User:Cukie Gherkin/Mara

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Mara is a fictional demon found in the Megaten franchise, encompassing series such as Shin Megami Tensei and Persona.

Concept and creation
Mara was created as part of the Megaten series for Shin Megami Tensei by character designer Kazuma Kaneko. Mara's name comes from the Japanese slang "mara," which means penis. In some translations, Mara is referred to as a woman.

Appearances
Mara appears in most Shin Megami Tensei games. Mara was added to Persona in the PlayStation Portable port as part of the Snow Queen sidequest.

Promotion and reception
Mara received a figure on Shin Megami Tensei's 25th anniversary, whose design was supervised by series artist Kazuma Kaneko in order to ensure faithfulness. The figure's tentacles are made using flexible material in order to allow them to be posed. The wheels and blades of the chariot are also articulable. This figure, when purchased on the Japanese Atlus store, also came with a limited run of tapestries and sweatshirts featuring Mara.

Mara has been generally well-received, voted as the most popular demon by fans in an official Atlus poll, despite expectations that series mascot Jack Frost would win. Mara's Japanese fanbase refers to Mara as "Mara-sama" and gives Mara adoration. Aniplex producer Kazunori Adachi, who worked on the Persona 3 film, considered Mara his favorite Persona in the series. Siliconera writer Stephanie Liu felt that it was among the most memorable demons in the series. Fellow Siliconera writer Josh considered Mara the best demon in the series. YouTuber Mirai Akari questioned why Mara was so popular. The Gamer writer Daniel Trock regarded it as one of the strangest demons in the series, saying that it was the most "legendarily bizarre" thing in the series. He discussed how Mara in Buddhism is meant to be a "master of fear," saying that trait was "immaterial" to Mara's nature in the series. Writers Lars de Wildt and S.D. Aupers identified Mara as a fan favorite of the series, discussing how the series presents folklore, contemporary mythology, historical figures, and religious figures as non-hierarchical, specifically discussing how those who worship Shiva may take offense to seeing him on an equal level to something like Mara. Specifically, they cited Mara's phallic design, as well as the fact that Mara is not actively worshiped. De Wildt later discussed how characters like Mara "blurs the distinction between what can be considered fiction, myth(olog)ical and divine." Writer Sarah Stang, while discussing "female monstrosity" in role-playing games, cited Mara as an exception to this, though noted that in some translations, Mara is female.