Matador: A Hit or Miss Wake Up Call Boss

Matador, the first Fiend encountered in Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne, is somewhat notorious as the first truly difficult fight in the game. While the strategy to defeat him is relatively simple, he also challenges the player's understanding of the game's mechanics, and has some abilities that are troublesome in their own right. As such, he's a bit of a hit or miss, being both challenging and frustrating.

First, let's go into how you encounter him. While proceeding through the Great Underpass of Ginza, a seemingly unassuming hallway contains an unavoidable pit trap, which causes you to fall and come face-to-face with Matador. This can prove a nasty surprise for first-time players.

Matador's primary means of offense is Mazan, a Force skill that hits all party members. This wouldn't be so bad, but he can go twice per round, and if Mazan hits a demon that's weak to force, he can go again, potentially getting a total of four turns. However, if it misses, or hits someone that's immune to Force, he will lose two Press Turn icons. He later uses Andalucia, a medium Physical attack that targets random foes, but since there aren't many demons or Magatamas that resist Physical skills, there's less you can do to counter it.

Matador's other move of concern is Red Capote, which increases his hit and evasion to the maximum. For the uninitiated, in Shin Megami Tensei III, buffs and debuffs stack; for example, if you cast Sukunda on a boss that is buffed with Sukkaja, it will cancel out the buff, casting it again will apply the debuff and casting it a third time will make the debuff stronger. Red Capote immediately maxes out Matador's hit and evasion, which is a problem considering the penalties associated with missing. Even Fog Breath, which is twice as potent as Sukunda, doesn't help much.

If you're thinking about debuffing Matador's attack and/or defense, the good news is that he doesn't have any way to buff those, but the bad news is that he can use Dekunda to immediately remove all debuffs. Considering that it can take two or even three turns for debuffs to reach their full potential, this can be rather frustrating. It's possible to buff your own side, but it will take four castings of Sukukaja to level the playing field with Matador after one casting of Red Capote.

It also doesn't help that while Matador is immune to Force, Expel, Death and ailments, he has no weaknesses, thus giving you no means of gaining additional Press Turns unless you get a critical hit. It also doesn't help that some demons with Sukunda also have a Force weakness, making them a liability.

In conclusion, Matador does a good job of forcing players to learn the mechanics of Shin Megami Tensei, but comes with some abilities that are frustrating in their own right. Perhaps making Red Capote only twice as potent as a Sukukaja, rather than four times as potent, would have gone a long way in making the fight fairer while still forcing players to pay attention to their buffs, debuffs and affinities.