Digital Devil Story

Digital Devil Story is a series of science fiction novels written by Aya Nishitani, illustrated by Hiroyuki Kitazume, and published by Tokuma Shoten's Animage Bunko imprint. Originating as a short story in December 1985, the series is split into two parts; the original Digital Devil Story trilogy (1986-1988), and the six volume sequel New Digital Devil Story (1990-1993). The stories depict different high school students, reincarnations of Japanese Shinto deities, as the world is attacked by rival demonic and divine factions summoned through computer technology. Nishitani created the premise of Digital Devil Story while working on electronic systems at Toshiba. He drew inspiration from the writing of Ryō Hanmura and H. P. Lovecraft, blending world mythology with occult and Buddhist elements. A central theme through the series was the trials and fate of protagonist Akemi Nakajima, with the original trilogy's conclusion seeing a mixed reaction from his publisher when he presented it. Kitazumi's art was chosen by Nishitani to soften the tragic elements of the story. For New Digital Devil Story, begun due to fan demand, Nishitani adjusted his writing style and collaborated with Kitazumi on character designs. For its two re-releases, Nishitani revised the writing to be more in step with the times, but feels the story is too grounded in its original time for a modern digital release. As of 2026 the original novels remain exclusive to Japan, although Nishitani revealed he was seeking an English publisher for them. Digital Devil Story as a whole sold 800,000 copies in Japan, while the first novel Megami Tensei saw multimedia expansions including an original video animation adapting the first novel, and a video game adaptation. The video game was the origin of Atlus's Megami Tensei franchise, which has become internationally popular.