Estelle Bright! The best written female protagonist in gaming history! Her character development is amazing! And kudos for mentioning Celes Chere, she's the true leader of FF VI casts and she has her up and down in the game (that cliff scene tho).
I’m extremely happy seeing Blue Reflection: Second Light in this list. I fell in love with just about everything in that game. Ao is especially endearing in her innocence and optimism all throughout and the whole game itself being analogous to a school “summer break” really hits home as we used to treat every summer vacation as an adventure as kids - something that never really happens to us any longer as adults.
I’ve seen this game mentioned a few times and never really been sold on it, mainly due to its asthetics. But after this video I’m basically sold in giving it a try.
One could argue Lightning/Claire has legitimate reasons for her attitude and approach to life. Claire and Serah's parents died when they were both fairly young, so she had to grow up too fast and become the responsible older sibling that essentially protected and raised her younger sister, that's how "Lightning" came to be. It's essentially her "badass" persona, the part of her that can do anything, and doesn't need anyone else. This explains why she acts the way she does. It's a coping mechanism, a separate entity of her mind that she turns to in the face of adversity. But she overcomes the negative aspects of it throughout the story, turning instead into a leader who is not only reliable, but stronger for understanding she must rely on her companions as well. It also explains why her ultimate skill is called "Army of One."
Yeah, very true, and I wonder if people just didn’t stick around with the game long enough to learn that about her, because I do think it helps explain the WHY.
@@JustTheGems That aspect of Lightning is explored even more in Lightning Returns with the character of Lumina (who is actually *SPOILER* a part of Lightning's personality and is actually a young Claire and not Serah as first assumed) But honestly, I'm in a minority here, knowing these things and being willing to meet these games on their terms. Despite being with Final Fantasy from the very beginning, playing the first game at 7 years old back in 1990, my absolute favorite of all the games is actually the XIII Trilogy. My second is VI. I don't understand why I was able to connect with XIII and appreciate it for what it is trying to be, and not holding against it for the things that it is not. Linearity doesn't bother me, every FF game is linear to varying degrees. Not having towns full of NPCs to talk to is actually refreshing, as it allows you to keep the story progressing without (generally unnecessary) side conversations. And I appreciate not having to enter every single command for everyone in my party in battle. The strategy is still there without the hassle of constant micromanaging. But after years now of trying to defend XIII to fanboys and naysayers, I still don't fully understand what it is that is causing so much beef with this game. Most frequently, I find it to be people who are very (somewhat to a toxic degree) nostalgic for FF games to be exactly like their favorites from the past. X is the cutoff for a lot of people. They say that's the game that went too far from the "classic" formula of Final Fantasy. And yet the irony of FF7 Remake essentially using a retooling of the battle formula from XIII (many of the same programmers from both teams) is not lost on me at all. I also blame particular influencers within the video game zeitgeist that turned the game into a joke or a bit for views. In the end, maybe I'm the one who is seeing something that isn't there though, i.e. a good game. Who knows.
@@Darcnhife What, you think it needs a SPOILER warning? I don't think that's spoiler information. Or are you implying I think I'm cool for saying it? I mentioned it specifically to note that "Lightning" is Claire's tough persona.
Nice video! And yeah, Estelle is definitely number one! Another great JRPG with female protagonists there are on my Top 10: - Nier Automata (if you consider it as a JRPG) - 2B - Drakengard 3 - Zero - Wild Arms 3 - Virginia - Valkyrie Profile - Lenneth - Valkyrie Profile 2 - Alicia - Valkyria Chronicles - Alicia (she is kinda the 2nd protagonist, but I think it counts) - Shadow Hearts Covenant - Karin (kinda the 2nd protagonist too) - Ys Origin - Yunica (one of the three protagonists) - KH Birth by Sleep - Aqua (again, one of three protagonists)
If you take into account games where there is a choice of many characters, then the SaGa series is suitable: it's full of female protagonists. And here is Octopath Traveler, made in the same way.
My fav comes from my fav game, Eternal Sonata. This game also technically has 2 main chars, but I am going with Polka because she's the char you first start playing, but crux of the main story revolves around her and the other main protag- Frederic Chopin. Char is based around the real life composer and pianist and the whole game takes place inside of his 'head' while he's on his deathbed. Game gets really philosophical so some of the talk is not an easy follow, but it's my bread and butter. But yeah I love Polka, she actually fights with an umbrella is one of the main healers, but has great offensive moves (I always take her into the final battle since you get a lot of party members, but can only have 3 on the field). Music is off the charts and they do include Chopin's music into and all of the chapters are named after his works. Astra of the Heart is my fav song and it plays during the climax of the game and I cried the first time I saw that part.
@@JustTheGems I am going to take a guess and say you had issues with that pirate caption, Dulce? For me she's the hardest boss in the game (side quests included). Up until the point, the bosses were fun challenges (and I am not counting the force failure boss). I never bother trying to counter, I just always block, like right before my turn ends for a certain char, I'll move away and make sure I am facing my foe. I always use special moves that build up my chain attacks.
Sorry but Estelle is not just the best female JRPG protagonist but the best female protagonist of any game period. I just finished Trails in the Sky FC as a newcomer this week and the writing of her character, quirks and all, is mesmerizing to behold.
Solid list. I've actually started my Trails journey in early January and it's definitely an underrated gem. I didn't quite play them ALL in order, but I did the Sky trilogy, the two Cold Steels then reverted back to playing the Crossbell duology to fill in the missing pieces. It's genuinely fulfilling to see callbacks, returning characters, and a different perspective on the story. The Trails series would have never been on my suggested list because I had skipped out on it for so long, but I could proudly say it's definitely up there as one of the most fantastic story-telling JRPG's I've ever played.
Yeah, it’s really phenomenal. My play order was weird, too - pretty similar to you, except I didn’t go back and play Trails in the Sky the 3rd until after I’d played Cold Steel 1 & 2. Definitely a strange way to experience it, but I’ve gone back and played through everything again in series order, so I feel more or less like I’ve got it all straight.😅
The gane that came to mind right away for me was Valkyrie Profile... Also, If you're okay with fan translation patching scene, Nora and the Time Studio is a must play for the DS
Tales of Berseria is one of my all time favorite games let alone rpgs and velvet is easily my favorite protag of a rpg the story of the game and character development for her and the rest of party are all amazing but one thing i love is there is story beats that are handled in the side quests like they turn a mundane fetch quest into a interesting lore dump that answers a question you may have had but its not info needed to progress the plot what so ever so you don't learn it in main story (its the one where you help a kid dealing with same sickness as velvets brother) among many other things course there the dub acting of one character but that's not really worth complaining about seeing as they a side character anyways but that like the only thing i could complain about tbh i think the game does a near perfect job telling the story it was telling and adding info to the world also its fun playing it before the one its technically a prequal ta (i love the little node the anime gives to her but wish there was more interaction with berseria in anime form) anyways im not good at writing reviews if you could not tell lmao so ill just say that i could not give this game a higher recommendation i also refuse to ever spoil it as its a must play in my book and something you should experience at very least via a lets play or walkthrough but preferably first hand cause the game does not disappoint all the main and side content are so interesting and enjoyable every bit of the game is just fun to do/experience
Missed one. Have you ever played Valkyrie Profile? Lenneth is the primary protagonist of Valkyrie Profile, a recently awakened warrior-maiden and servant of Odin, who has been tasked with recruiting the einherjar to fight with the Æsir in their war against the Vanir and prevent the destruction of Asgard in Ragnarok. "Valkyrie Profile is a Norse-mythology-inspired game that focuses on the Valkyrie known as Lenneth, who is responsible for collecting the souls of dead warriors and helping them return to Valhalla, where they become Einherjar. Lenneth’s past is shrouded in mystery, especially with regards to her origins as a Valkyrie, though the game also focuses on the tales of the Einherjar that join her in battle. Through brief tales, you’ll get to experience emotional stories that tragically reflect on the circumstances behind each Einherjar’s death. Gameplay-wise, Valkyrie Profile is an action-oriented RPG where you can perform combos using Lenneth and her allies. However, beyond this battle system is also a complex management system in which you must train your allies adequately so that they can survive Valhalla and aid in the upcoming fight in Asgard. As far as female protagonists go, Lenneth will no doubt strike as a strong lady, who not only leads in battle, but is also resolved to fight for her ideals. Coupled with deep gameplay and a unique story structure, and there’s plenty to enjoy here."
Fun fact about Star Ocean 2. If you only play with Rena and Claude and don’t recruit any other party members there’s some otherwise confusing dialogue that makes a lot of sense when it’s just the 2 of them.
So I'm about 10 videos into your channel. Good stuff! We need more content like this in the "JRPG RUclips Space". I love the subtleties in your humor lol.
Yeah, very much so. The more recent Ys games have done a good job of having a character (or group of characters) be the “focal point” of the story, since Adol is more or less an empty avatar.
Yes, Sony does refer to it as the 'Cross' button. I've never heard a Westerner actually refer to it as that outside of situations like this though; we always call it 'X' which makes sense since that's a specific thing in English. One of my favorite girl-boss protags is Priere, from La Pucelle Tactics. She made me laugh out loud so many times! If I had never played LPT I probably wouldn't be as fond of the Disgaea series.
Just found your channel, i think blue reflection is one of the best games emotionally, it had such great character development and dealt with so many issues high school girls go through and i loved it so much.
Yeah, even though their experiences aren’t exactly the same as mine, I still felt a lot of overlap, especially on the emotional side, so it really resonated with me.
@@JustTheGems i still have to play the second one, the first one was the first game i completed a letsplay for so it holds a very special place in my heart. sadly, there was a lot of discourse on facebook and most my gamer groups wont allow talk about the game (cause some fanboys decided to do lewd art of 15yr olds and post it..) so i have noone to talk ot about it.
Square-Enix and tri-Ace product. First game was "Valkyrie Profile" on the PS1, and got a PSP port called "Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth" to set it up for the prequel coming after it called "Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria". Both had female protagonists but most of the cult following for the series seems to prefer the first game. It had a gorgeous but somber setting in Midgard, loosely based on Norse mythology, where you play as a Valkyrie named Lenneth, who is tasked by Odin with recruiting the souls of fallen warriors called "einherjar" to train and prepare for the apocalyptic battle of Ragnarok. The einherjar serve as party members in this game. The franchise has long been neglected by its creators, and we got a shallow homage to the originals with "Valkyrie Elysium" last year which I admittedly did not play because of the consensus of reviews. Maybe one day when it goes on sale. VP Lenneth is available as a port on android and iOS, and was packaged with Valkyrie Elysium last year (with delayed launch issues) I believe VP 2 Silmeria has not been ported yet and can only be played on PS2 to this day. There was a 3DS game called Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, which had a male protagonist largely unrelated to the past titles, and the titular character from the original VP1 is more of a background character. It's also a divisive title in the fandom, since many fans have been waiting for a Valkyrie Profile: Hrist for decades. Pros for VP1: -absolutely gorgeous story which has hit me in the feels in the past -soundtrack ❤️❤️ -one of the more unique combat styles, and no random battles; you see the enemies on the field and mostly control whether you fight them or not -cast of characters mostly coherent and tie into the world setting and plot nicely -handful of anime style cutscenes in the PS1 version, not alot though, wish there were more. The PSP ports and later replace those and add more with CGI style cutscenes Cons: -ports are based on the original japanese version of the ps1 game, instead of the american one that minor improvements like sorting your inventory -original ps1 version had a limited run and costs a collector's price on ebay, depending on condition -some of the sprite based cutscenes can take awhile before you can save (though i believe you can save anywhere in the mobile and PSN ports). The intro recruitment mission getting your first einherjar is at least a half an hour and cannot be skipped. -it's not intuitive how to get the multiple endings. Most casual players will end with ending B. You need to basically brute force your play to get ending c, and I don't know how any player would have gotten ending A without a walkthrough
Great list of Female Protagonists! I have played FFXIII and FFXIII 2 through and I liked both of them. And especially in FFXIII every character had to face their own fears and usually when this happens... there is Eidolon encounter..
It’s always cool when the developers incorporate gameplay elements with story elements like that, it takes a lot of thought and planning but when they pull it off, it’s fantastic.
I just subbed! Female gamer here... I have a hard time believing that 50/50 argument (I still think video games, especially console games, are predominantly for a male audience, played by a male audience) but I appreciate this video. FFVI was the last game I replayed and I looooved it all over again. I personally think Terra, Celes and Locke share the lead role, but I'm a big Locke fan.
If you count social media games, hidden object, and mobile puzzle games, the gender ratio is closer to 50/50, but in core games it's definitely male dominated with notable female dominated exceptions of point and click, puzzle, mystery, and farm/social sims. So it's true... but only if you use a definition of gamer that most gamers wouldn't recognize as a gamer. Of the core gaming, I do think JRPGs have a larger female audience than most genres, but it's not 50/50. It is getting closer though, and I think the adoption of manga by more and more western women is what's driving it, since very few western comics cater to women but Japanese and Korean manga/manwha have entire sections of the industry dedicated to female interests.
FFVI to me didn’t really feel like it had a specific lead role. It felt kind of like Game of Thrones casting where you had a bunch of characters with important stories. Terra and Celes were like the Danaerys and Sansa of FFVI in that light.
Would have been nice to have a few honorable mentions. Heck, some are just better then what's featured here (just my opinion of course). Phantasy Star (Alis), Wild Arms 3 (Virginia), Ys Origin (Yunica), Valkyre Profile (Lenneth), Persona 2 (Maya), Persona 3 (Kotone), and literally any Atelier game (Ryza most recently).
Im currently playing ffxiii for the first time! Square was onto something really special with thirteens world, but you can feel while playing its unfinished. Oh and eternal sonata is so underrated as a jrpg! It was one of the few games i had on xbox 360
Yeah, I agree. There's a lot of untapped potential, but even still, I enjoy the game and the world. And I need to go back to Eternal Sonata, I started it and got distracted, so I didn't get very far, but I was enjoying it up to that point.
Good List but I think Valkyrie Profile 2 Silmeria really would deserve to be on the list. It is an amazing game and has a pretty good story. As for the protagonist Alicia she seems simple at first glance but there is more about here which unfolds which progressing in the story
Great list but I'm surprised Ys Origin missed out. If you haven't played it and you like ARPGs you should give it a try. Also a shout out to Nier Automata.
Hey! great to see some Parasite EVE love. I didn't care much for the game back in the day myself, but luckily, a friend of mine bought it. Watching him play changed my mind, and I got to borrow his copy to play for myself once he was done with it =) I like to add a few JRPG games with female protagonists I like as well: Legend of Mana - You can select either a male or a female character. The gameplay is quite a bit different from the other games in the series, as you build the world around you as you go, but the music and combat in this game is great. Trials of Mana (or Seiken Densetsu 3 as I'm more familiar with calling it) - This is my favourite game of all time. The story is top-notch, and the pacing was the best I had seen in a JRPG at the time, followed by great (but nowadays seen as a bit clunky) combat. You can select your main character from 6 choices, and your 2 companions. There are 3 male and 3 female characters to choose from, and which you select as your main character and as companions changes the story, so there are 3 different endings with a lot of smaller variations depending on who your companions are. Personally, I love Riesz, an Amazonian warrior princess of the Wind Kingdom of Laurent, but Charlotte, the granddaughter of the Priest of Mana is also a great choice with a lot of silly stunts and heartwarming moments. The entire Atelier series - Personally I've only played Ryza and Ryza 2 myself, but as far as I know, all the games have a female protagonist. I just like the crafting in this game, it's really good, though the combat feels a bit generic, it's still solid, and the Ryza games at least had a good heartwarming story. A quick Google search told me that the Atelier Iris trilogy and Mana Khemia 1 of this series do not have a female protagonist, but the rest do =) Recettear - A fantastic little JRPG about being the owner of a shop in a fantasy world. You need to go dungeon diving to get the parts you need, and sometimes armour or weapons, that you then sell at your shop, and use the profit to pay off your debt, upgrade your storefront, and buy stuff from other vendors. It's technically a JRPG, but I've always thought of it more as a resource management game with JRPG elements, it's a great game nonetheless =)
Hey, I happen to like FF13. Lightening was awesome and the rest of the cast was pretty good too. To me, it was more Final Fantasy than FF15. I just prefer turn based combat to real time in my JRPGs. It's why I love the Trails series so much.
Ffx-2, I wouldn't say "ladies be shopping" I'd say it was 1000% an homage to magical girl animes like Sailor Moon, which you then mentioned in the next game
I love lightning😂 she's strong and really cool I just kinda wish she had better story than 13 and 13-2 or even returns. She had potential. Estelle is very strong but I just don't like her lol, but I appreciate having strong female characters in games. Would absolutely love to see even more in games to come. Thanks for this great video
Yeah, I really feel like they bit off more than they could chew with 13, and they didn't live up to Lightning's potential. Even still, I admit I enjoy it.
i just recently got into parasite eve for the first time, even though i've owned a copy for years. absolutely love it. i would love to see it remastered with some graphical updates and stuff. it also definitely has one of my favorite combat systems in any rpg. also big ups for mentioning x-2, another game i really enjoy.
it's mahou shoujo concept, not "ladies be shopping". for those who don't know, it means magical girl, like sailor moon, cardcaptor sakura, madoka magica, fate kaleid, etc. edit: or rwby, if you aren't into anime. no, I'm not particularly a fan of mahou shoujo (though I am a fan of cardcaptor sakura since I grew up watching it), I'm just a nerd who happens to know what it is. kinda ironic since after ffx2 you went right to a magical girl jrpg.
Milla is my favourite character in gaming both character- and gameplay-wise. Unlike most gods-incarnated-as-humans, she actually acts like a transcendental benevolent deity who is way above simple mortal problems. I find her very inspiring. Gameplaywise she's a super fluid and stylish aerial mage-knight hybrid, just a joy to play.
Oh yes, that's 100% true as well, I just have rarely encountered people who have anything good to say about Lightning myself, and I think that's a shame. But I'm glad there's discourse out there that's not so negative on her.
I've never subbed and liked faster after seeing you put Milla at #5 and Velvet at #4 You're very cool 😅 After seeing your #1, I'm definitely going to dive into trails of the sky, thanks!
Thanks! Those two Tales definitely rank among my favorites. And I hope you like Trails! If you try them, and you think of it, I'd love to hear your thoughts
I started Trails in the Sky a while back, and put it aside as other things came out I wanted to play. I definitely should go back and finish the first game at least lol.
Newly subscribed. Happy to find another Jrpg enthusiast. Personally I’d rank Estelle as my top protagonist overall male or female. I’d say some you missed a include 2B, Neptune, and you can take your pick from the Atelier series but I’d say Sophie was my personal favorite.
Oh, 2B for sure. I haven’t actually played any Neptunia yet, but I have one or two of them in the game room somewhere, so I intend to. And same with Atelier, I’ve really only played Rorona, but I own them all, so I’m gonna carve out some time to get into them. Thank you so much!
How come there aren't any games with Deer-Kin protagonists? It's really starting to offend me that us Deer-Kin never get our representation in JRPGs : ( I'm going to call kotaku. (just kiddin! haha if you are reading these words I hope something incredible happens to you tomorrow!)
Oh I feel just the opposite of what you said in the video description...women characters tend to be more interesting (I think)...I especially love the cute/quirky ones! There's just something so satifising seeing them kicking ass and taking names just as much if not more so! I mean, why settle for that boring ol' cliche of saving the princess when you can have the princess fighting right along side you (like in Dragon Quest 2)? Or even better still, why not have her play the starring role (first Phantasy Star)
@@JustTheGems I know, if it weren't for cute chicks in JRPGs we wouldn't have gems like these: ruclips.net/video/e9weQIax3tE/видео.html ruclips.net/video/QBur3JIm8ww/видео.html ruclips.net/video/J-Dkeqc6cXc/видео.html
As someone who is a huge FF fan, I love, love LOVED FFX-2. It was something fresh and new - seeing the world restore itself after it was saved. I loved it. More than X, tbh.
I love how most of these are either tales or final fantasy games. Pretty much all of which has something for people to like in them. Personally Tales of Berseria is up there as probably my favorite listed game (Next would be Xillia) mostly because the main ladies (and Man in Xillia) were kinda purpose built for my playstyle. Most tales games people have to "Grade Grind" for new game+. Berseria on the other hand... You need atound 9K Grade to get everything... I had 63K grade without grinding. Velvet just made me do unspeakable things in that game.
Hey Mr. Gems, just came across your video/channel. What can I say, I can't get enough of the RPG-gushing channels. 15 years ago, I never would have thought there'd be as many of us as there are. I quite like how poignant you are about typical character styles that trend in and out. Spot on with Lightning's standoffishness. I disagree only slightly about FF13, as I think it is a brilliant game, and I absolutely fell into its world, lore, and variations/evolution on the turn-based mechanics. Honestly, I love how they tweaked turn-based battle systems in FF12 and 13, perhaps attempting even back then to help it stay relevant and interesting in changing times. I will admit, I was initially confused and almost turned off during my initial attempt at playing. May I ask you, where did you get those large Chrono Trigger character pixel art boards you have in your background? I love them, and gotta have something like that the ol' collection.
Final Fantasy VII is anti-al bhed propaganda, likely created by someone with ties to Yevon. You have an evil Shinra, you have spheres galore, WEAPON may be an analogue to Sin, and when you get a game over, the screen shows a destroyed film reel showing that the moive is over. Also, there are no Ronso, Guado, Hypello, etc in FF7 and the story about the Spira folk boarding a rocket ship and going to a new planet that somehow also has Ancients and Jenova and stuff seems really ridiculous. Also, I subscribed but I want more musical intros, not less.
Persona 3 portable was my favorite game just because of the female protagonist, even tho she is a silent one. I also went back to ffxiii just recently to try to finally finish it, still crying how good the music is.
I’m hoping (probably in vain) that the Persona 3 remake will have the female protagonist as an option, because I never got the chance to play Portable. I mean, I could get it digitally now, but with the remake imminent, I don’t know if I should… And the music in FFXIII is 🔥
Thank you! And I’m only just starting to get into Fire Emblem, so I expect my faves to definitely be changing to incorporate some of those characters in the not-too-distant future!
Mitochondria do indeed have to do with cells! I have mitochondrial dysfunction in my body, that's how I know 😅 They basically power every cell so it's an important function.
Takahashi's magnum opus is xenogears which was also not exactly finished, i have my fingers in my ears and my eyes closed, if u were thinking about replying
I’m a big Trails stan after being introduced to the series by a friend a couple of years back. Estelle Bright isn’t the best female protagonist. No. She is the best protagonist I have ever enjoyed in any media male or female. Her personality, her character growth and her chemistry with the other (also incredible) characters really pushes her to the front to me. It’s still a shame that Nihon Falcom are still pretty niche even among JRPG fans and Trails is a huge time commitment but I feel that nothing has ever really been able to replicate the world building or intricate storytelling it has.
100% agreed. And it IS weird that Falcom is so niche, they're pretty much one of the OLDEST studios still in existence. But I guess they've made it work if they're still kicking after all this time.
It feels a bit awkward to count games like Tales of Xillia where there is both a male and female protagonist, especially considering that the Jude side is significantly more fleshed out than the Millia side. I love the game, but the femprotag aspect could have been handled so much better.
Let me tell you another RPG with female lead htat are great: 1 - Persona 2 eternal punishment: Great rpg with the possibility of befriending the monsters and obtaining materials /magic from them that we can use later, the story worked about the power of gossips becoming real and how people used them- i think 2 - Koudelka: "Shadow Hearts"'s PS1 prequel, with a history about spirits and possessions 3 - Wild Arms 3: The best wild arms of the series in my opinion, and even though Virginia Maxwell is the only female of the party, she is the leader of the group 4 - Transistor: from Supergiant Games, the team behind Hades and Bastion comes this strategy Rpg with only 1 playable Character, called Red, a singer that was marked for death by the Camerata(the antagonist) Even thoug she lost her voice after an assassination attemp you can hear her thoughts throughher sword that absorved her boyfriend mind after being impaled by it in order to save Red. The artstyle is amazing, the gameplay is great, everyskill you obtain when levelling up can become a 1 of the 4 attacks that you can use, or increase he power of other attacks and grnt them different effects.
I actually did, I think a couple months back or so, just a general game room walkthrough but i think most of my collection is visible. I'll also do the occasional collection vid for a specific console. Those are some of the most fun to make tbh. I appreciate you watching!
Scarlet Nexus. There is male and female protagonist, but I only finished Kasane story. Loved it. She is really well written and interesting character. Not another feminist girl boss ( I really hate modern western writing).
FF6 - if it was ever remade - should do like an ensemble cast TV show thing where you jump between different characters at different times for the whole game. Like if the best seasons of Game of Thrones were a jrpg
I'll admit, I do want xenosaga remade as what it was supposed to be, a six game story, or as 1 massive game like how xenoblade games are. The combat should not become xenoblades though.
Been awhile since I played any JRPGs, so the title of this video made me think for a second. Tbh I can't really come up with much. Xenosaga was about it. Most JRPG games, other than FF15, have mixed gender parties where none of the characters are really the main protagonist. Maybe in 27 minutes I'll know more, lol, EDIT: Well, out of these. I"ve played.. Star Ocean 2. FF10-2 FF13 (I wouldn't have considered Lightning the protagonist until 13-3, though I've also played that) Tales of Berseria Xenosaga And, I thought of a good one you missed while watching. Valkyrie Profile. If you're going to count Parasite eve as a JRPG, might as well count this as one. Amazing PS1 game imo. I have Blue Reflections on my steam wishlist, so maybe one of these days I'll be able to add it to my played list as well.
Yeah, I’m seeing several recommendations for Valkyrie Profile, so I’m going to have to give that a playthrough soon (I HAVE it, I just haven’t PLAYED it…😅)
As fair as I know, it is true that the split from male to female gamers is about 50/50, I don't think its anywhere near that for rpgs. I don't think it really matters, but if your going off purely marketing demographics, I don't think that pei slice is as big. Still like the list. I get the hate for FFX-2. I mean the story isn't there until the last 10% of the game or in new game plus and asking people to beat your entire game to get to the good bits is an...interesting choice. Still had one of the best combat systems out of any FF game. Highly disagreed with Shion though. I loved her in 1 but 2 made me hate her so much I never finished 3. She just felt mean spirited in that game and I didn't see much of a reason for it. I guess it's more because of who she is around but I mean her problems comapered to Jr. or Jin? I mean common.
Hi new Subscriber here. Blue Reflection Second Light is sitting at my favorite JRPG and I'd argue it's better then both Persona 4 and 5 in terms of story telling and OST. GUST just makes great games; finished both Nights Of Azure 1 and 2 less then a few weeks back and if people felt that Bayonetta 3 dropped the ball pick these up on sale.
You forgot ff7 and ff9. Both games have women that are the true MVPS. Without them, the story dosnt happen. I mean technically cloud and Aidan’s are the protagonists, but their overall actions rarely if ever make our heroes better nor do they carry authority. Tifa and aerith literally saved cloud, and aerith STOPPED the apocalypse even when she was dead. Garnett and eiko are the ones who can summon the magic to stop kuja. In fact they act more like sisters, and work together to stop evil. They both are of the same race and highlight the game’s theme of identity. And Garnett is a princess in the beginning and ultimately becomes queen.
The algorithm decided i should watch this video and i thought it was really good so I’ve subscribed. As a white male I’ve had enough representation for multiple lifetimes. I’m a huge fan of other demographics being represented. As a father of two girls i love seeing strong female protagonists that i can share with them.
Estelle Bright 🤩
RIGHT???
shes the best
BESTelle!!❤
Best Trail protagonist!
And best girl as well
True
Estelle Bright! The best written female protagonist in gaming history! Her character development is amazing!
And kudos for mentioning Celes Chere, she's the true leader of FF VI casts and she has her up and down in the game (that cliff scene tho).
Estelle is bestelle, for sure! And Celes needs more love, I agree, she deserves at least equal billing as an MC.
I’m extremely happy seeing Blue Reflection: Second Light in this list. I fell in love with just about everything in that game. Ao is especially endearing in her innocence and optimism all throughout and the whole game itself being analogous to a school “summer break” really hits home as we used to treat every summer vacation as an adventure as kids - something that never really happens to us any longer as adults.
Wholeheartedly agree! The entire experience was so great.
gust primarily makes games with female leads.
I’ve seen this game mentioned a few times and never really been sold on it, mainly due to its asthetics. But after this video I’m basically sold in giving it a try.
too bad the girl on your portrait didn't make the list
One could argue Lightning/Claire has legitimate reasons for her attitude and approach to life. Claire and Serah's parents died when they were both fairly young, so she had to grow up too fast and become the responsible older sibling that essentially protected and raised her younger sister, that's how "Lightning" came to be. It's essentially her "badass" persona, the part of her that can do anything, and doesn't need anyone else. This explains why she acts the way she does. It's a coping mechanism, a separate entity of her mind that she turns to in the face of adversity. But she overcomes the negative aspects of it throughout the story, turning instead into a leader who is not only reliable, but stronger for understanding she must rely on her companions as well. It also explains why her ultimate skill is called "Army of One."
Yeah, very true, and I wonder if people just didn’t stick around with the game long enough to learn that about her, because I do think it helps explain the WHY.
@@JustTheGems That aspect of Lightning is explored even more in Lightning Returns with the character of Lumina (who is actually *SPOILER* a part of Lightning's personality and is actually a young Claire and not Serah as first assumed) But honestly, I'm in a minority here, knowing these things and being willing to meet these games on their terms. Despite being with Final Fantasy from the very beginning, playing the first game at 7 years old back in 1990, my absolute favorite of all the games is actually the XIII Trilogy. My second is VI. I don't understand why I was able to connect with XIII and appreciate it for what it is trying to be, and not holding against it for the things that it is not. Linearity doesn't bother me, every FF game is linear to varying degrees. Not having towns full of NPCs to talk to is actually refreshing, as it allows you to keep the story progressing without (generally unnecessary) side conversations. And I appreciate not having to enter every single command for everyone in my party in battle. The strategy is still there without the hassle of constant micromanaging. But after years now of trying to defend XIII to fanboys and naysayers, I still don't fully understand what it is that is causing so much beef with this game. Most frequently, I find it to be people who are very (somewhat to a toxic degree) nostalgic for FF games to be exactly like their favorites from the past. X is the cutoff for a lot of people. They say that's the game that went too far from the "classic" formula of Final Fantasy. And yet the irony of FF7 Remake essentially using a retooling of the battle formula from XIII (many of the same programmers from both teams) is not lost on me at all. I also blame particular influencers within the video game zeitgeist that turned the game into a joke or a bit for views. In the end, maybe I'm the one who is seeing something that isn't there though, i.e. a good game. Who knows.
You feel cool about saying what I presume is Lightnings birth name?
@@Darcnhife What, you think it needs a SPOILER warning? I don't think that's spoiler information. Or are you implying I think I'm cool for saying it? I mentioned it specifically to note that "Lightning" is Claire's tough persona.
@@Darcnhife If you got a problem just say it, King. I'm always open to criticism.
Nice video! And yeah, Estelle is definitely number one!
Another great JRPG with female protagonists there are on my Top 10:
- Nier Automata (if you consider it as a JRPG) - 2B
- Drakengard 3 - Zero
- Wild Arms 3 - Virginia
- Valkyrie Profile - Lenneth
- Valkyrie Profile 2 - Alicia
- Valkyria Chronicles - Alicia (she is kinda the 2nd protagonist, but I think it counts)
- Shadow Hearts Covenant - Karin (kinda the 2nd protagonist too)
- Ys Origin - Yunica (one of the three protagonists)
- KH Birth by Sleep - Aqua (again, one of three protagonists)
If you take into account games where there is a choice of many characters, then the SaGa series is suitable: it's full of female protagonists. And here is Octopath Traveler, made in the same way.
Oh man, it’s really looking like I’ll need to do a part 2, there are even more than I realized.
Nier Automata is not really an rpg tho, it's an hack and slash with stats and equipment. Otherwise we should also consider Devil May Cry an rpg?
I really like displaying the games on the rotating disc, feels very unique for RUclips reviews.
Thanks! I wish I had one that's automatic, I have to turn it from beneath by hand...😅
8:46 "Ladies be shoppin'." 😂
Estelle Bright and Velvet Crowe are some of the best examples of well written female protagonists in not just JRPGs, but gaming in general.
My fav comes from my fav game, Eternal Sonata. This game also technically has 2 main chars, but I am going with Polka because she's the char you first start playing, but crux of the main story revolves around her and the other main protag- Frederic Chopin. Char is based around the real life composer and pianist and the whole game takes place inside of his 'head' while he's on his deathbed. Game gets really philosophical so some of the talk is not an easy follow, but it's my bread and butter. But yeah I love Polka, she actually fights with an umbrella is one of the main healers, but has great offensive moves (I always take her into the final battle since you get a lot of party members, but can only have 3 on the field). Music is off the charts and they do include Chopin's music into and all of the chapters are named after his works. Astra of the Heart is my fav song and it plays during the climax of the game and I cried the first time I saw that part.
I was really loving this game, but I hit a difficulty spike and got frustrated, and I haven't been back yet... But I really want to!
@@JustTheGems I am going to take a guess and say you had issues with that pirate caption, Dulce? For me she's the hardest boss in the game (side quests included). Up until the point, the bosses were fun challenges (and I am not counting the force failure boss). I never bother trying to counter, I just always block, like right before my turn ends for a certain char, I'll move away and make sure I am facing my foe. I always use special moves that build up my chain attacks.
@@Zodia195 Honestly, that doesn't ring a bell, so I probably didn't even get that far...😅💀
Estelle is one of my favorite protagonists of all time.
She's the best!
Sorry but Estelle is not just the best female JRPG protagonist but the best female protagonist of any game period. I just finished Trails in the Sky FC as a newcomer this week and the writing of her character, quirks and all, is mesmerizing to behold.
Yes!!
Solid list. I've actually started my Trails journey in early January and it's definitely an underrated gem. I didn't quite play them ALL in order, but I did the Sky trilogy, the two Cold Steels then reverted back to playing the Crossbell duology to fill in the missing pieces. It's genuinely fulfilling to see callbacks, returning characters, and a different perspective on the story. The Trails series would have never been on my suggested list because I had skipped out on it for so long, but I could proudly say it's definitely up there as one of the most fantastic story-telling JRPG's I've ever played.
Yeah, it’s really phenomenal. My play order was weird, too - pretty similar to you, except I didn’t go back and play Trails in the Sky the 3rd until after I’d played Cold Steel 1 & 2. Definitely a strange way to experience it, but I’ve gone back and played through everything again in series order, so I feel more or less like I’ve got it all straight.😅
The gane that came to mind right away for me was Valkyrie Profile...
Also, If you're okay with fan translation patching scene, Nora and the Time Studio is a must play for the DS
Hmm, I’ve never heard of Nora and the Time Studio, so I’m gonna look it up. Thank you!
Tales of Berseria is one of my all time favorite games let alone rpgs and velvet is easily my favorite protag of a rpg the story of the game and character development for her and the rest of party are all amazing but one thing i love is there is story beats that are handled in the side quests
like they turn a mundane fetch quest into a interesting lore dump that answers a question you may have had but its not info needed to progress the plot what so ever so you don't learn it in main story (its the one where you help a kid dealing with same sickness as velvets brother)
among many other things course there the dub acting of one character but that's not really worth complaining about seeing as they a side character anyways but that like the only thing i could complain about tbh i think the game does a near perfect job telling the story it was telling and adding info to the world also its fun playing it before the one its technically a prequal ta (i love the little node the anime gives to her but wish there was more interaction with berseria in anime form)
anyways im not good at writing reviews if you could not tell lmao so ill just say that i could not give this game a higher recommendation i also refuse to ever spoil it as its a must play in my book and something you should experience at very least via a lets play or walkthrough but preferably first hand
cause the game does not disappoint all the main and side content are so interesting and enjoyable every bit of the game is just fun to do/experience
Yeah, I'll fully agree here, if anyone hasn't played Tales of Berseria, you really should.
This is an awesome list! My favourite female protagonist is probably Virginia Maxwell (Wild Arms 3) 🥰
...Or myself in FFXIV. Hehe.
Virginia is the second-most recommended character from the comments, so I'm really looking forward to getting into some Wild Arms!
Missed one.
Have you ever played Valkyrie Profile?
Lenneth is the primary protagonist of Valkyrie Profile, a recently awakened warrior-maiden and servant of Odin, who has been tasked with recruiting the einherjar to fight with the Æsir in their war against the Vanir and prevent the destruction of Asgard in Ragnarok.
"Valkyrie Profile is a Norse-mythology-inspired game that focuses on the Valkyrie known as Lenneth, who is responsible for collecting the souls of dead warriors and helping them return to Valhalla, where they become Einherjar.
Lenneth’s past is shrouded in mystery, especially with regards to her origins as a Valkyrie, though the game also focuses on the tales of the Einherjar that join her in battle. Through brief tales, you’ll get to experience emotional stories that tragically reflect on the circumstances behind each Einherjar’s death.
Gameplay-wise, Valkyrie Profile is an action-oriented RPG where you can perform combos using Lenneth and her allies. However, beyond this battle system is also a complex management system in which you must train your allies adequately so that they can survive Valhalla and aid in the upcoming fight in Asgard.
As far as female protagonists go, Lenneth will no doubt strike as a strong lady, who not only leads in battle, but is also resolved to fight for her ideals. Coupled with deep gameplay and a unique story structure, and there’s plenty to enjoy here."
Based on all the recommendations I'm getting for Valkyrie Profile, I'm definitely moving it up on the must-play list!
Fun fact about Star Ocean 2. If you only play with Rena and Claude and don’t recruit any other party members there’s some otherwise confusing dialogue that makes a lot of sense when it’s just the 2 of them.
Interesting!!
So I'm about 10 videos into your channel. Good stuff! We need more content like this in the "JRPG RUclips Space". I love the subtleties in your humor lol.
Oh man, that means a lot, thank you!
Adol is the guy you play as, but the unambiguous main character of Ys 8 is Dana. Ys 8 is a banger.
Yeah, very much so. The more recent Ys games have done a good job of having a character (or group of characters) be the “focal point” of the story, since Adol is more or less an empty avatar.
Yes, Sony does refer to it as the 'Cross' button. I've never heard a Westerner actually refer to it as that outside of situations like this though; we always call it 'X' which makes sense since that's a specific thing in English.
One of my favorite girl-boss protags is Priere, from La Pucelle Tactics. She made me laugh out loud so many times! If I had never played LPT I probably wouldn't be as fond of the Disgaea series.
That's good to hear, I have La Pucelle Tactics and I haven't tried it out yet!
Just found your channel, i think blue reflection is one of the best games emotionally, it had such great character development and dealt with so many issues high school girls go through and i loved it so much.
Yeah, even though their experiences aren’t exactly the same as mine, I still felt a lot of overlap, especially on the emotional side, so it really resonated with me.
@@JustTheGems i still have to play the second one, the first one was the first game i completed a letsplay for so it holds a very special place in my heart. sadly, there was a lot of discourse on facebook and most my gamer groups wont allow talk about the game (cause some fanboys decided to do lewd art of 15yr olds and post it..) so i have noone to talk ot about it.
Liked and subbed after the funny musical intro :). Thank you for the nice list and breakdown of the games
Haha, thank you!
The disrespect to Lenneth in Valkyrie Profile.
Not super familiar! Is it good, I'm assuming?
Square-Enix and tri-Ace product.
First game was "Valkyrie Profile" on the PS1, and got a PSP port called "Valkyrie Profile: Lenneth" to set it up for the prequel coming after it called "Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria".
Both had female protagonists but most of the cult following for the series seems to prefer the first game. It had a gorgeous but somber setting in Midgard, loosely based on Norse mythology, where you play as a Valkyrie named Lenneth, who is tasked by Odin with recruiting the souls of fallen warriors called "einherjar" to train and prepare for the apocalyptic battle of Ragnarok. The einherjar serve as party members in this game.
The franchise has long been neglected by its creators, and we got a shallow homage to the originals with "Valkyrie Elysium" last year which I admittedly did not play because of the consensus of reviews. Maybe one day when it goes on sale.
VP Lenneth is available as a port on android and iOS, and was packaged with Valkyrie Elysium last year (with delayed launch issues)
I believe VP 2 Silmeria has not been ported yet and can only be played on PS2 to this day.
There was a 3DS game called Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, which had a male protagonist largely unrelated to the past titles, and the titular character from the original VP1 is more of a background character. It's also a divisive title in the fandom, since many fans have been waiting for a Valkyrie Profile: Hrist for decades.
Pros for VP1:
-absolutely gorgeous story which has hit me in the feels in the past
-soundtrack ❤️❤️
-one of the more unique combat styles, and no random battles; you see the enemies on the field and mostly control whether you fight them or not
-cast of characters mostly coherent and tie into the world setting and plot nicely
-handful of anime style cutscenes in the PS1 version, not alot though, wish there were more. The PSP ports and later replace those and add more with CGI style cutscenes
Cons:
-ports are based on the original japanese version of the ps1 game, instead of the american one that minor improvements like sorting your inventory
-original ps1 version had a limited run and costs a collector's price on ebay, depending on condition
-some of the sprite based cutscenes can take awhile before you can save (though i believe you can save anywhere in the mobile and PSN ports). The intro recruitment mission getting your first einherjar is at least a half an hour and cannot be skipped.
-it's not intuitive how to get the multiple endings. Most casual players will end with ending B. You need to basically brute force your play to get ending c, and I don't know how any player would have gotten ending A without a walkthrough
"I mean hours, not the critical path" -- you're speaking to my soul, brother
Haha I figured this would be an experience that resonated with some people😅
Good job man, you gained one sub. The intro song made me rolf
Haha thanks! I was hoping people would get a laugh at that 😂
Great list of Female Protagonists! I have played FFXIII and FFXIII 2 through and I liked both of them. And especially in FFXIII every character had to face their own fears and usually when this happens... there is Eidolon encounter..
It’s always cool when the developers incorporate gameplay elements with story elements like that, it takes a lot of thought and planning but when they pull it off, it’s fantastic.
Wow loved this. Great channel dude!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you!
CONGRATS ON 1K!!
Thank you!!
Loved the vídeo, really fun. Just subscribed
Thank you, I really appreciate it!!
I just subbed! Female gamer here... I have a hard time believing that 50/50 argument (I still think video games, especially console games, are predominantly for a male audience, played by a male audience) but I appreciate this video. FFVI was the last game I replayed and I looooved it all over again. I personally think Terra, Celes and Locke share the lead role, but I'm a big Locke fan.
If you count social media games, hidden object, and mobile puzzle games, the gender ratio is closer to 50/50, but in core games it's definitely male dominated with notable female dominated exceptions of point and click, puzzle, mystery, and farm/social sims. So it's true... but only if you use a definition of gamer that most gamers wouldn't recognize as a gamer.
Of the core gaming, I do think JRPGs have a larger female audience than most genres, but it's not 50/50. It is getting closer though, and I think the adoption of manga by more and more western women is what's driving it, since very few western comics cater to women but Japanese and Korean manga/manwha have entire sections of the industry dedicated to female interests.
Thank you, I really appreciate that. FFVI is so great, it was actually really formative for me. I definitely loved Locke too. 🤩
FFVI to me didn’t really feel like it had a specific lead role. It felt kind of like Game of Thrones casting where you had a bunch of characters with important stories. Terra and Celes were like the Danaerys and Sansa of FFVI in that light.
Would have been nice to have a few honorable mentions. Heck, some are just better then what's featured here (just my opinion of course). Phantasy Star (Alis), Wild Arms 3 (Virginia), Ys Origin (Yunica), Valkyre Profile (Lenneth), Persona 2 (Maya), Persona 3 (Kotone), and literally any Atelier game (Ryza most recently).
With all the recommendations I'm getting, I may just have to do a full-on part 2
Im currently playing ffxiii for the first time! Square was onto something really special with thirteens world, but you can feel while playing its unfinished.
Oh and eternal sonata is so underrated as a jrpg! It was one of the few games i had on xbox 360
Yeah, I agree. There's a lot of untapped potential, but even still, I enjoy the game and the world. And I need to go back to Eternal Sonata, I started it and got distracted, so I didn't get very far, but I was enjoying it up to that point.
21:08 Kefka may be the best FF villain (to date) but, (IMO) the best antagonist goes to a certain finger snapping/hand waving character in FFXIV.
See, this is why I need to just bite the bullet and start FFXIV… I’m afraid it’ll take over my life, but…
Good List but I think Valkyrie Profile 2 Silmeria really would deserve to be on the list. It is an amazing game and has a pretty good story. As for the protagonist Alicia she seems simple at first glance but there is more about here which unfolds which progressing in the story
I'll check it out! I'm eager to try those games now.
@@JustTheGems add Koudelka mc as well,really loved the aesthetic of the games
Great list but I'm surprised Ys Origin missed out. If you haven't played it and you like ARPGs you should give it a try. Also a shout out to Nier Automata.
I’m feeling immense guilt at having forgotten about Ys Origin. I LOVED that game, and Yunica was my favorite character.
Haha "Returners"
That game has been with me so long that I never had the anthropological distance to really think about this
Until I sat down to come up with this video, I hadn’t thought about it either😅
Love this
Also are those chrono trigger action figures or drawings behind you? Where did you get them
My wife made those actually! Out of pearler beads.
wish i can play trails i love the series but i don't have any old consoles to play it
Do you have a PC? They should be available on Steam!
@@JustTheGems no can't use steam sadly
Hey! great to see some Parasite EVE love. I didn't care much for the game back in the day myself, but luckily, a friend of mine bought it. Watching him play changed my mind, and I got to borrow his copy to play for myself once he was done with it =)
I like to add a few JRPG games with female protagonists I like as well:
Legend of Mana - You can select either a male or a female character. The gameplay is quite a bit different from the other games in the series, as you build the world around you as you go, but the music and combat in this game is great.
Trials of Mana (or Seiken Densetsu 3 as I'm more familiar with calling it) - This is my favourite game of all time. The story is top-notch, and the pacing was the best I had seen in a JRPG at the time, followed by great (but nowadays seen as a bit clunky) combat. You can select your main character from 6 choices, and your 2 companions. There are 3 male and 3 female characters to choose from, and which you select as your main character and as companions changes the story, so there are 3 different endings with a lot of smaller variations depending on who your companions are. Personally, I love Riesz, an Amazonian warrior princess of the Wind Kingdom of Laurent, but Charlotte, the granddaughter of the Priest of Mana is also a great choice with a lot of silly stunts and heartwarming moments.
The entire Atelier series - Personally I've only played Ryza and Ryza 2 myself, but as far as I know, all the games have a female protagonist. I just like the crafting in this game, it's really good, though the combat feels a bit generic, it's still solid, and the Ryza games at least had a good heartwarming story.
A quick Google search told me that the Atelier Iris trilogy and Mana Khemia 1 of this series do not have a female protagonist, but the rest do =)
Recettear - A fantastic little JRPG about being the owner of a shop in a fantasy world. You need to go dungeon diving to get the parts you need, and sometimes armour or weapons, that you then sell at your shop, and use the profit to pay off your debt, upgrade your storefront, and buy stuff from other vendors. It's technically a JRPG, but I've always thought of it more as a resource management game with JRPG elements, it's a great game nonetheless =)
Excellent recs, thank you!!
a list starting with star ocean (the first many players play in the series) with lightning (my favorite character on all rpg) and estelle? sign me in
Heck yes!😎
The atelier series is brilliant!
I’m looking forward to digging into them, I think I own them all now so it’s just a matter of time!
Hey, I happen to like FF13. Lightening was awesome and the rest of the cast was pretty good too. To me, it was more Final Fantasy than FF15. I just prefer turn based combat to real time in my JRPGs. It's why I love the Trails series so much.
As much as I enjoy a good action-based combat system, I think I agree - I’m all about turn-based.
Ffx-2, I wouldn't say "ladies be shopping" I'd say it was 1000% an homage to magical girl animes like Sailor Moon, which you then mentioned in the next game
I love lightning😂 she's strong and really cool I just kinda wish she had better story than 13 and 13-2 or even returns. She had potential.
Estelle is very strong but I just don't like her lol, but I appreciate having strong female characters in games. Would absolutely love to see even more in games to come. Thanks for this great video
Yeah, I really feel like they bit off more than they could chew with 13, and they didn't live up to Lightning's potential. Even still, I admit I enjoy it.
i just recently got into parasite eve for the first time, even though i've owned a copy for years. absolutely love it. i would love to see it remastered with some graphical updates and stuff. it also definitely has one of my favorite combat systems in any rpg. also big ups for mentioning x-2, another game i really enjoy.
it's mahou shoujo concept, not "ladies be shopping".
for those who don't know, it means magical girl, like sailor moon, cardcaptor sakura, madoka magica, fate kaleid, etc. edit: or rwby, if you aren't into anime.
no, I'm not particularly a fan of mahou shoujo (though I am a fan of cardcaptor sakura since I grew up watching it), I'm just a nerd who happens to know what it is.
kinda ironic since after ffx2 you went right to a magical girl jrpg.
Haha I was just making a joke, I grew up on shows like Sailor Moon, and Madoka is one of my favorites
Wild Arms 3 - Virginia Maxwell
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
Threads of Fate - Princess Mint
Oh man, I need to play all three of those! (And I need to pick up Threads of Fate, pretty sure I have the other two.)
@@JustTheGems Princess Mint is hilarious character: selfish, lazy, impudent, greedy, and wants to take over the world XD
This is a great video!
Thank you!
Love the concept for this video! 🎉 This is awesome
Glad you liked it!!
Milla is my favourite character in gaming both character- and gameplay-wise. Unlike most gods-incarnated-as-humans, she actually acts like a transcendental benevolent deity who is way above simple mortal problems. I find her very inspiring. Gameplaywise she's a super fluid and stylish aerial mage-knight hybrid, just a joy to play.
Totally agree, her characterization is spot on
'I personally got a lot of enjoyment from playing [Tales of] Zesteria..." Words not often spoken on the Internet. :)
I'm edgy! 😎😂
Lightning was liked as a character, it's more things like going in a line and not being able to explore at the start that irritate alot of gamers.
Oh yes, that's 100% true as well, I just have rarely encountered people who have anything good to say about Lightning myself, and I think that's a shame. But I'm glad there's discourse out there that's not so negative on her.
First thought when i saw the title was Shion, glad she made the list
I've never subbed and liked faster after seeing you put Milla at #5 and Velvet at #4
You're very cool 😅
After seeing your #1, I'm definitely going to dive into trails of the sky, thanks!
Thanks! Those two Tales definitely rank among my favorites. And I hope you like Trails! If you try them, and you think of it, I'd love to hear your thoughts
@@JustTheGems That's so cool actually 😅
Also...sounds like a plan once I try them out 😎
Happy to see Estelle up at the top, she deserves more appreciation. But where's 2B (and A2) of Nier Automata?
Very good point. If/when I do a part 2 they’ll DEFINITELY make an appearance
Good to see Star Ocean 2 here. One of my favorite jrpgs of all time.
It's a classic
When Estelle appeared in Trails of Cold Steel I was so happy
I know, right?! It was a real, like, Avengers moment having her and everyone all together.
Xenosaga is a great series and my favorite character is KOS-MOS because she's iconic!
KOS-MOS is fantastic!
I started Trails in the Sky a while back, and put it aside as other things came out I wanted to play. I definitely should go back and finish the first game at least lol.
I HIGHLY recommend it - and if you do, let me know what you think of it!
Exelent content! Keep it up
Thank you so much!
Newly subscribed. Happy to find another Jrpg enthusiast. Personally I’d rank Estelle as my top protagonist overall male or female. I’d say some you missed a include 2B, Neptune, and you can take your pick from the Atelier series but I’d say Sophie was my personal favorite.
Oh, 2B for sure. I haven’t actually played any Neptunia yet, but I have one or two of them in the game room somewhere, so I intend to. And same with Atelier, I’ve really only played Rorona, but I own them all, so I’m gonna carve out some time to get into them. Thank you so much!
How come there aren't any games with Deer-Kin protagonists? It's really starting to offend me that us Deer-Kin never get our representation in JRPGs : (
I'm going to call kotaku.
(just kiddin! haha if you are reading these words I hope something incredible happens to you tomorrow!)
Oh I feel just the opposite of what you said in the video description...women characters tend to be more interesting (I think)...I especially love the cute/quirky ones! There's just something so satifising seeing them kicking ass and taking names just as much if not more so!
I mean, why settle for that boring ol' cliche of saving the princess when you can have the princess fighting right along side you (like in Dragon Quest 2)? Or even better still, why not have her play the starring role (first Phantasy Star)
I think my description was worded weirdly, so I edited it. I feel the same way you do, for sure!
@@JustTheGems I know, if it weren't for cute chicks in JRPGs we wouldn't have gems like these:
ruclips.net/video/e9weQIax3tE/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/QBur3JIm8ww/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/J-Dkeqc6cXc/видео.html
Bit of a tangent but I'll never forgive NISA for making Bestelle say "holy crappoli"
Haha I forgot about that!
As someone who is a huge FF fan, I love, love LOVED FFX-2. It was something fresh and new - seeing the world restore itself after it was saved. I loved it. More than X, tbh.
I was so hyped for it, and I was ultimately pleased with how it turned out.
I love how most of these are either tales or final fantasy games. Pretty much all of which has something for people to like in them. Personally Tales of Berseria is up there as probably my favorite listed game (Next would be Xillia) mostly because the main ladies (and Man in Xillia) were kinda purpose built for my playstyle. Most tales games people have to "Grade Grind" for new game+. Berseria on the other hand... You need atound 9K Grade to get everything... I had 63K grade without grinding. Velvet just made me do unspeakable things in that game.
Haha yeah, playing through a bit of Berseria to grab footage really made me want to play it again... But my backlog is so huge.😩
I can't take seriously a list without the first Japanese RPG with a female main character, Phantasy Star.
First. But best?
Hey Mr. Gems, just came across your video/channel. What can I say, I can't get enough of the RPG-gushing channels. 15 years ago, I never would have thought there'd be as many of us as there are.
I quite like how poignant you are about typical character styles that trend in and out. Spot on with Lightning's standoffishness. I disagree only slightly about FF13, as I think it is a brilliant game, and I absolutely fell into its world, lore, and variations/evolution on the turn-based mechanics. Honestly, I love how they tweaked turn-based battle systems in FF12 and 13, perhaps attempting even back then to help it stay relevant and interesting in changing times. I will admit, I was initially confused and almost turned off during my initial attempt at playing.
May I ask you, where did you get those large Chrono Trigger character pixel art boards you have in your background? I love them, and gotta have something like that the ol' collection.
Oh, those CT characters are all made from perler beads, my wife made them for me! I love them!
And yeah, the JRPG space on RUclips has really exploded. It's a pretty great time to be a fan
Final Fantasy VII is anti-al bhed propaganda, likely created by someone with ties to Yevon. You have an evil Shinra, you have spheres galore, WEAPON may be an analogue to Sin, and when you get a game over, the screen shows a destroyed film reel showing that the moive is over. Also, there are no Ronso, Guado, Hypello, etc in FF7 and the story about the Spira folk boarding a rocket ship and going to a new planet that somehow also has Ancients and Jenova and stuff seems really ridiculous.
Also, I subscribed but I want more musical intros, not less.
That’s actually a pretty great theory - and thanks for subscribing! I just might do more embarrassing singing, we’ll see…😂
Great list! If I could add one title it would be Eternal Sonata for Xbox 360/PS3. That was a nice game
Yes! Polka is a great character, too!
Persona 3 portable was my favorite game just because of the female protagonist, even tho she is a silent one. I also went back to ffxiii just recently to try to finally finish it, still crying how good the music is.
I’m hoping (probably in vain) that the Persona 3 remake will have the female protagonist as an option, because I never got the chance to play Portable. I mean, I could get it digitally now, but with the remake imminent, I don’t know if I should… And the music in FFXIII is 🔥
You're going to hit it big sometime soon, Brandon! And keep singing.
But you dork left out Lyn from Fire Emblem. How? 😉😘
Thank you! And I’m only just starting to get into Fire Emblem, so I expect my faves to definitely be changing to incorporate some of those characters in the not-too-distant future!
Pretty sure it's the first RPG with a female protagonist and that's the original Phantasy Star on the Sega Master System.
"What can I do for you?"
Mitochondria do indeed have to do with cells! I have mitochondrial dysfunction in my body, that's how I know 😅 They basically power every cell so it's an important function.
Okay, glad I wasn’t just making stuff up! 😅 Thank you!!
You missed a basketball reference.
The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell
Takahashi's magnum opus is xenogears which was also not exactly finished, i have my fingers in my ears and my eyes closed, if u were thinking about replying
I’m a big Trails stan after being introduced to the series by a friend a couple of years back. Estelle Bright isn’t the best female protagonist. No. She is the best protagonist I have ever enjoyed in any media male or female. Her personality, her character growth and her chemistry with the other (also incredible) characters really pushes her to the front to me.
It’s still a shame that Nihon Falcom are still pretty niche even among JRPG fans and Trails is a huge time commitment but I feel that nothing has ever really been able to replicate the world building or intricate storytelling it has.
100% agreed. And it IS weird that Falcom is so niche, they're pretty much one of the OLDEST studios still in existence. But I guess they've made it work if they're still kicking after all this time.
It feels a bit awkward to count games like Tales of Xillia where there is both a male and female protagonist, especially considering that the Jude side is significantly more fleshed out than the Millia side. I love the game, but the femprotag aspect could have been handled so much better.
I think I only played through it as Milla, so I don't have first-hand experience with Jude's route. But that's good to know, thank you!
Final fantasy 13! YES! THANK YOU!
Let me tell you another RPG with female lead htat are great:
1 - Persona 2 eternal punishment:
Great rpg with the possibility of befriending the monsters and obtaining materials /magic from them that we can use later, the story worked about the power of gossips becoming real and how people used them- i think
2 - Koudelka:
"Shadow Hearts"'s PS1 prequel, with a history about spirits and possessions
3 - Wild Arms 3:
The best wild arms of the series in my opinion, and even though Virginia Maxwell is the only female of the party, she is the leader of the group
4 - Transistor:
from Supergiant Games, the team behind Hades and Bastion comes this strategy Rpg with only 1 playable Character, called Red, a singer that was marked for death by the Camerata(the antagonist) Even thoug she lost her voice after an assassination attemp you can hear her thoughts throughher sword that absorved her boyfriend mind after being impaled by it in order to save Red. The artstyle is amazing, the gameplay is great, everyskill you obtain when levelling up can become a 1 of the 4 attacks that you can use, or increase he power of other attacks and grnt them different effects.
Excellent list, and you know, I loved Transistor, but I forgot to include it - It’s been too long since I played it!
Dood Agreed! Kefka is the BEST FF villain. great content keep up the good work
Thank you!!
Do a collection video and show us what you got! Haha
I actually did, I think a couple months back or so, just a general game room walkthrough but i think most of my collection is visible. I'll also do the occasional collection vid for a specific console. Those are some of the most fun to make tbh. I appreciate you watching!
@@JustTheGems oh I will hunt for the video. Keep it up
It's a crime the original Phantasy Star isn't on this list.
I get that, and I've played Phantasy Star, but she just didn't quite make the cut for me this time. Maybe in a future video though!
I don't know which is worse resistance group name,
RETURNER, or AVALANCHE
😂
Maybe that’s why they just called the rebel group in FF12 “the resistance”. 😂
Scarlet Nexus. There is male and female protagonist, but I only finished Kasane story. Loved it. She is really well written and interesting character. Not another feminist girl boss ( I really hate modern western writing).
I have Scarlet Nexus, I just haven't played it yet - I'm definitely going to though
many more people should try out the Trails Series especially the first 2
100% agree
Gonna list:
- The Atelier Series
- Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure
And Recetear
Ooh yeah, nice pulls!
FF6 - if it was ever remade - should do like an ensemble cast TV show thing where you jump between different characters at different times for the whole game. Like if the best seasons of Game of Thrones were a jrpg
I'd LOVE to see that.
I'll admit, I do want xenosaga remade as what it was supposed to be, a six game story, or as 1 massive game like how xenoblade games are. The combat should not become xenoblades though.
Been awhile since I played any JRPGs, so the title of this video made me think for a second. Tbh I can't really come up with much. Xenosaga was about it. Most JRPG games, other than FF15, have mixed gender parties where none of the characters are really the main protagonist. Maybe in 27 minutes I'll know more, lol,
EDIT: Well, out of these. I"ve played..
Star Ocean 2.
FF10-2
FF13 (I wouldn't have considered Lightning the protagonist until 13-3, though I've also played that)
Tales of Berseria
Xenosaga
And, I thought of a good one you missed while watching.
Valkyrie Profile. If you're going to count Parasite eve as a JRPG, might as well count this as one. Amazing PS1 game imo.
I have Blue Reflections on my steam wishlist, so maybe one of these days I'll be able to add it to my played list as well.
Yeah, I’m seeing several recommendations for Valkyrie Profile, so I’m going to have to give that a playthrough soon (I HAVE it, I just haven’t PLAYED it…😅)
As fair as I know, it is true that the split from male to female gamers is about 50/50, I don't think its anywhere near that for rpgs. I don't think it really matters, but if your going off purely marketing demographics, I don't think that pei slice is as big.
Still like the list. I get the hate for FFX-2. I mean the story isn't there until the last 10% of the game or in new game plus and asking people to beat your entire game to get to the good bits is an...interesting choice. Still had one of the best combat systems out of any FF game.
Highly disagreed with Shion though. I loved her in 1 but 2 made me hate her so much I never finished 3. She just felt mean spirited in that game and I didn't see much of a reason for it. I guess it's more because of who she is around but I mean her problems comapered to Jr. or Jin? I mean common.
Yeah, usually the gameplay takes a backseat in my mind, but X-2's gameplay really worked for me.
Hi new Subscriber here. Blue Reflection Second Light is sitting at my favorite JRPG and I'd argue it's better then both Persona 4 and 5 in terms of story telling and OST. GUST just makes great games; finished both Nights Of Azure 1 and 2 less then a few weeks back and if people felt that Bayonetta 3 dropped the ball pick these up on sale.
Absolutely!
LOL love the intro song too 🤭😂
Lol thanks. I was like, this is gonna make everyone just immediately close the video, isn't it? ... But I did it anyway. 😅
You forgot ff7 and ff9. Both games have women that are the true MVPS. Without them, the story dosnt happen. I mean technically cloud and Aidan’s are the protagonists, but their overall actions rarely if ever make our heroes better nor do they carry authority. Tifa and aerith literally saved cloud, and aerith STOPPED the apocalypse even when she was dead. Garnett and eiko are the ones who can summon the magic to stop kuja. In fact they act more like sisters, and work together to stop evil. They both are of the same race and highlight the game’s theme of identity. And Garnett is a princess in the beginning and ultimately becomes queen.
Yeah, the ladies of 7 and 9 in particular are extremely vital to the story, more so than most of the other characters
Finally Shion getting some love
Shion is the best
The algorithm decided i should watch this video and i thought it was really good so I’ve subscribed.
As a white male I’ve had enough representation for multiple lifetimes. I’m a huge fan of other demographics being represented. As a father of two girls i love seeing strong female protagonists that i can share with them.
Yeah, absolutely! There are a ton of interesting stories to tell and you can use so many different kinds of people to tell them.
Where Soul hackers 2, Persona 2 and Persona 3, Neptunia, Atelier, Cristales, Crystar, Folklore. Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time, Jack Move?
I can certainly vouch for Crystar, but I don't have much (or any) experience with the others. I do own a few of them though, so one day!
yeah no brainer for the #1
Estelle is a pretty awesome character regardless of gender