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(Shin Megami Tensei VS Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
-Two once unassuming teenage protagonists who would have life-changing encounters with incredibly manipulative devil-like entities (Dagda and Kyubey).

-These seemingly benevolent beings would offer an enticing gift in exchange for a life of battle against monstrous beings that threatened their worlds (Dagda offers to revive Nanashi, and in exchange, the boy would work for him. AKA: Becoming his Godslayer that would slay every god and demon. Meanwhile, Kyubey would grant Madoka's wish in exchange for her becoming a Magical Girl that'd fight Witches), (albeit Dagda only tells Nanashi he'd work for him, elaborating further only after he agrees to his deal).

-By accepting this contract, they'd also gain magical powers through taking on occupations related to their new missions (Godslayer and Magical Girl) signified through the appearance of a marking/gem engraved into their bodies (Nanashi's green scar and four-leaf clover markings and Madoka's Soul Gem when she's transformed).

-In truth, these devils are actually tricking them by withholding further context about their roles to come (Dagda neglects informing Nanashi about his role as his Godslayer and 'puppet' until after he agrees to his deal, while Kyubey tends to leave out some traumatizing information about the nature of Magical Girls such as Witch Transformations). Their deception would be revealed, albeit in contrasting points of time (Dagda reveals his true intentions almost immediately after Nanashi accepts his proposal, while Kyubey's trickery would be revealed later down the line in events that expose the truth about Soul Gems and Witches).

-They'd become part of/related to a special group of people (Hunters and Magical Girls) who fight and hunt down supernatural monstrous entities (Demons and Witches). Said monsters are often named after beings from folklore, capable of pocket-dimension creation (Domains and Witch Labyrinths), and connected with human emotions in some way (Demons are born from human thought and emotion, and Witches feed on the despair of humans). It's also possible to transform into these monsters through experiencing heavy amounts of negative emotion, though one must possess something tied to their existence beforehand (Soul Gems and the Demon Gene).

-Also, a more experienced Hunter/Magical Girl (Boss and Homura Akemi) told them that they should not join the group of monster hunters for different reasons.

-Unbeknownst to them at first, after gaining their powers they were also stripped of their humanity, becoming undead-like entities despite still looking human (After his resurrection, Nanashi is now a walking, re-animated corpse sustained by Dagda's powers, and Magical Girls are similar to liches as their souls are contained within their Soul Gems).

-The source of their powers (Dagda and Madoka's Soul Gem) is also what's keeping them "alive" in the first place, controlling/puppeteering their bodies as well.

-They share a special connection with someone in similar professions (Flynn and Homura Akemi) who they once knew in a past life/timeline. However, tragedy struck as one of them sacrificed themselves to prevent an incoming calamity from destroying their homes (Flynn's past self merged with Masakado, becoming the firmament to protect Tokyo from incoming ICBMs, and Madoka fought and defeated Walpurgisnacht by herself but was killed in the process).

-They'd become friends with arrogant, spear-wielding monster hunters (Gaston and Kyoko Sakura) boasting incredibly self-centered attitudes (at first) that slowly came about after the events surrounding dead relatives, who were originally in respected positions of power, but later got themselves discharged due to their actions, falling insane before meeting their ends (Gaston desperately tries to clear his family name after his brother, Navarre, a former Samurai, disgraced their family when he tried to 'punish his Casualry allies' through attempted murder. Gaston eventually worked his way to captain, an achievement that changed him into a prideful, egotistical Samurai. And Kyoko's father, a former priest, was excommunicated when he deviated from acceptable religious doctrine by adding his own beliefs, leading to Kyoko making a wish to give her father more followers after meeting Kyubey, setting off a chain of events resulting in Kyoko becoming bitter and jaded after the death of her family).

-Both grow close to aloof black-haired girls who are deeply infatuated with them (Toki and Homura Akemi).

-They're friends with older-sister type blonde-haired monster-slaying girls that wield firearms in combat (Nozomi and Mami Tomoe).

-Both also had a special dream at the very beginning of their stories about an event in a past life/timeline where Flynn's past self and Homura Akemi appeared in.

-In the early stages of their adventures, both of them (and their best friends) are forced to witness their mentor figures (Nikkari and Mami Tomoe) perish in front of them during a mission gone wrong. They narrowly escape death (and in Nanashi's case, he was brought back from death) with another's intervention (Dagda and Homura Akemi), leaving with the dark revelation of what it truly means to be a Hunter/Magical Girl.

-They both contrast as Nanashi is known for his fearlessness whereas Madoka is very afraid for most of her show.

-They are very important to the fate of the world (Nanashi is a messiah created by the Axiom to free humanity from YHVH's control while Madoka is at the center of karmic destiny with enough potential to rewrite reality with her wish) but remain unaware of this fact up until the end.

-Their adventures would conclude (At the end of the Massacre Route in Nanashi's case) with them becoming golden-eyed gods who've reshaped existence itself to bring about a new world, one free of an ancient, vicious, and endless cycle integral to their verses (The cycle of Law and Chaos and the cycle of Magical Girls being contracted then eventually turning into Witches), even going as far as to erase all the monsters that threatened their worlds from existence itself (In Nanashi's new world, Demons and Gods lose their physical forms and are returned to being one with the universe and Madoka erases the concept of Witches across every timeline).

-They'd walk the path of ascension through agreeing to the final proposals of the devil-like entities (Nanashi agreeing with Dagda's cause to create a new universe using the Cosmic Egg, becoming the Creator God of this new universe as a result, and Madoka deciding to contract with Kyubey which allows her to make a wish that basically transformed her into the Goddess of Hope) in spite of the protests of their closest friends (All of Nanashi's allies and Homura Akemi).

-They also contrast due to Massacre Route Nanashi deciding to turn his back on and even killing all his friends, with his transformation into a God being what Dagda wanted in the first place, while Madoka exploits a loophole with her wish and sacrifices herself to save all her dead friends, transforming into a Goddess, something that Kyubey did not expect at all.

-One of their dead friends (Nanashi's chosen Goddess and Sayaka Miki) would ascend to their side and be given new, important duties due to their actions (Nanashi revives one of his friends to act as his Goddess who serves as his eternal companion while Sayaka remains dead in Madoka's new universe and becomes an assistant for the Law of Cycles)

-Also, Nanashi's chosen Goddess is the only friend of Nanashi that he resurrects while the others remain dead and Sayaka Miki is the only friend of Madoka that remains dead while the others where resurrected.

-Nanashi and Madoka's relationship with their contractor also contrast as Dagda is clearly antagonistic right after contracting Nanashi, but by the end of both main routes in Apocalypse he is on good terms with him, while Madoka is initially trusting of Kyubey until the truth of Magical Girls are revealed as well as Kyubey's goals.

-Curiously, both Dagda and Kyubey's true intentions center around the prolonged existence of the universe itself, yet contrast in an interesting way: Dagda believes that the present universe is utterly worthless, even declaring that he will wipe everything from existence, solely to bring about a new reality he dreams of. Meanwhile, the Incubators want to counteract the effects of entropy, ultimately trying to prevent the inevitable heat death of the universe. Ultimately, Dagda desires the Destruction of the universe, while Kyubey wants to Preserve the universe.

-Also, Dagda's ambition to destroy (and recreate) the universe requires YHVH's absolute end, who deliberately maintains the cycle of Law and Chaos for His own gain. Contrastingly, the raw energy needed by the Incubators is built upon an endless cycle of girls contracting Kyubey to fight Witches, then giving into despair, becoming Witches themselves. Basically, Dagda needs to End a cycle to fulfill his goals, while Kyubey needs to Perpetuate a cycle to further his objectives.

-Funnily enough, Kyubey has several parallels to Mephistopheles, a demon from Faustian legend, who Nanashi encountered during the DLC Quest A Trip to Hawaii. During this event, Mephisto notes that Nanashi reminds him of a "man who thought himself unable to achieve true happiness", or Faust, and Madoka herself has had numerous comparisons to Gretchen (and Faust himself in some cases).

(Gonna cheat a bit here, since the earlier connections primarily focused on the original Madoka Magica anime, but here are some additional connections for Magia Record's Madoka)

-Both conflict with vast organizations dedicated to bring about world-wide salvation (The Divine Powers and the Wings of the Magius) committed through amoral means, their end plan meaning the death of countless human lives through the hatching of a demon/witch (The Cosmic Egg/Shesha and Embryo Eve).

-Heading these organizations is an almighty trio consisting of the following: A regal and well-dressed person with a condescending view towards humans, seeing them as expendable for their goals of salvation (Krishna and Touka Satomi), a wise individual associated with literature (Odin and Nemu Hirragi) that would sacrifice parts of themselves to achieve their goals (Odin sacrifices his eye for wisdom and Nemu must sacrifice her lifeforce to summon Rumors), and an absolutely insane and sadistic barrier warrior boasting distorted world views (Maitreya and Alina Gray) that has a higher holy form (Mitra-Buddha and Holy Alina)

Description

(Shin Megami Tensei VS Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
-Two once unassuming teenage protagonists who would have life-changing encounters with incredibly manipulative devil-like entities (Dagda and Kyubey).

-These seemingly benevolent beings would offer an enticing gift in exchange for a life of battle against monstrous beings that threatened their worlds (Dagda offers to revive Nanashi, and in exchange, the boy would work for him. AKA: Becoming his Godslayer that would slay every god and demon. Meanwhile, Kyubey would grant Madoka's wish in exchange for her becoming a Magical Girl that'd fight Witches), (albeit Dagda only tells Nanashi he'd work for him, elaborating further only after he agrees to his deal).

-By accepting this contract, they'd also gain magical powers through taking on occupations related to their new missions (Godslayer and Magical Girl) signified through the appearance of a marking/gem engraved into their bodies (Nanashi's green scar and four-leaf clover markings and Madoka's Soul Gem when she's transformed).

-In truth, these devils are actually tricking them by withholding further context about their roles to come (Dagda neglects informing Nanashi about his role as his Godslayer and 'puppet' until after he agrees to his deal, while Kyubey tends to leave out some traumatizing information about the nature of Magical Girls such as Witch Transformations). Their deception would be revealed, albeit in contrasting points of time (Dagda reveals his true intentions almost immediately after Nanashi accepts his proposal, while Kyubey's trickery would be revealed later down the line in events that expose the truth about Soul Gems and Witches).

-They'd become part of/related to a special group of people (Hunters and Magical Girls) who fight and hunt down supernatural monstrous entities (Demons and Witches). Said monsters are often named after beings from folklore, capable of pocket-dimension creation (Domains and Witch Labyrinths), and connected with human emotions in some way (Demons are born from human thought and emotion, and Witches feed on the despair of humans). It's also possible to transform into these monsters through experiencing heavy amounts of negative emotion, though one must possess something tied to their existence beforehand (Soul Gems and the Demon Gene).

-Also, a more experienced Hunter/Magical Girl (Boss and Homura Akemi) told them that they should not join the group of monster hunters for different reasons.

-Unbeknownst to them at first, after gaining their powers they were also stripped of their humanity, becoming undead-like entities despite still looking human (After his resurrection, Nanashi is now a walking, re-animated corpse sustained by Dagda's powers, and Magical Girls are similar to liches as their souls are contained within their Soul Gems).

-The source of their powers (Dagda and Madoka's Soul Gem) is also what's keeping them "alive" in the first place, controlling/puppeteering their bodies as well.

-They share a special connection with someone in similar professions (Flynn and Homura Akemi) who they once knew in a past life/timeline. However, tragedy struck as one of them sacrificed themselves to prevent an incoming calamity from destroying their homes (Flynn's past self merged with Masakado, becoming the firmament to protect Tokyo from incoming ICBMs, and Madoka fought and defeated Walpurgisnacht by herself but was killed in the process).

-They'd become friends with arrogant, spear-wielding monster hunters (Gaston and Kyoko Sakura) boasting incredibly self-centered attitudes (at first) that slowly came about after the events surrounding dead relatives, who were originally in respected positions of power, but later got themselves discharged due to their actions, falling insane before meeting their ends (Gaston desperately tries to clear his family name after his brother, Navarre, a former Samurai, disgraced their family when he tried to 'punish his Casualry allies' through attempted murder. Gaston eventually worked his way to captain, an achievement that changed him into a prideful, egotistical Samurai. And Kyoko's father, a former priest, was excommunicated when he deviated from acceptable religious doctrine by adding his own beliefs, leading to Kyoko making a wish to give her father more followers after meeting Kyubey, setting off a chain of events resulting in Kyoko becoming bitter and jaded after the death of her family).

-Both grow close to aloof black-haired girls who are deeply infatuated with them (Toki and Homura Akemi).

-They're friends with older-sister type blonde-haired monster-slaying girls that wield firearms in combat (Nozomi and Mami Tomoe).

-Both also had a special dream at the very beginning of their stories about an event in a past life/timeline where Flynn's past self and Homura Akemi appeared in.

-In the early stages of their adventures, both of them (and their best friends) are forced to witness their mentor figures (Nikkari and Mami Tomoe) perish in front of them during a mission gone wrong. They narrowly escape death (and in Nanashi's case, he was brought back from death) with another's intervention (Dagda and Homura Akemi), leaving with the dark revelation of what it truly means to be a Hunter/Magical Girl.

-They both contrast as Nanashi is known for his fearlessness whereas Madoka is very afraid for most of her show.

-They are very important to the fate of the world (Nanashi is a messiah created by the Axiom to free humanity from YHVH's control while Madoka is at the center of karmic destiny with enough potential to rewrite reality with her wish) but remain unaware of this fact up until the end.

-Their adventures would conclude (At the end of the Massacre Route in Nanashi's case) with them becoming golden-eyed gods who've reshaped existence itself to bring about a new world, one free of an ancient, vicious, and endless cycle integral to their verses (The cycle of Law and Chaos and the cycle of Magical Girls being contracted then eventually turning into Witches), even going as far as to erase all the monsters that threatened their worlds from existence itself (In Nanashi's new world, Demons and Gods lose their physical forms and are returned to being one with the universe and Madoka erases the concept of Witches across every timeline).

-They'd walk the path of ascension through agreeing to the final proposals of the devil-like entities (Nanashi agreeing with Dagda's cause to create a new universe using the Cosmic Egg, becoming the Creator God of this new universe as a result, and Madoka deciding to contract with Kyubey which allows her to make a wish that basically transformed her into the Goddess of Hope) in spite of the protests of their closest friends (All of Nanashi's allies and Homura Akemi).

-They also contrast due to Massacre Route Nanashi deciding to turn his back on and even killing all his friends, with his transformation into a God being what Dagda wanted in the first place, while Madoka exploits a loophole with her wish and sacrifices herself to save all her dead friends, transforming into a Goddess, something that Kyubey did not expect at all.

-One of their dead friends (Nanashi's chosen Goddess and Sayaka Miki) would ascend to their side and be given new, important duties due to their actions (Nanashi revives one of his friends to act as his Goddess who serves as his eternal companion while Sayaka remains dead in Madoka's new universe and becomes an assistant for the Law of Cycles)

-Also, Nanashi's chosen Goddess is the only friend of Nanashi that he resurrects while the others remain dead and Sayaka Miki is the only friend of Madoka that remains dead while the others where resurrected.

-Nanashi and Madoka's relationship with their contractor also contrast as Dagda is clearly antagonistic right after contracting Nanashi, but by the end of both main routes in Apocalypse he is on good terms with him, while Madoka is initially trusting of Kyubey until the truth of Magical Girls are revealed as well as Kyubey's goals.

-Curiously, both Dagda and Kyubey's true intentions center around the prolonged existence of the universe itself, yet contrast in an interesting way: Dagda believes that the present universe is utterly worthless, even declaring that he will wipe everything from existence, solely to bring about a new reality he dreams of. Meanwhile, the Incubators want to counteract the effects of entropy, ultimately trying to prevent the inevitable heat death of the universe. Ultimately, Dagda desires the Destruction of the universe, while Kyubey wants to Preserve the universe.

-Also, Dagda's ambition to destroy (and recreate) the universe requires YHVH's absolute end, who deliberately maintains the cycle of Law and Chaos for His own gain. Contrastingly, the raw energy needed by the Incubators is built upon an endless cycle of girls contracting Kyubey to fight Witches, then giving into despair, becoming Witches themselves. Basically, Dagda needs to End a cycle to fulfill his goals, while Kyubey needs to Perpetuate a cycle to further his objectives.

-Funnily enough, Kyubey has several parallels to Mephistopheles, a demon from Faustian legend, who Nanashi encountered during the DLC Quest A Trip to Hawaii. During this event, Mephisto notes that Nanashi reminds him of a "man who thought himself unable to achieve true happiness", or Faust, and Madoka herself has had numerous comparisons to Gretchen (and Faust himself in some cases).

(Gonna cheat a bit here, since the earlier connections primarily focused on the original Madoka Magica anime, but here are some additional connections for Magia Record's Madoka)

-Both conflict with vast organizations dedicated to bring about world-wide salvation (The Divine Powers and the Wings of the Magius) committed through amoral means, their end plan meaning the death of countless human lives through the hatching of a demon/witch (The Cosmic Egg/Shesha and Embryo Eve).

-Heading these organizations is an almighty trio consisting of the following: A regal and well-dressed person with a condescending view towards humans, seeing them as expendable for their goals of salvation (Krishna and Touka Satomi), a wise individual associated with literature (Odin and Nemu Hirragi) that would sacrifice parts of themselves to achieve their goals (Odin sacrifices his eye for wisdom and Nemu must sacrifice her lifeforce to summon Rumors), and an absolutely insane and sadistic barrier warrior boasting distorted world views (Maitreya and Alina Gray) that has a higher holy form (Mitra-Buddha and Holy Alina)