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Summary
IfJRPGsdidn’t have engaging stories, the genre would have died out.
Not every JRPG has a feel-good ending.
There’s no way you would spend 40 to 50 hours with these characters if you didn’t care.
Here are some JRPG lines that have stuck with us the most.
10You Dont Need To Save The World To Find Meaning In Life.
Sometimes All You Need Is Something Simple, Like Someone To Take Care Of.
Aigis, Persona 3 Reload
Persona 3 Reload is ahigh school JRPG.
The characters are teenagers: they’re not wise enough to have all the answers.
In fact, they’re not wise enough to know they’ll never have them.
But to their credit, they’re also not cynical enough to dismiss any potential solutions outright.
Aigis is your last and most steadfast companion in the game.
Her body may be a machine, but her heart is human.
Just because your actions have no impact on the world at large doesn’t make them meaningless.
To the person you care for, they mean the world.
8"My Friends Are My Power!"
As long as Sora’s allies are by him, he will not be lost.
7"An Adventurer’s As Free As The Wind."
6"The Most Violent Waves Lay Bare A Man’s Worth The Fastest."
Many of them have little combat experience except some basic training in school.
Go to war in the Valkyria Chronicles series.
The protagonist Avan Hardins becomes a cadet to look for his missing elder brother, Leon.
5Impossible Is Just A Word People Use To Make Themselves Feel Better When They Quit.
It is a turn-based JRPG where you travel the world to collect six crystals before beating the villain.
However, ask anyone who’s played it: thisunderappreciated titleis one of the most magical journeys ever.
It captures the spirit of adventure in a way even modern open-world games often can’t.
Vyse is the frontrunner of his band of sky pirates.
4Its OK Not to Feel Whole.
Even if You Only Feel Partly Complete, If You Repeat That Enough, Eventually Itll Be Whole.
A Part Is Better Than Zero.
But beyond its Square pedigree and beautiful artwork, Xenogears has distinguished itself for having actual literary merit.
This quote, spoken by Elly in Chapter 25, shows why.
When Fei tells her that he always feels the need to be needed, she responds with this quote.
Xenogears came out in 1998, when mental health discussion was all but non-existent.
To see such profound dialogue in a game from that era sums up the genre’s appeal.
3If You Believe In The Goal You Are Striving For, You Will Be Courageous.
There Are Many Difficult Times Ahead, But You Must Keep Your Sense Of Humour.
Coffee, Earthbound
Earthbound is one of the most beloved JRPGs of all time for a reason.
These Super Nintendo classics are the absolute cream of the crop on the Nintendo Switch Online service.
2"The World Ends With You.
If You Want To Enjoy Life, Expand Your World."
The World Ends With You’s protagonist, Neku, is a social isolationist.
Neku eventually meets his hero, who turns out to be coffee shop owner Hanekoma.
When Hanekoma gives him this advice, it’s an epiphany.
The game’s title finally makes sense.
And heavy-handed though it may be, it’s a lesson worth applying to real life.
1"Ill Be Waiting for You.
If You Come Here, Youll Find Me.
In the time since Final Fantasy 8 came out, a lot has changed.
JRPGs have changed, with every other title these days having a dating sim mechanic tacked on.
The internet has changed: a lot gets lost in the urge to be ironic rather than sincere.
Yet if you go back just 15 years, you’d see this quote in countless forum signatures.
Final Fantasy 8’s love story between Squall and Rinoa resonated deeply with audiences.
Many people wanted to be able to say this to their own Squall or Rinoa.
And for an entire generation that grew up playing the game, it was a defining experience.
