in the Chaos path.
Shin Megami Tensei II
Gotou's departed soul makes a brief cameo in the Expanse, namely at the Chesod Temple. He laments the fact that "Thor's Hammer" destroyed him and all of Tokyo.
Shin Megami Tensei: Kahn
Gotou appears as one of the central figures within the first half of the manga as he investigates the incident at Karukozaka High School, searching for the two remaining survivors. He pursues the establishment of martial law over the area, but is rebuked by his colleagues, eventually having members of the military turn against him for his radical beliefs. He opposes Ambassador Thorman's attempts to establish a connection with the Expanse, but actively captures and studies Nobu's Pixie companion.
Prior to the flooding of Tokyo, he is drawn into a physical confrontation with Thorman.
Shin Megami Tensei NINE
Miura and the Ring of Gaea claim to be carrying out his will.
In Chapter 3, a statue of Gotou can be seen in the Ring of Gaea's Idea Space. Additionally, his name is also used as the password to the Ring of Gaea's headquarters.
Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE
In Shin Megami Tensei IMAGINE, during Chapter 16, Ogami revives a man from the past that she believes will be able to lead Tokyo and allows him to possess her. Although not explicitly stated, the pose she assumes during her possession and her manner of speech alludes to it being Gotou.
In Old Ichigaya Camp, the remains of the SDF headquarters, many mobs in the lower leveled boss rooms are labeled with names such as "Former SDF Soldier" and "Gotou's Loyal Henchman." Although he has never appeared as a boss, he appears among the enemy demon client files.
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
In Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, Gotou is mentioned briefly by the news, which says that he was arrested for hoarding weapons and confessed that he was trying to start a revolution. According to his peers, he had been acting increasingly abnormal, while the police think about whether or not he should have a psychiatric evaluation.
Stats
Shin Megami Tensei
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Shin Megami Tensei: if...
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Gallery
Etymology
- The surname Gotou has many meanings depending on the writing:
- 五島 - "five" (五) (go) and "island" (島) (tou).
- 後藤 - "rear, remainder" (後) (go) and "wisteria" (藤) (tou).
Trivia
- Gotou was based on the Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima. Nich Maragos, who worked on the Shin Megami Tensei's localization, commented in an interview that the character's identifier tag in the source is actually "mishima." Both Gotou and Mishima attempt coups against the Japanese government, and some of the former's poses seem to be based on actual pictures of the latter.
- Gotou recieved new artwork for the PlayStation version of Shin Megami Tensei, which depicts him wearing his Self-Defense Forces uniform, specifically of the Ground Self-Defense Force. He is not seen wearing his uniform in-game however, but he wears it in the Visionaries that were added in the Game Boy Advance and mobile versions of the game.
- His rank insignia, found in the shoulders of his uniform, is similar to the design of the Ittō rikusa found in the uniforms of the field officers for the Ground Self-Defense Force.
| Playable Characters | Protagonist - Heroine - Law Hero - Chaos Hero - Pascal |
| Non-Playable Characters | Stephen - Ozawa - Yuriko - Old Man - Gotou - Ambassador Thorman - En no Ozuno - Louis Cyphre - Soul Diver |
| Locations | Tokyo - Kichijoji - Shinjuku - Ichigaya - Diamond Realm - Shibuya - Roppongi - Ginza Underpass - Ginza - Tokyo Tower - Shinagawa - Ikebukuro - Ueno - Tokyo Destinyland - Basilica - River Styx |
| Terminology | Terminal - Alignment - Ring of Gaea - Order of Messiah - Great Cataclysm - Sword fusion - Four Heavenly Kings |
| Soundtracks | Shin Megami Tensei Sound Collection |
| Archives | Demons - Bosses - Skills - Items |
| Playable Characters | Aleph/Hawk - Hiroko - Beth - Cerberus - Lucifer - Satan |
| Non-Playable Characters | Okamoto - Gimmel - Zayin - Stephen - Haneda - Daleth - Red Bear - Madam - Hanada - The Center's Bishop - The Four Elders - Mekata - Puck - Hanoun - Mutant Elder - Hiruko - Taira no Masakado - Siren - Petersen - Michael - Raphael - Uriel - Gabriel - Fake YHVH - Seth - Virocana - Ozawa - Gotou - Gemori - Astaroth (Ishtar / Ashtar) - Kuzuryu - YHVH |
| Locations | Tokyo Millennium - Underworld - Expanse - Eden - Diamond Realm - River Styx |
| Terminology | Millennium Kingdom - Great Cataclysm - Order of Messiah - Ring of Gaea - Terminal - Sword fusion - Identification Program - Summon Doll - Seven Pillars of Solomon - Sabbath - Abaddon's Innards - Megiddo Arc |
| Content | Demons - Bosses - Skills - Items |