Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army
A 2006 action RPG set in Taishō-era Tokyo with real-time battles.
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army hit the PlayStation 2 in 2006, cooked up by Atlus. It's the third game in the Devil Summoner line, which itself is a branch of the bigger Megami Tensei family. Koei handled the European release, while THQ took care of Australia. Unlike the two earlier Devil Summoner titles, this one runs on real-time combat and gives its main character a proper name. It also marks the first time the whole franchise ditched the present for the past, landing in 1931—the fictional twentieth year of Japan's Taishō period. The plot weaves in historical figures like Grigori Rasputin alongside the usual mythological beings from the Shin Megami Tensei world.
Critics gave it a thumbs-up overall, though they dinged it for being too short. In April 2014, it got a digital re-release on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3. A sequel, Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, followed in 2008. Then, in 2025, Sega put out a remaster called Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army.
**Gameplay**
Instead of the turn-based scraps typical of Megami Tensei games, this one fights in real time. You control Raidou Kuzunoha, who can slash with a sword or shoot from a gun. He can also call up a demon from his collection to lend a hand. Battles happen in small, closed-off arenas, and you can usually bail out, though the escape timer is random. Demons pop up randomly as you explore the map, with different types depending on where you are. After weakening a demon, you can capture it, then summon it to fight for you later. Demon fusion is also on the table, but only if the demon has enough loyalty to Raidou. That loyalty builds up through shared fights, and a high enough level unlocks a combo attack with either the sword or gun. Beyond the basic fusion of two demons into one, you can also fuse a demon into Raidou's sword to beef up the weapon.
Outside of combat, you're free to roam various parts of Taishō-era Tokyo. Real historical districts like Tsukudo-cho show up, though often under fake names. You can also visit Shinoda Shrine (actually Hijiri Shrine) in Izumi, Osaka, a spot tied to the Kuzunoha legend that Raidou's surname borrows from.
**Plot**
The story kicks off with Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, a high school-aged detective who also happens to be a Devil Summoner. He works at the Narumi Detective Agency alongside his cat
- Release Year
- 2006
- Developer
- Atlus
- Publisher
- Atlus (Japan), Koei (Europe), THQ (Australia)
- Platform
- PlayStation 2
- Genre
- Action role-playing game
- Setting
- Taishō period Tokyo (1931)
- Notable Feature
- First Megami Tensei game set in the past
Lore & Background
The game follows Raidou Kuzunoha XIV, a high school-aged detective and Devil Summoner working at the Narumi Detective Agency under lead detective Shohei Narumi. Raidou is secretly a member of the Yatagarasu, an organization dedicated to protecting Japan from otherworldly threats. The story begins when a client, Kaya Daidōji, asks Raidou and Narumi to kill her, but she is kidnapped by soldiers in red armor and capes before they can learn more. Raidou investigates across Tokyo, including a 'Dark World' version of the city, military bases, and Kaya's family mansion, encountering the historical figure Grigori Rasputin, who serves as a rival Devil Summoner.
Reader's Guide
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. the Soulless Army is significant as a turning point in the Megami Tensei franchise, being the first to feature real-time combat and a historical setting. Its positive critical reception was tempered by criticism of its short length. The game was re-released on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 in April 2014, and a sequel, Devil Summoner 2: Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King Abaddon, followed in 2008. A remaster titled Raidou Remastered: The Mystery of the Soulless Army was released by Sega in 2025. The game's use of pre-rendered backgrounds, jazz-influenced music by Shoji Meguro, and incorporation of real-world mythology and historical figures like Rasputin helped establish a distinctive aesthetic that influenced later entries. Its legacy includes expanding the narrative possibilities of the series beyond post-apocalyptic settings and solidifying the Devil Summoner sub-series as a detective-themed counterpart to the mainline Megami Tensei games.
Did You Know?
- The game is the first in the entire Megami Tensei franchise to be set in the past, specifically 1931.
- The Soulless Army's red cloaks were influenced by the urban legend of the Aka Manto.
- The game's music composer Shoji Meguro drew inspiration from soundtracks of procedural crime dramas on television.
- The game was re-released on the PlayStation Store for PlayStation 3 in April 2014.
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