My favorite trope is a depressed character finding the will to live, or a happy go lucky character going into a deep depression that they want to die. I don't know what's wrong with me...
Sora is mostly a subversion of the chosen one trope, his journey actually started just because he happened to be friends with two people who were chosen by destiny.
the amnesia trope can be a banger - FE awakening is cool because you get a glimpse at the first cutscene that something is going to go wrong eventually but in spite of the odds and against fate, robin chooses to resist. it's like they forgot they're grima which is cool to me like you're not predetermined actually. same thing with shulk without the amnesia but like going against what you were supposed to be thanks to determination and friendships and knowledge of the world and acceptance is great. i love it.
In defense of Cloud as an amnesiac, it’s not that he forgot everything, cause he recalls his childhood with Tifa…it’s that he was tortured for so long that he latched onto the first thing he could and assimilated their identity in lieu of remembering being tortured for 5 years
FFX plays a twist on Amnesia trope by making Tidus a fish out of water. Still have something to do with 0 memory and knowledge, but it's even better because Tidus and us who played it experience everything in Spira for the first time. It's also cool that other characters are lecturing Tidus about stuffs and give him leeway when he did mistakes since they knew Tidus came from different place
The only trope that really bugs me is when the protagonist doesn't talk. Especially when other characters interact with the protagonist as if they're talking; I want to hear them also!!!
I actually don't hate this, but I dont like it when they have another character talk for them. I think more people would like it if the game gave multiple reactions choice like say the options in Fallout 3/NV
i liked bg3 having a silent self insert protag because every single one of your choices has an actual effect on the story. in linear games it annoys me because either the mc stands back and does nothing the entire game or makes actions i personally never would but then doesnt get any development as a character because their supposed to be you.
@@seere8906 Well BG3 isn't really a silent protagonist. They may not have voiced dialogue, but you know they talk. You could play as one of the origin characters, like Shadowheart, and they'd be "silent" during the decisions, but you know Shadowheart isn't a silent character. Silent protagonist is like, they literally don't talk, or they talk so infrequently they might as well never talk.
One thing that always drives me crazy about JRPG villains is that there usually isn't any explanation for what their plans actually are or how/why they would work in the first place. "Hahaha! I now have the relic crystal and with it I can control the whole world!" How? How are you going to control the whole world? Does it really make you that powerful? If so, why would anyone make a single artifact that strong? It just seems like the world governments could just deny any of your demands... And like, power on that scale tends to make you lose perspective. It just seems like after the third or fourth kingdom you conquer you'd come to the bleak realization that it's all sort of pointless.
*Xenoblade spoilers ahead* This video is interesting but I took note how you stated that Shulk is a chosen one and while I do have my own issues with Shulk I found the story is very much a subversion of this trope because the events of mechonis core is telling you “Shulk is not special. Anyone would’ve done. It just happened to be him” the story builds Shulk up throughout the first half that he’s a chosen one before revealing he’s not. As I said this video is very good and I like your formatting it’s just something I took note! ^^ have a nice day!
It's also good to note that Shulk looking like Klaus is probably caused by Klaus being within him and not because he was made that way. Shulk died twice, The first time in Valak mountain and the 2nd on the Mechonis. The 1st death took away Shulk's freedom while the 2nd returned it again. Zanza/Klaus was shaping shulk's body, but not his soul
I hate it when the party goes to the beach or at a spring or anywhere where the characters gotta get naked or be in swimsuits for a while. It’s especially weird when the characters are underage and there’s tons of panty and boob shots. I have to hope and pray nobody walks in on me playing through those parts. It’s easier to explain porn than these anime people in swimsuits lol
Tropes I dislike: Silent protagonist, girl that exists to only be a love interest, plot armor, one dimensional characters (I’m looking at you Fire Emblem) Tropes I like: A character returning to save the day at the exact right time, animal mascots, power of friendship, one of your party members is actually a villain or bad guy
Cozyfeji you just gave me an idea for a game in where you play as one of the members of a party of the chosen one and have to figure out who he or she is and see if this said chosen one is good or evil
I think final fantasy x is sort of like this. Yuna is the main character for the journey your party goes on. Think this aspect made the game far more interesting too!
Love this!! A video I’d love to see you do is JRPGs that are a blast to play, discussing games you adore for their gameplay elements and mechanics. Ik you mentioned story as one of if not the most important thing to you in a JRPG, but I’ve always been intrigued by what sorts of gameplay elements different people, especially JRPG fans, find to be fun to play through!
I don't like it when its optional to recruit a character or not because I've noticed they don't add much to the storyline and in cutscenes, they are just standing in the background like decoration and occasionally will say a word or two.
This has really activated my brain. I'm trying to think of JRPGs that DON'T have any of these tropes, and it's so hard! Even just finding games that don't have stakes that are like "the fate of the world" is next to impossible!
This is such a great video topic! The villains comment hit hard because I wholeheartedly agree. I want to love to hate villains! I want their reasons to shake me to my CORE! Love this video, great job!
We used to love JRPGs, but we just can't with games where everyone looks the same all the time. A world full of beauty and diversity in people and locations and if a fantasy game can't reflect that, we don't mess with it. Great vid!
There was a time I had jrpg overload and just groaned at the tropes, then hit the whole 'jrpgs are bad' thing. This year alone I came back to jrpgs and there is such comfort in the games. For me this year Star Ocean 2 is so tropey...its almost wholesome. Yes there are dark tones, but you can really see the old school mentality of girl characters and how teenagers be, but it was so full of heart I couldn't help but smile. Would I like every game like that? no, but then that is where gameplay needs to shine which needs to be taken to account with this interactive medium. Gameplay needs to be king for this genre. FF16 (which I can't call a jrpg) depressed me on so many levels, so playing star ocean 2 was really nice and something that I really bonded over for with the whole, "my bonds are my strength". It makes it that we aren't alone. Even when there is a chosen one arc typically its still the bonds and personalities being made. I myself am a minority but have found myself in a lot of characters not cuz of how we look alike but how we feel alike and to me it really made me appreciate the tales/stories being done. Too many games now I see characters who want to 'look' like me, but I would never feel connected to them or feel seen. I've felt more seen in KH/FF/Tales/FE/xenoblade games than I would in something that was more western.
I love the trope of temporary party members. Characters who only stick with you for a while and are super fun to have, only to lose them with no guarantee of them returning. Some people may call it cheap, but it's one of the best ways to make players treasure the characters they have.
That was a fun video. Along with killing gods, I feel like another big one from the 90s and early 2000s was a world tree/source of life in JRPG game worlds.
Great video! I've got a NUMBER of jRPG tropes that I see time and time again. They are fishing, tower defense (this one's in more newer games), card-based mini games, female characters being shown in overtly sexual outfits, a lack of overall diversity for characters that are shown (FF7 Rebirth has done a surprisingly nice job of course-correcting this), and more.
I think JRPG tropes are fine and good considering they have basic structures that're on its own easy to understand. Put a unique spin on it and you've got a banger. But you don't always have to be unique for the sake of it. If you're gonna make a cliche story that doesn't take itself too seriously, that's also fine too.
I can't believe I just found this channel, your videos are very well thought out and informative. I disliked silent protagonists and mascots but never put two and two together.
Looove this video Feji! I totally agree with you about villains with no real motivation. I think one of my favourite tropes is the good-guy-turned-villain; people who committed some big betrayal before the events of the game start. I'm thinking characters like Sephiroth and Melfice (Grandia II). I feel like those kinds of characters often have a lot more depth to them/very interesting backstories!
I don't understand people's beef with silent protagonists maybe because I'm an older gamer and lived through when every protagonist regardless of genre was a silent protagonist.
This is a good summary of common tropes, and of course, many of these are common in anime as well. It does sometimes get tiresome to have another game/story that involves a spike haired person that has to save the world, who is also a silent protagonist with amnesia, etc. I think one thing these games need to do better about (and I would like to see it in anime too) is to have more diversity with the characters.
I don't mind all the tropes, they're part of the genre but it's definitely refreshing when games break away with them. Before you even said them, I already knew what the two protagonist tropes would be so that's how you know they're overused 🤣 It makes me appreciate characters like the protagonists from the Liberl and Crossbell arcs in Trails who don't fall into them. Although maybe "regular person who gets caught up in a greater scheme" is its own trope? If so, I love that one haha also haaay early access 💅🏻
Yes! I totally agree with you! The trails series does have some tropes in it but for the most part they try to steer away from them which makes the games really refreshing!
Kingdom Hearts Spoilers When it comes to Sora being “the chosen one”, what makes him stand out is that he wasn’t the one who was originally supposed to get the Keyblade, Riku was instead because of the potential being passed to him by Terra, but because Riku was engulfed in the darkness, they Keyblade went to Sora instead and latched on to the part of Ventus that still remained in Sora’s heart. I feel like this kinda sets Sora apart from other “chosen ones” because he wasn’t the one who was supposed to receive that power in the first place
Originally so but then later games kinda convolute to make him into a chosen one anyways, the chosen one to save everybody, it HAS to be him for absolutely no reason but it kinda has. Like there was even one ending in one of the games where everyone is saying his name. The more games come out the worse the story gets IMO
I think Terra and Shadow from FF6 is what influenced most amnesia and strong silent character tropes since the dawn of early JRPGs. Terra doesn't remember where her magical powers comes from her origin, and Shadow is always a stoic mercenary watching and protecting their journeys when time comes, in exhange for Gils.
A few of these tropes do date back to the original Dragon Quest in NES, which often remind people why they love this genre. Of course, I don't really mind them on their own. Its how they're used for me. Xenoblade is a large collection of old shonen tropes, but its story leaves a very profound impact once its completed.
The thing about Cloud’s case of amnesia is that for the most part, it isn’t really amnesia so much as it is him unknowingly remembering events incorrectly. The only real part of his case that is genuine amnesia is the point where he supposedly fights Sephiroth in Nibelheim, as his memories cut out right before that point. Everything else doesn’t really count, since he does remember things that did happen; he just, well… miscasts one or two people. Of course, he never elaborates on what he thinks he was doing in the five-year gap between Nibelheim and his arrival in Midgar, so. That might be a giant hole that just never gets addressed by the party.
My least favorite JRPG trope is like a sub trope of that sidekick trope you brought up. Like the little creatures that are total pervs. Morgana from Persona 5, Tora from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and Marumaro from Blue Dragon just to name a few. Very unappealing trope imo.
Great video! I have to say the silent protagonist works when done right, but it irritates me. It’s like, they’re doing the most…and can’t say a word. Kinda always been weird to me. 😂
If anyone wonders about the video Cozyfeji referenced regarding why we kill gods, it's "Moon Channel"'s video called "Why do you always kill gods in JRPGs?" (1:30:57 long)
Best team pet is Blanca from Shadow Hearts Covenant. My favorite trope is the double agent that ends up staying loyal to the party. Least favorite trope is the love interest that has no depth or development outside of their bond with the protagonist.
It's always a good day when I watch one of your videos 😊 Great video, very interesting ideas. I've always liked the chosen one trope and the villain that wants to rebuild or reshape the world. I'm not so keen on the silent protagonist and there are certainly some of the talkative mascots that i'm not fond of. It was interesting to hear your takes on the tropes 😊
OH YEA! youre definitely getting subbed to! amazing black girl with a LOVE of RPGS and games in general, with thot provoking videos to parouse. Im all here for it, TIME TO GET COZY
I enjoy silent protagonists. The reason is that I have a very low chance to actually like the protagonist in a JRPG. If it's a silent protagonist though, then I can kind of self insert into it and I just enjoy the rest of the story without really paying too much mind to the protagonist. Just limiting it to mainline Final Fantasy, the only protagonists I really like are Zidane and Clive. I despise Tidus, am not really fond of Noctis, Lightning, and Squall, and I'm neutral toward Cloud, Terra, Bartz, and Cecil. I thibk Vaan from 12 is okay, he kind of grew on me, but I didn't like him that much in the beginning. I think the reason I like him as much as I do though is because he's not really the protagonist of the story but rather a consequence of the story.
Hi there. 👋 This video was recommended to me by RUclips and was a pleasant surprise. ☺️ Once upon a time back in the 90’s and 2000’s I played JRPGs. After that, the only ones I kept playing were the Final Fantasy ones. I stopped playing because I disliked the stereotypes, clichés and tropes. But I don’t hate any of them lol. 🤣 I just find they make the game predictable and sometimes disappointing. One in particular which was mentioned by other viewers is, the tragic or dramatic events that generally encompass either the hero or several/all characters. I play games for the fun factor. A tragic event can build character, help form rivalries or friendships and cause hatred of the source of the tragedy. But it being present on every single game or being the central point of it. No. Sorry not for me. Finally, another reason I stopped playing JPRGs is the age factor. I’m a mature woman and I can’t stand seeing young children, teenagers or even in some cases, young adults, going through suffering and misery. It happens both in life as in a game. But to me it just feels wrong. Why are the young ones those responsible for saving the world? It’s downright absurd. In my opinion. 😅 Can you share some JRPG titles which are leaving these trompes and clichés behind? Thank you for this video and apologies for the long rant. 😆 See you on the next one. 👍
I'm sorry, but Shulk isn't a "chosen one" Well, he was chosen, but in the same way people are "chosen" to win a prize in a spam email XENOBLADE SPOILERS AHEAD: Shulk's whole point, the big plot twist of the story is that he was not picked by the hands of destiny to fulfill some grander purpose, he was just another one in a line of people being used to revitalize Zanza through the Monado There's even a line by Dickson after this reveal where he says it could've literally been anyone, and that Shulk got picked cause he was there at the time He doesn't have any special powers inherent to him, all he is is a smart dude TL;DR: Shulk never was a chosen one and that's the entire twist of his character arc
I don't really like silent protagonist that supposed to be a self-insert, also it might be just me getting old, but somehow everyone from opposite gender of our main protagonist, always fall head over heels to said protagonist, like yeah I want to know you better, but just as a coworker/party member, man.
most of the jrpg's follow joseph campbells hero's journey, and also the coming of age story like you said, religiously though most media also use it like lord of the rings. there are also stereotypes i believe because to differentiate characters and to ultimately help the protagonist to achive their goal, those archetypes include (consciously or unconsciously) based on carl jung are the shadow, the maiden, the wise oldman like gandalf and or dumbledore and so on.the amnesia trope helps the audience to relate to the protagonist discover and understand the world and situation while progressing and adventuring. the killing of god may or may not be rooted in the japanese society's psyche, first obviously its not about killing christians or whatever, the help of catholic symbolism while killing a god helps them portray to the wider audience specially as they believe outside japan that that is a god that the heroes are killing and its powerful. really its about the history ingrained in them which is an emperor basically a god figure, overthrowing them and such. also aliens, like the foreigners forcing themselves to them hundreds of years ago. sorry its kinda long but this is what i understand about the flow of rpg's and rpg's adjacent. also the animals or sidekicks are just there for mascots, marketing and stand in for the hero in most parts.
They never lean into the best parts of the amnesia story type either, its just kind of a middle-ground where the character can learn the things at the same time as you. I wanted to have the full experience of a character who literally has never experienced anything before, along with some other complicating factors, so my story has a character who seems at first to be a straightforward monster, ends up being an amnesiac anti-hero, and eventually reaches a much more complicated conclusion than i think either of those possibilities would imply. I think RPGs really need to be subverting more of their tropes nowadays, indie rpgs and indie games in general have upped the ante on what you can do in interactive storytelling, and most mainstream RPGs, J or otherwise just feel like they are lagging behind.
I kinda want to see more subversions of these tropes not going to lie lol My least favorite rpg trope is the more black & white morality without any shades of gray. My favorite has to be the rouge-like characters, a foil of the main character a good example is Riku from KH
In a lot of jrpg, the smart/calculative/realistic party character tend to be portrayed as cold and maybe turn into an anti-hero OR they are nerds and kind of a wimp 🥲 I know it is an archetype but you know~
This is more of a game mechanics trope and its that Status Ailments or debuffing abilities for the majority of this genre are always if not completely useless. Either it will have very poor accuracy or enemies are straight up immune to them. Like why bother? A prime bad example of this is from the Breath of Fire series
As much as I find some of these tropes endearing, it is a sign of bad writing, that being said. I think what many JRPGs (especially early ones) lacked in maturity of writing, they made up for in other ways. Even as a teenager playing FF7 I found the amount of tropes they managed to cram into that game funny. For example I literally laughed when the home town burned down. But, I found myself falling in love with that story despite its cliches. First, it’s pacing. FF7s pacing was perfect. Games today have their pacing destroyed because they want to inflate run time. Second, it’s environmental story telling and world building and how it incorporated gameplay mechanics into the broader story. Third, The way that it handles themes and characters is sincere in a way almost unheard of today. It just comes across as a passion project and not a design by committee project like what I feel with many modern titles. I use FF7 as an example but I can apply this to other great games of that era. It’s clear that these games were not written by professional writers. FF7 literally took story elements from anyone working on the project. Nomura was an artist and character designer, not a writer. But he was allowed to influence the story significantly. Still, that story lives in my mind more than almost anything else of that time. And I believe it’s because of the passion behind it. Many of those developers put their lives on the line for that project and you can feel it.
Dragon Quest XI drives me crazy because your character is silent, yet you would meet characters that know you and break down in tears and you just stand there, silent and stone faced. Kinda kills the mood a bit.
I can't stand that in so many JRPG"S the women will wear little to nothing and the men are mostly fully covered up, like why is the eye candy only for straight dudes.
I have to disagree on clive being the chosen one to save the world in FF16. Spoilers. To me at least from what i remember from playing it clive awoke powers to inherit multiple summon deities and ultima (god) was to use clive as a vessel for power but the story is more about clive taking his destiny into his own hands rather than being the chosen one to save the world
AH AH AH! Stop you right there. You mentioned Clive Rosfield from FFXVI That game isn't a JRPG--just look at the only two stats attack and defense. Hardly a JRPG.
do not take this wrong i'll take jrpg troupes anyday over constant forced woke stuff in western games jrpg troupes are funny or lighthearted western games hammer politics at you
My favorite trope is a depressed character finding the will to live, or a happy go lucky character going into a deep depression that they want to die. I don't know what's wrong with me...
nothing wrong! Those two are awesome concepts :)
Some games with this trope? FFIX's Vivi sure is one that embodies both of those.
@@SomeSunshineOutside Mythra from Xenoblade 2 and Velvet from Tales of Berseria. So good.
Celes from Final Fantasy 6 is also a depressed character finding the will to live, at least in world of ruins. I love her❤
@@walteranurantha5014 i love celes SO much
Sora is mostly a subversion of the chosen one trope, his journey actually started just because he happened to be friends with two people who were chosen by destiny.
the amnesia trope can be a banger - FE awakening is cool because you get a glimpse at the first cutscene that something is going to go wrong eventually but in spite of the odds and against fate, robin chooses to resist. it's like they forgot they're grima which is cool to me like you're not predetermined actually. same thing with shulk without the amnesia but like going against what you were supposed to be thanks to determination and friendships and knowledge of the world and acceptance is great. i love it.
I really like your take on this trope!☺️
In defense of Cloud as an amnesiac, it’s not that he forgot everything, cause he recalls his childhood with Tifa…it’s that he was tortured for so long that he latched onto the first thing he could and assimilated their identity in lieu of remembering being tortured for 5 years
FFX plays a twist on Amnesia trope by making Tidus a fish out of water. Still have something to do with 0 memory and knowledge, but it's even better because Tidus and us who played it experience everything in Spira for the first time. It's also cool that other characters are lecturing Tidus about stuffs and give him leeway when he did mistakes since they knew Tidus came from different place
Even more so because he kinda pretends to be amnesiac... "Sin toxins got to him, poor guy"
The only trope that really bugs me is when the protagonist doesn't talk. Especially when other characters interact with the protagonist as if they're talking; I want to hear them also!!!
I wholeheartedly agree with this! I’m not a fan of the “silent protagonist”
I actually don't hate this, but I dont like it when they have another character talk for them. I think more people would like it if the game gave multiple reactions choice like say the options in Fallout 3/NV
Silent protagonists can be overdone and not executed well can be very boring
i liked bg3 having a silent self insert protag because every single one of your choices has an actual effect on the story. in linear games it annoys me because either the mc stands back and does nothing the entire game or makes actions i personally never would but then doesnt get any development as a character because their supposed to be you.
@@seere8906 Well BG3 isn't really a silent protagonist. They may not have voiced dialogue, but you know they talk. You could play as one of the origin characters, like Shadowheart, and they'd be "silent" during the decisions, but you know Shadowheart isn't a silent character. Silent protagonist is like, they literally don't talk, or they talk so infrequently they might as well never talk.
The World Ends with You has every trope with perfect execution
One thing that always drives me crazy about JRPG villains is that there usually isn't any explanation for what their plans actually are or how/why they would work in the first place. "Hahaha! I now have the relic crystal and with it I can control the whole world!" How? How are you going to control the whole world? Does it really make you that powerful? If so, why would anyone make a single artifact that strong? It just seems like the world governments could just deny any of your demands... And like, power on that scale tends to make you lose perspective. It just seems like after the third or fourth kingdom you conquer you'd come to the bleak realization that it's all sort of pointless.
Oh, but also, Great video! A lot to think about and consider here.
*Xenoblade spoilers ahead*
This video is interesting but I took note how you stated that Shulk is a chosen one and while I do have my own issues with Shulk I found the story is very much a subversion of this trope because the events of mechonis core is telling you “Shulk is not special. Anyone would’ve done. It just happened to be him” the story builds Shulk up throughout the first half that he’s a chosen one before revealing he’s not.
As I said this video is very good and I like your formatting it’s just something I took note! ^^ have a nice day!
It's also good to note that Shulk looking like Klaus is probably caused by Klaus being within him and not because he was made that way. Shulk died twice, The first time in Valak mountain and the 2nd on the Mechonis. The 1st death took away Shulk's freedom while the 2nd returned it again. Zanza/Klaus was shaping shulk's body, but not his soul
@@silentlore2458 The official response from Takahashi as to why Shulk and Klaus look similar is that it's a coincidence.
My favorite trope like mechanic is the "win the battle, lose the cutscene" its so goofy yet so well done for like 85% of all games that do it
I hate this trope, make it seem like a back and forth at lwast, do t make my characters get washed in a cutscene. It takes impact out
@@TimothyGod Or better, have some prize for winning the battle, whether it's an item, an achievement, or even just different cutscene.
The video she was talking about at 11:00 is "Why Do You Always Kill Gods in JRPGs?" on the youtube channel "Moon Channel." :)
I hate it when the party goes to the beach or at a spring or anywhere where the characters gotta get naked or be in swimsuits for a while. It’s especially weird when the characters are underage and there’s tons of panty and boob shots. I have to hope and pray nobody walks in on me playing through those parts. It’s easier to explain porn than these anime people in swimsuits lol
Tropes I dislike: Silent protagonist, girl that exists to only be a love interest, plot armor, one dimensional characters (I’m looking at you Fire Emblem)
Tropes I like: A character returning to save the day at the exact right time, animal mascots, power of friendship, one of your party members is actually a villain or bad guy
Cozyfeji you just gave me an idea for a game in where you play as one of the members of a party of the chosen one and have to figure out who he or she is and see if this said chosen one is good or evil
Now this is a game I would love to play!!☺️
I think final fantasy x is sort of like this. Yuna is the main character for the journey your party goes on. Think this aspect made the game far more interesting too!
Love this!! A video I’d love to see you do is JRPGs that are a blast to play, discussing games you adore for their gameplay elements and mechanics.
Ik you mentioned story as one of if not the most important thing to you in a JRPG, but I’ve always been intrigued by what sorts of gameplay elements different people, especially JRPG fans, find to be fun to play through!
Thanks for the idea! Sounds like a fun video to make!
I don't like it when its optional to recruit a character or not because I've noticed they don't add much to the storyline and in cutscenes, they are just standing in the background like decoration and occasionally will say a word or two.
This has really activated my brain. I'm trying to think of JRPGs that DON'T have any of these tropes, and it's so hard! Even just finding games that don't have stakes that are like "the fate of the world" is next to impossible!
It really is difficult but when a JRPG goes against the norm it’s super refreshing!
This is such a great video topic! The villains comment hit hard because I wholeheartedly agree. I want to love to hate villains! I want their reasons to shake me to my CORE! Love this video, great job!
Yes! I love a well written villain!
We used to love JRPGs, but we just can't with games where everyone looks the same all the time. A world full of beauty and diversity in people and locations and if a fantasy game can't reflect that, we don't mess with it. Great vid!
Well said!
There was a time I had jrpg overload and just groaned at the tropes, then hit the whole 'jrpgs are bad' thing. This year alone I came back to jrpgs and there is such comfort in the games. For me this year Star Ocean 2 is so tropey...its almost wholesome. Yes there are dark tones, but you can really see the old school mentality of girl characters and how teenagers be, but it was so full of heart I couldn't help but smile. Would I like every game like that? no, but then that is where gameplay needs to shine which needs to be taken to account with this interactive medium. Gameplay needs to be king for this genre.
FF16 (which I can't call a jrpg) depressed me on so many levels, so playing star ocean 2 was really nice and something that I really bonded over for with the whole, "my bonds are my strength". It makes it that we aren't alone.
Even when there is a chosen one arc typically its still the bonds and personalities being made. I myself am a minority but have found myself in a lot of characters not cuz of how we look alike but how we feel alike and to me it really made me appreciate the tales/stories being done. Too many games now I see characters who want to 'look' like me, but I would never feel connected to them or feel seen. I've felt more seen in KH/FF/Tales/FE/xenoblade games than I would in something that was more western.
I love the trope of temporary party members. Characters who only stick with you for a while and are super fun to have, only to lose them with no guarantee of them returning. Some people may call it cheap, but it's one of the best ways to make players treasure the characters they have.
That was a fun video. Along with killing gods, I feel like another big one from the 90s and early 2000s was a world tree/source of life in JRPG game worlds.
Great video! I've got a NUMBER of jRPG tropes that I see time and time again. They are fishing, tower defense (this one's in more newer games), card-based mini games, female characters being shown in overtly sexual outfits, a lack of overall diversity for characters that are shown (FF7 Rebirth has done a surprisingly nice job of course-correcting this), and more.
Tbh I agree with ALL these tropes! A lot of them are overplayed!
I think JRPG tropes are fine and good considering they have basic structures that're on its own easy to understand. Put a unique spin on it and you've got a banger. But you don't always have to be unique for the sake of it. If you're gonna make a cliche story that doesn't take itself too seriously, that's also fine too.
I can't believe I just found this channel, your videos are very well thought out and informative. I disliked silent protagonists and mascots but never put two and two together.
Looove this video Feji! I totally agree with you about villains with no real motivation. I think one of my favourite tropes is the good-guy-turned-villain; people who committed some big betrayal before the events of the game start. I'm thinking characters like Sephiroth and Melfice (Grandia II). I feel like those kinds of characters often have a lot more depth to them/very interesting backstories!
I LOVE when villains get a good character arc and development!
I absolutely love JRPGs and I don't know if I've seen a trope video before, so this was very nice to see. Great work!
Thank you very much!
I don't understand people's beef with silent protagonists maybe because I'm an older gamer and lived through when every protagonist regardless of genre was a silent protagonist.
This is a good summary of common tropes, and of course, many of these are common in anime as well. It does sometimes get tiresome to have another game/story that involves a spike haired person that has to save the world, who is also a silent protagonist with amnesia, etc. I think one thing these games need to do better about (and I would like to see it in anime too) is to have more diversity with the characters.
I agree with you! I know that JRPGS and anime are pretty similar to one another and share similar tropes
Omg, your channel is so unique and comfy. I love it!
I don't mind all the tropes, they're part of the genre but it's definitely refreshing when games break away with them. Before you even said them, I already knew what the two protagonist tropes would be so that's how you know they're overused 🤣 It makes me appreciate characters like the protagonists from the Liberl and Crossbell arcs in Trails who don't fall into them. Although maybe "regular person who gets caught up in a greater scheme" is its own trope? If so, I love that one haha
also haaay early access 💅🏻
Yes! I totally agree with you! The trails series does have some tropes in it but for the most part they try to steer away from them which makes the games really refreshing!
Kingdom Hearts Spoilers
When it comes to Sora being “the chosen one”, what makes him stand out is that he wasn’t the one who was originally supposed to get the Keyblade, Riku was instead because of the potential being passed to him by Terra, but because Riku was engulfed in the darkness, they Keyblade went to Sora instead and latched on to the part of Ventus that still remained in Sora’s heart. I feel like this kinda sets Sora apart from other “chosen ones” because he wasn’t the one who was supposed to receive that power in the first place
Originally so but then later games kinda convolute to make him into a chosen one anyways, the chosen one to save everybody, it HAS to be him for absolutely no reason but it kinda has. Like there was even one ending in one of the games where everyone is saying his name. The more games come out the worse the story gets IMO
I think Terra and Shadow from FF6 is what influenced most amnesia and strong silent character tropes since the dawn of early JRPGs.
Terra doesn't remember where her magical powers comes from her origin, and Shadow is always a stoic mercenary watching and protecting their journeys when time comes, in exhange for Gils.
A few of these tropes do date back to the original Dragon Quest in NES, which often remind people why they love this genre.
Of course, I don't really mind them on their own. Its how they're used for me. Xenoblade is a large collection of old shonen tropes, but its story leaves a very profound impact once its completed.
Interesting take on JRPG tropes. Great video!
Great video Feji and congrats on the view count. This one’s blowing up!
Thank you Rush! ☺️
The thing about Cloud’s case of amnesia is that for the most part, it isn’t really amnesia so much as it is him unknowingly remembering events incorrectly. The only real part of his case that is genuine amnesia is the point where he supposedly fights Sephiroth in Nibelheim, as his memories cut out right before that point. Everything else doesn’t really count, since he does remember things that did happen; he just, well… miscasts one or two people.
Of course, he never elaborates on what he thinks he was doing in the five-year gap between Nibelheim and his arrival in Midgar, so. That might be a giant hole that just never gets addressed by the party.
My least favorite JRPG trope is like a sub trope of that sidekick trope you brought up. Like the little creatures that are total pervs. Morgana from Persona 5, Tora from Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and Marumaro from Blue Dragon just to name a few. Very unappealing trope imo.
This would be better summed up as "the pervy mascot trope"
Another trope I wish put in is the “Pervy character trope” a lot of older JRPGS have a character like this and it can really be a turnoff at times!
Eh, I'd argue that Morgana is more of a "simp" than a "perv", especially compared to his (more-or-less) predecessor Teddie.
The part about the villain destroying the world is so real like what are they gonna do after they destroy everything sit on a rock? 🤣🤣
Great video! I have to say the silent protagonist works when done right, but it irritates me. It’s like, they’re doing the most…and can’t say a word. Kinda always been weird to me. 😂
I totally agree!
If anyone wonders about the video Cozyfeji referenced regarding why we kill gods, it's "Moon Channel"'s video called "Why do you always kill gods in JRPGs?" (1:30:57 long)
Best team pet is Blanca from Shadow Hearts Covenant.
My favorite trope is the double agent that ends up staying loyal to the party.
Least favorite trope is the love interest that has no depth or development outside of their bond with the protagonist.
Not gonna lie, the protagonist with amnesia trope really grinds my gears 🤣 The other tropes I don't mind so much. Great video, Feji!
Couldn't agree more
It's always a good day when I watch one of your videos 😊
Great video, very interesting ideas. I've always liked the chosen one trope and the villain that wants to rebuild or reshape the world. I'm not so keen on the silent protagonist and there are certainly some of the talkative mascots that i'm not fond of. It was interesting to hear your takes on the tropes 😊
I’m glad you enjoyed the video!😊most mascots in game I’m usually not a fan of them!
Grand Blue Fantasy Relink is everything
OH YEA! youre definitely getting subbed to! amazing black girl with a LOVE of RPGS and games in general, with thot provoking videos to parouse. Im all here for it, TIME TO GET COZY
My favourite trope is when at the beginning of the game we save a cat and then by the end of the game we kill god and the cat was god the entire time.
One JRPG archetype that irks me is temporary party members. I want all the party members😭😭
I needed to find this video, subscribed
It what you do with the tropes in my opinion. JRPGs that subvert tropes in my opinion are more memorable.
I love the sidekicks characters
Id rather have a villain that simply wants to end the world, than a poorly written villain that supposed to be sympathetic.
I enjoy silent protagonists. The reason is that I have a very low chance to actually like the protagonist in a JRPG. If it's a silent protagonist though, then I can kind of self insert into it and I just enjoy the rest of the story without really paying too much mind to the protagonist.
Just limiting it to mainline Final Fantasy, the only protagonists I really like are Zidane and Clive. I despise Tidus, am not really fond of Noctis, Lightning, and Squall, and I'm neutral toward Cloud, Terra, Bartz, and Cecil. I thibk Vaan from 12 is okay, he kind of grew on me, but I didn't like him that much in the beginning. I think the reason I like him as much as I do though is because he's not really the protagonist of the story but rather a consequence of the story.
Hi there. 👋 This video was recommended to me by RUclips and was a pleasant surprise. ☺️ Once upon a time back in the 90’s and 2000’s I played JRPGs. After that, the only ones I kept playing were the Final Fantasy ones. I stopped playing because I disliked the stereotypes, clichés and tropes. But I don’t hate any of them lol. 🤣 I just find they make the game predictable and sometimes disappointing. One in particular which was mentioned by other viewers is, the tragic or dramatic events that generally encompass either the hero or several/all characters. I play games for the fun factor. A tragic event can build character, help form rivalries or friendships and cause hatred of the source of the tragedy. But it being present on every single game or being the central point of it. No. Sorry not for me. Finally, another reason I stopped playing JPRGs is the age factor. I’m a mature woman and I can’t stand seeing young children, teenagers or even in some cases, young adults, going through suffering and misery. It happens both in life as in a game. But to me it just feels wrong. Why are the young ones those responsible for saving the world? It’s downright absurd. In my opinion. 😅 Can you share some JRPG titles which are leaving these trompes and clichés behind? Thank you for this video and apologies for the long rant. 😆 See you on the next one. 👍
I'm sorry, but Shulk isn't a "chosen one"
Well, he was chosen, but in the same way people are "chosen" to win a prize in a spam email
XENOBLADE SPOILERS AHEAD:
Shulk's whole point, the big plot twist of the story is that he was not picked by the hands of destiny to fulfill some grander purpose, he was just another one in a line of people being used to revitalize Zanza through the Monado
There's even a line by Dickson after this reveal where he says it could've literally been anyone, and that Shulk got picked cause he was there at the time
He doesn't have any special powers inherent to him, all he is is a smart dude
TL;DR: Shulk never was a chosen one and that's the entire twist of his character arc
Was to say this about Shulk
I don't really like silent protagonist that supposed to be a self-insert, also it might be just me getting old, but somehow everyone from opposite gender of our main protagonist, always fall head over heels to said protagonist, like yeah I want to know you better, but just as a coworker/party member, man.
I hate when a character doesn’t know about the outside world trope. I’m looking at the Tales of series but I still like the series lol
most of the jrpg's follow joseph campbells hero's journey, and also the coming of age story like you said, religiously though most media also use it like lord of the rings. there are also stereotypes i believe because to differentiate characters and to ultimately help the protagonist to achive their goal, those archetypes include (consciously or unconsciously) based on carl jung are the shadow, the maiden, the wise oldman like gandalf and or dumbledore and so on.the amnesia trope helps the audience to relate to the protagonist discover and understand the world and situation while progressing and adventuring. the killing of god may or may not be rooted in the japanese society's psyche, first obviously its not about killing christians or whatever, the help of catholic symbolism while killing a god helps them portray to the wider audience specially as they believe outside japan that that is a god that the heroes are killing and its powerful. really its about the history ingrained in them which is an emperor basically a god figure, overthrowing them and such. also aliens, like the foreigners forcing themselves to them hundreds of years ago. sorry its kinda long but this is what i understand about the flow of rpg's and rpg's adjacent. also the animals or sidekicks are just there for mascots, marketing and stand in for the hero in most parts.
They never lean into the best parts of the amnesia story type either, its just kind of a middle-ground where the character can learn the things at the same time as you. I wanted to have the full experience of a character who literally has never experienced anything before, along with some other complicating factors, so my story has a character who seems at first to be a straightforward monster, ends up being an amnesiac anti-hero, and eventually reaches a much more complicated conclusion than i think either of those possibilities would imply. I think RPGs really need to be subverting more of their tropes nowadays, indie rpgs and indie games in general have upped the ante on what you can do in interactive storytelling, and most mainstream RPGs, J or otherwise just feel like they are lagging behind.
I kinda want to see more subversions of these tropes not going to lie lol
My least favorite rpg trope is the more black & white morality without any shades of gray.
My favorite has to be the rouge-like characters, a foil of the main character a good example is Riku from KH
Yes! I wholeheartedly agree with you on that take!
My most hated troupe is characters with amnesia
Really interesting video keep it up :))
Thanks for the visit
Love to hate and hate to love.
In a lot of jrpg, the smart/calculative/realistic party character tend to be portrayed as cold and maybe turn into an anti-hero OR they are nerds and kind of a wimp 🥲
I know it is an archetype but you know~
I don't think I have a favorite trope though. The things I like the most have to do with game mechanics rather than story tropes.
This is more of a game mechanics trope and its that Status Ailments or debuffing abilities for the majority of this genre are always if not completely useless. Either it will have very poor accuracy or enemies are straight up immune to them. Like why bother?
A prime bad example of this is from the Breath of Fire series
Have you heard about D.A.M. Champion?
Anyone else here after Cloud Kissed Tifa in FFVII Rebirth?
As much as I find some of these tropes endearing, it is a sign of bad writing, that being said. I think what many JRPGs (especially early ones) lacked in maturity of writing, they made up for in other ways. Even as a teenager playing FF7 I found the amount of tropes they managed to cram into that game funny. For example I literally laughed when the home town burned down.
But, I found myself falling in love with that story despite its cliches. First, it’s pacing. FF7s pacing was perfect. Games today have their pacing destroyed because they want to inflate run time. Second, it’s environmental story telling and world building and how it incorporated gameplay mechanics into the broader story. Third, The way that it handles themes and characters is sincere in a way almost unheard of today. It just comes across as a passion project and not a design by committee project like what I feel with many modern titles.
I use FF7 as an example but I can apply this to other great games of that era. It’s clear that these games were not written by professional writers. FF7 literally took story elements from anyone working on the project. Nomura was an artist and character designer, not a writer. But he was allowed to influence the story significantly. Still, that story lives in my mind more than almost anything else of that time. And I believe it’s because of the passion behind it. Many of those developers put their lives on the line for that project and you can feel it.
What about siblings turned villains
Genshin impact
Xenoblade chronicles 3
Some final fantasy games
And fire emblem
Automatic like😂🔥
I really dislike all these tropes tbh lol, but my most hated are school kids saving the world & the silent protagonist 🤷♀️
As I’ve played more JRPGS, I could honestly do without the silent protagonist 😒
Dragon Quest XI drives me crazy because your character is silent, yet you would meet characters that know you and break down in tears and you just stand there, silent and stone faced. Kinda kills the mood a bit.
@@ShallBePurified exactly! I hate silent protags so much 😭
I can't stand that in so many JRPG"S the women will wear little to nothing and the men are mostly fully covered up, like why is the eye candy only for straight dudes.
I have to disagree on clive being the chosen one to save the world in FF16. Spoilers. To me at least from what i remember from playing it clive awoke powers to inherit multiple summon deities and ultima (god) was to use clive as a vessel for power but the story is more about clive taking his destiny into his own hands rather than being the chosen one to save the world
Shulk is a pretty bad example
AH AH AH! Stop you right there. You mentioned Clive Rosfield from FFXVI
That game isn't a JRPG--just look at the only two stats attack and defense. Hardly a JRPG.
fr
do not take this wrong i'll take jrpg troupes anyday over constant forced woke stuff in western games jrpg troupes are funny or lighthearted western games hammer politics at you
i been playing jrpg's for about 35 years only 4 years of my life without them so trust me i got sick of them at times lol