Website and data research by 101Leafy.
Shin Megami Tensei if... guardians
When the hero or the partner dies, a guardian can take over and lend its stats. Each character has a line of 17 guardians, listed here from the strongest down. 101Leafy researched the game for the lines, the points, and the bonuses.
How the next guardian is picked
Each demon the character defeats adds guardian points by the demon's level (the table below). On death, half the points the current guardian needed are added on top, and the strongest guardian in the line whose need is at most the total takes over. If that is the guardian already in place, the next one down comes instead. A move down the line goes one step at most; a move up has no limit. The points go back to 0 after every change.
Stat bonus
Where the guardian's stat is lower than the character's own, a third of the gap is taken away.
Hero, Male, Power type
St gets the full gap between the guardian's stat and the hero's own; every other stat gets half.
Hero, Male, Speed type
Ag gets the full gap between the guardian's stat and the hero's own; every other stat gets half.
Hero, Male, Balance type
St and Ag each get three quarters of the gap between the guardian's stat and the hero's own; every other stat gets half.
Hero, Female, Power type
St gets the full gap between the guardian's stat and the hero's own; every other stat gets half.
Hero, Female, Speed type
Ag gets the full gap between the guardian's stat and the hero's own; every other stat gets half.
Hero, Female, Balance type
St and Ag each get three quarters of the gap between the guardian's stat and the hero's own; every other stat gets half.
Partner: Reiko
The four partner lines most likely follow the order the game keeps the partner names in.
Every stat gets half the gap between the guardian's stat and the partner's own. The partner also learns the guardian's spells.
Partner: Yumi
Every stat gets half the gap between the guardian's stat and the partner's own. The partner also learns the guardian's spells.
Partner: Charlie
Every stat gets half the gap between the guardian's stat and the partner's own. The partner also learns the guardian's spells.
Partner: Akira
Every stat gets half the gap between the guardian's stat and the partner's own. The partner also learns the guardian's spells.
Random guardians
On a full moon, a death has a 1 in 256 chance to bring one of these in place of the next guardian in the line. When it leaves, the line goes on from the guardian it replaced.
Guardian points per defeated demon
By the defeated demon's level.
| LV | +1 | +2 | +3 | +4 | +5 | +6 | +7 | +8 | +9 | +10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| 10 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 20 | 13 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 24 | 26 | 29 | 32 |
| 30 | 35 | 38 | 42 | 46 | 51 | 56 | 62 | 68 | 75 | 82 |
| 40 | 91 | 100 | 110 | 120 | 133 | 146 | 160 | 176 | 194 | 213 |
| 50 | 235 | 258 | 284 | 312 | 344 | 378 | 416 | 458 | 503 | 554 |
| 60 | 609 | 670 | 737 | 811 | 892 | 981 | 1,079 | 1,187 | 1,305 | 1,436 |
| 70 | 1,579 | 1,737 | 1,911 | 2,102 | 2,313 | 2,544 | 2,798 | 3,078 | 3,386 | 3,724 |
| 80 | 4,097 | 4,506 | 4,957 | 5,453 | 5,998 | 6,598 | 7,258 | 7,984 | 8,782 | 9,660 |
| 90 | 10,626 | 11,689 | 12,858 | 14,143 | 15,558 | 17,113 | 18,825 | 20,707 | 22,778 | 25,056 |