out of curiosity, is your problem with Amon's design the reference itself or just the fact that it clashes with the rest of the design? I think giving a shout out to Devilman is pretty cool since it was such a huge influence to SMT, but it could've been a lot more subdued
So let me talk about Amon, lol.
The Devilman arms are the focal point of the design. In fact, the composition just doesn't work without them. I cobbled the left example together via the SJR sprite sheet:
There's just nothing to it without the arms. And let's make it even more like the Dictionnaire Infernal Amon:
I definitely prefer Amon wingless (in fact, as an Amonfan I don't like the wings at all) but merely removing them doesn't "fix" the design, it would at least require making the wolf legs less vestigial. But I think the entire idea behind the final design is to make it look as cool and grandiose as possible:
Its "cool" had to achieve marketability, which I think it does, in a similar way to Dagda; it's a shame but a straight Dictionnaire Amon like Kaneko's wouldn't impress the way they want.
Amon is a Tyrant, so I suppose he had to be grandiose and imposing, this despite not being a great fit for his character and that most Goetias are Fallen instead; the true archdemon likes of Belial, Asmodeus, and Astaroth being exceptions.
Then you have to contend with Atlus' interpretation of who/what Amon is, including a demonized Amun[-Ra] (so just repeating the Asura/Ahura Mazda and Astaroth/Ishtar scenarios) or conflating him with Amaymon (which the wiki seems to do) even though they are distinct entities in the Goetia.
But the thing with the arms is not just that it's a Devilman reference or that it's a full display for Doi's overdetailed, horror vacui tendencies but that they represent a type of modern interpretation of "demon" that doesn't gel with SMT's own visual definition. I shouldn't need to expound too much that Kaneko (and Doi!) most of the time merely adapt the 19th century views on demons via the Dictionnaire:
But the arms are much closer to this:
The generic, inexplicably muscle-bound demon of modern pop culture that is in stark contrast to SMT's 19th century usage. It just so happens the muscle-bound demon is what Devilman's Amon is, too. SMT of course deals in pop culture references but there were probably better ways to incorporate the Devilman reference than the clashing-on-multiple-levels arms.
In fact, the franchise is already filled with Devilman references. Fusion itself is a Devilman reference; while the demons of Devilman literally fuse themselves together, SMT has made the idea its own central mechanic. Devilman characters like Welvath should look familiar. Then there's the obvious and premier Devilman content: Akira's scenario in if... including his own fusion with Amon, though Kaneko design above allowed Amon to be, well, normal. All are incorporated without sacrificing SMT's (or Amon's) personal flair.
The Goetias are one of my absolute favorite parts of SMT and Doi's Amon just comes up short for me in every possible way. He's my biggest disappointment after Ultra Odin.
