The 5 Characters Every JRPG has
Posted by Zac Ashmore on September 16th, 2009First of all when I say JRPG what I mean is Japanese RPG. They are the pinnacle of linear storytelling with just enough side quests to make you think that it’s somewhat free roaming. They generally have great storyline with fun mechanics and good graphics, however, there is one thing that ties them all together: the characters. Each JRPG contains at least half of the character archetypes mentioned on this list; be it the main hero or his/her supporting companions.
The Brooding Antihero
We’ve seen this over and over. He/She is some sort of badass on the field of battle but off of it they are like a stranded emo goth looking for someone to hug. I can understand the concept that war erases humanity, but the Brooding Antihero is like this from the first time we meet them and never grows out of it. Their personality is that of a 2′x4′ with a bored facial expression on it. They are a dime a dozen.
The Tough Guy
I can get that some folks have attitude and can back that up. I can get that you would want someone like that on your side in a fight. What I can’t get is that these character’s cannot turn off the loudmouth bragging ever. It gets to the point that you pray that they get beaten up so that they will shut up. However, as much as I would like to see that happen, I must admit that it’s kind of pathetic to wish pain on a series of code and pixels.
The Cheerful Damsel
Always increadibly upbeat the Cheerful Damsel represents what video games want in a princess: positive, naive, and always getting herself into trouble. She can be a character that isn’t annoying, unfortunately, that usually isn’t the case. Your character will meet her at a point when her stupidity has gotten her into trouble and you have to bail her out. Its wonderful to have someone in the party that has “love interest” written above her head; and by wonderful I mean boring and lazy storytelling.
The Obnoxious One
If there is a character I have grown to despise in my JRPG more than any other it’s this one. He/She has many qualities as the Cheerful Damsel, only without the love interest angle and twice as rambunctious. He/She seems to think highly of themselves and is always the first to inappropriately spew out their opinions no matter how inane. It usually amounts to something along the lines of, “Come and get us ugly.” They usually play the comic relief in the story. I think it would be funny to let the party to kill the character.
Mysterious Stranger
These characters usually have the coolest angle to them. Enough so that you wish that the main character was just as interesting. They look cool, don’t really say much, and when they do it’s always important. They could be a mystical character or fighter. If there is one character archetype that JRPGs do well it’s this one.
Don’t let this list fool you; I enjoy a good JRPG. Consider this a criticism of something dear to my heart. I hope you enjoyed my rambling. Until next time.
Tags: anime, japan, jrpg, rpg, video game