Mara is one of the many world bosses that you will face in Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance‘s Da’at Shinjuku. The encounter is exclusive to the Canon of Vengeance, and the fight is also a part of the “Devotion to order” side quest.
While exploring Shinjuku, once you go past Mara along the rail lines, you will meet the NPC demon Armaiti. You previously meet the demon in Da’at Minato (at the place where you encounter Anahita) where he gives you the “Guide to the Lost” quest.
This is the second mission you complete for him in Canon of Vengeance, and he will task you to eliminate Mara.
Mara is an incredibly hard encounter at any level. His Toxic Spray and Dance of Mara make it extremely difficult to survive turns, and he is capable of one-shotting your entire party with a Megaton Press.
Here is a guide on how you will be able to make the Mara boss fight much more manageable in Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance.
Mara Weakness and Resistance in Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance
Mara’s Elemental Weaknesses and Resistances
| Element | Resistance/Weakness |
|---|---|
 Physical | – |
 Fire | – |
 Ice | Weak |
 Electric | Absorb |
 Force | – |
 Light | Resist |
 Dark | Resist |
Mara Status Ailments Resistances
| Status Effect | Resistance/Weakness |
|---|---|
 Sleep | Resist |
 Confuse | Resist |
 Charm | Block |
 Mirage | Resist |
 Seal | Block |
 Poison | Resist |
Mara Skill Proficiencies in Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance
Elemental
| Element | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| Physical | +5 |
| Fire | – |
| Ice | -6 |
| Electric | – |
| Force | – |
| Light | – |
| Dark | – |
Other Statuses
| Status | Proficiency |
|---|---|
 Almighty | – |
 Ailment | +3 |
 Recovery | – |
 Support | – |
Mara skills in Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance
Fear of Death:
- When an Omagatoki effect is active, the user’s attacks with positive skill potential will deal increased damage and can instakill.
Hell Thrust (+5):
- Heavy Physical attack to 1 foe. Ignores affinity resistance and Pierces through
Toxic Spray (+3):
- Chance of inflicting Poison to 1 foe and lowers Defence by 1 rank for 3 turns.
Dance of Mara (+3):
- (Unique) chance on inflicting Charm on all foes. Very high chance of instakill when the target is afflicted with Charm.
Megaton Press (+5):
- Heavy Physical attack to all foes. Low accuracy
Poison Master
- Greatly increases effects of Poison.
Omagatoki Critical:
- All attacks, including magical attacks, will become Critical hits for all allies for 1 turn.
How to beat Mara in Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance (Devotion to Order quest guide)
1) Me Patra and Amrita Showers are a must
Mara has decently high luck which allows him to get crits off with his Hell Thrust. However, that ability is not something that you should be worried about the most. Toxic Spray and Dance of Mara are the two abilities that make the fight insanely hard.
If you are afflicted with Poison, Mara will chunk out half of your HP bar when you use your press turn. So items like Amrita Shower come in clutch.
however, don’t just depend on Nahobino, Yoko, or Tao to remove the effect with Amrita. Have some demons in the party who know Me Patra.
2) Try being over-leveled for the fight
Mara will be level 47 when you encounter him, hence it’s best if you can at least take your Nahibno up to level 50-53 before you start the encounter. Fuse some demons around that level while leveling up some of the more important ones in your party by using Grimoires.
You do not want to be at the same level (or below) when fighting Mara. His physical abilities hit like a truck, and even if you made an effective strategy against the status effects, you will still have to deal with his Physical Abilities.
3) Have strong Bufudyne users on the team
Mara is weak to Ice, and if you have strong Bufu users on the active party, you will have a much easier time bringing him down. Just make sure to soften him up a little with Rakunda/Marakunda and buff your team with Tarukaja/Matarukaja before going for an Omagatoki: Critical.
Use the most of your Magatsuhi gauge and don’t just sit on it once it’s full.
Best demon to beat Mara in Shin Megami Tensei 5 Vengeance
Best Support:
- Sarasvati
- Onyankopon
- Kushinada-Hime
- Tao
- Yoko
Sarasvati will be the best support pick for the fight. She blocks charm making Dance of Mara useless on her, and if you do the proper fusion, you will be able to equip her with Me Patra, Samarecarm, Dekunda, and other support skills.
An alternative will be Onyankopon and Kushinada-Hime. However, Onyankopon can be fused only after “Reclaim the Golden Stool” side quest. If you sided with him, he will automatically join your party. However, he is weak to Physical, so that is something you will have to look out for as well.
Tao and Yoko will be the other alternatives as well, just make sure you have enough Amrita Shower in your inventory before using them.
Best Healer:
- Clotho
- Onyankopon
- Tao
Clotho will be a great healer because of Mediarama and Diamrita. Mediarama will heal the entire party while Diamrita will heal 1 ally and cure them of all ailments. A good alternative to her will be Onyankopon and Tao.
Best Damage:
- Anansi
- Sarasvati
- Black Frost
- Nahobino
Both Anani and Sarasvati are great at dealing Ice-based damage. But much like Onyankopon you will only get to fuse or recruit Anansi once you have completed “Liberate the Golden Stool”. If you side with Anansi to beat Onyankopon, he will automatically join you. Otherwise, you can fuse him once the quest is completed.
Black Frost is a Special Fusion and can deal a great deal of damage to Mara with his Ice Drakostrike. If you are building a mage out of the Nahobino, then have some Bufudyne equipped on them to make them effective at continuing press-turns.
Once you beat Mara in Atlus‘s RPG, head back to Armaiti to complete the quest. You will then be able to unlock the Armaiti fusion.
